Stories about Human Rights from August, 2012
Iran: Detained Green Movement Leader Moved to Hospital
Mir Hossein Mousavi, a key Iranian Green Movement leader, who was a reformist candidate in the 2009 presidential elections and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election unrest, has been moved to the hospital for "heart problem." Mousavi has been under house arrest for about 520 days.
Togo: 11 Missing After Clashes Between Police and Protesters
Koaci writes that 11 protesters are reported missing [fr] after the police clashed with thousands of protesters on the streets of Lomé on August 23: Police forces have used violence so far but they were quickly overwhelmed. For the first time, the whole city was filled with protesters.
Colombia: President and Indigenous Leaders Meet to Discuss Cauca Conflict
President Juan Manuel Santos met with the indigenous people of the Cauca to hear their grievances and to talk about the ongoing conflict in this department. Thousands of indigenous people came from several regions of the country with the intention of speaking with the President and to push an initiative of peace. The meeting ended without having reached substantial agreements.
Bahrain: Nabeel Rajab Acquitted for ‘Insulting’ Tweets
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab's teenage son Adam tweets [ar]:
My father was found innocent of insulting the people of Muharraq after he spent two and a half months in prison
Colombia: Students’ National Mobilization Call
On Twitter [es], Facebook [es] and other [es] media, the National Student Board (Mane) [es] is calling for a national mobilization on September 5 to protest President Santos’ failure to keep his commitments to higher education. Image from their facebook page.
Costa Rica: “Was it My Fault I Was Raped, Because I Went Out at Night?”
With strength and courage, blogger SophiadelSol has written about her recent carjacking, abduction and rape as she was out at night with her boyfriend. In a society that blames victims for exposing themselves to danger, she has bravely stood up for victims and places the blame on the society that allows these things to happen.
Kazakhstan: Trial of Opposition Leaders Draws Pussy Riot Comparisons
“A Pussy Riot of our own” is how Kazakhstani netizens are referring to the judicial drama involving three opposition leaders accused of active participation in the Zhanaozen oil-strike that turned violent in December 2011. The trials of Vladimir Kozlov, Aizhanat Aminov and Serik Sapargaly started on August 16, and are expected to end within the next two weeks. Kazakh netizens do not believe that the three defendants will get a fair trial.
El Salvador: 30 Years Since ‘El Calabozo Massacre’
Today, August 22, 2012, marks the thirtieth anniversary of the ‘El Calabozo’ massacre, “when troops of the US-trained Atlacatl Battalion murdered more than 200 civilian victims taking refuge along a river's banks,” as Tim's El Salvador Blog reports. Tim highlights how families of the victims will “commemorate, remember, and demand...
Guyana: Social Media Plays Role in Linden Solidarity Protests
The protests in Linden have spawned other protests in solidarity, both in Guyana and overseas - and social media, in the form of blogs, online videos and Facebook - have been helping to spread the message.
Vietnam: Human Rights Lawyer Attacked
Le Quoc Quan, a human rights lawyer based in Hanoi, Vietnam, was beaten by a group of armed men. Quan believes the attackers could be plainclothes police who wanted to silence him for his activism.
Colombia: A Demonstration in Favor of Accessibility in Transportation
The movement Fuerza Incluyente from Medellín is calling for a demonstration against the violation of rights in public transportation. Fuerza Incluyente invites those with or without disabilities to participate: “Let's remember that thousands of people don't leave their homes due to a lack of accessibility in public transportation.” The demonstration...
Brazil: Land Dispute Between Slave Descendants and the Navy
An online petition [pt] demands the suspension of the order of eviction of Quilombo Rio dos Macacos, one of the oldest slave descendent communities in Brazil. A Technical Identification and Delimitation Report from the National Institute of Colonisation and Agrarian Reform (Incra) determined that the territory belongs to the quilombola...
Brazil: Company Continues Construction of Belo Monte Dam
Instituto Socioambiental informs [pt] that despite a judge order to halt [pt] construction work in Belo Monte, the company responsible for the construction of the dam, Norte Energia, continues its work, claiming that it hasn't been officially notified. Last Friday, August 17, 2012, netizen Simone Gomes had reported on Facebook...
Jamaica: Garvey's Nerve
Jamaica Woman Tongue reminds us why Marcus Garvey is a national hero.
Video: ‘I Was Here’ Campaign – Small Actions to Change the World
Join us as we see how small actions can change the world through the 'I Was Here' campaign for the United Nations World Humanitarian Day. The UN and American singer Beyoncé have given out a worldwide invitation - for you to make someone else's life better by doing something good for someone, somewhere.
Russia: Zombies Versus the State in Omsk
Early last Sunday morning in the city of Omsk, a few hundred youths gathered together for a flashmob. Police were on hand to warn everyone that they represented an illegal assembly, and could be charged with breaking the law. Why had roughly 300 people come together? The answer to that question is the "Zombie Parade": the city's first attempted 'walk of the living dead.'
Pakistan: Government Suspends Mobile Services in Major Cities on Eid
"So whats the guarantee terrorists won't strike tomorrow or the day after? Why not close cell phone services, like forever?" A Pakistani netizen reacts to the temporary cell phone ban, which the government says has been put in place to prevent terrorist attacks.
Spain: “Health Disobedience” in the Face of Massive Cuts
Independent groups of public health workers and participants have created a digital platform to protest against the recent health reform. The movement is named "I say yes to universal health" and its main proposal is civil disobedience and to object the new Law 16/2012 imposed by the government in the context of severe austerity measures and social protests.
India: Uraniam Contamination in Jaduguda Kept Classified
Since 1967, the Jaduguda region in the Indian state of Jharkhand has been exploited for its uranium and its people and ecosystem were subjected to uranium poisoning. Anuj Wankhede informs that the locals had not sufficiently warned and rather the uranium contamination in Jaduguda has remained as India's one of...
India: Assam Riots – Truth Vs Hype
In July, clashes between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in the Indian State of Assam broke out which lead to riots, killings and mass displacement. After almost a month the situation is yet to calm down as politicians and organisations on both sides resorted to spread fear and exaggerated claims on the issue of illegal migration.
India: Bullying in Educational Institutions
Mahitha Kasireddi at Youth Ki Awaaz writes about a perennial social problem in Indian higher secondary education and beyond. Ragging or abuse/bullying of the freshers has become a culture in many educational institutions which has even led to death of a newcomer.
