Stories about Human Rights from November, 2011
Malaysia: Netizens React to ‘Peaceful Assembly Bill’
The Malaysian Parliament has approved the Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives police broad powers to control and even ban street assemblies and protests. Activists described the measure as an attack on civil liberties and freedom of speech. Using the hashtags #walk4freedom and #PA2011, netizens reacted to the quick passage of the bill
Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack
With a week to go until Russia's parliamentary elections, the Golos election monitoring association has been experiencing unprecedented pressure, including a break-in by a television team, accusatory articles in major newspapers, and a call for the organization's closure signed by three parliament deputies.
Cambodia: Law on Prison Labor
Human Rights Watch is opposed to the proposed law in Cambodia that would permit prison labor to be used by private companies.
Cuba: Under “Survey-lance”
“As far as many Cubans here are concerned, it is not necessary to have survey results to verify the high levels of discontent and uncertainty we live under”: Without Evasion explains why she's sceptical of surveys.
Bermuda: Public Debate about Crime Reduction Methods?
Respice Finem examines the sensitive issue of the Bermuda police's “stop and search” policy as part of their crime reduction arsenal, saying that the concern of “those advocating caution…is that in our quest to significantly reduce crime…we do not sacrifice the liberties so many fought for for so long.”
China: New Tactics to Rally Around Blind Activist Lawyer
Andy Yee translated an activist, Xiao Cuo's suggestion on sustainable tactics to support blind activist lawyer, Chen Guangcheng who have been detained by the local government in Shandong for more than one year.
Ukraine: Update on Jailed Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko; Donetsk Protests
Foreign Notes cites journalist Viktoria Syumar's blog post [ru], which compares prison conditions of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko to those of Anders Breivik, and writes – here and here – about Tymoshenko's health problems. Also on Foreign Notes, a post on the dispersal of a protest by Chernobyl clean-up...
ActionAid: halve world hunger by 2015
“Let's fight climate change & hunger. Together” is a new video released by ActionAid & produced by the LatteCreative team, to support the world food crisis campaign and keep the ‘pressure on governments to deliver on their promise to halve world hunger by 2015′.
Cuba: Mariela's Red Light Comment
Ernesto Morales Licea takes issue with Mariela Castro's now infamous statement to Radio Netherlands during her visit to Amsterdam's Red Light District.
Guyana: Calling Violence Against Women by Name
CODE RED “felt very frustrated yesterday when someone told [her] that to say ‘violence against women’ is discriminatory, that it should be called ‘relationship violence'”, explaining: “There are a range of gendered ways in which women are targeted for violence, not all of which are ‘domestic’. Erasing the language feminists...
North Korea Ranked 3rd in Deforestation
North Korean Economy Watch blog consolidated current reports on severe deforestation in North Korea. According to one risk analysis firm, North Korea had the third highest deforestation rate among 180 countries surveyed and the UN estimates that North Korea had lost almost one-third of its entire forest mass.
Guatemala: Survivors’ Testimonies Help Define Genocide in Online Documentary
Mike shares Spanish-language documentary “Our Voice, Our Memory: The genocide in Guatemala,” which is available in full on YouTube. He adds: “The documentary […] uses survivor and expert testimony to explain the concept of genocide, demonstrating how the atrocities committed by the Guatemalan military against indigenous Maya communities satisfy the...
Cuba: Entrepreneurship & Home Ownership
Generation Y wonders whether the country's new wave of entrepreneurs will survive, while Laritza's Laws is concerned that “the housing regulations, recently enacted by the government of Cuba…leave intact regulations that impede the full exercise of the right of ownership.”
Understanding the Implications of the Kidnappings of 6 Westerners in Mali
The Wal-Asat blog attempts to figure out the implications of the recent slew of kidnappings in Mali. Didier François highlights the mysterious background and activities [fr] of the two kidnapped Frenchmen while AllAfrica points out the poor regional coordination between the nations combating this issue.
Thailand: Profile of Lese Mejeste Violator
May Adadol Ingawanij links to a Thai article which provides a profile of Mr. Amphon, a 61-year-old Bangkok resident who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for insulting the Royal Family.
Malaysia: Opposition to Peaceful Assembly Bill
An online campaign was launched to pressure members of Parliament of Malaysia to reject the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill which activists believe will curtail freedom of expression and the people's right to organize in the country
Video: Plural+ 2011 Awards Young Filmmakers
Youth from around the globe were awarded in New York for their thought-provoking short films showing their proposals for making society more peaceful and multicultural by addressing the topics of diversity, migration and social inclusion.
Russia: “Anti-Gay” Bill Postponed Till Nov. 30
Siberian Light reports that the second reading of the “anti-gay” bill in the St. Petersburg City Duma has been postponed till Nov. 30 – “to allow time for a face-saving review of the legislation’s wording.” The AllOut.org's petition calling “leaders around the world to reach out to their counterparts in...
Russia: Siberian Light's This Week in Russia Blogs #1
Andy of Siberian Light presents This Week in Russia Blogs #1, a revamped version of Russia Blog Roundup weekly series. Anglophone posts highlighted in the current edition include A Good Treaty's take on the efficiency of the RuNet activism and Putinania‘s analysis of the United Russia’s prospects for the Dec....
Mexico: Massive Civil Lawsuit at ICC Seeks Drug War Justice
23,000 Mexican citizens have asked the International Criminal Court to investigate heads of drug cartels, President Felipe Calderón and other top officials for crimes against civilians in Mexico's ongoing Drug War.
Bahamas: Male Violence Against Women
Womanish Words would like the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to be called what it really is – the International Day for the Elimination of Male Violence Against Women, and posts a rant poem in an “honest attempt to contribute to the naming and defining of...
