Global Voices: Daily Digest—July 19, 2011

Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response
Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer. read>>

Russia: Women 'Rip For Putin' As Election Campaign War Begins
Russian 2012 presidential candidate Vladimir Putin is quickly catching up with his supposed rival Dmitry Medvedev in engaging guerrilla marketing techniques and new media to boost his campaign. read>>

Malawi: Arab Spring Spreading South of the Sahara?
Civil Society activists have set Wednesday, July 20th as a day for the beginning of a series of mass demonstrations aimed at expressing their displeasure with the Malawian leadership. A facebook event page has been created for the demonstrations with the title DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY, roughly translating as a demonstration of one and all on 20 July. read>>

Cuba: Defending "Las Damas"
Cuban bloggers continue to update their posts about the most recent attack on Las Damas de Blanco, in which members of the group were reportedly "attacked and brutally beaten...by agents of Castro State Security upon exiting a church sanctuary." read>>

Iran: Rage Against Pre-Islamic Statues
It seems that even statues are not safe in Iran. Religious motives appear to be behind the recent theft of several bronze statues of Iranian national heroes from public places. In the northern city Sari, authorities ordered the destruction of 16 bronze statutes depicting the Iranian mythological hero and archer Arash Kamangir on chariots and with horses. read>>

© Scoop Media