North Africa
Tunisia: feminist, rapper icons for left opposition
Amid growing protests, Femen activist Amina Sboui and rapper "Weld El 15"—both facing criminal charges—have become heroes for Tunisia's secular opposition.
Tag: politics of cyberspace
Greater Middle East
Kuwait court acquits politicians of insulting leader
A court in Kuwait overturned the criminal convictions of three ex-parliament members for criticizing the nation’s leader, Emir Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, at a protest.
Greater Middle East
Egypt: blogger jailed for insulting Morsi released
Egyptian blogger Ahmed Douma, who had been sentenced to six months in prison for insulting ousted president Mohammed Morsi, was ordered released by a Cairo court.
Central Asia
China: Uighurs imprisoned for online ‘extremism’
Courts in China’s far western province of Xinjiang sentenced 11 ethnic Uighurs to up to six years in prison for promoting racial hatred and religious extremism online.
Watching the Shadows
ACLU challenges NSA surveillance measures
Claiming standing as a Verizon customer, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against the National Security Agency, challenging its recently revealed phone data collection.
East Asia
Edward Snowden a hit on Sina Weibo
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been a big hit among freedom-hungry Chinese cyber-cognoscenti, placing Beijing in a bind on whether to support or betray him.
Greater Middle East
Kuwait woman sentenced to 11 years for tweeting
A criminal court in Kuwait sentenced a woman to 11 years in prison for remarks she made on Twitter, including insulting Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
East Asia
Tiananmen Square revisionism —again
Commentators in China and the West alike portray the Tiananmen massacre as a legacy of Maoism. But was the repression in spite of China's capitalist transition, or a function of it?
Greater Middle East
Bahrain court sentences protesters up to 15 years
A Bahrain court issued sentences to three activists for taking part in anti-government protests as well as attempting to kill a police officer in a clash at a Shi’ite village.
South Asia
Workers’ uprising in Bangladesh
Garment workers in Bangladesh walked off the job, blocked roads, attacked factories and smashed vehicles, paralyzing at least three industrial areas outside Dhaka.
Central Asia
China: US hand in Xinjiang violence?
Deadly clashes between Uighurs and Chinese police in Xinjiang came as US Ambassador Gary Locke was visiting the restive province with a trade delegation.
North Africa
Whither the ‘Topless Jihad’?
Rival online campaigns are waged by the "Topless Jihad" and Muslim Women Against Femen. Is the Topless Jihad a defense of women's freedom, or imperialist propaganda?