Stories from 16 November 2012
Egyptians are Writing their own Secular Law .. on Twitter
Egyptians are drafting their very own secular law - on Twitter. It all started when Mahmoud Salem - aka Sandmonkey - suggested writing such a law after noting that Islamists have no respect for secular people and consider them to be both un-Islamic and controlled by non-Muslims. On cue, the hashtag #شريعة_العلمانية [ar] (Secular Law) soon came up, and was populated with suggestions on what this new sharia (law) for secular people should be.
Is Israel Planning a Ground Invasion of Gaza?
Gazans braced themselves for another day of continuous shelling, as news trickles in of the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion. Like yesterday, Palestinian bloggers in Gaza have been keeping followers updated on social media, around the clock.
What is the Role of the Army in Africa Today?
The army has often played a determining but ambiguous role in the African political process. Between 1950 and 2000, 53 African countries were subject to military coups leading to regime change. After a period of respite in the 1990’s, the African continent was once again the scene of many military coups in the first decade of the 21st century, with 27 attempts at takeover. Being both a factor in the consolidation and the destabilisation of regimes, the army is regarded with suspicion in most countries and does not seem to know how to adapt to changing mindsets.
An Invitation to Discuss Reforms to Costa Rica's Cybercrime Law
Ticoblogger invites [es] netizens to discuss [es] proposed reforms to Costa Rica's Cybercrime Law. The site calls on bloggers, Twitter users and blog readers to analyze and report any errors in different proposals to reform the law. Participants can leave a comment on the site or send their posts to...
Chad: A Petition to Fight Impunity
Makaila ‘s blog published [fr] a petition cosigned by several human right organizations in Chad that bemoans the absence of investigation regarding war crimes. In addition, the petition notes [fr] that : We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that the executive power mingling into the judicial power facilitates the use of...
Is Ethiopia Fit to be a Member of the United Nations Human Rights Council?
Ethiopia was among four African countries that were elected as members of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 12 November, 2012. Considering Ethiopia's poor human rights record, many Ethiopians online feel that their country is not fit to be a member of the council. One netizen uses a local proverb to describe Ethiopia's membership at the council, "A fool makes a donkey carry red meat and send her along with a hyena! So the hyena will chomp through the red meat and later turn on the donkey!"
Chinese Intellectuals’ Silence Amid Tibetan Self-Immolations
Last week New York Time ran an article about the silence of Chinese intellectuals amid waves of Tibetan self-immolations. Gao Yu, a Chinese human rights activist commented [zh] on Twitter: Chinese people are so good at being indifferent. That's why there is the so-called phenomena of Xiang Lin Sao [a...
Hong Kong: Peaceful protest in solidarity with Gaza
Outraged by the Israeli air strikes attacks in Gaza earlier this week, peace activist in Hong Kong has organized a peaceful protest in the coming Sunday (November 18, 2012) to express their solidarity with the victims in Gaza.
Iran: Netizens Reflect on Four More Years for Obama
With Iran featuring as one of the main topics of US foreign policy, it's no surprise that Iranians took a great interest in the election. The majority of Iranians wanted Obama to win to avoid what they saw as a probable war.
Night Clashes Overshadow Portugal's Largely Peaceful General Strike
The general strike of November 14, 2012, in Portugal once again brought people against austerity to the streets across the country. The real motivations for the demonstrations however, were ignored by mainstream media, as by the end of an intense day of peaceful marches and sit-ins, confrontations between police and protesters turned the violence into top news.
Iranian Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh on Hunger Strike in Prison
Iranian human rights activist, lawyer and Sakharov Prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike for more than four weeks in reaction to the restrictions imposed on her family and the mistreatment of political prisoners by the Iranian authorities.
