Stories about War & Conflict from February, 2013
Burundi: Violent Suppression of Demonstration Support for Imprisoned Journalist
The Court of Burundi revised the life sentence for journalist and Radio France International correspondent Hassan Ruvakuki on appeal, reducing his sentence to three years imprisonment. Media professionals demonstrated in sympathy weekly outside the Bujumbura Court building since the sentence was handed down until violent suppression of a march by the authorities.
U.S. and South Korea: A Show of Force, But Running Out of Options?
North Korea’s third nuclear test provided the ideal opportunity for the United States and South Korea to respond with their own displays of military muscle. But what will be their next move?
A Futile Gagging Order for the ‘Prisoner X’ Scandal
For a whole day, Israeli media were forbidden from reporting on the Prisoner X story, even as it was making headlines worldwide and Israelis disseminated the news in social media and blogs.
Iran's New Stealth Fighter Soars Across Fake Sky
Iranian bloggers revealed this month that an official photo of Iran’s newly unveiled stealth fighter, Qaher-313, is a fake photoshopped image.
Syria: “Lens of a Young Homsi”, Photographs of a City under Siege
A group of young photographers from Homs has become an important source of information about the besieged Syrian city. In addition to letting the world know what's happening in Homs, they also receive daily requests from people who had to flee the city and want to know if their houses have been destroyed or not.
A Timeline of Colombian Peace Talks
Adam Isacson has been updating a timeline on the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). The timeline includes relevant links with more information on each event.
[Webcast] Thoughts On The Fallout from Kony 2012
Ruha Devanesan explores how Invisible Children has responded to criticism of Kony 2012 and adapted its messaging and asks what lessons can be learned by the human rights advocacy community.
Mexico: Urgent Need for Digital Security Skills
A survey completed by 102 journalists and bloggers in 20 Mexican states found that vulnerable reporters and bloggers lack digital and mobile security skills. Jessica Weiss reports for the IJNET blog: The report, “Digital and Mobile Security for Mexican Journalists and Bloggers,” shows that nearly 70 percent have been threatened or...
Pakistan's Hazara Shias Demand Arrests, Protection After Deadly Bombing
In the latest attack against Pakistan's Hazara Shia minority, a bomb ripped through a busy market in the southwestern city of Quetta in Pakistan on February 16, claiming as many as 63 people and injuring 180 others. Many have accused the government of inaction, demanding that authorities step in and put an end to the mass killings.
A Second Revolution in Libya?
The road to democracy is a bumpy one for Libyans, who are marking the second anniversary of their revolution this week. Fozia Mohamed charts the reactions of bloggers on the occasion. Could this be Libya's real second revolution?
Tajik Civil War ‘Will Continue’
Unless ALL the sides [that fought against each other in the 1990s] admit their fault and say, "Yes, we did kill, we did start the conflict," the civil war will continue... It looks like we are ashamed of admitting that we are all to blame for the bloodshed.
#Shahbag Blogger Hacked To Death
Engineer Ahmed Rajib Haider, a young blogger and online activist participating in the ongoing Shahbag movement in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka was brutally killed a few hours ago, reports Mamur Hossain. Hasib Mahmud writes [bn] that a death warrant was posted against Rajib a few days ago on an Islamist-run...
North Korea's Nuclear Slap on the Chinese New Year
While the Chinese were celebrating their Lunar New Year, Pyongyang launched their third underground nuclear test just 100km away from their border with China. So far the Chinese government's response has been moderate. But online, both the pro-North Korea nationalists and the anti-North Korea liberals are not happy.
North Korea's Nuclear Test Old Hat for South Koreans
North Korea confirmed on February 12 that it had conducted its third nuclear test, drawing condemnation from the international community. South Koreans living in the shadow of their nuclear neighbor to the north had varying reactions to the news.
North Korea Conducts 3rd Nuclear Test
North Korea conducted its third-ever nuclear test on Feb 12, 2013, sparking condemnation internationally. Check out this Storify link for more details. (Another Global Voices post will be published soon)
The Idleness of African Leadership in Mali
Ousmane Gueye on the site Mondoblog writes [fr] about the slow deployment of African troops in northern Mali : If we were to judge the impact of the intervention in Mali by the jubilant euphoria of liberated populations, then it should be obvious that by deploying so slowly, African countries failed Mali...
Colombia: Shots Continue to Ring Out in Medellín
The city of Medellin is facing a difficult public order situation. The most mentioned area is Comuna 13, with several nocturnal clashes on the first weekend of February.
The Romanian-Hungarian “War of the Flags”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the ongoing diplomatic confrontation between Romania and Hungary, sparked by the Romanian authorities’ ban on flying the flag of the Székely Land, an ethnic Hungarian enclave currently demanding territorial autonomy within Romania.
Protesting Cyrillic, “Collectivising Guilt” in Croatia
Balkan Anarchist weighs in on the protests against the use of the Cyrillic script in Vukovar‘s public spaces: […] I believe that we, decent and honest Serbs, should be ashamed of what was done in the name of Serbdom during the '90s and condemn it all unequivocally! And I also...
Mali: Threats All Around
The Malian army has committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) during the ongoing conflict against armed groups, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, according to testimonies collected by Amnesty International during a ten days mission in Mali.