Stories about Human Rights from June, 2009
Israel: 7th Most Internet Connected Country in World
Israel is the world's 7th most internet connected society, reports Lirun of East Med Sea Peace. “It means many things,” he writes: “Freedom of information, freedom of expression, freedom of...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Breaking the Silence
Blogging from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni wants “to tell the children who are being sexually abused that silence is not golden.”
Cuba: Hurricane Victims
As hurricane season gets underway, Generation Y focuses on the plight of “Caletone, a town near Gibara that doesn’t even appear in the Atlas of Cuba [that] is still deep...
Belarus: Death penalty and Europe
LJ user Plaschinsky discusses [RUS] Belarus’ moratorium on capital punishment and its road to the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly – as a first step towards reintegration with West European...
Iran: Neda becomes a symbol for the protesters
Neda was an Iranian woman who was shot dead by Basij militia on Saturday during a protest of thousands against the Iranian presidential election results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and uploaded to the internet. She died with her eyes wide open, and her last moments reached millions of people.
Russia: Views on Events in Iran
“As hundreds of thousands protesters fill the streets of Tehran and other provincial centers, one can’t help think that we’ve seen this all before,” writes Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia...
Egypt: Play and put an end to Torture
Against Torture in Egypt posted this game - designed by IRCT (The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims) – on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support...
China: More corpses found in Shishou hotel; disputes continue.
The death of a chef triggered a mass protest that finally brought over ten thousand armed police into the town for crackdown. The dead’s families along with thousands of people resisted the police and protected the corpse, because they know once the body was taken away, the death would be identified as a suicide and the truth will be lost forever.
Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Attillah Springer addresses the judge whose ruling caused construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt: “This victory is for denuded hills...
Breezeblog: Valuing a Free Press
As Breezeblog links to a story which reports that 24 journalists have been arrested in Iran, he reminds “all Bermudians to value their right and access to a free press...
Russia: Birthday interview with Khodorkovsky
Dziennik Rosyjski [POL] encourages people to pose questions, by way of Gazeta.ru, to Russian jailed energy tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on his fifth birthday in incarceration.
Armenia: Opposition detainees released
Following a general amnesty agreed upon by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on 19 June, several senior opposition figures on trial and in detention for over a year since the 1 March post-election unrest in the country were finally pardoned and released. Many observers believe the trials were politically motivated.
Malawi: Reactions to Madonna's adoption of Chifundo
For some who never knew Malawi, they have gotten to hear about the country in Africa purely because of Madonna whose full name is not known to many. It appears that the generally many Malawians are happy that Madonna is able to adopt needy children from Malawi in spite of the fears of what this trend may create.
Iran: Suffering in Iran
An Iranian blogger writes in Namnam blog, how he was arrested in Shiraz when he participated in a protest demonstration. The blogger says he was beaten up and humilated by...
Lithuania: Oslo mayor in gay protest
Lituanica reports how Norwegian capital's, Oslo, mayor brought his same sex spouse to an international mayors’ conference in Vilnius – in practical protest against Lithuania's increasingly homophobic policies.
Launch of communist victims website
A Step At A Time draws attention to the launch of a website dedicated to the victims of communism worldwide, by the Global Museum on Communism.
Guyana, U.S.A.: Watch List
Signifyin’ Guyana agrees with the Human Services Minister's response to reports that the US Department of State has placed Guyana on a watch list for human trafficking.
Greece: Bloggers interview Iranian protesters
With the clampdown on journalism and communications in Iran, most Greek mainstream media have resorted to conveying reports from social media, second or third-hand, through western news organizations. Some Greek bloggers have helped bridge gaps in reporting by interviewing Iranian protesters contacted on Twitter themselves, or by posting news from acquaintances in Iran and abroad.
Cambodia: Report outlines Khmer Rouge Tribunal's latest troubles
A report details the latest issues to plague the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The report, released in late May 2009, states the Tribunal's legitimacy is threatened by charges of corruption and political interference. The Cambodian government has denied interfering with the Tribunal, including preventing judges of the court from interviewing witnesses who are current government employees.
Maghreb: Views on Iran
As the world watches events unfolding in Iran, Maghreb blogs have been following and commenting on the rapidly developing crisis there. Some questioned the motives behind the way western media covered the events; others criticized Mir Houssain Moussavi's reaction, but it seems that the majority are supporting protesters.
Nigeria: Government launches attack against bloggers
Sokari Ekine writes about the plan by the Nigerian government to launch attacks against bloggers and online news media such as Sahara Reporter.
