PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you a daily curated round-up of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web. Subscribe here. *This mailing list is currently in BETA as we work out the kinks. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

Thai junta urged to drop criminal defamation case against journalists
Proceedings have ended in the controversial trial of two Thailand-based journalists facing criminal defamation charges for reporting on the alleged involvement of Thai naval forces in human trafficking. CNN
 
Israeli cities ban Gaza documentary film
Pressure from right-wing activists led two mayors in southern Israel to cancel screenings of a Dutch documentary film “Shivering in Gaza,” which deals with trauma therapy in Gaza after the 2014 war with Israel. DEUTSCHE WELLE
 
Bahrain hits back at U.S. human rights criticism
Bahrain has hit back at U.S. expressions of concern over the Gulf Arab kingdom’s treatment of opposition figures, saying all its actions followed due legal process. The opposition says the government is trying to stifle free speech by detaining, prosecuting and jailing peaceful political dissidents. REUTERS
 
Saudi writer arrested for insulting long-dead king
A Saudi writer was arrested this morning for defaming the former ruler and late brother of King Salman on a TV chat show. Under the counter-terrorism law, defaming rulers living or dead is illegal in Saudi Arabia. MIDDLE EAST EYE
 
Kenyan press freedom under increasing threat, media group says
Kenya’s press freedom is increasingly under threat from legislation and legal and physical harassment by the authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a newly released report. BLOOMBERG
 
Citizenfour director Laura Poitras sues U.S. over ‘Kafkaesque harassment’, demands to know why she has been tracked and targeted
Film-maker whose documentary about Edward Snowden won an Oscar says she has been held over 50 times by airport officials, told she was on a no-fly list and threatened with handcuffs for taking notes. THE GUARDIAN
 
21 Members of the media in Turkish prisons, many more facing trial
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today urged Turkish authorities to reform laws that endanger free expression and media freedom, following the release of an updated study on imprisoned journalists. CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON GLOBALIZATION
 
Internet of things: the greatest mass surveillance infrastructure ever?
By tracking us – not only in our homes, but in our vehicles and bodies – data-driven devices can nudge, manipulate and mold our behaviors, habits and preferences, limit our autonomy, and bring quantification, segregation and discrimination to what is currently a political economy held together by social fuzziness. THE GUARDIAN