Stories about Protest from July, 2011
Practicing legal profession in Vietnam
Attorney Huynh Van Dong writes about the challenges facing lawyers in Vietnam. He reports that an increasing number of lawyers are now in jail for “expressing their own personal opinion.”
Syria: Tanks Enter Hama on Eve of Ramadan
On the eve of Ramadan, Syrian troops have entered the city of Hama, reportedly killing as many as 45 people by 11:00 am on Sunday, July 31.
Chile: Starbucks Employees on Hunger Strike
In Chile, a cup of coffee at Starbucks costs more than the baristas’ wages for one hour of work. This is what the 3 union leaders [es] on hunger strike in Chile state through a handwritten sign in this video [es]. They demand Starbucks to comply with only 4 out...
Guinea: Weekly Newspaper Le Defi Vandalized
Lamine Camara writes on infoguinee.com [fr]: “The central office of the independent weekly newspaper Le Défi was vandalized and completely ransacked by anonymous looters on the night of July 20- 21, 2011. Those non-identified individuals, after wrecking havoc on equipments, computer and hardwares, left a scribbled message on a sheet of...
Senegal: Against a third term for President Wade
Macoumba Beye covers [fr] on afriscoop.net the demonstration organized in Dakar on July 23 against the candidature of President Abdoulaye Wade for a third term as President: “The Movement of June 23 – or M23 – brings together political parties, civil society movements, unions, imams and the movement “Y en...
El Salvador: National Assembly Repeals Decree 743 Requiring Unanimity on Constitutional Court
Decree 743 “the controversial law which attempted to impose a requirement of unanimity on the Constitutional Court” was repealed this week by El Salvador's National Assembly, as Tim reports in his blog. The blog Voices from El Salvador describes the repeal as an “important indication that civil society and public...
Bangladesh: Indigenous or Not Indigenous, That Is The Question
In recent months many Bangladeshi indigenous people have taken the streets holding meetings, human chains and rallies, demanding constitutional recognition of their identity. Bloggers also voice their opinions on this issue.
South Korea: 35 Million Users’ Information Leaked in Cyber Attack
Thirty-five million Koreans’ information stored in the South Korean portal site Nate and Cyworld, was hacked in cyber attack from China. One net user from Daum Agora website blamed [ko] Nate's default setting in checking emails- reading the emails without preview function- for involuntarily opening doors to mass hacker attacks.
Equatorial Guinea: Blogging Political Cartoons
The blog of Equatoguinean cartoonist Ramón Esono, Las Locuras de Jamón y Queso [es], denounces the country's political situation with cartoons. Each cartoon of the LOCOStv (MADtv) presents well known characters of the Equatoguinean political and social life and some interviews full of satire and parody. President Teodoro Obiang is...
Haiti: Martelly's Promises
Toussaint on Haiti suggests that Haitians who voted for a Martelly presidency may now be suffering from buyers’ remorse.
Trinidad & Tobago: National Strike on the Horizon?
Caribbean Journal reports that Trinidad and Tobago may soon be facing a national strike.
Malawi: A Chronological Account of Protests in Malawi From Afar
Read Dadakim's account of protests in Malawi: “It’s also important to realize that the protests were not spontaneous. Civil society organizations had previously attempted a similar protest in February and university students and lecturers successfully staged protests in May primarily rooted in demands for academic freedom. It is thus important...
Belarus: Schengen Visa=Guilty
Pyotr Kuznetsov mentions [ru] a Belarusian police officer who interpreted a Schengen visa in the passport of one of the women detained at a protest rally as a solid proof that she was not a law-abiding citizen. He said this to a colleague who used to know the woman and...
Belarus: Overview of Political and Economic Situation
An overview of the political and economic situation in Belarus – by Natalia Leshchenko at OpenDemocracy.net.
China: Chengguan kill handicapped street vendor in daylight
Jing Gao from MInistry of Tofu collects information about a mass incident happened in Guizhou province on July 26, in which two men and one woman from the Chengguan squad, killed a handicapped street vendor in daylight and riot police used tear gas to drive speculators away.
China: Ministry of Railways
Twitter user @JAYxiaomuzhu posts a number of T-shirt design using the logo of PRC's Ministry of Railways to protest against its handling of the recent train crash incident in Wenzhou.
Cuba: Attacks vs. Women
Pedazos de La Isla blogs about violence against women in Cuba, here, here, here and here.
Peru: Football, TV Ads, Mining and Social Networks
On Tuesday, July 19, while Peruvians suffered with the semifinal match between Peru-Uruguay for the Copa América, netizens who were watching the game had a reason to tweet with anger: an advertising spot aired during halftime which used the traditional rivalry between Peru and Chile to find supporters against increasing the mining windfall tax.
Iran: Campaign to Free Last Two Jailed American Hikers
Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in solitary confinement in Tehran, Iran, on charges of "espionage". She now calls on the world to speak up for her two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who are still in prison in Iran since all three were arrested while hiking in July 2009.
Belarus: East and West and Nothing in Between?
"East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." This chronically misused Kipling phrase seems to catch the realities for an increasing number of Belarusians, who, waking to a wild and hostile world, are asking: "Who cares about Belarus?"
Brazil: “A Serbian Film” Banned from RioFan Festival
The controversial long feature “A Serbian Film” was banned [pt] from the RioFan film festival by its main sponsor, the Brazilian national bank Caixa Econômica Federal, as announced [pt] on the website of the organization. Brazilian citizens organized a protest against censorship. A video [pt] gathers several analyses of the...
