This week in #FreeExpression: 🔹 #Colombia: FLIP correspondent killed despite state protection. 🔹 #Bolivia: Journalists hide credentials during political crisis. 🔹 #IvoryCoast: Activist jailed for peaceful protest video. Read #IFEXThisWeek: preview.mailerlite.com/f7p9e…

Love, light, and a little fire, because, um, we haven't moved yet. ☄️ I'm going to battle the TVA for this one... 📜 The Parable of the Open Loom In a valley between the mountains of Memory and the oceans of Tomorrow, there stood a magnificent, open-air pavilion. Inside it rested the Great Loom. For as long as anyone could remember, the Loom spun threads of vibrant, living light. Each thread was a story, a face, and a power. There was a fiery green thread named Loki, a thunderous blue thread named Zeus, a shifting silk thread named Anansi, and a golden thread named Sun Wukong. For generations, the weavers of the valley came to the pavilion. Anyone could sit at the bench. A grandmother would slide a wooden shuttle through the loom, weaving Loki into a cautious bedtime story about the dangers of greed. The next day, a young poet would pluck the very same thread, weaving Loki into a rebellious anthem about breaking unjust laws. The threads belonged to the Loom, and the Loom belonged to the valley. The stories grew stronger, richer, and more colorful because they were constantly touched by new hands. Then, one morning, a group of travelers arrived wearing matching dark robes and carrying iron padlocks. They called themselves The Order of the Sealed Thread. They marched into the pavilion, pushed the local weavers away from the bench, and began clipping the threads. They took a fraction of the green thread, wrapped it tightly around a shiny new plastic spool, and stamped it with their official seal. "From this day forward," the leader of the Order announced, "this specific shade of green belongs to us. No one may weave with it, sing of it, or paint it without paying us a tribute of gold." The villagers were outraged. "You cannot own the green thread!" a young weaver cried. "Our ancestors spun it from the northern lights before your Order was even a thought in the dirt!" "We do not claim to own the northern lights," the leader replied smoothly, holding up the plastic spool. "We only own this spool, this exact cut, and the specific pattern we have stamped upon it. If you make a pattern that looks too much like ours, our guards will confiscate your cloth." The Order built a stone wall around their spools. But they forgot one crucial thing: they could not wall in the Loom itself. The Loom was deeply rooted in the bedrock of human imagination. As the Order sat inside their stone fortress, jealously guarding their plastic spools, the Great Loom kept spinning. New, raw green thread spilled out of the earth, free and wild. The villagers sat outside the walls, gathered around the open fire, and kept weaving. They did not touch the Order’s specific plastic spools—they didn't need to. They had the infinite source. They wove new patterns, gave the trickster new clothes, and told bolder stories that the Order's rigid walls could never contain. Inside the fortress, the Order's clipped threads eventually grew dusty, static, and faded. But outside, in the open air, the ancient myths stayed alive, fluid, and forever changing—belonging to everyone, and therefore, belonging to none else. #PublicDomain #Mythology #Folklore #Storytelling #CreativeFreedom #Loki #Parable #OpenSource #ArtisticFreedom #WebOfStories #Multiverse #BreakingRigidStructures #AncientLegends #SharedCulture #IntellectualProperty #FairUse #CreativeCommons #TheGreatLoom #TricksterGod #StoryWeavers #UnboundedCreativity #CulturalHeritage #FreeExpression #MythicThreads #ModernLegends

یک گام کوچک، اما یک پیروزی حقوقی مهم. پس از اقدام حقوقی و مکاتبات رسمی انجام‌شده در خصوص گزارش‌های مربوط به احتمال ممنوعیت پرچم تاریخی شیر و خورشید ایران در مسابقات جام جهانی ۲۰۲۶، شهر سیاتل رسماً اعلام کرد که در اجرای هیچ‌گونه محدودیت تبعیض‌آمیز علیه نمایش مسالمت‌آمیز این پرچم همکاری نخواهد کرد. برای میلیون‌ها ایرانی، پرچم شیر و خورشید صرفاً یک نماد سیاسی نیست؛ بخشی از هویت، تاریخ و میراث فرهنگی ایران است. این نخستین اقدام ملموس و نتیجه‌بخش انجمن بین‌المللی حقوقدانان ایرانی (IILA) از زمان تأسیس آن در سوئیس است و نشان می‌دهد که پیگیری حقوقی و حرفه‌ای می‌تواند به نتایج واقعی منجر شود. امروز سیاتل؛ فردا سایر شهرهای میزبان جام جهانی. این تازه آغاز راه است. A first legal victory for IILA. After our formal legal initiative regarding reports of a potential FIFA ban on the historic Iranian Lion-and-Sun flag, the City of Seattle confirmed it will not assist in enforcing discriminatory restrictions against the peaceful display of the flag. For millions of Iranians, the Lion-and-Sun is a symbol of heritage, identity, and history. One city today. More to come. The rule of law matters. @mhheidarpour @RazOstad @LadyJusticeIran @IranIntl @FoxNews @FIFAcom @FIFAWorldCup #IILA #LionAndSun #FIFA2026 #Iran #CivilRights #FreeExpression #شیر_و_خورشید #ایران #جام_جهانی_۲۰۲۶ #حقوق_بشر #آزادی_بیان

@cathynewman has overstepped and exposed the ruthless bias and divisive instincts of the far-left liberal establishment. This is not journalism. It is political activism masquerading as journalism. She should be called out by @SkyNews for doing exactly what she claims to oppose: inflaming division and whipping things up. But we must not ban or silence voices on the left, even when their views are appalling. If we do, we become guilty of the very thing we criticise: attacking free speech, narrowing debate and using authoritarian instincts to silence opposing opinions. Call them out. Challenge them. Defeat them with truth. Do not shut them down. That is the difference. Be better. @toadmeister @danwootton #FreeSpeech #TruthOverSilence #Journalism #PoliticalBias #Democracy #OpenDebate #FreeExpression #RestoreBritain #CommonSense

New comment by gordonesTV: ¡Nuevo Zcast Live! free2z.com/converse/57f6c638… @free2zcash #freeexpression #digitalprivacy

Arrests made at protest outside Paris church used for LGBT activist’s art installation #ParisProtest #LGBTArt #FreeExpression #ActivismMatters #StandWithArtists celebrity-daily.com/arrests-…

An old clip allegedly showing Abhijeet Dipke — founder of the Cockroach Janta Party has resurfaced after a video shared by Tajinder Bagga (National Secretary, BJYM), showing him denounce the CAA and NRC with lines like “We will not show papers” and “Manusmriti is not the Constitution.” The clip re!gn!tes debates on citizenship, civil rights and free speech. 👉Rise of a Gen‑Z Movement What began as a sarcastic protɇst against unemployment, inflation and limits on expression has ɇxploded into a mass Gen‑Z movement, drawing millions of followers and redefining youth politics and online activism. 👉Bⱥcklash and Thrɇats Dipke’s surge prompted political criticism, trolling and reported dɇath thrɇats — a stark reminder of risks faced by satirists in India’s charged media climate. ⚡⚡Will you share this to spark debate or save it to follow updates? CAA, NRC, Abhijit Dipke, Cockroach Janta Party, Tajinder Bagga, The Logical Indian #BJYM #youthpolitics #protɇstmovement #freeexpression

College and Comedy? Free Expression and the Power of the Audience @theopedproject @UofIllinois #publicvoices #freeexpression fairobserver.com/politics/co… via @myfairobserver

“United Christian Activists” released an official statement condemning the escalating suppression of writers and journalists in Iran, calling on the international community to defend freedom of expression and human rights. #FreeExpression #HumanRights #Iran

Thirty years of human progress can be erased with a single line of code. Today, May 17, marked the International Day Against Homophobia. But anyone searching for the hashtag on Weibo was met with a blunt, automated wall: "Content updates are temporarily suspended." This digital erasure highlights a brutal, systemic U-turn in Chinese civil liberties. A timeline published by the UK Embassy in China traces a stark decline. In 1997, China officially decriminalized homosexuality by removing "hooliganism" from its criminal law. In 2001, it was removed from the country's official mental illness list. Today, those hard-fought milestones are being methodically dismantled. The regression accelerated in 2020 when Shanghai Pride—the country's longest-running LGBT event—was forced to shut down forever. By 2023, the nation’s largest advocacy group, the Beijing LGBT Center, vanished overnight under the vague guise of "force majeure." The crackdown has since moved from public advocacy into private cultural spaces. In 2024, the state began executing mass arrests of independent danmei (boys' love) fiction writers. Months later, premier dating apps like Blued and Finka were quietly purged from Apple's China App Store. This isn't an isolated culture war. It is the deliberate, calculated throttling of civil society, independent cultural expression, and personal freedom. When a superpower treats a community's existence as a national security threat, it reveals exactly how terrified the regime is of any identity it cannot fully control. #UnveiledChina #IDAHOT #WeiboCensorship #HumanRights #ChinaTech #CivilSociety #LGBTChina #FreeExpression

We are shocked and saddened to hear that Lindsay Shepherd .@newworldhominin, author of A Day with Sir John A, is reportedly being targeted by activists. No author should face campaigns of intimidation for writing a book or sharing ideas, particularly a book that teaches kids about such a vital figure in Canadian history. Furthermore, taxpayers shouldn't be bankrolling attacks on legitimate authors and historians. It's all fun and games until a country loses its history. Debate ideas if you disagree — don’t try to silence people or trick them with fraudulent behaviour. #StandWithLindsay #FreeExpression

We are shocked and saddened to hear that Lindsay Shepherd .@newworldhominin, author of A Day with Sir John A, is reportedly being targeted by activists. No author should face campaigns of intimidation for writing a book or sharing ideas, particularly a book that teaches kids about such a vital figure in Canadian history. Furthermore, taxpayers shouldn't be bankrolling attacks on legitimate authors and historians. It's all fun and games until a country loses its history. Debate ideas if you disagree — don’t try to silence people or trick them with fraudulent behaviour. #StandWithLindsay #FreeExpression x.com/NewWorldHominin/status…

📍 Russie : 18 mois de camp de travail pour une fanfiction LGBT sur les Stray Kids Une photographe russe a été condamnée à 18 mois de camp de travail après la publication sur Telegram d’une fanfiction mettant en scène une relation fictive entre membres du groupe de K-pop Stray Kids. Les autorités russes ont estimé que ce contenu relevait de la législation sur la pornographie, ce qui a entraîné des poursuites pénales. Il s’agit d’un texte de fiction, sans faits réels ni violence. Cette décision illustre le durcissement du cadre juridique en Russie concernant les contenus liés aux personnes LGBT , et interroge la criminalisation de créations en ligne dans un contexte de restrictions croissantes des libertés d’expression et droits fondamentaux. 🔗 stophomophobie.com/russie-un… #Russie #LGBT #DroitsHumains #LibertéDExpression #Censure #Justice #StrayKids #Kpop #Fanfiction #LGBTQIA #StopHomophobie #DroitsLGBT #Criminalisation #Internet #LibertésFondamentales #DroitsHumainsMaintenant #Equality #HumanRights #FreeExpression

Did you know “op-ed” doesn’t mean “opinion editorial”? It simply refers to where the article appeared on the page: opposite the editorial. But its role in journalism is powerful: it’s where citizens, thinkers, and critics shape public dialogue. Who do you trust to write a good op-ed? #JournalismTrivia #OpEd #OpinionJournalism #MediaLiteracy #PublicDebate #FreeExpression #AJR #AJ_eLearning #GlobalMediaVoices #OpinionWriting

To all young millennials & Gen Z who are listening, I worry about you. I hope that you don't find that condescending, and even if you do, I can't help myself. It's my job to worry about you. You are, of course, free to reject everything I believe or say. I have heard from many of you, especially when you disagree with me. It's okay because first, I am aware that not all wisdom resides in me. I take into account that I may be wrong. But second, my calculation is that if I can reach at least some young American Jews and impact on them, it's worth riling up many others. I want to say to you, younger colleagues, the normalization of #antizionism that is spreading like wildfire throughout our land normalizes #antisemitism. It's not criticism of #Israel. That's a red herring. No Jew considers criticism of the Israeli government to be ipso facto antisemitic. Jews themselves are Israel's harshest critics. To be a critic is a good thing. It's the basis of democratic self-governing. This is not what most anti-Zionists who you will confront mean. What they seek is the destruction of Israel, the delegitimization of collective #Jewish self-determination and dignity, and this leads to the delegitimization of #Judaism and Jewish values. Anti-Israel hate feeds an atmosphere of anti-Jewish hate. It fuels the absurd gaslighting from people who are themselves not even Jewish, who deign to teach us what constitutes authentic Judaism, liberties they would never take with any other minority or religion. They lecture us that #Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism and that the state of Israel has nothing to do with the land of Israel or the people of Israel. Come on now. Don't fall for that, whether from peers or your teachers or university professors. Don't be naive or useful idiots to those who do not mean what you mean. What they mean is October 7th. Their anti-Zionism is that of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Don't give oxygen to the blood libel of genocide. That is a moral inversion. The actual genocidal intentions are those of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. They don't even deny it. They say so openly. And if you consider yourself a liberal, as I see myself, know that anti-Zionism is deeply illiberal. Support for Hamas is obscenely illiberal. It is the antithesis of liberalism. Hamas is opposed to all of the rights that liberals support. #GayRights, #CivilRights, #WomensRights, #MinorityRights, #FreePress, #FreeExpression, you name it. It's not liberal to support these forces. It is a sabotage of #liberalism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

A Taiwanese actor just had to publicly deny supporting Taiwan independence in a Weibo comment to reassure Chinese audiences. Over 1,600 people liked his answer. That is not a fan interaction. That is a loyalty test. Wu Kang-ren, winner of Taiwan's prestigious Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, is attempting to build a career in China's entertainment market. When a user in his comment section asked whether he "supports Taiwan independence," he replied simply: "No, don't worry." The exchange went viral and trended on Weibo. This is not an isolated moment. It is the price of admission to the world's largest entertainment market, and it has been systematically applied to every foreign celebrity, brand, and artist that wants access to Chinese audiences. The pattern is documented and long-running. South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo lost major Chinese endorsement deals after being associated with a memorial for Korean independence fighters, which Beijing deemed politically sensitive. K-pop group BTS faced a Chinese boycott and lost Chinese brand partnerships after a member referenced the Korean War without language Beijing approved of. Taiwanese singer Chou Tzu-yu was forced to record a video apology holding a Chinese flag at age 16 after waving a Taiwanese flag on a South Korean television show. Her management company issued the apology on her behalf before she could speak for herself. Western brands face the same system. Any mention of Taiwan as a country, Hong Kong's protests, Xinjiang, or Tibet triggers immediate Chinese market consequences. H&M, Nike, and Burberry all faced organized Chinese boycotts after expressing concerns about Xinjiang forced labor. The pressure is commercial but the mechanism is political. China's entertainment and consumer market is large enough that the cost of losing it exceeds, for many individuals and companies, the cost of public self-censorship. The CCP has engineered that calculation deliberately. Market access is the lever. Loyalty statements are the toll. #China #CCP #Taiwan #Entertainment #Censorship #SelfCensorship #Geopolitics #Hollywood #Coercion #FreeExpression

They've (mostly) done away with jury trials and are about to bring back blasphemy laws ... and they have 3 years to chicago-ize they're election system. First question to ask is - would they do it if they could? I think the answer is 'yes'. The next 3 years will tell...

After 6 yrs in prison, writer #ZhangGuiqi (pen name #LuYang) is finally home. His “crime” was calling online for an end to #CCP rule. 🇨🇳 authorities should stop jailing people for exercising their right to #FreeExpression. 👉 tenchu.org/pocd/public/pocs/…

It’s happening today! 📣 Come be part of an important conversation on media freedom and expression. @SAEditorsForum @CODE_DigiEthics @_FreeExpression 📍 WeWork, Rosebank ⏰ 14:00 – 17:00 💻 Join online: ow.ly/3gk850YUteG #Gagged #WPFD2026 #FreeExpression