· February, 2012

Stories about Protest from February, 2012

Bahrain: #Hungry4BH Trends Worldwide

Bahraini netizens, backed by the international community, helped raise the voices of detained political activists on hunger strike, by making their plight a trending topic on Twitter. Mona Kareem reports on the efforts of activists online and on the ground in Bahrain.

27 February 2012

Portugal: Web Users Debate Portuguese Private Copying Bill

Currently being debated in the Portuguese Parliament is a new bill (PL118) which proposes a tax on any equipment or software capable of recording, copying or storing analogue or digital content, in the name of author's rights. The online community has wasted no time in wading in on the debate, with the hashtag #PL118 duly trending on Twitter.

27 February 2012

Russia: The “Big White Circle” Protest in Moscow

RuNet Echo

On Sunday, Feb. 26, thousands of people gathered in central Moscow for the Big White Circle protest, forming a human chain along most of the length of the Russian capital's 15.6-kilometer/9.7-mile Garden Ring, protesting against corruption and demanding a fair presidential election, which is to take place in one week, on March 4.

27 February 2012

Bolivia: Disabled Protesters Demand More Welfare Support

For nearly 100 days, a group of physically disabled people held a march from the eastern lower lands of Bolivia to the seat of government in capital La Paz, located 3,600 metres above sea level, demanding a yearly subsidy of at least 3,000 Bolivianos (434 US dollars approximately).

26 February 2012

Russia: Bloggers’ Photo Reports and Reflections on Pro-Putin Rally in Moscow

RuNet Echo

On Thursday, February 23, ten days before the March 4 presidential election, the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed thousands of people at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A number of Moscow-based bloggers attended the event, too. Below is a selection of their photo reports and observations, along with some of the remarks from their audiences.

25 February 2012

Cuba: Prisoners’ Rights

Uncommon Sense republishes a statement by Amnesty International about “former prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia [whose] whereabouts are unknown following his alleged arrest in central Havana, Cuba, on...

24 February 2012

Chile: Aysén Region and the Call for Decentralization

Protests, road blocks, and clashes between protesters and police continue as citizens of Chile's Aysén region demand change. For many, the conflict in Aysén boils down to one problem affecting the whole country: centralism. Chilean bloggers weigh in on the issue.

24 February 2012

Colombia: Citizen Journalist Threatened Over Viral Video

Citizen journalist Bladimir Sánchez has already received threats for posting a video showing the forced evictions of farmers and fishermen protesting the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the department of Huila, Colombia. In less than three days, more than 600,000 people have watched it.

23 February 2012

Chile: Twitter Users Share Images of Aysén Protests

A social movement that demands better quality of life and lower costs has gained strength in the Aysén region in the Chilean Patagonia. The people of Aysén are uploading their photos to Twitter to show the marches, blockades and confrontations that have occurred in recent days.

23 February 2012

Russia: Pro-Putin Rally in Vladivostok Causes Controversy

RuNet Echo

Pro-Putin rallies, also known as Putings, took place in many Russian cities last weekend. One such Puting caused a scandal in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, which is renowned for its strong support of the opposition and for anti-Kremlin moods in general. Masha Egupova reports.

23 February 2012

Afghanistan: Do not kill each other

Goftman Roshnayi says[fa] “burning Quran has become another pretext to kill each other in Afghanistan…When Talibans explode bombs, kill people and burn Qurans, nobody cares.” Five killed as protests over...

23 February 2012