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India: Social Media Censorship to Contain ‘Cyber-Terrorism’? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

This is the second post in the 2-part series about the perceived role of social media in the wake of the Assam clashes that spilled across the country and threatened to upset the nation's peace. The first post can be found here.
As the Indian government sought to block bulk SMS, MMS, webpages and specific social media urls, justifying its step as an attempt to control viral rumor-mongering and “cyber-terrorism”, there was a lot of discussion on the mainstream media (MSM) about how social media was fast becoming a “double-edged sword” and how the recent events brought out the “mischief potential of social media in full play“. These MSM opinions, some of which offered tacit support the idea of reigning in social media, did not go unnoticed by netizens. For example, Media Crooks asked:
So what’s with the rant against the Twitterati and social media by these media celebs?
Confirmation that the Twitter account was blocked. Image from Suraj Jain's Twitter.
Blogger Amrit Hallan at Writing Cave wondered if the MSM had an underlying motive for creating a hype around the ‘dangers’ of social media. He wrote:
People in the mainstream media have always been at loggerheads with the free spirit of social networking websites that empowers everybody to express opinions and spread ideas…(they) have been gleefully recommending the curtailment (of social media). Social networking and blogging continuously make their job hard. The moment they try to spread some misinformation, it is countered by Twitter or blogs with factually correct information, often posted by people close to the ground.
Tweets too expressed similar concerns and sentiments:
Priya James (@james_priya): I think by now, MSM coverage volumes of ‘social media terrorism’ has now surpassed even their basic coverage of Assam situation!
Gaurav Sabnis (@gauravsabnis): Politician-MSM nexus in India so blatantly clear with blame for NE rumors laid squarely at social media's doors.
Rajeev Nagpal (@rajeevnagpal): In #India the #MSM can't tolerate any one challenging their hold. No wonder they support censoring social media #HandsOffTwitter
Image designed by author, using visuals from the public domain
Things have been moving very quickly. The ISPs have been sent official communication to block webpages and twitter handles, including those of some journalists plus fake profiles created with the purpose of lampooning the Indian Prime Minister. Curiously, the Pakistani blogger Faraz Ahmed Siddiqui, who was the first to break the news about the morphed photos being used to incite communal tensions, also came under the ambit of censorship and his post was inaccessible on some ISPs.
AEIdeas, a blog from the American Enterprise Institute commented on the issue:
The Indian government ought to have given Mr. Siddiqui a medal for his investigative work. Instead it has blocked his post.
Social media users in India have been following the government actions closely and there is much debate and discussion about whether the crack down on social media is censorship of free speech in the guise of rumor control.
Some have termed the government's action as Orwellian/dystopian. Others have seen merit in the government's ‘intent’ to curb inflammatory content but have been disappointed with the ineffective way the government went about the task – acting as “Net nannies” and “blocking communications, curbing speech, and banning websites”.
At CIS India, Pranesh Prakash did an analysis of the social media content blocked in India since August 18, 2012. Here are the results:
Analysis of blocked social content in India by Pranesh Prakash of The Centre for Internet & Society. Used under CC BY-NC 3.0
Strong reactions are pouring in on Twitter via trending hashtags such as #GOIBlocks, #IndiaBlocks, #Emergency2012 etc. [There is some debate over the use of the word ‘Emergency’ and the attempt to draw parallels between the present block and the state of emergency of 1975, which saw suspension of civil liberties and persecution of journalists in the name of battling threat to national security].
Indian Rebellion (@reBel1857): today they r blocking ur twitter account, tomorrow ur bank account and then will lock u in ur home … #GOIBlocks #Emergency2012
Pranesh Prakash (@pranesh_prakash): If you oppose #censorship, more power to you! I do too. But calling this #Emergency2012 is ridiculous! #IndiaBlocks #netfreedom
Madhavan Narayanan @madversity): Social media is a modern challenge and a modern opportunity. Government attempts to police it smacks of outdated feudal style #GOIblocks
Raheel Khursheed(@Raheelk):  Everything ██ is █████ ████ ████ fine ███ █ ████ love. ████ █████ the ███ UPA ███ ████ Government ██ #GOIBlocks #Twitter
Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht): First they ignored us, then they argued with us, then they blocked us #emergency2012
Babar (@6a6ar): The only thing left for us to do is block all media and Govt. handles in protest. Let's start a #VirtualRevolution #IndiaBlocks
Abhijit Majumdar (@abhijitmajumder): Govt of India is just testing socialmedia waters by blocking spoof PMO accounts. Prepare for greater censorship on Twitter and Facebook
Amit Agarwal (@labnol): The Indian govt can force ISPs to block individual Twitter profiles but everything will still be available through web apps like Tweetdeck
Humour and sarcasm too weren't in short supply. For example:
Mahesh Murthy (@maheshmurthy): Now that Govt has solved North East crisis by limiting SMS, it will fight malnutrition by banning food pics on Instagram
Kalyan Varadarajan (@itzkallyhere): My nose blocked. But I didn't poke my nose in Govt matters! My nose isnt a handle. Damn! #GOI
Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats): I've a few SMSs to spare from today's quota. If you mail me recipient's number, message & a cheque, I can send an SMS for you. BusinessIdea
However, not everyone is amused. Amrit Hallan asks:
Are we going to follow the footsteps of Pakistan and China and turn into a Blockistan? No matter how much it makes some of the English-speaking mainstream journalists happy, blocking isn’t possible, at least sustained blocking. The Internet has empowered the silent majority and there is going to be a big backlash if the government, or another agency tries to take this power back. In what form this backlash is going to manifest? It remains to be seen.
In a guest post on Trak.In, blogger Prasant Naidu suggests how the government could use social media positively.  He says:
instead of banning social media, the government can use it in its favor controlling the crisis of NE. The virality feature that our politicians are scared of can be used for killing rumors. Can’t the government get in touch with Facebook and Google India to find out ways to use social media in a better way? Can’t the Government start a social media campaign to “Save NE and Save India”?
Twitter is one of the tools that the government can use. A brilliant example is how Nirupama Rao, India’s Foreign Secretary used Twitter during the evacuation of Indians at the time of the Libyan crisis.
Social Media is not rocket science; it is about communicating with humans and for that you need to have the will to evolve and change. Banning social networks is not a solution to combat rumors but it is a half backed measure to cover the lid on the growing tensions.
The government, on it's part, issued social media guidelines to be followed by government agencies. It remains to be seen how the situation develops on the ground and what impact the current stand-off between government and social media has on cyber-control policies in the days to come.

author: Aparna Ray


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Kenyan Blogger Detained Over Controversial Tweets · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Controversial Kenyan blogger and Twitter user Robert Alai was detained in police cells on Tuesday 21 August, 2012, for allegedly abusing the Kenya Information and Communication Act.
Alai is accused of claiming that Kenyan government spokesperson Alfred Mutua wanted to kill him, and alleging Mutua's involvement in ordering the murder of human rights activists, Oscar King'ara and Paul Oulu, in 2009. Alai pleaded not guilty and was released on a cash bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings.
According to NairobiWire, the tweets that got Alai in trouble are the following [now offline]:
Robert Alai's tweet accusing government spokesperson of murder that got him into legal trouble.
The foolish government spokesman called Alfred Mutua now threatens me and tells me that he will deal with me. #Justice4Karen #WomenLeadership
Alfred Mutua and Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere need to act and arrest Allassane Ba ASAP.#Justice4Karen
I have just told Alfred Mutua that one day he will leave that power he is misusing.#Justice4Karen
072124**** is Alfred Mutua's number he is using to threaten me. FOOLISH PIG is drunk with power. #Justice4Karen
Alfred Mutua ordered for the execution of G.P. Oulu and Oscar King'ara calling them Mungiki. He wants to do the same to me. #Justice4Karen
Robert Alai runs Tech Mtaa blog and runs a Twitter account with over 20,000 followers. On Twitter he describes himself as a ‘voice of the voiceless’.
Alai is a very controversial blogger who has stepped on many people's toes, as Erik Hersman explains in his post that begins with Voltaire's quote, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”:
Robert Alai is blogging scum. Make no mistake. The quality of a person is not found in what they say, but in what they do, and Alai has proven time and time again that he is a bad actor.
If you know Robert Alai’s history in the tech scene in Kenya, then you know why he has been banned from the iHub. There’s a reason why the Skunkworks community ejected him multiple times over many years. There’s a reason why Nokia banned him. There’s a reason why Google blacklisted him. He consistently libels individuals for personal gain, to draw traffic and monetize his sites. For him it’s about attention, any way that he can get it.
However, he warns Kenyans on Twitter who are laughing at Alai’s predicament because tomorrow the government could tackle them with the same piece of legislation, that allows for censorship based on fuzzy details and definitions. He adds that the issue at hand is not about Alai:
This isn’t about Alai, he just happens to be playing the role of a jester, distracting us from the much greater story that is online and media censorship in Kenya. There were many of us who warned against the real danger in 2008 and 2009, this Kenyan Information and Communications Act that allowed for censorship based on fuzzy details and definitions, and how it could all be done at the behest of one man, with little oversight. While everyone wants to laugh and point fingers at Robert Alai, they won’t be laughing when this censorship gets applied to him.
This all stems from the Kenya Informations and Communications Act (PDF Version), which was amended after the post-election violence in 2009 in an effort to curb hate speech. It is a controversial amendment of the Kenya Communications Act, 1998 because it gives the state power to raid media houses and control the distribution of content.
After discussing two sections of the Act, he concludes by saying:
The real issue 4 years ago, and why this act was opposed by many, is that the act contained controversial provisions that sought to allow security agencies to seize property without due process, arrest and indefinitely detain suspects.
What the question should be for all of us with Robert Alai, is whether that is being tested on him. Was/is there due process? Who decides which media company gets raided? Who gets to say which blogger gets arrested, or which person on Twitter said the wrong thing?
This is not the first time Alai has found himself in trouble:
A few months back, another blogger, Dennis Itumbi, threatened to sue Alai for linking him to some ICC documents the former was arrested for. Just recently, Miguna Miguna also threatened to sue him for distributing his Sh 3300 book ‘Peeling Back The Mask’ in pdf format, free of charge to his thousands of twitter followers.
The tweets below show how netizens are divided about his case:
@MwaiKibaki [fake Kenyan President Twitter account]: Robert Alai is assisting the police with investigations and will be released after they are done with squeezing his nuts. #FreeAlai
@KimJobil: b careful what you tweet..huey Freeman”not every black man arrested is Nelson Mandela” #freealai freedom of speech gotta have limits
@MwisiWaKuku: @afelonyang “so #kot [Kenyans on Twitter] are just a bunch of humorous comedians who shy away from serious issues.” #FreeAlai is not a serious issue. Who cares?
@sickolia: Ati #FreeAlai?We want #FreeInternet and #FreeAlcohol
@RamzZy: You just yell #FreeAlai then when he logs in he insults your mothers. It's cool, hata mimi nililamba makamasi nikiwa mtoto.
@peteretelej: Mutua is always misinforming the public, I don't see why he should be pissed with #RobertAlai doing the same. #FREEALAI
@dannyceo: Doesn't the govt. Have real issues like settling idp's, and fighting corruption? #FreeAlai
@MikeObare: His frequent tweets,mostly break news b4 several media houses and for that,he has been regarded by some as a ‘one man media house’ #FreeAlai
@dannyceo: I know @RobertAlai is a ***! But what the govt. Is doing, is infringing on his constitutional rights#FreeAlai
@mwirigy: U never know how u hate/like @RobertAlai n miss his rants on ur tl until he is neutered, sorry muted by kenya police #freealai :-D

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Kyrgyzstan: China Inc. Under Attack · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

Physically bordered, but culturally distant, China’s growing economic presence in Kyrgyzstan continues to be a topic for heated discussion in Kyrgyz society. In the country’s regions, this discourse is reflected in acrimonious standoffs between Chinese companies and locals, confrontations the mainstream media often fails to report on.
Recently, a series of photo and news reports from the ground by youth media organization Kloop.kg have shed light on some of these conflicts, as well as an apparent spike in antipathy towards Chinese investments in the Central Asian republic.
Fear and concern
Complaints about Chinese companies are not unique to Kyrgyzstan. In fact, the fears raised in the small, landlocked state broadly echo those raised elsewhere in the world, particularly in Africa [see Global Voices background], where Chinese investment is growing exponentially.
Typically they are characterized by concerns about state sovereignty, transparency, environmental transgressions, migration worries and the oft-repeated gripe that Chinese companies do not provide jobs for local people. While Kyrgyzstani netizens regularly highlight these themes, they also point to apparent attempts to expropriate firms from the Middle Kingdom.
Image scanned from the Kyrgyz-languague newspaper Маидан (Maidan) by Gezitter.org.
In the print media, the topic of the China-Kyrgyzstan investment relationship is usually covered in editorials and opinion pieces that focus on perceived threats to national independence while appealing to patriotic sentiment. In one piece, translated from Kyrgyz to Russian by the site Gezitter.org, the author discusses a proposal to build a railroad linking China to Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan, and asks [ru] whether or not the payment for the Kyrgyz part of track will be the “fatherland” itself. Saying that such a project would allow China to “swallow” Kyrgyzstan, the author recalls battles waged by Manas, mythical hero of the Kyrgyz people, against the “countless” armies of the Chinese.
Such diatribes act to drive “Sinophobia” and colour discussion of the issues between Chinese companies and the local communities where they work, something that citizen journalists and grassroots media organizations like Kloop.kg can help make ammends for.
Via “hyper-local” and objective reportage from the ground, Kloop's journalists, all of whom are under 25 years of age, can present both sides of the story in order to help netizens reach an informed opinion about Chinese investment in Kyrgyzstan.
Below are a selection of photos from Kloop.kg's galleries, the subject of which is an oil refinery being built by a Chinese company, Jundi, in the provincial town of Kara-Balta, western Kyrgyzstan. Originally citizens protested the construction of the refinery at a location close to dwellings on the outskirts of town. Responding to the protests, the company offered compensation to relocate homeowners on the town's outskirts, but residents were unhappy with the compensation paid.
All photos are taken by ELF, the pseudonym for a Kloop.kg photographer, and used here with permission.
Responding to one of a trio of Kloop.kg reports about the Kara-Balta refinery one Kloop commenter, Olga exclaimed [ru]:
Не просто разрастаются,а травят людей. Все это не правомерно.Не соблюдены никакие санитарные нормы!!!!!!!!
Another batch of Kloop articles relayed the fate of a Chinese gold mining company operating in southern Kyrgyzstan. Initially the company had had its license revoked for exporting ore illegally, before it was allowed to work again. Most recently, local villagers threatened to burn the company's gold plant down, apparently for the sake of local ecology. Later, however, the villagers backed down [ru] in return for 1% of the operation's profits.
This change of position provoked ironic posts from Kloop readers. Isken joked [ru]:
Это, может пойдем напугаем Билайн поджогом? А за 1% тоже смилостивимся?
And Akylbek Abdykadyrov bemoaned [ru] the mercenary attitude of the villagers, likening it to past attempts by the Kyrgyz government to ‘shake down’ foreign investors:
Какая власть такой и народ или какой народ такая и власть. Без разницы! Зла нехватает.
But Aidai Algozhoyeva thought [ru] the villagers were correct to raise a fuss:
Jiteli 4on Alaya pravy.etot zavod nikakakogo doxoda ne prinosit,i na nem rabotaut kitaicy bez dokumentov.zoloto uvoz9t,a otxody ostautsa v Daraute.
Also this month, Kyrgyzstan's GKNB (formerly KGB) launched an investigation into five Chinese companies working in a tax-free Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kyrgyzstan, apparently for failing to pay taxes. While the rights and wrongs of that investment scandal, along with others is still unclear, one thing seems conclusive – China inc is having a difficult moment in Kyrgyzstan.
As Kloop.kg Editor Eldiyar Arkybaev observed [ru]:
Почему китайский бизнес в последнее время мешает людям? Наезжают на них сильно как-то.

author: Chris Rickleton


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Pakistan: 11-Year-Old Christian Girl Detained for Blasphemy  · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

An 11-year old Christian girl, Rimsha Masih has been accused of blasphemy and has been remanded for 14 days to a juvenile prison in the twin city of the Pakistan capital, Rawalpindi. There are conflicting reports on whether she has Downs Syndrome or not.
Rimsha is accused of burning pages of Noorani Qaida, an Arabic learning lesson for beginners, and putting them in a plastic bag. The incident happened on August 16, 2012 in the slum Meherabadi in G-12, Islamabad where she lives with her family. A local police station filed a First Information Report (FIR) after a neighbor made a formal complaint against her.
The blasphemy offence comes under Article 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code and the offender can get life imprisonment or a death sentence. The news was taken up by a website ‘Christians in Pakistan’ on August 18.
The report became big news on Pakistan's mainstream media five days later on August 22. Prior to her arrest some locals of the area blocked a main highway in the capital. The mob apparently wanted to do the justice themselves. Last month a mob burnt a mentally unstable man in Bahwalpur; the man was also accused of blasphemy.
Pakistan's Minister for National Harmony, Dr. Paul Bhatti, said in an interview to BBC world service that 600 Christians have fled their homes in Islamabad after the 11-year old was arrested for blasphemy. The Christians are afraid and are hiding; the memories of 2009 Gojra attack are still fresh in their minds when a Muslim mob burnt houses of Christians and police didn’t come to help them. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the Gojra riots were pre-planned and the local administration was involved.
Anthony Permal a Pakistani Christian based in the UAE brought tweeter users attention to this story:
@anthonypermal: Confirmed- Police in #Pakistan have arrested an 11 year old Christian girl suffering from Downs Syndrome for blasphemy.
Soon an online petition was circulated for asylum of Rimsha:
@MohsinSayeed (Mohsin Sayeed): Raise your voice to save lives of Rifta&her family. Escape to a secular country is the only option. They will kill her: http://www.change.org/petitions/high-commissions-and-diplomats-of-secular-western-nations-asylum-to-the-family-of-11-year-old-christian-girl-accused-of-blasphemy# …
The online petition requests the secular western countries to provide asylum of Rimsha’s family:
Pakistanis of good conscious are signing this petition because the State of Pakistan even failed to protect their own Governor who spoke out against the draconian blasphemy law, where mere accusation of blasphemy will ensure Jail and perhaps worse for the accused.
There is another petition that is calling on Pakistan’s Minister of Human Rights and the government to protect and release Rimsha Masih.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari called on officials to explain the situation to him. The Pakistani Ambassador to the USA tweets:
@sherryrehman: Pres Zardari has taken serious note of reports of the arrest of a minor Christian girl on the charges of blasphemy & called for a report.
Amnesty International urges Pakistan to reform Blasphemy laws:
@amnesty (Amnesty International): #Pakistan must ensure safety of Christian girl arrested for ‘blasphemy’ whose life is at risk http://owl.li/d9aPc
France’s foreign ministry has called the Pakistani authorities to free the young girl. Irshad Manji, Muslim Feminist and author of ‘Allah, Liberty and Love’ condemned Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
@IrshadManji: My @RFI_English interview about #Pakistan's blasphemy law, which has led 2 jailing of #Christian girl named #Rimsha:
The situation is condemned by Pakistani Human Rights campaigners and activists and few politicians on twitter.
@Ali_Abbas_Zaidi (Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi): The most tragic short story to have been written about misuse of #blasphemy law in Pakistan: “She was just 11 years old.”
@MaheenAkhtar (Maheen Akhtar): Where the hell is suo motto of Cheif Justice Pakistan, is he sleeping…..Oh wait is this “Blasphemy”
@beenasarwar (Beena Sarwar): The important issue in accusations of ‘blasphemy’ is that of intent, niyat, of the accused. That's something the accusers ignore. #Pakistan
Ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf condemned the incident. Leader of PTI Imran Khan tweets.
@ImranKhanPTI: Shameful! Sending an 11yr old girl to prison is against the very spirit of Islam which is all about being Just and Compassionate.1/2
@SundasHoorain: @CMShehbaz Still waiting for action & condemnation from PML-N on an 11yr old getting accused of blasphemy, beaten & arrested #FreeRimsha
All other political parties are afraid of talking about this issue. It is considered sensitive. However no one from Pakistan demands to repeal this law.
@anthonypermal: We can't repeal blasphemy law. A) mobs would go on vigilante sprees with no qualms & b) cops couldn't stop open shia killing, how this?
In 2010, Ambassador Sherry Rehman filed the ‘Amendments to the Blasphemy Laws Act 2010′ in the National Assembly as a member of the parliament. On December 20, 2010, the Council of Islamic Ideology also announced proposed amendments to the law to prevent its misuse. But religious parties in the house -Jamat-i- Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, and Sunni Tehreek and others threatened a mass protest. Sherry Rehman later received death threats and was confined to her house.
In January 2011, the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer a vocal critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, was publicly gunned down by his own guard, Mumtaz Qadri for his beliefs. Incidentally Qadri is also in Adiala jail where Rimsha has been sent. When Qadri was on his way to trial, his supporters showered him with rose petals.
The Sunni Tehreek party rally in favor of Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Salman Taseer, and they demand his release in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix (09/01/2011)
Malik Siraj Akbar in his blog for Huffington Post says that discriminatory laws deepens religious intolerance in Pakistani society:
Despite such frequent unpleasant events, Pakistan has made almost no progress in reforming its deeply flawed and discriminatory law involving blasphemy. Such laws, on the one hand, discriminate against religious minorities and, on the other hand, further deepen religious intolerance and fanaticism in Pakistani society. They provide the murderers a license to kill people and easily get away with such heinous crimes in the name of religion.
Mehdi Hasan in his blog writes:
Personally, I've never quite understood why so many of my co-religionists are so keen to kill or maim those who ‘insult’ Islam, Prophet Muhammad or the Quran. What is behind such rage and, dare I add, insecurity? Is their God so weak, so sensitive, so precious, that He cannot withstand any rejection?

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Puerto Rico: Beautiful Music by “Los Cerezos”  · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The alternative music blog Puerto Rico Indie has a post on the band from Puerto Rico, Los Cerezos, who have just launched their first EP titled “Dejad que los hipsters vengan a mi” [Let the Hipsters Come To Me]:
With a very genuine musical proposal, without pretensions or weaknesses, Los Cerezos sing about their experiences and desires as young Puerto Ricans.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Puerto Rico: Film “Under My Nails” Wins Award · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The film “Under My Nails” directed by the Puerto Rican Arí Maniel Cruz, and starred by Kishina Tikina Burgos (Puerto Rico) and Iván Camilo (Dominican Republic), received the best film award [es] at the International Latino Film Festival of New York.
Official Poster “Under My Nails” (partial).


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Puerto Rico: Social Media and Politics · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Reflected on the Legislature of Puerto Rico a message in favor of the “NO” option in the referendum. This photo was distributed throughout the Internet.
Blogger and academic Iván Chaar-López analyzes [es] the role of social media in the outcome of the recent referendum in Puerto Rico:
In short, the material published throughout the Internet was amazing. Social networks are, after all, our favorite existential spaces (for now).


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Russia: Government Bans Serbian Film for Underage Sex and Drugs · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Late last week, on August 17, 2012, Sam Klebanov announced [ru] that Russia's Ministry of Culture has banned the release of a Serbian film called ‘Clip,’ written and directed by Maja Miloš. (Watch the trailer here.)
Klebanov's company, Cinema Without Borders [ru], owns the Russian distribution rights to Clip, which was honored with a Hivos Tiger Award at the forty-first International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands earlier this year.
Klebanov posted [ru] to his Facebook page a photograph of an official letter from former Kremlin youth group ideologue Ivan Demidov (now the Deputy Minister of Culture), where Demidov explained the ban on the grounds that the movie depicts “obscene language, scenes of narcotics and alcohol use, and material of a pornographic nature.”
Given that the film features actors between 14 and 16 in age, Demidov also cited a 2010 federal law (Number 436) that mandates the protection of minors from information that could harm their health and development.
A light example of underage illicit behavior from the film. (A still from the cinematic trailer of “Clip,” 25 July 2012, YouTube video.)
In an interview [ru] with the online newspaper Gazeta.Ru, another Culture Ministry official named Yuri Vasiuchkov offered a slightly different justification for the ban, basing the decision on a rather loose interpretation of an older federal law from 1993 (Number 396) that includes a sub-clause potentially empowering the government to withhold the legal distribution of films “in certain cases.”
The banning of Clip comes at a moment in Russian society when tensions concerning the nation's “moral fiber” are running high. In the aftermath of the Pussy Riot trial and a wider cultural conversation about the relationship between religion and the state, the Ministry of Culture's action strikes many as the latest in a series of attempts at censorship.
Blogger after blogger has either ridiculed or celebrated the fact that the government's decision only heightens [ru] the publicity [ru] of a film that would otherwise have gone largely unnoticed as a foreign art-house project.
Twitter user M1D1EZ, for instance, highlighted the movie's wide availability online via file sharing and social networking sites, writing [ru] ironically:
Скандальный фильм сербской дебютантки Майи Милош “Клип” не выйдет на российские экраны! Особенно через “вконтакте” и торрент-трекеры.
Oppositionist-leaning WebTV station Dozhd (“TV Rain”) aired [ru] a brief segment about the banning of the film, declaring with some alarmism: “it seems celibacy is returning to Russia — all thanks to Russian bureaucrats.” Humorist Evgeny Shestakov, pretending to be Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, penned a satirical letter [ru], lampooning the government's reasons for banning Clip.
Among the various mock objections (which included the Minister's supposed disapproval of the male lead's bored self-expression during a fellatio scene), Shestakov even embedded a link to the Swedish file-sharing site, The Pirate Bay, where “Clip” can be downloaded illegally for free.
It goes without saying that Clip is an explicit film. The director insists that “underaged persons weren't involved in scenes of explicit sex and nudity,” but this warning for some reason appears at the end of the movie, rather than the beginning. Moreover, all principle actors are minors, and “scenes of explicit sex and nudity” clearly does not include several heavily sexualized moments in the film, all of which star a 14-year-old girl. (Some Russian bloggers have highlighted this aspect, and indeed embraced [ru] the Culture Ministry's decision to ban the movie.)
Writing [ru] in the online newspaper Svobodnaia Pressa, Konstantin Ananev raises the interesting point that Russia's approach to controversial films has been far more selective than extensive. Specifically, he names an upcoming drug-and-sex-packed movie, “Dukhless,” from Kremlin allies Sergei Minaev and Fyodor Bondarchuk, which is not only assured a wide distribution, but was actually funded in part by the Ministry of Culture. Additionally, Nikita Mikhalkov — another favorite of the government — recently enjoyed a ‘bending of the rules’ when it came to enforcing age limits on ticket sales to his box office flop Burnt by the Sun 2.
Still from the cinematic trailer of “Clip,” 25 July 2012, YouTube video.
In other words, the Ministry of Culture's objections to Clip and similar cases have all the appearance of moral indignation and creeping religious puritanism, but the underlying reality is more often that the government is simply playing favorites. In the case of Clip, the ban — whether initiated by Demidov, Medinsky, or someone “higher” — carries an undeniable populist character, not unlike the case against Pussy Riot.
Indeed, opposition figure Vladimir Milov made exactly this point in a recent op-ed [ru], arguing that the Kremlin has used the Pussy Riot trial to distract the opposition and, in the minds of the Russian public, equate liberalism with perverts who defile churches. (Milov highlights as a refutation of the “Church takeover of the state” theory the ongoing and under-reported criminal case against Igor Artemov, a man charged with illegally “promoting the exclusivity of Russian Orthodoxy.”)
While Russian netizens and protesters are unlikely to rally around Maja Miloš as they have Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the temptation exists and the risks for the opposition are similar. Is the banning of “Clip” an early glance at the dawning of some new, more restrictive state morality? Or does the government's inconsistency in its “moral policies” indicate challenges that are less religious or cultural than political?

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Syria: You are an Embarrassment to the Revolution  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
There are seven tell-tale signs for those who are “an embarrassment to the revolution” – any revolution. On Twitter, Syrian @NMSyria lists those signs.
According to NMSyria, who describes himself as a proud revolutionary, those signs are:
@NMSyria: #1: You're a sectarian douchebag who loves to talk about slaughtering the minorities and oppressing them later.
@NMSyria: #2: If someone criticizes the opposition, you call them a traitor. #EmbarrassmentToRevolution
@NMSyria: #3: You are not open to criticism of opposition even if they make freaking stupid mistakes. #EmbarrasmentToRevolution
@NMSyria: #4: You have double standards. #EmbarrassmentToRevolution
@NMSyria: #5: You have too big of an ego. #EmbarrassmentToRevolution.
@NMSyria: #6: You like to nickname the Free Syrian Army as the “Free Sunni Army”. Umm. No. You're an #EmbarrassmentToRevolution
@NMSyria: #7: You spread rumors to gain fame. Hey! Who knows, maybe we'll make you President of something. #EmbarrassmentToRevolution
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Tanzania, Ethiopia: Meles Zenawi ‘Tweets’ from Grave · Global Voices
Pernille Baerendtsen

Monday's official confirmation of Ethiopia’s Prime Minster Meles Zenawi's death, sparked reactions among social media users in Tanzania, especially after tweets started appearing from what some thought was Zenawi's official Twitter account.
In all started when Zitto Zuberi Kabwe, a Member of Parliament from Tanzania, sent this tweet:
@zittokabwe: My condolences to the people of #Ethiopia following the death of Prime Minister #MelesZenawi Hope for a democratic developmental Abbysinia
Susan Mashibe replied:
@iMashibe: @zittokabwe is this really true this time? Cc @SwahiliStreet
And Swahili Street concluded:
@iMashibe announced on ETV. It's official @zittokabwe
Chambi Chachage tweeted a blog post titled ‘Meles Zenawi's Farewell to Young African Leaders‘ from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on 16 November 2006, which was retweeted by others.
And then suddenly @PMMelesZenawi intervened, apparently ‘tweeting after death’  to Tanzania's Member of Parliament Zitto Kabwe:
@PMMelesZenawi: @zittokabwe please be better than I was. Not fun up here I am preparing 2 pay for some of this http://www.ethiopianreview.net/index/?p=42267
Meles Zenawi @PMMelesZenawi – tweeting after death. Source: Twitter Screen Shot
This tweet to Zitto Kabwe, who has more than 29,000 followers, caused a stir, setting off speculation- was @PMMelesZenawi hacked by opponents?
@zittokabwe: @hmgeleka this account seems not to be genuine of recent @pmmeleszenawi
Zitto Zuberi Kabwe concluded, and continued:
@zittokabwe: @AnnieTANZANIA tweets by @PMMelesZenawi not genuine. Ignore them. Account hacked by his opponents
Omar Ilyas backed it:
@omarilyas: This account is fake from the begining @PMMelesZenawi – a parody type like that one of @Julius_S_Malema @zittokabwe
However, the debate on Meles Zenawi’s legacy continued ranging from both admiration for Meles ability to ‘get the job done’ to the widespread awareness that Meles was not a democrat:
@Htunga: @zittokabwe Who is Meles seriously?I see Ethiopians starving n dying in lorries..I remember the shooting in 2010 too.
@zittokabwe: @Htunga were Tanzanians not starving and dying during Nyerere? But we celebrate him because of his principles. Meles the same’
@zittokabwe: @PMMelesZenawi regardless of his mistakes, #MelesZenawi remains a role model to me. You have freedom to bring back #TheDerg or Isaias
The fake (supposedly hacked) @PMMelesZenawi Twitter account, which managed to set off the debate mentioned above, also raises the question of why many public figures and politicians in Africa haven’t had their Twitter accounts verified.
Reportedly, in many cases Twitter takes too long, or simply never respond to requests for verifying accounts.
Twitter is extremely popular in Tanzania as a tool for exchanging views and debate and also as a platform for breaking news. Twitter, however, can easily be abused as in @PMMelesZenawi case, and can also cause confusion and suspicion with regard to authenticity and reliability of sources.
Other fake, hacked or parody African Twitter profiles at present are:@Hailemdesalegne, @Julius_S_Malema, @kabwezitto, @alfredmutua and @MwaiKibaki
Meles Zenawi was President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and later became the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in 1995 following the general elections that year.

author: Pernille Baerendtsen


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Trinidad & Tobago: Political Euphemisms · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

If…you negotiating with crime lords…after your leader state categorically in a 2011 speech in Parliament that she would never negotiate with criminals, well…
The Eternal Pantomime blogs about the government's “latest cock up”.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Zambia: President’s Salary Secretly Hiked Twice in Three Months · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Normally before Zambian constitution office holders, including the president, have their salaries and allowances increased, the issue is tabled before the National Assembly (even though it is not debated meaningfully because Members of Parliament, who are beneficiaries, say they do not debate themselves). Whatever the case, these increments are usually reported in the national press.
In March this year, however, President Michael Sata’s salary was discreetly increased by nearly 100 per cent, together with those of other constitution office holders, an action which no media organisation picked up on until three months later when the investigative citizen news website, Zambian Watchdog got wind of it.
Stautory Instrument which first increased President Sata's salary and allowances. Image courtesy of Zambian Watchdog.
In a nation where the average government employee earns less than K40 million (about US$ 9,000) per annum, State House admitted the salary and allowance increment for the president but denied it was 100 per cent, saying it was only 58 per cent. But before the ink of that denial was even dry, another Statutory Instrument increasing the president’s remunerations was unearthed by the same website.
Zambian Watchdog, which insisted that the increment was almost 100 per cent, gave the following breakdown:
Statutory instrument no. 17 of 2012 says president Michael Sata now gets K327 million [nearly US$73,000]  per annum.
According to the same Statutory instrument signed by Finance minister Alexander Chikwanda, president Sata also gets an allowance of K80 million.
Former President Rupiah Banda was getting K164,120,016 per annum.
Rupiah Banda’s  other allowance was K59,494,734 per annum.
Vice- president Guy Scott now gets K198 million
The second Statutory Instrument increasing the President's salary and allowances within three months. Image courtesy of Zambian Watchdog.
The justification by the Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda, of the second statutory instrument attracted the attention of netizens. Chikwanda, the man who acts as president in the absence President Sata, told critics:
They are excited over nothing because the president’s salary is not outrageous compared to what the Bank of Zambia governor and other heads of parastatals like Zamtel and Zesco […] There is a gap of about K80 million to K100 million deference [sic] from what the President gets… President Sata has nothing to do with the salary increment and when I sign a statutory instrument, I do so not because the President has ordered me to do so. It is done by the standing order by a committee of parliament and approved by the Attorney General before I sign.
Chikwanda, whose company was controversially awarded a contract to renovate State House before President Sata could move in without a tender, boasted in reference to one opposition leader:
Some of us from the private sector have significant companies, not those toys they talk about, but you don’t hear us making noise about it. We are not in government for salaries. We are here to serve the people.
Commenting on Chikwanda’s justification of the presidential salary increment, user Bob wrote [the site does not have permanent links for individual comments]:
What nonsense! A president’s salary cannot be compared to that of a CEO of a financial institution because there are many stark incomparables. For example, The BoZ governor has a PHD while the President has the equivalent of Grade 7. Also, the BoZ Governor buys his food from Shoprite while the President just eats and does not even care who pays his bills. These manouvres by the PF government will bring them down, mark my words and time is ticking as usual.
Like many readers, Kasonko took on Chikwanda on his word that he was rich:
Get out!! If you are not in government for salaries why are you increasing your salaries? If you are rich why are you increasing your salaries idiots!
Kimbanguist wondered what goes on in African leaders’ minds:
It is ‘nice’ being President in an African Country with massive poverty and illiteracy. Watching all the people languishing in grinding poverty and dying from curable, preventable tropical diseases. Enjoying the opulence of state house. How do these leaders sleep at night after visiting the dusty shanties, seeing all those malnourished children lining up to the dusty roads dressed in rags like miniature zombies? African leaders have no shame!!!!
Cleo called President Sata a hypocrite:
there’s a difference when everything else is paid for [in State House], and there is even a bigger difference if the same president had a problem with the former president’s meagre salary, which now defines him as a hypocrite.
A reader calling himself nshilimubemba defended the salary increment:
But the head of state needs a good pay for the sleepless nights he spends, and the insults from bad people no need for us to complain we who enjoy his labours
On Facebook where there was an equally robust debate on the presidential salary increment, Chola Angel also defended the increment:
[…] First the problem in Zambia as I always say is that people are lazy, they don't want to work hard and find themselves at the top but what they do is start criticising the guy at the top. Blaming him or her for their failures. What other monies does the President get? He gets free things like the chopper, Main car and escort cars, free rental state house. All these are about position. So why should a salary be an issue. For me the President's salary as Zambia's economy stands today should not be less that K150m per month. That is a very stressful job and you literally dedicate yourself to that for 5 years.
Nicholas Mvula, twisting President Sata’s campaign anthem of “more money in people’s pockets,” wrote:
[…] this article brings us back to the campagin days and the promises made by the PF of putting more money in peoples pockets. Seems there is one pocket that needs to benefit more.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Belgium: Police Violence · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Here is a video showing police in Brussels arresting a drunk man who was beating a woman, before they then start to beat him. A person in the neighborhood filmed the incident.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Ethiopia: Online Reactions to Meles Zenawi Death · Global Voices
Abel

Samuel Gebru, the founder of EGI (Ethiopian Global Initiative) writes on his personal blog:
Ethiopia and Africa has lost a formidable leader who worked tirelessly for the transformation of his country and continent. Prime Minister Meles was not perfect and I did not agree with every decision he made. I openly criticized his government on various matters…….
On Tuesday August 21, 2012, speculation surrounding former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's whereabouts and health came to rest after government state media confirmed his death. For nearly two months state owned media kept the exact whereabouts and health status of the former prime minister from the public. The official announcement of his death was received by the Ethiopian public with mixed emotions.
TsediLemma, a chief editor at Addis Standard, reflected her emotion as follows:
While enjoying my quiet holiday in a remote and quiet place.i was made to wake up to the shocking news of the death of aman who never knew what it means to have a few days away every now and then from a consuming life such as his.The BBC’s obituary said [he was known to enjoy playing tennis,but did not take holidays.i thought of the serious burn out PM Meles must have had in almost 40 of his 57 years in this world and suddenly I felt his pain….and I cried…….. I hope and wish his after life(if there is any)will be a relaxed one R.I.P

author: Abel


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Macedonia: Crowdsourcing Against Gender-Based Violence · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Ushahidi blog's current “Deployment of the Week” selection [en, mk] is React! Be Safe! (“Реагираj!”), an online platform against gender-based violence in public spaces [en, mk, sq], launched by the think-tank Reactor, initially covering the Skopje municipalities of Centar and Čair.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Myanmar: Mizzima Website Hacked · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“We regret to inform you that Mizzima’s websites have come under DDoS attack. Mizzima has received several threats in reference to our coverage of ongoing hostilities in Rakhine State.”
Mizzima, a Myanmar independent media website, issued a statement about the DDoS attacks.

author: Mong Palatino


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Niger: Floods leave thousands Homeless in Niamey · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Barmou Salifou in Niger posts the following request after floods devastated Niamey [fr] since August 19:
Please RT : #Niger : 44 dead and 1000s homeless after flood devastation in #Niamey. Please Help. Thank you twitter.com/BarmouSalifBlo…
— Barmou Salifou (@BarmouSalifBlog) August 24, 2012

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Philippines: List of National Roads · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Philippine government has uploaded a spreadsheet identifying the quality of the country's national roads. It's also a mechanism for citizens to report and monitor badly paved roads


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Philippines: Senator Accused of Plagiarism · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Philippine Senator Tito Sotto delivered a speech on August 14, 2012 about his opposition to the controversial Reproductive Health bill in general, and the dangers of artificial contraceptives in particular. The following day, Alfredo R. Melgar of Filipino Freethinkers wrote that several parts of the senator’s speech were plagiarized from the blog of Sarah Pope, a US-based writer.
This is from the senator’s speech:
According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, the use of the pill also causes severe gut dysbiosis. What is worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.
And from Sarah’s blog:
Senator Sotto. Photo from Senate website
According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, use of other drugs such as the Pill also cause severe gut dybiosis. What’s worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.
Again, from the senator’s speech:
Gut imbalance brought on through use of the pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a woman eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.
And again, from Sarah’s blog:
Gut imbalance brought on through use of The Pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a women eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.
There are other instances of plagiarism in the speech, according to a journalist who wrote that the senator may have copied from five bloggers.
The senator has vehemently denied that he committed plagiarism and he even added that his office doesn’t quote from blogs.
Sarah Pope has already confirmed that the senator has indeed plagiarized her blog post:
A Senator in the Philippines plagiarized one of my blog posts to use in a speech. Can't even believe this!!!
She also wrote her frustration that her article was used against women’s rights:
A thief is a thief, Mr. Senator. Denying it doesn't get you off the hook; it just makes you a lying thief.
Women of the Philippines: I am terribly sorry my blog was used and twisted against you. You deserve the choice to use The Pill if you want or need to based on your particular circumstances. While I want you to know that this choice has health consequences as does the decision to use any pharmaceutical drug, I in no way would ever condone taking this choice away from you!
The chief of staff of the senator has confirmed that their office copied from the blog but denied that it was plagiarism. He reportedly left this comment in the Facebook wall of Sarah Pope:
Let me say that after asking my staff, indeed your blog was used but only in quoting also from the same book of Dr. Campbell-McBride. We are both indebted to the book’s author but if you wish that you also be credited with the contents of the book, let this be your affirmation. I can do it and by this message, I am doing it.
What have we done to deserve your incriminating words? The Senator did not lift it himself, we did. Did you want us to tell him to admit what he did not do? Who would you like to crucify for this oversight?
He even said that ‘copying’ is normal in the senate. Based on news reports, he was quoted to have said the following:
…the Bible reached us today because the monks copied from the Greeks. Everything really started from a little copying.
Even our image was copied from God. We are all plagiarists
Choking on my Adobo writes that the issue is more than just about the integrity and credibility of the senator:
In the process, what will be placed in question is the credibility not only of his Chief of Staff … but the integrity of he who holds position in that elected office.  Intellectual property and respect for the thoughts, ideas and writings of others is an indication not only of education …but basic decency in a civilized and literate society.


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Russia: Diva Politics Over Pussy Riot · Global Voices
Yulia Lukashina

The Pussy Riot trial has caused no small amount of debate among Russia's public figures, including an amusing row between two of the country's best known celebrities.
After both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna extended their support to Pussy Riot during performances in Russia, Ksenia Sobchak, a famous TV personality and new entry to the political opposition, tweeted [ru]:
Главное чтобы после ЭТОГО Ваенга и Валерия не покончили жизнь самоубийством..по иронии судьбы теперь пуси единственная группа с межд именем.
Russian TV host Ksenia Sobchak, Moscow, 28 June 2010, photo by A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.
Elena Vaenga is the popular singer who recently made headlines for ranting online against Pussy Riot. (For more, read our coverage here.) Valeriya (the stage name of Alla Perfilova) is also a pop singer, and something of a fixture in Russian music. It goes without saying that neither artist has ever enjoyed the international exposure that has recently visited Pussy Riot.
Valeriya, living up to her “good girl” image, wrote a long and structured reply [ru] on LiveJournal. There, she accused Sobchak of turning from personal to political scandals in her move from television to protests, arguing that Sobchak's ‘pursuit of fame’ drove her “to trample her Homeland in the mud.” Valeriya finished by adding that she could not imagine a better president than Putin.
Russian bloggers reacted immediately. LJ user 0-logik, for instance, started a poll on his blog, asking readers to support either Valeria's “inquisitorial” position,  or Sobchak's “rational” stance. (Unsurprisingly, Sobchak leads by almost 500 votes.) Other netizens, however, question what standing either Sobchak or Valeriya have to comment on the country's political situation. After all, both debutants live privileged lives far from the concerns of everyday Russians.
Still, many RuNet users have taken sides. Dmitry Belyayev defended [ru] Valeriya:
её звезда, взошедшая на ниве колоссального труда, горит намного ярче, чем «звезды» людей уровня Ксении Собчак, о которых никто не вспомнит, если не появится нового скандала.
Russian singer Valeriya, 19 May 2010, photo by Mikhail Popov, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.
Blogger Misliobovsem [ru], on the other hand, noted that Valeriya's criticisms of Sobchak apply equally to herself:
всё, или почти всё, в чём она обвиняет Ксению, к самой Валерии относится в большей степени. Это и привлечение к себе внимания за счёт скандалов(семейных) с вызывом к себе чувства жалости и вгрызание в руку(или в другую часть тела), которая её вскормила.
Some Russian celebrities, like Fillip Kirkorov, have taken Ksenia's side [ru], while others have rallied to Valeriya. The Twitter scandal, brief though it was, did enjoy the national media spotlight temporarily.

author: Yulia Lukashina


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Russia: Pussy Riot’s Courthouse Is Hacked By Anonymous · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

On August 21, just days after Moscow's Khamovnicheskii Court sentenced the 3 members of Pussy Riot to 2 years in prison, hackers attacked and vandalized [ru] the court's official website [ru]. Hackivist groups self-identifying as “Anonymous” claimed responsibility and also leaked [ru] some internal (though largely uncontroversial) emails. Popular blogger Anton Nosik condemned [ru] the attack, calling it a “terrorist act” against the public.


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Russia: State-Owned TV Caught in Anti-Semitism? · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Writing on Openspace.Ru, Oleg Kashin discusses [ru] a short-lived but disconcerting report [ru] from state-owned Vesti.Ru about Patriarch Kirill's recent trip to Białystok, Poland, where he visited the Nikolsky Cathedral — home to the relics of Gavriil Belostoksky, the patron saint of children in the Russian Orthodox Church. Vesti.Ru temporarily featured language endorsing the now-taboo legend that Gavriil was a victim of Jewish blood libel.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Bahamas: Reproductive Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Two female Caribbean bloggers, in light of the recent debacle over U.S. congressman Todd Akin‘s comments about women and rape, are discussing the issue of “the war on women and their reproductive rights”.  From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni says that “persons making foolish comments about rape never fail to irritate [her]”:
WHEN OH WHEN will it be openly realised and accepted that RAPE IS ROBBERY with violence? That it is an ASSAULT on another human being for purely personal reasons.
HOW MANY persons, male and female -but predominantly female today- have had their lives tainted…reliving their trauma every waking moment!  Looking at, and loving, or inwardly rejecting her child because of how he/she came into the world!  Any idea, Rep. Akin?  When will it be accepted that when a woman says ‘NO,’ SHE MEANS NO!
Akin's video apology did little to appease her:
BEFORE MAKING UTTERANCES, words need to be weighed, because of the sentiments that they convey…to use this in the context of rape is to say the least, reprehensible:  In all fairness, there has been some retraction, but these ill advised statements continue to heap massive damage to the cause of women and it will take some time before it is repaired!
Pure Fawkery, who references the Pussy Riot case in her post, takes issue with:
Men who have no concept or understanding of what it means to be a woman. Men who epitomize the stereotypical caveman, beating their chest claiming ‘me man, you woman’, only to knock us over our heads and drag us into the cave. Well today those men no longer need clubs, today they are armed with laws, edicts, ceremonies and regulations all aimed at keeping women in a reproductive prison.
She makes the the point that the indoctrination begins with two things: socialization, which “innately reinforc[es] the oppressive mandate of the good girl”, and that pervasive double standard, in which “there is no such edict for good little boys”:
Locally, we have even more archaic repressive policies that provide an unending artillery supply in this war on women's reproductive health. Teenage girls who become pregnant are routinely removed from their school and transferred to another school, if she returns, after the birth of the child. No such policy exist for teen fathers.
Pure Fawkery also cites tweets by @RodneyMoncur, who is a Justice of The Peace for the District of New Providence and Paradise Island in the Bahamas, saying that his opinions “[espouse] the purefawkery that continues to propagate this reproductive war”:
With each capitalized tweet he fires another bullet arming and enabling this kind of misogynistic bondage.
But she admits that the issue stretches far beyond the Bahamas:
There is something in the water globally. Women around the world, engage in a daily battle to fight repressive religious, political, cultural and economic forces to gain or retain control of their own bodies; their own reproductive health.
Women are already oppressed and discriminated against in almost every other facet of society. Women are paid less then men for the same job, not allowed to ascend to leadership positions in religious organizations, humiliated and sexualized in the justice systems (don't even get me started on the legitimate rape comment), denigrated in music and entertainment. Is that not enough for these men?
Abeni agrees that women should have rights over their own bodies:
I am sure there are babies who were aborted because they were the product of rape. On the flip side there are instances of babies born of rape, either because abortion was not available, or because the mother believed that all life is sacred. Clearly, the choice is hers and  should be respected by the foolish law makers-mostly men who seek to make decisions about a woman's body…
Pure Fawkery signs off with a “promise”:
You keep trying to repress our inalienable basic innate right for reproductive health and we will take up our cause and give you more than a fight. We will take up the call of Liberia's Leymah Gbowee’s and create ‘peaceful, feminine havoc’, well will not only win the battle, but also the war and in process will incite a pussy riot!


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Venezuela: 19 Killed in Blast at Amuay Oil Refinery · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

An explosion in the Amuay oil refinery, one of the largest in the world, has left at least 19 dead and 53 injured, according to the latest reports [es] from the Governor of the state of Falcón. Follow reactions and reports through the hashtag #Amuay on Twitter.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Venezuela: Chaos in Amuay After Oil Refinery Explosion  · Global Voices
Jessica Carrillo

A gas tank exploded at 1 am today, August 25, in the Amuay refinery in Judibana, Falcón state. The explosion has left at least 26 dead (media from Falcón report 35 deaths) and 86 injured. Most of the casualties are members of the National Bolivarian Guard. Amuay is Venezuela's most important refinery, and one of the five largest oil refineries in the world.
The reasons behind this accident are still unclear.
Gabriela Gonzalez (@gabriela2400) [es], a doctor and neighbour living in the area, told Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda that the refinery's alarm system was activated half an hour before the accident and then turned off.
(@gabriela2400): @NelsonBocaranda Las alarmas empezaron a sonar a las 12:30 y al poco rato las apagaron.
Vice-President Elías Jaua and Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) President, Rafael Ramírez, are currently in Amuay. They stated [es] that authorities will work in the refinery until the fire is extinguished, and that the smoke reported by citizens is part of the firemen's labours to control the situation. Furthermore, they assured that the Government will assume full responsibility for damages.
The photos and videos circulating online show a zone that seems to have been affected by an earthquake rather than an explosion. Noticias 24 [es] gathered photos by photographer Héctor Silva, one of the people present in Amuay since the beginning of the tragedy.
Several citizen videos of the explosion are being shared on YouTube:
Newspaper La Verdad (@laverdadweb) [es] reported [es] that propane gas smell is present in the area round the refinery; the odour is similar to the smell of tear gas.
José Luis Cova R (@JLCova) [es] commented on Twitter:
@JLCova: El radio de accion de la explosion d las esferas d propano es devastador.. La entrada a Judibana y todo alrededor esta Destruida
He also reports that a food and alcoholic beverage store, known in Venezuela as bodegones, was looted:
@JLCova: El bodegon Lizolca a la entrada de judibana Fue Saqueado!
Most of the people injured in the explosion were taken to the Calles Sierra Hospital, which doesn't have enough supplies, as reported by Gabriela Gonzalez (@gabriela2400) [es]:
@gabriela2400: Hospital Calles Sierra Necesita: antibióticos, plasma, sangre, analgésicos, morfina, demerol, gasas, ringer, sol fisiológica.
President Hugo Chávez has declared three days of national mourning for the victims at  Amuay.

author: Jessica Carrillo


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Caribbean: No Escape; Isaac Strikes  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Despite Caribbean bloggers’ hopes that Tropical Storm Isaac would go easy on them, some islands are today coping with the disarray the storm has left in its path.  Haiti experienced some of the worst effects from the weather system; flooding and landslides reportedly caused a few deaths.  Some people had to be evacuated.
On Twitter, under the hashtags #haiti #isaac, journalist @jacquiecharles posted this photo of damage near the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while @planuk posted a picture of raging flood waters near Jacmel.  More photos of some of the damage the storm caused in Haiti are at Blog Carel La, here, with videos here and here.
About twelve hours ago, Jamaica also began to feel Isaac's presence.  Facebook users were reporting heavy rainfall and strong breezes. Girl with a Purpose was tracking the storm and reported that:
In relation to Jamaica: The Southern and North Eastern parishes will get showers and thunderstorms.
Rainfall of 12 inches high is expected over the next 48 hours, resulting in landslides.
Threat of a Tropical Storm Isaac developing into a hurricane, is very likely as Isaac's eye or core struggles to take form.
In an updated post, the blogger confirmed that…
Tropical Storm Isaac drenched Haiti last night…
Heavy winds and rains flattened Haiti's tent cities – where 350,000  Haitians have been living, since 2010's devastating earthquake.
…but in Jamaica, the effects were “mimimal”.
Blogging from Cuba, Havana Times continued to watch the system's progress.  In a later post, the blog reported:
Tropical Storm Isaac swept over eastern Cuba Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds a day after hitting Haiti. It was expected to next head towards the Florida Keys.
The storm also lashed the neighboring Dominican Republic with torrential rains and winds of up to 100 km/hr before hitting Cuba.
While Cuban officials reported no major damage or casualties from the storm surge and floods in the east, residents and tourists sought safety in shelters. Crop damage can be estimated after the passing of the storm, which is still producing considerable rains over a wide area of the island.
Isaac is headed for Florida, where many Cuban Diaspora bloggers are monitoring its progress.  One post in particular took issue with The Weather Channel‘s coverage of the storm in Cuba:
I was treated to some hard-hitting Weather Channel journalism from an all-inclusive resort for non-Cubans in Varadero, Cuba. The footage, that included “Cubano pool boys” bringing in and securing the lounge chairs, was riveting. You would never know its a totalitarian dictatorship that keeps 11 million citizens in virtual slavery and that those slaves live in substandard housing, much of which may be swept away by Isaac.
In an update of the same post, the blogger says:
UPDATE: It seems that this is the first time ever that The Weather Channel has access to Cuba. Of course they are playing by the rules laid down by castro, inc.
Seidel added,'We picked Varadero because of meteorological reasons and are lucky because we're staying at a resort with all the creature comforts of home.’
Meteorological reasons? Really? The storm is going to hit the south eastern part of the country and rip through the middle but you're on the north coast at the world-famous Varadero beach filming pool boys?


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Colombia: Former General Santoyo Admits Ties to Paramilitary Group · Global Voices
Lully

On August 20, 2012, retired general Mauricio Santoyo, former security chief for ex-president Álvaro Uribe, pled guilty to having helped the paramilitary organization United Self-Defense of Colombia (Spanish acronym AUC). Santoyo entered his plea before the Eastern District Court of Virginia in the United States, where he has been extradited for ties to drug trafficking. His admission has created a political scandal in Colombia.
Santoyo had also served as commander of GAULA (Unified Action Groups for Personal Liberty) in Medellín, and he carried the rank of colonel when Álvaro Uribe was governor of Antioquia. The Inspector General Alejandro Ordóñez later dismissed Santoyo from office for forging the signatures of prosecutors on requests to judges for wiretaps. However, Santoyo was reinstated to his position after an appeal to the State Council, and in 2007, Congress promoted him to general.
Consequently, Uribe has been questioned [es] by leftist political groups and by several journalists, who accuse him of having a hand in the promotion of Santoyo to general. Ex-president Uribe, however, maintains his ignorance about any ties between the former official and paramilitary groups, and denies having influenced his political appointments or promotions. Furthermore, Uribe's attorney sent a letter to the United States ambassador in Colombia, Michael McKinley, trying to clean up the former president's image and requesting that Santoyo be asked if at any time he had told Uribe about the activities he had admitted to in court.
In his blog Vórtice Virtual, Carlos Arturo Gamboa points to [es] Uribe's responsibility, quoting Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo:
Cartoon, “General Mauricio Santoyo's new medal” by Don Átomo, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0)
“(…) es clarísimo que si el Coronel Santoyo no hubiera, no hubiera pertenecido al círculo de íntimos del Presidente de la República, no hubiera sido su jefe de seguridad en la Casa de Nariño, esta situación que hoy estamos discutiendo aquí no se hubiera dado, luego por donde uno lo mire repito Senadores y Senadoras de Colombia lo digo con toda franqueza y con todo dolor, hay días como este en que yo me avergüenzo de ser Senador de la República, muchas gracias”
Carlos later makes a call for reflection and concludes:
Nuestra última década sólo es comparable con las dictaduras de todos los pelambres que padeció Latinoamérica, sólo que con más víctimas; y parece que el dolor se anidó en el alma social y nos negamos a ver el drama de sangre y miseria que nos rodea. […]
Sólo existe una forma de reparar el genocidio que nos precede y es la verdad. Sólo así nuestras víctimas podrán ser lloradas y el pueblo aprenderá a nunca más tener los ojos cerrados.
Our past decade is matched only by the dictatorships Latin America suffered under, only with more victims; and it seems the pain has settled in our collective soul and we refuse to see the drama of blood and misery that surrounds us. […]
There is only one form of reparation for the genocide that precedes us and that is the truth. Only then may our victims be mourned and the people will learn to never again close their eyes.
On Twitter, J.Andrés (@JAIM3_ANDR3S) [es] notes the request [es] by Representative Iván Cepeda Castro:
@JAIM3_ANDR3S:  El representante Iván Cepeda Castro pidió que sea investigado el Ex presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez por el caso del general Mauricio Santoyo.
Meanwhile, Jaime Eduardo Arango (@jaimearango9) [es] takes a stand for Uribe:
@jaimearango9: Osorio.Royne.Santoyo.16 años de infiltración de la mafia en la Presidencia y ahora resulta que es culpa de Uribe.
However, there has also been an attempt to tie [es] to Santoyo other politicians who worked in Uribe's government and who could also have had knowledge of Santoyo's movements. Among those are the former Minister of Defense and current president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; the former peace commissioner and and now fugitive from justice, Luis Carlos Restrepo; and the former national chief of police  Óscar Naranjo. But those implicated from his government, and other politicians allied with Uribe, have denied any involvement with the Santoyo matter.
These attempts to disassociate themselves from Santoyo have not convinced everybody. Like many Twitter users, Wilman R. G. (@wilmang42) [es] shares a link showing the Senate vote on Santoyo's promotion:
@wilmanga42:  Vea aquí a los senadores que ascendieron a General Santoyo y a los pocos que lo calificaron de vergüenza. bit.ly/NJiBsL
For her part, the journalist Irma Londono (@irmalon) [es] writes:
@irmalon: Lamentable caso de general #Santoyo, esto habla muy mal del sistema de justicia colombiana: Consejo d Estado #Colombia http://www.tinyurl.com/8w6dxrj
Attorney Andres Barreto G. (@andresbarretog) [es] opines:
@andresbarretog: El caso Santoyo nos deja como lo que somos en el plano exterior: una republiqueta, con militares corruptos y sin aparato judicial seriom [sic]
And Natalia Guerrero (@nnguerrero) [es] adds:
@nnguerrero: El peor escándalo de la historia de Colombia no es la confesión de Santoyo. El escándalo es que no caiga nadie más. Es que ni una renuncia..

author: Lully


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France: An Epic Flight from Paris to Beirut – via Damascus · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

An Air France flight from Paris to Beirut on August 15, 2012, turned into a 20-hour nightmare for its passengers, and probably even more so for the distinguished travellers on board: the French Ambassador to Lebanon, and several personalities who oppose Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
Air France, citing fuel shortage and security reasons – a Shiite demonstration against the kidnapping of their people in Syria, which blocked the road leading to Beirut airport – ending up having to divert its flight to Damascus, Syria, [fr] after hesitating for an hour.
The issue intensified when it was discovered the crew had no means of paying for kerosene, after Damascus airport told them that credit cards were no longer accepted because of the sanctions recently imposed on the Syrian regime – notably by France. The crew had to ask passengers to make cash contributions.
After that, the plane made a detour to Cyprus, and finally landed in Beirut.
Insecurity in Beirut and security in Damascus?
Air France Boeing 747-440 d'Air France during landing by caribb on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND-2.0)
On Twitter, the immediate concern soon led to sarcasm:
@clarissecarnets: Un vol Air France pour Beyrouth dérouté sur Amman http://ht.ly/cZQ7A “Conditions de sécurité pas entières sur la route de l'aéroport”
@FlashPresse: Le Liban rattrapé par le conflit syrien: Un avion d'Air France a été dérouté et les kidnappings se multiplient :… http://bit.ly/RYr54h
@RimkAbdulJabbar: #LastRT Ce genre de #FAIL intergalactique… #Liban #Syrie #DamasAirFrance
@TibDupont: Dérouter un avion dans une ville qui abrite Thierry Meyssan depuis plusieurs semaines… Faut être taré!
The Price of Peace – Damascus International Airport, 2006 by fabuleuxfab on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA-2.0)
Some conclude that the Syrian regime is not all that bad:
@FredericHelbert: Avion #AirFrance qui va faire un tour à #Damas: Du temps de #SaddamHussein, ils auraient ts finis otages! Sports les syriens sur ce coup!
@kadsak: Comment un avion Air France a pu atterir et decoller a #Damas, cet enfer qu'on nous decrit tous les jours dans les médias français? #syrie
The sarcasm was more witty abroad, especially in the United States:
@StephaniaSun:@AP@RadioChio: “all right, everyone get out and push…”
@nytjim: This is your captain panhandling: Air France pilot asks passengers to chip in for fuel after landing in #Syria http://bit.ly/PiMtz4
The Minister is angry, and Air France defends itself
The Quay d'Orsay (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) had to intervene so that Syrian intelligence officers were prohibited from entering on board the plane.  For Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, the decision was a “stupid mistake” [fr]:
“It was extremely dangerous […]. It's hard to make decisions in these complicated circumstances. In the midst of conflict, I'm sure you agree with me that going to Damascus wasn't the most appropriate decision–and I'm diplomatic,” said the outraged minister.
Damascus International Airport (2005), by plasticshore on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA-2.0)
However, Air France has a clear conscience [fr]:
Must we remind you that the captain is “the only master on board, after God,” and that his primary concern was undoubtedly his passengers’ security? The Air France plane had flown into Cyprus at night with no problems, and departed the next day for Beirut, where everyone arrived safe and sound…
After being scolded by the minister, the company pleded [fr] that the crew was deceived by a Syrian air traffic controller:
The captain consequently decided to divert the plane to Amman in Jordan (the planned alternate airport when the the Lebanon airport is inaccessible) by flying through Syria.
But the crew didn't get the correct [flight]  trajectory from the Syrian air traffic controller. It would have told us, too, “to change course at 270°, instead of simply to turn at 90°,” said the Air France management team.
In addition, the passengers weren't lending a hand [fr]:
The Transport Code allows (the pilot) to borrow money from passengers “if problems arise in carrying out his task.”
In the end, he didn't borrow money from the passengers. The Air France station manager in Damascus arrived at the airport and used his credit card to get the necessary kerosene.
Interrogations
Commentators wanted to dig a bit deeper. Blogger 2kismokton asks two questions [fr], a technical one, and a political one:
1- Why is a plane, that's nearing the end of its flight, short on fuel, while the safety standard is to save half of it upon arrival? It should've been able to fly for 2 more hours!
2- Why is the air traffic controller (Lebanese) diverting a civilian aircraft towards a civil war zone? Aren't there other airports in Turkey? Israel? Airports that would've allowed a “safe” landing for the plane, crew, and its passengers? This shows the disastrous impacts of the Arab countries’ political boycott of Israel. As a result, Israel never appears on local aerial maps!
In Beirut, Middle East Strategic Perspectives consultants analyze [fr] why Air France can't be held responsible for the “stupid, tactless, and dangerous” decision. They conclude:
Paris failed that day to interpret, in real time, the developments on the field, in Lebanon as well as in Damas, on both diplomatic and security levels. This was not to launder Air France, nor to charge the French authorities. Even the French airline can't be excused for this unfortunate situation, in being unable to request for competent French authorities, and because the dysfunctions seem obvious at the “old” system level on the Middle East zone. Instead, we should look at Paris to see if there was anyone in charge on August 15. Air France should perhaps ask the French authorities for explanations…
And Lebanon, in the midst of all this?
In Lebanon, people are shocked. On August 17, the newspaper L'Orient Le Jour expressed the people's dismay:
@LOrientLeJour: La bourse ou la vie, option des passagers du vol Paris-Beyrouth d'Air France. Un billet d'humeur de Michel Touma #libanhttp://olj.me/773790
The columnist writes [fr]:
one may wonder if the pilot landed on another planet… An after-thought equally applies to all of Air France's general management in Paris…
Considering that Damascus is more secure than Beirut (compared with Syria's current volatile situation), can only be explained by the (sad) fact that those who made the decision to divert towards the Syrian capital are totally out of touch with today's realities (Earth).

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Iran: Opposition leader taken home from hospital · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to [fa] social media and news sites, leading Iranian opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi, returned home from hospital on Friday, August 24, 2012.


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Kazakhstan: The Beauty of Altai Mountains · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

A group of Kazakhstani photographers have recently toured the mountainous region of Altai in in the country's east, known for its picturesque alpine scenery. Photos made during the trip can be accessed on YVision blog: here, here, and here.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Poland: Interview with Adam Dobrzynski, GV Translator and Heavy Metal Musician · Global Voices
Kasia Odrozek

An interview with Adam Dobrzynski, a member of the heavy metal band Wanderer and a translator for GV Poland.
He lives in Warsaw's district of Praga, will soon graduate with a degree in American Studies and Philology with a focus on teaching. However, from the beginning of his studies, he was thinking of becoming a translator rather than a teacher. And even though his biggest talent is his English proficiency, for the past 10 years it has been music that remained his strongest passion.
Global Voices (GV): Who is Adam Dobrzynski? A musician? A student? A translator?
Adam Dobrzynski (AD): Most of all, I am just myself, music is my passion, translation is something that, besides music, I want to do in life, something that I’m best at. To be honest, studying is just a professional formation. I think one could call me part translator, part musician?
Adam Dobrzynski, photo used with permission of the band Wanderer.
GV: Is your band a good material for an article?
AD: I think we are all fanatics of music, we are very determined to create something on our own – probably because of that we are still looking for our musical identity. We have some of our own material, we can’t complain about inspiration…just pass by one of our upcoming concerts. Despite some rotations in the band, we remain strong and tight, we want to achieve a lot in the world of music.
GV: What are your musical inspirations?
AD: Rock and metal most of all, in all its colours and varieties. Also, classical music, but just occasionally – sometimes I listen to Wagner. For more than 10 years I’ve been fascinated by heavy, fast tones, I think they are a perfect carrier of energy.
GV: How did you end up in the band Wanderer?
AD: Music is my passion, for the last 10 years I’ve been listening to a whole range of rock music, from rather light to very heavy sounds. It’s the music that has shaped my character, the way I perceive the world, et cetera. At some point, I found time to grab the guitar, I wanted to try myself out in creating music that I love and fulfill the dream of playing in a band. Despite initial trouble and a short career of my former band, I did not stop exercising and finally got rewarded. I got a chance to join Wanderer as the second guitar. From the first rehearsals and concerts I felt that this was it, that it was worth sacrificing life for playing. We’ve been playing together for more than one year now and it is, in my opinion, my biggest achievement and pride. Why? Because I live according to the rule that you have to fulfill your dreams without counting on somebody else, without waiting for financial stability, we just have one life, there is nothing to wait for.
GV: And what was your path to GV?
AD: A friend showed me this website in May. I thought: “Why not? To do something I like, something that is meaningful and to gain some experience? Good bargain.” I’ve always wanted to translate and work according to these kind of rules, so I took a look at the offer, I filled out the form… and here I am.
GV: Do you think that GV should write more about music?
AD: Of course, this is something that moves the whole world, that connects millions of people. I think that many people would like to read information, news (or maybe stories?) from the world of music.
Members of the band Wanderer, photo used with permission of the band.
GV: Are you active in social media? Do you have a blog?
AD: No, I’m a bit asocial. And besides that, I don’t even have enough time to start this kind of activity.
GV: What is the role of new technology in your life?
AD: I don’t like changes at all, I’m still using my old Nokia and the only “new technologies” I’m investing in are an iPod and a multi-effect for my guitar.
GV: Are you a bit of an activist? Did you take part in the winter protests against ACTA?
AD: I don’t consider myself an activist, I’m not a part of any group… but I did go to the protest against ACTA. I also remember our first concert in Warsaw, we dedicated it to the fight against ACTA, we have sacrificed our old T-shirts to make protest banners against this bill. We have expressed our “endorsement” for ACTA in the song “Drill” that we played for the first time at this concert [unfortunately, the song is not recorded yet].
GV: Do you think that young people in Poland should get more engaged in “internet politics”?
AD: Sure, Internet is nowadays probably the kind of media that young people feel the closest connection with. Where, if not there, to express your opinions and fight for a better tomorrow? And young people have to get involved in politics – they fight for their future.
GV: In your opinion, how will the world of media look like in 10 years and what will be the role of citizen media?
AD: I think everything will speed up even more, the flow of information will be even bigger, Internet will be king among the mass media. Social media will be the main point of discussion, self-expression and opinion-forming, a platform to exchange opinions.
GV: Would you like to add anything?
AD: I feel proud translating posts for GV. Why? I’m doing something meaningful, I bring the events and stories from the world closer to the Polish public. It’s very important.
You can find the music of the band Wanderer on MySpace, and the GV profile of Adam here.

author: Kasia Odrozek


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Russia: Senator Wants 15 Years in Prison for Hackers · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

In the aftermath of a hacker attack on the court that convicted Pussy Riot's 3 members, Kremlin youth group organizer and Senator Ruslan Gattarov [ru] has proposed [ru] making criminal penalties stricter for those who target government websites. Gattarov suggests equating hacks with illegal physical occupations of government buildings, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Tunisian Political Cartoonist _Z_: ‘Nothing Has Really Changed’ · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Tunisian anonymous political cartoonist ‘_Z_’ has been using his blog debatunisie.com to express himself since 2007. His caricatures which did not please former autocratic ruler Zeine el-Abidin Ben Ali, do not seem to please Tunisia’s Islamists either.
_Z_ says that there are only two red lines he never crosses: “libel, and racism.” For him, religion should not be a taboo, and this is what provoked some Internet users who reported his Facebook page over caricatures which they deemed insulting to Islam. On August 7, 2011, _Z_ wrote:
En réponse à leurs protestations les robots de Zuckerberg m'interdisent durant 30 jours de publier sur mon profil(…)La guerre contre les “bonnes mœurs”, la morale religieuse, la bigoterie, doit être absolue. En ce qui me concerne, il est évident que je serai bientôt hors-la loi à partir du moment que la constituante validera la loi sur l'atteinte au sacré.
I interviewed _Z_ via e-mail about his caricatures, anonymity, religion and freedom of expression in Tunisia.
Global Voices (GV): When and why did you decide to use the blogosphere to publish your cartoons?
_Z_: I launched my blog on 28 August, 2007. Since the beginning, it was obvious to me that my target would be the regime of Ben Ali. First, I only wrote texts. Then, I had the idea of accompanying my writings with drawings. This had earned my blog uniqueness, and attracted larger audience.
Even though, the adage “a picture is better that a long speech” remains true, it was important for me to emphasize writing because my action, in the first place, was political and intellectual, something the caricature on its own cannot assure.
GV: You are known under the pseudonym _Z_. Almost 19 months after the fall of the Ben Ali regime, you still prefer to conceal your identity. Why is that?
_Z_: My position toward the former Ben Ali regime necessitated utmost vigilance from my part regarding my identity. I definitely had to protect myself to avoid any retaliation. Dictatorship fell 19 months ago, and so far not a single serious investigation into the policing of the web [during the Ben Ali regime] was conducted. This machine, we called Ammar 404, and which was used to spread horror on the Tunisian net (censorship, arrests, threats…), could still be in place today waiting for a reactivation signal. So, for me nothing has really changed despite appearances and this is why I still keep my anonymity.
“The Tunisia National Theater presents (for the fifth time) the electoral comedy”. Cartoon published on the occasion of the 2009 Tunisia presidential and legislative elections
GV: No one ever dared to mock Ben Ali and ridicule his regime the way you did. The former regime did not succeed in revealing your real identity. How did you manage to protect your anonymity? Any tips to share with online cyber-dissidents wishing to hide their identities?
_Z_: In order to protect themselves, they simply have to separate their dissident lives from their daily lives. Using different e-mails and proxies. But most important, maintaining utmost discretion and avoid talking about it even to the closest circles. Abrogation often permitted the arrest of cyber dissidents and this was the case for Zouhaier Yahyaoui. [Tunisia’s first cyber-dissident to be condemned and jailed]
GV: For you there are no red lines. With the Islamists’ rise to power, you have started not only criticizing them, but also drawing Islamic religious symbols (God, prophets…). This has provoked Islamists who reported your Facebook page Debatunisie. Could provocation help break taboos?
_Z_: I only consider libel, and racist insults as red lines. Otherwise, there is nothing that can justify any kind of censorship. Even though I’m aware that I do hurt the feelings of some, I believe that we have to elevate the supremacy of freedom above religious sacredness (even if it represents the majority) and accept the famous adage that says “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
For me, democracy is not complying with the dominant thought (which leads to the dictatorship of the majority), but rather the ability to express publicly any idea, be it pertaining to a minority or disturbing, as long as it is neither defamatory nor racist.
For me this is about freedom of conscience (article 5 of the constitution) which makes the notion of the sacred relative. So, the blasphemous only exists within a religious system, but not within a system that tolerates freedom of conscience. Even though article 5 still exists today, in practice it is being ignored. They brought legal proceedings against Nessma TV over the broadcast of an animation representing God. They sentenced a netizen to seven and half-years in prison over the publishing of blasphemous caricatures. So, it is very clear that in practice, the religious taboo comes ahead of freedom of conscience, and therefore ahead of all freedoms
A woman writes “freedom, justice and dignity” on the floor. She is surrounded by the Islamic Shahada in the shape of cement walls. Via this caricature published on June, 10 _Z_ criticizes final draft of the new constitution preamble which he says “stinks with an identity obsession”.
GV: The Islamist party Ennahdha recently proposed an anti-blasphemy bill. Do you have concerns, that in case the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) approves this bill, your caricatures will soon be censored?
_Z_: After the birth of a revolution in the name of freedom, we absolutely do not have the right to draw the map of our liberties in terms of taboos and religious bans. It is like starting with the grilles when drawing the plan of a garden. This is what the Islamists are doing, and this why I am against their policies. I will keep on playing the provocation card even if it displeases a large number of my audience, or if it is going to make me an outlaw because there is indeed a risk that the NCA would approve this anti-revolutionary bill
GV: The fall of the Ben Ali regime revealed talented Tunisian cartoonists. What do you think of these new talents?
_Z_: This is obvious and fortunate. Yet, many envy my anonymity. This is not a good sign as it shows the comeback of fear and censorship. Despite all this, I do admit that we are still enjoying a freedom atmosphere incomparable with what we used to live under during the regime of Ben Ali.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Cape Verde: “A Real Hell for Stray Animals” · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Cape Verde: white beaches, beautiful sea and luxuriant vegetation: a paradise for humans but a real hell for stray animals.
The alert (with photos) comes from the International Organization for Animal Protection.
Brazilian journalist Natalia Cesana writes [pt] about it and gives more background [pt] in the blog of the news agency for animal rights, ANDA.

author: Sara Moreira


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China: Collapsed Highway In Harbin · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On August 24, 2012, a highway suddenly collapsed and killed three people in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Acitizen journalist video backed up and translated by Beijing Cream at Youtube shows what the disaster scene looked like.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Neil Bush on Sina Weibo · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Former U.S president's brother Neil Bush has a Sina Weibo account with more than 120 thousand followers. His recent joke about joining the Chinese Communist Party has caught some attention in Chinese social media. (via Beijing Cream)
I'm thinking of joining the CCP. What do you think of my accessories? – Neil Bush from Sina Weibo


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EU in Crisis: First E-Book by Global Voices · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
“EU in Crisis” is the first production of our new Global Voices Books project and includes the best material from social conversation, participation and mobilization boosted by citizens going through the tough times of austerity in the old continent and beyond.
We hand-picked and assembled the best posts, from our special coverage on Europe in Crisis launched in Spring 2011, and written by our team of dedicated international citizen-reporters.
The e-book is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License and is available for downloading in three different formats:
- PDF (3,2 MB)
– ePub (3,2 MB)
– Mobipocket (2,8 MB)
“EU in Crisis” ebook Cover
Along with an original introduction which gives broader context on the issue, this e-book includes 13 posts in English (other language editions are currently underway) which cover Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and other European countries, affected by the banking and Euro crisis, through the lens of participatory online media.
This e-book is intended as a flexible tool for further dissemination and discussion about these on-going issues.
Up until July 2012, our dedicated team of about 80 volunteers produced over 80 posts in English, many them translated in various languages.
Global Voices Books aims at “sharing citizen media for the future“, as our subtitle reads, based on GV's huge archive and its on-going multi-language production. We will put out electronic publications according to topics, regions, issues, languages, media, etc. and in a variety of formats, thus providing broader exposure to the best material produced over the years by our community.
Please spread the word, check out the Global Voices Books website and get involved!
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Bernardo Parrella