By: BBC, September 2, 2009
Two bloggers from Azerbaijan are facing up to five years in jail. Shortly after the video was released, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli were held on hooliganism charges. Their lawyer says the arrests were politically motivated. In the video, the donkey extols the benefits of living in Azerbaijan and praises the government for its positive attitude towards donkeys. The video was seen by many as a send-up of government news conferences, which critics say are often little more than propaganda events.
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Azerbaijan: Protest held against demolition of Baku mosque
By: RFERL, September 2, 2009
Police dispersed a group of demonstrators on September 1 protesting an Azerbaijani court ruling that allows for the demolition of the Fatimeyi Zehra Mosque in the capital. The protesters addressed their appeal to President Ilham Aliev, demanding an end to the demolition of mosques. One of the protesters suggested to an RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service correspondent that other mosques might be torn down in the absence of protests.
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Uzbekistan: New abuse of jailed dissident
By: UNHCR, August 27, 2009
Uzbek authorities should promptly investigate new allegations of abuse against a political prisoner, Yusuf Jumaev, and ensure that his family is permitted regular visits, Human Rights Watch said today. Jumaev’s daughter saw him on August 17, 2009, told Human Rights Watch that he was beaten by a prison guard not long before her visit.
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EUROPE
Russia: New search for Politkovskaya killer
By: Al Jazeera, September 3, 2009 The trial into the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the Kremlin critic and journalist, has been halted by Russia’s Supreme Court and a new investigation ordered into her killing. The decision on Thursday reversed a ruling by a lower court which had rejected a request by Politkovskaya’s children for a single probe into her 2006 killing. Read full article… Poland: There are millions of us and we want changes Belarus: Minsk dwellers reminded about disappeared politicians |
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MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA
Lebanon: March 14 Forces lash out against attacks on judiciary
By: Daily Star, September 03, 2009 The March 14 Forces coalition on Wednesday said attacks on the judiciary and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) carry a single derogatory message. “Such attacks aim to deliver the following message: If you [Lebanese] want [to preserve] civil peace then you have to drop demands for truth and justice,” former MP Fares Soueid stated following the weekly meeting of the March 14 Forces General Secretariat. Soueid recalled that the March 14 Forces raison d’etre was to preserve Lebanon’s independence and “seek truth and justice” into the series of assassinations since 2005. Read full article… Dalia Ziada on nonviolent action in Egypt and the Middle East Egypt: American blogger and activist detained, laptop confiscated Palestine: Unite against apartheid United for Baha’i Rights In village, Palestinians see model for their cause |
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OCEANIA
Malaysia: Plight of Borneo’s Penan
By: Al Jazeera, September 3, 2009 Armed with spears and blowpipes, hundreds of indigenous tribesmen in the jungles of Borneo island have mounted a last-ditch attempt to try to save their land from logging. Al Jazeera’s Divya Gopalan reports from Sarawak on the Penan. They have been battling loggers since the 1980s, when large-scale industrial logging commenced in the Malaysian state. At times the Penan have faced intimidation and violent crackdowns at the hands of security forces hired by logging firms and Malaysian police. Read full article… Fijian rivals spark election plans Fiji suspended from Commonwealth |
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OCEANIA
Malaysia: Plight of Borneo’s Penan
By: Al Jazeera, September 3, 2009 Armed with spears and blowpipes, hundreds of indigenous tribesmen in the jungles of Borneo island have mounted a last-ditch attempt to try to save their land from logging. Al Jazeera’s Divya Gopalan reports from Sarawak on the Penan. They have been battling loggers since the 1980s, when large-scale industrial logging commenced in the Malaysian state. At times the Penan have faced intimidation and violent crackdowns at the hands of security forces hired by logging firms and Malaysian police. Read full article… Fijian rivals spark election plans Fiji suspended from Commonwealth |
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Kazakhstan: Mobilisation de la société civile en soutien à Ramazan Eserguepov
By: Repoters sans Frontiers, September 2, 2009 Le 25 août 2009, trois cents personnes se sont rassemblées à travers le pays, pour remettre des pétitions réclamant l’abandon des poursuites par le directeur du service de la sécurité nationale (KNB) contre Ramazan Eserguepov et son journal Alma Ata Info. Le 8 août 2009, le journaliste avait été condamné à trois ans de prison ferme ainsi qu’à deux ans d’interdiction de publier. Read full article… |
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“Ten Thousand Lives” by Ko Un
By: Ode Magazine, August 31, 2009 During the 1970s Ko Un devoted his energy to the struggle for freedom and democracy in his country. He became one of the leading figures in the resistance movement against Korea’s military dictatorship. He was imprisoned four times and his third interment was meant to be for life. During that ordeal he was placed in solitary confinement in total darkness. In order to honor those people who had crossed his life, he promised that should he ever come out alive, he would write a poem for each and every one of them. A change of government allowed Ko Un and other political prisoners to be released. True to his promise, he started work on Ten Thousand Lives… Read full article… |
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Guide to Twitter for activism… en Español
By: DigiActive, September 2, 2009 We are very excited to announce the translation of the DigiActive Guide to Twitter for Activism in Spanish, our first Spanish content on this site. You can download a PDF version or also download the original English version here. We are so grateful to our (anonymous) team of volunteer translators for making this new version possible. For more information… Human Rights Watch, fellowships in International Human Rights |
By: Sherrie Baver, North American Congress on Latin America, August 21, 2009
The most notable instance of a massive and successful social protest in Puerto Rico in recent years has been on the island of Vieques between 1999 and 2003. This was a rare case in which Puerto Ricans were able to overcome their partisan divisions to end the U.S. Navy’s 60 years of training on this small, 51-square-mile island off the main island’s east coast. Part of the reason for the Vieques victory, including gaining support from some influential U.S. politicians, was that leaders framed the protest in terms of human rights, public health and environmental degradation rather than Yanqui imperialism.
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National Union of Somali Journalists launches Facebook page
By: Facebook, August 18, 2009
On August 18, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSJ) launched its own official Facebook page to defend and promote freedom of the press and rights of Somali journalists. The page features reports of the ongoing spate of violent attacks and other violations against the media in Somalia as well as statements from concerned organizations, partners and governments. The page is also championing safety of journalists and an enabling environment for a free and independent media in the country.
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