Journalist prevented from speaking in Qatar
Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, who authored a book on the 2002 Gujarat riots, was prevented from speaking at an event organised by the Indian Association of Bihar and Jharkhand in Doha, Qatar. IABJ organizers purportedly faced pressure from the Modi government in India.
HUFFINGTON POST

Canada unable to obtain release of Saudi blogger to Canada
Canada’s Foreign Minister Stephane Dion had requested Saudi Arabia to release blogger Raif Badawi so he could join his family in Canada. However, the ambassador to Saudi Arabia said the request was refused and emphasized the situation had nothing to do with relations between Canada and Saudi Arabia.
DIGITAL JOURNAL

Moscow City Court rejects appeal against the arrest of Ukrainian journalist
The Moscow City Court has rejected appeal against the arrest of Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko. Sushchenko was arrested in Moscow on September 30, where he was on a private visit, and faces espionage charges.
UKRINFORM

In ballot selfie battle, free speech beats fear of voter fraud
Voting is democracy’s most fundamental right and duty, and recent federal court rulings say you have a constitutional right to post photographs of yourself doing it.
REUTERS BLOG

Killing of Jordanian journalist uncovers extremism in a stable kingdom
The Jordanian authorities had pursued Nahed Hattar for sharing a cartoon, which depicted a Jihadi surrounded by food and women in heaven, waited on by an obedient God. He was arrested in August under charges of insulting the faith and stoking sectarian divisions; he was on the way to his trial for these supposed crimes when he was shot.
NEW STATESMAN

 

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]