Stories about Digital Activism from April, 2012
United States: Indig-Nación, the Spanish Newspaper of Occupy Wall Street
Yarisa Colón interviews Sofía Gallisá, a member of the editorial team of “Indig-Nación,” the new newspaper in Spanish of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
A Global Voices Guide to re:publica Berlin 2012
This week (May 2-4, 2012) thousands of minds will join in Berlin, Germany at an annual gathering called re:publica. A number of Global Voices community members will participate in over 200 hours of scheduled program.
Cuba: Diaspora Reacts to Ferrer García's Release
Cuban prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia was released over the weekend. Diaspora bloggers comment on this most recent development.
Russia: Gun Rights Advocates Rally Around Tula Hero
Russian gun ownership laws are long and restrictive. In early April, when a small-scale farmer in Tula used a kitchen knife to kill three armed robbers that threatened him and his family, the incident sparked a new dialogue about gun rights and self-defense in Russia.
Côte d'Ivoire: Reopening of Parliament Sparks Buzz Across Web
The second parliamentary term of the second republic of the Côte d'Ivoire opened on Wednesday 25 April, in Yamoussoukro. Through this event, Guillaume Soro, former prime minister and president of the Côte d'Ivoire National Assembly since 12 March, wanted to highlight a break with the past.
China: The Heroine Behind Chen Guangcheng's Escape Arrested
He Peirong, a Chinese activist who helped blind lawyer and civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng escape his house arrest has herself now been detained.
Refugees: Online Media and Technology to the Service of Refugees
Two different organizations are using online media and technology to aid refugees and improve their lives. The first uses online and mobile tools to reunite refugees who have lost track of family members, and the other provides legal information to refugees in Hong Kong through YouTube videos.
Ethiopia: Netizens Outraged as Ethiopia Steps Up Internet Censorship
Ethiopian bloggers are outraged and expressing their concern on different social media platforms as the Ethiopian government increasingly engages in blocking and surveillance of selected websites, blogs and Facebook pages.
Bangladesh: Citizen's Voice, A Citizen Watchdog for Public Services
Citizen’s Voice (Nagorikkontho.org) is an online project to empower Bangladeshi citizens by having their voices heard regarding feedback on public services.
Chinese blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng flees house arrest
Chinese blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng has reportedly escaped from his well-guarded house in Dongshigu (Shandong) after more than a year of house arrest. Sources report he entered the US embassy in Beijing. He has put out a video denouncing corruption, exposing abuses and expressing “extreme concern” about the consequences...
Brazil: Activists Protest in Memory of Military Dictatorship
A number of cities throughout Brazil held both real and virtual events to remember Brazil's Military Dictatorship (1964-1985). Activists held protests to push for punishing the Dictatorship's criminals and to fully open the still classified files.
France: The Presidential Election Through Foreign Eyes
While the French are preparing to choose a president in the upcoming weeks, French voters overseas and foreign media have reacted as the first round poll came to an end.
Cuba: Resorting to Hunger Strike
Cuban netizens, primarily from the diaspora, are once again blogging about instances of police abuse in the country and how the island's justice system routinely makes hunger-strikers out of prisoners of conscience.
Portugal: Citizens Prepare Peaceful Protests for April 25
Though peaceful protests are scheduled for April 25 throughout Portugal (a national holiday that marks the end of dictatorship in 1974), mainstream media reported [pt] that “police prepares zero tolerance”. For Miguel Cardima from the blog Arrastão, the news intends [pt] to “insufflate fear” and to “justify violence in anticipation”. In...
Bahamas: Elections Getting Closer
With just two weeks to go until the country's general elections, the Bahamian blogosphere has been filled with political discussion. Blogworld yesterday compiled her usual Twitter Weekly Updates, which gave a good overview of the issues being discussed.
Brazil: Passer by Injured and Arrested by Police in Demonstration
Brazilian blogger Conceição Oliveira reproduces [pt] a Facebook note [pt] from Pedro Urizzi (an actor from São Paulo), who denounces that he was injured and arrested by the Military Police when he was passing by a demonstration against corruption on April 21, 2012, on his way for dinner. The detention...
Colombia: “Lleras Law2.0 ” Taken Before Constitutional Court
The “Lleras Law 2.0”, which was hastily approved to fit requirements for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, was taken before the Constitutional Court on April 18 by Senator Camilo Romero [es], who argued it contains parts that threaten rights enshrined in the Constitution. Netizens [es] are invited [es]...
Russia: Anti-Drug Activist Identifies Corrupt Moscow Police in Sverdlovsk
Controversial activist Evgeny Roizman originally made a name for himself by establishing a non-profit fund called “A City without Drugs.” The fund both treats drug addiction and targets dealers, albeit using somewhat vigilante methods. Writing in his LiveJournal account, Roizman is now at the forefront of publicizing a police corruption scandal in Sverdlovsk Oblast.
Portugal: ‘You Cannot Evict an Idea’ Without Borders
The violent eviction of a self-managed community center in Porto by the police, on April 19, triggered a wave of solidarity beyond the borders of the neighborhood of Fontinha, left to oblivion for years. Sympathy is coming from many cities in Portugal and beyond, following the motto "you can not evict an idea".
Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day
Netizens in Mexico City are celebrating World Bicycle Day by sharing their cycling experiences through blogs and Twitter. They are also trying to raise awareness about the risks of using bicycles as a means of transportation is such a busy city.
Cuba: What Did Pope Benedict XVI Leave Behind?
Two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI left the island, Cuba returns to normalcy. Elaine Diaz offers a review of the different conversations and debates after the Pope's visit that have appeared on Cuban digital blogs and social media.
