Stories about Digital Activism from November, 2010
Ukraine: Entrepreneurs Renew Mass Protests
@Matteush reads tweets marked with the #kat_ua hashtag, concludes (UKR) that “the whole country has risen to protest bandit tax code”: rallies and strikes by entrepreneurs are taking place in (UKR, RUS) Chernivtsi, Rivne, Odessa, Lutsk, Kharkiv, Lviv. In Kyiv, some 30,000 are said to have gathered at Maidan, and...
Cuba: Democratic Change?
“I don’t think capitalism is the model of a perfect life. But it is more logical and possible at this stage of human development”: Translating Cuba examines “the hard road to democracy”.
Ukraine: Social Media Play Crucial Role in Covering Anti-Tax Code Protests
On Nov. 22, several thousand Ukrainian entrepreneurs from different regions gathered in Kyiv to protest against the new tax code approved by the Ukrainian Parliament last Thursday. While the country’s traditional media failed to produce timely and balanced coverage of the events, social network users and bloggers kept Ukrainians well-informed about the latest developments.
Iran: We are all Computer Criminals
Iran's government has a law at its disposal that make it possible to label almost any Internet user a criminal. The “Law of Computer Crimes” was approved by Iran's parliament in January 2009. It has been instrumental in the prosecution and repression of several bloggers, but its articles have never received much public attention or scrutiny.
Tanzania: NGO 2.0: Reflections on the year of blogging
Daraja is a Tanzanian NGO, which aims to make local institutions more responsive to the needs rural communities in Tanzania. The mission of Daraja is to empower communities and local institutions, and build their capacity to work effectively together to reduce poverty in Tanzania. After blogging for one year, Ben Taylor, the Executive Director of Daraja, decided to reflect and share with the world the lessons they have learned.
Brazil: President Lula grants blogosphere first-ever interview
Outgoing Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva will tomorrow (24th November) be interviewed [pt] for the first time by a range [pt] of progressive bloggers regarding Brazil's changing media system. Renato Rovai, editor of liberal current affairs magazine Revista Forum [pt], called the event a “celebration of informational diversity” [pt]. The interview will...
Serbia: Abuse of Stray Animals Continues
The Serbian President is willing to adopt a severely mutilated dog called Mila, which became a symbol of the suffering of Serbia's stray animals. However, despite all the publicity, horrifying animal abuse cases continue to be reported in the Serbian mainstream and citizen media. Sasa Milosevic reviews some of them.
Trinidad & Tobago: Children's Rights
“ALL of us together changed the world a little bit for the better by our combined actions on Universal Children's Day 2010″: gspottt and Plain Talk attended the Justice for Children March this past weekend.
Ukraine: “Revolution 2.0″
Andriy Kachor (@Ka4or) reports (UKR; #kat_ua) that Khreshchatyk, Kyiv's central street, has been “blocked” by the protesters and that “the number of cops is growing proportionally to the number of the people.” Dan Matteush (@Matteush) calls it (UKR) “Revolution 2.0″, alluding to the protests known as the Orange Revolution six...
Ukraine: Protests Against New Tax Code in Kyiv
Thousands of representatives of the Ukrainian small and medium business community are protesting against the new tax code in Kyiv. Live Ustream broadcast is here (over 5,000 viewers); Twitter tag is #kat_ua (UKR, RUS).
China: Campaigning for Wang Yi
A Safe World for Women is campaigning for Wang Yi, a Twitterer, who was sentenced to one year labour re-education for retweeting a satirical message. (via WLYeung)
Guinea-Bissau: The Dictatorship of Consensus and Aly's Temptation for Accusations
With the blog Ditadura do Consenso, António Aly Silva became the most visible and active face of Guinea-Bissau's blogosphere. In this interview, Global Voices tries to understand why Aly can't resist the temptation of accusations, and how is it to be a subversive blogger in the country.
Brazil: five days of cyber-activism to end violence against women
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25th), a group of Brazilian feminist bloggers will take part in five days of cyber activism [pt]. Those involved will post interviews with activists and lawyers to raise awareness of causes, consequences and prevention of the practice. Meanwhile, online collectives have...
Bulgaria: Reactions to Hate Speech Against Arabs and Islam
Kapka Siderova, the wife of a far-right nationalist politician in Bulgaria, made some controversial statements about Arab women on a popular talk show yesterday, sparking outrage and allegations of racism and bigotry. Ruslan Trad reviews the reactions of Bulgarian Facebook users.
Kenya: Kenya Matters
Ethan visits and reviews the iHub in Nairobi, Kenya: “It’s an incubator, an invitation only space open every day to the 100 entrepreneurs who’ve applied for and won badges from the iHub team. For those who’ve won a green badge, there’s no charge to access the space, which is a...
Iran: World's Youngest Detained Blogger on Trial
The Iranian government is not only world-class when it comes to persecuting bloggers, they have also set numerous records: from the first jailed blogger in history, to the first blogger to die in prison. Unfortunately, a new record can now be added to the list of Iran's repressive achievements: the youngest blogger to be detained and put on trial.
China: First case of Twitter inquisition
A woman in China was sentenced to one year of ‘re-education through labour’ for sending a single tweet, under the charge of 'disrupting social order.'
Trinidad & Tobago: A Different View
Blogger Afra Raymond was “one of the three people ‘let go’” from a state-owned media house; he examines the controversy and asks: “How committed are we to a conversation with people who hold different views?”
Armenia: Police crackdown on ‘Emos’
Unzipped comments on news reports that the Armenian police are targeting teenagers who look different than what is expected in the still somewhat conservative and traditional former Soviet republic. The blog describes the methods employed by the police as “Stalinist,” but takes solace in the fact that some local bloggers...
Azerbaijan: Emin Milli released, but another activist detained
Following yesterday's news that video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade had been conditionally released in Azerbaijan, Facebook was today awash with news that his friend and fellow activist, Emin Milli, had also been freed.
Azerbaijan: Second video blogging youth activist released
Following yesterday's surprise news that video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade had been conditionally released from prison in Azerbaijan, Emin Milli, a friend and associate of Hajizada arrested and imprisoned at the same time last year, was also freed today. Threatened Voices has updated its status page accordingly.
