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Jury deliberates on Trump inauguration protest unrest; demonstrators are charged with rioting though none are accused of specific acts of violence. Twitter shuts account of British radical group that was source of Trump anti-Muslim videos; revised rules may Herald major purge of right-wing accounts. Charlottesville police chief resigns after investigative report finds missteps in handling of August right-wing demonstration. -Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

The Jury In The Inauguration Day Rioting Trial Now Has To Decide What To Do About The First Amendment
The defense is arguing that in the absence of evidence that the six people on trial were the demonstrators who broke windows or intended to support the violence that day, the case is very much about the Constitution’s protections for speech and assembly, and that the Justice Department is trying to criminalize people for exercising their First Amendment rights.
BUZZFEED NEWS

Twitter suspends accounts of far-right British group retweeted by Trump
Twitter suspended accounts belonging to the far-right group Britain First, shortly after updating its policy on hate speech and “abusive” content. The social media company also announced it would begin enforcing updates to its rules on “hateful conduct and abusive behavior.”
POLITICO

Charlottesville police chief resigns in wake of report on white-supremacist rally
Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned just 17 days after the release of a report that was highly critical of the police department’s handling of a white-supremacist rally in August that turned deadly in the Virginia city.
WASHINGTON POST

HHS defends withholding comments critical of abortion, transgender policy
While HHS received 10,729 comments on its proposal, the agency has only posted 80 comments—less than 1 percent of all submissions—that overwhelmingly back the administration’s anti-abortion policies or attack regulations advanced by the Obama administration. Sources with knowledge of HHS’ decision say the agency hand-picked the comments that it released.
POLITICO

 
Global

After one week, Myanmar silent on whereabouts of detained Reuters journalists
Two Reuters journalists completed a week in detention in Myanmar today, with no word on where they were being held as authorities proceeded with an investigation into whether they violated the country’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act.
REUTERS

Internet giants told: Accept cyber curbs to be welcome in China
Google and Facebook will have to accept China’s censorship and tough online laws if they want access to its 751 million internet users, Chinese regulators told a conference in Geneva.
REUTERS

Threats, Online Abuse and Lack of Information Are ‘Special Challenges’ Faced By Kashmiri Journalists
The spike in unrest in Kashmir following a “fake encounter” in 2010 in which three civilians were reported to have been killed by the army and the public protests in 2016 following the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani by security forces has brought with it “special challenges” for the media in the state, a report said.
THE WIRE

At least 65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017: Reporters Without Borders
At least 65 media workers around the world have been killed doing their jobs this year, Reporters Without Borders said. Among the dead were 50 professional journalists, seven citizen journalists, and eight other media workers. The five most dangerous countries were Syria, Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines.
REUTERS

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