Stories about Human Rights from October, 2011
Cuba: Dissident Fired
Pedazos de La Isla blogs about a young man whose political views have allegedly “cost him serious impediments such as detentions, threats, and other violations, one of the most recent being that he was fired from his job for being a dissident.”
Egypt: Yet Another Case of Post-Revolution Torture
Anger is mounting in Egypt after Essam Atta, a 23-year-old man imprisoned for two years after a military trial, was killed - allegedly at the hands of his police captors. Lilian Wagdy sums up citizen media reactions to the news.
Russia: Fake ‘Crowd Sourced’ Election Monitoring Portal Launched by the Ruling Party
Gazeta.ru writes [ru] about government-sponsored NGOs that help simulate legitimacy of the election process. Among others authors mention ktonarushil.ru, a fake crowdsourcing monitoring portal launched by “United Russia” party. Not only it reminds kartanarusheniy.ru [an authentic monitoring website run by independent election monitor “Golos.org”] but it also doesn't allow to file...
Russia: Prison Officer Who Abused Female Inmates Arrested After a YouTube Leak
Anonymous male prison officer from Amur region who had been captured beating and abusing female inmates was arrested, Ria.ru reported [ru]. The arrest was conducted after the shocking video [warning: graphic content] of prison violence was uploaded by the YouTube user MrArtur113.
Taiwan, Taipei: Occupiers’ last front torn down
Green Party member Wang Zhong-ming posts his picture on facebook of he sitting in a damaged tent torn down by the police near Taipei 101, the counterpart symbol of WallStreet in Taiwan. On the other hand, open data advocate Schee Zhu-han analyzed the flaws[zht] of the online strategies in different phases of the...
Taiwan: The Story of Chiou Ho-shun
Chiou Ho-shun, a death row inmate in Taiwan, may be executed at any time. He said in the mini-documentary, “I hope you can save me, but if it’s too late, please scatter my ashes in the Longfeng harbour, and buy a meatball, come and see me.” In the documentary, you...
Guatemala: Three Generals Finally Arrested and Indicted for Genocide
Guatemalan courts are set to face a challenge without precedent in the country: prosecuting genocide. After three decades of failed efforts to prosecute the Guatemalan Army, three generals stand accused of perpetrating genocide and other war crimes against the Maya Ixil people.
Russia: 24,300+ Personal Records Belonging to Pro-Kremlin Youth Camp Participants Leaked
Russia is entering a personal data leak war led by anonymous hackers. After the partly-fake contents of the Alexey Navalny's mailbox was published, the RuNet was struck with another massive leak of personal data belonging to 24,324 participants of the pro-Kremlin youth camp “Seliger 2011,” ridus.ru reported [ru].
Brazil: Is the Ruling Party an LGBT Ally?
Marcelo Gerald published a series of posts (part 1, 2 and 3) [pt] on the blog Eleições Hoje (Elections Today), that analyses the position of the ruling party in Brazil, PT (Worker's Party), towards the LGBT community.
Bahamas: “War” Against Women & Children
“The war against women and children in the Bahamas rages on,” says Womanish Words, adding: “This war that was dismissed for years as ‘domestic’ violence is by far the biggest and most damaging social problem we have and it is destroying us all.”
Cuba: Lessons from Libya
“Watching the fall of dictators, one after another, thousands of miles away, we can only reflect on the sequel such a process could generate on our own island”: Yoani Sanchez thinks that Qaddafi's death holds some lessons for Cuba.
Azerbaijan: Diplomatic triumph or trap?
South Caucasus Diary comments on Azerbaijan becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The political blogger notes that voting was not as straightforward as it could have been, perhaps because of the country's human rights record, and says that a diplomatic triumph might yet turn into a trap.
Hong Kong: Sexual Orientation Conversion Advocated by Government
In June 2011, the Hong Kong Government Social Welfare Department invited Christian Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy organisation New Creation, to train its social workers. The move has caused anger in the LGBT and wider community.
Yemen: Yemeni Women Burn their Veils
Yemeni women burnt their veils and head scarves today as a sign of protest to condemn the regime's brutality and violence, which has killed around 25 people overnight in Sanaa and Taiz and has been targeting women lately.
Guatemala: Photo Essay Tells Story of Staunch Anti-Mining Activist
Photojournalist James Rodríguez has published a photo essay on the conflict around the Canadian-owned Marlin gold mine. He highlights the bravery and persistence of anti-mining activist Diodora Hernandez, who “was shot point-blank on the right eye outside her home in the small community of San José Nueva Esperanza – only...
Iran: “Jailed blogger lost a kidney”
According to several web sites and blogs, Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi Malki, lost a kidney due to deliberate medical neglect in prison. The blogger is serving a 15 year prison sentence.
Russia: Author of “the Barracks Blog” De-Anonymized, Allegedly Threatened
Vasiliy (@sosigusyan [ru]), military conscript and the author of “the Barracks Blog,” a Twitter-account telling about the life in the army (see transcripts of his tweets here [ru] and here [ru]) had been de-anonymized by the military authorities. The content of the micro-blog had been deleted and someone else started...
Egypt: Revolution Call Renewed After Khaled Said Murder Trial Verdict
Two police officers have been sentenced to seven years in prison for the assault that led to the death of Khaled Said, the young man whose murder in Alexandria has fueled the Egyptian revolution. Netizens are angry at what they describe as a lenient sentence.
“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal
Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.
Ukraine: Turning into a European Pariah?
Jonathan Hibberd of Chicken in Kiev addresses how Ukrainian politicians are increasingly becoming a pariah in the European Union, following the verdict of opposition leader Yulia Timoshenko.
Sri Lanka: Hunger Strike Of Fishermen Families
National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) blog informs that members of nine Sri Lankan fishing families from Kalpity have started a hunger strike demanding release of their loved ones from Andaman Jail. These fishermen were captured more than 20 months ago by Indian Navy for alleged trespassing in Indian territories.
