Stories about Digital Activism from November, 2011
Indonesia: Social Media Situation
Indonesian netizen @donnybu posts on Slideshare a presentation about the social media situation in Indonesia, including the challenges faced by internet users as they campaign for greater internet freedom
Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack
With a week to go until Russia's parliamentary elections, the Golos election monitoring association has been experiencing unprecedented pressure, including a break-in by a television team, accusatory articles in major newspapers, and a call for the organization's closure signed by three parliament deputies.
China: New Tactics to Rally Around Blind Activist Lawyer
Andy Yee translated an activist, Xiao Cuo's suggestion on sustainable tactics to support blind activist lawyer, Chen Guangcheng who have been detained by the local government in Shandong for more than one year.
Hong Kong: LGBT Come Out Video
“I am who I am”, produced by an activist group, Nutongxueshe, is a series of video for the LGBT community in Hong Kong to come out and speak about their experience, very often painful because of discrimination and bullying. (via acopy.net)
Ukraine: Government Gives In to Pressure, Bans Killing of Stray Dogs
On Oct. 22, Vasyl Pawlowsky wrote about the often “sadistic” ways of getting rid of stray dogs in Ukraine ahead of the Euro 2012 Football Championship. Tell Ukraine to Stop Burning Animals Alive petition now has 496,177 signatures; the goal is 750,000. At least two Facebook groups were set up...
DR of Congo: Citizens Organize Unofficial Polling as They Await Election Results
Colette Braeckman writes in her blog [fr]: “Congolese citizens have become experts in election monitoring; they are grabbing pens and notepads, going from one voting polls to the other and sharing the results they observe to friends via SMS.”
Latin America: A Conversation with Carolina Botero about Intellectual Property
Juan Arellano chats with Carolina Botero, one of the Latin American representatives of Creative Commons, about intellectual property in the region, how indigenous communities can make use of it, and piracy.
Malaysia: Opposition to Peaceful Assembly Bill
An online campaign was launched to pressure members of Parliament of Malaysia to reject the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill which activists believe will curtail freedom of expression and the people's right to organize in the country
Mali, Niger: Tuareg Voices Barely Heard Over the Sounds of War
Since the start of the war in Libya, many security and political experts have warned against potential Touareg threats in Mali and Niger. Is it a real threat or mere speculations? For the moment, the only place to hear the voices of the Tuareg is on the internet.
Russia: “Anti-Gay” Bill Postponed Till Nov. 30
Siberian Light reports that the second reading of the “anti-gay” bill in the St. Petersburg City Duma has been postponed till Nov. 30 – “to allow time for a face-saving review of the legislation’s wording.” The AllOut.org's petition calling “leaders around the world to reach out to their counterparts in...
Russia: Siberian Light's This Week in Russia Blogs #1
Andy of Siberian Light presents This Week in Russia Blogs #1, a revamped version of Russia Blog Roundup weekly series. Anglophone posts highlighted in the current edition include A Good Treaty's take on the efficiency of the RuNet activism and Putinania‘s analysis of the United Russia’s prospects for the Dec....
Portugal: A Peek into a Day of General Strike
Throughout the day of general strike in Portugal, November 24, Twitter user @Shyznogud has curated online media content for the page “a peek into the strike” on Scoop.it. Journalist Paulo Querido (@PauloQuerido) noted that “there are more tweets against the #grevegeral (general strike, hashtag in use) than in favour. Makes...
Egypt: Popular Justice Tackles Police Brutality
Social media users in Egypt have revealed the identity of a police officer accused of shooting to target protester's eyes. Tarek Amr reports of the emergence of several popular justice initiatives in the country.
South Korea: Video of Protests against Free Trade Deal with US
South Korea's ruling party rammed a contested free trade deal with the United States through parliament, evoking once again mass protests against the agreement. Citizen journalist Aya posted videos of protesters being hit by water cannon.
Pakistan: Twitter Reactions to the SMS Filtering Announcement
The Pakistan Telecom Authorities' possible attempt at SMS filtering for abusive contents, had twitter timelines flooded with reactions; mostly humorous. Sana Saleem compiles Twitter reactions and provides update on the issue.
South Korea: Comedian Sued for Making Fun of Politicians
Politics is seen as a fair target for most comedy shows, but in South Korea a politician is suing a comedian. The lawsuit - claiming that the performer defamed all politicians - has drawn immediate criticism from various parts of Korean society, inundating social media with jokes and comments.
Russia: Drawing World Leaders’ Attention to St. Petersburg Anti-LGBT Bill
AllOut.org: “Political leaders in St. Petersburg are about to vote on law that will make it illegal for any person to write a book, publish an article or speak in public about being gay, lesbian or transgender. […] Join this call to leaders around the world to reach out to...
Cuba: Blogger and Scholar Ted Henken on New Media in Cuba
Ellery Biddle interviews City University of New York (CUNY) Professor of Sociology Ted Henken, a Cuba expert who is the author of El Yuma, a blog that explores social currents in contemporary Cuba and closely follows the Cuban blogosphere.
Bulgaria: New Protest Against Shale Gas Planned
A new protest is being planned for Nov. 26 in Sofia, part of a series of protests against Chevron's shale gas extraction in northeast Bulgaria. On Nov. 20, nearly 500 people attended a rally in the coastal city of Varna, which didn't receive adequate media coverage. Several Facebook groups have...
Puerto Rico: Who's Running the Medical School?
Gil the Jenius is calling for the firing of those who were allegedly responsible for the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine's recent loss of accreditation (which has since been reversed, pending probation), saying that leaving those involved in charge “would be very much like locking the door after the...
Russia: Digital Oppression Hits Web Forums as Election Approaches
As the Russian parliamentary election comes closer, dispersed attacks on regional discussion boards have turned into a massive wave of digital oppression. Alexey Sidorenko reports on several cases.
