Hungry for change in Zimbabwe By: Rowan Philp, The Times, February 1, 2009 SA civic leader will deliver his demands to the African Union. More than 25000 people around the world will refuse to eat today in protest at South Africaís support for Robert Mugabeís regime. And the South African who will deliver their petition to African Union leaders today has already lost 6kg, in the middle of a 21-day hunger strike. http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=929572
Nigeria: The making of people's power? By: Leadership Nigeria, January 31, 2009 In Ekiti State, Governor. Segun Oni and his deputy were, Wednesday, reportedly given 72 hours to quit Government House by one of the many ëactiveí, crusading youth organisations, springing up in the spirit of our democracy.The Integrity Youth Movementís charge against the Oni administration is its alleged inability to address the worsening case of insecurity in the state. http://leadershipnigeria.com/news/153/ARTICLE/6208/2009-01-31.html
Madagascar opposition leader declares himself in charge By: VOA news, January 31, 2009 The main opposition leader in Madagascar has made his boldest challenge yet to the nation's leadership, declaring to thousands of supporters that he is in charge of the country. Speaking at an anti-government rally Saturday in the capital, Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina said he was now giving orders and called on the central bank not to deliver funds to the government and for ministries to close as of Monday. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-31-voa24.cfm
Zimbabwe rival to enter coalition By: BBC, January 30, 2009 Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said his party will join a unity government with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF next month. The deal, proposed by Southern African leaders, would see Mr Tsvangirai sworn in as prime minister on 11 February. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7860161.stm
New law will cripple Ethiopian civil society By: Civicus, January 28, 2009 Despite severe criticism from donors, civil society and foreign governments, on 6 January 2009, the Ethiopian Parliament passed a controversial law restricting the activities and funding for civil society organizations (CSOs). "The Law will have a crippling effect on civil society in Ethiopia. We are deeply disappointed that Parliament has passed this regressive law which undermines democratic values and the people of Ethiopia", said Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. http://www.civicus.org/press-release/993-new-law-will-cripple-ethiopian-civil-society
AMERICAS
Venezuela: Pro-Ch·vez groups swarm into anti-reelection forums By: El Universal, February 2, 2009 Ismael GarcÌa, leader of opposition Podemos party, condemned the violent attacks against forums and activities organized by students and anti-Ch·vez sectors that oppose a constitutional amendment on endless reelection of elected officials http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/01/30/en_ing_esp_pro-chavez-groups-sw_30A2210789.shtml
Venezuela: Chavez backers bar opposition mayor from City Hall By: Christopher Toothaker, Miami Herald, January 31, 2009 Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma could literally see the writing on the wall after his election some two months ago: Supporters of President Hugo Chavez had spray painted graffiti reading "Out With Ledezma!" across City Hall. And it wasn't long before they got their way. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/AP/story/881578.html
Venezuelan defiance to rights treaty could set precedent By: Phil Gunson, Miami Herald, January 30, 2009 In open defiance of its treaty obligations, and in violation of its own constitution, Venezuela is refusing to comply with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IAHCR), in a case set to put the region's multilateral institutions to the test. In August, the court found that three senior Venezuelan judges had been dismissed without a fair hearing. It ordered them reinstated and compensated, but the country's supreme court has ruled that the sentence is ''impossible to execute.' http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/879309.html
Venezuela: Students and security forces clash as referendum debate intensifies By: George Gabriel and James Suggett, Upside Down World, January 29, 2009 Violent student protests erupted again Tuesday in at least six major Venezuelan cities following a week of relative calm, intensifying the political debate over a proposed constitutional amendment that would abolish the two-term limit on elected offices, if approved in a national referendum on February 15th. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1689/68/
Argentina: Women keep disappearing By: MarÌa Luisa Peralta, UDW, January 29, 2009 It was the 25th anniversary of that day this December and evaluations of the period were abundant. Many things are still pending to be able to talk of a real democracy, and many analyses put an emphasis on ìinstitutional qualityî and the country's pervading poverty's misery, which reaches wide areas of the country (there are about 25 daily children deaths related to hunger). But few outside the womenís movement remarked the persistence of a phenomenon that today has different causes than those it had during the dictatorship, but which has a symbolic weight that should be unbearable: the forced disappearance of people. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1690/1/
How the United States can help improve human rights in China By: William F. Schulz, Center for American Progress, January 29, 2009 The relationship between the United States and China may well be the most important bilateral relationship in the world. In recognition of that fact, the Center for American Progress released a comprehensive report in August 2008, entitled ìA Global Imperative: A Progressive Approach to U.S.-China Relations in the 21st Century,î that addressed all aspects of U.S.-China relations. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/01/china_human_rights.html
Brazil's landless movement turns 25, opens "New Phase" of struggle BY: Michael Fox, UDW, January 28, 2009 In the dying days of Brazilís military dictatorship, in late January 1984, a group of nearly a hundred "landless" farmers from across Brazil met in Cascavel, Paranï to debate the founding of a movement for agrarian reform which would unite landless campesinos and farm workers from around the country. It was an unlikely challenge in the worldís fifth largest nation, where even today less than two percent of landowners control nearly half of the total territory. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1688/1/
United States: Blogging their dreams of citizenship By: Hoa Quach, Global Voices, January 23, 2009 Each year, thousands of children are brought to the United States by undocumented immigrant parents and can go through regular public schooling without ever acquiring legal residency. Even if they have never known another country, they are at constant risk of being deported to their birth countries as they grow up. A proposal for a law that would allow undocumented students to become legal residents, the DREAM Act, has so far been rejected by U.S. legislators in 2007 (similar bills were also rejected in 2001 and 2006). http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/23/usa-blogging-their-dreams-of-citizenship/
ASIA/SOUTH ASIA
Japanese whalers blast protesters with water cannon during mid-ocean clash By: The Guardian, February 2, 2009 Japanese whalers blasted conservationists with a water cannon and hurled hunks of metal and golf balls at them in a clash today in icy Antarctic waters, an anti-whaling group said. Two members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were lightly injured in the early morning fracas in heavy seas about 2,000 miles south-east of the Australian state of Tasmania, said Paul Watson, the group's leader. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/02/whaling-wildlife
Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi allowed out of house to meet with Ibrahim Gambari By: Times Online, February 2, 2009 Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Prize winner, was permitted a rare respite from her house arrest this morning for a brief meeting with a United Nations envoy dispatched to mediate with the countryís repressive military dictatorship. Ms Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 18 years in detention, met for 90 minutes with Ibrahim Gambari, special adviser on Burma to the UN secretary-general, in his latest effort to foster political dialogue between the Burmese junta and its political opponents. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5639120.ece
Chinese rights advocate faces trial By: Edward Wong, NYT, February 2, 2009 A human rights advocate who tried to help grieving parents push for an official investigation into a school that collapsed during last Mayís earthquake in Sichuan Province has been charged with illegal possession of state secrets, a legal step Chinese officials take when they intend to punish a dissident. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/world/asia/03quake.html?_r=2&ref=world
Sri Lankan protest is peaceful By: BBC February 1, 2009 A demonstration which drew 50,000 people to central London to call for an end to violence in Sri Lanka passed without incident, police have said. Metropolitan police said the protest against Sri Lankan military action in the north of the Indian Ocean nation resulted in just one arrest. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7863659.stm
Tens of thousands march on Thailandís government house By: VOA News, January 31, 2009 Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators have marched on the main government offices in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. Some 30,000 protesters marched through the city for two hours, urging the government to dissolve parliament and punish those responsible for last year's crippling protests. The earlier demonstrations ousted current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's pro-Thaksin predecessor Somchai Wongsawat. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-31-voa18.cfm
Burma: Petition launched for release of two Burmese bloggers serving sentences of 20 and 59 years in prison By: RWB, January 29, 2009 international community not to forget Nay Phone Latt (http://www.nayphonelatt.net/), a Burmese blogger who was arrested exactly one year ago today and was sentenced on 10 November to 20 years and six months in prison, or Zarganar, one of Burmaís best known comedians, who is serving a 59-year jail sentence in appalling conditions for criticising the military government online. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=30155
Protest Video: Dancing Filipina maids in Hong Kong By" Mong Palatino, Global Voices, January 29, 2009 There are many YouTube videos featuring dance performances of various groups and individuals. These videos were uploaded in order to promote products, to entertain, and sometimes to highlight political issues. In the Philippines the YouTube video of the dancing prisoners in Cebu province became a worldwide hit two years ago. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/29/protest-video-dancing-filipina-maids-in-hong-kong/
India: Tribe forms human chain to keep British company off sacred mountain By: Survival International, January 29, 2009 Hundreds of members of the Dongria Kondh tribe, together with many tribal and non-tribal allies, formed a human chain at the base of their sacred Niyamgiri mountain on the 27th January to prevent British mining giant Vedanta from bulldozing it. Some reports put the number of people taking part in the protest at over 10,000. Placards carried by the protesters bore slogans including ëVedanta, go backí and ëStop mining in Niyamgirií. http://www.survival-international.org/news/4152
China: Bloggers brace for ëreign of terrorí By: Xiao Qiang, CDT, January 29, 2009 ìMore and more people are turning away from the mainstream media to the internet and blogs for their information,î said Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley. Southern Metropolis Weekly recently ran a list of the 20 most influential figures in cyberspace, saying the internet had given Chinese ìan unprecedented platform to express themselvesî. http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/01/bloggers-brace-for-%e2%80%98reign-of-terror%e2%80%99/
China's Tibet action sparks plea By: BBC, January 29, 2009 Eighty-one people have been detained and nearly 6,000 questioned in the past 11 days, Chinese state media reported. The Tibetan Daily said the campaign in Lhasa was targeting criminals.But the leaders-in-exile say they are concerned that China's "hardline policies" may lead to a repeat of last year's deadly anti-Chinese riots. The centre of Lhasa has been under heavy security since last March, after peaceful protests turned violent following a military crackdown. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7857896.stm
CENTRAL ASIA
Kyrgyz army bill sparks fears of crackdown By: IWPR, January 30, 2009 Civil society representatives have expressed alarm that the Kyrgyz authorities are pushing through legislation that would allow them to use the army to quell protests at a time when tensions between the government and opposition are deepening. A group of non-government organisations is calling on President Kurmanbek Bakiev not to give his assent to the law, which contains a clause allowing the armed forces to assist police in maintaining ìpublic order and securityî as well as in rescue and disaster relief operations. http://www.iwpr.net/?p=rca&s=f&o=349670&apc_state=henh
EUROPE
Russia: Anger at Putin over economy By: Alex Rodriguez, LA Times, February 1, 2009 Russians from a broad spectrum of political movements protested in several cities Saturday, unified by their discontent over how Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has struggled to gird the country against the global financial crisis. In the Far East port city of Vladivostok, more than 2,000 demonstrators marched along downtown streets chanting, "Putin, resign!" Anti-government rallies in Vladivostok in mid-December were brutally dispersed by Russian riot police, but on Saturday demonstrators were allowed to march. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-russia1-2009feb01,0,118573.story
Russia: Activists in Moscow mourn 2 colleagues By: Ellen Berry, IHT, February 1, 2009 The mourners who gathered in a Moscow square, hopping and shivering against the bitter cold, grew still on Sunday as the angry voice of the human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov echoed over a public address system. "I am tired of meeting my acquaintances in crime reports," Markelov, 34, said in a speech recorded last November. http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/01/europe/kremlin.4-420740.php
United Kingdom: Pro-Tibet protesters arrested after clashes at Chinese embassy By: Mark Tran, The Guardian, February 1, 2009 Police arrested five pro-Tibet protesters during scuffles with police in London today as Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, arrived at the Chinese embassy. The men were detained after trying to push past officers to get to the doors of the building. A spokesman for the group of about 200 demonstrators said a small number of them were trying to take the Free Tibet flag to the doors of the building. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/01/tibet-protest-china-embassy-london See photos here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2009/feb/01/tibet-china?picture=342634858
Switzerland: Protesters in Geneva target Davos forum By: Frank Jordans, AP, February 1, 2009 Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons Saturday at bottle-throwing demonstrators in Geneva who protested the annual World Economic Forum meeting in the Swiss Alps. Police chased black-clad protesters through the narrow streets of what is known as the City of Peace, as shoppers took refuge in bars and cafes. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101866.html
Court bars boycott of civics class in Spain By: IHT, Victoria Burnett, January 29, 2009 Thousands of children boycotting a civic education class that includes the exploration of such issues as gay rights and stem-cell research must return to the class following a ruling by the Supreme Court here. The court ruled Wednesday that public-school children could not be kept out of the class on the basis of conscientious objection. http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/29/europe/spain.4-419050.php?WT.mc_id=newsalert
French left pioneers a radical new tactic: The picnic protest By: Jason Burke, Common Dreams, January 25, 2009 In exactly a week's time, in a supermarket somewhere in or around Paris, a couple of dozen young French activists are going to choose an aisle, unfold tables, put on some music and, taking what they want from the shelves, start a little picnic. The group "L'Appel et la Pioche" (The call and the pick axe) will have struck again - fruit and veg, dairy or the fish counter will have been transformed into a flash protest against global capitalism, rampant consumerism, bank bail-outs, poor housing, expensive food, profit margins and pretty much everything else that is wrong in the world. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/25-3
MIDDLE EAST/ NORTH AFRICA
Egypt: Guarded welcome to court ruling on editors By: The National, February 2, 2009 Egyptian journalists and rights activists have welcomed a Cairo courtís decision to overturn prison sentences given to four opposition newspaper editors, but lamented that they were issued with fines, which they say indicates the men are still considered guilty. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090202/FOREIGN/421458604/1011/NEWS
Bahrain hit by mass-web censorship campaign By: Alexandra Sandels, Menasset, February 2, 2009 On January 14 this year, local newspapers in Bahrain made public a ministerial order by Bahrainís new Minister of Media & Culture, Shiekha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa that called on telecommunications companies and Internet service providers to tighten their measures on preventing access to web sites previously banned by the ministry. http://www.menassat.com/?q=en/news-articles/5904-bahrain-hit-mass-web-censorship-activists-say
Possibility of warmer U.S. relations buoy Iran's rights activists By: Golnaz Esfandiari, RFERL, February 2, 2009 Human rights activists and those pushing for democratic changes in the Islamic republic believe they could benefit from improved relations between Iran and the United States. They are encouraged by what they see as a change of tone by Washington. "The Guardian" reported on January 29 that the Obama administration has drafted a letter to Iran aimed at "unfreezing" relations with Iran and paving the way for face-to-face talks. http://www.rferl.org/content/Possibility_Of_Warmer_US_Relations_Buoy_Irans_Rights_Activists_/1377974.html
Tunisia: Attacks on freedom of expression By: Global Voices February 1, 2009 The Tunisian government is confirming again its ìstrong supportî for freedom of speech. According to local journalists on Tuesday, January 27th plainclothes policemen surrounded the offices of the newly launched satellite radio station Kalima and detained one of its journalists, Dhafer Ottey. On Wednesday, Kalimaís journalists and reporters stayed in the building and continued to broadcast. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/02/01/56217/
Iran detains women's rights activist By: AP, February 1, 2009 A lawyer for an Iranian activist says police detained the woman while she was campaigning for equal marriage rights for women. The lawyer says Nafiseh Azad was detained Friday while collecting signatures for a two-year-old campaign pushing for equal rights for women in marriage, divorce and inheritance. http://www.iranfocus.com/en/women/lawyer-iran-detains-womens-rights-activist-17092.html
Afghan street protests after US raid kills 2 By: AP, February 1, 2009 Hundreds of Afghans demonstrated Sunday against an overnight U.S. military raid that one villager said killed several civilians. The American military said its forces only killed two militants. The angry protesters gathered on the main highway linking Kabul and Kandahar near the site of the raid, the latest to stir up Afghan ire against foreign forces accused of killing civilians. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/01/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html?ref=world
How small steps can pave the way to democracy in the Middle East By: Joel Brinkley, The Keene Sentinal, January 31, 2009 Almost a decade ago, near the end of the Clinton administration, I was chatting with Theresa Loar, who ran the State Departmentís womenís office, and she told me about how she had tricked other senior officials in the building. She was trying to persuade them to attend a meeting on an issue they werenít likely to care about. ìSo I told them we were going to talk about democracy promotion ó the departmentís evergreen issue.î http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2009/01/31/opinion/columnists/free/id_341511.txt
Iran: A Kurdish political activist sentenced to death By: IHRV, January 31, 2009 A political activist who had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the initial court was sentenced to death by the appeals court. Ehsan Fatahian, a resident of Kermanshah, was detained by security guards in the city of Kamyaran, in Kurdistan province last August. During the initial court proceedings by the Revolutionary Court in the city of Sanandaj, Mr. 8Fatahian received 10 years imprisonment to be served in exile in Ramhormoz Prison in Khozistan province. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=174
Iran: Bloggers mobilize for animal rights By: Hamid Tehrani, January 31, 2009 In the summer of 2007, police in Iran began arresting dogs. These were not stray dogs, but domesticated pets walking with their owners. While the dog arrests subsided after a couple of weeks, the mistreatment of animals in the Islamic Republic of Iran is still widespread.Fortunately, a number of bloggers are supporting an initiative by Iran-based blogger Mino Saberi, to defend the rights of dogs, birds, cats, and other creatures of the Earth. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/31/iran-bloggers-mobilize-for-animal-rights/
North Africa: Are political websites more likely to get hacked? By: Sami Ben Gharbia, Global Voices, January 30, 2009 Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free speech both online and offline. http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/30/north-africa-are-political-websites-more-likely-to-get-hacked/
NGOs in Gaza: humanitarianism vs politics By: Hugo Slim, Open Democracy, January 30, 2009 The Israel-Palestine conflict is striking for the intense emotions that it generates. These encompass not just the people directly involved on both sides but outsiders, especially in the western world - from cyber-activists waging a "virtual' war in the blogosphere and comment-forums to NGOs, civil-society movements and international humanitarian agencies. http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/ngos-in-gaza-between-humanitarianism-and-politics
Middle East: boycott as a political weapon By: Tarek Amir, Global Voices, January 22, 2009 Many people across the Middle East have decided to boycott Israeli and American products in response to the Israeli war on Gaza. The Angry Arab News Service wrote,"Across five Arab states a new and closely co-ordinated campaign to boycott American goods is being launched, with Starbucks coffee shops their primary target, but with NestlÈ, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Burger King outlets also on the list." http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/22/middle-east-boycott-as-a-political-weapon/
OCEANIA
West Papua: Indonesian security forces attack human rights defender By: Free West Papua, February 2, 2009 Indonesian Security forces have attacked a group of 100 local people protesting about delays in local election in Nabire. As the police attacked some of the demonstrators telephoned Mr. Yones Douw, a respected human rights activist from the Kingmi church and asked him to come. When Mr. Douw arrived and began documenting the violence the Police attacked him. http://freewestpapua.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=873&Itemid=2
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The power of a declaration By: Amartya Sen, The New Republic, February 4, 2009 Nineteen forty-eight may have begun as an unsettling year, with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in January, but it ended on a positive note, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December. There was a reasoned vision of lasting importance underlying the declaration; it was momentous in its time, and it remains important today. http://www.tnr.com/booksarts/story.html?id=c9062f2f-d6a6-4463-aa32-5d2f8c9af3d3
Media and democracy in fragile states By: James Deane, Communication, Media, and Development Policy, February 2, 2009 Earlier this month, we worked with the Institute of Development Studies in the UK to organize a research symposium on media and democracy in fragile states. The idea was to bring a small group of serious development thinkers and thinktanks from different disciplines together with some renowned media researchers, and practitioners like ourselves. http://www.comminit.com/en/node/284655/bbc
Strengthening women's citizenship By: Clare Castillejo, FRIDE, January 29, 2009 This FRIDE seminar brought together experts working on gender and governance issues to explore how womenís experience of citizenship in fragile states is affected by state-building processes and identify how such processes can be opportunities to strengthen womenís citizenship. http://www.fride.org/publication-newsletter/558/seminar-strengthening-womens-citizenship
Speaking Out: How the voices of poor people are shaping the future By: Oxfam, January 2009 This set of 12 papers brings together experiences, lessons, and good practice from Oxfam GB and its partnersí global programme work on the theme of ëthe right to be heardí. The papers describe different ways to strengthen the participation of people in poverty so that they become active citizens and shape policy decisions. Many poor people around the world are denied the opportunity to have their say. These papers cover different approaches, lessons learned, and useful case examples on issues ranging from local community budget monitoring to popular mobilization and media work. For details, click here. http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2008090217125666
World Movement for Democracy report: Defending civil society By: ICNL, January 2009 Democracy will not flourish unless citizens can freely engage in politics and social change, and for many years civil society groups have been providing citizens with the means to do so peacefully. While civil society organizations are thus central to building and defending democracy, they face serious threats around the world. http://www.wmd.org/documents/DCS/EPGletterJan09.pdf
Mobile as media platform in the global south By: Internews Europe, February 2009 African peasants paint their mobile phone number over their front doors. Indian slum dwellers buy SIM cards to use on friendsí handsets. Chinese students spend three monthsí allowance on a phone they can use to surf the web. Once almost the exclusive domain of rich countries, the mobile revolution has swept through the developing world. http://www.internews.fr/spip.php?article459
IN PAST NEWS
Canada: Climate change-as politicians stall, grassroots fills void By: Stephen Leahy, IPS, January 15, 2009 Global emissions of carbon dioxide must reach a peak in less than 10 years and then begin a rapid decline to nearly zero by 2050 to avoid catastrophic disruption to the world's climate, according to a new report. Emissions of carbon dioxide will actually need to "go negative" -- with more being absorbed than emitted -- during the second half of this century, according to "State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World" released by the U.S.-based Worldwatch Institute this week. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45427
Defending human rights and promoting democracy in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan By: Jos Boonstra, FRIDE, December 19, 2009 This Activity Brief presents the conclusions of the roundtable on Euro-Atlantic approaches towards Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the field of democracy and human rights, held in Madrid on Friday 12 December. The meeting was organised by FRIDE and CEPS, with the support of the Human Rights Office of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and brought together a group of 25 researchers, academics, human rights activists, NGO representatives and Spanish policy-makers. http://www.fride.org/publication-newsletter/541/defending-human-rights-and-promoting-democracy
BOOK REVIEW
The influence of books By: Philosophy by the way, February 2, 2009 Books can have much influence on life, culture and politics, and who knows what more. The influence of religious books is very well known. Or take the influence of the philosophical works by Plato, Aristotle and Descartes, works of science by Newton or Darwin. And so I can go on. The row is endless, and most people can mention a few, or when we mention a title they say ìOh yes, of courseî. http://philosophybytheway.blogspot.com/2009/02/influence-of-books.html
Britain had the kind of freedom I could not dream of' By: The Guardian, January 30, 2009 Jung Chang speaks to liberty central about freedom of expression and why her books are banned in China http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2009/jan/30/liberty-central-jung-chang-freedom-of-expression
NOTICES
Making Your Media Matter: Conference 2009 The Center for Social Media invites established and aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders, and students to our 5th annual Making Your Media Matter conference. This is a perfect opportunity to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters. http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/making_your_media_matter/
Take Action: Demand that killers of human rights defenders in Russia be brought to justice By: Human Rights First, January 2009 On January 19, Stanislav Markelov, a human rights defender and lawyer, was gunned down in the middle of the afternoon in downtown Moscow. Anastasia Baburova, a freelance reporter working for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta who was with Markelov and tried to intervene, was also shot and died hours later. http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/Markelov
Civil rights pioneer LaFayette to speak at Tucson NAACP events By:Fernanda Echavarre, The Tuscan Citizen, January 30, 2009 Civil rights pioneer and educator Bernard LaFayette, Jr. will be in Tucson next week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. LaFayette, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960, was a close associate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and has spent his life setting up centers for peace and nonviolence training in the U.S. and around the world, said Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa, chairwoman of the Tucson Human Relations Commission. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/109047.php
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Remise en cause des acquis dÈmocratiques By: Le Monde Diplomatique, February 2009 ´ Seize ans aprËs [líinterruption du processus lÈgislatif en 1991], on vit avec plus de restrictions que du temps du parti unique. Moins de libertÈ díexpression et de libertÈs syndicales, plus de pression sur les partis politiques et une fraude gÈnÈralisÈe [aux Èlections] (1) . ª Cette dÈclaration Èmane de M. Abderrazak Mokri. Bien que son parti islamiste soit membre de líalliance gouvernementale, le vice-prÈsident du Mouvement de la sociÈtÈ pour la paix (MSP) reconnaÓt que, depuis líarrivÈe de M. Abdelaziz Bouteflika ‡ la prÈsidence, les libertÈs et les droits des AlgÈriens ont considÈrablement rÈgressÈ. http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2009/02/CHIBANI/16762
Madagascar: Coup d'Etat ou "rÈvolution orange" ? By: Courrier International, February 2, 2009 A la tÍte du mouvement de contestation du rÈgime, le maire d'Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, a annoncÈ son intention de destituer le prÈsident Marc Ravalomanana. Ce dernier rÈaffirme son autoritÈ mais ne peut ignorer les revendications affichÈes de son rival. http://www.courrierinternational.com/article.asp?obj_id=94165
Madagscar: DÈpÙt d'une demande de destitution du prÈsident By: Jeune Afrique, February 2, 2009 Le maire d'Antananarivo Andry Rajoelina a annoncÈ devant plusieurs milliers de partisans qu'il allait dÈposer dans l'aprËs-midi une demande de destitution du prÈsident de Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana. http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/DEPAFP20090202T124340Z/-Marc-Ravalomanana-Andry-Rajoelina-destitution-Depot-d-une-demande-de-destitution-du-president.html
Iraq: Les femmes s'engagent en politique By: Courrier International, January 30, 2009 MalgrÈ les espoirs d'amÈlioration, la situation des femmes n'a guËre ÈvoluÈ depuis l'occupation amÈricaine en 2003. Leur participation au scrutin du 31 janvier va cependant leur permettre d'obtenir des siËges dans les conseils locaux, pour enfin dÈfendre leurs droits. http://www.courrierinternational.com/article.asp?obj_id=94102
Le "crËve-coeur" de Ban Ki-Moon By: Jeune Afrique, January 26, 2009 On ne lía pas assez remarquÈ, mais le coup de gueule de Ban Ki-Moon ‡ líadresse díIsraÎl níest pas banal. Et il pourrait ne pas rester sans consÈquence. Le 20 janvier ‡ Gaza, le secrÈtaire gÈnÈral de líONU a pu constater les ravages matÈriels et humains provoquÈs par ´ líarmÈe morale ª (Tzipi Livni dixit). http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2507p014-015.xml0/-ONU-CPI-Israel-Palestine-Le--creve-coeur--de-Ban-Ki-Moon.html