· March, 2012

Stories about Human Rights from March, 2012

India: Arresting Tibetan Activists

  31 March 2012

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 arrest them when Chinese premiers come visiting.”

East Timor: Early Warning Early Response Mapping System

  31 March 2012

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 prevent the escalation of violence at the national and community levels.

Human Rights Mapping in Cambodia

  31 March 2012

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

  29 March 2012

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.

The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind

  29 March 2012

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.

Pakistan: Demand for Independence of Sindh

  28 March 2012

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.

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?

  26 March 2012

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

  26 March 2012

“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 Trayvon Martin case.

Tibetans, the police and China

  26 March 2012

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

  25 March 2012

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: “I am Trayvon Martin”

  24 March 2012

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.