Stories about Human Rights from April, 2010
Azerbaijan: Dozens reported detained at anniversary commemoration
Twitter and Facebook users, as well as local news agencies, report that dozens of youth activists were today detained in Azerbaijan as they attempted to mark the first anniversary of...
India: Sacrificing Career Freedom For Marriage
Prerna at I Love Life.. So I Explore shares a real life story from India about women, who are forced to sacrifice their career and other freedom to maintain balance...
Bangladesh: Media In Despair
Maskwaith Ahsan at Voice Of Bangladeshi Bloggers discusses about the shutting down of a private TV channel in Bangladesh by the government and issues relating to it.
Russia: The 2009 Killing of Umar Israilov
Robert Amsterdam writes about Ramzan Kadyrov's alleged involvement in the 2009 murder of Umar Israilov in Vienna, and links to C.J. Chivers’ New York Times investigative piece, whose opening paragraph...
China: The 42th anniversary of Lin Zhao's death
Lin Zhao (林昭）, a Peking University student, was arrested in 1960 during the Anti-Rightist Campaign launched by Mao Zedong in 1957 and sentenced to death on 29 of April (today)...
Thailand: Online censorship amid protests
As Red Shirt protesters in Thailand continue to press their demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister, the government is also doing everything to weaken the protests, including the use of emergency powers to block TV stations, community radio stations, and websites that broadcast “subversive” stories.
Egypt: Gearing up for May 2 Protests
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia is urging her readers to mark May 2 on their calendars. A massive sit-in is being planned to call for a higher minimum wage in front of...
Paraguay: Journalist Santiago Leguizamón Murdered 19 Years Ago
Paraguay recently celebrated its annual Day of the Journalist on April 26, which is also a dark day for the profession because Santiago Leguizamón was murdered by hitmen in the border town of Pedro Juan Caballero.
China: New Avatar theme song inspired by forced evictions
Avatar director James Cameron admits he found inspiration for the film in China, and Chinese viewers saw a common story from today's China being told in the film. Somewhere in between, mashup artists have now imagined a theme song for Avatar as one might have been sung in Chinese.
Honduras: Journalists Using Bullet-Proof Vests and Prayer
The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog writes that Honduran journalists have been using bullet-proof vests and their faith in prayer [es] in light of the number of their...
French West Indies, Haiti: Immigration then & now
Indiscrétions tells the story [Fr] of a Haitian girl deported from Guadeloupe by the French customs authority, for allegedly presenting fake identity documents at the airport, while Gwakafwika announces [Fr...
“Boobquake” to challenge claims of Iranian cleric
A Purdue University student in the United States is asking women around the world to show a little cleavage or a little leg on Monday as a humorous test to disprove an Iranian cleric’s theory that immodest dress has the power to make the earth shake.
Bulgaria: Appeals for Help in Arevik Shmavonyan's Deportation Case
Svetla Encheva (BUL), Maya Markova of Maya's Corner and Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants, a Bulgarian NGO, appeal for help in the case of Arevik Shmavonyan, a pregnant Armenian...
Cuba: Journalist Reportedly Detained
Human Rights Cuba says that “Dania Virgen García, independent journalist and member of the group who march in support of the Ladies in White, was detained and taken to the...
Russia, Poland: The Truth About Katyn
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about Andrzej Wajda’s 2007 film Katyń, which has been shown twice in Russia in the past few weeks (reactions from the Russian blogosphere are...
Russia: “The Sirens of Russia”
A Good Treaty posts a YouTube video of a Moscow driver's encounter with a high-ranking official's BMW and explains why “the special road status of the elite is a sore...
Sri Lanka: Police Brutality
Chitrangi’s Weblog shares a story of police brutality on a 32 years old worker of the Sri Lanka Transport Board in Panadura.
Cuba: Reporting via Twitter
“It is true that we broadcast blindly and that we cannot read our readers’ replies or references, but at least we are reporting on the Island in 140 character fragments”:...
Haiti: Part of History
The Haitian Blogger republishes an article by Melanie Newton which suggests that what happens in Haiti post-earthquake “is a question of world historical significance.”
Russia: Authorities Inspect Major Social Network
Russia authorities started inspection of the country's major social network Vkontakte.ru, rbcdaily.ru reported. The authorities claim the social network became popular with neo-Nazi, xenophobic and extremist groups. But the inspection...
Azerbaijan: Nationalist propaganda
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines recounts being verbally abused by a fellow countryman after co-presenting with Global Voices Online's Caucasus regional editor at a recent conference. The blogger notes that...
