PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you a daily curated round-up of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

Khadija Ismayilova still full of hope
The Azerbaijani investigative journalist was arrested Dec. 5 on charges of “incitement to attempt suicide.” In a letter obtained by Azadliq Radio, she wrote, “Hopefully, the clashes on the front line and the new realities in the region will slow down corruption scams even if for a bit. I am still hoping, everything is going to be ok.” AZADLIQ RADIO

Turkish columnist Ahmet Hakan injured in “organized assault”
Four men attacked Hürriyet Daily News columnist Ahmet Hakan and his bodyguard in Istanbul as Hakan was returning home after hosting his program on private broadcaster CNNTürk. HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Kenya: Governor drives journalists from county
Simon Kachapin is under fire for ordering the immediate transfer of all journalists working in his county of West Pokot, arguing that correspondents have been reporting negatively about his county and therefore tainting his image and that of his government. CITIZEN DIGITAL

Journalist settles three-year defamation battle against New Zealand Defence Force
Jon Stephenson had been accused of lying in reports published in the Sunday Star-Times and Metro magazine. His articles dealt with New Zealand’s involvement in the transfer of detainees to torture prisons in Afghanistan. STUFF.CO.NZ

Malaysian police target sales of cartoonist’s latest book
Police have opened an investigation on the latest book of political cartoons by Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, or Zunar. An assistant who manages online sales of the title Sapuman, Man of Steal has been ordered to attend a meeting with detectives under the sedition act. INDEX ON CENSORSHIP

Chinese journalist says he resisted pressure to confess during year of detention
According to Liu Hu, once he was detained by police, the pressure for him to confess was unrelenting. Unless he did so, he said, they warned he would stay behind bars longer and his wife would abandon him. FOX NEWS

The era of automatic facial recognition and surveillance is here
ID checks were a common response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but they’ll soon be obsolete. You won’t have to show your ID. Instead, a security camera will capture your face, which will be matched with your name and a whole lot of other information besides. FORBES

Prison censors draw line between “good” books and “bad”
Documents procured under the Freedom of Information Act list hundreds of books and magazines that were sent to Arizona inmates between July 2012 and October 2014. They reveal which publications were allowed, which were excluded, and, most intriguing, why. THE MARSHALL PROJECT

New artistic freedom law passed in France
Creative works are often censored and limitations imposed based on so-called “moral grounds“ in the country. Now, a law aims to put a stop to severe and restrictive practices to “ensure art that continue[s] to disturb.” WIDEWALLS

Parents petition to remove Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden from school reading lists
Over 200 signatures have been gathered at a high school in New Jersey to have books, including the play Death and the Maiden by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman, removed from mandatory reading lists and be “replaced with material that uses age appropriate language and situations.” INDEX ON CENSORSHIP