· April, 2012

Stories about Human Rights from April, 2012

Argentina: The ‘Mothers of Plaza de Mayo’ Turn 35

  30 April 2012

Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America writes about the 35th anniversary of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina: “On Thursday, 30 April 1977, a small group of women met in the Plaza de Mayo with the aim of handing over a letter to then-president Jorge...

Refugees: Online Media and Technology to the Service of Refugees

  29 April 2012

Two different organizations are using online media and technology to aid refugees and improve their lives. The first uses online and mobile tools to reunite refugees who have lost track of family members, and the other provides legal information to refugees in Hong Kong through YouTube videos.

India: Protests Against the New IT Rules

  28 April 2012

In April 2011 the Indian government quietly issued amendments to the IT rules restricting web content that are designated as “disparaging,” “harassing,” “blasphemous” or “hateful.” The Indian netizens are campaigning against it online and are organizing street protests.

Philippines: Demolition of Urban Poor Village Sparks Indignation

  28 April 2012

At least one person was killed and scores were injured after police forces fired on protesting residents of Silverio Compound in Paranaque City, south of Manila, who were defending their homes from being demolished. The violent demolition has sparked a wave of indignation online.

Philippines: Counterinsurgency Primer

  28 April 2012

Karapatan, an alliance working for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines, uploaded a PDF copy of its comic book entitled Oplan Bayanihan for Beginners. The book is an introduction to Oplan Bayanihan, the government's counterinsurgency campaign which is being linked by human rights advocates to the...

Chinese blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng flees house arrest

  27 April 2012

Chinese blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng has reportedly escaped from his well-guarded house in Dongshigu (Shandong) after more than a year of house arrest. Sources report he entered the US embassy in Beijing. He has put out a video  denouncing corruption, exposing abuses  and expressing “extreme concern” about the consequences...

Bangladesh: Voices from the Korail slum

  26 April 2012

Michelle Chaplin at BRAC Blog posts a video (with subtitles), which shares the initial reactions of some of the people who lost their homes in the recent Korail slum eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh.