Stories from 13 December 2011
‘Support Rohingya Refugees’ Facebook Page
The ‘Support Rohingya Refugees’ Facebook page aims to gather support and spread awareness about the plight of the Rohingya refugees who are ‘rejected’ in Myanmar and in other countries of the region
Russia: Post-Election Protest in Vladivostok on December 10
Prior to the national protests that took place on December 10 in various Russian cities, Vladivostok internet community has been actively discussing the necessity to protest. Masha Egupova reported the events and discussion.
Arab World: Congratulations Tunisia!
Human rights activist Moncef Marzouki, 66, has been elected as Tunisia's new interim president today. His appointment, which was followed by a moving acceptance speech, was noted by netizens from across the Arab world, who cheered on Tunisia's progress towards democracy, wishing the same for their countries.
Ukraine: Grand Theft Auto
LEvko of foreign notes discusses reports that Ukraine's Minister of Justice, Oleksandr Lavrynovych, owns a Mercedes luxury car which was reported stolen in Germany nearly two years ago.
Egypt: Using Twitter for a Healthier Life
Can Twitter be used to save people's lives or improve their health? Tarek Amr looks at a Twitter account, ran by a couple in Egypt, aimed at increasing health awareness in society, often touching on taboo topics, such as sex education.
Brazil: Journalist Threatened at Belo Monte Dam Construction Site
Brazilian journalist Ruy Sposati, in Altamira, Pará, denounces the death of yet another worker at the Belo Monte Dam construction site, another round of mass layoffs of workers on strike and a death threat against him for covering the stories in a series of tweets [all links in pt].
Brazil/Russia: The Struggle for Democracy in the Aftermath of Elections
Brazilian professor in political sciences Maurício Santoro, has written an analysis [pt] about of recent Russian elections. He comments on the allegedly rigged results and the struggle for democracy in the country.
Brazil: Youth Demands for “Real Democracy Now”
Brazilian journalist and blogger Lucas Morais analyzes [pt] the revolutionary movements that have spread throughout the world in 2011 and says that “this youth has increasingly become more aware of the limits of capitalist democracy, and not for nothing, it is fighting for a ‘real democracy now'”.
Argentina: Justice System Orders Blockage of Series and Film Site Cuevana.tv
Few Argentinian websites have achieved the same success and impact as Cuevana, the Argentinian site for watching films and TV series online. The great popularity of the site, however, has also meant that it has been presented with lawsuits from the organisations that own the copyrights to the content shown on the site: Turner Argentina and HBO.
Tunisia: Moncef Marzouki the New President of the Republic
Tunisia, the country that was the spark of the so called Arab Spring almost a year ago, now has a new interim President: Moncef Marzouki. Tunisian netizens react to the 66-year-old human rights activist's new position.
Chile's Urban Cycling Movements
Rodrigo Gómez Arratia writes for Mi Voz [es] about urban cycling in Chile and the different movements that promote it.
El Salvador: Visiting El Calvario Church
Fernando Marroquin [es] posts pictures of El Calvario church in downtown San Salvador. He blogs about the church's history and encourages his readers to get acquainted with San Salvador's historic downtown.
Russia: Gregory Shvedov on Braving the Putin Regime Online
The wave of popular, peaceful and nationwide protests in Russia has spread hopes of piecemeal reform. Gregory Shvedov, who heads the online news agency Caucasian Knot, is optimistic—but state pressure on his organization is far from easing.
Peru: State of Emergency Declared in Cajamarca
After the ongoing strike against the Conga mining project in the Peruvian town of Cajamarca, a high level commission went to the city to negotiate an end to the strike, but the dialogue concluded with no result. Hours later, the region was declared in a State of Emergency.
Uzbekistan: President decides to cut his term
Mansurhon says that the Uzbek Parliament’s decision to pass a constitutional amendment reducing the length of presidential term from current seven to five years, sparked a lot of controversy in the country.
Uzbekistan: Prime-minister's page on Facebook is also fake
Tomyris writes about a fuss around Facebook account of the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan that gave rise to political speculations among the observers. The page has proved to be not authentic though.
Peru: Protests Against Mining in Videos, Part I
Recent protests against the environmental damage caused by mining in Peru have sparked plenty of audiovisual material, from campaigns to raise awareness, to citizen videos of protests, repression and more. In this first post of a two-part series, Juan Arellano highlights videos that explain the context of this conflict.
Uzbekistan: Forged Facebook story about post-interrogation suicide
Sarah Kendzior reports about the story of Gulsumoy Abdujalilova, an invented person with fake Facebook profile, who allegedly committed suicide after being interrogated by the Uzbek police.
Afghanistan: Being Disable Is Not An Unability
yahweh writes how situation with the rights of women and disabled persons has developed in Afghanistan since 2001, when the Afghan government and its international allies pledged to advance gender issues following the military intervention to oust the Taliban.
Saudi Arabia: The Witch Hunt Continues; Woman, 60, Beheaded for “Sorcery”
Saudi Arabia has executed a 60-year-old woman for practicing “witchcraft and sorcery.” The beheading of Amina bint Abdul Halim bin Salem Nasser in the northern province of Jawf yesterday has angered international human rights organisations and sparked the ridicule of netizens on Twitter.
Syria: Razan Ghazzawi Charged, Bloggers Continue Campaign
Eight days after her arrest, Razan Ghazzawi has been charged, according to an article from the Lebanese Daily Star. Bloggers continue their campaign to free her.
