Belarus

During his weekly television and radio address a year ago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez warned that foreigners who criticize him or his administration while visiting the country would be expelled. Chávez ordered officials to scrutinize statements by foreign public figures and deport any outspoken critics. While analysts thought this declaration was yet another instance of the president's charged rhetoric, the expulsion of two Human Rights Watch (HRW) activists from the country on Thursday proved them wrong. 

On Tuesday, CPJ reported that Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko had signed a new media law allowing authorities to further restrict press freedom by controlling what is published on the Internet. Belarus is on CPJ's list of the world's Most Censored Countries.

Journalists are not the only ones denied freedom of expression. "Belarusian Waltz," an upcoming film on the PBS series "POV," tells the story of Alexander Pushkin, a Belarusian performance artist. His avant-garde street theater includes "wheelbarrows of dung, mock patriotic displays, and portraits of condemned Nazi collaborators." They are intended to challenge Lukashenko's power and spark debate among Belarusians. Pushkin's work often results in his being dragged away by police.