Stories about Human Rights from February, 2007
Iran: War and Human Rights Concerns
Concerns about a war between Iran and the US are growing in the Iranian blogosphere by the day. While Iran refuses to halt its uranium enrichment programme, despite the United Nation's resolution 1737, it is also being accused by the US of sending bombs to Iraq. Iran considers the enrichment...
Arabisc: Bloggers Rally to Kareem's Support
Egyptian blogger Kareem Sulaiman was today (Thursday) sentenced to four years in prison for defaming Islam and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on his personal blog. Despite a support site, petitions and demonstrations in Bahrain, London, Stockholm, Paris, Rome, New York (twice) and Washington DC calling for his release, an Alexandria...
Egypt: FOUR Years Prison Sentence for Blogger
Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulaiman made history today by being the first Egyptian to be sentenced to jail for articles he wrote on his personal blog. An Alexandria court found him guilty of insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and sentenced him to four years in jail based...
Russia: Dissecting Thomas Friedman
In an email to a blogger friend, Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow explains beautifully what Thomas Friedman's Russia column is really about. La Russophobe guest-blogs at length on the same subject at Publius Pundit.
Czech Rebublic: Havel in D.C.
An Alaskan Abroad writes about former Czech President Vaclav Havel's appearance – along with other dissidents – at the award ceremony in Washington, D.C.: “On the war in Iraq, Havel, while saying he was not against the use of force in some instances, warned against attempts to export democracy by...
Bangladesh: Celebrating the Mother Language day
Today is the International Mother Language Day, an annual event in UNESCO member states to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. This is mostly the international recognition of Language Movement Day called ‘Ekushey February’, which is commemorated in Bangladesh since 1952, when a number of Bangla-speaking people were massacred...
Guinea, Senegal: Lansana Conté Must Leave if He Loves His Country
At Pourquoi l’ Afrique Claudique, Senegalese novelist Ndické Dieye tells (Fr) Guinea’s embattled head of state: “Lansana, leave if you have even an inkling of conscience or patriotism left! Leave to avoid an unnecessary blood bath! … I ask the police … to refuse to execute any illegal order given...
Hungary: A Podcast on Ciaran Tobin Case
An expat who killed two children in a car crash in Budapest has escaped punishment – Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes more about the case after the childrens’ father contacts him, “detailing what steps the family plans to take next.” He is also featured in this podcast at...
The Balkans: “Trading Genocide for Independence”
Bosnia Vault reports that “the EU has become much more lax over demands that Mladic be sent to the Hague; in exchange for Serbia not blocking Kosovo's ‘independence’.”
Russia: Sheltering Karadzic?
Radovan Karadzic may be living in Russia: Finding Karadzic has more on the rumor.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Raffi Gregorian Interview
Finding Karadzic posts an excerpt from an interview with Raffi Gregorian, the current Deputy High Representatives in Bosnia.
Saudi: Man Kills Wife
Whisper of Madness posts a link to a video, allegedly showing a Saudi man pushing his wife from the third floor. The woman reportedly died later in a hospital in Jeddah.
Ethiopia: ethnic cleansing
Ewenet Means Truth in Ethiopia writes about the plight of the Afar people: “The Eritrean government is ethnically cleansing the Afar people and pushing them into Ethiopia. A Canadian humanitarian worker who went to the Afar region in Ethiopia tells of their plight in his 7 part travel diary series...
What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — unable to escape the past
The ghosts of El Salvador's twelve year civil war continue to surface in the news from El Salvador. First there was the story of Will Salgado, mayor of the city of San Miguel. On January 29, the Washington Post ran a cover story on the aftermath of the civil war...
Belarus: Internet Restrictions
TOL's Belarus Blog reports on new restrictions imposed by the government on internet cafes and other public access sites: “I hope that our bloggers are smart enough to think about their security before one of them is imprisoned…”
Latvia: The Roma Community
Marginalia writes about the Latvian Roma – some of whom are his neighbors: “they’ve been taking advantage of things like free computer courses and small business loans, and they’re thrilled. They are active in one of the NGOs. The sad fact is that despite their abilities (including knowing Latvian better...
Iraq:L Prison Torture Testimony
Iraqi blogger Faiza Al-Arji posts a transcript of a chilling testimony of an Iraqi prisoner, who was held at the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison here.
Deadwood cabinet stokes the fire of public ire in Zimbabwe
Facing unrelenting pressure for change, Zimbabwe's beleagured leader, Robert Mugabe, reshuffled his cabinet two weeks ago, but did little to aleviate the suffering of a nation that has been ravaged by a porous leadership and failing economy. The reshuffle, which wasn't much of a reshuffle, only saw one minister dismissed,...
India, Pakistan: 66 people killed on the “Peace Train”
66 people were killed on the Samjhauta Express with homemade bombs last night. According to Wikipedia, The Samjhauta Express is a bi-weekly train — Tuesdays and Fridays — that runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Wagah and Lahore in Pakistan. Until the reopening of the Thar Express, this...
Egypt: Gay Dilemma
Blogger egYptianist is in a dilemma, especially after coming out of the closet. “Sometimes i think of leaving the country, but then how would this ever happen, and do i really have or want to live in a country other than mine?..Sometimes i wish i was never born to live...
A Week in the Saudi Blogosphere
False assumptions of a Saudi threat to US campuses, a bald Britney Spears, two new Saudi air carriers, Valentine's day, and the infamous “burqini;” all that and much more is in this week's roundup. I noticed many Saudi bloggers referring to the recent happenings in Jerusalem. As it turns out,...
