From a protest in Egypt to the front lines of the Syrian conflict, citizen video provides us with a brief glimpse into moments that are shaping political realities all over the globe. This unique perspective allows us to see these situations through the eyes of those living these instances. This week we bring you video from five continents on issues ranging from police brutality to refugee issues and economic rights.
Here are highlights from recently featured videos on the channel:
Egypt:
Clashes erupted on March 19th between students at Al-Azhar University and Egyptian security forces. Citizen video on the channel captures female protestors facing off with police amidst clouds of teargas. Pro-Morsi students rallied on campuses across Egypt as part of a larger effort organized by a pro-Muslim Brotherhood coalition to mark the 3-year anniversary of a constitutional referendum that the Brotherhood supported in 2011. Al-Azhar, the most prestigious Islamic learning institution in Egypt, has seen some of the most regular and violent protests by pro-Morsi students since the beginning of school in September. On Saturday, 16 Al-Azhar students were sentenced to 3 years in prison for their participation in protests in December.
Colombia:
A video by Human Rights Watch details the increasing numbers of disappearances and violent murders in the Colombian port city of Buenaventura. A predominantly Afro-Colombian community, residents report that they live in constant fear of former right-wing paramilitary groups who regularly kidnap civilians and then dismember and discard their bodies. The accompanying written report calls on the Colombian government to increase the security presence in the region and take more active steps to protect residents.
Syria:
Last week saw the fall of the celebrated Syrian rebel stronghold of Yabroud to the Syrian Army and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. Footage has emerged of rebel fighter and civilians leaving the city in the middle of the night on March 16th, hours before it was taken by pro-Assad forces. In the video a man tells the camera that leaving Yabroud is “one of the most difficult moments of his life.” Follow the latest videos coming out of Syria on our Syria Watch playlist.
This week, we’re keeping our eyes on:
Ukraine:
Ukraine, where citizen video continues to provide us with additional information on the unfolding political situation from the ground. Footage uploaded last week brought us to the funeral of Reshat Ametov, an anti-Russian protestor and ethnic Tatar who was reportedly abducted on March 3rd after attending a demonstration. As leaders meet in Europe to discuss punitive measures towards Russia, we will be watching for emerging citizen stories from the region.
The most recent citizen videos of human rights issues can always be found on our Citizen Watch and Watching Syria video playlists. Both are updated daily.