Stories about Digital Activism from July, 2011
Russia: Bloggers Find Street Shooter
Bloggers across the Russian Internet were quick to respond with posts and information after well-known photo-blogger Dmitry Ternovsky was shot at recently on a highway in the southeast of Moscow. Ashley Cleek details the story.
Iran: Campaign to Free Last Two Jailed American Hikers
Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in solitary confinement in Tehran, Iran, on charges of "espionage". She now calls on the world to speak up for her two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who are still in prison in Iran since all three were arrested while hiking in July 2009.
Tunisia: Time to Register for Elections
Registration for electoral lists in Tunisia started on July 11 and will be closed on August 2, but statistics have shown that Tunisians are reluctant to register on the lists. A group of Tunisian bloggers have launched an online campaign to urge people to register for the October elections.
Norway: Courtroom Doors Will be Closed
More than 70,000 people joined a Facebook event over the weekend advocating for the first court hearing of mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik on Monday, July 25, 2011 to be held behind closed doors. Today it was confirmed [no] that no press or members of the public will attend. Breivik does...
Malawi: Interview With Frederick Bvalani, Creator of Malawi Fuel Watch
Global Voices' Steve Sharra talks to Frederick Bvalani, the creator of Malawi Fuel Watch Facebook page. Malawian netizens use the page to inform each other about where they can find fuel.
Serbia: Government Officials and Social Networks (Interview)
Some Serbian government officials are eagerly embracing Twitter as a way to engage with their audiences, while others have found the challenge of fake satirical accounts difficult to accept. Find out more in this interview with former Minister, Jasna Matic.
South Korea: Women-Only Subway Car Meets Strong Opposition
As the subway sexual harassment is on the rise, especially during rush hours and late nights, Seoul city government has decided to launch women-only subway compartment to cut down the crime rate. However, the move has prompted fierce debate amongst South Korean netizens.
Russia: “Double-Entry Bookkeeping” in Moscow State University
Blogger Vladimir Varfolomeev writes [ru] about strange occurrences during the entry exams to the prestigious Journalism Department of the Moscow State University. Varfolomeev brings up a story of the entrant who received the highest possible mark for the interview. After the interview, however, the mark was significantly reduced by a...
Russia: Envisioning the “Cloud Democracy” Utopia
'Cloud Democracy' is the title of the new book written by Leonid Volkov and Fyodor Krasheninnikov, two political bloggers from the Urals region of Russia. The book displays the authors' vision on how a system of 'future' democratic governance can be built with the help of online tools.
South Korean Twitterers Mobilized As East Sea(Sea of Japan) Conflict Intensifies
The ongoing territorial dispute over the Dokdo(Takeshima) island has flared up as the Japanese Foreign Ministry instructed a boycott against Korean Air for hovering over the island located in the disputed water. Korean Twitterers have set up a special website, IssueTok [ko], to plan a mass tweet-protest in several languages.
Armenia: Uproar Over Head of Church's Remarks
Angered by remarks made by the the country's spiritual leader about the upkeep of churches and monasteries, some Armenians are using social networking sites such as Facebook to call for his resignation.
Cape Verde: Blog Tears Down Statements on Climate Change
“Droughts are a well known fatality in Cape Verde (…) long before CO2 started rising”, argues the blog EcoTretas (EcoBullshit), while tearing down alleged misinformed statements from Al Gore's The Climate Reality Project.
Is Russia's Political “Black Hole” About to Reach Tipping Point?
In December 2011 Russian voters will elect a new parliament, and than in March 2012 a new (or perhaps, not so new) president. Analysts predict that the upcoming elections threaten a confrontation between the old political parties and their new, network-based, alternatives.
Portugal: “Junk” National Debt Rating Provokes Online Demonstrations
The “junk” rating given to Portugal’s ability to pay its public debts by independent American financial analysis corporation Moody's, has provoked numerous demonstrations of exacerbated nationalism on the social networks. It has also brought to the blogosphere further analysis on the economic crisis and the country's bailout.
Azerbaijan: Release Jabbar Savalan Campaign
Amnesty International has launched an online campaign calling for the release of Jabbar Savalan, a young activist in Azerbaijan who made calls on Facebook for pro-democracy protests in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. Those wishing to join the campaign can sign an online petition here.
Cuba: Activists Under Pressure
Cuban bloggers report on several arrests and attempts at intimidating independent journalists and activists, here, here and here.
China: Bring Your Books to Rural Villages
A prominent Chinese scholar is encouraging netizens to "bring their books to the villages". Now a number of centres have been set up in cities across the country to handle the book donations and collect funds to go towards building libraries in rural areas.
Philippines: Internet and social reform
Philippine legislator and activist Teddy Casino reminds Filipino netizens not to be limited to being “clicktivists in the virtual world but activists in the real world.”
Brazil: Blogger Censored and Sued by Businessman
Journalist Paulo Cezar Prado's Blog do Paulinho [pt] has been blocked by the Brazilian Justice, reports the Blue Bus [pt]. Businessman Franck Henouda's lawyer has sued the blogger who had also criticized other public figures related with sports: Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the CBF and Andres Sanchez the president...
Russia: Online Effort to Discredit Environmentalists Exposed
Suren Gazaryan, Russian environmentalist, publishes [ru] the scan of the document that describes the strategy of discrediting local environmentalist organizations protesting against the development of the Tuapse oil terminal. The “plan” includes prices for the paid posts in the blogs, forums, media outlets, as well as a list of possible...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Violence vs. Women
Abeni quotes statistics which suggest that “St Vincent and the Grenadines is the OECS state with the most female homicides between 2010-2011″, and asks: “Do we even have the will to come up with solutions?”