· February, 2007

Stories about Human Rights from February, 2007

Ethiopia: plight of Tigrayans

  26 February 2007

Ethiopundit writes about the plight of Tigrayans in Ethiopia, “What Meles is describing is not a relationship with Tigrayans based on loyalty or common interest or affection but one based on coercion, fear and contempt. That is the only way that such absolute obedience can be rationally expected from any...

Lebanon: Academia, Agriculture and Construction

  26 February 2007

Let us begin this week’s roundup of the Lebanese blogosphere with non–political posts. Let us start from a post about two Lebanese salads that are used as appetizers during meals: Skylark shows us (Fr) how to prepare Fattush and Tabboule, which are two delicious Lebanese salads that are usually found...

Bahrain: Memoirs of a Prisoner

  26 February 2007

Bahrain-based blogger Bint Battuta shares with us one of her friend's experiences – that of being imprisoned during a period of political unrest in the country in the mid-90s here. “This evening my friend S. told me about the poetry lessons he used to give when he was in prison;...

Free Kareem: Egyptian Bloggers Speak Out

  25 February 2007

The sentencing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabeel Sulaiman to four years in prison for articles he wrote in his personal blog may have come as a shock to many around the world, but for Egyptian bloggers the lesson is just too close to home for comfort. Kareem was sentenced by...

Iraq – Life, Death, Rape and Execution

  25 February 2007

Stories of life in Iraq have been so varied this past week. In this post I hope to give a cross section on how life is for Iraqis in a world of violence and general insecurity. My condolences go out to Konfused Kid whose uncle, the only Shia in the...

Free Kareem: The Caribbean joins in

  24 February 2007

The Caribbean blogosphere tends to focus on internal matters, but the plight of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Suleiman struck a chord nevertheless with a few bloggers, including Cuban-American journalist Marc Masferrer, who posts frequently on human rights issues relating to Cuba. On February 19, Masferrer encouraged readers to sign a...

Bahrain: ‘Terrorist Plot’ Sparks Cynicism

  24 February 2007

Following a controversial news report about the discovery of a ‘terrorist training camp’ in one of Bahrain's Shi'a villages, Bani Jamra, Bahrain's ‘blogfather’ Mahmood Al Yousif writes a sarcastic post proclaiming his gratitude to Bahrain's Ministry of the Interior for making Bahrain a safer place: I am ever so grateful...

Jamaica: Homophobia and violence

  23 February 2007

Leon Robinson prefaces a post about a series of brutal attacks on gay men in Jamaica by saying: “Homosexuality is frowned upon in Jamaica. Not because were “homophobic” (surely we can't be afraid of them), but because it is unlawful, as our law is based upon the Bible.“

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dayton Accords Discrimination Case

  23 February 2007

Neretva River discusses a case brought before the European Court for Human Rights: “Sarajevo's Jewish community, led by Jakob Finci, is arguing that the Dayton Accords are discriminatory as they de facto bar from high public office members of minority communities that happen not to fit nicely into ‘Croat,’ ‘Muslim’...

China: collective bargaining but no right to strike

  23 February 2007

Fons blogs about the latest discussion about the new labour law in China and quotes from a labour law researcher on a possible outcome: In 2007, tripartite regulations will be drawn up governing collective bargaining. It struck me as a significant development, but tripartism the Chinese way. On the lawful...

Pakistan: Online freedom of speech as collateral damage?

  23 February 2007

This flash animation is converted from the Powerpoint Presentation made by Dr Awab Alvi for “The Battle for the Internet.” conference (His presentation can be viewed here-original file .ppt)   One year ago, on the 27th of February 2006, when the Danish cartoons controversy exploded, spawning waves of protest, anger...

Russia: Ivan Ushkov's Case

  22 February 2007

Ivan Ushkov, a St. Petersburg artist, had his computer and some of his work confiscated by the police; officers threatened to shut down his photo business located on Nevsky Prospekt. Both the Russian blogosphere and the media are abuzz about this ongoing controversy. Ushkov's work can be viewed here; English...

Ukraine: Corruption (Cont'd)

  22 February 2007

A week ago, there were about 200 comments on Yuri Zushchik's post on corruption at the National Bank of Ukraine (including an irrelevant but lively discussion of IKEA – which is yet to open in Kyiv, by the way). Today, there are 320 comments, and the following exchange (RUS, UKR)...