Stories about Human Rights from August, 2009
Brazil: Photos of an outrageous squatter settlement eviction
Freelance photographer Anderson Barbosa took chilling photos of the eviction of 800 families from the Olga Benário squatter settlement in São Paulo after a court order. The property had been occupied for two years by hundreds of families who watched their houses burn and be demolished last Monday.
Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity
The Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity is an organization in Cambodia working with survivors of acid attacks. Many victims of acid attacks in Cambodia are women.
Trinidad & Tobago: Gender Policy
From Trinidad and Tobago, gspott asks: “Where's the Gender Policy?”, noting that while they can't say what exactly the new version of the Policy contains, they can can “offer…a special preview of all the really scary stuff on homosexuality that’s caused the Policy to turn into such a national mess...
Sri Lanka: Citizen Media Contest
Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews announced a new competition “aimed at encouraging more citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka – the conditions facing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and growing reports of Police brutality”, informs ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog.
India: A wave of suicides among farmers
Increasingly, Indian farmers are resorting to extreme measures, including suicide, to escape complex problems of poverty, crop failure and growing debt. Indian bloggers analyze the situation.
Azerbaijan: Activist bloggers face additional charge as trial approaches
Youth activist video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have been held in pre-trial detention for 48 days. However, in an unexpected development, the authorities in Azerbaijan have now decided to add an additional charge of assault.
Maghreb: Ramadan Good Wishes and More
The Maghreb blogosphere has been blooming with an outpouring of congratulations, welcoming the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. And amongst the usual greetings and formal congratulations, controversial thoughts, often at odds with conventional views on Muslims, are being aired.
Indonesia: Soeharto's son aims to be president?
Hutomo Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former Indonesian President Soeharto, returns to the political arena with a bang. He seeks chairmanship of his father's political party Golkar. Indonesian bloggers speak about this political twist in the archipelagic country.
Slovakia, Hungary: More on the Tensions
Michal Hudec of Blogactiv.eu writes about the Slovak-Hungarian tensions.
Global: Ramadan Mubarak
With the advent of Ramadan around the globe this weekend, Muslim and non-Muslim bloggers everywhere are wishing each other Ramadan mubarak (or "blessed Ramadan").
Hungary: Update on Hungarian Guard
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on the Hungarian Guard (more on it, in an earlier GV post by Marietta Le).
Peru: Contamination in Mining Town La Oroya
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights recently declared the petition admissible against the Peruvian State for committing human rights abuses against the residents of the mining city of La Oroya.
World: Reactions to the Release of the “Lockerbie bomber”
A huge debate is brewing in both the mainstream media and the blogosphere regarding the release of the only man ever convicted over the bombing of Pam Am flight 103, Libyan Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi. Katharine Ganly sums up reactions here.
Armenia: Ultra-nationalist homophobic death threat
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on a death threat made against a prominent LGBT writer by an ultra-nationalist group in Armenia. The blog says that this latest development in what still remains a traditionally homophobic society marks a new move to create internal enemies and hopes that law enforcement agencies will...
Serbia: Threats to LGBT Population
Serbia's gays are facing plenty of problems - and on Sept. 20, they are planning to hold a gay pride parade in Belgrade. Sinisa Boljanovic reviews some pro and contra reactions published on Serbian blogs and in other online venues.
Russia: Flag Day Rally
LJ users daria_mas and alter-gregor post photos (RUS) from the opposition rally that took place in Moscow on Russia's Flag Day and ended with riot police detaining some of the activists.
Iran: Testimonies of torture and rape
The Iranian authorities have been accused by UN experts and the opposition of torturing protesters of the June 12 presidential election results. Iranian civil society activists have been using citizen media to highlight testimonies about the Iranian tragedy.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision scandal continues
Despite attempts by the authorities to downplay the incident, news that the names and addresses of 43 citizens who voted for the Armenian entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest had been obtained by police in Azerbaijan continues to send out shock waves through the Internet.
Russia: Anna Akhmatova
St. Petersblurb writes about Anna Akhmatova and the Fountain House.
East Timor: Celebrating Global Solidarity for Freedom
Ten years after the referendum, global voices are again spreading the word for East Timor, but this time celebrating the strong international solidarity that back then culminated in the country's recognized self-determination.
Hungary, Slovakia: Newest Tensions
Hungarian Spectrum (here and here) and The Reference Frame report and comment on the Slovak-Hungarian tensions.
