Stories about Human Rights from April, 2007
Russia: More on Mstislav Rostropovich
Another personal reflection on Mstislav Rostropovich, written by an anonymous contributor to Robert Amsterdam's blog – “who as a young musician had the distinct honor of personally meeting the great Russian master.”
Russia: Mstislav Rostropovich
Megan Case shares a personal memory of Mstislav Rostropovich, who died in Moscow last week.
France: Expelling Illegal Immigrants
Continuing the debate on expelling illegal immigrants living in France, SEMEtt ou l'étincelle noire (Fr) writes about a political asylee who was shipped back to Liberia, a group of long-term illegal immigrants who decided to form an organization to publicly demand naturalization, and how the mass explusions are eroding civil...
Serbia: Blogosphere Reacts to Protect Press Freedom
Two hand grenades were placed on a window sill of Serbian journalist Dejan Anastasijevic's apartment on Saturday, April 15. The explosions caused material damage but no injuries. There were numerous comments about who might have stood behind the attack. Bloggers started a petition requesting prompt reaction of the police for the sake of press freedom.
Iran:247 journalists asked government to release Farahbakhsh
According to[Fa] Hanif Mazroi, 247 journlaists wrote an open letter to authorities and asked them to release Ali Farahbaksh,a journalist who was sentenced to 3 years jail.They added in the letter that his rights as a prisoner have not been respected during his detention.
Iran:Disrespect to the Society
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, reformist politician, reminds us that these days ladies are inspected in many streets of Tehran. The ladies who are not wearing proper veil (hejab) are arrested… the ladies who are traced in the streets these days are mostly born after revolution and they have all been grown...
Egypt: Sandmonkey Quits Blogging
Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey is hanging his boots and calling it quits. “One of the chief reasons is the fact that there has been too much heat around me lately. I no longer believe that my anonymity is kept, especially with State Secuirty agents lurking around my street and asking questions...
Colombia: Paramilitary Scandal, Crimes, and Media ‘Coincidences’
Colombian bloggers react to a special section in the El Tiempo newspaper devoted to gruesome accounts of human rights abuse at the hands of paramilitary forces. [ Warning: The article contains graphic descriptions of violence and human rights abuse ]
Turkey is Typing: The Killings in Malatya
"A handful of monsters walked into a Bible publisher in the Turkish city of Malatya the other day," writes one blogger, describing one of the tragedies which stunned Turkey this week. The brutal killings of three Christian missionaries at a Bible publishing house in Malatya has bloggers across the nation mourning the display of violent intolerance and contrasting the established sanctity of nationhood with the dire need for multi-religious acceptance.
Estonia: “A Russian Rebellion”
As Tallinn seems to have entered the second night of rioting over the removal of a Soviet war memorial, here's a blogger's recap (with photos, RUS, by LJ user mrprophet) of what happened the previous night: A Russian rebellion Today I've been to a true Russian rebellion, senseless and relentless....
“What Kind of Lebanon Do We Want?”
As Lebanon's political leaders offer up their usual litany of what he says is useless rhetoric, French-Lebanese blogger Frencheagle asks his readers to remember one question: “What kind of Lebanon do we want?” (Fr). The problem of coexistence, he says, is one that an international tribunal on the civil war...
China: Dog Abuse Triggered Internet Debate
Josie Liu from China in Transition reported on a recent internet debate (17000 comments) about animal right VS human right. The discussion was triggered off by an incident of burning dogs in Nanjing city.
Japan: Thoughts on the Abe “apology”
Japan, Beyond the Tamagawa reminds readers, with respect to recent comments by Prime Minsiter Abe Shinzo about the Comfort Women issue, that Abe “didn't intend [his comments] to raise such a stink. He did say what he personally has said he believed for years. Japan's Imperial Army did not force...
Egypt: Sinai Bedouins Seek Refuge in Israel
Writing at Kabobfest, blogger Hanaan reports the plight of a Sinai bedouin, who is seeking entry into Israel. “You know police brutality has reached a new low in Egypt when hundreds of the country's poorest would rather seek refuge in Israel than face Mubarak's hired guns. The government should be...
Somalia: Mogadishu Tech Massacre
Espresso Royale Commentaries discusses “Mogadishu tech massacre”: The Mogadishu massacre was bigger in number but lesser known to most people because it didn’t make to be a prime media piece. This massacre was even worse. It was Virginia Tech shooting multiplied by 100 and it is repeated daily and ongoing....
Kurdistance: A Week Like Any Other
The news coming out of the Kurdish blogs this week is as varied as the landscape of Kurdistan itself. From predictions on Syrian Kurd alliances with Israel, to censorship in Turkey; from explorations of Northern Iraq, to essays on intolerance, the Kurdish bloggers cover it all. But for this week, I think we will begin with why, to Kurds, April is considered as the "Bride of the Year".
Latvia: Roma Resources
TOL's Romantic posts a link to the collection of resources on Latvia's Roma.
Russia: Pieces by Illarionov and Gevorkyan
La Russophobe posts two translations: pieces by Andrei Illarionov and Natalya Gevorkyan.
Russia: Kasparov's Foreign Funding
As the Kremlin begins looking for Gary Kasparov's foreign sponsors, Sean's Russia Blog reports that a reporter for an expat paper in Moscow may have already completed the job.
Zimbabwe: Don't come back to Zimbabwe
From Kubatana blog: “I’ve just received a reply to an email I sent to a friend informing them that I had been offered a fellowship to study at the prestigious Radio Netherlands Training Centre (RNTC). All he said was good luck in your studies and don’t come back until there...
Syrian Independence Day and Elections
Syria celebrated it's independence and Parliamentary elections with a lot of official fanfare, but very little excitement from bloggers as a reported two per cent of the constituents turned up at the polling stations. Yazan Badran sums up the reactions as bloggers debate the results and updates us about the jailing of a prominent human rights lawyer.
