Stories about Digital Activism from March, 2013
Egyptian Hashtag Takes on Homophobia!
A recent social media call to address homophobia stirred a lively and heated discussion despite sexuality being a major taboo in Egypt.
Trying to Get Through: Hungarians Send Video Messages to Prime Minister
Young Hungarians are shocked by the government's stubborn refusal to acknowledge their protests and their demands for a more democratic decision-making. To get their message across, four young people launched a new blog on March 22, asking fellow citizens to send short video messages to the Prime Minister with their thoughts on his governance.
Angola: Arrested and Disappeared for “Thinking Differently”
Yet another protest in Luanda ended up with 18 detained. The protest action called for "dignity and the right to life for those who think differently", remembering silenced journalists and activists in Angola, among them Alves Cassule and Isaías Kamulingue disappeared since May 2012.
Russian Photographer Unearths Ghost Slum
A photo-blogger based in the city of Voronezh, located in central Russia not far from the Ukranian border, has taken a series of striking photographs [ru] (including an animated panorama) of a small, forgotten “slum” hiding in the center of an otherwise modern and populous urban area. The “slum”, which turns...
As Liberal Russia's Secret Superhero ‘KermlinRussia’ Unmasks, Some See Evil
Arseny Bobrovsky, the owner of a Russian PR firm called “Daily Communications,” would be a thoroughly typical example of Moscow’s “creative class” liberals, were it not for one thing: Bobrovsky has a secret identity. At least he did, anyway, until March 25, 2013, when he and his accomplice Katya Romanovskaya outed themselves to the world as the authors of KermlinRussia, one of the most popular accounts on Russian Twitter.
Russian Anti-Corruption Blogger Appeals to Readers
Alexey Navalny, unofficial protest leader, took to his blog [ru] on March 27 to defend himself from what he says are unfair allegations of corruption. Navalny is currently a suspect in two different embezzlement investigations. One of these, the so-called KirovLes case, involves the supposed use of a shell company to...
Europe for the People, Not the Markets
From March 11 to 17 European citizens organized a week of protests against austerity measures imposed on the countries of the European Union, know as the European Counter Summit. People from different countries have protested in the streets and commented on the events through Twitter under the tag #EuropeanSpring.
Brazilian LGBT Advocates Beaten, One Arrested
On March 27, a protest against the recent election of congressman and controversial evangelical preacher Marco Feliciano as chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities in the Brazilian Deputy Chamber ended with repression against LGBT rights advocates. On Youtube, Rodrigo Grassi shared the moment when one of the protestors...
Dream a Little Dream in China
My Chinese dream: Judicial fairness. Give back the life of my son. While China’s new leader Xi Jinping likes to talk about his “Chinese dream”, a group of Chinese petitioners are using the microblogging site Sina Weibo to talk about their Chinese dreams. Rachel Lu from Tea Leaf Nation has...
Film Exposes Madagascar's Child Sex Trade
The journeyman.tv published on March 25 a detailed investigation using undercover filming to expose the booming child sex trade in Madagascar: One mother in the film testifies: My daughter was at school, I had no money and no job so she decided to become a prostitute. I finally decided not...
Venezuela Gears Up for Upcoming Elections
After the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, online conversations are focusing on the country's next political episode: the April 14 presidential elections. Although electoral campaigns have not officially kicked off, candidates and their supporters are already on the move.
South Koreans Blast Authorities Over Hack Attack Handling
Nearly a week after a massive cyber attack against major websites in South Korea, the identity of the attackers remains unknown. Frustrated South Koreans have slammed authorities in their comments online for their incompetence in blocking such attacks and for taking political advantage of the situation by blaming North Korea.
Maldives Rape Victim's Flogging Sentence Touches Off Anti-Tourism Campaign
Global outrage is growing against a Maldives court's verdict to flog a 15-year-old girl who is originally a victim of rape and sexual abuse. More than one million people have signed a petition created by the campaign website Avaaz.org, urging Maldivian authorities to protect the girl.
Arrest Warrant Issued for Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah for a Twitter Mention
Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah surrendered himself to the public prosecution today (March 26) after an arrest warrant was issued for him last night. The investigation, tweets Abd El Fattah, revolved around his relationship with Princess Joumana and her mention of him on Twitter.
Crowdmapping Ukraine's Snow Volunteers
Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that Kyiv-based netizens have set up an online volunteer coordination map [uk, ru] and a website [uk, ru] to offer help to those affected by the unprecedented snowfall in Ukraine's capital [see this GV text]. The map indicates the location of volunteers who can offer hot drinks...
Google's Bangladeshi Independence Doodle
Aminul Islam Sajib reports that Google featured Bangladeshi National Flag as a Doodle on the occasion of the Independence Day of Bangladesh (26th March, 1971) which was a long time demand from Bangladeshi netizens.
Shades of Communism in New Russian Registration Law
On the evening of March 18, 2013 group of around 12 people [ru] unveiled a long black-and-white poster in the Red Square, reading “Go f*ck yourself with your registration”. They set off flares and shouted slogans, among which were “Down with the Chekist government!” and “Putin will be executed!”
Saudi Arabia Threatens to Block Skype and WhatsApp
Saudi Arabia, an Enemy of the Internet, is threatening to block a number of popular communication tools, such as Skype and mobile messaging service WhatsApp, unless the operating companies agree to infringe on the privacy of users and monitor them.
Digital Freedom: Principles and Concepts
The Egyptian Institute for Freedom of Thought and Expression issued its first statement on digital freedom, a simplified research paper to propose definitions for digital rights and related principles which the paper summarised as: universal access, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to privacy, and the right to creativity, development and innovation.
INFOGRAPHIC: More Money for Ukraine's Bloated Police Force
The infographics on Ukraine's law enforcement that many Ukrainian Facebook users have been sharing this month tells us that the country's police force is a bit too numerous and has been receiving more and more state funding over the past few years.
