By: CPJ, January 20, 2010
An excerpt of the petition: “The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to open a new page in your government’s policies toward the independent and opposition press, one that would demonstrate tolerance for the critical role of media in a democracy. No other action would contribute to this goal as much as the immediate release of Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of the now-closed independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan.”
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Jailed former Kyrgyz minister urges supporters to end hunger strike
By: RFE, January 20, 2010
Former Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov, who was sentenced to eight years in jail last week, today called on protesters to end a week-old hunger strike in his support. Isakov’s lawyer, Azimbek Beknazarov, told protesters in Bishkek that he had met with Isakov, who thanked them for their support but urged them to stop the strike.
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Uzbekistan accuses artist of libel for her ethnographic work
By: Sonia Zilberman, CIVICUS, January 20, 2010
Umida Akhmedova, a leading photographer and cinematographer in Uzbekistan, has been charged with “libel” and “insulting” the Uzbek people, for her photo album “From Men and Women: from Dusk till Dawn”, published with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland.
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Kazakh group to award democracy prize to jailed men
By: RFE, January 18, 2010
A Kazakh opposition group will jointly award a democracy prize to a jailed journalist, rights activist, and businessman. Organizers said they had to change the original venue due to government pressure on the owners of the hotel where the ceremony was to take place.
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Uzbek secret services collect the records about independent journalists
By: Alexey Volosevich, Ferghana, January 15, 2010
The Tashkent Public Prosecutor’s office conducted the series of interrogations of several independent journalists, working in Uzbekistan. On January 7 five of them – Vasiliy Markov, Sid Yanyshev, Abdumalik Boboev, Khusniddin Kutbiddinov and Marina Kozlova were called for “an interview” with Bakhrom Nurmatov, the assistant Public Prosecutor of Tashkent.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
HRW on deteriorating human rights situation in Thailand
By: Political Prisoners in Thailand, January 21, 2010 Yesterday PPT wrote about human rights in Thailand and said of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva: “His statements can’t be trusted and no one should be fooled into thinking that he has a ‘liberal’ political streak. Each time he speaks in public, especially to foreigners, he presents his ‘liberal face’. Read full article… Long prison sentences handed down to Vietnamese dissidents Burma: Junta increases attacks on rights activists Burmese students join demonstrations at Nalanda University Burma: ILO extends agreement to monitor labor rights Le Cong Dinh convicted of subversion by Vietnam Indonesia: Execution sought for man accused of murdering love rival Burma: Activists sentenced ‘without evidence’ |
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EAST ASIA
China slams Clinton’s internet speech: ‘Information imperialism’
By: Christopher Bodeen, Huffington Post, January 22, 2010 Beijing issued a stinging response Friday to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s criticism that it is jamming the free flow of words and ideas on the Internet, accusing the United States of damaging relations between the two countries by imposing its “information imperialism” on China. Read full article… China builds up great firewall as economy grows Chinese ‘want web freedom’ Even a censored internet has opened up a world for Chinese users Hong Kong alarm as China jails Tiananmen dissident China: Charter 08 lawyer ‘followed’ South Korean human rights body breaks silence on abuses in North China jails senior judge for life over corruption China: The monitoring of mobile SMS
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SOUTH ASIA
Afghans protest deaths of four in NATO-government raid
By: Reuters, January 21, 2010 Scores of Afghans protested today over the deaths of four men in a nighttime raid by Afghan and NATO-led forces. Locals said the victims were civilians, but the force said the dead were Taliban insurgents. Over 100 people took to the streets of a small bazaar in Qarabagh district in Ghazni Province, southwest of Kabul, to demonstrate, locals told Reuters by telephone. Read full article… UN: Afghanistan survey points to huge scale of bribery Nepal’s civil society
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Continuing Cory Aquino’s life work
By: Sonny Coloma, Vector, January 21, 2010 First, Time hailed her as Woman of the Year. Then she was chosen as one of Asia’s heroes. When she passed away in August last year, she was dubbed as People Power’s Saint. In Time’s 2009 year-ender, its editors bade farewell to her as the Saint of Democracy. Read full article… 2009 a year of living dangerously as autocrats target activists Human rights abusers growing stronger Kissing the tiger: Peace as a pre-requisite for development What is implied by living in a world of flow
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World Report 2010
By: Human Rights Watch, January 2010 This 20th annual World Report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects extensive investigative work undertaken in 2009 by Human Rights Watch staff, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in question. Read full article… Call for nominations for Gwangju prize for human rights 2010 EarthRights International invites local activists to join training in its Mekong School Global voices online announces new network on technology for transparency Announcing the technology for transparency network |
By: Jared Malsin, Open Democracy, November 9, 2009
Whether stereotyped as terrorists or idolised as freedom fighters, Palestinians are not a people often associated with nonviolence. In a world of checkpoints, airstrikes, squalid refugee camps, and nightly raids by the Israeli Defence Forces, peaceful political means at times seem incommensurate with their ends. Yet, the Palestinian tradition of nonviolence is both old and very much alive today.
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