Stories about Human Rights from August, 2007
Papua New Guinea: AIDS patients buried alive.
Caledosphere links to an article in which people living with AIDS in Papua New Guinea (New Caledonia's neighboring country) were buried alive by their relatives because they could not afford their treatments and were also afraid of being infected (Fr).
Japan: Peace Child 2007
Hasan at hasanhujairi[dot]com has posted an outline of his experience at the 10-day Peace Child program at a farm in Chiba, two hours from Tokyo, discussing issues such as war and peace, pollution and the environment. Hasan transcribes and reflects on a speech by a survivor of the atom bombing...
Japan: Three Death Penalty Executions on Aug. 23
Adamu at Mutant Frog Travelogue reports on the recent executions in Japan of three death row inmates: “It is really scary that the final decision of when and if these prisoners die lies solely in the hands of a political appointee […] who goes through no official vetting process, and...
Europe: Elimination of Roma in 1944
Peshas Gypsy Gitan Blog writes about the elimination of the Roma by the Nazi in 1944: “The Roma kept very few written records the Generations gone before were remembered and kept alive in memory by word of mouth. Those murdered in the death camps were not only killed but they...
Russia: Tešanović on Politkovskaya
On Boing Boing, Jasmina Tešanović writes about Anna Politkovskaya, who was her friend.
Turkmenistan: Prisoner amnesty
Bonnie Boyd notes that by releasing 11 prisoners who were allegedly implicated in a failed plot to kill his predecessor, the new Turkmen president Berdymukhamedov continues to move in the direction of reform.
Egypt: Blogging for Civil and Religious Freedoms
The struggle for personal freedoms is ongoing in Egypt and the nation's bloggers continue to demand the liberty of citizens. Whether it be religious freedom or freedom from the wrath of a brutal police state, Egypt is speaking out against the inhumane treatment of her citizens this week. Plus a veteran blogger gives us a rare look into the inner workings of Egypt's most historic remaining cities.
Bangladesh: under curfew
Civil unrest began in Bangladesh on the 20th of August when a petty dispute broke out concerning comments passed by armed forces personnel during a soccer match at a university gymnasium ground. An army camp has occupied part of the ground since the declaration of a state of emergency on...
Iran:Iranian-American Scholar Freed
View from Iran writes that Haleh Esfandiari,Iranian-American scholar,is free now.The blogger says that Esfandiari's mother had to put up her house as bail. This is the case time and time again. It is one way that the regime retains control over its middle class population. The family's financial security is...
Russia: Blogger on Trial for Writing Fiction
Blogger Dmitry Shirinkin faces trial for having written on his blog that he had purchased a gun and was going to kill a few dozen people in one of the city’s colleges. According to Shirinkin, the text - posted on April 21, but made private on April 22 - was a work of fiction, "inspired" by the Virginia Tech shooting. According to the prosecutor's office, however, Shirinkin has violated Article 207 of the Russian Criminal Code by "distributing false information on a planned terrorist act." The trial is likely to take place in September; if convicted, the Russian blogger may receive a three-year prison sentence.
Russia: August 1991
Window on Eurasia writes about the missed opportunities of the August 1991 coup, which out an end to the Soviet Union.
Serbia: Kosovo Roma
Peshas Gypsy Gitan Blog writes about the plight of the Roma of Kosovo.
Russia: Nashi, BBC, and the Upcoming Elections
Mark MacKinnon writes about the recent BBC ban and the Nashi movement's summer camps: “Both the Kremlin's bolstering of “patriotic” youth movements and its crackdown on non-state media outlets are moves directed at heading off any kind of Orange Revolution-inspired uprising in Russia around December's Duma elections and/or next year's...
Estonia: Russia
Yet another blog battle is raging in the comments section of Edward Lucas’ post on the Russo-Estonian relations.
Czech Rebublic: “Imaginary Migrants”
Dr. Sean's Diary writes about the Czech Republic's immigration policies and the president's “imaginary migrants and imaginary Muslims.”
Korea and China: Olympic and Human Right
Colin Moore from Ohmynews! reported on a 444 days protest at the Seoul city center organized by Justice for North Korea (JFNK) with the aim of protesting the repatriation of North Korean refugees by Chinese authorities.
Kuwait: Jailed Blogger Released
Following a local and regional outcry, jailed Kuwaiti blogger Bashar Al-Sayegh was released in Kuwait earlier today. While some bloggers celebrated the release, others warned that it could be a signal of more restrictions which could curtail freedom of speech in Kuwait. Another blogger expresses his disgust with men in...
Nigeria: Chevron to face trial over murder in the Niger Delta
Black Looks reporting about the trial of the oil giant, Chevron: “After waiting 8 years, Chevron oil company is finally being brought to trial in the US over the murder of villagers in the Niger Delta in 1998 and 1999.”
Egypt: Widespread Torture
Elijah Zarwan links to a human rights report on widespread torture in Egypt.
Russia: Xenophobia and Violence
There are 48 comments so far to a post on xenophobia and violence in Russia, over at Sean's Russia Blog. One commenter writes: “It seems to me that the Kremlin gave a green light to the ‘ultra-nationlist’ tendencies of some ethnic Russians by the way it dealt with Georgia and...
Russia: BBC Radio Off Russian FM
As the parliamentary and presidential elections draw near, the BBC's Russian-language broadcasts have been chased out of Russian FM radio. Vilhelm Konnander has more on it.
