Stories about Human Rights from June, 2010
Egypt: Iara Lee's Flotilla Attack Footage
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia posts Iara Lee's one-hour footage from the Gaza-bound flotilla on the night it was attacked by Israeli commandos here.
Israel: Violence, Non-Violence, and Palestinian Solidarity
In “7 Reasons I'm Conflicted about the Fredom Flotilla” Daniel Sieradski writes: “By engaging in violence…[the activists] have demonstrated succinctly to Israel's supporters and allies that they, and by extension all Palestinian solidarity activists, are neither non-violent nor pro-peace. This hampers their cause and the greater cause of Palestinian liberation.”
Kyrgyzstan: “I Call It a Massacre!”
English-language coverage of the situation in Kyrgyzstan – at neweurasia.net. Kyrgyz blogger writes: “Call it whatever you want, but I name it a massacre of Uzbeks in Osh and Jalalabad (Kyrgyzstan), which is, at the moment, still going on and the Interim government headed by Rosa Otunbaeva cannot do anything...
Iran: Protesters Clash with Security Forces on Anniversary of Election
Witnesses in Tehran said scattered clashes erupted on Saturday between Iran's security forces and demonstrators gathering at key sites to mark the first anniversary of a contested presidential election.
Bulgaria: Protest Against Neo-Nazi Violence
On June 6, a protest was held in Sofia in support of the rights of refugees and immigrants in Bulgaria. Shortly before the start of the protest, a group of skinheads attacked several people inside a tram on the way to the event. On June 10, a second gathering was organized, in which activists protested against neo-Nazism and the attacks on peaceful citizens.
France: Illegal Immigrants Strike in Paris
Blogger Ménilmuche points to a blog that documents a strike by illegal immigrants at the Bastille in Paris with lots of pictures [fr].
Iran: To Demonstrate or Not, on Anniversary of Election
On the anniversary of the contested Iranian election on June 12 the question circulating online is: whether to face authorities and demonstrate or not.
Bulgaria: Sofia Pride 2010
How to Marry a Bulgarian writes about the upcoming Sofia Pride 2010 (BUL, ENG), the third gay pride parade to be held in Bulgaria's capital.
Belarus: 200 Meters of Gay Pride in Minsk
“Insider’s view from Belarusian Gay Pride March” – at Belarus Digest: “Two nights in the police department seemed an eternity for us. So now when I’m free I can’t keep it to myself. I don’t appear to have any freedom of speech in my country, but I have the freedom...
Brazil/Israel: Open letter to the Israeli government
“Now, after the coward attack in international waters carried out by Israeli military against the fleet of humanitarian aid to Gaza” says Maria Frô [pt], “again [the movie-maker Sílvio] Tendler manifests” in an open letter to the Israeli government.
Mexico: Two Deaths on the Border in Ten Days
The unexpected deaths of two Mexicans -a worker and a 15-year-old boy- after clashes with the United States Border Patrol in two separate incidents less than a month apart, have brought to citizen media new grounds to evaluate the actions of the government of Mexico towards the United States in terms of immigration and foreign policy.
Brazil/Palestine: The Rose of Gaza
Georges Bourdoukan presents [pt] us with a beautiful poem in honor of the victims of the war and continuous violence in Gaza.
Brazil: Police execution and YouTube voyeurism
A video posted on YouTube shows the moment in which two supposed policemen shot down three supposed drug traffickers. The voyeuristic citizen watches the video in an equally criminal manner, as Roger Franchini reports.
Egypt: Should Coptic Divorcees Remarry?
The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court has issued a ruling obliging Coptic Pope Shenouda III to allow Coptic divorcees to remarry. The pope has rejected the ruling. Supporters of the church and promoters of a secular state blogged their opinions.
Egypt: The First Starbucks Protest in Egypt
The Gaza-bound Flotilla Raid has sparked an uprising in Egypt. Zeinobia covered the first Starbucks Protest in Egypt; A video and photographs were also posted by Sarah Carr and Mostafa Hussein.
Egypt: Khaled Said – An Emergency Murder by An Emergency Law
Khaled Said, a 28-year-old Egyptian from the coastal city of Alexandria, was allegedly tortured to death at the hands of two officers who wanted to search him under the emergency law. The story goes: he asked for a reason or a warrant - they killed him.
Cuba: Being Black
Ivan's File Cabinet explores what it's like to be black in Cuba.
Rwanda: Following The Peter Erlinder Case
Editions Sources du Nil has been posting several updates about the arrest of US citizen Peter Erlinder on May 28th, charged with denial of genocide (fr). They report that his detention has been prolonged and that he seems to be weakened since his arrest (fr).
Cuba: Slow Going
While the Cuban government and the Catholic Church engage in talks, Without Evasion says any developments “are absolutely insufficient and extremely slow with respect to the ultimate objective of the civic resistance of The Ladies in White and Guillermo Fariñas: their definitive liberation.”
Chad: Regional Conference on the Issue of Child Soldiers
A conference on the prevention of enrollment of child soldiers took place in Ndjamena (fr). Mak reports that there are between 7,000 to 10,000 child soldiers in Chad (fr).
Brazil: “Why does not Brazil want to punish torturers?”
Leonardo Sakamoto asks [pt] a tough question that many Brazilians have posed to themselves: “Why does not Brazil want to punish torturers?”. He quotes a recent poll in which Brazilian population said that they do not want to punish those who tortured hundreds of people during the 1964 military dictatorship...
