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Mexico’s ‘Feminist Library’ Aims to Offer Women Something New · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

“Neither master nor slave.” Photo: Feminist Library / Facebook
The Feminist Library is a Facebook community that two Mexican women have administered for a little over a year now. Today, the group has more than 9,000 followers. The Library was founded to serve as a collection of information on feminism and women's rights:
Compilamos materiales feministas y de mujeres creadoras, para compartir con el mundo. Queremos difundir cultura feminista en toda su diversidad y aportes en la construcción de otros mundos posibles.
We compile materials about feminism and creative women in order to share them with the world. We want to disseminate feminist culture with all its diversity and its contributions to the construction of other possible worlds.
Global Voices spoke with the community's two administrators, discussing feminists and feminism, the need for solid information, and the importance of responsibly sharing this information. In a country like Mexico, where the frequency of femicide and gender-based abuse is alarming, projects like Feminist Library are trying to raise awareness about a problem with strong roots in culture and conventions.
Sharing information involves much more than just clicking on Facebook's share button, however. The amount of information available online is immense and readers don't always look beyond the headlines and photographs. That's why the Library also advocates the idea of “responsibility in publication.” The texts, news, photographs, and articles promoted by the Library are carefully selected, reviewed, and verified before being published on Facebook.
As in the case with many other activists, the group's administrators first began contemplating gender roles and feminist movements through their own personal experiences.
The community's founder and her creative approach to feminism are connected to issues of body care, food sovereignty, and ideas about freedom from the state and from market pressures. The group's participants are also dedicated to alternative modes of citizenship, and fighting sexism and abuse against women:
Me tuve que volver feminista por supervivencia. Cuando trabajas en asuntos de economía solidaria no te imaginas que vas a tener un compañero que te acose. Pero es el golpe de la realidad. La misoginia y el machismo atraviesan los movimientos que se consideran alternativos al sistema y nuestras posibilidades participación quedan sujetas a estos prejuicios y violencias. Fui pareja del dirigente de un colectivo y me expulsaron por no querer continuar la relación. Tuve respuestas muy duras, incluso de amigos cercanos, que me decían que mi palabra no tenía valor por haberme acostado con él. De ahí, por supervivencia, empecé a buscar. Es necesario encontrar ideas que te saquen del riesgo de pensar que estas cosas son normales.
I had to turn into a feminist for survival. When you work on issues of solidarity in the economy, you can't imagine you'll have a partner who harasses you. But that's the reality. Misogyny and machismo also occur in the movements that are considered alternative to the system and our ability to participate is subject to these prejudices and acts of violence. My former partner was the leader of a group, and I was expelled from the community for not wanting to continue that relationship. I was treated very harshly, even by close friends, who told me that my word was worthless for having been involved with him. That is why, for survival, I started searching. You need to find ideas that stop you from thinking it's normal to be treated like this.
The Library's other main collaborator has similar activist experience and familiarity with the faults within women's advocacy groups. Many of these organizations, she says, are particularly flawed when it comes to taking concrete actions:
Tuve la oportunidad de trabajar en un hospital, pero la experiencia me mostró que los grupos que se identificaban como de defensa por las mujeres no siempre trabajaban de modo solidario.
I had the opportunity to work in a hospital, but that experience showed me that the groups identifying themselves as defending women did not always work in a spirit of solidarity.
The Feminist Library aims to create spaces—virtual or physical—where women can share and reflect together. The group's administrators believe this simple step can be the beginning of many needed changes:
Creo mucho en el poder que existe en los espacios para y de mujeres. No es que piense que los espacios mixtos sean malos, pero los espacios autogestionados por mujeres con los que yo me he topado son espacios en los que he aprendido mucho, donde no solo hay trabajos teóricos, sino de crítica y de autocrítica. Este proceso es difícil, aún trabajando en organizaciones dedicadas a la sociedad civil. Creo existe resistencia a trabajar temas de género, he encontrado personas quienes con una sólida formación en Derechos Humanos les da flojera el tema, piensan que intentas hablar únicamente de mujeres y que pretendes excluir a los hombres. Desde la sociedad civil organizada, solemos caer en el error de querer analizar la realidad sin cuestionar privilegios.
I believe in the power that exists in the spaces for and by women. I do not think that mixed spaces are bad, but the spaces that are managed by women whom I have met are areas in which I have learned a lot, where there is not only theoretical work, but criticism and self-criticism. This process is difficult, even working in organizations devoted to civil society. I think that there is resistance to the work on gender issues, I have met people with a strong background in human rights who show a lack of interest in this topic, and who believe that you try to speak only about women and that you intend to exclude men. Being part of the organized civil society, we often make the mistake of wanting to analyze reality, without questioning privileges.
This work, the group's administrators say, addresses concrete needs:
Es complicado, pero también es maravilloso encontrar personas que sintonizan con tus ganas de crear cosas. Cuando me invitaron [a la creación del grupo] me dije “¡sí!”, porque aunque tengo compañeras que trabajan con temas de feminismo comunitario, no compartimos un espacio de trabajo. Crear un espacio virtual para coincidir y mantenerse creando ideas también fue muy bueno . La dinámica es estimulante.
It is complicated, but it is also wonderful to find people who are on the same wavelength about your desire to create things. When I was invited [to the creation of the group] I said “Yes!”, because, although I have colleagues who work with community feminism issues, we do not share a workspace. It was also very good to create a virtual space to share and keep creating ideas. The dynamics of this process are stimulating.
The librarians laugh at the negative opinions and the typical fights that take place in spaces dedicated to feminism. The trolls, the aggressive responses, and the protests have become common features of the movement. After some confrontations, the Feminist Library decided to avoid answering comments that are not conducive to constructive debate:
El feminismo es un antídoto contra lo que te tiene anestesiada para soportar la abrumadora cantidad de violencias misóginas que vives todos los días. Duele hacerte consciente, pero es la única forma de encontrar que es lo que te está lastimando. Te das cuenta de que lo que te pasaba y dolía no es “natural” o “normal”. Lo intuías, pero no te atrevías ni a nombrarlo. Te das cuenta de que lo han vivido y lo viven las mujeres desde hace siglos y que muchas han luchado para liberarse y liberarnos a todas. Cada vez que descubro las historias y palabras de las mujeres antes de mí, me siento reconfortada e inspirada. Nos hace falta conocer más de nuestra historia, la de nosotras. Ésa fue la inspiración para la Biblioteca feminista..
Feminism is an antidote against the things that numb you to withstand the overwhelming amount of misogynist violence you endure every day. Becoming aware hurts, but it is the only way to find what makes you suffer. You realize that what happened and brought you pain is not “natural” or “normal.” You had an intuition, but you did not even dare to name it. You realize that women have lived it for centuries and many have struggled to break free and liberate all of us. Each time I discover the stories and the words of women before me, I feel comforted and motivated. We need to know more about our history—about ourselves. That was the inspiration behind the Feminist Library.
Much of what is published in the Library is also inspirational material. Cases and stories that many would like to see reproduced in different parts of the continent are also shared. One example is the history of the formation of the “Women Front School.” (The video was first published online by the YouTube channel Education in Motion.) In fact, this is the next thing the librarians would like to accomplish: compiling a collective training guide to help women defend their rights.

author: Laura Vidal


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Tajikistan and Iran: Bound by a Shared Heritage, Torn by a Shared Mistrust · Global Voices
The Echo of Central Asia

Tajik oppositionist Muhiddin Kabiri (in the suit and blue tie) chats with delegates at a religious unity conference in Tehran.
After the collapse of the USSR, Tajikistan and Iran moved much closer to one another, acknowledging their shared Persian language and culture. But over two decades later, a relationship defined by mistrust as much as solidarity remains difficult to fathom for outsiders.
The geographical location of Iran(green) and Tajikistan(orange)
In 2006, the then-President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated that “Iran and Tajikistan are one spirit in two bodies.”
Fifteen years earlier Iran had been among the the first countries to recognize Tajik independence in 1991, and was the first nation to establish its embassy in the capital Dushanbe.
#Iran & #Tajikistan leaders Rafsanjani+Rahmonov by Sangtuda hydroelectric plant 1997 c @alexvatanka @christianbleuer pic.twitter.com/Jw3a4VvRjw
— CCCPфото (@CCCP_pix) April 10, 2016
The other four states in ex-Soviet Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are all Turkic-speaking. Tajikistan thus offered Tehran a sphere of priveliged interest and influence in the untapped region.
Happy Persian New Year (Norouz)
To all Persian speaking friends in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan…everywhere living pic.twitter.com/pqJk6PGyDH
— Soodabeh (@SSaeidnia) March 19, 2016
But the spring festival of Nowruz (spelled several different ways), aside, there were — and are — huge differences between the pair.
Iran is an Islamic republic with a majority Shia population. Tajikistan is a secular autocracy with a mostly Sunni population whose government holds a visible fear of all things Islamic.
Under President Emomali Rakhmon Tajikistan has clamped down on sales of Islamic clothing, as well as beards and Arabic-sounding names, for instance.
In December 2015 an opposition-minded Tajik media outlet reported that Tajikistan's government was enraged to find out that Iranian officials had invited the leader of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), Mukhiddin Kabiri, to Tehran to participate in an international conference on “Islamic Unity”.
IRPT, viewed across the world as a moderate political force, had been declared an extremist group by the government just months earlier:
«МИД Республики Таджикистан считает неприемлемыми такие действия организаторов конференции и категорически заявляет, что подобное отношение к недругам государства и народа Таджикистана может оказать негативное влияние на добрые отношения между Республикой Таджикистан и Исламской Республикой Иран»
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan considers the conference organizers’ actions unacceptable and categorically announces that Iran's attitude to the enemies of the Tajik state and people can impact negatively on the good relationship between Republic of Tajikistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
After the conference, Saidmukarram Abdulkodirzoda, the chairman of the pro-government Islamic Center of Tajikistan spiritual body said Kabiri's invitation to the conference showed Iran was “aiding terrorists” and that “Iran openly supports this banned terrorist party.”
Tajikistan has never offered convincing evidence the IRPT engages in terrorist activities. Thirteen members of the party are currently facing jail-time for organizing political violence in the country in proceedings widely likened to a show trial.
On January 2, amid souring relations with Iran, the Tajik president went to Tehran's Middle Eastern rival Saudi Arabia to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz Saud Oli. After the visit, a host of documents were signed. Rakhmon even took the opportunity to visit Mecca.
Tajikistan, usually Iran ally, trying to court Saudi/UAE, as Tehran snubs it https://t.co/BQ368Zsk03
— Andrew D. Bishop (@Andrew_D_Bishop) April 1, 2016
The visit came shortly after the executions of 47 Shias in Saudi Arabia including one prominent cleric and against the background of alleged proxy wars being waged in the region by the pair. In the days following Rakhmon's visit, Tehran and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations entirely.
The Tajik service of RFE/RL reported March 17 however that Iran and Tajikistan had overcome these mutual betrayals to reach an agreement on cooperation in the sphere of security and defense.
The agreement consists of eleven articles and mostly concentrates on Iranian and Tajik cooperation in combating transnational organised crime, terrorism, drug smuggling, weapons and people, as well as in the fight against crimes in the field of cybernetics.
Ironically however, critics of the two countries say it is in some of these illicit areas where ties between the two countries run deepest:
Basel Anti-Money Laundering & Terrorism Financing Index 2015 ranks #Iran #Afghanistan & #Tajikistan top worst states https://t.co/MD803xf5PY
— eTajikistan (@eTajikistan) March 7, 2016
As Iranian banker Zanjani sentenced to death in Iran, links to Rahmon resurface in #Tajikistan https://t.co/zCnPcRLH1P
— Claudine Shepherd (@sh_claudine) March 9, 2016

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: The Echo of Central Asia


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There’s Nothing Orthodox About the Way These Russian Priests Get Around · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Image: TheRealComicBookGamer / YouTube. Edited by Kevin Rothrock.
The Nizhny Novgorod district attorney's office is investigating a curious helicopter landing that took place on a highway outside the city. Dashcam footage of the incident, apparently recorded on Saturday, April 9, appeared on YouTube earlier this week, showing how two black cars blocked a narrow strip of road cutting through an open field.
In the video, a small helicopter lands between the cars, and next several people wearing robes (the man who filmed the video says they were Russian Orthodox priests) exit the cars and the helicopter. The men carried bags and all left together in the same car.
The pro-Kremlin media outlet and tabloid LifeNews first reported the story, saying that local prosecutors have opened a case to determine if the priests (or whoever the men in the video were) had legal permission to use the airspace to conduct such a bizarre landing.
Judging by the geolocation data displayed in the video, the footage was recorded along the road between the towns of Khvoshchevka and Oranki (about 70 miles south of Nizhny Novgorod). In Oranki (which is the direction the cars and helicopter were headed), there is a Russian Orthodox monastery.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Pope Francis Announces: World’s Best Teacher Is a Palestinian · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Palestine's Hanan Al Hroub was voted World's Best Teacher. (Screen capture from video.)
Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub has won the prestigious title of World's Best Teacher. Awarded by the Varkey Foundation, the prize comes with a coveted purse: $1 million. With the money, Al Hroub says she will pay the university tuition of those who want to become teachers.
Pope Francis announced the prize winner by video, broadcast to the ceremony being held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates:
Part of education is to teach children how to play because you learn how to be social through games and you learn the joy of life. I would like to congratulate the teacher Hanan Al Hroub for winning this prestigious prize due to the importance she gave to the role of play in a child's education.
“I feel amazing and I still can't believe that the Pope said my name. For an Arab Palestinian teacher to talk to the world today and to reach the highest peak in teaching could be an example for teachers around the world,” Al Hroub told the Associated Press.
Life in Palestine is harsh. Al Hroub was raised in the Al Dheishe refugee camp, near Bethlehem, and now lives and teaches in Al-Bireh, a city of 39,000, near the Palestinian capital of Ramallah. Al Hroub's university studies were cut short due to the First Intifada (1987-1993). On her meager monthly salary of NIS 2,500 (approximately $660), she contributes to her family and buys supplies and equipment for her classroom.
She told The Guardian:
The environment outside the classroom is violent. Inside I provide peace, harmony and security.
Al Hroub reports that her educational methods of healing trauma through play-centered learning and positive reinforcement source from her own family's experience. She remembers the trauma her children experienced as they witnessed a family member get shot and their father injured while walking home from school one day.
[It] shocked my children and also shocked me. It transformed my children's behaviors, personalities, and academics. I felt that I was alone in getting my children through this. No teachers had helped us get my children back on track. We started inventing games at home and [inviting] the neighbors’ children.
Hanan Al Hroub's students learn to say “no” to violence, in the classroom and beyond. (Screen capture from video.)
Al Hroub was a first year university student when the event took place. Now the author of a methodology and book called “We Play, We Learn,” Al Hroub says that upon seeing the healing effect her games had on her community, she changed her course of study to elementary education.
I had decided to help every child that goes through something like this. Some children may not directly experience things like arrests, or assault, checkpoints, and all the violence in our country, however they see it on the screens and in social media and that still affects them. This affects their lives, these changes in their behaviors and education. I read about these behaviors and I adopted nonviolence as an ideal.
In conclusion, she states:
“We Palestinians are people that suffer from all forms of obstacles and violence that is forced upon us [by the Israeli Occupation]. We just want to live in peace. We want our children to enjoy their childhoods in peace. I tell all the teachers, whether they are Palestinian or [from] around the world: our job is humane, its goals are noble. We must teach our children that our only weapon is knowledge and education. It is the only way that we can get back what was taken from us.”
Supporters cheered Al Hroub from Ramallah Square, Ramallah, Palestine. (Source: Global Teacher Prize)
While Al Hroub traveled to Dubai for the award's announcement, supporters filled Ramallah Square to cheer her on. In an article entitled, “Jubilation in Palestine,” the Global Teacher Prize posted photos of the crowd, waiting in anticipation to hear if Al Hroub will be chosen from the top 10 finalists (out of a pool of 8,000 global nominees).
On Twitter, she posted images of banners in Palestine celebrating her achievements.
Photos of my country
supporting me @TeacherPrize #TeachersMatter pic.twitter.com/DlpF1OkgqW
— Hanan Hroub (@hanan_hroub) March 12, 2016
After Al Hroub was announced as the prize winner, the Associated Press broke the story that her husband, Omar Al Hroub, had served 10 years in Israeli prison for his role in an attack that killed six Israelis in 1980. The Varkey Foundation responded: “As a point of principle, we only look at the qualities, achievements and conduct of the candidates themselves.”
In her own right, Hanan Al Hroubi has been a passionate advocate of non-violence for the past 35 years, leading generations of young children on the path to peace.
Mother Theresa stated, “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Al Hroub echoes this statement:
“If children who suffer from violence are not given the assistance and support they need, they will be lost… From the very beginning, I make sure that the students understand that in the classroom we are a family – we belong to each other.”
Want to thank a teacher? Al Hroub and the Varkey Foundation encourage you to tweet #TeachersMatter.
Read more: Top nominees for the 2016 Global Teaching Prize.

author: Maya Norton


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Talking About Social Media in Pucallpa, an Amazonian City in Peru · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Pucallpa, photo by Jairo Galvis Henao on Flickr. Shared under CC 2.0 Licence.
This is an edited version of the original post published on the Globalizado blog by Juan Arellano.
Even though there has been progress in immersing Latin America into the digital world — more than 50% of the population is now online (of which 32% are young people under the age of 25) — internet speed and its technological capabilities still leave much to be desired. So, in theory, there are many medium-sized and small cities with internet access, but not everyone knows what they can do online besides make an account on a social network and share memes or selfies. Or do they?
I recently went on a trip to Pucallpa, a medium-sized city with a little over 200,000 inhabitants in the Peruvian Amazon, near the river of Ucayali. The last time I was there was in 1994, and the internet was a novelty even for scholars in Lima, the capital of Peru, where the first public internet cafes were opened in 1995. Before the trip, I did some research online looking for people who had interesting content from and about Pucallpa, to speak about what they do. Here are the results.
Llegamos al paraíso, la hermosa Tierra Colorada, Pucallpa. Foto #Igerspucallpa del dia gracias a  @cocusc  . Para ser destacados recuerden:  Seguir a @igerspucallpa  Utilizar #Pucallpa #IgersPucallpa . Foto seleccionada por @ayrtongl_96 . @igerspucallpa es miembro de @igersperu y de los instagramers mundiales @igers .
A photo posted by Instagramers Pucallpa (@igerspucallpa) on
We arrived to paradise, the beautiful Red Land, Pucallpa. #IgersPucallpa photo of the day thanks to @cocusc. To be highlighted, remember: Follow @igerspucallpa, User #Pucallpa #IgersPucallpa. Selected photo by @ayrtongl_96. @igerspucallpa is a member of @igersperu and of the worldwide @igers.
If you are a regular on Instagram, you will know that there are Igers accounts (Igers stands for “Instagramers”) for almost any city on the planet. Pucallpa is no exception. I spoke briefly with Ayrton Gaube, a 20-year-old civil engineer and photography lover, who is behind Igers Pucallpa.
@IgersPucallpa es una página muy joven y de crecimiento rápido. En un principio, había ciertos inconvenientes con lo que las personas de la región compartían (selfies, anuncios publicitarios, fotos paisajistas pobres o carentes de calidad). Estos detalles fueron desapareciendo cuando la página empezó a tener acogida. Ahora las fotos que compartimos son cada vez más nutridas. La etiqueta #Pucallpa presenta una gama de imágenes que muestran, día a día, las experiencias tanto de pucallpinos nativos, como de los visitantes. Se comparten paisajes, cultura, gastronomía, selfies, etc.
Acá en Pucallpa no tenemos una comunidad de instagramers consolidada, solo los administradores y un grupo cercano a nosotros. Aún no hemos realizado alguna actividad, por carencia de tiempo más que todo, aunque si estaríamos interesados en llevar a cabo un photowalk este año en la ciudad
@IgersPucallpa is a very young page and with rapid growth. From the beginning, there were certain inconveniences in terms of what the people of the region shared (selfies, public announcements and low-quality or poorly done landscape photos). These details started to disappear when the page began to be well-received. Now the photos that we share are increasingly better. The hashtag #Pucallpa presents a spectrum of images that show, day to day, the experiences of natives as well as visitors. Landscapes, culture, food, selfies, etc. are posted.
Here in Pucallpa we do not have a consolidated community of Instagrammers, only the administrators and a group close to us. We have not yet done any activities, for lack of time more than anything else, even though we would be interested in doing a photowalk this year in the city.
There are some YouTubers in Pucallpa, but I was captivated by the freshness of Gianny Stolz's channel, so I could not resist contacting her to ask her a few things.
El vlog es algo que abrí para liberarme, porque por haber estudiado en uno y otro colegio durante mi secundaria, no he forjado amistades duraderas, y entonces había temas que no tenía con quién conversar y quería soltar todo eso en alguna parte. Ya tenía tiempo siguiendo a otros youtubers nacionales y extranjeros, y dije: why not? ¿Por qué no hacer algo aquí? No tenía experiencia, pero bué… tenía las ganas. Y así es como ahora tengo 16 videos en mi canal (17 en realidad, el primero es la presentación y se nota mi nerviosismo LOL). El más visto es la crítica a una película peruana…
The vlog is something that I opened to liberate myself, since having switched from one school to another, I have not developed strong friendships; I didn't have anyone to talk with about certain topics and I wanted to get things off my chest somewhere. I had been following other YouTubers for some time, some were local and others foreign, and I said, Why not? Why not do something here? I did not have experience but okay… I wanted to do it. And that is how I now have 16 videos on my channel (17 actually, but the first one is the introduction and my nervousness comes across. LOL). The most viewed one is a critique of a Peruvian movie…
Holy Week. “With a delicious ‘juane’ made of cassava.” Cartoon by Carlos Cavero.
If there is one person who is a representative of Pucallpa on social media, that person is Carlos Cavero, who is present and very active on almost all social media networks with his comic, Ronsoco Azul.
El Ronsoco Azul nace el 27 de abril del 2010 como un experimento con temática ambiental, social, climática y uno que otro chispazo de humor, a veces con ironías y sarcasmos. Primero se publicó en Facebook, luego se armó el Fan Page. Digamos que el primer año fue interesante. El segundo año ganó el premio de los 20 mejores blogs en la categoría hobbie en Fundacion Telefónica. Luego vino la propuesta de usar al personaje para las fiestas Barena (eventos organizados por una cervecería local) por 10 meses, las agendas, posters y finalmente el libro por parte de Ediciones Altazor. Lo visualizan más por Facebook, Twitter aún tiene pocas visitas.
The Ronsoco Azul was born on 27 April 2010 as an experiment with environmental, social, and climate topics and a spark of humor here and there, sometimes with irony and sarcasm mixed in. First, it was published on Facebook, then the Fan Page was created. Let's say that the first year was interesting. The second year it won the prize of the 20 best blogs in the category of hobby by the Telefónica Foundation. Then we had a proposal to use the character for the festivities of Barena (events organized by a local beer company) for 10 months, the agendas, posters and finally the book thanks to Ediciones Altazor. It is posted more on Facebook, Twitter still has very few views.
@Cyberjuan En realidad no hay mucha cultura tuitera en Pucallpa, y los tuiteros son ocasionales. Tengo una teoría al respecto.
— BelTor べルトル (@Beltor) 10 de marzo de 2016
@Cyberjuan In reality, there is not much of a tweeting culture in Pucallpa, and the users are casual. I have a theory about this.
To my dismay, Pucallpa appears to not be a city where Twitter is popular. Apart from Carlos, who tweets constantly and a handful of other Twitter users sort of active, there is no more activity on that network. Our friend @Beltor, who lives between Pucallpa and the city of Iquitos to the north, tells us why he believes that this happens:
Iquitos tiene una saludable vida tuitera gracias a la mediocre señal de internet de hace unos años, y a los jóvenes que en ese entonces apostamos por Twitter como una ventana más al mundo. En Pucallpa es casi lo contrario, pues la gente tiene mejor conexión de internet casi desde la expansión a provincias de los servicios de datos móviles. Solo usan el Facebook por el [popular] uso de red social, pero muy poco Twitter, entre otras cosas, porque pueden usar la red para mayor variedad de accesos.
Por otra parte en Iquitos hay cierta fibra cultural, social y de denuncia que es más bien un poco escasa en Pucallpa. Intenté, y aún intento, seguir a tuiteros pucallpinos, pero sus posts además de no ser constantes son más bien una mescolanza de varios temas y cosas personales, y si tratan de publicar algo como reclamo o queja usan Facebook. Lo puedes comprobar fácilmente tagueando #Pucallpa y ver lo pobre que es el Twitter al respect.
Iquitos has a healthy Twitter life thanks to the mediocre internet signal they got some years ago and to the young people that, at that point in time, had bet on Twitter being another window into the world. In Pucallpa, it is almost the opposite, people have had a better internet connection since the expansion to the provinces of mobile data services. They only use Facebook because of its popularity, but they use Twitter very little because, among other reasons, they can use internet for a wider variety of services.
On the other hand, in Iquitos there is a certain cultural, social and protest fiber that is rather scarce in Pucallpa. I tried, and still try, to follow Twitter users from Pucallpa, but their posts, in addition to not being regular, are more of a mix of various subjects and personal topics, and if they publish something like a complaint they use Facebook. You can check easily by tagging #Pucallpa and seeing how poor Twitter is in this regard.
Nonetheless, it appears that there are occasions in which the few Twitter users of Pucallpa become more active. I could see that recently during the strike that affected the city in March 2016, when I searched for videos about what was happening on Twitter, and I found a good amount of material shared there.
Perhaps these recent events in the city marked the beginning of more activity on online social networks.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
From Heartwarming to Hilarious, 6 Things People Are Sharing About Iran and Persian Culture on Social Media · Global Voices
Tori Egherman

From charity in the classroom to Nowruz (Iranian New Year) in the White House, this post looks at some of the things being shared online at the moment about Iran and Persian culture.
This video makes people say Aww joonam (Aw, cutie). It tells the story of a teacher who promised a pair of running shoes to the student with the highest grade. “But you all got high grades,” he tells the class. He suggests that they pick the name of the winner randomly. The students are told to write their names on a slip of paper.
He picks the name of the student from the bowl. It's the name of the student with the most need for new shoes. When the class leaves, the teacher opens the slips of paper and sees that all the students have written the name of the same student.
What if Michael Jackson had been born in Iran? What would his famous song “Thriller” sound like? How would the iconic dance from the horror-themed music video look? The above YouTube clip offers a tongue-in-cheek glimpse.
Estop, shared by the Facebook Page Beyond the Shahs of Sunset
Language is hard. I'll never get the Persian word for frog — قورباغه — to come out of my mouth correctly. My poor pronunciation is endlessly funny to native Persian speakers. Many of them have a hard time pronouncing words that begin with S. They say eh before the S.
Although the above photo is of a construction worker in the United States (the helmet with “Kiewit”, a Nebraska-based construction firm, gives it away), the joke still stands.
“Our diversity has been & will always be our greatest source of strength.” —@FLOTUS: https://t.co/dMv2EXhDQN #Nowruz pic.twitter.com/nDRu8bu12K
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 6, 2016
The Nowruz holidays last for two weeks. The last day is traditionally celebrated with a picnic. On the last day of the Nowruz holidays (April 1), Michelle Obama, the wife of US President Barack Obama, hosted a celebration at the White House. One of the attendees, Azadeh Pourzand, wrote on Facebook:
Azadeh Pourzand at the White House for Nowruz celebrations.
I had the absolute honor of attending the Norooz celebration today at the White House. While there, I felt that there is a strange sense of love and dignity in forced immigration, losing a home, friends and family members you loved very much, and making a fragile new little home from scratch. I am proud to be Iranian. I am proud to be American. And above all, I am proud to have been a child refugee once, and later an immigrant.
Iranian family shares a photo with the My Stealthy Freedom campaign.
The online movement My Stealthy Freedom, which features Iranian women taking off their headscarves in public in Iran in protest against the country's mandatory hijab laws, has been in the news again recently. Recently, the women crew of Air France demanded the right to refuse flying to Iran because of discriminatory laws (see GV post: Iran's Headscarf Laws Collide With the Women of Air France). The crew communicated their reasons on the My Stealthy Freedom Facebook Page. As a result, the group launched a campaign urging foreign women visiting Iran to take a photo of themselves without a headscarf. On social media, some have accused the campaign of “foreign interference.” Others find the support of foreign women positive.
An Iranian family shared the above photo with the My Stealthy Freedom campaign. It was a response to an earlier photo of just the father and the daughter, in which the father explained in the caption that it was his daughter's prerogative to dress how she wants:
In this photo my wife is also free to choose how to dress, just as is my daughter. My wife acts by taking the conditions into her own consideration. For me and my family the inner decency is very important. First human beings and then an all inclusive law is of importance. We don’t like, nor promote promiscuity. We believe that decency is not determined by whether or not a woman wears the hijab.
One person commenting on the earlier photo asking if the father had ever been to war. The father responded:
People who are dogmatic and have a closed mind consider only very religious and practicing Muslims virtuous. But people like me went to war only for the love of Iran and didn’t take any advantage of the situation. And now I fight against those who want to drag Iran into regression. With the hopes for the day when we can all be fellow countrymen regardless of our thoughts and beliefs and can have a higher tolerance for each other.
A video from AJ+ reported on a robot competition in Tehran in which the machines competed in a soccer, search-and-rescue and household work tournaments. Women engineers were among the competitors and “showed off their skills,” something notable given Iran's conservative culture and the generally male-dominated field of engineering, according to the report.
If you see content related to Iran you'd like Global Voices to consider, tweet it to me at @ETori.

author: Tori Egherman


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How a Paramilitary Group Paralyzed Colombia’s North and Threatened the Peace Process · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

The armed strike by the Úsuga clan, also known as the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, kept many zones in the north of Colombia in suspense and created questions about the peace process developing in the country. Photograph from the Flickr account of the ‘Policía nacional de los colombianos’, published under the  Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Beginning on the evening of Wednesday, 30 March, different areas in the north of Colombia saw their streets gradually empty of people, while transportation and businesses cut their working hours short. All of this was due to the self-proclaimed Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (also known as the Úsuga Clan), which ordered a strike starting at midnight on 31 March and lasting until midnight on 1 April.
The reasons for the forced strike (also called an “armed strike”) were not very clear. Commemoration for the death of one of their leaders, as claimed in their pamphlets? Revenge for the military offensive against them? To force peace talks with the government by intensifying armed actions like the guerrillas did in the past? Support for the anti-government protest planned for the next day throughout the country by the right-wing Democratic Center political party, lead by ex-President Álvaro Uribe?
What is certain is that the strike generated fear within the population. Historically, strikes imposed by militias in Colombia have meant illegal roadblocks, armed confrontations and retaliation against businesses and transportation services that disobey the order to suspend all activities.
Since its formation around 2007, the Úsuga Clan has tried to bill itself as a self-defense force against other guerrillas operating in the area. But the Clan is well known for being involved in the drug trade, moving tons of cocaine with nearly 2,000 armed men at its disposal; it is widely considered the most dangerous criminal organization in the country.
Many suspect the group wants to be recognized as a self-defense force to benefit from the eased penalties that such militias enjoy under Colombian law. Fighting between leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups and agents of the state has plagued Colombia with deadly violence over the last 50 years, and that special legal treatment is meant to promote the demobilization of the insurgency. Although the Clan is not considered a player in the conflict, it seems as if the group could move to the top of the pecking order of armed factions if a peace agreement is achieved between insurgent forces FARC and ELN and the Colombian government.
As a result of the Clan's strike threats, 39 municipalities in eight departments in the north of the country were paralyzed. Social media carried the largest quantity of information about the strike, with reports coming from both residents and the Clan itself.
Photograph of the comuniqué distributed to the population in the north of Colombia. In the comuniqué, the group maintains that the strike is peaceful, that it is a protest in an armed conflict in which they never chose to participate and they invite the public [who have been] “harmed by the economic crisis” to join in. Image shared on social networks.
#ParoArmado Hasta San Pelayo llega el eco de panfletos atemorizantes, así luce el centro de la capital del porro pic.twitter.com/IfcZW6hKBb
— El Cordobés (@elcordobes2016) 31 de marzo de 2016
#ArmedStrike Even in San Pelayo echos of the frightening pamphlets have arrived and this is what the capital of the “porro” [a traditional music genre] looks like.
Terminales de transporte intermunicipal no despachan, comercio no abrió, sur de Córdoba está paralizado. #ParoArmado pic.twitter.com/yq6ilz1qvJ
— Juan M. Sotomayor (@jumasogi91) 31 de marzo de 2016
Inter-municipal transportation stations aren't in service, businesses didn't open, south of Córdoba is paralyzed. #ArmedStrike
The strike saw at least 27 violent incidents, including the murder of four civilians and one member of security forces. Different acts of intimidation were also reported, including messages sent on social media which sought to extend the strike to at least three capital cities and ten more municipalities.
The reaction of the government was limited to patrolling some critical places and to urge the public to disobey the strike. Isolated and without the ability to leave their homes, social media became the method that many citizens used to take stock of the situation. This was the case with Global Voices contributor and co-author of this post, Cati Restrepo. She detailed her experience of the armed strike on Facebook, expressing concern for the rural population who are the first to feel the consequences of armed movements:
Estoy viviendo de primera mano un paro armado. En el transcurso del día vi como la gente y el pueblo se iban apagando: no salieron mas carros, no hubo mas mototaxis y absolutamente todo el comercio cerró.
(…)
Al medio día por poco no encuentro provisiones para comer en la noche; y de hecho tuvimos que compartir con alguien que de ninguna manera logró conseguirlas. No hay transporte desde y hacia el municipio en el que estoy, la soledad de las calles habla por sí misma y nada se sabe de lo qué nos espera mañana.
I'm experiencing, first-hand, an armed strike. Throughout the day, I saw how people and the town itself came to standstill; cars stopped going out, there were no motorcycle taxis and absolutely all businesses closed down.
[…]
By midday I can't find provisions to eat at night, in fact we have to share with someone who couldn't get any at all. There are no transportation services running to or from the municipality where I am. The solitude in the streets speaks for itself and nobody knows what waits for us tomorrow.
But the worst was yet to come:
A pocos metros asesinaron a un empleado de una estación de gasolina, un camión en el que se transportaba comida fue incinerado, sigue sin haber transporte y los negocios continúan cerrados (algunos abrieron en la mañana pero a las pocas horas cerraron)
Only a few meters away they murdered a worker at a gas station, a truck that was carrying food was burnt, transportation services are still at a standstill and businesses are still closed (some are opening in the mornings but close their doors shortly thereafter).
As the hours passed, the situation grew worse. Those affected became the only consistent means of finding out what was happening in the north of the country.
From the department of Antioquia, Margarita Rodríguez tweeted:
@GobAntioquia @ViceColombia manden refuerzo a Tarazá y Caucasia. Todo Bajo Cauca.
Estamos secuestrados!
— Margarita Rodríguez (@margara76) April 1, 2016
@GobAntioquia @ViceColombia send reinforcements to Tarazá and Caucasia. To all of Bajo Cauca. We are kidnapped!
Gustavo Santiago compared the armed strike to a curfew and published the following video:
No hay ley seca, no hay toque de queda es un #ParoArmado ilegal el que tiene a Montería así. Esta es la cra tercera. pic.twitter.com/TLOrJm8w1p
— Gustavo Santiago (@NoticiasGs) 1 de abril de 2016
It isn't a dry law, it isn't a curfew, it is an illegal #ArmedStrike that is making Montería be like this. This is one of the main streets.
The public also turned to mobile phone messaging apps to express their confusion, desperation and impotence. Green Party congresswoman Angélica Lozano published a chat between a user in Apartadó and another in Bogotá. In the conversation, a couple complains how information about the armed strike was absent from mainstream news.:
Chat de alguien que está en Apartadó y su novio en Bogota sobre #ParoArmado pic.twitter.com/2nACPxnRj3
— Angélica Lozano (@AngelicaLozanoC) 31 de marzo de 2016
Tweet: Chat from someone who is in Apartadó and her boyfriend in Bogota about the #ArmedStrike
Image: -How are things going?
-Not really good. And supposedly, things won't go back to normal until Saturday.
-Seriously?
-That's how it is.
-They said that or what?
-Burnt buses, dead people and too many things that you can't even begin to understand. That's not making the news on TV. It's the information circulating on mobile phones. Things are really bad.
Under the hashtags #ParoArmado (#ArmedStrike) and #NoSonBacrimSonParas (#They're not “criminal gangs“, they're paramilitaries), Colombians discussed the strike, shared videos and photos, and accused the government and political parties of inaction.
Citizen media like the Agencia Red Nudo de Paramillo, which brings together nine regional media collectives, published on-the-ground footage of the communities of Zaragoza and Tierralta on Facebook.
At the same time, photos were published of the abuses committed by the Úsuga Clan:
Así luce vía a la costa en Valdivia @Bricenostereo @FdoQuijano @soydeituango @Teleantioquia @CamiiCarvajal_R pic.twitter.com/Dd6RnEJjnC
— BETO A PERIODISTA (@bebetoa) 31 de marzo de 2016
This is what the route to the coast in Valdivia looks like
Far-flung communities weren't the only ones to suffer the effects of the strike. In Medellín, in the Belén Rincón neighborhood of commune 16 (zones made up of various neighborhoods), pamphlets, graffiti and a burnt-out bus forced citizens to return to their homes.
Así se sufre el #ParoArmado paramilitar en Medellín. Bus quemado en Belén pic.twitter.com/d28AkFWZuj
— Generación Paz (@RGeneracionPaz) 1 de abril de 2016
This is how Medellín is suffering from the paramilitary #ArmedStrike. A burnt-out bus in Belén
Unfortunately, while the country waits for the outcome of peace talks with FARC and ELN guerrillas, which would put an end to half a century of armed conflict, the success of the Úsuga Clan's armed strike has reignited fears about the revival of paramilitarism and filled Colombians with questions about the future. Pessimism and polarization seem to reign on social media in Colombia:
#NoSonBacrimSonParas dejemos los eufemismos la tal paz de Uribe fue fracaso. O ¿una estrategia de retoma del poder? pic.twitter.com/iClWZEcrqe
— Alvareto Peñarosca (@elFuribista) 1 de abril de 2016
Let's leave aside the euphemisms, [ex-President of Colombia] Uribe's so-called peace was a failure. Or a strategy to retake power?
Los Paramilitares siguen activos y hoy son una amenaza para los procesos de paz. #NoSonBacrimSonParas pic.twitter.com/MfiKDc1dw6
— Diana Marcela Otavo (@dianamotavo) 31 de marzo de 2016
Paramilitaries are still active and today they are a threat to the peace process.
Once the strike ended, the combined efforts of the military and the police allowed for the capture of 59 members of the Úsuga Clan and the rescue of 33 people who had been kidnapped at illegal roadblocks, according to a statement by the president of the republic. The fight will continue until the group's network is dismantled, the president assured.

author: Cati Restrepo


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The Innocents of the Panama Papers · Global Voices
Roy Rojas

On April 1, 2016, a series of publications known as The Panama Papers were brought to light in many parts of the world. Lots of names, lots of lawyers, and, above all, lots of questions. In Costa Rica, the journalistic investigation into the Papers’ contents has been in the hands of Amelia Rueda and her teams at Databasear.com and Semanario Universidad, the news site of the University of Costa Rica.
#nuestravoz ¿Qué son los #PanamaPapers? pic.twitter.com/b4DO25idpz
— ameliarueda (@ameliarueda) April 4, 2016
What are the Panama Papers? A video by Amelia Rueda explains it all #ourvoice
A critical question raised by the Panama Papers has to do with the reasons behind setting up offshore accounts or companies. Answers vary, but one of the most common explanations is that these mechanisms are used to avoid paying taxes. In some countries tax burdens are increasing: governments, having little economic solvency, continue to create taxes which affect bank deposits and, in a sense, penalise those with the most money. Then there are people who simply prefer not to diminish their wealth by complying with their country’s tax requirements. In order to “protect” their wealth, such people seek out countries where the fiscal facilities are such that their assets cannot be seized and they are not required to pay heavy taxes on their balances. Political instability is another factor that’s often cited: if a country is politically unstable, people will be driven to take their money out of local banks.
In some of the coverage of the Panama Papers in Costa Rica and around the world, tendentious headlines like “Learn how the rich evade taxes” lump all well-off people into one category, when not all wealthy people are tax evaders. Publications are also listing firms that set up companies or formally opened accounts in Panama, even if this was done legally and with no intention of evading tax responsibilities. Many of the people mentioned in news articles have no connection to acts of evasion, yet their names remain in the eye of the hurricane and they are being scrutinized and pilloried on social networks.
Cristian Cambronero (@cambronero), a popular journalist and blogger from Costa Rica, has criticised the publishing of such information without seeking reactions from those involved. “Publishing names without any distinction or disclaimer is totally irresponsible,” he tweeted.
Concuerdo con @eduardoulibarr1 la publicación de los nombres, sin descargo ni distingo alguno, es totalmente irresponsable #PanamaPapers
— Cristian Cambronero (@cambronero) April 4, 2016
I agree with @eduardoulibarr1 publishing names without any distinction or disclaimer is totally irresponsible #PanamaPapers
The widespread desire for transparency around the issue of tax evasion is completely understandable. Nonetheless, the question arises as to whether innocent people are being hurt as a result of this process. Are the good names of ethical businesspeople and lawyers being unjustly attacked? Journalists on the front lines of reporting these revelations must be extremely careful and responsible: they should be carefully validating all sources before publishing the somebody’s name in this place where information lives forever. As Mari Carmen (@marcar71) contends, only subsequent investigations will reveal those who are truly guilty of a crime.
Lo importante con esto de #PanamaPapers son las investigaciones posteriores para determinar quiénes delinquieron y quienes no.
— Maricarmen (@marcar71) April 4, 2016
The important thing about these #PanamaPapers are the upcoming investigations that will determine who committed crimes and who didn’t.
An editorial at La Nación newspaper criticized Semanario Universidad for not filtering the information, and for publishing the data in a way that suggested that all the people mentioned were guilty.
“This treasure trove of information,” wrote La Nación, “in more capable hands would probably have permitted the lifting of the veil of these illegal operations, to the great benefit to the public. But Semanario made no distinction, and alongside cases that were clearly illegal, included a host of names and companies, casting doubts on them all.”
“El tesoro de información, en manos más hábiles, probablemente permitiría correr el velo de operaciones ilícitas con gran provecho para la opinión pública. Pero el Semanario no hizo distinciones y, junto a algún caso donde la ilegalidad salta a la vista, incluyó una pléyade de nombres y empresas, sembrando duda sobre todas ellas.”
Following the release of this information, certain personalities in Costa Rica have come out to deny allegations and defend themselves, with explanations as to why their names have appeared in certain news reports. Among them are María Luisa Avila, former Minister of Health, and Leonel Baruch, former Minister of Finance.
María Luisa Avila (@maluavi) has denied having any money sequestered away in Panama. “The company that I am linked to is not being question,” she tweeted on April 4.
#EnVivo @Maluavi: “No tengo dinero en #Panamá. La empresa a la que estoy vinculada no está siendo cuestionada” pic.twitter.com/XxfOvQBhWh
— CB24.TV (@cb24tv) April 4, 2016
#Live @Maluavi: “I don’t have money in #Panama. The company that I am linked to is not being questioned”
Leonel Baruch, who is also president of the media outlet CRHoy.com, issued a press release demanding that Semanario Universidad write a public correction clarifying the real reason his name appears in the leaked documents. “My name is mentioned,” Baruch wrote in his press release, “because I was notified of the sale of a company under investigation that I had when I was Minister of Finance.
Various celebrities around the world have also come out to clarify their situations, one of the most well-known being star footballer Lionel Messi, whose family has said the company mentioned in the Papers was part of a “structure put in place by Messi’s previous financial advisers, the fiscal consequences of which have already been normalized,” and was now inactive.
These examples reaffirm the important role journalists play in shaping public opinion, not to mention history. In the months ahead new information will certainly be disclosed. Some of it will be able to be accepted at face value; some of it will need a legal explanation. Those who are offended at being named should come forward and explain why their names are linked to the publication. If they are completely innocent, time and the authorities in each country will reveal this to be the case. For some of the innocent, however, it is likely that they will not be able to clear their names completely in the court of public opinion, and therein lies the problem.

author: Roy Rojas


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Cambodian Human Rights Group Criticizes Telecoms Law · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A group of women bloggers in Cambodia conducting a training seminar. Photo from the Facebook page of The Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
A human rights group is criticizing Cambodia’s Law on Telecommunications (Telecoms Law) for provisions that it says undermine free speech and violate the privacy of individuals. The government described the criticism as “unreal interpretations” of the law.
The Telecoms Law took effect last December 7, 2015. It was passed to promote the growth of the telecommunications sector which the government hopes will contribute to the country’s overall development.
But for human rights group Licadho, the law could quash fundamental rights and freedoms. It added that the law “contains no reference to the right to freedom of expression or its protection.” Some observers suspect that the law reflects the ruling party's desire to stifle online discussions as elections approach in 2017 and 2018.
The group issued a legal briefing on March 31, 2016 which identified several provisions of the law that could pose a threat to civil liberties.
For example, Article 6 of the law obliges telecommunications service providers to provide data on their users to government authorities, even if they are not presented with a judicial warrant.
Another provision that could curtail the rights of individuals is Article 80 which states that:
Establishment, installation and utilization of equipment in the telecommunications sector, if these acts lead to national insecurity, shall be punished by sentences from seven to 15 years imprisonment.
There is no explanation as to what constitutes “national insecurity”. Licadho is worried that “this could heavily punish legitimate expression via radio shows, television, online and even through private messages and phone conversations between individuals, should the authorities determine it to be a threat.”
Meanwhile, Article 97 allows secret surveillance of any and all telecommunications where it is conducted with the approval of a “legitimate authority”, but it does not specify what this means. For Licadho, “this appears to create a power to secretly eavesdrop without any public accountability or safeguards to protect individuals’ right to privacy.”
Licadho also pointed out that the law promotes excessive state control and regulation over media facilities. Aside from broadening the mandate of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, the law has designated the appointment of “telecommunications inspection officials” in order to effectively implement the law.
For Licadho director Naly Pilorge, the law could be used by the ruling party, which has been in power in the past three decades, to silence online dissent:
The 2013 national elections demonstrated the power of social media as a critical platform – so it is no surprise that the ruling party wants to stifle this vibrant online space in time for elections in 2017 and 2018.
Rhona Smith, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, who visited the country last month, acknowledged that there was public concern over the “politicized” implementation of the Telecoms Law.
While Internet access has increased in Cambodia in recent years, various groups have noted that an increasing number of Facebook users have been arrested and prosecuted in the courts for criticizing politicians.
Responding to the study by Licadho, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications denied that the law has provisions that violate freedom of expression. It accused Licadho of making “unreal interpretations”. It added that consultations were made with various stakeholders in drafting the law. Finally, it said that the law was formulated “following international standard ensuring protection of legal interest of relevant individuals.”
Whether or not the law is a threat to human rights, the government of Cambodia should make sure that media freedom is guaranteed and that Internet users are not unjustly persecuted when they express opinions or critiques of politicians.

author: Mong Palatino


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#FreeShawkan: After 900 Days in Jail, Egyptian Photographer Finally Faces Trial · Global Voices
Salma Essam

Mahmoud Abou Zaid, aka Shawkan, has been imprisoned for more than 900 days whilst covering the clearance of Cairo's Raba'a el Adaweya camp in support to ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Photo shared on Twitter by @Ciluna27.
Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, will face trial on 23 April 2016 following a more than two years’ postponement by Egyptian courts.
Shawkan was arrested on 14 August 2013, along with dozens of foreign journalists covering the forced dispersal of a sit-in at Cairo's Rab'aa el Adaweya camp. In the incident, nearly 800 people were arrested at an event in support of overthrown Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated president Mohamed Morsi. Shawkan was among other journalists, photographers and Muslim Brotherhood supporters present who were arrested and held on falsified charges, according to Amnesty International.
The incident was one of the most violent events that took place in Egypt after Morsi's ousting. The clearance footage shows mass murder, firing of tents and properties, and random capture of people at the sit-in and in the surrounding areas.
Shawkan faces charges of premeditated murder, inciting violence, illegal arms possession, and being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian authorities now classify as a terrorist organization. Shawkan's detention has been renewed every 45 days without ratified official charges. These periodic renewals stand in violation of Egyptian criminal law, which prohibits indefinite detention without a criminal conviction and sentence.
On 23 April, it is expected that he will face trial along with 793 other defendants, the majority of whom are Muslim Brotherhood supporters. A letter of support from the Committee to Protect Journalists noted that this may put him at a disadvantage:
Shawkan is being tried alongside more than 700 other defendants, which can only harm the chances of the court recognizing that he was arrested in the course of his work as a journalist.
Shawkan's pictures were used by recognized news media including TIME magazine, Die Zeit, Amnesty International, and Global Voices. At the time of his capture, he was working for the London-based photography agency Demotix, which has voiced support for Shawkan. In a public statement, Demotix wrote that Shawkan's work was “completely impartial with a simple objective – to tell the news from the perspective of a local photographer who had lived in Egypt all his life.”
In a letter published in March 2015, Shawkan described the torture he underwent at the police station as an officer beat him using belt buckles and closed fists. He described being kicked by officers with their boots on. He described Tora prison, where he is currently detained, as a “dungeon” that he shares with other prisoners. Shawkan ended the letter saying:
Is humanity is just an illusion? What if we have forgotten the difference between dreams and reality? How do I ensure that I am not in a coma? When reality comes between me and my dreams, should I stop dreaming? I look around and I am left with the reality of four ugly windowless walls and a never ending dream of freedom.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) 2015 prison census, Egypt ranked second after China as the world's biggest prison for journalists. Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index lists Egypt as the 158th out of 180 other countries.
RSF called for the immediate release of Shawkan last March, affirming that his detention is no more legal as the time he has spent in prison has already exceeded the period allowed according to the Egyptian code of criminal procedure. Aged 29, Shawkan is currently suffering from severe medical conditions that are worsening as he has not received proper treatment, RSF reported.
Meanwhile, social media activists and politicians have been advocating Shawkan's case, calling for his freedom through #FreeShawkan and another hashtag named: “Journalism is not a crime” .
The account managing #FreeShawkan campaign tweeted earlier this April:
no one should have their FREEDOM snatched because they are painting a picture of the world we live in#FreeShawkan pic.twitter.com/BMQsWsEDZG
— Mahmoud Abou Zeid (@ShawkanZeid) April 5, 2016
Activist and AlJazeera writer, Nuria Teson, quote-tweeted an article, published on Spanish news site El Confidencial, that mentioned Shawkan's case and fellow journalists, saying:
“Su delito fue estar con su cámara cubriendo el desalojo de la sentada de Rabaa Al Adawiya” #FreeShawkan https://t.co/CghiCxzIVZ
— Nuria Tesón (@masteson) April 12, 2016
His crime was being there with his camera, covering the dispersal of the Raba'a el Adaweya sit-in
International journalist Jim Clancy commented on U.S congressional delegation visit to Egypt on April 7 and referred to Shawkan's case, saying:
Certainly hope he seizes the occasion to speak about imprisonment of journalists and others. #FreeShawkan https://t.co/ZgrAtp3TZA
— Jim Clancy (@ClancyReports) April 7, 2016
Press behind bars, a profile that defends journalists in Egypt and advocates press freedom, said that mother of tortured and killed Italian student, Julio Regeni, asked president Abdelfattah El-Sisi to free Shawkan. The account says in a tweet:
#Egypt Brave parents of Giulio Regeni ask @AlsisiOfficial to release photojournalist #FreeShawkan @MFAEgypt pic.twitter.com/dcrRODhQ2l
— Pressbehindbars (@FreeEgyptPress) April 12, 2016
The messages of Shawkan's case has spread around the world. American citizen Joanna Hamil shared a petition to free Shawkan. She tweets:
I’ve just signed a petition urging #Egypt authorities to free Mahmoud Abu Zeid. Please do the same. #FreeShawkan https://t.co/k5aWaNbID4
— Joanna Hamil (@HamilJoanna) April 11, 2016
Marwa tweeted a few days ago in #FreeShawkan, she said:
شوكان مريض وصحته متدهورة. شوكان مصور صحفي اتقبض عليه اثناء تادية عمله #الحريه_لشوكان pic.twitter.com/LQpbT4DFub
— Marwa selim (@selim_marwa) April 3, 2016
Shawkan is sick and his condition is deteriorating. He's a photojournalist who was arrested whilst performing his work #FreeShawkan”
And Fatima Said commented on Shawkan's health conditions, saying:
Photojournalist Shawkan Abu Zeid who has been detained since 2013 also contracted Hepatitis C whilst in #Egypt prison & is denied treatment
— Fatima Said (@fattysaid) March 10, 2016
Global Voices will continue to cover Shawkan's case as it unfolds. To support him or learn more about his work, follow the #FreeShawkan hashtag on Twitter.

author: Salma Essam


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LGBT Activists Arrested at Bengali New Year March, Later Released · Global Voices
Rezwan

Spread love, not hatred. Image courtesy Roopbaan Facebook group
Bangladesh police detained four LGBT activists on 14 April when they appeared at a march with the Mongol Shobhajatra, a colourful procession on the occasion of Pahela Baisakh, the Bengali new year celebrations.
Since 2014, some of the members of Bangladesh's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have started joining the New Year's festivities in a pride parade, a bold step for the oft-vilified minority. A network called Boys of Bangladesh (BoB), where Bangladeshi gay men mainly communicate via social media, started fighting for LGBT rights in Bangladesh since 2009. In 2013, Roopbaan, a non-political, volunteer-based platform for LGBT individuals and their allies emerged, which started working to raise awareness about Bangladeshis who represent sexual and gender diversity, and advocate for their human right to love and live with dignity. The name ‘Roopbaan’ is derived from a popular Bengali folk character which also means a beautiful and fabulous person. Roopbaan has organized numerous LGBT rights-related events in the Bangladesh capital including publishing of the first LGBT magazine in Bangladesh called Roopbaan, which was launched in 2014.
Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation, criminalizes homosexuality. The colonial era British anti-sodomy law punishes gay sex with fines and ten years to life in jail.
This year the police were extra vigilant as hard line religious groups have branded the Bengali new year celebrations as un-Islamic and Haram (forbidden). This applies in particular to the Mongol Shobhajatra procession, where traditional symbols and masks of animals and faces are carried.
In an email statement, Roopbaan told Global Voices that this year they had arranged a rally titled “Boishakh, Boichetra and Bandhutta” (Boishakh, Diversity and Friendship). However, they have received some intimidation from some groups who labeled the Roopbaan initiative as a “gay rally” and threatened to beat the rally participants. On the night of 13 April police recommended that they cancel the rally for the sake for for overall law and order situation of Pohela Boishakh, given that they were a target. They agreed and cancelled the rally, informing as many people as possible.
On 14 April most of the Roopbaan members joined the Mongol Shobajatra in the morning without any marks, logo or props and departed after the rally. But around 11am, they heard that police had held five persons for reportedly suspicious behaviour and alleged that they were trying to initiate a gay rally. They went to the Shahbag police station and found that the police kept four persons in a locker and released one. Later that evening the police asked their parents to come to the police station and pick the detainees up. They told their parents over the phone and and face-to-face that their sons were homosexuals and were trying to hold the rally.
Of cause the colors of the rainbow are very very dangerous for nature and for all other humans!!! https://t.co/sXrUvloZwg
— Fabian E. Oppermann (@ejhopp1) April 14, 2016
In December 2014 a survey by Boys of Bangladesh and Roopban revealed that lesbians, gays and bisexuals in Bangladesh live in fear. The survey had 751 self-identified homosexuals as respondents. More than 50% said that they live in constant fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and only 25.8% of respondents said that they did face discrimination. Many said that they either had no knowledge of or no access to legal support.
Tanvir, a moderator of the BoB community recently told in an interview to Indian LGBT magazine Pink pages how the Bangladeshi society sees the LGBT people:
The educated people in the society or the people who studied in the west accept homosexuality as natural but often it happens that in a class or in a work place not everyone accepts homosexuality. In that case people don’t feel comfortable to come out and it holds the whole process of acceptance a step back. Lesbians are invisible in the society though there is a small group working for a long time. Transgender are visible but people and media often make fun of them which is actually very sad. In my view, bisexuals are increasing in major cities but there is no research data so far on this. Overall, society tolerates it as long as you are keeping it private and following the social obligations i.e getting married!
Another initiative towards promoting LGBT rights in the country is the blog of Bengali humanist and freethinkers Mukto-Mona which publishes regular articles in English and Bangla. The slain blogger and founder of Mukta-Mona Dr. Avijit Roy published a book in Bangladesh on homosexuality, the first of its kind, which attempted to provide a scientific view and accessible description of homosexuality on several grounds.
Last September, the country's first-ever lesbian comic character Dhee was launched. The BoB events drew some crowd and was mostly networked through Facebook.
It's ok to be different. Join us on 9th April for a for an awareness event. https://t.co/ICYeIzy0jA#relation #BOB pic.twitter.com/S6abnTHyAO
— boys of bangladesh (@info_bob_bd) April 7, 2016
Discussion on Gender, Sexuality & Gendered Violence @ the #DhakaUniversity (educational & counselling #psychology ) pic.twitter.com/m0m0GBHmaB
— boys of bangladesh (@info_bob_bd) March 25, 2016
However, after the arrests many of their social media pages became inaccessible, most probably taken down.

author: Rezwan


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Online Voting in Progress for the Kenyan Blog Awards 2016 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The logo of Kenyan Blog Awards 2016.
Online voting for the Kenyan Blog Awards 2015 is underway. Voting started on March 3 and will continue until May 1, 2016.
Launched in 2012 by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), the Kenyan Blog Awards, also known as BAKE Awards, recognises and awards exceptional Kenyan bloggers. The competition, according to the organisers, is open to all Kenyans and brands that operate in Kenya.
The competition began with a submission phase from January 8 to February 10, 2016. Then the judges chose the best five blogs for each category, before online voting was open to the public on March 3, 2016.
The 2016 winners will be announced at a public event on May 7, 2016.
Watch the YouTube video below for highlights of Kenyan Blog Awards 2015:
There are 19 categories this year after the organisers added one category, Best Religious or Spirituality Blog.
Check out the list of nominees for the 19 categories on the awards website, and cast your vote here.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Social Media Photos Show Aftermath of Strong Quake in Kumamoto, Japan · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Image caption: A “shindo 7″ earthquake (on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale). Image taken from ANN News official YouTube channel.
A “Shindo 7″ (magnitude 6.5) earthquake struck the western Japanese city of Kumamoto on Thursday, April 14. At least nine people were killed and 33,000 evacuated from their homes. Nearly 1,000 people have been reported as injured.
In terms of intensity, this was the largest earthquake experienced by Japan since the one that struck Japan's northeastern Tohoku region in March 2011, touching off a massive tsunami that left thousands dead.
Japan's “shindo scale” measures the degree of shaking, or intensity. In other parts of the world, earthquakes are measured according to released energy, or magnitude.
Aftershocks continued throughout the night. A camera crew, sent out to record damage to a castle wall in the center of the city of Kumamoto recorded an aftershock live on television. The video's title translates as “23,000 evacuated after Shindo 7 earthquake strikes Kumamoto.”
The earthquake was felt in much of western Japan and was centered on Mashiki, a suburban township to the east of Kumamoto City.
It ruptured gas lines, causing several fires (most Japanese homes rely on propane gas for cooking and heating water; propane is stored outside the home in pressured cylinders).
Following the earthquake and its aftershocks, social media was filled with images of the quake.
【熊本県益城町で震度7の大地震／火災発生し複数建物倒壊】https://t.co/Z37VvGy66T
震度7の揺れを観測し多くの建物が倒壊しているとの情報。23時現在で10軒以上の家屋が倒壊、一部の家屋では火災が発生。 pic.twitter.com/QVMoLL9sZP
— 日刊時事ニュース (@nikkan_jijinews) April 14, 2016
Mashiki Township, Kumamoto Prefecture: Numerous buildings have been destroyed as a resulted of a Shindo 7 earthquake and resulting fires.
The Shindo 7 quake resulted in quite visible shaking and destruction of buildings, it was reported. It was reported at 10 pm, April 14 that over 10 buildings have collapsed. Some of the structures have been consumed by fire.
Older homes appeared to be hard hit.
https://t.co/NnkdttI3om 熊本を震源とした地震、ヘリからの写真が入ってきました。写真特集を更新しております。https://t.co/2KEAKLw08z pic.twitter.com/VDvd1nN9y5
— 毎日新聞写真部 (@mainichiphoto) April 14, 2016
We have received images from our helicopter above the epicenter in Kumamoto. Special photo coverage here: http://mainichi.jp/photography/
The following day, the extent of the damage became apparent.
写真で追う熊本地震、被害広がるhttps://t.co/mczR9RBeEl pic.twitter.com/ExmMjQo9eI
— 産経ニュース (@Sankei_news) April 15, 2016
Photos of widespread devastation in Kumamoto.
The area's older traditional homes could not withstand the power of the earthquake.
益城町のこのお宅では70歳代の奥様が瓦礫の下敷きになったが、一時間半後に近所の人が救出。奥様は肋骨2本折って入院中だ。ご主人によると、地震の瞬間、ちゃぶ台の下に頭を突っ込んで助かったそうだ。 pic.twitter.com/HcEc0AiMnO
— 竹内明 Mei Takeuchi (@nygangsta0327) April 15, 2016
The seventy-year-old owner of this house in Mashiki was trapped under fallen roof tiles but was rescued by neighbours after about an hour. She had two broken bones and was sent to hospital. According to her husband, at the moment of the earthquake she dove under a small table and could protect her head, and will likely recover.
Due to continuing aftershocks and fears of more fires from ruptured gas lines, thousands of people took shelter in open spaces such as school playing fields.
熊本の地震、熊本市内の校庭では、住民の方々が、ビニールシートを敷いて避難しています。（直） pic.twitter.com/mxscWAEsz1
— 朝日新聞写真部 (@asahi_photo) April 14, 2016
Following the Kumamoto earthquake, residents have evacuated to local schools and are sheltering on plastic tarps.
熊本市内は余震が続いてます。不安な夜が続いてます。
いまは熊本大学グラウンドに
避難してます。
熊本大学の体育館も開放してるので、避難したい人は気をつけて来てください。
#熊本#地震#避難場所 pic.twitter.com/ht6ik6Whhr
— おかけん (@kt112077) April 14, 2016
We're spending an uneasy night as aftershocks continue in Kumamoto City.
Right now we have evacuated to the playing fields at Kumamoto University. The school gym is accepting evacuees so wherever you are please take care of yourself.
Some locals posted images of the damage to social media.
地震で立駐から車降ってきた… pic.twitter.com/oqBw6t9JFD
— だらく (@dara9_) April 14, 2016
Cars have toppled from the automated parking garage.
熊本で起きた震度7の地震の被害 pic.twitter.com/rHNRyc7I85
— エザゼル (@0_____14) April 14, 2016
Damage from the Kumamoto earthquake.
The Richter scale 5 #地震 #震度7 earthquake actually split the ground. #prayforJapan pic.twitter.com/1DrVdmQuTE
— Vlad C (@vladtweets) April 14, 2016
Kumamoto Castle, a ferroconcrete facsimile built in 1960, suffered extensive damage to stone walls line its moat.
難攻不落と呼ばれた城も地震には弱い…儂ショック過ぎて立ち直れない pic.twitter.com/C1Rgeoz1SG
— 加藤清正 (@higonotora) April 14, 2016
The “impregnable fortress” could not withstand an earthquake. The castle walls could not withstand the aftershocks.
In the light of day more damage to the castle was apparent.
瓦は地震で落ちるのが正解！　熊本城に生かされる日本古来の地震対策法とは？https://t.co/7Sxxn3anaJ#grape #熊本城 #瓦 pic.twitter.com/fGSP6kpKlu
— grape (@grapeejp) April 15, 2016
Castle roof tiles in disarray! Are there any plans to protect Japan's historic Kumamoto castle from future earthquakes!?!?!
Some people pointed out that the relatively large and intense Kumamoto earthquake occurred close to three nuclear power installations in Saga Prefecture (just to the north), Kagoshima (just to the south), and Ehime (about 300 kilometers to the east on the island of Shikoku).
九州でM8地震が近いというデータ続々https://t.co/gMyM3GGNI1 #脱原発 #川内 #玄海 #伊方 Kyusyu electric,Stop #Sendai NPs.High risk of huge #quake pic.twitter.com/pXXsydgLah
— microcarpa (@microcarpa1) April 14, 2016
Data from the near-magnitude 8 earthquake in Kyushu keeps coming in. Nearby nuclear power plants are at high risk from a huge quake.
And as often happens on social media in times of crisis, at least one hoax went viral before being debunked.
【 地震でライオン脱走とデマ 】
熊本で発生した地震を受けて「動物園からライオンが脱走した。熊本」とライオンの画像をTwitterに投稿したユーザー炎上https://t.co/J645wf6RcR
画像はヨハネスブルグの路上 pic.twitter.com/pHeWkHZYBs
— ニュース速報Japan (@breakingnews_jp) April 14, 2016
The “earthquake lion” is a hoax!
Following the earthquake there were some images of “an escaped lion from the Kumamoto zoo” that were shared a ton on Twitter.
The photos are apparently from Johannesburg (in South Africa).
This article has been updated.

author: Nevin Thompson


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Taiwanese Travelers Are Wary After China Flexes Its Long Arm in Kenya · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese and Taiwanese citizens who were deported from Kenya arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on April 13, 2016. Photo from Chinese state own Xinhua News
A total of 45 Taiwanese nationals who were arrested allegedly for committing telecommunications fraud during their visits in Kenya in 2014 were deported to China last week.
Twenty-three of the Taiwanese were prosecuted but found not guilty, and the other 22 had been arrested in a separate case, which had not been gone through the judicial process. While none of them were found guilty in Kenyan court, under the pressure from the Chinese government, Kenyan authorities decided to deport the Taiwanese, forcing them to board planes that flew to China instead of Taiwan.
Taipei described the incident as “illegal abduction” and “uncivilized action” after the first deportation of eight Taiwanese nationals on April 8. But the diplomatic statement had no effect. During the second round of deportation, armed Kenyan police even broke down a jail wall and used teargas to force 15 more Taiwanese detainees into boarding a plane bound for China.
Taiwan has been a self-ruling political entity since 1950, but Beijing insists the region is part of China's territory. Kenya does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but it does with China.
Kenya's Interior Ministry justified the deportation route by maintaining that the Taiwanese had entered Kenya via China.
At the same time, Beijing claimed it has jurisdiction over the Taiwanese as they were allegedly involved in telephone scams defrauding mainland Chinese. The Taiwanese nationals deported to China were detained for investigation and may potentially be subject to prosecution in China.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reached out to Kenyan parliamentarians and rights activists to provide assistance in filing a lawsuit in Kenya against the country's interior minister, police inspector general and attorney general, accusing them of violating Taiwanese citizens’ human rights by illegally detaining them and working with officials from China's embassy to arrange the deportations to China.
The growth of China's reach has terrified many Taiwanese, who are worried about their personal security when working and traveling aboard. Facebook user Lucien Cheng-hsia Lin was outraged by Kenyan government's decision to deport:
肯亞政府的作為是惡劣的，因為台籍民眾能進入肯亞，用的是中華民國護照，你既然同意人家持中華民國護照入境，要驅逐他們出境時，就是該按那份護照的指示。
The Kenyan government's act is vicious. The Taiwanese nationals entered Kenya with Taiwanese passports. You accept the passports when they entered the country, so when you deported them, you should arrange according to the passports.
Before the deportations, 10 Taiwanese suspects of telecom fraud had returned from Kenya to Taiwan after they were found not guilty of the charges in a court, lending credence to the belief that pressure from Beijing led Kenyan authorities to later decide to deport the others to China. Lawyer Lu Chiu-yuan raised the following question on his Facebook:
為什麼中國警方可以在國外任意決定拘束台灣人的人身自由，並且帶回中國審理？如果這樣的說法可以成立，那麼往後只要與中國公民或政府有關的刑事案件，中國政府豈不是可以任意在國外逮捕台灣人？
How can Chinese police restrict Taiwanese nationals’ freedom in other countries and bring them back to China for further investigation and trial? If such an argument stands, in the future then if any Taiwanese is involved in criminal cases that are related to mainland Chinese citizens or government, can the Chinese government arrest them in other countries?
Global Voices Taiwanese contributor I-Fan, who co-authored this post, has been to Kenya in the past. She expressed her fears on Twitter:
這次事件對於常出國旅遊的台灣人來說真的非常可怕, 我們可能在當地政府也沒有說我們有違法的情況下, 因為中國政府宣稱我們犯了中國法律就被遣送到中國去了. 假如我們容許這次肯亞事件的前例的話, 中國有反國家分裂法, 中國只要宣稱我們是台獨份子就可以要求當地政府遣送我們到中國去接受審判
— mountainer (@mountainer) 15 de abril de 2016
This incident is terrifying for Taiwanese who are frequent travelers. We could be deported to China if the Chinese government claims that we violated Chinese law (even though we didn't violate any law in the third country). If we accept what happened in Kenya as a standing case, China has the Anti-Secession Law and they just need to claim that we are Taiwan independence advocates to deport us to China for trial from the third country.
In 2011, Taiwan and China reached an agreement on the Cooperation in Fighting Crime, making it so that Taiwanese criminals in a third country would be deported back to Taiwan for trial. Many consider Beijing's recent actions, which seem to go against that agreement, a warning signal to Tsai Ing-Wen, the incoming president of Taiwan who is from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party and makes China wary. Brian Hioe from online magazine New Bloom pointed out:
If China is able to influence more nations to simply start disregarding Taiwanese legal authority and treat Taiwanese nationals abroad as though they were just Chinese citizens, this would be deleterious for Taiwan’s ability to maintain itself as a de facto independent nation-state.
China and some segments of Taiwan, in particular the pro-unification party Kuomintang, subscribe to the one-China principle, which holds that China and Taiwan are one nation. The disagreement lies in whose government represents the “real China”. Though Taiwan is self-ruling, it hasn't ever made moves to formalize its independence, and most of the world recognizes the People's Republic of China (mainland China), not the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Beijing tolerates Taiwan's government presenting itself to the Taiwanese people as the legitimate China in the hopes that it will temper the independence movement. But these deportations could end up pushing Taiwanese toward independence and away from the one-China principle, if it means countries will side with China when a Taiwanese safety's at stake.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Chacha the Chimp Escaped a Zoo in Japan. Angrily. · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Chacha the chimpanzee lunges at workers after been struck with a tranquilizer dart. Screencap from ANN YouTube channel.
An escaped chimpanzee briefly became a viral news story after angrily lunging at a veterinarian and a power line worker on live television.
After escaping from the Yagiyama Zoo in Sendai, in northeastern Japan, Chacha the chimp took refuge on top of a power pole.
After being struck by a tranquilizer dart at close range, the infuriated animal lunged at two workers, just narrowly missing them.
仙台市の動物園からチンパンジーが脱走、電線伝って逃げるも住宅街で捕獲https://t.co/a2sQpkwLTo pic.twitter.com/CZ3S6xE6Zt
— 産経ニュース (@Sankei_news) April 14, 2016
A chimpanzee was captured atop power lines in a residential neighbourhood after escaping from the Sendai City zoo.
The massive effort to capture the chimpanzee was broadcast on live television in Japan. As they waited for the tranquilizer dart to take effect crews stood by at street level to cushion the chimpanzee's fall from atop its perch.
Unfortunately for the chimpanzee they misjudged where the animal would fall, and it landed on the pavement.
Caption: Escaped chimpanzee captured.
According to the local Kahoku Shimpo news outlet, the chimpanzee is recovering after its fall. The Sendai zoo also provides no updates about Chacha on its web page devoted to the zoo's chimpanzee exhibit.
In Japan, it is common for zoo and municipal workers to participate in training on how to capture escaped animals. This training may have helped in the capture of the chimpanzee.
Video title: Zebra escapes after earthquake?


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‘Without Justice, There’s No Peace!’: Macedonians March Against President’s Pardon for Politicians Under Investigation · Global Voices
Goran Rizaov

Protesters accused the two men pictured of being provocateurs. They threw stones at police in front of the headquarters of ruling VMRO-DPMNE, but weren't targeted for arrest. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski (CC BY-SA) from a photo album documenting the third day of protests.
A new wave of protests has spread across Macedonia, in reaction to Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov's pardon shielding government officials accused of corruption and abuses of power from prosecution.
The president's actions, which provide legal impunity to former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, among others, sparked outrage among citizens. The pardon covers more than 50 top politicians and their associates who were under investigation from the Special Prosecutor's Office for suspected corruption, election fraud, misuse of power and even the cover-up of murder. All these alleged crimes were discussed in conversations that were illegally wiretapped on the order of Gruevski, and which the political opposition published last year for the public to hear. Zoran Zaev, the leader of the opposition, is also included in the pardon.
Macedonians took to the streets in the capital Skopje on April 12, the day the pardon was announced. Protesters gathered in front of the office of the Special Prosecutor to show support for their work, and then moved through the city center to the so-called People's Office of the Macedonian president. Some participants threw eggs at it and then marched through the streets, shouting slogans demanding justice and end of ‘mafia rule.’ After police blocked their way to the headquarters of the ruling right-wing party VMRO-DPMNE, they visited the seat of the government and dispersed.
“Without justice, there's no peace!” was the main slogan of the protests in Skopje. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski (CC BY-SA) from a photo album documenting the first day of protests.
On the second day of protests, several thousand citizens gathered in front of the Special Prosecutor's Office and marched towards the president's People's Office. Several people were injured and about a dozen arrested after the crowd there destroyed the People's Office and set the furniture on fire, calling for the resignation of the president. The Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers demanded responsibility from the police for injuring two journalists covering the event.
Afterwards, the protests continued moving towards the Parliament and clashed with the police on their way towards the VMRO-DPMNE headquarters.
Before the president announced the pardon, a group of 85 NGOs had scheduled a protest for April 14 demanding that elections be postponed until all conditions for fair and democratic elections are met. The demonstration in front of the Parliament attracted a large turnout following the news, but the peaceful gathering took a violent turn later in front of the headquarters of the ruling party about 0.6 kilometers away. A group of hooded and masked men threw stones, firecrackers and flares at the police forces guarding the building, protesters suspect to provoke a violent reaction. The majority of protesters went to the government building and then peacefully dispersed. In total five police officers were injured and one protester was arrested.
Masked provocateurs at protests in Macedonia are nothing new. In early 2015 during demonstrations demanding justice in the alleged cover-up of a murder by a police officer, a group of woman managed to prevent an escalation of violence by forming human shield to protect the police from projectiles thrown at them by groups of hooded and masked men.
In parallel, VMRO-DPMNE has been organizing counter-protests, using buses to bring in their supporters from other cities in Macedonia, such as Bitola, Prilep, Ohrid, or Shtip. The formal organizer of the counter-protests is a group called GDOM, the Citizen Movement for Defense of Macedonia, and its members include public officials appointed by the ruling party such as directors of state theaters. The demonstrations in the last two days have started near the Parliament, and then moved towards the headquarters of the opposition. Pro-government media have claimed that attendance at the counter-protests is higher. On social media, however, some photos circulating purportedly of leaked text messages sent to civil servants by local party bosses, seem to imply public administration employees are being blackmailed into attending.
At a press conference on April 14, Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva and her team said that although the main suspects were pardoned, the amnesty does not include the option for the suspects to retain any property gained through illegal means, and so if they find any such cases the property will be seized. She said her office will continue its work and wondered how the president knew all the names of the public figures under investigation to pardon them, when they never gave him that information nor released it to the public.
She also announced a new investigation against the mayor of the municipality of Bitola in southern Macedonia for allegedly misusing more than 300,000 euros on student transportation contracts.
The pardon earned the condemnation of various organizations. Macedonian Helsinki Committee, an NGO providing free legal aid to citizens in case of violations of human rights, announced that they've filed a lawsuit against Ivanov for obstruction of justice.
European integration expert Andreja Stojkovski summed up the legal arguments about the case in a blog post, indicating that the president's amnesty decree is illegal and should be treated as null and void. Macedonia is a candidate for the European Union, and EU officials expressed concern over the pardon.
Students of the Law Faculty in Skopje have started an occupation of the main state university in protest of impunity for criminals, demanding that the president resign.
A total of 3,000-5,000 people gathered in Skopje in support of the Special Prosecutor and against the president's decision to pardon politicians. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski (CC BY-SA) from the photo album documenting the second day of protests.
Citizens of Bitola also held massive protests in the last two days. Thousands marched through the streets with the same demands as their counterparts in Skopje, but in particular they asked for accountability of their mayor.
Горд шо сум битолчанец! #Битола #Протестирам pic.twitter.com/UlkatfDpay
— Aleksandar (@seljaksotapija) April 14, 2016
“I am proud for being from Bitola!”
Leaked information alleges that 150 prisoners have started a hunger strike in largest penal facility in the country.
Over social media, Macedonians are calling for the immediate resignation of Ivanov and showing their support for the Special Public Prosecutor using the hashtags #протестирам (I Protest!), #ПоддршкаЗаСЈО (“Support for the Special Public Prosecutor”) and #Macedonia. Investigative journalism project Prizma is also maintaining a live blog documenting the events during each protest.

author: Goran Rizaov


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A Time-Lapse Video Captures a Sea of Clouds Rolling Through Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Screen capture from Wandering Photography's Beautiful Sea of Clouds.
When you think about Hong Kong, you probably imagine a busy, packed metropolis, home to international business and high-end shopping. Though the city pulls in a large number of tourists, most of them don't come to spend time discovering the wonder of its landscape. Even the majority of local residents are unaware of their home's natural beauty.
Wandering Photography, a trio team of photographers, have devoted themselves to promoting this less-well-known side of Hong Kong through photos and time-lapse videos. Their most recent production is a time-lapse video showing a sea of clouds from six different locations in Hong Kong, including Tung Shan, Tai To Yan, Dong Yeung Shan, Victoria Peak, Lugard Road, and Tai Mo Shan:
The photographers have a Facebook page, where they share their works with the public. By presenting the beauty of the city, they hope that local Hong Kong people will treasure their own land:
彈丸之地的香港，四周都是石屎森林，到處人煙稠密，然而只要用心發掘，郊野美景近在咫尺。流浪攝誠意跟各位分享最地道的山野風光，香港不但有不遜於外國的日出風景，也有閃耀的星空銀河和洶湧澎湃的雲海。
The small city is surrounded with skyscrapers that look like cement forest. The population density is so high. But if you take the time to discover the city, the beautiful natural landscape is so near. Wandering Photography sincerely shares with you the local natural landscape [that is captured in our photos]. We can see a beautiful sunrise here, no less beauty than the sunrise in a foreign landscape. We also have starry night, silvery galaxy and surging sea of clouds.
More time-lapse videos can be found in Wandering Photography's YouTube channel.


text:
A Vietnamese-American Man Captures the US Immigrant Experience in Poetry · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Poet and essayist Ocean Vuong was born in Saigon and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Credit: Peter Bienkowski
This article by Joyce Hackel originally appeared on PRI.org on April 13, 2016, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong remembers the start of his immigrant experience, when on his first night in America he squeezed into a tiny, unfurnished Connecticut apartment with six relatives and a bucket of “old man chicken.”
“We had KFC, which my family still calls to this day ‘old man chicken’ because of Col. Sanders’ face on the buckets,” Vuong says. “It was very cold, the snow was starting and you could hear it crackling on the tenement windows, and we were dipping into this seemingly miraculous bucket of chicken and drinking this tea that we brought with us, and we started to tell stories.”
Those stories Vuong's family shared with the then-toddler are woven into his new collection of poems, “Night Sky with Exit Wounds.” The poetry looks backward and forward to life in Vietnam and America, avoiding nostalgia but capturing the lasting impact of a war that still echoes through the generations.
This is one of his poems, “Aubade with Burning City”:
South Vietnam, April 29, 1975: Armed Forces Radio played Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” as a code to begin Operation Frequent Wind, the ultimate evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese refugees by helicopter during the fall of Saigon.

author: PRI/PRX's The World


text:
Bloggers Shine a Light on Latin America’s Unreported, Underappreciated Scientific Innovations · Global Voices
Felix Moronta

Main logo for the scientific network of bloggers that write under #CienciaLatina (“Latin Science”). Image published with permission.
How much does the news media cover scientific advances in Latin America? The bloggers at the online project Ciencia latina (“Latin Science”) say it's not enough. As much in the regional media as in the international, the presence of Latin America in the world better known as scientific progress is still limited. News of corruption and government changes abound, but you don't hear much about the new observations made by Chilean astronomers, or the study in Yucatán, Mexico, that is bringing us closer to the causes of  the dinosaurs’ disappearance.
Under the hashtag #CienciaLatina, there's an initiative to spread scientific news on networks created by scientists of the region. Its objective is to create and expand a network of scientific blogs and to contribute to efforts to spread scientific knowledge. The idea behind Ciencia latina is that this information needs to reach the general public in colloquial, familiar language, so that it can also be part of the discoveries and innovations shared throughout the world. On its blog, Ciencia latina explains:
La Red Latinoamericana de Blogs de Ciencia nace con el propósito de reunir esfuerzos de divulgación científica realizada por blogueros de diversos países latinoamericanos que, desde sus distintas disciplinas e inquietudes, intentan reponer el valor de la ciencia en las redes sociales.
La Red Latinoamericana de Blogs de Ciencia [The Latin American Network of Science Blogs] was born with the purpose of gathering the efforts of scientific disclosure carried out by bloggers from diverse Latin American countries that, with their distinct disciplines and interests, try to replace the value of science in social networks.
By creating these websites, they demonstrate that science is not impossible to undertake in Latin America, despite the difficulties in terms of resources that many research institutions experience. In fact, in the last decade, there have been substantial improvements in investigative capacities and indicators in the majority of countries in the region.
Almost all of Latin America has increased its scientific production year after year. Brazil, for example, leads the region in the raw numbers, both in the size of its budget dedicated to research and development and in number of publications. Argentina has a formidable number of researchers in relation to its total population (three researchers for every 1,000 workers—a figure higher than China's). Chile, on the other hand, is the leader in protection of intellectual property, holding the greatest number of patents registered per year.
Using the label #CienciaLatina, the network also helps promote and broadcast specific local scientific works with global impact, and it works to dedicate websites to boosting scientific literacy in the region, ideally making the region's scientific advances more visible around the world. In doing so, the bloggers hope to capture the attention of both young and old Latin Americans. Recruiting more scientists could create a critical mass of scholars and researchers, too, who might start making more demands of national authorities, insisting on better research in state projects, and better data in state development plans.
The network and its news can also be followed at RedLBC‘s Twitter account and the hashtag #CienciaLatina.

author: Felix Moronta