Stories about Digital Activism from January, 2014
Bermuda: Gambling with Democracy?
catch a fire explains why he got involved in a petition for a referendum on casino gambling in Bermuda, then publishes a follow-up post asking: What does that say for our democracy when people are afraid to sign a petition that they support because they fear consequences from the Government...
South Korea Accused of Rewriting History in High School Textbook
The South Korean government is blamed for favoring textbooks that support their political views and grant them excuses for their past flaws.
European Citizens Call for the Protection of Media Pluralism
“European institutions should safeguard the right to free, independent and pluralistic information”. The quote, from the Media Initiative website, summarizes the main idea behind a pan-European campaign that aims at urging the European Commission to draft a Directive to protect Media Pluralism and Press Freedom. The Media Initiative is running a European Citizens’ Initiative – a tool...
Jamaica: MLK Recognises the Role of Garvey
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp uses the occasion of Martin Luther King Day to agitate for the exoneration of the late Jamaican Pan-Africanist, Marcus Garvey.
Massive Street Protests against Constitutional Reform in Burkina Faso
On January 18, thousands of Burkinabe citizens took to the streets of Ouagadougou [fr] to protest against proposed changes of the constitution that would allow current president Campaoré to run for another mandate. The protests were relayed on many Burkinabe twitter feed. Alain Boh Bi posted images of the protest: Jan18th,...
Haiti, D.R.: Stateless in the Dominican Republic
jmc strategies blogs about the issue of Haitian statelessness in the Dominican Republic, specifically addressing anti-Haitian sentiment, questionable labour and living conditions, and forced repatriations, while offering solutions to the impasse.
Yemeni Activist Receives Death Threat on Facebook
Prominent Yemeni political activist and journalist Hani Al-Junid received a death threat on Facebook. The threat, by an anonymous person, warned that Al-Junid's "termination" was soon.
Lebanese Blogger Spoofs Study on Middle Eastern Women's Clothing
The question “How Should Middle Eastern Women Dress in Public” posed by the University of Michigan is attracting hilarious spoofs online. The content is so rich that an additional post to our first one was necessary. When Washington Post Max Fisher shared the original image on Twitter, he wasn't expecting...
Egyptian Blogger Nawara Negm Calls it Quits
Outspoken Egyptian blogger Nawara Negm is taking a break from blogging politics. On her blog, Tahyyes, she writes a long post explaining her position [ar]: انا مش لاقية طرف مش متعاص كاكا… حتى اللي عاملين ثوار واصحاب مبادئ… طبعا مش لانهم عملا وجواسيس، بس لانهم متلخبطين، والواحد لما يتلخبط يعتزل…...
INFOGRAPHIC: The New Anti-Democratic Laws of Ukraine
On January 16, 2014, Ukrainian Parliament adopted a series of bills with a severe violation of the voting procedure. Nevertheless, on the eve of the same day the bills were signed into law by President Yanukovych. Below is an infographic by civic movement CHESNO [uk, en] outlining the major legislative...
Ukraine Stifles Freedom of Speech, Peaceful Protest With New Law
The Ukrainian parliament has passed a law that openly restricts free speech, peaceful protest and free communications in the country, leaving citizens and journalists outraged.
Japan Scores Well on Internet Freedom Status Report
U.S. based watchdog organization Freedom House compiled a report on Freedom on the Net 2013 and included the report on Japan for the first time. Japan was evaluated as “Free”, where the constitution protects all forms of speech and prohibits censorship, and Internet and digital media freedom are generally well established. For...
Philippine Petition Against Dog Meat Restaurants
An online petition is circulating to pressure the mayor of Baguio City to close down dog meat restaurants in the city. Baguio is a famous tourist destination located north of the Philippines: I was recently made aware that there are at least ten dog meat restaurants operating in open violation...
Looking Back at Russia's Divided New Year Celebration
President Putin delivered two New Year's addresses in 2013 -- one for Russia's Far East, and another for the rest of the country.
Fireworks Set Off Online Protests in Trinidad and Tobago
After a particularly ear-splitting Christmas season, animal rights activists have begun an online campaign advocating for a permanent ban on what many deem to be illegal fireworks.
Russia’s Parliament Prepares New “Anti-Terrorist” Laws for Internet
Another Internet crackdown looms in Russia, where the Duma is reviewing three new pieces of “anti-terror” legislation that could place hefty restrictions on the activities of websites and civil society.
BBC's North Korean Broadcast Plan Hit a Snag
It is not the first time BBC's ambitious plan to reach out to one of the world's most reclusive countries has been thwarted. Back in June 2013, BBC World Service’ plan to air programmes in North Korea was curbed by government cuts to its budget. This time, BBC has concluded...
Madagascar's Return to Democracy Proving to Be a Bumpy One
Hery Rajaonarimampianina was declared winner of the presidential elections' second round, but the final verdict is still pending. The elections were an important step to solving the country's political crisis.
Young Egyptian Journalist Uses Indiegogo for Help
Menna Alaa, Egyptian journalist who was assaulted by angry mob earlier in 2013 losing her camera during her reporting, is using Indiegogo calling for help to buy equipment to help her document the ongoing events in Egypt. The appeal reads: Menna Alaa is a Cairo based freelance journalist and student...
Fighting Corruption in Comoros, Cameroon and Madagascar
The people of Comoros, Cameroon and Madagascar haven't got much faith in the honesty and integrity of the public sector, according to Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index.
New DDoS Attacks on Websites Monitoring Ukrainian #Euromaidan Protests
Vasyl Pawlowsky, an independent consultant and English-language curator of Maidan Monitoring, a website set up and maintained specifically for following events and news from Euromaidan protests in several cities throughout Ukraine, reports in a blog post that the crowdsourced site is not available due to a DDoS attack, allegedly organized...
