This past week, citizen journalists have taken us from Cairo’s Tahrir Square to garment worker protests in Cambodia and the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka. As always, we are curating the most compelling citizen footage to inform news, research, and advocacy efforts.

Egypt

Authorities unveiled a monument in Tahrir Square yesterday commemorating martyrs of the Egyptian revolution. See this citizen video for footage of the inauguration. Announced the week of the anniversary of the deadly Mohamed Mahmoud clashes, which took place in November 2011, the monument has elicited cynicism among Egyptian activists who contend that the government itself is responsible for the death of many of those martyrs.

For instance, in this short advocacy video by the human rights video collective, Mosireen, the words of a Ministry of the Interior spokesman are paired with footage from the past two years showing Egyptian authorities inflicting violence against activists. For background, Mosireen curated these video playlists documenting Mohamed Mahmoud protests from 2011 and 2012

Sudan

A new short video by the community media collective, Nuba Reports, profiles the daily life of a Sudanese woman who lost her arm when a bomb fell on her farm. It could not be more timely, as the start of the dry season has been accompanied by new rounds of fighting between rebel groups and the Sudanese army. News reports document weekend strikes in North and South Kordofan States. 

Mauritania

After two years of delay, parliamentary elections are scheduled for Saturday. However, the opposition has characterized the election as a sham and is largely pledging to boycott the process. We’ll be tracking developments. 

Cambodia

The Cambodian human rights organization, LICADHO, shot this footage of clashes between striking garment workers and police last week in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. The violence left one bystander dead and at least seven injured. The UN has called for an investigation into the use of force by Cambodian authorities. 

Sri Lanka

The Commonwealth summit hosted by Sri Lanka last weekend brought protests, a boycott and uncomfortable attention to the host country’s human rights record. On this YouTube playlist, we compiled video of protests from Sri Lanka as the summit got underway on Friday. 

The most recent citizen videos of human rights issues can always be found on our Citizen Watch and Watching Advocacy video playlists. Both are updated daily. 

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