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#GirlsOnBikes: Women Ride Bicycles To Reclaim Public Spaces in Pakistan · Global Voices
Anushe Noor

Girls on Bikes reclaiming public space. Image by Hasan Haidar via Girls At Dhabas Facebook page. Used with permission.
On April 1, 2018, a bicycle rally was organized in major cities of Pakistan (Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi) by prominent Pakistani feminist collective Girls at Dhabas. The ‘Girls On Bikes’ Rally was their third annual event to promote female participation in public events, fight restrictions faced by women in public places and increase awareness about issues faced by women.
Read more: Pakistani Women Are Reclaiming Public Spaces, One Teacup at a Time
In May 2015, two Karachi-based girls, Sadia Khatri and Natasha Ansari, started using the hashtag #GirlsAtDhabas as a space to curate photos of women on Tumblr. The hashtag went viral when hundreds of women across South Asia began sharing photos of themselves at dhabas (roadside cafes) on Twitter and Tumblr, launching a conversation about safe spaces for women. After this, the collective was born.
“Girls on Bikes Rally” poster by Girls at Dhabas. Image from the group's Facebook event page
On the event page from this year's Bike Rally, Girls At Dhabas mentioned:
Through this annual event, we aim to challenge the existing mindset that it is inappropriate for a female or a gender non-conforming person to be out and about on her own. We wish to encourage each other to participate in this collective movement to assert our right to navigate public spaces on our own terms.
Several women were seen rallying on the streets of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad with slogans against patriarchy and inequality. Girls at Dhabas tweeted:
What a fantastic day yesterday. We had 70 riders in Islamabad, another 70 in Lahore and 30 in Karachi #GirlsOnBikes pic.twitter.com/GrQb5Ad2UB
— Girls at Dhabas (@girlsatdhabas) April 2, 2018
Posters with slogans such as “Two-Tyred of Patriarchy” and “Pedal 2 Fight Patriarchy” were seen. Showbiz and News tweeted:
Swipe through to check out #GirlsOnBikes take to the streets as they reclaim public spaces and normalise girls riding bicycles. Kudos to all the ladies who came out to support the initiative. pic.twitter.com/3vD31Avhn8
— Showbiz & News (@ShowbizAndNewz) April 1, 2018
Soon, people expressed their views with the hashtag #GirlsOnBikes, making it a trend on social media. Concerned about the future of women in public spaces, a netizen tweeted in support:
I hope the #GirlsOnBikes rally helps normalise women on bikes in Pakistan. I felt like I saw areas of my city for the first time. It was a dream to be able to bike on the roads I commute on daily in cars or rickshaws. And again, shout out to the sisterhood for sticking together?
— disco spider (@Rameezay) April 1, 2018
Benje Williams, the CEO of Amal Academy tweeted:
“may we ride past the pointing and the stares, beyond life’s speed breakers and slow lanes, through its middle and fast lanes, on to the overpasses and towards infinity and beyond” #girlsonbikes #lahore pic.twitter.com/JD07Brosbh
— benje williams (@benjewilliams) April 1, 2018
Singer Meesha Shafi tweeted:
What a liberating Sunday it was, riding with these warriors through the very streets where I have been groped, harassed, cat called and stared at in the past! Guess what guys, your #TimesUp !!! #girlsonbikes #reclaimpublicspaces kudos to @girlsondhabas for 3rd annual rally! pic.twitter.com/LDLTpf63jQ
— Meesha Shafi (@itsmeeshashafi) April 2, 2018
There are many encouraging images of the participants, from young to old, in different Pakistani cities on the Girls At Dhabas Facebook Page:
Cyclists of all ages riding in solidarity via Girls at Dhabas Facebook page. Used with Permission.
In Islamabad, Pakistan via Girls at Dhabas Facebook page. Used with Permission.
In Lahore, Pakistan via Girls at Dhabas Facebook page. Used with Permission.
The rally also received criticism from some social media users who believe in defined gender roles and declared the rally a Western trend. Momina Khan tweeted:
This new trend #girlsonbikes is smh. Our generation is becoming so busy trying to prove that Women can do everything a man can do that Women are losing their uniqueness. Women weren't created to do everything a man can do. Women were created to do everything a man can not do.
— Momina Khan (@Mominaaa123) April 1, 2018
Read more: Aurat March (Women March) Marks Resistance Against Misogyny in Pakistan
Pakistan is a patriarchal country where public spaces are not seen as a place for women. The stereotype that it is inappropriate for women to occupy public spaces is still a widely held belief in the country. However, as we can see from the ‘Girl on Bikes’ rally, movements that demand the opportunity to occupy public spaces and also attain equal social, political, economic and reproductive rights are beginning to gain traction.

author: Anushe Noor


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#KnowYourDictator: Political Emigres and Their Hashtags Haunt Azerbaijan’s Re-elected Strongman · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

A gathering of anti-Aliev activists in Berlin. Posted on Facebook by Pervin Ismayilov. Intended for wider use.
As I interviewed Ordukhan Teymurkhan over the phone, the monumental stress he was under seeped through his voice. “I cannot keep my emotions under control. . . My family is broken,” he said, when I asked him how he was.
Ordukhan's story is sadly typical for Azerbaijani exiles that publicly oppose the country's hereditary authoritarian regime.
In February of this year, two of his brothers-in-law were detained and sentenced to 30 days’ administrative detention on charges of resisting the police. Last year, 12 of his family members were called in for questioning.
Many of Azerbaijan's politically active emigres have seen their families back home suffer as a result of their activism. The space available to oppose 56-year-old President Ilham Aliyev inside the country was always small, but thanks to a growing crackdown in recent years, it has shrunk to almost nothing.
Aliyev (left) meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the Iranian capital Tehran (Russian government image. Licensed for reuse).
Ordukhan is part of a new, nameless and unofficial movement formed by Azerbaijani political dissidents living in Europe. It was formed in early March following protest actions organized in Berlin.
According to group members, the movement has no structure, no authority, and any Azerbaijani living inside or outside the country is welcome to become part of it.
Its goal is a simple one: to bring down the Aliyev dictatorship which emerged in the early years of the country's post-Soviet independence period.
The thing that has most angered authorities back in Azerbaijan seems to have been the movement's involvement in a creative poster campaign titled diktatoru tanıyaq, or #KnowYourDictator.
Poster of Ilham Aliyev (right) and his late father Heydar. Widely distributed.
The posters from #KnowYourDictator traveled through European capitals as well as to Canada, Azerbaijan's neighbour Georgia and even Azerbaijan itself, as the country prepared for presidential elections on April 11.
The campaign later morphed into a hashtag on social media.
“If there is one word Ilham Aliyev does not like, it is being called a dictator,” explains Ordukhan. This, he says, is why the authorities have come after activists’ families.
Inside Azerbaijan, it is even harder to speak out against Aliyev.
One Baku-based activitst, Fatima Movlanli, was detained on March 26, but released after several hours under the supervision of police, who tried to convince her of the importance of rallying behind Aliyev.
Ilham Aliyev's regime is a harsher continuation of the authoritarian structure put in place by his late father Heydar, a communist-era bigwig who became president in 1993.
It has honed a reputation for muzzling media, blocking access to independent and opposition online news sites, arresting activists, journalists, rights defenders and bloggers, and dismantling the legal system.
The government even has a troll factory. A leaked document purported to be from one of these “armies” emerged online last week.
Straight from #Azerbaijan troll army. This list you are seeing has been assigned to our hardworking trolls. It contains names of opposition political parties, independent media and opposition leaders. pic.twitter.com/vh916ZtulE
— Arzu Geybulla (@arzugeybulla) April 5, 2018
For weeks now, outspoken critics of the regime have joked about being harassed by trolls. The usual bogus accusations aimed at Aliyev critics see them accused of receiving money from the West, or spying for Armenia. The frequency and tone of these false allegations was ramped up as the vote approached.
I have experienced them on many occasions myself. A few days ago, I even discovered a Facebook post on the page of the ruling party’s youth branch which accused me of being a mole financed by the Armenians and working in league with Hagop Berberian, a man I have never met.
I did not read all 946 comments, but what I saw was enough to confirm that in a tightly-controlled society, there are few checks on the power of government-spun myths and misinformation.
A gathering of anti-Aliyev activists in Berlin. Posted on Facebook by Pervin Ismayilov. Intended for wider use.
As it turned out, Aliyev won a barely contested vote with a 86% majority the head of the Central Election Commission confirmed April 12.
In a hallmark of ex-Soviet authoritarianism, other registered candidates even praised the incumbent in the run-up to the vote.
Seven other #candidates did not only avoid criticizing the government but also openly and actively campaigned for Aliyev during the debates on Public #TV. #Azerbaijan #azvote2018 #Elections2018 #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/4lHfF3N9LK
— SMDT (@SMDT_EMDS) April 9, 2018
There is no alternative choice of voters among candidates on 11 April early presidential elections in #Azerbaijan according to observation by @SMDT_EMDS on pre-election campaign. @eapcsf @EPDE_org @stefanschennach @Dunja_Mijatovic @gndemexchanges @arzugeybulla @Khadija_Ismayil pic.twitter.com/nOi7mHEOfA
— Anar Mammadli (@anarm2013) April 5, 2018
Reports of violations on the day were numerous. Although the opposition and youth movements called on people to boycott the elections, it is not clear what effect this could have had on the outcome. Turnout, which the CEC said reached 75%, is routinely inflated in Azerbaijaini ballots.
Thanks to constitutional changes that extended presidential terms in 2016, Ilham Aliyev is now set to rule the country for at least seven more years. Should anything happen to him, there are several members of his family well-positioned to extend the Aliyev dynasty.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Arzu Geybullayeva


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PHOTOS: Celebration as High Court Deems Trinidad & Tobago ‘Buggery’ Law ‘Unconstitutional’ · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Claimant Jason Jones outside the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain, Trinidad, after the passing down of the High Court ruling. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday April 12, 2018, Justice Devindra Rampersad entered High Court POS 09 at the Hall of Justice in downtown Port of Spain to deliver his ruling in the case of Jason Jones vs. the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago.
The question that hung in the balance was whether the state has the constitutional authority to criminalise sexual relations between consenting adults of the same gender — an act deemed criminal by Sections 13 and 16 of the country's Sexual Offences Act Chapter 11:28.
Inside the courtroom were the claimant, Jason Jones, the defendant and their legal teams, and representatives from interested parties that included the Equal Opportunity Commission, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (a local conservative Hindu organisation), and the Trinidad and Tobago Council of Evangelical Churches. There were also journalists, supporters of the LBGT+ rights cause, and a handful of religious leaders.
Outside the courtroom, on the steps of the Hall of Justice and in Woodford Square just opposite, were gathered activists from both sides. Many of them held placards defending human rights and a few waved signs quoting Bible verses.
A cross-section of the placards being displayed at Woodford Square, as activists waited for the High Court decision in the case of Jason Jones vs. the State. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Human rights supporters gathered outside the Hall of Justice, April 12, 2018. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
A security guard observes the goings-on at Woodford Square in Port of Spain. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Many of the placards sent a message of love, and spoke of the need to protect the rights of all citizens under the country's constitution.
Activists gathered in defence of human rights. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Other signs turned religious rationales on its head.
Two placards that took jabs at the religious traditionalists. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
“Love Thy Neighbour”; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
“Stop using religion to justify hate”; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Many LBGT+ activists emphasised that the state had no business being in their bedrooms. The movement's hashtag, #JusticeDiversityTT, was also on display, as people advocated for acceptance of diversity within the family unit.
Supporters of the repeal of the buggery law want the state out of matters that are private. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
#JusticeDiversityTT; Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
A protestor outside Trinidad and Tobago's Hall of Justice in Port of Spain, on April 12, 2018. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
“Making a change starts with you”; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
After his half-hour-long summary of the judgement, Judge Rampersad declared that the court had found Sections 13 and 16 of the Act “unconstitutional, illegal, null, void, invalid and are of no effect to the extent that these laws criminalise any acts constituting consensual sexual conduct between adults”.
Those in court were composed and circumspect. But once the news reached the outside, there was, for the most part, joyful celebration.
The elated crowd on the steps of the Hall of Justice as they got news of the decision. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Jubilation outside the Hall of Justice; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
More celebration at the court's ruling; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Supporters of the repeal of the “buggery” clause in the Sexual Offences Act are all smiles over the High Court judgement. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Quite hearteningly, both before and after the judgement was announced, people with differing opinions stood around talking about the issue — calmly, rationally and respectfully. There was a lot of discussion about consent (many people have the erroneous perception that all anal sex is equal to rape) and the need to recognise each individual's humanity.
An LGBT+ rights supporter has a discussion with a member of a religious group after the court's decision was announced outside the Hall of Justice. Photo by author.
“Live and let live”; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
“Love is not a crime”; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
In the end, whether or not the court's ruling managed to change anyone's mind, LBGT+ and religious activists stood side by side on the steps of the Hall of Justice — and in the the words of Trinidad and Tobago's national anthem, found a space where a landmark court ruling made every citizen finally have a more equal place.
Government has already stated that they will appeal the ruling.
Standing together; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Will Tanzanian Bloggers Pay Up or Push Back Against ‘Blogger Tax’? · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

A man stands in the street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, checking his phone. Photo by Pernille Bærendtsen, used with permission.
Blogging has been popular in Tanzania for more than a decade, enabling writers and independent journalists to express views and report news that might not otherwise appear in mainstream media. But as of last month, this kind of work will come with a price tag.
On March 16, 2018, the United Republic of Tanzania issued the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations demanding that bloggers must register and pay over USD $900 per year to publish online.
Application 2. These Regulations shall apply to online content including: (a) application services licensees; (b) bloggers; (c) internet cafes; (d) online content hosts; (e) online forums; (f) online radio or television; (g) social media; (h) subscribers and users of online content; and (i) any other related online content.
The new regulations have far-reaching implications for freedom of expression and human rights. Bloggers must fill out official regulatory forms and avoid publishing prohibited content including nudity, hate speech, explicit sex acts, extreme violence, “content that causes annoyance”, fake news, and “bad language” among other restrictions.
The new regulations grant unrestrained power to the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to prescribe and proscribe. Under Part II, Number 4, TCRA then has the authority:
(a) to keep register of bloggers, online forums, online radio and online television;
(b) to take action against non-compliance to these Regulations, including to order removal of prohibited content
iAfrikan News further explains:
Online content publishers (blogs, podcasts, videos) will apply for a license at a fee of 100,000 Tanzanian Shillings (44 USD) pay an initial license fee of 1,000,000 Tanzanian Shillings (440 USD) and an annual license fee of 1,000,000 Tanzanian Shillings (440 USD). This means to run something as simple as a personal blog (text) if you live in Tanzania, you’d have to spend an initial (approximately) $900 (USD) in license fees.
One immediate public concern regarding the new regulations is their ambiguity. In his latest post, blogger Ben Taylor analyzed the content of the regulations, taking note of a lack of clear definitions:
The first thing to note is that these regulations are very unclear on several important points. Some terms – such as ‘online content provider’ and ‘online content service provider’ – are never defined. Are these the same thing? In other places, the title given to a section of the regulations bears no relation to its content – section 7, for example, has ‘bloggers’ in the title but nothing relevant to bloggers in the content. There are spelling and grammatical errors throughout. And perhaps most bizarrely, the main section on applications for online content service licenses – section 14 – doesn’t even require that applicants must submit their application – only that they must ‘fill in an application form’ – or say where it should be submitted.
Taylor raises essential questions throughout his analysis. No one yet knows how these regulations will be interpreted by the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the police or the courts.
What is clear is that breaches of the new law will be punishable with a fine of “not less than five million Tanzanian shillings” (around USD $2,500), or imprisonment for “not less than 12 months or both.”
The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) issued a policy brief on the new regulation, warning against its ambiguity in certain sections:
…[The] regulations should be reviewed and amended to have clear, unambiguous definitions and wording, and quash the requirement for registration of bloggers and users of similar online platforms. It is also essential that not too much power is vested in TCRA with regards to content take-downs and that diversity in content availability online is promoted. The obligations set out should not turn content service providers and publishers into monitors, by handing them responsibility such as use of moderating tools to filter content, conducting content review before publication, and undertaking mechanisms to identify sources of content.
Blogging emerged in Tanzania around 2007 and became popular as an alternative news platform with educated, middle-class people, as well as politicians and political parties.
In Tanzania, where media historically holds strong ties to government interests, blogging opened up possibilities for individuals to establish private news outlets that proved immensely powerful in terms of reach and readership.
Before the rise of mobile apps, access to a stable Internet connection and laptop were imperative for bloggers. This set a relatively high barrier to participation for people with limited income.
Michuzi blog, launched in 2005 by Issa Michuzi, who is known as the ‘father of all Swahili blogs’, was one of the earliest and most widely read blogs in Tanzania, often reporting on politics and news, with thousands of readers per day. Michuzi was the first in Tanzania to see blogging as a business. He managed to keep his content free and accessible yet clearly capitalized on the power of ads to generate income.
Although Tanzania's poverty rate fell from 60 percent in 2007 to an estimated 47 percent in 2016, nearly 12 million Tanzanians still live in extreme poverty.
Internet access remains low at approximately 45 percent as of 2017. With a population of about 60 million people and 31 percent residing in urban areas, blogging is still out of reach for most.
According to Tanzania Bloggers Network Secretary-General Krantz Mwantepele, as quoted in The Citizen, many Tanzanian bloggers cannot afford these fees because the “license applications and annual subscriptions are way beyond earnings of many bloggers.”
Blogging continues to be a ‘new frontier’ for young Africans seeking new platforms to connect, discuss and analyze. With the rise of mobile apps, Tanzanian youth are online more than ever with nearly 60 percent on Facebook alone in 2017.
Yet restrictions on freedom of expression pose a real challenge to social media users in Tanzania. While the constitution allows for freedom of speech, it does not guarantee press freedom. A set of media regulations provide Tanzanian authorities with the capacity to restrict media based on arguments of national security.
Authorities have become increasingly reliant on these rules as political tensions have risen over the past three years. Since the presidential elections in 2015, Tanzania's opposition has been restricted by a ban on opposition rallies and the stifling of independent media, sanctions, intimidation, and punishment of citizens for criticising President John P. Magufuli of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM, Swahili for ‘Revolutionary Party’).
The country's Cybercrimes Act, passed in 2015, has played a significant role in stifling dissent. In 2015 and 2016 alone, at least 14 Tanzanians were arrested and prosecuted under the law, for insulting the president on social media.
In December 2016, Tanzanian police arrested Maxence Melo, founder and director of Jamii Forums, a hugely popular Tanzanian online community, for refusing to disclose information on its members, a demand made under the Cybercrimes Act. Melo was released after five days, but his arrest revealed disturbing implications for anyone writing and speaking actively online in forums and blogs in Tanzania.
Most recently, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendelo (CHADEMA, Swahili for ‘Party for Democracy and Progress’), Tanzania's largest opposition party, requested international intervention in the increasingly tense political situation characterized by the arrests of prominent opposition leaders. On February 16, 2018, a young student was killed allegedly by a stray-bullet, and several others were injured as the police dispersed an opposition rally in Dar es Salaam.
These new regulations appear to be less about taxation but rather a convenient tool and part of a wider process to limit freedom of speech and participatory multiparty politics in Tanzania.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Netizen Report: Around the World, Activists Demand Answers From Facebook · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

“Planet Facebook or Planet Earth?” 2010 map of Facebook's social graph, by Paul Butler.
As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced hearing before the US Congress this week, digital rights advocates around the world publicly shared testimony of their own, giving voice to the experiences of millions of users who have struggled with harassment, discrimination and threats of violence on the platform.
Civil society groups in Sri Lanka issued an open letter to Zuckerberg citing multiple instances in which the company had failed to implement its own “Community Standards.” The letter emphasizes Sri Lanka’s civil war, which officially ended in 2009 but from which the country is still recovering.
The authors cite a March 2018 Facebook post, shared amid violent religious riots in central Sri Lanka, that called for the “killing of all Muslims, without sparing even a child, because they are dogs.” Despite being reported multiple times, the post remained live on Facebook for six days, with the company first replying that the post did not violate its Community Standards.
In a separate open letter, advocates for human rights in Vietnam plainly asked: “Is Facebook coordinating with a government known for cracking down on expression?”
The group noted that Facebook Head of Global Policy Management Monika Bickert met with the Vietnamese minister of information and communications and reportedly agreed to coordinate in the monitoring and removal of content. They went on to describe how the Vietnamese government’s “cyber army” of thousands of online trolls has exploited Facebook’s platform and tools, “coordinating mass reporting of activist accounts and celebrating their accomplishments when accounts and pages are taken down by Facebook.”
And civil society advocates in Myanmar took Facebook to task after Zuckerberg held up the company’s work in Myanmar as an example of strong engagement in a time of crisis, at the peak of the Myanmar military’s assault on the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017.
The group described Facebook’s efforts to curb calls for violence against Rohingya people as “the very opposite of effective moderation” and said the company demonstrated “a reticence to engage local stakeholders around systemic solutions and a lack of transparency.”
Calls of this nature have come from the US as well. Data for Black Lives, a US-based network of scientists, activists, and organizers, called attention to evidence of racial and economic discrimination in Facebook’s platform and advertising technology. The group implored Facebook to commit their data to a “public data trust” that would allow researchers to study it “in service of the public interest” and to hire more African-Americans on their product and engineering teams.
In a broad-based response to the hearings, Facebook has pledged to improve transparency in ads and pages, and to allow academic researchers greater access to internal information to inform independent research on the platform. Time will tell if these measures will help to improve upon the many acute issues raised in the letters above.
Six activists, all but one of whom were active in the blogosphere, were convicted of subversion after a one-day trial in Hanoi. With sentences ranging between seven and 15 years behind bars, they are facing the harshest punishments to be issued by Vietnam's one-party state in years. Loa, a podcast produced by pro-democracy group Viet Tan, reported that activist Trương Minh Đức said in court, “I have no regrets. Today you put me on trial but tomorrow it may be you on trial.”
More than a year after security officers arrested and detained Ahmed Mansoor, the Emirati human rights defender finally appeared in court for a hearing. He was detained in an undisclosed location for more than a year. It is not publicly known whether he has been officially charged yet, or what has happened thus far in court proceedings.. Authorities accuse him of using social media websites to “publish false information that harms national unity.”
Authorities in China ordered a ban on NeihanShequ, a popular app for jokes and riddles, arguing that its content has become too “vulgar” and “banal.” Neihan allowed users to submit jokes and riddles in multimedia format, for others to comment on and vote up or down. Zhang Yiming, the CEO of Neihan parent company Toutiao, offered a public apology and promised that Toutiao will strengthen self-censorship measures by increasing the pre-screen staff team from 6,000 to 10,000 people.
In an April 5 press release, Facebook announced that the personal data of more than 1 million Indonesians may have been accessed and used by Cambridge Analytica in its work on behalf of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Indonesia’s information and communications minister said he would not hesitate to block Facebook nationwide if officials find that this personal data was exploited or misused.
The Intercept published an in-depth report on the activities of quasi-professional internet trolls in Guatemala, where a UN commission is investigating corruption and campaign finance in the administration of President Jimmy Morales. Over the past year, Colombian judge Iván Velásquez, who leads the commission, has become the primary target of a coordinated campaign of political harassment and online disinformation.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced that it plans to develop a database of journalists and media influencers in order to track their coverage and online activities. The database will reportedly include “journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers” and endeavor to “identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.”
In its 12th biannual transparency report, Twitter announced that it has suspended more than 1.2 million accounts over “terrorist content” since August 2015. From July-December 2017, it suspended more than 274,000 accounts for the same reason. According to the company blog, 93% of these accounts were “flagged by internal, proprietary tools” (i.e. not humans) while accounts reported to the company by governments accounted for less than 0.2% of the total suspensions.
Afef Abrougui, Renata Avila, Ellery Roberts Biddle, L. Finch, Rohith Jyothish, Karolle Rabarison, Juke Carolina Rumuat and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


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Empty Nets Syndrome: How young fishing families on Cambodia’s Mekong are struggling to survive · Global Voices
Guest Contributor

Cambodia – 30/01/18 – Phnom Penh. Sami (16) and Luc (25) have both grown up both on the water. Their families can trace an oral history of fishing and seafaring that dates back 4000 years – migrating across South East Asia and even surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975-1979 to make it to the modern day. But Sami and Luc are also part of a new generation of teenage parents experiencing more difficulties than ever to survive on the river. (PHOTO: Francesco Brembati. Used with Permission).
By Corinne Redfern
Two weeks ago, shortly after it turned 2am, Sami’s boat rolled over on the waves of the Mekong river and tipped all of her possessions into the water—including Lydie, her newborn daughter. ‘Just like that, she was gone,’ the 16-year-old remembers.
Unable to sleep as the wind tore at the tarpaulin that served as a meagre shelter from the elements, Sami had spent the previous two hours sitting with her knees pulled against her stomach, wishing they were back on shore. While the storm raged around them her 25-year-old husband Luc, face fixed in a frown, was busy spreading his weight across the hand-carved boat’s wooden hull in an attempt to stop their little home from capsizing. All the while, their daughter had slept peacefully in her dark green cotton hammock. “I didn’t even have to rock her,” Sami says now. “The wind was strong enough to do that for me.” As the storm gathered force, she thought about taking Lydie into her arms for safety. “But I didn’t know whether it was better just to let her be. And when the boat fell, I couldn’t grab her in time. Suddenly I was just under the water, and everything was cold and black.”
Cambodia – 30/01/18 – Phnom Penh. Even if Samy and Luc live and keep all their belongings on their boat, they dock on the ground for safety and practical reasons. (PHOTO: Francesco Brembati. Used with permission)
Luc reached Lydie first. Diving deeper under the water, he pushed the rapidly sinking pots and pans and clothes out of the way to disentangle his daughter from the swathes of material that kept her in place. When the six-week-old began screaming after reaching the surface, Sami burst into tears. “I thought she was dead. Babies die all the time here. You never know if you’re going to get to keep yours for life or just for a little while.”
Sami and Luc both grew up on the water. As members of the Cham community – a minority group of approximately 288,000 Cambodian Muslims who largely live along the Mekong river and around the edges of the Tonle Sap lake in the Kompong Chhnang and Kompong Cham provinces, their families can trace an oral history of fishing and seafaring that dates back 4000 years—a history that includes migrating across South East Asia and surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975-1979.
But Sami and Luc are also part of a new generation of teenage parents whose numbers have almost doubled in Cambodia since 2010, even though marriage is illegal for those under 18. Nevertheless, girls of 15-17 years fall for their boat-dwelling neighbours, and a lack of sex education—or any kind of education, for that matter—means they quickly, if perhaps unintentionally, start families shortly after. This lack of life experience combined with a hard-to-shake-off cultural inheritance has given rise to a new crisis of survival.
While on the surface parents may be getting younger, little has changed in the way the community lives. Every morning as the sun rises families stir from their sleeping quarters on board their small wooden boats, and together they head out into deeper waters to hunt slippery mud eels and small silver carp known as “trey riel”. Teenage mothers stand tall on the bows, loosely-wound hijabs protecting their necks from the sun, as their husbands heave hand-woven nets into the water and wait for them to swell.
On a good day, the stores below deck will swarm with fresh catch, and families head straight to Prev Pnov fish market, 12 kilometres north of Phnom Penh where a kilo of fish commands up to 6000 riel, or $1.50. Fish soup and rice is served up for breakfast and lunch. Fried fish and rice is passed around for dinner.
But good days are getting harder to come by, and to this generation they also seem less and less worth waiting for.
In recent years, new technologies and illegal fishing methods—such as using batteries to electrocute whole schools of fish—have begun depleting local fisheries. The government’s target of producing 1.2 million tonnes of fish by 2019, to reduce imports from neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, is encouraging the establishment of industrialized fish farms. Both developments are now forcing the Cham families to drive their boats more than three hours upstream to net a decent catch. When they arrive with their buckets of carp at Prek Pnov they find prices dropping, making it harder than ever to make a profit. And as luxury hotel development spreads along the banks of the Tonle Sap river, there’s even more pressure on the Cham community to disperse its camps and stay moored in the middle of the river through the night, increasing the risk of capsizing and drowning.
Cambodia – 15/02/18 – Phnom Penh. In the islamic fishing community on the river of the Mekong in Phnom Penh not all the kids immediately learn how to swim, even if they live on the water. For this reason there is often the chance of drowning. However, while boys learn earlier, girls often start learning just when they leave the family to get married. Some of the older women in the community still don't know how to swim.
So for today’s young adolescent parents with children to feed, life on the water is beginning to lose some of its appeal. “My daughter Lyna cries all day because she’s hungry, and I have nothing to feed her with,” explains Ros Herny, 17, who only learned to swim two years ago despite living on board the boats since birth.
“When I was growing up, I would eat fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a little rice to keep me full. But fish has become a luxury that we can’t afford to keep for ourselves anymore. So I feed Lyna rice with river water for breakfast, lunch and dinner instead, and she has no fish at all. She has no energy and is small for her age. It makes me wonder why we live like this at all.”
Her parents’ generation had it better off, Herny says. “My friends and I are starting our families now, but we don’t have the skills we need to compete with the big companies, so our children are the ones without anything to eat. Meanwhile, my parents only have to look after themselves. Sometimes they still have lots of fish.”
Dak Gneng, project manager of the Takmao branch of the local NGO Friends International, says he’s encountering increasing numbers of adolescent mothers from the Cham community who are unable to feed their children.
“When I talk to them, they all tell me is how dangerous it is to lead this life,” Gneng explains. “Their parents say ‘this is our culture, you must live along the river and respect the water’, but the youngest generation is the one faced with the prospect of feeding their families and competing with the big corporations. They are more and more unhappy here.”
Cambodia – 22/02/18 – Phnom Penh. As hotels such as the Sokha continue cropping up along the Tonle Sap riverside, there’s even more pressure on the community of Islamic fisherfolk to disperse its camps and stay moored in the middle of the river through the night; increasing the risk of capsizing and drowning. (PHOTO: Francesco Brembati. Used with permission)
Many young parents have already begun looking for work in other industries such as garment factories or market stalls. Some even consider begging along the riverside as a more viable alternative. (“I don’t like it, but it’s all I can do sometimes,” says Herny). Sami’s husband Luc recently found a job on a tourist boat, sailing up and down the river at sunset as visitors snap pictures of the silhouetted outline of the community he calls home. “He says he wants to save up enough money for us to rent an apartment in the city centre,” says Sami. “We don’t want our daughter to grow up feeling hungry or scared like us.”
But the same youthfulness that has breed dissatisfaction can also make leaving their community difficult, particularly when it comes to saying goodbye to parents. Hasanas Rong is 17 and is raising her two-month-old daughter Eyni alone since her husband left her to move into the city. “He said he didn’t want to be a fisherman anymore, because there aren’t any fish,” she explains. “We argued, because I didn’t feel ready to leave my family, and then he said he was going to divorce me.” She was three months pregnant at the time, and she hasn’t seen him since.
Cambodia – 04/02/18 – Phnom Penh. Hasanas Rong (17) with her daughter Eyni Not (2 months old). After being left by her husband while pregnant, Rong went back to live with her family as she has no job and no way to earn money. Rong and Eyni both suffer often from hunger, but it would even worse if her family couldn't help them at all. (PHOTO: Francesco Brembati. Used with permission)
Her 34-year-old brother, Hole Son believes his sister should have left her relatives behind and followed her husband in return for a more stable income. “Rong is too young to have a child, but this is normal here,” he says. “Most girls are teenagers when they get pregnant for the first time. Now we have to support her, because she doesn’t have a job, and her daughter has nothing to eat. I often see Rong go without food for days at a time, just so she doesn’t have to deal with the shame of asking our mother and father for more help.”
Hole Son says that when fishing goes well he can still earn up to 60,000 riel ($15) in a single day, and will offer his sister help. “But when it goes badly, I earn nothing at all.” On those days, the older generation takes priority. “As a sign of respect, we feed our parents first—even if it means the young ones miss out,” he says.
Rong goes quiet when asked about her situation. “It’s just so bad for my baby,” she says eventually. “I can’t breastfeed her, because I don’t have enough milk, and she cries all day because she’s hungry. We are sat out under the sun all day, which I think makes us sick, too. Everything is very bad for us here. I am very scared for my baby.”
Sami agrees. “When I was a child, I was hungry too, but I was never as hungry as this. When I look at Lydie, I think ‘maybe you would be better off away from the water. Maybe the water is not our friend after all.”
Corinne Redfern is an award-winning freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Telegraph, Guardia, Marie Claire, Stylist, Sunday Times and BBC. She is currently based in Cambodia. This article is part of the Crying Hunger Project, produced with support from the European Journalism Centre.

author: Guest Contributor


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Jamaican Dancehall Star Buju Banton’s Impending Release from Prison Sparks Renewed Controversy · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Buju Banton performing in July 2006. Photo by Ville Miettinen, CC BY-NC 2.0
Jamaican deejay and lyricist Buju Banton, a flawed and misunderstood musical hero, is adored by his faithful fans and often receives lavish praise from critics. Yet, Banton's career has been fraught with controversy centered around his violent and homophobic lyrics, as well as drug trafficking and firearm charges.
His impending release from the McRae correctional facility in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, has sparked rivalries and renewed controversy as Banton gears up for his deportation back to Jamaica and fans debate his next moves.
Banton spent the last seven years in prison after he was found guilty of conspiracy to traffic cocaine in February 2011. A few days after his conviction, in keeping with the roller coaster style of his career, Banton received a Reggae Grammy Award for his album “Before the Dawn” (he had two previous nominations, in 2004 and 2010).
Banton is scheduled to be released from prison on December 18, 2018, one year early. Emotions are running high ahead of his anticipated release as reggae musicians, music producers, and loyal fans long for his return:
Can't wait until the greatest thing #BujuBanton come home
— Tashe ☺♥ (@EmpressTashe) April 5, 2018
One regular tweeter shared a recent Billboard magazine article, ramping up the excitement:
Yeah man you can feel the energy in the air. #WaitingForTheGargamel #BujuBanton https://t.co/QOdiT9Vtl0
— Cynthia Pottinger (@cynthiatricia) March 31, 2018
Another fan declared:
Anywhere in or out of this World #BujuBanton first show is after he gets out of jail, I’ll be there! It could be Mars!!!
✈ ? ?♀ ? ?♂ ?? ?? ? ?
— PRINCE ROYAL ENT (@PrinceRoyalEnt) March 28, 2018
A U.S.-based promoter enthused:
Can you imagine the energy at Buju’s first performance? Especially if it’s in Jamaica?!!!! #Bujubanton
— Publicist Bae? (@TheBrieAgency) March 27, 2018
Banton fans are abuzz with speculation about where the dancehall star will hold his first concert. Some Jamaicans were offended when a Trinidadian music promoter declared via Facebook Live:
We're officially doing our first concert event, April the 22nd, 2019, in Trinidad and Tobago.
A member of Banton's marketing team, Jodiann Ebanks, made the announcement at a media briefing held during a Love and Harmony Cruise which sails from Florida around the Caribbean.
One Trinidadian expressed shocked delight at the news:
DO. NAATTT. PLAY. WITH. MY. EMOTIONS.
On April 9, Jamaican reggae station Irie FM held an informal Facebook poll to gauge how Jamaicans feel:
Should Jamaicans be offended if Buju Banton’s first performance is not on the island? We want to hear your views!! Sound off in our comments below!
While many Jamaicans said they would be offended, one fan generously replied:
I would prefer it to be Jamaica first but as long as he is free to come home man, am happy.
One Jamaican explained why he was not amused by the news that Banton might play Trinidad and Tobago first:
I’m genuinely pissed that #Buju will be doing his first show in #Trinidad and not #Jamaica!!! Everybody know you come out a jail your first stop is to your #wifeandkids or your #mother (if no family). #NoRespectDisrespect
— princess bijous (@princess_bijous) March 26, 2018
A Bahamas concert is also in the works, but still no word on a Jamaica date:
So true @emilymshields . How come I don't hear of the return of the #gargamel #BujuBanton Jamaica concert.#sponsorsneeded. All Trinidad and Bahamas first we.#nosah #nationalstadium #jamworld pic.twitter.com/rmyAAi1dec
— Smallnbeautiful (@smallnbutiful) April 4, 2018
PANACHE Magazine, a popular Jamaican press, rejected the speculations on Twitter, assuring fans that Buju will perform first in Jamaica:
#PANACHETV: Of course, Buju will be performing in Jamaica first! Buss it ah yaad before we go abroad ???? #Loyalty to the fans… Thanks #Gargamel | Read the latest on #bujubanton online at https://t.co/MXterKtuAw pic.twitter.com/7s6mTAXZIm
— PANACHE Magazine (@PanacheJaMag) March 31, 2018
However, without a confirmed Jamaica concert date, doubts linger:
If the relevant Jamaicans wanted #BUJUBANTON to do his first show in Jamaica, they would have so taken the relevant steps to make that possible.
— Patrice T (@MissTPatrice) March 26, 2018
One Jamaican tweeted that Banton should give preference to Jamaica, citing a cautionary Jamaican proverb:
#Bujubanton don’t dweet Yute pastor chrissen him picney fuss pic.twitter.com/VSBYLvfN33
— Winston English (@wenglish_Ja) March 26, 2018
Don't do it, youth; the pastor christens his children first [meaning the equivalent of “charity begins at home”]
Despite all the international attention, Banton remains haunted by his marred reputation as a homophobe. One of his most popular songs, “Boom Bye Bye”, reflects the misogyny and violence characterised by other dancehall recordings of the '90s, contributing to Jamaica's reputation as “the most homophobic country in the world.“
Banton recorded the song in 1993, at age 20. Members of the LGBT community in the Caribbean have not entirely forgiven him for his violent lyrics and responded with concern over the promotion of what the LGBT community deems “murder music”.
One Trinidadian reacted furiously to the possibility of a Banton concert on the island, asserting that the deejay continued to show homophobic tendencies later in life:
So when Buju was 30, he and his friends broke into a gay man's house and beat him till he lost his right eye […] He was also sentenced to 10yrs jail for Cocaine trafficking and illegal firearms possession – dats your hero idiots? Immigration should never let this IGNORANT CRIMINAL JACKASS into our country to bring he […] terrorism here!
Banton's alleged 2004 assault on a group of gay men near his Kingston recording studio resulted in the cancellation of several concert dates in the U.S., but Banton was later acquitted.
Trinidadian columnist Joshua Surtees asserted that Banton's homophobic history is reason enough to revoke publicity for the singer, and points out that his drug trafficking conviction should also prevent him from appearing under local immigration law:
The concert promoters see dollar signs and have no morals. The media, however, has a responsibility to its audiences in all their diversity. The publicity given to Buju is unacceptable. If Banton had ever retracted his hideous views on homosexuality and sought to amend the damage he has done to men and women across the Caribbean, he would be worthy of a platform. He hasn’t, and that’s why he is barred from performing in so many countries.
The Trinidadian government has a duty of care to its citizens and should uphold its immigration law, which prohibits entry to anybody convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment of a year or more. Banton got ten years for drug trafficking.
Other dancehall artists may sing hate music more frequently than Banton – who has refrained from it of late – but he started it. The violence and hatred in Boom Bye Bye has been copied by younger generations. Its influence has not gone away. I have watched the whole crowd at Pier 1 nightclub in Montego Bay put their trigger fingers in the air when it is played.
The consequences of this music are serious.
Whether fans buy tickets or boycott post-prison Banton, the location of his first performance remains a mystery. While one music promoter dispelled rumors that Trinidad would host his first show, another attempted to clarify:
There is absolutely no confirmation just yet, as to where Buju will perform first. We have confirmed our date for the Trinidad and Tobago show in April but that is it. We could never say where Buju will perform first.
At a musical crossroads, Banton will be 45 at the time of his release and must prove his relevance or reinvent himself. It is unclear whether Banton has worked on new music while behind bars. While the dancehall genre remains highly influential, some music critics believe it has passed its peak.
The official Buju Banton Twitter account shared some of his lyrics recently, suggesting a philosophical acceptance of life's challenges:
“From the minute of birth you enter this earth obstacles deh inna your way to overcome first”. pic.twitter.com/AIWOlJg6Us
— Buju Banton (@BujuOfficial) April 8, 2018
On February 2, Banton's official Facebook page posted a quote from the 1995 song “Wanna Be Loved”:
I wanna be loved
Not for who you think I am,
Nor what you want me to be
Could you love me for me?

author: Emma Lewis


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Jamaican Reaction to Trinidad Buggery Law Ruling is Predictably Mixed · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

An elated crowd on the steps of Trinidad and Tobago's Hall of Justice as they received news of the decision on April 12, 2018. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Jamaicans reacted in fairly predictable fashion to the news of the April 12 court ruling in Trinidad that found the “buggery law” unconstitutional and illegal.
Local LGBT lobby groups and individual campaigners expressed their delight, while those representing fundamentalist Christian groups voiced disapproval. The matter has been relatively low-key in traditional and social media in the past year, as views on the issue of the country's own buggery law remain entrenched, and there have been no major developments either socially or politically.
After the Trinidad and Tobago ruling, the question of whether Jamaica's antiquated law should be retained is at least back on the island's radar, for the time being.
The Jamaican law against anal sex (“buggery”) is over 150 years old (Section 61 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1864 under the heading “Unnatural Crime”) and has been hotly debated for many years. There has been little change in the stance of those engaged in the debate. Some high profile church leaders have spoken out against its repeal, although religious leaders are not unanimous in their condemnation. Christian fundamentalist groups such as the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society and the Love March Movement (the latter's mission: “To see a Jamaica that is educated, challenged, prayed and loved to sexual purity and the protection of the family”) strongly support the retention of the law and are strident in doing so.
However, a study published in 2017 and commissioned by LGBT rights group J-FLAG found that only 7.62 per cent of cases reported to the police between 2011-2015 related to incidents between men, pointing out that the current law is more detrimental to women and children.
The LGBT community in Jamaica celebrated the ruling and expressed hope that it might spark change in Jamaica. The Executive Director of J-FLAG tweeted:
Great news coming out of Trinidad & Tobago where the buggery law has been struck down. Lovely to see evidence of progress across the region. Commendations to Jason Jones and colleagues from organisations there on their success.
— Jaevion Nelson (@jaevionn) April 12, 2018
J-FLAG shared a video of celebrations outside the Trinidad court on Facebook and declared:
We are celebrating with our family as LOVE wins In Trinidad! ?
Judge finds the buggery law and serious indecencies unconstitutional as applied to adult consensual acts.
?: CCN TV 6 #LoveWins #Trinidad #ShareTheNation #WeStandWithYou
While the Jamaica-based Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) had earlier expressed support:
CVC stands in solidarity with the LGBTI community in Trinidad and Tobago as they push ahead for their rights to be recognized. pic.twitter.com/uQTL059JVk
— CVC Coalition (@cvccoalition) April 9, 2018
Jamaican lawyer and activist Maurice Tomlinson, now living in Canada, shared a comment from a former student:
FROM AN EX-STUDENT IN CANADA! ?????? ?
“I know I've said it before… But thank you Maurice. Thank you for everything that you do in fighting for the rights of LGBTQ people. Today's victory in T&T is close to home for me. Both of my parents are Trini… My entire family are Trini. My Dad often asks me to go with him to Trinidad. I always say no because I don't feel safe in a country that doesn't care about my rights. I have often been embarrassed to tell people that my background is Trini. I shed tears today when I saw the article regarding the courts striking down the anti-buggery law.
Thank you for fighting for us. As I've said before, you are my Harvey Milk. I thank God for giving the world activists like you.”
Tomlinson, who has challenged many laws in courts across the Caribbean, added:
Caribbean LGBT gatekeepers, PLEASE support other legal challenges.
#ItsTime
Former J-FLAG Executive Director Dane Lewis commented to Global Voices:
It's heartwarming that a Caribbean court has again offered such a favourable ruling regarding the respect of the rights of LGBT, with Belize being the first. It clearly demonstrates that our courts can uphold justice by recognising and respecting the inherent rights that should be afforded all human beings.
Over in Belize, where the Chief Justice ruled that the buggery law was unconstitutional in August 2016, prominent LGBT activist Caleb Orozco, who filed and won that case, shared on Facebook:
It was not PANCAP that helped in Trinidad and Tobago, it was Jason Jones who took a risk and led the way in a moment of Stubborness. In Belize, it was not PANCAP that helped, it was one person who took a risk and led the way while hundreds loan an invisible hand in the process. In Bahamas, it was not PANCAP, it was a local politician. What we see in the Caribbean is that decrim as a broader issue and that is to raise awareness that fundamental rights belong to all and that political leaders in this region can no longer continue the practice of legislative exclusion or language exclusion in UN outcome documents. LGBT Caribbean exists and that all laws, should follow the principle of inclusion and equal protection under the law. In simple terms countries are not government on the whims of individual morality, but a constitutional one. For Belize, we set the norm when we got independence and accepted our constitution. A lesson that rights exists in an advocacy framework. Now to be clear, decrim in not an end all solution, its just the begining of a reform process that will be years in the making. Bless Jason Jones on this day, your tenaciousness pushed the region along.
PANCAP, the Guyana-based Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS, shared their statement on Facebook, headlined “PANCAP Says Ruling Affirms the Right to Human Dignity By All.”
Barbados Today shared an article on Facebook headlined “Our win too!” which quoted B-GLAD Co-director Ro-Ann Mohammed:
“This landmark case signifies a necessary step in the decolonization of our independent Caribbean territories,” B-GLAD Co-director Ro-Ann Mohammed said, while making reference to similar laws in Barbados.
“These laws criminalizing consenting acts of love between autonomous adults were left behind as a relic of colonialism,” Mohammed stressed, adding that Britain discarded similar legislation since 1967, and such laws had no place in the region.
Will this ruling have any impact on public discussion or political thinking in Jamaica? Will it revive the debate on the buggery law in Jamaica? And will it lead to legislative changes? One Jamaican wondered:
What sayeth the Jamaican courts now? Are we just gonna ignore this precedence setting case? Will the church cower the judiciary and the government again? Will emotions and privilege prevail? Or will cowardice give way to logic and sound legal standing? None free, till all free!
— Martin Thesage (@Zemi66) April 12, 2018
On Facebook, however, Jamaican human rights activist and Anglican priest Father Sean Major-Campbell expressed the belief that change in Jamaica would be slow in coming. “It is easier to break the chains of the law than those of the mind,” wrote Fr. Major-Campbell. “Bigotry is Herculean.”


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As Russian court announces Telegram ban, users stand defiant, amused… and  worried · Global Voices
Fabrice Deprez

Russia bans Telegram; collage by RuNet Echo
As a Moscow court ordered the ban of messenger app Telegram on April 13, 2018, Deputy Communications Minister Alexey Volin assured the public that those who want to keep using it “will look for ways to bypass the blocking.” In a rare moment of consensus with the Russian authorities, many Telegram users agreed.
Though conceived as a messenger app similar to WhatsApp, Telegram earned its popularity in Russia thanks to its “channels,” a blogging platform somewhere between Twitter and Facebook which quickly attracted political commentators, journalists and officials. Telegram channels are a booming business, too: they are widely used in political and corporate wars. Last year Vedomosti, a Russian business newspaper, claimed that political ads (or damaging leaks) on Telegram's most popular channels could cost as much as 450,000 rubles ($7,500.)
But Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has repeatedly and vocally refused to comply with the demand of Russian security services to give up the messenger's encryption keys.
And as the year-long battle between Telegram and the Russian authorities came to a head with the decision to block the app, reactions to the announcement have been passionate.
“Russia has finally become the world's second largest economy after China! At least in the field of permanently blocking Telegram,” wrote Kristina Potupchik, formerly a press officer for a pro-Kremlin youth movement.
Other channels took a defiant stance, encouraging their followers to find ways around the blocking.
“They are blocking us, and we get stronger!” wrote the author of the Deer of Nizhny Novgorod, a channel focused on politics in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Like several other channels, the Deer of Nizhny Novgorod provided links to tutorials on how to circumvent the blocking of Telegram using a VPN or Virtual Private Network. “If you’re not a grandmother, you’ll be able to do it very easily and quickly,” he added.
But not all agree that cheating your way out of a government ban is a walk in the park:
когда ты гуманитарий и пытаешься понять, как настроить прокси в телеграме pic.twitter.com/M32Ut9EoOI
— Никотинка с Бровями (@Yoghikitt) 13 апреля 2018 г.
When you majored in liberal arts and are now trying to figure out how Telegram proxies work
Channels dedicated to Russian politics and the inner workings of the Kremlin – among the most popular on the platform – also largely claimed they were not worried by the ban.
“About 85% of our users have installed one [a VPN] in the last 24 hours. If you haven’t, here are the instructions,” channel Karaulny (The Sentinel) told its 66,000+ followers.
The owner of Nezygar (“Not Zygar”, a play on the name of Mikhail Zygar, a Russian political journalist and author of the best-selling book All the Kremlin's Men), one of the most influential political channels with 133,000 followers, told Russian outlet RBC the ban “confirmed Telegram’s status as an independent platform.”
“Nezygar will stay on the platform and won’t move to another,” he added.
Others took a different road. Sergey Boyarskiy, the deputy of the ruling party United Russia, published on Twitter a video showing himself dramatically deleting Telegram from his smartphone:
Выполняю решение суда. Соблюдаю законы РФ. pic.twitter.com/BKp0qW7045
— Сергей Боярский (@sergeyboyarskiy) 13 апреля 2018 г.
I am following the court decision. I abide by the laws of the Russian Federation.
Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who was banned from Instagram in December 2017, also said he would not try to make any attempts to bypass the blocking. Instead, Kadyrov told the Russian press agency TASS, he would switch to Mylistory, an obscure Instagram clone developed in Chechnya.
More likely contenders in the race to snap up Telegram’s user base are Viber and TamTam, two messenger apps which have also emphasized their “channels” feature. The latter, which belongs to the Russian digital giant Mail.ru, placed timely ads in three Russian business newspapers on the day Telegram’s blocking was announced by a Moscow court. In Vedomosti and Kommersant, the full-page ads showed this message:
“Just in case, we’re here.” A more tailored ad appeared in “Business Petersburg,” reading: “Channels 2,000 times bigger than in Petersburg,” a reference to the city’s many water canals (which is the same word in Russian.)
Vkontakte, Russia’s most popular social network, also announced a program to promote Telegram channels with more than 1,000 subscribers who are ready to switch to Vkontakte.
Not all Telegram users are confident that the app will survive the blocking, however. The owner of Cello Case (a hint at Putin's longtime friend and accomplished cellist Sergey Roldugin who got astronomically and inexplicably rich, according to the Panama Papers,) a channel followed by more than 142,000 people, told the RBC outlet its daily view count could drop by half if the blocking is enforced.
Mash, a news channel with more than 280,000 followers created by the former deputy head of pro-Kremlin media empire Life wrote on Telegram it would continue publishing on the messenger app, but also listed all the other social networks on which it is present.
“All the top admins are really feeling the blues,” the owner of the channel “Akitipol” (the Russian word “politics” in reverse, followed by more than 15,000 people) told the news channel 360.
So far, Telegram remains available in Russia, though sources have told the Interfax news agency that blocking could start as early as April 16.

author: Fabrice Deprez


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Liberian journalists detained, slapped with US 1.8 million lawsuit amid political feud · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Monrovia at night. Photo by blk24ga via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The Liberian daily newspaper FrontPage Africa (FPA) is facing a US $1.8 million civil defamation lawsuit triggered by a family feud over a deceased politician's estate.
FPA has been accused of underwriting and publishing a defamatory advertisement that appears in its print edition in mid-March 2018. Placed by family members of deceased former Liberian Attorney General Lawrence K. Morgan, the advert warned readers that the administrators of Morgan's estate, Henry A.K. Morgan and Moses T. Konah, had no authorization to “lease, sell, collect rents, or transact any other business” on behalf of the estate.
In response, Morgan and Konah sued the newspaper. On April 5, a court ordered the closure of the offices of FPA. On April 9, seven of the newspaper's staff were arrested and their office was sealed off. Detained staff were released the same day and their office reopened after the newspaper paid a US $5,000 bond.
Lead staff at the newspaper said the adverts were placed by other members of the Morgan family, in an apparent internal family dispute over the estate. FPA retracted the advert once confronted by Morgan and Konah, but the two nevertheless filed suit.
Although the advert was published in several other newspapers, only FPA has faced consequences.
There is now speculation that Konah, who is an influential member of the ruling Congress for Democratic Change party (CDC), used the advert as a vehicle for attacking the newspaper, in retaliation for its critical reporting about the government.
Screenshot of FPA Managing Editor, Rodney Sieh (L) speaking to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) correspondent in their New York office about defamation laws in Liberia.
Kamara A. Kamara, former president of the Press Union of Liberia, spoke with Global Voices (GV) to explain the murky history behind the advert and the resulting libel suit against FPA:
A segment of the family had issued an advert in several newspapers indicating that some people in the family did not have the authority to transact business on their behalf. Later the people who were listed as not having the authority of the family [Henry A.K. Morgan and Moses T. Konah] confronted FrontPage Africa to retract the advert which the newspaper did.
This was initially a private family matter but later became political. One of those involved [Moses T. Konah] in the family dispute was a candidate in the last elections and an influential member of CDC [Congress for Democratic Change], the ruling party…The newspaper had some issues with the government. This family dispute was then hijacked by the state to fight FrontPage Africa.
Despite Konah's close ties to the ruling CDC, the Liberian Ministry of Information has denied involvement in the press freedom feud. On April 9, the Ministry issued a public statement asserting that:
the closure of the FrontPage Africa newspaper and arrest of some of its staff was not on the orders of the government of Liberia.
Liberian President George Weah promised in his January 2018  inaugural address to build upon the legacy of “democratic empowerment” from his predecessor Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf “in protecting the rights of Liberians and providing even greater freedom.”
Yet Weah's party recently accused FPA owner and managing editor Rodney D. Sieh of “unprofessional attacks on the presidency.”
At a recent press conference, Jefferson Koijee, a member of the CDC and the Mayor of Monrovia, directly warned Sieh:
[do not] use the media to launch your selfish, cruel agenda, because Liberia needs to be developed and this is the best moment.
Just a few weeks before the lawsuit was filed, FPA triggered frustration in the government when it reported on President Weah's decision to sack the head of Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI), an autonomous agency established to ensure “transparency in Liberia’s forestry, oil, mining, and agricultural plantation sectors. It has the legal mandate to publish company contracts and the money they pay to the government.”
President Weah unilaterally fired Konah Karmo, Head of LEITI Secretariat, and then took extralegal measures to hire a political ally, CDC member Gabriel Nyenkan. The Daily Observer explained:
Following President Weah’s announcement, Mr. Nyekan stormed the offices of the LEITI secretariat with armed police officers in tow and demanded that its head Konah Karmo leave the building. Karmo is reported to have complied with Nyekan’s orders given at virtual gunpoint.
A report by FPA asserted that the move “blatantly contravenes the Act that created the [LEITI] agency.”
Only a few weeks after FPA reported on the LEITI scandal, the newspaper was slammed with the crippling libel civil lawsuit, leading many press freedom activists to believe that FPA is indeed being targeted for its critical reporting on the government.
Global Witness argues that:
Defamation suits should not be used to silence the press, and in this case FrontPage Africa is being penalized months before the newspaper even has its first court date. The order to seize assets, including its office, must be rescinded immediately – as should the performance bond imposed upon the paper… Liberian democracy requires independent voices and impartial information, like that provided by Front Page Africa and LEITI. President Weah should ensure that Liberia’s press – including the vital Front Page Africa – remains free, and reinstate LEITI’s Secretariat Head Konah Karmo.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern over the US $1.8 million libel lawsuit against FPA “that has long been the subject of complaints and harassment for its critical reporting on successive governments.”
Former Press Union President Kamara asserted that the move looks more like an attack on FPA for its critical stance:
Why didn't Henry A.K. Morgan and Moses T. Konah also involve other newspapers who published the said advert in this defamation suit? That's why it looks like an attack on FrontPage Africa for its critical stance against the government. To get people arrested in face of a civil case is repugnant. Civil offences should be fought using civil means. To arrest someone based on an allegation of a civil action is an affront to free speech. Imprisoning people on these laws is a criminalization of free speech which is critical to media freedom.


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Magdalene magazine gives a platform to women and other marginalized sectors of Indonesia · Global Voices
Juliana Harsianti

“I am Magdalene. I contain multitudes.” Picture courtesy of Magdalene, used with permission.
Since 2013, Magdalene has been publishing articles that speak to adolescent girls and women, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, and religious minorities in Indonesia.
This online publication was launched to offer a space for writers who wanted to tackle taboo topics in a country where Islamic hardliners have been aggressively pushing authorities to enforce their religious beliefs in society.
Indonesia is the largest country in the world with a Muslim-majority population. Its founding principles as a nation include the promotion of pluralism, moderation, and a concept of religious harmony known as Pancasila.
Below is Magdalene’s manifesto:
Magdalene is the fruit of our vision of an online publication that offers fresh perspectives beyond the typical gender and cultural confines. We channel the voices of feminists, pluralists and progressives, or just those who are not afraid to be different, regardless of their genders, colors, or sexual preferences. We aim to engage, not alienate.
Magdalene's founders are former journalists Devi Asmarani, Hera Diani and Karima Anjani. They said in a recent interview that they initially planned to create a web-based magazine that would serve as an alternative reading platform for women. Asmarani explained further:
We want to raise issues that are important… progressive issues that do not receive a lot coverage by the mainstream media because of reasons such as being taboo
After five years, Magdalene continues to publish stories that are not often covered by mainstream media. These sensitive topics include LGBT, pluralism, sexual abuse, and body shaming.
It has built a team of dedicated writers and a growing reader base who support the website’s manifesto.
Below are some of the appreciative comments from Magdalene's readers:
one of the daily websites that I always read, I as a Muslim is also very much inspired from various content. https://t.co/9qCghJWYH5
— Azmi Ro'yal Aeni (@azmiroyalaeni) April 10, 2018
Such an important piece!? Good to know that I'm not alone in this situation. I'm a feminist & I've been struggling w/ the concept of religion. “We question our social circles. We are not comfortable with the way our family members, relatives, and friends see the world.” INDEED? https://t.co/FYzfb3O7tN
— FANY (@fanybecks) April 2, 2018
Loving the narratives (and the content also) ? https://t.co/EDD2rQHe6l
— That freckled girl (@julianisatya) April 10, 2018
In an interview with this author, Hera Diani mentioned that Magdalene’s male readers comprises 30 to 40 percent of all readers recently. She added that many male readers have expressed their gratitude for the enlightening articles published by the magazine. LGBT readers have also commented on how Magdalene articles have opened their minds about the paternalistic, misogynist and hetero-normative behavior that still exist in the community.

author: Juliana Harsianti


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School history assignment stirs up a storm in Jamaica over how slavery should be taught · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Freeing a Slave from the Slave Stick, Jamaica, ca.1875-ca.1940. Wikimedia Commons image; photo uploaded by Ashley Van Haeften, CC BY 2.0.
Hillel Academy, a private school in an upscale area of Kingston, was at the centre of a recent debate over a history assignment for Grade 9 students which asked students to create a model for the punishment of a slave.
The wave of online anger began on Facebook, then graduated swiftly to Twitter, where a relatively short-lived but heated discussion began — on history, slavery, race, and class — leaving more questions than answers about how a deeply traumatic period in Jamaica's history should be taught.
The assignment also required students to “discuss [their] chosen punishment type as an example of European civility” since “one justification for the enslavement of African people was their lack of civility”. Details of the history paper were shared in a Facebook post, along with the comment:
So Hillel Academy Jamaica is allegedly asking children to use their creativity to re-create the harm that was done during slavery in written form. The mission is to expand student’s perspective on situations. So if this is really the case
1) Stop this lesson now.
2) Healing, truth and reconciliation is what you should be teaching the affluent and privileged children of a former plantation society, not recount and imaginative wickedness.
3) You are teaching children to be Slave masters. While this may be useful to a white man’s world capitalist society in 1764, it affects the collective esteem of a progressive and civil society in 2018.
4) Ask the directors of the No Violence In love campaign to come speak to your students about the effects of violent narratives in impressionable minds and the need to replace them with new ideas of harmony and empathy.
The Facebook user who shared the assignment added the school's feedback on the issue:
I have hard copy of test and got soft copy of school response:
‘There is some overreaction and I will explain why. The project is based on putting history into perspective. When older kids were at Hillel learning this the method of teaching slavery was largely rote, i.e. just simply regurgitating the facts. Today the methods of teaching history has (sic) changed. The sensitivity of the subject has not changed it is the way it's being taught that has. Students are encouraged to have balanced perspectives wherever possible.’
Founded in 1969 by the United Congregation of Israelites in Jamaica, Hillel is a non-profit, non-denominational institution that goes from pre-school all the way up to high school level. It is regarded as a school for Jamaica's elite; its 750-strong population also includes a fairly large contingent of international students. The fees are considerably higher than those for state-run schools and, in addition to Jamaican examinations, the school offers courses for the International Baccalaureate and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/AdvancedEd. With a less traditional approach to learning, its motto is “Learning for Living”. According to its website, its goals are to create a student who is more “open-minded, a risk-taker, inquirer, balanced, thinker.”
The school's explanation about the assignment, however, did little to assuage the anger of Twitter users, who were particularly miffed at the use of the word “justification”:
The thing I liked about how history was taught in Jamaican schools is that we never ever tried to justify the actions of the colonizers. Especially in today's world with the resurgence of Nazism it's gross to be asking a majority white students to justify slavery
— dm me pics of ur pets (@bloodylemonade) April 13, 2018
As if in response, a radio station quickly reported comments by a well-known history professor:
NEWS: UWI Professor of Social History Verene Shepherd says bright students given the Hillel Academy slavery justification assignment, would write that there is ‘no justification for slavery’.
— Stevian Simmonds (@steviblessed) April 14, 2018
One Twitter user suggested that the “bakra masters” (the term means a white slave master) at the school were imposing their perspective on slavery:
Our history is taught through the eyes of the slave master and has its ‘genesis’ in the trans-atlantic slave trade. The bakra masters are now encouraging us to not only learn the history from their perspective but to think how they did. It is shameful.
— It's Hopelessly Grotesque (@JahBlessEmanuel) April 13, 2018
There were numerous attacks on the school itself — and its students. However, one social media user disputed the common perception that the school is predominantly white:
Whoa guys, Hillel is actually a very diverse school that has predominantly black and mixed students. If we’re gonna criticize, please be factual.
— BΔK Pledge. (@VivaaLaKiaa) April 13, 2018
Another Twitter user shared a photo of a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King praising Jamaica's perceived racial harmony during a 1965 visit to the island, observing:
Donkey of the year goes to Hillel Academy for abusing their role as educators of some young minds among us in Jamaica. Callous! – you don't teach empathy by asking students to justify slavery & by describing punishment they would use. #ConscientiousStupidity pic.twitter.com/VISGNDDfBy
— Princess Joseph (@KerishaWitter) April 14, 2018
Realising the scope of the fallout, the school apologised in a statement from the Board of Directors, which was shared both online and in mainstream media, but the discussion had already turned to the persistent question of race and class in Jamaica:
Im not the smartest of the bunch here but isn't racism the foundation on which classism in jamaica stands? We are predominantly black so the basis of our segregation had to take on a new feature which was class. What do i know tho?
“Its not racism its classim”
— #FilingAndSomethingElse (@CoolieBwoi_Chev) April 13, 2018
Another respected teacher gave a balanced but severe critique, which was shared on Twitter in an image. The English teacher concluded:
Teacher, you have erred big time, and I suspect it's primarily because you did not manipulate the English language well enough to structure your question in such a way that the students examine critically the arguments for and against slavery, without leaving your class thinking that there were merits in the enslavement of blacks.
A few people pointed out that the history of — and “justification” for — slavery was regularly taught in Jamaican schools, just not in this way. Another recalled her own study of Caribbean History at high school, noting that such an assignment is not unusual:
I really dont c wat the big deal is about this Hillel history assignment. Is the issue with the assignment or the sch at which the assignment is given? I did C'bbean history and I had to write essays about the rational behind the justification for slavery & the punishments used.
— Justine (@jusii_marie) April 13, 2018
and there was no outrage when we did it lol. Learning about all aspects of slavery is important. Not just the rebellions that make us gleam with pride as we learn about our ancestors but also the line of thinking that put them in chains in the 1st place.
— Justine (@jusii_marie) April 13, 2018
A human rights lawyer, who advocates for slavery reparations, sought to analyse the purpose of the assignment:
This Hillel assignment seems to have been trying to dissect the warped mentality that was used to justify slavery for 400+ years. Many of these slave owners went to church every Sunday and called themselves Christian, and yet were able to rationalize this within their own minds.
— Shawn Wenzel (@shawnwenzel) April 14, 2018
Would this have been an acceptable assignment in other contexts? many Twitter users asked:
Now to the assignment at hand, would Hillel have asked on an assignment about World War 2 to come up with ways for Nazi Germany to annihilate the Jewish people? pic.twitter.com/weE2PxvlHX
— Empress Yolie (@jahmekyagyal) April 13, 2018
So what went wrong at Hillel? Netizens began to talk about accountability in curriculum planning. One media personality tweeted:
I have moved beyond Hillel. I am asking who vets the lesson plans in schools? Are private schools allowed to teach anything they want? Are schools not licensed to operate in Jamaica under certain guidelines in keeping with our national education and cultural policy? I'm asking.
— Dahlia Harris (@DahliaHarris) April 15, 2018
Others took a broader view of the conversation by reflecting on modern-day slavery:
Today we have tens of thousands of children in Africa working in abhorrent conditions mining cobalt for iPhone batteries or picking cocoa beans for chocolate, and just like the 18th century colonial Europeans enjoying sugar in their tea, too many consumers don't care.
— Shawn Wenzel (@shawnwenzel) April 14, 2018
After the social media outrage, the question remains: How should the painful history of the Caribbean, including colonisation and slavery, be taught to the region's younger generations? Judging by the backlash, this recent attempt at “innovation”, even if well intentioned, may have done more harm than good.


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What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week? · Global Voices
L. Finch

The WHO ARE YOU key. Photo by Flickr user Paul Downey. CC BY 2.0
At Global Voices, our community researches, writes, edits, and translates stories with a mission to support human rights and build bridges of understanding across countries, cultures, and languages.
We don't publish just to grab clicks or follow a news trend. We do, however, like to keep track of the ways in which our hard work has impact around the world.
To that end, one useful metric is how readers respond to our stories and translations. So let's take a look at who our readers were and what caught their attention during the week of April 9-15, 2018.
Last week, our stories and translations attracted readers from 211 countries! The top 20 countries represented across all of Global Voices’ sites were:
1. United States
2. Japan
3. Brazil
4. France
5. Mexico
6. Spain
7. Peru
8. Colombia
9. United Kingdom
10. Taiwan
11. Canada
12. Argentina
13. Italy
14. Russia
15. Germany
16. Jamaica
17. Trinidad & Tobago
18. Bangladesh
19. India
20. Indonesia
But that's only a small slice of the diversity of our readership. Let's use the True Random Number Generator from Random.org and take a look at a few other countries on the list:
95. Azerbaijan
44. Dominican Republic
92. Qatar
61. Belarus
154. Niger
The English-language site is where the majority of original content is first published at Global Voices. The top five most-read stories of last week were:
1. Jamaican Dancehall Star Buju Banton’s Impending Release from Prison Sparks Renewed Controversy
2. Forced Onto Live TV With Her Employer, a Migrant Domestic Worker in Lebanon Recants Claims of Abuse
3. Look What Large-Scale Mining Did to These Four Beautiful Philippine Islands (originally published in 2015)
4. Trinidad & Tobago’s LGBT Community Speaks Out as Court Decision on ‘Buggery’ Law Approaches
5. PHOTOS: Celebration as High Court Deems Trinidad & Tobago ‘Buggery’ Law ‘Unconstitutional’
Lingua is a project that translates Global Voices stories into languages other than English. There are about 30 active Lingua sites. Below is last week's most-read story or translation on each active language site.

author: L. Finch