Stories about Politics from April, 2012
Sri Lanka: Monks Demand Demolition of a Mosque
Last Friday around 2,000 Buddhist monks and local residents staged a violent protest in Dambulla town in Sri Lanka demanding that a mosque along with a Hindu temple situated in an area designated as a Buddhist sacred zone be demolished.
Zambia: Former VP's Death Highlights State of Local Hospitals
Immediate past Vice President of the former ruling MMD government George Kunda died on 16 April 2012 at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in the capital, Lusaka. Despite mourning his death, netizens seized the opportunity to criticize the current status of health care in Zambia and highlight the need for reform.
Malaysia: Occupy Dataran Merdeka and Education Protests
The April 28 Bersih 3.0 sit-down protest is expected to be the major political event of the month in Malaysia but students and Occupy activists have already put forward their demands ahead of time. Students marched in the streets against the 'anti-poor' student loan program while activists launched the Occupy Dataran movement to 'reclaim' democracy in the country
Portugal: Citizens Prepare Peaceful Protests for April 25
Though peaceful protests are scheduled for April 25 throughout Portugal (a national holiday that marks the end of dictatorship in 1974), mainstream media reported [pt] that “police prepares zero tolerance”. For Miguel Cardima from the blog Arrastão, the news intends [pt] to “insufflate fear” and to “justify violence in anticipation”. In...
Egypt: Time for Televised Presidential Debates?
As the time approaches for the Egyptian presidential election, there have been calls not only in Egypt but also around the Arab world for televised presidential debates.
Malaysia Prepares for Bersih 3.0 Sit-Down Protest
The Malaysia election reform movement Bersih (Clean) has organized a Bersih 3.0 Duduk Bantah (sit-in protest) on April 28 at Dataran Merdeka. It's the same group which gathered more than 50,000 people in Kuala Lumpur last year in protest against the 'undemocratic' electoral exercise in the country
Peru: Report on Conga Mining Project Released
After months of conflict, the technical report commissioned by the Peruvian government to survey the Environmental Impact Study of the Conga mining project in Cajamarca was finally delivered. The media and bloggers have been sharing their opinion for and against this controversial project, as well as the mistakes made by the government and those that oppose the mining project.
Mexico: Human Rights Abuses and the Presidential Elections
The documentary A Schizophrenic State by Charlotte King follows the stories of San Salvador Atenco and Oaxaca, two places in Mexico who suffered human rights abuses by the ruling political parties, including a Governor who now would like to become President.
Liberia: A Preface to Liberia’s Complicated Biography
Robtel Pailey discusses Liberia's complicated biography: “April 12, 1980 is often described as the beginning of Liberia’s end. I think of it as the preface to Liberia’s long, complicated biography, the beginning of our awakening. It was a day when our pomp and circumstance left a deafening echo; when we...
Bahamas: Elections Getting Closer
With just two weeks to go until the country's general elections, the Bahamian blogosphere has been filled with political discussion. Blogworld yesterday compiled her usual Twitter Weekly Updates, which gave a good overview of the issues being discussed.
Brazil: Passer by Injured and Arrested by Police in Demonstration
Brazilian blogger Conceição Oliveira reproduces [pt] a Facebook note [pt] from Pedro Urizzi (an actor from São Paulo), who denounces that he was injured and arrested by the Military Police when he was passing by a demonstration against corruption on April 21, 2012, on his way for dinner. The detention...
Panama: President Martinelli's Confrontation with Journalist Generates Controversy
President Ricardo Martinelli called a press conference to clear up the matter of the scandal connecting him with the Italian businessman Lavitola, but he ended up in a confrontation with a journalist, making reference to a past drug problem. Social networks immediately reverberated with shows of contempt for and condemnation of the President's words.
Cuba: The “Gap” within the Cuban Exile Community
Penúltimos Días author Ernesto Hernández Busto, who lives in Barcelona, describes the “gap” or divide between Cubans living off the island, when it comes to their desires for Cuba's future; Regina Coyula, a blogger who resides in Cuba, responds. Hernández writes that there is a “deep gap between Cubans with...
France: #RadioLondres, Election Day Fun and Dissidence on Twitter
After a gloomy presidential election campaign, French voters are finally having fun on voting day, with hashtag #RadioLondres, to oppose the ban on publication of early results.
Malaysia: Religion, Academe, and Freedom
Hwa Yue-Yi tackles the issue of academic freedom and religious freedom in a Muslim-dominated society like Malaysia
Armenia: A Tale of Two Nations
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. comments on the 97th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Considered an act of genocide by many historians and countries, the blog explains why the events are still very much politically relevant to both...
Armenia: Human Rights Organizations Concerned by Film Festival Obstruction
After threats, intimidation and incitement to violence led to the cancellation of a film festival to be held in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri, nationalists have attacked a human rights organization for the same, prompting concerns about freedom of expression.
Serbia: Upcoming Elections Offer Few Choices, Inspire Apathy and Humor
Much unbeknownst to most people in the world, Serbia is, in many ways, looking at its most important election since the 2000 revolutionary elections that toppled the government of Slobodan Milosevic. As politicians have started campaigning avidly, so have many bloggers broken their silence on this issue. Danica Radisic reports.
Bulgaria: Interior Minister's Controversial Statement
Blogger Nikolay Delchev condemned [bg] the reaction of the Bulgarian interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov to the recent student protests against construction at the National Sports Academy's Black Sea training facility: “[…] Interior Minister almost regrets that ‘the whole repressive apparatus that they (the police) have by law has not always...
Russia: Anti-Drug Activist Identifies Corrupt Moscow Police in Sverdlovsk
Controversial activist Evgeny Roizman originally made a name for himself by establishing a non-profit fund called “A City without Drugs.” The fund both treats drug addiction and targets dealers, albeit using somewhat vigilante methods. Writing in his LiveJournal account, Roizman is now at the forefront of publicizing a police corruption scandal in Sverdlovsk Oblast.
Colombia: What Did the VI Summit of the Americas Leave Behind?
Netizens commented on various events, some serious and some lighter ones, related to the Sixth Summit of the Americas. They also shared their opinion on the agreements that were reached (like the free trade agreement between Colombia and the U.S.) and on those that did not meet consensus.
