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Bulgaria Marks Six Months of Continued Protests · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

December 14, 2013, marked six months of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, where protesters still gather daily in Sofia and other cities, demanding the resignation of the current government, led by the Socialist Party.
After the previous government stepped down after similar protests in February 2013, the new government, elected in May, soon met with similar citizen dissatisfaction and new protests began on June 14, 2013.
The Sofia Globe gives detailed insight into the reasons for the six-month long protests and why, unlike protests from Turkey to Ukraine, they have been receiving less attention from international mainstream media:
The story of the months from June 14 to December 14 is much more than that of the catalyst that first brought out Bulgarians to the streets in mass indignation, the abortive appointment of media mogul Delyan Peevski to head the State Agency for National Security.
It is also the story of how the government and the parties in power have conducted themselves, and the extent to which this may eventually bring about their downfall ahead of the long three and a half years still remaining to the current administration’s term.[…]
Still on the question of the outside world, anti-government protesters seize eagerly on what international media coverage there has been. Such stories are shared and reposted on social networks, a morale booster for the protest participants. Ironically, the very fact that the protests have been largely peaceful, with the very few exceptions where police have been ordered to get tough on anti-government protesters, makes the story hugely less sexy than events elsewhere, from Istanbul to Kyiv and beyond.[…]
This picture of a situation in which no one is winning, neither a discredited government nor those opposed to it, cannot be complete without noting that no political force currently lacking seats in Parliament seems to be making genuine gains. […]
But while there is a standoff, as the current BSP government refuses to give up, the six-month mark being reached on December 14 shows that the anti-government protesters are not ready to give up either.

author: Danica Radisic


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Citizens Complain Against Bad Roads in Brunei · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Teah criticized the slow action of the Brunei government in fixing bad roads and how road repairs are usually done when foreign dignitaries are visiting the country
To fix an area to impress foreigners is crucial, I think, but what's even more important is the fact that citizens who have to deal with these problems every single day for years now.
Potholes is a metaphor in Brunei. It's a chip, a massive chip, in our society. It's a chip that no one wants to fix because it isn't viewed as important to appear good for your citizens. We talk big to foreigners–like how Brunei is great, peaceful and calm–but we ourselves can't seem to improve our own livelihoods.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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It Snowed in Egypt but the Snow-Covered Sphinx Photograph is a Hoax  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This photograph of the Sphinx in Giza, Cairo, has gone viral, after Egypt's biggest snow storm in more than 100 years hit the country. There is one problem to it though – it wasn't taken in Egypt.
This tweet below, for instance, has been retweeted almost 7,000 times and favourited more than 4,000 times:
Egypt's first snow in 100+ years covers the Sphinx. Think about it: this is likely the FIRST picture of this EVER! pic.twitter.com/3B7JJ3lWwJ
— Mind Blowing (@MindBlowing) December 14, 2013
Egyptian Mona Eltahawy spills the beans:
The Sphinx in the snow pic is not from #Egypt, people. It's from a theme park in #Japan.
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) December 14, 2013
And Mother Jones agrees that the photograph is indeed fake.
The fiasco following the fake Sphinx photograph has left the Twittersphere suspicious of snow pictures from Egypt.
This Planet Earth photograph is put to the test:
For the first time in 112 years, snow has fallen across #Egypt !!! pic.twitter.com/ilDIQanXVH
— Planet Earth (@planetepics) December 15, 2013
@planetepics @DavidSandum No, it hasn't. Hoax.
— ZOMG Michael (@nowever) December 15, 2013
Still in Egypt, US journalist Nicholas Kristof feels sorry for this Egyptian camel:
Poor camel RT @nycjim: Amazing: Snow Covers Egypt for First Time in 100 Years. http://t.co/0INbacugSS pic.twitter.com/FM5emE1EKW
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) December 13, 2013
No word yet if the camel is real or not – or if this picture was even taken in Egypt.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jakarta Hotline for Victims of Sexual Violence · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jakarta has launched an emergency hotline to help women victims of sexual violence. The initiative is linked to the website developed by the National Commission on Violence Against Women to “make it easier for authorities to protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice.” Last year, there were more than 200,000 reported cases of violence against women in Indonesia.


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Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Declares Executed Bangladeshi War Criminal Molla a Martyr  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Farhan at Guppu.com informs:
Jamaat Islami Pakistan has declared Bangladeshi Jamaat Islami leader Abdul Qadir Molla a martyr and his execution a judicial murder. Jamaat maintains Molla was punished because of his ‘love for Pakistan’.
Jamaat has also announced on its official Facebook page that Jamaat Islami Pakistan’s top leaders will lead funeral prayers-in-absentia in multiple cities including Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Karachi.

author: Rezwan


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Never Argue with Egyptian Graffiti  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Police are Criminal, reads this graffiti from Cairo. Photograph shared by @OmarKamel on Twitter
On Twitter, Omar Kamel, from Egypt, notes:
You can't argue with graffiti. #Egypt pic.twitter.com/G7vNdFqfwE
— Omar Kamel (@OmarKamel) December 15, 2013


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New Website Collects Reports and Data About Bribes in Hungary · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Hungary, like many other countries in the region, has an on-going corruption problem on almost every level of governance. A new project created by investigative website Átlátszó.hu and Transparency International, Fizettem.hu, has taken on the task of collecting reports from citizens about cases of bribery and corruption in the country.
How much cash do corrupt police officers in Hungary take to ignore a misdemeanour or traffic violation? What is the cost for doctors take better care of a pacient in hospital? How much does the average Hungarian pay to get something done faster in government agencies? The anti-corruption website that aims to answer these questions was launched in December 2013 and collected over one hundred stories from users in just days. The project's goal is not only to raise awareness and draw wider attention to cases of corruption on all levels, but also to collect enough specific data to generate a more concrete picture of corruption in Hungary, so that it can be used in fixing these issues. The website explains:
A Fizettem.hu oldalon megoszthatod a saját történetedet arról, hol, mikor, ki és mennyi kenőpénzt fizettetett veled, esetleg te önszántadból miért érezted úgy, hogy adnod kell. Sőt, azt is megírhatod, ha visszautasították, vagy te utasítottad vissza a felajánlott összeget. A beküldött történetek előzetes moderáció után kerülnek ki az oldalra és szükség esetén anonimizáljuk ezeket. A történetben bevallott összegek alapján folyamatosan nyomon követjük, hogy az egyes szektorokban mennyi kenőpénzt fizetnek az emberek. A történetedet a BEJELENTEM gomb alatt tudod megosztani.
The Fizettem.hu page lets you share your own story about where, when, who and how much in bribes you paid, or explain why you felt the need to give them. In fact, we accept reports if your bribe was rejected or you refused to pay the asked amount. The stories are set aside after moderation and, if necessary, some are posted anonymously. We monitor based on the amounts declared in the story, calculating on average how much people are paying bribes to each sector. The story of the notifier [user] can be shared using the button below.


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Russia’s Government Might Block Websites for Calls to Unsanctioned Rallies · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Social networks that could be affected by the new legislation against websites hosting information about unsanctioned rallies. Image mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
The Russian parliament will soon vote on a law that would empower the Prosecutor General’s office to close any website that hosts content encouraging people to attend unsanctioned rallies. The draft law, № 380323-6, targets nationalist demonstrations, but could potentially apply to unsanctioned rallies of any kind. The bill’s text singles out as prohibited:
[И]нформации, содержащей призывы к массовым беспорядкам, осуществлению экстремистской деятельности, разжиганию межнациональной и (или) межконфессиональной розни, участию в террористической деятельности, участию в публичных массовых мероприятиях, проводимых с нарушением установленного порядка […].
[Online] information containing calls to riots, extremist activities, the incitement of ethnic and (or) sectarian hatred, terrorist activity, or participation in public events held in breach of appropriate procedures […].
Deputies from three different political parties (United Russia, LDPR, and the Communist Party) introduced the legislation in early November, probably in response to an ethnic riot that occurred outside Moscow in mid-October. While the law focuses on demonstrations that threaten to become pogroms, its applicability to all unsanctioned public events [ru] could give the government the power to ban a website for hosting information about rallies of any kind.
The legislation also contains stricter enforcement protocols than any existing Internet regulations. The process for banning access to websites that violate the law would be extrajudicial and immediate. According to the law’s draft text, Web providers would have to block access to offending websites immediately upon receiving notification from the Prosecutor General. There would be no grace period, during which websites might have time to remove the questionable content. (The RuNet blacklist that targets online child pornography and information about suicide and illegal drugs does allow websites a brief window to delete materials flagged as illegal, before regulators add them to the blacklist.)
Only after Web providers have blocked access to a website (at the domain level, no less) does the process of identifying and informing the website’s owners begin.
Several different vectors of Russian politics seem to have converged to produce this legislative initiative. After the riot outside Moscow in October, the government has shown signs that it increasingly considers nationalists to be a growing national security concern. At a conference [ru] with Vladimir Putin shortly after the riot, several members of the Presidential Council on Ethnic Relations criticized nationalists for aggravating ethnic tensions in Russia. Some members even likened nationalists to terrorists. More recently, in Putin’s State of the Federation speech [ru] on December 12, 2013, the President included nationalists in the so-called “Amoral Internationale,” an unholy union of ethnic mobsters, corrupt cops, and nationalist separatists.
The crackdown on online mobilization for offline political activity is also part of what is perceived to be an ongoing campaign to cripple the communication technologies that contributed so crucially to Russia’s “Winter of Discontent” between 2011 and 2012, when the country experienced its biggest anti-government protests in more than a decade. With its eyes to Kiev, where hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have for weeks occupied the city’s square, the Kremlin might warmly welcome a ban on virtual calls to unsanctioned rallies, nationalist or otherwise.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Russia’s Year of Pogroms · Global Voices
Nina Jobe

Locals take to the snowy streets of Arzamas, 10 December 2013, YouTube screenshot.
2013 has been a particularly virulent year for race violence in Russia. RuNet Echo has recently covered two such cases: a riot in the Moscow suburb of Biryulyovo and mass unrest in the city of Pugachev. In both of these cases the riots were a response to the murder of an ethnic Russian by an outsider. The most recent incident, which took place this past weekend in the small city of Arzamas, located 255 miles east of Moscow, was no different. A 26-year-old Russian man died from a knife wound on December 7, 2013, in a street fight outside a local café. Hours later, another young man involved in the brawl passed away in the hospital. An Armenian employee at the café was blamed for the stabbings.
Local authorities tried to smooth things over with the residents of the city, who took to the streets demanding arrests and justice, but weren't particularly effective — according to a local blogger [ru] the city mayor actually blamed the locals for escalating the situation at a December 8 townhall meeting. At the same time, the unrest was used as an excuse to detain a local dissident, member of the “Other Russia” party, Dmitri Isusov [ru]. Isusov [ru] had earlier demanded the resignation of the local authorities for failing to deal with the double homicide.
Local blogger drugoi_nnover saw the riots as a manifestation of popular distrust, writing [ru]:
Выступающие арзамасцы подвергли жесткой критике правоохранительную и судебную систему города, выразили крайнее недовольство коррупцией, пронизавшей местную власть, сращиванием власти и криминала этнического происхождения, отсутствием реальных шагов по обеспечению общественной безопасности.
Speakers from the Arzamas locals have heavily criticized the law enforcement and judiciary system of the city, expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the corruption that penetrates the local government, the merger of government and ethnic criminals, and the lack of any real steps to ensure public safety.
An activist of the radical political organization, the Left Front, Andrei Rudoi, published an essay [ru] on Ekho Moskvy in which he disagreed with such a reading of the situation — instead he blamed the authorities for creating a false enemy in order to unite Russian society.
On the other hand, LiveJournal blogger kosarex thought [ru] that incidents like Arzamas show that the authorities are afraid to prosecute people from the Caucasus, but that the situation was changing — more and more of those who take to the streets look like they are off-duty policemen. Eva Vasiljeva also asked [ru] in her blog why the authorities are so willing to ignore the incidents that lead up to such events:
Неужели людям надо постоянно устраивать погромы, как в Бирюлево, чтобы следствие выполняло свои обязанности?
Do people need to constantly organize pogroms, like in Biryulyovo, in order for investigators to fulfill their responsibilities?
Political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko said [ru] that the problem actually ran deeper than most people suspect:
Существует действительно много проблем с этническими группировками, с этническим бизнесом, которые пренебрегают местными правилами. На самом деле межнациональных конфликтов даже больше, чем те, что попадают в СМИ. Я часто общаюсь с представителями силовых структур. Они говорят о массовости подобных столкновений.
There really are a lot of problems with ethnic groups, with ethnic businesses, which ignore local rules. In fact, there are more inter-ethnic conflicts than those reported in the media. I often talk with representatives in the law enforcement agencies. They talk about the mass character of such clashes.
Back in Arzamas, protests were again planned for Saturday evening, a week after the stabbing took place. Unfortunately it seems that the authorities’ need for a common enemy combined with their corruption, laziness, and fear of migrants means these kinds of conflicts will only continue.

author: Nina Jobe


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Saudi Political Dissident to Be Flogged, Judge Rules · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
Judge Issa al-Matrudi sentenced Saudi human rights activist Umar al-Saed to four years in prison and 300 lashes for his peaceful activism with the leading independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA).
Al-Saeed, 24, was arrested on April 28th after refusing an interrogation without a lawyer. Currently, seven members of ACPRA are imprisoned.
Umar al-Saed outside the interrogation office via @181Umar
The sentence was made during a secret session held on Thursday [December 12, 2013].
Back in March, a judge decided to dissolve ACPRA and sentenced two of its founders, Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid, to 10 and 11 years in prison respectively. In June, another co-founding member, Abdualkareem al-Kadr, was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison.
In previous sessions, the judge denied al-Saeed access to his lawyers. After, al-Saeed had refused to talk as long as his rights were violated, the judge decided to postpone the trial. And on Thursday, he suddenly decided to rule.
ACPRA published a statement [ar] with a transcript of a phone call al-Saed had made to his lawyer:
أخذت من السجن اليوم الساعة الثامنة صباحا وبعد أن قيدوني واركبوني السيارة, توجهوا بي إلى المحكمة, أدخلوني مكتب القاضي وكان خاليا, دخل القاضي عيسى المطرودي وقال: لديك جلسة اليوم. السعيد: أنت لم تحدد موعد في الجلسة السابقة, ووكيلي يحضر إليك كل أسبوع يسأل عن الجلسة القادمة ولم تحدد موعد, و الآن تريد عقد جلسة سرية! أنا أرفضها. القاضي: ليست سرية, وهذا الباب خلفك مفتوح! السعيد: الجلسة العلنية من شروطها أن تكون بموعد مسبق حتى يحضر وكلائي ويدعى الجمهور. القاضي: أنا رئيس الجلسة و أنا من يحدد هل هي علنية أم لا. السعيد: سبق الحديث عن هذا الموضوع وإعادة الكلام لا يفيد, لذلك أنا سأمتنع عن الحديث مطلقا.
Today at 8 AM I was taken from the prison to a car after being handcuffed. They took me to the court and they brought me to the judge's office which was empty. Judge Issa al-Matrudi came and told me: “You have a session today”. al-Saed: “You did not specify a timing in the previous session and my lawyer comes every week to ask you about the next session, but you did not specify any, and now you want to hold a secret session! I reject that!” The judge: “No, the session is not secret. The doors behind you are open.” al-Saed: “For a session to be public it has to be announced before so my representatives can attend and people can witness.” The judge: “I am the head of this session and I am the one who decided whether it is public or not.” al-Saed: “We have talked about this before and repeating what has been said is useless and thus I refuse to talk at all.”
In addition, ACPRA published an article that al-Saed wrote in prison [ar] in which he says:
أنا المعتقل المفتخر بصنيعه عمر بن محمد السعيد أتلو لكم دوافعي ومسببات سجني وهي كرهي للظلم واختلاق الألم والتعاسة في وجوه الناس واستغلال جمودهم و استغفال عقولهم والحيلولة دون أرزاقهم ولوازمهم الإنسانية (تعليم مواكب للعصر/ وظيفة كريمة/ سكن مناسب) إزاء مطامع شخصية شرسة محتمية بالسلطة لتأمين هذه المناهب والفساد.
I am the proud prisoner Umar Mohammad al-Saed. I present to you the motivations and reasons behind my imprisonment: my hatred towards injustice, suffering, misery, taking advantage of people's silence, treating them as if they were fools and denying them their human needs (modern education, decent jobs and housing) for personal brutal gains supported by the authorities to protect theft and corruption.
Twitter user Sultan al-Fifi commented on the flogging sentence:
من ينظر إلى الشعب كقطيع أغنام فلا بد أنه يرى الجلد عقوبة مناسبة لكل من خالف أمر الراعي. #عمر_السعيد
— سلطان الفيفي (@SultanAlfifi) December 12, 2013
It is normal for those who consider the people a herd of sheep to consider flogging an appropriate punishment for anyone that disobeys the shepherd.
ACPRA member and al-Saed's brother Abdullah al-Saed tweeted:
هذا الحكم الجائر وسام عز وشرف ل #عمر_السعيد ووصمة عار وخزي على القاضي #عيسى_المطرودي #صمود pic.twitter.com/7xTTv0XXJn
— عبدالله السعيد (@abdulllah1406) December 12, 2013
This unjust sentence is an honor to Umar al-Saed and disgrace to Judge Issa al-Matrudi.
This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

author: Anas Soliman


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The Fake Interpreter at Mandela’s Memorial Service · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

More than 90 world leaders were present at Nelson Mandela's memorial service, which had its fair share of faux pas. South Africa's president Jacob Zuma, and the Obama, Cameron, Schmidt were booed after being caught taking a ‘selfie’ at the service. Then there was the fake sign-language interpreter!
Yes, Thamsanqa Jantjie, the Mandela memorial interpreter was fake. He was not using any recognizable sign language. Writing on Limping Chicken, a deaf news blog, Professor Graham Turner, Chair of Translation & Interpreting Studies at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh pointed out that:
He didn’t use South African Sign Language. In fact, he didn’t use any language. What he produced there was 100% authentic gibberish.Lost
Thamsanqa Jantjie has claimed to have suffered from a schizophrenic episode that made him see angels and hear voices.
And then allegations surfaced that the ‘interpreter’ who stood a few meters away from world's leaders faced a murder charge in 2003.
The South African government has apologised for any offense caused by the sign-language interpreter.
Blogging on Thought Leader, South Africa writer Sarah Bitten pointed out that the fake interpreter showed the world that in South Africa you do not have to have any ability whatsoever to get a job:
In South Africa, the signing man told the world, you don’t actually have to know what you are doing in order to get a job. You don’t have to have any ability whatsoever, as long as it looks, to most, as though you can go through the motions — whether you are a teacher, a police officer, a bureaucrat, a government official or (as some have suggested) a state president.
There are those who see through you and complain, but they are ignored. Ours is not a culture of accountability. So one gig leads to the next. You’ve done it before so you get to do it again, because everyone in a position of power agrees that the emperor’s new threads are stylish. You stand there and tell us that the appearance of something becomes more important than the substance of it.
Many people wonder what he was saying. Several interpreters have emerged online to interpret him. YouTube user This is Genius posted humorous video below to show what the fake interpreter actually said:
Professor Graham listed 10 lessons from the fake interpreter saga.
1. Using a sign language fluently is not something one can do just by waving one’s hands around. Sign languages are grammatically-structured, rule-governed systems like all other natural human languages. You can’t produce meaningful signing off the cuff and – equally importantly – you can’t understand it spontaneously just by looking.
2. If you can’t sign, but require interpreting, you need reliable processes to help you identify effective provision. Interpreting isn’t a game: it should be run on a professional basis. This time, we saw a spectacular insult to the world’s Deaf people: but no-one died. Worldwide, every day, the result of inadequate interpreting leads to poor schooling, imprisonment, unemployment and health disparities. This must stop.
3. Without proper training, screening and regulation, people can and will take advantage. Even in countries like the UK, where sign language interpreting has become increasingly professionalised since the 1980s, smooth operators (who can talk the talk but not sign the sign) are legion. If you can’t sign, they may appear wholly plausible and be wholly bogus. Don’t guess and you won’t be fooled.
On Twitter, shocked users used the hashtag #fakeinterpreter to share their reactions to the revelation:
What's the big fuss about #fakeinterpreter we have had a fake president for 4 years and there have been no problems
— Mike (@mike_superb) December 12, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: #fakeinterpreter lashes out at Obama, after his refusal to give him a drone for Christmas. pic.twitter.com/zlFSG61ofp
— AbortedNews (@AbortedNews) December 12, 2013
#fakeinterpreter What the fake interpreter actually said. As decoded by @Julius_S_Malema pic.twitter.com/NxdDfqwis4
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julias_Malema) December 12, 2013
#fakeinterpreter Thamsanqa Jantjie [the fake interpreter] studied at the institute of emoticons (IOE) pic.twitter.com/tvAiEqHFYC
— Rae (@OnlyRaechel) December 12, 2013
Apparently, it was not his first time as this YouTube video from 2012 shows:
So what am I supposed to tell my kids now? They *can't* grow up to be a #fakeinterpreter? That will crush their dreams.
— Jeff Dwoskin (@bigmacher) December 12, 2013
With so many charges dropped, the #FakeInterpreter qualifies to be our next president [president Zuma corruption charges were dropped in 2009].
— Our land for Tata! (@ntuthukomax) December 13, 2013
If a man whos been accused of murder, rape, theft etc gets that close 2 Obama what hope do the rest of us have of security? #fakeinterpreter
— Natalie Germanos (@NatalieGermanos) December 13, 2013
“He is the one who gave people signs to BOOOO Zuma….this guy is good…!!!”….Hahaha :) #FakeInterpreter Thamsanqa Jantjie
— PHAKI † MAHAPA (@God_Of_This_Age) December 12, 2013
:””D “@iRep_YungEmpire: FOH :””D “@AbortedNews: What if the #fakeinterpreter was actually giving us tips on back routes to avoid E-Tolls?””” [refering to the new controversial electronic toll collection system in South Africa]
— IG : Miss_Hle06 (@Miss_Hle06) December 12, 2013
so hypocrisy | at the expense of this #FakeInterpreter we all of a sudden care about the deaf community, how many of us know how to sign ?
— SPOKMATHAMBO (@SpokMathambo) December 12, 2013
What a sad thing that the memory of Nelson Mandela will be stained by the phoney sign language moron who is in every picture at funeral!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2013
#fakeinterpreter should get a job with Sarah Palin. His signing would still be complete gibberish but at least it'd be accurate.
— Jim Wright (@Stonekettle) December 13, 2013

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tech Tips · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

ICT Pulse shares 5 useful tips to help you get the most out of your computing devices.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ukraine: Live Streamed Monitoring of District Election Commissions · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Amidst ongoing Euromaidan rallies throughout Ukraine, repeat elections have been held in five troubled single-mandate constituencies in the country, where results could not be confirmed during the 2012 Parliamentary election.
In order to increase the transaprency of the electoral process, a non-government organization, Civil Network OPORA [uk, en] is preparing to live stream the process of establishing election results at the five respective District Election Commissions. This is how the organization describes it on their website:
Attention! At 8:30 pm, online streaming from every of 5 district election commissions (223, 94, 197, 194, and 132) will be organized by Civil Network OPORA. Voters, observers, and journalists will be able to monitor the receipt of protocols of precinct election commissions in 5 problematic districts and record the results of count. […]
The streaming will be available at the site of Civil Network OPORA: www.oporaua.org

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Why Homosexuality Should Be Encouraged in India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Amit at Mashed Musings thinks that the decriminalization of homosexuality would have turned Indians into better humans over the coming decades and would solve a lot of problems like overpopulation, lesser dowry deaths, fewer female foeticide, etc. The Indian Supreme court recently reversed a Delhi High Court judgment and reinstated a British-era draconian law that criminalizes homosexuality.


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With No Easy Access to Medicine, Iranians Suffer Sanctions · Global Voices
Denise Ajiri

Medicine shortages are an unintended consequence of sanctions against Iran. Photo © Copyright Shutterstock
A combination of international sanctions and mismanagement by the Iranian government are blamed for the current state of medical chaos in Iran.
“It’s been five months now that we are looking for an anti-allergy vaccine for my brother,” says one person interviewed by Global Voices about Iran's public health situation. “One of our relatives with cancer cannot find his medicine,” remarked another. “I am struggling to find insulin,” says a diabetic man.
This has been the reality for Iranians since the middle of 2012 after American and European Union banking sanctions were tightened, making it virtually impossible for Iranians to conduct foreign transactions.
Domestic news outlets have reported on the scarcity of medications for illnesses ranging from hepatitis to cancer to hemophilia and polio. Even the availability of anesthetics has been affected.
There have also been deaths from ailments that could have been treated with medication. The death of a 15-year-old hemophiliac boy in November 2012 is one example.
While this indirect effect of sanctions is not yet widely known internationally, the cause has been championed by activists and netizens with artwork and petitions. In December 2012, the Iranian artist Sanaz Sohrabi even created a performance artwork in front of the United Nations in New York.
“Finding Insulin is so difficult,” says Shahla an Iranian who must use insulin on a daily basis. (Due to potential consequences of speaking to non-Iranian media, we mention people’s first names only). She says patients are forced to purchase insulin at free market prices that are 20 as high as those mandated by the state. Shahla says the Iranian Diabetes Society tries to address the problem by distributing free insulin to doctors that they can give away, but there is only a limited supply. “Whenever I get desperate, I call my doctor and he gives me one or two insulin containers and I use them each for a month,” she says.
In July, the US Treasury Department stated that the U.S. allows for the sale and export of food, medicine and medical devices to Iran in spite of sanctions. Nonetheless, sanctions against banks make it impossible for importers to buy drugs and pharmaceuticals. “It’s as if they tell you that there is a spring from which everybody can drink, but you need to pass through so many obstacles to reach to the spring. It will indirectly stop you,” explains Arash, a businessman who imports pharmaceuticals to Iran.
According to Arash, many have switched to suppliers in Asia (mostly in China and India) to get around the sanctions. Others have continued trading with suppliers in the US and Europe through intermediaries (such as Turkish and United Arab Emirate banks) but Arash says the process is too complicated. “If you want to do it through currency exchange dealers, you need to spend a lot of money,” he complains.
“Of course in this situation you need to set the price [to the consumer] higher, otherwise you will lose money in the business, but then the government won’t let you increase the price. Therefore, in both cases, you won’t be able to distribute the medicine to the market as fast as needed,” explains Arash.
Several people online have shared the same concerns.
Leila Zadeh tweeted:
Allow Iran to purchase for medication and non-sanctioned goods. Sign the #justaccess petition http://t.co/u5LAEI1RjL #accesstomedicines
— Leila Zadeh (@leilazadeh) October 15, 2013
Peter Tatchell tweeted:
Ask #EU to create a legal payment channel to Iran so that humanitarian aid can get through. SIGN: http://t.co/8gskdj612w #justaccess #MENA
— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) October 14, 2013
Besides high prices, the shortage of drugs is a major issue.
Sarah, an Iranian woman whose 6-year old son suffers from severe diabetes, says it has been more than a month since she has been trying to find a specific brand of Insulin for her son. “I went to dozens of pharmacies, but they do not have it, “ she says. “The last time I was finally able to find three insulin containers in one pharmacy.” She says each container is only enough for two to three weeks.
Another Iranian, Sahar, says her sister’s father-in-law suffers from cancer and at the moment finding medicine is a serious struggle. Others repeat her complaints.
In October of last year, Fatemeh Hashemi, the head of Iran’s Charity Foundation for Special Diseases, a non-governmental organization representing six million patients, said the shortage of medicine for a number of diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis is “serious” and that lives are at risk.
In March, Kheirollah Gholami, a leading pharmacist from Tehran University’s medical school said anesthetics have either vanished from the market or are difficult to find. “If the situation continues to be like this, we really don’t know what to do. You can’t use a hammer to make patients unconscious,” he told the semi-official Ilna News Agency.
The scarcity of medicine is not simply a problem for serious illnesses, but also affects patients with everyday allergies or pains. “You can only find domestic aspirin which may not be up to standard and can be very dangerous,” explains Amir. He says his doctor recently prescribed him 10 Vitamin D3 pills, which are produced domestically. “I had to buy these 10 pills from four different pharmacies,” says Amir.
After the temporary nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 world powers in Geneva, the West agreed to ease some sanctions in exchange for Iran agreeing to stop specific aspects of its nuclear program.
In the long run, lifting sanctions could alleviate the difficulties in importing medicine and pharmaceuticals. For now, the problem continues. Arash, the pharmaceutical importer, says that even after financial sanctions are lifted, it will take a long time for Iranian banks to rebuild trust to facilitate business.
But Arash is hopeful. He says finally at least some of the sanctions will be lifted and gradually medicine imports will get back to normal. Until then, the problem will continue to affect the ill and the infirm.

author: Denise Ajiri


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A French Version of NSA Electronic Surveillance Program? · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Etienne Papin, a Paris-based lawyer expert in internet rights, explains the details of a bill that was approved by the French Senate on December 10: La loi de programmation militaire (Military Planning Act). He describes the bill as the French version of NSA mass electronic surveillance data mining program [fr] :
La législation existante permettait déjà une forme de « surveillance » du réseau par les services de renseignement. La surveillance dont on parle est, dans les faits, la possibilité pour certains services compétents de l'administration d'accéder aux « données de connexion » (schématiquement les logs) stockées par les opérateurs de communications électroniques : les opérateurs télécoms, les FAI et les hébergeurs…
The existing legislation already allows a form of “surveillance” of the web and social networks by the intelligence services. The surveillance that we are talking about here is, in fact, the possibility for some agencies of the administration to access “data connection” logs stored by electronic communications operators services: telecom operators, ISPs and hosts…

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Bangkok has the Most-Instagrammed Location of 2013  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Siam Paragon, a popular shopping complex in Bangkok, Thailand is the  ‘most-Instagrammed’ location of 2013. Suvarnabhumi International Airport, also in Bangkok, was ranked ninth in the list. Not surprisingly, Bangkok is second ‘most-Instagrammed city’ in the world this year.


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China’s 2014 Holiday Schedule Triggers Complaints  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

China's holiday system has always been complicated. The 2014 China legal holiday has again triggered complaints on Chinese social media. ChinaSmack has translated some netizens’ comments online.

author: Abby Liu


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Cold, Rain and Flooding for 1.8 Million Palestinians in Gaza this Winter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian family in #Gaza rescued by boat from flooded homes. More: http://t.co/3IlcwTUy40 pic.twitter.com/kzUKdnNil4
— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) December 13, 2013
Around 10,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza were displaced from their homes after four days of torrential rain. Their problem is compounded by the fact that the strip's only electricity power station had been shut for 50 days, thanks to a shortage in fuel in the besieged enclave.
The Gaza Strip is home to 1.8 million Palestinians, who have had to endure up to 14 hours a day, without electricity, for the past seven weeks. Following the flooding, triggered by the Alexa storm which just hit the region, the United Nations declared northern Gaza “a disaster zone” and Qatar stepped in to pay for fuel for the power station.
Omar Ghraieb, from Gaza, notes:
#Gaza: Electricity crisis eases up a bit after nearly 50 days of very minimal power!Power outages reached & sometimes topped 21 hrs per day!
— Omar Ghraieb (@Omar_Gaza) December 16, 2013
He adds:
The New electricity schedule in #Gaza: 8 hours of electricity followed by 8 hours of a power outage per day everyday!
— Omar Ghraieb (@Omar_Gaza) December 16, 2013
And Palestinian Nour Odeh exclaims:
In '07 north #Gaza drowned in sewage, now all of Gaza drowns in rain & world still debates if there is a #siege! http://t.co/PnIGUQslOk
— Nour Odeh (@nour_odeh) December 15, 2013
Footage shared online shows a horrible humanitarian situation.
This video, by Jehad Saftawi, shared by the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) starts with a bare-footed Palestinian child running in icy conditions (Videos used under CC BY License):
The commentary provided with the video, which shows families in unheated shelters, reads:
Residents of Gaza City's An Nafaq neighborhood are seeking shelter wherever they can find it, including at the Abdel Rahman bin Auwf school shown in this footage from today. Some of the scenes, which includes a child shivering in an unheated concrete classroom, are made even more disturbing by the fact that they are not the exception in today's Gaza, but the rule. Like much of the 25-mile-long strip, An Nafaq has been devastated by flooding made worse by a suffocating Israeli siege. UN spokesperson Chris Gunness minced no words when he called today for an end to that siege: “Any normal community would struggle to recover from this disaster,” said Gunness. “But a community that has been subjected to one of the longest blockades in human history, whose public health system has been destroyed and where the risk of disease was already rife, must be freed from these man made constraints….”
This second video, also filmed by Saftawi for the IMEU, shows submerged areas in the Palestinian enclave, and sheds light on some of the suffering Gaza's inhabitants have to endure in this worsening humanitarian situation:


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Do You Speak Nouchi? Ivorian Politicians Would Like to Know · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

What is Nouchi [fr]? Let's start with what it is not: it is not Creole and it is not a dialect. Nouchi is a coded language that originated in the 70's on the streets of Abidjan, the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. It's a mix of French language and West African idioms. The purpose of the coded language was to protect communication between street hustlers away from the police forces. The language has grown and evolve so rapidly that many Ivorian politicians have incorporated [fr] some of the most popular expressions in their speeches. Here is a video of the Ivorian president Ouattara speaking Nouchi [fr]:
Blogger Behem from Abidjan lists the top 10 most-used expressions in Nouchi. Here are his top two [fr] :
1) Ya Foye : Foye signifiant Rien en Malinké, Ya Foye veut tout simplement dire « Il n’y Rien » dans le sens de « Rien à Signaler » « Tout va bien ». [..]
2) Etre enjaillé : Etre enjaillé de quelque chose signifie « Aimer » cette chose. On peut être enjaillé d’une musique, d’une petite go (Jeune demoiselle), d’une situation.
1) Ya Foye: Foye means Nothing in Malinke language,  Ya Foye simply means “There is nothing new”,  “Nothing to report” or “Everything is fine.” [..]
2) Being enjaillé: Being enjaillé with something means “being love” with something. One can be “enjaillé” with a music, a Go (a young lady in Nouchi) or a situation.


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Fire Destroys Basin Market in Bamako, Mali  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

An accidental fire destroyed the basin market [fr] located near the Wahhabites Mosque of Bamako yesterday (12/15). It is the third tragedy of such kind in market area of Bamako in 4 years. Nama explains why such incident seems to repeat itself in his city [fr] :
Plusieurs plans d'aménagement de l'Artisanat ont été proposés par les autorités depuis la construction de la grande mosquée. Aucune de ces études n'a pas pu être concrétisée. Tout semble géré par une mafia qui ne dit pas son nom. Partout règnent l'anarchie et l'incivisme à zéro pas de l'Assemblée Nationale.
Several estate developments for the handicraft have been proposed by the authorities since the construction of the Great Mosque. None of these studies have ever materialized. Everything seems to be run by an invisible mafia. Anarchy and incivility prevail everywhere in the district, right under the nose of the National Assembly.
Basin Market in Bamako, Mali via Palladium blog


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PHOTOS: Remains of Exhumed Guatemalan War Victims Returned to Families · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Isabela Ja (forefront) and her husband Celso Chiquin, smile after receiving the skeletal remains of their son Baldomero Chiquin Ja. Photo by James Rodriguez, used with permission.
In a new photo essay on MiMundo.org, photojournalist James Rodríguez follows residents of Pambach, Guatemala, as they receive the skeletal remains of six wartime victims who were “taken by the army after a military incursion to the village on June 3rd, 1982, during the de facto government of Efraín Ríos Montt, and were never seen again.”
The victims were exhumed from a mass grave in May 2012 and returned to their families on November 22, 2013.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Saudi Arabia Passes Criticized “Anti-Terrorism Law” · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Calling for political reform in Saudi Arabia is now considered terrorism, according to a new law which came into effect today.
The Council of Ministers headed by the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud passed on Monday [December 16] the Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism. The draft law receieved much criticism when it was leaked by Amnesty International (AI) in July 2011. Back then, AI commented:
If passed it would pave the way for even the smallest acts of peaceful dissent to be branded terrorism and risk massive human rights violations. […] The definition of “terrorist crimes” in the draft is so broad that it lends itself to wide interpretation and abuse, and would in effect criminalize legitimate dissent.
Under the draft law, terrorist crimes would include such actions as “endangering…national unity”, “halting the basic law or some of its articles”, or “harming the reputation of the state or its position”.
The cover of the draft of the “anti-terrorism” law as leaked by AI.
More specifically, the draft law imposed a minimum of a five-year imprisonment for “anyone who promotes, verbally or by writing, terrorism acts, any subject that is against the political orientation of the Kingdom, any idea that hurts the national unity…”.
Back then, a spokesperson from the appointed Consultative Assembly told Reuters:
“The draft that was published is not the final one,” said Mohammed Almohanna, spokesman for the advisory parliament.
“It was discussed in a Shura Council session. It was a draft and some changes were made to it to ensure that the law is compatible with Sharia (Islamic law) and does not violate citizens’ rights or the country's existing laws,” he said
.
The final law is yet to be officially released.
On Twitter, a user named Sigh, comments [ar]:
تعريف الجريمة الإرهابية في قانون (نظام جرام الإرهاب وتمويله) المقر اليوم في #السعودية, يجعل محاولة الإصلاح السياسي إرهابًا.!!
— Sigh (@Sigh______) December 16, 2013
The definition of terrorism in the Law to Criminalise Terrorism and its Financing, which was approved today, makes attempting political reform in Saudi Arabia count as terrorism!!


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The Economics of Ukraine’s #Euromaidan [INFOGRAPHIC] · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

A Ukrainian news portal specializing in data visualization, Newsplot.org [ru], has published an infographic [ru] outlining the costs and necessities of the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv:
Infographic on the costs and necessities of the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine; courtesy of Newsplot.org, used with permission.


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The Inside Story of China’s CCTV Journalist  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

China's former CCTV producer Wang Qinglei details his experience of working in the state TV in the past ten years. He says:
The real reason for the defeat of China’s traditional media, including CCTV, is not that they have no way to resist the assault of new media, but rather that, in the difficult environment of public opinion, they lack the courage to speak the truth, to be responsible to the nation and the people, thus earning the respect and trust of the public.


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Typhoon Haiyan: A Story of Resilience in a Short Doc · Global Voices
Gerda

Typhoon Haiyan, a short film by Janssen Powers, documents the aftermath of the super storm that in early November killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippine province of Leyte.
“Naturally, I intended to capture a story of destruction,” Powers wrote in the description of his work. “What I found however, was a story of resilience.”
In the documentary, images of the disaster alternate with interviews to the survivors, who talk about the tragedy and their look towards the future.
For more stories on Super Typhoon Haiyan see here.

author: Gerda


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Uruguay Becomes a “Sanctuary for Whales and Dolphins” · Global Voices
Guillermo Vidal

Photo shared by @PaipoUruguay on Twitter.
[Links are to Spanish-language pages.]
In September, Uruguay adopted law 19.128, which designates the country's territorial waters as a “sanctuary for whales and dolphins.” The law applies not just to the territorial sea but also to the economic zone that is exclusive to Ururguay and prohibits the chasing, hunting, catching, fishing, or subjecting of cetaceans to any process by which they are transformed.
It also includes a prohibition against the transportation and unloading of live whales and dolphins, irrespective of whether the vessels sail under Uruguayan or foreign flags. The law envisages penalties for those who do not comply. Exceptions will be made for scientific and medical cases, providing they are approved by state authorities. The law also takes into account cases of harassment, aggression, or any other mistreatment that could lead to the death of cetaceans.
The law was unanimously approved by the legislature and was promulgated on September 13 by President José Mujica.
The new legislation strengthens Uruguay's existing conservation policies, implemented by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and by the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (DINARA). The Director of DINARA, Daniel Gilardoni, declared to the government publication Presidencia that: “For our country the biggest threat is shipping, a good deal of the beaching is due to collisions between whales and ships.”
The newly designated whale and dolphin sanctuary in Uruguayan waters will be economically beneficial, according to an article entitled “Uruguay sanctuary for whales and dolphins: Let the cetaceans come to me” on the blog Ballenas en Uruguay [Whales in Uruguay].
The cybersphere lit up with favourable reactions to the passing of the law. Social media reflected widespread approval to Uruguay's new status as a “sanctuary for whales and dolphins.”
Last year, user Jana (@Piper_uy) contributed to the campaign to promote the bill on Twitter:
Haz clic para apoyar la creación de un santuario de ballenas en Uruguay http://t.co/N7x1uVMN
— Jana (@Piper_uy) agosto 14, 2012
Click to support the creation of a sanctuary for whales in Uruguay  http://t.co/N7x1uVMN
In October of the same year, according to the journalist Lourdes Vitabar (@louvitabar), several different school groups assembled outside the Legislative Palace:
A las 9 escolares d Maldonado y Rocha (apadrinados x Paez Vilaró) van a Pcio Leg. para promover proyecto ley santuario ballenas @ballenasuy
— Lourdes Vitabar (@louvitabar) octubre 3, 2012
At nine o'clock schoolchildren from Maldonado and Rocha (sponsored by Paez Vilaró) are going to the Legislative Palace to promote the whale sanctuary bill
The National Party representative from the Rivera deparment Gerardo Amarilla (@GerardoAmarilla), anticipated the success of the bill in March of this year:
El Santuario de Ballenas y Delfines quedó aprobado hoy en la Cámara de Diputados y pasará al Senado donde podría convertirse en ley.
— Gerardo Amarilla (@GerardoAmarilla) marzo 12, 2013
The Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary was approved today in the House of Representatives and will pass in the Senate where it could become law.
Animales Sin Hogar (@ASHcomUY) [Animals Without Homes] celebrated the news when the law was approved in September; at the same time, however, it mourned the death of a beached whale in the Colonia district:
Por un lado festejamos la excelente noticia de la creación de un santuario para ballenas y delfines en nuestras… http://t.co/DTtyd0hXVQ
— Animales sin Hogar (@ASHcomUY) septiembre 4, 2013
On the one hand we celebrate this wonderful news about the creation of a sanctuary for our whales and dolphins…. http://t.co/DTtyd0hXVQ
For more information on the continuing conversation about Uruguay's marine ecosystem, you can follow the Organization for Cetacean Conservation (OCC) on Facebook and Twitter.

author: Guillermo Vidal


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Video: Hong Kong Intertidal Marine Life · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dickson Wong makes an one min video to record intertidal marine life in Hong Kong.

author: Oiwan Lam


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VIDEO: Hydroelectric Power in Southern Brazil ‘Neither Really Clean, Nor Really Cheap’ · Global Voices
Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo

The biggest hydroelectric basin in the South Region of Brazil is studded with hydroelectric plants.
This article written by Coletivo Catarse was originally published by Brazilian investigative journalism organization Agência Pública on 30 October 2013 under the title “Nem tão limpa, nem tão barata” (Neither really clean, nor really cheap).
The largest hydrographic basin in the southern Brazil is studded with hydroelectric plants. What used to be a complex system of rapidly flowing rivers has now become an almost never ending series of wide and deep lakes. And it is exactly in the last stretches of Uruguai river, which makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, within the Brazilian territory, where the original environmental features are still preserved, that the federal government is planning to allow the installation of more plants, meaning more dams. It won't consider the potential impact of trampling over social, economic and environmental rights. “The Brazilian people must be made aware that so-called clean and cheap energy does not exist”, warns professor Célio Bermann from the University of São Paulo.
We traveled the paths along the Uruguay River on the border between the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in order to refine our views on the issue. The result of this journey is a video report called “Barragem” (Dam, in Portuguese), available for viewing below.
With the ever-accepted explanation that it is a sustainable natural resource, the granting of power generation to investors is decided according to those who propose the lowest price for energy sale. Standing on the side of those who believe the hydroelectric plants make economic sense is Ronaldo Custódio, the Engineering and Operation director of Eletrosul (a subsidiary of the Brazilian energy company Eletrobras). He states:
E se chega no menor preço pelo custo do investimento, a energia que cada fonte produz e o custo do dinheiro que tu pegas para realizar o projeto.
One comes to the lowest price by the cost of the investment, the amount of energy that each source produces and the cost of the money borrowed in order to carry out the project.
It happens, though, that a river is not a chute or a drain, but a live organism connected by a system of flows upstream and downstream. For Rafael Cruz, the coordinator of the study “FRAG/Rio” on the integrated environmental impact of the Uruguay River Basin, the first question that should come to mind as one thinks of installing dams in a river is what capacity it holds for withstanding hydroelectric plants. Rafael Cruz criticizes:
Quando se faz a contabilidade tradicional de uma usina hidrelétrica, e não se verifica a fragilidade do rio devido aos impactos ambientais, pode parecer limpa.
When one applies the traditional accounting concepts to the project of a hydroelectric plant, and one does not check on the frailty of the river as regards the environmental impacts, it may seem a clean choice.
By observing the sites proposed for the hydroelectric plants, talking to the people affected by the projects, challenging the enterprises involved, consulting experts on the subject and pouring through the available data, our team tried to investigate and come up with an answer as to how these externalities, which aren't part of the focus when decisions on energy policy are made, are being taken care of.
In the closing remarks of the documentary, researcher Rafael Cruz states that it is essential to simply compare the budgets of the construction and the energy that new developments will generate, in order to define priorities:
A diferença é tão absurda que a gente acaba por entender porque é que estes programas nao têm eficácia e a gente continua tendo que devastar florestas, remover pessoas do seu ambiente, para construir hidreletricas que sao altamente impactantes e que talvez nao precisassem ser construídas se realmente uma política de economia de energia fosse realmente efectuada de uma forma eficaz.
The difference is sometimes so absurd that we end up understanding why these programs are not efficient and thus we need to keep devastating forests, removing people from their environment, in order to build more hydroelectric power plants that are highly impactful and that perhaps wouldn't need to be built if a real economic policy for energy was really performed in an effective way.


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Chungui: Digging up the Horror of Terrorism in Peru · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Chungui, the district, is part of the La Mar province in the Ayacucho region. A part of the district is known as the Oreja de Perro (Dog Ear) because of its resemblance on a map. Picture by Moner Lizana from the web site chungui.info
Thirty years ago, hundreds of civilians were victims [es] of the terrorist group Shining Path and of the counterinsurgency actions of the Peruvian government forces in the Chungui and Oreja de Perro (Dog Ear) [es] communities, in the Ayacucho region. Many of these victims were buried in unknown mass graves, and the exhumation and identification of their remains has just recently begun.
The terrorist group Shining Path was born precisely in Ayacucho, and its strategy was to arm the poor and traditionally exploited countrymen to besiege the major cities in the country. The implementation of this strategy meant that many peasants were forced to become part of Shining Path or help the armed cells in various ways, which in the eyes of the Army qualified these peasants as terrorists.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established to investigate the political violence that plagued the country in the 1980s and 1990s, released the testimonies [es] gathered in Chungui and Oreja de Perro in their final report, with a timeline of the events that took place from 1967 to 1995. After reading this story, it is clear that the district suffered not one or two attacks, but many armed assaults and intimidation actions by Shining Path during the 1980s, including the massive killing of community members and the execution of civil authorities. There were allegedly 1,384 terrorism victims in the Chungi district alone.
This is what a woman who witnessed the Santa Carmen massacre in 1982 told the commission:
Esos hombres tenían un libro grande y llaman lista y dicen su nombre de mi papá, pronuncian XZ diciendo dice pues y de ahí le sacan y a mi papá le dicen XZ “presente jefe” dijo mi papá. Decían ya muy bien, muy bien te están llamando corre, corre te están llamando allá le dicen y le hacen correr a la escuela y detrás le estaban esperando varios más o menos como seis o siete estaban esperando, y alrededor de la muralla también estaban. Entonces mi papá llega y ni bien estaba volteando a la espalda de la escuela, uno le agarro de atrás y le empezó a patear y mi papá al querer defenderse más ya lo acuchillaron.
These men had a big book with them and they called a list and said my dad's name, pronouncing XZ and taking him outside; so my dad was called XZ, “here boss”, my dad answered. They said, well, well, they are calling you, run, run, they are calling your from there, and they made him run to the school. Various persons were waiting for him behind, like six or seven were waiting, and around the wall there were more people. Then my dad got there and as soon as he faced his back to the school, one of them took him from behind and started kicking him and when my dad tried to defend himself, he was stabbed.
The story continues:
Un cuchillo se lo meten por la espalda y mi papá empieza a agarrar a puñete y patada y paj, paj paj. Lo tiran y en el suelo lo pisotean y mi papá no muere y cuando le meten otro cuchillo en la barriga y en el corazón grita mi papá “ayyyyyyyy, ayyyyyyynooo” gritó sólo tres veces. Y después de esto al otro señor ya también, le llama lista y él le dice presente y otra vuelta el otro también corre, corre y el otro también igualito corre y en la lista le llaman, ocho personas habían muerto.
They stuck a knive into his back and my dad starts to punch and kick and pah, pah, pah. They throw him and step on him and my dad didn't die; but when he was stabbed again in the belly and the heart my dad yelled: “ayyyyyyy, ayyyyyyynoooo” only three times. And then, after that, they called another gentleman from the list and then too, he replied “here”, and was asked also to run, run; and then again another one, run. The list goes on, and eight people died.
On January 2013 the remains of 78 exhumed victims of the Chungui zone [es] were delivered to their families [es], and this was only the beginning. The same year, in August, the Specialized Forensics Team (EFE) – a unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office, announced [es] the finding of human remains of 200 people in mass graves in the Oreja de Perro zone and the beginning of the work to get them back to their families. The forensics team chief, Ivan Rivasplata, said [es] that it is still uncertain if these persons were victims of Shining Path or the Army.
The chronicle [es] of the exhumation process, published by a local newspaper, is a painful re-count of the years of terror and how, even though so much time has passed, the mourners are interested in recovering whatever is left of their assassined family members; and they help by giving all the necessary information to find more mass graves and undercover burial sites. “In this town [Amaybamba] waits Valentín Casa Quispe, a young 36-year-old muleteer who carries in his 10 sumpters all the baggage and tools for the exhumations. He has a special interest in helping the prosecution team, because he thinks that in one of the mass graves he'll find the remains of his murdered mother, who died in 1986 when he was a 9 year-old boy.”
Many children were left orphaned and had to manage [es] to survive by any means. “Eugenia was 7 years old when her sisters were executed in the town of Chaupimayo and her dad in the military base of Mollebamba in 1984. After this tragedy, the girl spent two years in the mountains eating parboiled herbs and raw corn. […] ‘When the army captured me and took me to Mollebamba, I was already 9′. The military handed her to a countrywoman, Lorenza Hurtado, who forced her to put her cattle out to pasture and serve inside her home. ‘The lady mistrated me, she yelled at me and always told everyone in the community that she took in a little terrorist’. A year later, her uncle, Antonio Quispe Nieve, rescued her and took her to Andahuaylas.”
Despite everything, you could say Eugenia was lucky compared to they children who lost both their parents and their identity when they were not murdered.
TERRIBLE RT @geovanniacate: De las 56 víctimas halladas en Chungui, 26 corresponden a niños http://t.co/X81edQF7rg pic.twitter.com/sQbIC7Ahrt
— Ricardo Marapi (@RicardoMarapi) December 3, 2013
Out of the 56 victims that were found in Chungui, 26 are kids
Journalist Jacqueline Fowks, on the blog NoticiasSer, shared the story of Rigoberto and Marina's little brother. They asked the army to take him by helicopter to the Huamanga Hospital because he was very sick. After that, they never heard from him again. The journalist adds [es]:
Éste no es un caso aislado. Una trabajadora del sector Salud de Ayacucho ha referido a trabajadores y asistentes sociales que en aquel tiempo, llegaban en helicópteros a Huamanga niños heridos o enfermos, o porque su comunidad era arrasada, y luego no los devolvían: pasaban a orfanatos, sin nombre, y más tarde los trabajadores los inscribían, hasta con sus propios apellidos.
This is not an isolated case. A health worker from Ayacucho has refered to workers and social assisstants from that time who took by helicopter sick or injured kids, or children whose communities were ravaged; and then, they never gave them back. They took them to orphanages, with no name, and later workers registered them as their own.
In the blog GranComboClub, the economist Silvio Rendón after reviewing the violent story of Chungui and Oreja de Perro, compares and concludes [es]:
La zona de Chungui, aquí, fue escenario de la guerra insurgente-contrainsurgente de los ochentas y noventas y es parte de lo que hoy se denomina “el VRAE”, el valle de los rios Apurímac y Ene, zona cocalera y donde persisten las acciones armadas contra el estado peruano. Lo ocurrido hace 45 años es muy indicativo de algunas persistencias en la historia peruana reciente. Y como ya vimos en 1965: insurgencia en el Gran Pajonal, en 1965 no hubo “comisión de la verdad” ni juicios a militares, ni acusaciones, ni nada por el estilo. Ahí quedó la cosa.
The Chungui area was the stage of an insurgent-counterinsurgency war during the eighties and nineties and today is part of the “VRAE”, the valley of the rivers Apurimac and Ene, a coca zone where there are still armed actions against the Peruvian state. What happened 45 years ago is a sign of issues that persist in recent Peruvian history. And as we saw in 1965: Gran Pajonal uprising [es], there was no “truth commission”, no military trials, no accusations, nothing of the sort. Things just stayed as they were.
Thirty years after the massacres, in 2013, it seems that at least the victims and their families will recover some dignity and memory.

author: Juan Arellano


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Empowering Women in Afghanistan: Interview with Anita Haidary · Global Voices
Samea Shanori

Anita Haidary is an Afghan women's rights activist and co-founder of Young Women for Change (YWC), a non-governmental organization aiming to empower and improve the lives of women in Afghanistan. She is now studying Film Studies at an American college, while continuing to advocate for Afghan women's rights. Global Voices has interviewed Anita about her activism and her views on the role of women in Afghanistan after the 2014 elections.
Anita Haidary. Photo provided by Anita, used with permission.
Global Voices: What inspired you to start Young Women for Change?
Anita Haidary: Every detail in my life, my family, and religion, the classes I took, and the school I went to have made me the person I am, with the values I have. The equality taught by my religion and the experience of seeing this equality practiced in my family made me stronger and nurtured certain values in me. Seeing inequality and insult at school invoked resistance in me, and I have been resisting injustice since the eighth grade. I didn't always know that what I was fighting against was gender inequality. I was rather unwilling to accept something that I thought was wrong. Later this grew into a bigger struggle for the Afghan women.
GV: Why did you choose to campaign for women's rights?
AH: Many people think that you have to be a victim to feel the pain. But I am not campaigning for women's right because I was a victim. Instead, I was always told that I was a strong, capable, and smart person. Teachers in my school used to tell us that we, girls and women, were vulnerable, and I decided to speak up against this view. I continued doing so when seeing harassment against women and our limited role in society. This all has led me to work for women's rights and become a co-founder of the Young Women for Change.
GV: Is it dangerous for you to advocate for women’s rights in Afghanistan?
AH: Any attempt at social change and any challenge against the mainstream is dangerous. That’s exactly why this work should be done. It has to start somewhere. On the other hand, I do not agree with statements that activists should be “made of steel” and should be fearless. We are human beings, and it is in our nature to have fear. The important thing is that we continue fighting despite the dangers we come across. I have to remind myself from time to time that as a woman, I have the right to security. Therefore, while the determination to continue the struggle is important, it is also important to be smart in order to survive and be able to keep the struggle alive.
GV: How does YWC help to stop violence and discrimination against women in Afghanistan?
AH: YWC focuses on grassroots work. We ran several school projects that focused on preventing harassment and addressing women's rights issues in general. We also organized demonstrations against honor killings and street harassment, and disseminated posters calling on people to stop these practices. We also write blogs to raise awareness. Besides, YWC organizes open lectures to raise people's awareness about women's rights in Islam and in international law.
GV: How close do you think YWC is to reaching its goal?
AH: We have started. YWC’s goal is to start the conversation about Afghan women’s rights, find solutions to most common issues within our society, and use the forces of society to implement those solutions. I think we have been successful in approaching our goal so far, particularly in recruiting volunteers, generating fruitful discussions, and finding collective solutions that respect the diversity of Afghan society.
We are currently working to give YWC a formal structure which is important as we are planning to grow and extend our geographic coverage in Afghanistan. We will soon be launching a street harassment report. We will also extend our work with schools and private courses.
GV: What are the main challenges YWC faces?
AH: We are a grassroots movement which depends on volunteers rather than paid employees. Volunteers face many challenges in Afghanistan, and this makes our work challenging too. Financial issues and social problems such as street harassment add up to our problems.
Besides, people know little about our cause and often resist what we do in some areas of Afghanistan. There are strong views against women and men working together in parts of Afghan society. But we include men in YWC's work because we firmly believe that it is important that men learn about women's rights and join our struggle for these rights.
GV: What is your view on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law? [Drafted by civil society, EVAW was enacted by a presidential decree in 2009. The Afghan parliament has recently refused to endorse the law].
AH: I think EVAW law is one of the most important steps that have been taken towards elimination of violence against women in Afghanistan. The law runs against multiple local laws which are not favoring women.
GV: Why do you think the Afghan parliament did not endorse the EVAW?
AH: Political parties in the parliament have their own agendas. They vote against laws that do not serve their goals. Some lawmakers stated they could not approve the law because it “contradicted” Islamic norms. But such statements are questionable because the law has been there and has been partly implemented since 2009. Why wasn't the questions of the law being “un-Islamic” was not raised when the law was made?
GV: How can the EVAW law be improved?
AH: I think the law should incorporate Afghan women's perspective. The government of Afghanistan also needs to remain aware of the international human rights norms when dealing with women's rights.
GV: How do you see the role of women after 2014?
AH: I am concerned about the sustainability [of the gains that have been made] because of the possible deterioration of security. But I think women will remain very active. The lack of security will limit their activism. But at the same time, it will lead women to continue the struggle for their rights. The government should open up even more to women to ensure a greater representation for them, not only at lower levels but also in in major decision-making positions.
GV: There are no women candidates in the 2014 presidential elections. What is your take on this?
AH: I think this is very sad because we did have a female candidate during the previous presidential elections. I think it would be a very positive step if we had women in the presidential race. It would give other women courage to come forward. At the same time, the reality is that our society is dominated by men. People firmly believe that women are incapable of holding high-level governmental posts. Therefore, I cannot comment on whether a woman could really win the elections, but I definitely think that having a female presidential candidate would send a positive image to everyone in Afghanistan and the international community.
GV: As an Afghan women's rights activist, what advice do you have for the young people of Afghanistan?
AH: I would advise them not to give up. It is just the beginning. If we keep fighting, we will get there. The rest of the world also had to struggle through hard times, and this is our time to start. We need to remember what divided our society in the past. We need to embrace and respect our diversity, and build tolerance between men and women, as well as among Afghanistan's different linguistic, religious, and ethnic groups. We are a diverse society and nothing can change this fact. Now it is up to us whether we accept this and learn to live with each other and work together – or we can follow the path that we have long followed and face the grim consequences.
Global Voices also interviewed Noorjahan Akbar, another Afghan women's rights activist and co-founder of Young Women for Change, earlier this year.

author: Samea Shanori


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Explaining the Evergrowing Tradition of “Chanté Nwèl” (Singing Christmas) in the French West Indies     · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Between late November and December 25, a unique tradition is taking place every year in the Francophone Caribbean islands, especially in Martinique and Guadeloupe. “Chanté Nwel” [fr] is a time when people come together to not only sing traditional Christmas songs but also share a meal as a community. Although the tradition of singing Christmas carols has slowed down in France, it has grown stronger than ever in the french west indies [fr]. Hélène Clément explains the sad origin of the tradition that has been turned into a festive celebration [fr] :
L’article 2 du Code noir promulgué par Louis XIV en 1685 prévoyait « l’instruction religieuse des esclaves ». Les jésuites, chargés de poursuivre cette instruction religieuse, enseigneront aux esclaves à jouer de certains instruments dans le but de former des choristes pour les offices religieux [..] Le « chanté Nwèl » dans les Antilles françaises reste un moment de partage et de solidarité.
The article 2 of the Code Noir [Black Code] promulgated by Louis XIV in 1685 stipulated that “religious instruction be provided to slaves.” The Jesuits taught slaves through the religious instruction to play some instruments in order to assemble a choir for religious services [..] The “Chanté Nwèl” in the French West Indies is first and foremost a time of sharing and solidarity
Here is a video of one of the most known carol :Joseph mon cher fidèle (Joseph, my dear faithful) [fr]:
Daniel, from Martinique, explains the drinking tradition during “Chanté Nwèl” [fr]:
Autrefois, lors des ces « chanté Nwel», on servait en dehors du traditionnel punch, du sirop d’orgeat aux dames, ainsi que du chocolat à l’eau épaissi au toloman pour se réchauffer du « froid piquant » des nuits de décembre… dès la fin du mois de novembre, on prépare le  schrubb avec des écorces d’oranges que l’on fait macérer dans du rhum au soleil.
Back in the days during “Chanté Nwèl”, the traditional cocktail punch and chocolate water thickened with toloman were served to warm the “sneaky cold” December nights; orgeat syrup were reserved for the ladies … at the end of November, the schrubb is prepared with orange peels that has been soaked in rum and exposed to the sun.
The following video shows how residents of Gros-Morne, Martinique are celebrating the tradition today [fr]:


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Meet 5 Brazilian Women Who Do What They Love and Love What They Do · Global Voices
Paula Góes

#AMF, or #AmoMeuFazer (#ILoveMyDoings), is a Editora Florista publication. www.amomeufazer.com.br | www.editoraflorista.com.br | Facebook | @amomeufazermagr Photos: Gleice Bueno, used with permission
[All links lead to Portuguese language pages]
Launched in September 2013, #AmoMeuFazer (#AMF) is a quarterly digital magazine about people who love what they do, sharing their stories and creative process:
Gente que – a partir de seu fazer – mudou sua trajetória de pensar, sentir, se relacionar, trabalhar e viver. Ou simplesmente encontrou uma forma de realização e de alegria cotidiana naquilo que produz. Retratamos os mais diversos fazeres, seus processos criativos e a beleza de cada um.
People who – through their doings – have changed their ways of thinking, feeling, relating, working, and living. Or simply people who found a way to everyday fulfillment and joy in what they do. We portray their various doings, their creative process, and the beauty of each one of them.
It all started with a blog, A Florista (The Florist), which for three years had been collecting stories of people who love what they do, the so-called “flowers”. Bit by bit, the bloggers – Karine Rossi, Gleice Bueno and Dani Scartezini – realised that what they most liked about the blog was “finding, getting to know, portraying and sharing real and transforming stories.”
The blog turned into the Editora Florista, a publishing house whose first publication is the digital magazine #AMF, which celebrates its first three months of existence with 18 interviews that come together with beautiful photos and, some of them, videos. The second fruit of the publishing house, the Escola do Fazer (Doing School), is a project that aims to bring together people who love what they do, with people who would love to learn an activity in which they may find joy, sharing the experience of doing.
For this post, we have selected five of the women featured in the #AmoMeuFazer magazine who had the courage to leave careers and jobs to do what they loved, and who started to love what they do.
The architect turned educator
Fabi Diaz graduated in architecture, owned a popular bar in São Paulo, and left everything behind to live in the state of Bahia, where she became inspired by the contrast between the beautiful scenery and local poverty to work in children's education. Six years ago, she started the Jardim do Cajueiro School, a space for learning through art, music, social living and environmental awareness:
The always present courage, the glance at the children, at their needs and their families have guided us, and the work has been sewn through much study, anthroposophy and Waldorf pedagogy. [ … ] The school relies on sponsorship of people who pay the costs of keeping a child in school. As 75 percent of our students have scholarships, these sponsorships are essential. Each person helping is important, and we are always battling to get more sponsors.
This year, we got financial aid to build our own school, another big dream! The city government gave us a plot of land in recognition of our service, and after a year of struggles we have begun construction. We only have one-third of the total value of the building, and, to complete this important step, we need the participation of everyone who can help in any way, either donating or helping us fundraise.
The size of the school, 70 children today and with a growth forecast of one class per year, is already too large and no longer fits in rented houses. We really need our space. Our plans are big, and there is no way back now that are many, many families, many lives, many destinies… The feat is huge.
I feel that we need more and more people dreaming with us: our goal is to touch hearts, transformation through love is our challenge. With this story, I want to give a real focus to illuminate the various possible paths that exist for those who cross ours, and who want to help make a better world.
“So many children running free, it is so beautiful, but perhaps they are too free? What kind of freedom is this that is so closely related to abandonment?” (Fabi Diaz)
The dancer turned doula
Maíra Duarte decided to leave her three jobs and go traveling “to see the sea, meditate and think about life.” In a simple village with no electricity, she re-discovered her talent for various therapies, and having her kids through natural childbirth was one of the most important steps for her to start her career as a doula:
I had no money to go back home and my plan A had not worked out. “What am I going to do now?” The owner of the house where I was staying said, “when I do not know what to do, I go down the river.” I picked up a very large buoy and went to the Caraíva River. The current would take me to the sea. Looking at the sky, crying, wiping my heart, I let my body follow the course of the river. And I gave my fears to the sea. On the way, I started a mental retrospective. I was reminded of the fundamental things, the key people of my dance classes, and the massages I had learned there.
On arriving at the beach, I had an idea. I wrote on a T-shirt: “Massage! Talk to me” and drew an open hand with a spiral in the center. I asked a massage therapist friend who was there to give me some basic tips, recalled what I already knew and trusted my senses. I went for a walk on the beach wearing the shirt. I was soon approached by a person who was interested, then another and another… It was a month of hard work. I came back with money in my pocket and knowing my first step in the new cycle: to study Ayurveda [ … ].
I follow pregnancies with a therapeutic prenatal, side by side with doctors, offering massages, chats, and ayurvedic guidance. I seek to create an open space for the mother to get information, work on her fears, prepare herself physically and emotionally for childbirth and postpartum. This space is also for partners (in some cases female) to find their place in all this. So they learn to take care of women and themselves, having a better understanding of this process of which they have excluded for decades. Massages are moments of strong connection between the baby and the mother. I feel very connected to them at that particular time. Massaging a baby inside the womb of their mother for several months establishes a deep bond. And this way, we forge a path together for that pregnancy. This may involve conversations, therapeutic baths, dietary guidelines and breathing practices. Every pregnancy has a certain demand that we get the feel for as the pregnancy moves along.
“I had my second child in a rapid, intense and pleasurable natural childbirth. This delivery has opened a door, and brought me some understanding regarding delivery. I attended doula and perinatal educator course.” (Maíra Duarte)
The teacher turned baker
Luciana Sápia majored in social sciences, studied pedagogy, worked as a teacher, a storyteller and an actress. When she became a mother, she discovered her hands and, with them, went on to make breads, cakes and other treats. The Confraria Santa Bárbara, a “homemade bakery that uses traditional methods for the preparation of food, rescuing traditional knowledge creatively”, started in her kitchen:
This way of acting in the world allowed me to solve the dilemma of many modern mothers: how to work and take care of my children?
Before working as a baker, I was a teacher in a small kindergarten, not earning enough money to cover the cost of living, and I did not want to be absent from the daily lives of my children.
Taking part in the labour market through a “conventional” job with a secure salary would consume many hours a day and certainly would not meet my soul needs, and I might not be able to do everything I wanted: being a mother, wife, and friend, cook, paint, plant, dance… be truly happy.
So I started making bread. It was just a way to increase my monthly income by doing something I liked and offering something good to people, but I soon realized that if I really wanted it, I could afford to pursue it all the way.
I bought the oven, tidied the kitchen up, arranged bread in a basket, and now we're here! So here, in my house, in the comfort of my home, next to my children when I ask you: would you like some freshly baked bread?
My dreams are big. And with each loaf of bread, I make them come true and feed each a bit.
“The part of my body that most changed with pregnancy were my hands – maternal hands, hands that grope the world, seeking love to provide for the newcomer child” (Luciana Sapia)
The designer turned dressmaker
Gisele Dias left behind a career as a designer to become a dressmaker, specializing in romantic and feminine clothes, made with lace and flowers. When working with tailor-made orders, she tells love stories in the form of dresses:
The ‘A Modista’ shop opened in 2005. There were so many difficulties… It is normal to stumble upon many of them when we decide to do something new, that we do not know much about. Leaving a profession is difficult. The transition from one thing to another implies choices… Picking and choosing right is a difficult task! In my case, I am an example of someone who had a career and left it for trading. Yes, it is trading! We do not remember this part when we have a creative mind and decide to start a business.
“I believe that the philosophy of life that moves me and also moves the work of ‘A Modista’ a big differential: the celebration of the deepest and truest feelings through the bridal attire…” (Gisele Dias)
I particularly suffered a lot dealing with people. I confess that I'm not the most sociable person on the planet. I'm very, very reserved, never had much contact with the public and trading forced me to do it. It was very difficult at first. But in fact, it was a great school. Difficulties make us grow when we have the humility to learn from them . [ … ]
I am very happy with what I do, but I think I am unconditionally unsatisfied ;-P. When it's not something, it is another, and, in my view, we are just beginning despite eight years of business. We have many achievements in hand, many goals yet to be reached and that is what moves me and makes me look forward and to the future. To make a living doing what you love, you need humility and unconditional surrender. Undoubtedly, what moves the desires of any person is also a lot of determination and courage. There willl always be difficult moments, moments of total bliss, so… I always remember a zen saying about the secret: to be flexible like a tree and swing with the wind without breaking. In my life, I think that everything happens in a very organic way and not very rational. All very moved by emotions.
The attorney turned
Titi Vidal worked as family law attorney for some years, had a good job and office, but it was through a hobby that she found her true calling. Today, Titi is an astrologer, tarot reader and holistic therapist, working 12 to 14 hours a day, and has never been so happy:
One day, after asking for signs many times, I received a very clear one and I resigned from my job. Had received several small signs, but this one I could not avoid listening to. At that time, I was doing a course in mythology. The teacher spoke of a certain myth when, on the same day that I had asked the angels for a clear signal, he interrupted the lesson out of nothing to talk about Apollo, which had nothing to do with the lesson so far. Clearly, he said that in life we had to be like Apollo, who left everything to follow his true vocation. And he talked about it for a considerable amount time, perhaps until I realized that the message was for me. So I decided to resign the next day. To my surprise, I was offered twice the money to stay. And thought “What now? Was this the reason for the sign?”. But I stayed strong in my decision and started to devote myself full-time to that which was soon to become my profession.
And it was and still is so. I am an astrologer and tarot reader. And from the therapeutic techniques I practiced, I found myself mostly interested in dowsing so I also became a dowser. And these are my professions, my areas of expertise and what make me very happy today. I love what I do.
“There comes a time when we are put to the test. We are tested and the universe asks us if that's what we wanted to do.” (Titi Vidal)

author: Paula Góes


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Mexico’s Congress Approves Energy Reform Bill Ending State Oil Monopoly  · Global Voices
Marco Molina

Image by Flickr user diaper, under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)
Mexico's Senate has approved an energy reform bill that will end a 75-year state oil monopoly established under Presidente Lázaro Cárdenas (1934-1940), who expropriated the assets of British and U.S. oil companies in order to forge one of the largest state oil monopolies in the world. The reform was approved in the early morning hours of December 12, 2013, after a chamber session lasting some 20 hours.
The energy reform bill lays the groundwork for a regulatory framework that will permit the investment of private Mexican and foreign capital for the first time in decades, making it the most important economic overhaul since the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The new legislation will change Mexico's charter, enabling corporations such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron to undertake exploration in an area with the largest crude reserves after those in the Arctic Circle. The parties supporting the reform (PRI, PAN, Nueva Alianza and Verde) say that the measure will propel Mexico into the ranks of the top five oil exporting nations; those against the bill say it will channel profits directly into the pockets of investors.
According to Bank of America‘s chief economist in Mexico, Carlos Capistran, speaking by telephone to Bloomberg: “The reform will provide the Mexican economy with energy.”
A cornerstone of Peña Nieto's program
The reform was green-lit at the close of a year in which President Enrique Peña Nieto and his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) won back the reigns of power after a 12-year absence.
Image by Flickr user Alejandro Castro, under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The 47-year old head-of-state declared the energy sector would be the cornerstone of his administration, followed by educational reform aimed at assessing teacher performance, and a law to improve competitiveness in the telecommunications sector by means of increased lending.
Ever since the free trade agreement with Canada and the United States came into effect in 1994, México has become one of the worlds most open economies. However, many industrial sectors continue to be dominated by individuals and conglomerates such as that of the billionaire Carlos Slim.
Traitors to the Nation
The leftist parties (PRD [es], PT, Movimiento Ciudadano [es]) accused the legislators who voted in favour of the constitutional changes of being “traitors to the nation,” asserting that those who support the bill were delivering not just the oil but the country's energy wealth.
It is a 180-degree turn from the existing 75-year old legislation. The oil expropriation of 1938, decreed by then president Lázaro Cárdenas, gave the state exclusive rights to energy production.
The reform amends articles 25, 27 and 28 of the Constitution, to allow the state to enter into contracts with both Mexican and foreign private entities. Moreover, it will enable Mexico to strike deals with companies regarding service, shared use and production, and licensing agreements; and in each case, the payment structure will vary.
Antonio García, a legislator from the PRD, stripped down to his underwear [es] while he voiced his criticism of the energy reform bill.  Karen Quiroga, also of the PRD, had an altercation with Landy Berzunza of the PRI, who rebuked the leftist legislators during their vote, going so far as to turn and make a crude gesture at opposition members. This culminated in a physical confrontation when Quiroga attempted to approach the area in which members present their objections, and Berzunza tried to stop her. The pair came to blows and the PRD congresswoman injured her opponent's left eye.
Public Sentiment
The Mexican public has issued a call to citizens to take to the streets of Mexico City to protest the energy bill approved by the Senate.
The youth movement YoSoy132, for example, encouraged people to join demonstrations against the reform:
HOY! 4pm #TodosALasCalles No nos representas @ManceraMiguelMX pic.twitter.com/Xw7yJdF7bm
— #YoSoy132 (@Soy132MX) diciembre 14, 2013
TODAY! 4pm #TodosALasCalles [everyone to the streets] You don't represent us @ManceraMiguelMX [Mayor of Mexico City]
Valeria Hamel, a member of YoSoy132, tweeted:
La defensa de #Pemex no es monopolio de un partido o grupo. Sal a las calles, ve al Senado. Manifiéstate. #NOalaReformaEnergetica
— Valeria Hamel (@valehamel) diciembre 8, 2013
No single party or group has a monopoly on defending #Pemex. Get out in the street, go to the Senate. Demonstrate. #NOalaReformaEnergetica [No to the energy reform]
Luis Fernando García ironically mentioned the inadequacies of the companies formerly controlled by the state, which are now in the hands of Mexican and foreign investors:
Todas las empresas públicas privatizadas son una maravilla. Vean la puntualidad de Aeroméxico o el Internet en Infinitum de Telmex.
— Luis Fernando García (@tumbolian) diciembre 13, 2013
All privatized public companies are a marvel. Just look at how punctual Aeromexico is or the Internet by Infinitum [Internet service provider] from Telmex.
The Mexican Soul
“The topic of oil is rooted in the soul of Mexico, in the Mexican tradition, in the history of Mexico,” says Jorge Chabat, a political scientist in the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), a university based in Mexico City. As it passed the review process in Congress, it “waged the mother of all battles by the Mexican government and will be one of the major accomplishments of Peña Nieto's administration”, he said in a telephone interview.
Oil production is stagnant, in part because the energy sector has not received the competitive push of NAFTA that other industrial sectors have been given, said Duncan Wood, director of the Mexico Institute at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
“What this reform does is to now expose the Mexican energy sector to national and international competition,” said Wood. “This marks a fundamental paradigm shift in the mentality of the energy sector. Today we are moving beyond 1938.”

author: Marco Molina


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Misuse of National Flag Causes a Stir in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Controversial photo of the Tajik flag. Image by Ahrullo Dadaboev, used with permission.
An image of a Tajik flag thrown on the ground and used as an improvised dustpan is causing a stir among social media users in Tajikistan. Ahrullo Dadaboev, the person who took the photo and posted it on Facebook, said a street cleaner had used the flag to collect trash in Khujand, a city in the country's north.
Many netizens who saw the image felt insulted by the misuse of the national symbol. Reacting to the post, Ruslan Ruslan wrote [tj]:
ХАМИ РИДАНШОН НАМЕРАСИД ЭЭЭЭЭЭЭЭ ВОЯ
Ohh, the only thing they didn't do to the flag was [defecate] on it.
Ozod Orzuyev said [tj]:
Ин хузновар мебошад. Сад дарег..
This is very saddening. It's really sad.
But Amrullo Faizullozoda suggested [tj] that the person who had taken the photo should have done more than just press a button on his camera:
Ватандусти асил дар ин холат парчамро гирифта, тоза карда мегирифт, ин аз руи эхтироми парчам, ватан ва милат аст.
A real patriot in this situation would have lifted the flag from the ground and cleaned it, out of respect for the flag, the motherland, and the nation.
The image has also made its way to Twitter, where Mardikor asked [tj]:
Хамин аст “диёри арчманди мо”? Хамин аст ватандусти? Агар парчами милли дар таги по бошад, чои миллат таги по нест? pic.twitter.com/t6sZr8nTUc
— Мардикор (@mardikor) December 17, 2013
Is this “our beloved country” [a phrase from the national anthem]? Is this patriotism? If the national flag is under feet, isn't the place of the nation also under feet?
Khairkhoh, who also shared the image on Twitter, wrote [tj]:
Э Оллох ээээ….. Мо худамонро эхтиром накунем агар, ки моро эхтиром мекунад????? pic.twitter.com/J798HR27xB
— Хайрхоҳ (@khairkhoh) December 17, 2013
Oh, Allah, ohh… If we do not respect ourselves, who will respect us???
And Bachai Sako mentioned [ru] another instance when the national flag was used improperly:
@mardikor Недавно в Айни видел молодых спортсменов, которым из лишних флагов после визита ЭР шорты пошили. Не пропадать же добру.
— Бачаи Сако (@BachaiSako) December 17, 2013
@mardikor I have recently seen a group of young athletes in Ayni [a big village in northern Tajikistan] wearing shorts that were made of flags left in excess after a visit of [President Emomali Rahmon]. The useful stuff should not be wasted.
Tajikistan's tricolor flag was introduced in 1992. The authorities have since successfully popularized the flag as part of their efforts to strengthen patriotic sentiment. Tajikistan boasts the world's tallest flagpole and has attempted to break the world record for the longest flag. However, a number of bloggers have recently suggested that the country should change its flag and other national symbols to better reflect the country's changing character.

author: Alexander Sodiqov