· August, 2006

Stories about Human Rights from August, 2006

Ethiopia: 16 Days

  31 August 2006

Ato G may not be corrupt. But he lives in a society ruined by corruption. He may be honest and hardworking. Yet the law will always make an enemy of people like him. ET Wonqette powerfully plays on words, satirising Ethiopia, which he says, “is ruinously, unrelentingly peaceful. Better days...

Iran: Jahanbegloo free on bail

Shahram Kholdi, UK based blogger & academic reports that Ramin Jahanbegloo, researcher & philosopher, was released on bail. According to the blogger, Ramin Jahanbegloo visited ISNA's (Iranian Students National Agency) office immediately after he was released. The source said he looked much thinner than the last time he had seen...

Kurdistance…

The most horrible of things has just happened to me….my RSS feed for the Kurdish blogs, well for lack of a better term..hiccupped…and all of my feeds are gone. So in dealing with this crisis, today's post probably will leave a few people out. Thankfully all of my work is...

Iranian Women's campaign demands changes to discriminatory laws

Iranian women continue their struggle for equal rights beyond all governmental obstacles. A few days ago, a group of tireless Iranian women activists launched another campaign against discrimination entitled “One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws.” This demonstration was backed by personalities such as Nasser Zaarafshan, writer and human...

Poland: On Migrant Labor, Again

  30 August 2006

The beatroot writes about “free movement of labour” and responds to a “deranged” commenter who, among other things, is “favorably comparing the Nazi invasion and the Holocaust to the influx of a few hundred thousand Poles and others to the UK.”

Poland: Suing the Homophobes

  30 August 2006

The beatroot writes that Polish gay rights activists are taking the wrong cases to court: “But going to courts over the two pieces of infantile nonsense […] is not the right way to go about challenging officially sponsored homophobia in Poland.”

Iran: Broken Promises & Satellite Dishes

Aknoun says that one year ago, the cultural advisor to the Iranian President said everybody is free to have a satellite dish and government will reduce pressure on people [Fa]. The blogger says that now we shall see how government cracks down on satellite dishes.

Iran: Student activist arrested

According to Kuy, another student activist, Jamal ZaherPour was arrested a couple of days ago [Fa]. ZaherPour had been a leading student in Islamic Association of Khajeh Nasir University where he graduated as an engineer. The blogger adds that recently, several student activists have been arrested.

Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (3)

  29 August 2006

Israeli blogger pilka writes (RUS) about a surreal experience of eating next to three clowns at a hospital in the wartime Haifa: […] I had breakfast with clowns today. I work at the children's department, okay? So strange, a clown on the right, a clown on the left, a vegetable...

Africans in France: Riots’ First Anniversary

  29 August 2006

Senegalese blogger Semett worries that (Fr) not much has changed for communities of color in France since last year's summer riots: “Despite the temporary emotions, we don't get the impression that anything has changed since. Our brothers and sisters continue to live in unsanitary and dangerous conditions. Whether it is...

Lebanon: Blogging Back to Normality

This week the Lebanese blogosphere witnessed a sluggish move away from posts about destruction and death caused by the war to posts that reflect patriotic passions, politics and personal accounts. Photos of how ads, weddings and cartoons were affected by the war can also be found. Life in the blogosphere seems to be trying hard to go back to the way it was.

Caribbean: Licensing sex workers

  28 August 2006

Barbados Free Press has some questions for the government officials who are considering licensing prostitutes (or is it “sex workers”) for the duration of next year's Cricket World Cup tournament.

China: Patron saint of activist-bloggers?

  26 August 2006

How to describe twenty two-year old MSN Spaces blogger Zeng Jinyan? A threat to national security? An AIDS activist who brings support, joy and hope to countless AIDS orphans? A young wife radicalized after her husband was kidnapped by the state for over a month? Patron spokesblogger for otherwise voiceless...