Courses

Walid Tamtam

Students For Liberty

Walid Tamtam is a Canadian student and writer on foreign policy issues surrounding war, diplomacy, freedom, and natural resources. He regularly contributes to informational campaigns that expose the complex relationships between authoritarian regimes across the world.

Blog Posts

Mohammed Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi: the tragedy of executed dissidents in Iran

February 8, 2024
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Civil Liberties

Once again, on January 23, 2024, Iranian authorities executed two political dissidents, Mohammed Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, after unjust trials. These latest tragedies shed light on the ongoing pattern concerning Iran’s use of the death penalty in persecuting both opponents of the regime and ethnic minorities.  The executions carried out last month — arbitrarily and shrouded in deep secrecy — present an urgent need for international attention and condemnation of the Islamic regime in Iran. The case of Mohammad Ghobadlou Mohammad Ghobadlou, a 23-year-old Iranian

Remembering Ibrahim Qashoush: a brutal story of musical resistance and regime violence

October 27, 2023
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Censorship

Although highly unknown beyond the Free Syria movement, an often-forgotten cause, Ibrahim Qashoush was a popular singer during the beginning of the Syrian Revolution. He soon became one of the countless victims of the Assad regime’s brutality.  Qashoush was widely credited as the author of a popular anti-Assad song, Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar (Come on Bashar, leave!), directed at the despised Assad regime and his Arab Socialist Ba’ath party.  (English Lyrics Provided by Memri) His song gained popularity at protests in the center of Hama, Syria. It was spread via social media as

Bill C-11: how Canada’s algorithm power play stifles free speech online

September 26, 2023
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Censorship

Bill C-11, recognized as the Online Streaming Act, was passed as legislation into Canadian federal law through royal assent on April 27, 2023, championed by the Liberal government. Former Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriquez spearheaded this controversial bill aimed at safeguarding an “equitable” environment for Canadian online content creators.  The legislation has drawn heavy criticism from the public and free speech groups (not to mention YouTube itself), primarily due to the provisions about the oversight of online platform recommendation algorithms, such as those on YouTube’s

What Jordan Peterson’s failed court appeal says about freedom of expression in Canada

August 31, 2023
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Civil Liberties

In a recent legal development that has ignited debates about the intersection of freedom of expression and professional obligations, former University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson’s court appeal has been denied.  The case has brought to the forefront the delicate balance between an individual’s right to express their views and the responsibility of professional regulatory bodies to ensure ethical conduct within their field. However, in this case, there may be a twist against the liberty of Canadian licensed professionals such as Dr. Peterson.  Jordan Peterson, a clinical

Bill C-18: social media no longer a home for news in Canada

August 3, 2023
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Censorship

Canada has long prided itself on free expression and democracy, but newly passed Bill C-18 threatens to tarnish Canada’s reputation by infringing upon the fundamental principle of liberty in media. What is Bill C-18? Under the guise of supporting local news outlets in Canada, Bill C-18 aims to censor all news outlets on social media platforms unless their companies offer compensation to Canadian news outlets for the news they provide. Neither Canadian news outlets nor social media companies asked for such a structure; and yet, this kind of legislation has long been on the agenda