This week in free expression news…
Russia has declared the independent broadcast channel Dozdh TV an “undesirable” organization effectively banning them from sharing content and putting staff members at risk of jail time. The Russian prosecutor-general’s office accused them of engaging in spreading extremist material and discrediting authorities. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine they moved operations to Latvia, and have since moved to the Netherlands. The channel was already banned in Moscow, but the undesirable label will now mean any staff or donors in Russia can be prosecuted. Click here to learn more.
Two journalists have fled Ecuador after receiving threats. Andersson Boscán and Mónica Velasquez have fled Ecuador after publishing a report on corruption and drug trafficking allegations involving the brother-in-law of President Guillermo Lasso and members of the Albanian mafia. Boscan is the co-founder of the social media based news outlet, La Posta and is married to Velasquez who is a reporter for the organization. They were alerted by a European intelligence agency about a “plan of attack” by the Albania mafia. The committee to protect journalists is advocating for Ecuadorian authorities to investigate immediately so the couple can safely return to the country, for more information read this article on cpj.org.
A judge in Hong Kong denied the request of authorities to ban a popular pro-democracy song on the internet. Judge Anthony Chan ruled against an injunction from the government to remove “Glory to Hong Kong,” a pro-democracy song popularized in 2019 protests, which has already been banned from schools, from Google and other online platforms. Chan claimed the injunction was overly broad and would have a “chilling effect” on free speech. To learn more read the New York Times article.
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