Stories about Human Rights from May, 2012
Iran: “Let's Save Lake Urmia With Our Tears”
Protesters fighting to save Lake Urmia in Iran from permanent environmental damage have not given up. In protests across the Azerbaijan region of Iran, they called on government to protect one of the world's largest salt water lakes.
Elders Call on Youth to Help Lead the Way at Rio+20
A group of independent and former world leaders, The Elders, is calling on young leaders to help make a better world possible at the Rio+20 United Nations conference on sustainable development from June 20-22.
South Korea: Movie Review on the President's Barber
Storify user @Jaemin posted a review on the President's Barber, a movie which well depicted how ordinary people's lives suffered under a dictatorial military regime back in the 1970s and 80s in South Korea.
Cuba: Diaspora Bloggers Blame “Aggressive Acts” in Grandmother's Death
Two Cuban diaspora blogs are talking about the death of a senior citizen that took place in the region of Santa Clara this past weekend. Despite the fact that the woman was in her nineties, bloggers are speculating that the elderly woman's fatal stroke may have been brought on by “violent acts of repudiation”.
China: Chinese Man Murdered by Government-employed Demolition Team
Again, a Chinese man was brutally killed on May 15 by dipper when he tried to stop his home from being razed by the government-employed demolition team in Heilongjiang province. (Ministry of Tofu has translated the news.)
Mauritania: Al Qaeda Execution Stirs Debate
A YouTube video posted on the Al Akhbar website on May 12 has angered Mauritanians. The video shows a 40-year-old Mauritanian man being interrogated by members of Al Qaeda, who accuse him of espionage. He was later executed after confessing to working with Mauritanian intelligence.
South Africa: The Spear, Freedom of Speech and Morality
A painting by Cape Town-based artist Brett Murray depicting President Jacob Zuma's genitals has ignited online debate about morality and freedom of speech in South Africa. The painting tilted “The Spear” is part of Hail to the Thief II exhibition in Johannesburg.
Azerbaijan: Is Eurovision A Rare Opportunity For Change?
With increased media attention on the country during this week's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, former prisoner of conscience Emin Milli argues that the international music competition offers a rare opportunity to raise concerns with human rights abuses and the lack of democratic freedoms in the oil-rich former Soviet...
Armenia: Nationalists Disrupt Cultural Diversity March
As was the case in 2009 during a rally to mark International Women's Day, nationalists in Armenia infiltrated and disrupted a march in Yerevan on 21 May to commemorate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Puerto Rico: Filiberto Ojeda Documentary
The team behind the documentary on the life and death at the hand of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of Puerto Rican freedom fighter Filiberto Ojeda Ríos [es] have sued the public agency Film Corporation of Puerto Rico for withdrawing funding for the film.
Turkey: Poetic Commemoration of Uludere Airstrike Victims
In December 2011 in southeastern Turkey several Turkish Airforce F-16s bombed a convoy of Turkish Kurds on mules who were engaged in border trade, apparently mistaking them for Kurdish rebels. Thirty-four were killed. Poet Bejan Matur has paid tribute to the victims in words and photos.
Israel: Increase in Racism Against African Asylum Seekers
In the past few weeks two cases of rape of Jewish women by Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers have been reported in the Israeli media, prompting a new wave of racism against asylum seekers in Israel.
Palestine: Agreement Made to End Prisoners’ Hunger Strike
On May 14 over 2000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails ended their hunger strike after periods varying from 28 to 77 days, when the Israel Prison Service agreed to implement measures ensuring the basic rights of prisoners would be met.
Thailand: Red Shirts Back in the Streets
Tens of thousands of Red Shirt protesters commemorated the second anniversary of the army and police crackdown on anti-government protesters in central Bangkok.
Pakistan: Twitter Goes Through Weekend of Censorship
On Sunday 20 May, Twitter users in Pakistan suffered a total blanket censorship across all ISPs in Pakistan on order of the Pakistan Telcommunucation Authority who cited the reason as censoring blasphemous contents. However, the netizens think that the authorities were testing their url filtering service.
Cambodia: Teenager Killed During Eviction
A 14-year old girl was killed when police forces evicted a rural village in Cambodia. The case highlights the growing land disputes in the country and the use of violence by government forces to stifle dissent
Malawi: President Promises to Lift Ban on Homosexuality
In her first National Address, new Malawian President Joyce Banda of Malawi indicated that the country will lift ban on homosexuality. Homosexuality, which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in Malawi, is outlawed in 38 African countries and it can be punishable by death in Mauritania, Sudan, and northern Nigeria.
Trinidad & Tobago: Laws for LGBT Too
Globewriter applauds the contribution of Senator Corinne Baptiste-McKnight “in response to a Clause in the Children Bill that criminalized same sex intimacy among youth”, saying: “Give that woman an award!”
Barbados, Cuba: Prisoner's Rights
“Raul is clearly going to be a thorn in the flesh of any government in power unless passage can be found for him somewhere”: Barbados Free Press expresses concern for Cuban-born prisoner Raul Garcia's safety.
Cuba: Questioning Digital Expression within the Revolution
The recent Encuentro de Blogueros Cubanos en Revolución [Meeting of Cuban Bloggers in Revolution] brought together a group of “official” bloggers—chiefly journalists and communications professionals who are employed by the state and maintain their blogs as part of their work. Since the meeting, bitter controversy has unfolded around this new iteration of a decades-old question: does the expression of criticism automatically put one “outside” the revolution, especially when the criticism is happening online?
Armenia: State Sponsored Fascism
Following support from government officials and representatives of the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashanktsutyun (ARF-D) for two Neo-Nazis accused of firebombing a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, Unzipped: Gay Armenia asks if the country is moving towards a form of state sponsored fascism that threatens the rights and well-being of its own...
