Stories about Digital Activism from November, 2011
Europe: A Song Criticizing Schengen Visa Procedure
At BlogActiv.eu, Kader Sevinc writes about “a creative way of criticizing the Schengen visa procedure” – Schengen Macht Frei, a song by Sarp Yeletaysi/Sarpinto, who writes this on SoundCloud: “[…]...
Russia: Hidden Camera Reveals Illegal Electioneering in School
A scandal caused by a hidden camera recording at a school in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, has highlighted a serious problem in Russian schools: teachers campaigning for the ruling United Russia party.
Brazil: Online Campaign to Protect Xingu Against Belo Monte
A new movement called Gota D'Água (Drop of Water) [pt] has launched an online campaign to discuss Brazil's energy planning through the analysis of the Belo Monte dam project. The...
Greece: Giving Aid to Inmates of Elaionas Women's Prison
A team of bloggers [el] is cooperating with social workers at the Elaionas women's prison in Thebes, Greece, in order to give aid to imprisoned mothers and their children. The blog...
China: “Elimination of ‘Ai Weiweis’ is the Trend of Society”
Siweluozi translated Chinese government's mouthpiece Global Times‘s commentary on netizens’ action in lending money to prominent artist-activist Ai Weiwei for paying his tax.
Macedonia: Anglophone Online News Sources
GV Author Filip Stojanovski has compiled a list of English-language online news sources about Macedonia on his blog, Razvigor :-).
Algeria: A News Site's Founder on the State of Citizen Media
Thalia Rahme interviews Fayçal Anseur, founder of Algerian news site Algérie-Focus about the site's goals and the state of citizen media in Algeria.
UAE: Detained Activists Begin Hunger Strike
Five activists held in the UAE since April and currently standing trial for publishing material online, using aliases, have started an open-ended hunger strike to draw attention to their plight and the abuse they are receiving in prison. Mona Kareem checks out netizens' reactions to their cause.
Nicaragua: Opposition Youth Affected by Hacktivism
In The Nicaragua Dispatch, Tim Rogerts reports that opposition youth “have discovered that trying to organize protests using social media networks such as Facebook […] can be harmful to one’s...
Ethiopia: Terrorists of Ethiopia Unite!
"Terrorists of Ethiopia Unite!," wrote one Ethiopian netizen following the latest terrorism charges against 24 Ethiopians, including senior opposition politicians and an outspoken online journalist. The charges have received condemnation from Ethiopian bloggers, Facebook users and Tweeps.
Europe: What Facebook Knows About You
Max Schrems, a 24 year-old law student in Austria, requested all the data Facebook holds on him, and eventually received a CD with more than 1,200 pages, including private messages...
Brazil: Student Assaulted While Protesting in Brasília
Rosangela Basso, from the blog Maria da Penha Neles, posted a series of pictures and a video of a sociology student from the University of Brasília (UnB) being assaulted by...
Russia: Interview With LJ User Politrash-ru
A Good Treaty interviews [ru, en] “the author behind one of LiveJournal’s most popular anonymous blogs” – Politrash_ru.
Mexico: Twitter User Questioned Over Controversial Tweet
A Mexican Twitter user know by his nickmane @mareoflores was summoned to clarify, apparently without an arrest warrant, a tweet published before the Interior Secretary's helicopter accident that had "foreseen" his death. Miguel Angel Guevara reports on the first Twitter reactions.
Bermuda, St. Lucia: Slavery Footprint & Slave Trade Memorial
Breezeblog links to “a website that tracks the forced and unpaid labour that goes into producing the things we take for granted” and makes the point that “being aware of...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Facebook Diplomacy
In an attempt to initiate a mature discussion on resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, The South Caucasus Diary asks a...
Egypt: Why Free Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah?
A military court judge will decide today whether Alaa Abd El Fattah will be released or will spend another 15 days behind bars, pending investigations on what defenders say are trumped up charges. On Twitter, supporters have been rallying for his freedom under the hashtag #WhyFreeAlaa . Here is a selection of some of the tweets under this hashtag.
Egypt: Free Speech on Military Trial in Post-Revolution Egypt
Bloggers and freedom of speech and human rights defenders are holding their breath as Egypt's military courts decide the fate of two bloggers today.
Bahrain: Are Police Cars Running Over Protesters on Purpose?
Bahrain has long maintained that it was dealing with unrest according to international law. Netizens have, however, been working around the clock to document human rights abuses committed by the authorities and posting them online for the world to see. In this post, Mona Kareem checks out videos posted online to show attempts by the police to run over protesters. Are police cars running over protesters on purpose?
Italy/Tunisia: Migrants’ Opinions of the Arab Spring
A documentary film, #Revolution, featuring the voices of some African immigrants living in Italy will be part of "Immaginafrica", a festival dedicated to African film-making organised by the University of Padua, Italy.
Egypt: Feminist Publishes Nude Photograph to “Express her Freedom”
An Egyptian feminist posted her nude photograph on the internet to express her freedom. Netizens react to the move in this post by Tarek Amr.
