· December, 2011

Stories about Protest from December, 2011

Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa

  24 December 2011

Thousands of Yemenis just arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, after marching from the city of Taiz in the south, to call for the trial of Yemeni president Ali Abdulla Saleh. The aim of the 264km march, which protesters undertook on foot, is to demand the that Saleh, who was granted immunity from prosecution for his involvement in an 11-month crackdown on protesters demanding democracy, gets punished for his crimes.

Indonesia: Solidarity March for Aceh Punks

  24 December 2011

EngageMedia uploads a video of the solidarity march which was organized to support 64 musicians who were detained in Aceh, Indonesia for being “punks” and “disturbing the peace.”

Russia: Opposition Faces Online Communication Problems

RuNet Echo  23 December 2011

The ability to broadcast the events of December 2011 in Russia live online, has made people around the world and in the country the spectators of a truly historical event – the December 22 gathering of some 100-150 opposition activists, who represented thousands of the netizens and millions of not-connected Russians.

Guyana: politics and egg-pelting

  22 December 2011

Guyana-Gyal gives a wry account of a recent political protest in Guyana, involving an egg-pelting incident. “No-bady, noooobady can do politics like Turd Whirl people. We should call it Frolitics.”

Iran: Blogger May Face Death Penalty

  22 December 2011

Several bloggers and news sites reported [fa] that Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari, a jailed blogger , may face charge of ‘Waging War Against God’ (moharebeh). A death sentence can be pronounced in this case. He criticized Islam and Islamic Republic in his blog, Iran Land's Report.

South Korean President's Vocal Critic Sentenced to Jail Term

  22 December 2011

Jeong Bong-ju, a vocal critic of the President and a show host of the nation's most popular satirical podcast, Naggomsu, was sentenced a jail term for raising allegations of BBK stock price manipulation against the current President. Some citizens have posted this poster on a subway to show signs of support for Jeong.

CEE: More on Václav Havel and His Legacy

  22 December 2011

More posts on Václav Havel and his legacy from around the region's Anglophone blogosphere: Richard Byrne of Balkans via Bohemia; CzechFolks.com; Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word – here and here; Jeremy Druker of TOL's East of Center; Tjebbe van Tijen and Mary Kaldor for OpenDemocracy.net; Giustino of Itching...

Kuwait: Online Advocacy for the Stateless Bidoun

  22 December 2011

Since hundreds of Kuwait's 100,000 strong Bidoun were attacked by police for protesting in support of others detained earlier in the year, a number of bloggers and international organizations have been stepping up their support for the stateless people in the hope of drawing attention to their plight.

Czech Republic: A Tribute to Václav Havel

  22 December 2011

A tribute to Václav Havel, by Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame: “[…] Havel has been an unusually strong moral autority that has influenced even people such as me who ultimately found out that they disagree with him about many pretty fundamental things. He's been proposed for a peace Nobel...

Syria: A Christmas Massacre

  21 December 2011

More than 250 Syrians have been killed over the past two days, sending shock waves around the world. Reports of “horrific massacres” come from the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), which has urged the Arab League to condemn the killings and the United Nations to take measures to protect civilians. Netizens react to the crimes being committed against Syrian civilians under the Twitter hash tag #ChristmasMassacre

Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights

  21 December 2011

Arrests, beatings and harassment face protesters championing for the rights of 100,000 stateless in Kuwait, struggling to have the rights to documents, education, health care, employment, and most importantly naturalization. Mona Kareem takes a look at protests over the past few days in Kuwait and the police crackdown that followed.

Mauritania: Bloggers Call for the Boycott of Government-Sponsored Conference

  21 December 2011

Mauritania announced plans it would host Arab bloggers and activists involved in Arab revolutions in its capital Nouakchott. Its bloggers have joined forces to call on their Arab counterparts to boycott the event which is being organised by a military regime, which bans protests in the country, to embellish its image. They also remind activists that their country's regime has stood against Arab revolutions, in support of Gaddafi in Libya and Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Russia: Alexey Navalny Released From Jail

RuNet Echo  20 December 2011

“Everyone's waiting for Navalny ) 5 more minutes! pic.twitter.com/3BRHiuGa,” tweeted [ru] @varlamov a short while ago, posting a picture of the crowd waiting outside a Moscow prison for activist Alexey Navalny‘s release. @plushev tweeted [ru]: “Absolutely fantastic numbers. In the middle of the night, some 5,000 people are viewing [the...

Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity

  20 December 2011

Thousands of Egyptian women took to the streets of Cairo today to protest for their dignity, after women were beaten up by soldiers during running battles between the army and protesters in and around Tahrir Square since December 16.

China: Guangdong Uprising, Now in Haimen

  20 December 2011

Since the village of Wukan in Guangdong province was placed under siege after kicking out party and government officials, at least two nearby towns have launched actions of their own. The most recent, which broke out today, has reportedly seen 30,000 people blocking a busy freeway.