free speech

Bryton Mellott's photo of himself burning an American flag led to his arrest in Urbana, Ill. The local prosecutor says no charges will be filed against Mellott.

Illinois Man Is Arrested After Burning U.S. Flag, Won't Face Charges

5:31pm July 05, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A state law that was enacted in 2013 was the basis for Bryton Mellott's arrest, but the local prosecutor says it contradicts the Supreme Court's ruling on this issue.

Comedian Jan Boehmermann, who performed a satirical poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appeared at the German Television Awards in January in Duesseldorf, Germany.

World News

At Turkey's Request, Germany Allows Criminal Investigation Of Comedian

6:38pm April 15, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Comic Jan Boehmermann could face jail time for reading a satirical poem on TV that criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A German law makes it illegal to insult a foreign leader.

The iconic clock tower and library at University of California, Berkeley. The University of California system, especially Berkeley, has a stormy history around free speech and spying by the federal government.

At Calif. Campuses, A Test For Free Speech, Privacy And Cybersecurity

8:11pm March 11, 2016

by Laura Sydell

The University of California president, former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, secretly ordered data monitoring across the system after hackers broke into the UCLA medical center.

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Ren Zhiqiang, a Chinese real estate tycoon, attends a conference in Beijing last November. Ren, 54, is locked in a battle with the government over the question of free speech.

In Social Media Battle, Real Estate Mogul Takes On Chinese Government

10:43pm March 01, 2016

by Anthony Kuhn

China's Internet authorities have shut down all social media accounts of Ren Zhiqiang, a sharp-tongued real estate mogul compared by some in China to Donald Trump.

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Activists from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shout slogans during a protest against the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union in Mumbai on Feb. 15, 2016.

World News

Sedition Charge Divides India As Protests Continue

11:34am February 20, 2016

by Julie McCarthy

Academics and students say glorifying a Kashmiri separatist is free speech. But conservative supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi say "speech against our country" shouldn't be allowed.

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An Indian student holds a placard demanding the release of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar during a protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi on Tuesday.

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Indian Students Say It's Free Speech; Government Calls It Sedition

7:36pm February 16, 2016

by Julie McCarthy

Indian security forces are cracking down on a major university, highlighting a new front in India's culture wars over things like free expression and religious dietary rules.

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Visitors look at Ai Weiwei's "Trace" installation — part of the @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz series — last year on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Fans Flood Artist Ai Weiwei With Offers Of Legos

4:53pm October 26, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

The Chinese artist says the Danish company that makes the toy bricks has refused to sell a bulk order for an exhibition on free speech. Ai says Lego is bowing to pressure from Chinese authorities.

Police and others carry the body of activist and blogger Niloy Chakrabati, aka Niloy Neel, downstairs after he was slain in his upstairs apartment.

Another Bangladeshi Blogger Hacked To Death For Secular Views

5:05pm August 08, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Niloy Chakrabati Neel, who wrote under the pseudonym Niloy Neel, had advocated against Muslim extremism and in favor of women's rights. He is the fourth such social media activist killed this year.

The indictment against 24-year-old Palestinian Ayman Mahareeq says comments he posted on Facebook illegally insulted the West Bank police force and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.

World News

In The West Bank, Facebook Posts Can Get You Arrested, Or Worse

2:14pm June 19, 2015

by Emily Harris

A Palestinian man in Ramallah faces charges of insulting officials — based on his Facebook comments. This case and others point to the limits to free speech under the Palestinian Authority.

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The design of a proposed "Sons of the Confederacy" Texas state license plate, featuring the Confederate flag. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Texas did not infringe on free speech rights when it rejected the design.

Justices Give Officials More Say On Cars' Plates, Less On Roadside Signs

2:09pm June 19, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

Justices on Thursday upheld the right of Texas to ban the Confederate battle flag from official license plates, but struck down the regulations an Arizona town imposed on churches' road signs.

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