Stories about Digital Activism from August, 2012
Pakistan: Conflicting Reports in #SaveRimsha Blasphemy Case
The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been the focus of a heated debate yet again, after a minor christian girl named Rimsha was accused of blasphemy and was sent to jail. There have been a few conflicting reports about the case, and the most significant one being a picture of a girl being used, that has now become the face of the #SaveRimsha campaign.
Sri Lanka: The 3rd Annual #TweetupSL is Tomorrow
Indu Nanayakkara informs that the third edition of the annual meet of the Twitter users in Sri Lanka will take place on Saturday, September 1, 2012. Details are here.
Russia: Moscow's Peculiar Illegal Parking Problem
Russian adventures and misadventures in parking could be a movie plot. But Russia’s parking problems are anything but comedy. It remains to be seen how vigorously the country will deal with illegal parking. If it succeeds, its methods could show what kind of transportation system and cities Russia will have, and even what kind of country it will be.
Angola: Before Polls, Serious Questions Arise
On the eve of Angola’s elections, leader of the country’s largest opposition party was loud and clear to the media, stating the electoral process was the worst ever. Citizens report on lack of transparency around the electoral rolls, problems with polling staff assignments and lack of accredited observers.
Philippines: Facebook Photos Removed for International Day of the Disappeared
'Please take down your profile picture on August 30, Thursday, in solidarity with the friends and family of the missing, from the Martial Law days up to the present, who continue to seek justice.'
Ukraine: Humorous Political Ad Sparks Online “Pussy Cat Riot”
After weeks of tensions caused by the adoption of the controversial Language Law and in the midst of an intense pre-election mudslinging period, Ukrainians are finally rewarded with the much-needed comic relief - which they have promptly transformed into something of an online political protest movement.
Brazil: 13 Year-Old Exposes School Problems on Facebook
Diário de Classe [pt], a Facebook page created by Isadora Faber, a 13 year-old from Santa Catarina, Brazil, has already gathered more than 176,000 “likes”. Aiming to “show the truth about...
Macedonia, Bulgaria: Social Media Users Help Expose Forgery
A fact-checking intervention - a joint effort by Macedonian and Bulgarian social media users - has helped independent journalists expose forged documents used as a lure for suspicious humanitarian donations.
Russia: Chainsaws to the Cross
On August 25, unknown parties sawed down three wooden crosses in the city of Chelyabinsk, in the Urals. The same night, another cross came down in Arkhangelsk, in the north. Was it a copycat political statement, or a dire plot by the Kremlin to sow discord?
Angola: Citizens Report Electoral Irregularities
The website EleicoesAngola2012.com [pt] receives and shares denouncements of irregularities concerned with the preparation for Angola's general elections that will take place on August 31. Any citizen can submit reports via...
Palestine: Governments are Afraid of the Internet
Palestinian poet and author Mourid Al Barghouti tweets [ar]: “By God, how can governments which fear the Internet scare their enemies?”
Jordan: A Black Day to Protest Internet Censorship
'Over 150 sites in Jordan are going black, including the country's top new sites, to protest laws that restrict internet freedom #blackoutjo.' - On August 29, websites went offline to draw attention to the dangers of the impending legislation.
Sudan: Twitter Activist Released After Two Months in Detention
'I was threatened w/ sexual assault/abuse numerous times during that day. At one point, even by a top-rank #NISS officer.' In June, the Sudanese National Intelligence & Security Service arresting thousands including Twitter activist Usamah Mohamed Ali.
Bahrain: Prominent Pro-Government Twitter Accounts Stop
Bahrain’s local twittersphere is experiencing the sudden disappearance of two of the most prominent anonymous pro-government Twitter accounts that were extremely active during the unrest of last year. Both @7areghum and @alfarooo8 haven’t tweeted in little over two weeks, setting off a hunt for the two.
Tajikistan's Capital Mayor Meets with Facebook Users
In a rare display of political openness, the mayor of the country's capital Dushanbe met with some 400 Facebook users and responded to their criticisms. The meeting was broadcast live online.
Poland: Interview with Adam Dobrzynski, GV Translator and Heavy Metal Musician
An interview with Adam Dobrzynski, a member of the heavy metal band "Wanderer" and a translator for GV Poland.
Tunisian Political Cartoonist _Z_: ‘Nothing Has Really Changed’
Tunisian anonymous political cartoonist _Z_ has been using his blog to express himself since 2007. His caricatures, which did not please the country's former autocratic ruler Ben Ali, do not seem to please Tunisia’s Islamists either.
Niger: Floods leave thousands Homeless in Niamey
Barmou Salifou in Niger posts the following request on twitter after floods devastated Niamey [fr] on August 19:
Macedonia: Crowdsourcing Against Gender-Based Violence
Ushahidi blog's current “Deployment of the Week” selection [en, mk] is React! Be Safe! (“Реагираj!”), an online platform against gender-based violence in public spaces [en, mk, sq], launched by the...
Russia: Pussy Riot's Courthouse Is Hacked By Anonymous
On August 21, just days after Moscow's Khamovnicheskii Court sentenced the 3 members of Pussy Riot to 2 years in prison, hackers attacked and vandalized [ru] the court's official website [ru]. Hackivist groups self-identifying...
