Stories about Human Rights from February, 2009
Thailand: Scholar charged with Lese Majeste
Accused of violating Thailand's lese-majeste law, Bangkok-based professor Giles Ji Ungpakorn fled to the United Kingdom to avoid prosecution. FACT writes that “Thailand seems intent on sending its best and brightest into exile. If no free-thinker stays to fight lese majeste repression in Thailand, only tyranny remains.”
Zimbabwe: Why Arrest Roy Bennett?
“Why arrest Roy Bennett?,” reads the headline at My Heart's in Accra about the MDC Treasurer General and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, Roy Bennett, who was arrested Friday in Harare. He was charged with treason before these charges were dropped and replaced with attempt to commit terrorism, banditry and sabotage. Zimbabwean bloggers and others have not been silent about his arrest. Many bloggers consider the charges against Bennett to be false. One bloggers links his arrest to Mugabe's hatred for white farmers.
Cuba: Revolution.com
Generation Y is “more alarmed than comforted” by “hopes for broad access to the internet” in Cuba, but notes: “A true revolution.com takes place parallel and contrary to the rationing they want to impose on the virtual world. Its commanders carry strange names like Gmail, WordPress, Skype and Facebook: they...
Zimbabwe: Why Arrest Bennett?
“Why arrest Bennett?,” asks Ethan Zuckerman. Roy Bennet is a controversial Zimbabwean politicial and a vocal critic of President Robert Mugabe.
Hong Kong: Network Mobilization Against Religious Hegemony
Yesterday (Feb 15), more than 800 people participated in a demonstration against Christian Right Wing in Hong Kong. The rally has no traditional NGO back up and it is mainly mobilized via facebook groups. Sidekick reported about the rally via twitter during the rally and put the messages together in...
Taiwan: Sovereignty on trial
A recent case heard in the US Court of Appeals is based on the claim the US is the legal occupying power of Taiwan. Michael Turton dismissed the case as “a crank lawsuit”. Taiwan Echo believes the case is important. Also on the topic of sovereignty, Talk Taiwan discusses a...
Zimbabwe: Take Action For Roy Bennet
Sokwanele's call for action to support Roy Bennet: Please call (or sms the cell) these numbers to let the police holding Roy Bennett know that the world is watching very closely and want Roy Bennett to be released immediately. Tell them you will continue to monitor the situation closely, and...
Ethiopia: Baalu Girma Foundation Formed
Arefe announces the formation of the Baalu Girma Foundation. Baalu is the famous Ethiopian writer and journalist who was abducted 25 years ago by the Ethiopian military. He has not been heard since that time.
Lebanon: A Civil Marriage Valentine
Renewed calls for Lebanon to allow civil marriages were made in a Valentine ceremony at a Beirut bar over the weekend. Several inter-religious couples staged mock weddings at a bar in Beirut's trendy Gemmayze district to protest the country's stiff marriage laws. Antoun Issa has more in this post.
Indonesia: Divorce and polygamy
I feel guilty writing about divorce and polygamy on Valentine’s Day. But these two unmentionable topics are also realities of love and relationships. In Indonesia, more women are divorcing their husbands because of polygamy.
Egypt: Bloggers Rally Against Sexual Predators
Sexual harassment makes the headlines of Egyptian blogs once again after a blogger was harassed on the street by a group of young men, high on hash. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the blogs, who are urging the blogger not to drop charges and fight for the rights of women and children attacked by sexual predators.
Iran: A letter to the Baha’i community
ZaneIrani writes that a group of academics, writers, artists, journalists and Iranian activists throughout the world wrote a letter to the Baha’i community to say that they are ashamed of 150 years of oppression against Baha'is in Iran.
Kyrgyzstan: The internet cha-cha-cha
The Kyrgyzstan NGO community is going to fight legislators’ efforts at regulating the internet on the joint conference, reports Elena.
Russia: More on Racial Violence
Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts more notes on racial violence in Russia.
Sudan: Video Declarations on Darfur Genocide by the Perpetrators
A video recently released by Aegis Trust shows the testimony of four men who state they actively participated in the violence and massacres on Darfur, and who are not afraid to call it genocide. The video was uploaded on The Hub and it is hoped that people will see it and then pass it on to others in order to spread this information.
Japan: Tokyo gov't invites Google to discuss Street View
Blogger Hiromitsu Takagi posts a transcript [ja] of a recent open meeting [ja] organized by the Tokyo metropolitan government about Google's Street View service, introduced in major Japanese cities last summer. Google was invited to the meeting and reportedly told that, in future cases, the company should give advance notification...
Hungary: The Roma and the Killing of Marian Cozma
Marian Cozma, a Romanian handball player, was killed in a nightclub fight in Veszprém, Hungary, on Feb. 8. Here's some of what's been written by bloggers about the circumstances of Cozma's death.
Qatar and Bahrain: Disappearing the Internet
It would seem that another crackdown on Internet freedoms is occurring in the Middle East. Once thought to be the last bastion of free speech, the Internet has recently been subjected to a spate of blockings; and while censorship is no new thing to the region, the willingness of countries such as Bahrain and Qatar to adopt strict Internet policies akin to those in neighboring Saudi Arabia has created a sense of alarm amongst the online community.
The Balkans: War Movies
Gray Falcon critiques some of the Balkan war movies.
Thai gov't upset over Angelina Jolie comment on refugees
UN Goodwill Ambassador and American actress Angelina Jolie visited a refugee camp in Thailand. Her visit and comments about the state of refugees from Myanmar were criticized by Thailand’s government. What are the views of bloggers in Thailand?
Ukraine: ‘Faina’ Sailors Charged $200 for Phone Calls
Petro's Jotter writes that “the sailors released from the Ukrainian owned vessel ‘Faina’, that was captured by Somali pirates last September, have been charged 200 USD for phonecalls made while in captivity”: “I suppose it will help offset the 3.2M USD ransom.”
