Iraq
Iraq: cultural cleansing in Mosul
The ISIS militants that have seized Mosul are engaged in a campaign of cultural cleansing—targeting not only the citiy's inhabitants, but its artistic and historical treasures.
Tag: politics of cyberspace
Greater Middle East
Top Kuwait court jails activist over Twitter posts
Kuwait's Supreme Court upheld the two-year prison sentence of opposition activist Hejab al-Hajeri for writing tweets found to be offensive to the country's emir.
Greater Middle East
Egypt: activist sentenced to 15 years in prison
An Egyptian court sentenced Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent activist from the 2011 revolution, to 15 years in prison for organizing an unsanctioned protest last year.
East Asia
Tiananmen Square: futility of revisionism
The hyper-security in Tiananmen Square on the 25th anniversary of the 1989 massacre speaks to well-grounded fear of a social explosion on the part of China's rulers.
Iran
Iran: online revolt against hijab
Iranian women by the thousands are posting their photos without a hijab on a Facebook page called My Stealthy Freedom, created by London-based Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad.
The Caribbean
Cuba: four Miami residents arrested as terrorists
The US has again listed Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism, while Cuba charges that Miami-based terrorists are continuing to plot against the island.
Watching the Shadows
Benghazigate and Internet freedom
The provocateur video that supposedly incited the Benghazi attack is at the center of a persistent news story—but we can't see it, because the Ninth Circuit ordered it suppressed.
East Asia
China detains rights lawyer ahead of 6-4
Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was detained on charges of "causing a disturbance" after attending a meeting to urge an investigation into the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Europe
Cold War time warp in Ukraine coverage
While claiming to withdraw troops from Ukriane's borders, Russia conducted military maneuvers that included nuclear missile tests—as NATO sends a special delegation to Kiev.
Europe
Russia: parliament approves bills restricting Internet
Russia's upper house of parliament approved a set of bills that apply new restrictions on the Internet and blogging, a move widely criticized by pro-democracy activists.
Mexico
Mexico: thousands protest ‘Televisa law’
A proposed telecommunications law in Mexico is supposed to undercut monopolies and provide for free expression; opponents say it will do the opposite, and are mobilizaing.
Watching the Shadows
Net neutrality and the extinction of journalism
The end of "net neutrality," now broached by the FCC, portends an "enclosure" of the Internet—and the marginalization of all perspectives not officially approved.