Stories about Digital Activism from January, 2014
Human Rights Violations During Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests
One of many newly set up blogs following Euromaidan protests in Ukraine, which have entered their second month, has collected several graphic images of injured, bleeding protesters from the past several weeks of protests and speaks of the disturbing violations of basic human rights, such as beatings of citizens and...
The Cuban Economic Model Update Comes Up with Some Unpopular Measures
The measures implemented by the Cuban state have been quite controversial.
Viral Photo of a Giant Squid Found in California is Fake
The doctored image accompanied a fake report from Lightly Braised Turnip, which appears to be a satire website. That didn't stop many Web users from circulating the news as real.
Why a 64-Year-Old Brazilian Indigenous Leader Spent 26 Hours in a Tree
José Urutau Guajajara endured 26 hours at the top of a tree in protest against the eviction of Rio's Maracanã Village, a place once home to the Indian Museum.
25 Influential Brazilian Black Women Online
The website Blogueiras Negras (Black Bloggers, in the feminine), has created a list of the 25 most influential Brazilian black women on the Internet [pt]. The list includes human rights advocates, journalists, writers, researchers, feminists, urban artists and more, besides individual and collective blogs and Facebook pages that fight for gender...
Iran Voices: New Site Polls Citizens on Local Government
What do citizens expect from their city officials? A new site polls Iranians about their views and shares results with decision-makers.
South Korea: Political Revenge on Whistleblower?
Kwon Eun-hee, a policewoman and ex-chief investigator at Seoul Suseo Police station, revealed last summer that her team had received pressures and ‘unreasonable orders’ from superiors to reduce the scope of an investigation into the spy agency election manipulation scandal. Although net users lauded Kwon, her bold act seems to...
Silent Treatment on Violence against Women in Guinea
Boubacar Sanso Barry for Guinée Conakry Info wrote an in-depth report on the undercovered issue of violence against women in Guinea. Even though the National Agency on Gender reports that 80% of Guinean women were victims of psychological or physical abuse [fr], the topic seems to be too often ignored...
The Faces of Those Affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Japanese researchers have published a digital archive of the recovery process of one of the areas hardest hit 2004 tsunami, the Indonesian province of Aceh.
A Mobile Phone Based Virtual School System In Pakistan
Sri Lankan blogger Nandasiri Wanninayaka writes: Rehan School is a mobile phone based virtual school system that allows anyone who has a mobile phone access the prerecorded video lessons free of charge. With expanding mobile coverage in Pakistan, this will be an exciting way to reach the rural illiterate communities....
PHOTOS: Honor the Treaties With Native Indians
Honor The Treaties, a film by director Eric Becker, documents photographer Aaron Huey‘s mission to portray poverty and the struggles of the Native Lakota people of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the United States. Huey's original photographs are collected in the book Mitakuye Okasin, which was described by Mother Jones...
A Call for African Leaders to Stand with the Central African Republic
As the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) drastically worsens [fr] (935 000 IDPs as of today), Thione Niang, the Senegalese head of the GIVE1Project and Mehdi Bensaid, a Moroccan MP, calls from the African continent to stand up and show support to the victims of the conflict in CAR [fr]: Nous ne...
Putting a Social Spin on ICT with SocialTIC
SocialTIC is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, training, support and promotion of information and communications technology (ICT) for social purposes.
A Year of Campaigns for Iran
Hope is alive in Iran for improving the situation for fellow citizens. Here are some of the campaigns we followed in 2013.
#ShamelesslyHaitian on Haiti's Independence Day
Haitians celebrate their culture with a creative hashtag on Haiti's independence day. Here's an interview with Bertin Louis who started the hashtag.
Why Rape And Sexual Violence Continue
“I will not forget what happened today, one year ago” This video was released by Video Volunteers on December 16, 2013 to commemorate Nirbhaya, who died in the 2012 Delhi gang rape incident. The incident was the only conviction of 706 reported cases of rape in Delhi that year. Statistics...
Egypt: The Muppets Intelligence Agency
In Egypt, a Muppet-like character is being accused of sending coded messages to terrorists. Amr Tarek explains why this puppet is on trial.
South Korean Lawmaker Proposes Bill Denying Right to Counsel for Anti-State Criminals
A ruling party lawmaker, Kim Jin-tae proposed a bill [ko] that either denies or greatly limits the right to counsel for criminals who are accused of committing ‘anti-state activities’. It has already drawn harsh criticism from civil rights lawyers who call it ‘utterly unconstitutional idea’ [ko] and sparked heated debates in major...
South Korean Authorities Discredit Dissenting Voices as ‘Not-Real’ News
One media veteran said 'once the government gets to decide what is 'news' or not, news report in that nation disappears and only propaganda are left'.
Innovation: A Solar Energy-Powered PC Made in Mali
As part of our series on innovation made in Africa, we recently showcased the 3D printer made from E-waste in Togo and a spell checker for Bambara language. Today, we present the first low-power PC made in Mali. The PC called Limmorgal (Calculator in Peul language) is the brainchild of...