Stories about Human Rights from September, 2010
Cameroon: Tale of 50-year old rape
Victim's tale of rape in Cameroon: “First, she was told by her husband that no one would ever believe her. Much as it had petrified the 15 year old then when he had first said it after mounting off her and zipping his pants with a smirk on his face…”
Grenada: Blog Action Day
Blah Bloh Blog is ready for this year's Blog Action Day, saying: “The theme this year is WATER. Access to clean water is not just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue. An animal welfare issue. A sustainability issue.”
Guyana: Women's Plight
Local news headlines tell the sad story of a young woman driven to suicide, allegedly because of a domestic dispute; The Guyana Groove concludes that “these are most certainly desperate times for women.”
Pakistan: A Journalist Seeks Protection
Habib R. Sulemani, a Pakistani journalist, writes that he is in self confinement in his house for six months to avoid assassination attempts on him. He seeks protection of the government from the persons who are trying to kill him because of his writings on taboo subjects.
Russia: Landscape and Trends of Online Transparency Initiatives
Alexey Sidorenko analyzes the five main groups of the Russian transparency projects: official and semi-official transparency websites; chaotic transparency communities; online representation of civil activism NGOs; next-generation transparency and civil rights activism social networks; and Ushahidi-based projects.
Hungary: Citizens Protest Against Auchan Shopping Mall
Marietta Le posts an update on the ongoing efforts by Hungarian citizens to save the Dunakeszi marsh, which would be destroyed if Auchan Hungary's expansion continues as planned.
Haiti, Dominican Republic: The Presence of DR Troops
Wadner Pierre says that “the decision of the Dominican government to send troops in Haiti proved the participation of the Dominican government in destabilizing Haiti peace”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Accepting Difference
Globewriter, on learning of the suicide of a gay teen as a result of bullying, says: “I have heard from some here in the Caribbean that homophobia is part of the culture…If it is part of Caribbean culture to tell a significant part of its population that it is morally...
Bahrain: Human Rights Societies
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif gives us a sneak preview to what has been happening on the human rights societies scene recently.
Iran: The Art and Design of the ‘Green Movement’
“Where is my Vote” is an exhibition of 150 political posters for the Green Movement in Iran that was on display at the School of Visual Arts in New York by graphic artists from around the world in support of the protests in Iran that followed the 2009 presidential election.
Azerbaijan: Obama calls for bloggers’ release
Dönməzlik blog [AZ] says that it was surprised to discover that US President Barack Obama raised the issue of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video blogging youth activists imprisoned on charges of hooliganism by a court in Baku, with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, at the UN General Assembly....
Kenya: Prison Literature in East Africa
Kimani Wanjiru discusses prison literature in East Africa: “Maina wa Kinyatti perhaps has the highest number of books that vividly describe his harrowing experience. He has a collection of poems A Season of Blood: Poems from Kenyan Prison (1995)…”
Iran:Derakhshan sentenced to 19.5 years in prison
According to [fa] Mashregh News Hossein Derakhshan, Iranian jailed blogger, was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison. Read more here.
Morocco: Human Rights Activist Arrested for Buying Alcohol
“The well-known Moroccan activist Abdullah Zaazaa was arrested in his Casablanca neighborhood of Bouchentou, for buying alcohol during Ramadan,” writes Ursula Lindsey at The Arabist.
Haiti: Slow Going
“Nine months after the devastating earthquake, many are criticizing the slow pace of relief for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Haiti”: The Haitian Blogger reports.
Bahrain: Nabeel Rajab Banned from Travelling
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab reports on Twitter: “#bahrain I am banned from traveling.”
New video from the Global Poverty Project
The educational and campaigning organisation Global Poverty Project has released a two-minute video that depicts how each of us, not world leaders, can actually end extreme poverty within a generation.
Russia: Gay Activists Protest on Luzhkov's Birthday
The Moscow Diaries writes about last week's gay rights activists’ protest against Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov: “It was sad to see, this protest. The protesters were so few that they were barely visible among the gajillion photographers and two gajillion police officers. Within a few minutes, eleven of the protesters...
China: Glory to the Stability Maintenance Contractors
Yesterday, September 26, the Chinese Government released its white paper on human rights. The Xinhua news report highlighted the positive aspect of the role of Internet freedom for the government to gauge public opinion and improve its governance.
Russia: Shnurov's “Khimki Forest” Song
A Good Treaty writes about and translates Sergei Shnurov's “Khimki Forest” song, “an obvious satire of liberal-leaning musicians prone to activist art.”
Zimbabwe: Child Sues for $1.6 Million
Reaction to an article about a tortured child in Zimbabwe who has sued for $ 1. 6 million.’ The child was incarcerated in prison where he suffered beatings from the state in 2008 in an attempt to force confessions from his ‘political activist parents’.
