Stories about Human Rights from July, 2010
Chile: Controversy Over Pardon Proposal by Catholic Church
The Chilean Catholic Church has announced a proposal regarding the need to pardon certain people convicted of crimes on humanitarian grounds. The proposal has sparked debate on the Chilean blogosphere, as the original request could have included a pardon for those convicted of human rights abuses during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
Bhutan: Equality For Women
Cho at Writers Association Of Bhutan Blog advocates for equality for women in Bhutanese societies and comments: “sad to say but sexism in Bhutan starts from homes and parents yell at their daughters for not cooking a delicious meal till she finally perfects it.”
Cambodia: The Official Launch of the First Online Human Rights Portal
Sithi.org, a Cambodian human rights portal that aims to crowdsource and curate reports of human rights violations, officially launched on July 22, 2010 with participation from various institutions including embassies, international and local NGOs, media and university representatives.
Serbia: A Journalist Is Attacked on a Public Bus
Teofil Pancic, a well-known Serbian journalist, was beaten up on a public bus on Saturday. Sinisa Boljanovic translates some of the initial reactions by Serbian netizens.
India: Should Prostitution be legalized?
Delhizen raises an old debate: should prostitution be legalized in India?
Russia: Interpreting the FSB-law
A Good Treaty discusses the new Russian FSB-law, extending the powers of the country's security service.
Brazil: Collaborative Website on Street Dwellers
Maria Frô talks about the new website FalaRua [Street Talking], dedicated to the street dwellers of Brazil. The online community offers information about the Project for Training and Strengthening of Street Dwellers and invites everyone to participate through a quick registration. [all links in Portuguese]
Sri Lanka: The Black July of 1983
D. B. S. Jeyaraj remembers the Black July of 1983 when anti-Tamil attacks were carried out by Sinhala mobs in different cities of Sri Lanka.
India: A Future For Kolkata
Supriyo Chaudhuri has some ideas about a bright future for Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal.
Philippines: Oplan Bantay Laya and Counterinsurgency
Kapirasong Kritika writes a book review of Oplan Bantay Laya: The US-Arroyo Campaign of Terror and Counterinsurgency in the Philippines. Oplan Bantay Laya is a counterinsurgency program alleged by critics and human rights groups as the blueprint behind more than 1,000 extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations committed between...
Azerbaijan: Youth activism and social media
Ali Resh uses online video tools to interview Baku-based Ruslan Asadov, along with now imprisoned video blogger Adnan Hajizade also a co-founder and member of the OL! Azerbaijani youth movement, live from Tbilisi, Georgia. Resh and Asadov speak about the use of new and social media in youth activism in...
Taiwan: Rice fields outside the Presidential Office
On July 18th, Taiwanese farmers transformed the Presidential Office into rice fields, not for creating a city garden, but for a protest to the Land Expropriation Act.
France: Rioting in the Itinerant Community after Shooting Sparks Row
On July 18th, after 22 year old Luigi Duquenet was shot and killed, riots shook the quiet town of Saint Aignan in the Loire valley and immediately revived law-and -order reactions while also highlighting the discriminatory practices towards Roma people.
Turkey: Armenians and Turks show Gay Pride
Despite a long history of animosity between Armenia and Turkey, Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts photographs of Armenians and Turks side by side at this year's Gay Pride rally in Istanbul. The blog says that the pictures are incredible.
Pakistan: Girls Harassed on Cell Phones
Mohammad Yusha at Chowrangi talks about a new menace in Pakistan – girls are being harassed on cell phones and an website listed cellphone numbers of some girls to aid that.
Egypt: Niqab ban in France stirs controversy
The lower house of the Spanish Parliament is debating a proposal to prohibit the wearing of body-covering burqas and face-covering niqabs in all public spaces in Spain, and the French parliament just approved a ban on niqabs (face veils). Bloggers from across the Middle East react.
Haiti: How to Report
For foreign journalists wondering how to write about Haiti, Mediahacker has written a “handy guide”.
Cuba: remembering Zapata Tamayo
Uncommon Sense argues that the recent release of Cuban dissidents was triggered by the death of activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo in early 2010, after a hunger strike. “Events of the past five months, culminating with the release of the 20 prisoners and the promised release of others, have proven that...
Taiwan: Foxconn and the shame of Taiwan
After 12 employees’ jump of buildings and one more jump in Chimei Innolux Corporation-a subsidiary company of Foxconn-on July 20, Chairman Terry (Tai-Ming) Gou was criticized by Taiwanese scholars as “the shame of Taiwan”, so he threatens to halt all investment in Taiwan. Blogger and book writer Kue-hsien Liao argues that...
Russia: Unknown People in Masks and Police Attack Environmentalists
From 20 to 40 young people in white masks attacked the camp of the defenders of the Khimki forest park [RUS], Igor Podgorny [RUS] and Novaya Gazeta [RUS] reported. The police intervention didn't help – instead several environmentalists and journalists were detained.
Vietnam: U.S. and human rights
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is in Hanoi this week for a regional meeting reminded Vietnam to address human rights issues. Reacting to this statement, Vietnam-based twitter user genericdude says, “I would like to see the US invite Vietnam to speak in the US and then have VN...
