Freedom of Expression

Egyptian Journalist Shawkan On His 600 Days In Prison

June 12, 2015 Samantha Libby, www.cpj.org Resist! Egypt, Freedom of Expression, Journalism

By Samantha Libby in Committee To Protect Journalists - "Photography is not just a hobby for me. It is an actual way of life. It's not just how you hold a camera and snap a picture. It's the way that you see life and everything around you." So reads a letter written by Mahmoud Abou Zeid, an Egyptian freelance photojournalist also known as "Shawkan," to mark his 600th day behind bars. In the letter, which was published on Monday, Shawkan describes the physical and psychological toll that prison has taken on him, but maintains that he simply wants to be free to practice photojournalism: "My passion is photography, but I am paying the price for my passion with my life. Without it, a part of me is missing."

Interview: Firebrand Records To ‘Fight On The Cultural Front’

June 8, 2015 Michael Fox and Ryan Harvey, www.telesurtv.net Create! Art, Creative Resistance, Freedom of Expression, Music

By Michael Fox and Ryan Harvey in TeleSur - Artist and activist Ryan Harvey, co-founder of Firebrand Records with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, gave teleSUR en exclusive interview about the new distribution label. Harvey, who is also a teleSUR blogger, explains that over the next year Firebrand hopes to build the roster and help artists achieve more recognition through both promotion of their releases, tours, and other projects, and through cross-pollination from the collective nature of the label: "Firebrand is a new project because of it's scope: we are both international and multi-genre, but more importantly, we are offering a mechanism whereby artists don't have to worry about political or social censorship surrounding revolutionary ideas about human rights, for instance, to hope to get real professional promotion and distribution."

Attack On Normalistas En Route To Support CNTE Teachers Protest

June 4, 2015 Jennifer Baker, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Freedom of Expression, Mexico, police brutality, Worker Rights and Jobs

By Jennifer Baker in Revolution News - Normalistas, student teachers of Ayotzinapa and their family members were attacked by a large group composed of State riot police, Federal police and Military police in the tunnel leading to the community of Tixtla today. The forces launched tear gas inside the beltway tunnel where they had blocked the progression of thenormalistas vehicles. An effort to injure and stop the advance of the normalisats that are heading towards the community of Chilpancingo to march in support with striking teachers of CNTE union. The resulting resistance has left 4 policemen injured, and at least 2 normalistas beaten. For over a year the CNTE teachers union has been protesting education reforms that are to be voted on Sunday. CNTE carried out a direct action yesterday to overtake electoral offices and burn election ballots.

TISA: Another Secret Treaty Is Leaked

May 30, 2015 Jeremy Malcolm, www.eff.org Educate! Free Trade, Freedom of Expression, Internet, Law, Privatization

A February 2015 draft of the secret Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) was leaked again last week, revealing a more extensive and more recent text than that of portions from an April 2014 leak that we covered last year. Together with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), TISA completes a trifecta of trade agreements that the administration could sign under Fast Track without full congressional oversight. Although it is the least well-known of those agreements, it is the broadest in terms of membership. As far as we know, it presently includes twenty countries plus Europe (but notably excluding the major emerging world economies of the BRICS bloc), who, with disdainful levity, have adopted the mantle “the Really Good Friends of Services”.

Julian Assange Speaks Of TPP, NSA & His Own Future

May 28, 2015 Interview with Julian Assange Amy Goodman, www.democracynow.org Educate! Freedom of Expression, Privacy, Surveillance, Wars and Militarism

So the alternative proposal, which is something that was in the USA FREEDOM Act, which is pretty misnamed—it is a sort of milder version of the USA PATRIOT Act, in some ways. Instead, Verizon and the other—AT&T and other big telcos will hold the information, ready for the National Security Agency. But, you know, it doesn’t make much of a difference if that’s an automated system. It’s just—you know, 80 percent of the National Security Agency is outsourced anyway, in terms of the management of its data. In this case, if it has automatic connections to AT&T and Verizon, there’s no difference in terms of its searching ability. Now, in terms of whether there’s warrants that are used for searches, it is perhaps an aid, because the companies could be made legally liable—that’s up to Congress—for not insisting on a warrant to access that information.

Moyers: Challenge Of Journalism Is Surviving Plutocracy

May 28, 2015 Bill Moyers, www.billmoyers.com Educate! Freedom of Expression, Independent, Journalism, Media

We know that contributions from individuals, not institutions, make up most of American philanthropy, and we think some of that should be directed toward nonprofit journalism. An FCC report in 2011 found that if Americans spent one percent of their charitable giving on nonprofit media it would generate $2.7 billion a year. If community foundations put five percent of their spending toward local journalism it would generate $130 million annually. And if the foundations of the top new media corporations and their founders put five percent of their spending toward local accountability journalism it would generate $220 million annually. But we need more than money to sustain independent journalism. We need laws to ensure that reporters can protect their sources. We need to hound government at every level to respond to public records requests. We need stronger reporting requirements for corporations so that they can be held accountable.

A ‘Compromise’ Bill Could Put AP’s Sources Away For 10 Years

May 28, 2015 Jim Naureckas, www.fair.org Educate! Freedom of Expression, Journalism, Media, Surveillance

The Associated Press(5/23/15) reported on what reporter Ken Dilanian called efforts by Congress “to prevent an interruption in critical government surveillance programs” by extending a section of the PATRIOT Act set to expire May 31. If you’re more worried about the government spying on you than you are about the government losing “valuable surveillance tools”—well, I guess AP is not the news service for you, then. One such PATRIOT Act preservation effort is labeled a “compromise” by AP—Senate Intelligence Committee chair Richard Burr’s proposal to extend the NSA’s bulk collection of domestic phone records until 2017—in what AP calls a “transition.” As Marcy Wheeler of Expose Facts (5/26/15) points out, Burr’s plan would actually not be a simple extension of the PATRIOT Act’s Section 215, but instead would be “a breathtaking expansion of surveillance authority, probably even bigger than the FISA Amendments Act passed in 2008.”

Oakland Protesters Extorted For Exercising First Amendment Rights

May 27, 2015 James Job, www.thefifthcolumnnews.com Resist! Curfew, Freedom of Expression, Oakland, police brutality

The night of May 23rd, 2015 was an interesting one for residents and activists in the city of Oakland. Nearly 50 people were cited, arrested, or at least confronted by the Oakland Police after an ordinance passed by Mayor Libby Schaaf condemned peaceful protests after 10 PM. Say Her Name Protests started on May, 21st to bring awareness to female lives lost due to unnecessary police brutality. Some women are protesting in the streets topless with the names of young black female victims written on their bodies. There was a curfew implemented to extort the protesters, with the obvious intention of deterring people from protesting. At 4:50 into the video, the police line forces the people backwards in disturbing fashion. Two people were taken into custody for unlawful assembly, when they were lawfully assembled on the sidewalk. While they were not exactly speaking kindly to police, the two that were arrested on a public sidewalk – one lady lost her candle in the process – did not appear to violate any laws whatsoever.

Ferguson Defends Arrest Of Man Who Was Filming Police

May 9, 2015 Ryan J. Reilly, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! Ferguson, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, Law, Media, police brutality

City officials in Ferguson, Missouri, are defending the arrest of an observer who was filming an arrest during a protest last month, telling a federal court that the city should not be held in contempt for violating an earlier order intended to protect the rights of journalists and citizens to record in public places. Scott Kampas was filming the police response to a small protest outside the Ferguson Police Department in the early evening hours of April 14. When one protester was taken into custody, Kampas took a step into the street, which had already been blocked off by the police, and was immediately taken into custody.

The TPP Threatens A Free And Open Internet

May 8, 2015 Sean Nevins, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! Congress, Free Trade, Freedom of Expression, Internet, TPP

Legislation to “fast track” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has moved through both committees in the House and the Senate. This legislation, which would enable President Barack Obama to negotiate the terms of the international agreement without congressional input, is now on the floor of the House. While the TPP has come under increasing scrutiny for its potential to erode the sovereignty of countries, an often overlooked aspect of the treaty is its threat to a free and open Internet. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is pushing the worst parts of U.S. copyright policy on the rest of the world without expanding protections for fair use,” said Evan Greer, campaign manager with Fight for the Future, an organization dedicated to protecting Internet freedoms.

Guatemala: 1000s Protest Gov’t Corruption & Impunity

April 27, 2015 Erin Gallagher, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Corruption, Freedom of Expression, Guatemala, Protest, Surveillance

Thousands participated in a peaceful demonstration in Guatemala on Saturday April 25 at 3pm in the capital city to demand the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, and the return of millions stolen from the national treasury. The Secretaries-General Winaq Movement and URNG-Maiz, Amilcar Pop and Angel Sanchez filed a criminal complaint against President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, after the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and the Public Ministry dismantled a network of customs fraud and smuggling operating in the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT)

What You Need To Know If You Record The Cops

April 23, 2015 Nadia Kayyali, www.gizmodo.com Resist! Freedom of Expression, Media, police brutality, Surveillance

There are some very disturbing videos circulating the Internet right now, depicting the deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of trained, armed men. Many of these videos even show individuals being shot in the back, or as they try to flee. These are videos of police officers in America killing unarmed black men like Oscar Grant andEric Garner. And, as the most recent case shows, without these recordings, much of America might not have any idea exactly how much of a problem this is. Citizen videos of law enforcement encounters are more valuable than ever. And for those who are wondering—it is legal to record the police. The police don’t always seem aware of this. There have been incidents across the country of police telling people to stop filming, and sometimes seizing their camera or smartphone, or evenarresting them, when they don’t comply.

Why You Can’t Trust The Media On TPP & Trade

April 20, 2015 Lee Fang, www.firstlook.org Educate! Free Trade, Freedom of Expression, Media, TPP

Broadcast media has not devoted much air time to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, an agreement that will greatly impact 40 percent of the global economy. But hacked emails from Sony reveal that media industry executives have been engaged in active discussions about the agreement behind closed doors. On April 17, 2014, Steven Fabrizio, the general counsel of the Motion Picture Association of America, sent out an update to industry executives — including Maren Christensen of NBC and Alan Braverman of Disney, the parent company of ABC News — detailing lobbying efforts by the MPAA. “Finally, in regard to trade,” Fabrizio wrote, “the MPAA/MPA with the strong support of your studios, continue to advocate to governments around the world about the pressing need for strong pro-IP trade policies such as TPP and the proposed EU/US trade agreement (TTIP).”

First Hologram Protest Held Against Spain’s Gag Law

April 12, 2015 Jennifer Baker, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Expression, hologram, Spain

Spanish citizens held the first hologram protest in history in order to protest without violating the new draconian guidelines of the National Security Act, the new amendments to the Penal Code and the Anti-terror law. According to the recently approved “triad gag“, the citizens of Spain cannot protest against the Congress or hold meetings in public spaces, plus they have to ask permission from the authorities whenever they wish to protest publicly “If you are a person you can not express yourself freely, you can only do that here if you become a hologram,” says a woman in the video released by the movement “Hologramas para la Libertad.”

Letters To A President: Return To Sender

April 10, 2015 Ralph Nader, www.blog.nader.org Resist! Democracy, Freedom of Expression, Media, Politics

Citizen correspondence is important both for you as President and them. For the citizens, it is an opportunity to circumvent the barriers presented by the media and governmental institutions to directly access the White House. For presidents, letters help, as you have said, escape “the bubble” (e.g. the ten letters from citizens you read each evening). Letters from citizens also convey ideas and observations that alert you to conditions, issues, and urgencies at hand and occasionally provide you with an opportunity to publically discuss the point raised by an ordinary citizen who penned such a letter. Just the other day, when you were visiting Ohio, a chance question to you from a person in the audience elicited your view that mandatory voting would “be transformative” and exists in a number of other democracies, such as Australia.

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