· May, 2013

Stories about Governance from May, 2013

African Union Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The African Union (AU), the single largest organization of states in Africa, marked its 50th anniversary from May 25 to 27, 2013 at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sparking debate among Africans throughout the continent over the organization's relevance and effectiveness.

Is There Still a President in Madagascar ?

  31 May 2013

Patrick Rajoelina argues that [fr] by law, if the president of the transition Andry Rajoelina still wants to run for the upcoming presidential elections in Madagascar, he can no longer be president, according to the road map signed by all Malagasy political parties in 2011. The current prime minister Beriziky stated...

Macedonian Journalist's Arrest Stirs Protest

Macedonian journalists gathered [mk; video and text: sq, mk] in front of the Criminal Court in the capital Skopje today to protest against the arrest of their colleague, Tomislav Kezarovski, according to this note [en] posted in the Macedonian Facebook group titled “Journalists and citizens in defense of the right...

VIDEO: Brazil's Police Intimidate Indigenous

  30 May 2013

Video [Audio and subtitles in Portuguese] recorded by the native Paygomuyatpu Mundurukku shows soldiers of the National Force verbally intimidating his tribe on the area of Belo Monte dam.

Blackout Mapping in Cambodia

  30 May 2013

A massive blackout in Cambodia has sparked online discussion about the country’s power supply situation. Citizens are demanding explanation about the recurring blackouts in recent months. Urban Voice, a crowdsourcing initiative, has mapped the blackouts in Phnom Penh City.

Mozambique's Health Care Workers Strike for Higher Pay

  29 May 2013

Health professionals in Mozambique have been on strike for ten days leading to the halt of operations in many medical units throughout the country. The dispute with the government is based on demands for wage increase and standardisation, as well as the readjustment of the emergency room prices throughout the country's hospitals.

Rebels in Thailand's Troubled South Make Public Debut on YouTube

  29 May 2013

In Thailand's southern borderlands where various Muslim rebel groups have led a deadly nine-year insurgency, the majority of the violence has remained anonymous, committed without any one group coming forward to claim responsibility, make demands, or put a face to the conflict. That is until one of the insurgent groups released a rare video introducing their movement.

13-year-old Girl Publicly Shamed in China

  29 May 2013

A 13-year-old girl was handcuffed and then paraded on the streets after “accidentally spilling water on a town government vehicle” in Guizhou province. Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ reaction.

Amnesty Publishes 2013 Report on Angola

  27 May 2013

Amnesty International annual report on Angola is available online. The NGO highlights cases such as the problem of police repression against the opposition parties during the presidential election last year, the abduction of the activists who organized protests demanding the payment of salaries and pensions to former war veterans in...

Demanding Transparency is Not a Crime

  27 May 2013

A number of citizen right advocates issued a public statement demanding the release of 10 citizens who were arrested for demanding officials to publicly disclose their personal assets. Seeing Red in China has translated the joint statement into English.