· August, 2010

Stories about Digital Activism from August, 2010

Cuba: Same Old Song

  31 August 2010

The imprisonment of three Cuban dissidents who were during a protest at the University of Havana proves to Uncommon Sense that “despite its release of some dozen members of the ‘Group of 75′ prisoners, the Castro dictatorship has not changed.”

Cuba: Naming Names

  30 August 2010

“After all the hubbub about Cuba agreeing to release 52 political prisoners in jail since the ‘black spring’ crackdown of March-April 2003, there still remain in prisons across the island 21 members of the Group of 75″: Uncommon Sense posts their names.

St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Welectricity

  30 August 2010

Abeni wants you to vote Welectricity, “the brainchild of Vincentian energy consultant Herbert A (Haz) Samuel”, which delivers energy efficiency through social networking and is in contention for the GE Ecomagination Challenge.

Taiwan: 250000 Facebook users against inadequate court sentence

  30 August 2010

More than 250 thousand facebook users join together to condemn the recent court sentence that put a rapist in jail for only 3 years and 2 months, much shorter then 7 years and 10 months charged by public prosecutor[zht]. In the verdict the judge claimed that because evidences show the...

Guatemala: Attack Against a Blog?

  28 August 2010

Luis Figueroa reports [es] that blogger Guillermo Pineda wrote on Twitter, “My blog in WordPress.com was hacked. Anyone knows if I can recover it? #Hacked #Wordpress.” Luis wonders if this is an attack; in June Guillermo received threats [es] both in person and through email.

Russia: “Jailbird Moms”

RuNet Echo  28 August 2010

A Good Treaty writes about two Russian “jailbird moms” – Anna Shavenkova and Yulia Kruglova: “Two court cases in recent weeks have given Russia’s bruised citizenry a few additional reminders that the world is a cruel, extremely stupid place to live. Both these cases involve mothers of young children, but...

Cuba: Double Standard

  27 August 2010

“On one hand they release some dissidents from prison, on the other those who attempt to say ‘I disagree’ get shoved behind bars”: Crossing the Barbed Wire comments on “the double standard policy assiduously practiced by the government as part of its greater foreign policy.”

Anguilla: One Step Back

  27 August 2010

Corruption-free Anguilla thinks that Montserrat's new draft constitution “does not advance government…rather, it sets Montserratians back decades, particularly in the area of human rights.”

MENA: Kuwaiti Cartoons Cause Moroccans Offense

A popular Kuwaiti television programme has upset some Moroccan viewers, who say it depicts Moroccans in a negative light. The cartoon, called Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel, portrays Morocco as corrupt and its women as greedy, as they try to entrap the Kuwaiti male characters into marrying them. Bloggers react to the show.

Chile: Strong Citizen Response Against Thermal Energy Project

  27 August 2010

The approval of a thermal energy project sparked a strong online and on-the-ground citizen response; the plant was to be built near the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and Punta de Choros, a small beach town known for its natural beauty and rich biodiversity. The announcement mobilized unprecedented numbers of protesters in one of the most successful instances of online organizing carried out in Chile.

Russia: Noize MC's New Song

RuNet Echo  26 August 2010

RFE/RL's The Power Vertical writes about rapper Noize MC's new song: “After spending 10 days in jail for performing a song mocking police at a music festival in Volgograd, the irrepressible rapper has released a new [song and video, RUS] — mocking the police.” Robert Amsterdam's blog calls the new...

Guyana: Domestic Violence

  26 August 2010

“Domestic violence has not been stamped out; instead it has grown to staggering proportions”: The Guyana Groove thinks the country needs “a real, feasible solution to this dire situation.”

Azerbaijan: Lilit

  26 August 2010

Gulara Azimzadeh's blog [AZ/EN/RU] reflects on a meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijani youth at an event in Georgia. In particular, she writes, although nationalists and a rhetoric of hatred exists on both sides, there are so many similarities between the two nations still locked in bitter conflict over the disputed...

Haiti: Shifting Focus

  25 August 2010

The Haitian Blogger suggests that the mainstream media is focusing on the wrong thing: “Attention should focus less on the distraction of WyClef Jean’s failed presidential bid…and more on the desperate humanitarian situation on the ground…”

Technology for Transparency: Five Lessons Learned

  25 August 2010

Rebekah Heacock and Renata Avila outline the learnings from the first round of Global Voices' Technology for Transparency Network collaborative research project, sharing links to several successful online initiatives.