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]

Malaysian Federal Court confirms lifting cartoon ban
Malaysia’s Federal Court yesterday confirmed a decision to lift the ban on two cartoon compilations by the cartoonist Zunar and ordered the return of all copies seized, marking the end a long-running legal battle. MLDI

Opinion: Who is entitled to be heard?
Pitched battles being waged at Yale and the University of Missouri pit speech versus speech in a contest of who and what is entitled to be heard. The debates matter, but proponents of social and racial justice and free speech advocates are talking past one another, fueling mutual frustrations. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jailed Azerbaijani activist released from jail, but can’t leave Baku *PEN Case List
Human rights defender Arif Yunus, whose case attracted worldwide attention when he and his wife were arrested in Azerbaijan in 2014 on suspicion of spying for Armenia, has been released from jail due to his deteriorating health. The Baku Court of Appeals granted Yunus’s release on Nov. 12 at the request of his lawyers. RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO FREE LIBERTY

Spate of attacks creates climate of fear for journalists in DRC
According to details received by Journaliste en danger, in less than a week, a series of attacks and acts of censorship were committed against journalists and the media by security forces and intelligence agencies in several parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. IFEX

State TV anchorwoman suspended for criticizing Egyptian president
Azza Al-Hennawy was suspended this week and referred to internal disciplinary investigation for criticizing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. A column by writer Gamal al-Gamal was also pulled from the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, spurring criticism over a government crackdown on media freedoms. MADA MASR

Uzbekistan: Activist freed after 21 years
One of the world’s longest imprisoned peaceful political activists, Murod Juraev, was finally released from a jail in Uzbekistan on November 12 after 21 unjustified years behind bars. Juraev, a 63-year-old former member of parliament, had been imprisoned since September 18, 1994. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Hong Kong activist takes police torture claim to UN
A Hong Kong activist allegedly assaulted by police during last year’s pro-democracy protests said Wednesday he would present his case to a United Nations torture hearing next week. Footage of activist Ken Tsang being punched and kicked by police officers was beamed around the world at the height of the mass protests that brought parts of the city to a standstill. BANGKOK POST

Spanish writer says El País column canceled after comments on media
A veteran journalist said on Wednesday that El País, Spain’s leading newspaper, had ended his column after he questioned editorial independence in Spain in an article in The New York Times about the growing financial and government pressures on the Spanish news media that also discussed recent newsroom tensions at El País and other publications. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Facebook says governments demanding more and more user data
The bulk of government requests came from US law enforcement agencies. US agencies requested data from 26,579 accounts – comprising more than 60% of requests globally – up from 21,731 accounts in the second half of 2014. France, Germany and Britain also made up a large percentage of the requests and had far more content restricted in 2015. THE GUARDIAN