Stories about Governance from June, 2014
Ukrainian Rebels Worry that Putin Will Repeat Milošević's Mistakes
Eastern Ukraine’s rebel military commander warns that Putin might be repeating Slobodan Milošević’s wartime mistakes, though not in the way you might be thinking.
Angela Garipova: The Internet Promotes Peaceful Dialogue in Kazakhstan
Angela Garipova, presenter of the program Bloggers on Kazakhstan's state television channel 24.kz, tells Global Voices about the changes happening in Kazakh society, many of which are being reflected online.
These 5 Experts Explain Why Alexander Sodiqov's Arrest in Tajikistan Is So Troubling
Civic activists and journalists fear the arrest of Global Voices' Alexander Sodiqov could have worrying consequences on research in Central Asia.
Trinidad and Tobago Parliament Asks Itself For Pay Raise, Says Yes
When two controversial bills are passed swiftly and unanimously by a country’s parliament, the alarm bells go off. The passage, on June 13, 2014, of amendments to two parliamentary acts governing pension payments for legislators and judges in Trinidad and Tobago has been called unconstitutional and a threat to the independence...
Singing and Dancing in a YouTube Video to Cheer On the National Football Team Can Get You Arrested in Iran
"Goal Iran" includes clips of Iranians in more than a dozen countries singing and dancing. Iranian police call it "vulgar."
Western Ukraine Police Using Facebook to Increase Police Accountability
According to a report [uk] by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe), heads of district police departments in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have been ordered to set up Facebook profiles. As of June 25, 2014, all of them can be found and contacted through the social network, which the Head...
Trinidad & Tobago: Secrets of the CL Financial Bailout?
The public is being told that the CL Financial bailout is being resolved, while at the same time the Minister of Finance & the Economy is withholding the fundamental information which any prudent person would need to make a decision. Afra Raymond wonders what is being hidden.
What Would Buddha Do? Not Attack Sri Lankan Muslims, Buddhists Say
Hardline Buddhist organization Bodu Bala Sena's anti-Muslim rhetoric has fueled deadly riots in Sri Lanka. The group is vocal, but Buddhists are speaking out against them on and offline.
‘A Shift From Surveillance Mode to Elimination Mode’ in China
The Chinese government under the leadership of Xi Jinping has been prosecuting citizen right lawyers, activists and dissidents in past months. Prominent Chinese human right lawyer Tien Biao pointed out that the previous “stability maintenance” model of political control has transformed into elimination of dissents.
Could Snowden Be Russia's Alfred Kinsey?
If Kinsey’s Big Data could show the reality of human sexual behavior, what might the total disintegration of online privacy reveal about all kinds of political behavior?
The Story of Famine Refugees from Niger in Eastern Algeria
In the past few weeks, hundreds of Sub-Saharan immigrants from Mali or Niger have migrated to Algerian cities by the Eastern border. Liberté Algérie narrates the stories of those who made the choice to immigrate and why [fr] : Les conditions de vie au hangar de la cité Bourroh sont inhumaines....
French Startup Companies Want to Make Your Home Smarter
Want a smart thermostat to control your home's heating? Or one that is hooked up to the Internet and measures your home's concentration of CO2? French start-ups are on it.
Thai Coup Leads to Exodus of More Than 180,000 Cambodian Migrant Workers
Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians are streaming over the border to escape a rumored crackdown on illegal migrants, only to be greeted by poor conditions and uncertainty.
Russian Bureaucracy’s Race to Police the Web
"...the most frightening truth may be that Russia’s law enforcement agencies don’t always wait for lawmakers to grant them formal authority when it comes to policing the Internet."
Alexander Sodiqov Is Not the First Person to Be Arrested in Tajikistan for Doing His Job
The Tajik government's arrest of Alexander Sodiqov for conducting academic research in Tajikistan's troubled GBAO region echoes the arrest of a BBC journalist in the same country three years ago.
Twitter's Game of Cat and Mouse in Russia
A pattern is emerging in the relationship between the Kremlin and Twitter, where Moscow makes sweeping demands of the website and then touts the resulting compromise as a victory.
Stop Using Growth as an Excuse to Pollute, African Activists Say
The impact of 2014 World Environment Day on Africa: The need for growth on the continent does not absolve nations from protecting the earth, African advocates say.
Hundreds of Thousands of Hong Kongers Are Defying China and Demanding the Right to Nominate Their Next Leader
A total of 700,000 people have already voted in an unofficial referendum on democratic electoral reform, despite condemnation from China and massive DDoS attacks against the website.
Student Faces Criminal Charges for Disrupting Philippine President's Speech on Independence Day
A student leader in the Philippines was detained and subsequently charged with two criminal cases for disrupting the Independence Day speech of the President.
Russia Claims to Have Forced Twitter into Submission Ahead of Crowell's Moscow Visit
Ahead of a meeting between Twitter and Russia’s chief censorship outfit, Moscow is signaling that Internet giants like the world’s most popular microblogging service must conform to Russian sovereignty.
Ending Illegal Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia
Daniel Besant of Southeast Asia Globe has interviewed photojournalist and activist Karl Ammann about the efforts to end the illegal wildlife trading in Southeast Asia: At the moment, I’m convinced that 90% of what’s being done in Southeast Asia is window dressing and lip service. Making pronouncements, signing MOUs [Memoranda...
