· July, 2013

Stories about Human Rights from July, 2013

Another Journalist Arrested in Zambia

  19 July 2013

After Wilson Pondamali was arrested and his home searched by police, users reported that independent news site the Zambian Watchdog was inaccessible within Zambia.

MERCOSUR and the Future of the Internet in Latin America

  15 July 2013

Last Friday, Latin American government leaders issued a strong statement against the mass surveillance of their citizens by the US government at an emergency meeting of MERCOSUR. Activists, academics and NGOs from Latin America wrote an open letter to the regional alliance, inviting leaders to consult with civil society in building human rights-protective Internet policies for the region.

Nigerian Government to Ramp Up Internet Surveillance?

  12 July 2013

In April, Nigerian news site Premium Times revealed government plans to purchase equipment that would allow it to conduct online surveillance on an unprecedented scale. The government reportedly had contracted with Israeli company Elbit Systems Ltd to advance the Internet and computer-based gathering of Nigerian citizens' personal data.

Journalist Charged With Sedition in Zambia

  11 July 2013

Zambian journalist Thomas Zgambo was arrested and charged with sedition on Tuesday. Another journalist, Clayson Hamasaka, was arrested but released without charges. Advocates suspect that both events were triggered by the journalists' association with the Zambian Watchdog, an independent citizen media outlet that has faced numerous threats from government officials in the past.

Advocates Keep Spotlight on Le Quoc Quan

  10 July 2013

The trial of Le Quoc Quan, one of Vietnam’s most active human rights defenders and an outspoken blogger, has been postponed by the Vietnamese government without explanation. The blogger has been held in prison without trial and with little ability to see or speak to his lawyer for over six months. Quan's prosecution fits into a wider pattern of oppression of free speech in Vietnam.