Stories about Weblog from December, 2011
Italy, Senegal: Strong Reactions Follow Murder of 2 Senegalese Men in Florence
On December 13, Gianluca Casseri opened fired on a group of Senegalese in two outdoor markets in Florence. The horrific event resulted in the death of two street vendors from Senegal, as well as the perpetrator. Abdoulaye Bah reports on the country's reactions.
Armenia: Activists Demand Controversial Governor's Dismissal
Surik Khachatryan, the governor of Armenia's southern Syunik province, has been making headlines in the last month for all the wrong reasons. No stranger to controversy, activists are now demanding his dismissal.
Kazakhstan: Reactions to Strike Crackdown as Police Brutality Video Emerges
Clashes in the town of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, on December 16-17, 2011, when a labour strike suddenly broke out in violence, looting and arson leaving at least 14 dead and hundreds of civilians and policemen injured, have caused considerable debate online. Adil Nurmakov reports.
Japan: Life Decisions in the Face of Radiation Fear
The decision to move away differs from the more reactive evacuations that occurred this spring after the initial nuclear disasters. A blogger who decided to stay calls for a more logical understanding of the nuanced undercurrents of our emotional struggles.
Kuwait: Online Advocacy for the Stateless Bidoun
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.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Garlic Wars
With tensions high between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of a still unresolved territorial dispute, the appearance of Azerbaijani garlic in Armenian supermarkets has made some local media hysterical.
Egypt: Free Maikel Nabil Sanad – A Prisoner of Conscience
When Egyptians took to the streets at the start of their revolution last January, their chant “The People and the Army are One Hand!” was heard around the world. Today, after the army turned its guns on citizens, netizens are remembering the words of one blogger who had warned that the army and the people were never one hand. This is the story of Maikel Nabil Sanad.
Syria: A Christmas Massacre
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
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
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.
Peru: Racism Debated on Social Networks
A recent incident at a Lima movie theater has turned a spotlight on the issue of racism. Netizens are commenting on this and other similar incidents and on the bigger issue of racism in a multicultural society like Peru.
Palestine: Planning a Virtual Funeral
It is extremely difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to visit Israel, and for political reasons it is impossible for most other Arabs to do so. At the same time, Palestinian citizens of Israel are unable to travel to much of the Arab world, because they have Israeli passports. Rasha Hilwi has been reflecting on how these restrictions on movement will affect her – after she dies.
Malawi: Actor's Arrest Reminiscent of Past Dictatorship's Censorship Laws
Malawi police on Sunday afternoon December 18, stormed a stage on which a play was being performed, arrested the main actor mid-sentence and led him away into a waiting police van. Steve Sharra reports.
Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity
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.
Global Voices: Donate Today
2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our contributors reporting from around the world.
Arab World: Global Voices Bridges on Twitter
As a part of our end-of-year coverage we in the Middle East and North Africa region look back at some of the major events we covered during 2011. The following post highlights the role of the Global Voices Online community in spreading information on Twitter during the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.
Brazil: How Many Lives Does the Guarani-Kaiowá's Land Cost?
Last November, 42 gunmen attacked an indigenous reserve in Mato Grosso do Sul, executing Nísio Gomes, 59, chief of the Guaraní Kaiowá and several other villagers. These attacks take place at the same time as Brazil consolidates its position as one of the leading exporters of agricultural goods and biofuels in the world, and Mato Grosso do Sul one of its most productive states.
China: Guangdong Uprising, Now in Haimen
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.
Mozambique: The Irrepressible Facebook Blogger
Mozambique is a country with a few superbloggers and little else to report in terms of consistent expression on the open internet, but with dramatic growth of Facebook (via mobile) one brave personality has risen to the fore in this walled, blue and white world. With his frontal political comment and criticism "Apóstolo da Desgraça" has become a reference, and received threats.
Kazakhstan: Longtime Strike Bursts into Violence; State of Emergency Declared
As Kazakhstan was preparing for the pompous celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the country's independence, the seven month-long strike of employees sacked from the national oil company's subsidiary in West Kazakhstan was evolving into brutal clashes with police forces, apparently, with the help of unidentified provocateurs.
Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues
Bahraini protesters have been continuing with their daily protests despite a government crackdown. This none forceful confrontation with protesters has resulted in two deaths and countless injuries since Thursday. Netizens react to the new developments in the country.
