Stories about Digital Activism from March, 2015
Another Blogger Hacked to Death: Is Free Thinking Becoming Fatal in Bangladesh?
A young man named Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed in Bangladesh by religious fanatics in the second such incident in a month's time.
Municipal Referendum to Preserve Skopje Shopping Centre Scheduled
The local council of the Municipality of Centar, part of the Skopje downtown area, approved a proposal to hold a referendum to preserve the authentic look of the iconic Skopje Shopping Center. As Meta.mk reports, the referendum will take place on April 26. For the referendum to be successful, it needs a...
An Interview with Anna Nemtsova About Being a Russian Journalist
Independent Russian journalist Anna Nemtsova talks to Global Voices about the assassination of Boris Nemtsov (no relation), Putin's recent unexplained disappearance, and censorship in Russia.
Favianna Rodríguez: ‘Artists are Risk Takers and Truth Speakers’
Favianna, the daughter of Peruvian migrants to the United States, now 36-years-old, is a force to be reckoned with.
Open Letter to 60 Minutes Regarding Its Reporting on Africa
Scholars, writers, journalists and researchers write an open letter to 60 Minutes producer about the misrepresentation of Africa by the Tv program: Dear Jeff Fager, Executive Producer of CBS 60 Minutes, We, the undersigned, are writing to express our grave concern about the frequent and recurring misrepresentation of the African...
Pakistani Journalist and Blogger Remains in Exile, One Year After Violent Attack
March 28 marks the first anniversary of the attack on Pakistani blogger and prominent political commentator Raza Rumi. Once a contributor to Global Voices, Rumi was added to the Taliban's hit list after he opposed government peace talks with the militant group in 2014. His moderate views also have been misinterpreted...
Prisoner of Conscience Pedro Canché's Letter to Journalist Carmen Aristegui
From jail, Pedro Canché wrote a letter to fellow journalist Carmen Aristegui after her recent and controversial exit from media group MVS. This letter was published on his Tumblr blog “Diary of a prisoner of conscience“. 15 de marzo de 2015 Carta a Carmen AristeguiA propósito del consumado golpe al equipo de investigación de MVS, en...
Balloons Released in Brussels in Support of Jailed Iranian Student Hamid Babaei
Ever since the tribulations of Hamid Babaei and his wife began, his classmates at Liège and in Brussels have shown them unrelenting solidarity.
Documenting the Systematic Decline of Women's Rights in Macedonia
Although southeast European countries are progressive in many other ways, the decline of women's reproductive rights in some Western Balkan countries has been a worrying trend. In Macedonia, several small protests have been held in recent years to demonstrate people's opposition to government involvement in determining public sentiment on issues...
Chinese Artist Recounts Being Censored for Selling Ai Weiwei T-Shirt
Artist Wu Tun saw economic rights collide with online censorship when he tried to sell a T-shirt supporting world renowned political artist Ai Weiwei.
The Collapse of Civilisation Is Already a Reality for the Children of Ambovombe, Madagascar
A scientific publication in the Journal of Ecological Economics argues that “over-exploitation of either Labor or Nature will result in a societal collapse” if nothing is done to prevent it. Based on a mathematical model, the study explains (via The Guardian) that the convergence of ” the stretching of resources due...
#HackEC15 — An Open Data Challenge in Ecuador
As part of the Second International Conference on Democracy and Digital Government 2015 (ICEDEG 2015), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is hosting Hack Ecuador Challenge 2015 (HEC'15). The event welcomes Ecuadorians with open-data apps that promise to deliver needed services in local communities, improving the nation's online ecosystem, especially in the...
Thousands of High School Students Protest throughout Macedonia
Thousands of high school students gathered across Macedonia to protest controversial educational reforms. Authorities hit back with every dirty trick available.
Iranian Social Media's Short Attention Span for #AcidAttacks Against Women
Acid attacks on women last year in Isfahan created a fearful atmosphere and sparked protests. Despite developments, social media users seem to have moved on from the topic.
Outing the Russian Military in Eastern Ukraine
A number of citizen data verification initiatives, both Ukrainian and Russian, specifically focus on tracking down information about the origins and fates of individuals fighting in Donbas.
Looking Beyond Boko Haram: Rediscovering the Ténéré Desert in Niger
Niger is at war with Boko Haram. Let's not forget, though, that Niger is also home to many projects and is a land full of natural beauty and poetry.
Human Rights Watch Website Temporarily Blocked at Egypt the Future Conference
A block on Human Rights Watch website was lifted at an economic conference in Egypt after a journalist raised the alarm on Twitter.
After the Charlie Hebdo Attack, Can We Laugh About Anything?
"Freedom of speech must be complete. However, freedom of conscience and worship must be protected too."
Inside the Kremlin Troll Army Machine: Templates, Guidelines, and Paid Posts
A new cache of documents on the inside operations of the Kremlin's troll army provides a list of LiveJournal accounts operated by employees and talking points provided to the commenters.
Croatian Women's Rights Activists Don't Only Take to the Streets—They Rename Them
For International Women's Day on March 8, residents of Croatia's Rijeka woke up to discover activists had changed the names of many streets to honor forgotten female figures.
Access to Grani.Ru and Other Censored News Websites Restored by Digital Activists
As part of Operation Collateral Freedom, activists used the technique known as mirroring to duplicate the nine censored sites and place their copies on the servers of large Internet companies
