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Philippines: Catholic Church Offers Online Rituals · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Philippine Catholic Church has been actively using the internet to fulfill its evangelical mission. In recent years, it has launched several online platforms which allowed Filipinos around the world to celebrate Christian traditions.
For example, Visita Iglesia gives Catholic Filipinos the opportunity to watch and listen to Lenten reflections. More importantly, they can pray in all Stations of the Cross and listen to Pasyon, a Filipino tradition of reciting the death, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paskong Pinoy sa Mundo (Filipino Christmas in the World) was launched in 2010 for the Christmas celebrations
Paskong Filipino sa Mundo ay isang website para sa global Filipino. Ang tanging layunin nito ay makapagbigay ng pagkakataon sa ating mga kababayang magpalitan ng mga pagbati at magbahagi ng mga karanasang kapupulutan ng aral.
Sa website ding ito, mapapanood ang mga pagninilay na tugma sa lahat ng araw ng Simbang Gabi. Marahil ito ay makatutulong sa ating mga kababayang nasa pook na walang Misa o kaya’y naglalayag sa karagatan o di kaya’y kasalukuyang may karamdaman.
Filipino Christmas in the World is a website for the global Filipino. It’s only aim is to give opportunity to all Filipinos to exchange Christmas greetings and share stories and lessons in life.
Through this website, Simbang Gabi (Midnight Mass) video homilies can be watched. This can be helpful to Filipinos living in places where there is no Mass or travelling in the seas or currently suffering from an ailment.
Church in Bohol Island. Photo from Flickr page of besighyawn
Simbang Gabi is another Filipino Catholic tradition which is celebrated a week before Christmas Day. The Inquirer Group, a mainstream media network, has offered an Online Simbang Gabi service. The church of Monsignor Rolando Dela Cruz is a partner of this initiative:
The Web coverage of the dawn masses will be good for those who don’t have a chance to personally go to church as well as for the Filipinos all over the world
It will be appropriate for the people who don’t have a chance to go to church, or if there are no churches in countries where Christians are a minority
We are providing them with the avenue by which they can still participate and spiritually prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus on Christmas day
The online Filipino can participate in the Simbang Gabi but the frequent mall shopper can’t, warns the Archdiocese of Manila
Simbang Gabi may not be celebrated in malls or shopping centers, unless there is a chapel in the establishment, where the Holy Eucharist is celebrated with frequency and duly approved by us. We do not allow Simbang Gabi to be celebrated in corridors and hallways of shopping malls where the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is needlessly exposed to shoppers that are indifferent to the celebration.
Archbishop Ramon Arguelles delivering a homily
Catholic bishops and priests are also blogging to spread the Faith. Junjun Faithbook reflects on the meaning of the Christmas celebration:
I drove passed the city this morning and I can see how busy the streets are. I can see Christmas signs and symbols everywhere, but it made me wonder, is Christmas in everyone’s hearts. It made me wonder what really is our motivation of celebrating Christmas? Is it because it is a holiday? Is it because of the time catching up with friends and relatives? Is it because of the presents we give and we receive? Or is it because of our faith in God-Incarnate, the God who chooses to be personally identified with our humanity in order to save us and lift us up from our fallen humanity?
Fr. Amado Picardal asks if it’s still meaningful to celebrate Christmas amid poverty, destruction, and violence everywhere:
Is it possible to celebrate Christmas amidst tragedy, suffering, poverty, violence, etc? Can we have a Merry Christmas when we do not have enough money? When we do not have enough food? When we are sick?
Christmas is for people who are in the dark, for people who are suffering, for people who are looking for hope. Christmas tells us that God has given us the greatest gift — his only Son who brings salvation into the world, who will overcome all evil — all darkness.
Undas is another important Filipino Catholic tradition when the faithful visit cemeteries and offer prayers for their dead loved ones on November 1. The Catholic Church launched Undas Online to help Filipinos abroad in commemorating this event:
This project has materialized with the following in mind: a) Filipinos who are homebound and have no way of visiting the cemeteries: b) Filipinos who are far from their love-ones, such as those in other countries; c) Filipinos who are seafarers.
Catholic Filipinos can even request for masses:
For those who cannot make it to your parishes, especially Filipinos in other countries or the Seafarers, you may request for masses to be celebrated for your beloved dead. Kindly list down the names of the souls that you wish included in the masses that will be celebrated at the CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) Chapel
Aside from Timor Leste, the Philippines is the only Catholic-dominated nation in Asia.

author: Mong Palatino


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Police Accuses “2channel” for Assisting in Drug Trade · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department sent papers on Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder and former operator of Japan's popular online bulletin board “2channel” [ja] to prosecutors on December 20 2012, accusing him of helping in the solicitation of the narcotics trade, Jiji Press reported.
@Ikalga commented [ja] on Twitter that accusing the former operator for failing to delete comments of an illegal transaction is nonsense:
@Ikalga
Sending papers on Hiroyuki to prosecutors, is like blaming swordsmith for a suspect swinging his knife on the street.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

[All links forward to french articles unless otherwise stated]
These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave of attacks, which has caused significant civilian displacement, has effectively annulled the peace agreements signed in 2007.
Ndélé attacked by the rebellion
On 10 December, 2012 the city of Ndélé was seized by an attack  carried out by the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) :
Une faction rebelle de l'UFDR, dirigée par Michel Djotodia, a pris d'assaut la ville de Ndélé, qui compte 15. 000 à 20. 000 habitants, ainsi que celles de Sam Ouandja et d'Ouadda, situées dans le nord-est du pays (à 200 km de Ndélé), une région où l'armée n'est pas ou peu présente.
Ndélé, carrefour du Nord près de la frontière tchadienne et par où passent de nombreux convois entre le Soudan et le Cameroun, avait été le théâtre d'affrontements violents entre différentes rébellions et l'armée entre 2007 et 2010
A UDFU rebel faction, led by Michel Djotodia, seized the city of Ndélé (which has between 15,000 to 20,000 residents), as well the cities of Sam Ouandja et d'Ouadda in the country's north-east (200km from Ndélé) – a region where the army is practically non existent.
Ndélé, a northern junction near the Chadian border passed through by convoys travelling between Sudan and Cameroon, saw violent clashes between different rebel groups and the army throughout 2007 and 2010.
The Research Network on Peace Operations (ROP) has reported that the army succeeded in retaking control of the city:
Les forces gouvernementales « ainsi que les forces amies ont promptement réagi pour reprendre dans les délais raisonnables le contrôle de la situation et rétablir l'ordre et la quiétude des citoyens », a indiqué le porte-parole du ministère, le lieutenant-colonel Jean Ladawa.
Government forces “as well as friendly forces promptly reacted to re-assume control of the situation within reasonable time and to re-establish order and calm among the citizens”, stated the minister's spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Ladawad.
A Red Cross documentary about the security problems in the Central African Republic:
The Red Cross highlights the risks facing the civilian population. As ICRC representative Georgios Georgantas explains:
“Some people have left their homes entirely, others have stayed but spend only a few hours there each day, as they are afraid of further violence.
The city of Bria under the control of the Séléka coalition
François Bozize, President of the Central African Republic wikipédia- public domain
But the threat is becoming more defined for President Boizizé. On 18 Decembre, rebels from the “Séléka”  coalition took control of the city of Bria. As RFI [Radio France Internationale, fr] reports:
Selon différentes sources, les rebelles ont attaqué Bria à l'arme lourde. Les Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA) ont ouvert le feu sur les combattants qui essayaient d'entrer dans la ville, puis ont abandonné la base de Bria [..] Des sources militaires disent que les rebelles se sont livrés à des pillages de magasins à Bria, et qu'ils ont été suivis de certains habitants qui tentent de profiter des pillages. Les différents combats qui ont eu lieu ont fait au moins 14 morts et des disparus côté gouvernemental.
According to different sources, the rebels attacked Bria using heavy weapons. The Central African Armed Forces opened fire on the combatants as they were trying to enter the city, then they abandoned the Bria base [..] Military sources are saying that the rebels looted several stores in Bria, and that these rebels were followed by certain local residents who sought to gain from the looting. The various clashes that took place left 14 dead and several more missing on the government side.
Afriquinfos adds:
La coalition Séléka a été créée en août par une aile dissidente de la Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP), auteur de plusieurs attaques au nord de Bangui depuis septembre, et la Convention patriotique pour le salut wa kodro (CPSK) du “général” Dhaffane Mohamed Moussa.
The Séléka coalition was created in August by a dissident wing of the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace, the instigator of several attacks north of Bangui since September, and the Patriotic Convention for the salvation wa Kodro of “general” Dhaffane Mohamed Moussa.

author: Rakotomalala


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Syria: Negotiating Defection on Twitter  · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

Following reports that former Syrian spokesman Jihad Makdissi had fled to the US, on 25 December activist Rami Jarrah, also known as Alexander Page, released private Twitter messages that show Makdissi had been in contact with him for months. This could be, as Twitter users have named it, “the first defection negotiation in history.”
On 25 December THE_47th   tweeted:
I think @AlexanderPageSY just had the first twitter defection negotiation in history. Check out his screenshots of his DMs with @makdissi
Makdissi is the most senior member of the Syrian regime to defect since the prime minister, Riyad Hijab, left the country in August. Since the beginning of the revolution in March 2011 and the following the crackdown against demonstrators, Makdissi has worked closely with the foreign ministry and the information ministry. This defection is another big blow to a regime that continues its war against its own population, as shown by the latest deadly airstrikes against Syrians standing in line waiting for bread.
The messages released by Jarrah show conversations he had with Makdissi in July. The first group of messages show Jarrah introducing himself as a Syrian who was stripped of his passport and accused of being a foreign agent. Makdissi replies:
In the following messages Jarrah shares his story on how he had to flee Syria and asks Makdissi:
In the following DMs (Twitter direct messages), Jarrah´s shares his will to fight not only dictatorship but also any foreign attempts to profit from instability in the country:
The following messages show the same narrative the Assad administration has used for decades to justify the need to rule with iron fist and put stability above everything else. Contradictorily, Makdissi also emphasizes the “need to stay away from violence and support dialogue”:
On another conversation on 21 July, Makdissi shares his lack of trust on the Syrian opposition:
On the last message Jarrah shares, Makdissi says he will take his recommendations into consideration:
Jarrah has told Global Voices Online that he has a record of other conversations with Makdissi. What will the former spokesperson´s role be from now on? Twitter users have expressed concern that he may have gone from serving Assad to serving the CIA. Kindakanbar tweeted:
From serving Assad to serving CIA, Makdissi is in Washington according to guardiannews Syria http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/24/syrian-official-us-intelligence-agencies
Rami Jarrah is this year´s winner of the CJFE International Press Freedom Award. The rest of his conversation with Jihad Makdissi can be seen here.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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A Comic Book Superhero With a Kyrgyz Flavour · Global Voices
Atai Muratbekov

As of March next year, Kyrgyzstan will have its own superhero called Barsbek. Barsbek will be produced [ru] first as a comic, then as a series of cartoon films. According to the author of the graphic novels, Kunai Medetkhan, the main hero's character is taken from a real life person, the popular Kyrgyz dancer Atay Omurzakov. But netizens see another inspiration behind the figure of Barsbek – Spider-Man.
Author Kunai Medetkhan and dancer Atay Omurzakov present initial sketches of Barsbek.
“Barsbek” tells the story of a boy named Atay, who survived many hardships from a young age. At one point, much like his American comic book counterpart, he becomes endowed with a unique super-human strength. But unlike Spider-Man, who owes his agility and dexterity to the arachnid world, Atay becomes Barsbek due to the force of Snow Leopard, an endangered species that is emblematic of the Central Asian region.
Nevertheless, as Barsbek prepares to fight fearlessly with criminals, protect the weak and solve social problems, he has already attracted criticism for being “too American”.
The news about upcoming comics on the first Kyrgyz superhero raised many different opinions among citizens.
On Limon.kg's coverage of the comic's release, one user, True, commented [ru]:
Американщина пошла полная… Люди почему америка для нас эталон а? Почему мы постоянно за Америкой? Теперь и комикс Барсбек… Теперь наши дети будут деградировать еще сильнее… не читать а смотреть картинки.
This is completely Americanized … People, why is America a gold standard for us? Why are we constantly [imitating] America? Now the Barsbek comics … Our children will now deteriorate even more rapidly, looking at pictures rather than reading.
Others, such as user ‘6796’ said the drawings had inspired [ru] them to create their own works.
у меня тоже есть зарисовки, думаю приступить к изготовлению комикса, сюжет конечно у Барсбека однотипная похожую на аналогов Человека-паука и т.д. и т.п. а то что выпускаются и распространяются безвозмездно это классно…
I also have sketches; I am thinking about making comics. Barsbek's story, of course, is similar to its counterparts like Spider-Man etc. But the fact that it is to be produced and then distributed free of charge is awesome…
In Kyrgyzstan the comic book sphere is underdeveloped, but Western comics and Japanese manga are popular among young people. Anime.kg is a site where anime and manga fans can discuss their favorite stories and heroes, and come together to organize anime events and roleplaying games in Bishkek.
But Barsbek has come under fire as an insult to Kyrgyz history as well as a blunt copy of Western comics. Barsbek, after all, was the ruler of the Kyrgyz in Enisei, who kept people united in the face of the encroachment of foreign empires during the 8th century. One netizen, using the name ‘1’, complained [ru] of the improper use of the hero's historical name:
Барсбек это историческая личность, а не мальчик с комиксов. Авторы, вы представляете если бы   российские авторы придумали бы комикс о Грозном или Лермонтове?
Barsbek is a historical figure, not a boy out of comic books. Authors, can you imagine what would happen if Russian authors came up with a comic book about [the sixteenth-century tsar Ivan] the Terrible or [the nineteenth-century writer Mikhail] Lermontov?
On Facebook, Kyrgyz users shared their opinions about an image of Barsbek poised over Bishkek's Ala-Too square.
Barsbek looks out over Ala-Too square, the site of two revolutions in the last eight years. Image by Kloop.kg, used with permission.
Jazi Fleur wrote [ru]:
костюм какой-то непонятный….
His suit is certainly strange….
While Jumgal Amangulov echoed [ru] a recurring concern:
Что очень похоже на человека паука :))
He looks too much like Spider-Man :))
And Symbat Baetova commented [ru] cynically:
Супергерой в образе снежного барса, оба вида предназначены для любования и грёз; внесены в красную книгу. Ни того, ни другого не видать в реальности
A superhero epitomizing a snow leopard – both things are the stuff of fantasies and dreams; one included in the Red Book [a Soviet institution designed to list and protect endangered species], but neither visible in reality.
Meanwhile, Atay Omurzakov, the dancer-hero behind the comic book hero, offered [ru] his support for the project:
Мне очень нравится идея комикса. Я счастлив, что стал прообразом главного героя. Многих ребят у нас воспитывает западный шоу-бизнес, но всегда мечтал участвовать в подобном национальном проект
I really like the idea of the comics. I am happy that I became the prototype for the main character. Many guys here are raised [in the spirit of] Western show business, but I always wanted to participate in some kind of a national project

author: Atai Muratbekov


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Africa’s Tainted Global Media Coverage · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

The #Kony2012 campaign led by the Invisible Children NGO certainly contained a few over-simplifications about Africa. This prompted a counter-campaign #WhatILoveAboutAfrica aimed at rectifying these ‘stray shots’.
The Kony 2012 campaign poster. Public domain
Inaccurate media descriptions of Africa are not a rare phenomenon – even if the comedy of errors has steadily declined over the last few years. The misrepresentation of the continent in the media is not a trivial subject, as Professor Charles Moumouni explains [fr]:
La mauvaise représentation de l’Afrique dans les médias occidentaux n’est ni un
phénomène nouveau, ni un phénomène exceptionnel. Elle fait l’objet de préoccupations depuis les années 1970, notamment dans le cadre des discussions sur le Nouvel ordre mondial de l’information et de la communication (NOMIC). Mais l’image que propagent les médias occidentaux de l'Afrique est d’autant plus préoccupante qu’elle influe négativement sur les efforts de développement de l'Afrique
Poor representation of Africa in Western media is neither a new nor an exceptional phenomenon. It was already a subject of concern during the 1970s, notably in the context of discussions about New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO). But the image of Africa currently being propagated by Western media is all the more concerning as it adversely effects African development efforts.
African media itself, however, is certainly not immune from criticism of this sort. Several initiatives have emerged, in recent years, to help improve the accuracy of African media. The African Media Initiative and Media Monitoring Africa are just two examples.
Here is a summary of the gems, errors and other inaccuracies in global media coverage of Africa and in the African media itself:
Global media coverage of Africa
Canada – RDC:  “Stephen Harper enters Africa's heart of darkness”
This was the title given to a CBC news article concerning the Canadian prime minister's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a summit of the International Organization of the Francophonie. Although the title refers to Joseph Conrad's book, Heart of Darkness, it also evokes an outdated, condescending vision of black Africa as a savage, dangerous land. The article adds:
It's the most wretched country on the face of the earth.
The article makes it seem as though prime minister Harper ought to be given a medal for his courage in visiting the DRC.
Israel – “Sub-Saharan Africans are not rapists”
Slate Afrique explains the context of this original (to say the least) headline [fr]:
Les noirs ne sont pas des violeurs. Tel est le message que veulent faire passer des demandeurs d'asile Africains subsahariens en Israël. Ces derniers sont pointés du doigt par l'opinion publique israélienne à la suite d'un cas de viol très médiatisé, ayant impliqué quatre demandeurs d'asile érythréens en Israël. Pour contrer une stigmatisation des noirs, un centre d'aide aux travailleurs étrangers a aidé des Africains à rédiger des «lettres ouvertes au peuple israélien», rapporte le quotidien israélien Haaretz le 20 mai.
Blacks are not rapists. This is the message that asylum-seeks from sub-Saharan Africa want to make heard in Israel. Israeli public opinion had been pointing the finger at sub-Saharan asylum-seekers after a highly publicized rape trial implicated four Eritreans. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on 20 May that to counter the stigmatization of black people, a support center for foreign workers has been assisting Africans in preparing “open letters to the Israeli people”.
France – Confusion between Guadeloupe and Madagascar for I-télé
The clashes in Guadeloupe between the Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon [note: leading body for trade unions and social movements] and security forces coincided with the most intense political crisis in Madagascar. The two events were so close to each other in time, in fact, that I-télé (a cable-TV news channel in France) compiled the following little montage in which the commentary confuses the events in Guadeloupe with those in Madagascar  [fr]:
USA – DRC: “Orphaned, raped and ignored”
This is the title of an article by journalist Nicholas Kristof about a 9 year-old child that was the victim of gang rape in the DRC. As Laura Seay explains in a translation on Slate Afrique, this article raises several ethical issues [fr]:
Après de violentes polémiques, Kristof posta une réponse sur son blog dans laquelle il promettait de ne pas le refaire, tout en réfutant les critiques affirmant qu’il mettait l’enfant en danger en l’identifiant. Il reconnut cependant qu’imprimer son nom violait la politique du Times, même s’il avait reçu l’autorisation d’une femme qui jouait le rôle de tutrice de l’enfant. Difficile d’imaginer un rédacteur en chef, quel qu’il soit, laisser une telle «bavure» se produire dans un article concernant une victime occidentale de pédophilie.
After several forceful debates, Kristof posted a reply on his blog in which he promised not to do it again – all the while refuting criticism that he had endangered the child by identifying. He recognized, however, that the publication of the child's name violated the policy of The Times, even if he received permission from a woman playing the role of the child's guardian. It is difficult to imagine an editor in-chief that would have allowed for such a ‘blunder’ to occur in an article concerning a Western child-abuse victim.
African media
South Africa – Rape-victim indirectly identified in an October 2012 report
Musa Rikhotso reports that:
A story sourced from Sapa entitled, “Sentence Slashed over rape of Stepdaughter” (The Star, 10/10/2012, p.7). The article names a Limpopo man, whose sentence was reduced from life imprisonment to 1- years for raping his 15-year-old stepdaughter; in so doing, failing to protect the identity of the rape victim.
Senegal – “Senegalese repatriated from the Ivory Coast”
During the height of the crisis in the Ivory Coast, the Walfadjiri-l'Aurore ran the headline “Senegalese repatriated from the Ivory Coast take it out on [President] Wade“:
Page 2 of a Senegalese daily containing an article about the crisis in the Ivory Coast- public domain
Le Post explains that this was an error [fr] because:
justement ces hommes et femmes reprochent au gouvernement de n'avoir pas été “rapatriés” mais bel et bien d'avoir du rentrer par leurs propres moyens.
these men and women criticized the government precisely because they had not been “repatriated” but had been simply required to return by their own means.


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Balochistan Gets a Military Operation On Christmas Eve · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

The Pakistan army has launched a military operation in the Awaran district of Balochistan on Christmas Eve. Apparently the operation was targeting the Tehsil Mashkai of separatist leader Dr. Allah Nazar’s home in Mahi village.
Let us build Pakistan (LUBP) blogs:
Dr Allah Nazar Baloch family was specifically targeted in the action. His aged mother along with other family members mostly women and children are injured. Homes of Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, his brother Safar Khan Baloch along with dozens of other homes are arsoned after looting. They have taken away Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, brother-in-Laws Shah Baig Baloch and Naeem Baloch with many Baloch youngsters.
Tarek Fatahtweets:
Protesters demonstrating near 10 Downing Street. Image by Ruth Whitworth. Copyright Demotix (30/8/2012)
As world celebrates X'mas, Pakistan Army has laid siege to Mashkai in #Balochistan for 2 days with heli-gunships. Help!http://t.co/t9oNYKTx
— Tarek Fatah  ਤਾਰਿਕ  (@TarekFatah) December 25, 2012
According to the Baloch twitterati, the 72-hour long military action targeted the civilian population. The memorial account of Baloch independence icon Balaach Marri continued tweeting the updates on the military operation and death toll. Balaach was killed in a military operation in 2007.
MASHKAY Civilian Death Toll Rises to 31: inc. 12 from same family, women and children mainly targeted in bombardment #BalochistanOperation
— TheBaloch (@BalaachMarri) December 26, 2012
Army smartly chose Dec 25 for Mashkay operation because all Pakistan & India would be busy watching #PakVsInd match. #BalochistanOperation
— TheBaloch (@BalaachMarri) December 26, 2012
#Mashkay is still under siege no local journalist is allowd to visit  area to report the exact number of death toll, #BalochistanOperation
— Archen Baloch (@ArchenBaloch) December 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/Natrani/status/283877223574953984
Let us build Pakistan blogs:
„Mainstream media is busy airing stories on singer Annie domestic issues with her husbands. They know, it will cater more interest than any news about war ravaged Balochistan.”
The incomplete list of civilians killed in the operation is also shared on twitter.
Incomplete list of martyrs & injured in yesterday's military operation by Pakistan Army at Mashkay Balochistan. pic.twitter.com/Ab2GAlZ7
— Borhaan Arifee (@Barifee) December 26, 2012
There are few pictures circulated on social media however the authenticity of these pictures are still not confirmed.
Photo by Sangat Baloch, used with permission
Photo by Sangat Baloch, used with permission
This is not the first military operation by the Pakistan army or the Frontier Corps in Balochistan. However, the Balochistan issue never gets much attention in the mainstream media and political discourse. Baloch twitterati mostly live in exile or tweet anonymously due to security reasons.
Ignorants: –  those who think any military Op  doesn't violate civilians Human Rights – shame on those calling Baloch tweeps liars #Mashkey
— salma jafar (@Chiltan) December 26, 2012
BOMB us, DISPLACE us, ABDUCT us, TORTURE us, KILL us, But at end of the day Balochistan won't be yours. #Mashkay #BalochistanOperation
— Faiz Baluch  (@Faiz_Baluch) December 26, 2012

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Bhutan: Steering Away From Democracy? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhutanomics comments:
In form and structure Bhutan can be called a functioning democracy with elections, elected representatives and democratic institutions, but in terms of practice Bhutan is getting farther away from becoming a genuine democracy.

author: Rezwan


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Brazilian Memes and Internet Culture in 2012 · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

What was the best of the crazy world of Brazilian memes and Internet culture in 2012? One thing is for sure “Brazil can do virals”, says Anna Heim from The Next Web, in an post she wrote in collaboration with Bia Granja, from youPIX.

author: Sara Moreira


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Central African Republic President Isolated as Rebels Close in on Capital City  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

At this point, there is virtually no one left in president Bozize's cabinet. His religious advisors and his sons are the only left to help him in manage a storming crisis that might blow all of them away.
Centrafrique Press Info CPI reacts to the news that rebels are about to seize control of Bangui [fr], the capital city of Central African Republic. The USA have asked their citizens to leave the country [fr] while the UN is only keeping essential staff [fr] in the field.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Come to China During Christmas to Enjoy Religious Freedom!  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece, Global Times, published an editorial on Christmas Eve inviting international China observers to spend their holiday in China [zh] to witness how Chinese people celebrate Christmas all over the country.
This editorial was in response to the mounting criticism that China does not have religious freedom. According to China Aid's report, at least 1289 arrests by Chinese authorities in 2011 were linked to religious prosecution.
Despite the bold Global Times editorial, netizens reported that the entrances of a few churches were blocked during Christmas this year. Moreover, China's minority Muslim Uyghur community, appalled by the editorial, dared the Global Times to invite observers to the Xinjiang region for their Muslim festival.
In China, Christmas is another holiday for consumption. Photo by Flickr user Marc van der Chijs CC: BY-SA.
Consumption freedom is not religious freedom
Most netizens immediately pointed out the fallacy of the Global Times’ editorial in reducing religious freedom to secular Christmas celebration. Below are some instant reactions from a news threads [zh] on China's microblogging site Sina Weibo:
铭格格-洛桑卓玛：在胡编无知狭隘的眼里，商业炒作等同于宗教信仰自由，容许进教堂寺庙道观等地方参观等同于宗教信仰自由。。。
铭格格-洛桑卓玛：In the shallow view of the Global Time editor Hu Shijun, a commercial festival is equal to religious freedom, touristic visits to churches and temples is equal to religious freedom…
彭勇-AARON：这是消费自由！别扯信仰自由。。。
彭勇-AARON：This is freedom of consumption, don't connect it with religious freedom.
Churches blocked
Ironically, netizens found out that some churches had been blocked and sealed off during Christmas eve. On December 24, 2012 in Tianjin city Deci celestial reported [zh]:
无事去滨江道和西开教堂转了一圈儿，节日气氛相当浓厚。去参观教堂的所有入口都被封了，最后定向越野似的循着警察贴在电线杆商场柱子和柜台上的A4纸指示才找到一个隐秘的特别入口，中间警察至少有5重把关
The festival mood was strong and I took a ride to the Xikai church near Bingjiang road. All the entrances to the church had been blocked. Eventually I located a secret entrance by following the A4 paper size instruction stuck on some electric poles. On the way, there were at least 5 blockades set up by the police.
Photos uploaded by Weibo user Liagyage showing a Church being blocked in Xian on Christmas day.
On 25 December a large number of Christians protested in Xian city, Shaanxi Province because their church had been blocked. Liagyage uploaded some photos described the situation:
圣诞节被封了门的基督教堂，被堵了的道路，全球狂欢日，这些人却在寒夜上演着席地痛哭的悲剧?是何缘由?
[The photos show] The entrance of the church that has been sealed off; a road that was blocked. While the whole world is celebrating, the people here are siting on the ground, crying on a cold winter night? Why is that so?
Darkmumu re-posted Liyiforever's photo and attracted quite a few comments on the reality of religious freedom in China:
天行者68th：凡是有人聚集的地方，凡是不是他们的恶毒谎言能够辖制到的地方，都是禁地。
天行者68th：In places where people gathered, where they could not be governed by their [the authorities’] lies, is now forbidden territory.
染香姐姐：这些二逼，把阳光下的教堂封了，是让人去信邪教吗？？黑暗滋生一切罪恶，如果中国能够公开传教，根本就不会把好好的宗教越信越邪。
染香姐姐：They are so stupid. Blocking the church under the sun is forcing people to believe in evil cults. When activities are happening in the dark, it will generate sin and crime. If China can allow open and public preaching, religious activities will not turn into cults.
西葫芦馅儿：在这个国度信仰是一种奢侈。
西葫芦馅儿：It is a luxury to hold to any belief in this country.
实习奋青：在这个地方，改信钱吧。
实习奋青：Better believe in money in this land.
House Churches are “evil cults”
In China, all Protestant activities have to be under the coordination of the Three-self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China, which is under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Other Christian sects, in the form of House Church, are considered illegal and vulnerable to crack down. People outside the Christian circle tend to believe that religious activities outside the Three-self Churches are evil cults. Opinions like the following one coming from  詹姆-兰尼斯特  [zh] unfortunately are not uncommon:
这条新闻我真心不是很相信，教堂都是教产，而且国内都是三自爱的教产，政府自己封自己？被封的是家庭教会的可能性极大——如果真的是家庭教会，我预先说一句去你麻痹的臭邪教！
I don't believe in this news [blocking of church in Xian]. All churches are properties of the Church and in China they are owned by the Three-self Patriotic Churches. The government will not block its own branch? It is very likely that the blocked one is a House Church. In this case, I would say “fxxk off, you stinking evil cults!”
Invite observers to Muslim festivals
The Uyghur community in China also finds Global Times's editorial problematic. Ulghurbiz.net wrote a commentary challenging Global Times and inviting observers to Xinjiang for Muslim celebration:
《环球时报》的这篇评论漏洞百出，它把中国年轻人“过洋节”的消费文化移花接木地理解成了基督教文化在中国的自由发展。如果不是节日效应刺激效应，官方还会这么网开一面吗？另外，基督徒人数增加的首要原因是人们对国家核心价值观的失望之后转投宗教的怀抱以此寻求安慰呢，还是确如文章所说的是中国政府的开明政策呢？这需要系统的论证。
如果在开斋节或宰牲节等穆斯林传统节日来临之际，西方媒体指责中国政府压制穆斯林的宗教自由时，《环球时报》是否还敢发布一篇题为《怀疑宗教自由请来疆过节》的文章呢？
The Global Times’ editorial is full of fallacies. It turns young Chinese people's consumption of a “western festival” into evidence of freedom of Christianity culture in China. Will the government loosen control if Christmas was not a consumption holiday? The increase in the number of Christians in China is mainly a reaction to the loss of core values in this country. People want to seek comfort from religion. Does it have anything to do with the government's open policy? We need systematic debate on this. If western media criticizes the repression of Muslim religious activities in China on the eve of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, will Global Times dare to publish an editorial “Skeptics of Religious Freedom in China, please go to Xinjiang for the Festival”?

author: Oiwan Lam


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Iran’s Most Memorable Internet Moments in 2012 · Global Voices
Hooman Askary

As usual, Iranian netizens have faced many challenges in 2012. They have seen online repression grow and become more institutionalized with the launch of an official cyber police force. In turn, they have defied the Islamic regime in various ways throughout the year, such as by filming streets protests, reporting on the failures of government-run institutions, and campaigning for political prisoners and environmental issues.
Below are some of the most memorable moments from the Iranian cyber world in 2012. The regime continued its repressive and merciless tactics against bloggers and netizens all year. It began with the repression of bloggers and ended the year by killing one of them.
Bloggers in Chains
Sattar Beheshti, a blogger who was tortured to death
There are many brave cyber activists in Iran, but there is one name that shines brighter than others and marked 2012: Sattar Beheshti, 35, was a blogger from Robat-Karim, south-west of Tehran, who was arrested for criticizing the government in October and tortured to death in Evin prison.
Iranian netizens launched a major online storm after the shocking news of Beheshti's death, and according to officials in Tehran  Iran‘s top cyber police chief was sacked as a result of the death.
In January, we learned that a 50-year old Iranian blogger, Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari (aka Seyamek Meher), was charged with “insulting the Prophet of Islam” and “enmity with God” or “waging war against God”, charges that could carry the death penalty in Iran. His trial on December 21, 2011 lasted only 15 minutes.
According to Reporters Without Borders, 18 netizens are still imprisoned in Iran and it seems no virtual activity is safe in the country as cyber police “proudly” announced several times that it arrested various Facebook administrators. Even one blogger favorable to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced a jail sentence, and several others were censored as rivalries between governing factions has grown.
Big Night
Bloggers, like millions of Iranians, celebrated when Asghar Farhadi's feature film “A Separation” won Iran's first Oscar award. Netizens participated in an outpouring of celebration, and some fans also created posters for “A Separation” for different tastes. They also criticized pro-regime Fars News when it embellished on Farhadi's Oscar acceptance speech and changed his words to: “Iranian people respect all cultures despite the western hostility with Iranian nuclear program.”
Israel-Iran Virtual love affair
Israelis and Iranians exchanging messages of love sounds stranger than fiction in these tense years, when the Iranian and Israeli governments threaten each other with military might. An Israeli Facebook campaign  that said “We will never bomb your country. We love you” to Iranians,  received an answer from Iranians in the form a corresponding Facebook campaign that said to Israelis, “We are your friends.”
Strike in Tehran
Demonstrations and strikes were rare in 2012 but when they happened, cyber activists were there to report. Shopkeepers went on strike at the Bazaar in Tehran in early October as Iran's financial situation deteriorated due to international sanctions. Protesters clashed with security forces in Istanbul Square in Tehran and chanted “Down with Syria!”. This slogan was most likely inspired by the fact that many Iranians blame the Iranian government for (allegedly) supporting the Syrian regime financially at a moment when their own country is in need of cash.
Supporting Political Prisoners
Bloggers campaigned and supported several political prisoners including Nasrin Sotoudeh, jailed human rights activist when she went on hunger strike. Finally after 49 days of hunger strike, the government lifted a travel ban imposed on Sotoudeh's teenage daughter.
Controlling Internet
Islamic State continues its “crusade” to control more and more the Iranian internet world. On Sunday, September 23, 2012, the regime surprised many by filtering Google and Gmail for a short period of time. Regime called its decision based on a request by the public to oppose an anti-Islam film on YouTube.
Many interpret this filtering as another step towards controlling the internet or launching “clean internet” as was promised by Iranian officials earlier in 2012.
Having the infrastructure for a skeleton Iran-only Internet in place would give the Iranian government greater power to shut off access to the Internet at times of civil unrest.
Beyond Politics
Iranian netizens did not focus only on political issues but also covered several environmental and humanitarian issues:
Saving a Lake –  On May 21, 2012, once again people in Urmia and several other cities in the Azerbaijan region of Iran called on the government to save the dying Lake Urmia, one of the world's largest salt water lakes.
Blood Donations – Two powerful earthquakes hit the northwest region in Iran, East Azarbaijan province on August 11, killing 250 people and injuring around 1,800. The earthquakes measured 6.4 and 6.3 in magnitude, leaving a trail of destruction and suffering. Iranians flocked to the Internet to mourn the victims and to appeal for blood donations and help.
Empty Pockets for Healthcare – Arseh Sevom reported on the immediate results of unprecedented sanctions on the lives of millions of patients in Iran. “There is not a single day when we do not hear a new story about medicine shortages in Iran and how it adversely affects Iranians, especially those requiring uninterrupted medication,” writes the human rights organisation.
We approach 2013 as a challenging moment for all Iranians with an upcoming presidential election and growing despair due to sanctions. Cyber activists have played a crucial role in reporting and commenting, transcending both political correctness and repression.

author: Hooman Askary


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Macedonia: Beer Belly Blog Anniversary · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

The Beer Belly original logo, voluntary contribution by @dasaf
The “Beer Belly” blog celebrated [mk, mk] its first anniversary. Its author @Twibi thanked members of the Macedonian Twitter community who have been bringing him beer samples from their trips all over the world to review. So far, he has made 198 posts about beers from 20 countries, including Kenya [mk], thanks to the local GV Summit 2012 participants – @ieli and @bjasari.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Mexico: Federal Court Halts Controversial Wind Park · Global Voices
Rachael Petersen

All links are in Spanish, unless otherwise indicated.
The largely indigenous opposition to wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca, Mexico won a tremendous victory on 7 December 2012 when a District Seven Federal Court judge granted an injunction (amparo) temporarily halting the construction of a controversial wind park in San Dioniosio del Mar in the southern state of Oaxaca. The judge, located in Salina Cruz, ruled that “based on article 233 of the Injunction Law, this unequivocally orders the suspension of the challenged actions as being in violation of the land rights of the community.”
While the indigenous Ikojts (Huave) peoples of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec celebrated and called for government and industry to comply with the decision, their grassroots struggle continues.
The day following the court decision, Marena Renovables – the international consortium constructing the park – announced they would not “yield to blackmail” and would continue dialoguing with the communities. Their government relations representative Edith Ávila indicated that the project represents an investment of a billion dollars and maintains that it would bring immense benefits to the community. They aim to continue construction as planned.
The governor of Oaxaca, Gabino Cué Monteagudo, announced that the amparo was “a bad sign for private investment in the state.” He is on record saying that he hopes this judgment does not set a precedent for development in the rest of the region.
A wind farm in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. Photo by Rachael Petersen, January 2011.
International actors have entered the conflict. Noticias Net reported that on the inauguration of the new president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, the Australian ambassador Katrina Cooper delivered a request to the Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade to “resolve the conflict in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which has prevented the start of construction of the largest wind farm in Latin America.” Australia’s Macquarie Infrastructure Fund is one of the companies that makes up the consortium of Mareña Renovables, along with Mitsubishi Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate, and PGGM, a Dutch pension fund service provider.
The planned 396 megawatt (MW) San Dionisio Del Mar project, located in areas referred to as Barra Santa Teresa and Santa Maria del Mar in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, will be the largest wind farm in Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America. The 132-turbine project, valued at around 985 million US dollars, will provide electricity to the largest beverage companies in Latin America: Femsa and Cuahtémoc Moctezuam, allowing them to save ten percent of their energy costs, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The San Dionisio del Mar project is supported by investments from over fifteen banks, including the IDB, which has lent 72 million US dollars [en] for its construction.
Oaxaca, wind hotspot of the world
The government of Mexico continues to build wind farms at a lightning pace, with a current 521 installed MW [en] and goal of 3,000 total MW [en] by 2014. Throughout 2012, Mexico has laid the groundwork for around 900 MW of wind capacity - all but 70 MW in Oaxaca, one of the world’s best regions for wind resources. There are 14 wind energy projects in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca alone with over 400 wind turbines, as well as five other projects under way.
However, much of the land in Oaxaca is inhabited by indigenous peoples or owned collectively by peasants as ejidos. Local resistance to wind development is as old as the parks themselves. Multinational wind companies operating in the area have been saddled with accusations of unfair contracts, bribing local leaders, inadequate consultations and unfulfilled promises. Local opposition to wind farms continues to grow amid an increasingly violent and complex backdrop saturated with political alliances between local and national and municipal government, transnational wind companies, and land owners.
Winds of resistance in the Isthmus
Anti-wind protestors are met by state police in Union Hidalgo, Oaxaca 30 October 2012. Photo from the Asamblea de Pueblos del Istmo, used with permission.
Many indigenous peoples of the principle impacted communities maintain a traditional fishing culture that relies upon the ocean for both sustenance and commerce. They fear the park, constructed partly over a narrow stretch of land, will impact vital marine resources and delicate mangroves. They also emphasize that the construction provides little benefit to communities and violates their land rights, citing contracts that often pay only 100 pesos per hectare per year, a sum too small to compensate the loss of natural resources and land. The Secretariat of Indigenous Affairs in Oaxaca has also recognized the human rights violations that have occurred in the creation of wind farm contracts throughout the region.
Several groups have mobilized to protest – and blog about – ongoing resistance in the wind-rich regions of Oaxaca. The communities resisting the San Dionisio project together update a blog, titled “Communities resisting the mega- wind project San Dionisio del Mar,” with images, videos, and statements about their activities. The principle anti-wind group, la Asamblea de Pueblos Indígendas del Istmo en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio, maintains a Facebook page and blog with reports on wind development news. UCIZONI, or Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Zona Norte del Istmo, a group that has defended indigenous rights in Mexico for over 25 years, created a YouTube video, which has since been removed, to provide background information on San Dionisio del Mar and first-hand accounts from community members impacted by wind development. Many other interviews and testimonies from communities opposing wind development remain available on the group's YouTube channel.
The December 7 federal court decision follows a series of violent confrontations in the region between local protestors, industry, and state police. In a press conference on 11 December 2012, inhabitants of San Dioniosio del Mar and San Mateo del Mar called for government and industry to honor the amparo and to indefinitely suspend the Mareñas project. They stated that
A partir del 2007, año en que se anunció la entrada de empresas trasnacionales de energía eólica en nuestro territorio, se inició un hostigamiento, una represión policiaca contra el pueblo, tanto de las empresas como por parte de los gobiernos estatal y federal, coludidos con los presidentes municipales de toda la región del Istmo.
In 2007, the year in which transnational wind energy companies entered our territory, began the harassment, a police repression against the community – as much on the part of the companies as well as the state and federal governments with collusion from mayors across the entire region of the Isthmus.
The newspaper La Jornada reports that the defense of their territory has cost the Ikojts people  “at least 14 violent events, intimidation and harassment in the last four months.” The blog of the Chiapas-based organization Servicio Internacional Para La Paz has a comprehensive overview of conflicts surrounding the wind park since September 2012.
An information gap, an uncertain future
Zapoteca blogger, journalist and ethnohistorian Gubidxa Guerrero writes that although Marena Renovables denies the the federal court amparo will affect construction, this issue could quickly become one of national significance. He notes that a lack of public information is the main culprit in the politicization of wind farms in Oaxaca:
La información es vital para tomar una decisión que afectará por treinta años el destino de sus terrenos (que es la duración promedio de los contratos). Por desgracia existe un vacío de información que provoca que unos cuantos vivales la aprovechen para dos fines: sembrar el pánico contra los proyectos, o presentar selectivamente sus “bondades”.
Information is vital in order to make a decision that will affect lands for thirty years (which is the average duration of the contracts). Unfortunately, there is an information gap that provokes some “punks” to take advantage of the situation for two ends: to sow panic against the projects, or selectively present their “goodness.”
The Federal Court decision is a vital first step in stopping – or at least delaying – wind energy development in Oaxaca in order to allow a more honest evaluation of the impacts and benefits of wind energy in the Isthmus. However, it remains to be seen if the government and wind industry will respect the requests of Huave peoples of the Isthmus to end the San Dionisio project altogether.
Fore more detailed background on the situation in Oaxaca, please see:
Upside-down World: Indigenous Communities in Mexico Fight Corporate Wind Farms [en]
AIDA: The challenge of deploying wind energy in Mexico. The case of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec [en].

author: Rachael Petersen


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South Korea: X-Mas Mass-Scale Speed-Dating · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The first-ever mass speed-dating on the Christmas Eve in South Korea turns out to be a complete failure where 90% of participants were male. Reportedly over 20,000 people signed up and even the police was dispatched for possible sexual aggressions. One net user pointed [ko] the fact that it was basically the man's choice as the main reason for failure.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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The Personal Lives of China’s New Leaders · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Xinhua News has published[zh] a series of personal profiles of China's top leaders, including photos of their families, which was rare in Chinese media. The move was seen by many as another indication that China’s new leadership may have a different management style from their predecessors. Offbeat China has more details.

author: Abby Liu


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WCIT and Its Relationship to the Internet · Global Voices
Via Libre

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency specializing in information and communication technologies – ICTs.
From December 3 to 14, 2012, the ITU organized the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in order to review the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs).
The Vía Libre Foundation analyzes the issues of this important conference in the article entitled Después de la WCIT y más allá [es] (After the WCIT and Beyond), the first part of which we present below.
After the WCIT and Beyond
By Enrique A. Chaparro
I. Preliminary remarks and necessity
We have long maintained that certain aspects of the Internet that require some form of regulation should be managed in a way that's minimalist, democratic and respectful of human rights. In keeping with this position, we believe that a significant intervention by the ITU would bring more harm than good. But that does not turn us ipso facto into defenders of ICANN, an organization that needs deep reform, democratization and reduced authority.
Nor do we trust the good intentions of authoritarian governments (read, for example, Iran or Saudi Arabia), but neither does that necessarily generate confidence in seditious “democracies” (like the United States, which holds the world record in incarcerated people, both in absolute and relative terms, and the systematic use of torture, kidnapping and murder of those deemed political enemies). And of course a reasonable skepticism about government doesn't imply a confidence in corporations. That said, let's get to the point.
II. Introduction
The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), like any international diplomatic conference, is a complex web of interests and a morass of overlapping poker games. Each side has its agenda, its objectives, its minimum and maximum positions, and strategies to achieve results. That's the game, and those of us looking in from the outside, but who may be affected by the outcome, must proceed with caution so as not to get involved in spite of ourselves in some of these strategies. In this particular conference, there has been a lot of “lapwing strategy” (translator's note: South American bird that lays its eggs in one place but throws its voice to sound to predators like it's somewhere else) that, in the light of the evidence, has involved–in general unwittingly–social organizations concerned with the defense of cyberspace liberty and Internet users “on the ground”.
Continuing this process, we take into account our principles regarding the issues under discussion: that communication is a fundamental right, and therefore, communication infrastructure should be considered an essential public service; that this infrastructure should be free of censorship and restrictions to privacy; and that there must be a guarantee that the regulated aspects of the Internet are kept to a strict minimum, and managed openly and democratically.
III. What is the ITU?
The ITU is an agency of the United Nations system, and predates it, emerging in 1934 as a merger of the existing International Telegram Union founded in 1865) and the International Radiotelegraph Union, in order to coordinate international radio, telegraph and telephone traffic. As we will see, it is much more than a “technical organization”.
The ITU has a unique feature among multilateral organizations of the UN system, to admit members outside the states (although only members have the right to vote) which usually means lobbying by big telecommunications companies and other pressure groups.
IV. What is the ITR?
The ITR agrees on technical standards for telecommunications (through its technical arm the ITU-T, formerly CCITT), and for radio (via ITU-R), and two key treaties that provide the political framework for international communications traffic: the RR, Radio Regulations, as amended (2008) was approved by the WRC (2), and the ITR, International Telecommunication Regulations. These treaties are reviewed from time to time to ensure they are more or less abreast of technological developments.
The ITR in effect was adopted at a WCIT in Australia in 1988. At that time, the Internet was little more than an academic experiment on connectivity in heterogeneous networks, the great wave of privatization of phone services had not reached the crest, the cell phone was in diapers (3)… For years, many member states noted the need for an update.
The object of the WCIT of 2012 in Dubai was to review the ITR and produce a new version, if necessary. Being an international treaty, it is subject to the principles of international law (in particular, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1968). We note this to emphasize the importance of the instrument, which is not a simple technical rule.
V. And what does the Internet have to do with all of this?
Although not obvious by the mythical character it has acquired in recent times (4), the packets exchanged by the Internet are moved by the physical infrastructure of international telecommunications. But by design, the Internet was conceived differently than traditional telephone and telegraph communications: the voluntary joining of autonomous networks, and a small set of standards that guarantees interoperability.
Consequently, and given that its origins primarily involve the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense of the United States, issues of the Internet requiring regulation remained de facto outside the sphere of the ITR.
Of course, there are things on the Internet that should be regulated. There isn't any other choice, when we're talking about administering scant resources with alternative uses. And other shortages, implicit in the design of the Internet, were invented along the way.
The history of the administration of these transitions is very interesting, and will be worth telling another day. It's enough to know for now that today it is in the hands of ICANN, which acts by delegation of the United States Department of Commerce (5).
The U.S. government has stated, on numerous occasions and at the highest levels, that there are certain critical aspects of the Internet the control of which it does not intend to give up, such as control of the root servers of the domain name system (DNS). Moreover, as ICANN is a non-profit corporation registered in the United States, it is subject to the laws of that country.

author: Via Libre


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Witchcraft and Dispute Resolution in East Timor · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Following the report of the murder of an alleged witch in Maubisse, Timor Leste, on December 21, 2012, Australian anthropologist Matthew Libbis writes a comment on witchcraft and dispute resolution on the blog East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin.


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2015 is the Year of Oil and Gas in Lebanon · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

The year 2015 will be the Lebanese year for oil and gas exploration according to a timeline, which is supposed to be approved by the cabinet, and which is posted by the Lebanon Spring Blog.

author: Moussa Bashir


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30 Brilliant African Tech Startups · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Ventureburn present a sampling of African talent in this list of 30 brilliant tech startups.

author: Solana Larsen


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What Lies Ahead for China in 2013?  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

As the end of 2012 draws near, CHINA DIGITAL TIMES has summarized the changes and challenges facing China in 2013 based on different media reports and predictions.


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Chinese Scholars Test the New Leadership’s Will to Political Reform · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More than 70 Chinese scholars and legal experts co-signed a petition urging the new Chinese Communist Party leaders to reform according to the existing Chinese Constitution. Many believe that the moderate reform gesture is to test the CCP new leadership's will to political reform.
The petition, titled An Initiative on Reform Consensus (《改革共识倡议书》), was released on December 25, 2012 by prominent legal expert, Zhang Qianfan, who drafted the document, via his micro-blog at Sina. However, it was deleted after retweeting more than 2000 times. Proposals presented in the petition [zh] include:
Petition for reform according to the Constitution
The Constitution of the People Republic of China. Public Domain Image.
1. rule according to the constitution that provides a framework for the separation of the power between party legislators and party leaders, intra-party democracy, balance of power and transparency.
2. bottom up democratic election for people's representatives
3. protect freedom of expression, press, assembly and demonstration.
4. deepen market reform, establish a fair wealth redistribution mechanism and prevent forced land acquisition.
5. judiciary independence and rule of law and prevent party committee members from intervening in the judicial process.
Testing the new leadership's reform attitude
In Sina Weibo, the biggest but most heavily censored micro-blogging platform, the majority of the responses to the petition are quite positive [zh]:
左志坚￼￼：看了那份改革共识倡议书，内容非常平和，也有可操作性，当然内容也并不新颖。但这个东西最大的价值不是内容，而是签名和公开呼吁这一行动。从这个角度，我认为这些公知的努力是有价值的。价值的大小与公众的呼应成正比。
左志坚: Upon reading the petition on reform consensus, I find the content very moderate and it is operational. Of course it is not innovative. The value of it is not in its content, but in the collective action of making a public call. From such perspective, the public intellectuals’ initiative is valuable. The public support will give it more value.
黎勇02: 这是一份非常温和、理性的改良建议，可就是这份倡议书，别说被高层接受，连在网络上发出来都被一删再删。改良派终有一天也会失去耐性，对改良完全失望。
黎勇02: This is a very moderate, rational and reformative recommendation document. But the censorship machine keeps deleting it, it is very unlikely that the high level leaders will accept the suggestions. The moderate reformers may lose their patience one day and give up the approach of reform from within.
武汉茶山刘：这…这…这…这是微薄上书么？这篇文章值得一读，多了理性，少了激进，很好！江平老先生都出动了，我觉得要是把姜明安教授也拉上就更好了，懂？
武汉茶山刘：This is petition [to the emperor] via Weibo? The article is worth reading. More rational, less radical. Good. Even old scholar like Jiang Ping [the former principal of Chinese University of Political Science and Law] has signed the petition. Should get [Beijing University] Law Professor Jiang Mingan involved, know what I mean?
物必先腐而后虫生2012: 内容很好很理性，俺朝大人听得进？中山上书李鸿章，后被逼疯去买枪！！！！
物必先腐而后虫生2012: The content is very rational. Wonder if the officials of the current dynasty will listen. Sun Yat-sen [Father of the Republic of China] once wrote a petition to Li Hongzhang [top official in Qing Dynasty], he got crazy [his proposal was rejected] and decided to buy guns instead [lead the Chinese Revolution].
Bow to one party dictatorship?
On Twitter, a blocked social media platform where dissent voices prevail, many believe that the petition is too mild. A number of the 72 initiators have also co-signed the Charter 08 drafted by Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo that calls for constitutional reform to end the one-party dictatorship. Many Chinese dissidents are not happy about their positional change:
Beijing intellectual Su Yutong [zh] recalled an incident back in 2008:
2008年秋，贺卫方在三味书屋演讲，过道都是粉丝和拥趸者，台上神采飞扬，台下喝彩声一片。刘晓波在快结束时出现，与贺会合。王仲夏后来说这可能是商量《零八宪章》联署一事。四年多过去，刘晓波失去自由也四年多了，贺师从站姿到跪姿，成为“改革共识倡议书”主要联名人之一，狱中刘晓波情何以堪。
In 2008 autumn time, He Weifang had a talk at San Wei Bookstore. Many fans and followers were present. He was talking with high emotion and people were cheering down the stage. Liu Xiaobo appeared near the end of his talk and joined He. Wang Zhongxia later explained that it was the occasion when they discussed the 08 Charter. Four years have passed and Liu has lost his freedom for four years. Teacher He has changed his position from standing to kneeling in co-signing An Initiative on Reform Consensus. I wonder how Liu Xiaobo feels in prison.
Independent scholar Mo Zhixu is disappointed with the initiators’ bowing gesture:
看到一份改革共识倡议书，醉眼朦胧中，从字缝中看出几个字：我不是反贼。。。。
With a sense of drunkenness, between the lines of the reform consensus petition, I see some words: I am not anti [CCP] bandits.
WuyouLan echoed Mo Zhixu:
《零八宪章》有很大毛病，但不失一个民间的、革命的东西。而《改革共识倡议书》是搞笑版的、反面的零八宪章。它完全是跪求中共改良，丧失人伦底线。
Charter 08 has some problems, but it is initiated by the civil society and its proposal is revolutionary. An Initiative on Reform Consensus is a mockery of Charter 08. It bows to the CCP, begging for reform. It has no moral baseline.
Ptog on the other hand believes that the moderate position is a calculated strategy:
2012年的《改革共识倡议书》相对于《08宪章》而言，把握住了中共最高领导权交接，新领导层向外部释放善意的有利时机，克制了表达冲动，将内容完全限制在82宪法框架之内，并未冲击中共的宪法当中的执政地位，并且参与的人员都是在公共领域有话语空间的知识份子，与异议特征明显的人群刻意切割。
When compared with Charter 08, the 2012 An Initiative on Reform Consensus is taking the opportunity of the transition of CCP's leadership, a time for the new leaders to show their openness to their alliances. That's why the initiators of the petition have restrained their reform suggestions within the framework of the 1982 revised constitution and do not challenge the ruling status of the CCP. The initiators are leading intellectuals in the public sphere, they intentionally detached themselves from the dissidents.


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Amid Syria’s Conflict, a Teacher’s Struggle in Homs · Global Voices
Syria Deeply

As part of our collaboration with Syria Deeply we are cross-posting a series of articles that capture civilian voices caught in the crossfire, along with perspectives on the conflict from writers around the world.
Following is a conversation between Syria Deeply and a young schoolteacher in Homs. When he’s not in the classroom, he volunteers for a relief organization helping the victims of Syria’s conflict.
That used to be an illegal undertaking by rule of the Assad government. But today it’s tolerated, a recognized necessity in a country deeply scarred by war.
Adthar, Syria. 19th November 2012 — Classes continue at the school in Adthar, a village under opposition control in Idlib province, Syria. The school was closed for safety reasons, but has since been reopened. — As the Syrian conflict rolls into it's 21st month, the rural communities around the country are struggling to live without basic supplies, such as petrol, flour and electricity, although to some extent they are self sustainable and self governing. (Photo: Bradley Secker)
The area where I live and teach is called Al-Waer. This is a large district where about 70 percent of the total population of Homs lives. Its population has jumped from around 150,000 before the revolution, to 450,000 today.
The original inhabitants have been joined by thousands of people who fled the most dangerous parts of Homs. Some of these people have the means to rent an apartment or have relatives host them. They struggle financially but they are better off than many. Others who have no relatives to stay with or money to spend on rent are forced to live wherever they can. We have about 17 schools in Al-Waer that are overflowing with displaced people. There are 40-50 families living in each of these schools. And the rest are in an even worse situation. About 6,000 people are living in unfinished buildings where they are exposed to the elements.
With so many schools serving as shelters, there are only four or five schools left for educating the children of the district. In the government schools, the classrooms are extremely overcrowded. Before there were 25 to 30 students per class—now there are at least 50. And this is after dividing the day into a morning and an afternoon section to keep the classrooms at a reasonable size. As a result, the teaching time has been cut by a third. It is very hectic for the teachers. And there is still not enough room for all of the pupils.
My school is in a wealthy neighborhood, so the vast majority of the students are relatively well off. In contrast, the city’s poor children are missing out on their education. These families do not have the money to relocate to a safe area with operating schools. And because public transportation has come to a standstill and taxi fares are exorbitant, they don’t have the means to send their children across the city for their education.
The city can be divided into three areas: First we have the districts under siege. Every day they face shelling attacks and clashes. There are 800 families trapped there and the Free Syrian Army fighters.
The second areas are those that are strongly anti-regime, but still have an army presence. There are still army checkpoints, but they don’t do anything. About 80 per cent of the people are with the opposition and you don’t find portraits of Bashar al-Assad. These areas, including Al-Waer, are relatively safe during the day, but not at night. The residents rush to be home by 7pm, because there could be gunfire or clashes in the night. You can also find extreme poverty, as well as shortages of the basics: heat, electricity, water and gas.
The third areas are completely under regime control. Around 40pc of the people are still with the regime and 60pc are against, but they live in fear. These areas are secure because no one makes problems and revolutionary acts are very rare.
About 40pc of government workplaces are still in operation in the city as a whole. Government teachers and other public employees receive salaries, but the problem is that prices have doubled. Another problem there is only one bank left in all of Homs. Thousands of employees have to wait for more than 3 hours to take their pension or salaries from the same place. And the bank cannot dispense all of the pensions due to the volume of people.
No matter who you are, you are affected by the price increases. Gas is very expensive, food is expensive, and even if you have the money, supplies are always low.
In response to needs across the country, most Syrian youth have started volunteering for relief organizations or the Red Crescent. They are exposed to a lot of difficulties and sometimes shooting or pressure from fighters on both sides. In Homs, however, there is no way to get to the most dangerous areas under siege.
I work for a local organization in the city whose relief branch was founded during the revolution. In our organization, there are more than 200 people, mostly young people. The majority are men but there are also around 40 young women working to provide psychological support to the children. Our support comes mostly from Syrians, but sometimes there is help from organizations like UNICEF. We provide everything from blankets to furniture, to daily items like soap.
In the beginning of the revolution, humanitarian work itself was dangerous. It was banned and everyone was working in secret because the authorities treated us as terrorists, just like the rebels. Up until last year, the government denied there was any humanitarian problem. Because of this, I hid my work from my family because I didn’t want them to be afraid for me.
Since then, the authorities have recognized the humanitarian crisis, and relief work is authorized, as long as you’re working for an approved organization. I finally told my family about my relief work, and they were happy about it. Yet, there are still risks for the volunteers. One time we were delivering aid to refugees and there was a fight between the families and someone pulled out a knife. The most constant worry is the army checkpoints. Every time we want to pass through with supplies, we face interrogations: “Where are you going? Where did you get the money? Why are you doing this?”
My fellow volunteers and I don’t speak much about politics. It’s not that it is prohibited, but people are afraid. It is only safe among close friends, or when you know the political view of the other person.
As teachers, we try to avoid talking about politics in front of the students. We even still have the picture of Bashar al-Assad on the wall. If we took it down or tore it, we fear that the security forces could come one day and make a big problem for the school. The pupils are allowed to speak about politics in class, but teachers try to keep it to a minimum for their own safety.
There is no division among the students—on the contrary, there is love. But they are all with the opposition. There are other government schools in pro-regime areas where the student body is united on the other side. So the city is divided by area.
For the future of my city, I’m concerned mainly about education. I want all the children to go back to school and to keep studying. I want the students to be properly educated and live their life like they should. To be safe and happy, like children are supposed to be.

author: Syria Deeply


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Debating Journalism and Censorship · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In recent days, journalists Sandra Rodríguez Cotto and Wilda Rodríguez [es] have a had an interesting debate on journalism, objectivity, and censorship following the boycott of Puerto Rico's popular TV show “La Comay.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Egypt: The People Demand Free and Open Source Software · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

A lot has been said about the liberating role technology has played in the Middle East uprising, yet there is more to be said about the mutual role the uprising is yet to play in liberating technology in the region.
This Wednesday, the official Facebook of the Egyptian prime minister published a summary of one of his recent meetings. In it, the government agreed to spending $43.8 million to acquire licenses and software products from Microsoft. Many Egyptian citizens started to express their anger after reading the news.
@rrcoalition: الحكومة تشترى سوفت وير من مايكروسوفت ب 44 مليون دولار, ويقولوا الدولة على وشك الافلاس
>@rrcoalition: The government pays $44 million in software from Microsoft, while they claim the state is about to become bankrupt.
@Aya_Ayman: Yes, because the government fed and sheltered all the poor and homeless in Egypt and have a few extra millions left!
Nevertheless, the people were not angry because of the huge amount of money being spent, but were mainly angry because they see better alternatives that may cost less and also help develop the local software development community.
Samar Ali (@SaMoRaAli) shared this banner on Twitter.
@Gue3bara: الحكومة كان ممكن تصرف مليون دولار مصري فقط وتسخر مجموعة من المطورين المصريين يشغلوا اجهزة الحكومة ببرمجيات مفتوحة المصدر
@Gue3bara: Instead of spending this money, the government could have spent just one million on local software developers to develop alternative solutions for the government using open source software.
Omar Ak explained the meaning of Open Source Software briefly:
@i3mmoor: Pt – the open source besides being free, it can be modified and does not demand renewal. #OpenEgypt.
Nagla Rizk, who is founding director of the Access to Knowledge for Development Center (A2K4D) and member of the steering committee of the Open Africa Innovation Research Project (Open A.I.R), added on Twitter:
@naglarzk: تعاقد الحكومة المصرية مع مايكروسوفت يزيد من توغل الأخيرة في السوق المصري ويقلص فرص الشركات الصغيرة خاصة القائمة ع المصدر المفتوح #OpenEgypt
@naglarzk: This contract with Microsoft, not only increases its presence in the Egyptian market, but also reduces the chances for small local companies to compete in the market, especially those relying on Open Source Software.
@naglarzk: $43m deal w microsoft is real setback for #Egypt, esp after revolution with promise of openness, collaboration & freedom. #OpenEgypt
Hossam El-Hamalawy (@3arabawy) published more detailed reasons [Ar] why this deal should not be sealed. And many other organizations as well as individuals started to sign this petition [Ar].
Things did not stop here, but members of the Open Source community in Egypt called for a silent demonstration in front of the cabinet of ministers on the 30th of December. Other demonstrations are also being arranged in different parts of Egypt. And the hashtag #OpenEgypt is now being used to introduce people to Open Source Software, and their benefits.

author: Tarek Amr


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International Fast Food Chains Involved in China’s Chicken Scandal · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

State broadcaster China Central Television recently exposed that at least two chicken suppliers for American, Japanese and Taiwanese fast-food chains fed their chickens excessive hormones and 18 different types of antibiotics, to make “instant chickens” that grow from 30 grams to 3.5kg within 40 days.
The fast-food chains involved in the food safety scandal are KFC and McDonalds from the USA, Yoshinoya from Japan and Yonghe King from Taiwan.
Currently, China is the biggest market for the fast-food industry. KFC, a chain of the Yum! Brands, currently receives 44% of its annual revenue from China, and has become the main target in this drug-fed chicken scandal. According to the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration's report [zh], between 2010 and 2011, among the 19 food samples provided by the Yum! Brands, eight failed antibiotics safety tests.
Animal rights photo by flickr user, Shira Golding (CC: BY-NC)
Since the Chinese people are used to all kinds of toxic food scandals, most of them just feel frustrated about the overall situation. Sarcastic remarks [zh] like the followings are rather common:
美丽人生2673263427：我很幸运，吃过瘦肉精，喝过三聚氰胺，皮鞋胶囊，假的药，人造鸡蛋，速生鸡，塑化酒，，，，，一般的毒我已习惯，望猛烈的产品结束我的幸运生涯
美丽人生2673263427：I am so lucky. I have tasted Ractopamine meat, Melamine milk, capsules made from wasted leather shoes, fake medicine, artificial eggs, fast-growing chicken, plasticizer wine… I am used to all things toxic. Looking forward to more poison to eventually end my luck.
库洪哈密瓜￼：以后生病了不用买药了，直接吃只鸡腿就行了。
库洪哈密瓜：In the future, when we are ill, we won't need to buy medicine, a chicken leg will do.
As the scandal involves foreign fast-food chains, which are considered more reliable in food safety control when compared with local restaurants, some nationalistic commentators took the opportunity to attack foreign brands. At the same time, there are also counter-arguments saying that local authorities should take the blame. Below is a selection of comments [zh] from an ifeng.com news thread:
Weirdo_Hai：希望肯德基这种暴力黑企业能早日退出中国市场
Weirdo_Hai：I wish evil corporations like KFC would leave China's market immediately.
易租易购_以租代购_以租代售：还吃肯德基吗？事实证明洋快餐同样会为了利益入乡随俗，在监管不力违法成本低廉的地方，任何企业都有可能以身试法。
易租易购_以租代购_以租代售：Can we still eat at KFC? It is now proven that foreign fast-food chain also follow our customs. In a country where there is little monitor and the cost of unlawful behavior is so low, any corporation will test the legal line.
璐瑶谣：关闭这些洋拉圾店，多开北方大饼店，至少富一群下岗人。
璐瑶谣：Shut down all these foreign junk food stores. Open more local Chinese pizza shops, the fortune will then go to the unemployed.
g老三：毒鸡横行，相关部门到那里去了？肯德基是个企业，难道也要自己成立个食品检疫局？
g老三：Toxic chickens are everywhere, where are our monitoring authorities? KFC is just a corporation should it set up its own quality supervision, inspection and quarantine department?
木小兔向前冲：树大招风，不吃肯德基，其他餐饮业的鸡难道就能放心吃吗？？
木小兔向前冲：Big tree attracts wind. If we can't eat KFC, can we trust other restaurants?
秦大勇Y：市场上卖的鸡就安全？中国供应商也不是好东西，尤其是政府监管睁一只眼闭一只眼，你敢说他们不知道？
秦大勇Y：Are the chicken in the open market safe? The Chinese suppliers are the ones to blame. The government is not consistent in monitoring food safety, do you believe that the authorities are really ignorant of such practice?
Other netizens have developed conspiracy theories out of the scandal [zh]:
即墨雅泰侯屹：肯德基速生鸡的养殖方式至少在中国存在10年了，缘何今天才被央视报道？有人一语道破天机：广告！2013年肯德基不准备在央视做广告了。2011年以前双汇在央视一直投放广告多年，于是什么问题也没有发现，而当决定不投放广告了，结果就出事了。
即墨雅泰侯屹：The practice of KFC chicken farms has been existed in China for at least 10 years. Why has CCTV picked up the news today? Some revealed the answer: Advertisement. KFC plans to stop its advertisement on CCTV. Same thing happened to Shuanghui, before it stopped advertising on CCTV there was no news on the company's food safety problem. As soon as the company stopped advertising on [CCTV], the scandal broke out.
楚奇文kevin￼：我觉得吧，其实白羽鸡，速生鸡什么的都是多少年公开秘密了。全世界都是这么养殖的，曝光主要是针对白胜公司。针对美帝，因为美帝最近搞过我国企中石油啊，华为啊，中兴啊什么的。赤果果的报复！
楚奇文kevin：Actually, white feather chicken or the fast-growing chicken are open secrets for many years. Chickens are raised like that all over the world. The news is meant to scandalize the Yum! Brand and attack the US imperial power. Recently the US government has been giving Chinese companies a difficult time, look at the scandals around CNPC, Huawei, and ZTE Corporation. This is obviously revenge.


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Lebanon’s National Football Team Scandal · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“If it’s true that there are many players involved in match-fixing, of which 9 players are in the National Team, then you can kiss Football goodbye in Lebanon.” This is how Blog Baladi summed up his response to reports about the match-fixing scandal that has been going on for years and of which nothing was done to stop by the knowledgeable game officials.


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Looking Back at 2012 in South Asia – Part I · Global Voices
Rezwan

Armed with more smartphones than ever before, we see an increasing number of South Asians stepping across borders through social media.
This year we saw the first India – Pakistan social media summit in Karachi. We also saw Indian and Bangladeshi hackers caught up in cyber wars, which started as a protest against border killings by Indian Border Security Forces.
Many South Asian governments are still not comfortable with new media; we have seen them resort to draconian measures to stop the free flow of information. Here we look back at some of the stories we covered in 2012, about the rise of social media in the region.
Web censorship and freedom of speech
Under the cloak of protecting the majority or the minority and to stop cyber crimes, many South Asian governments have enacted numerous laws that undermine people’s internet freedom and civil liberties.
Cartoon by Bryant Arnold, CartoonADay.com. Used under a Creative Commons 2.5 license (BY-NC)
India, being the largest democracy of the world took a giant leap back when it demanded 20 major Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, and Twitter present plans to filter “anti-religious,” or “anti-social” material from the content available to Indian citizens.
In April 2011 the Indian government quietly issued amendments to the IT rules restricting web content that is designated as “disparaging,” “harassing,” “blasphemous” or “hateful.” Indian netizens campaigned against it online and even engaged in a hunger strike in May 2012 to support an annulment motion against the new IT Rules-2011 in the Indian Rajya Sabha.
Not only the government, but the Indian entertainment Industry was also after social media as they demanded the courts to ban Torrents and Vimeo on copyright issues.
In August, the Indian government cracked down on various social media sites, banning some Facebook pages and Twitter handles, citing that they fueled the communal attacks on people from the North East.
In May, Twitter users in Pakistan suffered a total blanket censorship across all ISPs in the country, on order of the Pakistan Telecommunucation Authority which was attempting to black out ‘blasphemous’ content.
Activists of Jamat-e-Islami chant slogans against the anti-Islam movie released in the USA, Karachi, Pakistan. Image by Owais Aslam Ali. Copyright Demotix (14/9/2012)
Pakistan and Bangladesh banned YouTube in September after strong reactions against the hosting of controversial film Innocence of The Muslims. YouTube is still totally blocked in both the countries and India blocked only the video inside the country.
The RFP as seen in Pakistani newspapers. Image courtesy EFF
In an exemplary effort some Pakistani activists and bloggers reacted promptly to stop the Great Firewall, the proposed national “URL filtering and blocking system”. The $10 million system was required to enable the Pakistani government to ”handle a block list of up to 50 million URLs”
In August, the Pakistani government suspended mobile services in major cities on Eid to prevent terrorist attacks. This soon became a trend and since then mobile networks have been completely shut down a number of times in different parts of Pakistan evoking much criticism.
In Bangladesh a proposed online news policy was criticized heavily in social media which prompted the government to shelve it. In March, a Bangladesh court ordered concerned authorities to shut down five Facebook pages and a website for blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, the Koran and other religious subjects.
In Sri Lanka, a new government regulation which applies steep fees for online ‘news’ website has generated much debate. Some are worried the broad implications of the law could extend to personal blogs, and may even prompt bloggers to resort to self-censorship, out of fear.
Prosecution for using Social Media
In Bangladesh the High Court sentenced a university teacher to a 6-month jail term after he failed to appear in court to face trial regarding his Facebook status update.
Remix from Bryant Arnold. CC BY-NC
In India, a professor was arrested  for forwarding a “defamatory” cartoon against the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Police also detained a 21-year-old woman after she posted a Facebook a status update protesting the total shutdown of Mumbai city following the death of the founder of the Shiv Shena party. Her friend, who ‘liked’ the update was also arrested. Both were later released on bail.
The Sri Lankan authorities raided offices of two news websites on allegation of criminal defamation and arrested nine journalists. In another incident the defense secretary threatened an editor of a local newspaper during an interview.
Role of MSM
Instead of helping an Indian girl being assaulted by 20 men outside a pub in Guwahati, the cameraman from a local Television channel shot a 30-minute video of the incident. The video had gone viral, with many raising media ethics questions and wondering whether India is becoming a nation of bystanders.
Earlier this month in Bangladesh the news that captured the nation's imagination and made the headlines across all the major newspapers, magazines and TV channels was the brutal murder of 24 year-old Biswajit Das, under full view of the public and media.
Image courtesy Blanknoise. CC BY-NC-SA
In March, certain areas of Kolkata in West Bengal, India, were brought to a grinding halt by protesters opposing  a certain tweet, allegedly posted by an Indian model, which was in turn published in a leading English daily.
Pakistan's fiery broadcast media was at the center of several social media campaigns this year. Pakistani talk show host Maya Khan, became the focus of many, after she aired an episode of moral policing on dating couples in her morning show. A successful social media campaign got her TV show scrapped from the networks. But she was later hired by another network where she invited a religious scholar to convert a young Hindu boy to Islam live on her show. But some say the conversion was forced. A leaked video showing popular anchorpersons Mehar Bokhari and Mubashar Lucman involved in a set-up interview also sent shock waves across the media industry and the people.
Nepali netizens were irked by a remark by a moderator of an Indian TV channel that “Nepal is a Territory of India.” They vented their reactions on different social networking sites.
Exemplary use of Social Media
In Bangladesh discrimination and oppression against the 45 indigenous tribes (adibashis) are not new. Some of the indigenous netizens are resorting to blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms to voice their concerns.
A road through Titas river. Image courtesy Sharat Chowdhury
To facilitate the transit of overloaded Indian cargo trucks through Bangladesh, a long diversion route had been built through the Titas river and its tributaries obstructing its flow in many parts. The fact was first divulged in a TV report. Investigative bloggers went to the scene and published the story with pictures which later prompted the authorities to remove the road.
Reconciliation is a much discussed buzzword across Sri Lanka. While there has been much talk about how to do it, a group called Sri Lanka Unites is actually promoting reconciliation and hope to young people by visiting schools and building a network of over 4500 student leaders from every district and community in Sri Lanka. They are also using social media extensively to maintain and promote the network.
In India, discrimination against Dalits still exist in many rural areas and in the private sphere. Dalit Camera, a YouTube Channel vows to highlight the plights of Dalits.
In part II of this post we'll be taking a look at other stories from South Asia, we covered this year.


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Online Petition for Oscar López · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The online petition asking for the pardon of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera is rapidly getting close to its objective of 3,000 signatures. López was arrested in 1981 and sentenced to 70 years in jail for “seditious conspiracy” for participating in acts in favor of the independence of Puerto Rico. He is now 68 years old and is considered one of the longest held political prisoners.


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Russian Politicians Doom Orphans as Orthodox Christmas Approaches · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

On December 26th, 2012 the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of Parliament, upheld a controversial new law [GV] banning adoptions of Russian children by Americans. In the biting cold of Russian winter bloggers took to Twitter, rather than the streets, to vent about the unanimity of the vote. Echo Moskvy's Tonia Samsonova was particularly disappointed [ru] by one of the Senators:
Я отказываюсь верить, что Светлана Журова голосовала ЗА. Мне плохо от этого.
I refuse to believe that [Olympic speed-skating champion] Svetlana Zhurova voted AYE. Makes me feel sick.
Others, like photographer Vladimir Ternovsky, turned to humor [ru]:
В Совете Федерации только один разумный человек. Некто Ноль, проголосовавший против закона “Димы Яковлева”
In the Federation Council there is only one sensible person. Someone named Zero, who voted against the “Dima Yakovlev” law.
Since Vladimir Putin has signaled that he will sign the legislation, humor may be the only response left. After all, the unanimous vote throws into stark contrast the failure of the prolific online campaign against the law. People signed online petitions, activists threw eggs at the State Duma, social workers blogged first hand accounts of life in the Russian orphanages. Many hoped that as a result at least some politicians would be swayed to take a principled stance, all to no avail.
Of course, some blame the public campaign itself for the entrenchment of anti-adoption advocates. On December 23rd Maksim Kononenko, an opponent of the law, wrote a post titled “Good Defeats Good,” wherein he criticized [ru] a new approach taken by online activists:
Вот правильно говорят, что страшнее дурака — дурак с инициативой. Во всей этой дискуссии вокруг запрета на усыновление на стороне противников запрета было колоссальное моральное преимущество. […] ради бессмысленного позерского фокуса дураки с инициативой загубили самую важную гражданскую кампанию в постсоветской истории.
It's true what they say, a fool with initiative is more dangerous than just a fool. In the debates over the adoption ban the opponents had a colossal moral advantage. […] for a pointless pretentious trick, fools with initiative destroyed the most important civic campaign in post-Soviet history.
We the People petition on whitehouse.gov Screenshot. December 27, 2012.
Kononenko was referring to a petition [en] that was created on December 21st using the White House's direct-democracy “We the People” initiative. “We the People” guarantees review by the Administration of any petition that reaches 25,000 signatures within a month. The petition in question, written in somewhat awkward English, urges the United States to “Identify Russian law-makers jeopardizing lives of Russian orphans,” that is, any MP who votes for the adoption ban. Furthermore, the petition asks that these MPs be included in the list of Russian officials banned from travel to the US by the “Magnitsky Act.” [GV]
Shortly after it was created, the petition was endorsed by popular opposition bloggers Rustem Adagamov [ru] and Andrei Malgin [ru], who pushed forth the idea that one does not have to be an American citizen to sign the petition. As Adagamov wrote [ru] a day later:
В числе подписавших, в основном, россияне, однако, в правилах подписания петиции ничего не говорится о гражданстве подписавшего
The signers are mainly Russian, but, nowhere in the petition rules does it say anything about the citizenship of the undersigned
Such a petition is surreal on many levels. First, it is a fine irony that the Magnitsky Act is called to combat a law that was developed by Russian parliamentarians in direct retaliation to the Magnitsky Act in the first place. Second, quite obviously the White House did not foresee an occasion where foreigners would want lodge a petition with the US President, and so failed to include any citizenship limitations. This lead Roman Leibov, a University of Tartu professor and one of the first Russian users of LiveJournal, to exclaim [ru] on Facebook:
Не надо подписывать дурацких петиций! И распространять на них ссылок тоже не надо! Сайт Белого Дома – это какой-то подвергшийся сексуальному надругательству стыд, там нет ни системы гражданской идентификации, ни системы борьбы с накрутками. В результате под петициями красуются подписи Вуглускра И., а телеящик в понедельник расскажет об этой комедии всем потребителям телеящика.
Don't sign any foolish petitions! And don't disseminate links either! The White House website is a sexually desecrated disgrace, there is no system of citizen ID, no system of fighting fraud. As a result petitions are signed by the proverbial Mike Rotch, and come Monday the TV well make sure to tell all TV consumers of this joke.
DemVybor's Kirill Shulika latched on to yet a third issue [ru]:
Я занимаюсь политикой в России и поэтому решать свои внутренние проблемы я буду сам. И вам советую. Депутатов, что приняли людоедский закон надо не в Америку не пускать, а переизбирать и выгонять отовсюду в России с волчьим билетом.
I do politics in Russia, and I will solve my internal problems on my own. And I suggest you do too. Deputies who adopted the inhumane law shouldn't be banned from America, but should rather stand for reelection and be expelled from Russia with no chance of return.
The dissident ecologist Suren Gazaryan, on the run from law for trespassing on government property, agreed [ru]:
Это именно то, что бесит меня в нашем обществе. Наивная и необоснованная надежда на помощь Обамы, который накажет наших идиотов-депутатов.
This is what drives me insane about your society. A naive and unsubstantiated hope for help from Obama, who will punish our idiot deputies.
On the other hand, Dmitry Olshansky, until recently a staunch defender of the status quo, argued [ru] that lodging a complaint can be a good thing, even if it subverts the “chain of command”:
Вероятность, что жалобу там рассмотрят так, как хотели бы здесь, весьма мала – там тоже сидят бюрократы и лицемеры, – но это все равно лучше, чем ничего. […] “Суверенитет” здесь – это типичная бандитская ловушка. “Не смей говорить родителям, не смей говорить завучу, не смей говорить милиции, сиди и молчи, у нашего класса в школе суверенитет, и поэтому мы и дальше будем бить тебя ногами”.
The possibility that the complaint will be examined the way people would want it to is rather small – there they are also bureaucrats and hypocrites, – but it's still better than nothing. […] “Sovereignty” here is a classic gangster trap. “Don't you dare tell your parents, or the dean, or the police, sit down and shut up, our classroom has sovereignty at this school, and so we will continue to beat you.”
In the comments to his post Olshansky was attacked by conservative publicists Egor Kholmogorov and Maksim Sokolov, who accused him of being a flip-flopper or worse, a provocateur. Kholmogorov insinuated [ru] that people who sign the petition would be in danger from the Russian secret services if a list of their names ever got out.
That would be quite a list, since the petition reached 54,521 signatures by the time the signing process was closed by website administrators, thus passing the 25,000 mark required for review. Shortly afterward, a statement by the National Security Staff appeared on the page:
The United States shares your concerns regarding the bill passed by the Russian Duma […] We will continue to raise these concerns with Russian government.
This amused [ru] publicist Stanislav Yakovlev to no end:
Хохочу. Извините. Кстати, подобные ответы со стороны российского правительства принято называть – в определенной среде – “циничными отписками”.
Roaring with laughter. Sorry. By the way, in some circles such responses from the Russian government are known as “cynical come-offs”.
Unfortunately it looks like Russia won't be able to borrow American democracy or create a civil society from scratch. It will have to develop its own — as painful as the process has proven to be so far.
Update: On December 28th Putin signed the law, disappointing some, like DemVybor's leader Vladimir Milov [ru], who until the last moment believed that he wouldn't. Many, like Echo Moskvy's Vladmir Varfolomeev have noted [ru] that:
Царь Путин подписал антисиротский закон в день, когда чтят память младенцев, убитых по приказу царя Ирода. Это он специально?
King Putin signed the anti-orphan law on the day, when we honor the memory of the infants slaughtered at the behest of King Herod. Was that on purpose?

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Slovak Blogger Promotes Fairness in State Support for Businesses · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

Blogger Robert Huran reports [sk] on the initial success of his online form [sk] for entrepreneurs, which was created two months ago in response to the news [sk] of the €200 million governmental support for ten selected companies. The reasons these companies were chosen included promises of investment and creation of 2,400 new jobs, as well as preservation of about 1,500 jobs. Now, thanks to Huran, over 200 companies are going to ask for €33 million in state support for providing over 3,200 new and existing jobs. Huran's goal is to push for clear rules that will be the same for everyone – or to discourage stimulus at all, to prevent deformation of entrepreneurial environment.

author: Tibor Blazko


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The Best 12 of 2012 · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Puerto Rico Indie
The music blog Puerto Rico Indie offers its traditional summary of the best albums of the year in Puerto Rico. Enjoy!