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Leaked Documents Show That Ethiopia’s Ruling Elites Are Hiring Social Media Trolls (And Watching Porn) · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

EPRDF rally in Addis Ababa in 2010. Photo by Uduak Amimo/BBC World Service via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Over the past two months, a series of leaked documents from Ethiopia’s powerful political elites have been circulating online.
Among other revelations, the leaks show that the Ethiopian government has been paying online commenters to influence social media conversations in the ruling party's favor. The documents include hundreds of pages of chat logs and email correspondence of Ethiopia’s top government officials, multiple government planning documents and top-secret meeting records.
The leaks have come at what may be a turning point in Ethiopia's recent political crisis. Since mid-2015, thousands across Ethiopia rose up, demanding more political freedoms and social equality and a stop to government land grabs in the Oromia region, which represents Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. The government response was brutal: Hundreds have been killed, thousands have been arrested, and critical voices — both on and offline — have been systematically silenced.
Among the recent leaks, which began to circulate on Facebook in November 2017, one of the most revealing documents is a list of individuals who appear to have been paid to promote the ruling coalition on social media. The list shows the names of the so-called “social media commentators” along with their job titles and a precise amount of money that they apparently received for their online postings. Most of the people listed are government employees.
The list corroborates previous evidence that the Ethiopian government has been hiring online commenters to promote its agenda and harass its opponents.
Online communities in Ethiopia have been calling these paid commenters “cocas”, a colloquialism in Amharic (the most widely spoken language in the country) that can be translated as “contemptible cadres.” In Amharic, this term typically refers to people who sell themselves for easy money. But in this case, most of the commenters listed in the leaked directory are already on the government payroll.
The origin of the leaks has been rumored and contested at several levels. The documents were originally sent to diaspora activists from the at least two Facebook accounts, both of which belong to government employees, in November 2017.
The first known leak, of the “coca” list, came from the Facebook account of Gebremichael Melles Gebremariam, an employee of the communications affairs office of the Tigray state. Gebremariam first denied sending the documents, claiming his account was hacked. But he then backtracked on this claim. It is now rumored that he has been dismissed from his job.
Soon after the initial leak, more documents began arriving in the inboxes of diaspora activists, this time coming from the Facebook account of the Director of the Federal Communications Affairs office, Haddush Kassu. Shortly thereafter, Haddush began to publicly shame those government officials who are implicated in the leaks. On January 18, he denigrated Deputy PM Debretsion Gebremichael in a public Facebook post.
It is unclear whether Haddush sent the documents himself have been hacked.
The revelations of political and state officials paying “cocas” to promote the ruling party agenda online correspond with a recent rise in polarization and hate speech on social media, alongside increased online persecution of independent journalists.
The leaked “coca” list reveals that at least thirteen commentators were each paid at least USD $300 (a large sum in Ethiopia, where average GDP per capita was USD $660 in 2016) for blog posts or Facebook messages that they wrote at the behest of the ruling coalition.
List of paid internet commentators. Image widely circulating on Facebook
Among individuals named on the list are Daniel Berhane and Dawit Kebede, publishers of two Ethiopian internet news site HornAffairs and Awaramba Times respectively. The two journalists have long been accused of cheer-leading a pro-government information campaign especially during a heightened political tension.
In recent years, independent Ethiopian journalists reporting on government affairs, corruption and human rights have been arrested or exiled en masse. The resulting gap in news coverage has thus been filled by opposition activists and protesters who often work with diaspora-based media outlets to draw global attention to the brutal military crackdown on protesters that has killed more than 1200 people and has led to several mass arrests since mid-2015.
On the heels of the list came a separate leak of what appears to be a proposal to counter opposition groups using social media platforms. The Amharic-language document from the office of Ethiopia’s longtime governing coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF), enumerates solutions and strategies to curtail the influence of online diaspora-based activists.
The document also describes how officials have ordered paid commenters to attack people who call for democracy and to praise the ideologies of ruling coalition. The document encourages its members to post comments on the internet as if they were regular citizens.
Other documents show that Ethiopia’s spy agency, the Information Network Security Agency, known to surveil and censor journalists and political dissidents, issued a money order of USD $12,000 to send two of their employees to China for special training. The documents do not specify what kind of training the two employees were meant to receive, but this information has begun to come to light with the release of subsequent chat logs.
Five weeks after the list was leaked, another document surfaced showing a written exchange over Facebook Messenger between two high-level public servants —  Haddush Kassu and a high-level operative of Ethiopia’s spy agency, Zeray Hailemariam — who were furious about the leaks, and the disclosure of the paid commentators.
One said the leaks are threats to their security and pledged to seek help from  Information Network Security Agency to investigate the source of the leaks. The other blamed a “disgruntled regional communication officer” for leaking the names to diaspora-based political rivals.
At one point in the exchange, the operative of Ethiopia’s spy agency suggested that they should encourage a “brave solider” like Daniel Berahane “who is fighting every extremists”. In response, the official from government communications affairs confirmed their support for him and wrote back “we pay him 33,000 [about USD $1200] for two articles.”
The exchange between the two top government officials also sheds light on the power struggle at the helm of Ethiopian ruling party, where infighting has led leaders to hire figures like Daniel and Dawit to undermine political opponents or curry favor with diplomats and foreign organizations in Addis Ababa. Daniel and Dawit have been leading voices in the pro-government media backlash against opposition activists and diaspora media.
Other revelations have pointed to the online habit of Ethiopia’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr. Debretsion Gebremicheal.
On December 16, 2017 member of the inner circle of the ruling party dumped screenshots of ten years browsing history of Dr. Debretsion Gebremicheal on his Facebook page. The details only lasted for about two days. It was removed sometime on December 18, 2017 without any explanation.
ደብረጽየን ለራሱም ለሴቶችም ክብር የሌለው ሰው ነው። ደሞ ገብረሚካኤል ሃክ ተደረገ በሉ። ሰው አስሬ ሃክ ይደረጋል እንዴ? ዋይ https://t.co/a0I5jbRwyz
— Gebremichael Melles (@Tiggovgpr) December 16, 2017
Debretsion does not have a respect for woman as well as for himself. Okay, you can go ahead say my account was compromised. Does a person has to be hacked ten times? Hell no!
For Dr. Debretsion this looks especially bad because he could not even clean his browsing history or encrypt his online communications, which means it was much easier than usual for the hackers to steal his browsing history. It’s quite amateurish mistake for a person who brands himself as one of the country's top ‘intelligence’ personnel.
Abebe Gelaw, a prominent diaspora based journalist pieced together a revealing fifteen-page expose after he scrutinized over two hundred pages of Dr. Debretsion’s embarrassing and salacious browsing history.
But one of the most interesting aspects of the story itself was the sourcing of the revelations. The documents are said to originate from various sources, some say disgruntled insiders leaked them, others say hackers are responsible. But from an incoherent drip of leaks a common outlook emerges that there is unprecedented power struggle happening among Ethiopia’s ruling elite.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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UNESCO World Heritage Site at Risk: Bulgarian Government Allows Construction in Pirin, Citizens Protest · Global Voices
Stanislava Koparanova

Grazing chamois in Pirin National Park: a rare and distant view, as these high-mountain animals fear nearby human activity. Photo by Miro Iv (2017), used with permission.
Protesters took to the streets in 29 international cities, accusing the Bulgarian government of corruption and violation of domestic and EU environmental law after it decided to allow further construction in Pirin National Park, a World Natural Heritage site.
In December 2017, the Cabinet passed a plan to allow construction activities in 48% of the park — a move that goes against legislation and is seen as a violation of its status as a protected space. After what many felt was the government's failed response to address the public outcry, environmentalists initiated an international outreach campaign in an effort to pressure authorities to uphold the law protecting the natural heritage site.
Pirin National Park was established to protect biodiversity in Bulgaria’s second highest mountain, an area considered to be one of the most well-preserved natural habitats in Europe. The park spans over 403 square kilometers (around 156 square miles) and contains breathtaking landscapes that range from rocky barren peaks to lush forests and glacier lakes to virgin rivers. It is home to numerous threatened flora and fauna species such as the golden eagle, brown bear and chamois. Locals tell stories that the Balkan lynx (an animal long thought to be extinct in the country) is still roaming in the park's territory.
A tourist track within Pirin National Park. Old-growth forests in this pristine view are no longer protected from ski resort expansion. Photo by Yulian Nedelchev (2017), used with permission.
Due to its precious natural wonders, Pirin was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. This status added to its world fame as a tourist destination, a trait valuable to many small and medium-sized businesses in the surrounding area. However, as the adjacent town of Bansko‘s ski resort began hosting winter sports competitions and attracting numerous foreign tourists with its low prices, the sporting complex started to rapidly expand in an unsustainable way.
Since 2001, the Bansko resort has expanded way over its allowed territory, funneling droves of tourists to the small town. Hotels, ski tracks and their supporting facilities have already encroached into the nearby national park by over 160 hectares, causing soil erosion, biodiversity loss and pollution to sources of drinking water. In 2010, UNESCO excluded the tourist area, spanning 0.6% of the park, from the World Heritage Site to become its buffer zone and continues to express concerns over the ski resort's expansion.
Due to the popularity of the area, Bansko ski resort has a huge accommodation base for a relatively small number of ski tracks and only a single gondola lift line, resulting in traffic jams and long queues of tourists waiting for their lift ticket. The unsustainable development of the ski resort has lead to a rapid increase and then drop in real estate prices. This financial bubble is growing as prospects of even more expansion become reality. In an effort to keep their prices up and sell more properties around Bansko, Ulen (the company that owns ski infrastructure) has spent years lobbying the Bulgarian government to expand concession areas in the national park and to lift restrictions on construction activities in the protected territory by amending its Management Plan (the ten-year framework of what is allowed within the park).
Bulgarian mainstream media, mostly owned by powerful oligarchs, downplayed the opposition from environmental NGOs by obscuring the issues of greatest concern by publishing stories which focus on issues that favor the resort such as the overloaded gondola lift line. Government officials backed this version by claiming the plan is being amended only to allow a second gondola line, although this is not actually mentioned in the actual legislation. The environmental minister unwittingly called the government's argument into question when he refused a change to the language which would specify that only one lift is allowed to be built, an amendment proposed by renowned altitude climber Boyan Petrov.
Mainstream media also focused on the economic benefits of development and income for the locals. Residents who members work in the concerned companies and their families expressed public support for the resort expansion, regardless of long-term effects on the environment.
Despite advice from environmental experts who warned against the development of a large ski area due to climate change and the predicted shortened winter season, the decision makers pressed on. Every year, the ski facility increasingly relies on snow cannons using local water supplies rather than on actual snowfall.
Despite the fact that new construction would downgrade the park's natural defenses against climate change, on its last session of 2017, the Bulgarian government expanded the territories open to construction from 0.6% to 48% of the park — including the zones set aside for the protection of forest ecosystems. Activists fear that this will open a gateway which will lead to the expansion of the ski area, threatening centuries-old forests with logging and further invasion of detrimental activities.
This decision has caused outrage in Bulgaria and thousands marched in protest in more than 20 major Bulgarian cities on January 4th, 11th and 18th this year — the greatest citizen mobilization since the anti-government protests of 2013. Protests also took place in 8 other European cities, and even as far as Sydney, Australia.
Citizens marching against the controversial amendment of Pirin National Park block a main street in Plovdiv, one of the 15 protesting cities on January 11th. Photo by Mitakis Fotos, 2018 [CC BY-NC-SA]
Prior to the controversial decision, the issue received international media attention:  The Guardian published an article, renowned Hollywood actor Jared Leto stood for Pirin, and The DiCaprio Foundation shared WWF's appeal to save the park which collected over 100,000 signatures. Earlier in 2017, UNESCO expressed concerns regarding Pirin's status as a World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, international pressure was not enough for the Bulgarian government to stand in protection of one of its three National Parks.
Alarmed citizens took to social media with the hashtag #SavePirin:
The oldest tree in Bulgaria. This rare pine grew for 1300 years in Pirin Mountain. It is as old as the Bulgarian state. Now the Bulgarian “patriotic” government insists on clearing of dozens new ski runs in this spectacular forest. #Bulgaria #savepirin #forest #trees pic.twitter.com/7rJEYoln9W
— Dimitar Sabev (@mitakaster) January 13, 2018
#SavePirin this is my home land full with the most amazing nature, full with miracles animal world. We people don't want everything to gone. SO this why today we are protesting. pic.twitter.com/FLDOxCmBI6
— maria (@tenoswin) January 11, 2018
Protesters also used the hashtag to organize demonstrations of support abroad:
Hey everybody,
See you all very soon at the embassy (Mauerstrasse 11, 10117 Berlin) starting at 5pm. We're counting on you despite the whirling wind and the snowflakes. We'll do like the penguins to warm each other.
On your mark, get set, #SAVEPIRINhttps://t.co/y0s8lLhH7Q
— Plan A (@PlanAearth) January 18, 2018
#SavePirin #Prague pic.twitter.com/rPxT5dGfLV
— Bogo (@bogomep) January 19, 2018
If you're in BRUSSELS tonight – or LONDON, BERLIN, VIENNA, PRAGUE, HAMBURG, or OXFORD…
Get yourself down to a solidarity protest to demand preservation of Bulgaria's #nature in #Pirin national park & end to corruptionhttps://t.co/y6zIfsUEol#SavePirin #NatureAlert pic.twitter.com/OVIOHNfGUo
— Friends of the Earth (@foeeurope) January 18, 2018
The protests also included action at the European Union level, in particular by the pan-European Green Party.
We stand in solidarity with the Bulgarian Greens @zelenite and environmentalists in Bulgaria and across Europe who are protesting against the government's decision to allow the expansion of a ski resort in the Pirin National Park ✊ #SavePirin @EU2018BG pic.twitter.com/en7e7VD6wO
— European Greens (@europeangreens) January 18, 2018
As an indicator of the wide impact of this online debate, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov decided to respond to the Green Party's concerns via his Twitter profile. This prompted more reactions by Bulgarian citizens about the real meaning and consequences of the amendment:
No, it's not. You voted the text in. You should've read it first.
— Боян Юруков (@yurukov) January 18, 2018
The protesters demand a withdrawal of the controversial decision and credible guarantees that park preservation and the rule of law will be protected — including the resignation of Environmental Minister Neno Dimov. Protests are planned for January 25th, with the expectation that new cities will join and demand protection for the park.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Stanislava Koparanova


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State of Emergency Over Worsening Crime Has Some Jamaicans Relieved — But Is It an Effective Approach? · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

A police officer makes his rounds in Tivoli Gardens, during Jamaica's 2010 state of emergency. Photo by the BBC World Service, CC BY-NC 2.0
For the past year or so, as the island's murder rate has burgeoned, Jamaican netizens have been fixated on one topic: violent crime.
Murders soared to 1,616 in 2017 — an increase of just over 20% from the year before. Moreover, only 29% of murders were “cleared up” (the local term for a suspect being arrested or killed). The Police Civilian Oversight Committee, an advisory body, recently stated in a radio interview that the murder conviction rate has been steadily declining, from a dubious “high” of 18% to a mere 6%.
In particular, the western parish of St. James (which includes Jamaica's “second city”, Montego Bay) recorded 335 homicides at year-end, exceeding New York City's 2017 tally of 290 murders. The estimated population of St. James is 185,000, compared to NYC's 10 million.
It was against this backdrop that Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced a state of emergency for the parish during a January 18, 2018 press briefing that was streamed live on social media. The declaration was made under Section 20 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011.
The state of emergency is a joint police/military strategy, with the national reserves being called out, and additional troops being deployed to the area. While details will be revealed in the regulations to be tabled in parliament on January 23, 2018, the police have already announced a “zero tolerance” approach, announcing that various types of businesses must be closed by certain times — including community recreational areas, which must be closed by 6 p.m.
Under the declaration, members of the security forces may stop and search individuals on the street, search places and detain people without a warrant, and curtail the operating hours of businesses. In addition, motorists using roads leading in and out of St. James will be subject to vehicle and personal search. There will also be joint static and mobile patrol in the community, leaving no doubt that the state of emergency will have a dampening effect on the free movement of citizens.
Prime Minister Holness was careful to clarify the boundaries in his opening statement at a press briefing:
Under State of Public Emergency, the security forces will have extraordinary powers and some rights are suspended. This does not mean that the use of these extraordinary powers can be arbitrary or are beyond review. The declaration of a State of Public Emergency does not mean the suspension of the rule of law. The security forces are expected and have been directed to treat citizens with respect and protect the dignity and safety of all.
Clearly the operations which will be conducted, though directed at criminals and their facilitators — I want to repeat that, the facilitators of criminals — will create some level of general discomfort. We ask the public to cooperate with the security forces.
Officials at the press briefing urged citizens to assist in the search for weapons and wanted men. In support of this effort, a hotline will be manned by the Jamaica Defence Force.
None of this came as a total surprise. Earlier in the day, media speculation was rife that such a measure was in the works after an early morning security operation began in several communities in St. James.
And in a speech the evening before, which he shared on Facebook, the prime minister had hinted at “firm and resolute measures” to curb crime:
It is the emerging view, that now is the time that the Jamaican government should take firm and resolute measures to tackle crime. Measures that are within the context of the law, the preservation of human rights and the dignity of life.
We have reached the point where we are now prepared to take these measures to ensure that this crime monster does not destabilise the promising future that is in store for Jamaica.
The Holness administration's decision to declare the state of emergency comes after growing criticism, anxiety and impatience among Jamaican netizens, opposition politicians and the private sector — expressed continuously on social media since the start of 2018 — over the crime situation.
Jamaicans have posted with growing frequency about their fears, with some recording frightening experiences and posting in distress over the murder of friends and family members:
Brazen Jamaica gunmen with AK47 rifles strike in broad daylight on highway near MoBay airport, spraying car with bullets, hitting 3, killing 1; child in car escapes. https://t.co/KjZOeq9i1t
— Greg Christie (@Greg0706) January 17, 2018
Jamaican Twitter users’ analyses of the seemingly intractable crime rate have often been heavily laced with cynicism:
Every community with gunmen know who and where they are…women praying church 8 days a week know their sons are criminals, police KNOW their names and locations…and all we make are excuses for not doing anything…well accept the murder rate and funeral home profits
— Rodney Campbell (@rodneytwit) January 18, 2018
Others have despaired at the apparent normalisation of crime in Jamaican society:
We cannot continue to talk about the 1600+ people who were murdered in 2017 in such a callous manner. I hardly hear concern when they make mention of this frightening reality. It's nothing to use to score points. Let's find a different approach. Please.
— Jaevion Nelson (@jaevionn) January 3, 2018
On the same day as the state of emergency was declared, a guest preacher at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event attended by political, religious and business leaders and covered heavily by mainstream media, described Jamaica and its crime problem as “a nation at war with itself”.
As a result, there was quite an air of relief after the news broke, and traditional media are reporting initial support from St. James residents and the Jamaican public.
#HappeningNow – #StateOfEmergency STATE OF EMERGENCY – Saint James, Jamaica
Good Job, it's about time!
— Chad Pierre (@Chad_Pierre) January 18, 2018
Long overdue and I do hope it will be effective. Limited #StateofEmergency may be needed more often to control our crime problem https://t.co/2on6mvTx2I
— Celia (@sweetie_celie) January 18, 2018
On the first day, a high-powered weapon was found:
#StateOfEmergency making progress! ??? #StJames https://t.co/Z7tYs8Uu5b
— Grind Time Ent ™ (@GrindTime__Ent) January 18, 2018
However, it wasn't all cheerleading. Some criticised that this state of emergency, which has the support of the tourism sector, as well as “qualified support” from the Opposition, took too long to materialise. Attorney and talk show host Clive Mullings tweeted:
I remember calling for a limited state of emergency in St James over a year ago. I repeated it on All Angles and the Mobay Chamber and Tourism interests rejected it. Now a murder near the airport has become the catalyst.
— CliveMullings (@mullings_clive) January 18, 2018
Other Jamaicans suggested that the emergency measure didn't get at the root of the problem:
I wonder if people realise that if we don't do something about the visible social & econ #inequality in StJames, we're going to need permanent #StateofEmergency ? Luxury hotels alongside urban squalor leads to resentment>hopelessness>anger>cynicism>violence #RJRBTH
— PetaAnneBaker (@PA13Baker) January 19, 2018
Social inequalities are especially noticeable in the tourism centre of Montego Bay, where most major hotels have moved from the city centre to the so-called “Elegant Corridor”, a stretch of main road fringed with golf courses, manicured landscaping and beachfront all-inclusive hotels. In stark contrast, the town centre itself is congested, and — thanks to the poor infrastructure of growing squatter communities outside the town — suffers from environmental degradation (hillside soil erosion was one factor causing major floods in the town in November 2017).
Finally, there is the spectre of past states of emergency — six in total. The last one, which took place in 2010 as part of the effort to arrest West Kingston “don”, Christopher “Dudus” Coke, on an extradition warrant, worried human rights groups: during the security operations, at least 72 Jamaicans lost their lives and about 35 more were wounded. It was the highest number of casualties in a single incident since the brutal suppression of the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865.
It also raised serious questions about the power and trustworthiness of the police and armed forces, and whether a line was crossed as they sought to maintain law and order.
Will the current state of emergency be expanded? At the press briefing, the prime minister refused to divulge how long it would be in place, ostensibly for security reasons. Will it even be effective, if the root of the crime problem is not addressed?
At this point, many Jamaicans seem prepared to wait and see, and are relieved that at least some action has been taken in an attempt to curb crime.

author: Emma Lewis


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The First Mobile Phone Network for Indigenous Communities in Mexico Is Under Threat · Global Voices
Jacobo Nájera

Photograph from the public Facebook profile of Redes, A.C., an organization that is part of Indigenous Community Telecommunications, A.C. Used with permission.
Indigenous Community Telecommunications, the first and only association of community and indigenous service provider that facilitates affordable mobile phone and internet services to rural areas of Mexico, might be forced to stop operating after the national telecommunications regulator demanded the network pay one million pesos (more than 50,000 US dollars) for the radio frequencies it uses.
In July 2016, as Global Voices previously reported, Mexico's Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) granted the first license to operate a telecommunications network for indigenous community use to the non-profit organization Indigenous Community Telecommunications.
This non-profit, community-driven structure has given economically marginalized indigenous communities greater and more affordable access to mobile communications networks than they had in the past. The local, community governance of the network means that people are able to use it on their own terms, rather than those of a large corporation.
The project had originally provided GSM (2G) mobile phone service to around 20 isolated communities in the southern state of Oaxaca under an experimental license. With the IFT's historic decision, Indigenous Community Telecommunications was authorized to provide voice and data services, to operate for 15 more years, and even to expand to the states of Guerrero, Chiapas, Veracruz and Puebla.
Such agreements typically require the provider to pay a set fee for the use of radio spectrum, but in this case, Indigenous Community Telecommunications filed a writ of amparo requesting an exemption from payment. They made this request in light of the fact that their operations are not-for profit and have no commercial use.
Erick Huerta, a legal advisor for the Indigenous Communal Cell Phone Network (which is part of Indigenous Community Telecommunications) told El Financiero newspaper that one of the main problems faced by indigenous community-run service providers is that the payment of fees established by law does not differentiate between a community service provider and a commercial one.
Rhizomática—the organization in charge of facilitating the construction and maintenance of infrastructure for Indigenous Community Telecommunications’ networks, and a beneficiary of one of the grants by Rising Voices to establish these networks—explained the differences between the community and commercial telephony.
One of the most important differences is the central role that the community plays. Commercial telephony depends on the decisions of the operator and is for profit. Community telephony, however, depends on the decisions of community members. Instead of profit, its objective is communication among communities, who are often located in remote areas, and maintenance of the network.
The chart below breaks down the differences:
Source: Rhizomática and Redes AC, “Information for new members.”
Community Telephony
The community owns the local network.
The community defines the way in which it will administer the network.
The community establishes the rates for its users.
It is non-profit.
The income is used for the improvement of the network.
The community owns the concession together with other communities that are also part of an association.
The community gives priority to applications that provide a greater benefit to users.
Commercial Telephony
The commercial operator owns the network.
The commercial operator is the one who defines the form in which the network will operate.
The commercial operator is the one who establishes the price that users will be charged.
The commercial operator seeks to obtain the greatest profit possible.
The income is used for the maintenance of the network and as profit for the owners of the company.
The operator is the owner of the concession or leases the concession to another operator.
The operator gives priority to applications that bring more income.
A network for indigenous community use is not designed to earn money, and thus could never afford to pay such high fees. The network provides mobile phone, SMS and data services to more than 3,000 households in remote areas for 40 pesos per month (USD $2 per month). In addition, of the 40 pesos charged, 25 go to the community and 15 to the association (The Indigenous Community Telecommunications), which invests this money in the maintenance of the network.
However, on November 15, 2017, as reported by El Financiero newspaper, the Second District Court for Administrative Matters in Economic Competition, Broadcasting and Telecommunications denied the request for exemption.
Rodrigo Huerta Reyna, coordinator of the legal department of Indigenous Community Telecommunications, explained to the independent news website Sin Embargo:
Nosotros tenemos un título de concesión de uso social indígena para usar ciertas bandas de frecuencia del espectro radioeléctrico. El título lo otorgaron en septiembre de 2016 y nos están cobrando la parte correspondiente a 2016 y 2017, que eso suma como 900 mil pesos, más lo que se siga acumulando en los años. […]
Damos servicio a comunidades que no son viables económicamente, obviamente un cobro de estos es impagable, además de que no tenemos el ánimo de lucro que los operadores comerciales.
We have a concession title for indigenous community use of certain frequency bands of the radio spectrum. The title was granted in September 2016, and for the 2016 and 2017 period they are charging us 900,000 pesos, plus what continues to accumulate over the years. […]
We provide service to communities that are not viable economically and that can obviously not pay this amount of money, plus we are not profit-oriented as commercial operators are.
In the photo: A sign letting costumers know the service is not available gets corrected. The original messages reads (mainly in orange letters): “There are no long-distance calls yet. Don't be stubborn”. Once the community-based mobile network started working in the village, they crossed out some of the words of the original message for it to read: “YES, there are long-distance calls NOW”. Photograph taken in Talea de Castro, the first community beneficiary of the networks facilitated by the Indigenous Community Telecommunications. Available on the public Facebook profile of Redes, A.C.
Currently, the resolution adopted by the Second District Court for Administrative Matters, Specialized in Economic Competition, Broadcasting and Telecommunications is being legally challenged by Indigenous Community Telecommunications.
Commenting on the resolution, Huerta Reyna told Sin Embargo news site:
Nosotros consideramos que tenemos los argumentos legales para ganar el amparo y nos permitan la exención del pago. Este es el único servicio de telecomunicaciones que esas comunidades tienen, históricamente no han sido atendidas, no cuentan con servicios, las redes no llegan a ellos, consideramos que debería estar en la ley una exención clara para este tipo de operadores
We think that we have the legal arguments to win the writ of amparo and allow us to be exempted from the payment. This is the only telecommunications service that these communities have, historically they have not been covered, they do not have services, the networks do not reach them, we believe a clear exemption for this type of operator should be in the law.
Commercial operators have long argued that these communities do not represent profitable business for them. As a result, since 2013 these communities have learned to operate the technology themselves, as well as oversee the economic and legal administration of such services.
The current battle over radio frequency fees touches on how important it is for the country's telecommunications regulator to establish a management model in accordance with the reality of Mexican indigenous communities.

author: Jacobo Nájera


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Macedonia Has Its Own #MeToo Movement — #ISpeakUpNow — and It Is Gaining Momentum · Global Voices
Marko Angelov

Screenshots of some of the posts from the Macedonian initiative against sexual violence #ISpeakUpNow.
On January 16, a group of women from Macedonia started sharing their personal testimonies of sexual harassment by perpetrators in positions of power. On Facebook and Twitter, they used the hashtag “#ISpeakUpNow” – #СегаКажувам in Macedonian and #TaniTregoj in Albanian to connect the posts. This incited ‘a snowball effect’ with hundreds of people joining the movement.
As noted by respected Croatian portal Lupiga.com, “this is the first version of the #MeToo campaigns to gain traction in the Balkans.” More and more women, and also some men, have been sharing their own stories, and some have been sharing the stories of people who confided in them but are still too afraid of retribution or social stigma to speak up in public.
One of the first people to join the initiative was the writer Rumena Bužarovska, who wrote:
Имам 22 години и лежам пиштол гола на операциона маса во државна болница. Не знам зошто баш морам да сум гола. И ден денес не ми е тоа јасно. Доаѓа анестезиологот и застанува зад мене. „Охоoo, младо месо“, вика пред да ми шибне спинална анестезија. Од сите доктори и сестри во салата, никој ништо не кажува. #СегаКажувам #TaniTregoj
I'm 22 and lying stark naked on an operating table in the main State Clinical Center. I don't know why I had to be completely naked for that operation. To this day I still don't understand why. The anesthesiologist comes into the room and stands behind me. “Wo-hoo, young meat!” he exclaims before he injects the spinal anesthesia. The room is full of doctors and nurses, but they all keep silent. #ISpeakUpNow
Activist and scholar Irena Cvetkovik was also among the initial group who dared to speak up:
Додека студирав, еден професор, уште во прва година, ме канеше во својот кабинет, ми ветуваше дека ќе ме ангажира како демонстраторка, само доколку дојдам еден викенд надвор од Скопје со него. За мене испитот го закажа во недела, па од страв морав да одам со мајка ми. Утредента ми се јави на телефон и побара конече одговор за заедничкиот викенд. Собрав храброст, реков НЕ и тогаш тој ми рече: епа тогаш дај ми ја мајка ти на телефон можеби таа ќе сака. Се доверив на една професорка од истиот факултет, а таа ми рече- остај тоа, батали, на сите така прави, и онака сега ќе оди во пензија. #СегаКажувам
Beginning my junior year at university, a professor kept inviting me to his office, promising to hire me as teaching assistant if only I would join him for a weekend together outside of Skopje. He scheduled my exam on a Sunday and I was so afraid that I brought my mother with me. The next day he phoned me and demanded my final answer about the weekend together. I gathered up my courage and said “no” and then he said, “well then, let me talk to your mother, maybe she'll be willing.” I confided in a female professor from the same faculty but she told me to “leave it, it's no use, he does that to everybody, he'll go into retirement soon anyway. #ISpeakUpNow
Translator and feminist Ana Vasilevska conveyed the following experience:
Имам другарка која пред петанесетина години неколку пати мораше да биде хоспитализирана на психијатриски оддел. Кога ја посетував, настојувавме да зборуваме за нешта надвор од болницата и за тоа колку ќе биде подобро кога ќе заврши лекувањето.
При крајот на една средба, шепотејќи ми раскажа дека секогаш кога е на дежурство, еден член на персоналот и се потпикнува во болничкиот кревет среде ноќ. И „објаснувал“ дека е за да ја „освежи“ малку.
Јас #СегаКажувам дека се’ уште ме прогонува прашањето колку често се случува ваква грозна злоупотреба и како би завршило пријавувањето на надлежни институции и постапувањето на надлежните органи…
#СегаКажувам #TaniTregoj
Around fifteen years ago, a friend of mine had to be hospitalized at a psychiatric ward. When I would visit her, we would try to talk about things outside of the hospital and how everything will be better when her treatment ends.
At the end of one such visit, with a whisper, she told me that every time one of the staff members worked the night shift, he would sneak into her bed in the middle of the night. He “was explaining” to her that it's for her own good, to “freshen her up” a bit.
#ISpeakUpNow because I am still haunted by how often such horrible abuse takes place and what would be the outcome of reporting it to the competent authorities…
As hundreds of people were sharing the posts and/or writing about their experiences, some of the testimonies become more and more forthcoming with the details of the traumatic events. Some of them were shared using the “friends only” option, in particular, those that included memories of rape — many of which were unreported at the time.
A version of the #MeToo campaign has started in Macedonia, under the #СегаКажувам. The stories I read today are heart-breaking and awe-inspiring. To all my powerful women, and the many supportive men who asked how can they help: Thank you.
— Ivana Jordanovska (@JordanIva) January 16, 2018
Many people have voiced their opinions since the #ISpeakUpNow hashtag has taken the internet by storm. Besides unconditional expressions of support, some nominally supportive commentators complained that the posts didn't contain the names of the harassers. However, the lack of name calling is understandable because, apart from renewed violence, pointing the finger at an individual could lead to defamation lawsuits and fines. In order to contest libel lawsuits, one would have to prove the actual rape case, which might have happened 20 or 30 years ago without any physical evidence remaining.
The growing public discussion also gave rise the examination of other aspects of this taboo topic. For instance, the Facebook page “Gay Macedonia” posted:
Инспирирaн oд #MeToo и #СегaКaжувaм / #TaniTregoj гo пoстaвувaм прaшaњетo, штo се случувa вo oпштествo кaкo Републикa Мaкедoнијa кoгa геј дечкo или мaж е сексуaлнo вoзнемирен oд друг геј дечкo или мaж? Дуплa стигмa, дупoл прoблем? Дaли вooпштo нaшетo oпштествo е свеснo декa и oвa е реaлнoст вo секoјдневиетo?
Inspired by #MeToo and #СегaКaжувaм / #TaniTregoj I ask the question what happens in a society like Republic of Macedonia when a gay boy or man is sexually harassed by another gay boy or man? Double stigma, double problem? Are people aware that this is also part of everyday reality?
Within days, the grassroots initiative “#I Speak Up Now” created such an impact that it also attracted the attention of established civil society organizations and state institutions. Some of them issued official expressions of support:
TAKT supports the initiative #СегаКажувам #TaniTegoj which is against sexual abuse by someone from a position of power. Women in sport are immensely targeted. Let's fight back! #metoo
— TAKT (@TAKTngo) January 16, 2018
Фондацијата Отворено општество – Македонија (ФООМ) ја поддржува иницијативата #СегаКажувам #TaniTregoj и ја поздравува идејата да се скрши молкот и да не се прифати како нормално сексуалното вознемирување и сексуалното насилство. https://t.co/UvEVBGDMoj
— FOS – Macedonia (@FOS_Macedonia) January 18, 2018
Foundation Open Society – Macedonia (FOSM) supports the initiative ##ISpeakUpNow and salutes the idea to break the silence and refuse to accept as normal sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Government institutions, including the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, and the Ministry of Interior also expressed support for the initiative. For instance, the Ministry of Interior published the following Facebook post:
#СегаКажувам за повеќе храброст за пријавување на сексуално насилство и вознемирување, а повеќе пријави значат и повеќе можности за полицијата да го покрене системот за одговорност за насилниците.
Ги охрабруваме жртвите на сексуално мотивирани напади да не се повлекуваат пред стереотипите. Повлекувањето само ги потврдува.
#СегаКажувам за да бидат насилниците видливи и процесирани!
#ISpeakUpNow for more courage to report sexual violence and abuse, as more criminal charges mean more opportunities for the police to start up the system leading to the responsibility from the violators.
We encourage the victims of sexually motivated attacks not to succumb to stereotypes. Backing down only reinforces them.
#ISpeakUpNow so the perpetrators can be made visible and investigated!
The action was also supported by members of the international community.
Urgent need to break the silence everywhere on sexual & gender based violence in all its forms. #СегаКажувам #TaniTregoj #EndViolence ??
— Benjamin Perks (@BenjaminPerks) January 18, 2018
While some negative reactions tried to undermine the initiative and the testimonies by asking “why now and not then,” implying that the women who were silent for a long time should continue to shut up, many men expressed genuine solidarity.
Деновиве читам и разговарам често за #СегаКажувам и не воопшто не сум изненаден од тоа што го читам бидејки знам во какво изопачено мизогено шовинистичко фашистичко опкружување сме.
— ind.o.g (@indog) January 19, 2018
These days I read and often discuss the #ISpeakUpNow and I am not at all surprised with what I am reading, because I know what kind of perverted misogynous chauvinist fascist environment we live in.
As the hashtag grew even more popular, it began to attract the attention of social media trolls — many of whom have been serving the former right-wing populist VMRO-DPMNE ruling party as part of their propaganda machine. Anonymous profiles have been spamming the hashtag with a new form of manipulative tactics of ‘whataboutism‘. They claimed that the goal of the initiative is to divert attention from the political ‘rape of Macedonia’ as a result of the government's treasonous actions aimed at improving relations with the EU and NATO. Such tweets were then re-tweeted by similar anonymous profiles in a seemingly coordinated fashion.
Regular Twitter users, who use the social network under their own names, expressed outrage regarding this new form of abuse and renewed disrespect for the victims of sexual harassment.
Сите оние што #Сегакажувам кампањата ја користат за политика и наметнување свои политички ставови, пресмешни сте. Вие сте само уште еден доказ зошто сме таму каде што сме.
— М. (@mzevairovski) January 18, 2018
To all those who use the #ISpeakUpNow campaign for party politics and imposing their political positions – you are too ridicilous! You are just one more reason why we are in this position.
The painter Jana Jakimovska also commented on this new wave of trolling:
#СегаКажувам #TaniTregoj е за искуствата на сексуално вознемирување кои треба да се прочитаат. Киднаперите на хаштагот и спрдаторите не се вредни за внимание. Самите се брукаат доволно – не мора никој тоа да го прави за нив. Апелирам истите да не ве демотивираат. Исто така ги охрабрувам моите другарки да прочепкаат по непријатните сеќавања. Потребно е да се зборува за да може потоа и да се делува.
#ISpeakUpNow is about experiences of sexual harassment which need to be read. Those who try to kidnap the hashtag or make immature jokes are unworthy of attention. They bring shame upon themselves with their actions, nobody should spend more energy on shaming them. I appeal to all of you, don't let them demotivate you. I also encourage my girl friends to reexamine their memories. First we need to speak about it, so we can then act accordingly.
Despite the backlash from trolls, the #ISpeakUpNow movement has mostly drawn support and applause for the survivors of sexual abuse who refuse to stay silent any longer. For many, translating the #ISpeakUpNow hashtag is a powerful way to bring the momentum and power of the #MeToo movement to Macedonia:
When #metoo got translated into #СегаКажувам, suddenly became more visceral and real and I thought to myself “I just don't want to think about it”… amazing how our native languages still pack a much more powerful punch
— Sandra Mardin (@lofidelica) January 16, 2018

author: Marko Angelov


text:
Nepal’s Vulture Restaurants Are Helping Revive Their Population and Generate Income for Communities · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Himalayan Griffon at Vulture Restaurant, Nawalparasi, Nepal. Photo by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
They are big, ugly, and have a bad reputation. Although vultures have been at the center of a love-hate relationship with humans — they are also our natural allies. Vultures are mostly carrion eaters and are a major part of the natural process of death in the wild. By devouring large amounts of flesh, these large birds help limit the spread of bacteria and disease that can otherwise spread from the decaying animal bodies. However, despite their important role as buffers against the potential spread of illnesses, they are often regarded as more of a pest than an important bird.
As a 2007 survey in India shows, the population of oriental white-backed vultures (Gyps bengalensis) had fallen to 0.1% of its numbers in the early 1990s. In 2009, western Nepal saw its population of oriental white-backed vultures fall by 25% since 2002. Likewise, the population of long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus) and slender-billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) also declined drastically throughout the Indian subcontinent. Unfortunately, this trend is not only happening in South Asia, vulture numbers are decreasing worldwide due to less food availability, collision with man-made structures, and poisoning among others.
To combat this decline, some countries have proposed an interesting conservation plan to bring their numbers back up — Jatayu restaurants, or restaurants for vultures.
To conserve vulture populations, vulture feeding stations have been set up in a number of different Asian countries such as Cambodia, India, Pakistan and Nepal. In Nepal, the feeding stations are managed by the nearby communities and have been dubbed Jatayu restaurants, named after the revered character in the Hindu epic Ramayana and the vulture’s Sanskrit name, Jatayu.
If you are in Nepal & a wildlife enthusiastic, visiting Jatayu Restaurant will be an experience of lifetime. I was mesmerized. #conservation https://t.co/rENmDgrkkE
— Rebecca (@_Re_be_cca) August 3, 2017
These restaurants source old and unproductive cattle from farmers and take care of the animals until they die at the animal old-age center. People happily handover their old, unproductive cattle to these restaurants because the animals are well taken care of at the end of their lives.
A scene from a vulture restaurant in Western Nepal — dead animals are offered to vultures at this site only after ensuring that the carcasses are free of Diclofenac. The vultures had been disappearing owing to the use of this medicine for treating livestock. The vulture numbers were on a decline since the poor birds died of kidney failure after eating Diclofenac laced carcass. After the introduction of these restaurants throughout Nepal's southern plains, the vultures are returning back. And the conservationists are happy! ———- #vulture #vulturerestaurant #diclofenac #vultureconservation #terai #Nepal #conservation #jatayurestaurant #southasia
A post shared by  Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) on
When these cattle die, they are fed to the vultures — but only after they are tested to ensure that the cattle are diclofenac free.
The use of diclofenac to relieve pain in livestock had been one of the major causes of mass vulture deaths in Nepal, India and other South Asian countries. Even small doses of diclofenac can be fatal for vultures, causing kidney failure in these birds. As the kidney fails to function, uric acid accumulates in the birds’ blood and crystallizes around their internal organs.
Since vultures feed in large groups, a single carcass laced with diclofenac can cause the death of scores of vultures.
The drug was banned in India, Nepal and Pakistan in 2006 and in Bangladesh in 2010.Thanks to the drug ban and also to conservation initiatives by several organizations including local communities, these ‘critically endangered’ bird species have started to bounce back.
In addition, these vulture restaurants have become tourist attractions which draw in both domestic and international visitors, providing nearby communities with an additional source of income. The communities have also begun selling the cattle hide for leather production and the bones for fertilizer.
As the Jatayu restaurants grow in popularity and continue to generate income for the neighboring communities, people who once abhorred and avoided vultures are beginning to change their tune. Slowly but surely, the bad reputation that has plagued these birds is beginning to transform into a better understanding of their important role in the cycle of life and death.
Vulture feeding at Jatayu, vulture feeding restaurant #savevultures #vulturerestaurant #togetherforbirds #birdlife #fromthearchive Credit: Jyotendra Jyu Thakuri
A post shared by  BirdLife Nepal (@birdlifenepal) on
If you’re interested in watching these big birds up close, you can visit one of the Jatayu restaurants being run by communities in the Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Dang, Kailali and Kaski districts.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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Ocean Mapping Expedition Tracing Magellan’s Voyage Reaches the Philippines · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Screenshot from Mayan Around Town's video blog of Fleur de Passion's visit to Cebu, Philippines.
The year 2021 will mark the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan's journey around the globe. Ahead of this historic date, researchers have been following his tracks on board a sailboat led by the Geneva-based non-profit organization Foundation Pacifique. This ocean mapping expedition aims to explore humanity’s impact on the oceans and the environment. To replicate Magellan's voyage, the research team set sail from Seville, Spain in April 2015 as part of a four-year trip which will take them around the world.
Screenshot of a map tracking the voyage of the Fleur de Passion from the expedition's website.
Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who set sail from Seville, Spain in 1519 and embarked on a voyage which became the first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth. His arrival in Cebu, in 1521, would eventually lead to the Spanish colonization of the Philippine Islands.
The Swiss research vessel Fleur de Passion, an old German navy minesweeper which has been disarmed and redesigned for scientific research, reached the Philippines and docked in the central Philippine city of Lapu-Lapu, Cebu on December 19, 2017. As part of its project, the crew invited locals on board the ship to educate the public about its research and advocacy mission. Cebu-based blogger Mayan Around Town wrote about the experience and made a video blog with the Fleur de Passion crew:
Working mainly with the authorities of the Swiss City-State of Geneva, the ocean mapping expedition offers various educational and cultural programs to the public.
Some of the scientific activities featured on the ship included the following:
LOOK: Swiss sailboat Fleur de Passion makes it stop at Mactan, Cebu as part of a four-year ocean mapping expedition all over the world. Part of the expedition is to gather data on plastics in the ocean, coral bleaching, and greenhouse gas levels @cebudailynews pic.twitter.com/v43KKXLZ17
— Santino Bunachita (@santinoCDN) December 20, 2017
The expedition also encourages education initiatives such as The Youth at Sea educational program which invites young people to stay on-board Fleur de Passion for up to two months to experience life at sea as full-time crew members. Over 34 teenagers have participated in the program since 2015. As part of an arts initiative, the ship also offers the Magellan’s Mirror cultural program which invites cartoonists from Switzerland and other parts of the world to come aboard the ship and create illustrations to explains the expedition's mission and its programs to a wider audience.
On January 20, the ship joined this year’s Translacion Sinulog fluvial procession before departing for the next stop on its voyage in Puerto Galera, Mindoro. The Translacion carries the image of Cebu’s patron, the Señor Santo Niño, across the Mactan Channel a day before the Sinulog Grand Parade celebrating the Christianization of Cebu. The image of the Señor Santo Niño was said to have been presented by Magellan to Cebu Queen Juana as part of the conversion of the natives of Cebu to Christianity. Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island was named after the chieftain Lapu-Lapu whose men killed Magellan in resistance to Spanish colonial conquest.
Filipino fashion blogger David Guison took photos of the Sinulog fluvial parade from the deck of the Fleur de Passion.
Sinulog Fluvial Parade ? ? Cebu, Philippines pic.twitter.com/BP3QrXCHqF
— David Guison (@davidguison) January 21, 2018
Established in 2007, Foundation Pacifique has been carrying out educational, cultural, and scientific expeditions in order to help understand the human impact on the ocean. Fleur de Passion’s voyage can be tracked on their website and updates can found on their Facebook page and YouTube channel. The ship is scheduled to complete Magellan's journey in August 2019.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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To Achieve Freedom for Iran and the Arab Nations, the Region Must Unite · Global Voices
Rahim Hamid

A Free Iran protest in front of the White House in Washington DC on December 31, 2017. PHOTO: Geoff Livingston (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
There are two remarkable features to the recent Iranian uprising. The first is that it began in the religiously conservative city of Mashhad. The second is the expansion of the insurrection far beyond the ethnically homogenous Persian provinces to the outlying regions where ethnic minorities predominate, such as Arab Ahwaz, Kurdistan, Baluchistan, and even Turkish areas in Azerbaijani territories.
The spread of the demonstrations was accompanied by increasingly bold assertions and actions on the part of protestors. In scenes rarely witnessed in the tightly controlled state, demonstrators set fire to pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and of the current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, both key symbols of the Iranian regime. The fact that people all too aware of the grievous penalties for attacking the icons of the Islamic Republic took such risks shows the depth of the protesters’ rage.
The events have also revealed the true character of President Rouhani, and exposed his claims of moderation and reformism as nothing more than a mask concealing the nature of the masters he serves and diverting public anger away from the theocratic leadership that controls the country. The widespread public rejection of Rouhani’s regime across all sectors of the population in the latest uprising—unlike the 2009 Green Movement, Iran’s poor are participating—is evidence of the people’s disillusionment and rejection of the propaganda the regime uses to justify its rule.
Unlike previous protests, this time there is no turning back. The regime that destroyed the future for Iran’s younger generations and played a key role in the savage destruction of the entire region—that depleted Iran’s wealth and facilitated the destruction of the social fabric of nations such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen—cannot continue. The question is not whether the regime will fall, but whether it will fall before it has dragged Iran and the rest of the region into destructive chaos. Little else can be expected of a regime that delays its own demise by precipitating new crises, and which fails to meet popular demands, much in the same way as its predecessor, Shah Pahlavi’s brutal monarchy.
Instead of working from the outset to serve the Iranian people and to uphold their rights, the Rouhani government has focused on “exporting the revolution”, which is nothing more than a euphemism for the incitement of bloody sectarian conflicts in the region in order to divide the population and seize control. Despite speeches and slogans about “resistance” and professed support for the cause of Palestinian freedom (in reality a cynical exploitation for the purposes of self-aggrandizement), Tehran’s regime has, in practice, “resisted” nothing but Iranians’ and others’ freedom and human rights.
After four decades of the Islamic Republic, half of Iran’s population lives below the poverty line. It is clear to the people of Iran that the ayatollahs have nothing to offer, either to Iranians or to the people of the neighboring countries. Before the revolution that overthrew the Shah’s brutal, corrupt regime, Khomeini promised to free the country from dependence upon oil and gas exports. 39 years later, the Iranian economy, under the control of another brutal corrupt regime, is even more dependent upon international sales of oil and gas.
The clerical regime never had any more to offer Iranians and the countries of the region than bombastic slogans and equally empty chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. Khomeini and his successors have done nothing to hurt either Israel or the United States. America has not died. On the contrary—its superpower status remains uncontested, and it is watching closely as Iran spreads misery. American power in the region has not been hurt by the spread of sectarian militias—in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Rhetoric aside, the US and Israel are in fact quite comfortable with Iran’s regional expansionism. The US’s regional footprint and ability to intervene directly in the region have grown, even as Tehran’s regime boasts of its regional supremacy and its ability to implement an expansionist policy. Israel, meanwhile, has never been more confident. 39 years after Iran’s leaders severed relations, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are expanding rapidly and Netanyahu is now preparing to annex all of Jerusalem. The Palestinian people’s right to self-determination is in greater peril than it has been in decades.
And what can be said of the Iranian leadership’s loud boasts about its ability to intervene in Arab countries? What sort of boast is to have spent tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars, while your own people starve, on driving countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen into desolation, destruction and ruin? The regime’s actions have reduced Syria to a pile of strife-torn rubble under the continuing rule of a genocidal dictatorship which, like the mullahs, has restricted its “resistance” to periodic bombastic speeches while reserving its weapons for use against its own people. Yemen is bitterly divided and in ruins, in part due to the Iranian regime’s influence. In Lebanon, at the direction of the Iranian regime, Hezbollah has brought the country’s progress and development to a halt, with the group’s 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri—sponsored by Bashar al-Assad—offering a clear indication of the extent to which Tehran and its proxies have violated Lebanese sovereignty.
The “revolution” exported by the Iranian regime has also forced the Arab Gulf states into a defensive position, pushing them closer to the United States and Israel. After decades of the Iranian regime’s exported revolution, Arab citizens no longer dare to be optimistic about the prospect of achieving sovereignty or even fundamental democratic and human rights. Our Arab brothers and sisters, therefore, have found new optimism in the uprising of the Iranian people.
Ethnic minority activists in Iran, however, are painfully familiar with the brutality of the Iranian regime and would counsel our Arab brothers and sisters to temper their optimism. The regime will stop at nothing to preserve its grip on power. Yet, it is clear that the mask has been torn off the ayatollahs and that Iranians are wholly disillusioned with the regime. It may be reckless to speculate about the fall of the Iranian regime, but there is no doubt that it cannot continue ruling as it has done for the last four decades. Even the lifeline provided by the Obama administration, which gave Iran a free hand in the region by exclusively negotiating the nuclear development program—at high cost to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon—has been frittered away. The songs have been sung, now the bill must be paid.
And the bills are coming due. Iran is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Much like the Soviet Union before it, Iran is collapsing internally as a result of its attempts to exert regional military power. The similarities do not stop there. The Soviet Union was also torn apart by ethnic minorities no longer willing to bear the brunt of the economic costs of supporting a corrupt totalitarian state.
The task before Iranians is to bring an end to the crisis, to unite with our Arab brothers and sisters to overcome the damage wrought by the regime, and to join with the ethnic groups such Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, Baluchis, Turks, and Turkmen in their struggles for self-determination. United, we can rebuild the region and save all our peoples before the Iranian regime drags us all over the precipice into a chasm of sectarian bloodletting and chaos.
Rahim Hamid is an Ahwazi Arab freelance journalist and human rights advocate who mainly writes about the plight of his people in Iran.

author: Rahim Hamid


text:
A Mother’s Battle Against Agrochemicals, Church and State in Paraguay · Global Voices
Kurtural

In January 2003, Petrona Villasboa and her entire family suffered the negative effects of agrochemicals, with the loss of one of their children, Silvino Talavera. Photo by Leonor de Blas, used with permission.
As a midwife, Petrona Villasboa has helped bring more than 200 children into the world alive and well, but when her own son Silvino Talavera was poisoned, she could not save his life.
In spite of this, Villasboa has dedicated herself to the fight against Paraguay’s powerful soy producers, responsible for the use of the deadly agrochemicals that killed her son. In 2004, she brought the first-ever conviction against two soy producers, in a case which proved that the cause of her son's death was the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. Had it not been for these producers’ pesticides, Silvino would be 26 years old today.
At the age of 11, Silvino was already working the land for the Pirapey soy production company in the district of Edelira, within the department of Itapúa in southern Paraguay, alongside his older brothers and his father, Juan Talavera.
On January 2, 2003, Silvino was riding home on his bicycle with his cousin, Gabriel Villasboa, having gone shopping to get lunch. Along the dusty road in the scorching heat, they saw soy producer Hermann Schlender on his tractor, spraying crops along the road. Gabriel waited until the tractor passed, but Silvino started pedaling fast and could not escape the fumigation blasts, which completely soaked his clothes and bag of food.
When Silvino arrived home, he handed the shopping bag to his sister Sofía, then 12 years old, and went to bathe in the Pirayu'i stream that borders the Villasboa's ranch, located at the end of a very steep slope. Their mother was washing clothes there, but Silvino didn’t mention the incident, only saying that his eyes suddenly began to itch. Later, he lay down in bed and did not get up to eat. By the afternoon, his situation worsened with vomiting and diarrhea.
Alarmed, Villasboa noticed that her other children were suffering from similar symptoms, and after a while, she too began to feel ill. She prepared a herbal infusion drink with jaguarete ka'a (a medicinal plant) and mandarin leaf, and administered it to everyone. But her two-year-old daughter, Patricia, started feeling worse. Villasboa took her to the nearest hospital in the town of María Auxiliadora. The hospital lacked equipment and specialists, so they all went to the Hohenau neighborhood, located 60 kilometers from Pirapey. Patricia (who was hospitalized until January 5) and Silvino both stayed in Hohenau, while Villasboa's other sons and daughters were treated at home with medication for fever and vomiting.
Silvino's body was paralyzed and bruised. In tears, Villasboa wiped her son's nosebleed. The doctor suggested an urgent stomach cleanse in the city of Encarnación (52.6 km away) and transported him there with the mayor's truck.
But Silvino suffered two cardiac arrests and died on January 7 in Encarnación. The cause of death: severe poisoning.
Nearly 20 people were affected by these fumigations. Apart from the one that Silvino cycled through, there was another spraying that affected families in the area. Residents typically live in small peasant’s houses (culata jovái), comprising two rooms with wall boards joined by a common roof, and separated by a mixed space with a roof, but without side walls — a design that makes inhabitants more vulnerable to fumigations.
Of the nine Villasboa offspring, Sofia and Patricia required hospitalization but survived the second fumigation, as did Petrona and Juan's other children: Norma, Juan Ignacio, Antonio, Darío, Juan Alberto and Justiniano. In their community, a baby of just six months and another of just over a year also died around the same time that Silvino did, but their families never filed a complaint.
Multinational corporations that produce agrochemicals call them “pesticides”. The Bayer corporation refers to them as “agricultural protectors”. For Petrona Villasboa, they're just poison.
Villasboa boldly sued the agrochemical giant Monsanto, an American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, and the world's largest producer of transgenic herbicides and seeds. Monsanto is known for producing the herbicide ‘glyphosate’ that appeared in Silvino's blood samples. In 2015, the World Health Organization classified it as potentially carcinogenic.
In Paraguay, Monsanto is the biggest importer of pesticides. It is the same company that developed Agent Orange, a herbicide and defoliant used by the United States military in the Vietnam War, which, according to the Red Cross, left a million people disabled.
Monsanto has always marketed its products as “safe” for humans. But Villasboa sued the company in 2004 for its misleading advertising in Paraguay.
Agrochemicals are necessary for soybean cultivation as part of the “technological package” brought by the Green Revolution, a Paraguayan governmental initiative that includes large machinery and transgenic seeds. For small-scale farmers, this new system causes natural degradation, starting with the soil, and is radically opposed to traditional production models.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are designed to withstand fumigations that attack anything other than their shoots. Pesticides are chemical substances used in agriculture to eliminate weeds or plant diseases. The growth of transgenic crops, which already occupy 95 of every 100 hectares in Paraguay, has led to an increase in sprayed chemicals.
Compounds such as cypermethrin and glyphosate are used in soybean cultivation. They are known by the farmers as “kill-everything”. They produce cutaneous and carcinogenic diseases. Photo by Leonor de Blas, used with permission.
The “Justice for Silvino” campaign brought Villasboa's son's tragic death to trial. Villasboa undertook this battle with the support of the Organization of Peasant and Indigenous Women (CONAMURI); she was also joined by other groups and activists from Paraguay and abroad.
Meanwhile, Villasboa's neighbors collected signatures to demand that she desist from complaints against the soy entrepreneurs. On one occasion, a worker employed by Schlender approached her on a local road with a machete in his hand to scare her. Another time, a priest went to her ranch to persuade her to abandon the judicial process. When she refused, he excommunicated her. Villasboa has not set foot in a church since then.
The aggression did not end there. Petrona's brother, Serapio Villasboa, leader of the Paraguayan Peasant Movement (MCP), was stabbed to death by three thugs a few days before the trial began.
A red dirt road separates the fields of intensive agriculture and the cemetery in Pirapey. There rests the body of Silvino Talavera, whose story brings people to visit from many places. Photo by Leonor de Blas, used with permission.
In the trial investigating the death of Silvino Talavera, medical professionals testified to the exact symptoms of someone who has suffered from pesticide poisoning, and were certain that this was his cause of death. However, the court made it clear that agrochemical fumigation was not on trial, but rather the reckless behavior of the accused.
As a result, two soy producers were sentenced to two years imprisonment: Hermann Schlender for homicide and production of risks to the public, and Alfredo Laustenlager, plantation co-owner, for wrongful death. In addition, they were made to compensate the victim's family, each with the sum of 25 million Guaraníes (approximately US $4,500).
The judicial ruling in the Silvino Talavera case set a historic precedent, ushering in progress in environmental legislation. Now, soy producers must place plant protection barriers for crop cultivation and are prohibited from fumigation depending on the direction of the wind. Local ordinances and national regulations exist today thanks to the perseverance of Petrona Villasboa and those who stood by her side.

author: Kurtural


text:
Barbados’ Sewage ‘Crisis’ Causes a Flood of Problems · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Effluent flowing from a manhole cover in front of the popular Lantern's Mall, on Barbados’ south coast.  The screenshot is taken from a Holiday Travel Network YouTube video, published on January 7, 2018.
The unthinkable has happened to one of the Caribbean's most popular destinations — and it has struck at the height of tourist season. 2018 began with a sewage leak — which the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) called a “crisis” — seeping across parts of the island's popular south coast.
The incident has already caused a slew of problems in the country: Residents have had to move to more hospitable areas, many south coast-based businesses have closed, visitors to the island have complained about contracting gastroenteritis, and the tourist-friendly destination has endured unfavourable reviews on travel websites.
Experts from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago are assisting the BWA in their efforts to solve the problem; however, Patricia Inniss, head of the BWA's wastewater division, was quite clear that “every tourist, business person, householder” has to play a part in finding a solution. She added, “We are appealing seriously to all — not only residents but larger commercial houses, hotels, large guest houses — we are not going to identify anyone specifically at this point because we don’t know exactly who are the main contributors.”
The current incident calls to mind past blockages which were caused by inappropriate debris getting into sewer lines, casuing damage to sewage pumps and filtering equipment. Inniss has appealed to Barbadians who do not properly dispose of waste and offered her organisation's help in educating them.
But action didn't come fast enough for some countries. In short order, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom put out travel advisories warning their citizens about the risks of travel to Barbados.
The whole mess has been made worse by the fact that some experts saw it coming. In January 2017, anonymous BWA officials told Barbados Today that the country's waste system was on the verge of collapse. These same BWA officials also confirmed allegations by Mia Mottley, the country's opposition leader, that the government had turned down offers to finance the rehabilitation of faulty diffusers and the construction of a proper sewage system for the west coast.
With regard to the south coast, which is the location of the current effluent leak, the source said, “How can you be building hotels on the south coast and in Bridgetown [the capital] when the entire Bridgetown and south coast sewage plants are outdated and dilapidated? These plants need urgent attention.”
This lack of attention has turned the controversy into a political football, with Mottley promising that her government will solve the sewage crisis should it win this year's upcoming general elections and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Small Business Development Donville Inniss defending his government as the poop literally hit the fan — or at least the pavement. He also denied that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) government knew about the problem and ignored it.
Barbadians did not mince words when it came to discussing the issue online. In a post titled, A Shitty South Coast, the popular Barbados Underground blog lamented the current situation:
The South Coast of Barbados […] has been known at home and abroad as the place to wine, dine and party by locals and tourists alike. Regrettably in the last year the South Coast has been making the news because of sewage overflowing onto public spaces; roadways, residential and business premises. […]
The reality is that the sewage system in Barbados has been poorly maintained through the years and the hodgepodge approach of the BWA has been significantly affected by a lack of funds and pertinent expertise.
The site also posted videos showing the sewage leak and expressed exasperation with the government's public relations spin:
Many of us were bemused by the decision of ministers of government Richard Sealy and John Boyce to bath in the shitty waters of the South Coast in order to convince a suspicious public that all was well.
We await PR stunt number 2!
While sewage continued to flow along parts of Barbados’ south coast, Facebook users expressed their frustration over the government's mismanagement of the situation:
I refuse to eat or even partake in any event on that side of the island this is a down right national shame the government of Barbados should take full responsibility for this national disaster! And this is the perfect example of how they have managed the affairs of Barbadians!
Some netizens thought the public health threat was serious enough to be called a national security issue and many more were concerned about the impact of the leak on the country's tourism sector — a sector which makes up a large majority of Barbados’ gross domestic product (GDP). Others noted that there was “still not much substance [being] shared [with] the public”, despite the fact that they are the ones most adversely affected.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Changing Trinidad & Tobago Carnival’s Culture Starts With Consent · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A consensual “wine” in progress at a fete (party) during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2013. Photo by IZATRINI.com, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Trinidad and Tobago's latest controversy is over a law that makes it necessary to have permission to “wine” — a hip-swivelling dance which is traditionally a free-for-all during the country's annual Carnival season.
Making the point that touching someone without their permission is considered assault, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) warned Carnival enthusiasts that they could be arrested for non-consensual gyrating.
The move went down well with some feminist organisations, who thought it was about time that the culture surrounding Carnival and women's bodies changed, especially in light of past violence against women during the street festival. However, there has been some pushback — literally.
The whole issue got ratcheted up a notch when one local newspaper splashed a photograph of soca star Machel Montano gyrating on a female patron during his performance at a Carnival fete and another newspaper quoted the star as saying “when it comes to wining, it’s better to seek forgiveness than permission”. Montano advised the crowd to ignore the advice of the police to seek permission before “thiefing [stealing] a wine”.
On her Facebook wall, Maria Rivas-Mc expressed her disappointment over his comments, saying:
Ahh … words have power and are even more powerful when you are someone of note. Machel could have used the opportunity to speak about respecting women, and all people.
But Keith Francis was not surprised:
Sitting here wasting a brain cell trying to figure why people are surprised at and disappointed with Machel… ?
#BrandNewIsTheNewBrandNew
Not long after the star's comments, one female party-goer accused two men (via Facebook) of touching her without her permission. One of the men who was named recorded a Facebook Live video denying the accusations as “completely false”, although he later admitted that there were “some true bits to it”. The women's advocacy group Womantra referred to the incident as “physical assault during the Carnival Season” and chastised Machel Montano for adding fuel to the fire, saying his suggestion “that a man's ‘right to wine’ is more important than a woman's consent” was “irresponsible”.
In a private Facebook post (republished here with permission), Franz Gellizeau put it this way:
It is absolutely infuriating that people are discussing this ‘new law’ about wining.
Morons, it is assault to just jump on someone and start gyrating, and it always has been. The problem has never been tiefin a wine; the problem is dudes who can't take a brace and decide to press the issue. So the police just pointed out that, yes, you can get arrested for assault in that scenario. Dumbass.
Omari Ashby added an important perspective by going back to the genesis of the dance itself:
this wine debate is what happens when traditional knowledge is not passed down…….we figured this out years ago….as a matter of fact the asking for a wine was part of the dance itself.. the dance of the the winer and the wineee (sp), the approach would be made the offer would be accepted or declined, all within the dance moves…but we failed to have faith in ourselves and our way of doing things.
Facebook user Rhoda Bharath agreed:
A sexual advance is not sexual assault.
If you advance and I turn you down and you persist…that is where the problem starts.
Flirting is not a crime.
Forcing your attention on someone is.
#AGenders
Meanwhile, Natasha Ramnauth pointed out to her Facebook friends that consent applies to men as well:
I hope women are also paying attention to the ‘thou shalt not wine on unwilling people’ edict. It's all well and good to stand up and be empowered and all that but it works both ways. Men can and do say no. Move along.
Soon, however, there was a backlash against the lyrical content of Machel Montano's music, much of which — like most soca offerings — talks about “wining” on women.
Bharath nipped that line of reasoning in the bud:
In 2018 we decide Boy's [Montano's] music sexist and offensive? Soca was invented last week?
In 2018 all yuh find he tone deaf and irresponsible?
In 2018 we vex with a soca artist for giving us commands that we mindlessly obeying?
When we go done pappyshow weself and accept responsibility for anything, boy?
All yuh does kill me, oui.
#DeViceCyahDone
In 2018 we decide Boy's [Montano's] music sexist and offensive? Soca was invented last week?
In 2018 you all find he's tone deaf and irresponsible?
In 2018 we're vexed with a soca artist for giving us commands that we're mindlessly obeying?
When will we stop fooling ourselves and accept responsibility for anything, boy?
You all kill me, yes.
#DeViceCyahDone
While mainstream media published stories about a man who was court ordered to pay a young woman TT $12,000 (approximately US $1,777) as compensation for touching her vagina during Carnival 2009 and ran editorials commending the police on “sen[ding] a signal that lawlessness, large or small, will not be tolerated, no matter who the offender and how culturally acceptable the offence”, Machel Montano apologised and agreed that consent is important so that “women feel safe”.
Attorney Martin Daly suggested that the country “may be having a progressive cultural shift”. He commended Montano for his mea culpa in the face of “alert and swift” public criticism.
But the whole scenario got Jabal Hassanali thinking. Writing a post for Wired868, he mused:
Let me admit up front that I love tiefing a wine. By ‘tiefing a wine’, I mean enticing in a largely non-verbal manner a complete stranger to wine with you. […] Indeed, I daresay, perhaps immodestly, that I have now really refined it to a fine art.
Well, I used to think of it as art as I always assumed these techniques were within the bounds of acceptable social behaviour.
Now, I’m not so sure.
After summarising his approach to seeking permission and running through some of the challenges that might arise in different situations, he addressed the police warning:
The fact is that the CoP’s [Chief of Police's] recent announcement has suddenly opened up a Pandora’s box because, vague and unhelpful as it was, it gave no real indication of what the new normal might be. ‘It depends’ is nice and non-committal, convenient even, but it is hugely problematic because it does not cut it legislatively. Law and ambiguity can’t live in the same house and laws often are pitched at the lowest common denominator because certain people just cannot be trusted to deal with nuance.
[…] And when it’s people’s bodies involved, brother, there can be no room—wiggle room?—at all for individual interpretation of the vagaries of human touch.
So what does a world look like where only verbal permission is acceptable to tief [steal] a wine?
While the blogger thought less harassment was “a definite pro”, he wondered about the domino effect on other aspects of the festival:
The flip side to this […] is that people may just end up wining exclusively on who they know, there will be less social mixing, and the Carnival becomes even more segregated. There will definitely be less bacchanal, and dare I say it? the festivities will lose some of their magic as a result.
Or maybe not. Perhaps now, under the new rules, women will become the new leaders of the wine tiefing movement. […] Yes, the laws will apply to them as well but I don’t see many men being aggrieved by unprompted physical provocation from an empowered woman.
The post ended by saying:
The culture of wine tiefing may be under new management but still in good hands after all. Or, more accurately, in good waists.
At the end of the day, it’s not up to me or to men in general and I’m relieved by that. So, ladies, when you all decide how you want things to go, let me know; I’ll adapt.
It seems that women have already made their decision quite clear: non-consensual wining is not an option.


text:
‘Crimes of Solidarity’ Once Again Lead to Outcry in France · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Evidence of a refugee camp below an overground railway bridge in Paris's 18th arrondissement. #BACKTOTHESTREET, by Jeanne Menjoulet on Flickr CC-BY-2.0
According to a 2017 survey, 53% of the French survey participants believe the number of immigrants in their country is too high. Buoyed by public opinion support regarding a stronger immigration policy, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Minister of the Interior, Gérard Collomb, are putting the finishing touches on their Asylum and Immigration bill. The text, which has been highly criticised by all sides, is still in the turbulent consultation phase and is due to be presented before the Council of Ministers on 21 February. ‘Despite the debate on welcoming refugees, there is a palpable sense of dissuasion’, writes newspaper Le Monde. The proposed policy will aim to expel more failed asylum seekers and do it at a faster pace. Documented asylum seekers are projected to benefit from a sped up integration process.
And in fact, this tougher stance is not only observed within a legal context but also in everyday operations. On the ground, police action, such as slashing their tents in the depths of winter, against migrants outside the asylum system, and against those come to their aid, is relentless, and appear increasingly inhuman to individuals and associations, as well as to a growing number of human rights lawyers, observers, intellectuals and the media in general.
These legal actions are being dubbed ‘crimes of solidarity’ and are making a reappearance in the press and on social media.
In France, certain regions have a long tradition of providing refuge and assistance to foreigners. One such region is the Roya Valley, a French Alpine enclave deep within the Italian Ligurian Alps, which has been making headlines since 2015 (collection of photos here). Its most well-known activist, farmer Cédric Herrou, regularly shelters migrants at his farm after picking them up on the roadside — actions which have now resulted in a number of legal actions against him. His Facebook page describes his day to day life, his support network, and his stance.
[…] Ici dans la roya chaque noir et arrêté, contrôlé, tutoyé.
Les ombres sont devenus des choses, des choses à évacuer.
Ici le droit ne s’applique pas aux ombres.
Par contre, le droit incrimine les résistants, oui je dis résistants, car nous résistons tant bien que mal à la pression policière, aux gardes à vues, aux procès et aux médisances et insultes de certains élus et hauts fonctionnaires.
Depuis deux ans nous sommes victimes et témoins d’une violence d’état. […]
[…] Here, in the Roya Valley, every black person is stopped, checked, spoken to in an over-familiar manner.
Shadows have become things, things to be disposed of.
Here, the law does not apply to shadows.
On the other hand, the law incriminates resistance fighters – yes, I said resistance fighters – because we are, to the best of our ability, resisting police pressure, detentions, trials, as well as slander and insults from certain councillors and senior officials. For two years we have been victims and witnesses of state violence.
The Roya Valley, by Fulvio Spada on Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Cédric Herrou is not the only one in Roya taking action. A trial report recounts the actions of 19-year-old Raphaël Faye:
…a pris des SDF Noirs en auto-stop sans leur avoir au préalable demandé leurs papiers. Pour ceci il risque, comme beaucoup d’autres, jusqu’à cinq ans de prison et 30.000 euros d’amende, en vertu de l’article L622-1, qui met en garde « toute personne qui aura, par aide directe ou indirecte, facilité ou tenté de faciliter l'entrée, la circulation ou le séjour irréguliers, d'un étranger en France ».
… picked up some homeless black hitchhikers without having first asked to see their ID documents. Like many others, he risks up to five years in prison and a 30,000 Euro fine in accordance with article L622-1, which cautions ‘any person who, directly or indirectly, facilitates or attempts to facilitate the entrance, travel or illegal stay of a foreign national in France‘.
Residents of the Valley have set up the organisation Roya citoyenne [Roya Community]. The organisation was initially set up to promote social connection in the region but it has now switched its focus on defending human rights.
In the Briançon area, at the Col de l’Échelle mountain pass which connects France and Italy, local volunteers from the organisation Tous Migrants [All Migrants] take to the streets at night to provide support to migrants that are ill-equipped for the cold weather. These migrants attempt to cross the mountain on foot to avoid the police patrols that will track and escort them back across the nearby border. It is thought that around 40 of these volunteers have already been brought in by the police.
Pour l’heure, aucun décès n’a été constaté sur place, « un petit miracle ». Mais ce sont plus de 300 personnes qui ont été évacuées vers les urgences de l’hôpital à leur arrivée à Briançon, selon les chiffres communiqués par Tous Migrants. Deux personnes ont du être amputées l’année dernière, victimes d’hypothermie, tandis que deux autres ont été grièvement blessés suite à une chute dans le ravin en tentant d’échapper à un contrôle policier, en août 2017.
At present, we have not recorded any deaths, which is a small miracle. However more than 300 people have required urgent hospital treatment following their arrival in Briançon, according to figures from Tous Migrants. Two people sustained amputations last year due to hypothermia, whereas two others were seriously injured after falling down a ravine while evading a police check in August 2017.
In Nice, Martine Landry, an activist from Amnesty International, will be tried on the 14 February:
pour « avoir facilité l’entrée de deux mineurs étrangers en situation irrégulière […], en ayant pris en charge et convoyé pédestrement ces deux mineurs du poste frontière côté Italie [Vintimille] au poste frontière côté France [Menton] ».
for ‘having assisted two underage, illegal migrants to enter the country […] by escorting them, on foot, from the border checkpoint on the Italian side in Vintimille across to the French checkpoint in Menton’.
Finally, we should mention the engagement of Houssam El-Assimi (profile from the Le Monde website) and his subsequent series of trials :
Pilier du collectif de soutien “La Chapelle Debout” […] Houssam El-Assimi, lui, a développé un engagement multiforme : il traduit de l’arabe au français pour les demandes d’asile, rend des visites dans les centres de rétention, constitue des dossiers pour éviter les renvois vers les pays en guerre, etc.[…] Cette fois, il comparaît pour « violences volontaires sur personne dépositaire de l’autorité publique, rébellion, à Paris, le 30 septembre 2016 »…Ce jour-là, alors que les policiers opèrent un contrôle d’identité de migrants, le militant court d’un groupe à l’autre leur conseillant de s’enfuir. Après, les versions diffèrent. Houssam El-Assimi est accusé d’avoir été violent envers un policier. Lui nie. « C’est moi qui ai eu trois jours d’ITT [incapacité temporaire de travail] et me retrouve accusé de violence et de rébellion », déplore-t-il.
As the backbone of the support group ‘La Chapelle Debout’ […], Houssam El-Assimi's engagement is multifaceted: he translates asylum applications from Arabic into French, makes visits to detention centres, compiles dossiers to avoid returning people to war-torn countries, etc. […] This time, he is appearing in court for ‘voluntary violence against a public order enforcement officer and rebellion in Paris on 30 September 2016'… On that day, during identity checks on migrants by police officers, the activist ran from group to group, advising them to flee. After this, the versions of events differ. Houssam El-Assimi is accused of being violent towards a police officer. He denies this. ‘I am the one who was off work sick for three days and yet I am accused of violence and rebellion’, he states.
The Twitter account Délit de Solidarité [Crimes of Solidarity] (@Del_solidaires) was created in February 2017 to detail these cases. Searches for ‘délit de solidarité’ on Twitter bring up a plethora of reactions:
Dites donc @EmmanuelMacron c’est un peu moche de faire injonction aux Français de se demander ce qu’ils peuvent faire pour la France, puis de les attaquer en justice parce qu’ils sauvent son honneur.#migrants #DelitDeSolidarite https://t.co/wRpiSxHJ3y
— PCatalan (@PierreC) 8 janvier 2018
So, @EmmanuelMacron, it's a bit lousy to issue injunctions to French citizens who are wondering what they can do for France, and then to attack them through the courts because they are upholding France's honour. .#migrants #DelitDeSolidarite https://t.co/wRpiSxHJ3y
— PCatalan (@PierreC) 8 January 2018
From the satirical quarterly magazine Fakir:
“Délit de solidarité”, délicieux oxymore.
On sent qu'ils n'ont pas osé écrire “délit d'humanité”. https://t.co/cVnvjn8CO1
— Journal Fakir (@Fakir_) 8 janvier 2018
‘Crimes of solidarity’, a delicious oxymoron.
One gets the impression they did not dare write ‘crimes of humanity’. https://t.co/cVnvjn8CO1
— Fakir magazine (@Fakir_) 8 January 2018
From charitable institutions: Vincent De Coninck, from Secours Catholique [Catholic Relief Service] in Calais :
il y a des unes qui disent autant qu'un article de fond. pic.twitter.com/f6KccV67ns
— De Coninck (@VDeConinckSCCF) 11 janvier 2018
Some front pages say as much as the article itself. pic.twitter.com/f6KccV67ns
— De Coninck (@VDeConinckSCCF) 11 January 2018
Economist Maxime Combes highlights the inconsistency between Emmanuel Macron's words and actions:
Make Our Blabla Great Again, épisode 2953 bis
La réalité @EmmanuelMacron c'est
✅ mineurs abandonnés en montagne au col de l'Echelle
✅ mineurs enfermés en centre de rétention
✅ migrants gazés et privés d'eau
✅ tentes lacérées
✅ bénévoles poursuivis pour délit de solidarité pic.twitter.com/THlUZ68v2G
— Maxime Combes (@MaximCombes) 11 janvier 2018
Make Our Blathering Great Again, episode 2953a
In @EmmanuelMacron‘s world, it seems that:
✅ minors are abandoned in the mountains at the Col de l'Échelle
✅ minors are locked up in detention centres
✅ migrants are tear gassed and deprived of water
✅ tents are slashed
✅ volunteers are taken to court for crimes of solidarity pic.twitter.com/THlUZ68v2G
— Maxime Combes (@MaximCombes) 11 January 2018
From the mayor of Grenoble, a town close to the Col de l'Échelle:
[coup de gueule] Les #migrants risquent leur peau entre la #France et l’#Italie ! M. le président @EmmanuelMacron cessez d'avoir peur : aucun mur ne sera assez haut pour arrêter un Homme qui veut vivre. Le siècle des migrations a commencé : innovons ! ➡ https://t.co/XFFguQjBXdpic.twitter.com/KKZyl2Cp6d
— Éric Piolle (@EricPiolle) 11 janvier 2018
[rant] #Migrants are risking their lives between #France and #Italy! Mr President, @EmmanuelMacron stop being afraid: no wall will be tall enough to stop a man who wants to live. The century of migration has begun: we must make changes!  ➡ https://t.co/XFFguQjBXdpic.twitter.com/KKZyl2Cp6d
— Éric Piolle (@EricPiolle) 11 January 2018
Some migrants who have been able to claim asylum have shared their stories on the site Réfugiés Bienvenue [welcome refugees]. Art classes have also been set up in Paris by the organisation Dessins sans Papiers [Undocumented Drawings], which enable attendees to share their journeys. The works are displayed in exhibitions or compiled in books.

author: Suzanne Lehn