social media | Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Take a minute to make this social media campaign a success!

April 15, 2014

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has started a most interesting campaign using social media to free human rights defenders. I strongly advise readers of this blog to take action by subscribing to the idea and retweeting or reblogging it on their own platforms. Let us see what can be achieved by 27 April when the campaign finishes!

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/9969-forfreedom

Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: campaign, FIDH, free human rights defenders, Human Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, internet, social media, twitter

RFK Training Human Rights Defenders in Social Media

April 10, 2014

You can participate in an on-line conversation on the use of social media in human rights work on 15 April 2014 organised by the John F. Kennedy Centre for Human Rights [RFK]. The speakers are:

Santiago A. Canton is the Director of RFK Partners for Human Rights. Mr. Canton was the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, after serving as the first Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression in the Inter American System. Mr. Canton was also Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), a democratic development institute based in Washington D.C. Mr. Canton was a political assistant to President Carter in democratic development programs in countries in Latin America. In 2005, Mr. Canton was awarded the Chapultepec Grand Prize for his contributions to the promotion, development, strengthening and defense of the principles of freedom of expression throughout the Americas.
Maria Isabel Rivero is a Uruguayan journalist and has been director of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Press and Outreach Office since July 2007. She started working at the Commission in 2006, through a competition for the post of press coordinator for the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. She studied social communications at the Catholic University of Uruguay and has a Master of Latin American Studies degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Before joining the IACHR, she was a journalist for 15 years, working for an international news agency in Santiago (Chile), Asunción (Paraguay), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Washington, D.C. (United States).

Ali Ravi is Senior Consultant – Digital Strategy, Security, Capacity. With advanced degrees in Electrical Engineering and Robotics, Ali Ravi’s work focus has primarily been on information systems design, Digital strategy development and adult-learning methodology. He has spent 15 years in the NGO world as Technology Strategist for smaller NGOs, and Digital Strategy and Security educator/trainer for individuals involved in progressive causes.

Maya Derouaz is the Social Media Manager at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). She has developed the social media presence of OHCHR on various platforms since 2012. Ms Derouaz has also been advising, designing and implementing communications strategies aimed at increasing the visibility of OHCHR on social media. She leads various social media campaigns in order to disseminate key information on the activities of the UN Human Rights Office on the ground. Ms Derouaz took part in the development of a National Agricultural Programme for Eritrea when she worked at the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome. Ms Derouaz holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, a Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Business from Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and has a keen interest in new media, global politics and sustainable development.

Lely Djuhari is Communication Specialist at UNICEF, working on social media. She has also worked in other humanitarian and development agencies in Indonesia, Southeast Asian countries, Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Turkey, South Caucasus and Central Asia. She managed wide ranging multi-country advocacy campaigns on inclusion of children with disabilities, ethnic minorities such as the Roma; disaster risk reduction into mainstream education; child-friendly schools during post-tsunami reconstruction, the roll out of journalism education and child rights in 30 universities in Europe and Central Asia; groundbreaking research and advocacy for maximizing safer online access for boys and girls. As a correspondent for The Associated Press and Kyodo News English Service during 2004-1998, she covered social and political issues in Indonesia, East Timor`s path to nationhood and the Indian Ocean Tsunami. While on a Chevening scholarship at London`s City University, UK, she explored new media and new competencies needed by journalists in an increasingly connected world.

Human Rights Affairs: Social Media & HR | RFK – Training Institute.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awareness raising, Human Rights Defenders, information technology, JFK, John F Kennedy Centre, media, NGOs, on-line conversations, RFK, Santiago A. Canton, social media, training course

Human rights defender Ou Virak: a lonely voice in Cambodia against all discrimination

December 20, 2013

(Human rights activist Ou Virak talks to the media outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court last year. Vireak Mai)

A vicious backlash on social media (including death threats) has started against human rights activist Ou Virak in reaction to his call for opposition leader Sam Rainsy to stop inciting discrimination against the Vietnamese. Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, has been attacked on his Facebook page in comments ranging from disappointment to outright vulgar abuse. In a statement released on Wednesday, Virak clarified that Rainsy singled out the Vietnamese in speeches, inciting discrimination against them. Virak said the virulent reaction against him reaffirmed his concerns about using anti-Vietnamese sentiment as a campaign platform in the first place. David Boyle in the Phom Penh Post reports on 19 December 2013 more on how thin and important the line is between opposition and human rights defenders.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Adhoc, AI, Cambodia, Cambodian Center for Human Rights, david boyle, Death threat, Discrimination, facebook, human rights activist, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, intimidation, LICADHO, Non-governmental organization, Ou Virak, Phnom Penh Post, Sam Rainsy, social media, vietnamese, Virak

New media and art as tools for human rights advocacy: course for HRDs in Montenegro

October 22, 2013

Stockholm-based Civil Rights Defenders is organising a five-day working conference in Przno, Montenegro, from the 22 – 27 October. The conference is entitled “Empowering people – ideas worth spreading“ and will gather human rights activists from Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The goal of the conference is to increase the participants’ capacities in using new media and technology as well as art in their advocacy work.

“We want to truly empower activists in using new media and technology in their work as well as giving them the tools to be more effective. New media and social networks are used everywhere and therefore our advocacy efforts must follow the trend. Art is also a well-known tool for sending a powerful message and engage people in a debate. During the conference, the participants will share ideas, create new projects and be given a „communications upgrade“ to create online and offline communities, thus making them part of the human rights advocacy network“, said Goran Miletic, Programme Director for the Western Balkans at Civil Rights Defenders.

Through intensive training and workshops, 40 activists from the Western Balkans will learn how to use new media, create communication strategies, learn about video production and theatre as well as civic journalism in advocacy. The participants will exchange ideas and create new ones at the conference, which will provide the foundation for future joint efforts and regional partnerships.

Civil Rights Defenders – New media and art as tools for human rights advocacy.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy, albania, art, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Civil Rights Defenders, films, human rights activists, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, information technology, Kosovo, Montenegro, social media, training course, western balkans

Incorporating Social Media into Human Rights Campaigning – join the on-line conversation on 13 May

April 20, 2013

You can join the ‘engine room’ and the New Tactics online community for an online conversation on “Incorporating Social Media into Your Human Rights Campaigning“. This will take place from 13 to 17 May 2013.

Social media are increasingly being used by human rights organizations around the world, but the question remains how do organizations use these tools strategically and creatively to reach their goals? The online conversation will explore topics such as:

How to define your social media goals and targets;
Strategizing about how to reach your stakeholders with social media;
Making decisions about the resources you should devote to building and maintaining a social media presence;
How to use social media without putting your staff and your constituents at risk.

This online conversation will be an opportunity to exchange experiences, lessons-learned and best practices among practitioners using social media strategically in human rights work.

To learn more and sign up: Incorporating Social Media into Your Human Rights Campaigning | New Tactics in Human Rights.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, exchange experiences, facebook, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, human rights organizations, media presence, New Tactics in Human Rights, on line conversation, social media, twitter

Human rights defender Abdullah Fairouz arrested in Kuwait for insulting the judiciary via Twitter

April 15, 2013

On 9 April 2013, the Criminal Investigation Department in Kuwait detained human rights defender Mr Abdullah Fairouz on charges of insulting the judiciary using social media. The Prosecution Office has ordered ten days of detention pending interrogation on the charges. Abdullah Fairouz is a prominent Kuwaiti human rights defender and writer who has worked for several years on the rights of the Bedoun (citizens without identity cards or any prove of their citizenship). The human rights defender is also a member of the Bedoun Committee at the Kuwait Society for Human Rights. Hours after the disappearance of the human rights defender, it was confirmed that he had been detained at the Criminal Investigation Department after a judge ordered his arrest on accusations of insulting the judiciary by publishing tweets and blog posts. The human rights defender had been criticising the issue of a default judgement against Dr Obaid Al Wasmi and Saud Asfour. The defendants had not been notified of their hearing date and the judgement was issued without their knowledge. A request to visit the human rights defender by Mr Khalid Al-Hamidi, director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, was rejected by the Criminal Investigation Department without motive.

Front Line Defenders believes that the detention of Abdullah Fairouz is solely motivated by his peaceful and legitimate human rights work, and views this act as part of an ongoing campaign of judicial harassment against human rights defenders in Kuwait.

Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdullah Fairouz, al hamidi, Bedoun, blog, Criminal Investigation Department, Front Line Defenders, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, Kuwait, Middle East, social media, twitter

Anti-kidnap alarm in form of bracelet for human rights defenders launched in Stockholm

April 7, 2013

On 5 April 2013 Civil Rights Defenders announced a potentially life-saving gizmo which is a personal alarm to alert in the case of kidnapping of Human Rights Defenders. The slick promotional video clip above makes cleat what it intends to do. Civil Rights Defenders has dubbed it the Natalia Project (named after Natalia Estemirova, a leading, human rights defender in the North Caucasus, who was brutally kidnapped and murdered). The bracelet uses GPS and social media to inform of a kidnapping within seconds.

The bracelet uses a mobile signal to notify of an attack and issues a real-time GPS location of the victim directly Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: abduction, bracelet, Civil and political rights, civil rights activists, Civil Rights Defenders, gizmo, Global Positioning System, GPS, human rights, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, kidnapping, Natalia project, Natalya Estemirova, protection, social media, Stockholm, You Tube

Blogger and symbol of Syria uprising, RAZAN GHAZZAWI, wins Front Line human rights award

June 11, 2012

Dlshad Othman, who accepted this year's human rights defenders at risk award on behalf of Syrian blogger and activist Razan Ghazzawi from Aryeh Neier, president of the Open Society Foundations, at a ceremony at City Hall in Dublin yesterday.

Photograph: Derek Speirs

MARY FITZGERALD, Foreign Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times, did an excellent profile on this courageous woman, who is on trial in a military court for her part in the anti-regime protest. It is worth reading in full: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0609/1224317568749.html

IN HER OWN WORDS: THE POSTINGS OF RAZAN GHAZZAWI:

“Do you understand, that I was scared to protest, but now I am no longer scared? Do you understand that I was scared of detention and now we don’t even think about it? ‘Fuck it all. My people are being killed,’ is what everyone is saying.”

“There is a common feeling that is generally discussed in Syria, well, at least in Damascus where I live. It has to do with the question: ‘What can I do more for the revolution?’”

“I can write about those amazing revolutionaries who left their families and children and [are] living solely for this revolution . . . some were detained and tortured, you stand listening to them speak about their experience with detention, and you know that what you witnessed from detention is nothing compared to theirs, those unknown activists, the unprivileged, who don’t have Facebook nor Twitter, but they are the very ones who inspire you and make you truly believe that there is hope.”

“People who do not live in a country that is living a revolution may not know that time is revolutionaries’ biggest enemy . . .

“I have a 10-to-5 job, after that I go to do some other work till 9, sometimes till 11.

“I get home to check my email and

Facebook to discover new massacres, new statements, and further escalations on many levels.”

“Yesterday, regime army bombed the neighborhood of Karm El- Zeitoun in the city of Homs and destroyed several buildings, two whole streets were evacuated, and 27 civilians killed, many were injured . . . [the] regime’s violence keeps surprising us. Last night when I saw this picture I froze for a moment before I ‘shared’ it on my [Facebook] wall. I didn’t cry, I didn’t have room for more anger, I just felt helpless, I felt time was, is, not on my side . . . After last night’s massacre, Syrians now feel more outraged and will cry for the right to self-defense, even if they didn’t agree with the term the day before.

“That’s precisely how regime violence is pushing the country to more violence, that’s precisely how time moves very rapidly, and leaves you back in history.”

Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: award, blogger, Front Line, Human Rights Defenders, Irish Times, RAZAN GHAZZAWI, social media, Syria

Technology firms and Human Rights Defenders, not the same thing

December 14, 2011

In a recent blog (10 December 2011) published by the Huffington Post, the executive director of Witness, Yvette Alberdingk-Thijm, labels technology companies as the “New Human Rights Players” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yvette-alberdingk-thijm/human-rights-social-media_b_1140717.html). That seems a bit too much honor for companies that produce devices and services that are at best ‘neutral’ in the same way that telephones – or for that matter knives – could be used for any purpose, good or bad. It would be more appropriate to say that human rights activists and their organisations happen to be mostly working in the area of communication and information and therefore they profit disproportionately from a wider and cheaper access to information technologies. The film industry has been around for more than a century but served mostly governments and big business as the technology was expensive and difficult to transport; it is only recently that film images can be recorded and distributed easily and cheaply. And indeed organisations such as the 20-year Witness have played a remarkable role in strengthening the capacity of HRDs to make use of these new possibilities.

In fairness, in her article the Witness director does also refer to the darker side of the technology industry but limits herself to say that “there are many examples of governments misusing technology and social media to track down activists and repress freedom of expression“. When she states that “technology providers can also play a critical role in creating products and services that can better serve citizen activists and human rights defenders” and that “whether they realize it or not, technology companies are important new players in protecting human rights — they hold the key to determining the fate of the tens of millions of people turning to video, technology and social media for change“, this has to taken with a strong dose of salt. Not only are there hundreds of technology firms in the world (not just the western world, but including countries such as China, Russia, Iran, India, Singapore) that dot not care about human rights and that are developing information technology for war, repression, or simply commercial purposes. If there are some technology firms that have a warm heart for human rights, wouldn’t it be better to simply mention them by name? Clearer for the reader and a deserved reward for the companies concerned.

Another aspect of the revolutionary development in information technology that deserves attention is that of worldwide overload. In the same way that there is nowadays so much written information on human rights available that most people can hardly find their way and that much (good) material remains unused, there is a big risk that the hundreds of thousands of videos on You Tube will remain unseen or at least undervalued. Increasing the audience is perhaps more important than increasing the data on offer.

Still, the article offers lots of interesting insights and says what Witness is planning to do about some of the drawbacks and you should certainly read it in full.

All said, it remains true that with access to modern information technology, Human Rights Defenders – not the necessarily the companies – have the advantage of playing a home match.

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Alberdingk-Thijm, Huffington Post, human rights, Human rights defender, information overload, information technology, social media, video, Witness

Human Rights Day event on Social media in Geneva

December 6, 2011

On 9 December 2011 the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, will moderate an event in Geneva event with the theme, Social Media and Human Rights. The guests will canvass the influence of social media, politically, culturally and socially, at the community, national and international levels. The event, which will be broadcast live on the UN webcastat. Participants include:

Frank La Rue (Guatemala) is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. He is the current Director of the Centro-American Institute for Social Democracy Studies in Guatemala. He holds a degree in law from the University of San Carlos, Guatemala, and a postgraduate degree in U.S. foreign policy from Johns Hopkins University. As founding member and Director of the Centre for Legal Human Rights Action, Mr. La Rue was involved in presenting the first Guatemalan human rights case before the Inter-American Court for Human Rights. He also brought the first case of genocide against the military dictatorship in Guatemala. As a human rights activist, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Wael Abbas (Egypt) is an internationally renowned Egyptian journalist, blogger and human rights activist who blogs at Misr Digital (Egyptian Awareness). He has used his site over the past few years to promote political and social change. Mr. Abbas has been the recipient of many awards acknowledging his efforts as a human rights activist, including being the first blogger to win the International Journalism Award from the International Centre of Journalists in 2007 and the Human Rights Watch’s Hellman/Hammett Award in 2008.

Maite Azuela (Mexico) is a journalist/blogger and activist in social networks. Besides writing for a number of media outlets, including the well-known Mexican daily El Universal, Ms. Azuela is involved in mobilizing local communities through social networks in areas such as education, political reform, transparency and access to information. She has a MA in Public Policy and Administration from Concordia University, Canada and is the founder of movements such as DHP, “On Education”, and a member of the National Citizens’ Assembly (ANCA).

Bassem Bouguerra (Tunisia) describes himself as a “revolutionary by nature and a software engineer by accident.” The 30 year-old Tunisian blogger works as a software architect at Yahoo. Initially, he campaigned for change in his home country from San Francisco but, for the past year, he has split his time between the United States and Tunisia using his blog to advocate for social and political reform. He continues campaigning and has set up an online news site, “The Bouguerra Post”. Mr. Bouguerra plans to return to Tunisia soon.

Ednah Karamagi (Uganda) is a blogger and human rights activist. With a background in community development, she is convinced of the importance of extending appropriate emerging technologies into rural areas. Ms. Karamagi is the Executive Director of BROSDI, a Ugandan non-governmental organization implementing the “Collecting and Exchange of Local Agricultural Content” project. Despite lack of access to the Internet in remote areas, BROSDI uses a variety of media tools – both new and traditional – to improve farmers’ access to information and enhance development and local participation.

Meg Pickard (United Kingdom) is the Head of Digital Engagement for Guardian News & Media, responsible for developing and supporting existing and new social web strategy and interactive experiences. Ms. Pickard comes from a background in social anthropology and in the mid-nineties conducted ethnographic fieldwork into community participation and cultural identity, first in Bolivia and subsequently online. Her particular areas of interest are community engagement and the emergence of new forms of collaborative and participatory media.

Salil Tripathi (United Kingdom) is Policy Director for the Institute for Human Rights and Business, a global centre of excellence and expertise on business and human rights standards. The Indian-born author was earlier a researcher at Amnesty International where he led the organization’s engagement with the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights and the Global Compact. Mr. Tripathi writes on subjects including free speech, politics, economics, and social trends for various blogs and publications including India Today, the Far Eastern Economic Review, The Wall Street Journal, and the International Herald Tribune.

The True Heroes Foundation (THF) held a similar meeting in April 2010 when the Icelandic ash cloud prevented most participants from attending. These circumstances forced the organizers to really make use of the new media and the result on their website shows it is possible: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, THF, UN | 2 Comments »
Tags: High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Day, new media, social media, THF, True Heroes Foundation, UN, webcast

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