Stories about Human Rights from May, 2010
Pakistan: The Lesson In The Facebook Ban
Following the lifting of the ban on Facebook by Lahore High-court, Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan questions: “So, what is the lesson in all of this? Who gained what...
MENA: Rage after Israel Attacks Gaza-bound Flotilla
Emotions are running high across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), after Israel attacked a peaceful flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza - and the Twittersphere is ablaze. Also, are tweets commenting on the situation being censored?
Maldives: A Non Muslim In the 100% Muslim Nation
Hasan Ziayu reports about a Maldivian who openly announced his disbelief in Islam on state television and was detained by police. Now the dilemma is: one cannot become a Maldivian...
Pakistan: Netizens Demand End To Internet Censorship
Sana Saleem at Mystified Justice posts a plea by the netizens to the Pakistani government to end the ongoing Internet censorship and intimidation in the country.
Jamaica: Mapping the state of emergency
Citiizen media initiative On The Ground News Reports creates a Google maps-based “situation map” to record incidents related to the state of emergency in Jamaica.
Bangladesh: The Reason For The Facebook Ban
Shada Kalo discusses about the recent ban on Facebook in Bangladesh – and how it gave a kid a ton of publicity.
Slovakia: The Fight for Nationalistic Voters
Tibor Blazko writes about the growing nationalistic sentiments driven by some Slovak and Hungarian politicians and translates a related satirical video.
Bangladesh: Facebook Temporarily Blocked
Bangladesh has become the second country in Asia after Pakistan to block the entire Facebook domain. Bangladeshi bloggers are expressing their astonishment, anger and protest against this ban.
Angola: Similarities between Cabinda and East Timor
Orlando Castro discloses [pt] the similarities between the Angolan enclave of Cabinda and the recent history of East Timor, criticizing the positions of the Portuguese and Timorese leaders for failing...
France: Questions and Controversy about ICC
EU-LOGOS blog explains why France was questioned by an Amnesty International report about its implementation in internal criminal law of the 1998 International Criminal Court status (fr). An impending bill...
Brazil: Rapper assaulted by Police Peacemaker Unit
MC Fiell, who recently launched a booklet about police approach at ‘favela‘ (slum) Santa Marta, was the target of a violent assault by members of the Police Peacemaker Unit (UPP)....
Zimbabwe: Outlawed newspaper coming back
Zimbabwe’s leading newspaper that was outlawed seven years ago, The Daily News, is coming back.
Eritrea: Exiled editor reunites with family
Mohammed Keita reports that the exiled Eritrea editor, Aaron Berhane, has reunited with his family.
Russia: Blogger and Activist Arrested for Viral Video
Leonid Nikolaev (aka LJ-user nikolaevleo) the main actor in the recent viral video against cars using emergency vehicle lighting had been arrested, lj-user halfaman reported. The blogger suggests the arrest...
Iran: Two Bloggers and Student Leader on Hunger Strike in Prison
Two bloggers and one leading student activist - deprived of their pen and blogs in an Iranian prison - are now using a hunger strike to protest prison conditions and defend their rights.
Israel: The Freedom Flotilla – PR Stunt or Humanitarian Act?
Nine ships sailing from various destinations, including Ireland, Turkey and Greece, are headed towards the Gaza Strip, with the goal of breaking the Israeli maritime blockade. Gilad Lotan takes a closer look at reactions from the Hebrew blogosphere.
Jamaica: Dudus, Security & Seaga
In the Tivoli Gardens area of Jamaica's capital city – home turf of alleged drug lord Michael Christopher “Dudus” Coke and epicentre of the unrest that has gripped the Caribbean...
Zimbabwe: Police raid house of Director of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe
After the arrest of two employees of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) on the 21st May 2010, the police have gone further to search the house of Chesterfield...
Iran: “Democracy is only the beginning”
“Democracy is only the beginning” is the name of a short film created by Franklin Pham and Arya Ghavamian. Several Iranian bloggers including Kamangir encouraged [fa] Iranians to vote for...
Zimbabwe: Members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe tortured
The two staff members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) who were arrested on Friday have been tortured by the police in their holding cells, Amanda Atwood reports.
Brazil: Exchange Student Victim of Racism at the University
Kadija Tu, an exchange student from Guinea-Bissau, was severely beaten inside the campus of UFPB [Federal University of the State of Paraíba] on May 24th, reports Eugenio Cruz from the...