The Lives of ‘Us’ – or how one story of snooping is the same as others

Julien — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:41:37 +0100

In a country where the media is completely state-owned, this young Cuban blogger is extremely brave. In this post, she talks about the release of the Academy Award-winning German film, ‘The Lives of Others'. Set in Communist East Germany in the mid-1980s, the film tells the story of a Stasi agent assigned to monitor an East-German playwright suspected of subversive intellectual pursuits. The film details the alarming efficiency of the East German snooping machinery, including bugs planted in apartments and around-the-clock monitoring of a suspect's private life.

But for Yoani, the film is not so much about ‘the lives of others' as it is the lives of people she knows - as well as her own - in Castro's Cuba.

Post your questions to Yoani Sánchez.

Democracy in Georgia goes under the knife online

Julien — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:11:00 +0100

“The authorities ignored the first demonstrations. Maybe they underestimated the event." (Tony, Tbilisi).

Material compiled by our Russian/former-USSR regional editor, Maria Antonova.

Tensions in Georgia reached boiling point on Wednesday 7 when President Mikhail Saakashvili declared a state of emergency following riot police clashes with demonstrators. The same day, the television station Imedi was shut down by the police for airing opposition speeches. Photos of the ransacked office are circulating online and bloggers are expressing their concerns about the presidents dictatorial moves.

democracy

The Lives of ‘Us’ – or how one story of snooping is the same as others

Democracy in Georgia goes under the knife online