Global Voices Online

Stories

What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — echoes of the past

Tim Muth · 11:09

The past two weeks have seen much discussion in the Salvadoran blogosphere about crimes committed during the civil war in El Salvador which continue to have considerable impact on the society. In particular, bloggers explored considerations of impunity and historical memory arising from the assassination of Oscar Romero and disappearances of children during the war.

The 26th anniversary of the anniversary of the assassination of archbishop Oscar Romero was March 24th. Bloggers Hunnapuh, Jjmar, demander, Tim, and Rebeca
all paid homage to the martyred “voice of the voiceless.” Just as Romero's assassination in some ways marks the beginning of the civil war in El Salvador, Aldebarán notes that March 24th also marked the 30th anniversary of the military coup in Argentina that brought in 7 years of dirty war, in which tens of thousands disappeared or were tortured by government forces.
(more…)

0 comments · »»

The Week That Was in Bahrain

Amira Al Hussaini · 02:51

The week ended on a sad note in Bahrain, with a tragedy for hundreds of people who have lost dear and near ones when a dhow capsized off the shores of the Kingdom on Thursday.

Stravinsky was the first to report the incident, following a tip from a friend in New Jersey, US.

Thanks to the Internet, news travels fast nowadays, making the world a much smaller place. Silly Bahraini Girl in Canada says her excitement about her trip back home for a holiday has been eclipsed by the tragedy, which she described as yet another black day for Bahrain.

Tito Kayak, writing in Blame in on Bahrain, was also in for a shock when his doorman informed him about the tragedy, after spending a wonderful evening at La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Arts.
He sums up his thoughts here, reminding us once again how vulnerable and immune we have become overnight:

Then I came home and the night watchman asked me, “did you hear about the boat that sank?” Apparently some people did not enjoy their evening in Bahrain as I did. Really puts perspective on the world, to think that tragic things can happen only a mile or two away from other folks' beautiful moments. I mean, I'm not just here to have a good time…but I can't blame myself for not helping, can I? Life can be pretty unforgiving sometimes, even in little Bahrain.
My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones on the ferry.

(more…)

0 comments · »»

Wives and sisters against the Chinese Communist Party's war on free speech

John Kennedy · 02:24

AIDS activist Hu Jia and documentarian/Beijing or Bust blogger Wu Hao were both arrested in Beijing earlier this year on charges that have yet to be specified. While Hu—who went missing on February 16th—was released last week, Global Voices Online editor Wu nears his seventh week in detention.

What's significant about both these two separate incidents is the role blogs have played. Hu's wife Zeng Jin Yan, immediately following Hu's disappearance, began using her blog—started late last year to document her husband's activism—as a means to communicate not only her feelings, but her accounts of her dealings with state authorities and media as well.

(more…)

3 comments · »»

Links for Roundups

Middle East & North Africa

Alpar (Persian) talks about Dr. Mostfa Moin's, reformist presidential candidate & blogger, interview in Shargh newspaper. Dr. Moin says “democracy at home & peace in world” was more than a beautiful landscape (wishful thinking) and could have become reality. He adds he does not understand Iranian government's policy.