· June, 2012

Stories about Protest from June, 2012

Cuba: Two Protests, Many Arrests

The Ladies in White (Las Damas de Blanco) are again top of mind with Cuban diaspora bloggers. As one of the oldest and most respected opposition entities on the island, their peaceful protests - and regular arrests by state security forces - continue to attract attention. The most recent confrontation happened this past weekend as members of the group attempted to carry out two protests in Havana.

19 June 2012

Iran: Is LGBT an Online Reality?

Homosexuality, which is banned in Iran, is punishable by prison or death. Fred Petrossian speaks to a researcher who led a team which studied how Iranian LGBT communities use internet in their daily lives.

19 June 2012

Togo: Violent Police Clash With ‘Save Togo’ Protesters

A peaceful march by the 'Save Togo' collective on June 12 degenerated into a stand off with security forces and around 120 injuries were recorded. Amongst other things, the protesters are calling for the implementation of recommendations relating to torture and wide ranging constitutional change. Other demonstrations are scheduled for the coming week.

19 June 2012

Mauritania: Security Forces Break Up March, Arrest Activists

Coordinators of the youth opposition organised a demonstration held after Friday prayers on May 18, which saw opposition protestors leave the Saudi Mosque in the capital Nouakchott in a march headed towards the Ministry of Interior. The demonstration was forcefully suppressed by security forces using tear gas.

18 June 2012

Russia: Twitter Hashtag Targeting Putin Trends Worldwide

RuNet Echo

Last month, a Russian hashtag was briefly among the top worldwide trends on Twitter. This remarkable hashtag, written in Russian Cyrillic and 30 letters long, has been used to criticize President Putin and mock popular national events. Augis Barkov reports.

18 June 2012

Russia: Interview with Jesse Heath of The Russia Monitor

RuNet Echo

As an American lawyer and Anglophone blogger writing about Russia, Jesse Heath's work is distinct for its detailed focus on technical aspects of Russian law, economics, and politics. Kevin Rothrock recently spoke with Heath by telephone, to learn more about his history as a blogger and his contributions to the RuNet.

17 June 2012

Understanding the Violence in Western Myanmar

Dozens dead, more than two thousand houses burned down, and thirty thousand residents have been displaced by the communal violence in Rakhine State, west of Myanmar. Who are responsible for these deaths? How was the internet used to spread hate and racism? What are the views of ordinary citizens on this very complicated issue?

16 June 2012

Bulgaria: Protests Against Forest Act in Sofia

For two days, June 13 and 14, Bulgaria's capital Sofia was blocked due to the unsanctioned protests against the modification of the vague Forest Act. The third rally is scheduled to take place today. Ruslan Trad reports.

15 June 2012

Cuba: Bloggers say there are more like “Antunez”

Diaspora bloggers still have their attention focused on Cuban dissident Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antunez), who was reportedly beaten and detained following his testimony at a United States Senate sub-committee hearing concerned with infringements on the human rights of Cuban citizens.

14 June 2012

China: Grandpa Wen, I want to go to school!

Ministry of Tofu has captured some protest photos of rural migrant children at the entrance of Fengtai District Education Commission in Beijing, pleading to Chinese Primer Wen Jiabao with a...

14 June 2012

Myanmar: Protest Against Riot Attacks

CJ Myanmar reported[my] that Rakhine people in Yangon, Myanmar protested against riot attacks which already spread in nearby towns of the Rakhine state. The protestors include Rakhine ethnics and Buddhist...

13 June 2012