· April, 2012

Stories about Digital Activism from April, 2012

Refugees: Online Media and Technology to the Service of Refugees

  29 April 2012

Two different organizations are using online media and technology to aid refugees and improve their lives. The first uses online and mobile tools to reunite refugees who have lost track of family members, and the other provides legal information to refugees in Hong Kong through YouTube videos.

Chinese blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng flees house arrest

  27 April 2012

Chinese blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng has reportedly escaped from his well-guarded house in Dongshigu (Shandong) after more than a year of house arrest. Sources report he entered the US embassy in Beijing. He has put out a video  denouncing corruption, exposing abuses  and expressing “extreme concern” about the consequences...

Cuba: Resorting to Hunger Strike

  25 April 2012

Cuban netizens, primarily from the diaspora, are once again blogging about instances of police abuse in the country and how the island's justice system routinely makes hunger-strikers out of prisoners of conscience.

Portugal: Citizens Prepare Peaceful Protests for April 25

  24 April 2012

Though peaceful protests are scheduled for April 25 throughout Portugal (a national holiday that marks the end of dictatorship in 1974), mainstream media reported [pt] that “police prepares zero tolerance”. For Miguel Cardima from the blog Arrastão, the news intends [pt] to “insufflate fear” and to “justify violence in anticipation”. In...

Bahamas: Elections Getting Closer

  23 April 2012

With just two weeks to go until the country's general elections, the Bahamian blogosphere has been filled with political discussion. Blogworld yesterday compiled her usual Twitter Weekly Updates, which gave a good overview of the issues being discussed.

Brazil: Passer by Injured and Arrested by Police in Demonstration

  23 April 2012

Brazilian blogger Conceição Oliveira reproduces [pt] a Facebook note [pt] from Pedro Urizzi (an actor from São Paulo), who denounces that he was injured and arrested by the Military Police when he was passing by a demonstration against corruption on April 21, 2012, on his way for dinner. The detention...

Colombia: “Lleras Law2.0 ” Taken Before Constitutional Court

  22 April 2012

The “Lleras Law 2.0”, which was hastily approved to fit requirements for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, was taken before the Constitutional Court on April 18 by Senator Camilo Romero [es], who argued it contains parts that threaten rights enshrined in the Constitution. Netizens [es] are invited [es]...

Russia: Anti-Drug Activist Identifies Corrupt Moscow Police in Sverdlovsk

RuNet Echo  21 April 2012

Controversial activist Evgeny Roizman originally made a name for himself by establishing a non-profit fund called “A City without Drugs.” The fund both treats drug addiction and targets dealers, albeit using somewhat vigilante methods. Writing in his LiveJournal account, Roizman is now at the forefront of publicizing a police corruption scandal in Sverdlovsk Oblast.

Portugal: ‘You Cannot Evict an Idea’ Without Borders

  21 April 2012

The violent eviction of a self-managed community center in Porto by the police, on April 19, triggered a wave of solidarity beyond the borders of the neighborhood of Fontinha, left to oblivion for years. Sympathy is coming from many cities in Portugal and beyond, following the motto "you can not evict an idea".

Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day

  19 April 2012

Netizens in Mexico City are celebrating World Bicycle Day by sharing their cycling experiences through blogs and Twitter. They are also trying to raise awareness about the risks of using bicycles as a means of transportation is such a busy city.

Cuba: What Did Pope Benedict XVI Leave Behind?

  19 April 2012

Two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI left the island, Cuba returns to normalcy. Elaine Diaz offers a review of the different conversations and debates after the Pope's visit that have appeared on Cuban digital blogs and social media.