Stories about Politics from July, 2009
Russia: Mourning Natalya Estemirova
A Step At A Time translates LJ user kutuzov‘s comment “on the political background to Natalya Estemirova’s murder” and links to Prague Watchdog's photo report on “the vigil-cum-rally that was held in Moscow on July 23 to remember the murdered human rights activist.” Oleg Kozlovsky writes about and posts a...
Russia: Stalin
Sean's Russia Blog writes about “the protest against Stalin haters worldwide,” launched by some of Russia's communists.
Syria: Computer and Internet Sanctions Lifted
“The US is removing some of its sanctions on Syria, just months after the embargo was controversially renewed. Syria’s Ambassador to Washington, Imad Moustapha, says the block on computer equipment and internet downloads is being lifted,” reports Syria News Wire.
Caribbean: On Henry Gates Jr.
Caribbean bloggers are still abuzz about the Henry Gates arrest: Jamaican diaspora blogger Pamela Mordecai, 21 Square and Catch a fire from Bermuda and Weblog Bahamas.
Cuba: Light & Shadow
“This was the speech of the ‘shadow’ because light is something the authoritarians cannot tame…Raúl Castro is right: we can no longer see him, because the twilight he represents lacks…any kind of luminosity”: Cuba's Generation Y blogs about her impressions of this year's July 26th speech.
Jamaica: Gladys Bustamante Passes On
Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of 97-year-old Gladys Bustamante, “the widow of Jamaica’s first prime minister and a fierce supporter of women’s and workers’ rights.”
Trinidad & Tobago: LGBT Rights
As Emancipation Day approaches, Trinidad and Tobago blog gspottt focuses on human rights, observing that “in the Anglophone Caribbean, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender often intersect with other socio-economic conditions.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Anti-People?
“The Prime Minister is on record for saying that despite what the people think he will proceed with the [aluminium smelter]. Despite what people think. And the environmentalists, those crazy people who want to sustain the environment longer so that we can sustain ourselves…are ‘anti-people'?” Trinidadian blogger Taran Rampersad takes...
Barbados, Guyana: Immigration Debate
As reactions to the government's clampdown on illegal immigrants goes “off the boil”, Barbados Underground “condemns…the holier than thou attitude which President Jagdeo of Guyana and his cronies have directed at Barbados.”
Bhutan: Misconceptions of Democracy
Freedom in Bhutan comments that: “there seems to be serious flaws on concept and thought about Bhutanese political leadership regarding the democracy and its values.”
Armenia: Political graffiti
The Hima! [AM] youth movement blog posts a photograph of graffiti appearing in Yerevan. The blog posts a photograph of one example remembering 1 March 2008 when 10 people died in clashes between opposition supporters and police in the Armenian capital.
An Indian View On India-Pakistan Relations
Supriyo Chaudhuri at The Sunday Posts comments on the relations between India and Pakistan: “we should indeed try to create a new Pakistan based on democracy and tolerance rather than pakistanizing the whole region based on violence and chauvinism.”
Azerbaijan: Smashing idealism
Thoughts on the Road comments on the English translation of an interview with the official investigator on the case of recently detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli posted on the OL! blog. The blogger says that he still considers the case against the two youth activists to be...
Citizens of the World rally for Iran
On Saturday 25 July, 2009, Iranians and non-Iranians alike responded to the initiative United4Iran by taking part in an event to support the Iranian struggle for freedom and human rights. Coverage of these events included numerous citizen videos and photos. Hamburg/Germany: Washington/U.S. London/UK A protest outside the Islamic Republic's embassy in...
Malaysia: “Where is democracy?”
Malaysia's Prime Minister celebrated his 100th day in office two weeks ago. But many of his constituents chose to mark the event by launching the “Where is democracy?” campaign. The 711whereisdemocracy blog was set-up encouraging Malaysian bloggers to support the internet protest.
Israel: Cellular firm ad stirs occupation debate
A television ad for Cellcom, the largest Israeli cellular provider, sprung an unprecedented debate on the face of the Israeli occupation over the past two weeks. The advert shows Israeli soldiers playing soccer with unseen Palestinians over the wall separating Israel and the West Bank, to the sound of popular music. The ad was accepted as insensitive at best by many Israelis, becoming an icon of blindness to the occupation in the Israeli society, writes Carmel L. Vaisman.
Korea: Why Did Korean Politicians Fight?
The National Assembly passed a bill to revise media regulations after a brutal fight. The obsession with passing the bills from the ruling party, the GNP (Grand National Party), and suspicion of voting by proxy are leading to complaints from all kinds of people and organizations. The GNP denies the...
Colombia: Senator Scolded For Using Twitter
Colombian Senator Armando Benedetti may be admonished by his political party for using Twitter to inform followers of declarations [es] made during a press conference. He wrote that there are bad feelings because he published the information before letting the media know [es].
Hungary, Bolivia: Update on Rózsa-Flores’ Case
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on Eduardo Rózsa-Flores’ case.
Egypt: “Fifty-seven years after the coup and we still are not able cope”
On the 57th anniversary of their revolution, Egyptians are still evaluating and debating how this historic event that started with the military coup d’etat has changed the their lives, and that of many future generations. Until today, bloggers continue to discuss and pinpoint the pros and the cons of the revolution, as well as the decisions of the Free Officers, who led the coup which turned Egypt from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.
Morocco: A Decade with Mohammed VI
When in July 1999, king Mohammed VI of Morocco ascended to the throne, the expectations for change and progress were such that many international observers foresaw an albeit difficult but inexorable march that would lead the country to a prosperous, liberal and democratic future. Ten years later, many bloggers and online news websites commemorate the first decade of the reign of Mohammed VI with hope for a better tomorrow.
