News Stories

Which concept(s) of democracy are being advanced or threatened in each of the following news story
excerpts?

Censors to Control Online Films

“Chinese netizens have hit out at new censorship of online films and TV, after the government announced
it would force film websites to submit each film for official approval before it can be made available to a
Web-based audience.”
Radio Free Asia, July 10, 2012

Attack on a Vietnam Monastery

“A recent attack on a monastery practicing a nontraditional brand of Buddhism is just one of a number of
incidents that has raised concerns.”
BBC News, Aug. 2, 2009

Prokhorov Will Not Reveal Donors

“Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov’s new Civil Platform Party, which aims to bring grass-roots activists
into power, will not reveal its sponsors, the former presidential candidate said Thursday.”
Moscow Times, June 8, 2012

Wave of Violent Repression Plagues Capital of Mali

“BAMAKO, Mali Hooded gunmen have abducted and beaten journalists at night. Soldiers who oppose
the military junta have been tortured or forcibly ‘disappeared.’ Those who mobbed and beat the country’s
elderly interim president escaped without charges.”
New York Times, July 25, 2012

Clashes as Chile Fishermen Protest over New Fishing Law

“Hundreds of small-scale fishermen in Chile have clashed with police in several coastal towns as they
protested against a proposed new fisheries law. Riot police used tear gas and water cannons to break up
demonstrations in Valparaiso where fishermen erected barricades of burning tires. The fishermen, who
have been protesting for several months, say the new law will favour larger fishing companies.”
BBC News, July 11, 2012

Sudan Court Charges Sudanese Protester with U.S. Residency of Inciting Violence
“CAIRO A Sudanese court charged two nationals Wednesday with membership in an organization that
incites violence against the regime, their lawyer said. It is the first such serious criminal charge from the
latest wave of anti-government protests.”
Associated Press, July 25, 2012

Egypt’s New President Promises Democracy, Not Theocracy

“Egypt’s new President Mohamed Mursi has promised to the country’s constitutional committee that he
will ensure religious equality and a multi-party system, and will strive to build a democratic, and not
theocratic, state. The case in point is that he should guarantee equal rights for religious minorities and
women.”
Interfax, July 3, 2012

Military Is Accused of Abuses

“TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS Amnesty International, in a report to be released Wednesday, accuses
the Honduran military and police of using beatings and mass arrests to punish protesters for opposing the

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ouster of President Manuel Zelaya in June.”
New York Times, Aug. 18, 2009

Zimbabwe President’s Party Demands Changes to Draft Constitution

“Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s party won’t accept a new draft constitution without amendments
to reforms seen as undermining its traditional powers, state media reported Tuesday. … The ZANU-PF
politburo, the party’s top policymaking body, is scheduled to meet Wednesday to finalize objections to
the draft that include the proposed election of 10 provincial governors from all parties. Mugabe appointed
the governors in the past. The draft also calls for an independent prosecuting authority to replace Mugabe
appointees in the justice ministry and parliamentary controls over military and security deployment.”
Associated Press, Aug. 7, 2012

DR Congo Election: Joseph Kabila ‘Re-Elected’

“President Joseph Kabila has won the Democratic Republic of Congo’s election, provisional results show.
He obtained 49 percent of the vote against 32 percent for veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi,
the election commission chief said. Mr. Tshisekedi has rejected the results and declared himself president,
raising fears of violent protests. The announcement of results has been delayed since Tuesday, with
election officials blaming logistical problems.”
BBC News, July 9, 2012

D.C. Officers Are Directed to Leave Citizen Photographers Alone

“District police cannot interfere with citizens as they photograph or videotape officers performing their
jobs in public, according to a new directive issued by Chief Cathy L. Lanier as part of settlement in a civil
lawsuit. The six-page general order, similar to one published by police in Baltimore in November, warns
officers that ‘a bystander has the right under the First Amendment to observe and record members in the
public discharge of their duties’ ”
Washington Post, July 23, 2012

National Service Proposal Riles Israeli Arabs

“NAZARETH, Israel (AP) Israel’s plan to overhaul its military draft has veered into turbulent new
territory with the government’s abrupt proposal to mobilize the country’s Arab minority for civilian
national service. Israeli Arabs would be asked to perform community service and would not be required
to join the army. But the concept of compulsory service demanded by key members of the governing
coalition has stirred a hot debate within the Arab community over its place in the Jewish state, along
with fierce resentment over being asked to serve a country that often treats its Arabs as second-class
citizens.”
Times Union, June 29, 2012

Michigan Governor Defends Government Takeover Law

“(Detroit) Michigan Governor Rick Snyder used his state of the state address on Wednesday to defend a
controversial law that makes it easier for the state to intervene in financially troubled local governments
and school districts. … Under the law passed in 2011, emergency managers appointed by the governor to
run governments with extreme fiscal problems have the power to void contracts and collective bargaining
agreements. Four cities and the Detroit Public Schools are currently being run by state-appointed
managers. …”
Reuters, Jan.18, 2012

Charles Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years for War Crimes

“Judge Richard Lussick sentenced Liberia’s former president Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison for war
crimes during the long-running civil war in Sierra Leone. Taylor was sentenced at an international war

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crimes court. He was found guilty last month of 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes, and crimes
against humanity by supporting rebels between 1996 and 2002 in return for conflict diamonds.”
The Guardian, May 30, 2012

Libyan Council Hands over Power to Elected Legislature

“Libya’s National Transitional Council handed over power to a newly elected interim legislature, the next
step in the country’s transformation after 10 months of unrest since Muammar Qaddafi’s ouster and death.
… ‘The National Transitional Council hands over all constitutional authorities in the country to the
interim legislature, which is considered from this historical moment the only legitimate representative of
the Libyan people,’ Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the council’s chairman, said.”
Bloomberg News, Aug. 8, 2012

Justice Department Details Higher Rates Charged to Minority Borrowers

“At least 34,000 African-American, Hispanic and other minority borrowers paid more for their mortgages
or were steered into subprime loans when they could have qualified for better rates, according to the
Department of Justice. The DOJ settled a fair-lending lawsuit with Wells Fargo, the nation’s largest
mortgage lender, on Thursday. That adds up to real money and, in some cases, real stress: As a result of
being placed in a subprime loan, an African-American or Hispanic borrower … was subject to possible
pre-payment penalties, increased risk of credit problems, default, and foreclosure, and the emotional
distress that accompanies such economic stress.”
Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2012

Tunisia: Hardline Islam Threatens Democracy Gains

“As a moderate Islamist party rules with the help of secular forces, an unexpected threat has emerged: the
increasing boldness of ultraconservative Muslims known loosely as Salafis, who want to turn this North
African country of 10 million into a strict Islamic state. … As Salafis thrive in the new atmosphere of
freedom of expression, they are aggressively attacking the free expression of those they see as insulting
Islam.”
Associated Press, July 30, 2012

Ex-Norton Police Officer Files Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against City

“Fired Norton police officer Nicholas Matheny has filed a federal lawsuit, contending city officials
discriminated against him and violated his civil rights by terminating him because of his Muslim faith.
The suit, seeking job reinstatement, a court injunction to end the alleged discrimination and damages for
lost pay, was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. Matheny, 30, adopted the Muslim faith in
early 2010 and initially kept the conversion quiet, according to the suit, because of anti-Islamic sentiment
in the police department, including e-mails he said he received from his direct supervising officer.”
Akron Beacon Journal Online, July 2, 2012

Uzbekistan: Tashkent’s Sticky Fingers Spoiling Foreign Investors’ Appetites

“The recent travails in Uzbekistan of Russian cellphone giant MTS hit by employee arrests and a three-
month suspension highlight the perils for foreigners of doing business in Central Asia’s most populous
country. Although Tashkent tries to project an investor-friendly image, experts say pervasive corruption
makes it difficult, if not impossible, for most foreign entities to enjoy a stable operating environment.”
Eurasianet, Aug. 1, 2012

People Power: How Engaged Citizens Change the World

Section 2—The Aspirations

www.civicvoices.org