Stories about Digital Activism from June, 2009
Breezeblog: Valuing a Free Press
As Breezeblog links to a story which reports that 24 journalists have been arrested in Iran, he reminds “all Bermudians to value their right and access to a free press more than ever.”
China: July 1 Operation: Jump the Great Fire Wall
Wenyunchao called for a joint operation to demonstrate against the Green Dam on July 1 via twitter: Operation July 1: Oppose Green Dam, unite and jump the Great FireWall (translated by goldkorn)
Iran: Protesters in Tehran
We can watch a film on Iranian protesters in Tehran on Monday despite a warning by Iran's Revolutionary Guard against the kind of street demonstrations that have roiled Iran for more than a week.
Bermuda: “No Confidence” Motion Thwarted
Part of the backlash against Bermudian Premier Ewart Brown's decision to accept four former Guantanamo detainees into the island has been the opposition party's tabling of a "No Confidence" vote against him in Parliament - a motion that bloggers are reporting has been defeated.
Barbados, Antigua: Stanford Similarities
Barbados Free Press sees striking similarities between Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme and the CLICO Barbados scandal, with one notable exception: “Antigua has integrity legislation.”
Jamaica: Can the IMF Change?
“There is talk of the possibility of the current Jamaican administration returning to do business with the International Monetary Fund“: Abeng News Magazine wonders whether the IMF leopard can change its spots.
Iran: Protest Continues
Iraneema tweeted that anti-riot police attacks a crowd of people holding candles in Tehran’s 7 Tir Sq., attempting to disperse them.
Iran: Videos of protests and vigils
A disputed June 12 election in Iran that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, has sparked the most violent unrest since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Protesters and the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Mousavi are calling for an annulment of the election. Security forces killed at least 10 people in Tehran on Saturday, but protests have continued in different Iranian cities.
Greece: Bloggers interview Iranian protesters
With the clampdown on journalism and communications in Iran, most Greek mainstream media have resorted to conveying reports from social media, second or third-hand, through western news organizations. Some Greek bloggers have helped bridge gaps in reporting by interviewing Iranian protesters contacted on Twitter themselves, or by posting news from acquaintances in Iran and abroad.
Maghreb: Views on Iran
As the world watches events unfolding in Iran, Maghreb blogs have been following and commenting on the rapidly developing crisis there. Some questioned the motives behind the way western media covered the events; others criticized Mir Houssain Moussavi's reaction, but it seems that the majority are supporting protesters.
China: Mass incident sparked by a dead body
A Chinese Google doc has been set up to collect the most up-to-date information about the Shishou riot in China's Hubei province, which has seen tens of thousands of locals rallying on the street to protect the body of a young man who died under suspicious circumstances.
Iran: Protesters break a taboo and defy Khamenei
One day after Islamic Republic Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denounced protests and warned reformist leaders against taking to the streets, thousands of people demonstrated in Tehran. They were joined by others in several cities across Iran in ignoring Khamenei's order and voicing their anger against the June 12 presidential election results. They clashed with Iranian police who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.
Iran: Security Forces attacked people
Hadinili tweeted from Tehran :”They are beating “people” in Enghelab St., not only the protesters.”
Iran: Mousavi's wife invites people to demonstrate
Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hussein Mousavi‘s wife, invited [fa] people on his FaceBook to continue the demonstrations today. She asked her 21000 FaceBook's fans to spread the message.
Bahrain/Tunisia: Censors of the Net
Sesawe‘s blog publishes an English translation of an article which appeared in France's Le Monde 2, entitled Censors of the Net, written by Claire Ulrich, which focuses on censorship, including that in Bahrain and Tunisia, to name a few.
Egypt: Sign Avaaz Settlements Petition
Egyptian Dalia Ziada announces that she has just signed an Avvaz petition, which supports US president Barack Obama's call to stop the building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories. So far, 179,699 people have signed the petition.
Arab World: Berkman Launches New Arab Blog Study
Harvard University's Berkman Centre for Internet and Society has released a study of the Arabic blogosphere entitled Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere. About 35,000 active blogs were covered. “The goal for the study was to produce a baseline assessment of the networked public sphere in the Arab Middle East, and its...
Iran: Reformist and activist bloggers arrested
As demonstrations continue in Iran against the results of the June 12 presidential elections, authorities continue their clampdown on activists, journalists and bloggers. Hamid Tehrani reviews the Iranian blogosphere, where several reports of blogger arrests are being circulated.
India: Doing Something For The Country
Parth Dave at The Indian World introduces an website titled One Letter A Week (ONLW) which aims at addressing socio-economic or cultural issues of India by encouraging readers to write a letter each week to the respective authorities and publish them in the site.
Vietnam arrests prominent lawyer and writer
Vietnam ’s Ministry of Public Security police arrested Le Cong Dinh in Ho Chi Minh City for participating in subversive activities. Dinh is a prominent pro-democracy lawyer, human rights advocate and writer. Several media groups and local scholars have condemned Dinh’s arrest.
Iran: Green Silent Protest Movement in photos
Protesters all over Iran continue their demonstrations against the June 12 presidential election result that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. Supporters of Ahmadinejad's challenger, Mir Hussein Mousavi, and many Iranians who profess to believe in “change” continue to use the colour green as the symbol of their movement. Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi,...
