Stories about Human Rights from November, 2008
Cuba: Youth Activist Jailed
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense highlights the plight of a Cuban youth activist who “was sentenced this week to 3 years in prison for ‘offenses against authority.'”
Dominica: Sexual Offences Act
Dominica's Speaker of the House thinks that non-consensual sex – even within marriage – should be deemed criminal and Chris at Dominica Weekly agrees: “A lot of men in Dominica believe that once a woman says ‘I Do’ – that she has given up all her rights as a human...
Thailand: Protesters occupy airports
Thousands of anti-government protesters have occupied Bangkok’s two airports which paralyzed air travel in Thailand. The protesters want the elected government to be removed.
Ukraine: Daily Posts on Street Children
A whole month of posts and photos featuring street children in Ukraine – at Scenes From the Sidewalk. Some highlights: a photo report on a visit to a Ukrainian jail; photos of Ukrainian street kids from six years ago – here and here; the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures from the...
Russia: More on Mikhail Beketov's Case
At Robert Amsterdam's blog, Grigory Pasko writes about the attack on Mikhail Beketov.
Egypt: Locking Al Azhar students in the dark ages!
Al Azhar English Training Center is funded through a partnership agreement between Al Azhar University, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund and the British Council. The Center was supposed to provide English Language courses in its first semester to 125 students from various disciplines until Ali Laban, a Muslim Brotherhood deputy, decided otherwise. One enraged instructor speaks up on Facebook.
Iraq: Rape Victims Ignored
Iraqi blogger Wameeth links to an article on Mideast Youth on how rape victims in the Iraq war continue to remain without treatment and counseling.
Impressions of an Egyptian Blogger in Cape Town
Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein visits Cape Town, South Africa, and pens this eye-opening article on Muslims and race.
Egypt: Riots as Police Kill Bird Seller
The Skeptic from Egypt reports: “Two thousand people rioted in Aswan after police mistakenly killed a bird-seller in the southern Egyptian city.”
Armenia: Bloggers Throw Funeral at Georgian Embassy
Carrying a black casket labeled “The Newborn Georgian Democracy,” a group of bloggers in Yerevan have marched toward the Georgian Embassy protesting what they call the destruction and desecration of Armenian cultural monuments in neighboring Georgia. Bloggers tell the story.
Egypt: Police officers banned off university campus
In a historic court ruling, police are now banned from patrolling Cairo University's campus. Instead, the university will have to deploy civilian personal as security guards. Bloggers, who linked police recklessness and use of excessive force to the order, welcomed the ruling with guarded optimism.
Georgia: Armenian Church Scandal
With the ever strengthening power of the Orthodox Church in Georgia causing concern for democracy and human rights activists, bloggers were first to report on attempts to seize a derelict Armenian church in the capital, Tbilisi.
Is Secularism the answer to Egypt's Sectarianism?
Egypt has always been known as an Islamic country where Muslims, Christians, and Jews peacefully co-existed. Today this is no longer the case. Is secularism the solution? Following is an outline of the discussion taking place on Egyptian blogs today.
Jamaica: Punishable by Death
As a country struggling with spiraling rates of violent crime, Jamaica has voted to re-introduce the death penalty, despite appeals from Amnesty International and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The atmosphere on the island nation is tense, with the prevailing attitude appearing to be, in the words of blogger Kadene Porter, "Blood fi blood and fyah fi fyah."
India: Political will, terrorism and Mumbai
Even as the unfolding hostage situation in Mumbai escalates, more reactions on the blogosphere – from India and other places. Desipundit has pulled in links from various blogs – highlighting posts – from experience, to shock, despair and rage. The article on the attacks over at Wikipedia is an excellent...
Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago: Letter to Zoellick
HaitiAnalysis.com republishes a letter from the former Trinidad and Tobago Ambassasdor to the US (and special advisor to the UN on Haiti) to the President of the World Bank.
Japan: Cooperation with Thailand for the Prisoners Transfer Program.
At the Irregular Rythm Asylum blog, Shiga announces [ja] that she received a letter from Chinpô-san [珍宝さん], a Japanese who has been serving his term of life imprisonment at Bangwang Central Prison for over 10 years. Chinpô explained that starting this year, Japanese and Thai governments will cooperate in the...
Sudan: Darfur and the Orphans of Mygoma
Sudanese bloggers on illegitimate children, Obama's victory, and the Muslim and Arab hypocrisy in regards to the Darfur conflict.
China: Human rights in the spotlight
Taiwan bloggers shine a light on some important human rights issues in China. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato looks at the case of Wo Weihan who has been sentenced to death. Michael Turton looks at Taiwanese connections to Chinese organ harvesting.
Ukraine: 75th Anniversary of Holodomor
Taras of Ukrainiana posts photos and video from the commemoration of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Holodomor – here, here, and here. Tetyana Vysotska of What's Up, Ukraine? explains why she chose not to take part in any of the official commemoration events: “We, Ukrainians, have respect for...
Angola: Children as young as 6 face accusations of witchcraft
Children as young as six years old have been accused of witchcraft and abandoned, mistreated, tortured and even killed in Angola, where such accusations are deemed valid. Clara Onofre investigates this practice advised by members of illegal churches and seemingly not related to local peoples' historical traditions.
