Kyrgyzstan Bans Independent Media as 'Extremist' & Trump Threatens BBC Lawsuit Over Documentary | The Free Flow 11/13/25
Kyrgyzstan bans top idependent media as 'extremist,' Trump threatens the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit after 'defamatory' documentary, Journalists in Sudan have gone missing or been killed, and more.
This Week At A Glance 🔎
— 🇺🇸 Trump Threatens Lawsuit Against BBC Over ‘False, Defamatory’ Documentary
— 🌎 YouTube Deletes Palestinian Rights Groups’ Accounts
— 🇪🇺 EU Presents Democracy Shield and Strategy for Civil Society
— 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan Bans Top Independent Media as ‘Extremist’
— 🇸🇩 Journalists Missing and Killed in Sudan
First of All 🇺🇸
» Trump Threatens BBC Over ‘False, Defamatory’ Documentary
President Trump has issued an ultimatum to the BBC to either retract “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory” statements made in a documentary about his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, or face a $1 billion lawsuit.
Details:
BBC director-general Tim Davie and BBC News and Current Affairs chief Deborah Turness have both stepped down amid growing controversy over the documentary.
Trump’s attorney sent a notice of intent to BBC Chair Samir Shah and general counsel Sarah Jones to bring a civil action lawsuit if they fail to retract defamatory statements about him immediately.
Pressure against Davie reached new heights after the Telegraph published excerpts from whistleblower documents compiled by Michael Prescott, a communications advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards.
The documents criticized BBC coverage, including the Trump edit, reporting on transgender issues, and an alleged anti-Israel bias in the broadcaster’s Arabic service.
» Fifth Circuit Appeals Court Rules Texas Can Enforce Drag Show Ban
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the state can enforce a 2023 law that prohibits drag performers from dancing suggestively or wearing specific prosthetics on public property or in front of children.
Details:
Under the law, business owners who host these performances could face fines up to $10,000, and performers could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor.
A district court had previously ruled the law unconstitutional in September 2023, but the Fifth Circuit reversed and remanded the case back to the district court.
However, the appellate ruling also suggested the court believes not all drag shows are sexually explicit and will not be impacted by the ban.
» Former Dean Sues MTSU for Firing Over Kirk Posts
Laura Sosh-Lightsy, a former associate dean at Middle Tennessee State University, is suing MTSU President Dr. Sidney McPhee and another employee after she was fired for social media posts regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Details:
Sosh-Lightsy posted a series of comments on her private Facebook page after Kirk’s death, including, “Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.”
The court filing claims one of Sosh-Lightsy’s Facebook friends, Matthew Hurtt, a former MTSU student who now works as a political operative for the Republican Party in Virginia, began sharing screenshots of her posts on X.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) reposted one of Hurtt’s X posts and called for MTSU to remove Sosh-Lightsy from her position at the school.
Sosh-Lightsy claims she was terminated from MTSU minutes after Blackburn’s post, and McPhee posted a statement that said she was terminated for her posts that caused a “disruption and interference with University operations.”
The Digital Age 🤖
» YouTube Deletes Accounts of Palestinian Rights Groups Sanctioned by US
Over 700 videos documenting the conflict in Gaza were deleted when YouTube removed the accounts of three Palestinian human rights groups after the U.S. State Department had sanctioned them.
Details:
The groups, Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, had been sanctioned by the State Department in September, over their engagement with the International Criminal Court, which charged Israeli officials with war crimes and issued warrants for arrests.
YouTube confirmed its decision was a direct result of the sanctions, according to The Intercept.
A YouTube spokesperson said that the company “is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws.”
A spokesperson for Al-Haq said that Mailchimp, a U.S.-based mailing list service, also deleted the group’s account the same month as the sanctions were introduced.
» House Judiciary Subpoenas OpenAI’s Communications with Foreign Governments
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, demanding information on the company’s communications with foreign governments regarding compliance with local rules and judicial orders that could infringe on Americans’ free speech rights.
Details:
Jordan expressed concerns that regulations aimed at curbing disinformation and harmful content in places such as the UK, European Union, and Brazil risk infringing on Americans’ free speech rights.
“These policies are generally global in scope, because platforms cannot effectively enforce country-specific content moderation policies while also respecting user privacy,” Jordan wrote in the letter.
» Colorado Judge Pauses Social Media Warning Law
A federal judge has paused a Colorado law that would require social media companies to warn minors about the potential harms of using their platforms.
Details:
Under the law, companies must warn a minor user every 30 minutes that they have spent an hour or more on the platform within a 24-hour period, or between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m..
The warning must also include a reminder about the potential impact of social media on the developing brains of minors.
In the preliminary injunction, Judge William J. Martínez concluded the plaintiff, NetChoice, a tech trade group, is likely to succeed “on the merits of its claims that Colorado may not pursue this laudable goal by compelling social media companies to speak its expressive messages.”
» Congress Considers Mandatory Age Checks in AI
Congress is considering the Children Harmed by AI Technology (CHAT) Act of 2025, which would impose mandatory age checks on AI users and establish the first legal boundaries around AI companions.
Details:
The bill defines an AI companion as any software-based AI designed “for the primary purpose of simulating interpersonal or emotional interaction.”
This could require users to upload a government-issued ID to log in to everything, from video games to customer service bots and Alexa’s music suggestions.
The bill would also mandate that models provide disclosure notices at the start of a conversation and every hour thereafter, reminding users they are interacting with an AI system.
Models would also have to display contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if a user expresses suicidal ideations, and have sexually explicit content be strictly moderated for minors.
» Apple Removes Gay Dating Apps After Chinese Order
Apple has removed two gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its Chinese app store following an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China.
Details:
A “lite” version of Blued will still be available for download on the China app store.
The move follows a 2022 ban on Grindr, a gay dating app from the U.S, from Apple’s app store.
The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺
» EU Presents Democracy Shield and Strategy for Civil Society
The European Commission has presented the European Democracy Shield and the EU Strategy for Civil Society with the stated objective of protecting “the key pillars of our democratic systems.”
European Democracy Shield:
The initiative will create a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience, a hub for EU member states to “anticipate, detect and respond to threats,” focusing on disinformation and foreign manipulation and interference.
The Commission will also prepare an incidents and crisis protocol under the Digital Services Act to “ensure swift reactions to large-scale and potentially transnational information operations.”
An independent European Network of Fact-Checkers will be formed, and the European Digital Media Observatory will develop independent monitoring during elections or crisis situations.
Among several other initiatives, the Shield also includes efforts to bolster independent and local journalism through financial reinforcements, safety recommendations, and support for protections against SLAPPs.
The Commission will also present guidance on the responsible use of AI in electoral processes and update the Digital Services Act (DSA) Elections Toolkit
EU Strategy for Civil Society:
A new Civil Society Platform will facilitate dialogue on the “protection and promotion of EU values.”
An online Knowledge Hub on Civic Space will provide access to existing projects, tools, and protection measures.
The initiative will also increase financial support for civil society organizations and strengthen links with private donors and pro bono legal communities.
Our Take: The Future of Free Speech submitted feedback to the Call for Evidence on the “European Democracy Shield.” In it, Alexander Hohlfeld emphasized the importance of avoiding exaggerated warnings about “disinformation,” promoting a culture of free expression, and enhancing spaces for democratic discourse, viewpoint diversity, and open debate.
Free Speech Recession 🌎
» Kyrgyzstan Court Bans Independent Media as ‘Extremist’
Ahead of its parliamentary election, a court in Kyrgyzstan has banned three of the country’s top independent media outlets as “extremist organizations,” including Kloop, Temirov Live, and AitAit Dese.
Details:
The decision, issued on October 27, also makes any activities “under the leadership or participation” of the leaders of two of the banned outlets, Bolot Temirov and Rinat Tukhvatshin, illegal.
The court did not specify which materials were “extremist,” and the decision comes weeks before snap parliamentary elections set for November 30.
» Journalists Killed and Missing in Sudan
As the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces worsens, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that at least 15 journalists have been killed since the start of the war in April 2023, and 13 have been reported missing.
Details:
Among the targeted journalists is Moamar Ibrahim, who was detained and accused of defamation on October 26, 2025, over his coverage of the conflict from El Fasher.
Mohamed Khamis Douda, a spokesperson for the Zamzam displacement camp, was reportedly killed the same day by RSF.
Following his disappearance, Ibrahim Gibril Abker, a camera operator for Sudan TV Network, has appeared in videos showing RSF prisoners on social media.
The news comes when 90% of media institutions have stopped operating in Sudan, amid internet blackouts, worsening the crisis.
» Protesters Arrested at Villa-Maccabi Football Match
Eleven arrests were made at protests outside Villa Park in Birmingham, England, where a football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv was taking place.
Arrests:
Among those arrested, five were charged and detained on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offenses.
Two men, aged 34 and 29, were arrested for shouting abuse toward pro-Israel demonstrators, while a 32-year-old man was detained for shouting abuse toward a pro-Palestinian group.
Other arrests included other charges, ranging from suspicion of drugs and breach of peace offenses to failing to comply with orders to remove face masks.
Background:
Over 700 police were deployed ahead of the game, as authorities anticipated a head-to-head between pro-Palestinian supporters and pro-Israeli campaigners.
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group had announced a month prior that no Maccabi fans could travel to the match following intelligence from West Midlands Police, which concluded that the biggest risk of violence came from fans of the Israeli club.
The decision sparked controversy, leading to parliamentary-level debates, but Maccabi Tel Aviv later stated that supporters would not travel to Birmingham due to safety concerns.
Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.
Ava Sjursen is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Boston College studying communications and political science.