Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to a further five years in jail over tweets critical of the war in Yemen
Technology Dissidents articles on Democracy Chronicles
This technology dissidents section covers individuals and groups using technology to advance democracy and the controversies surrounding this practice. Whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange will be covered here as well as technology and election experts like Harvard University's Lawrence Lessig. Also check out our entire section on Election Technology.
Ethiopian Blogger Nega Freed in Mass Release of Prisoners
The Ethiopian government has released Eskinder Nega and several prominent opposition figures from prison
Supreme Leader Planning New Iranian Internet Restrictions
Many Iranian officials have blamed social media for fomenting unrest that erupted in December
Teen jailed for insulting Indonesian president on Facebook
An Indonesian teenager was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for “insulting” President Joko Widodo on Facebook. The 18-year-old high school student from Medan on the island of Sumatra, identified by the initials MFB, was found guilty of violating the country’s internet law by making defamatory and slanderous comments online. Judges also ordered him […]
Wife of Saudi blogger Badawi told he could be pardoned
The wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi is allowing herself to dream: might the modernising new crown prince in her ultra-conservative homeland be about to free her husband? Ensaf Haidar, mother to the couple’s three children and wife of 16 years, recently heard from a delegation of European parliamentarians who visited Riyadh in late […]
Ecuador confirms granting citizenship to WikiLeaks’ Assange
Citizenship granted to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been sheltering at its London embassy for 5 years to avoid arrest
Vietnam’s 10,000-strong cyber censorship army criticized
The deployment of 10,000 cyber warriors to fight online dissent in Vietnam adds a grim “new dimension” to controls on free speech in the Communist country, a rights group has said. Vietnam routinely jails its critics and closely monitors activists on social media, which is not banned unlike in neighbouring China. A top Vietnamese general […]
Chinese activist jailed for 8 years as major crackdown underway
China sentenced an activist known by the online pseudonym “Super Vulgar Butcher” to eight years in prison
Vietnam’s Political Bloggers Are Imperiled in Crackdown
Many have been disciplined, silenced and put away. Last year alone, 18 bloggers and activists were jailed
VIDEO: Time to End Attacks on Vietnam Activists and Bloggers
Vietnamese bloggers and rights activists are being beaten, threatened and intimidated with impunity