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Iran: Record Breaking 20-Year Jail Sentence for Blogger · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Writing about Iranian bloggers offers few moments of respite. The sad stories are endless, and the threats don't seem to subside. As though repression and censorship were not enough, bad luck seems to play in too. What follows are the stories of three bloggers, who are each serving very long sentences in Iran.
Sakhi Rigi
Sakhi Rigi is a blogger who was sentenced to 20 years prison in Zahedan, in Sistan and Baluchistan province, on charges of publishing false infomation and “acts against national security.” This is the longest sentence ever passed on a blogger in Iran.
Sakhi Rigi
His blog was called Balouchestan Sarfaraz (Pride Baluchistan) [fa]. Rigi was arrested on 18 June, 2009, and is being held in appalling conditions in Karon prison, in Ahvaz. Torture was used to extract a confession. Adding to his bad luck, is that he has the same surname as Abdolmalek Rigi, the late head of the Balochi armed opposition group Jundallah, which in the eyes of the authorities implicates him.
Human Rights Activists Agency reports  [fa] that:
… the blogger is 31 years old and was arrested six days after presidential election in 2009 and was jailed in solitary cell for seven months… he was studying in university and had just few months to end his studies… it seems his posts played a role in his jail sentence.
On the blog there are a few posts about the controversial presidential election in 2009 and a comment on a statement by opposition leader, Mir Hussein Mousavi. He also posted about ancient history in Balochestan and about a Sunni Muslim high-ranked cleric in Iran.
Hossein Derakhshan
Hossein Derakhshan
On June 8, 2011, the family of Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan said  the court had rejected their appeal and confirmed a 19 and a half year jail sentence [fa]. He was arrested in 2008.
In a blog written in Farsi created by the Derakhshan family, Edalat Baraye Hossein Derakhshan (meaning Justice for Hossein Derakhshan) there are still no reports or updates on this topic. The last post speaks about [fa] Hossein's temporary release during the Iranian New Year in April.
An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Derakhshan had requested a prison furlough [temporary leave of absence] after a lower court sentenced him to 19 and a half years in prison in September 2010.
Blogger and writer Cyrus Farivar, posted a copy of an email exchange he had with Derakhshan during his brief time out of jail.
Read more on Derakhshan on Global Voices Advocacy.  A Free Hoder blog was created by online free speech activists shortly after his arrest.
Hossein Rongahi Maleki
Hossein Rongahi Maleki
Iranian blogger Hossein Rongahi Maleki is sentenced to 15 years in prison, and suffers from bad health. HRNA reports that he was refused medical care. His second operation was postponed for the third time.
Free Hossein [fa] is a campaign on the Internet that has been launched to provide the information on this jailed blogger. Free Hossein presents itself as a “committee to follow Hossein's case”. According to the campaign:
Hossein suffers from kidney and mouth problems and is in a lot of pain. He wrote a letter about how he was tortured by Intelligence Ministry agents to be forced to confess to a prosecutor, but the letter was confiscated.
Hossein was arrested in November 2009 and was confined in a solitary cell for more than a year.
In other news…
Ali Pour Soleiman, a blogger and teacher was arrested in Iran a few days ago. He was a member of Association of Teachers and wrote [fa] in Sokhane Molem (means teacher's word) blog.
Houman Khakpour, an environmental blogger in Iran has been sued by the state run Bureau for Environmental Protection in the Chahrmahal Bakhtyari province, for warning about the the dangers of a gas pipeline project for the region's environment.
Probabaly the only good news is that Iran's supreme court has overturned  the death sentence of software and website designer Saeed Malekpour's on charges of creating pornographic sites and insulting Islam.
The bad news is that there are even more unconfirmed reports about jailed bloggers and cyber activists. Iranian bloggers are facing ‘Winter in Spring’. Again.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Korea: Defector’s Commentary on Using Kim Jong-il’s Portrait as Army Target · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

It was revealed in early June that South Korean military units have been using the pictures of Kim  Jong-il, his youngest son, and his late father as targets  during firing drills. Ask a Korean blog posted translation of Joo Sung-ha's commentary on the revelation. Mr. Joo is a North Korean defector who works in Seoul as a newspaper reporter.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Macedonia: Reminders of Unresolved Killings · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Human rights activists have been spurred by the scandalous attempt to cover up the killing of Martin Neshkovski, which occured at the post-election celebration in Skopje, to remind about other cases of abuse of power by all recent rulers of Macedonia, such as torture by the system [mk], including police violence against the Roma, especially by the Alpha unit [mk], and in particular the unresolved 2006 murder of teenager Trajan Bekirov (.pdf, p. 7).

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Mexico: Online Citizen Journalism Channel Aims to ‘Counterweight Media Monopolies’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Paula Gonzalo from Periodismo Ciudadano interviewed [es] two of the collaborators behind Canal Gente Libre [es] (Free People Channel), an online channel ran mostly by citizen journalists in Oaxaca, Mexico that aims to act as a “counterweight to Mexican media monopolies”

author: Silvia Viñas


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North Korea: North Korean Netbook Appears to be Chinese · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The North Korean netbook highlighted in its state television report appears to be made in China, Martyn Williams wrote about the controversial netbook in the North Korea Tech blog.


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Pakistan: Extra Judicial Killing By Pakistan Rangers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Teeth Maestro is frustrated to learn about a recent extra judicial killing incident in Pakistan, where members of Pakistan Rangers shot down and killed one young man after a heated exchange of words.

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Sexual Abuse on Journalists · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Terrorland reports that a Pakistani intelligence agency has sexually abused several Pakistani journalists in situations of captivity or detention.


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Rugby in Laos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Maggie Dillon provides a short history of Rugby in Laos. The Lao Rugby Federation reaches out to the public through its website and Facebook page.

author: Mong Palatino


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Russia: 6 Months of Suspended Sentence and a Destroyed Laptop for a Forum Comment · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Yuri Yegorov, blogger from Tatarstan and a former employee of the regional government, has been sentenced with 6 months of suspended sentence for a libelling, openinform.ru reported [ru]. Additionally, the court ruled out to destroy Yegorov's laptop ‘as a weapon of crime.’ Yegorov published information on corruption in the office of the Tatarstan ombudsman Rashit Vagizov. His publications were later supported by other witnesses’ testimonies, however, the court ignored them.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Singapore Blog Awards 2011 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The voting for the Singapore Blog Awards 2011 will end on July 3.


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Sri Lanka: Blogging About Things That Matter · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lefroy thinks that Sri Lankan blogosphere is on the decline and the blogger wishes bloggers would write “about things that matter: things like politics and religion instead of their sad little lives, but always with great passion and conviction”.


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Syria: True Identity of Arrested Blogger Questioned · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Since reports emerged that a Syrian blogger named Amina Arraf, known as “Gay Girl in Damascus” had been seized by authorities on Monday, 6 June 2011, serious doubts have surfaced that the blogger may not be who she claims.
On Wednesday, a Croatian woman living in London named Jelena Lecic spoke on BBC television, stating that photos of “Amina” that appeared in most major news media (as well as on Global Voices) were actually photos of her that were stolen from her private Facebook account. Now, as reporters and bloggers analyze “Amina's” many online postings, even more confusion reigns.
Jelena Lecic speaks to BBC (screen capture from interview)
One contentious story is that of Amina's girlfriend, Sandra Bagaria, who was one of the first people media sought to speak to. It soon emerged that Sandra, like many others, had only communicated with Amina online. When suspicions arose that Sandra could be the author of the elaborate story, she spoke to National Public Radio in the United States, to debunk the rumors.
Jerusalem-based student Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael) who was in touch with Amina prior to the alleged arrest, and has since spoken to Sandra, tweeted:
@Elizrael: Despite what some outlets have suggested, #Amina's online girlfriend had no knowledge of this fraud. She is more devastated than anyone.
There are also questions surrounding why someone would create a hoax about a Syrian blogger's arrest, given that arrests for speaking out are not uncommon in the country (for more information, see Threatened Voices’ Syria page). Evidence that Amina's online identity has existed since at least 2007 on various platforms, including dating sites and MySpace, further confounded bloggers.
Social media strategist of NPR, Andy Carvin tweeted:
@acarvin: I just don't see anyone creating a sleeper-cell online persona years ago, waiting for unrest to start just to blog it. Some truth somewhere.
American blogger Liz Henry, who has conducted substantial research on “sockpuppetry” and has hosted discussions with outed fictitious bloggers in the past, writes on her blog:
In this case, how could I tell from this distance? I hope you can see why my spidey sense went off for Amina. I don’t disbelieve in her becuase she’s a great writer with a sense of drama and rhetoric, or because of her sexual orientation or her activism. For example, I don’t for a second doubt the existence of Riverbend, who blogged so eloquently and for so long from Baghdad and then fled to Syria with her family. But I start to really, really, want some trustable and deep sources for Amina. How can an activist whose life is in danger provide that credibility? It’s a very hard question.
Meanwhile, there is ample concern throughout the blogosphere and Twittersphere that the extensive discussion around Amina's identity could cause people to ignore the fact that thousands of Syrians have been detained since February for demonstrating in the country.
Marietje Schaake, a member of the European parliament, tweeted:
@MarietjeD66: And let's not forget the thousands of people who are detained, killed and repressed without being known at all #amina
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Jillian C. York


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Taiwan: Life in an immigration detention centre · Global Voices
David Reid

“M” writes about her experience of being sent to an immigration detention centre in Taiwan.

author: David Reid


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Trinidad & Tobago: Enforcing Road Rules  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Of all the plagues in our society that require urgent attention, far and away the easiest one to deal with is the scourge of needless death due to drag racing and fast driving beyond the speed limit”: Plain Talk has a few suggestions for dealing with the problem.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bahamas: The Foreign Vote  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

BLOGWORLD responds to an article which suggests that there are plans afoot to allow foreigners the right to vote in Bahamian Parliamentary Elections: “It’s not that I’m against the ideas of non-citizens voting in elections. But in this country, where non-citizens have more rights and privileges than Bahamians in almost every other way, I find the idea insulting.”


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Bangladesh: Tributes To An Iranian Sports Person · Global Voices
Rezwan

Unheard Voice pays tribute to Iranian football legend and a symbol of resistance to the regime in Iran, Naser Hejazi, who contributed a lot to Bangladesh football back in the 1980s as a coach and a mentor.


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Bangladesh: Visible Positive Energy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dutch journalist and blogger Dheera Sujan recently visited Bangladesh and was surprised with the positive energy of the Bangladeshis. She comments: “I witnessed there was that hunger to improve, to learn, to better oneself that is simply not as palpable in this part of the world as it is in Asia.”


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Bermuda: Anti-Corruption Laws · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Bermuda Parliament looks busy.  But truth is, in my opinion, it’s not very productive”: Vexed Bermoothes thinks one of its priorities should be passing anti-corruption legislation.


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Cambodia: Women Entrepreneurs and Social Media · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

The Cambodian Women in Business page was established on Facebook in November 2009 to share the experience of women in doing business and networking in Cambodia. Since then, a number of formal gatherings has been held by the network through the support of the International Finance Cooperation of Cambodia. Last week, the first informal gathering was successfully organized through individual contributions.
About 40 network participants showed up at the gathering last June 3 to discuss the role of Facebook in facilitating their various businesses. The event was participated by bloggers, e-entrepreneurs, business women, and civil society organizations.
Photo courtesy of @homePhotography by Jerry
The discussion initially touched on the emergence of new social media tools which can reach a bigger and specialized target audience compared to the reach of the traditional media. Then the panelists and participants shared some tips on how to maximize Facebook for the expansion of their businesses.
“Ana and Jerry shared tricks on how to increase the number of fans: invite friends [while they are online, so that they can quickly respond to your friend request], encourage friends to click the “like” button as your page appears on their profile and your services are advertised through their profile; use advertising.”
Then the e-commerce startup via Facebook was also discussed. Linda Lee, a young university student and owner of an online shop named “Unique Style Online Shop,” urged other entrepreneurs to use various social media platforms to boost business profitability. Linda emphasizes:
Photo by author: the lady who is holding the microphone is Linda Lee
“If you sell online, the start up cost is very low: you don't need stock, no need of a shop, rental, electricity, staff.”
She also advised that marketing and sale strategy will be more highly effective through the use of sweet language to better interact with clients. She added the importance of offering an easy way for delivery and payment methods. She shared some marketing strategies:
“use sweet words and your users’ language: this will make them trust you (you are friendly) and they can understand you (why use an English literary style when they use a mix of Khmer and short English words). They feel they are like you. There are businesses managed by men targeting women buyers (clothing, cosmetics) so they use exactly the same vocabulary and style with “woaw!” and “sweetie!”, a note by the Cambodia Women in Business
Most participants were interested to learn more on how to utilize social media power for their business interests. They were also eager to understand methods that would promote better client interaction. More importantly, such informal gathering was perceived to be useful for women business networking in the country. Dr. Lili Sisombat, the event organizer and the creator of “Cambodia Women in Business” page,  hopes that such unique networking in the business community will be sustained.

author: Sopheap Chak


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China: Nose of CCTV female staff chopped off by stranger · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jing Gao from the Ministry of Tofu puts together Weibo's breaking news on a revengeful act against China Central Television. A female staff was attacked by a stranger and her nose was chopped off.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: The Machinery of Stability Preservation · Global Voices
Andy Yee

The Dui Hua Foundation's Human Rights Journal has translated a detailed report by the liberal Caijing magazine about the organizational structure behind China's efforts to maintain social stability as it exists at both central and local levels, and how the structure actually increases social tensions.

author: Andy Yee


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Colombia: Robbery at Andean Parliament Headquarters · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

On June 7, members of the Andean Parliament were robbed at the organization’s headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia. The Andean Parliament is the supervisory body of the Andean Community, a regional organization comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the aim of reaching a “comprehensive development, more balanced and independent, through Andean, South American and Latin American integration.” The blog Planeta al día shared the news [es]:
Los ladrones se llevaron computadoras y bolsos de legisladores latinoamericanos que asistían a un foro en la sede central bogotana del Parlamento Andino (Parlandino)
Los asaltantes entraron al lugar cuando los congresistas habían salido del recinto para un descanso, según lo denunció la senadora paraguaya Ana María Mendoza.
The thieves took computers and bags of Latinamerican legislators who attended a forum at the Bogota headquarters of the Andean Parliament (Parlandino)
The assailants entered the place when congressmen had left the room for a break, as reported by Paraguayan Senator Ana María Mendoza.
On Twitter netizens posted their opinions, mostly rejecting what had happened, with the hashtag #Parlamentoandino.
Natalia A. Gómez (@NataliaAGR) wrote:
Esos ladrones del #ParlamentoAndino, nos hicieron quedar a los colombianos frente al mundo, como país altamente inseguro…Que pena
And César Herrera (@cesarherrera00) said:
Que pena con esas personas extranjeras que fueron víctimas de la delincuencia al interior del #parlamentoandino! @bogotá insegura!
Andean Parliament Headquarters – Bogotá by MrKrako on Flickr (CC by 2.0)
Some, more daring, compared the Andean Parliament officials with the thieves:
Juan David Buitrago (@JuanDABuitrago) wrote:
Ladrones robando ladrones….. #ParlamentoAndino
Jimena Contreras, (@Azulitagirl86) said:
Robaron el #ParlamentoAndino ? y luego ellos no nos roban nuestros #impuestos? Mas #ladrones de cuello blanco!
And MarceloGonzalez (@Diegomarcelo) asked:
Será que los del #parlamentoandino sintieron igual cuando los robaron, como el #pueblo cuando nos roba el gobierno? #losdilemasdelavida

author: Cati Restrepo


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Cuba: Finding Strength For Fariñas · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I have no desire to write. I scold myself. Since I learned that Coco Fariñas is on a hunger strike I have been floating above the city”: Octavo Cerco has been feeling like she's “floating in nothingness”.


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Cuba: Released Journalists Offer Their Testimonies · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The US-based nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists is publishing the series “After the Black Spring: Cuban Stories of Prison and Freedom” with testimonies of some of the journalists who have been released from prison. In March 2003, 75 dissidents, many of them journalists, were arrested by the Cuban government in what has been called by some “The Black Spring.” After months of negotiations, which included the participation of Cuban Catholic Church, all of the members of the “Group of 75″ have been released.
The journalist Omar Ruiz Hernández was recently released from jail and exiled to Spain. The following are excerpts of his testimony published by the Committee to Protect Journalists:
When I awoke on the morning of July 8, 2010, in the Guamajal Prison in Villa Clara, I couldn't have imagined that five days later I was going to be landing at Barajas International Airport in Spain, accompanied by five of my comrades […]
[…] We arrived in Madrid around noon on July 13, a date on which the superstitious would be ill advised to marry or board a plane. Nonetheless, for those of us that had just landed at Barajas airport, it was the best day of the last 2,684 days of our lives.
We had left behind the land of our birth, the beloved friends that had accompanied us spiritually through seven years of captivity and who, like some of our family members, we might never see again. But despite being in a different land, we were free men, and we had also left behind us seven years of dark cells, vexation, humiliation, malnutrition, nights of insomnia, and sudden jolts–every horror of prison, made worse by the lack of motive for being there.
Ruiz Hernández explains how life in exile has also been quite difficult:
We were driven to a hostel in a Madrid suburb, where, despite being without the comforts of a hotel, we began to get acquainted with the technological advances of modern life, previously unknown to us. Faucets with hot and cold water in the showers and sinks, hallways with lights that turn on as soon as you set foot in them, automatic machines that serve coffee or sodas, mobile phones and the Internet. In short, all that can be achieved when there are no limits on the free initiative of the individual.
After one week at the hostel, where I had the my first opportunity tell the world about the realities of the Cuban prison system, my family and I were relocated to the province of Málaga, a little over 310 miles (500 kilometers) from the south of Madrid, to a center for refugees run by the Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance. We're still living here, alongside refugees from other countries, especially those from the African continent.
Life here hasn't been completely easy; living side by side with other cultures and customs never was. But even when one doesn't have to share a dining room or patio, exile is rarely easy. At the least, you're going to be hindered by the uncertainty and apprehension that go along with being submerged into the depths of the unknown in a land that isn't your own.
Finally, he thanks God for being able to be in Spain, and praises electoral democracy, which has been questioned during recent protests in Spain and other countries across Europe:
This exile has given me the opportunity to experience in-situ, beyond the comforts afforded by modern life in a first-world country, how dynamic a democratic country can be, where opinions don't always travel in the same direction and where the people, through the ballot boxes, have the final word.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Tamayo’s Arrival · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora bloggers chronicle the arrival of Reina Luisa Tamayo (mother of the late Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo) in the United States.


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Dignity of Female Political Prisoners in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Twitterer @kRiZcPEc translates He Qinglian's article on the dignity of female political prisoners in China.


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East Timor: National Oil Company · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

La'o Hamutuk writes a letter to the president of East Timor regarding the proposed creation of a national oil company to manage the country's petroleum resources. The group wants more transparency and stronger measures to prevent corruption.


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Haiti: Reconstruction Issues  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Haiti Grassroots Watch writes a series of posts about the country's reconstruction efforts, here and here.


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Iran: Ministry of Intelligence, Spy and Social networking · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced [fa] “a spy who wanted to organize a social networking to disturb Iran's Majlis (parliement) election was arrested”. Islamic Republic accused US government to spend several millons dollars to achieve this goal.


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Iran: Rape and protest · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Thousands of Iranian citizens protested in Khomeini Shahr and urged authorities to arrest thugs who raped several women during a marriage ceremony. Blogs and sites reported  [fa] about this crime while official news sites almost ignore it. Watch the photos here.


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Jamaica: Rain Review  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“If this was the dress rehearsal for flooding, later-on in the year, when we are pelted with rain from  storms and hurricanes, later in the hurricane season, then we've failed”: Girl With a Purpose blogs about the country's recent bout of bad weather.


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Kazakhstan: Setting Up Borders Online · Global Voices
Sergey Park

Earlier this week Kazakhstani internet users began to observe a curious phenomenon. Since recently, Google.kz now redirects to the main Google.com website with a Kazakh language interface. This has been a nuisance for those who use Google Search engine via Chrome browser, because every time they try a search, the blank Kazakhified start page of the main site appears.
Google's Bill Karan, senior vice-president and chief of search infrastructure department, explains in the company's official blog [ru]:
A month ago the Kazakh center of network information informed us about the decree of the Ministry of communication and information of Kazakhstan. According to the document, all domain names in .kz zone, including google.kz, must physically reside on servers inside the country… Therefore, we have made a decision to redirect visitors from google.kz to www.google.com in Kazakh language.
Cartoon by the Kazakh blogger FrozenKing
Mr_recovery wants all back, because such “novelty” would negatively affect the web traffic in Kazakhstan on the whole [ru]:
The “old” version incorporated search among Kazakhstani sites. Now there's no such option any more.
But yerden  has a completely different opinion. He welcomes such decision, as he believes that the Kazakhstani sector of internet should be legally regulated [ru]:
Settling the [Google] servers on the territory of Kazakhstan shall stimulate the development of internet in Kazakhstan. The .kz domain name is associated with Kazakhstan and its sites have local audience. So, we must build our own infrastructure and data centers, create jobs and raise taxes here, in Kazakhstan.
Quessir  categorically disagrees [ru]:
Google will not be able to provide search services here in full […] The company is doing a right thing when it refuses to participate in this circus. And it openly, frankly and unequivocally said so.
Roma_penman opines that Google's decision is not a PR action, but an adherence to corporate philosophy [ru]:
Google is a company with values and principles. It stands for open internet without borders… An it is a huge company – if Google leaves Kazakhstan, how much of income it would lose? 0,000001 per cent, probably?
Vladimir78 adds his point of view to the list of negative consequences [ru]:
Majority of Kazakhstani websites have lost their visitors … and money they had invested in search engine optimization [SEO].

author: Sergey Park


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Kuwait: Shia Twitter User Arrested  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Never before in Kuwait has a Twitter user been arrested for what they wrote online until Nasser Abul (@NasserAbuL), a young Shia Kuwaiti, was detained three days ago.
Only once before, a Kuwaiti Twitter user called Mishari Buyabis (@mbuyabis) was questioned by state security police but not arrested, for his criticism of the government.
The news took the Kuwaiti cyber space by storm on the morning of June 10, 2011, suggesting that Abul was arrested by state security police for threatening national security and was not allowed to see his family or his lawyer.
Many tweeps from Kuwait have condemned this act saying it is illegal, but many unknown netizens complimented it since Abul is known for his Shia extremism using dirty language online and supporting the Syrian regime while criticizing the Bahraini and Saudi regimes. The situation, simply, was turned into an online sectarian war.
Picture of detaineed tweep Nasser Abul (in blue) taken from his Twitter account.
Kuwaiti writer and cartoonist Jafar Rajab (@jafarrajab) was one of the first to tweet Abul's arrest news. He condemned this act saying it violates freedom of expression (Ar):
قف مع ناصر ابل ليس دفاعا عن ارائه او توجهه بل دفاعا عن حقه في ابداء الراي!
Kuwaiti activist, blogger, and columnist Dhari Al-Jutaili (@Dhari_) has also refused what happened to Abul saying:
الموضوع مو ان ناصر ابل بطل والا لا، تتفق معاه والا لا .. كلش مو مهم .. المبدأ ما يصير شخص يعتقل لآرائه ويظل أيام محد يدري عنه
Kuwaiti Shia parliament member Hassan Jawhar (@HasanJohar) wrote a tweet against arresting Abul, asking the minister of interior affairs to set him free.
اعتقال المغرد ناصر أبل انتهاك صارخ لحرية التعبير عن الرأي ولا يجوز استمرار احتجازه دون تهمة وعلى وزير الداخلية تحمل مسؤولياته في هذا الشأن
Kuwaiti tweep Ahmad AlHendal (@ahmadhendal) found the arrest of Abul as a tool using Kuwaiti youth to cause the downfall of the prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed.
هل هي حركة اعتقال الشباب الكويتي جزء من مسلسل إحراج حكومة ناصر لدفعها للاسقاط ؟ هل الشباب الكويتي اصبح جزء من تصفية الحسابات؟
Another Kuwaiti tweep, Dr. Fawaz Farhan (@FawazFarhan) has written several tweets about the issue of Abul saying that the way Abul criticized the foreign regimes is his right.
من حقّي أن أنتقد أي نظام قمعي وأن أدعم الشعوب الحرة المنتفضة (كما فعلت حكومات الخليج مع الليبيين) وليس من حق الحكومات العربية تحديد ما أقوله
Tweep Salem Al-Ajmi (@engrsalemq8) wrote:
نحن نؤيد تطبيق القانون على ناصر أبل وليس التعسف في تطبيقه،يجب تحويله للنيابة للمحاكمة من غير الاطالة في امن الدولة،حتى لا تصبح عادة الاخرين
Kuwaiti graphic designer Mohammed Sharaf who has been known lately on Twitter for producing works to support different causes, worked on this piece to express his refusal for violating freedom of expression by arresting Abul:
Graphic work by @MohammadRSharaf against the arrest of Nasser Abul
Some tweeps have invited people to gather in front of the State Security police's building to demand the release of Nasser Abul and tweep Ali Khuraibit tweeted an unclear picture of the protest:
Picture of the protest demanding Abul's release posted by @Ali_Khuraibet

author: Mona Kareem


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Laos: Trade website · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce of Laos has introduced a new trade website which will provide information to business owners aiming to promote Lao products in the global market


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Macedonia: Shameless Refusal to Accept Responsibility · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andre Valé, a Portuguese living in Macedonia, wrote about the smoke-screen by responsible authorities, their media cronies, and the interior minister's “shameless” refusal to accept political responsibility for the killing of Martin Neshkovski at the celebration of the election victory by the ruling party, which leads the country down a dangerous path towards “third world dictatorships.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Mexico: Tweeting to Save Lives · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Americas Quarterly, Arjan Shahani writes about the use of Twitter as a tool to inform “about risk zones and specific attacks in real time” through accounts like “@TrackMty, @SPSeguro and @MAGS_SP.” He explains how it works: “The person witnessing an attack tweets it to one of these accounts, which is then re-published to a massive audience”.


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Nepal: Religious Intolerance? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nepal Blogs refutes the negative news on religious freedom in Nepal and comments: “It is unfair, [..] to chastise an entire nation because of few intolerant idiots.”


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Nicaragua: Citizens of Bluefields March for ‘Dignity and Hope’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ronald Hill blogs [es] about a march for “dignity and hope” that took place on June 8 in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Protesters raised their voices against organized crime and drug trafficking, and demanded greater security.


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North Korea Threatens to Disclose Recordings of Talks with South · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In an apparent act of blackmail, North Korea threatened South Korea on Thursday that they would release secret audio recordings from Inter-Korean talks reportedly held on May 9, 2011. The secret meeting, initiated by the South, was meant to lead to an agreement on talks for how to move forward after two deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010. North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported that South Korean officials can be heard begging for summit meetings and even offering “envelopes of cash” as a bribe.
The two sides failed to reach agreement and the North refused to apologise or admit blame for sinking South Korean Navy ship, the Cheonan.
The South Korean blog- and Twittersphere erupted overnight with reactions to the shocking revelation. While some doubt the existence of a recording, others criticise the South Korean government for back-room dealing which is widely interpreted [ko] to be a desperate attempt by the administration to solve the Inter-Korean dispute before the presidential election next year. The government has denied the allegations.
Is there a recording?
South Korea's Unification Ministry (@uni_kr) tweeted on June 9:
@uni_kr: [브리핑] 우리 정부의 기본 입장은 북한의 주장에 대해 일일이 대응하지 않겠다는 것입니다. 북한이 주장하는 대로 녹음이 있다면, 더  이상 사실이나 상황을 왜곡하지 말고 모든 내용을 있는 그대로 공개할 것을 촉구합니다.
Park Dae-seung (@greatwin52) a former TV producer and currently a small business owner, tweeted [ko]:
@greatwin52: 며칠 전 외교관련해 오래 종사한 외교전문가가 이런경우 꼭 녹취하는게 관례라는 글을 읽었는데 우리 정부는 녹취한 일이 없고  북한이 그걸 가지고 있다면 몰래 불법녹음한 것이라고 주장한다.뭐 두려운게 있는걸까?
Twitter user AniRush (@AniRush) who works in the animation production field tweeted:
@AniRish: 북한은 녹취록이 있다고 하고, 정부에서는 그런게 있으면 공개하라고 했으니. 둘 중 하나는 거짓을 말하고 있는게   분명하네요. 생각하기 복잡하니 이번에는 서로 증거를 내놓고 이야기 하기를.
Yoo Jae-Beom (@Tkfkdtkfkd0824) tweeted:
@Tkfkdtkfkd0824: 원래 비밀 접촉이든 공개 접촉이든 남북 양측 다 서로 녹취를 한다고 하지요?? 남북 어느쪽의 얘기가 맞던 녹취록을 먼저 오픈하는 쪽이 진실이라고 봅니다.
Hun Joo (@aura222222) speculated:
@aura222222: 북한이 회담내용을 깐다고 협박하는군요. 실제로 돈이 오가긴 오갔나 봐요. 정부서는 돈봉투가 아니라 숙식료라고 해명하는걸  봐선[…]
Fierce accusations against North Korea
As the North made an unprecedentedly aggressive move, many South Koreans sided with the government. Repeating the Unification Ministry's statement, lots of people tweeted “Go ahead, reveal it.” South Korea's influential blogger and citizen journalist Media Mongu (@mediamongu) tweeted:
@mediamongu: 우리 정부는 북한의 사과를 촉구하기 위해 비밀접촉했다고 했다. 북한 네놈들 말이 사실이라면 녹취록 공개해 봐라.
On Twitter, Crewords(@crewords) said:
@crewords: 정부, 北 녹취록 공개 위협에 “황당, 비정상적” http://bit.ly/iXc8KI 애초에 북한에 상식을 기대했다는 것이 넌센스[…]
Twitterer Anna (@annauna) tweeted [ko]:
헤어진 남녀 관계에서 나쁜 것들이 신상을 까발리고 동영상 찍은것으로 협박한다고 하지..지금 현재 북한 것들이 녹취한 것을  언론에 공개한다고 협박하는것 보면 영원히 북한 것들하고 상종하면 안된다.
Criticism heaped on the administration
Kim Kyung-suk (@MKTKIM), an account executive in a public relations agency tweeted:
@MKTKIM: 북한이 녹취록을 까겠다는것은 오만한 태도이다. 그런데 이런 상대에게 책을 잡혀 개끌리듯 끌려가는 이명박정부의 무능이 답답하다. 정도를 안가고 편법으로 일관하니 이런일이 생기는 것.
Kang Myung-soo (@namoogrimm) tweeted:
만일 만일 북한 주장이 사실이라면 다음 수순은 ‘참석자들이 임의로한 행동이다 돈도 알아서 마련했다'가 되는 것인가? 설마 부디 사실이 아니길…
Cartoon Describing Kim Jong-il's Different Attitudes toward South Korea and China, Posted on Poralsjuns Blog, Author Unidentified
The North's motive
Oh Soo-Jin (@Bryant0602) tweeted:
@Bryant0602: 북한의 녹취록 공개 협박 의도가 뭘까요? 우리 정부 옥죄기? 남남갈등? 다 맞는말이지만 내생각엔 중국의 남북대화요구에 대한 항명인 듯. 막장까지 가서 남북대화 절대불가함을 천명하는거죠. 암튼 미래 정부와 북한간 진정한 대화는 힘들 듯. 무신의의 녹취록공개라니.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Peru: Aymara Indigenous People Announce Resumption of Protests in Puno   · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
After a temporary truce [es] to allow for presidential elections [es] to take place in the Puno region, the Aymara Indians in said region have announced that they will resume [es] their strike [es] indefinitely, with which they demand the cancellation of all mining concessions in Puno, because of the damage they cause [es] the ecosystem, and the contamination of rivers and the Titicaca Lake.
One can bear in mind that in recent days, around 15,000 Aymaras seized [es] the city of Puno, after which they incited violence [es] that paralised the Puno capital for days and left many tourists stranded [es].
Ayamara peasants. Puno, Peru. (Photo by Enrique Molina)
The Puno region, quite remote from the capital, Lima, on the border with Brazil, is the second region in portion of hectares [es] granted for mining projects in Peru, according to scholar Jose de Echave.
The government has rejected the cancellation [es], but came to an agreement with the Aymara communities to suspend mining and petroleum concessions in Puno for 14 months in four provinces (Yunguyo, Chucuito, Callao, and Juli). However, these indigenous communities are also demanding a repeal [es] of the Decreto Supremo 082-2007-EM [es] (Supreme Decree 082-2007-EM), according to Walter Adurviri, [es] President of the Front for the Defense of Natural Resources in the Southern Zone of Puno.
Aduviri told the Puno newspaper Los Andes [es] that although he saw the victory of nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala [es] in a positive light, the Aymara would not content themselves with his promises, but would demand written agreements. Meanwhile, the president of the Regional Government of Puno, Mauricio Rodriguez, has requested that [es] president-elect Ollanta Humala intervene in this matter.
The Aymara and the Quechua, who will soon be joined by communities in others zones of Puno [es], demand that their right to prior consultation [es] be respected in the granting of mining and petroleum concessions, provided that these types of economic activities contaminate the environment and destroy the traditional way of life [es], a claim that the blogger Peruanista [es] captures here:
Lake Titicaca, whose ecology will be affected by mines and petrol according to Aymara activists (Photo by Enrique Molina)
Los pueblos quechua y aymara de Puno no se oponen a la minería completamente, sino quieren ser incluidos en el proceso de otorgamiento de licencias, para definir dónde es conveniente extraer minerales para evitar contaminar las cuencas de sus ríos y que llegan al lago Titicaca. Este no es solamente el lago de agua dulce más grande de Sur América, sino es un símbolo sagrado de la cosmovisión andina. El problema es que el gobierno de Lima continua con su mentalidad racista de exclusión, otorgando licencias a empresas mineras –en su mayoría extranjeras- sin consultar a los pueblos originarios que viven en las regiones donde se ubican los yacimientos mineros.
Other bloggers, like Rodolfo Ybarra [es], have complained that the government has attempted “divide and conquer” tactics:
Al parecer, el ejecutivo tuvo la idea de dividir a la delegación puneña. Mientras los congresistas Yonhy Lescano, Margarita Sucari y Susana Vilca, esperaban impacientemente la llegada de la comitiva puneña, la ministra Rosario Fernández inicio la conversación sólo con el presidente y los alcaldes, dejando de lado a los legisladores puneños.
Yonhy Lescano y Margarita Sucari, coincidieron que el ejecutivo no maneja la reunión de manera transparente.
It seems that the Executive thought to divide the Puno delegation. While congress members Yonhy Lescano, Margarita Sucari and Susana Vilca, patiently await the arrival of the committee of Puno, Minister Rosari Fernandez began the talk with just the president and the mayors, leaving the legislators of Puno by the wayside.
Yonhy Lescano and Margarita Sucari agree that the Executive doesn't manage the meeting with transparency.
Bloggers like Silvio Rendon [es] see these public protests as something positive:
El “puneñazo” (o “aymarazo”) marca el comienzo del fin de los abusos de las mineras, como el “arequipazo” marcó el fin de las privatizaciones prebendarias.
However, other netizens don't see this very clearly, as Cedres, (@Cedres), tweets:
Quién entiende a esta gente? #rabia RT @terrape: A pesar de triunfo nacionalista, aimaras vuelven al paro http://bit.ly/mFZJWh
Martin Arcaya (@arcaya1) reiterates with this tweet:
Si tanto criticas a los comuneros aymaras anda a vivir alli con tu fuente de agua a punto de contaminarse, huevón!
John Rivas (@johnidem) tells congressman Johnny Lescano:
@yonhy_lescano Deberías estar en Puno conciliando el problema de los Aymaras.
The indigenous inhabitants of Puno, one of Peru's regions with the highest incidence of illiteracy, malnutrition [es] and poverty, live mainly on agriculture, one of the forgotten sectors in all the country. In spite of this, they cultivate more than one thousand varieties of native potatoes and can boast the first [es] place in national production of this tuber.
Walter Aduviri, a leader the communities follow despite authorities questioning his authority [es], has announced that this strike will resume, although he doesn't exactly know how many communities will show up in total.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Isabel Guerra


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Philippines: Street art versus Asbestos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to its website, “the Asbestos Street Fighters street art competition aims to bring together various street artists and anti-asbestos activists across the Philippines to propagate information regarding the dangers of Asbestos to human health”


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Russia: Yuri Budanov Shot to Death in Moscow · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On GlobalPost, Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) reports on the killing of the former Russian colonel Yuri Budanov in Moscow today.


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Sri Lanka: Protests In Katunayake Free Trade Zone · Global Voices
Rezwan

Earlier this month clashes at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Sri Lanka between protesting workers and police claimed life of an young worker and injured over 200 workers and policemen. The FTZ workers were protesting against the Sri Lanka government's proposed Private Pension Scheme.
Katunayake FTZ manufactures around 30% of export products, most are involved in the garment industry, one of Sri Lanka’s top three foreign exchange sources. After the clashes the FTZ remained closed for 2 days resulting in huge loss.
Protest against the Police attack against the unarmed workers at FTZ in front of Railway Station in Colombo (01 June) – Organized by Trade Union Alliance. Image from Flickr by Vikalpasl. CC BY – NC
Rasika Jayakody notes at Groundviews:
“Apart from this tragic death, this brutal police attack against Free Trade Zone workers left more than 200 people injured. On Monday evening, Ragama and Negombo hospitals were flooded with injured protesters. It is, undoubtedly, one of the brutal crackdowns in recent history. There are several video footages which clearly show the barbaric and inhuman manner that some police officers carried out attacks against unarmed protesters.”
Groundviews posts some videos (by Vikalpa) of the protests on Thursday, which occurred after the police killed 21 year old FTZ worker Roshan Chanaka. Here is one:
Srilankan Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mahinda Balasuirya resigned after the incident and two police officers who escalated the clash were arrested. A presidential inquiry was initiated.
On the next day hundreds of Buddhist monks came out for the first time to protest against the killing outside the President’s house.
Blogger Serendipity questions:
Who ordered live bullets? who ordered iron bars? why were trained riot police not used? and why was water cannon not brought in?
It is also surprising that no Employer of the FTZ has come out to protest, which I can only presume to be the govt. has bought their silence by implying that ‘if you go against us we will find a means to make it difficult for you’, fear psychosis!
So what does this protest mean for Sri Lanka? Rasika Jayakody explains:
This particular protest, done by Free Trade Zone workers in Katunayake, has given an unexpected shock therapy to the ‘big shots’ of the government who are intoxicated with power and high-handedness. It has sent them a clear-cut message about people’s agitation towards their snobbish political behavior.


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Trinidad & Tobago: iPhone Coming  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

TECHTT confirms that “bmobile will be launching the iPhone 4 next week” and says that “one of the features that caught [his] attention was the retina display.”


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Venezuela: Debates on Laws and Identities · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Image from Nuno Lobito, Copyright Demotix
May, the month of “Afro-Venezuelan” culture, ended this year with a  new law against racial discrimination and a proposal to create a  ministry for African descent. The news shot up largely in the  Venezuelan blogosphere, as some shared opinions regarding one of the  most complex and confusing aspects of the country: identity.
In the last few years, Hugo Chávez's government and his standard for  inclusion has brought back profound discussions regarding equality and  social justice.  Historically, the process of interracial mixing and  immigration has made Venezuelan society look at itself as tolerant and  egalitarian before different ethnicities, particularly in comparison to  other countries, in which coexistence has resulted in significantly more  unstable consequences.
Wikipedia article, “Immigration to Venezuela,” [es] presents an introduction to understand this phenomenon [es]:
La  Inmigración en Venezuela, ha sido constante desde la  independencia del  país en 1830. Con anterioridad, al inicio de la época  colonial la  población predominante era de origen indígena, española y  africana. Con  el tiempo aumentaron los mestizos de las tres razas, los  cuales se  convirtieron en la población mayoritaria en el siglo XVIII.  La población  indígena disminuyó en el siglo XVI, el siglo de la  conquista por parte  de España, no solamente a consecuencia de la propia  conquista sino por  la introducción de enfermedades.
Venezuela  recibió una gran cantidad de inmigrantes entre 1948 y 1961  cuando aún  era un país de apenas 5 millones de habitantes por lo tanto  el proceso  de mestizaje ha sido muy intenso.
Venezuela received a large quantity of immigrants between 1948 and  1961 when it was still a country of barely 5 million people and, as  such, the process of interracial mixing has been quite intense.
Nevertheless, the social inequalities that separate the different  ethnicities have been signaled more diligently in recent years. It  remains despite the fact that many think that Venezuelan society does  not suffer from these problems, there are discriminatory practices very  present in the country's daily life, though they may not necessarily be  openly acknowledged.Juandemaro explains it further in his post “A los negros les llegó su día” [es] (The day for blacks has arrived):
… el  espíritu igualitario de la guerra de  independencia y el movimiento de  la Federación, se expresa de muchas  maneras y sirve de catalizador a la  venganza, permeando las nuevas  ideas del liberalismo que sustituyeron a  las monárquicas, quedando en  la superficie como una actitud negociadora y  horizontal (…) sin  embargo subsiste una discriminación encubierta que  se arrastró todos  estos años, siempre con la inquina que da la  injusticia que conforma la  redistribución de la riqueza material.
Los  venezolanos de piel oscura, morena, moteada (…) ocupan los  lugares  más remotos del entarimado estructural; lo social, lo económico  y la  educación, les llega a cuentagotas…
Venezuelans of dark, brown and mottled skin (…) occupy the most  remote places of the structural floorboard; social, economic and  educational advancements reach them little by little…
And with respect to the law [es]:
El  instrumento legal que condena las viejas prácticas  excluyentes y  discriminatorias de blancos contra indios y negros, viene  a llenar un  vacío tan necesario en la región latinoamericana (…) los  negros podrán  educarse mirando a la madre África, sin el peligro del  cimarronaje de  que hablaba el intelectual haitiano René Depestre…
On the other hand, Mercedes, in her blog Código Venezuela [es] analyzes the celebration of Afro-Venezuelanism in depth and  maintains that the ethnic differentiation that the law, and possible  ministry, supports is absurd:
Nadie  aclaró de qué se ocuparía un tinglado ministerial  para asuntos de  venezolanos cuya piel tenga alguna coloración. (…)  ningún venezolano  es genéticamente puro, ya que toda la población, con  independencia de su  aspecto físico, tiene genes mezclados (…) cada  individuo posee genes  de las tres razas. Ya sea que resulte evidente o  no.
Así que el día de la afrovenezolanidad es el día de todos los venezolanos.
Hence this day of Afro-Venezuelism is a day for all Venezuelans.
Likewise, Antonio José Guevara and Brunilde I. Palacios Rivas, through their collective blog, Aporrea [es], do not believe that the law assimilates the values of that which is known as 21st century Socialism in a just manner:
…en  la referida ley se niega el pluralismo jurídico  (…) y por otro lado  (…) viene a contradecir la potestad  multiétnico, pluricultural y  multilingüe que se encuentra establecido  (sic) en el Preámbulo de la  Constitución Bolivariana
As a temporary conclusion to the discussion, let us look at Kira Kariakin's reflections, made some time ago in her blog  Anotaciones al borde [es]. In her post, Kira observes the increase in aggressive discourse  on behalf of the groups for and against Chávez and the multiplication of  ethnic insults against those who today rise the new law (although  specifically defend the Venezuelans of African ascent):
El  que desee seguir multiplicando la ignorancia que lo  haga, pero que sea  consciente de que lo que se repite hasta el  cansancio se convierte en  verdad. Y en este caso, el odio racial puede  llegar a convertirse en una  verdad para este país dolorosa y absurda.  Sin sentido, porque es  justamente el componente racial una de las cosas  que más lo define y lo  enaltece. La capacidad de mezclarnos sin  mayores prejuicios no sólo  biológicamente sino culturalmente.
Justificar  el uso de términos como zambo, mono, niche en vista de la  rabia e  indignación que sentimos es como justificar un crimen  pasional…
Cansa  oír día tras día este tipo de argumentos racistas. Peor es oír  que ¿por  qué no, si el mismo Chávez apela a la raza para su discurso? Y  esto me  descorazona más porque es tratar de apagar el fuego con más  fuego
Escribo  esto como reflexión. En un intento quizás vano de que quien  lo lea  apele a su razón y no lo básico de sus emociones, que aplique  una  inteligencia emocional mínima para encontrar el camino de vuelta a   aquello que nos distinguía como nación, un verdadero crisol de razas y   culturas donde blancos, negros, indios, mulatos, mestizos, zambos,   semitas, o lo que sean eran venezolanos sin importar nada más.
To justify the use of terms such as zambo, mono [monkey], common in  the view of the rage and indignation that we feel is like justifying a  crime of passion …
I am tired of hearing day after day these types of racial arguments.   Even worse is to hear, “why not? if Chávez himself appeals to race for  his discourse?”  And this disheartens me more because it is fighting  fire with fire.
I write this as a reflection.  In an intent that is perhaps vain,  that those who read it appeal to their reason and not the basis of their  emotions, that they apply minimal, emotional intelligence to find their  way back to that which distinguishes us as a nation, a true melting pot  of races and cultures where whites, blacks, Indians, mulatos, mestizos,  zambos, semitas or whoever else are Venezuelans regardless of anything  else.
The text that describes the law can be found here [es].

author: Laura Vidal


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Venezuela: How Much Do You Know About Caracas? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mirelis Morales Tovar in Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] asks her readers 10 questions about Caracas to test how much they really know about the capital city of Venezuela.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Bangladesh: Chamely House In Dhaka · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lonely Traveler  highlights a relic of British architecture in Dhaka – the Chamely house.

author: Rezwan


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Burkina Faso: Song Gets Musician Into Trouble · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sean Jacobs posts a video of the song that got the Burkinabe reggae singer Sams’K Le Jah into trouble with the the government of Blaise Compaore.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Featured Translator: Fabienne Der Hagopian · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Fabienne Der Hagopian lived in the United States for many years before moving back to her native France, where she now works as an independent online marketing specialist.
Being of Armenian descent, she has translated to French many posts about the Caucasus for Global Voices en français [fr], written by our Caucasus editor Onnik Krikorian, but she is also passionate about the world at large. She recently moved from Paris to the Normandy countryside near Honfleur – equipped with broadband!
Today, Fabienne reflects on her experience as a volunteer translator for Global Voices…
Fabienne Der Hagopian in France
Fabienne Der Hagopian (FDH): I discovered Global Voices about a year and a half ago. I can not remember how I came across it, but I was immediately fascinated for several reasons. First, I love the Internet because it's an incredible wealth of information giving (almost) everyone a medium to express themselves and Global Voices Online is one perfect illustration. It's an incredible source of views from people who “live” news, and even create them. And these are not stories reported by journalists: they are direct testimonies.
As a French woman of Armenian descent, it's a fantastic source on life in Armenia as well, and the conflict with Azerbaijan, told by people who live there today.
Finally, it's a pleasure to work with this welcoming team, and it's very rewarding to help disseminate a litte all those people's voices.
Global Voices (GV): How close are you to your Armenian roots?
FDH: I actually know very little about Armenia today. My family on both sides, but separately, fled at the beginning of the genocide when family members began to “disappear”. They lived in Istanbul. My father's family fled to Lebanon, my mother's to France. My father later moved from Lebanon to France to study engineering and  met my mother in an Armenian organization… They later discovered that their respective grandfathers, who both lived in Istanbul, knew each other and used to play chess together. Small world. My Armenian family is scattered in France, Lebanon, Sweden, some in the U.S. and Canada, but none actually lives in Armenia. That's why I always find very interesting to read what Global Voices Caucasus has to say about the situation there.
GV: Global Voices Caucasus  has conducted a project attempting to establish online communication between Armenians and Azeris via a blog and a Facebook page. Do you think social media can play a part in conflict resolution?
FDH: Onnik Krikorian's project with Arzu, an azeri blogger, is the only one that I am aware of so far. The value of blogs rather lies in giving an opportunity to access information that is not controlled by authorities. In any conflict, there is a huge part of active disinformation: thanks to bloggers, readers have an opportunity to step back, to have other sources of information, to read testimonials and to think by themselves.
GV: For over a year now, you've translated blogs from the Middle East into French. These are now reputed to have played a part in the Arab uprisings. What are your feelings on that?
FDH: As in Armenia, social media is a new relay for information that bypasses authorities. It has become impossible (hopefully) to stop the flow of information. And it's a fantastic first step. When you think of the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust, the excuse was: “we did not know.” Today, it would be difficult to claim ignorance. But the rest of the world has to listen and react. Otherwise, mobile phones against guns won't go very far. That's where Global Voices plays a key role, by being a sounding board for bloggers from regions in the world that do not make it to the front page (and that goes well beyond the Arab revolutions). That's what is unique about the Global Voices: it highlights “normal” lives that are in fact not so normal.
GV: How do you pick posts to translate into French, and, in fact,  why did you chose to volunteer this way?
FDH : Since I left Paris to move in an old farm,  deep in the Normandy countryside, I admit it's all too easy to forget about the rest of the world. To translate for Global Voices allows me to stay connected to what happens in the world, at a micro level, and to contribute a little to the information flow about what is happening in Uganda or Brazil. I love to translate posts on unlikely countries while watching the cows grazing in the meadow!

author: Claire Ulrich


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India: Senior Crime Reporter Shot Dead in Mumbai · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

This afternoon,  veteran crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at point-blank range at Powai, Mumbai. A senior journalist, Mr. Dey was Investigative Editor with Mid-Day, a leading tabloid in Mumbai.
His murder has shocked and outraged people, especially the journalist/media fraternity. Reactions poured out in meanstream media as well as on social networking sites.
Some reactions from Twitter:
Screenshot from the Mid Day
Youth Ki Awaaz pointed out that Dey was one of the few daring investigative journalists in the country and wrote:
Since 1992, India has seen the killing of around 28 investigative  journalists, out of which 14 have been from Mumbai. Journalism has been a  pillar of trust in India. India has seen very less few daring  investigative journalists.
The industry stands at loss and shock. We believe that journalism  will not bow down to goons and mafia that stops voices like that of J  Dey. His murder is an attack on the freedom of press.
We respect his courage and offer our condolences to his family and loved ones.
It is being said that the Mumbai underworld – possibly the quarrying/oil mafia is behind his murder. The Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the murder, saying that it was “shocking” and “unacceptable”.

author: Aparna Ray


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India: Thoughts On Slut Walk · Global Voices
Rezwan

‘The Slut Walk’ comes to Delhi, after Toronto and numerous other places and Chandni shares her thoughts why this protest is important for women in India, especially Delhi.


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Kenya: Finance Minister Uses Social Media to Prepare Budget · Global Voices
Collins Mbalo

The Minister for Finance in Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has used Twitter and Facebook to solicit public opinion on what to include in the country's budget for year 2010/2011 that was read on June 8, 2011.
Interestingly, the budget estimates for the three East African countries were read on the same day (a copy of the Budget speech is readily available for download on the Ministers Facebook page). However it is only the Kenyan Finance minister who heavily employed social media.
The minister used GoogleDocs (document now removed), Scribd and Facebook to solicit public opinion. He received a massive response. This is the first time that a Kenyan Finance minister used social media to gather public opinion.
Kenya's Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo source: Uhuru Kenyatta Facebook page
Kenyans discussed the contents of the budget on twitter under the hashtags #Budget2011 while the Finance Minister's team used #keBudget2011. Live updates of the budget speech were tweeted by @TeamUhuru and @UKenyatta. Kenya's netizens  discuss the budget in a critical albeit positive light:
@LoiseKare says Uhuru's use of social media shows the difference between a leader and a politician:
..and he involved fellow tweeps in makin the budget..diff btwn a politician and a leader. Kudos @UKenyatta
@MissRipplez is convinced that the use of social media will affect the 2012 Kenya Presidential Elections:
Judging from #kebudget2011 n #teamuhuru I'm convinced that twitter will be a crucial ground for campaigns next year #kenyansontwitter
@Just_Wambui commends the minister and his Twitter team:
I'm thoroughly impressed by the efficiency in #kebudget2011 updates by @Ukenyatta and his team…great job!
Prior to the budget, Zindua Kiongozi had this to say:
Don’t complain that you were not engaged in the budget making process for 2011 or at the least, that’s what Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will  say to any skeptics after Friday’s deadline to submit comments on the  2011 budget making process ends. The Minister has integrated his facebook page with a budget 2011 application that provides some simple instructions on how to pitch into the process
Budget 2011 on facebook
The Google Docs powered application allows citizens to make budget  priorities and suggestions by providing a fill in form that categorizes  the comments in key sector areas related to the budget. You have less  than 48 hours to submit your comments and suggestions since the deadline  runs up until the end of Friday the 13th of May.
SportsKenyaoffers some positive critiscism:
Quoting the statement,
“…apart from engaging in these activities, I would also like to  encourage them to nurture their talents in the realm of sports. Time and  time again, our young people have made this country proud by their  exemplary performance in the international tournaments in various  disciplines. (… all good so far)
I believe that a clear investment in sports backed by proper  management, can turn this activity, which attracts thousands of our  young people into a sustainable employer. Our youth should be able to  follow their dreams and establish careers in sports ( ….well put Mr. Minister Sir)
To this end, I have allocated KShs. 210 million ( 1 million per  constituency) towards competitive sports for youth countrywide. This  will be used for purchase of trophies, monetary award to competing teams  and compensation for officials overseeing this initiative. ( …now you sound ambiguous Sir, which sports discipline & that amount's too measly unless you hold 1 tournament per year)
The private companies under their Corporate Social Responsibility  (CSR) budgets to match this amount, at least on a shilling-for-shilling  basis.” (…nice  one throwing the challenge to private corporate firms making obscene  profits but committing measly amounts to sport BUT that word CSR word  just craps me out! )
Not belabouring the points above, we believe there is more that the  Ministry could have done to give incentive to the sports industry. Just  like we have said before (and he's also quoted), sports can be an  employer of many if the right investments and management are put into  place.
In his analysis of the budget,Blogger Kebati  says that he was impressed by the Ministers words:
I wish to conclude with these are the words used by Hon Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyan Finance minister as he concluded the budget 2011/2012 projections.
“It is important to note that 50% of these submissions were received from Kenyans
between the ages of 18 and 30 and I would like to specifically  commend this group of young Kenyans who have taken it upon themselves to  embrace technology and engage with the government through IT and social  media, which I believe is the new frontier of public engagement. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to encourage you and members of the house who are not yet on these forums to join Facebook and Twitter and other similar platforms through which you can directly and constructively engage with Kenyans in real time”
As more Kenyans embrace social media, it is readily apparent that the citizenry is being empowered to be part of public policy making process. The Kenyan Finance Minister has demonstrated this in his Budget Speech for year 2011. Will more African leaders in Africa take the cue?

author: Collins Mbalo


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Macedonia: Protests Against Police Brutality/Murder Cover-Up Spread · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.
Macedonian youth and some older intellectuals have been protesting for five days online and offline in Skopje, urging the authorities to “solve” the case of murder of a young man by a police officer who served as a bodyguard to a high-ranking official during the post-election rally of the ruling party. On Friday, youth from other cities, like Bitola, Strumica, and Kochani, took to the streets, too.
Currently, the most popular Twitter hashtags include #Martin, #protestiram (“I protest”) and #Bitola.
Vnukot has been providing consistent high-quality coverage of the street protests in English (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4). With his permission, Global Voices relays his article on Day 5:
According to A1 TV [mk], the brother and friends of the murdered Martin Neshkovski also joined the protest, carrying his photo.
More HQ photos from the Skopje protests, licensed under Creative Commons, are available on FOSIM's Flickr profile.
A new symbol arose on day 5 – black flags that were put up on poles and waved in the crowd, as a reminder of the meaningless end of a young life.
This time, a lot more streets were covered with the steps of the protesters (over 6 kilometers), and throughout the day, the initial symbol was kept – sitting down on every intersection, blocking it and paying respects with a minute of silence.
In the meantime, the number of foreign media covering the protests grows by the minute…
Day 5 of protests in Skopje – Macedonia awakens! from Dejan Velkoski on Vimeo.
This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Moldova: Diplomatic Controversy Marks Russia Day · Global Voices
Diana Lungu

The Russian Federation celebrates its national holiday on June 12 (Russia Day). In Moldova, the official diplomatic celebrations preceding this day have sparked controversies [ro] that verge on a diplomatic scandal.
The media have reported that at the official reception organized on June 10 at the Russian Embassy in Moldova, Valeri Kuzmin, the Russian Ambassador [ru], gave floor [ro] to Vladimir Yastrebchak, presenting him as the official chief of the Transnistrian diplomacy. (Transnistria is a separatist region of Moldova, which broke away in 1990; it is not recognized by any UN member state. The Russian military forces and ammunitions are stationed on the Transnistrian territory against the will of the Moldovan authorities.)
Reacting to the Russian Ambassador’s gesture, the Moldovan diplomats left the reception; they were followed by diplomats representing the US and the EU missions.
Sign of disrespect
The Moldovan Prime Minister regards [ro] the Russian Ambassador’s action as an insult to the Moldovan people. He hopes it is a mistake, but will ask for explanations via diplomatic channels.
The leader of the Liberal Party, who is part of the ruling alliance in Moldova at the moment, suggested [ro] that the Russian Ambassador should leave the country, since the diplomat demonstrated his support for Transnistria, being thus disrespectful of Moldova’s independence. The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not [ro] voice its position until next week.
Tensions are building up, especially since Moldova is undergoing the crucial local elections at the moment. In a week's time, the Moldovan capital will hold its final, second-round battle to elect the mayor of Chisinau (the current liberal mayor is competing against the Communist Party’s candidate).
The Russian Embassy in Moldova has given its own assessment [ru] of the first round of the local elections held on June 5, doubting the objectivity of the evaluation conducted by the OSCE international observers. A reply followed from the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing [ro] perplexity and regret over the Russian commentary.
The relations between Moldova and Russia have always been sensitive, as Moldova was under Russian oppression several times, culminating in the 50-year forced integration into the Soviet Union.
The Moldovan blogosphere had immediate reactions to the diplomatic incident.
Vadim Zgherea writes [ro] in his blog post entitled “Kuzmin on the black list”:
It is tragic to see with your own eyes how they make you stupid. It is tragic since we cannot take it anymore.
[…]
How does the Russian ambassador afford to speak such words here, where democracy has not yet unpacked its luggage? Thanks at least to the Moldovan, American and European diplomats for a dignified and prompt gesture, let the Russians be burning with shame.
Vitalie Vovc is proud of Moldova. In his blog Today I am Moldova, he writes [ro]:
Little does it matter what tomorrow will be. Little do the consequences matter! Finally, my country has reacted NORMALLY to an aberration! Tonight I have a small occasion to be proud! And I couldn’t care less of how naive I might look or how “unpragmatic” or childish my reaction is!
It will last probably till tomorrow morning… Because tomorrow other representatives will attenuate, will explain and comment…
Oleg Cristal was also proud of the Moldovan diplomacy on June 10. He describes [ro] an ironic scenario:
Soon [Tiraspol, the capital of the unrecognized Transnistria] will organize a military parade on the Stefan cel Mare boulevard in Chisinau [the main street in Moldova’s capital], and this will be led by the Russian Ambassador in Moldova. Moreover, the formula that the Russian Ambassador used to introduce Iastrebchak is a de jure recognition of the regime in Tiraspol. A new gesture of de jure recognition, since there have been such attitudes from Moscow before.
Oleg Cristal does not believe that the Russian Ambassador made a mistake:
If it was a mistake, soon we should see an apology from his side. But a diplomat with the experience like the Russian Ambassador in Moldova can NOT make such “mistakes.” Therefore, it was a message to Chisinau or even a provocation ahead of the second round of the elections in the capital and ahead of the informal consultations in the [5+2 format] scheduled to take place in Moscow on June 21. The deterioration of the Moldovan-Russian relations would come now to the advantage of the communist candidate for the position of the mayor of Chisinau, Igor Dodon. From this perspective, a possible reaction of the Moldovan authorities should be very well-balanced.
Andrei Fornea also finds the action of the Moldovan diplomacy commendable; however, he expresses [ro] some concerns as well:
This case could lead to divergences between Moldova and Russia on the background of an already very weak diplomatic relationship that occurred with the change of power in Chisinau and could lead to political embargos, the increase of gas price and other things that could make us kneel in front of Russia.
He ends with a message to the Russian Ambassador:
I only have this to tell him: GO HOME!
A similar message is expressed by another blogger. Eugeniu Luchianiuc posted a photo of Kuzmin with this statement:
Kuzmin, go home and drink Vodka!
On Pulbermax blog, the author is asking [ro]:
I'd like to know from what position the Russian Ambassador is making such statements… A KGB General? The Russian Ambassador? Or a companion lady of the Kremlin?
A critical reaction was articulated [ro] by Corneliu Gandrabur:
Kuzmin should leave the country, because he has breached the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, [art. 1, 2 and 3]. The direct attack on the territorial integrity as well as on the sovereignty is a grave infringement. Acting in his capacity of the ambassador, he has represented Russia’s interests and we can only say that this has been intentional and coordinated with the Kremlin.

author: Diana Lungu


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Panama: Boxing Commentator’s Presidential Aspirations · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

In Panama, the media has already started speculating about potential candidates and winners, despite there being two years to go until the next elections. The different parties are starting to sound out voters in the middle of some electoral reforms that would implement a run-off vote.
One potential nomination for president which caused the most commotion in the Panamanian cyberspace was that of the well-known sports commentator Juan Carlos Tapia [es].
Tapia hosts a boxing programme at 9pm on Thursdays. He always dedicates the first few minutes of his show to criticising and reflecting on political topics, which in many cases have caused a negative response but also garnered support from viewers. It is one of the most popular television programmes in Panama and because of this, reactions to Tapia's potential candidature did not take long to appear.
Anyélica Canto's (@AnyelicaCanto) excitement is clear:
Si Juan Carlos Tapia se lanza como candidato a presidente por el partido independiente.. WoW!!!!!!! Que belleza.. =D
Kenny Mojica S. (@kenny_rubensito) tweeted that he's prepared to accept Tapia as a presidential candidate
#MICANDIDATO Tengo tres candidatos por los cuales votar para las próximas elecciones: Juan Carlos Tapia, Juan Carlos Navarro y Genaro López
Panamanian blogger, Leslie Martínez, writes her opinion on the matter on her blog Bla bla bla de una panameña [es]:
De hecho, considero que entre el perrito faldero de Martinelli, mejor conocido como Varela y cualquier marioneta que ponga cambio democrático para candidato, siempre y años luz, Juan Carlos Tapia es la alternativa menos peligrosa
In contrast, Camilo Amado (@cjamado), reveals his doubts regarding the presenter's integrity:
Mi impresión de Juan Carlos Tapia 1. Dueño unico de la verdad. 2. Es mas falso que un Billete de 3 dolares.
Katherine J.R.P.  (@Johanrp) mentions the presenter's predilection for boxing as a reason not to vote for him:
ni loca votaría por juan carlos tapia…. dios te imaginas !!!! todas las leyes se discutirían en un ring a 12 asaltos O_o
Olga Reyna (@olguitaReyna) is also outraged at the potential presidential candidate because she does not believe he has done anything to deserve the position:
EN notas politicas Jamas votaria por Juan Carlos Tapia, habla habla y habla, es todo lo que hace! Nunca ho le histo hacer nada! solo hablar
The presenter is only one of many candidates who have already started to appear, a trend which is quite alarming if it signals the start of a two-year-long presidential campaign. Panamanians seem cautious and are anticipating a new political figure.

author: Ariel Moreno


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Spain: Protests Evolve, but Tensions Continue · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

The mobilizations that started on May 15 in Spain have gradually  evolved into local meetings, gatherings and different kinds of initiatives all  over the country. Most activists are not focusing on the camps any more. Campers have decided to leave the Madrid square “Puerta del Sol” on June 12, 2011. It became the physical symbol of the people's unease with their political representatives. Netizens are calling this shift “Sol se mueve” (Sol is moving), and using the tag #solsemueve on Twitter.
This does not mean that the movement has died. Assemblies  and reunions co-exist with specific actions, like the marches towards city councils on June 11 to protest against the investiture of  politicians charged with corruption. In Madrid, the capital city, a sit-in ended up with police charging against demonstrators, which  can be seen on the videos widely shared online, like this one by  journalist Juan Luis Sánchez of Periodismo Humano [es]:
The demonstrations can be followed through the #15menpleno tag on Twitter:
dar1o: En madrid cantan levantando las manos: estas son nuestras armas! #15menpleno #acampadasol
bufetalmeida: Concejales que pierden el miedo y se unen a los manifestantes. Sin escolta, sin coche oficial. Sin miedo, son el futuro. #15Menpleno
@Acampadabcn: En Palma de Mallorca, porrazos y tres detenidos. ¡Tod@s a la comisaría d San Ferrán ahora mismo! #15menpleno
Madrid, June 11, 2011. Photo by and courtesy of Cristina Marí, @cristinagayart.
Madrid, June 11, 2011. Photo by and courtesy of Cristina Marí, @cristinagayart.
Madrid, June 11, 2011. Photo by and courtesy of Cristina Marí, @cristinagayart.
Madrid, June 11, 2011. Photo by and courtesy of Cristina Marí, @cristinagayart.
Two  days before, on June 9, people marched towards the Congress to  protest against the latest budget cuts that have left many people in precarious  economic situations and in an even more vulnerable position. This was widely  covered by Spanish media [es]. It was also the most commented topic through social media that day, mainly through the #15mfrentealcongreso tag:
phumano: Emocionado abrazo al coreado “abuelo de la revolución” #15M,  #15Mfrentealcongreso, por J Bauluz http://yfrog.com/hsltfraj
The "Grandfather of Spanish Revolution". Shared by Patricia Simón for Periodismo Humano
Some  people also oppose the mobilizations and  insist that the police evict activists from public spaces:
DarkPlooKoon: Hay más policía que civiles y no pueden desalojar. ¿Que es esto señor Rubalcaba? ¡VERGONZOSO! #19J #15MFRENTEALCONGRESO
The  mobilizations show an increasingly wider gap between the people and  the government in Spain, which has become even more visible after three members of the international hacktivist organization Anonymous were detained under accusations of “piracy and hacking of official websites.” The  police proudly announced the detention through an official  communication [es]:
La cúpula del grupo Anonymous ha sido desarticulada en nuestro país.
The pictures in which the Police shows the masks that the members of Anonymous use to engage in allegedly criminal activity have been widely shared online:
Shared by Policía (Spanish National Police) on Twitter
The arrest has been widely covered by international media. It has also led Spanish Internet users to make fun at the government's lack of understanding of how the Internet works:
@dbravo: Nada, un grupo de amigos que se reunen siempre en un mismo sitio. No digo más, que nos desarticulan.
Anonymous, just as most Spanish netizens, have fiercely opposed the passing of the 2009 Sustainable Economy Bill, which  allows the government to decide which sites should be blocked or  have their content removed, representing a big blow against net  neutrality (please read post on Global Voices Advocacy). It is another proof of the gap between people and their  political representatives, which has caused different participatory initiatives to foment political awareness. Movements have also grown in other countries, becoming more and more global, as seen in this video shared by France 2:

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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Bangladesh: Hartal In Pictures · Global Voices
Rezwan

The opposition parties in Bangladesh have started a 36-hour strike (hartal) that began at dawn Sunday in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photoblogger Monirul Alam captures some actions during the strike in a photo essay.


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Cuba: Media Critique · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In La Pupila Insomne [es], Iroel Sánchez criticizes [es] the Spanish newspaper El País [es] for its coverage of Cuba, and the protests in Madrid.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Remembering History · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Osmany Sánchez remembers the attacks on Cuba during the 1960s and 1970s [es], some organized and perpetrated by the groups that welcomed Reina Luisa Tamayo in Miami [es]. Reina Luisa Tamayo is the mother of Orlando Zapata, the hunger striker who died of starvation in protest against the Cuban government.


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Ghana: Donate Books to Support Education · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Help to create change in Africa; “Donate books, T-shirt and educational marterials to support education in rural communities, located in Africa.Support passionate for change, an NGO that want the best for all African children. The objective is to inculcate the habbit of reading in young Africans.


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Iran: Iranian political prisoner died after hunger strike · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Hoda Saber, a political prisoner died [fa] after 10 days of hunger strike. Hoda Saber protested against the death of Hale Sahabi, another political activist.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: “No security forces in Tehran” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several bloggers reported that there is no security forces in the streets in Tehran as the Green movement called for a ‘silent demonstration’. Tashabohe Tarikh writes [fa] “do not be deceived. The security forces to see how many people come to Valiasr street [one of main protest areas] and then react. Remain united.’


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Latin America: Online Freedom of Expression · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Global Voices author Ellery Biddle comments on online freedom of expression in Latin America: “One of the reasons that Latin America (perhaps with the exception of Cuba) is often left out of the conversation about Internet policy and freedom of expression online is that it’s a region where technical filtering is pretty rare.”


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Nigeria: From Africa With Fury: Rise · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Seun Kuti the youngest son of the late Afro beat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti has finally released his much anticipated album; From Africa with Fury: Rise, Chale reports.


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Nigeria: Time to Bury June 12 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Why is it time for Nigeria to bury June 12?: “June the Twelfth, 1993 has for years been marked as the day that Nigeria’s hopes for democracy died or as Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa would have so eloquently put it when he made his speech [1] as Prime Minister of a newly independent Nigeria, our claims to responsible government were rubbished.”


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Pakistan: Stop Hate Speech Against Ahmadis · Global Voices
Rezwan

Meera Ghani at Pak Tea House informs that “a group called All-Pakistan Students Khatm-e-Nubuwat Federation is handing out vile, hate fuelled pamphlets calling for outright murder of the already persecuted Ahmadiya community in the city of Faisalabad” and calls to resist this hate campaign.


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Puerto Rico: Poverty and Democracy · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Feminist activist, lawyer and blogger Amárilis Pagán opines [es] that poverty reduction should be a central part of any democracy.


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Puerto Rico: Review of “Esquina Periferia” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger Miguel Adrover Lausell reviews [es] the artistic performance “Esquina Periferia” for the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es].


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Turkey: Twitter Reactions on Election Day  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Turkey held its general elections today for 550 seats in the Grand National Assembly. Following are some of the reactions that are emerging online as the first results are being announced.
Moroccan lawyer Ibn Kafka tweeted updates from the Turkish elections all day. He notes:
Kurdish #BDP candidates had to compete as independents in order to get elected – apparently 32 of them managed to do so #TurkishElections
Ibn Kafka also updates us with results so far:
With 85,4% of votes counted, seats in Turkey's parliament as follows: AKP 326, CHP 136 , MHP 56, 33 (Kurdish) independents v @Hurriyet
James Rasheed is ecstatic. He tweets:
AK Party wining general elections held today in Turkey. A huge victory for AK party and democracy. Congrats Recep Tayyip Erdogan #secim2011
British Kurdish writer and editor Ruwayda Mustafah, who describes herself as feminist and Muslim, is still looking for reactions. She tweets:
Looking for live tweets on Turkey election, anyone? #TwitterKurds
Another Kurdish Twitter user Heballo Azad notes:
#TwitterKurds Even when we hear the positive news, we can't thoroughly enjoy it because we're so anxious about the aftermath!
Qubad Talabani has questions. He asks:
Does anyone know what % of Independants running are BDP candidates? @nuhyilmaz #TwitterKurds #Secim2011
Meanwhile, Esra Dogramaci reacts to Al Jazeera's coverage of the elections saying:
Love how @AJEnglish has included Google's doodle for #Turkishelections today (scroll down on the liveblog) http://t.co/K3nBXFe #secim2011

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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United States: On being a “Nuyorican”  · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger and journalist Nuria Net reflects [es] on the meaning of being a Puerto Rican, and a Nuyorican, as a Puerto Rican living in New York City.


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Zimbabwe: What is Next? · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

As Zimbabwe heads for possible polls later this year, netizens have taken to the Internet to express their views on politics, violence and the economy that would not see the light of day in the country's traditional media space.
The elections are being pushed by President Mugabe despite opposition from such diverse quarters as the regional talk shop grouping the South African Development Community (SADC), civic groups, and other political parties in Zimbabwe, who are generating the social media buzz amid fears that this could be yet another African poll that will be marred by an orgy of violence and bloodbath.
Morgan Tsvangirai (Zimbabwe's Prime Minister) campaign poster in 2008. Photo courtesy of Flickr user frontlineblogger (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The archaic voters’ roll that lists people registered to vote has become one the major talking points among local political parties and indeed bloggers.
Gilbert Muponda argues that the Zimbabwean dollar cannot wait for elections:
A currency board prevents governments and central banks from currency manipulation. They function best when independent, separate from central banks, and have the sole purpose of providing the country’s citizens with a stable currency.
Some are not keen on a local currency though. “Let’s wait for the next election,” they say, obviously sucked into the political paralysis that the country is fast approaching. The historical trend in Africa is that elections are hotly-contested even after the election. This creates very long periods of instability which the general citizenry should seek to look and plan beyond that, leaving the usual political scheming to politicians.
Kubatana picks up commentary from Clifford Chitupa who wrote about Zimbabwe's recent ratification of a close to USD100 million grant from the China towards a state-of the art “spy  centre”:
Zimbabwe’s Members of Parliament blundered by ratifying the US$98m for a spy centre on Wednesday 1st June 2011. They should have known better that the country cannot afford the multi million dollar Chinese loan nor does Zimbabwe need a defence college before rubber-stamping Zanu-pf’s suspicious project. Although, the ratification was preceded by a ‘heated debate’, it is ironic that the MPs lost sight of an appeal on the same day by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for US$6 million to continue treating Zimbabwe’s water.
It seems the MPs are not keeping their eyes on the ball because UNICEF has already given $40 million of support to water and sanitation programmes in Zimbabwe a vital necessity for everyone regardless of political affiliation, unlike the spy centre. One would have thought that Bill Gates’ advice to African countries to work harder to get life-saving vaccines to children in order to save millions of lives was heeded (AFP, 17/05/11). The founder of Microsoft and philanthropist Mr Gates puts his money where his mouth is.
He continues:
Zimbabwe is least advised to take any loan at the moment because the country’s total domestic and foreign debt was US$7.1 billion as at March 31, 2011. At
105% of the Gross Domestic Product, it means every Zimbabwean owes US$500 million! It appears the country’s leaders momentarily forgot the advice given by the African Development Bank vice-president for operations, Aloysius Uche Ordu when he said:
“Arrears clearance is so important because it’s the only way to re-engage the multilateral finance institutions” (AFP, Jan 18, 2010).
MPs should be reminded that voters will be more likely to be influenced by day to day problems like ZESA blackouts and its excessive tariffs, unemployment, hunger, erratic water supplies, a potholed road network, sub-standard health and other essential services than the number of spies produced by the Chinese college. The MPs should have declined to ratify the loan agreement for the simple reason that the country cannot afford it.
Elizabeth Nyamuda links to a blog post that which makes fun of revelation that 16,800 Zimbabwean voters are 110 years old and all of them were born on New Year’s Day in 1901.
Elsewhere, Andrew Field touches on the role of army generals in Zimbabwe politics. And as elections approach, the spotlight is being beamed on the army generals who have vowed their allegiance to long time ruler Robert Mugabe. Army generals can also be found as staffers in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that oversees elections, and this raises Field's concerns:
Concerns have been rising in Zimbabwe about the predominance of the military in running the affairs of the country. Naturally, there is nothing wrong with former military officers taking the stage in politics or commerce, if they have the substance to do so, but there is clearly a move to saturate both the civil service and strategic, government-owned corporations with these strongmen. One would be forgiven for asking, ‘for what purpose?’ They would seem rather naive if they did. What we are seeing in Zimbabwe is the smart coup d’état, a gradual non-violent, but extremely intimidating infiltration of the military into power.
Coup d’état are not uniquely African, nor are they new. The earliest know coup d’état was in 509 BC when members of the Tarquin dynasty led by Lucius Brutus overthrew the King of Rome to establish the Roman Republic. It has been going on ever since. Africa has a recorded 114 coup d’état, the first being in Ethiopia in 1910 when Empress Taytu, regent of the incapacitated Emperor Menelik II was overthrown. Egypt will be remembered for one of the earlier coup d’état in Africa where, in 1952, Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Nasser overthrew King Farouk, later resulting in the Suez Crisis.
And Sokwanele blog publishes The Anatomy of Terror report, which has been compiled by Zimbabwean civic activists and researchers:
Over the past decade since 2000, there have been an enormous number of reports detailing the violence and the gross human rights violations that have accompanied Zimbabwe’s crisis. In all the reports – apart from the face-saving propaganda of the former ZANU PF government – it has been clear that the major victims have been members of the MDC [now MDC-T], as well as members of activist civic organizations such as the NCA, the ZCTU, WOZA, and others. It has also been clear that the overwhelming perpetrators have been supporters of ZANU PF, the youth militia, the so-called “war veterans”, and, most serious of all, state agents such as the police, the army, and the CIO.
As Zimbabwean netizens discuss the forthcoming elections, political violence and the role of the military in politics, the question is: “Are politicians listening?”

author: Madalitso Mwando


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Afghanistan: $60 million class action against Blackwater · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding addresses the problem of killed or injured civilian contractors in Afghanistan through the story about U.S. lawyer Scott J Bloch, who filed a  $60 million class action lawsuit in order to recover the four former security specialists’ payment of social security, unemployment insurance, and unpaid benefits.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Building bridges with Pakistan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

UmairJ writes about the visit of Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai to Islamabad in an attempt to better relationship between the two nations and seek support of Pakistan in forcing the Taliban to a compromise.


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Afghanistan: Repeating What We Already Knew · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reviews the U.S. Senate's damning report on Afghanistan reconstruction and misuse of aid money, adding that “it says little new, but appears to do so in an authoritative way”.


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Argentina: Quilmes Indigenous Community Faces Another Eviction Attempt · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Intercontinental Cry reports that “Despite Argentina’s blanket ban on evictions of Indigenous  communities, the Quilmes community of Colalao del Valle is facing its  third eviction attempt in three years,” and  posts Amnesty International's appeal to support the indigenous community.


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Belarus: Crowdsourced DDoS Attack Attempts to Put Down President’s Website · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The website of Belorusian president Alexander Lukashenko is under attack by a crowdsourced DDoS attack hosted by PutinVzrivayetDoma.org, lenta.ru reported [ru]. @putinvzrivaet explained the purpose[ru]: “Because he [Lukashenko] had blew such a country.” Previously, Ukraine-based @putinvzrivaet scheduled attacks on many other commercial and political websites. So far, however, presidential website is accessible.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Brazil: Rio Wears Red in Support of Firefighters · Global Voices
Saulo Valley

Since mid-April 2011, a movement started by a group of military firefighters from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, demanding better working conditions has been gaining increasing support.
Their frequent demonstrations [en] in front of Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro), however, barely sensitized the governor Sergio Cabral for dialogue. Because they are considered military, their right to strike was called into question.
All the links in this post lead to Portuguese language pages, except when otherwise noted.
The category claims to receive the worst compensation in the country – in comparison with the same institution in other states – and requires a salary update, currently fixed at R $ 950.00, to $ 2,000.00. In the “Manifesto of Dignity“, published on April 14 on the blog SOS Guarda Vidas (SOS Lifeguard), four claims were noted:
Firefighters on strike in Rio de Janeiro – SOS Firefighters: worst salary in the country. Photo by Mariana Criola on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
(…) pela redução do número de parcelas do aumento proposto pelo governo: de 48 parcelas para 12!
( …) pela equiparação da gratificação dos guarda vidas ao Bope [Batalhão de Operações Especias] e Core [Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais] (…)
A terceira reinvindicação é o auxílio transporte! (…)
A quarta reinvindicação é por melhores condições de trabalho! Não temos materiais apropriados para proteção individual; postos de salvamento adequados; (…) viaturas para ativação e desativação do serviço (…). Os Guarda Vidas do interior estão sem infraestrutura básica, sem um lugar apropriado para trabalhar, fazer suas necessidades e se alimentar. A escala (12h por 36h) é extremamente nociva à saúde, pois não possibilita, em hipótese alguma, a recuperação plena (física e emocional) desses profissionais. A exposição prolongada à radiação solar tem causado diversos problemas dermatológicos, inclusive câncer de pele. Além disso, temos lesões ortopédicas, oftálmicas e auditivas (…)!
Finally, on June 3 (Friday), around 2pm, a massive rally of about 5,000 people gathered on the steps of Alerj before marching to the shopping heart of Rio. In the evening, about 2,000 demonstrators occupied the headquarters of the Fire Department to make sure their claim was heard.
The moment was shared in a video by Clarissa Godinho on Youtube:
A shock reaction
The chaos which spread, fueled by an anger generated by the fact that they were being ignored for a long time, immediately brought the Shock Battalion of Military Police to action. 12 hours later, in a joint operation with the BOPE, control of the headquarters was regained as well as the  detention of 439 firefighters.
The moment of entry of the forces into the Central Headquarters of the Fire Department was documented by Rick Sardella on a video titled “Elite Squad 3 – BOPE vs Heroes, Women and Children”.
Red Rio Flyer featuring the main claims, on Flickr by Deputado Estadual Marcelo Freixo PSOL-RJ (CC BY 2.0)
On the blog Vi o Mundo (I saw the world), an interview with the father of one of the arrested firefighters said:
Ninguém é louco de levar família com filhos para uma manifestação,  pensando em confronto e baderna. Quem destruiu o quartel foi o BOPE no  momento da invasão. Só não morreu ninguém por obra de Deus. Dispararam  tiro de fuzil do lado de fora e gás lacrimogêneo na sala em que estavam  mulheres e crianças.
In reaction, the firefighters wrote an open letter to the population aiming to “clarify what has been taking place in the Corporation and in the State Government, and what has lead companions and their family to challenge the excesses of the General Commander Col. Peter Marco and Governor Sérgio Cabral”. It may be read on one of the first blogs that republished it, Tulio Fuzato:
Nossos militares foram presos e conduzidos aos quartéis da PMERJ como criminosos apenas por reivindicar dignidade profissional!
Open letters in support of firefighters then multiplied, including one from eight leaders, as well as a petition for the “Dignity of Carioca Firefighters“, in a movement of increasing solidarity to pressure the release of prisoners. The authorization came only on June 10.
Rio wears red
" Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy " (salmo 126.5) #RioVermelho (Red Rio) #SosBombeirosRJ (SOS Firefighters Rio de Janeiro). Photo on Twitpic by Inez (@MCInez)
#RIOVERMELHO – De ontem pra hoje, vi que muitas pessoas estão se solidarizando com a causa dos bombeiros :) Todo mundo usando fitinhas vermelhas!
Wrote Kamila Marques (@Mandhalla) on Twitter on the afternoon of June 10, while the Habeas Corpus issued by the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro was celebrated. With the release of the prisioners, and despite the proposal from the State Government to readjust the salary next July by 5,58%, the claims remain. According to one of the leaders of the movement, Lauro Botto, “the negotiations with the Rio government for better pay will only resume after the military arrested following the raid in central headquarters of the corporation, on Friday evening, receive amnesty from the State government”.
Cristiane Mendes (@krys_mendes) added:
Habeas Corpus não é Anistia! ATO PACÍFICO DE APOIO #BOMBEIROSRJ – domingo, 12/06, às 9hs – Copacabana http://migre.me/51IOD #riovermelho
The “Mega Passeata” (Mega Rally), organized by SOS Bombeiros RJ, invites “those who are outraged with the low salaries and the high salaries of the governors” to participate. The call is also made in a video offered in solidarity by several artists from Globo network:
Danilo Pereira, on the blog Abordagem Policial (Police Approach), finalizes:
Vamos acompanhar, vestindo o espírito de vermelho, as manifestações dos  Bombeiros do Rio. Um exemplo de união e dignidade entre militares,  postura que certamente irá elevar a instituição após o êxito nas  negociações.

author: Saulo Valley