8 September 2012

Stories from 8 September 2012

Tajikistan: Xenophobia on Facebook

[O]ur society – to be more exact, that part of our society which has internet access and actively uses social networks – is increasingly witnessing the expansion and strengthening of...

8 September 2012

Saudi Arabia: Reformist Figures Refuse Secret Trial

The third hearing session in the ongoing trials of two prominent Saudi human rights activists was held earlier today, September 8. Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid, who are among the co-founders of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, are facing charges that include inciting the public to protest and impeding the country’s development. When the judge insisted on holding the session behind closed doors, the activists decided to leave.

8 September 2012

Russia: Dreaming About Better Roads

RuNet Echo

Prime Minister Medvedev ordered the government to auction a construction contract to build another section of a still-incomplete toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. By signing the decree, Medvedev awakened a debate about the highway's negative environmental impact that only recently seemed to be subsiding.

8 September 2012