Repression of Free Speech

King Abdullah in the Arab kingdom has promised reforms, but lately two journalists have been arrested for reporting on a prime minister who was heard to have told other parliamentary members not to refer an official to a corruption court. One was bailed for about 7050 U.S. dollars. The other was given no bail. Other people have been arrested. Two groups of peaceful protestors were arrested and a man was arrested for burning a picture of the king. If the king wishes his people to believe that he will make reforms, he must give his people free speech and not persecute them for pointless "crimes". These people are being abused and this must stop if the country will ever have peace.

Revolutionary Icon Jailed

In Iran, an 80 year-old activist has been arrested and detained. His name is Yazdi and his health has been failing. His family members are afraid that jail could kill him, along with another activist. Yazdi, during his trial, refused to defend himself as his accusations mainly related to freedom of speech and he believed he did nothing wrong. It looks like Yazdi has been sentenced to Jail, although neither he nor his lawyer has yet been informed. This is very inspiring behavior, that he would not only stand up for what he believes in, but refuse to take beck his words under extreme pressure and attempt to defend his actions.The Iranian government should honor people's rights and face any threat. This is low what they do and threatens the people's freedom. Once one right is jeopardized, all of them may be.

Cyber Security

A new bill in the United States has recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is in the Senate. Obama has declared that if the bill is on his desk, he will veto it. This new bill, labeled Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa), is designed to allow the government to access web-users private information on a suspicion of a threat. Many people are backing this, including Microsoft and Facebook, while activists are vehemently opposed. I agree with the activist, this bill is not right and jeopardizes our first amendment. MAny things, including SOPA, have put our rights at risk latley, and if the government gains too much power, who will keep it in check. It is important to protect our rights, especially freedom of speech, to keep our government in line.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

This is background information on freedom of speech. A list of inalienable human rights made by the people of France and approved by the National Assembly of France during the French Revolution. In Article 11 it states that Freedom of Expression "is one of the most precious rights of man" and must be protected. This is one of the earliest documents that states freedom of communication must be protected. It is an important right to protect and the french revolters recognized that. It is kind of cool that the french people thought these rights were so important that they made a list to remind the people. Hopefully, people will be reminded that rights are important and remind their governments.

Reporter Shot

In Northeastern Brazil, 42 year-old Sa was shot as he ate dinner at a diner. Over his years of writing, he has featured many local crimes and unearthed a lot of corruption, gaining him many enemies. While his friends and family are grieved by the incident, they are not necessarily surprised. In a recent study, Brazil is number 11 in the world for the murder of journalists gone unsolved. Especially with his location, reporters are not surprised. This is sad. This man was doing his best to make his town aware of crime and corruption, and he was killed. While this may not be surprising, this needs to stop. Cases such as this can not go unsolved. If people believe they can get away with killing their enemies, especially journalists, then crime will rampage in the city. Freedom of speech will become a thing of the past if the murders go unsolved and the citizens, every single one, are not protected.

Journalist Attacked

An independent journalist in Kazakhstan is attacked by two men. He was very outspoken, which is rare in a country where journalists and outspoken writers are harassed and threatened. His family called authorities to make sure that there was an investigation, but most investigations such as this go nowhere. This is sad that freedom of expression is threatened and people cannot be outspoken without being attacked. The investigation needs to be thorough and the attackers must be punished. If people can continue to attack journalists, then eventually there will be no freedom of speech for fear of being attacked. The attackers must be prosecuted.

US Bill of Rights

Here is a copy of the Bill of RIghts, which are amendments to the Constitution of the United States to protect the rights of the people. In Amendment 1, they address our freedom of speech to make sure it is protected. Our founders believed this right was so important, they added a list of amendments to our constitution to try and prevent the need for another revolution. It did not condone violence, nor did it allow it, for the first amendment does not give us the right to smack our neighbor if he is being unfair, though he may deserve it. It gives us the right to publicly speak out against the government, peacefully of course, in case there comes a time when we wish a grievance addressed. I believe this was very important, and it has protected the rights of american citizens for years. Freedom of speech is important, and our founders made sure it was protected very well. Every person has the right to peacefully speak out against wrongs, whether it is given to them or not.

Bloggers Falsely Arrested

In Vietnam, three bloggers have been arrested on trumped up charges. These arrests are violating their freedom of speech. The bloggers have been speaking out against unjust government activities. One man, who was arrested on trumped up charges was sentenced to a little over two years in prison. When his former wife came to pick him up on the day of his release, she was interrogated and her home was searched. The blogger was not released and sentenced to more prison time on more trumped up charges. The unjust attempt to control what people say about the government show that what it is up to is not good. If people can't speak out, then there is usually something they are trying to hide. The people's rights must always be protected, but especially freedom of speech, as it allows people to uncover other crimes and violations of rights. These bloggers must receive fair trial.

Anti-Education Attack

In Afghanistan, the Taliban forbidding women to be educated was lifted in 2001. However, there are still attacks against girls, teachers and schools from continual opposition. In one school, 150 girls in a school were poisoned in what is believed to eb an anti-education attack. The officials know it was poisoning, because the tank where water was brought was not contaminated, although officials are unwilling to pinpoint the attack for fear of provoking violence. This is sad, that people are so sure of their beliefs, that they are willing to kill those who violate their beliefs. These school girls did nothing wrong, yet they were punished for going to school. While I don't believe in provoking violence, I do think that justice should be brought upon the offenders. If something like this is allowed to slide, who is to say it own't happen again? They will believe they can get away with it and continue.

North Korea Concentration Camp

A survivor and one of the few to escape from a North Korea concentration camp relates his story. Shin Dong-hyuk, the escapee, tells how he had never before experienced life outside the camp. Only until two years after his escape did he even begin to understand what family is as he was raised by guards, he couldn't understand. Political dissidents are sent to these camps, along with  their wife, children and grandchildren. Everyone at the camp was starving and he felt no guilt until he left for turning in his mother and brother for planning to escape. They were both executed publicly. This is horrible. The people's rights are not being respected and the horrors they are experiencing are tremendous. Situations in North Korea need to change and the people must be taken care of.  People should never have to experience and see such horror.

Syrian "Executions"

In this video, Human Rights Watch interviews two people. These people saw the marks of torture the Syrian government and army has inflicted on men. The rounded up 500 men and women to watch as they beat two men who wore military uniforms and then were shot. Another man relates what he saw, how he left the army when he was tortured. The men were tortured, urinated on, and shot. This situation needs to change. The government, or army, cannot torture its people. Before any executions, the government needs proper evidence. The people's rights need to be protected and there must be justice.

No Justice

Two years ago in Thailand, protesters were attacked by the police and soldiers with lethal weapons. By the end, 90 people were killed and 2,000 people injured. The families of the victims are still waiting for justice and recently, the new government has decided to give a bill for reconciliation that will allow powerful people to get away with grievous crimes with no punishment. Also, many protestors have been punished, yet no one with a government job has been investigated or punished. The government claims no lethal weapons had been used despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. This situation needs to change. The criminals need to own up to their crimes, and there needs to be justice in the system. If people can get away with their crimes, it will destabilize the entire country and make way for tons of crimes and unsafe conditions for its citizens. The families of victims also want to see the people who hurt their family pay for their crimes. While government may not work for the people, it works for the sake of the people. There needs to be some justice.

Journalists Accosted

Journalists, when searching for a court room to report on the proceedings, were accosted, beaten and, when the magistrate ordered it, arrested. In Nigeria, it is normal for journalists and editors to be threatened, attacked or killed. Many people in this society are corrupted and can easily be bribed. This is another situation in which the people's freedom of speech is threatened. The Nigerians view the freedom of speech as a right, and they are right in seeing it that way. The people need help, and the government needs to enforce its laws, protect those who report the news and discourage corruption. While no one is perfect, the people need to know what is going on, and the more journalists out there, the bigger chance that people will get the full story. This situation needs to change. Journalists deserve their rights just as much as anyone else around the world.

The Silent Screams

South Sudan, with a mainly Christian population, seceded from Sudan in 2011. Last Sunday, the government of Sudan declared that any person whose parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents who were born in South Sudan or who is part of another ethnic group must leave Sudan or else. About 500,000 to 700,000 Christians are being displaced and have one week to leave. The author questions why no one is mentioning this, or coming to the aid of the abused people and I have to agree. These people need the world's attention and should not be forcefully evicted just because of where their parents were born, or personal decisions they decided to make. Why does no one come to their aid? Don't these people have as much right to freedom of religion as we do? These people need us and others to protest on their behalf, and it is the job of our leaders to act. This cannot stay quiet.

Uganda Bans Activist Group

The Ugandan government has banned activist group "Action for Change"  because they have not scheduled their protests with the police. This group is demonstrating against corruption and costs of living. The government also claims this group has been using violence during its "walk to work" protests. This is slightly ridiculous. Even if the protests were unscheduled, shouldn't that simple ban any protests until further notice from this particular group. Shouldn't that entitle that the leaders must inform the police of their intentions? People should have the right to peacefully assemble and speak out against government policies. While it is good to avoid violence, it is important that people's rights are honored.

Violent Response to Critics

In Angola, the government had a civil war about ten years ago. Now, however, all peaceful protests and critics have been robbed, beaten, and threatened when demonstrating against government policies. Many protestors, when scheduled for police protection, have been attacked by policemen in civilian clothes with no aid. Demonstrators have been arrested on false charges and with no evidence. Freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble is extremely important. It is a huge step in making sure other rights of citizens are protected. Many people could be helped if they had the freedom of speech. This Angolan government needs to stop and change its policies. Its civilians should have the protection of the police and should not feel threatened to peacefully speak out against the government and its policies.

Palestinian Residency Control

Israeli has security concerns for its people. Therefore, anyone who is not listed in the registry can not move between West Bank and Gaza. This would seem a good policy, however, many families have been separated because of this and have not seen each other for years. tow families are shown who have not met each other for a while. One man, has not seen his family for ten or twelve years. While this policy might seem a good idea, perhaps the government can find a way to allow families to be reunited. These people have the right to see their families, and the government should look through registry and forms to find a way to reunite them. Hopefully, they will see their families soon.