censorship
Activists’ banner at Kremlin says Putin, not Khodorkovsky, should be in jail
‘Jasmine Revolution’ fails to launch
Leaked video shows Cuban spy course on dangers of social media
Censored US anti-war mural shows some art subjects are still taboo
Fans and artists show support for 'hooligan' rapper
Noize MC, Russia’s most prominent rapper, was condemned to 10 days in prison for hooliganism. Other artists and fans have condemned the actions of the police. Read more...
Binoche’s appeal “very influential” in Iranian director's release
Iranian film director Jafar Panahi, who had been on hunger strike for a week in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, was released on bail on Tuesday afternoon. One of our Observers in Tehran, who met Panahi before he was detained, says that the Iranian government must have been "shocked" by the involvement of French actress Juliette Binoche and her colleagues. Read more...
Iran block on France24.com lifted
Our Observers in Iran inform us that the English version of France24.com is accessible once again. We remain uncertain as to why we were originally blocked on April 2, or why the block has now been lifted. Read more...
Google gets around the great firewall, but Chinese Web users are left behind
"Cannot display the web page".
Since early Tuesday, Web users attempting to access Google's Chinese website have been redirected to the search engine's Hong Kong version. It looks almost exactly the same, but the big difference is that it's uncensored. One of our Observers in Shanghai, Isaac Mao, explains what difference, if any, it will make to Chinese web users. Read more...
Tehran blacks out in preparation for clashes
"Viewing this website is harmful for you". Image posted here.
The Iranian authorities are gearing up for expected disruptions at festivities to mark the anniversary of the Islamic revolution on Thursday. For several days now it has become increasingly difficult to access the Internet and send SMS messages in major cities. With no YouTube, Twitter or Facebook, it looks like any potential unrest tomorrow may be silenced by the blackout. Read more...
Zardari trying to smother “Shut up!” outburst video?
Numerous Web users in Pakistan reported problems in trying to access YouTube on Sunday evening. When the website returned an hour later, one video had mysteriously disappeared - a clip showing President Asif Ali Zardari shouting "Shut up!" at a rally crowd. Read more and see the video...
