Stories about Politics from May, 2011
Cuba: Repressive Action
Cuban bloggers cite numerous cases of the authorities cracking down on dissidents, calling the arrests “part of a vicious series of repressive moves by the dictatorship to target the opposition.”
Bermuda: Gay Rights
“Bermuda has a long history of discrimination rooted in slavery, the restricted vote and racial segregation. Those who championed resistance to these injustices, those who have benefited from their elimination, should be sensitive to any discrimination set upon any other group”: Respice Finem wants to put gay rights back on...
Hong Kong: Scandal on Internet Learning Support Programme (ILSP)
Jeremy Godfrey, former Hong Kong Government Chief Information Officer from 2008-2011, has opened a blog for exposing the selection process for the tender on Internet Learning Support Program (ILSP). He believes the result of the selection has been affected by political pressure.
Egypt: Gearing Up for a Second Revolutionary Round
Egypt will not sleep tonight in preparation for its Second Day of Anger. Following Mubarak's ousting, many feel that the demands raised since the start of the January 25 revolution have mostly not been fulfilled. The calls for the second day of anger at Tahrir Square this Friday aim to reignite the revolution.
China: Netizens Declare Candidacy In Upcoming Elections
Their chances may not be good, but a small and growing number of Internet celebrities and microbloggers have decided to run in grassroots elections this coming September in constituencies around the country.
Ukraine: Proposal to Declare Crimean Tatar Deportation “Genocide”
Window on Eurasia reports on the Ukrainian Peoples Party's proposal to declare the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars by Stalin “an act of genocide and a crime against humanity.”
Belarus: Economic Crisis
Nils van der Vegte of RussiaWatchers reports on the economic crisis in Belarus.
Serbia: More Reactions to the Arrest of Ratko Mladic
Richard Byrne of Balkans via Bohemia and Borut Peterlin react to the news of the arrest of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general wanted for war crimes, including the Srebrenica massacre. Sladjana Lazic of A Slice Of Serbian Politics and Viktor Marković (@Belgrade) report [en, sr] on small-scale protests in...
Panama: Wikileaks Reach Panamanian Government
The diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks have wreaked havoc in global politics. Panama is not an exception. A cable that links the government party CD - Democratic Change - with the Colombian drug dealer David Murcia has triggered outrage among Panamanian citizens.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: FIFA Disciplinary Hearing
B.C. Pires says that the most recent corruption allegation against FIFA vice-president Jack Warner “looks for Jack like it did for Tony walking into that diner in the last episode of the Sopranos; but…it seems more likely Jack will emerge from Sunday’s disciplinary hearing, not in a hail of bullets,...
Cuba: Architectural Heritage
Fernando Dámaso at Translating Cuba, is concerned about the country's architectural patrimony.
Azerbaijan: Eynulla Fatullayev Pardoned Following Twitter Action
Just two days after the UK branch of Amnesty International launched its Twitter campaign to call for the release of Eynulla Fatullayev comes news that the imprisoned journalist and prisoner of conscience has been included in a list of prisoners to be pardoned ahead of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Russia: Politicalized literature
Ernst Krenkel of Backyard Safari takes a closer look at [GER] Vladimir Sorokin's The Day of the Opritchniks and Nathan Dubovitsky's Near Zero and asks to what extent Russian literature is politicalized.
Serbia: Arrest of Ratko Mladic
Ratko Mladic, former Bosnian Serb military leader was arrested today by police in Serbia, the country's president, Boris Tadic, confirmed on national television. General Mladic has been on the run since 1995 facing charges of genocide for his role as Bosnian Serb military commander during the 1992-95 civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Honduras: ‘Golpista’ Rhetoric Continues as Country Prepares for Zelaya's Return
In PULSE –“a collaborative political weblog”– Belén Fernández sheds some light on the current situation in Honduras: “Earlier this month, a Honduran court dropped remaining corruption charges against Zelaya, who is expected this coming Saturday in Tegucigalpa. Despite the accord, golpista rhetoric continues in the same broken-record fashion as always...
Maldives: Failing Democracy
Mode at A Geek's Thoughts wonders why democracy is failing in Maldives.
Cote d'Ivoire: Amnesty International Report on Post-Electoral Conflict
Amnesty International published a report about Cote d'Ivoire [fr, PDF] on May 25 in conclusion of a field survey: Looking back on 6 months of post-electoral violence. In this document [fr] the organisation warns that, “The conclusions of this report clearly show that all of the conflicting parties have committed...
Georgia: Demonstrators dispersed ahead of independence day celebrations
Shortly after midnight, opposition protests in the Georgian capital were disperse. A policeman was reportedly killed, apparently run over by a jeep belonging to an opposition party leader, after tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons were used to break up the demonstration. Journalists were also beaten up and their...
Brazil: New Forestry Code Approved in Chamber of Deputies
The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved the controversial new Forestry Code with 410 votes against 63 in an open session. As citizens knew each deputy's choice [pt], they used Twitter to regret the support for the ruralist project, as well as to mourn the murder of the forest defender Zé...
Angola: Organizer Arrested on the Eve of Protest Against Poverty
Luis Bernardo, the president of MRIS (Revolutionary Movement for Social Action) who organized a protest against poverty [pt] in Luanda today, was arrested on the eve of the event [pt]. A few days before, Bernardo had denounced threats against him by the Angolan regime, as reported [pt] on the blog...
Thailand’s First Female Prime Minister?
Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the sister of deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra, has emerged in the past week as a popular candidate in the coming July election in Thailand. She could be Thailand’s first female Prime Minister.
