Sudan opposition parties revive alliances, calls for new government By: Sudan Tribune, May 26, 2009 An alliance of opposition parties have emerged in Sudan calling for the current government to step down ahead of the February 2010 elections. The extraordinary move of the 17 parties forming the alliance, will likely increase political tensions as the national assembly is deliberating over some laws that witnessed intense debate between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and opposition parties. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article31285
Africa: More political freedom brings more wealth, says study By: All Africa, May 25, 2009 African nations which expand their political freedoms also reduce poverty, according to a major new study published today. In a survey of selected countries across the continent, the study also finds that between 2000 and 2008, poverty decreased in Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia but grew in Benin, Botswana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe. http://allafrica.com/stories/200905251233.html
Zimbabwe journalists union urges members to defy information ministry By: Jonga Kandemiiri, VOA News, May 25, 2009 The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists has urged its members to ignore instructions from the Ministry of Information to register with the Media and Information Commission to cover this week's summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, or Comesa. The union said journalists should not register until a legally constituted accreditation body has been put in place. The Media and Information Commission was dissolved in 2008 and is to to be replaced by the Zimbabwe Media Commission, which has yet to be constituted. http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/Zimbabwe/2009-05-25-voa38.cfm
Zimbabwe in transition: A 100-Day report card By: Time, May 23, 2009 It's been 100 days since Zimbabwe passed from crisis into the hands of the strange and strained partnership of the President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled autocratically since 1987, and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who defeated Mugabe in a controversial election last year but, despite intense international pressure, was not able to oust him from power. Not everything is bad. Tsvangirai has made some progress in resurrecting Zimbabwe's all-but-dead economy. Schools that closed in September last year after teachers went on strike have re-opened. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900660,00.html
Sudan: Call for amendments to harsh new press law By: Reporters Without Borders, May 21, 2009 Reporters Without Borders and Sudanese lawyer and parliamentarian, Salih Mahmoud Osman, have made a plea for amendments to be made to a harsh draft law on the written press currently going through parliament. The proposed law provides for heavy fines of up to 50,000 Sudanese pounds (21,500 US dollars) against ìoffendingî publications and journalists without detailing what offences would be punished. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31406
AMERICAS
Venezuela: Keeping the internet as a priority By: Laura Vidal, Global Voices, May 26, 2009 When the Venezuelan government emitted Decree No. 6649, it raised red flags within the online community concerned about the possible effects to education, research and other fields important to development. The decree seeks to eliminate ìluxuriesî or ìsuperfluous expensesî among the public expenditure, among which includes the Internet. As a result, the online campaign Internet Prioritaria [es] was created with the opinion that Internet is a basic need. According to the group's statement, ìthe decree violates the public policies of the Venezuelan state, since Internet was declared a priority in Decree No. 825." http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/05/26/venezuela-keeping-the-internet-as-a-priority/
International groups worry over Venezuela's stance on free press By: Arthur Brice, CNN, May 26, 2009 The United Nations and the Organization of American States said Saturday they are worried over Venezuelan government statements about an independent TV station that has criticized President Hugo Chavez. In a joint release, freedom of expression investigators Frank LaRue of the U.N. and Catalina Botero of the O.A.S. "express their concern in light of the statements made by the highest-level government authorities, which generate an atmosphere of intimidation in which the right to freedom of expression is seriously limited." http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/05/23/venezuela.globovision/index.html
US: Charges dropped against national campaign for nonviolent resistance members By: Max Obuszewski, After Downing Street, May 26, 2009 Activists from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] regularly try to speak truth to power. For example, seven members of the NCNR went to the Pentagon on the morning of March 17, 2009 to seek a meeting with Secretary of War Robert Gates. Within twelve minutes of getting off the Metro, we were cuffed and stuffed in Pentagon Police vehicles. We sent a letter to Gates [see below] seeking a meeting to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since there was no response, Ellen Barfield, Michele Grise, Steve Mihalis, Max Obuszewski, Pete Perry, Manijeh Saba and Eve Tetaz went to the Pentagon on St. Patrick's Day. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/42972
Bolivia marks freedom bicentenary By: BBC News, May 25, 2009 Bolivians marked the 200th anniversary of their country's uprising against Spanish rule with rival ceremonies in different parts of the country. Addressing the nation, President Evo Morales said that Latin Americans were engaged in a second struggle for liberation against capitalism. Meanwhile, the opposition held parades in the constitutional capital Sucre. Bolivia is the first of many South American states that will celebrate bicentennials in the next few years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8066580.stm
Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire detained by US homeland security By: Signs of the Times, May 25, 2009 On Friday 17th May, 2009, Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace laureate, was detained on her entry into Houston Airport, USA, by Homeland Security Immigration. Maguire was on her way home to Northern Ireland, after attending a 3 day conference in Guatemala, which was hosted by herself and three Sister Nobel Peace Laureates. Upon release Maguire said: "This kind of behaviour and treatment is unacceptable. They questioned me about my nonviolent protests in USA against the Afghanistan invasion and Iraqi war. They insisted I must tick the box in the Immigration form admitting to criminal activities. I am not a criminal." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/185209-Nobel-Peace-laureate-Mairead-Maguire-detained-by-USA-homeland-security
Canada: Deaf students demonstrate against inequity at Ontario universities By: John Bonnar, Rabble, May 24, 2009 At a protest outside the Accessibility Services building on Wednesday at the University of Toronto (U of T), students described the inequity and inaccessibility issues Deaf people face at some Ontario universities, as they pushed for policy and budgetary changes to improve the quality of interpreter services. Rally organizer Jenny Blaser has encountered numerous support problems at U of T. The first year linguistics and equity studies major was forced to drop courses when no interpreter was available. http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/johnbon/2009/05/deaf-students-demonstrate-against-inaccessibility-and-inequity-ontari
US: 17 arrested in mountaintop removal protests By: WV Gazette, May 23, 2009 Seventeen people were arrested protesting mountaintop-removal mines at three sites in Southern West Virginia Saturday. But police refused to arrest former Congressman Ken Hechler, D-W.Va., despite the fact he also trespassed on a Massey Energy mine, according to Mountain Justice spokesman Charles Suggs. It's the largest number of people arrested this year in an ongoing series of nonviolent protests against mountaintop-removal mining in West Virginia. http://wvgazette.com/comments?build=yes&ContID=200905230176
Guatemala: The people of San Miguel Ixtahuacan are waking up By: Mimundo, May 22, 2009 Canadian mining giant Goldcorp held its annual shareholderís meeting on Friday, May 22nd, in Vancouverís financial district. Simultaneously, hundreds of community members from San Miguel Ixtahuacan, where Goldcorpís Marlin Mine operates, marched through the streets of Guatemala City so as to protest the corporationís activities in the Guatemalan highlands. The day before the march, a press conference was held where ìcommunity leaders accused Montana Exploradora of carrying out a fear campaign in their local villages using threats and land usurpation so as to coerce local residents to sell their lands.î http://mimundo-jamesrodriguez.blogspot.com/2009/05/san-miguel-ixtahuacan-is-waking-up.html
The price of democracy in Brazil By: Arthur Ituassu, openDemocracy, May 21, 2009 Between Brazil's local realities and its global reach, the president is now moving towards the end of his second and final term of office. The next election will be held on 3 October 2010, which leaves Lula limited time to entrench a national legacy that has so far won wide domestic as well as international acclaim. How then will Lula's contribution be judged here across the entire canvas of his presidency: in terms of the prosperity of Brazil's citizens, the influence and prestige of the country, and the quality of Brazilian democracy? http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-price-of-democracy-in-brazil
ASIA/ SOUTH ASIA
Thai protest group votes to form a political party By: James Hookway, Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2009 Members of Thailand's yellow-shirt protest movement voted to form a political party, creating a potentially influential force as the country struggles to pull itself out of recession. Tens of thousands of members of the People's Alliance for Democracy -- a movement instrumental in bringing down two governments -- converged on a sports stadium in this town near Bangkok on Monday and voted to transform the grass-roots campaign against corruption into a formal political party. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124328023940851935.html
Aung San Suu Kyi tells Burmese court she did not break terms of house arrest By: Justin McCurry, Guardian UK, May 26, 2009 Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, told a court today that she had no prior knowledge of an American man's plan to visit her home in Rangoon and had not broken the terms of her house arrest. She faces up to five years in prison for allowing John Yettaw to spend two days at her lakeside compound earlier this month. She has already spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/26/aung-san-suu-kyi-testify-trial
Trial may further isolate Burma By: Tim Johnston, Washington Post, May 26, 2009 The decision by Burma's government to put Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate, on trial has chilled relations with some of the ruling military junta's traditional allies and made it less like likely that international sanctions against the nation will be eased, according to U.S., European and Asian officials. The issue has dominated the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting, which is being held in Hanoi this week. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/25/AR2009052502316.html
Pakistani court lifts ban on opposition leader By: Salman Masood, NY Times, May 26, 2009 The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could run in parliamentary elections and hold public office, reversing a decision that had plunged Pakistan into political crisis and led to widespread protests. A five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Tassadaq Hussain Gilani lifted the ban on Mr. Sharif and his younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, after hearing a review petition the brothers filed in May. The court decision will bolster the standing of Mr. Sharif, who in recent months has emerged as the most popular politician in the country. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/world/asia/27pstan.html?ref=world
Maldives: How can seeking justice be undemocratic? By: Dhivehi Observer, May 26, 2009 ìExactly. Seeking justice is what democracy is all about.î In a response to the reaction from the party of the ousted dictator regarding the arrest of Jangiya Nazimís wife last night, the Press Secretary at the President Office, Mohamed Zuhair, gave this very simple but hearty response. We all know how the ousted dictator and his cronies stifled millions from the treasury, under the corrupt system of government that lasted more than three decades. Since the new government of the first democratic and directly elected President of the country took office, the public has been calling for the leaders of the former regime to be brought to justice. http://doreview.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-can-seeking-justice-be-undemocratic.html
Maldives: Opposition MP condemns raid as politically motivated By: Ibrahim Mohamed and Maryam Omidi, Minivan News, May 25, 2009 The opposition MP whose office was raided by police yesterday arrived back in the Maldives this evening, condemning the search as politically motivated. Ahmed Nazim, deputy leader of opposition Peopleís Alliance (PA), said the government was destroying both his public image and his political career. ìI want to say that what we are seeing is something very depressing. The government is attacking opponents personally, attacking their families and seizing their property,î said Nazim addressing press at Maleí International Airport. http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=6582
Pakistan rally against Swat assault By: Al Jazeera, May 25, 2009 Hundreds of supporters of Pakistan's opposition Jamaat-i-Islami party have demonstrated in what is believed to be the first major protest against the military's offensive against the Taliban in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The demonstration in the capital, Islamabad, on Sunday took place as the army fought bloody street-to-street battles in Mingora, the main city in the Swat valley. "To this point there has been absolutely total political support for the ongoing operation in Swat valley," Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Islamabad, said. "But now there is the first sign that there are sectors in society who are opposed to what is going on." http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/05/2009524141212281322.html
East Timor: The forgotten people By: Bruce Clark, Salient, May 25, 2009 We are all familiar with Indonesiaís terrible record of human rights abuse in East Timor, a sorry tale of oppression, murder and torture. East Timor became something of a cause celebre, as the world woke up to the facts of Indonesiaís illegal invasion, harsh occupation and, finally, the rights of its people to self-determination. What we more easily forget is that while this murder and mayhem was being perpetrated by the Indonesian forces, the West, our own enlightened government and that of Australia, had for a generation or more turned a blind eye to the atrocities. http://www.salient.org.nz/features/the-forgotten-people
Chinese underground churches expose rift By: CNN, May 25, 2009 Unregistered churches are attracting millions of worshippers in China, exposing an enduring rift between the government and the Vatican. China broke off relations with the Vatican under Chairman Mao but over the past couple of years ties seemed to be warming up. A state-controlled church is popular, but the underground parishioners say it is not the real church. From the state's perspective, these believers are loyal to the pope, not the Communist Party. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/25/china.church/index.html#cnnSTCText
Detained Burmese migrants stage hunger strike By: Ahunt Phone Myat, Democratic Voice of Burma, May 25, 2009 Around 600 Burmese migrants being held in poor conditions in a Malaysian detention centre staged a hunger strike last week in protest against their denial of access to United Nations refugee officials. The three-day strike took place at Malaysiaís Semenyih immigration centre, where around 1500 migrants of varying nationalities, including Vietnamese, Nigerian and Indian, are held. The strike ended on 21 May. http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=2551
Philippines: The end of an age By: John Mangun, Business Mirror, May 25, 2009 Certain events are of such magnitude and importance that when they sweep across a nation, the country is changed, sometimes permanently. The 1986 Edsa revolution changed the Philippines in three dramatic ways. A realization suddenly dawned on the people that despite overwhelming odds, a government could be changed by the sheer will of the people through their numbers. This empowerment became apparent in 2001 when again a government could not stand against loud voices calling for change even if those voices did not constitute a majority of the citizens. http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/10796-the-end-of-an-age.html
Standoff at Tibet gold mine By: Radio Free Asia, May 24, 2009 Hundreds of villagers in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of western China are facing off against armed security forces at the site of a planned gold mine on what the Tibetans consider a sacred mountain, witnesses say. ìThe Tibetan protesters are worried,î said one local man, who said he was one of eight organizers of the protest. ìThe police, the soldiers, and the miners are threatening to move ahead with the mine...They have said they will force their way through and go to the site.î http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/mine-05242009130753.html
Chinese campaign reports quake victims By: DigiActive, May 21, 2009 On May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale shook Chinaís Sichuan province, killing at least 68,000 people. Unlike surrounding buildings, many of which survived, the schools were particularly vulnerable because of shoddy workmanship. Shortly after the quake, prominent Chinese artist and blogger Ai Weiwei visited the quake site and blogged about what he saw. On December 15, 2008 Ai formally announced a campaign to collect the names of all children who had died in the quake before the one-year anniversary on in May 2009. http://www.digiactive.org/2009/05/21/onlineoffline-synergy-in-chinese-numbers-campaign/
CENTRAL ASIA
Kazakhstan's book ban and the issue of 'prior restraint' By: Ron Synovitz, Eurasianet, May 24, 2009 "Godfather-In-Law," a book about Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has struck a raw nerve with authorities in that country. Written by Nazarbaevís exiled former son-in-law, Rakhat Aliev, the book is full of insider stories, allegations, and documentation about the man who has been Kazakhstanís president since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Kazakh authorities are now attempting to stop everyone in the country from reading or even discussing the book. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp052409.shtml
Uzbekistan: Tashkent's job-creation plans may stoke rural discontent By: Eurasianet, May 22, 2009 Amid a worsening financial picture in Uzbekistan, President Islam Karimov is pulling out his old Soviet playbook and trying to give new meaning to the concept of a command economy. But there appears to be a sizeable chance that the Uzbek governmentís policy prescriptions could end up exacerbating social tension in the Central Asian nation. Uzbekistan, like other Central Asian states, has relied in recent years on remittances sent home by migrant laborers to help prop up the local economy. But over the past year, seasonal work in construction and other sectors has evaporated. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav052209a.shtml
EUROPE
Croatia: Students suspend blockade of Zagreb school of philosophy By: One World See, May 26, 2009 After 34 days of blockade, the Plenum of Students of Zagreb School of Philosophy decided to suspend the blockade of the school and restart the educational process. Students say that it doesnít mean their struggle is over and that the Plenum will continue with regular meetings and actions. Students from 20 university schools and faculties in eight cities in Croatia participated in the past activities. The very magnitude of the action leaves the legacy of activism and network of contacts, and above all a platform of common demands and values. http://oneworldsee.org/node/18607
UK: Cameron in 'people power' pledge By: BBC News, May 26, 2009 David Cameron has pledged to bring "big change" to politics, including looking at introducing fixed-term Parliaments. A Tory government would restore "real people power" through a "radical" redistribution of power from Westminster, he said in a speech. But he ruled out a switch from the current first-past-the-post electoral system to proportional representation. Minister Jack Straw welcomed the speech but said a lot had been done, the Lib Dems said it did not go far enough. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8067505.stm
Armenia: Journalists defiant after new attacks By: Gayane Mktchian, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, May 22, 2009 Armenian rights activists fear two attacks on prominent journalists in the last three weeks could be a sign of new attempts to restrict freedom of information in their country. Argishti Kivirian, editor-in-chief of the news agencies Armenia Today and Bagin.info, was attacked in the stairwell of his house on April 30, only just managing to force his assailantsí gun into the air before three shots were fired. Just a week later, Nver Mnatsakanian, a political commentator from the Shant television channel, was also beaten as he walked into the block of flats were he lived. http://www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=352713&apc_state=henh
MIDDLE EAST/ NORTH AFRICA
Why Palestinians are calling for a boycott of Israeli universities By: Amjad Barham, Guardian UK, May 26, 2009 Palestinian academics have been heartened by the outpouring of solidarity with our people on the part of British academics and students ñ the latter attested to by the creative "student occupation movement" in the wake of the brutal Israeli war against the Palestinian people in Gaza last December and January. What does the Palestinian academic community expect from international colleagues? It has sometimes been suggested that solidarity with Palestinian academics is best expressed in fostering academic links between British and Palestinian universities. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/may/26/why-boycott-israeli-universities
Two French activists cycle to Palestine By: Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center, May 26, 2009 Two French peace activists arrived in the Palestinian territories riding their bicycles after cycling from France to Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Palestine. The aim of their trip is to have a field tour in Palestine and to visit its historic sites. They visited Bethlehem before cycling to Jericho and meeting its mayor, attorney Hasan Saleh who welcomed them and stated that such trips reveals the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people as the activists and visitors can observe these violations. http://www.imemc.org/article/60537
Egypt quashes Saad Eddin Ibrahim jail term By: BBC News, May 25, 2009 A court in Egypt has overturned a two-year jail sentence imposed on Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent critic of President Hosni Mubarak's government. Mr Ibrahim, an Egyptian-American academic living in exile in the US, was convicted last August of damaging Egypt's reputation. He had said US aid should depend on political reform in Egypt. He said he was happy the conviction had been overturned, but that there were still other cases against him. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8067206.stm
Israel sends soldiers to try to shut down literature festival By: Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, May 25, 2009 The Israeli government sent in troops on May 23 to try to break up the opening of the second annual Palestine Festival of Literature in East Jerusalem. Stephanie Saldana, an American writer living in Jerusalem, went to the Palestinian National Theater for what she thought was going to be the opening of the festival. ìWe arrived and the place was swarming with the Israeli army, with trucks and huge guns,î she wrote in an e-mail to a friend. ìI am still in shock. To ban literature? To ban reading? How is this possible?î http://www.progressive.org/wx052509.html
Jordan: Tears of grief, tears of joy By: Kevin Cullen, The Boston Globe, May 25, 2009 When the phone rang at his Chelmsford home, Mohamed Eljahmi knew it wasn't good news. It was a man in Amman, Jordan, and Mohamed Eljahmi didn't know him. All he said was that Mohamed's 68-year-old brother, Fathi, was dead. "They killed him," Mohamed Eljahmi said. "They let him out of prison so he could die in a hospital." In Libya, Fathi Eljahmi built a successful business and became the most dangerous revolutionary who never lifted a weapon. He believed that people in Libya, that people all over the Arab world, deserved the same rights that people in the Western world take for granted. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/25/tears_of_grief_tears_of_joy/
Iran blocks Facebook, outlet for opposition By: Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post, May 25, 2009 Iran blocked access to Facebook on Saturday in what opposition candidates said was an effort to sabotage their challenges to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Facebook has become hugely popular in Iran, where young urbanites use it to connect with friends, play online games and share photographs. Recently, lively discussions had taken place on the social-networking Web site among Iranians who wondered whether voting in the June 12 presidential election meant supporting Iran's system of clerical rule, or, as some argued, could be used to remove Ahmadinejad. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052401599.html
Moderate Iranian candidate criticizes Facebook ban By: RFE/RL, May 25, 2009 A moderate challenger to hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has condemned the authorities for blocking access to the Facebook social networking site ahead of the June 12 presidential election. With the Internet playing a mounting role in political debate, authorities have curbed access to political, human rights, and news websites, and blocked Facebook on May 23. Former parliament speaker Mehdi Karrubi said websites should be tolerated at "such a sensitive political period." http://www.rferl.org/content/Moderate_Iranian_Candidate_Criticises_Facebook_Ban/1739020.html
Egypt: My hotel is filled with young people who have come to 'break the siege' By: Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss, May 25, 2009 It's Monday night in Egypt. We are in El-Arish, a resort town about 20 minutes from the Gaza border, where we will go first thing tomorrow morning. I'm with a group of 13 activists and humanitarians mostly from New York, but the hotel is teeming with 45 or so other activists who have answered the call to come to Gaza to try and break the blockade. Most of them are young and sunburned; they have spent the day at the border not getting in. It's an inspiring scene in the hotel. I wonder if Memphis hotels didn't feel like this during the freedom rides. http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/05/he-la.html
Palestine: A land of peace and hospitality, not of war and violence By: Al Bawaba, May 24, 2009 This is the message that Palestinian children are launching through the slogans they have created for the campaign promoted by the artistic project Palombology, the first spiritual activist brand, a new artistic and cultural movement founded by the artist, illustrator, author and designer aleXsandro Palombo. Multireligiosity and multiculturalism are the characteristic features of the Palombology philosophy which through t-shirts, slogans and illustrations promotes faith and awareness, integration and dialogue between cultures, concepts of value to be reawakened and expressed openly. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/UAE/246491
Facebook block ahead of Iran vote hampers youth By: Ali Akbar Dareini, AP, May 24, 2009 Iran's decision to block access to Facebook ó less than three weeks before nationwide elections ó drew sharp criticism Sunday from a reformist opposition hoping to mobilize the youth vote and unseat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The decision, critics said, forces Iranians to rely on state-run media and other government sources ahead of the June 12 election. It also appeared to be a direct strike at the youth vote that could pose challenges to Ahmadinejad's re-election bid. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090524/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_facebook
Iran: Sentencing and exile of a political prisoner is confirmed By: Iran Human Rights Voice, May 25, 2009 Political prisoner Hood Yazerlo was exiled to Rajaíi prison in the city of Karaj after confirmation of his sentencing. Previously, on May 24, 2008, Mr. Yazerlo, a student of industrial management in the Independent University of Qazvin, was summoned before the court and subsequently detained. Mr. Yazerlo spent nine months in section 209 in Evin Prison and his trial was held in branch 17 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Salavati, on February 17, following which he received a three-year jail term in exile. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=2363
Israel: Bloggers back the struggle for workers' rights By: Carmel L. Vaisman, Global Voices, May 24, 2009 One of the issues Israeli bloggers truly care about and campaign for is workers' rights. In recent years, several emerging workers unions from less expected sectors such as cafÈ waiters, security personnel and journalists, have blogged as part of their struggle and were able to create a vibrant discussion and rally support in the blogosphere. Many bloggers are concerned with supporting the academic staff of the Open University that has been on strike for five weeks and counting, and boycotting AMPM drugstores for their workers' rights infringements. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/05/24/israel-bloggers-back-the-struggle-for-workers-rights/
Saudi Arabia: Facebook and e-mail campaigns fuel lingerie boycott By: Sarah Duguid, Financial Times, May 23, 2009 In 2006, the law in Saudi Arabia changed. It stated that women must staff all stores selling female items. But we are now entering the third year of the introduction of that law and still about 95 per cent of lingerie shops are staffed by men. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b00c07b6-434e-11de-b793-00144feabdc0.html
Cannes Festival jury sends message to Iranian authorities by awarding prize to film co-scripted by Roxana Saberi By: Reporters Without Borders, May 23, 2009 Reporters Without Borders hails the special jury prize which the Iranian film ìNo One Knows About Persian Catsî was awarded today in the ìUn Certain Regardî section of the Cannes Film Festival. Co-scripted by the recently released Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, it opened this section of the festival on 14 May. ìBy singling out this film, the jury has deliberately sent a clear message to the Iranian authorities, who have banned it from being screened,î Reporters Without Borders said. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31417
Kuwait: Cinema censorship, quality woes and limited telecom services By: Amer Al-Hilal, Global Voices, May 23, 2009 Amer Al-Hilal here, salutations from scorching hot Kuwait! Following the Kuwaiti elections and all the previous political drama, bloggers are now focusing their energies on entertainment and technology posts, with Cinescape, the Kuwaiti national cinema company monopoly, taking the brunt of the criticism from younger viewers due to quality control and censorship woes. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/05/23/kuwait-cinema-censorship-quality-woes-and-limited-telecom-services/
Iran: Zhila Baniyaghoub wins ìCourage in Journalismî prize By: Iran Human Rights Voice, May 22, 2009 The International Womenís Media Foundation awarded its 2009 prize for Courage in Journalism to Zhila Baniyaghoub, an Iranian journalist. The foundation announced: ìMs. Baniyaghoubís reports on sensitive political and social issues have resulted in her imprisonmentî. In a statement issued by the foundation, Ms. Baniyaghoub was described as an independent journalist who is a managing editor of the website for the Iranian Womenís Center, saying: ìshe has continued her work under the most difficult situations for a reporter and a womanî. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=2342
Libyan rights advocate dies in custody By: Physicians for Human Rights, May 21, 2009 Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls for an independent medical investigation into the demise of prominent Libyan prisoner of conscience Fathi al-Jahmi, who died May 21 in a hospital in Amman, Jordan. Mr. Al-Jahmi, an outspoken critic of the regime of Muíammar al-Qadhafi, had been in the custody of Libyan security for the past five years, including most recently under guard at the Tripoli Medical Center. http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/news-2009-05-21.html
Saudi Arabia: Delay in elections a setback By: Abdullah Shihri, AP, May 20, 2009 Rights activists said Wednesday that the Saudi government's decision to delay municipal elections for two years was a setback to their push to open the country's politics to the people. They also voiced skepticism of the government's explanation that the delay was intended to allow it to study the possibility of allowing women to vote. Other observers held onto hope that the postponement of what would be only the second elections in the country's history would result in the extension of voting rights to women. http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/world/2009/05/20/D98A4R601_ml_saudi_municipal_elections/
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Local women celebrate international disarmament successes By: Relief Web, May 24, 2009 The Peace Studies Group and the Observatory on Gender and Armed Violence (OGVA) are joining with others around the world to celebrate International Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament, which took place on Sunday 24 May, 2009, and acknowledge some of our achievements and activism from the past 12 months. Many of us are members of the Women's Network of IANSA, the International Action Network on Small Arms, and work to stop gun violence against women in the home, on the streets or on the battlefield. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JBRN-7SDK82?OpenDocument
Facebook is the message inside humanity's envelope By: Luis de Miranda, openDemocracy, May 22, 2009 We can avoid using Facebook as a tool of narcissism or power if we recognise the bursting forth of possibility that characterisies human existence. Facebook could help transform humanity or could join ranks with other homogenising forces of fixed identities. The live-stream experience of Facebook is tragic, beautiful and painful. Sartre wrote about the impossiblity of communication between beings. And that is exactly what is now immediately visible at every moment, with our every post and status update. http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/facebook-is-the-message-inside-humanitys-envelope
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Veinte paÌses celebrar·n dÌa mundial de apoyo a campaÒa "Con la misma moneda" By: FLAMUR Cuba, May 25, 2009 Veinte paÌses celebrar·n el prÛximo martes el dÌa mundial de apoyo a la campaÒa "Con la misma moneda" que tiene como objetivo exigir al Gobierno de Cuba el pago en moneda nacional en todos los establecimientos de la isla caribeÒa. http://flamurcuba.org/artman2/publish/Inicio_Noticias/Veinte_pa_ses_celebrar_n_d_a_mundial_de_apoyo_a_campa_a_Con_la_misma_moneda.shtml
Madagascar: Le pouvoir ‡ durÈe indÈterminÈe By: Jean-Dominique Geslin, Jeune Afrique, May 25, 2009 Partira? Partira pas? Au-del‡ du cas Mamadou Tandja, plusieurs dirigeants africains en dÈlicatesse avec la communautÈ internationale ou, tout simplement, en dÈsaccord avec le politiquement correct tentent de donner des signes de bonne volontÈ. http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2523p016-017.xml0/-Idriss-Deby-Itno-Mamadou-Tandja-election-presidentielle-democratie-Le-pouvoir-a-duree-indeterminee.html
Birmanie: Sauvons Aung San Suu Kyi By: Courrier International, May 20, 2009 Tandis que le procËs contre l'opposante birmane se prolonge, la mobilisation s'organise dans le monde pour obtenir sa libÈration. C'est le sens de l'appel lancÈ par Bo Hla Tint, membre de la Ligue nationale pour la dÈmocratie, qui vit en exil aux Etats-Unis. http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2009/05/20/sauvons-aung-san-suu-kyi
NOTICE
Ethiopia: United Actions workshop By: Kayo Hansen, United Actions Global Network, Addis Ababa, August 8, 2009, 10am - 3pm If you had the chance to shape the future of Ethiopia...would you do it? The UA Workshop is an open forum where participants brainstorm, discuss and share ideas on how to create social change, practical solutions and sustainable development in Ethiopia. This session will cover the Millennium Development Goals, strategies and exploit new opportunities to break new ground and shape the future of Ethiopia. This is an exciting workshop where you can unleash your creativity, talents, skills and ideas. http://unitedactions.ning.com/events/united-actions-workshop