· December, 2009

Stories about Human Rights from December, 2009

South Asia: Looking Back At 2009

  31 December 2009

The year 2009 is ending and its time to retrospect how the year has been for the South Asian region. In a two-part review we will look back at some of the major events which took place this year in the South Asian countries seen through the eyes of the citizen journalists.

Caribbean: 2009 Regional Roundup

  31 December 2009

As Global Voices celebrates its fifth anniversary, the occasion has given us all an opportunity to reflect on why we do what we do and how our work makes a difference.  As my colleague Jillian York so succinctly put it, “We spread stories.  We spread words.”  We manage to do...

Cuba: History & Hope

  31 December 2009

“Hopefully, 2010 will bring, finally, an end to this sad, torturous chapter of Cuban history”: Uncommon Sense remembers Cuba's past and expresses his hopes for its future.

Caucasus: 2009 Blog Review

  31 December 2009

If the Armenian and Georgian blogospheres attracted most interest during 2008 after one disputed presidential election in the former and an albeit short war with Russia in the latter, Azerbaijan was the undoubted focus in 2009. In particular, youth activists quickly embraced both new and social media to spread their message online.

The Balkans: Sarajevo-Belgrade Train

  31 December 2009

Balkanology Blog reports on the recent launch of a direct Sarajevo-Belgrade train, the first one “in almost two decades.” CAFÉ TURCO recalls Serbia's recent history in a post titled “Serbia through the eyes of a train traveller (me).”

China: Akmal's death sentence, a resolute No to memory of humiliation?

  30 December 2009

Akmal Shaikh, a British citizen convicted of smuggling heroine into China, was executed on Tuesday although his families along with the British government had pleaded for reprieve, claiming that he is mentally ill. The supreme court of China however dismissed the request of a mental assessment because the documents provided...

Bahamas: Inefficient Judiciary

  30 December 2009

As a suspected murderer out on bail allegedly kills again, Weblog Bahamas‘ Sidney Sweeting asks: “How long should the Bahamian people have to put up with this nonsense and get the Judiciary to give some consideration to the law abiding, God-fearing citizens of the country?”

Poland, China: Lack of Response to Akmal Shaikh's Case

  30 December 2009

Polandian writes about Poland's lack of response to the execution of Akmal Shaikh in China: “[…] Akmal spent quite some time in Poland, was married to a Pole and is survived by two Polish children. The question was therefore raised as to why Poland did not join in the call...

China: Cui Weiping tweets elite views on Liu Xiaobo

  29 December 2009

Many Chinese public intellectuals take flack for keeping quiet on major social issues. Beijing Film Academy professor Cui Weiping has sought to change that by tweeting her peers' views on the recent sentencing of China's most prominent democrat.

Trinidad & Tobago: 500

  29 December 2009

Trinidadian bloggers comment on the country's record murder rate – Jumbie's Watch: “The message is clear. We’re screwed.” B.C. Pires: “Not even when Mr Manning and Mr Panday achieve Trinidad's most vulgar historic event – the creation of an executive presidency by back-room trickery – will Trinidadians put their feet...

Cuba: Show of Support

  29 December 2009

Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports on “the arrests over the past several days of numerous activists attempting…to show their support for political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who has been on a hunger strike…to demand that his human rights be respected.”

Palestine: Twitter accused of silencing Gaza tribute

  29 December 2009

Twitter has been accused of attempting to silence tributes to Gaza one-year after an Israeli onslaught devastated the Palestinian enclave. Pro-Palestinian and human rights activists used the influential Twitter to express support for the besieged territory. Tweets using the hashtag #Gaza flooded in on December 27th, peaking at number 3 on Twitter's top ten Trending Topics list.

Global: Tweeting for #Gaza

  27 December 2009

In honor of the one-year anniversary of Israel's attacks on Gaza in December 2008, a number of activists have planned a targeted "tweet for Gaza" campaign on Twitter. Jillian C. York has more.

China: Liu Xiaobo sentenced to 11 years

  25 December 2009

C.A. Yeung pointed out that the harsh sentence of Liu Xiaobo to 11 years on subversion charges implied a open rejection of public demands for democratic reforms by the Chinese Communist Party. The blogger also translated Chinese dissident Wang Dan's brief comment on Liu's sentence.

India: Surviving Child Abuse

  25 December 2009

Mumbai based creative professional Harish Iyer, who blogs at The Pregnant Thoughts, discusses how he was subjected to child sex abuse in his teens and how it changed his life.