Stories about War & Conflict from August, 2013
A Letter on Syria to Western Narcissists
From Lebanon, Sean Lee, of The Human Province, pens a letter to Western narcissists on Syria: But please, don't let the conflict in Syria be about opposing America. Let it be about Syria, and what might actually help Syrians – you know, the actually existing people who are dying by...
Lebanon: The Smell of Death
On August 23, two bombs exploded in outside two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Forty-seven people were killed, and over 500 injured. Joey Ayoub, at Hummus for Thought, shares a must-read testimony of the heartbreak at the hospital of a friend who was in Al Salam mosque...
Missing ‘Bar Heaven’ Patrons in Mexico Found Dead
The bodies of the missing youth from #BarHeaven have been uncovered in a secret grave in Mexico State.
Chelsea Manning Case Surfaces Issues of Transparency, Security, Journalism, and Sexuality
What Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning's case means for whistleblowers, journalism, state secrecy, security, and the transgender community.
Fight Erupts in Saudi Mosque After Preacher Curses el-Sisi
The fight, uploaded on to YouTube, has gone viral and the tug-of-words continues online.
Citizens Concerned as Agrarian Strike Escalates in Colombia
The government and farmers have not reached an agreement following four days of protest. Citizens meanwhile show their concern and call for action.
A Lesson on Dignity from Syria
This post is part of our Special Coverage Surviving in Syria. On his Facebook Page, Rebel Painter of Horan expressed his cynicism towards the silence of Arabs silence following the “chemical weapon attack” on Al Ghouta, a Damascus suburb. He shares a drawing of an Arab giving a Syrian child a pamphlet on...
Syria: Photos of Chemical Weapons
On Brown Moses Blog more evidence illustrating what is believed to be the devices which have been used in the “Chemical Weapons attack” on 21/08/2013 in Damascus suburbs, Syria, has emerged. The blog claims that they are similar to those previously recorded in the conflict and reportedly launched by government...
Lebanese Blogger Beirut Spring Tweets from Tripoli Bomb Explosion
Lebanese blogger Mustapha Hamoui was a few metres away from the second blast, in his own apartment, when it occurred. He reports on the unfolding mayhem.
Wave of Violence Against Guatemalan Journalists
Guatemalan journalists Carlos Alberto Orellana Chávez was gunned down on Monday, August 19, 2013; he is the fourth journalist killed in Guatemala this year. In an opinion piece [es] published in Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre, UN's special rapporteur for freedom of expression Frank La Rue denounced “the recent wave of...
Bradley Manning's Sentence Could Chill Investigate Journalism
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement after Army Private First Class Bradley Manning's sentence was handed down on August 21, saying that the harsh treatment Manning endured since he was accused of violating the Espionage Act sent a disturbing message to anyone thinking about becoming a whistleblower....
East Port of Spain: A Pawn in Trinidad & Tobago's Politics?
As violent crime heats up in the eastern end of Trinidad's capital city, two bloggers discuss how the situation is being played by the media, the police and the government.
Chile's Presidential Campaigns Mum on ‘Mapuche Conflict’
The "Mapuche conflict", which refers to the ongoing clashes between the Chilean state and the Mapuche indigenous communities, has seen an escalation of violence recently.
Zambia Arrests Dozens After Secessionist Movement Appoints Local Leader
The secessionists believe that Zambia's Western Province, which they call by its its pre-colonial name, Barotseland, is an independent state.
Assad Accused of Dropping Chemical Bombs on Damascus Suburb Al Ghouta
Horrible footage of dying (and dead) children are plastered across social media, calling for the world to break its silence on the atrocities being committed against civilians in Syria.
30 Years Ago: Remembering The Anti-Tamil Pogrom And Riots In Sri Lanka
To remember Black July, the anti-Tamil pogrom and riots in Sri Lanka during July 1983, citizen journalism website Groundviews launched a special online publication titled “30 Years Ago“. It consists of an array of contents, from mixed media triptych to info-graphics, audio podcasts to video, photography to compelling write-ups. According...
Churches Attacked in Upper Egypt
David Degner shares photographs from the mobbed and burned churches in Mallawi, Minya, in Upper Egypt here. He writes: Friday two churches in the village of Mallawi, a village in the province of Minya, were attacked and set on fire. After the attack on the pro-Morsy sit in where more...
China: Egypt's Bloody Crackdown Brings Back Memories of Tiananmen
Egypt’s bloody crackdown on August 14 reminded many Chinese of the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. Many condemned the violent crackdown and applauded the courage of the Egyptian people to fight for democracy. But some saw the current chaos in Egypt as a result of a blind promotion of Western-style democracy....
PHOTO: Churches are Crying in Egypt
In reaction to burning churches, a little girl in Upper Egypt sketched this picture that brought tears to my eyes: pic.twitter.com/iymw3SF49R — daliaziada (@daliaziada) August 15, 2013 Egyptian women rights advocate Dalia Aziada posted this tweet after several Coptic churches were burnt across Egypt following a brutal military operation on August 14 2013, to clear...
Crowdmapping Mexico's Disappeared
# PorTodosLosDesaparecidos (For all the missing) is a direct initiative, without intermediaries, which seeks to create a direct contact between the victims, citizens, family and the media. The goal is to document the 27,000 people missing that the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has registered. The Secretary of the Interior...