Stories about Human Rights from March, 2012
India: Arresting Tibetan Activists
Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun comments on the arrests of Tibetan activists in India: “we gave the Tibetans shelter when they fled from the excesses of China. Now we...
East Timor: Early Warning Early Response Mapping System
NGO Belun in East Timor has teamed up with Columbia University to establish the Early Warning Early Response mapping system which was designed to increase early responses to conflict and...
Human Rights Mapping in Cambodia
Human rights advocates in Cambodia have been using online maps to document, monitor, and expose human rights violations across the country. Some of the maps track land conflicts, media killings, freedom of expression violations, and prison overcrowding
Bahrain: Tweeting Against Formula 1
As Bahrain gears up to host the Grand Prix, from April 20 to 22, netizens are rallying for the cancellation of the car race claiming that human rights violations are still continuing against protesters seeking more democratic rights in the Arab country. Mona Kareem sheds light on one Twitter campaign to draw attention to this.
This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere
Again this week, the regional blogosphere was dominated by talk of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba. With reports of repression at an all-time high, Cuban bloggers were dismayed by the outcome of the trip.
Ethiopia: Child Abuse Caught on Mobile Phone Camera
Ethiopian Facebook users have launched an online campaign for justice after watching a mobile phone recorded YouTube video which shows a little girl being abused by her mother.
The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind
Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba has come to an end, a visit bookended by the Castro brothers: President Raul Castro greeting the pontiff at the airport and Fidel Castro meeting with him before his departure. But bloggers are suggesting that despite the Pope's message of change and hope for the future, it looks like business as usual on the island.
Guatemala: Indigenous and Rural Communities March to Defend Their Land
Thousands of Guatemalan indigenous people and countrymen participated in a nine-day march to defend their lands, protest forced relocations, and call attention to other issues affecting rural communities. We share some images of the march posted online by blogger and photographer James Rodríguez.
South Korea: Youtube Video on Saving Jeju Village from Naval Base Construction
A video with English subtitle explaining why protesters are against constructing a naval based in the Jeju island was posted on the Youtube site. The opposition accused the construction of...
Slovenia: Family Code Referendum (and Other “Election Season” Updates)
Sleeping With Pengovsky has been covering Slovenia's referendum on the Family Code (here and here), the mayoral by-elections, and the upcoming presidential election.
Pakistan: Demand for Independence of Sindh
A freedom march organized by one of the biggest Sindhi nationalist parties, has drawn a huge crowd in Karachi city. The news was either blocked or under-reported in most of the Pakistani mainstream Urdu media channels.
Georgia: Anti-discriminatory legislation ahead of Armenia, Azerbaijan
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the passage of legislation in Georgia outlawing discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, age, and political as well as religious views. The blog notes that the...
Chile: Twitter Debates Therapeutic Abortion While the Senate Waits
While the senate continues to postpone the debate over the legalization of therapeutic abortion, the exchanging of opinions has continued unabated in Chilean cyberspace, most noticeably following two televised debates on the subject.
Syria: A Year On, From Beirut With Love
On March15, the Syrian revolution completed its first year with the same level of determination that marked its beginning. Protests in different cities around the world expressed their support to the revolution while Beirut wanted to announce its support in its own way. This post explains how activists expressed their love to the Syrian revolution on Beirut walls.
Cuba: Pope Arrives Today; What Will His Visit Bring?
Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive today in Cuba, even as bloggers chronicle the “wave of arrests and threats” preceding the papal visit. But top of mind for most bloggers, particularly from the diaspora, is whether or not the pontiff will decide to meet with the Ladies in White and other members of the political opposition.
Jamaica: Hoodie is No Excuse
“An excited man kills someone for the flimsiest of causes. And someone asks us to believe it’s due to clothing choices!”: Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac comments on the...
Tibetans, the police and China
Tom Lasseter blogs about what he saw in his travel to Tongren, an ethnic Tibetan town in Qinghai Province where two men set themselves on fire last week.
Sri Lanka: Reactions to US Resolution at UNHRC
A US resolution was recently passed at a UN Human Rights Council meeting on Sri Lanka seeking to encourage the government to investigate allegations of human rights violations during the country's civil war against the LTTE and implement the recommendations made by a reconciliation commission. Netizens react.
United States: Solidarity Against Censorship of Latino Literature
The elimination of the curriculum of Mexian-American Studies, and the censorship of Latin American books from the district of Tuscon, Arizona, has led to actions of solidarity in New York as well as throughout the United States.
Russia: Moscow's Modern Muslim Experience – In Context
Moscow's growing Muslim population exemplifies the modern experience of Russia's ethnic and religious minorities amid the backdrop of historical events that have molded the Russian perception of outsiders and thus influence modern societal and governmental policies towards them.
United States: “I am Trayvon Martin”
The indignation of American citizens and Internet users around the world over the murder of Martin Trayvon Florida continues to grow. This young black man was shot at the exit of a store by a security guard of the city of Sanford. For many it is a racist murder, and the law "Stand your ground" (Defend yourself), that legitimate self-defense in Florida, must be challenged.
