Stories about Digital Activism from February, 2011
Cuba: Realities of Virtual Protests
Laritza Diversent and Without Evasion blog about the Middle East protests and the obstacles that may prevent similar demonstrations from happening in Cuba.
Trinidad & Tobago: Child Found Dead
Guanaguanare and gspott are devastated over the murder of an eight year old boy.
Jamaica: On “Buju Watch”
“Once again the Jamaican nation is on Buju watch”: Active Voice highlights the posts of some fellow bloggers to underscore her point that “Jamaicans are taking this very personally, it is as if the nation itself is on trial.”
Libya: Death Before Liberty (Videos)
Since the uprising against the rule of Libya's Muammar Al Gaddafi, a dedicated group of people have been sending their videos and photos to the outside world so we can better view what is happening inside the country's larger towns. Very important today, these pieces will be reminders of the demonstrations and the government's violent reactions for years to come.
Russia: Ulyanovsk News Portal Under Attack for Exposing Politician
73online.ru had been DDOS-ed for publishing compromising materials on Igor Bulanov, deputy speaker of Ulyanovsk legislative assembly. The portal published details on police detaining Bulanov and finding drugs in his car's glove compartment. After Bulanov was refused to remove the compromising publication, journalists started to receive threats while their website...
Russia: Blog Mapping Project Launches
Creators of crowdsourcing mapping service blog-map.ru ambitiously aim to “unite all bloggers on one map.” Despite many incorrectly mapped blogs, the service offers quite unusual experience of finding Russian bloggers even in the most distant places [RUS].
Voices from Libya: “It's a massacre” (Audio)
The online group feb17voices has begun interviewing and collecting audio testimonies of people throughout Libya. What they've created is a very personal and immediate perspective of the protests and how people are dealing with the chaos and violence.
Russia: Photos of “Putin's Palace” Published by Bloggers
Krasnodar environmentalist group “Open Shore” published a photo report that illustrates how a number of huge villas have been built on a place of a relict forest on the shore of the Black sea. One of the villas shot by activists is the so-called “Putin's Palace,” a 3-storey luxurious manor...
Bahrain: One Country, Two Rallies
Seven days have passed since Bahrain's Day of Wrath protests which started on February 14, causing the death of eight protesters in the capital Manama. While protesters continue to camp in Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout, two rallies, one in support of the protests and another in support of the royal family are taking place as I type.
Libya-Italy: online reactions to the “Berlusconi connection”
Given the recently close relationship between Gheddafi and the Italian government, materials and many varying opinions on this unusual bond are emerging. Here is an overview of what is being posted on the Internet in Italian (and other languages) in recent hours - including significant satirical comic strips.
Arab World: The Great Social Media Debate
For months it seems, a debate has been raging over the role of social media in demonstrations. More recently, that debate has focused on Tunisia and Egypt, where sites like Facebook and Twitter were prominent in the organizing of protests. Here's one element of that debate, from Twitter.
Morocco: Explaining the Protests
Yesterday marked what many called Morocco's “Day of Dignity," with protests across the country. Bloggers explain why some Moroccans have taken to the streets.
Cuba: Generación Y and Voces Cubanas Unblocked in Cuba
For nearly three years, Yoani Sánchez has called herself a “blind blogger.” Her blog, Generación Y, has been blocked in Cuba since March of 2008. But on February 8, the site was unblocked in Cuba.
Youtube Video Mocking Kim Jong-il's Commemorative Stamp
A South Korean user uploaded a Youtube video[ko] mocking North Korea's latest commemorative stamp which was made to celebrate Kim Jong-il's birthday. The video claims that the three monkeys from the stamp which all sit on a same tree branch (appears on the video around 2 min 10 sec) refer...
China: A staged revolution
C Custer from China Geek blogs about the spread of “Jasmine revolution” through messages from outside China and the police's over reaction from inside China. He also records the “revolutionary atmosphere” in Beijing Wangfujing area.
Iran: More Protests, Another Death (Videos)
Despite large security presence in major traffic intersections, witnesses say protesters have been gathering since early afternoon and continue to swell in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Marivan and several other cities on Sunday, February 20.
Algeria: Protesters Hurt as Police Try to Halt Demonstration
Algeria's government attempted to stave off a second large demonstration at May 1 Square on Saturday, February 19. A large police presence kept downtown Algiers open, but several protesters were hurt. Demonstrators also complained that police sent pro-government gangs to harass them.
Morocco: Across the Nation, Demonstration
In the broader context of the Arab world, Morocco has one particularly unique feature: Whereas other countries in the region often have two cities of importance, Morocco has six...at least. Jillian C. York reports on online activity from Morocco's most important hubs.
Ukraine: Dear Polish Delegation, We’re in Shock, Too
Earlier this week, a Ukrainian TV station broadcasted a report about the visit of the Polish parliamentary delegation to Ukraine's parliament. According to the report, the Polish visitors were shocked by the Ukrainian MPs’ illegal practice of voting on behalf of fellow party members. Tetyana Bohdanova reports on Ukrainian netizens' reactions.
Iran:Demonstrations continue
Several sites and blogs such as Hambastge reported [fa] protesters chanted anti regime slogans in several cities on Sunday. There is also a demonstration in front of State run TV building in Tehran.
Arab World: The Uprisings Continue
It's revolution time across the Arab world, with people rising and calling for political, economic and social reforms. Rallies, demonstrations and protests across the region are flooding our timelines, with heartbreaking news of how one Arab government after the other is using the same tactics to quash protests and silence the voices of dissent. Here are reactions from around the world as people watch the developments unfold.
