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Everything You Need to Know About Russia’s Internet Crackdown · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Images mixed by author.
The number of restrictions placed on the Internet in Russia since Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin in 2012 is daunting. What’s been outlawed and what’s still legal on the RuNet? To help people keep track of what’s what in Russian cyberspace, RuNet Echo has compiled a chronological list of the most important laws to hit the Russian Internet in the past two years. For each law, readers can find links to the legislation’s full text in Russian, as well as RuNet Echo articles in English describing the details and significance of each initiative.
[The full text in Russian. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Signed by Putin on July 28, 2012. This is law that launched the crackdown on Internet freedom in Russia. The law created a government registry for websites found to contain materials deemed harmful to children. Illegal content under this law includes child pornography, drug paraphernalia, and instructions about self-harm. Without a court order, Russia’s federal communications agency is able to add to the registry any website hosting such material. Later laws have allowed police to blacklist other kinds of websites, too, using the infrastructure created here.
[The full text of the original law in Russian. The text of the updated draft legislation. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Signed on July 2, 2013. Often referred to as the “Russian SOPA,” this is an anti-piracy law that allows courts to block websites accused of hosting stolen intellectual property. What ultimately reached Putin’s desk in July 2013 was a somewhat watered-down version of the initial legislation, which called for applying the law to a wide variety of content. (The law’s final text addressed only stolen films.) The Russian Parliament is poised, however, to pass a new bill later this year that will expand the law’s application to music, e-books, and software.
[The full text in Russian. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Signed on December 28, 2013. This law gives Russia’s Attorney General the extrajudicial power to add to the RuNet Blacklist any websites containing “calls to riots, extremist activities, the incitement of ethnic and (or) sectarian hatred, terrorist activity, or participation in public events held in breach of appropriate procedures.” In March 2014, police used this law to block four major opposition websites, including three news portals and the blog of Russia’s most prominent anti-corruption activist. Since the law passed last year, the Attorney General as blacklisted 191 different Web addresses.
In April 2014, Putin revealed at a public forum that the government was investigating the legal status of online news-aggregation services like Yandex News. In May, a Duma deputy asked the Russian Attorney General to issue a ruling about the status of Yandex News, to determine if the state should regulate such websites as mass media outlets. In early June, Yandex’s CEO joined Putin onstage at a forum on Internet entrepreneurship, where the two chatted amicably about the RuNet’s economic potential. On July 1, Russian newspapers reported that the Attorney General does not consider news-aggregation to qualify as mass media, aborting the Duma’s effort to impose new regulations on Yandex News and similar websites.
[The full text in Russian. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Signed on May 5, 2014. This package consisted of three separate laws, hurried through the Duma after terrorist attacks in the city of Volgograd in December 2013. Two of the laws added new Internet regulations, creating restrictions on electronic money transfers (banning all foreign financial transactions involving anonymous parties) and extensive requirements for governing the activity of “popular bloggers” and the data retention of certain websites and online networks. The “law on bloggers” takes effect on August 1, 2014, creating a new registry especially for citizen-media outlets with daily audiences bigger than three thousand people. Bloggers added to this registry face a series of new regulations (against obscene language, libel, and so on), increasing their vulnerability to criminal prosecution.
[The full text in Russian. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Signed on June 28, 2014. This law allows the government to hand down five-year prison sentences to people who re-disseminate extremist materials online. The “law against retweets” codifies an existing police practice, but making the policy official could increase the number of such prosecutions in the future.
[The full text in Russian. RuNet Echo’s commentary in English.]
Passed by the Duma on July 4, 2014. This legislation still awaits the Senate’s approval and Putin’s signature. The law, if passed, will require all websites that store user data about Russian citizens to house that data on servers located inside Russia. According to the legislation’s logic, websites will be barred from storing Russian users’ personal data anywhere outside of Russia (though the law’s actual text is somewhat vague on this point, perhaps because of jurisdictional limitations on what Russia can mandate outside its borders). The law applies to a wide variety of websites, ranging from e-booking services to Facebook, affecting any website or online service operating on the concept of “users.”


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Detained Brazilian Activist Says, “I’m a Target of a Large and Dirty Political Persecution Campaign” · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Letter written by Brazilian activist Fábio Hideki, published by Mídia Ninja (CC BY-SA 4.0).
This letter, published by Mídia Ninja collective, was written by Fábio student Hideki Harano, one of the two activists arrested in São Paulo after taking part of a demonstration against the World Cup in Brazil on June 26. The Freedom for Hideki campaign ensures popular pressure for his release.
03/07/2014  Fábio Hideki Haramo
Escrevendo de maneira leve e solta, sem pensar elaboradamente digo que não fiz nada de errado pois participar de manifestações de rua, usar equipamentos de proteção e resistir na defensiva, para fazer valer o direito de expressão pública, não é nem um pouco crime.
Estou sendo alvo de uma grande e suja perseguição política. Não neguei revista pois não tinha nada a esconder. Implantaram uma suposta bomba, que só fui ver no DEIC, horas depois de minha detenção.
Sou trabalhador, funcionário público e estudante da USP, gosto de ler, de mangá, de Tokusatsu (seriados japoneses de super-herois), de heavy metal, artes marciais, luta política por um mundo melhor, justo e sem desumanindade.
Sei da importância de lutar. Pratico kentô e sei que só viver de maneira individualista não leva a um mundo melhor. Assim, participo sim de sindicato, apoio determinados movimentos sociais como MTST e o MPL. Sei que lutar, sem briga, nas ruas é importante. Participo de manifestações sem partir para agressões.
Tanto é que meus pais e meus avós sabem com tranquilidade que não faço lutas erradas.
Writing freely, without too much thinking, I can say that I have done nothing wrong, considering that joining the street demonstrations, wearing protective gear and resisting defensively to assert the right of public expression is not the slightest crime.
I am target of a large and dirty political persecution. I did not avoid being searched because I had nothing to hide. They planted a supposed bomb, which I only saw at the [estate police station] DEIC hours after my arrest.
I'm a worker, a public servant and a University of São Paulo student, I like reading, manga, tokusatsu [Japanese superhero series], heavy metal, martial arts, and a political fight for a better, fair world without inhumanity.
I know the importance of fighting. I practice Kento and know that just living in an individualistic way will not lead to a better world. So, yes, I participate in the workers’ union, I support certain social movements such as the Homeless Workers Movement and the Free Fare Movement. I know that fighting in the streets, without aggression, is important. I take part in demonstrations but do not take part in violence.
So much so that my parents and grandparents know with confidence that I do not fight wrong causes.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Paula Góes


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Gender is “Not the Same as Sex”: #CPMX5Incluyente · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image by Twitter user @Valeriaggaona.
Recently held Campus Party in Jalisco, Mexico, duscussed about a wide range of discussions, not always related with the topic of this kind of meetings. Claudia Calvin founder of the collective Mujeres Construyendo, writes on Animal Político some of her conclusions, noting that sexism and women objectivization lays the foundations to exert violence again them.
She explains:
En primer lugar, las características que las sociedades atribuyen a cada sexo son construidas social y culturalmente y, además, van configurando un sistema de relaciones de poder. Esto implica que en cada cultura y contexto se asume que hombres y mujeres deban desempeñar funciones sociales específicas
In the first place, the characteristics societies give to each sex are socially and culturally created, and they set up a power relationship system. This means that in each culture and context it's accepted that men and women must carry on specific social roles.
She then offers a overview of inequalities, gaps and gender barriers on events such as Campus Party and ICT ecosystems:
Hay más hombres que mujeres en todos los niveles de toma de decisiones y en el universo del desarrollo de software y contenidos sucede lo mismo. En el mundo de la computación, según datos de The Atlantic, solamente el 25% de los puestos son ocupados por mujeres. A nivel de CIOs (Chief Information Officers) en el listado de 250 empresas de la lista de Fortune, solamente el 20% ocupa ese cargo. Por ellos los nombres de Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer y Blanca Treviño son tan importantes. Son, literalmente, gotas de agua en el desierto.
There are more men than women at every decision making level, as it happens within the universe of software and content development. In computer world, according to The Atlantic, only 25% of positions are taken by women. For CIO (Chief Information Officers) on the list of 250 firm on Fortune lists, only 20% of women have that position. That's why names as Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer and Blanca Treviño are so important. They are, literally, water drops in the desert.
To read more about international relationships, politics, gender and ICT, you can follow Claudia Calvin on Twitter.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Hackers Mock Internet Speed in Myanmar by Replacing Logo of IT Ministry with Turtles · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The website of Myanmar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was hacked on Friday morning, July 4, 2014. The hackers replaced two government seals with turtles alluding to the country's slow internet connection. The hacking also coincided with the Facebook blocking which many people believe was done by the government to prevent the spread of hate speech after violent riots erupted in the city of Mandalay.
The government was able to fix the website in the afternoon.
Screenshot of the hacked website of Myanmar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Photo from The Irrawaddy

author: Mong Palatino


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If It’s Still Useful, Don’t Dump It! · Global Voices
Luis Flores

Image by manuelherran on flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
On the blog Esturirafi [es], biologist Rut Abrain writes frequently about her environment-related thoughts and advise. This time [es], she blogs about the issue of obsolence and shares tips to fight against it:
Se llama  a “la planificación o programación de la vida útil de un producto o servicio de modo que –tras un período calculado por el fabricante o la empresa– dicho producto se torne obsoleto e inútil”.
We know as  the “planning or programming of a product or service lifespan that –after a períod estimated by the manufacturer or the firm– that product becomes obsolete and useless.”
To reduce the pollution caused by obsolence, the main thing is to avoid consumerism, to keep on using your products that still work and to repair them instead of replacing them.
You can follow Rut on her blog and on Twitter.

author: Luis Flores


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Photography as Means of Switching Off from the Online World · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image by Justin Jensen on flickr. CC BY 2.0.
Barcelona- based Andrea Collazo writes on Profesora de Informática (Computing teacher; es) a post about how to use a mobile phone to take pictures, while enjoying her vacation. You should pay attention to:
Resolución: para obtener las mejores fotos, asegúrate de que la cámara tenga señalado en sus opciones el tamaño mayor, es decir la mayor resolución. Las imágenes pesarán más y ocuparán más memoria pero así tendrás las fotos en la mejor resolución que tu Smartphone tenga.
Trata de no usar el flash: el flash hace que las fotos sean menos naturales y que los objetos y figuras aparezcan más planas.
Evita el Zoom: El zoom hace que tus imágenes se pixelen. Mejor acercarte o tomar la foto con la distancia real, luego podrás editar la foto y obtener lo que deseabas.
Busca un apoyo: para evitar que la fotografía salga borrosa por el movimiento, sobre todo si es un momento en que no hay mucha luz.
[..]
Investiga los modos de la cámara: los modos de tu smartphone te ayudarán a sacar la mejor foto según la situación.
Resolution: to take better pictures, make sure the camera is set up on its bigger options, that is, the higher resolution. Images will occuy more memory, but you'll have the pictures with the best resolution your smartphone has.
Avoid the flash: it makes pictures look less natural and objects and images appear flatter.
Avoid the zoom: it makes your images pixeled. It's better if you get closer to take the picture o take it with the actual distance, then you will be able to edit the picture and get what you were looking for.
Get a foothold, as to prevent the picture to be blurry due to movement, especially if there is not much light at the time.
[..]
Find out the camera modes: your smartphone modes will help you making the best picture, according to the situation.
For updates with other recommendations from Collazo, look for her Twitter account.


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Saudi Human Rights Lawyer Waleed Abulkhair Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison · Global Voices
Noor Mattar

Profile photo for Waleed Abulkhair's Twitter account @WaleedAbulkhair.
Waleed Abulkhair, a prominent Saudi human rights defender, was sentenced to 15 years in prison today. He was convicted under a new anti-terrorism law introduced in the absolute monarchy for charges like “insulting general order” and “inflaming public opinion”.
It comes despite an outcry from NGOs globally less than two months after his brother-in-law Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for establishing a website.
Abulkhair, who is the head of the “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia” organisation, has more than 76,000 followers on @WaleedAbulkhair. After his sentence this account tweeted, quoting him:
A final judgement against #WaleedAbuAlkhair has been announced early this day -1
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
He was sentenced to 15 yrs and similar travel ban period and a 200 thousands riyals fine. A statement will be published tonight -2
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
” I object this judgement; God, history and people will make the true judgement between us” #WaleedAbuAlkhair reply in the final session.
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
Blogger Ahmed Al-omran clarifyied what the charges are:
Activist @WaleedAbulkhair convicted under new antiterrorism law for charges like “insulting general order” and “inflaming public opinion”.
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) July 6, 2014
Abulkhair has been in prison since April 16. Activists say the new 15-year sentence overturns an earlier three-month sentence. Academic researcher Dr. Madawi Alrasheed tweeted to her 181,000 followers denouncing the sentence:
باسم أي شريعة يتحول حكم بالسجن من ٣ اشهر الى ١٥ سنة؟ #وليد_أبوالخير
— Madawi Al-Rasheed (@MadawiDr) July 6, 2014
In what creed does an imprisonment sentence change from 3 months to 15 years?
Twitter user Bander Qedeer wrote under the very active hash tag #وليد_أبوالخير, which translates to Waleed Abulkhair:
من يحمل السلاح ويكفر ويقاتل،،،يناصح ويخرج ومن يكتب وينتقد يحكم بسنين طويلة ،،،أنتم تحددون خيارات صعبة للشعب #وليد_أبوالخير
— بندر قِدير (@freetizen) July 6, 2014
Ideologist extremists who take up arms and go to fight will be rehabilitated, counseled and released while those who write and criticise will get lengthy sentences… you are giving the people tough options
Abulkhair will not appeal the sentence, tweeted CNN's international correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom to his 18,600 followers:
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, says “verdict was not just. Waleed was tried& sentenced simply 4 his work as rights activist” #Saudi
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, tells me Waleed does not recognize the legitimacy of the court that sentenced him in #Saudi Arabia
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, tells me Waleed neither accepts nor will he appeal the verdict that was issued today in #Saudi court
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
This new development is part of Saudi Arabia's continuous crackdown on human rights activists which has escalated widely since the beginning of this year.

author: Noor Mattar


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The Victims of China’s Soil Pollution Crisis · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A very in-depth investigation published by ChinaFile on the problem of soil pollution in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Vigilante Justice on the Rise in Senegal  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Sada Tangara, a photographer and blogger based in Dakar, Senegal posted a photoreport on the rise of vigilante justice on the streets of Dakar, capital city of Senegal. He explains the genesis of his project and why this type of popular justice is prominent in Dakar [fr] :
Il faut savoir qu’à Dakar, quand un délinquant se fait attraper par une foule alors qu’il vient de commettre un crime ou un délit, il est systématiquement tabassé, grièvement blessé et meurt parfois des suites de ces coups. J’ai donc voulu comprendre ce cycle de violence et montrer la vengeance disproportionnée que subissent parfois les délinquants en retour de leurs actes [..] Pour les Dakarois, cette justice populaire est un moyen d’effrayer les agresseurs et d’essayer de les dissuader de revenir dans leur quartier.
In Dakar, when an angry crowd manages to catch a delinquent that has just committed an infraction or a crime, he is systematically beaten, and is often seriously injured and may even die. I wanted to understand this cycle of violence and to show the disproportionate violence that some of these delinquents suffer as a result of their actions [..] For the people of Dakar, this type of popular justice is a way to scare potential perpetrators and to deter them from coming back to their homes.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Welcome to Che Guevara Home Museum · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Photo by Laura Schneider, used with permission.
Alta Gracia [es] is located in the department Santa María, province of Córdoba, Argentina. It's listed as World Heritage Site and among its attactions we find the Che Guevara Home Museum [es]. From there, Argentinian blogger Laura Schneider [es] provides us a photo gallery of the museum.
On her blog, Laura adds: [es]:
Con un estilo inglés conserva su forma pero ahora llena de fotografías, recortes de periódicos, el cuarto de Ernesto, la famosa motoneta y el diario que guarda los relatos de su vida. Emplazada en un barrio con muchas casas del mismo estilo.
Como permiten tomar fotografías, previo haber pedido permiso, les dejo acá algunas para que se entusiasmen y visiten el museo. Este se encuentra en el Barrio Carlos Pellegrini, – Avellaneda 501. El valor de la entrada es muy baja (no vale la pena ponerlo aqui) y se utiliza para el mantenimiento del lugar.
With a British style, it's form has been preserved but now it's full of photographs, Ernesto's bedroom, the famous scooter and the journal that keeps accounts from his life. It's located on a neighborhood with many houses with the same style.
As photographies are allowed, at previous request, here I share some of them to fill you with excitement so you visit the museum. It's located on Carlos Pellegrini neighborhood – Avellaneda 501. The ticket fare is very low (it's not even worth to be mentioned) and it's used for maintenance.
If you are passionate about photojournalism, follow Laura's stories on her Twitter account: @LauraSchne.


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77 Years Ago, a War That Killed Millions Began Between China and Japan · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech in Beijing on Monday to mark the 77th anniversary of the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Screenshot from CCTV.
Chinese President Xi Jinping lambasted Japan's wartime aggression and reiterated China's commitment to peaceful development, in an emotional 13-min speech aired on state television to mark the 77th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident — the battle that saw the start of the Japanese military invasion.
It's the first time the top leader of China has ever attended such a high-profile orchestrated event, as relations between Beijing and Tokyo have chilled over issues ranging from island disputes to the growing nationalism in both countries.
Addressing military representatives, a group of young students, party officials and select residents of Beijing, Xi said: “There is still a small minority of people who turn a blind eye to historical facts and ignore tens of thousands of lives lost in the war, who have gone against historic trend and have denied repeatedly or even beautified the history of invasion”.
Xi's designation of “a small minority” is an apparent reference to the right-wing politicians in Japan who have rejected what China says were Japanese wartime atrocities that include the infamous Nanjing Massacre and forced sexual slavery during the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937–1945.
“The purpose of this ceremony is to remember history, reflect on our revolutionary ancestors, cherish peace and be vigilant of future [risks] and for China to resolutely walk down a path of peaceful development and safeguard world peace,” Xi said at the beginning of his speech. He added that the denial of history has damaged mutual trust and created regional tension.
Xi's speech was followed by a brief event in which a group of schoolchildren and youth representatives chanted in unison: “To firmly remember history, cherish peace, not forget national shame and realise the China dream”.
In response to Monday's commemoration, Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief government spokesperson, said China's attempt to dredge up wartime history and turn it into an international issue was unnecessary and does not help in building peace and cooperation in the region, according to the Associated Press.
Mainstream western media have described China as more diplomatically aggressive since Xi became China's president in 2012. Xi presided over the creation of an Air Defence Zone that covers a large swath of the East China Sea, which has drawn the ire of the U.S. and Japan. Beijing has rejected the idea that it's an act of provocation and unilateralism. In another widely watched move, China in May transported an oil rig to disputed waters in the South China Sea, prompting mass anti-China protests in Vietnam, which Beijing has branded as illegal.
China is seeking more regional sway with its increasingly economic clout. A recent Economist magazine article described China's dilemma in Asia as one of how to balance the peaceful rise it says it wants with its desire for more regional influence.
That desire feeds into a growing national pride as Chinese become more affluent and increasingly eager to be heard in international affairs. During his visit to France, Xi said that China is an awakened lion that is “peaceful, pleasant and civilised”.
And when it comes to diplomatic dynamics in Asia, the growing rift between China and Japan, Asia's two biggest economies, has become a flash point in regional security more than anything else.
Events like Monday's have come to underscore China's frustration with current Japanese politicians’ unwillingness to face up to history. It came shortly after Japan overturned a 60-year ban on its military fighting overseas.
The anniversary was a hot topic on Sina Weibo, the popular microblogging service seen as China's Twitter. Tonghuashu De Xinyuan urged China's leaders to move on for the better:
我们不应该活着伤痛和仇恨中，但我们更应该的，是有好的领导人带领我们中国强大团结，只要国富民强，我们才不会被欺负和践踏。
We should not live in pain and hatred; what we should do is to have good leaders to lead us and make China stronger and united. We will not be bullied and trampled on so long as we have a prosperous nation and affluent people.
Luo Changping, a former investigative journalist with a large fan base on Weibo, posted a picture of the First World War memorial in Berlin, suggesting that Japan should learn from Germany in reflecting on the history:
这是柏林的一战纪念堂，如果说反思，还是看看德国。#七七事变七七纪念#
This is the memorial of the First World War in Berlin, learn from Germany when it comes to reflection on history. # Commemorating the July 7 incident
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief at the nationalistic Global Times, wrote about the importance of the anniversary:
纪念七七事变77周年，是中国的正能量。它能带来对那场国难的反思，帮我们更好看懂今天。揶揄这场纪念的人，大概是想突出自己的特立独行，以及他们能够超越国家和民族利益的、高贵的思想感情逻辑。我有时搞不太清楚，在大是大非面前，这种装孙子的“多元化”是不是依然听可爱？
To mark the 77th anniversary of the July 7 incident represents the positive energy of China. It makes people reflect on the national disaster and helps us better understand today. Those who ridicule this anniversary might intentionally want to make themselves unique and show a logic that transcends national interests. I don't get it sometimes that such “diversified opinions” will be any cuter in the face of pure major issues of right and wrong.
A Chengdu-based writer, Linhai Tingtao, reflected on the date:
今天七月七日，一大早老婆就和岳父母带着孩子去了新家忙装修的事情了，我则在家里一个人安静的上网、码字。因为是上班时间，小区里很安静，只有隔着一个小区的建筑工地里偶尔传来轰鸣声，以及远处主干道上隐约的汽车喇叭声。微博上大家在讨论着世界杯、变4……我想这就是77年前那场战争的意义吧。
Today is July 7. My wife and father-in-law have taken our kid and gone to our new house to work on the decoration early this morning. I am quietly staying here doing my writing and surfing the Internet. Our community is very quiet because it's now office time. There are only occasional drilling sounds a block away and inconsistent honking coming from a major artery. People are talking about the World Cup and Transformers 4 on Weibo…I think this is what the war 77 years ago has achieved.

author: Owen Guo


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Joined by Love, Separated by Egypt’s Prison Walls  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Clockwise: Sanaa Seif (left) and Mona Seif; Alaa Abd El Fattah with his son Khaled and Mona; Alaa and Sanaa; and Sanaa and Mona. Photo credit: Mona Seif via Facebook
This post was originally written in Arabic by Mona Seif. Her brother Alaa Abd El Fattah is in prison, serving a 15-year sentence for taking part in a demonstration, and her sister Sanaa Seif is also in prison facing trial for taking part in a march against a controversial Egyptian law that prohibits demonstrations. A translation of her post, in which she writes about pain, love and hope, appears below.
As a child, death was the biggest fear I had.
I had a lot of nightmares. The idea of my death would chase me and let me cry my eyes out while I was in bed alone. My mother told me that my aunt was like this as a child. My mother never understood this fear in me or in my aunt but was always the one who helped us deal with it. When I spoke to my aunt about it, she told me that her fear of her own death changed after giving birth to her children. I did not understand her words until I got to understand my feelings towards Sanaa – my youngest sister who is taller than me and who is the most beautiful person in my life.
When my mother was pregnant with Sanaa, she asked me whether I wanted a sister or a brother. It was a difficult decision for an eight-year-old to make, especially one who was torn between the idea of having a sister in order to have a bunker bed and sleep on the top level, or having a younger brother who would taunt her older brother. After a long period of confusion, I decided I wanted Sanaa and not Yousif, or rather I wanted the bunker bed, and would look for new ways to taunt Alaa.
I remember the day she was born.
Our relative Azza woke Alaa and me up to prepare us to go to school. We knew that mother had gone to the hospital at midnight to give birth. We went to school in a trance; we entered the courtyard jumping; and Alaa would shout at everyone he encountered: “My sister has arrived.”
After school, we took the bus, and raced home as soon as it stopped to see who would arrive first. We entered the room on my mother and found her smiling calmly while holding a small creature. We bent to take a closer look at Sanaa. She responded with a weak “Aaaaaa.” Alaa laughed and said: “Poor thing! She can't even yell” so Sanaa shrieked in a manner which made us take a step back, before breaking down with laughter.
Sanaa is like this. You gives you that impression that she is a biscuit, something small who is unable to manage. Then suddenly, she surprises you by doing something which includes all the things you were never able to do. I remember the day we went to the investigation judge after the cabinet incident for him to take our statement after our arrest and harassment. For those who knew us, I was the one who remembered statements, information and details, and who would concentrate on everything, while Sanaa was the one who lived in another world of her imagination and who would even forget names and details and easily get lost. On that day, she surprised me again. I started speaking about what happened – feelings, names and descriptions of the people who were with us. I then released that all this was irrelevant and that I had to present descriptions which would help find out who those who had harassed us were. I automatically use one of the survival tricks living with harassment on the streets on a daily basis brings – I try to blur out the faces and features of all those people I am afraid of and those who endanger me.
Sanaa, however, my sister who considered all the bridges in Cairo as Tharwat Bridge (the only bridge whose name she knew), sat down in front of the investigator and gave a detailed description of those who had attacked us as well as those who were arrested with us. She was able to describe their height, the colour of their skin and the number of stars and badges on their shoulder. And she identified three of the officers who attacked us and pinpointed them from newspapers of the day's coverage.
I remember how I then joked with her: “Who's this? Bring back my sister Sanaa!” I also remember how on that day I discovered how important Sanaa was during life-changing moments, how she was different, and how her ability to focus and take decisions surpassed that of anyone I knew.
For a few days now, I have been suppressing this pain inside me, which I cannot deal with. This pain is related to how all the spells an older sister would cast to protect her younger sister did not work. It is a pain regarding the three minutes I stole to meet her at the police station, where we were separated by a door and barbed wire, where I was not able to hug her, and where all our conversation was conducted in a loud voice and fast, in a bid to reassure her and those arrested with her. The way she probably saw it was that it was a lot of talk, full of anxiety, which contained many demands and instructions.
Nowadays, life has become so harsh on us, one is not able to grasp the pain, express his sadness, or speak about his love for his jailed siblings. Today when I visited Sanaa, all it took to suck out all the pain was a small letter from her, and a few words words. Again she surprised me about how, despite the distance and the prison walls, only she was able to understand my pain.
Last December, I wrote, after visiting Alaa in prison:
“Your prisons don't scare us.
If your injustice hurt, the day will come when we will remember all the lovely things in the dream which is making us insist on defeating your nightmare.
And we will remember the laughter of all those we were separated from.
We have a secret weapon. We have Sanaa.
Truly, with all your tanks, and prisons, and armoured vehicles, and morgues … we are stronger than you.”
While it is true that they have prisons, armoured vehicles, bullets, court houses and police stations, and are able to separate us from each other like having Alaa in Tora prison and Sanaa at the Qanater prison, where we get Alaa's prison visit permit from Zenhum court, and Sanaa's visit permit from Al Abbasiya court, we still have a secret weapon – Sanaa, and the overflowing capacity to love which trespasses the walls of all the prisons

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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A Theater Company Is Crowdfunding to Produce This ‘Powerful’ Play in Cuba About Homosexuality · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

“Bent” was first performed in 1979 in London (Photograph displayed on Indiegogo)
Havana's theater company “La Peña Meisner” has launched a campaign on Indiegogo to raise 15,000 British pounds, or about 25,000 US dollars, to produce and launch “Bent” in Cuba, a play about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany.
“Bent” is “a visceral and powerful representation of the abuse and internment of homosexuals in Nazi Germany leading up to World War II and the search for personal and social acceptance of one's identity,” the fundraising page says.
According to the theater group, which is not official and not financed by the Cuban state, and is made up of actors and directors working under the British director Stephen Bayly, “the topics explored in this classical work, regarding persecution and prejudice against gays, are still very relevant in Cuba today and globally.”
The new Cuban Labor Code, recently approved in the Caribbean nation, has received a lot of criticism due to the lack of explicit recognition of gender identity as a motive for discrimination, leaving transsexuals in a position of vulnerability. Historically the LGBT community in Cuba has suffered discrimination and persecution, but in the past years they have made tremendous strides in terms of acquiring rights. Of course, there is still much work ahead.
The group's former production, titled “Azul/Naranja,” was financed by the British and Norwegian embassies along with Cuban sponsors. However, “Bent” is an even more ambitious project, which will also receive Norwegian funds.
The online platform Indiegogo specifies that the funds raised will be used for the leasing of the rehearsal space and the theater, the music, lights, marketing campaigns, print and graphic design, costumes and props, the filming of the production, and the actors, directors and producer's flights, amongst other costs.
Los requisitos del diseño de producción incluyen seis conjuntos completamente diferentes en el primer acto, y la construcción de un campo de concentración para el segundo acto. El vestuario y los accesorios abarcan numerosos uniformes nazis, tanto de las SA como de las SS, los uniformes de los presos, pelucas equipadas, fusiles descargados, juegos de gafas con montura de concha, cuchillos de la época, etc.
The production design requirements are six completely different sets in the Act One, and construction of a concentration camp for Act Two. Costumes and accessories involve numerous full Nazi uniforms, both SA and SS, changes of prisoners’ uniforms, fitted wigs, discharging rifles, sets of horn-rimmed glasses, stage knives, etc.
Bayly has stated that he is “extremely proud to be part of this moment in history in Cuba. In the years since I've been coming to Cuba, there has been a growing awareness of LGBT issues (…) So the presentation of Bent (…) could have a significant effect on public opinion.”
La Peña Meisner's realistic acting have turned this company into leaders in Latin America in this form of acting. In February 2012, their production “Las Tumbas Olvidadas” made its debut, performed during the “British week” in Havana.
In June 2013 they performed “Azul/Naranja,” with which members of the cast, Idalmis Garcia and Héctor Noas, earned two nominations for the Premios Caricato, one of the most prestigious acting awards in Cuba.
The first performance of “Bent” took place in London in 1979, with Ian McKellen and Tom Bell in the leading roles. In fact, McKellen appears in a video for the crowdfunding campaign. “The play has been done all over the world, and I'm very glad it's now finally reaching Cuba,” he says. “And wherever it's been shown, I think people have realized its relevance to our lives today.”
In 1980, “Bent” was performed in New York City starring Richard Gere. The play was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1980, and won the Dramatist Guild Best Play Award. It was adapted into a film in 1997 under the direction of Sean Mathias.
The crowdfunding campaign ends on July 23.

author: Elaine Díaz


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International Authors Condemn Israel’s Continued Settlement Construction · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Sixteen international authors who participated at the Palestine Festival of Literature, held from in several Palestinian cities from May 31 to June 5, released a statement condemning Israel's continued settlement construction and applauding the efforts of the Boycott Divest and Sanction (BDS) campaign. The statement, shared on Facebook, reads:
“Having personally witnessed the injustice visited upon the Palestinian people in the territories occupied by Israel, it is with the utmost sadness and dismay that we – the undersigned international authors and artists – note Benjamin Netanyahu's approval this week of yet another 1,500 new illegal settlements units in the West Bank. This is particularly unfortunate at a moment when the Palestinians have formed a unity government that has been recognized by the international community.
Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories have long since been pronounced illegal by international law. The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is itself illegal, and declared so by the international community through various UN resolutions.
Additional settlements can be seen only as an act of aggression, showing utter disregard not just for the human and civil rights of the Palestinian people, but for international law.
We applaud the non-violent efforts of the BDS campaign (www.bdsmovement.net) and express our solidarity with its demand that Israel should comply with the precepts of international law by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab land and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
We thus call for the Israeli Government to respect international law and reverse the approval of the thousand plus additional settlements units in the West Bank.
We furthermore call on the International Community to work to induce Israel to uphold basic principles of international law.
Signed:
Sharif Abdel Khouddous
Susan Abdulhawa
Teju Cole
Nathan Hamilton
Nathalie Handal
Brigid Keenan
Sabrina Mahfouz
Michael Ondaatje
Ed Pavlic
Eliza Robertson
Sapphire
Kamila Shamsie
Ahdaf Soueif
Linda Spalding
Janne Teller
Haifa Zangana
6th of June 2014.”

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Government Jobs Remain a Sweet Retirement Deal in China Despite Clamor to Reform Pensions · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Retired seniors play cards in a park in China. Photo by Flickr user Cathy and Dan. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Iron rice bowl” is Chinese slang for stable government-related employment that comes with attractive benefits and practically zero risks of job cuts. So tempting was the label, popularised during Mao Zedong’s rule in China before economic reforms kicked in, that it was even seen as a boastful attribute during blind dates in the 1960s.
Such jobs promise free pensions with which jobholders can rest easy after retirement, effectively creating a cradle-to-grave welfare scheme inspired by the Soviet model. During the heyday of China’s planned economy, iron rice bowl were the definition of golden jobs.
But what many people once perceived as dream jobs have become a liability for the Chinese government in recent years, as the country struggles with a looming pension deficit amid changing demographics.
Realising the invention of iron rice bowl has landed them in hot water, authorities in China hinted at a willingness to do away with the free pension privilege in late May this year. Chinese media reported at the time that workers at government and affiliated organisations are required to contribute individually to their social security starting in July, when a new regulation would take effect.
But in a drastic twist, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, which oversees social welfare and employment, dismissed media reports as misinterpretations. The department told the Communist Party mouthpiece newspaper People's Daily last week that the new regulation was simply some “general principles” — a Chinese euphemism to allow for flexibility — and “additional studies” need to be done regarding government workers’ salary mechanism and pension.
For now, China's 21-million-strong workers in government and its affiliated organisations might bask in the assurance that their status quo will not be challenged anytime soon, but this sudden turn of events appear to have dented hope for more equality in pension, adding another layer of tension in China's pledge to reform its troubled pension system.
China introduced its national pension system in 1997, at a time when living conditions had markedly improved after nearly two decades of economic reforms. While the Chinese government deserves credit for having expanded its pension coverage rate ever since, it's been often times faulted for creating a class-defined scheme. Workers are divided into three groups — urban white-collar workers, government workers (including those employed at government-affiliated groups) and farmers — that have their own distinctive pension packages.
Under the current pension system, urban white-collar workers are generally required to contribute 28 percent of their salary to collective pension pools, while iron rice bowl job holders — mostly government employees — have their pension entirely covered by the state. Pension received by an iron bowl rice retiree can be 33 times higher than what a peasant will get after retirement, a Chinese media outlet reported in 2013, citing figures from National School of Development of the prestigious Beijing University.
Danqing Shuoshi, a Shanghai-based user, lamented this set-up as unfair:
【中国的社保本质】其实就是5个民工每人凑了20块钱，准备吃顿大餐。菜做好了，工头来了，他没交钱，却吃了3份，5个交钱的民工合吃了2份。普通职工缴纳养老金的费用占工资的28%，公务员无须缴纳，但退休后公务员退休金却是普通职工3倍——“劫贫济富”，这就是中国的社保。
The essence of China's pension: It's like there are five migrants workers, and each contributes 20 yuan [about 3 US dollars] to pay for a big meal. The food is ready and the supervisor of the migrant workers comes. The supervisor doesn't pay for the meal but ends up having three people's food. Normal employees have to contribute 28 percent of their income to pensions whereas a government worker gets three times the pension of what a normal employee gets — robbing the poor to help the rich. That's what pensions look like in China.
The stark contrast in pensions between urban white-collar professionals and government employees has fueled social discontent, prompting calls to scrap the so-called dual-track system that has come under close scrutiny.
But some have pointed out that there is a reason why so-called iron rice bowl workers receive such a cushy pension deal — low pay. They complain efforts to bring their pensions in line with those of other professionals don't seem to address that government workers generally don't make much.
Telunsu Wow, a citizen of northeastern city of Dalian, wrote on on popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo:
事业单位工资不高，为什么很多大学生还想考进来，归根结底还是大家都希望过稳定的生活，动不动就叫喊着要砸破谁谁们的铁饭碗，却不能为全民提供生活的安全感，闹到最后连养老金都保障不了了，这样的政府真是让人失望。国家高速发展了，人民不一定幸福。。。。其实中国民众的要求很低的
The pay in the government sector is not high, so why do a lot of university graduates still want to apply for such jobs? Fundamentally it's because everyone wants a stable life. There are constant efforts to break the iron rice bowl system, but [the government] fails to offer its people a sense of security and ensure people get a pension. A government like this is disappointing. The country is developing fast, but that does not necessarily make people happy…. In fact, the demand of the Chinese people isn't much.
An ageing population
Despite public frustration over the differences between pension packages, a bigger worry is looming — will China be able to pay for its retired seniors in 2050 when more than a quarter of its population will be over 65?
There are good reasons for concern.
With a growing life expectancy and more than three decades of the one-child policy, the number of seniors is on the rise. In 2013, people over 60 years old stood at 200 million, and a report by a government-financed research institute estimated that China would become the world's most aged society by 2030.
In a country where caring for the elderly is a cultural norm, a failure to deliver on filial piety undoubtedly draws censure and at times court cases. However, what might leave seniors financially crippled after retirement is more likely to be a systematic problem, triggered by a fast ageing population and a flawed pension design.
One prominent characteristic of the Chinese pension system is the pay-as-you-go model, in which contributions of the current workforce are used to pay for the pension benefits of the retired. But China's workforce has already shown signs of shrinking, a trend that is set to continue in the years to come, thrusting the sustainability of such model into question despite the fact that China loosened its one-child policy last year.
As one outspoken Taiwanese economist has put it, “The Chinese economy is bound to crash in 2015 [if we need to] support all the seniors.” By some estimates, only one worker on average will contribute to a senior's pension benefit, compared to a 5-1 ratio in 2010.
China's latest response to the looming crisis is house-for-pension scheme, in which elderly Chinese would promise their homes to a bank or insurance company and receive monthly payments on the value. The government has also deliberated on delaying the retirement age — 50 or 55 for women and 60 for men at the moment — and attempted to diversify investment of national pension funds.
This has left many wondering what they can expect at retirement. Xuri Sanxing Wusheng, from the northern Hebei province, wrote on Weibo:
据说就要延迟退休，像我这样的年龄赶上六十五退休是没有问题了，但是有三个疑问始终未解：1、我国平均年龄到底是多少？2、我现在开始交养老保险交到退休，退休后几年能把我这些年交的领回来。3、有传言说养老金亏空的厉害到底是真是假？若是真的亏了多少？若是假的拿出证据在新闻联播上给大家播一下。
I heard there is a possibility of delaying the retirement age. For someone my age, I suspect I could be retiring at 65, but there are three questions that are unanswered: 1) What's the average age of Chinese in China? 2) I am paying for my pension until retirement, but when can I get back all the money I have paid after retirement? 3) It's said that there is a huge pension deficit. Is it true or not? If it's true, how much deficit is there? If it's false, could the authorities air the evidence on the 7 o'clock Xinwen Lianbo news?
In the eyes of Wang Zhi'an, an influential investigative journalist, it's only a matter of time before at least the iron rice bowl privilege is dismantled. “The reform of government workers’ pension is like an arrow on the bowstring,” he wrote on Weibo. But will reform of the system go further than that? It remains to be seen.


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Mobile Phones Drive Social And Economic Changes In Pakistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

From a slow start in the late Nineteen Nineties mobile phone penetration in Pakistan has jumped up in recent years to 77% nationally and amongst urban class people to almost 100%. Dr. Tahir Rauf at Pak Tea House reports that the ubiquitous mobile phone use in Pakistan has brought a lot of social and economic changes:
These changes in a broader context called Pakistani neoliberalism, characterized by accelerated consumerism with full scale participation in the global economy.

author: Rezwan


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Want to Reach Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy? Try Calling His Mobile Phone Alias, Paul Bismuth  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Nicolas Sarkozy during an Afrique-France summit in Nice in May 2010. Photo by Tanguy Hughes. Copyright Demotix.
Most links lead to French-language pages.
You might not have heard of Paul Bismuth, but you certainly know of the famous French politician who used the name as an alias.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, dogged by corruption allegations, communicated with his lawyer Thierry Herzog using a prepaid mobile phone registered under Paul Bismuth. Herzog suspected — correctly — that Sarkozy's personal phone was wiretapped by prosecutors looking into Sarkozy's campaign financing during the 2007 presidential election.
It was on that “secret” phone that investigators overheard Sarkozy and Herzog allegedly discussing in great detail proceedings of the investigation into the illegal campaign financing that they both should not have been aware of.
In part because of those phone conversations, Sarkozy was charged with corruption and influence peddling on July 2. He is accused of trying to influence judge Gilbert Azibert into giving him more information regarding the proceedings of the so-called Bettencourt Affair, which involved illegal payments made to members of government by L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt. Sarkozy was investigated for his involvement in those payments, but the case was dropped.
Aside from their communication still being wiretapped, there was another problem with the alias: the real Paul Bismuth wasn't looped into the scheme. When the news broke earlier this year, he sued Sarkozy for identity theft, but the lawsuit was withdrawn after negotiation between Bismuth and Sarkozy's lawyers.
So how exactly did Paul Bismuth, alter ego of Sarkozy, come about? French persecutors were investigating Sarkozy's staff with respect to allegations that the one-term president received illegal campaign funding in the 2007 presidential race from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a separate legal issue from the Bettencourt Affair. French law prohibits foreign funding of a political campaign.
Sarkozy's lawyer Herzog came up with the plan to register a prepaid phone under Bismuth's name. According to Lepoint.fr, he explained, “I feared, and with reason, that there would be rogue or illegal wiretapping. And I made sure that I could talk to Nicolas Sarkozy without any eavesdropping, something I was clearly justified to do.”
Initially, only two staffers close to Sarkozy were under investigation and their phone were subsequently wiretapped. As the investigation proceeded and more evidence was collected, prosecutors decided to also wiretap Sarkozy and his lawyer Herzog. Herzog himself is now also under investigation.
The real Paul Bismuth, a real estate developer in Israel, is a former classmate of Herzog. They went to the same high school in Paris in the 1970s but lost contact since. Bismuth was not amused by the identity theft:
Je trouve ça plutôt cavalier, J'ai dit à Herzog que j'étais choqué et étonné par cette pratique, je n'ai pas pris de gants
I found [their action] rather cavalier, I told Herzog that I was shocked and surprised by this practice, I did not mince my words.
Sarozy's lawyers have argued that it is illegal to wiretap an ex-president, especially in the context of attorney-client privilege. Temps réel, a French news blog, explained that the conversation cannot be used as evidence, but “nothing seems to prevent judges from listening.”
Sarkozy went on the offensive in the media to clear his name by appearing on primetime news to respond to the preliminary charges. Earlier this year, media speculated that he may try to run again for president, and observers’ analyses are mixed on what's next for Sarkozy given this new legal development.
What we do know is that whether Sarkozy runs or not, it will not be under the Paul Bismuth's moniker. Sarkozy seems to have enough troubles on his own without bismuth, a rather toxic element when used inappropriately, thrown into the mix.


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“No Less than a Miracle”: Afghanistan’s Next President is… Ashraf Ghani?  · Global Voices
Samea Shanori

Ashraf Ghani trailed Abdullah Abdullah in the first round but found his second wind in the form of a few million votes to claim victory. image taken from US embassy in Kabul's Flickr.
If preliminary results are to be believed — a big ‘if’ given his opponent's stormy statements on voter fraud– Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is likely to become Afghanistan's next elected president. Afghanistan's International Electoral Commission (IEC) stated today that eight million votes were cast in a tension-filled runoff between former Finance Minister Ghani and Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah on June 16.
Contested victory
Currently Dr. Ghani, a Pashtun, is in the lead with 56% of votes, a margin Abdullah Abdullah, a part-Pashtun, part-Tajik popular among Afghanistan's non-Pashtun ethnic groups is unlikely to overturn, despite having led Ghani in the first round by 14 percentage points. As BBC Persian journalist Jamal Mousavi tweeted [fa]:
بر اساس نتایج ابتدایی اشرف غنی احمد زی با 56 درصد آراء رییس جمهور بعدی #افغانستان است، نتایج هنوز نهایی نیست
— Jamal Mousavi (@Jamal_Mousavi) July 7, 2014
According to the preliminary result of the elections, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai with 56% of the votes is in the lead for Afghanistan's next presidency. Results are not final yet.
Still, Ghani's supporters have already started congratulating the winner. Lutfullah Stanikzai's tweet reads:
Congratulations to Dr. @ashrafghani and his team for their victory in the Afghan presidential elections 2014 #AfghanElections
— Lutfullah Stanikzai (@LutfullahSaWayi) July 7, 2014
Predictably, Abdullah Abdullah's spokesman has announced that they are not accepting the results. TOLO News tweeted:
Spokesman for Abdullah Abdullah live on TOLOnews says they do not accept the results announced this evening by the IEC. #Afghanistan
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 7, 2014
Dr. Abdullah's supporters are condemning what his campaign team has called “industrial-scale fraud”. An Abdullah supporter Yar Mohabbat raged [fa]:
اﻋﻼﻥ ﻧﺘﺎﻳﺞ ﺗﻘﻠﺒﻲ ﻣﺸﺮﻭﻋﻴﺖ ﻧﺪاﺭﺩ. ﺭﻳﺲ ﺟﻤﻬﻮﺭ ﺗﻘﻠﺒﻲ, ﺭﻳﺲ ﺟﻤﻬﻮﺭ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻴﺴﺖ.
— Yar Mohabbat (@ymohabbat) July 7, 2014
Announcing result of fraud elections is not acceptable. Fraud president is not my president.
While another Abdullah supporter, Aziz Taheer, questioned the legitimacy of the vote count:
The 150% increase in Dr. Ghani's vote count against all the odds in just 2 months is no less than a miracle. #AfghanElections
— Aziz Taheer (@azizTaheer) July 7, 2014
Kabul resident Haider Sediqi, responding to a question posed by the BBC, wrote [fa]:
@bbcshoma اشرف غنى با چند مليون راى تقلبى ميخواهد بالاى مردم حكومت كند كه اين بار مردم تحمل آنرا ندارند
— haider sediqi (@GhSediqi) July 7, 2014
Ashraf Ghani wants to rule over people with millions of fraud votes, but people are not going to tolerate that.
Journalist Ahmad Mukhtar continued to report sour grapes from the Abdullah camp:
RT @HNajafizada: Breaking: Abdullah's camp tells us it's a total fraud. Over 2 million fraudulent votes for Ghani.
— Ahmad Mukhtar (@AhMukhtar) July 7, 2014
Due to the accusations of fraud, there could be recounts in some districts. American-Afghan writer Freshta Kazemi alleged that a quarter of the votes will be recounted.
#AfghanElections: Preliminary Results. 1/4th of votes to be audited due massive fraud accusation. pic.twitter.com/WFEirU9P6X
— Fereshta Kazemi (@FereshtaKazemi) July 7, 2014
No compromise?
Before the announcement of the results, Ghani and Abdullah had been appearing to talk past each other as their supporters warred on social media. IEC head Zia ul-Haq Amarkhail was forced to step down after Abdullah's team claimed to have recordings of him ordering ballot box stuffing in Ghani's favour.
A truck states its support for Abdullah Abdullah (picture tweeted by @alibomaye. Abdullah Abdullah is  the figure in the centre)
On the morning of July 7 Ashraf Ghani had stated that the votes of the people should be respected:
Stability of Afghanistan is in the stability of people. Hence, the will and votes of people must be respected: pic.twitter.com/ji73sq5A8v
— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) July 5, 2014
Abdullah Abdullah issued a similar message, albeit with an emphasis on a certain type of vote – the clean type.
Once again, I declare my commitment on defending clean votes of Afghan People!
— Abdullah Abdullah (@AfgPresident) July 6, 2014
These clean votes, he explained, were different from “ghost” votes.
Election results released without ghost votes taken out of clean votes would not be acceptable for us!
— Abdullah Abdullah (@AfgPresident) July 6, 2014
According to ex-BBC journalist and human rights advocate Ramin Anwar, Ashraf Ghani is ready to negotiate with Abdullah Abdullah to avoid conflict or violence.
#AshrafGhani‘s camp says there is still room for “talk” and everything possible should be done to avoid violence. #Afghanistan#election
— Ramin Anwari (@raminanwari) July 7, 2014
While as rumours swirled on Twitter, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan was forced to deny that he had had a role in helping the IEC process the votes and acting as a mediator between campaign teams.
The U.S. Ambassador is not at the IEC.
— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) July 7, 2014
Over to Abdullah
With much at stake in Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power it seems the question Global Voices asked back in April is as relevant as ever. As to the answer, much will depend on what Afghanistan's biggest loser, Abdullah Abdullah, and his millions of supporters, do next.

author: Samea Shanori


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Regional Terrorism Reaching Bahrain? · Global Voices
Noor Mattar

As the sectarian tension rises across Iraq and Syria, Bahrain has been giving mixed signals towards the threat of the spill over reaching its shores, from confusing official responses to popular fear rising.
News surfaced that hardline Saudi Sunni cleric Mohamad Al Arefe will be visiting Bahrain tomorrow (July 8, 2014), further aggravating the situation. The cleric, who has been banned from entering the United Kingdom for suspicions regarding the recruitment of jihadists in Syria, is supposed to hold events targeting young Muslims in Bahrain. This has created controversy among Twitter users, who called for Al-arefe's visit to be called off, particularly since he is vocal in calling the adherents of the Shia faith, who make up the majority of the Bahraini local population, apostates.
Bahrain has long been criticized for what some considered quasi-apartheid policies and the events of 2011 did not help bring an end to these practices but to further increase discrimination against the majority Shia popular, ruled by a minority Sunni regime. As the sectarian tension rises in Iraq and Syria, Bahrainis fear the ripple effect will soon reach home as jihadists recruited in Bahrain have been involved in the armed conflict in Syria and according to a formal statement of Bahrain Ministry of Interior some might have returned.
Under these circumstances, a visit by a hardline cleric, known for fanning the flames of sectarianism is not welcome in a country already stretched by tension.
Lawyer Fatima Al Hawaj, who has 47.6k followers, tweeted [ar]:
نتمنى من الداخلية منع دخول محمد العريفي البحرين حتى لا يغرر بعقول الناس للجهاد في سوريا والعراق عقله داعشي ونحن مو قاصرين اكشن في البحرين !
— فاطمة الحواج- محامية (@fatimaalhawaj) July 5, 2014
We urge the Ministry of Interior to ban Al-arefe from entering Bahrain so that he won't lure people into going to jihad in Syria and Iraq. His mindset is just like ISIS and we don't need more suspense in Bahrain
Human rights activist Said Yousif Al Muhafda tweeted to his 98.7k followers:
مغردين بحرينيين يعبرون عن رفضهم من دخول المحرض على الارهاب محمد العريفي الى #البحرين لكي يلقي خطب تحريض #العريفي_غير_مرحب_بك_في_البحرين
— S.Yousif  Almuhafda (@SAIDYOUSIF) July 5, 2014
Bahraini Twitter users express their rejection for allowing terrorism inciter Mohamed Al-arefe from giving incitement speeches in Bahrain under the hashtag Al-arefe is not welcome in Bahrain
And Abbas Al Jamry tells his 2,000 followers
المجرم العريفي سيزيد من زجر حواضن التطرف في البسيتين والرفاع، البلد صغير ولا يحتمل نيرانا أكثر#العريفي_غير_مرحب_بك_في_البحرين
— Abbas Ali Aljamry (@Abbasaljamry) July 6, 2014
The criminal Al-arefe will increase extremism in Busaiteen and Riffa. The country is small and cannot withstand more fires
On July 4, the chief of public security Brigade Tariq Alhassan has published a formal statement calling for parents to supervise their children and warn them against participating in terrorist groups and conflicts.
The Chief also warned against joining extremist religious groups or any group that is classified as a terrorist organization.
However, he has also previously tweeted this:
pic.twitter.com/Ym94cTxdOz
— Tariq Alhassan (@Talhassan) October 23, 2013
Omar ibn Alkhatab (third calipha) said: You don't defeat your enemies with numbers nor with arms, but with religion, but if your sins became equal, then the strongest shall triumph.
The logo on the bullet is that of Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen in Somalia, and recently it is being used as the ISIS flag, as well as the logo of other terrorist groups since 2000.
The same flag has surfaced across Bahrain after the advances of ISIS in Iraq.
Tweeter @ZainabAtteya shared with her 18.7K followers the following:
بفترة السلامة الوطنية كان لصق(علم البحرين) ع السيارة يودي بك للسجن لأنه يرونه إرهابا، واليوم ملصق داعش يُغض عنه البصر pic.twitter.com/JoPLudeIvi
— Zainab Atteya (@ZainabAtteya) June 13, 2014
During the martial law period sticking the flag of Bahrain on your car would have led you to jail because they considered it terrorism, today the flag of ISIS is gone by unnoticed
Yosuif Alkhaja also shared this picture of the logo appearing in a graffiti over a school in Bahrain:
#BAHصباح الخير يا وزارة الداخليةالشعار على مدرسة في المحرقأضيفوا العدد لإحصاء التعدي على المدارس..وإلا شلون!!!؟ pic.twitter.com/bqVdlFDwxY
— yousif alkhaja (@yousifalkhaja) July 6, 2014
Good morning Ministry of Interior.
The logo is on the walls of a school in Muharraq.
Will this be considered as trespassing on schools or what?
In the past, similar flags were raised across Bahrain which alarmed a lot of people to the danger of Alqaeda becoming a threat in Bahrain as the “quasi-apartheid” state would be a suitable habitat for extremism, especially since all attention is focused on the crackdown on political dissent against the regime.


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Tributes to Alexander Sodiqov from Toronto, Canada · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

This post is part of our campaign #FreeAlexSodiqov: GV Author Detained in Tajikistan.
Three weeks to the day since Global Voices author Alexander Sodiqov was arrested in Khorog, Tajikistan, his wife, Musharraf, has seen him only once. Although it has been presumed that Alex — conducting academic research at the time of his arrest — is being tried under article 306 (treason) there has been no public statement to this effect by the Tajik authorities. Alex is an academic, not a spy.
Igor Shoikhedbrod speaks at the event for Alexander Sodiqov. Photo taken from freesodiqov.org, a website set up by Sodiqov's colleagues at the University of Toronto.
Global Voices has been covering, where possible, the academic meetings held in support of Alex Sodiqov. They are here, here, here and here. Overall there were twelve meetings held for Alex. On June 27 there was a meeting held at the University of Toronto in Canada, where Alex is a PhD student and Teaching Assistant. At the beginning of the meeting — now in an embeddable format — Igor Shoikhedbrod, a fellow PhD student at the University of Toronto, issued a moving tribute to Alex, not just as his colleague, but as a friend of the Sodiqov family:
Alex knows so much about Tajikistan’s history its culture and its institutions. And he knows these things not as someone looking from the outside in, but as someone that has experienced those institutions, that history and that culture. Aside from being a rising star in academia Alex is first and foremost a family man. I remember one time asking him how he was on a morning when we had to hand in assignments and he said that he hadn’t slept because he had had to take his wife and his baby daughter Erica to the hospital because she was teething. Alex did not spend that much time in the department because he wanted to spend all the time available with his wife and daughter. One of the reasons Alexander was in Tajikistan [when he was arrested] aside from his scholarly interest in the region, was because like all TAs [Teaching Assistants] his contract ran out in April and he had to provide income for his family over the summer. Last time I spoke with Alex and his family he cooked me authentic Tajik plov and promised to bring me a kazan (cooking pot) as a souvenir from Tajikistan. It is my sincere hope that he can be released without delay and that he can be reunited with his family. We need more scholars on Tajikistan like Alex.
The rest of the meeting can be watched here:

author: Chris Rickleton


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Arabs Gloat at Brazil’s World Cup Defeat  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Saudi Hamad Alarify shares this cartoon, drawing attention to the failure of his country's team in international football championships. The comment should read: “I know that feeling bro”
Arabs seem to have watched with glee as Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup semi-finals, which ended a few minutes ago.
Following Brazil's humiliating defeat, Egyptian @kazakhelo jokes to his 13.6k followers on Twitter [ar]:
معلش يابنتي، تتعوض، كاس العالم الجاي مصر تصعد و انتوا تكسبوا  pic.twitter.com/41zh25Mrkv
— KaZaKHeLOمهاتما-كازا (@kazakhelo) July 8, 2014
Never mind. You can still recover. For the next World Cup, Egypt qualifies, and you win.
Obviously, this netizen has no faith in his national team.
And the jokes continue.
Egyptian Hazem Youssef claims:
ده من الماتشات اللي بتتكرر مرة كل 100 سنة..لحد دلوقتي ألمانيا جالها 6 فرص جابت منهم 7 إجوان.
—  hazem youssef (@Hazemmontasser) July 8, 2014
This is a match that will not be repeated in 100 years.
Germany has scored seven goals so far, in six opportunities to score
And for Bahraini Nader AbdulEman, the defeat of the Brazilian team means much more than football. He tweets [ar]:
منتخب مسيلات الدموع خروج من كأس العالم بفضيحة مدوية#البرازيل_المانيا
— نادر عبدالامام (@NaderAbdulEmam) July 8, 2014
The tear gas team leaves the World Cup in a scandalous manner
Brazil is allegedly an exporter of tear gas to Bahrain, used to suppress demonstrators since anti-regime protests started in the country on February 14, 2011.
On a more serious note, Al Jazeera anchor Syrian Faisal Alkasim, with more than 1.5 million followers, wonders:
الكثير من البرازيليين احتجوا على كأس العالم قبل بدئه، فماذا سيفعلون بعد المباراة مع المانيا؟
— فيصل القاسم (@kasimf) July 8, 2014
Many Brazilians protested against the World Cup before it even started. What will they do now after this match with Germany?
And Saudi TV presenter Waled Alfarraj tweets to his 2.13 million followers a similar sentiment:
الشعب البرازيلي سيفجر غضبة ضد الحكومة بعد ضياع النهائي !الدنيا ولعت منذ دقايق ! فضيحة فعلا.#البرازيل_المانيا pic.twitter.com/6uT4PMlxmu
— وليد_الفراج# (@waleedalfarraj) July 8, 2014
Brazilians will pour out their anger against the government after losing the finals.
The world was set ablaze a few minutes ago. It really is a scandal


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White Bicycles Are Popping Up in Uruguay to Commemorate Those Killed While Cycling  · Global Voices
Guillermo Vidal

Photo published on Facebook by Bicicletas Blancas
Over the past few months, spectral white bicycles have been paying silent tribute to cyclists killed on Uruguay's roadways, while at the same time raising driver and public awareness of the importance of bicycles as a safe and healthy mode of transportation.
The initiative is not new, as some 200 cities worldwide have already taken part in the project. In Uruguay, the first ghost bike was installed on April 27, 2014, in memory of Natalia Mastroianni, a 22-year-old cyclist who was hit on la Rambla avenue near the intersection of the Carrasco bridge in Montevideo back in August of 2009.
The Bicicletas Blancas campaign was launched by Ciclovida (Life Cycle), an organization dedicated to promoting bike use and road culture, but also as a way of drawing attention to the the lack of proper cycling infrastructure.
Its aim is to encourage a cultural shift, one that takes into consideration bike transit in Uruguay, a mode of transportation that now accounts for 10 percent of the vehicles that circulate on the country's roads every day.
Ciclovida has approached government authorities in the Unidad Nacional de Seguridad Vial (Uruguay's National Road Safety Security Unit) with a view to beginning joint actions to promote both bike use and respect for the rules of the road. They also aim to raise awareness of the public service message, “We are all traffic”, which provides guidelines to drivers and cyclists on how to behave in shared traffic space.
Montevideo has implemented a number of different measures, among them new bike lanes, as a way to foster bike use.
In an article that appeared on May 26 in the Spanish daily El País on the subject of the mysterious ghost bikes chained to posts on the city streets, the coordinator of Ciclovida, Gustavo Izús, commented  “University bike lanes are dangerous.”
This latest drive by Bicicletas Blancas is another step in the Ghost Bikes movement that was born in 2003 in Saint Louis, Missouri, and today is reflected in more than 200 cities around the globe.
Despite the fact that there are already two white bicycles mounted over la Rambla—the second, at la Rambla and Belastiquí, is in memory of Washington González, a 68-year-old cyclist who died on March 8, 2014—most people remain unaware of the campaign, as is evidenced by the comments in social media.
On Twitter, comments like those of Laura Lión (@LauraLionGu), who works in tourism, are common:
Me preguntaba el significado de las bicicletas. Aqui la respuesta http://t.co/WS2d3fjfHH @elpaisuy
— Laura Lión (@LauraLionGu) Mayo 26, 2014
I wondered what the bikes meant. Here is the answer http://t.co/WS2d3fjfHH @elpaisuy
For his part, Cesar A. Martínez (@CesarAMartinezR) questions cyclists and their behaviour on the roads:
También recuerda la imprudencia propia? Q significan las bicicletas blancas encadenadas en las calles? http://t.co/pfJNe64Px3 vía @elpaisuy
— CesarAMartinezR (@CesarAMartinezR) Mayo 26, 2014
Does this also commemorate their own negligence? What do the locked bikes on the streets mean?
The director of the conservative Partido Nacional Agrupación Nacionalista Compañeros, Esteban Jardín (@estebanjardin), openly supports the campaign:
Muy buena medida es similar a la que hace tiempo se utiliza en New York felicitamos a los promotores http://t.co/jibod9WNvz vía @elpaisuy
— Esteban Jardín (@estebanjardin) Mayo 26, 2014
A good initiative similar to the one used a while back in New York we congratulate the promoters.

author: Guillermo Vidal


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Why More Than 500 People in Hong Kong Were Willing to Be Arrested at a Sit-In · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Protesters from Chater Road were waiting for the police to arrest them on July 2 peaceful sit-in. Photo from inmediahk.net. Non-commercial use.
When Ah To, an engineer without a criminal record, joined a peaceful sit-in in central Hong Kong last week demanding that China allow the people to nominate the city's leader, he knew he was risking arrest. He asked himself if it was worth it to risk a good job and his future for what wasn't even a full-scale protest but a rehearsal for a larger demonstration later on.
Then, he heard a girl behind him talking loudly on the phone. He described what happened next on Facebook in a post republished on citizen media platform inmediahk.net with his permission:
咁上下又聽到幾行後嘅果個女仔用爆大聲嘅語氣對住個電話「我又唔係為自己又唔係去玩， 我係為香港呀！！」 之後cut 左線。我見到附近啲人都好似眼濕濕咁。其實係我眼濕濕咁。最怕嘅未必係俾人拉俾人政治檢控，而係怕屋企人擔心難過。
“I am doing this not for myself, I am not having fun, I do this for Hong Kong!!” Then she hung up the phone. People around me had tears in their eyes, actually I had tears in my eyes. What I am afraid most is not getting myself arrested or being politically prosecuted, but letting my family worry about me.
Five hundred and eleven people were arrested in the early morning hours of July 2 during the sit-in, including Ah To. He said he was arrested for participating in an unlawful assembly and causing obstruction in public places.
The sit-in followed a rally of a half a million Hong Kongers on July 1, the anniversary of the handover of former British colony Hong Kong to China in 1997. China has promised Hong Kong a direct vote for the next chief executive in 2017 instead of election via committee, but still insists that a committee approve the candidates.
The group Occupy Central with Love and Peace, which plans to peacefully take over the city's Central District if the Hong Kong government fails to come up with a political reform proposal free of any pre-selection of candidates, considered the sit-in as a rehearsal for what they plan to be a much larger occupation.
All those arrested were released and some remain on bail awaiting further prosecution. Many shared their personal stories on Facebook in the past few days, such as Ah To. In his vivid account, he described those around him. To his left was a father of a 1-year-old son who stated, “I am here because of my son.” To his right was a 50-year-old who said he had traveled to Hong Kong from Shenzhen, China, to support the protests.
Ah To emphasized that protesters came from all walks of life:
我唔係咩資深社運人士，亦無參加過咩組織。 我只係想講今次俾人拉左嘅，其實好多都唔係啲 超級熱血社運份子。請唔好覺得俾人拉呢班友係怪獸/痴線佬，亦唔好覺得佢哋係英雄。其實大家都係好普通好普通嘅香港市民，可能係學生，可能返緊工，俾人拉完仲要諗辦法打返公司請病假，之後擔心個樣上左電視俾老闆發覺俾人炒。我想講嘅係其實社運並唔係大家想像中咁遙遠嘅。 只要大家有果個心，無需預演，無需準備，一齊坐底，你就已經係一個社運人士。
What I want to say here is that many of those arrested are not enthusiastic activists. Please don't label those arrested as monsters and crazy people, but they aren't heroes either. They are just very ordinary Hong Kong citizens, students or white collar workers. They have to call the office to ask for sick leave when they are arrested. And they are worried that once their faces appear on TV, the boss will find an excuse to fire them. But I also want to say, a social movement is not something very out of reach. What you need is a heart. There is no need for rehearsal, no need for preparation. Once you sit down, you become an activist.
Independent art group Psychedelic Nomads took a 15-minute short film about the Occupy Central rehearsal and interviewed a number of participants to comment on the current situation in Hong Kong.
Even though the pro-Beijing politicians and supporters continue to say that Occupy Central will not change China's decision to restrict the nomination power to a nominating committee, Ah To and his generation won't be giving up so easily.
Follow our in-depth coverage: Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution


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Is Guyana’s Population in Decline?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Ever since the quotation made famous by Mark Twain, that there are three types of lies – lies, damn lies and statistics – the profession of statistics invariably finds itself under the microscope…
ChrisRam.net examines the preliminary report on the Guyana Population and Housing Census.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Israelis React to Renewed Conflict with Gaza · Global Voices
Elizabeth Tsurkov

Following rocket fire from Gaza, the Israeli cabinet approved the launch of Operation Protective Edge against militants in Gaza on July 7. The rocket fire from Gaza was a response to a wide campaign of arrests of Palestinians suspected of membership in Hamas throughout the West Bank who were then placed under administrative detention. The raids and arrests were the Israeli response to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens in the occupied West Bank by Palestinians probably affiliated with Hamas.
Tom Aharon tweeted about the widespread desire of Israelis to see the government “avenge” the death of the three teens and rocket fire from Gaza:
קיבלתי פוסט בוואטסאפ על כמה שביבי פחדן וחסר ביצים למרות שהוא הולך להשמיד את עזה. יש אנשים שלא ירגעו עד שהם לא יראו אותו אוכל תינוק בטלוויזיה
I got a message on WhatsApp about how Bibi [nickname for Netanyahu] is a coward and a pussy, even though he's going to destroy Gaza. Some people won't calm down until they see him eating a baby on TV
Leftist activist Danit Gottfriend posted  on Facebook a message she received in the WhatsApp group of parents in the kindergarten class her son attends:
The vision… Gaza before [on the right] | Gaza after [on the left]
The green revolution – IDF Landscaping Inc.
Bar Heffetz, who lives in Nirim, next to the border with Gaza, posted on Facebook a criticism of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the Economy (Trade) Minister:
האמת כמה שזה נורא אני שמח שזה מתפוצץ לממשלה הזו בפרצוף. זה מגיע לרסיס בישבן בנט, אני בכלל לא בשמאל לפיד, ולמר אירן נתניהו. שזה יקרה במשמרת שלהם ולא יחכה לבאים בתור כי מי שיושב על לוע של הר געש ומתעקש להתעלם אז מגיע לו. רק חבל שזה בא על חשבון כולנו.
To be honest, as terrible as it is, I'm happy that it's blowing up in the face of this government. They deserve it – all of them: [Naftali] “shrapnel in the butt” Bennet, [Yair] “I'm not even a leftist” Lapid, and Mr. Iran, Netanyahu. It should happen on their watch and not wait for the next in line. Because those who sit a top a volcano and insist to ignore it deserve it. It's a shame this comes at our expense.
Gilli Paran tweeted:
נו לפחות עם כל הרקטות האלה אפשר לומר שעזה עשו משהו עם הכסף ששחקני נבחרת אלג'יריה תרמו להם.
Well, at least with all these rockets, you can say that Gaza did something with all the money the Algerian national football team donated to them.
Israeli tweep Lior Oren tweeted:
Train ride in Israel this evening: missiles attack by the savages in Gaze. pic.twitter.com/hXrHFhZPQB
— Lior Oren (@alodium) July 7, 2014
Many Israelis joked about the name of the operation, which in Hebrew is called “Sturdy Rock”. The English name used by the IDF is “Protective Edge”.
The Israeli satirist who goes by the nickname “Avgad Yavor” tweeted:
אני מציע להפסיק עם היופמיזמים והללכת מסביב הזה ולקרוא למבצע הבא של צה”ל “מבצע זין ענקי”.
I suggest we stop with the euphemisms and call the next IDF operation “Operation Big Penis”
Nitay Peretz, who lives close to the border with Gaza, tweeted:
בן אנד ג'ריס הודיעו שיוציאו טעם חדש של גלידה בשם “צוק איתן” בטעם ווניל-פיסטוק-הסתה לאומנית.
Ben & Jerry's announced they'll be putting out a new ice-cream flavor called “Sturdy Rock” that tastes live vanilla-pistachio-nationalistic incitement.
Tweep Ouriel Daskal quipped:
יש לי שם למבצע בעזה! מבצע דה ז'ה וו
I have a name for the operation in Gaza! Operation déjà vu
The tweep @dkapuchino posted about what he thinks the real purpose of the operation is:
“צוק איתן”. כי “צריכים שתשכחו מכל פרשיות השחיתות ושתפסיקו לפקפק לנו בתקציב הבטחון” נתפס פחות חזק בתקשורת העולמית
‘Sturdy Rock’ because “we need you to forget the corruption scandals and stop doubting our [need to increase the] defense budget” didn't catch on as well in the international media.
Israelis debated the purpose of the operation online.
Israeli opinion columnist Ariana Melamed posted on her Facebook page:
מאד לא מרגיע, כשראש ממשלה מאותגר פוליטית שולח צבא כבול-מבצעית לפעולה ממוחזרת שתסתיים הרבה לפני שיושגו מטרותיה, שלא בטוח מהן.
I'm worried when a politically challenged Prime Minister sends an operationally restricted military to a recycled operation that will end long before its unclear goals are achieved.
Ouriel Daskal tweeted a quote from the Facebook page of the right-wing Transportation Minister Katz and commented:
ישראל כץ: “זהו, ההבלגה הסתיימה!מבצע ״צוק איתן״ יצא לדרך. עכשיו כולנו מאוחדים עד לנצחון”. ניצחון זה שחותמים עם חמאס שיהיה שקט עד קיץ 2015,כן?
Israel Katz: “That's it! The policy of restrain is over! Operation ‘Sturdy Rock’ has started. Now all of us are united until victory.” A victory is when we sign with Hamas that it will be quiet until the summer of 2015, yes?
“Avgad Yavor” tweeted:
יש שאלה אחת שהעיתונאים צריכים לשאול עכשיו את הממשלה, ואני מהמר שהיא לא תישאל:
האם יש קריטריון מדיד שכאשר הוא יושג – נכריז שהמבצע יסתיים?
There is one question journalists need to ask the government now, and I bet it won't be asked: “Is there a measurable criterion than when it is met – we will declare that the operation is over?”
Leftist blogger Noam, who was recently questioned by the Shin Bet for investigating allegations that the Shin Bet tortured children in custody, tweeted:
כולם אומרים שירי על אזרחים הוא פשע מלחמה, אף אחד לא רואה אזרחים בצד השני
Everyone says that firing on civilians in a war crime, and no one sees civilians on the other side

author: Elizabeth Tsurkov


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Ivorian Woman Pushed off 6th Floor for Demanding Salary in Lebanon · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Ivory Coast-based Koaci.com has learned that a young Ivorian woman was found dead after having been reportedly pushed off the 6th floor of an apartment following a suspected feud with her sponsor concerning her salary payment.
Carolle Feby reports on Koaci.com that [fr]:
Une jeune Ivoirienne est morte Rechercher morte après avoir été poussée du 6ème étage d’un immeuble par son patron pour lui avoir réclamé son salaire à Beyrouth au Liban.
Les faits ont été rapportés à koaci.com par un jeune camerounais, après les révélations de sa sœur voisine de la victime.
Une jeune fille d’une vingtaine d’années de nationalité ivoirienne a été retrouvée morte en bas de son immeuble.
Selon la voisine de la jeune infortunée dont le nom n’a pas été révélé, la fille aurait été poussée du 6ème étage d’un immeuble à Asharfir, un quartier de la ville de Beyrouth au Liban, le mardi 1er Juillet par son patron.
Elle lui réclamait son salaire et l’homme qui a été manifestement contrarié par cette requête, l’aurait poussée sous l’effet de la colère.
Cette jeune expatriée aurait quitté la Côte d’Ivoire depuis des années pour aller travailler en tant que servante au Liban, comme beaucoup de jeunes Ivoiriennes.
Les histoires plus ou moins dramatiques d'Ivoiriennes travaillant au Liban sont malheureusement légions.
Il y a quelques mois, après une révélation de koaci.com un groupe d'africaines avait été rapatrié du Liban après avoir réussi à échapper à leurs patrons qui leurs faisaient subir des sévices corporels et moraux.
A young Ivorian woman of around 20 years old was found dead after having been reportedly pushed off the 6th floor of a building for demanding her salary in Beirut, Lebanon.
This was reported to Koaci.com by a young Cameroonian woman, after the revelations by her sister, who is a neighbor of the victim.
According to her neighbor, whose name can’t be revealed, the young victim was pushed out of the 6th floor of a building in Asharfir – Note: She might have meant Achrafieh -, a neighborhood in the city of Beirut in Lebanon on Tuesday the 1st of July.
She was asking for her salary and the man, refusing, apparently pushed her out of anger.
This young expatriate reportedly left the Ivory Coast years ago to work as a domestic worker in Lebanon, a common scenario for many young Ivorian women.
Stories such as this one are unfortunately very common in Lebanon.
A few months ago, after a revelation by Koaci.com that a group of African women were being tortured, they were successfully repatriated from Lebanon.
This unfortunately is a common occurrence in Lebanon and other Arab countries that employ the Kafala, or ‘Sponsorship’ system. As explained by Human Rights Watch in its 2014 report on Lebanon:
Migrant domestic workers are excluded from the labor law and subject to restrictive immigration rules based on employer-specific sponsorship—the kafala system—which put workers at risk of exploitation and abuse. While outgoing Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas announced in January 2012 that he would look at abolishing the kafala system, in 2013 Labor Minister Salim Jreissati failed to do so or to put forward legislation that would protect the estimated 200,000 migrant domestic workers in the country. In July, a criminal court sentenced an employer to two months in prison, imposed a fine, and required her to pay damages and compensation to a migrant domestic worker whose wages she had not paid for years. Migrant domestic workers suing their employers for abuse continue, however, to face legal obstacles and risk imprisonment and deportation due to the restrictive visa system.


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Riots Between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar’s Mandalay Killed 2 and Injured Many More. Who’s to Blame? · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

A four-day riot broke out last week in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city located in the central part of the country, following allegations that a Buddhist woman was raped by her Muslim employers. The riots resulted in the deaths of two people — a Buddhist and a Muslim — and at least 14 injuries. The situation calmed down after the government deployed police forces to secure the area and impose a curfew.
Khun Dee Yam shares a photo on Facebook of the mob that took part in the riots. He sarcastically wrote, “They don't seem like the ones who would pray before they go to bed. But still they claim to protect Buddhism. Hopeless.” Photo by Steve Tickner, posted on the Facebook page of The Irrawaddy
It came as the latest in a series of violent confrontations between the Muslim minority and Buddhists who compose the majority in Myanmar. Some Buddhist groups have been accusing the Muslim community of conspiring to dominate the whole country. While it is true that there is tension caused by religious differences, the violence in some villages was instigated by religious extremists.
Some have speculated that last week's riots could be a plot to inflame religious hatred in the country. A few hours before the riots broke out, the Young Buddhists Association warned people about a plan to provoke violence in different cities:
Alert, stay with mindfulness!
We received news that the instigators who want to create religion or race-based violence are planning to inflame [the situation] on the Internet's social networks and across the country. Therefore, for the sake of peace and stability, people of different faiths, do stay alert with tolerance and reasoning to avoid being part of the instigation of these wrongdoers!
On the last day of the riot, a crowd gathered to mourn the death of the Buddhist man, Tun Tun. Some buildings in the Muslim section of the cemetery were destroyed by the angry mob during the funeral.
Hsu Nhget, a famous writer in Mandalay, criticized the authorities for their failure to control the riots quickly and effectively:
Just look at the funeral of Tun Tun. The crowd included young men who were shouting and holding rods and sticks, like a group of rebels entering the city. I wonder why the authorities allowed this? The police were understandably handling the situation cautiously because the crowd was large but security officials were missing. As a result, some angry men (easily) destroyed the Muslim section of the cemetery.
A peace committee consisting of religious leaders and local residents was formed to prevent a repeat of the violent clashes in Mandalay. Thein Win Aung, vice chairman of the peace group, suspected that “Mandalay became a victim” of a “political trick” to stop the people from supporting the ‘436 campaign’ which aims to amend the country's military-backed constitution. He noted that the riots have stopped the people from supporting the campaign, which is a major political initiative of the opposition led by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
He urged the people to be wary of this ‘trick’ to distract the public attention:
If we do not understand these political tricks, if we do not control each other, if we allow ourselves to fall into the trap, then not only Mandalay, but the entire country, will be consumed in the flames of chaos.
For its part, the government thanked the residents of Mandalay for their cooperation in restoring order in the community:
[…] Today’s stability is a result of the spirit of Mandalay residents, civil society organizations, and including the media, and religious leaders who wish to maintain the reputation of politeness, tolerance and harmony of their great city together with the timely measures taken by the government. […]
[…] Religious and civil society leaders together with the responsible youth who managed to defend and protect the people with different faiths from unnecessary misunderstandings also deserve our deep appreciation.
Facebook blocking
The government also blocked the popular social networking site Facebook during the riots as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of hate speech in the country. Myanmar Chief Police Officer Win Kaung admitted in an interview with the Irrawaddy Magazine that blocking Facebook was necessary to stop online racial attacks:
[…] Yes, we blocked it. We wanted to stop the instigation. When they are doing the instigation or spreading the unverified news, this could only provoke the underlying hatred between different groups or people; one's own word or line could lead to a bigger conflict. We need to stop this; we must try not to reach to an uncontrollable situation. We must use any possible means. Even if the situation gets uncontrollable, we must use the most appropriate means. […]
In addition, there were reports that some journalists who were covering the riots were also targeted by the mob. Threats were even made against reporters and news agencies on the Internet. Because of this, journalists were unable to report many incidents during the four-day riot. U Kyaw Myint, chairman of the Myanmar Journalist Network, said that it is time for the government to take action about this issue:
…the government needs to investigate those who are instigating to kill. Things can get worse as long as the government does not take action. The government has the means to handle these [threats] on social networks. Some users even have their real identities. The government can call them and verify if they are really spreading hate messages. Or release them if it is not true. It all depends on how the government handles the situation. There is no need to question the security of the reporters when the government even fails to take care of the security of the citizens.
Khine Nyien Thit, a former political prisoner, also shared on Facebook a note entitled “Beware… there is a trap”. The article referred to the previous race-based communal violence in 1967 and another in 1998 instigated by the government to divert political attention. Then the article pointed out the religious hatred provocation in the series of violence since 2012 in Rakhine and Meikhtila, all of the which were not started by the local residents.
The author also wrote that the verbal attacks against the opposition National League for Democracy party, which supports the constitutional reforms, were noticeably high during the times of violence. The author concluded by asserting that Myanmar's transition to democracy is possible if the people will avoid the political traps and political tricks aimed at preserving the social order.
The Mandalay riots have further confirmed the deep divisions in Myanmar along religious and ethnic lines. The continuing violence could seriously derail Myanmar's journey towards a peaceful and modern democracy if it is not stopped.

author: Juan Cebu


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Can’t Find Milk or Other Basics in Venezuela Thanks to a Food Shortage? This App Can Help · Global Voices
Marianna Breytman

Screenshot of the Abastéceme app, used with permission. It reads, “Contribute… Click on the map on the location of a product's sale, enter the name of the establishment and the type of price, then click on the green button and that's it! Your fellow citizens will thank you.”
What do you do when you find your country amidst a crisis, leaving many of its residents without basic products like flour, milk, or toilet paper?
If you're José Augusto Montiel, a young engineering student from the city of Maracaibo in Venezuela, you create an app called Abastéceme [es], meaning “Supply Me”.
Montiel debuted Abastéceme in 2013 with the goal of building a social network that mapped the locations of Venezuela's residents offering extra supplies of basic goods so those in need would have an easy way of finding them.
Venezuela has struggled with food shortages in recent years, and experts have pointed the finger at price controls, lack of funds, a decrease in agricultural production and a reliance on food imports as the cause. Some Venezuelans also resell government-subsidized food on the black market. When the app was introduced in 2013, the country's most populous state, Zulia, had just begun a system of rationing the sale of 20 basic items, including toilet paper, to combat food smuggling, according to Hispanic news site VOXXI.
Last year, Social Tech Guide reported that Abastéceme was helping “thousands of needy Venezuelans get their toilet paper.” Since then, it has grown exponentially and crossed over to other countries. Montiel spoke about the app's progress:
Abastéceme ha seguido creciendo en numero de usuarios, alcanzando casi los 40 mil usuarios tan sólo en su versión móvil. Con la adición de su versión Web se fortaleció aun más la plataforma, permitiéndole aun más personas el acceso a la misma, sin importar su status socioeconómico, lo cual es lo más importante para mí.
Abastéceme has continued to grow in number of users, reaching almost 40,000 users in its mobile version alone. With the addition of its online version [es], the platform received even more of a boost, providing even more people with access to it regardless of their socio-economic status, which is the most important thing for me.
Montiel explained that people have started checking the app before going to the supermarket. Milk was by far the most popular product that users seek out, he said.
Screenshot of the Abastéceme app, used with permission. It reads, “Find… products shared around your location will automatically pop up, indicated with pointers. Click on these to receive information on the product.”
Regarding Abastéceme's reach, he added:
La mayoría de sus usuarios se siguen situando en la zona central del país, en especial Caracas. Desde el comienzo, Abastéceme ha estado disponible en otros países, su única limitante es que sólo puedes localizar productos en un perímetro no mayor a 100 km, lo cual es mucho.
Most users continue to be situated in the country's central zone, especially Caracas. Abastéceme has been available in other countries from the beginning. It's only limitation is that you can only locate products within a radius of no more than 100 km, which is a lot.
Montiel continues to develop the application today and has new goals for its future, including making it available on more mobile platforms. Currently, it is accessible on Android and Blackberry devices.
Mi gran empeño es por poder llevar Abastéceme a los dispositivos Apple, y espero lograrlo antes que termine el 2014.
My big challenge is to be able to carry Abastéceme over to Apple devices, which I hope to achieve before the end of 2014.
In addition to Abastéceme, Montiel is also working on a project called Beatwagon, a streaming platform similar to Pandora dedicated entirely to independent artists and bands. He hopes it will become the place people come to for the latest music.
You can learn more about Abastéceme on their website and the Google Play store.

author: Marianna Breytman