Ferguson activist Darren Seals found dead in burned vehicle
A prominent activist who helped lead protests in Ferguson, Missouri following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown has died. Police said Darren Seals, 29, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside a vehicle that had been set on fire, according to The New York Times.
TIME

Journalist charged in Venezuela after anti-Maduro protest
A prominent journalist and lawyer jailed on Venezuela’s Margarita island was charged on Monday with money laundering, according to family and a rights group, following his arrest after publicizing a protest against President Nicolas Maduro.
REUTERS

Russia: Journalist Punished for Chechnya Reporting
A court in Chechnya sentenced a local independent journalist to three years in prison on dubious drug possession charges, Human Rights Watch reported. The journalist, Zhalaudi Geriev, worked for the Caucasian Knot, a Russian media portal well known for its reporting on abuses by Chechen authorities. 
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

SSS releases ‘wanted’ journalist, Ahmad Salkida
Ahmad Salkida, the Nigerian journalist taken into custody on Monday, weeks after being declared wanted by the army, has been released, Premium Times sources said late Tuesday.
PREMIUM TIMES

Journalist detained over criminal defamation complaint in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi journalist Siddiqur Rahman Khan has been detained since September 1 after a criminal defamation complaint was filed against him under Article 57 of the 2006 Information and Communication Technology Act, according to news reports.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS

Kidnapped Japanese journalist’s credit cards found used in Syria
Several credit cards of Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, allegedly kidnapped in Syria in June 2015, were used for online transactions after his disappearance, authorities said on Wednesday. He is believed to have been abducted by the terror group Al Nusra, Efe news reported.
BUSINESS STANDARD

Jordanian journalist denied entry into Israel
Jordanian journalist Mudar Al Momani has been denied an entry visa into Israel for weeks due to “security reasons,” despite pressure from the Israeli Embassy and the Government Press Office.
YNETNEWS

Pokemon Go: Russian blogger appeals against arrest for playing in church
A Russian blogger arrested after posting a video of himself playing Pokemon Go in a church in the city of Yekaterinburg has filed an appeal, according to the local court. Ruslan Sokolovsky is reportedly being held in prison while he awaits trial.
BBC

YouTubers are accusing the site of rampant ‘censorship’
YouTube, the third-largest website on Earth, is “over” according to a group of outraged creators who claim the company has begun censoring them. The controversy springs from confusion over YouTube’s long-standing policy of disabling ads on videos that could draw advertiser complaints.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE

 

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]