text:
When Abe Met the Trumps · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

This photo of the November 17 meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Abe and US President-Elect Trump distributed by the Japanese Cabinet Relations Office has been widely shared on social media. Mike Flynn sits on the far left of the picture, Ivanka Trump on the far right.
On November 17, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first world leader to meet US President-elect Donald Trump in person, at Trump Tower in New York. Various commentators noted that Abe's rush to meet with the President-elect was in part due to the need to address numerous complaints Trump had raised regarding Japan during the campaign. In Japan, commentators questioned the content of the discussion and exactly why Trump's family members were allowed to sit in on a meeting between two heads of state.
PM Abe's comment following the meeting with Mr. Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States of America
https://t.co/hCN7qHlnnh pic.twitter.com/LvMML5bweI
— PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) November 18, 2016
Initially, very little was known about the hastily arranged meeting between Abe and Trump. Following the ninety-minute meeting, news reports relied on photos and a statement by Abe provided by the Japanese Cabinet Office to glean what was said and who attended.
米国のメディアも、安倍首相との会談を「トランプ次期大統領が外国指導者と初めての会談中」と報じています。https://t.co/RCQYjZYAXn pic.twitter.com/a677P7xZgr
— 日経LIVE (@nikkeilive) November 17, 2016
The American media is also reporting that Prime Minister Abe is President-elect Trump's first meeting with a foreign head of state. — Nikkei LIVE
Prime Minister Abe said in his statement:
I cannot answer questions about the specifics of the meeting. In any case, our alliance will not function without trust. I came away convinced that President-elect Trump is a leader who can be trusted.
The November 17 meeting occurred at Trump's private residence in Manhatten, and featured an assortment of characters, whose presence was viewed as controversial. Among these were Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, and Mike Flynn, who served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and who would be appointed as new US national security advisor in Trump's preliminary cabinet the day after the meeting.
Abe with translator, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Mike Flynn. Image from Japanese Cabinet Office website.
The meeting appeared cordial, and Prime Minister Abe reportedly gave Trump a made-in-Japan golf club worth $5,000. From Japan's perspective, it was imperative that the meeting be a success. Blogger, PhD candidate and Japan commentator Robert Fahey says a Trump administration is “dangerous” for Japan, and notes:
Donald Trump’s stated positions on foreign policy are a significant threat to that relationship. Trump’s statements throughout his campaign paint Japan not as a partner but as a global rival of the United States. He suspects Japan of currency manipulation to the detriment of the US […] [Trump] has also repeatedly railed against what he views as the United States being short-changed in its security arrangements with Japan, and has gone far beyond the US establishment – which has long pressured Japan to take a more proactive role in conflicts and peacekeeping efforts – by suggesting that Japan should arm itself with nuclear weapons to ensure its own security.
In the wake of Trump's Japan-bashing during the US election, commentator and former Japanese legislative aide Tobias Harris suggests Prime Minister Abe was also likely also trying to reassure Japan that the special relationship with the United States will continue:
When Abe says he can trust Trump he's trying to reassure Japanese people, majority who see Trump's win as bad & bad for US-Japan rel. https://t.co/hUVW6Gx2O4
— Tobias Harris (@observingjapan) November 18, 2016
It was not lost on some Japanese netizens that, based on body language, Abe seems to have a much better relationship with Trump than with Chinese President Xi Jingping:
安倍×トランプ（にっこり）
安倍×キンペー（…）
この落差に笑ったw pic.twitter.com/69PGqKwxaR
— KAZUYA (@kazuyahkd) November 18, 2016
Abe + Trump = *smiley face*
Abe + Xi = *meh*
The total difference here makes me laugh, lol.
Not everyone in Japan is reassured by Abe's meeting with Trump, however. Writing for Yahoo! Japan News, popular writer and activist Shiba Rei notes that, although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was one of the first world leaders and other notables to contact Trump on November 9 following his victory, so was French far-right leader Marine La Pen:
必読です。→ 安倍トランプ会談で世界にさらした恥―ドイツ・メルケル首相が見せた格の違い(志葉玲) – Y!ニュース https://t.co/yAKQu8t4E2
— Miko Yoshimura (@minekoyoshimura) November 18, 2016
Must read: Abe a world-class embarrassment after his meeting with Trump. ― Shiba Rei reports on Abe's completely different response to Trump compared to Germany's Angela Merkel.
Rei also wrote that while Abe called Trump “trustworthy”, German Chancellor Angela Merkel indirectly indicated significant doubts about Trump's commitment to the very principles of liberal democracy.
Japanese opposition leader Renho Murata also blasted Abe, complaining that the details of what was discussed in the meeting were not disclosed. Sankei News reported that Renho demanded to know if strategic issues such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the future of American bases in Japan were included in the talks between Abe and Trump:
貴方の説明よりは信頼できる◾【安倍・トランプ会談】民進党・蓮舫代表「何をもって信頼できるのか？　詳しく説明する義務」と注文 https://t.co/JWE27vglmg @Sankei_newsさんから
— 渡邉哲也 (@daitojimari) November 18, 2016
“I came away convinced that President-elect Trump is a leader who can be trusted.” (Abe and Trump meet)
Democratic Party (Japan) leader Renho asks, “On what basis do you trust Trump? You have an obligation to explain why.”
For other Japanese observers, perhaps the biggest question was why Ivanka Trump attended the meeting between Abe and Trump. Trump's daughter has no formal role in the US government, and is preparing to take over her father's business empire.
Sankei Biz asked:
安倍・トランプ会談、なぜイバンカさんが同席？　存在感の大きさ浮き彫り https://t.co/Wzqyvt4pat #安倍首相とトランプ次期大統領 pic.twitter.com/a1J9QBqKqy
— SankeiBiz (@SankeiBiz_jp) November 18, 2016
Why did Ivanka Trump sit-in on the Trump-Abe meeting? Her presence stood out.
The next day, the US press had one possible explanation:
How do Trumps cash in? Foreign delegations feel pressure to stay at Trump DC hotel, by @OConnellPostbiz @marycjordan https://t.co/po71qNkYDd
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) November 19, 2016

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
A Venezuelan Cartoonist Forced Into Exile Still Draws the Repression Back Home · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Venezuelan cartoonist-in-exile Rayma Suprani turns the Mexican immigrants rhetoric of Donald Trump on its head. Credit: Rayma Suprani, Venezuela/USA, 2016
This story by Carol Hills originally appeared on PRI.org on November 4, 2016. It is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
As a child, political cartoonist Rayma Suprani used to draw all over the walls of her home in Caracas. “I think that was the way I was expressing myself. I was a shy girl and I didn't talk much so I would just observe and draw and paint the walls.”
Eventually her mother cut a deal with her: pick one wall and you can draw on that, but only one.
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Suprani kept drawing and in her teens, she had a teacher who taught her how to draw human figures. In college she studied journalism, but she also kept on drawing. After an internship at a newspaper she realized she could combine the two. “I think what really drew me to being a cartoonist is that, it's like a game. You have to find what's hidden and be able to reveal it and show it to the world in a cartoon. It's fascinating.”
Suprani found work right out of college and in short order became the staff cartoonist at El Universal, a Venezuelan newspaper in Caracas. She stayed there for nearly 20 years.
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Suprani became known as a tough but original and nuanced cartoonist. Her work became the topic of conversations and a must-see each week. Venezuelan human rights lawyer Alfredo Romero says Suprani is more than a cartoonist. “She's someone who can interpret the moment. It's something incredible. Whatever she says in her cartoons is very effective. I mean she represents the right moment, the right time and the right message. She's the best cartoonist in Venezuela or at least the most famous, for sure.”
Except Rayna Suprani is no longer in Venezuela. She cartoons from exile, in Miami. She was fired from El Universal in 2014 shortly after Suprani published this cartoon:
Credit: Rayma Suprani
The message is that the flat-lining of Venezuela's economy can be blamed in part on the policies of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the father of the left-wing populist movement known as Chavismo. When Chavez was in power, Suprani routinely skewered him in her cartoons. But by 2014, his Chavista successor, President Nicolas Maduro, had elevated the former leader to saint status. And around the same time, Suprani's newspaper, El Universal, changed hands. The new (and still unidentified) owners supported Maduro. And Suprani was let go.
Venezuelan journalist Cesar Miguel Rondon says the Maduro government acted like thugs. “They behaved like punks on a street corner. You don't have the rule of law here. Every single day it's more openly the exercise of a dictatorship instead of a democracy. So, ‘we don't like Rayma. Rayma, you should go.’ It's as simple as that.”
Credit: Rayma Suprani
But Suprani's troubles didn't end with her firing. She started getting death threats and crank calls. The attacks went after her integrity as a woman. “They'd say, ‘Instead of doing what you're doing, why don't you go find a man, a husband?’ Or, ‘You're just a lesbian.’ ‘You're a prostitute.'”
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Then Suprani's picture started appearing on state-run TV. President Maduro himself denounced Rayma Suprani on his weekly program. So did his deputy, Diosdado Cabello, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly. Cabello is the designated attack dog for the Maduro government. His weekly program is “Con el Mazo Dando,” which roughly translates to, “Keep Hammering Away.”
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Cabello uses the program to cheerlead for Chavismo and denounce the political opposition. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has called Cabello's show a form of intimidation. And Amnesty International has denounced how Cabello regularly reveals details on the travel arrangements of Venezuelan human rights lawyers, including Alfredo Romero. “If I travel out of the country on a plane, [Cabello] mentions what time, where I go. And when I come back he says what time I'm getting back to airport, and when I'm through customs.”
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Romero says his name has been mentioned by Cabello and Maduro on state TV more than 80 times over the past two years.
But for Suprani, the pressure became too much. She couldn't find a job and finally, in December 2015, she left. “Emotionally speaking, I never wanted to leave Venezuela but it became such a risk that I couldn't live with it. It sort of paralyzed me and now I feel like I'm in a place where I can look at everything from a distance and I can be more useful because my creativity can flow without worrying.”
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Rondon, the Venezuelan journalist, says what's really depressing is the government's suppression of Suprani worked. “Her cartoons used to be a must-see event in Venezuela. She had the attention of the whole country. Now she's limited to social media.”
Rondon has been able to operate more freely than Suprani. He's a journalistic institution in Venezuela. His radio show has been on the air for 27 years and counting, but he has had his run-ins with the Chavistas. Rondon had a popular public affairs show on TV that ran for five years until it was axed in 2005 after the Chavez government pressured the channel's owners.
Credit: Rayma Suprani
Rondon has a new TV show but it can only be shown outside Venezuela. “Maduro and his government, every single day, behave like a dictatorship. I mean we still have a president who was elected. But he doesn't behave like a democrat. He behaves like a dictator.”
Which presents a conundrum. How do you get rid of a dictator using democratic means? Suprani's answer is to use her exile to literally draw the attention of the rest of the world to the repressive political system in Venezuela under Maduro. One of her current projects is illustrating a book about political prisoners being held in Venezuelan prisons.
Credit: Rayma Suprani

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: PRI/PRX's The World


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How is Online Radio Helping to Empower Visually Impaired People in Armenia? · Global Voices
Akhal-Tech Collective

Radio MENQ in action. Photo provided by Igor Mkrtumyan, used with permission.
Radio MENQ (meaning ‘we’ in Armenian) is an internet radio station in Armenia made by blind and visually impaired people mainly for listeners in their own and other disabled communities (listen to it here).
Broadcasts cover everything from Paralympic sport and discussions of the lives of Stevie Wonder and Louis Braille, through strategies for using public transport, dealing with stress and depression as a disabled person and winning big in games of chess.
Although the radio station only began working earlier this year, efforts to empower blind people in Armenia through use of the internet, chiefly through initiatives assisted by the Internet Society, have been going on for some time.
Global Voices had the fortune to sit down with leaders of the project and champions of expanding access to information for blind people, Igor Mkrtumyan and Armen Nazaryan, to find out more.
Igor Mkrtumyan and Armen Nazaryan: In Soviet times, this category of people was well provided for in terms of social security. The Armenian Society of Blinds (ASB) had significant resources. There were many shops where blind people could work and earn money. They were funded by the ASB, which generated income through these activities of blind and visually impaired people. The ASB was even able to finance the construction of key health care facilities such as the Republican Ophthalmological Center.
ASB invested heavily in the construction of industrial buildings, residential buildings and clubs in order to carry out mass cultural and sporting activities, treat blind people and provide financial assistance. Boarding schools for blind and visually impaired children as well as specialized homes for the disabled were also built. There was a fully functional Culture House in Yerevan (called the Culture House of the Blind).
Currently blind people receive a small living allowance from the state and find it almost impossible to get a job in either the public or the private sectors. The private sector is the quickest to exclude blind applicants, often not even considering their qualifications. But if society rejects the blind, we cannot move forwards. The situation in the US and Europe, where the blind are given the same opportunities as non-disabled people, should be our target.
When the USSR collapsed, the entire system of ASB collapsed as well, because financial resources were generated through cooperation between the Soviet Republics and the goods produced by ASB companies were consumed and used outside Armenia. The ASB was left with only one opportunity — to offer up its premises for rent. Buildings thus either stood idle or were rented out and the overall situation was very sad. The decline in production led to a reduction in jobs for the blind, and a decline in social and cultural work as well.
Radio MENQ contributors. Taken from Radio MENQ's Facebook page.
IM & AN: Changes began when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocated 100,000 USD to create an internet center for blind and visually impaired persons. In November 2011, as part of a joint project of the ITU and the UNESCO Institute of Information Technologies in Education, an internet center was opened in Yerevan. The main goal of the project was to support inclusiveness policies and with the help of information-communication technologies establish an accessible informational-educational environment for people with visual impairments. The center was opened within the framework of the Internet for Blinds project implemented by Ministry of Transport of Armenia, Haypost CSC., UNESCO and the Internet Society of Armenia. The latter provides continuous operational support to the center.
In 2013, the Internet Society of Armenia received a grant from International Internet Society to create a second Internet availability center for people with visual impairment in the Cultural House of the ASB. In parallel, the Armenian Internet Society and administration of the Culture House developed a concept of transformation of the Culture House into a rehabilitation center for people with visual impairments. Three main focus areas for rehabilitation were envisaged: sporting-recreational, cultural and informational. The grant project was successfully completed.
The opening ceremony of the center took place in April 2013. At the end of May 2013, the center was visited by the First Lady of Armenia Mrs. Rita Sargsyan. In September 2013, Mrs. Sargsyan invited the President of Armenians of the Russian Federation Mr. Ara Abrahamyan to visit the center. He got acquainted with the situation there and pledged to support the reconstruction and modernization of the building into a contemporary rehabilitation centre.
While the Internet Availability Center was in operation a group of visually impaired people came forward with the idea of developing Internet Radio. They reported the idea to the ISOC Armenia, which wrote a grant proposal to the Internet Society. Happily the application was approved and work began. Presenters and sound technicians on Radio MENQ are paid a small amount of money as the project is still going on. But mostly work at the radio station is of a voluntary nature and achieved due to contributors’ high motivation. The project ends at the end of 2016 so work will become completely voluntary. Most of the participants have other freelance jobs to help them make their way in life.
Radio MENQ in action. Photo provided by Igor Mkrtumyan, used with permission.
IM & AN: The Internet can serve as a point for startups for blind journalists, translators, programmers, psychologists, lawyers and freelancers in other professions. The Internet opens up new horizons for the blind and allows them to be full members of society. Today the labor market imposes greater demands on blind people, which is correct to some extent, as they must be able to work on a par with others.
Blind people must believe in their own strength and abilities. After Radio MENQ went on air, many have started to want to try themselves out in radio either as a program presenter or a sound technician. Internet radio is becoming a path to new horizons and opportunities for blind people. Often there is a stereotype that the blind person can’t work on an equal footing. Internet work, whether in a freelance capacity or as part of a team, allows you to break down these stereotypes. As mentioned in our project video below, “The internet enables people to be who they choose, to develop for themselves, and as a part of their community.”
IM & AN: More than 45 people have been invited as guests [on the radio] — a substantial number of whom had disabilities — including experts and scientists. The related blog receives up to 2,500 visits monthly. Currently Radio MENQ is hoping to develop an application for phones and tablets that will boost the average daily number of listeners from 10 to 60.
Most important, however, is the work experience blind and visually impaired people have earned through the project. Among a number of examples, one blind man came to us asking to help him work as a sound engineer. We trained him and following training sessions he is fulfilling that role for the station. Many parents of children with disabilities, and students from various universities call us, noting the importance of the radio in their lives, and especially our “Psychology in life”, “You Can” and “Toward Independence” programs.
The blind community has reacted very positively to the fact many blind scientists and artists are featured on the programs. And also, there is the opportunity for Radio MENQ workers to get experience from more famous radio stations like “Radio Van”and “National Radio” which have agreed to provide master classes for staff.
IM & AN: The computer lab and our instructors helped many blind and visually impaired people to learn basic computer skills. In the computer lab we have a monthly show of movies with special audio commentary tracks for blind people. Many people, both blind and non-blind, including students from different universities come to watch these movies. After the showing a discussion of the film is held. The sessions help blind people sense the art of cinema and also foster a positive attitude towards people with visual impairment among normally sighted people.
One very inspiring individual story is that of Levon Karapetyan, a blind pianist who moved around with helpers. He managed to apply for a study period in France and study there. Listening to Radio MENQ's “Toward Independence” broadcast in France he was very interested in some of the tools for self-development mentioned on the program. When he came back to Armenia he visited the Culture House and asked us to teach him how to use the white cane among other things. He received mobility training and a lot of things changed in his life. We are going to prepare a special program devoted to his experience some time in the near future.
Another story involves a young man Artem who has no hands. After listening to the program “Psychology in Life” he became more able to deal with the psychological difficulties connected to his disability. He became socially active and free of complexes. It permitted him to communicate with people more openly. He started to look for a charity program that could provide him a job and found one in Germany.
Our listeners often tell us, “When I feel bad, I listen to your radio, and I get an incentive to overcome my difficulties”, or simply, “You are doing the right thing”.

author: Akhal-Tech Collective


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Melbourne’s Networked Society Symposium Explores Digital Landscape · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Internet of Things – Image courtesy flickr user Tumitu Design (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Academics and other members of Melbourne's Fifth Estate gathered at the Networked Society Symposium on 11 November 2016 to address challenges, opportunities and threats the global digital environment. The symposium showcased a diverse range of projects of the Melbourne University’s Networked Society Institute. The vibrant local digital landscape was a feature common to many of the initiatives explored.
In the keynote address, Michigan State University's William H. Dutton put forth his theory of the Internet as a “fifth estate”:
the use of the Internet and related technologies in shaping an emerging Fifth Estate, composed of networked individuals able to use the Internet strategically to hold institutions, and other estates and of the Internet realm more accountable
Dutton sees this conception as a major development from some earlier notions of a fifth estate as being equivalent to bloggers.
He outlined the changing power shifts arising from the democratising capacities of the Internet. Uprisings in the Middle East, Ukraine, Venezuela and beyond have illustrated the potential for citizens using technology to organize social movements. The increasingly common practice of releasing troves of private documents through either media or transparency platforms such as Wikileaks has changed the meaning of privacy and transparency for citizens and governments alike. And E-commerce has revolutionized global markets and trade.
The Concept of the Fifth Estate – courtesy Bill Dutton
But with these developments, the Internet has also become more widely “used as a tool of surveillance, invasion of privacy and control of citizens.” Alongside government surveillance efforts, algorithms, trolls and bots have become a force to reckon with online.
“Politics in the digital age is all about… you reconfiguring your access to the world and also managing the world trying to get access to you,” says Dutton.
Key characteristics of Dutton's fifth estate:
[Dutton’s slides and notes can be accessed here.]
Challenges to anonymity and privacy issues were addressed in the panel session, Convenience vs. Privacy, which looked at the ‘consumer’s dilemma’ in a networked society.
Panelist Rachelle Bosua described The Internet of Things, “a new world where almost every conceivable physical item sends and receives data via the Internet”. The phenomenon of refrigerators, coffee makers and baby monitors connecting to the Internet in order to transmit information both to users and manufacturers raises critical questions about data privacy and viability of interconnected infrastructure.
The October 2016 denial-of-service attack on a leading domain name server in the US conducted by hackers who manipulated signals sent by home appliances and the like, is just one example of a vulnerability that the Internet of Things can generate.
Melbourne’s Sharing Economy has been mapped with exploration of both commercial and non-commercial forms, even those at the edge:
What's being shared at periphery in melbourne? @jennykennedy #NSS2016
-co-working spaces
-makerlabs
-toy library
— Robbie Fordyce (@r4dyc) November 11, 2016
Uber, one of the best known sharing economy’s disruptors, has been one of numerous stress factors for traditional taxi drivers. Driving for Change is developing an App to help with drivers’ psychological health. It will use a range of short activities suited to smartphones during their waiting time. Of course Uber drivers may also take advantage of this service, as they face many similar stresses as well as some that are unique to their situation.
Driving for Change taxi drivers mental health exploring the potential for technology to support an underserved community @MelbNSI #NSS2016 pic.twitter.com/ushwHs4opJ
— DSI4AU (@dsi4au) November 11, 2016
Adding to the many global online forums and spaces for discussing gender-based violence, Not the Only One has created an Australia-based website where women can share their experiences of domestic violence:
Women suffering domestic violence often do not disclose abuse to others. Not the Only One offers an online sanctuary #NSS2016 #VAW
— Melb NSI (@MelbNSI) November 11, 2016
There were several other initiatives and projects that can be found on the MNSI website, including health, remote indigenous TV, environment, education, 3D printing, and infrastructure security.
Final panel for the day @fvetere @jmcvernon @kwanghui @VictoriaJPalmer Lars Coenen and @Nirmalathas discussing Value + Role of Data #NSS2016 pic.twitter.com/GJdPl7KqL0
— Melb NSI (@MelbNSI) November 11, 2016
At a session on the value of data, Lars Coenen from Sweden's Lund University spoke about the importance of big data to creating smart cities. But he repeated a concern that ran through the symposium:
‘But there is also a push back from users regarding the privacy of that same data’ – Lars Coenen #NSS2016 #smartcities #Melbourne
— Melb NSI (@MelbNSI) November 11, 2016
The Twitter chatter from the symposium can be accessed at #NSS2016.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Brazil Superior Court Rules in Google’s Favor, Against ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

Youtube screenshot by JP Low. Fair use.
Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ) decided unanimously that the “right to be forgotten” cannot be imposed upon Google or other search engines.
According to judiciary rapporteur Nancy Andrighi, the ruling stated that forcing search engines to adjudicate removal requests and remove certain links from search results would give too much responsibility to search engines, effectively making them into digital censors.
We can't interfere with the search engine otherwise we will lose the context of the information. We can't establish the responsibility of this provider. The presence [of the content] will remain, but when this provider links to the place where the photos are, then this other provider will bear the responsibility.
Information on the case itself hasn't been made public as the suit is being processed under secrecy of justice.
The decision goes against that of the European Court of Justice which decided in 2014 that search engines do bear responsibility for de-indexing search results when an individual could successfully claim a “right to be forgotten”, or a right to have “old or irrelevant” information about them removed from search engine results. The rule has been hotly disputed in the EU and elsewhere, particularly in cases where public figures have sought to have information removed from search results, in what appears to be an effort to improve their public image.
While the law has provided many people with a desirable shield from public scrutiny for things like traffic violations or debts that can appear on public record, it also raises critical questions about access to information about the activities of government employees and other influential public figures.
Last year, Brazil's Supreme Court also ruled in favour of Google in a process filed by legendary TV presenter Maria das Graças Meneghel, known as “Xuxa”. In the early 1980s, before her rise to fame, the TV presenter acted in a movie in which her character has a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy. Xuxa sued Google requiring the search engine to hide all results that associated her with the film.
According to informal research conducted by a Brazilian newspaper, in almost ⅓ of online defamation cases in Brazil, state courts decide in favor of the right to remove from the internet information that associates the interested party with defamatory or offensive facts, or to a crime of which the person has been absolved.
Brazil's  Supreme Court — which is a higher court than the STJ — will soon hear a different case on the right to be forgotten involving TV Globo, Brazil's largest TV network. The case is brought by relatives of Aida Cury, an 18-year-old girl who was brutally raped and assassinated in 1958, in a case that was never resolved. In 2008 TV Globo broadcasted a story on the case. The relatives sued the network, arguing that the story “unearthed a painful time for the family” and their lawyers invoked the thesis of the “right to be forgotten”.
The discussion is different in the two cases. “In the case of the STF ruling, the discussion is material: does a person have a right to forbid the public to talk about certain facts? In the case of the STJ ruling, the discussion is more procedural: if a person can direct a request for suppression to a search engine,” Mariana Cunha e Melo, a lawyer at the office who represented Google, told Global Voices.
Both decisions, of the Superior Court of Justice and the pending one in the Supreme Court in this particular case, will set a critical precedent for other courts in Brazil hearing similar cases.

author: Taisa Sganzerla


text:
Japanese Social Media Panic After Psychic ‘Predicts’ Massive Earthquake · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

The city of Kochi on Shikoku's Pacific Coast. Kochi is one of the cities on Japan's Pacific Coast that will likely be devastated following a predicted Nankai Trough megaquake. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
A Japanese psychic's prediction that the southwestern coast of Japan will experience a massive earthquake on November 23 has gone viral on Japanese social media.
The psychic, Matsubara Teruko, gained minor internet fame in 2011 for “predicting” a massive temblor would hit the northeastern Japanese town of Rikuzentakata. Rikuzentakata was just one of many towns that was virtually destroyed by a large tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coast on March 11, 2011.
This time, Matsubara says the long-awaited Nankai Trough Megaquake will happen in just a few days.
Matsubara makes regular predictions about catastrophes, and her prediction that the massive Nankai doomsday quake will occur on November 23 gained traction in social media following an actual quake on November 19 centered in southern Wakayama—in the Nankai region.
While southern Wakayama is isolated and juts out into the Pacific Ocean, the quake was felt throughout the densely populated Kansai region, which includes the cities of Osaka and Kobe.
【関西で地震】#地震速報「11時48分ごろ」
震源地：和歌山県南部（M5.4）深さ約60㎞　最大震度4でした
※関西では久々にまともに揺れた感じ？ pic.twitter.com/hZZ2zjJuUT
— わび➹さび (@think_literacy) November 19, 2016
Earthquake in the Kansai region: #earthquakebulletin (circa 23:48)
Epicenter: Southern Wakayama; magnitude 5.4, at a depth of 60 kilometers, with a seismic intensity of 4.
(Is this the first time the Kansai region has felt such a serious quake?)
Online, people posted photos of some minor damage caused by the quake.
The term “Nankai trough” (南海トラフ) also started to trend across social media channels, including on Twitter, accompanied by rumors that an even bigger Nankai Trough megaquake would occur in less than a week, on November 23, 2016.
なにやら23日に南海トラフ地震がくると予言者の発言？が話題になっているようで、日が近づくにつれ本当にくるのかという問い合わせが私にも多くなってきました。
— 南海トラフ地震警戒情報 (@T1ZEg2jynaj9lQ7) November 19, 2016
For some reason, someone predicting that the Nankai Trough megaquake will occur on November 23 has become a trending topic, and now everyone is asking me if it's actually going to happen.
— Nankai Trough Megaquake Alert Information
Experts suggest a massive Nankai Trough megaquake could occur at any time. The Nankai Trough is a subduction zone stretching for about 900 kilometers off Japan's southeast coast, from the Tokyo area to Shikoku. Historically, the subduction zone has been responsible for regular massive earthquakes and tsunamis.
The long-awaited Nankai Trough megaquake has the potential to devastate Tokyo as well as Japan's industrial heartland stretching along the coast. Much of Japan's isolated Pacific coastline, including the rural prefectures of Wakayama and Shikoku, would potentially be inundated by gigantic tsunami waves.
According to the rumors, the cataclysm is supposed to occur on “Black Wednesday”.
【注意】魔の水曜日！南海トラフ地震が１１月２３日に発生！？という奇妙な噂が拡散中！ネットで不安の声 https://t.co/BJ6pTAC9N7
— みちゅ (@hmichu) November 19, 2016
Warning: Black Wednesday approaches! The Nankai Trough megaquake will occur on November 23!?! This strange rumor has been spreading, and the internet is full of uneasy voices.
In short time, some Twitter users determined the rumor was started by Matsubara Teruko. Besides “predicting” the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Matsubara publishes a variety of self-help books with a spiritual or New Age sensibility.
The efforts of Twitter user Mori-san (もりさん) to get to the bottom of the gossip were noticed by Naver, a popular blogging platform with a focus on social media memes:
ネイバーに自分のツイート載っててんけど笑 pic.twitter.com/QdCfVBOCvY
— もりさん (@51798a2d7c3b44b) November 20, 2016
Hey, Naver published my tweet :)
Translation of original tweet: The same person who correctly predicted the 2011 Tohoku earthquake has now predicted a Nankai Trough earthquake will occur on November 23. Can we trust her prediction?
Matsubara's prediction tapped into fears that a massive Nankai Trough megaquake could be imminent. One tweet from October 21 that suggested megaquakes occur in a pattern — and that Nankai was next — was reshared again in light of Matsubara's claim of an impending quake:
2016年11月23日になぜ南海トラフ地震が来ると騒がれてくるのか？
それは東北の震災の発生を予言しさらにも熊本の震災を予言した松原照子が南海トラフのXデーを2016年11月23日と予言したからである
さらに画像のような意見がある#RT希望 pic.twitter.com/Ly1VsxHLr4
— マスター ¶/野球垢＆ヲタク垢 (@honntaku200) November 19, 2016
Why is there such a fuss being made about a Nankai Trough megaquake happening on November 23? The reason is because Matsubara Teruko, who predicted the 3.11 Tohoku quake and the Kumamoto quake, has predicted “X-day” will occur on November 23, 2016.
Also, take a look at this image:
863 AD: Earthquake in [modern-day] Toyama and Niigata
869: Earthquake in sea off northern Japan
880: Earthquake in (modern day) Kumamoto
887: Nankai Trough megathrust quake
2007: Chu'etsu earthquake [in Niigata]
2011: Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
2016: Kumamoto earthquake
2016: Tottori earthquake [note: Tottori departs from the pattern]
Not everyone was convinced that November 23, 2016 will mark “Black Wednesday” and the long-dreaded Nankai Trough megathrust quake. A number of Twitter users shared an April 2016 article from a website called Chojogensho no nazotoki (超常現象の謎解き, “Solving the Riddle of Supernatural Phenomenon”) that debunked Matsubara's famous prediction of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
「11月23日南海トラフ大地震」を予言している松原照子氏は典型的な数打てば当たる方式の人なので信憑性はお察し https://t.co/2icKhotyRY
— ネット上の情報検証まとめ (@jishin_dema) November 20, 2016
Matsubara Teruko, who predicted the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, is the perfect example of the saying “even a stopped clock is right twice a day.” Trust her predictions accordingly.
The article notes that Matsubara has predicted a massive earthquake will flatten just about every major city in just about every prefecture in Japan:
Part of a lengthy list of Japanese towns and cities Matsubara has predicted will experience a major earthquake sometime soon. Screencap from 超常現象の謎解き site.
Of the list and the accuracy of Matsubara's prediction of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Chojogensho no nazoki says:
松原氏は「東日本大震災を予言していた」と判断していいのだろうか？[…] そこで松原氏が震災以前に発表していた地震の予言を精査してみた。その結果をまとめたものが以下の表である。予言であげられていた地名の一覧だ。（2011年2月16日の予言は除く。2005年～2011年2月15日までの予言）
これを見ると、47都道府県すべてが網羅されていることがわかる。しかも、これらの中には一回だけでなく、何度もあげられる地名もある。たとえば東北地方の場合は、確認できる限り、初出は2005年、それからの6年間で120回以上も登場する。関東地方も初出は2005年で、登場数は実に170回を超える。
東日本大震災の予言で話題になった「陸前高田」や「釜石」も、実は2005年の時点ですでに登場していた。つまり「下手な鉄砲も数撃てばいつかは当たる」ということである。
Can we really conclude that “Matsubara Teruko predicted the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami?” We decided to examine all of the places that Matsubara predicted would experience an earthquake leading up to the 2011 Tohoku disaster. We have published the results of our research in this list. Each locality that Matsubara predicted would experience an earthquake has been listed (we looked at predictions from 2005 to February 15, 2011).
If you look at this list, Matsubara's predictions covered all 47 Japanese prefectures. And localities are not mentioned just once, but several times. For example, the Tohoku region was mentioned 120 times in six years, starting in 2005. Starting in 2005, Matsubara's predictions mentioned the Kanto region [a large region in central Japan that includes Tokyo] more than 170 times.
Rikuzentakata and Kamaishi, both of which were featured in her 2011 Tohoku disaster predicition, had already been mentioned before 2005.
So “even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.”
If Matsubara's prediction about a November 23rd Nankai Trough megaquake is correct, Japan may be in for another devastating calamity. However, it's important to remember that not even the scientific community is sure if earthquake predictions are actually accurate at all.


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Seeing Central Asia in Bolivia’s Migration Experience · Global Voices
Abdulfattoh Shafiev

Maria Julia Arana speaking at the United Nations in New York. Photo by the UN.
Massive labour migration from Central Asia to Russia is a comparatively new trend in that it started around 25 years ago when the five Central Asian countries gained independence and only really exploded when the Russian economy began to surge on the back of rising energy prices after the milennium.
Currently, seasonal migration is undergoing a transformation into immigration, as many of the region's mostly male migrants have cut ties with home countries and even their families, while a greater number of women from these traditional societies have now begun lives as migrants themselves.
Latin American countries have already undergone this transformation. While talking to Maria Julia Arana, a Bolivian-Argentinian journalist specialising in migration, this Global Voices author found that Bolivia's own migration story has much to help us inform our understanding of processes that are ongoing in Central Asia and understand their future impact.
Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship fellow Maria Julia Arana. Photo by the United Nations.
Maria Julia Arana: Argentina was once the only and still remains the main destination for labor migrants from Bolivia. When Argentina was hit by a financial crisis at the beginning of the milennium,Brazil, Spain and the United States became alternative routes for Bolivian migrants.
More than three million Bolivians out of a population of 11 million go abroad to seek work, and according to official statistics, 73% of all Bolivian migrants now go to Argentina.
The first migrants moved to Argentina looking for better work opportunities firstly in the borderland areas (mining and agricultural jobs). These moves were mostly seasonal and temporary, and mostly it was men who were leaving for these jobs. Soon, Bolivians started moving to big cities, like Buenos Aires, and women also had to move seeking work. Now, around 30% of labor migrants from Bolivia in Argentina are women, who work at homes, in manufacturing and in the service industries.
The feminization of migration was propitiated not only by the labor market’s demand for domestic workers and caretakers in Argentina and Spain, but also due to a transformation of Bolivian society into one where women had become accustomed to being the main breadwinners in their families.
MJA: Bolivian immigrants don’t travel with their families. In the best scenario if the immigrant has established permanent residency in the host country and achieved some economic stability, then they can bring their children to live with them.
The country does not rely fully on remittances from migrants, however, as they represent just 3% of the GDP now. [Editor's note: In Tajikistan remittances equated to around 40% of GDP in 2015 while in Kyrgyzstan they were around a third].
There is not much information on how frequently migrants send money back home. Many of them live illegally, and they use informal transfer services, making it difficult to track the flow.
Visiting families are also restricted by the legal status of a migrant, especially in Spain, where immigration laws are tough.  Restrictions on circular mobility [going out and coming in again] has a resounding impact on family structures, rearranging relationships, both between genders and between generations.
Argentina’s more permissive migration laws allow for more frequent returns to Bolivia. This legal context provides increased flexibility for Bolivian migrants to enter, return and live as citizens in their host country.
A Bolivian woman in the highlands of the country. Shared on Flickr by the European Commission DG ECHO Flickr account.
MJA: Any family separation is a difficult situation for its members. Migration triggers a variety of reactions in both the person, who emigrates and in his or her family members. Some studies like the one by Captura Consulting have found that in periods of increased external migration the divorce rate increases also. The effects of migration fall mainly on the children. They are the most affected by the departure of their parents. The absence of moral, emotional and physical reference has effects on child rearing.
However, these impacts are processed differently by each person. In families that have grandparents or uncles to rely on, the children have more opportunities to grow with family values and receive a well-rounded education. In the case of the poorest families, where only the father is in charge of economic support, it is common that they have two or more jobs which reduce the time spent with children. In these situations most vulnerable children are prone to fall into drugs, gangs and all kinds of other problems.
Migration also generates changes in intergenerational and gender relationships. This issue was largely studied by the anthropologist Sònia Parella, who notes that in the last thirty years there have been major changes in gender roles in the families, especially when the mother is the one who emigrates. Pioneering female migration generates cracks around the traditional role of “wife” and “mother” and for the role of men as financial providers.
This type of migration affects family values and the traditional roles of men and women, and it is one of the main impacts of migration on Bolivian society. This can also be seen as an opportunity for women's empowerment. Sociologist Lara Merella speaks of “transnational families” to describe these new family ties that result from migration processes.
MJA: I think this generation has grown up without parental figures and without understanding the ‘value of work’ because they have not seen their fathers or mothers go out to work every morning. Another characteristic of these young people is that they are more likely to move, travel and settle in different cities or countries without difficulty or without the same difficulties as their parents encountered.
This nomadic lifestyle also interferes with education and increases the risks of crime. This said, I cannot say for sure that there is data that directly links crime to parental migration. Moreover, the presence of parents does not always guarantee the good upbringing of children.
The important issue is not migration itself, but conditions of migration. If families have sufficient support from relatives, uncles, and grandparents to delegate education of children, then a good upbringing can be guaranteed.
Tajik migrants pray for Eid al-Fitr in Moscow on August 8, 2013. David Trilling for Eurasianet.org. Creative commons.
MJA: There are many studies that have indeed detected the same effects in other Latin American families due to migration. There are thus many similarities with other Latin American countries. I cannot say that you can transfer the same circumstances of migration to other parts of the world. But, I do think that the reconfigurations of families due to migration are generating changes in terms of roles across generations, genders and parenting in many parts of the world.
I think the feminization of migration is the most interesting issue to study and is the most related to Bolivian culture. I do not think we can translate this phenomenon to countries where gender roles are determined by religion and by more conservative cultures. Also, I have read that some countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan and Uganda, among others, have policies to discourage or forbid women from emigrating.
MJA: Yes. Remittances have definitely had a direct influence on Bolivia’s economic growth. They are sent expressly to improve the quality of life of family members who stay behind.
Empirical studies suggest that both immigration and emigration have impacts on foreign trade also, confirming the positive and significant effect of immigration on exports and imports in Bolivia.  Another positive impact is the new social bonds created between immigrants and locals.
Migration from Bolivia has had an impact on the growth of the agricultural sector in Argentina and has led to a decrease in food prices there, too. Another important impact of migration is education. The free and superior educational system in Argentina allows Bolivian children to get a better education and help them grow themselves in their new country.

author: Abdulfattoh Shafiev


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Another Young Environmentalist Is Murdered in Guatemala · Global Voices
Renata Avila

Guatemala's future seems to receive a blow with the death of Jeremy Barrios, a young member of the Center for Social, Legal and Environmental Action (In Spanish, CALAS) Foto taken from Pixabay. From the Public Domain.
The murder of 22-year-old Jeremy Barrios, a young environmentalist in Guatemala, has increased concerns over the threats that environmentalist defenders endure and the failure of the state to provide protection to organisations under threat.
Barrios was shot and killed in Guatemala city on November 12. His murder is in many ways a dark symbol for Guatemala, a country in the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change, where the average age of the population is, precisely, 22 and where at least ten environmental activists – most of them indigenous – were murdered in 2015.
Barrios worked for CALAS, an organization for legal, environmental and social action. He was committed to social justice from a young age. He was the spokesperson of a public high school, where he constantly advocated for better public education.
This is not the first time that CALAS has been target of threats. In fact, one of Barrios’ seniors and a member of the center, Yuri Melini, has been target of numerous death threats through the years, and was once shot in an attempt to silence him. Yuri Melini is known inside and outside Guatemala as a human rights and indigenous rights defender. CALAS’ director, Rafael Maldonado has also been also target of death threats through social media. As Front Line Defenders Case Study explained at the time of the threats:
The human rights defender was in the offices of CALAS on 29 July 2015 when an unknown gunman riding a motorcycle fired a number of shots outside. He also received a previous death threat in May 2015 when an unknown woman approached him at a bank and said “Soon you are going to pay for the work you are doing. You will see what will happen as a result of the work you are doing against the mining company, you are causing a lot of damage and so they will kill you”…
In a recent report, Amnesty International Americas Director Erika Guevara-Rosas, explained how hard is the struggle for the environment in the Central American region:
Environmental campaigners and advocates are under constant threat all over the continent. Intimidations, violations to the right to protest have become a trend from Canada to the Patagonia. Justice is rarely achieved, and it produces a chilling effect that often leads to further killings. In cases like that of Bertha Caceres's organisation, COPINH, in Honduras, they have managed to kill all the leaders.
As the country struggles for accountability on the crimes of the past and engages in processes against impunity, it is expected that, with the support of the International Community, that Guatemala can also safeguard the leaders and human rights defenders for the sake of its own future.

author: Renata Avila


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GV Face: President Obama, It’s About Time You Pardon Oscar López Rivera · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

He's one of the longest serving political prisoners in the world. He has spent more than half his life behind bars.
Puerto Rican Oscar López Rivera has been jailed for 35 years, convicted of seditious conspiracy because of his commitment to Puerto Rico's independence. This, even though he was not charged or convicted of causing harm to anyone. López Rivera is serving a 70-year sentence, making him the longest-imprisoned political prisoner in Puerto Rico's history.
Oscar is 73 years-old, and will be 80 by the proposed date of his release in 2023. A grassroots movement with the support of a wide range of political, civic and religious leaders, artists and celebrities is asking president Barack Obama to release him before he leaves office on January 2017.
Hamilton's award-winning playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and US Senator Bernie Sanders have all made public appeals for his release.
A petition has been created on the White House's website: it needs to have 100,000 signatures by December 11, 2016, in order to be considered by President Obama.
In this episode of the Global Voices Hangout series GV Face, we discuss the movement to pardon Oscar López Rivera with the team that covers Puerto Rico for Global Voices: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle, our Spanish Language Editor; Angel Carrión, musician and GV contributor; and historian and GV contributor Ana Gabriela Calderón.
You can sign the White House petition to pardon Oscar here and read Oscar's moving letter to his granddaughter, “Where the sea breathes” here.
The feature image used in this story says Freedom for Oscar and is by Kike Estrada take with permission from planetakike.com.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Has Uzbekistan’s ‘Princess’ Gulnara Karimova Really Been Murdered by the Government? · Global Voices
Akhal-Tech Collective

Gulnara Karimova. Image screenshotted and cropped from her music video Round Run.
The Internet is swiming with the appalling rumour that Gulnara Karimova, disgraced elder daughter of Uzbekistan's late dictator Islam Karimov, has been poisoned to death by the same brutal government he forged over three decades in power.
The single-source report on Gulnara's poisoning that has been quoted by everyone from Russian opposition MPs on Facebook to the British tabloid press, is just that: a single source report.
It appeared on Centre1.com, a Central Asian news website run by exiled Uzbek journalist Galima Bukharbayeva, who was famous as the editor of the disbanded Uznews website before it.
To be sure Berlin-based Bukharbayeva is no journalistic lightweight.
She received the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Prize for her coverage of the regime-defining Andijan events of 2005 during which anywhere between 187 (official count) and several thousand unarmed citizens were gunned to death by security forces in the Central Asian country.
Uznews enjoyed a fairly decent reputation before it suddenly ceased to exist following a hack, suspected as having been carried out by the Uzbek government, compromised the identities of its contributors in 2014.
The source for the Centre1 report, however, is a purported anonymous official in Uzbekistan's incredibly opaque SNB security sevice, which is the heir to the Soviet-era KGB and a hive of vested interests at the apex of a political world predicated on violence and intrigue.
Currently, therefore, the information is non-official, and impossible to verify.
This did not prevent the British Daily Mail newspaper running with the sensational headline Billionaire ‘princess’ daughter of former Uzbek president ‘who was locked up in a psychiatric hospital for two years by his successor has now been fatally POISONED’ , and speculating with no evidence that Karimova was once “the richest woman in the former Soviet Union”.
That headline itself harks back to an earlier Daily Mail headline predicated on a Facebook post by an anonymously-run group Health to [Islam] Karimov, that suggested Karimov's successor, interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev, had transferred Karimova from house arrest to a psychiatric institute.
The late Islam Karimov. Russian government image. Creative Commons.
Mirziyoyev of course, could not have kept her there for two years as suggested by the second headline, because he has only been in power for two months, following Karimov's September 3 funeral after a reported stroke.
What is known is that Gulnara Karimova — unlike her mother Tatiana and younger sister, Lola, whom she blasted with bitter barbs on Twitter in 2013  — was not shown on television footage from the funeral.
It has also been widely reported that she was under house arrest during her father's lifetime from at least 2014 onwards, and that many of her closest friends and associates have been arrested and jailed in recent years.
Since she left Twitter after venting at her family, numerous accounts have emerged pretending to her identity, at least one of which was proven to be false by journalists of RFE/RL's Uzbek service.
Map of Uzbekistan. Creative Commons.
A country of 32 million people in Central Asia. It borders Kazakhstan to the north, Tajikistan to the southeast, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the south and Turkmenistan to the southwest. The Uzbek government is regarded as an elite human rights offender, claiming a place alongside the likes of North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Press freedom is close to non-existent, triggering a reliance on foreign based news services with sources inside the country for information about it. The economy runs on cotton, which children and state employees have been documented as being forced to harvest, gold and other commodities. Around three million Uzbeks work abroad in Russia.
Karimova performing a duet with Gerard Depardieu. YouTube capture screenshotted and cropped from Newsy World report on Karimova, uploaded onto the outlet's official YouTube channel September 16, 2014.
Karimova is 44-years old. Over the course of a colourful and controversy-laden life she has been a pop singer, fashion designer, ambassador to the United Nations and was regularly mentioned as a pretender to her father's throne prior to her well-publicized but little-understood downfall.
She is regularly referred to as one of the most corrupt people in Uzbekistan, and is at the centre of ongoing investigations targeting Western-based telecoms companies that allegedly paid her billions of dollars-worth of bribes to secure access to the country's market.
While she is known to have very poor relations with her mother and sister, she was once viewed as the favourite daughter of Karimov, which raises the question of how much influence he had over her plight. It was Karimov that supposedly coined for her the nickname Googoosha, that she used as a stage name in her domestic pop career.
Screenshot of Centre1.com's website 22.11.16.
The apparently male source that spoke to Centre1 says that she was poisoned on November 5. During the night of the same day she was buried at a cemetery in the capital Tashkent. The grave was later levelled, he said. The source says he personally participated in burying Karimova.
He disclosed the details of the burial to Centre1 because he fears for the fate of Karimova's children, daughter Iman and son Islam [editor's note: named after his grandfather], who he says both live in Tashkent and are “powerless and helpless”. The source provided no other details, according to the report.
Fergana News, a regional news website that was first to report Islam Karimov's death aged 78 (officially announced a week later) and is considered to have excellent sources in the country has reported nothing.
Ozodlik, the Uzbek-language branch of RFE/RL with stringers and other sources inside the country has reported nothing. One Russian agency, Ria Novosti has quoted a “source close to the Karimova family” as saying that “Gulnara Karimova is alive and reports of her death are a lie.” Interfax, another Russian agency released a similar report.
But reports from Russian agencies are difficult to trust both because of the steep decline in journalistic standards in Russia in recent years, and the importance of Moscow's bilateral relationship with Uzbekistan. These agencies do, however, generally have better sources in the republic than the Western agencies.
Dmitri Gudkov of the opposition party A Just Russia in the Russian parliament wrote about Karimova seemingly to draw attention to Russia's own political situation:
Дочь Ислама Каримова, Гульнару, отравили и тайно похоронили в Ташкенте. Это настолько похоже на правду, что трудно не верить. Вероятная преемница своего отца, народные симпатии, душная атмосфера интриг, секретная смерть самого Каримова.
Чем более режим закрыт, чем более он авторитарен, тем большая опасность грозит всем, кто к нему близок. Устранить конкурентов, свидетелей, сторонников, воцариться и окуклиться.
Насколько далеко мы от этого? Министров и губернаторов уже арестовывают, в тюрьмах уже пытают — все это есть. Еще две ступеньки вниз — до тайных убийств преемников, до расстрелов из минометов, как у лучшего друга и соседа на востоке.
Dmitri Gudkov, MP in the Russian state Duma.
The daughter of Islam Karimov, Gulnara, has been poisoned and secretly buried in Tashkent. It is so similar to the truth, it is hard not to believe.
The hotly-tipped successor to her father's rule, the popular icon, the thick atmosphere of intrigue, the secret death of Karimov himself.
The more a regime is closed, the more it is authoritarian, the greater the danger facing all those who enter into proximity with it. Eliminate competitors, witnesses, supporters, prevail and metamorphose.
How far are we from that? Ministers and governors are already being arrested, in prison people are already beaten – it's all there. Two steps further down is the secret murders of heirs to the throne, all the way up to the massacres with mortar fire, like in our best friend and neighbour in the east.
Kamoliddin M. Rabbimov, an Uzbek political analyst based in France, was more inclined to be skeptical about the reports. He wrote:
С утра многие друзья и журналисты просят меня комментировать появившуюся сегодня информацию о смерти Гульнары Каримовой. Чтобы не повториться, решил публиковать свой краткий анализ здесь.
1. Члены семьи Гульнары Каримовой, а также, новые власти и вся политическая элита Узбекистана считают ее абсолютно капризной, неподконтрольной, импульсивной, и анализируя ситуацию, можно убедиться, что в коридорах власти есть консенсус, что целесообразно удержать ее под «домашним арестом» – не дать ей возможности влиять на политические процессы, поскольку, чего она может сказать или какую информацию она может обнародовать, никто не знает.
2. Судьбу Гульнары Каримовой решает семейный консилиум: мать Татьяна Каримова и ее сестра. Власти до сих пор относятся к членам семьи Ислама Каримова с осторожностью и уважением.
3. Новым властям как-то навредить Гульнаре Каримовой – даром не надо. Впереди – выборы, легитимация новой власти. Для властей был бы кошмаром начинать свой путь с ликвидации члена семьи бывшего президента. Все о чем мечтают новые власти касательно Гульнаре – контролировать ее так, чтобы шума и совокупного вреда были бы минимальным, а контроль – максимальной.
4. Семья Каримовых никогда не дасть согласия на ликвидации кого-то из членов семьи, поскольку, такой шаг был бы катастрофой для безопасности остальных, включая безопасности самой власти.
5. Главная «подушка безопасности» Гульнары – ее сын Ислам Каримов младший, который, с огромным капиталом в руках, сидит в Лондоне. Если с ее матерью случиться что-то реально плохой, он может трубить на все мир первым и коллапсировать репутацию режима на долгие годы.
Rabbimov. Image from Facebook.
Since morning, many friends and journalists have asked me to comment on the news that appeared today about the death of Gulnara Karimova. To avoid repetition, I decided to publish a brief analysis here:
1. Family members of Gulnara Karimova, as well as the new government and the entire political elite of Uzbekistan consider her capricious, uncontrolled and impulsive, and, analysing the situation, we can see that in the corridors of power, there is a consensus that it is advisable to keep her under “house arrest”.
That is, to say, she will not be given any opportunity to influence the political process, because who knows what she might say or what information she could make public?
2. The fate of Gulnara Karimova will be decided by the family council consisting of her mother Tatiana Karimova and her sister Lola. The authorities still treat members of the family of Islam Karimov with caution and respect.
3. The new authorities have nothing to gain from harming Gulnara Karimova. Ahead there is an election [editor's note: a presidential election in which Shavkat Mirziyoyev is extremely unlikely to face meaningful competition will take place December 4] and the legitimization of the new government. For the authorities it would be a nightmare to begin [these processes] with the elimination of a family member of the former president. All that the new government dreams of regarding Gulnara is to control her so that noise and damage is minimized, and control can be maximized.
4. The Karimov family would never consent to the liquidation of one of their own members, because such a move would be a disaster for the security of others, and for the security of the government itself.
5. The main “safety cushion” of Gulnara is her son, Islam Karimov Jr., who, with huge capital in his hand, is sitting in London [editor's note: the SNB source mentioned in the Centre1 report suggested he was in Tashkent]. If something really bad happened to his mother, it could mean a blow that could [further] collapse the reputation of the regime for many years to come.
As usual, no-one in Uzbekistan is saying a word.


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I’m Qatari, and I Want to Be Able to Decide For Myself Who I Marry · Global Voices
Guest Contributor

IMAGE: Public Domain via Pixabay
By Doha News
Yousef, a 28-year-old Qatari citizen, fell in love with an Eastern European woman four years ago. The pair decided to marry, but the Qatari government refused to endorse the partnership, and the couple eventually felt they had no option but to divorce. In this opinion piece, Yousef explains to Victoria Scott the difficulties Qataris face when marrying a non-national, and why he believes the system should change.
I met my wife when I was on vacation in Europe. We met through mutual friends, and felt a connection immediately. We fell in love.
I used to be what I’d call a traditional Qatari. I believed strongly in our culture and our values. So, when I met my wife, I asked myself what I was doing. She was a foreigner, not of my faith and from a different culture. Deciding to marry her was a difficult decision for me at the beginning for all of these reasons, but I eventually decided that I wanted to live my life with her; love would conquer all.
We married in a civil ceremony abroad, before traveling back to Qatar. It was all entirely new to her. It was her first visit to the country. However, my family loved my new wife and she began to settle in. She adjusted slowly, but surely. She got used to our culture. We were happy. But I soon realized that things might not turn out as I had hoped.
I had thought that she would automatically be granted citizenship and therefore be able to live in Qatar legally for the rest of her life. And that any children we might have would automatically be Qatari as well, and enjoy the same rights I had.
What I didn’t know is that I was supposed to have asked the Qatari government for permission to marry a foreigner.
I discovered that there was a special committee at the Ministry of Interior that hears such cases, and that I would have to go through the process. Without this committee’s permission, my marriage would in effect not be considered legal in Qatar. I wouldn’t be entitled to receive benefits for married employees at my company, or be given land by the government, which is just one of the benefits married Qataris enjoy. Far worse than that, however, was the fact that we wouldn’t even be able to live together in Qatar. Without the Ministry's permission, my wife would be denied even a residence permit.
I thought, however, that this merely was a matter of process.
I asked people who’d gone through the same process for tips on how to succeed in front of the committee. They told me that one thing I shouldn't say was that I had married her because I loved her—which was apparently not an acceptable reason. Instead, I needed to write a memo explaining why I couldn’t get married to a Qatari woman.
The Qatari authorities are worried, apparently, that Qatari women won’t be able to find enough Qatari men to marry. They have the right to be concerned about that, but not, in my opinion, enough to regulate our marriages. So, I had to lie. I said that I couldn’t marry a Qatari woman because the expenses were too high, and that I’d asked several Qatari women to marry me, but that they had said no. The law forced me to be a hypocrite. I also didn’t tell them I was already married, as they would have automatically turned me down if they knew.
I was also told that we’d have a better chance at being approved if my wife was Muslim. That made no difference to me, as I don’t believe that faith determines who’s good and who’s bad. I'd accepted my Christian wife for who she was. But in the end I asked her if she’d consider converting to Islam to help the process along, and she agreed.
She had to go through a ceremony to convert officially. Then she had a new passport photo taken in a hijab—all of this for me. I submitted the photos, the memo I’d written, and my salary certificate to the panel, and was eventually given an interview date.
My father came with me to support my case, to say he accepted his son’s choice, and choice of mate. The committee—made up of seven men—talk to you like you owe them something, in a very harsh way, because you need their approval. They asked me over and over again why I didn’t want to marry a Qatari woman. They told me my wife’s culture and traditions would be too different, even if she was now a Muslim.
Two days after that meeting, they turned down my request.
But I didn’t give up. I then resorted to wasta. I took my elderly grandfather with me to the Ministry of Interior to see what they could do, hoping that having him with me would make them more helpful, more understanding. It seemed to work. They said they would approve our marriage. I started to celebrate it with my wife—but it was a trick.
There was a second step. The Minister of the Interior himself needed to approve it. I made several trips to that Ministry to ask if he had approved it, as I had learned files such as mine could be kept in an archive for many years with no action. They were nice to me, friendly and polite, but they didn’t approve my marriage. They just kept telling me they’d look into it.
In the meantime, the only option I had was to re-apply for a tourist visa for my wife each month. This went on for two years. My wife was living with my family, but we didn’t feel stable or secure. We knew her visa could be rejected at any time.
Then I heard that the Minister was opening his majlis to citizens, so I went there and told him about my issue in person. He said he’d look into it. The next day, however, I was told that my request had been rejected and that I just should forget about it and not follow it up anymore. They wouldn’t even tell me why.
Then it got worse. The government stopped renewing my wife's tourist visa.
It was a horrendous dilemma. I didn’t want to leave Qatar—it is my home. It was where my family is, where my job is. And if I left my job, I didn’t think I could support my wife financially. So, I decided to do what I felt was right for her. I told her, “We don’t have kids, and you’re waiting for me. I’ve been telling you everything is going to be ok, but I can’t guarantee you anything anymore.”
She had to leave Qatar when her visa expired. We divorced. I was broken. I continued supporting her financially for a while because she had to leave suddenly, but in the end I said it had to stop, and we had to sever all ties. It was hurting me too much.
She has a new husband now, and she has a baby. We keep in touch and I’m happy for her. But it’s painful to see the woman you loved married to someone else, with a kid. That was supposed to be my kid.
My marriage changed me. It took my outside my bubble, and made me question our culture’s values. I didn’t understand why, for example, we Qatari men are allowed to go to clubs where alcohol is served, but at the same time the committee was telling me that my wife’s culture and traditions did not fit ours. It hurt to see my country talking about human rights on the global stage, but then denying citizens the right to marry whoever they choose. And why is it ok to marry a second wife or a third wife, but refuse a man permission to marry just one?
Why my request was refused? Was it because my family isn’t important enough? Do we not know the right people? I know plenty of Qatari men married to foreign women who got their approval in less than a month, just because they know someone in the government. I have so many questions.
I want to start a family, but I don’t see myself marrying a Qatari, or having a traditional marriage. My mindset is too different. I have tremendous respect for Qatari women. They are our sisters and daughters, but this is not about race or religion or nationality. It’s about personal choice.
I think I will have to leave Qatar and live abroad if I want to get married to a foreigner. I hate that it has to be like that. I love my country. I don’t want to leave Qatar or leave my family, but what option do I have?
A version of this article was previously published on Doha News.

author: Guest Contributor


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Love Trumps Hate: The Week That Was at Global Voices Podcast · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

This week, we start in the US where Omar Mohammed narrates his piece, “America I used to love you” and then we take you to Cuba, Syria, and Taiwan, for stories of love and free expression in times of adversity and even hate.
The Week That Was podcast takes a look at some of the stories that have recently come out of the Global Voices newsroom. Here we introduce you to people, places and events from around the world that aren’t getting the media coverage they deserve.
Many thanks to Omar Mohammed, I-Fan Lin, Budour Hassan, Andrea Chong Bras and Sara Holmes and Firuzeh Shokooh Valle and all our authors, translators and editors who helped make this episode possible.
In this episode, we featured Creative Commons licensed music from the Free Music Archive, including Please Listen Carefully by Jahzaar (CC BY-SA 4.0); I’m what you’d be without her by Doctor Turtle (CC BY-NC 4.0); Solitude by Jahzaar (CC BY-SA 4.0); Crying Earth by Kai Engel (CC BY-NC 4.0); and I fell too much in love by Nick Jaina (CC BY-NC 3.0).
Special thanks to Global Voices contributor Andrea Arzaba for helping us with the music.
The feature photo is from a Trump protest in New York on November 12, 2016. Photo by B.C. Lorio (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Paraguayan Women Face Uphill Battle Against Violence, and the State Isn’t Much Help · Global Voices
Kurtural

A group of women portraying “The Weeping Women” as a form of pain from and repudiation of the femicides that occur in the country and in the region. Photograph by Jessie Insfran Pérez, used with permission.
The following text is an abridged, edited republication of Kurtural's “The Epidemic of Violence Against Women in Paraguay,” an article that forms part of the series #PorSerMujer (#ForBeingWoman), which describes and denounces the crisis of violence against women in Paraguay. The majority of the names were changed to protect individuals’ privacy.
A police commissioner told Ada Báez that she could do nothing to Luis Balbuena, her former partner who was violent toward her while they were dating. Time had passed since their relationship ended, and the police said her testimony would go on the record, but that was about it. When another woman came forward accusing Balbuena of abuse, the record of Báez's complaint didn't make any difference. A few days later, the second woman withdrew her complaint altogether.
Breaking the cycle of violence against women is difficult. Generally speaking, when women actually do file a complaint, they do not receive support from the state. In many instances, women are also financially dependent on the men abusing them, which helps explain why only 20 percent of women who say they endure violence actually come forward to law enforcement.
It's not easy to determine exactly how many women are being abused, says Myrian González, a researcher specialized in gender issues at the Center of Documentation and Studies, a social sciences research institute. “There are various data and records that don't allow for even an approximation of the extent of the gender violence against women in Paraguay,” she states.
The figures that are available, however, are startling. In 2015, 70 percent of the 9,600 domestic-violence reports that came before the District Attorney dealt with violence against women. Of reports filed with the police, 86 percent were brought by women. There were more than 5,000 domestic-violence reports filed with the Peace Court — again, 86 percent were made by women. In those reports, 40 percent of women said they'd suffered physical abuse, and 55 percent of women said they'd been subjected to psychological abuse.
These statistics, however, fail to capture fully the scale of violence against women in Paraguay. According to the country's minister for women, Ana Baiardi, these crimes go widely under-reported. “For each woman who reports psychological abuse in Paraguay, there are nine who do not. For each woman who reports physical abuse, there are two who do not,” she said in late 2014.
The lack of a penal category specifying femicide impedes law enforcement from recording properly how many Paraguayans are murdered annually by their current or former romantic partners. Until August, journalists recorded at least 12 different femicides in Paraguay. The coordinator of human rights in Paraguay documented at least 37 women murdered by partners, past and present. She estimates sexist violence claims the life of one woman in Paraguay every ten days.
Sign reads, “Without complicity, there is no impunity. #NotOneLess” Photograph by Jessie Insfran Pérez, used with permission.
Before Mariana Brítez could become Carlos Vera's girlfriend, he insisted that she tell him everyone she'd ever dated previously. She wasn't too keen on the idea, but she eventually gave in, and lived to regret it. Twenty-eight years old today, Mariana isn't dating Carlos anymore, but for two years she endured his psychological abuse — one of the most common types of violence against women, and one of the hardest to detect:
Nunca pensé que yo pudiera ser una víctima de violencia. Cuando leía sobre eso, pensaba que les pasaba a algunas mujeres por sumisas, por dejarse engañar por hombres violentos. Estaba convencida de que eso nunca me iba a pasar.
I never thought I could be a victim of abuse. When I would read about it, I would think that this happens to some women because of their submissiveness — because they let themselves be fooled by violent men. I was convinced that this would never happen to me.
Mariana used social media to report Carlos Vera's abuse. Without giving names or surnames, she wrote on Facebook, describing his insults, the isolation he subjected her to, and his various attacks throughout their two-year relationship. Plenty of people responded to her Facebook posts, including Carlos himself, who asked her rhetorically if he'd ever raised his hand against her, refusing to accept that his treatment of her amounted to abuse.
Others on Facebook asked Mariana why she put up with Carlos and didn't leave him sooner. Victims of abuse must bear at least some responsibility for their abuse, these people seemed to imply.
Victoria Santos, a foreigner in Paraguay, spent some eight years battling the Paraguayan authorities to prove that her ex-partner abused her. Victoria is a member of the Yo te creo (“I Believe You”) network, which is made up of women who have suffered different kinds of abuse. In the group, they share their experiences, and listen to and support one another. They do what others will not: they take each others’ testimonies seriously.
For Victoria, it all began with psychological abuse. Her partner — a man of means — eventually convinced her that she was worthless. Afterwards, he started beating her. Victoria's complaints to the authorities went unanswered, and she received no support from her relatives, who were living abroad. She carried on with a judicial process against her ex-partner — a labyrinthine legal battle between Paraguay and her home country, in which the main obstacle was money, power, and the influence of her aggressor.
“Paraguay has many laws that are very good, but they are not executed. To report abuse is a journey of resistance and fighting against corruption in the judicial sphere,” Victoria Santos says Victoria. Carmen Echauri, a program official for UN Women in Paraguay, agrees that the difficulty of applying the laws in Paraguay is immense.
This August 10, Paraguayan legislators discussed the so-called #PorEllas (#ForThem) law. This hashtag, along with #NiUnaMenos (#NotOneLess), is part of a Twitter campaign supported by Amnesty International. The original bill proposes making femicide a new kind of criminal offense with stricter penalties — a concept that's already been adopted by regional neighbors like Argentina and Bolivia.
The bill was passed by the legislators, but with amendments to win over those who feared the new law would open the door to the decriminalization of abortion, currently illegal in Paraguay in all cases and punishable by up to five years in prison.
The law's original draft made the state responsible for many of the procedural costs (economic and bureaucratic) victims of violence currently have to pay, just in order to file a police report and reach safe haven. Echauri says this legislation will be ineffective if lawmakers can not fund it properly:
En Paraguay, la violencia se ve como un ingrediente más de las relaciones interpersonales. Necesitamos un cambio de mentalidad para desnaturalizar la violencia. Callar ante estos hechos es ser cómplice de la impunidad de los agresores. Hay que denunciar hasta lograr que la violencia ya no se vea como normal.
In Paraguay, abuse is seen more as an element of interpersonal relationships. We need a change in mentality in order to denaturalize the violence. To keep silent in the face of these facts is to be complicit in the impunity of the aggressors. We must continue reporting until we succeed in getting abuse to no longer be seen as normal.
On November 10, Paraguay's Senate approved the legislation — again with amendments, including the removal of a proposal calling for reconciliation between a couple in cases of domestic violence. There are mixed opinions about the amendments. The reconciliation clause was seen as an opportunity for the abuser to attack his victim, so women's rights advocates welcomed the prohibition. Nevertheless, the elimination of the word “gender” from the text and the removal of “political violence” and “sexual harassment” from the specifics of the law is seen as a major setback.

author: Kurtural


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South Africa’s Youngest Novelist, 7-year-old Michelle Nkamankeng, Wants to Inspire Others · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On the Microphone: Michelle Nkamankeng in the studio at Powerfm987 radio station. Photo via @Powerfm987 sur Twitter
After publishing her first novel Waiting for the Waves, seven-year-old South African Michelle Nkamankeng is being bowled over with requests for interviews and invitations to literary festivals.
Michelle's novel tells the story of a little girl on holiday with her parents at a seaside resort. The girl, with the help of her loved ones, has to overcome her fear of waves. The novel is the first installment of a tetralogy. She's already reportedly working on the next edition.
In an article about the young author for Ecce Africa, a news site dedicated to strengthening Africa's positive image, Servan Ahougnon writes:
Michelle Nkamankeng relies on her parents’ full support, particularly her mother. The latter founded LANSM Publishing so that her daughter's book would be published. Nevertheless, it is easy for Africa's youngest author to talk about her passion with those around her.
When asked about what she thinks about herself and what she is currently achieving, Nkamankeng said, “I'm a humble little girl who writes books. I'm self confident and I inspire young children to follow their dreams”.
Daniel Orubo for konbini.com describes Michelle's mother's efforts in helping her and the young writer's aspirations:
La mère de Michelle a dû tout apprendre pour réussir à faire publier le livre de sa fille. Elle a même fini par créer sa propre maison d’édition. Interrogée par le site de la province de Gauteng, Michelle a évoqué ses espoirs pour son livre et pour l’avenir: “J’espère qu’on pourra gagner assez d’argent avec le premier livre pour publier les trois autres volumes de la série.” Le livre est disponible sur Amazon depuis le 11 octobre.
Michelle's mother had to learn from the ground up in order to be able to successfully publish her daughter's book. She even ended up founding her own publisher's. In an interview with the Guateng province's website, Michelle talks about her hopes for her book and for the future, “I hope that I can earn enough money from my first book so that I can publish the next three volumes in the series.” The book will be available on Amazon from the 11 October.
The website Farable Weekly, which acts as a news hub for all African trends on art, culture, fashion, music and cinema, also writes about the phenomenon that surrounds the young author. Writer Goke Alabi states:
At an age where most girls will be busy playing with toys or watching cartoons, 7-year old Michelle Nkamankeng is making the list of the top 10 youngest authors in the world.
The young South African becomes the youngest author out of Africa after she published her first novel ‘Waiting for Waves’.
Negro News, a community site for francophone Africa, summarises the novel's content and includes Nkamankeng's father Paul's thoughts on his daughter's work:
Son livre qu’elle a écrit à l’âge de six ans raconte l’histoire d’une petite fille appelée Titi et sa famille qui vivent loin de la plage. Un jour, ils sont allés à la plage, mais la petite fille Titi avait peur des vagues et sa famille l’a aidé a affronté ses peurs. L’inspiration du livre lui est venue après avoir était à la plage avec sa famille.
Le père de Michelle, Paul Nkamankeng raconte qu’il ne savait pas que sa fille était en train d’écrire un livre jusqu’à ce qu’il soit terminé.
« La seule chose que nous avons remarqué quand elle avait environ quatre à cinq ans, c’était que Michelle aimait lire. Elle voulait tout le temps que nous allions à la librairie pour acheter des livres pour les enfants et elle terminait de les lire en une semaine. Quand elle a eu cinq ans, nous l’avons emmené à la plage pour la première fois et elle m’a demandé pourquoi tout le monde regardait l’océan, et je lui ai répondu qu’ils attendaient les vagues » explique Paul.
Le roman, «Waiting for the Waves» est le premier tome d’une série de quatre.
À part l’écriture Michelle Nkamankeng aime pratiquer le ballet, la natation et la gymnastique.
The book, which she wrote at the age of six, tells the story of a girl called Titi and her family, who live far away from the coast. One day, they went to the beach, but Titi was scared of the waves. Her family then help her to confront her fears. [Michelle] got inspiration for the novel after visiting the beach with her family. Michelle's father, Paul Nkamankeng, tells us about how he did not even know that his daughter was writing a book until after it was finished. “The only thing we knew when [Michelle] was about four or five years old, was that she liked to read. She always wanted us to take her to the bookshop to buy children's books, and she would finish reading them in a week. When she was five, we took her to the beach for the first time where she asked me why everybody was looking out at the ocean. I told her that they were waiting for the waves”. The novel Waiting for the Waves is to be the first of a series of four volumes. When she isn't writing, Michelle Nkamankeng likes to do ballet, gymnastics, and to swim.
The precocious writer has, under the guidance of her mother, already established herself on Facebook and Twitter (links to her Facebook page and Twitter account here). The publication of her book has made her a star, and she has been invited to interviews and talks by schools, non-government organizations such as UNICEF, and TV and radio stations such as, Insta: Craze.tv, Radio2000, and POWER98.7. Even the BBC has contacted Michelle Nkamankeng for an interview:
@michelle_n23 Hi, I'm a journalist with BBC World Service. We'd love to speak to Michelle on our radio prog, Newsday. Maggie.jonas@bbc.co.uk
— maggie jonas (@mmaggie47) October 5, 2016
It was announced on Nkamankeng's Facebook page that she was to be one of the guests of honour at the SA Literary Awards 2016:
Michelle is currently on her way to Pretoria as a special guest of honour to the 11th SA Literary Awards (SALA) taking place tonight!
Michelle is indeed living proof of the famous words from Pierre Corneille's, Le Cid: “for souls nobly born, valor doesn't await the passing of years”.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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A Peek Behind the Curtains at Russian Esquire Reveals Debate on Putin Coverage · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Photo: Kremlin Press Service / Edited by RuNet Echo
This week, the public is getting some insight into how things work at the Russian edition of Esquire magazine, which has been in turmoil lately, after losing two chief editors between August and October, and several staff who didn’t wait around for the dust to settle.
On Wednesday, Esquire’s new social-media account on the messaging network Telegram broadcast a disagreement between two of the magazine’s staff: chief editor Sergei Minaev and social-media editor Janelle Kuandykova.
In the public exchange, Minaev asked Kuandykova not to “burden” Esquire’s readers with politics, after she made a recent remark by Vladimir Putin the “quote of the day.”
Sergei Minaev. Photo: Facebook
“Can you try to look for something else in the vastness of the enchanting world of media?” Minaev wrote, adding, “I’ve already asked you about this.”
Kuandykova told the website TJournal that she has a good working relationship with Minaev, who she says believes Esquire’s readers have tired of politics. “But I’m telling you,” Kuandykova insisted, “that readers react most of all to politics.”
On Facebook, Minaev defended his opposition to posting too much political news on Telegram, saying that critics would likely blame him for focusing too much on Putin, if he didn’t work to broaden the scope of Esquire’s coverage.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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After Officers Kill 15-Year-Old “Known Pest”, Trindadians Take Aim at Police Tactics · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

A Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) vehicle. Photo by Taran Rampersad, used with permission.
Trinidad and Tobago is divided over the police killing of 15-year-old boy Josiah Ramsahai on November 17, 2016. Officers insist the young man was armed and fired at them, before he was killed in an encounter. The boy's relatives, however, claim he was murdered.
The police subsequently produced a 9mm pistol that they said Ramsahai had been carrying and they referred to him as “a known pest”, because he had as many as 13 previous charges against him, including theft, gun and drug possession, and rape.
His relatives insist those charges were all trumped-up “frame cases”. Ramsahai was released on bail from a juvenile facility less than a month before he was killed.
The teen's family also said that they filed a complaint against two police officers whom they say had been threatening Ramsahai since he was released, but the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has noted that there is nothing on their record.
Meanwhile, there have been conflicting reports about the incident. Some eyewitnesses said that Ramsahai never used his weapon, choosing instead to run away from the police; others say he did shoot at the officers, who returned fire and allegedly shot him between six and 17 times.
The killing has again raised the issue of public distrust of the police, who are often perceived as taking the law into their own hands. The country's Chief of Police, Stephen Williams, said recently that as many as 150 rogue police officers have been suspended on suspicion of a number of criminal activities, including murder. Wired868 quipped:
You know your country’s crime problem is even more serious than you thought with the discovery that budding criminals are joining the police service to turn pro […] Mr Live Wire thinks a good way to curb crime might be to walk in to a random station and hold everybody on the Anti-Gang Legislation.
On Facebook, the discussion was heated. Rhoda Bharath made a reference to the Black Lives Matter campaign in the United States, saying:
In Trinidad, Black Lives does only Matter in the US.
Due process only exists there as well.
Here we have pests who look for what they get.
#DeViceCyahDone
The comments on that thread ranged from one Facebook user saying that society has become desensitised to violence, to another being incredulous that people were prepared to “sit and get all Oprah on a young thug.”
The thread continued, with one commenter making the point that “there is a difference between being innocent and being a criminal […] Innocent people who get killed is murder…criminals who get killed is justice.” Jere Blacks immediately responded:
The problem is ‘who’ decides who is criminal and who is not.
Another commenter, Danielle Ifayemisi Frederick, suggested that money and connections also come into play in cases like this, adding:
The police and media do the same thing….they blame the victim….this one had outstanding charges […] not convictions, charges….to us apparently the two are interchangeable and that justifies extra judicial killings….I am not saying either was right or wrong but excuse me if I DON'T take the word of the esteemed members of the TTPS as gospel!!
The unprofessionalism of labelling of the young man as anything other than a suspect is also what has struck a sour note with many social media users. Vernal Damion Cadogan explained:
It's not the shooting that is the issue, the issues are the unprofessional and insensitive way the police diminish a human life to that of a ‘known pest’ and the citizenry's disgusting habit of applauding these killing before a probe has even been launched to verify whether the shooting was justified or any details about the shooting were made public to suggest such.
At this rate the TTPS simply has to shoot an Afro-Trini youth and brand him a ‘known pest’ and the public will be content with that because they are under seige [sic] by criminals.
I don't think there is any redemption for Trinidad with the caliber of citizenry that currently comprise it.
Later on, he added:
The truly frustrating part about these discussions is that people will look at comments such as mine and construe them to be in support of the deceased and in opposition to the TTPS [Trinidad and Tobago Police Service].
One commenter, who identified himself as a police officer, responded:
Neighborhood Pest is a term that has always been used, I find it strange that all of a sudden ppl has an issue with this because it's a 16yrs [sic] old kid. Do you know this kid personally? I do, myself and countless other officers within the district talked to him about the rd he was heading down, unfortunately the family never helped.
The Police Complaints Authority has since launched an investigation into the killing.

author: Flora Thomas