Stories from 7 June 2012
Azerbaijan: Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator Withdrawn
Uncut, an Index on Censorship blog, says that Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator has been withdrawn from a cinema in Baku, the capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan, for ‘technical reasons.’ The blog draws comparisons between the lifestyle and rule of the fictional Admiral General Aladeen and Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev.
Armenia: U.S. Honors Human Rights Advocates
Unzipped comments on the award of three prizes recognizing human rights advocates in Armenia. The award ceremony, attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, honored Artur Sakunts, whose office was recently attacked by nationalists, Tsovinar Nazarian, who campaigns against hazing in the military, and Epress, an online publication. The...
Jailed Iranian Blogger Begins Dry Hunger Strike
The painful story of Iranian bloggers has a new face these days: Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a jailed blogger who is serving a 15-year sentence in prison. Hossein has been on hunger strike since May, and has now stopped drinking water as well.
New eBook of Games for Kids from Around the World
The cheerful global blog, PocketCultures has published an e-book about 15 children's games from different countries that can easily be played by readers. The book is called Games for Kids of the World and can be downloaded for free on iPad, Mac or PC.
China: Tiananmen Political Prisoner Li Wangyang Found Dead
Li Wangyang, a Chinese political prisoner who spent most of his life in detention, was found dead on the morning of Wednesday 6 June, after being interviewed by overseas media about the June 4 (Tiananmen Square) Massacre of 1989 and the life of political prisoners in China. His death has provoked suspicions of foul play.
