Stories about Human Rights from November, 2009
Nepal: Minister Mentality
A deputy minister of Nepal had beaten a top government employee for not providing a vehicle of her taste. Xnepali Blog has details.
CEE: The Berlin Wall
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall: How To Marry a Bulgarian hosts a series of readers’ personal reflections: Biliana Velkova, Alexandra Grashkina-Hristova, Maria Vassileva; Hungarian Spectrum writes that “for Hungary and the Hungarians the whole thing started much earlier”; Belgraded writes about the upcoming and much-awaited...
Russia: 1999 Chechen Diary, Part 4
The final part (part 4) of Polina Zherebtsova’s 1999 Chechen Diary – at Sundry Translations and Other Tangentialia. (More links: intro, part 1, part 2, part 3, Russian-language original.)
Georgia: Reaction to lack of media attention on Azerbaijan bloggers’ trial
Following last week's sentence on two video bloggers in Azerbaijan, some blogs in neighboring Georgia have posted critical entries condemning the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. This also extends to the lack of coverage in the local media.
Azerbaijan: More reaction to video blogger trial verdict
Days after the sentencing of two video blogging youth activists in Azerbaijan, other bloggers are starting to speak out about the imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The two online activists will spend 2 and 2.5 years in jail after a trial which most consider to be politically motivated...
Peru: Blind Lawyer Strives to Be Judge
Peruvian lawyer Edwin Béjar Rojas' goal of becoming a judge had been interrupted by National Council of the Magistracy, who rejected his candidacy because of his visual impairment and refused to give him the test.
Egypt: Nidal Hassan – Psychiatrist or Psychotic?
Major Nidal Hassan is the US military psychiatrist of Arab origins who went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people. He is now facing charges of premeditated murder. "Psychiatrist or Psychotic?", ask Egyptian bloggers.
Singapore: Documentary on Myanmar Human Rights
Yawning Bread from Singapore narrates how their group was able to present an award-winning documentary on Myanmar's human rights situation.
Myanmar: Detained for complaining
A man was imprisoned in Myanmar for complaining too much about electricity problems
Morocco: Aicha Ech Chenna Wins Opus Prize
In Morocco, women who get pregnant out of wedlock are often shunned from their communities. Activist and social worker Aicha Ech Chenna has been working for almost 25 years to help such mothers and their children. Now, her efforts are being rewarded.
Qatar: No one is above the law – really?
Doha bloggers bemused, incredulous and wistful by official remarks that no one in Qatar is above the law. A debate over the merits of that statement quickly evolves into a discussion on press freedom, as more clamor for a new law press law, free from any imprisonment penalties against journalists.
Paraguay: Indigenous Group Sprayed Aerially with Pesticides
In eastern Paraguay, 217 members of the Ava Guaraní indigenous community came down with health symptoms, believed to be caused by intentional aerial spraying with pesticide, after refusal to vacate their ancestral lands.
Bahamas: Sister's Keeper
“We women survivors of violence of all kinds must break this collective silence…and we women who enjoy relative freedom and safety must extend our hands and voices to our sisters who do not, because we are not free until all are free”: The Bahamas’ Womanish Words calls on women to...
Barbados, Jamaica: Focus on Flogging
“How to deal with discipline in a society is never easy,” says Living in Barbados, who adds that “Barbados is still working its way towards a wider acceptance that flogging is not the way to go.”
Bahamas, Cuba: Fair Trade?
Rick Lowe issues a few words of warning to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce when it comes to doing business with Cuba: “The Chamber stands for ethics in business and I believe they are on shaky ground recommending we do business with a regime in Cuba that apparently does not...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Bloggers & Violence
Both writing for Havana Times, Circles Robinson reports that the U.S. government has criticized the recent seizure of blogger Yoani Sanchez and two of her peers, noting that “Cuba maintains its rejection of any interference of the US government in its internal affairs”, while Pedro Campos suggests that “to reject...
Azerbaijan: Bloggers sentenced
As many of their supporters feared, and on the same day as a round table on the case against two detained video blogging youth activists, a court in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier passed sentence on Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The verdict and first reaction spread on Twitter.
Sri Lanka: Support The IDPs
V.V. at Sepia Mutiny writes about an initiative of a Sri Lankan diaspora group in the USA who are organizing a fund raising event. The fund will support two charities which are working in the Sri Lankan IDP camps, where approximately 200,000 people are detained.
Maldives: Girl Slaves
Codexero dicusses about girl slavery in Maldives.
Cuba: Of Victims & Violence
In the aftermath of her seizure by state authorities, Generation Y admonishes those who may be adopting a “blame the victim stance, while Claudia Cadelo says she prefers being a victim to being the executioner. Havana Times, meanwhile, posts a piece about the march against violence on the way to...
Lebanon: Operation: Sex Change
Queer Arab Magazine Bekhsoos supports the Operation: Sex Change campaign, aimed to raise awareness about transgender issues across the world. The campaign started on November 8, the International day of action for sexual and bodily rights across Muslim societies, and ends on November 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
