Stories about Human Rights from December, 2006
Russia: Litvinovich on Beslan Report
David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates a piece by Marina Litvinovich, an activist and founder of the Truth of Beslan portal; she writes: “Another of the report’s conclusions is that 32 people took part in the school seizure, of whom 31 were killed and one has been...
Poland: Honorary King
The beatroot reports: “46 members of the Polish parliament have tabled a motion to name Jesus Christ as the ‘honorary King of the Republic of Poland’. […] There is an historical precedent to this mad move, however. The Virgin Mary was made Honorary Queen of Poland 350 years ago by...
Hungary: Budapest's Poor
Pestcentric writes about Budapest's poor and the problem with videotaping them.
Croatia: War Crimes
Neretva River writes: “As exhumations begin at Osijek's central cemetery as part of the Croatian judiciary's investigation of war crimes committed against Osijek's non-Croat civilian population during December 1991, 2006 could prove to have been the year that domestic courts in Croatia demonstrated that they are serious about prosecuting war...
Egypt: Just in Time for Christmas
“Egypt, where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled seeking shelter. But the Christmas spirit has apparently not returned, at least not to the Qalubia governor who just attempted to shut down a local NGO for reporting on poor civic conditions,” Or Does it Explode reports.
Iran: Interview with Omid Memarian, Blogger and Human Rights Activist
Omid Memarian is a journalist and blogger, well known in Iran for his news analysis, regular columns and blogs in English and Persian. In October 2004 Omid was arrested, along with two dozen other bloggers and journalists, and detained for two months. And in 2005 “Human Rights Watch” honored Omid...
Iran:Syndicate leader is out of jail
According to AghBahman [Fa], Mansour Osanlou,head of the executive committee of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, is out of prison now.
India: Compulsory HIV Testing
The Life and Times on compulsory pre-marital HIV testing. “Andra Pradesh just called for compulsory HIV testing before marriage and everyone seems to agree that this is a violation of individual rights.”
Zimbabwe: using SMS to fight dictatorship
Following the move by the government of Zimbabwe to confiscate radios, SW Radio Africa has started to distribute news headlines via SMS technology.
Burundi: permanent solution to violence
“But to the Burundians I know, the idea that “peace and reconciliation” could be achieved while killers remain in power is a cruel joke. The difficult, messy truth is that democracy alone is not enough. Only by ensuring that Burundi's war criminals are prosecuted under international law, can we hope...
This Week's Saudi Blog Roundup
The Human Rights Watch visit to Saudi Arabia is still making headlines, 80 rats were found on a Saudi Airlines plane, a Bible was denied entry into Saudi, the Quran is now recognized as the second-most wanted Christmas gift in Denmark, and Sheikh Dot is back. Now, for the roundup…...
Russia: Arkhangelsk Mayor For President
Russia From The Inside tells of the “strange things” that began to happen to the mayor of Arkhangelsk after he decided to run for president of Russia in 2008.
Iran: The word “women” is no more filtered
According to FreeKeyboard the word “women” is not any more filtered in Iran [Fa].
Anguilla: Convention vs. Corruption
Corruption-free Anguilla republishes an article by Indra Jeet Mistry, which calls for Caribbean governments to sign the UN Convention against Corruption – “the first legally binding, global anti-corruption agreement, marking an historic milestone in the fight against corruption. One year on…in the Caribbean, only Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and...
Kyrgyzstan: Ala Kachuu
Tolkun Umaraliev writes on the practice of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan, noting that the practice is common despite it being illegal. He says that officials are reluctant to do anything about it.
Estonia, Latvia: EU for Non-Citizens
Itching for Eestimaa reports that the Council of the European Union now permits non-citizen residents of Latvia and Estonia to travel in the EU without visas: “Hopefully those newcomers that couldn't make it in Estonia can press their luck elsewhere.”
Arabisc: Moroccan Authorities Lack Humour, says Blogger
In Morocco, a newspaper is being sued for publishing an article on jokes which Moroccans enjoy. Blogger Hjiouij thinks its not discussing religious issues that the authorities object to in print but rather any attempt to ridicule Moroccan King Mohammed the Fifth. قبل دقائق خمس أعلنت التلفزة الرسمية أن الوزير...
Philippines: US Soldier Convicted of Rape
Early this month, US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was found guilty by a local court of raping a Filipina woman while three other co-accused soldiers were acquitted. This was the first time a US soldier was tried by a local court ever since the government allowed the entry of...
China: Who are the enemies of a harmonious society?
China law prof posts a translation of Liang Jing's commentary on Chen Guancheng's case: Who are the enemies of a harmonious society?
China: population quality
Kaie blogs about a recent population policy in Guangzhou city. The policy is to prevent low quality population to reside in the city. Kaie comments that the urban residents have no rights to bar off rural population to enjoy city life (zh).
South Korea: migrant news roundup
Jamie from Two Koreas reprints some news from Migrant Worker TV to sum up some of the current issues going on in the migrant movement in South Korea these days.