Stories about Politics from June, 2009
Cuba, U.S.A.: Connecting the Dots
Call it coincidence, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that in light of news that Cuban human rights activists Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and his wife were once again arrested, “it might be best to connect the dots”, particularly “in the wake of the NED ceremony, at which Antúnez...
Cuba: Fear of Change?
“Like the seemingly never ending US blockade that attacks Cuba’s economy from without, from the inside a corrosion process is gradually eating away at the relatively young 50-year revolution”: From Havana, Circles Robinson says that “there is a conservative political class of managers at most workplaces and government offices who...
China: Online social movement
Fili An posts a review on Chinese censorship and netizen's online social movement.
Honduras: Zelaya Arrested and Removed as President
The day started across Honduras with news that President Mel Zelaya was arrested in his home by armed soldiers on the same day of a controversial referendum. Days earlier, Zelaya had removed the head of the Armed Forces. Reactions ranged from calling the situation a coup d'état to those who saw the move as the only way to stop Zelaya's attempts to run for an additional term.
Russia: “Ingushetia, boom”
A Fistful of Euros writes about the assassination attempt on Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and the situation in Ingushetia and other North Caucasus regions.
Palestine: Rafah Crossing Open For 72 Hours
Laila El-Haddad is hoping she will see her parents soon, as the Rafah Crossing from Gaza into Egypt is temporarily opened: “Of the some 5000 Palestinians registered to cross, only 250 were allowed out of Gaza on the first day (a total of 5 buses), and only 4 buses scheduled...
Kazakhstan: KGB is back?
Adam writes that journalists, rights advocates and opposition leaders, express concern that Kazakhstan returns to the vicious practice of the Soviet times in treating the dissent.
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan Remain Worst of the Worst
Musa reviews the “Worst of the Worst 2009″ report by Freedom House, which lists two Central Asian states – Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – among the world’s most repressive societies.
Iraq: Reflecting on Iran
Assuming my dear readers have not been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks, the developments after the recent Iranian elections need no introduction. Here I present, in their own words, the recent comments of Iraqi bloggers on the subject. So much has been said about the...
Iranian officials ‘crowd-source’ protester identities
Iranian protesters appearing in widely disseminated online photos from the ongoing post-election demonstrations in Iran, are now being targeted on website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It shows images of 20 people with red circles drawn around their faces claiming they have been involved in creating "chaos" in Tehran.
Honduras: Political Crisis Over Controversial Referendum
The political crisis in Honduras is deepening after the removal of the head of the Armed Forces because of his statements that the military would not support the scheduled referendum to take place on Sunday, June 28. Now there is increased uncertainty regarding the vote. Bloggers are worried about their country's present and future.
Iran: Bloggers on the Iranian crisis
Arash and several bloggers have published a statement by a group of Iranian bloggers about the Presidential elections and the subsequent events.
Iran: “Protest Movement” Tribute Michael Jackson
Here is a film in You Tube where we can watch ‘Iranian protest movement’ tribute Michael Jackson with “They don't really care about” song and a collection of photos from Iran. [warning: some photos are very graphic]
Japan: News in Japanese for Iran Election Protests
“You can't get really the details of the Iran election protests from the Japanese newspapers and TV stations, but the situation is updated by the minute on Twitter.” – Hiroto Kobayashi set up iranelection, a Digg-style news aggregator specifically for this topic, where users are submitting links to content in...
Russia: Letter to Khodorkovsky
Jeremy Putley posts an open letter to Mikhail Khodorkovsky (who turned 46 on June 26) at A Step At A Time.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Obama & “Antúnez”
Cuban human rights activist Jorge Luis García “Antúnez” said that President Obama's words of support make a big difference for those fighting for Cuban liberty, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense is still of the opinion that “Obama should of, and could of, done more to honor the Democracy Award nominees.”
Dominica: Campaign Financing
Chris at Dominica Weekly thinks that “the issue of campaign financing is as important as voters identification and cleaning of the voters list before the next general election is held.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Blogging about Crime
Jumbie's Watch blogs about Trinidad and Tobago's approach to crime, while KnowProSE.com writes a note to the country's media on their coverage of the crime situation and The Manicou Report thinks that “the way things are going now, things will get a lot worse before they get better.”
Jamaica, Barbados: Updates on H1N1
Yardflex.com says 19 Jamaicans have been infected with the H1N1 virus, while Barbados Underground cautions that Swine Flu can't be blamed for everything.
Iran:Joan Baez sings for the Iranian people
Arefadib tweeted that Joan Baez sings ‘We shall Overcome’ (with a line in Perisan) for the Iranian people.
Iran:”Iranian Right wing media on Neda”
NikAhang writes [fa] “stupidity is the highest ascension”when Right wing media (Sarmaye Newspaper) claim that a BBC reporter has paid someone to shoot Neda so that they could record the incident.