By: Survival International, July 6, 2009
According to the report, twenty-three of the deceased were policemen, five ‘civilians’, and five ‘indigenous’. Two hundred people were wounded and eighty-three were arrested. Although doubts remain about the whereabouts of twelve people, the report states that it cannot find evidence of anyone who has ‘disappeared’.
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US: Independence Day for everyone
By: Cynthia Boaz, Huffington Post, July 3, 2009
Perhaps it is time to redefine what the terms patriotism and citizenship really mean in the post-post-Cold War world. President Obama assisted this effort enormously when he spoke directly to tyrants who would “cling to power [by] silencing dissent” and that “we will hold out a hand if you will unclench your fist.”
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Chile: Curarrehue demonstrating against mining
By: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, July 3, 2009
More than a hundred of people, between Mapuche, Lonko and governmental authorities got together at Reigolil, in the commune of Curarrehue, to demonstrate their disapproval concerning the mining exploitation that is expected on the area. This new mining exploitation – explain the Mapuche – will not only create environmental contamination, but also health problems.
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Guatemalan democracy: Hanging on by its fingernails
By: Courtney Carvill, Truthout, July 2, 2009
In a country where an average of 17 murders are committed each day and 98 percent of criminal cases remain unsolved, the May 10, 2009 assassination of prominent Guatemalan lawyer, Rodrigo Rosenberg, could easily have been dismissed. Instead, the dramatic elements of a video recording shown at the attorney’s funeral, in which Rosenberg forewarns the viewers of his own death, has brought Rosenberg’s murder to the height of national attention.
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US: Activists shout it from the mountaintop
By: One World, July 1, 2009
A renowned climate scientist, an actress, a former lawmaker, and local residents in West Virginia were arrested last week while protesting the coal mining method of mountaintop removal, which environmental experts and citizens say destroys mountain ranges and contaminates water. The protest came on the heels of a pledge by the Obama administration to reform regulations on mountaintop coal mining in the United States.
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US: Worker uprising against Wells Fargo spreads
By: Mike Elk, Truthout, July 1, 2009
This week, workers at Hartmarx Factory won a major victory against Wells Fargo, as Wells Fargo agreed to keep their factory open. The story of the Hartmarx workers had drawn national attention as they threatened to occupy their factory if Wells Fargo closed it.
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Peru: Rainforest natives block land decrees
By: Kelly Hearn, WPR, June 30, 2009
On June 10, some 30 men, their faces streaked red with war paint, stood clutching bows and arrows. “President Garcia is a thief and a murderer who only cares about making money by selling our land and water,” said one of them, Mario Silva. The week before, on June 5, Silva and his neighbors dug up a natural gas pipeline and threatened to explode it, to protest land laws that make it easier for companies to develop rainforest lands.
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Cuba: Mother and son on hunger strikes
By: Frank Correa, Miami Herald, June 29, 2009
Isabel Ramos continues her hunger strike in support of her son, Arturo Suárez, a political prisoner who started a hunger strike June 10. The latest news Suárez’s family received is that he’s in the infirmary of Havana’s Combinado del Este prison. He started his strike after authorities demanded that he wear a prison uniform for conjugal visits.
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ASIA/SOUTH ASIA
Is Nepal becoming a breeding ground for Tibetan revolt?
By: Nepal News, July 6, 2009 The latest wave of agitation against Chinese rule in Tibet is planned alongside the celebration of 74th birth anniversary of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan religious leader who operates his ‘government-in-exile’ from Dharmashala, northern India. Besides worldwide protests, Nepal has been the most strategic point for Tibetan movement as the country borders Tibet and China wants Nepal to prevent the demonstrations of Tibetan exiles in Kathmandu and prevent them from sneaking into Tibet. Read full article… Nepal: Over 200 temporary schoolteachers arrested Burma: Ban versus the junta – Who won? The Uighurs and China: Lost and found nation Scores killed in China protests Nepal: Government bans ‘Free Tibet’ protest Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi – 5,000 days in captivity Burma: A push to redraw the map A new Tiananmen – but this time China’s rebels are online PC makers offer China Internet filter China’s internet backdown lauded by activists Cambodia: Editor jailed for defamation |
CENTRAL ASIA
Kazakhstan: President stamps his personality on the nation
By: Joanna Lillis, EurasiaNet, July 2, 2009 It just so happens that the president celebrates his birthday on the same day as his new capital city, and — as he turns 69 — the man who is becoming known as “the first president” is stamping his presence ever more strongly on the nation. It’s not just in Astana. His handprint also graces a monument in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, as well as the national currency. Read full article… |
EUROPE
French anger as Iran holds woman
By: BBC News, July 6, 2009 France has demanded the release of a French academic who it says has been detained in Iran since 1 July, accused of spying. The French foreign ministry condemned the arrest of the unnamed woman and said the allegations of spying did not stand up to examination. She had been in Iran for five months, and was arrested at Tehran airport as she was about to depart for Beirut. Read full article… Italy: Protesters clash with police at demonstration against expansion of US base Celebrity activism: “Like it or not, I’m involved” Kremlin critic pins Russia democracy hopes on Obama UK: Drax protesters found guilty of obstructing coal train Spain steps back from universal jurisdiction Russian soldier requests political asylum in Georgia |
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA
Egyptian authorities punish two activists for Palestinian solidarity work
By: International Solidarity Movement, July 4, 2009 Natalie Abou Shakra, and Jenny Linnell, two activists who came to Gaza as part of the Free Gaza Movement voyages, both British nationals, were prevented from exiting the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing on the 28th of June, 2009 by the Egyptian border authorities. In addition to having special coordination by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Natalie and Jenny were given approval to pass through the Crossing by a call from the office of Mr. Yasser Othman from the MFA. Read full article… Israelis hold activists over attempt to reach Gaza Strip by boat Palestine: Shooting back |
OCEANIA
Papua activist gets three years for peaceful `provocation’
By: Top News Center, July 4, 2009 Papuan activist Bucthar Tabuni was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison for “provocation” at a pro-independence demonstration last year. Prosecutors had alleged Bucthar, the chairman of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP), committed treason during the demonstration and demanded the district court in Jayapura, Papua, sentence him to 10 years’ imprisonment. Read full article… Fiji: New constitution or delaying tactic? West Papua report – July 2009 |
The role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in democracy promotion
By: World Movement for Democracy, July 7, 2009 Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly being used in democracy work to strengthen solidarity, increase communication among organizations and activists, and share information more quickly. In particular, the introduction of ICTs in developing countries, especially throughout Africa, has sparked growth in the use of Short Message Service (SMS) technology on mobile phones and the use of the Internet by individuals in rural communities. Read full article… The age of Paine The imperative of learning about human rights as a way of life Global Voices translation exchange takes off |
Honduras: Les médias dans la tourmente du coup d’État
By: Reporters Sans Frontieres, June 6, 2009 Les journalistes Patricia Arias de la chaîne publique Canal 8, Allan Mc Donald du quotidien El Heraldo, Aníbal Barrow de Hondured et Esdras Amado López, propriétaire de la chaîne Canal 36 n’ont pas disparu mais ont préféré se placer en retrait en raison de la crise politique actuelle. Read full article… Récit des violations de la liberté de la presse en temps réel |
By: Spencer Ackerman, The Washington Independent, June 18, 2009
I’ve just conducted a phone interview with Akbar Ganji, one of the leading Iranian dissidents and most prominent voices in the international community for a more liberal Iran. He knows its brutality in a deeply personal way: the regime imprisoned Ganji for five years after he wrote a series of articles exposing its human rights abuses. This is the first interview he’s given to an English-language news outlet since the Iranian uprising broke out last weekend.
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