· January, 2010

Stories about Digital Activism from January, 2010

Iran: Two Bloggers in Danger of Death

  31 January 2010

Two Iranian bloggers, who are also human rights defendants, are behind bars under serious charges. Mehrdad Rahimi and Kouhyar Goudarzi have been accused of wanting to wage “a war against God,” and charged as being “Mohareb” (enemies of God). Their charges are similar to those against the two men who were executed this week in Tehran.

Iran: Iranian Cyber Army hacked Radio Zamaneh

  30 January 2010

Iranian Cyber Army hacked Netherlands based Radio Zamaneh. The message on the hacked site says in Persian: “you who betray your country are not safe even when you are with your masters.” Iranian Cyber army recently hacked Twitter and Chinese Baidu but does not claim any direct link with Iranian...

Azerbaijan: Democracy is…

  29 January 2010

Önər Blog [AZ] posts a video [EN] made by the OL! Azerbaijani Youth Movement for the Democracy Video Challenge. OL! has been exemplary in its use of new media in the region and was co-founded by now imprisoned video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade.

Egypt: The Right to Speak Up

  28 January 2010

Egyptian bloggers and activists held a conference on January 22 in defense of their right to speak up after more than 20 Egyptian bloggers were arrested when their train arrived in the village of Naga Hammady where the Coptic massacre took place. Marwa Rakha sums up their reactions to their detention in this post.

Bermuda: Busting the Budget

  28 January 2010

“In three years, the public debt has grown by $480,481,000! And that’s before the economic recession really dug it’s teeth into Bermuda”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “the costs of the constant circus are mounting fast, and only we Bermudians will be left holding the bucket.”

Russia: Prosecution Against Opposition Blogger Stopped

RuNet Echo  28 January 2010

The first criminal case against a blogger in Russia with a happy ending unfolded over a long period of time. After two years of investigation and three socio-linguistic assessments, experts didn't find any evidence of "incitement hatred against police and Russian Security Service officers." But the blogger's victory, however, is rather an exception than a rule.

Belarus: Politics and Economy Update

  28 January 2010

Belarus Digest reports on the ongoing political repressions in Belarus; the governement's plan “to introduce censorship on the Internet about a year before the next presidential election”; the new price of Belarusian entry visa (if issued at the airport) – 180 euro; and Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom, which...

Bermuda: Takeover Bid

  26 January 2010

“My opinion is that the PLP takeover of the City is not about reform; I believe it is about power and real estate development. Watch the money”: Bermuda's Vexed Bermoothes weighs in on what he calls the government's “power grab”.

Hungary: The Invisible Marsh

  26 January 2010

Marietta Le reports on the story of one of Hungary's most successful citizen campaigns, whose goal is to save an endangered marsh by preventing an allegedly illegal expansion of a shopping center.

Haiti: Media Responsibility

  25 January 2010

Repeating Islands posts an excerpt from Rebecca Solnit, who, “disturbed by media coverage of alleged looting in Port-au-Prince following the earthquake, posted a powerful article decrying the criminalization of victims by the media.”

Haiti: Lessons Learned

  25 January 2010

Carol and Tom in Haiti post a list of lessons learned in the aftermath of the earthquake, while Trinidadian blogger Tattoo writes about the dos and don'ts of disaster aid.