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]

Myanmar activist arrested for role in education reform protest
A prominent student unionist wanted by police in Myanmar for his role in protests challenging a controversial national education law was arrested on Wednesday after spending nearly eight months in hiding. Lin Htet Naing, the 27-year-old vice chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, was sent to Insein prison after the first day of his trial in a township court. RADIO FREE ASIA

Homophobic bill would penalize Russians who publicly display sexual orientation
A draft law pending in Russia’s parliament would penalize people who engage in public displays that would suggest that their sexual orientation is gay, Human Rights Watch said today. If such displays occur “on territories and in institutions, providing educational, cultural or youth services,” the offender will be fined or put under an administrative arrest of up to 15 days. IFEX

Memorial for environmental activist denied entry to Nigeria
A sculpture created as a memorial to Nigerian environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists has been denied entry to Nigeria, where it had been sent as a gift to mark the 20th anniversary of their execution by the military government. Customs officials impounded Sokari Douglas Camp’s sculpture, in the form of a steel bus, on grounds of its ‘political value’. THE GUARDIAN

Ugandan official assaults journalist over ’embarrassing question’
On Oct. 28, a parliamentary seat contestant for the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, Eddie Ssansa, assaulted a Daily Monitor correspondent for asking him what he termed an ’embarrassing question.’ Ssansa destroyed the cell phone she was using to record his interview, slapped her twice and fondled her breasts, even after she had been rescued from him by other journalists. IFEX

Arundhati Roy returns award, joins protest against violence
Indian author and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy returned her national film award on Thursday, joining a growing list of writers, filmmakers, and academics who have spoken out against a slew of violent incidents and growing intolerance in India. The writer announced she was returning her 1989 National Award for Best Screenplay, saying she was proud to be a part of what artists and intellectuals had started. DAILY TIMES

Activism on the rise in Russia, study finds
Russians are becoming more vocal in their criticism of the authorities, according to the findings of a monitoring study by the Committee of Civic Initiatives. During the first half of 2015, the overall protest activity in Russia recorded by the experts grew almost 15 percent compared to the first half of 2014. GLOBAL ADVOCACY

Future app would let dissidents share video during Internet bans
An app in the early stages of development at the Delft University of Technology would work like this: someone takes a video of an important event, hides it inside an app disguised to look like something uninteresting — a calculator, for example — and shares it through an offline “mesh” network. The video is sent peer-to-peer until a phone with a direct connection to the Internet is found. MOTHERBOARD