Stories about Human Rights from December, 2012
Bahrain: Tweet Leads Human Rights Activist to Prison
Sayed Yousif Almuhafda is the Vice President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. He is also member of the rights groups Front Line Defenders and Amnesty International. He was arrested on December 17th as he was monitoring a non violent demonstration in the capital Manama and reporting about it on Twitter.
What does the WCIT really mean for Internet users?
The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai failed to reach consensus last Thursday, leaving many delegates frustrated after nearly two weeks of intense negotiations. The final text of the treaty will not drastically change the state of Internet policy for the world, but it could push us further in the direction of a fractured network where user experiences differ substantially from country to country.
#FastforBassel: Campaign Launched for Syrian Netizen Facing Military Trial
Bassel Khartabil, also known as Bassel Safadi, is on military trial in Syria, where he is denied a lawyer. The open source software engineer and Creative Commons volunteer has been in jail since March. Supporters around the world have just launched a #FastforBassel campaign on Twitter to raise awareness about his case.
Free Bassel: Netizen Under Serious Threat
Bassel Khartabil Safadi, a Syrian open source developer and pro-democracy activist, has completed 9 months in jail. His friends and family fear for his life as he is being prosecuted by a military court.
Pakistan's Fight for Net Freedom
It’s been an active year for digital activism on Internet freedom in Pakistan. The fact that the United Nations deemed it a basic universal human right has not stopped authorities in Pakistan from clamping down on the world wide web in many different ways and by various means.
Latin America and the Caribbean Netizen Report: Detention Edition
This month, arrests of Internet users in Latin America and the Caribbean appear to have increased, with bloggers and activists in Ecuador, Colombia, and Cuba detained for their activities online. In this Netizen Report for Latin America and the Caribbean, we review some of these cases.
Global Voices Where Every Voice Counts
The idea that every voice counts is one that is very close to the notion of Global Voices as a platform and as a community. As netizens unite to have their voices heard when the world's authorities argue on who should run the internet, we decided to ask our diverse community to participate and speak out on issues that matter to them and look back at issues we have covered over the year bearing in mind that every voice counts.
Human Rights Day: Defending Free Expression, Online and Off
If we want to reap all the civic, educational, political, and economic benefits of an open Internet, human rights -- and freedom of expression in particular -- must be baked into the technology and the policies that govern its use from the very beginning. On this year's Human Rights Day, the UN has placed a spotlight on the rights of all people “to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making,” a theme particularly relevant to the Internet and its unique civic power.
Human Rights Day in United Arab Emirates
While millions of people from all over the world are celebrating the International Human Rights Day activists in United Arab Emirates are not able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly (whether by organizing protests or writing about authorities' violations).
Saudi Activist: “Public Trial Reveals Their Mentality and Lack of Evidence”
The eighth hearing session of one of Saudi Arabia's first public trials of two prominent human rights activists Mohammad Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Al-Hamid was held today at the Riyadh Criminal Court
Women Banned from Using Mobile Phones in Indian Villages
A village council in the Indian state of Bihar has banned women from using mobile phones because it is “debasing the social atmosphere” and leading couples to elope. Similar bans have also been seen in other parts of India.
