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]
Khadija Ismayilova’s lawyers seek acquittal in closing statements *PEN Case List
The prosecutors have requested a nine-year sentence for investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. Her trial will resume on August 31. Ismayilova faces spurious charges widely denounced as a politically motivated attempt to silence her for her reports exposing corruption in Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s regime. HETQ
Reporter and photographer shot dead during live broadcast in Virginia
A gunman killed WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward during a live television broadcast on Wednesday, officials and colleagues at the station said. NBC
Russia reverses ban on Russian Wikipedia after only a few hours
A Russian agency told Internet providers to block access to Wikipedia’s Russian language material on Monday, after a court ruled the entry on hashish contained banned information. Recent legislation in Russia has banned sites from carrying information about drugs, suicide and hate, raising concerns about censorship. TIME
Chinese authorities shut down Tibetan literary website *PEN Case List
Chinese authorities shut down the website Choemei on August 18. Writer Kunchok Tsephel established the website in 2005 and it served as a forum for news and literary writings in the native language of the residents of Tibetan-populated regions of western China. RADIO FREE ASIA
Egypt interferes with printing of three newspapers
Three privately owned newspapers have been prevented from going to print or into circulation because of content critical of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to news reports. CPJ
Kuwaiti blogger sentenced to four years
On Tuesday, Kuwait’s criminal court sentenced Abdul Rahman Al Ajmi to four years in jail in a case filed by the Saudi embassy in Kuwait. Al Ajmi was arrested in March and was accused of inciting people to topple the regime and antagonistic acts against Saudi Arabia. GULF NEWS
US photojournalist detained in Thailand, freed on bail
U.S. photojournalist Anthony Kwan has been released on bail in Thailand where he was detained for possessing body armor and a helmet. ASSOCIATED PRESS
On front lines of fight for press freedom in Turkey
Sevgi Akarcesme, a columnist for Today’s Zaman, a large independent daily newspaper in Turkey, has been threatened, harassed, vilified and sued for tweeting remarks critical of the government. TIMES UNION
Canada’s police want laws that will give them ‘real time’ access to your data
Thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, Canadian cops need a warrant before they can get subscriber information from telecommunication companies — which is why police are now lobbying for a legal workaround so they can access that same information without court approval. MOTHERBOARD
