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After Two Years in Hiding, Bahraini Blogger Ali Abdulemam Flees to London · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam surfaced in London, after escaping from Bahrain, where he has been in hiding for two years. In absentia, Abdulemam, 35 years old, was slapped with a 15-year prison sentence for belonging to a terror organisation and for seeking to topple the government.
The Atlantic  details his escape from Bahrain in a secret car compartment through the causeway which links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. From there, Ali fled to Kuwait, and was then smuggled by fishermen into Iraq. He then travelled from Basra to Najaf and boarded an Iraqi Airways flight to London, where he was granted political asylum.
The founder of locally-censored Bahrain Online, Abdulemam is also a contributor to Global Voices Advocacy, our free speech defence arm.
Abdulemam's story has been the talk of the netizens since it's details were unveiled.
From Bahrain, Ahmed Ali says:
@ahmedali_: Ali Abduleman is sadly not the first person to have found himself obliged to escape his country. Nor will [he] be the last.
Zuhair Al Ghatam shares a concern many have:
سعادتي بسلامته وطمأنة عائلته ومقدرتهم ع رؤيته ومحادثته وتواجده لخدمة الثورة لاتوصف لكني لا زلت مستغرب لماذا تم نشر قصة هروبه؟
@z_alghatam: My happiness with the safety of Ali and the reassurance of his family and their ability to see and speak to him as well as his appearance to serve the revolution cannot be described. But I am still surprised why the details of his escape have been published.
He continues:
ربما تكون قصة هروب #علي_عبدالإمام أثبتت مدى هشاشة مباحث أمن الدولة ولكنها قد تكون بداية معاقبة المسافرين في زيادة التمحيص والتدقيق
@z_alghatam:  Perhaps the story of Ali Abdulemam's escape showcases how fragile the state security apparatus is but it is also the beginning of punishing all travelers by increasing security procedures
And Hussain Yousif, a co-founder of Bahrain Online, who is also in exile, warns:
إلى أحبتنا وإخوتنا المختفين والمطاردين في البحرين، أرجو أن لا تجركم الفرحة بخروج عزيزنا وصديقنا علي عبدالإمام إلى التفريط في شيئ من احتياطكم
@hussain_info: To our dear [friends] in hiding and being hunted [by the authorities], I hope that your happiness with the escape of our beloved friend Ali Abdulemam doesn't let you put your guard down
Turning attention to the UK, Freedom Prayers, from Bahrain, tweets:
@FreedomPrayers: #Bahrain king had a meeting #UK queen today. Had she inform him that her country granted political asylum to his opponent blogger?
She adds:
@FreedomPrayers: If #UK willing to give political asylum to those #Bahrain accuse with terrorism, why not tell it to stop fake trials & release detainees?
And continues, in a tweet to the UK Foreign Office, saying:
@FreedomPrayers:  . @foreignoffice there r 1500+ political detainees in #Bahrain like @abdulemam , will u give political asylum to them all? Ur best efforts?
All Smiles. Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam arrives at Gatwick Airport in London. Photograph shared on Twitter by @alaashehabi
@alaashehabi: Photo of @abdulemam just after he arrived in Gatwick airport safe & sound after a long journey out of #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/uHtA73aw2H
Others, like prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah, have other concerns [ar]:
صديقي المناضل البحريني علي عبد الامام بعد سنوات من الاختفاء تمكن من الخروج من البحرين، المفروض نباركله على الحرية ولا نواسيه على المنفى؟
@alaa:  My friend Bahraini freedom fighter Ali Abdulemam has escaped Bahrain after [two] years in hiding. Are we supposed to congratulate him on his freedom or console him on his exile?
And, from the US, Josh Shahryar wonders:
@JShahryar: I wonder what Obama thinks about Ali @Abdulemam‘s escape from #Bahrain. Maybe thank god he wasn't arrested and tortured by his friends?
Meanwhile, Abdulemam is scheduled to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum on Wednesday:
@OsloFF:  Blogger Ali @Abdulemam, missing since March 2011, has escaped Bahrain and will speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum on Wednesday May 15
This will be Abdulemam's first public appearance since going into hiding.
On YouTube, RevolutionMCBahrain shares this video, showing Abdulemam's first video interview, after his escape:
In it, the blogger pledges to continue working towards promoting freedom of speech and his online activism “until the people's demands are met.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Is Iran’s Most Believable Presidential Candidate a Fictional Character? · Global Voices
Farid

Zahra for President
The iron fist of Iran's regime allows no chance for opposition candidates to run in the presidential election, but in the virtual realm, a new graphic novel character is the champion of a free and fair election.
Hundreds of hopeful Iranians have registered as candidates to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as in the forthcoming election on June 14, 2013. The conservative Council of Guardians will now appoint the shortlist of candidates who will actually run.
Zahra For President
Many still remember the massive protest movement that erupted after the election in 2009. The activist website United4Iran and the serial web comic Zahra's Paradise have launched the virtual campaign Zahra For President 2013 to expose Iran's corrupt political system through satire.
Zahra is the hero of the graphic novel whose 19-year-old son, Mehdi, disappeared after participating in demonstrations against Iran’s 2009 election outcome. Her campaign develops in weekly illustrated panels on the website Vote4Zahra.org.
Here is the virtual campaign message:
In 2009, Zahra and her family, along with millions of Iranians took to the streets to demand fair and free elections. Despite a brutal crackdown, the promise of an Iranian spring—democracy, dignity, and justice—is far from extinguished. Today, Zahra is running for President, the promise of a new day. Join her. Let’s win back our Iran.
The Right to a Free and Fair Election
People from around the world, including Iran, have uploaded their photos on the Facebook page for Zahra's Paradise.
Zahra's campaign in Iran
Some have posted photos with a simple but difficult to achieve slogan: “I have the right to a free and fair elections.”
Firuzeh Mahmoudi, the co-founder of United4Iran
Zahra Does Not Forget Bloggers
Zahra mentions that security forces have jailed and tortured bloggers, journalists and their families.
Zahra campaigns for bloggers
Zahra's campaign reminds us of a sad truth. Four years ago millions of Iranians believed in change, voted for real candidates, and some even sacrificed their lives. Now, a cartoon character appears to be the most appealing candidate for some.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Farid


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Italy: Art Historians Rally in L’Aquila · Global Voices
Davide Galati

Four years after the devastating earthquake that hit L’ Aquila, in Abruzzo, Italy, little or nothing has been rebuilt and the picturesque old town remains largely uninhabited, while many residents live in much debated [it] new towns. On May 5, 2013 almost a thousand art historians rallied together [it] in the historical center of L'Aquila to draw political attention. Despite some intervention made by the Monti government, a much bigger effort is needed to jump-start the reconstruction. The Italian comics activist Gianluca Costantini summarized the issue through the series of pictures “Yes we camp“.
“Yes we camp”, Gianluca Costantini's Political Comics project under CC 3.0 License

author: Davide Galati


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Pakistani Fashion Designer’s ‘Be My Slave’ Shoot Called ‘Racist’ · Global Voices
Halima Khan

A magazine photo shoot for an emerging fashion designer's collection has touched off anger throughout Pakistan for its depiction of a dark-skinned child serving as a slave to a fair-skinned model.
The clothing collection on display in the “Be my Slave” spread published in Diva magazine issue 106 is by Aamna Aqeel, who made her debut at Fashion Pakistan Week in Karachi in April 2013. Aqeel has maintained that she wanted the shoot to spark debate on child labor, and she is supporting and educating the young boy featured in the photos.
But with bonded slavery and racism very real problems facing Pakistan, some have accused Aqeel of engineering the photos with the intent to shock and gain publicity for her brand.
In a post on her Style Inn blog, entertainment journalist Usama Hamayun slammed the slave theme:
Her collection [at Fashion Pakistan Week] recieved [sic] very good reviews and I for one liked her collection as well. But this shoot disgusts me. Playing with such an insensitive theme in a country where racism and bonded labour are critical issues is not acceptable or aesthetically pleasing by any means. You can be fashion forward and push the envelope but above pics are simply tasteless and offensive.
A glimpse on some of the photographs in question. Image courtesy Style on Paper Blog
Blogger Padash was one of the first to call attention to the photo spread online:
Today a reader just shared this very distasteful and vile ad by a so-called designer in Pakistan. Aamna Aqeel. Never heard of her? Neither have I? However…this chick needs a serious dose of reality, an education and a lesson on how to market test her ads!
Commenting on an article in The Express Tribune about the photo shoot, “ashar” wrote that the fashion industry rewards this kind of behavior:
Whatever nonsense you can put in will be admired and accepted. This is present day fashion industry.
This isn't the first time a fashion spread has provoked outrage in Pakistan. Last year, some were less than pleased at photos by Pakistani fashion brand Sana Safinaz of a model dressed in fine lawn cloth surrounded by coolies, or manual laborers, with one of the men holding her Louis Vuitton handbag.
But as happened with that campaign, some came to the defense of Aqeel's photo shoot.
“Zeenia” commenting on The Express Tribune article wrote that the photos were based in reality:
Why the outrage on just this? It’s just a reflection of how our society works.
Image courtesy Style On Paper blog
On Paper Magazine's Style on Paper blog, Zainul Abidin asked those who are so angry over the campaign to take a look in the mirror:
Plz lay off all the children you have hired for household and to take care of your kids and start working with your own hands and do your household yourself and then comment.
Alina commented on the same blog that the outrage was misdirected:
Only if the tag line was different, it could have been a very STRONG social campaign by the designer to create awareness against this dilemma. . Nevertheless its thought provoking. The moral corruption is mindbogglingly high in our society. Its not just slavery i see in these pictures but the contrast too, the tragedy of coldness and apathy of rich towards poor. In a country like ours its a shame to wear big designer brands where poor are having unimaginable wretched lives and rich indulge in top notch luxury without any guilt. Anyhow any revolutionary change is hard to witness any time soon so whats the point. Pour in more comments of how you HATE the designer. *sigh*
But Kamran Hashmi wasn't convinced:
Thought provoking? Have you people gone mad? She’s selling CLOTHES by using a shocking and abhorrent form of “expression.” What’s worse is that she is USING what appears to be a BLACK child as her pawn. How exactly is she commenting on “her” society? This is absolutely defenseless and the stupidest form of advertisement I have ever seen in my life.
On Twitter, psychological linguist Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) called the photos “disgusting”:
@IftikharFirdous: @abbasnasir59 Its disturbing, disturbing because of the fact that if art is polluted with such ‘unconscious’ stereotypes-what next? @rabayl
Iqra Shoukat (@iqrashoukat) wasn't a fan either of the photo shoot theme:
@iqrashoukat: #aamnaaqeel‘s target market: People that support #racism #slavery and a disgustingly crude sense of humor.

author: Halima Khan


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Pakistanis Vote in Huge Numbers Despite Threats, Alleged Poll Rigging · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

This post is part of our Special Coverage Pakistan Votes 2013.
Amid threats of terrorism and reports of rigging, determined voters in Pakistan turned out in high numbers, braving chaotic polling stations and long lines on May 11, 2013 to have their say in the country's first ever democratic transition of power.
The final results are not yet tallied, but former two-time prime minster Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) is expected to win and form the government.
The party's official Twitter account (@pmln_org) declared the victory:
@pmln_org: PMLN Roshan Pakistan | Thanks to the Nation for Trusting us And supporting the Revolution ! https://t.co/Qvz4kUr2SS
A woman is exercising her right to vote here during general elections 2013 at a polling station in the home town of Benazir Bhutto on Saturday. Image by jamal Dawood. Copyright Demotix (11/5/2013)
Popular cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who had attracted a large following among young people and urban voters ahead of the general elections, fell short of leading his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to an election win. His former wife, Jemima Khan (@Jemima_Khan), remained optimistic about the party:
@Jemima_Khan: PTI-from a 1 seat party to 2nd biggest/main Opposition in the Assembly, governing 1 province. Not a tsunami but definitely a #nayaPakistan [new Pakistan]
The vote was peaceful in most areas, though bombings and shootings in Karachi, Peshawar, and Baluchistan left a reported 29 dead and many others injured, pushing the total number of deaths caused by election-related attacks from Taliban militants and other militant groups in recent weeks to more than 150.
But despite the violence, an estimated 60 percent of the 86 million people qualified to vote made it to the polls, more than in any recent elections in the country.
Twitter was buzzing with reactions all day.
Faisal Sherjan (@fsherjan) noted:
@fsherjan: First indicator voter turnout. Chattering class participated in electoral process. Young Pakistan voted for change. Voters showed maturity
People stand in a queue to cast their vote at a polling station during the phase of the election in Karachi, Pakistan on Saturday 11 may 2013. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis went to the polling stations. Image by Rana Zahid 84. Copyright Demotix (11/5/2013)
Journalist Fahd Husain (@Fahdhusain) pushed the country to break its own voting record:
@Fahdhusain: 1970 turnout was 63 percent. Highest in Pakistan history. Let's smash this record! #Elections
Writer, blogger, and development professional Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) posted a comparison:
@Razarumi: In 2008 elections voter turnout in Pakistan was 44.1%; In Bangladesh 87.4% during 2008 elections. In India 2009 election,voter turnout 59.7%
Female Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) employees register female voters with their identification cards. Image by Saad Sarfraz Sheikh. Copyright Demotix (11/5/2013)
Reports of discrepancies and vote rigging in which people were allegedly forced not to vote have cropped up in some areas of Pakistan, mainly in the port city of Karachi, triggering protests in support of Imran Khan and his PTI party. Karachi journalist Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) shared a photo of the demonstrations:
@faizanlakhani: Picture: #PTI protests in Karachi against rigging in elections. #PakVotes pic.twitter.com/yot6KebFy1
Yasmeen Ali (@yasmeen_9) also tweeted a photo showing hundreds protesting against the supposed rigging:
@yasmeen_9: protest at Lalak Chowk against rigging in #NA125 hundreds out protesting. @HAMIDKHAN_NA125 pic.twitter.com/s8FzEEP3Sg
#Rigging is trending in Pakistan, thanks in part to PTI's social media team. This is to be noted as an important moment in the new trend of using social media as a political and mobilization tool in Pakistan.
The party alleges that the winning Pakistan Muslim League-N was seen manipulated the polls, and videos from one polling station in Lahore NA-125 and Rawalpindi NA 56 supposedly show rigging:
@PakVotes: Rigging video exposed from Rawalpindi NA-56 where PML-N workers are forcing people not to cast vote. http://pakvotesmap.pk/reports/view/240 … #PakVotes
Army officials are patrolling as the army troops have started patrolling in different areas of the city while patrolling has also increased in sensitive areas on the occasion of General Election 2013, in Karachi on Friday May 10, 2013. Image by PPI Images. Copyright Demotix
They have started a Change.org petition, however, this petition only focuses on two constituencies of Karachi and doesn't mention Rawalpindi and Lahore:
Elections should be held again across the constituencies Karachi-1 (NA239) to Karachi-20 (NA258) due to multiple reports of rigging and other hindrances in the process. We want a free and fair election, with voters and polling stations protected by law enforcement agencies against those who seek to intimidate and coerce.
The interim Punjab Chief minister & former journalist Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) said PTI planned to file a complaint over four seats believed to be fixed:
@najamsethi: I just talked to [Imran Khan]. He complained about “rigging” in 4 seats by [Election Commission of Pakistan's] Presiding Officers. He said he will lodge complaint with ECP.
Pakistan is still waiting for the report of EU observers, and as of now, there are no independent reports coming in.
However, re-polling has been ordered for more than 40 polling stations in Karachi where voting was suspended on election day because of irregularities. Express Tribune journalist Omar Quraishi (@omar_quraishi) responded to the news:
@omar_quraishi: Know many people who voted for 7-8 hours to vote in NA 250 and are pretty annoyed that the result has been delayed because of repolling
The independent Free and Fair Elections Network or FAFEN and the Election Commission of Pakistan is requesting that political parties lodge official complaints with evidence.
This post is part of our Special Coverage Pakistan Votes 2013.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Peru: “Freedom Camp” Raises Awareness of Possible TPP Consequences · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except where otherwise noted]
Activists and internet users in Peru gathered at “Freedom Camp” (Campamento por la Libertad) to participate in a marathon of talks and workshops about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) [en].
The purpose of Freedom Camp was to gather activists, designers, LINUXers, audiovisual artists, attorneys, and communicators together in one place to get them working for a freer, more informed society.
The Camp was held in Lima on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2013, and was organized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation [en], the NGO Hiperderecho, Escuelab and the Asociación Peruana de Software Libre (Peruvian Association for Free Software), four online legal organizations.
This video, which added a bit of rhythm to the overarching theme of Internet freedom, was a focal point in bringing the conference together:
Prior to the Camp, activists for Internet freedom participated in the Festival de Instalación de Software Libre 2013 (FLISOL) (Festival for Free Software Installation 2013) in North Lima. Miguel Morachimo from Hiperderecho spoke about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), its current negotiations, and the next steps in the grassroots campaign. Katitza Rodríguez from the Electronic Frontier Foundation [en], presented on the work of her organization and the importance of the involvement of civil society in discussions about the Internet.
The Camp began with a set of interventions to clarify the various TPP concepts which could seriously affect us, such as intellectual property, freedom of expression on the Internet, and even our own natural resources.
The following video, produced by Julio Gonzáles of Tomate Colectivo, captures a few highlights of these interventions:
Since a majority of the attendees were Internet aficionados, some interesting tools were created at the conference. For example:
There is also a new website, No Negociable! (“Non-Negotiable!”), the response of a campaign organized by an alliance of Peruvian civil society organizations, concerned about the impact that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could have on various sectors. Some of these Organizations are: Red Peruana por una Globalización con Equidad (RedGE) (Peruvian Network for Equitable Globalization); Acción Internacional por la Salud (AIS) (International Health Initiative); Red Peruana de Pacientes y Personas Usuarias (RPPU) (Peruvian Network of Patients and Internet Users); Cooperacción – Acción Solidaria para el Desarrollo (Cooperaction – Solidarity Initiative for Development); Red Uniendo Manos contra la Pobreza; the NGO Hiperderecho (Hyperlaw); and others.
This campaign includes a petition directed to the President of the Republic, Ollanta Humala, which, among other things, points out:
No aceptar condiciones en el capítulo de propiedad intelectual que pongan en riesgo la Internet, nuestra libertad de expresión y nuestra capacidad de investigar e innovar usando el arte y la tecnología.
We do not accept the conditions in the chapter on intellectual property that put the Internet, our freedom of expression, and our capacity to investigate and innovate using art and technology at risk.
There was also a video showing Peruvians expressing their concerns about the implementation of TPP and how this would affect them:
As you can see, people are beginning to organize, and there will very likely be more activity in the days prior to and during the next round of Trans-pacific Bargaining Agreement negotiations, set to take place from the 15th to the 24th of this month in Lima. To continue the conversation on this topic, use hashtag #YaraTPP on Twitter or follow @yaratpp.
Related Posts:
Peru: How Will the TPP Affect Users?
TPP: Biggest Threat to Global Internet Since ACTA?

author: Juan Arellano


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Shanghai Residents Protest Battery Plant Over Potential Pollution · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Hundreds of residents marched along a street on the outskirts of Shanghai on May 11, 2013 to oppose plans for a lithium battery plant, marking the country’s second protest in a week over potential environmental pollution.
Earlier this week, Global Voices reported on a similar protest in the western city of Kunming, where thousands of people gathered in protest of a chemical refinery that the local government plans to build.
Several thousand miles away to the east, in the Songjiang district of China’s financial hub Shanghai, angry protesters ventured out on a weekend with banners in hand, and one goal in mind—to drive out any plant project that could damage their livelihood.
Residents worry the lithium plant would cause heavy metal pollution in an area that provides much of the drinking water to the city of 20 million.
Images circulating on the Twitter-like website Sina Weibo showed a presence of uniformed police and many protesters punching their fists in the air while chanting slogans.
Residents marched along a street on the outskirts of Shanghai on May 11, 2013 to oppose plans for a lithium battery plant. (Image from Sina Weibo)
Prior to the Saturday’s protest in Shanghai, online activism already began to build at the end of last month, resulting in sporadic protests in the city. A Youtube video purportedly shot on May 1, 2013 showed large deployment of police trying to disperse people who gathered on the street. One police officer shouted via loudspeaker that “it’s illegal to demonstrate”.
China’s decades of breakneck economic growth has benefited the growing middle class, but public health is reeling. A study by the Health Effects Institute and several other partner organizations, including the World Health Organization, found that 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010 in China were linked to air pollution.
With environmental problems only getting worse in the country, the affluent and Internet-savvy middle class in China has become more vocal about pollution in their backyards thanks to burgeoning social media on which they air their grievances, despite frequent online censorship.
That means the government sometimes can’t look away in the face of mounting public pressure.
In a move to appease the angry public, the Songjiang district government had issued a notice on its official Weibo account on April 29, saying it decided to cancel all production activity in the plant, despite an earlier announcement that the plant will be safe.
Many netizens, however, remain skeptical. Some consider it as a stalling tactic by the government.
“Wojiao Qinshou Buru” from Shanghai wrote [zh] on Weibo:
#国轩电池厂#什么叫取消生产环节？真当人傻阿？
#Guoxuan battery plant# What does it mean to cancel the production? Do you think we are stupid?
“Mimi Dingdong”, who moved to Shanghai five years ago, vented [zh] her frustration with government indifference:
五年前我为了家庭梦来到这里–上海松江，印象里一直认为上海是个国际化城市，公开公正，只要 凭着自己的努力一定可以在这里开始属于自己的美好生活，我努力了，终于实现在上海买一套属于自己的房子，可是天意弄人，房子还没交，得知松江引进了国轩， 看着老老小小的民众奔走，政府却无动于衷，特失望！
I came here five years ago for a family dream—Songjiang in Shanghai, in my impression, Shanghai has always been an international city known for its fairness and justice, as long as people work hard, they will have a good life, I've worked hard, and I have bought an apartment in Shanghai, but it's unfortunate that we have learned about the Guoxuan project, even though we haven't got the apartment yet. People young and old took to the street, but government just turned a blind eye, I am very disappointed!
“C Zongzhuang Huoxing” described [zh] the scene of the protest:
“国轩滚蛋，还我绿色松江”今天的松江中山路有数千人在呐喊。真不知道区政府和市政府的领导们听到有何感想。把这么一个毒的厂弄到上海，这是对上海千千万万人民于不顾。这要影响上海几代儿孙啊!
“Guoxuan get out of here, give me back my green Songjiang” Thousands of people chanted on Zhongshan Road of Songjiang, I don’t know how the district and city government will react after they hear this. To build such a toxic plant in Shanghai is to discard the interests of millions of people in Shanghai. It would have repercussions for generations of our grandchildren!
“Gigi Xiaoxiniu” called for [zh] more action from every Shanghai citizen:
大家转起来，国轩滚出上海，滚出松江！
Please repost, everyone, Guoxuan get out of Shanghai, get out of Songjiang!
“Nununi” touched [zh] on family history as a reason to protect the area:
这是我曾祖母和曾外婆小时候生长的地方，经历改朝换代历史冲刷，依旧宁静美丽。我要捍卫它，尽我的绵薄之力! 作为土生土长的松江人，大家团结起来，抵制污染，让任何有潜在污染的企业从这片净土上滚出去! ——回应今天看到的松江区关于国轩电池厂的新闻发布
This is where my great-grandmother and my grandmother spent their childhood, time has gone by but it still retains its beauty and tranquility. I must try my best safeguard it! As Songjiang locals, we need to unite, and boycott pollution, we have to drive out any enterprises that might pollute!—My response to the news briefing on Guoxuan battery in Songjiang district today.

author: Owen Guo


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Wikipedia to Appear in Shughni · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

“Good news Pamiris,” writes [ru] Bektour Iskender, President of Kloop Media, a Kyrgyz news portal and blogging platform. “Wikipedia has provided permission to begin a version of the site in Shughni.” Shughni is one of the main languages spoken in Gorno Badakhshan province (GBAO), a remote, eastern part of Tajikistan dominated by the Pamir Mountains. Iskender helped local internet users file the request to create a Shughni section of Wikipedia following a new media training session in Khorog, the province's administrative capital, over two years ago. “Now begins the small matter of realizing [Wikipedia in Shughni]. But I can't help there, since I don't know a word of the language,” he says.
Shughni is one of several dialects in the Pamiri language sub-grouping, a branch of the Farsi linguistic tree that also includes Tajikistan's state language, Tajik. Tajik already has a growing Wikipedia presence, with 10,864 articles, more than Turkmen (4,765), but less than Kazakh and Kyrgyz, (both around 25,000) and far behind Uzbek (120,882). Non-state languages spoken in post-Soviet Central Asia, such as Uyghur, fare less well (2,924), and the Shughni Wikipedia project faces an additionally daunting task since the proportion of the Pamiri community that can still write in the language is quite small. Still, Shughni-speakers aiming to revive the language in its written form will be hoping that where there is a Wikipedia, there is a way.

author: Chris Rickleton


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‘What Else Do the Chinese Want?’ Election Headline Enrages Malaysians · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

A Malay newspaper owned by the country's ruling party, which narrowly won last week's elections thanks in part to the ethnic Chinese community voting for the opposition, ran with the headline ‘apa lagi Cina mahu?’ (what else do the Chinese want?), immediately causing backlash from many Malaysians.
BN or Barisan Nasional is Malaysia's ruling party which has been in power since the 1950s. Pakatan is the Opposition coalition. BN won in the recent election although it lost many seats in the Parliament; and there are allegations that it committed electoral fraud to remain in power.
Following the announcement of the results of the 13 general election in Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak coined the term ‘Chinese tsunami’ to refer to the voting trend of the ethnic Chinese community, saying that ‘the polarisation in this voting trend worries the government. We are afraid that if this is allowed to continue, it will create tensions’, and called for a ‘national reconciliation process’.
The headline is about the reported frustration of the incumbent administration over the apparent support given by Chinese voters to the Opposition despite the implementation of programs and reforms intended to benefit the Chinese community in the past years. Some analysts think it irresponsibly reinforce the racist idea of “blaming the Chinese for dividing Malaysia.”
At the end of the day, it has nothing to do with the Chinese, Malay or even the Indian tsunami. Yes the number of Chinese turning up and voting for Pakatan was higher than before. Are you going to blame them for that? Where it says that the Chinese (or any Malaysians for argument sake) have to vote for BN only? What a bunch of sore losers! It’s a fact that Pakatan could not have gained more votes using Chinese votes alone.
A copy of the controversial headline of Utusan Malaysia which was widely shared on the internet
In particular, the topic has been popular on Twitter using the hashtag #ApaLagiCinaMahu, albeit mostly used to mock.
@ChqminMataPecah valid question to BN: how can you provoke the chinese wins, when you always mentioning on unity of malaysian? #apalagicinamahu–is it?
@MalaysiaForAll #black505 The crowd wont be this big if not for najib's ‘Chinese tsunami’ & utusan's #apalagicinamahu Rakyat is truly angry with racist umno
@hwabeng My ancestors came 2 Msia 700 yrs ago with Hang Lipo,Hang Tuah & his bros,when did yours came 2 Msia 2 ask me #ApaLagiCinaMahu ?
@teohjitkhiam Waitwait! I'm still compiling my wants list, goddamnit. #ApaLagiCinaMahu Sheesh. And I thot Santa Claus was picky abt being naughty & nice.
@charmainelynn Why separate us by race? Take a look at yourself,your policies,and your cronies and corrupt government,before you blame us. #apalagicinamahu
Haris Ibrahim, posted this picture on his blog which probably reflects the sentiment of many Malaysians:
Junah clarifies that BN lost also the support of many Malays in the last elections:
Too much time has already been wasted upon thinking of what the Chinese want. It is not what more the Chinese want, in fact, its what the Malay wants all along.
As a conclusion if the Chinese doesn't want to be represented by the Malay so does the Malays.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Anonymous Hacks North Korea Again · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Hacker collective Anonymous appears to have launched another round of attacks on major North Korean websites over the weekend. A guideline on targets and tools of ‘Operation North Korea Second Project’ was shared via Pastebin, North Korea tech explains in detail.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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‘Black 505’ Post-Election Rallies Spread in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Opposition-led ‘Black 505’ rallies are spreading in Malaysia. On May 8, 2013, tens of thousands gathered in Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, to protest the outcome of the recent election which gave the administration coalition a slim majority.
Three days later on May 11, another massive rally was organized in Penang which was attended by more than 80,000 people. In Ipoh, 30,000 joined a similar protest. Rallies were also held in Kedah and Perak.
‘Black 505’ refers to the May 5 General Election which was tainted by allegations that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition committed massive electoral fraud to remain in power. BN lost in the popular voting but it still retained majority of the parliament seats. BN has ruled Malaysia since the 1950s.
Thousands of Malaysians dressed in mourning black gathered to denounce the elections. Photo by firdaus jongket, Copyright @Demotix (5/11/2013)
Susan Loone observed the ‘Black 505’ rally in Penang:
Quite surprisingly, 85 percent of the multiracial crowd were young men and women, who came as early as 6pm, arriving in cars and motorbikes, carrying various party flags and banners, blowing their plastic vuvuzelas noisily in the packed stadium
Penang-Boy sees hope in the presence of young people in the rally:
I am very happy to hear that 85 percent at the rally were young Malaysians. It gives me hope that what we may not achieve now will be achieved by them. We need to change, to be truly Malaysians. Ubah!
Appum urges the government to discard race politics
I think the BN government should sit up and take note of the large crowd and do something more positive than keep harping on race.
The commenter might be referring to the remark of the Prime Minister who blamed Chinese voters for the loss of several administration candidates.
Supporters hold placards denouncing election results. Photo by firdaus jongket, Copyright @Demotix (5/11/2013)
Using the hashtag #black505, we get the views of some Malaysian twitter users:
@Sandeep_D7 The rally yesterday was yet another spectacular one. The voices & spirit, just unbelievable.Penangites, we rock! #ubah #black505

@NuratikahRose I'm wearing black today even tho I'm not gonna join you guys. Supporting you guys from home!! #Black505

@simtzetzin Visit morning Markets, many wear BLACK & will go Stadium Batu Kawan tonight! Rakyat rising up to protest dirtiest Election
@atinjiha91 Expressing your anger won't change anything. Let's unite together to form a better nation.

@NgConnie #black505 and you, making our bond even stronger. not chinese/ malay/ indian bond. its the bond between Rakyat. it's us.
Malaysian students in Melbourne also organized a solidarity protest
Commenting on the video, TrainerStory urges protesters to respect the majority opinion:
please respect the majority of Malaysians who voted for the govt to continue its transformation agenda and I still respect the opposition who won Penang, Selangor and Kelantan.
Sincerely,a Malaysian who loves peace,progress and 1Malaysia.
Joanne Rachel Jankins was inspired by the ‘Black 505’ rallies:
This was the day that a lot of Malaysians participated in #black505. A talk to show our fight for democracy, to be a part of the protest of our 13th General Election here in Malaysia.
During that event, we were advised to wear black as a sign of our dying democracy here in our country. A sign of protest too. The amount of people who went was just truly amazing.
At such big events, we would usually find people pushing, drivers honking and asking us to move out of the way but no. Everyone helped each other and give in for others to walk. There were no signs of pushing or impatient acts.
Indeed it was a fantastic sight to see people gathered, just for the sake of our country's clean future.
The view from top on protest rally ‘blackout 505′ in Penang. Photo by Ahmad Zikri Mohamad Zuki, Copyright @Demotix (5/11/2013)
ongtkhow explains why he didn’t participate in the rally despite his support for a change in Malaysian politics:
…allegations of electoral fraud should be channelled through the appropriate institutions, i.e. Courts of Law. However, tainted they may be or perceived to be such, those institutions are all we have at the moment.
…rallies are doomed to fail, as momentum fizzles out quickly, message lost, incurring only public condemnations at the end.
…. We have got to keep our faith in the sanctity of Constitution. We have got to keep our faith in the reformation of the System of Government, the reinstatement of the checks and balance amongst the four pillars of Government, the Agong, the Executive, the Parliament and the Judiciary

author: Mong Palatino


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Interview: Chadian Blogger and Journalist Expelled from Senegal to Guinea · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

[All links forward to French-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
Senegalese authorities have expelled Chadian journalist and blogger Makaila Nguebla, an opponent of his country's President Idriss Déby [en] who has ruled Chad for more than two decades, to neighboring Guinea after refusing to grant him political refugee status.
Nguebla, who was living in exile in Senegal's capital city of Dakar since 2005, was deported on May 8, 2013. He settled in Senegal after being arrested in Tunisia in 2005; thanks to international pressure, Tunisian authorities did not deport him back to Chad, as he explains in this YouTube video:
Global Voices had the opportunity to interview Nguebla by phone after he was expelled. He began by telling the story of his transfer to Conakry, the capital city of Guinea:
Mes ennuis ont commencé le lendemain du départ du ministre de la Justice tchadien Jean-Bernard Padaré au Sénégal où il était venu rencontrer les autorités en vue du procès de l’ancien président tchadien Hissène Habré. Jean-Bernard Padaré a rencontré le ministre de la justice et chef de l’état sénégalais seul sans la présence d’aucun autre officiel tchadien. Il a quitté Dakar le dimanche 5 mai. Le lundi 6 mai, la Division de la surveillance du territoire sénégalaise (DST) me convoque pour le mardi 7 mai à 15H. Je me rends à la convocation en présence d’Amnesty International Sénégal à qui il est demandé de quitter les lieux. Je reste donc seul avec eux.
Ils me mettent dans un avion pour Conakry dans la nuit du mardi au mercredi. Une « maman » me voyant pleurer durant le vol me prend sous son aile : elle m’aide à passer les formalités de police une fois à Conakry – les autorités sénégalaises n’avaient pas informé leurs homologues guinéens. Je suis actuellement logé chez cette dame dans les mêmes conditions que les Guinéens : coupures d’électricité le soir et connexion internet avec une clé qui marche à peine.
Makaila Nguebla (MNG): My troubles began the day after Chadian Minister of Justice Jean-Bernard Padaré left Senegal where he had come to meet the authorities in connection with the trial of former Chadian President Hissène Habré. Jean-Bernard Padaré had a private talk with the minister of justice and the Senegalese head of state without the presence of any other Chadian official. He left Dakar on Sunday, May 5. Monday, May 6, the Surveillance Division of Senegal summoned me to their offices for Tuesday, May 7 at 3 p.m. I went to the appointment accompanied by members of Amnesty International Sénégal who were asked to leave. Therefore, I remained alone with them. They put me on a plane to Conakry on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. A “Mama” who saw me crying during the flight took me under her wing. She helped me through the police formalities once we arrived in Conakry–the Senegalese authorities had not informed their Guinean counterparts of my arrival. I am currently staying with this lady and I live in the same conditions as the Guinean people: power cuts in the evening and Internet connection with a key that barely works.
Global Voices (GV): How would you explain that Senegal, who has never expelled any political protesters, gave in so easily on something that looks like pressure from the Chadian authorities?
: Le conflit au Mali a donné une nouvelle autorité à Idriss Deby, notamment parce que l’armée tchadienne est la seule à connaître parfaitement le terrain et la seule des armées africaines à être en mesure de soutenir effectivement l’armée française. De plus, grâce à l’argent du pétrole tchadien, Idriss Deby a pu contribuer au financement de la campagne de Macky Sall au Sénégal. Dans les négociations sur le dossier Hissène Habré, il est demandé que l’on me livre aux autorités tchadiennes. J’ai été arrêté en Tunisie en 2005 je ne dois qu’à la pression internationale de ne pas avoir été expulsé vers le Tchad.
MNG: The conflict in Mali [en] has given Idriss Deby a new weight, especially due to the fact that the Chadian army is the only one to perfectly know the ground and the only African army able to effectively support the French army. In addition, due to the money earned with the Chadian oil, Idriss Deby was able to support financially [Senegal President] Macky Sall‘s [en] campaign when he was running for president. During the negotiations on the Hissène Habré case, it was requested that I should be handed to the Chadian authorities. I was arrested in Tunisia in 2005. I owe it to international pressures that I wasn't deported back to Chad.
GV: Do you feel safe in Guinea?
: Non. J’ai rencontré le Ministre des droits de l’homme de la Guinée qui m’a dit qu’il ne peut pas garantir ma sécurité dans le contexte actuel de son pays. Depuis plusieurs années, la Guinée traverse une période difficile. Les élections législatives n’ont pu se tenir après les dernières élections présidentielles. Et il y a depuis plusieurs semaines des manifestations de l’opposition.
MNG: No. I met with the Guinean Minister of Human Rights and he told me that he could not guarantee my safety in the current context of his country. For several years now, Guinea has been in a dire situation. The general elections could not be held following the last presidential election. And there have been opposition protests [en] for several weeks now.
GV: You told me earlier that you are staying with the lady that you met on the plane. But where do you stand when it comes to your administrative status with the Guinean authorities?
: Ce matin [samedi 11 mai], accompagné de membres du Conseil National des Organisations de la Société Civile Guinéenne et du HCR, j’ai pu introduire une première demande de statut de réfugié.
MNG: On Saturday, May 11, escorted by some members of the National Council of Organizations of the Guinean Civil Society and of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I was able to proceed with an initial application for political refugee status.
Meanwhile, the Senegalese blogosphere called for Nguebla's return to Senegal, especially on Twitter under the hashtag #FreeMakaila. Cheikh Fall, the blogger behind citizen media monitor Sunu2012, rallied behind Nguebla:
Non seulement ceci constitue une atteinte aux droits de Makaila Nguebla qui n’a aucune attache en Guinée et s’est construit sa vie au Sénégal depuis 8 ans, mais ceci est une atteinte à la liberté d’expression de tous les Sénégalais : si les autorités commencent à livrer des opposants aux régimes dictatoriaux, elles n’hésiteront pas à s’en prendre à leurs propres opposants sur n’importe quel prétexte.
Not only is this a violation of Makaila Nguebla’s rights who has no tie to Guinea and has built his life in Senegal for the past eight years, but this is an attack on freedom of speech for all Senegalese: if the Senegalese authorities are starting to deliver opponents to their dictatorial regimes, they will not hesitate to go after their own opponents under any pretext.
The Senegalese government issued a statement three days after Nguebla was expelled through its spokesman, saying:
Sa présence était simplement tolérée. Mais sous certaines conditions : qu'il s'abstienne de faire un certain nombre de choses et de déclarations que le gouvernement sénégalais estime contraires à sa volonté de vivre chez nous.
His presence was merely tolerated. But under certain conditions, to refrain from doing a number of things and statements that the Senegalese government considers contrary to his desire to live among us.
African Twitter users quickly responded. Fall (@cypher007) noted:
@cypher007: « Situation irrégulière, Présence tolérée sous conditions … » Depuis quand un statut pareil existe au #Sénégal?
@cypher007: “irregular situation, presence tolerated under certain conditions …” Since when does such a statute exist in #Senegal?
User “wirriyamu2011″ (@wirr2011) theorized in a series of nine tweets that the Senegalese government has deliberately unsettled Nguebla for eight years in order to be able to pressure him if necessary.
BBC journalist Yacouba Ouédraogo (@Bambyam) replied to one of those tweets, referencing former leader of Chad Hissène Habré, whose rule was characterized by widespread atrocities but was allowed to live in Senegal for years after he was deposed:
@Bambyan: Quand on a offert le gîte à Habré et à mains ensanglantées, on peut continuer à “tolérer” un parleur.
@Bambyan: If you offered Habré a shelter despite the blood on his hands, you can go on “tolerating” a talker.
Several Twitter users also noted that the government spokesman [en] ironically holds the position of Minister of Good Governance and that this former journalist who had been abused under former President Wade is reduced to defend shameful practices.

author: Anna Gueye


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Chilean Michelle Bachelet’s Bid for Presidency · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Center-left coalition leader and former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet looks for a second Presidential term, focusing on themes of inequality, universal education, and tax reform. But have lessons been learned from the previous coalition terms?
This is how Upside Down World's Matthew Owens starts an extensive analysis on Michelle Bachelet's bid for the Chilean presidency in the 2014 elections.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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China: Report on Sexual Assault  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Patrick Lozada and James Griffiths from Shanghaiist explained on the findings of a report that found that around 50 percent of Chinese men admit to sexually assaulting their partners:
In publishing our original post, and this follow up, we are not seeking to demonise Chinese men […] Domestic violence is a serious issue in China, but one that the government has long dragged its heals on and shown little inclination to deal with.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Is Ukrainian Right-Wing Blogger Eligible for the Bobs 2013 Award? · Global Voices
Oleg Shynkarenko

Ukraine was having a trouble-free debut at this year's The Bobs, Deutsche Welle's international blogger contest, until Olena Bilozerska's Ukrainian-language LiveJournal blog won 46 percent of user votes and became the User Winner in the Best Blog Ukrainian nomination.
Bilozerska's victory turned sour and a scandal ensued in the UaNet soon after Ukrainian journalist Mustafa Nayyem, a member of The Bobs’ international jury panel this year, announced [uk] the results of the contest on his Facebook page. Andriy Manchuk, editor-in-chief of the left-wing Ukrainian online publication Liva.com.ua, contacted [ru] Nayyem almost immediately, alerting him to Bilozerska's views on certain political and social issues, and expressing concern that she had been chosen “to represent Ukraine at ‘a global blog contest’.”
A screenshot of Olena Bilozerska's award-winning blog entry at the Bobs website.
Manchuk claimed that Bilozerska was using her blog to cover the activities of Ukraine's ultra-right activists and organizations, and that she herself shared ultra-right views. In his letter to Nayyem, Manchuk quoted from Bilozerska's blog [uk] to support his claims.
[…] I consider the action correct and necessary. I am not sure if, as a result, some of the foreigners will understand that they are guests here, that they do not own the place, but maybe they will, at least, give it some thought.
[…] [Jedem das Seine!] Seriously and without jokes, though, about my attitude to [black people] – it's all simple. I am neutral to those of them who don’t live in Ukraine. Those who live here are a real threat to Ukraine. But at the present stage of historical development, this threat is far from being the main one. When a bear is pushing its way into your house, it is not time to poison the mice.
By the way, I'll say something provocative now: monuments to Hitler will be erected. Of course, not in Kyiv, but somewhere in Berlin.
A well-known Ukrainian left-wing activist Oleksandr Volodarsky (aka shiitman; more on him in this GV post) supported Manchuk in his blog post [ru] entitled “Liberals, Bloggers, Nazis”:
[…] One must not collaborate in any way with Nazis and racists, even with “moderate” racists. […] And even a blind and deaf idiot knows that Bilozerska has earned her journalistic capital by being a mouthpiece for the ultra-rights. […]
On May 11, Manchuk launched a web petition [ru], urging Deutsche Welle to revoke Olena Bilozerska's victory at The Bobs:
[She] advocates racist and other anti-democratic discriminatory views, which is strictly forbidden by [the contest’s rules] and offends Ukrainian bloggers and other Internet users.
So far, nearly 460 people have signed this petition.
Bilozerska’s supporters have started an alternative web petition [uk], which now has nearly 380 signatures:
[…] two or three people, who have been biased against Olena for a long time, have launched a dirty online campaign against her […]. […] Olena vehemently opposes the current regime, she works for the revival of independent Ukraine, and the information agency “Next to You,” which she heads as the editor-in-chief, collaborates with well-known human rights organisations in Ukraine. […]
Nayyem wrote [ru] that he had already contacted Deutsche Welle about Bilozerska's case and the official position would be announced as quickly as possible.
Bilozerska herself noticed the scandal only on May 10 and posted this response [uk] on her blog:
[…] Obviously, they hope that I will start making excuses now. There's no way I will, of course. I state clearly who I am in my LJ profile: “An independent journalist with right-wing views, who is not affiliated with any party or organization.” I have never changed or hidden my views. Naturally, I'm neither a Nazi, nor a fascist. Moreover, I believe that either there are no Nazis or fascists in modern Ukraine – or I know nothing about their existence. […]
Later, Bilozerska added a few words about Manchuk and the rest of her opponents:
[…] The rats are late! They must have ratted on me earlier, when my blog just got into The Bobs finals.
Now I am the winner, no matter what happens next.
If the DW management decides not to annul the contest’s results, the rats will eat dirt and understand that they have done some [promo] work for me gratis.
If they do decide to annul, the reputation of the contest's organizers will suffer, whereas mine won't. Because those who know and read me will continue to know and read me, and there'll be even more of them. Another loud scandal will take place, and journalists will write about it, and I will not pay a penny for [the publicity] again :) […]
One of the problems with Bilozerska's case is that for the past three years she has been something of a Ukrainian freedom of speech suppression symbol. She features regularly in journalists’ rights statements on Ukraine, including those issued by the Reporters Without Borders and GV's Threatened Voices project. The Ukrainian media, too, use Bilozerska's reports relatively often. All this makes it more difficult to find the right solution for this right-wing journalist/blogger's case.

author: Oleg Shynkarenko


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Japan’s Pregnancy Handbook Plan Forgets Men  · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

To counter the dropping birth rate, the Japanese government is proposing compiling a handbook with information on pregnancy and family planning to educate teenage girls on the subject. This plan to distribute the so-called “women's handbook” has been met with criticism by women's groups, which argue that the issues of pregnancy involve both men and women.  A group called All Japan Obachan Party [ja] released a statement [ja] on Women Handbook in Kansai dialect:
何にしても、ちょっとなんでもかんでも「女性」に押し付けすぎと違いますやろか？「男性」は何してくれはりますのや？　そんなんで、「女性活用」が「成長戦略」になるんかいな？(略) 出産でけへんかったら「女」とちゃいますのか？

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Kyrgyzstan Celebrates, Debates Victory Day  · Global Voices
Bermet Zhumakadyr kyzy

Just over 68 years ago on May 9, 1945, Nazi Germany capitulated, marking the end of World War II. Victory Day on May 9 is a national holiday celebrated vibrantly in many former Soviet countries, including Kyrgyzstan. This year the celebration and commemoration of the day also generated a lot of online activity, with Kyrgyzstani Internet users registering frustration that the country's “true heroes” were remembered only once a year, and that the holiday has now turned into an excuse to get drunk.
Parades on the main square, speeches of thanks, receptions, concerts and fireworks are broadcast on national television every May 9, honoring the people that gave their lives in the fight against fascism. Victory Day was not always celebrated with such pomp, however. In fact, May 9 parades and festivities were not institutionalized across the Union until 1965, when Leonid Brezhnev gave the order to mark the 20th anniversary of the end of the war.
As of 1993 it has been estimated that over 26 million Soviet citizens perished during the struggle subsequently referred to as the Great Patriotic War. While the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic was a long way from any front, both Kyrgyz and Kazakh soldiers played a key role during the battle for Moscow, as part of the famous 8th Guards Panfilov division, who have gone down in Soviet folklore as the Panfilovtsi.
Many netizens expressed their gratitude to those who fought against Nazism and lauded their heroism. On a local news site, Vecherni Bishkek, Я помню я горжусь (I remember I take pride) wrote [ru]:
Спасибо деду за Победу! Слава Ветеранам! […]
Thanks for the victory elder! Bless the veterans!
Alankoenaliev expressed his gratitude [ru] on Instagram:
Спасибо за победу! С праздником!
Thank you for the victory! Happy holiday!
Sanjar Abakirov,meanwhile, thanked [ru] the heroes on a special public Facebook page set up to commemorate the day:
Вечная память героям, Вечная и безграничная благодарность ветеранам.
Eternal remembrance of the heroes, eternal and limitless gratitude to the veterans
People at the monument to the fallen soldier. (Image from kloop.kg,used with permission)
But the remembrance was not without politicization. On April 2010, unrest erupted in Kyrgyzstan, resulting in the overthrow of then-president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and the death of over eighty people. Families of the dead were given $20,000 each and in many cases, free flats. Pensioners in the republic, including those that fought in the war, collect an average monthly pension of just over $100. The elevation of participants in the April 2010 overthrow to ‘hero’ status was noted bitterly by many netizens on May 9.
Я помню я горжусь wrote [ru]:
[…] P.S почему называют героями Апрельской революции и выдают им квартиры а ветеранов вспоминают только 9 МАЯ
By the way, why do they call the April revolutionaries heroes and give them flats while they only remember veterans on May 9?
A satire blog “Fairy Tales from Heavenly Beshbarmakia” on the local news outlet Akipress penned an allegorical post in time for the celebrations. The post describes [ru] battles between egocentric politicians, now dead and represented by personal monuments. [Note: Beshbarmakia is a fictional name the blog uses for Kyrgyzstan. Beshbarmak, meaning “five fingers” is a traditional Kyrgyz noodle dish].
Про каждого, кто хоть что-нибудь из себя мнил в Бешбармаикии, были в этой комнате фигуры и статуи. Ночью они оживали и перепирались между собой — кто из них круче и кого больше должна ценить Бешбармакия. Дело обычно доходило до оскорблений, драк и митингов. Склока была нескончаемой.
Anyone who had ever thought anything of themselves in Beshbamrmakia had statues of themselves in that room. At night the statues would argue between themselves – who among them was the coolest and whom had Beshbarmakia appreciated the most. Things usually led to insults, fights, and interminable political rallies.
The post ends [ru] with a description of the modest monument to the Unknown Soldier:
И только один памятник, далеко в углу, всегда молчал и никогда не участвовал ни в склоке, ни в общем хороводе самомнений. Остальные по сравнению с этой фигурой были просто пластиковыми пупсиками. То был памятник Неизвестному солдату.
And only one statue, far away in a corner, was always silent and never participated in the squabbles and the posturing. The rest, by comparison with that statue, were just sad, plastic dolls. That was the memorial to the Unknown Soldier.
Аленка commented [ru] on the allegorical post:
Спасибо нашим ветеранам низкий поклон им. Но просто бесит, что им дарят конфеты, макароны и 1000 сом, позорище такое.А апрельским революционерам квартиры, деньги и т.д.
Thank you, our veterans, we bow to them. But it really irritates me that [the state] gives them sweets, macaroni and 1,000 som – what a disgrace. And the April revolutionaries get given flats, money, etc
Songs are sung during May 9 celebrations. (Image from kloop.kg, used with permission)
While politicians make promises to improve the lives of the veterans in the near future, Internet users insist that the veterans should be treated as heroes every day.  Under an article on a popular Russian language news outlet, Lika wrote [ru]:
Надо ветеранам ежемесячно помогать финансово, а не по праздникам только
We should be helping the veterans financially every month, not only on holidays
Another comment reads [ru]:
Через 2 года возможно уже не кому будет помогать((( Нужно делать сейчас
It is possible that in 2 years there will already be no-one to help ((( We need to [help] now
Every year the veterans get fewer. (Image from kloop.kg, used with permission)
Many of the countries celebrating Victory Day announced a four-day long holiday starting from May 9. For some, this was interpreted as a 96 hour window to get pie-eyed. While some netizens considered alcohol a vital part of the celebration, others were critical of the mass inebriation.
Bektour Iskender commented [ru] on Kloop.kg's Facebook plug-in:
Страшно представить, в какой дикий четырёхдневный запой уйдут некоторые кыргызстанцы в связи с предстоящими длиннющими выходными.
Horrific to think in what wild manner some Kyrgyzstanis will celebrate this upcoming extension of the holiday.
By the morning of May 9, Natalya Glazirina had already found out. She twitted [ru]:
@natalinatal1996: сейчас гуляла,и с болкона какой-то мужик пел песню “день победы”.пьяный-жуть)праздник ЧЁ)
I took a walk and saw that from his balcony some completely drunk man was singing the song “Victory Day”. Holiday, WHAT)
But veterans aren't beyond a bit of a drink and knees up either. Here they toast each other with plastic cups of “Front '50”, a vodka specially made for the celebration of Victory Day. (Image from kloop.kg, used with permission)

author: Bermet Zhumakadyr kyzy


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Popular Chinese Writer’s Microblog Scrubbed from Sina Weibo · Global Voices
Abby Liu

The online Sina Weibo microblogging account of Murong Xuecun, one of China's most popular writers and one of the country's foremost critics of censorship, has been deleted from the site, suspected to be part of the government's efforts to crack down on online rumors by targeting high-profile users.
Murong's account, which had more than 1.1 million followers, was taken down from the Twitter-link website on May 11, 2013. His writing as well as his microblogging discusses social issues in contemporary China such as corruption and media censorship.
Many speculated the deletion had something to do with the government’s recent plan to squeeze the popular microblogging site's verified users with millions of followers, known as “Big V’s”. The reason behind going after these users is a desire to crack down on online rumors, as the State Internet Information Office announced on May 2, 2013, due to a recent protest in Beijing.
The move has triggered outrage among Murong's followers. Many have changed their account name into “Murong Xuecun second generation” or “Murong Xuecun third generation” to show support. One Murong Xuecun fan club emerged on the same day his Weibo account was deleted, offering updated information about Murong. The fan club wrote [zh]:
Murong Xuecun talks about his unrelated Sina Weibo censorship experiences in Dalian in July 2012. (A screenshot from youku)
禁了一个慕容雪村，会出现千千万万个“慕容雪村”，这就是自由的力量。慕容新号“平原东方朔”。
Block one Murong Xuecun, and thousands of “Murong Xuecun” will appear. This is the strength of freedom. Murong’s new account is “Pingyuan Dongfangshuo”.
Ex-Google China chief Kai-Fu Lee shared Murong’s old posts with Weibo users from freeWeibo, a blog that keeps track of censored content on Sina Weibo:
李开复：遗体在墙外
His remains are outside of the wall.
Wang Yiqing, a journalist from Hainan Daily, updated [zh] Murong’s status on Weibo：
刚刚和@慕容雪村 通了个电话，他声调一如既往平稳，说他在三大门户网站开的微博都被永久封号。好在没有人身危险，也没有放弃抗争。
Murong himself used another Weibo account “Pingyuan Dongfangshuo” without a “V” for verified to express his thanks to his followers:
我时常批评那些恶劣的习惯、丑陋的风俗，但这片土地和其上的人们依然可爱，我还没来得及为他们做点什么的，就已经有无数人为我挺身而出。感谢每一位仗义声援的朋友，感谢你们为我所冒的风险、所受的侮辱，无论大V还是小V。那些依然在嘲讽的，我没有理由记恨； 那些伸出热情之手的，我将铭记在心。
Weibo user “Qiji Jianshen Yuqian” wrote [zh] about that the deletion of Murong's account was a terrible loss to the site:
今天有些恍惚，上微博时赫然发现，慕容雪村已被销号。我看过慕容的大多数书籍，对他的微博几乎从不遗漏。在国内，良心和冷静并存的作家并不多，懂法且愿意身体力行的作家就更少了。再见，慕容，我也会离开微博一段时间了，因为，这个世界恍惚了。今夜，请将我遗忘.
Today I was surprised to find Murong Xuecun’s account was deleted. I have read most of his books, and almost never missed his microblog. There are not many writers with both conscience and calmness in this country, even less for those who have some knowledge about the law and are willing to practise. Goodbye, Murong, I will leave microblogging for a while, because this world is still unenlightened. Tonight, please forget me.
Former New York Times research assistant Bao Beibei commented [zh] on the potential greater impact of this move to censor Murong：
普利策写过，如果将国家比喻成一艘船，记者就是船上的暸望者，可以及时预警前面的急流险滩。不光是记者，我觉得时评员和写社会题材的作家都可以归为暸望者一类。撤下一个暸望者，并不会减少船撞上礁石的可能，只会削弱船上其他人对礁石的警惕性和反应能力。致@慕容雪村
Pulitzer wrote that if the country is likened to a ship, reporters are the ship's lookout who offers timely warning before the rapids. Not only reporters, I think commentators and writers who write on social themes can be included in this category. Removing one lookout will not reduce the chance of the ship hitting a reef, but it may reduce the vigilance and ability to respond to the reef for those on board. For @Murong Xuecun
“LiWu-Mingri Hulianwang” expressed [zh] his disappointment with a microblogging site without Murong:
LiWu-明日互联网: @慕容雪村 阵亡。意味着微博上有真知灼见的博主已经全军覆没，微博对于我个人的价值将大幅降低，而指望微博推进社会进步已经越来越式微。
@Murongxuecun was “killed”, which means bloggers with insights have been annihilated. Microblogging has substantially reduced its value to me. The expectation for microblogging as a way to promote social progress has been weakened.

author: Abby Liu


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Save Lhasa, Tibet from Destruction · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

High Peaks Pure Earth has published Elliot Sperling's translation of prominent Tibetan writer, Woser's recent blogpost urging the world to save Lhasa from being turned into another tourist shopping mall.


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South Korean President’s Spokesman Sacked Over Sexual Assault Allegations · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The spokesman of the South Korean president, Yoon Chang-jung, was fired on May 10, 2013 over allegations that he sexually assaulted an embassy intern during the president’s high-profile trip to the United States.
This unprecedented diplomatic fiasco stayed at the top of internet searches on major South Korean portals for two consecutive days and spawned heated discussions, even anger, on a variety of social networking sites.
The case first broke on Missy USA, a community website for Korean women living in the US. A screen shot [ko] of one Missy USA's users crying out for help quickly spread online, and within a strikingly short period of time, lead to the firing of one of the most powerful officials in the administration.
Intense online discussions followed, mostly angry rants against the spokesman, as well as numerous parody photos that subsequently went viral. The comment section of the book review page for Yoon's book “Citizens Ruin Politics” was likewise inundated with sarcastic comments.
Photoshopped/Padody image of Yoon grabbing female buttocks. Author of the image unclear (Image spread without acknowledging of the author). The Yonhap News watermark was attached by the unknown author as a way to mock Yonhap's recent photoshop fiasco.
Yoon's comically hurried escape from the US, as well as complications caused by the fact that the victim is a US citizen raised the profile of the case to unexpected heights.
Some reports even re-enacted Yoon's runaway [ko] in detail and wrote that as soon as Yoon realized the severity of the situation, he took a cab to the airport, without packing his things, and fled to South Korea.
Since the victim is believed [ko] to be a Korean-American, legal issues may arise as to the jurisdiction in which he will be judged. According to a local news report [ko], Yoon can technically be judged in both courts; the alleged crime took place on US soil, so the case is now being investigated and prosecuted according to US law, which follows the territorial principle.
But it is technically possible that the investigation will move to South Korea which is governed by the nationality principle. Several online commentators have stressed that Yoon needs to be brought to trial in the US, in a system which is believed to be more harsh to sex offenders and less likely to be influenced by Yoon's power.
@francesco_js: 한 50년 정도만 때려도 창중이는 미쿡 귀신이 되겄네.그랬으면 좋겠다.자국민을 상대로 창녀네 종북이네 하던 미친 새끼가 그렇게 되어야 그나마 작은 희망이라도 생길거 같다.
@francesco_js: I really wish U.S court to sentence Chang-jung to long prison terms (like 50 years), so he would eventually [die in the cell] and turn into a ghost haunting the prison. Only after I see this crazy dude gets enough punishment, I would be able to have hope again. After all, he used to call his own people ‘whore’ and ‘pro-North’[North Korean sympathizers]. [*click this link for explanation on Yoon's ‘whore’ and ‘pro-North’ remarks]
A Twitter user called Roh Jeong-tae (@JeongtaeRoh) came up with a creative solution that would solve both Yoon's case and dispel public discontent on the relatively light punishments received by American soldiers who committed crimes in South Korea – by exchanging courts. His tweet was retweeted over 536 times.
@JeongtaeRoh: 성범죄 저지르고 미국으로 토낀 주한미군 범죄자와 윤창중을 교환함으로써 양국이 서로 각자의 법 체계를 존중한다는 것을 확인하고 한미동맹을 더욱 공고히 다지는 계기로 삼으면 좋겠다.
@JeongtaeRoh: By exchanging U.S. soliders who committed crimes in South Korea with Yoon Chang-jung who ran away [from U.S police] after his sexual assault, the two countries could acknowledge mutual respect on other’s legal system, and use this as a chance to straighten the alliance between the two countries.
Yoon, an extreme right-winger, is a controversial figure even among conservatives and has constantly drawn sharp criticism for his harsh, defamatory attacks on liberals. Initial reactions to the incident seemed to confirm old fault lines with many saying it came as “no surprise” [ko]. One tweet read:
@sjs1205jazzboy: 창중이가 발목에 이상한거 달고 다니게 생겼네~ 어찌 뇌가 좀 이상하다 싶어 불안했는데 역시 폭탄이었어![…]
@sjs1205jazzboy: Chang-jung will now start wearing a weird device in his ankle [referring ankle bracelet for sex offenders]. I was bit worried as it seems he has a very dysfunctional brain, and as expected, he turned out to be a human bomb.
Many users pointed out that such revelation were only possible [ko] because the crime took place outside the country and spread quickly over social media. The tweet below has been retweeted over 245 times:
@WainUnions: 웃긴 얘기지만, 피해 여성이 “미국 시민권자” 여서 정말 다행이라고 생각합니다. “한국 국적자” 였으면 아마 과거가 다 까발려지고 막 옛날에도 남자들에게 꼬리치고 다녔고 그날도 같이 술을 마시면서 동의를 했니 어쩌니 하고 넘어가려 했을텐데.
@WainUnions: This may sound ridiculous, but I think it was a bit of a relief that the victim was “U.S. citizenship holder”. If the victim were Korean, they would have just covered up the case by unearthing and spreading every detail about her past [private life] online, to claim that she was one who used to flirt with guys and she may have consented while drinking with him.
On the other hand, some extreme right-wing groups have conjured up conspiracy theories in defense of Yoon, to which users like @SeokhyungLee and @AngelinoKim reacted by saying:
@SeokhyungLee: 윤창중이 음모에 걸린것같단다.미시usa는 종북단체 란다.인턴여성은 이정희의사주를 받아 창중이를 음모에 빠트렸단다.ㅎㅎ일베놈들 대단하다[…]
@SeokhyungLee: Some claim that Yoon has been trapped in a conspiracy plot and the Missy USA site is a ‘pro-North’ (North Korean sympathizer) group. And the female intern (the victim), was directed by the mastermind Lee Jung-hee (progressive, female politician) to trap him. What a theory, those Ilbe (name of the extreme right-wing site) freaks. Lol.
@AngelinoKim: 지금 윤창중 관련 칼럼에다 “젖가슴도 아닌 겨우 엉덩이다”라고 한 모 보수성향 매체 편집위원이란 사람, 직업이 ‘중학교 교사’랍니다…이건 뭐 살다살다 별…” 어느 학교 중학교 교사인가요? 알립시다!!!
@AngelinoKim: A columnist in one conservative media outlet, wrote in a column that “it was not even bosoms, but merely butts [that Yoon grabbed]”. That columnist is found out to be a ‘junior high school teacher’. What the heck is going on here? We need to find out and notify others in which school he teaches.
Other online commentators lamented the fact that sexual assaults by powerful politicians are quite frequent.
@nemomaru: 도망 창중의 역겨운 짓거리가 놀랍고 믿을 수 없어 참담하지만…이런 일이 여전히 아무 죄책감없이 흔히 일어나는 일 임이 더 참담한 일이다.
@nemomaru: The ‘runaway’ Chang-jung’s disgusting deed is just unbelievable and deplorable. But what is more lamentable is that such things still happens without the assaulter feeling any guilty about it.


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‘Syria Untold’: The Storytelling of the Syrian Revolution · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

More than two years into the Syrian uprising as the battle continues on the ground, a new outspoken and creative Syria has emerged after decades of isolation and silence. From strikes to sit-ins, from creative songs and banners to countless citizen demonstrations, daily resistance against tyranny carries on, largely uncovered by mainstream media.
For a few months, I have been working with a group of Syrian journalists, writers, programmers, and designers based in Syria and abroad on a digital media project focusing on telling the story of the Syrian revolution. We are now ready to launch Syria Untold.
Our project combines content aggregation from social media and information collected and shared by grassroots activists with original content created by our team. We have two versions, English and Arabic.
We will focus on the story of the uprising through grassroots campaigns, civil disobedience, art, and creativity. The story of the voices that do not usually get covered by mainstream media. The story of the daily resistance that continues despite increasing militarization on the ground and despite the regime's attempts to silence every form of citizen expression. We want to highlight these voices and help others understand them in context.
Syria Untold will be partnering with Global Voices Online. Syria Untold posts will be edited by Global Voices editors and translated by volunteer translators, as part of GV's interest in highlighting citizen voices and grassroots initiatives.
We will need everyone's help to make this happen, so stay tuned for #syriauntold!
http://www.syriauntold.com/
About Syria Untold:
Syria Untold is an independent digital media project exploring the storytelling of the Syrian struggle and the diverse forms of resistance. We are a team of Syrian writers, journalists, programmers and designers living in the country and abroad trying to highlight the narrative of the Syrian revolution, which Syrian men and women are writing day by day. Through grassroots campaigns, emerging forms of self-management and self-government and endless manifestations of citizen creativity, a new outspoken Syria has emerged, after decades of repression and paralysis. With mainstream media focusing increasingly on geostrategic and military aspects and less on internal dynamics developing on the ground, we believe there are many aspects of the Syrian struggle that remain uncovered, many stories that we would not like to see forgotten. Welcome to the stories of daily resistance and creativity. Welcome to Syria Untold.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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‘Not Just About Writers’: Talking with NGC Bocas Lit Fest Founder  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

It has been about two weeks since the 3rd annual NGC Bocas Lit Fest ended in Trinidad and Tobago and readers, writers and litbloggers alike only just seem to be coming down from the literary euphoria. Blogger and journalist Lisa Allen-Agostini, who was one of a handful regional writers shortlisted for a key prize, called the festival “a great gift to our country and our region”.
This, of course, only made Global Voices want to chat even more with the founder and director of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, the indefatigable Marina Salandy-Brown, about how her germ of an idea has now evolved into the biggest literary festival in the Anglophone Caribbean.
NGC Bocas Lit Fest Founder, Marina Salandy-Brown, looks on as author Monique Roffey is presented with the 2013 OCM Bocas Prize; photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission
Global Voices (GV): Congrats on the third year of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest! What would you say were the highlights of this year's event?
Marina Salandy-Brown (MSB): Hosting the Caribbean leg of the Edinburgh World Writers Conference that brought our region into a global conversation about the role of literature. It showed that while the questions of 50 years ago remain relevant, the focus has changed. This is important for our writers spread across a diaspora but all looking to stay connected through literature.
Having a unique and rich blend of extraordinary writers such as Olive Senior, Irvine Welsh, Marina Warner, Pankaj Mishra, Robert Antoni, Ian McDonald, Teju Cole, Earl Lovelace, Hannah Lowe, Kerry Young, quite apart from all the ones long listed and shortlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize, sharing the same space and engaging with one another and their readers. No other regional or international festival would offer that particular gift assortment.
The inaugural Bocas Henry Swanzy Award for distinguished service to Caribbean Literature commemorates someone who played a distinct and valued role in the development of our literature. Too many people labour behind the scenes and do not get recognition. We are pleased to acknowledge Swanzy's role annually and are also delighted that John La Rose and Sarah White were the first recipients. The work New Beacon Books did from the 1960s to now in publishing, editing and promoting our literature and intellectual life is unrivalled.
The launch of Carib Lit to provide online resources for writers, publishers and readers in the region who have always lacked access to them and the news coming out of the work of this literary action group (established just a year as a joint Bocas, British Council and Commonwealth Writers initiative) that a new Caribbean imprint is a distinct reality.
It is important to reward excellence as much as it is to groom it. The OCM Bocas Prize for the best Caribbean book of the previous year, the Hollick Arvon Prize for emerging writers, and the announcement of a new prize for writers of young adult literature – the Burt Award, made all our hearts sing. Together, they cover a broad spectrum of writers. Prizes are confirmation for writers but the very judging process brings attention to the work of all the writers who enter, not only the ones who win.
Olive Senior, image by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
GV: Why is Bocas an important event for Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region?
MSB: The festival is a great event but it also only one aspect, albeit an important one, of the Bocas project. It is the shop window for our work, which focuses on our literature reclaiming the place and position it has lost to the competing interests of music and Carnival. The festival is a T&T affair, done in our style and drawing on our resources, but it is inclusive of our region and wherever our people live. It is also not just about writers, it is about readers and those interested in what books have to say, not just how their authors say it.
GV: What makes Bocas different from other regional litfests like Calabash (the genre's regional originator), and those in St. Lucia, Cuba and Antigua?
MSB: The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is different in the range and variety of its programme. The month-long Children's Festival that culminates in a parallel 4-day festival on the same site is not replicated anywhere else. We have a strong enabling element to the festival, so that our workshops on all matters related to creative writing is also unique. We offer a full film programme, open mic, discussions, lectures. We showcase new talent, written and spoken [word] too. We involve everybody – booksellers, artists, performers, musicians. This is a festival of more than the written word.
A cross section of the crowd at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest 2013, photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
GV: How has Bocas used new and social media – web presence, Facebook, Twitter, blogs – to promote and add value to the festival? What kind of impact has it had?
MSB: The Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference sessions were streamed live to dozens of foreign countries and the degree of participation was extremely high. Social media was integral to those sessions and it proved very effective in bringing Trinidad and Tobago to the attention of people around the world who share the same interests but did not know about us. They were actively able to add their voices to the debates.
We could not not have a blogger! We blog to get the news out, that is the new front page. We tweet too. Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting that has sold over 1 million copies (and the film of the same name is a watershed film – which he introduced [at Bocas]), has a huge Twitter following and he was tweeting for weeks before about coming to Port of Spain. That alone would have helped locate us on the map. We also follow writers on Twitter.
Using Facebook to promote events, especially ones of particular appeal to a younger audience such as the open mic and spoken word events, was essential. A large part of the population no longer gets news from traditional sources. The new technology allows us to track our patrons and informs us of the impact we are having. This is critical for futre planning.
Writer Earl Lovelace at the 2013 Bocas Lit Fest, photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
GV: In what ways do you think Bocas is having an effect on writing and reading in the region?
MSB: We are trying to awaken and rekindle an interest in our literary output and to make it possible for the very many people who are writing, unsupported and unknown, to feel part of a community that is large and growing and to become part of an established literary world where they can hone their craft, get their books published and get their work out there to readers using all the means that are at our disposal.
We want to create excitement and optimism around the business of writing for oneself and others, of discovering and creating a “new” literature while drawing from the canon and the oral traditions. Creative writing is not just for pleasure. Publishing fiction, non-fiction and poetry are an industry and for our work to be taken seriously we must take ourselves seriously and benchmark ourselves against the best. The festival provides a forum for that talent and a marketplace for buyers, creators and consumers of this sort of produce.
Barbara Jenkins, winner of the inaugural Hollick Arvon Prize, photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
GV: Where do you see the future of the festival going? What's on the cards for next year?
MSB: One of the important lines of discussion that has come up is how are we to become better readers? Writers need good readers but they too must be good readers. In fact, good readers make better writers. This is an area that Bocas sees as fertile for development and we are exploring ways of how to achieve this. We tried last year to start that part of the project but failed to get funding. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we have better luck this year.
Apart from this, we have no plans to change much but we are flexible and things have a way of emerging. We are keeping our ears wide open to hear what people say, our eyes are open too to espy developments and to play a part in helping those along. Working with others to achieve mutal objectives is part of our mission so we will be expanding our partnerships as we go forward.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ukraine’s Freedom Party Crusades Against Gay Pride Parade · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An attempt to hold Ukraine's first gay pride parade is meeting resistance from a member of the country's far-right All-Ukranian Union “Freedom” party who is organizing anti-equality events to coincide with the march on May 25, 2013.
A previous attempt to organize a gay pride parade failed in May 2012, when the event was cancelled shortly before it was to begin and one of its organizers, Svyatoslav Sheremet [ru], was beaten by a group of masked men. Judging from the online reactions that began to appear as soon as the upcoming Equality March was announced [uk] in the Ukrainian media at the end of April, things may not go very smoothly this year as well.
On Facebook, the pro-Equality March event [uk, ru], created on April 30, has slightly over 120 users who have signed up to attend, whereas one of the anti-March events [uk, ru], created on May 10 by a member of one of the parliamentary opposition parties, already has 195 potential attendees.
The latter event – “Let's Stop ‘Gay Propaganda'!” – is the initiative of Oleksandr Aronets, a Kyiv-based member of VO Svoboda (which, ironically, translates as the All-Ukrainian Union “Freedom”). This far-right party won over 10 percent of the vote in the Oct. 28 election, becoming the fourth largest political force represented in the Ukrainian Parliament, with 37 seats (a GV text about it here).
On April 30, Aronets began his anti-Equality March campaign with this Facebook post [uk]:
“The equality march in defense of the gays” will not take place in Kyiv! Very soon, Ukrainians will start preparing to resist the attempts to impose these perversions on us! Resistance will take place on all fronts, physical as well as intellectual! Politicians as well as public figures, writers, the clergy and ordinary Ukrainians will stand up against it, arriving from all over [Ukraine] to Kyiv to defend the traditional family values! Liberal fascism shall not pass! […]
Nearly two weeks later, the discussion of Aronets’ post still continues. There are now over 700 comments, and while many of them are about the upcoming Equality March, there are plenty of those that address VO Svoboda's aggressively paternalist stance as well. Below is a small selection of these comments.
Ivan Spryn wrote [uk]:
[…] Aren't you sick and tired of shouting slogans left and right? “Shall not pass!”, “liberal fascism!” […] These constant cliches and slogans aren't doing you any good, but are instead equating you to the communists who never did anything but yell, “let's fulfill the five-year plan in three years!” It's time to outgrow demagoguery and start doing your job quietly.
Igor Nezgodnyj mentions [uk] VO Svoboda's recent legislative initiative to ban abortions in Ukraine (GV text is here):
I've noticed one thing: the worse the situation in the country is, the more [VO Svoboda] is attacking women – proposing to send them to jail for seven years for abortions – as well as gays and lesbians and others – those who aren't as scary and dangerous as [President Viktor Yanukovych]. […]
Andrew Gizhko wrote [uk]:
One should defend family values in one's own family. If they are endangered by a peaceful gay rally, then they are not values, but an imitation [of values].
Olena Skripka wrote [uk]:
And why aren't you saving Ukrainians from drug addiction and alcoholism? Are gays really Ukraine's biggest problem?! And in general, are they a problem to anyone? Maybe it would be better if you set up sports facilities [in Kyiv's districts of Troyeshchyna and Borshchahivka]? Or you could at least come over [to these districts] to see how many young people are ruining their lives. [Instead], you act like thugs.
Viktoriya Kozlova wrote [uk]:
[…] Don't you feel you're wasting the trust of those people who voted for you in the last election? There are enough real problems in the country, but you, just like the Russian government, are re-orienting the public attention to gays… […]
Timur HappyBoy Levchuk wrote [uk]:
Looking at the comments, I have only one question: doesn't […] VO Svoboda realize that most voters expect truly high-quality and useful actions from them […], not some pathetic populism?
Nataliia Mamitko wrote [uk]:
Ukraine faces many problems in various areas (medicine, economy, education), corruption and chaos are everywhere, and yet VO Svoboda has decided to fight the country's greatest evil – the gays… You didn't have to go to Parliament for that, let alone the fact that it's a violation of human rights.
Aronets chose to reply this [uk] to Mamitko:
[…] Propaganda of various perversions is a violation of human rights!
Viktoriya Kozlova attempted to reason [uk] with Aronets, reminding him that he was making statements on behalf of the political party that many Ukrainians put their trust in last fall, and Aronets, in his turn, reminded her [uk] that VO Svoboda had never been a gay-friendly force in the past:
Viktoriya, where were you one, two or three years ago? Every year we put up resistance to perverts, and we aren't making a secret of it! So don't tell me that “some people put their trust in us”…
Journalist Kateryna Avramchuk wrote this [uk] about VO Svoboda's choice of opponents:
Don't you think that the real perversion is when people like [President Yanukovych, First Vice PM Serhiy Arbuzov and PM Mykola Azarov] are in power, and not homosexuality? You'd be better off if you paid a visit to [Yanukovych at his Mezhyhirya residence] and “put up resistance on all fronts” to that pervert who is hiding behind the fence there… […]
Aronets replied [uk] to Avramchuk, rehearsing the points he later elaborated on in the lengthy manifesto [uk] posted on the anti-Equality March event page:
First, they'll “just take a walk,” the way it was in Europe, too…, then they'd like us to give them the right to get married, then the right to adopt children, then they'll be setting churches on fire! (the way it was in Norway), and then they'll be filing criminal lawsuits, the way it happened with one priest who was reading the Bible… I don't know what will happen next, but I don't want them to “just take a walk” in Ukraine…
Aronets’ comments sound almost tolerant compared to some of what people write on the anti-Equality March event page. But since it's an open venue, peaceful voices are heard there as well every now and then. Olha Chayko wrote this [uk], for example:
Why beat anyone? I've always suspected that overly aggressive people, who condemn something [theatrically], definitely have something shameful about themselves to conceal… [And those tools that can be turned into improvised weapons would serve much better at summer houses in the countryside.]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
24 Untranslatable Expressions · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

If languages are living beings, it would be correct to talk in plural and think of each of the existing languages in the world as a unique species […]. Therefore, each language has its own expressions that, proudly, present themsleves as untranslatable to other languages […].
Website PijamaSurf [es] lists 24 untranslatable expressions [es] to other languages with their Spanish explanation.


text:
Blogshops are Popular in Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Lucas Chua writes about the blogshop phenomenon in Singapore. A blogshop is an online fashion store that uses a blog. In Singapore, four of the country’s ten most-searched stores are blogshops.


text:
Brazilian Boy Band Tour Continues Despite Rape Indictments · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
Despite nine members of the ‘pagode’ [en] boy band New Hit being indicted for the gang rape of two sixteen-year-old girls, the group has continued with its national tour regardless. Meanwhile, the victims have become virtual prisoners under the protection of the Program to Protect Children and Adolescents Under Threat of Death (PPCAAM) following threats made by the band's family and fans.
The Public Ministry [en] of the federal state of Bahia has prosecuted the group's crime along with the complicity of a police officer for his part in covering up the episode. The case took place on August 26, 2012, in the Brazilian Northern town of Ruy Barbosa [en]. In October last year, the band were released from jail after 38 days following the court granting them habeas corpus rights.
The trial began in February this year and was postponed until September due to the non-attendance of two defence witnesses. The defendants pleaded a case of consensual sex at the first hearing, while the victims focused on describing the manner in which the violence was committed. The girls’ testimony was corroborated by medical evidence authenticating that rape had taken place as well as the testimony of the police who first assisted them straight after the event. Brazil is now a country torn in two as protests are mounted both for and against the group.
The website Portal Pagodão comments that the band's shows have attracted more than 10,000 over the past few days:
Apesar de toda a polêmica envolvendo a banda num caso de estupro, os meninos da New Hit, provaram que ainda tem grande reconhecimento do público por onde passa, como em shows nas cidades de Teresina (PI), Caxias (MA) e Timon(MA) no último final de semana. [13-14 de abril]
Despite all the controversy surrounding the band's involvement in a rape case, the boys of New Hit have shown they can still pull in the crowds wherever they go, with gigs in places like the city of Teresina [en] and the and the towns of Caxias [en] and Timon  [en] last weekend. [April 13-14]
Meanwhile, the Facebook page New Hit-Acreditamos na INOCÊNCIA deles [New Hit – We believe in their innocence] has more than 900 followers. Its sister page Fc New Hit Fo Rever posted the following comment this month:
Eu choro! Choro de felicidade Ao saber que estar tudo voltando ao normal , Choro de felicidade , emoção , ao saber que a agenda dos meninos está linda e maravilhosa , com grandes show's pra fazer!… é incrivél como depois de todo esse acontecido eles continua com esses sorrisos lindos no rosto… Mais quando Deus quer é assim , e a justiça ta sendo feita …. Porque a justiça de Deus nunca falhará ♫♪
I'm crying!  Sobbing with tears of joy – knowing that everything's getting back to normal , Sobbing with joy, excitement, safe in the knowledge that the boys are getting on with their lives in such a beautiful and wonderful way, with so many mega shows still to perform!…  It's amazing that after all that's happened, they can still carry on with such beautiful smiles on their faces… But when God wills it so, so it is, and justice will be done….  Because God's justice can never fail ♫ ♪
On the flipside, the Facebook page Repúdio ao New Hit: Acusados de Estupro [pt] [Disown New Hit: Rapists On Trial] has almost 7,000 followers and constantly posts anti-band and pro-victim comments. The page encourages people to speak out and stick up posters in the cities where the band is touring.
Repúdio ao New Hit posters have been shared almost 500 times on Facebook
Following the band's gig in Recife, the capital of the federal state of Pernambuco [en] on April 21, a surge of comments erupted on the venue's Facebook page. Here's Talitha Aguiar‘s take:
Mulher paga meia e ainda ganha um estupro coletivo de graça! Que promoção hein, Espaço Aberto! Suas filhas, mulheres, amigas também vão participar dessa super promoção???
Women get in half price and can still get gang-raped for free! What a deal, eh, Espaço Aberto!(venue's name)? Your daughters, wives and girlfriends can still get this special offer!!!
Vívian Andrade Martins says:
Bonito, heim? Patrocinando banda de estupradores… bonito.
Até onde o dinheiro pode levar vocês? Qual é o próximo passo? Patrocinar banda de pedófilos?
Lovely, eh?  Sponsoring a band of rapists… lovely.  Where will money go to next?  What's the next move?  Sponsoring a band of paedophiles?
In March this year, the band gave shows in Fortaleza, the capital of the federal state of Ceará [en], that were marred by protests. The feminist blog Marchamulheres by Marcha Mundial das Mulheres [Women's Worldwide March] analysed the issues as follows:
Enquanto os acusados fazem shows pelo Brasil afora, as duas adolescentes, que, além de terem sofrido violência sexual, foram ameaçadas de morte, encontram-se afastadas do convívio social e com suas liberdades cerceadas. Isso é inadmissível, pois retira a condição de vítima das adolescentes culpabilizando-as pela violência sofrida, já que os acusados estão em liberdade.
O caso New Hit traz à tona um debate importante: a incorporação da “cultura do estupro”, ou seja, quando há um incentivo ao crime e à culpabilização da vítima através de músicas, peças publicitárias, novelas, piadas humorísticas etc. O show, que vai acontecer [ocorreu] no dia 31 de março, a barraca Master Beach, na Praia do Futuro, em Fortaleza, é um exemplo objetivo dessa cultura.
While the defendants continue to tour throughout Brazil, the two teenagers, who, besides having suffered sexual violence have been threatened with death, find themselves removed from society and their freedoms curtailed. This is unacceptable, because it takes away the teenagers’ victimhood and blames them instead for the violence they have suffered; meanwhile the accused roam free.
The New Hit case raises a critical issue: the incorporation of “rape culture” – when crime is incentivised and victims are blamed through songs, advertisements, soap operas, crass jokes etc. The show which is due to be performed [was performed] on 31 March at the Master Beach venue in Praia do Futuro in Fortaleza is a paradigm example of this culture.
Posters and graffitti mark out the protest in Fortaleza, Ceará Photograph: Laryssa Sampaio/Marcha Mundial das Mulheres
Due to public pressure, particularly from social networks, some shows have been cancelled. The band halted their shows in cities like Salvador [en] on 21 October last year, Aracaju  [en], Maceió [en] and in the town of Serrinha [en] in January this year, the latter seeing protests led by the Women's Movement of Serrinha. Another concert on April 30 in the town of Nilo Peçanha, in the federal state of Bahia, would also be cancelled according to a representative of the federal state of Bahia, Luiza Maia and the Urban Planning Secretary of Nilo Peçanha, Carlos Azevedo. The band's management, however, has denied they were contracted to play this show.
The group Marcha Mundial das Mulheres, who has held protests in different cities in Bahia, in front of the  Fórum venue in Ruy Barbosa on the day of the trial last February. Photograph: Repúdio ao New Hit: Acusados de Estupro
Other forms of protest against New Hit organised by the Marcha Mundial da Mulheres group from their base in Bahia includes the “escracho” (escrache) [en] outside the summer home of the band's vocalist, Eduardo Martins, in October last year. The group also went to the city of Ruy Barbosa during the hearing in February this year. The two teenage victims sent this letter in recognition of the support they have received from the feminist activists from the group Negra Zeferina (black woman Zeferina), the Repúdio ao New Hit: Acusados de Estupro group and a representative of the federal state of Bahia Luiza Maia:
Ei Meninas,
Como vocês sabem esses últimos seis meses não foram fáceis pra nós. Por causa da nossa coragem tivemos que abrir mão de muita coisa. Estamos longe da nossa família, de amigos e sem meios de comunicação.
Então aproveitei a oportunidade para agradecer a cada uma de vocês que saíram de suas cidades, de suas casas para vir até Ruy Barbosa nos dar força, mostrar que não estamos sozinhas e que temos que seguir esta batalha. Em vários momentos eu cheguei a mim (sic) culpar, a desisti de tudo. Mas sempre lembramos que não estamos sozinhas. Temos todas vocês nos apoiando e lutando junto com a gente.
Obrigado por cada palavra de conforto.
A todas vocês, Negras, Zeferinas, Repúdio, Deputada Luiza Maia e todos que estão a gente.
Beijo!
Vítimas da New Hit
Hey Girls,
As you know these last six months have not been easy for us. We have had to give up so much for being courageous. We are far from our family, friends and without means of communication.
So I've taken the opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have left their cities and their homes to come to the town of Ruy Barbosa to give us strength, to show us that we are not alone and that we have to go on with this battle. At times I've started to blame myself, to even think of giving it all up. But we always remember that we are not alone. We have all of you supporting us and fighting alongside us.
Thank you for every word of comfort.
To all of you, black women, Zeferinas, Repúdio, representative of the federal state of Bahia Luiza Maia and everyone else.
A kiss!
The Victims of New Hit

author: Thiana Biondo