· February, 2013

Stories about History from February, 2013

Burundi: Violent Suppression of Demonstration Support for Imprisoned Journalist

The Court of Burundi revised the life sentence for journalist and Radio France International correspondent Hassan Ruvakuki on appeal, reducing his sentence to three years imprisonment. Media professionals demonstrated in sympathy weekly outside the Bujumbura Court building since the sentence was handed down until violent suppression of a march by the authorities.

28 February 2013

China: Cultural Revolution Murder Trial

The trial of an elderly man named Qiu accused of murdering a doctor during the Cultural Revolution has generated discussions about the cultural revolution in China. China Media Project has...

26 February 2013

Macedonian Anti-Fascists Protest Against Harassment

On Feb. 16, World War II veterans and their supporters protested against the forced neglect of the Allied Forces' achievements (which include the founding of the Macedonian state), and the continuous harassment of the veterans' organization by the current government at all levels. Filip Stojanovski reports.

24 February 2013

A First for Africa: Ex-Dictator to be Judged on the Continent

A new court system, the Extraordinary African Chambers has recently been set up to allow the first ever trial of one of its own dictators on the continent. The tribunal to judge Hissène Habré, former president of Chad, opened in Senegal on February 8, 2013. Human Rights Watch has been working since 1999 with victims of the ex-dictator, currently in exile in Senegal, in order to bring him to justice.

22 February 2013

Bengali Language History Not Lost on Youth

Farah Subhan at Amader Kotha highlights how Bangladeshi youth feel about 21 of February, the day commemorating the martyrs of the Bengali language movement, also known as the The International...

20 February 2013

Tajik Civil War ‘Will Continue’

Unless ALL the sides [that fought against each other in the 1990s] admit their fault and say, "Yes, we did kill, we did start the conflict," the civil war will continue... It looks like we are ashamed of admitting that we are all to blame for the bloodshed.

16 February 2013

Memorable Moments from the Brazilian Carnival

The importance of Carnival in Brazilian culture cannot be overplayed. Love it or hate it, the Party has bestowed joy on its anonymous masses, fired up those with an opportunistic unbridled penchant for the pursuit of fame, and destroyed the reputation of public figures who have lost all reason and personal boundaries. Check out the following for some magical, shameful, irreverent, controversial and entertaining flashbacks from this important Brazilian extravaganza.

16 February 2013

Tibetans Rap for Respect

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a bold new rap song called “RESPECT” by young Tibetans who call themselves “Sheep Droppings”. The song is an angry rant against a TV...

13 February 2013

When Uncle Matt Went to Albania

Matthew Pointon of Uncle Travelling Matt shares this detailed, six-part account and photos of his travel in Albania in 1996 and 1999: […] The Land of the Eagle is little...

13 February 2013

Bangladeshi Women Join Shahbag Protests in Remarkable Numbers

Extraordinary numbers of Bangladeshi women have joined the groups of protesters occupying the capital city Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection demanding capital punishment for war criminals. The movement, spearheaded by bloggers and online activists, is seeking the death penalty for those who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

11 February 2013

Praising Lenin in Tajik Poetry

Glorifying Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, was a popular theme in Soviet literature. Kimiyoi Saodat (The Chemistry of Happiness) blog traces [tj] the Lenin-praising tradition in Tajik poetry,...

11 February 2013

In Pictures: The Protesting Crowd In Shahbag

Last Friday, 8th of February, 2013, hundreds of thousands of people started to gather since morning in Shahbagh's Generation Square in solidarity with bloggers and online activists’ ongoing protests. Arif Hossain Sayeed shares pictures of this mass gathering in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

10 February 2013