Stories about Digital Activism from March, 2011
South Korea: Application for Radiation Levels Checkup
As minuscule amounts of radioactive iodine and cesium have been detected in South Korean atmosphere, intensifying the already heightened fear over Japan's nuclear crisis, South Korean web developers debuted an Android application enabling citizen to check updated information on radiation levels in the country. Wiki Tree posted [ko] screenshot images...
Russia: A Riot Police Officer's Twitter and Blog
A Good Treaty writes about an anonymous Moscow riot police (OMON) officer, who started tweeting in January (@OMON_Moscow, RUS, over 3,000 followers) and also has a blog (LJ user omon-moscow, RUS): “While the fact that this blogging activity is tolerated by the police force likely constitutes evidence that the top...
Syria: Free Muhammed Radwan
Egyptian Chronicles comments on the arrest of Egyptian-American Muhammed Radwan in Syria under espionage charges here. His cousins Nora and Tarek Shalaby also share their thoughts.
Libya: Facebook Group in Support of Eman Al Obeidy
A Facebook group has been formed calling for support for Libyan rape victim Eman Al Obeidy. More on Al Obeidy can be found here.
Bermuda: Development vs. Conservation
“Can we please stop pretending that that the Tucker’s Point SDO is about saving tourism? It’s about developing real estate”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “there has been a drought of information to justify abandoning the various conservation protections on the land.”
China: Opinion Battle on Baidu's Copyright Infringement
More than fifty Chinese writers have formed an alliance protesting against copyright infringement by the Baidu Wenku platform, a Chinese version of Google Books which allows users to read, share or download books for free.
Cuba: Implications of the Alan Gross trial
In half-wired, blogger Ellery Biddle analyzes the Alan Gross case and the potential of ICT's in Cuba: “First, who decides what constitutes a crime? While Cuban courts say that Gross committed “acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state,” Hillary Clinton, Phillip Crowley and other State Department officials say that...
Russia: Tribute to SOVA's Galina Kozhevnikova
At OpenDemocracy.net, Andreas Umland pays tribute to Galina Kozhevnikova, the deputy director of the “SOVA” NGO and a prominent researcher of Russia's extreme right-wing movements, who died earlier this month: “She will be irreplaceable in future academic and public debates on the increase of ultra-nationalism in Russia.”
Libya: Citizen Reporting from the Battlefield
Videos continue to seep out from war-torn Libya as protesters battle Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces in a bid to overthrow his 42-year-old regime. Here is a selection of the latest videos taken by netizens on the frontlines of major cities where the battle for Libya is still fought.
Algeria: “Facebookers’ Rally” Commemorating the Anniversary of Cease-fire Prohibited
A rally instigated by anonymous Facebook users [ fr] to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the March 19, 1962 cease-fire in Algeria did not take place. The demonstration calling for “an end to the dictatorial system in place for almost 50 years” was initially planned to occur in front of...
Brazil: More Poetry, Less Money
Following the discussion on The Cost of Financing Culture in Brazil, blogger Paulo Rená introduces [pt] a new project – “More Poetry, Less Money” (@maispoesia) – where “any person can pick up a poem, record it for a video platform” and post it using the hashtag #MaisPoesiaMenosDinheiro.
Côte d'Ivoire: Where Are the African Personalities When They Are Needed?
A few months ago, Marième Jamme asked Bono and Bob Geldof to take less prominent roles as speakers for Africa in the media and leave space for Africans to speak for themselves. Today on the Africa Rising blog, bloggers wonder where have the African personalities gone when they are actually needed to get the world's...
Syria: Egyptian-American Tweep Accused of Spying
Egyptian-American Twitter user Muhammed Radwan (@battuta) was arrested in Syria and paraded on Syrian Television as a spy who is accused of allegedly visiting "Israel in secret and confessed to receiving money from abroad in exchange for sending photos and videos about Syria." His arrest is expected to unleash the wrath of the Egyptian cyberspace against the Assad regime.
Iran: Syrians Protest “Neither Iran Nor Hezbollah!”
Several Iranian bloggers react to the slogan of Syrian protesters during Wednesday's march where people chanted “Neither Iran, nor Hezbollah!” Syria is an ally of Iran and is also friendly with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Brazil: The Cost of Financing Culture
Recent news that the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has authorized famous singer Maria Bethânia to raise R$ 1.3 million tax free (Brazilian reais - approximately US$ 777,000) to create a poetry blog, has aroused the anger of bloggers, Twitter users and other cultural activists.
Russia: Unexpected Results of Radiation Mapping
The crowdsourcing project of mapping radiation levels in Russia measured by private dosimeters not only became an interesting case of digital activism, but also showed some effects its creators didn’t even think of.
Bahamas: Untimely Justice
“We can construct a state of the art airport, dredge our harbour, and expand our seaports. We can tax and spend like there is no tomorrow. But yet, we cannot deliver and administer an effective justice system!”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Jerome Pinder blogs about “a travesty of Justice.”
Cuba: Ex-Prisoner's Travel Restricted
Pedazos de La Isla reports that one prisoner of conscience who was freed on condition of exile to Spain expected “his new life in Spain…to be full of freedoms and opportunities, but his case has proven otherwise.”
Cameroon: Government Interferes With Internet Service
Ingenieris.net [fr], a Cameroonian information website focused on ICT news, announced [fr] on March 24, 2011, that the Cameroonian government intends to request Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country to register the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of their users. G. Izane, the author of the article, explains that the same type...
Jordan: #March24 Protest Camp in Amman
Hundreds of pro-democracy Jordanians, mostly students and young people, gathered to protest at the Dakhliyeh Circle (Ministry of Interior Circle) in Amman on March 24, 2011. Demands from the protestors included the dissolution of parliament, a new representative election law, the dismantling of the General Intelligence Department, and the removal of Prime Minister Marouf Al Bakhit.
Ukraine: Myroslava Gongadze on Media Freedom
Viktor Kovalenko writes about the views of Myroslava Gongadze – who is the widow of the slain Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze – on the freedom of the press and other issues in Ukraine.
