· September, 2012

Stories about Politics from September, 2012

Russia: Writers Put Down Pens to Stand Atop Soap Boxes

RuNet Echo  25 September 2012

Now, nine people who self-identify as writers are running in the elections for the so-called "Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition," and a tenth strongly considered registering as a candidate before ultimately dropping out. Bearing in mind that writing is not the most popular of professions, this is a hefty proportion of the total.

Venezuela: Electoral TwitCam

  25 September 2012

Journalist and Global Voices contributor Luis Carlos Díaz [es] is streaming “Electoral TwitCams” to discuss the upcoming Venezuelan elections. You can watch the first video stream [es] and tune in today [es], at 8:00pm local time in Venezuela, for his second live stream [es].

South Korea: Presidential Nominee Stumbles Over Unresolved History

  25 September 2012

South Korea's ruling conservative party’s presidential nominee has suffered a major setback after she made an offensive remark on a notoriously unfair trial made under her father’s authoritarian rule. Former President Park Chung-hee is one of the most polarizing figures in South Korean history.

Japan: Anxiety Over Human Rights Commission Bill

  25 September 2012

A bill to set up a Human Rights Commission has been met with opposition from different parties and citizens. The bill aims to set up an independent commission for human rights violation such as bullying, descrimination, and slander on the Internet, as an extra-ministerial committe of the Ministry of Justice.

Cabinda: Black Gold of Angola

  25 September 2012

Cabinda, the eighteenth and most disputed province of Angola, has been waging an ancient struggle for its independence. The majority of the Angolan population says that Cabinda is part of Angola, but others defend the opposite position. The enclave produces around 70% of the oil exported by the country.

Iran Blocks Access to Google and Gmail

  24 September 2012

Iran has blocked Google and Gmail from the Internet for nearly all users, allegedly to protest against an anti-Islam film on YouTube. Others say it's part of a plan to prepare the country for a new "national Internet" that offers less access to the outside world.

Colombia: Political Blog ‘Atrabilioso’ Closes Down

  24 September 2012

After 7 years and thousands of posts by several contributors, the political blog Atrabilioso, managed by journalist Jaime Restrepo Vásquez, closed last August 31. The blog's contributors were critics of President Juan Manuel Santos‘ administration and staunch supporters of former President Álvaro Uribe.

DR of Congo: Rwanda is Helping the Rebellion, says Human Rights Watch

  24 September 2012

Human Rights Watch wrote [fr]: In addition to deploying reinforcements and recruits to support military operations, Rwandan military officials have been providing important military support to the M23 rebels, including weapons, ammunition, and training, Human Rights Watch said. This makes Rwanda a party to the conflict.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Continuing Fallout from Section 34

  24 September 2012

The fallout from Section 34 and the firing of Justice Minister Hubert Volney continues to be discussed via social media, with netizens weighing in on the (in)adequacy of the Prime Minister's actions, the scope of responsibility for the legislation, Volney's fitness to sit in Parliament and the long-term political implications of the situation.

Japan: Citizens Respond to New Nuclear Power Policies

  24 September 2012

Individuals with vested interests in nuclear power have been named to lead a regulatory commission of the Japanese government that will play crucial role in determining whether to phase out nuclear power during the 2030s and how. While environmental groups welcome the government's statement of intent to end nuclear power, citizens are calling for commission members with a conflict of interest to be declared ineligible.

United States: Occupy Wall Street, One Year Later

  24 September 2012

September 15-17 2012 marked the first year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Scenes that took place during the inception of the movement repeated themselves: hundreds of arrests were reported on Saturday the 15th amidst the protests that culminated on Monday the 17th in the neighborhood near the stock exchange.

Tunisia: Civil Society and the Sharia State

  24 September 2012

Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni argues that belonging to any religion or culture is a “product of chance.” She says: And when, together with bloggers from my country, we attempted to participate in one manner or another in the awakening of our people and the uprising against the dictatorship, it...

China: Divisions among Anti-Japan Protesters

  24 September 2012

Yi Lu from Tea Leaf Nation looks into the discussion among micro-bloggers and sees there are more and more divisions along the line of regional and class differences among anti-Japan protesters.

Iran: Google and Gmail Will Be Filtered

  23 September 2012

Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, an Iranian official declared [fa] on Sunday 23rd September, Google and Gmail are going to be filtered in the next few hours.He says people asked us to take a stand against the sites insulting Islam's Prophet. Khoramabadi is one of key members of a “Commission to Determine Instances...

Trinidad & Tobago: Justice Minister Fired, but is it Enough?

  22 September 2012

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, delivered a national address on the issue of the controversial Section 34 of the Indictable Offences Act. After laying out a timeline of the progress of the legislation and dismissing any notions of a conspiracy, she announced that Justice Minister Herbert Volney had been dismissed from the Cabinet.