Stories about Weblog from May, 2018
The not-forgotten soldier: Afghan serviceman goes viral after Taliban execution
"The Last Gaze of the Free Man!"
What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week?
During the week of May 21-27, 2018, our stories and translations attracted readers from 206 countries. Number 19 on the list? Lebanon. And number 198? Faroe Islands.
Same-sex love ‘is just as legitimate’ as heterosexual love, says Cuban activist Yadiel Cepero
"The concept of 'normal' or 'natural' is as relative as humanity itself."
‘Bocamandja': The theatrical adventure strengthening Equatorial Guinean culture
"When the actors and actresses have spent some time working you realise that they have an interior defiance which makes them face things head on."
Acquittal of Fiji Times sedition case hailed as victory for press freedom in Oceania
"It has become quite obvious that the government of Fiji has continued to charge people with sedition to suppress freedom of speech and also political dissent."
Bangladesh's ‘zero tolerance’ crackdown on drugs is leaving dozens dead
Human rights advocates say security forces are extrajudicially killing those suspected of drug crimes.
In India, 13 people are killed after police open fire on copper plant protesters
"My Constitution...ensures my right to protest. It ensures my right to life,livelihood,safe and healthy environment. #Thoothukkudi exposes the barbaric assault on these rights."
Macedonians manage to joke about a serious naming dispute with Greece
Although most citizens of the Republic of Macedonia consider the naming dispute with Greece a serious matter, some have dealt with it through humor and satire.
Sabika Sheikh, the Pakistani student slain in US school shooting, had wanted to bridge the two countries
"...she said...'I want to learn the American culture and I want America to learn the Pakistan culture and I want us to come together and unite,'" her host mother recalled.
Mexico's new copyright law allows censorship of online content, rights advocates warn
The Mexican chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation warned that the approved changes "criminalize the act of publishing" and "legalize acts of violating the fundamental and constitutional rights..."
Malaysia’s new government urged to implement media reforms
"These are the principles that have now evolved after much pain and argument in most modern democracies and Malaysia would do well to join them."
Tunisian journalists say police union attacks are having a chilling effect on press freedom
Impunity for abuses committed by security forces and police unions "is almost becoming a norm," according to the syndicate of Tunisian journalists.
What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week?
During the week of May 14-20, 2018, our stories and translations attracted readers from 211 countries. Number 109 on the list? Gabon. And number 13? Germany.
Making Japan's hot springs more friendly for LGBT folks
"This is the first time I've entered a communal bath in 13 years. It made me so happy!”
Photo essay: Stateless in the former Soviet republic of Georgia
"Citizenship is all I need to heal the scar of not belonging."
Netizen Report: What do Iran, Pakistan and Russia have in common? They all ban Telegram.
The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in internet rights around the world.
Asunción, Paraguay: A city in transformation that is excluding its residents
"They do not want us here. They want an alternative Asunción, one where those in need are not in sight."
Was Bangkok Post editor Umesh Pandey fired for mismanagement or political pressure?
"I rather lose my position than to bow my head."
Kazakhstan's hunt for supporters of tycoon Ablyazov gets absurd and goes abroad
From blue balloon scares to arrests in neighbouring countries, the chase gets more farcical as it gets more serious.
Yangon police and a group of ‘nationalists’ violently dispersed a peace march in Myanmar
"Who were those self-proclaimed “citizens” and why did the police officers present turn a blind eye when they attacked?"
Venezuelans who hope for government change face dilemma — to vote or not to vote?
"The government picks all the candidates, sets the rules of the game, forbids any scrutiny [...and] blackmails voters with food and medicine..."