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Painting Nails in Bolivia: A Job but Not a Living · Global Voices
La Pública

Dots, stripes, red, white and black, my nails are looking wonderful. Claudia (not her real name) is unrecognisably chatty. Photo: La Publica.
This post by Mabel Franco was originally published in La Pública and is reproduced here through our collaboration agreement.
We will call her Claudia. It is not her real name, but she wishes to remain anonymous to protect her job. It is not the greatest job, but it is the only job she has found, one month ago, and it is so unstable that she can't afford to arouse her boss's suspicions.
Claudia is in her 20's. She is the mother of two little girls and has a husband who works in a photocopy shop.
“What he earns isn't enough, so I help out.”
She studied hairdressing at an institute, but found work in a nail salon, painting designs onto nails.
In a mid-sized shop, in the Sopocachi area (central west of La Paz, Bolivia), with large windows to the street, she along with three other girls are seated behind little tables, waiting for customers who desire to have exquisite nails.
It is Tuesday afternoon, so there isn't much going on. Only one of the manicurists is busy. Claudia and the others are taking a nap, resting half on the tables.
A customer arrives and the women quickly sit up.
Claudia hardly says a word. It is difficult to get her to talk, even more so when it is about her work. As the chosen design is very detailed — each nail with a different design — there is time to overcome her resistance.
“I work part time, but there are other girls who work all day. I do afternoons.”
From 14:00 to 21:00, she then says.
As it is almost 17:00, one of the girls goes out to buy something to eat: some empanadas for 1.50 Bolivianos (US$.22 cents). They all put in.
So seven hours is part time.
How much do you earn?
That depends. The boss pays us a percentage of what each customer pays, and the amount each customer pays also depends on the design.
Claudia avoided the question of what the percentage was.
“I take home 800 Bolivanos (US$116.29) if it's a slow month, and up to 1200 (US$174.43) Bolivianos if it's busy,” she revealed in a low voice.
I have to believe her, even though Marcia, another lady who works in central La Paz painting nails, comments that is not always the case.
There is no signed contract with the Department of Labour. Only a private agreement that doesn't include bonuses. Claudia is not sure if the owner of the store will give her something extra at the end of the year.
“If only.”
Nail after nail, the conversation becomes more animated. Not knowing how, Claudia ended up talking about her mother's town, Caquiaviri.
“I know it,” I tell her. “There is a beautiful church there.”
She seems surprised, and for the first time she looks me in the eye and smiles.
“I have travelled a lot around the Altiplano region,” I say. “I have heard some beautiful stories, and also some terrifying ones.”
Claudia livens up and recalls the fear she felt with her little sister walking though a town at night with no electricity, but with many stories of apparitions and even UFOs.
Dots, stripes, red, white and black, my nails are looking wonderful. Claudia is unrecognisably chatty.
“This government is ruining us with their double bonuses,” she complains.
Why?
Everything has gone up. The sellers at the market say: they have money, let them pay. I tell them that we don't all get a double bonus, but they don't care. If there's a march against it or something like that, I'll take part.
Done. The final layer of clear varnish has been applied. While I blow on my nails to dry them off, Claudia fills out a docket detailing the job. Fifteen Bolivianos (US$2.18), some of which will go to her.
Marcia is a dynamic woman.
“Those who don't know me think that I'm a troublemaker, but I'm not.”
She describes herself as someone who could pass for the owner of a shop where a dozen girls paint nails.
The salon is set amongst a group of offices in a building with few windows, it smells so strongly of chemicals “sometimes I go home with a headache or feel almost drugged,” explains the mother in her 30s, whose only son, a young university student, still needs her help.
In the shop there is only one man behind a table. He is not there to paint nails, however, he is there to note down what gets done by the owner's staff.
The owner has another hairstyling and nail salon on the next floor.
Claudia mentioned some boys were keen to become manicurists, something that interested us.
Marcia, looking at the young boy, said out loud: “You know how to stamp nails [a method of painting nails], right?”
“Of course not,” said the boy, embarrassed.
His colleague explained: “He's worried people will think he's gay.”
Marcia says she has worked in the profession for so many years that she is now independent.
That means she pays the owner rent as well as buying her own nail polish, and, in return, can work at the salon independently, charging her own rates.
Theres no bonus or holidays or health insurance. She lives each day at the mercy of God.
How much do you earn?
Not enough, is her reply.
“So I don't only paint here, I work out of other places too and I also do hairstyling, which I studied.”
You should call Marcia an artist. A flower, chosen from plenty of designs, begins to cast a shadow, growing a stem and leaves. All on the miniscule canvas of a nail.
“Competition is the problem,” she complains.
There are many places like this and every day there are more girls that know how to paint. There are university students that come for a couple of hours. Some girls are so pretty that the owners choose them straight out.
Regarding pay, Marcia explains that the owner pays the new girls 35% commission, while long-serving staff pay 50%.
“No one can live on this alone.”

author: La Pública


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Why Is Gang Rape and Child Rape Skyrocketing in Bangladesh? · Global Voices
Probir Bidhan

Indigenous women protesting during a rally condemning the recent gang-rape of an indigenous woman. Image by Mohammad Asad. Copyright Demotix (3/6/2015).
Recently, a number of rapes, especially several cases involving minors, have shocked Bangladesh. A 10-year-old indigenous (Garo) child was raped in the capital’s Bhatara area on August 4 by a 22-year-old man. She was on her way to school when the rapist, a neighbour, lured her into a house, saying he would marry her, and then raped her. Three days earlier, two children aged seven and nine were raped by their neighbours at two corners of the capital. Locals in one incident wanted to settle the matter out of the court, but the victim's father decided to go the police station. In Kaliganj of Jhenidah, two other children younger than nine were raped by people in the same village—one of the rapists was just 17—within five days of each other.
Twitter user Paula Aziza Ahmed echoed what many people seem to think, comparing the rape crime spree to the spread of an epidemic:
Be it child murder, rape, cross fire or any other tragedy, whenever something starts, it spreads like epidemic! http://t.co/lve1iWhknb
— Aziza Ahmed Paula (@Paulaaziz) August 5, 2015
According to the children's rights group Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF), there has been a spike in the number of child rape incidents in 2015: a total of 280 children were raped around the country in the first six months alone. (The number of total reported rapes stands at an astounding 896 cases.)
Blogger Kalponik Ami writes in Somewhereinblog about the growing number of child rapes:
তিন বছরের (সবনিম্ন বয়স) শিশু থেকে শুরু করে, চিকিৎসারত হিজাবি ডাক্তার, মায়ের বয়সী মহিলা থেকে শুরু করে ক্লাস ওয়ানের মেয়ে, কে ধর্ষিত হচ্ছে না এখন এই দেশে? ১ বছরের শিশু থেকে ৬০ বছরের বৃদ্ধা ধর্ষিত হলেও এরপর জাতি হবাক হবে না। [..]
আমরা এমন এক দেশে জন্ম নিয়েছি যে দেশের সর্বোচ্চ ক্ষমতাসীন আসনে নারীরা থাকার পরেও এখানে নারীদের কোন নিরাপত্তা নেই। এই নারীদের নিরাপত্তার দায় দিনশেষে নারীরা বাদে আর কেউ না।
There are women and girls of many ages—from three-year-olds to an adult mothers—who are not being raped in this country. Who's next? A 1-year-old girl or a 60-year-old grandma? [..]
We are born in a country where the top-most position of the country [the Prime Minister] is held by a woman, but there is less security for women. Sadly, only women theselves seem to bear any responsibility for their own security.
Rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) says at least 24 rape victims out of the 378 reported in 10 national newspapers from January to June this year were children. Twenty-nine of the total victims were killed after being raped.
Of the 378 rape victims, 24 were younger than six, 63 were between the ages of 7 and 12, and another 42 were between the ages of 13 and 18.
According to guest blogger Mr. Zero at Sachalayatan:
শিশু ধর্ষণের সংখ্যাই কেন দিন দিন বাড়ছে ? আমার ধারণা মতে,একজন জ্ঞান বুদ্ধি সম্পন্ন মেয়ে অত্যাচারীত হলে তার পক্ষে স্বাক্ষী দেয়ার একটা সুযোগ থাকে। সে অপরাধীকে চিনতে সক্ষম। তার প্রতিবাদের শক্তি এবং সাহস দুটোই থাকে। কিন্তু পক্ষান্তরে একটি শিশু বুঝতেই পারে না তার সাথে কি হচ্ছে। সে শুধু ব্যথা অনুভব করে। যে তাকে অত্যাচার করছে,যদি পরিচিত কেউ না হয় তাহলে পরবর্তিতে তাকে শিশুটি চিনবে না। শিশুটি হয়তো তার মাকে গিয়ে বলবে,কিন্তু মাও প্রমাণ বা মূল আসামীকে ধরতে পারবে না। আদালতে সেই শিশুটির স্বাক্ষী কতটুকু গ্রহণযোগ্যতা পাবে সেটাও প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ বিষয়। তাই অযথা ঝামেলা করে সমাজে লজ্জার মুখে পড়তে চাইবে না। ফলাফল ধর্ষক নিরাপদ।
Why is the rape of minors are increasing day by day? I think if a girl is matured enough, she is capable of reporting the abuse and identifying the attacker. She can even be brave enough to protest or cry during the attack. But a child will not be able to understand what is happening, if she is subjected to abuse. She will only feel pain and discomfort. If the attacker is not known to her, she will not be able to tell who it was. If she even tries to seek help, it would be hard for her parents to pinpoint the attacker without evidence. And whether the testimony of a child is accepted in the court is questionable. So the parents would want not to go that far and be ashamed more in the society. So the child molesters remain safe.
Recently, the number of gang-rape incidents has also risen sharply. Rights groups say the number of gang-rape victims will be no less than 15 in July. In June, the figure was 24. Back in January, this number was just nine, says the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
One of the impediments to get justice for these crimes is the delay in the investigations and trial. Usually it takes a decade to dispose of a case related to rape or domestic violence, due to the huge backlog of cases. For instance, a Chittagong court in October last year awarded the death penalty to a person on charges of killing a housewife after raping her in the district’s Banshkhali upazila—14 years years earlier.
On June 30, 2013, a Chittagong court sentenced five men to death for raping an abducted adolescent girl in Banshkhali Upazila in 1997.
On August 2, in a landmark case, an apex court commuted the death penalty of a rapist to life in prison. The convict, who was a juvenile when he raped and killed a child, has already served 14 years in prison.
Infographic via Dhaka Tribune (used with permission). Source Bangladesh Shishu Odhikar Forum.
The Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association observes that laxity in applying the laws, the failure of the police to investigate properly, and delays in the trial process have contributed to the rising number of rapes. Salma Ali, executive director of the organisation, said that the absence of social and political responsibility, and a lack of transparency, contribute to the problem. Murder and torture of women at an in-law's house for a dowry, punishment by fatwas, and attacks by acid have been sadly common in the society. In many cases, women commit suicide after physical assaults and humiliation.
According to the latest, typically unreliable government statistics, at least 140 incidents of violence against women are taking place in the country every day, though only nine rape cases are registered daily.
Police have often been blamed for their failure to respond to sexual harassment and violence against women, and for settling rape cases without registering cases. After three police stations refused to take case by a rape victim, the Supreme Court ruled that the police must take such cases seriously.
The country's laws are also riddled with loopholes that allow rapists to escape punishment, if they can prove the victim to be “characterless.” Moreover, the rape victims are still examined through the discredited “two-finger method” for checking virginity—an unfortunate practice in a nation that claims to be progressive.
Dr. Kaberi Gayen asks if rape is unstoppable:
ধর্ষণ অপ্রতিরোধ্য নয়, অপ্রতিরোধ্য হলো অন্যায়ের বিরুদ্ধে মানুষের জাগরণ। এই জনপদে ধর্ষণ সব সময়েই ছিল, খবরে কম আসত। ধর্ষণের খবরগুলো প্রকাশিত হচ্ছে, এটি প্রথম প্রতিরোধ। ধর্ষিত নারী রুখে দাঁড়াচ্ছেন, এটি পরবর্তী প্রতিরোধ। নারী-পুরুষনির্বিশেষে সোচ্চার হচ্ছেন, এটিই চূড়ান্ত প্রতিরোধ। ভেঙে যাচ্ছে ধর্ষণের অপ্রতিরোধ্যতার মিথ।
Rape is not unstoppable. Invincible is the rise of people against injustice. Rape has always been prevalent in our societies, but wasn't previously reported as much. Now we are seeing more reports of rape. This is the first [stage of] resistance. The victim is standing on her feet and asking for justice. This is the second stage. You and me everybody are talking about it, condemning it, and this is the final resistance. The myth is being broken that rape is unstoppable.
Some observers say rape and sexual harassment would rise in parallel with women empowerment since this patriarchal society denies freedom of women. However its a good sign that people are now reporting such abuses and as these are discussed more and actions taken, chances are, the perpetrators will refrain from such violence in the future.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Probir Bidhan


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Bolivian Restaurant Wins Praise for Welcoming Breast-Feeding Moms With Open Arms · Global Voices
La Pública

The signboard reads: “Mom, if you want to breast-feed, come in without asking permission and order a free hot tea. You don't need to buy anything.”
A picture of a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in La Paz Bolivia that invites mothers who breast-feed has been shared and applauded across local social media.
The restaurant is called Red Monkey.
In Bolivia, breast-feeding in public is not censored and, according to the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health), Bolivia is the South American country with the highest proportion of mothers who exclusively breast-feed.
However, this does not mean the act of breast-feeding is widely supported or protected in public spaces (for example, in restaurants and much less on the streets). For this reason, the initiative of this small business in the neighborhood of San Miguel has received a lot of attention.


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Iranians Coordinate a Global Event to Support the Iranian Nuclear Deal · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Supporters of the nuclear deal hold posters advocating for the peace the deal will bring. Image taken from the #SupportIranDeal Facebook page.
A group of ten to fifteen people dressed in Israeli Defence Force (IDF) t-shirts and waving Canadian, Israeli and IDF flags slowly encircled a large group of Iranians holding posters reading “#SupportIranDeal” and “we choose peace”.
The Iranian group was just starting to coordinate their August 15 rally, passing out flags bearing the #SupportIranDeal logo of the dove and olive branch, and creating large posters. This was in Toronto, one of hundreds of locations staging a rally in support of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 signed on July 14.
The approaching crowd had posters carrying messages such as “Unmask Obama. Obama for Caliph. This is Creeping Jihad” and “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it”, juxtaposing images of the Iranian nuclear negotiations with Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain signing for appeasement in 1938.
They approached the Iranian dove and olive branch crowd chanting “stop the terrorists” and “they are murderers”.
Anti-deal supporters waving Canadian, Israeli and IDF flags encircle the start of the #SupportIranDeal rally in Toronto. Photo by author.
The police eventually stepped in to place a barrier between the opposing sides, but not before the Iranian crowd started chanting “peace, peace, peace” in reaction.
This was just a small kink in one of over a hundred similar events taking place worldwide on Saturday. According to a press release posted by the journalist Negar Mortazavi on the #SupportIranDeal Worldwide Facebook page, the grassroots-powered events were formed largely in response to increasingly vocal opposition to the deal.
On August 15th 2015, Global Day of Peace for Iran, thousands of people are gathering in cities across the world to show support for peace and prevent another war in the middle east. This is a grassroots movement organized by dozens of volunteers in over 100 cities in 20 countries in 4 continents. Hundreds of volunteers, with no affiliation to any organization or group, have joined this grassroots movement.
Thousands of volunteers all around the world are gathering to show support for the historic nuclear deal with Iran, which will make the world and the Middle East a safer place, give Iranian civilians a relief from harsh economic sanctions, and allow for resumption of peaceful relations between Iran and the United States. This is happening while pro-war lobbies in the U.S. are spending millions of dollars on campaigns to kill this deal and the prospect for a sustainable peace.
In the weeks leading up to the event, the event's logos and slogans were being distributed widely by supporters.
One member of the U.S. diplomatic team Marie Harf even took note of it in a tweet:
I have no idea who is doing this, but it's kind of awesome. https://t.co/uO9Geb8LvO
— Marie Harf (@marieharf) August 8, 2015
In the Iranian government, Massoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President and head of environmental protection in the Rouhani administration, posted a link to the event's Facebook page.
Ebtekar called to support the deal in the face of opposition from inside the U.S. congress and “Zionists”.
Here is a selection of tweets from cities that saw gatherings in support of the deal:
Auckland
We now pass on the torch to other cities round the globe to continuing #SupportIranDeal @SupportIranDeal #Auckland pic.twitter.com/L2tRzmQ7Er — AKLSupportIrandeal (@irandeal_akl) August 15, 2015
Amsterdam
#SupportIranDeal Amsterdam pic.twitter.com/wJS4W7muVj — Ehsan Mansouri (@ehsanmansuri) August 15, 2015
Washington D.C.
Gathering in support of #IranDeal in front of the White House #SupportIranDeal pic.twitter.com/6yKNEDvBo0 — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) August 15, 2015
Toronto
#SupportIranDeal #toronto pic.twitter.com/8Nh7w8HYZc
— Mahsa Khalili (@MahsaKhalili_) August 15, 2015
Los Angeles
Los Angeles came out to #SupportIranDeal. Follow our campaign @SupportIranDeal. pic.twitter.com/LMLsqPVTvC — Negar نگار (@NegarMortazavi) August 16, 2015
New York
#SupportIranDeal NYC pic.twitter.com/1znddwpQ08 — Mani Mostofi (@manimostofi) August 15, 2015
Vienna
#SupportIranDeal #IranDeal @hotelcoburg, @vienna pic.twitter.com/PZOZ42jbGv
— Soodeh (@SoodehFa) August 12, 2015
Kampala
#Kampala #SupportIranDeal with love pic.twitter.com/SKOBXuxwmU — Nazanin Kargosha (@NazaninKargosha) August 15, 2015
San Diego
@SenSchumer via @SupportIranDeal San Diego pic.twitter.com/pOmLUcJU4D — Margaret Christman (@mgc_rrt) August 16, 2015
Paris
تجمع حامیان توافق در پاریس #Paris #SupportIranDeal pic.twitter.com/K7zr7NoBTU — amir ebtehaj (@amirebtehaj) August 16, 2015

author: Mahsa Alimardani


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Search Coordinator for Ayotzinapa Students Assasinated · Global Voices
Global Voices Latin America

Asesinan en #México a coordinador de búsqueda de 43 normalistas de #Ayotzinapa Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco http://t.co/WMgteMU0JM Fue @EPN
— PrensaRebelde (@RebeldePrenssa) August 9, 2015
Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco, coordinator of the search for the 43 Ayotzinapa teachers’ college students, was assasinated in Mexico.
Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco, 45, was found dead last weekend in a taxi he owned with a gunshot to the head.
In response to authorities’ lack of action against organized crime, he founded a self-defense group in 2013 in the Mexican state of Guerrero. A year later, the group formed a commission to launch the search for the 43 students of the rural teachers’ college in the community of Ayotzinapa who disappeared on September 26, 2014.
The BBC interviewed him about the search:
The activist never found the students, but thanks to his efforts, the search discovered 129 bodies which have been turned over to the authorities for identification.

author: Global Voices Latin America


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Serbian State Utility Company to Spend 350,000 Euros on Logo Redesign · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

With a heatwave and temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in many Serbian cities, Serbs woke to more unpleasant headlines in the national media. According to the daily Blic, owned by Swiss Ringier Axel Springer Media and often labeled a tabloid in Serbia, the director of state-owned national electrical utility company Elekroprivreda Srbije, Aleksandar Obradović, has approved a logo and visual identity redesign for the public utility that will cost 42 million dinars, or almost 350,000 euros.
An August 15, 2015, front page headline in Blic daily reads: “Obradović to spend 42 million [dinars] on new logo!” Photo by author.
The company recently reported an 86 million euro loss in 2014. The public utility claims that the logo redesign is part of the company's restructuring to for “savings and to comply with EU standards.”
The new logo redesign has made waves in Serbia, prompting questions and criticism among local users of major social networks and discussion boards.
In a country that is plagued by corruption at all levels of government and has one of the largest unemployment rates in Europe — over 20% — Elekroprivreda Srbije been a focal point for public dissatisfaction lately.
After all, this is the same tax-funded public utility company that recently hiked up electricity prices by 12%, some six months after the government decided to cut most state wages and pensions by 10-15%.
The vast majority of the population in Serbia has barely been making ends meet, while the World Bank reports that over 20% of the population is living below the poverty line. This newly announced splurge on a logo redesign has angered many.
Ako sam dobro shvatila EPS uvodi novi logo ZBOG STEDNJE i placa ga 42 miliona dinara? Jel taj logo usisava kucu i radja decu, sta?
— Mishomorka (@Mishomor) August 15, 2015
If I understood correctly EPS is introducing the new logo FOR SAVINGS and paying 42 million dinars for it? Does this logo vacuum clean and bear children or what?
— Mishomorka (@Mishomor) August 15, 2015
EPS menja logo zbog “optimalizacije poslovanja i EU prakse” i to će nas kostati pola miliona evra. Eto gde idu pare od povećenja cene struje
— Goran Radosavljevic (@Radosav77) August 15, 2015
EPS is changing its logo for “business optimization and EU practices” and this will cost us half a million euros. That's where the money from the price hikes is going.
— Goran Radosavljevic (@Radosav77) August 15, 2015
Most of those complaining and asking questions on social media have been directly or indirectly referring to the possibility of corruption or misappropriation of funds related to the logo redesign.
An article on page 14 of the same August 15 Blic edition states: “EPS hiking prices, creates [financial] loss, while paying for logo”. Photo by author.
As a state-owned company, Elektroprivreda Srbije is legally obligated to announce a call for bids and go through a proper process of public procurement for any purchases of goods or services, and it seems citizens will be keeping an eye out for the winner of the tender announced in mid-August.
Like many other state companies, Elektroprivreda Srbije has been known to run questionable public procurement tenders in the past. This May, the company came under fire for blocking domestic companies from bidding for a contract to replace electricity meters, a practice anti-corruption campaigners said contravened standards set by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
Despite the tender only going out recently, popular blogger and author Mirjana Mimica sarcastically asked if the winning bidder was already known.
Other social media users directly assumed that a company close to the ruling Serbian Progressive Partywould win the tender.
A jel se zna ko je na tenderu dobio da radi novi logo za EPS?
— Mirjana Mimica (@Mahlat) August 15, 2015
So do we know who won the tender to create the new EPS logo?
— Mirjana Mimica (@Mahlat) August 15, 2015
U 150 maraka da će konkurs za novi logo EPS-a dobiti neka firma osnovana pre 2 meseca bliska SNS-u (podsetite me na ovaj tvit 15.08.'15)
— Mishomorka (@Mishomor) August 15, 2015
I'll bet 150 [German] marks that a company established two months ago and close to SNS (the ruling Serbian Progressive Party) will win the bid for the new EPS logo. (Remind me of this tweet from 15.08.2015)
— Mishomorka (@Mishomor) August 15, 2015
Serbian creative agencies and freelance designers have also been weighing in on the discussion, albeit from a more professional standpoint.
In recent years, numerous experienced web designers from Serbia have been working remotely for international clients and are well acquainted with the global market and standard industry pricing.
While an agency representative quoted in the Blic article explains that logo redesign for large international companies is often much more expensive — the design of every document template large companies use must be redesigned along with the company's brand identity guidelines – most industry representatives in Serbia cannot fathom why a visual identity redesign for a public utility would cost so much or even be necessary for the business.
Many design and advertising professionals in Serbia have called attention to some of the world's most iconic logos and their costs, some saying they expect to see the new EPS logo on that list soon.

author: Danica Radisic


text:
Watch Out For the Most Tightly Contested Election in Tanzania’s History · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Former Tanzanian Prime Minister and main opposition presidential candidate Edward Lowassa. Photo by TZA One and released under Creative Commons.
Tanzania's October 25 General Election will be the most tightly contested election in the country's history after hugely popular former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, defected from the ruling party to join the main opposition bloc.
Lowassa defected in late July after he was eliminated from the list of presidential aspirants for the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). He announced his intention to run for the opposition bloc Chama Cha Demokrasia and Maendeleo (Chadema) shortly after.
Lowassa claims that he unfairly lost his bid to become the ruling party's candidate. He now represents a union of four political parties fighting for the adoption of a new constitution.
Given that Lowassa commands huge support, especially from young people, this is the first time during the history of multiparty politics that the country's opposition has a genuine chance of winning.
After Lowassa’s defection, a number of key members of the ruling party including Members of Parliament, councilors and regional officials followed him to Chadema.
His switchover has ruffled feathers, however.
Until recently, Chadema considered Lowassa corrupt and unprincipled. Chadema led calls for him to go when he was implicated in a corruption scandal that culminated in his resignation in 2009.
He has constantly denied that his office was involved in accepting kickbacks for a major energy contract from American company Richmond Development.
Some members of Chadema have left the party in protest.
But Chadema's chances may be boosted by the appearance of Juma Duni Haji as Lowassa's running mate.
Haji, who has run on opposition tickets in Tanzanian presidential elections in the past, was Minister of Infrastructure and Communications until Lowassa defected.
Lowassa’s popularity was clearly noted when his nomination was endorsed by 1.5 million people.
The YouTube video below from AyoTV shows the day Lowassa got nomination forms:
Lowassa brought Dar Es Salaam to a halt. The only other time Dar Es Salaam had witnessed such a huge crowd was when U.S. President Barack Obama visited the country in 2013.
Social media networks are abuzz with excitement. If elections took place on Twitter, the outcome would be as good as determined.
@EdwardLowassa Mungu mwema kilio chetu watz kwa muda mrefu hatimae kimepata majibu. Saa ya ukombozi ni sasa. Tar 25 Oct tupige kura wote.
— Amdan Mushalaba (@AMushalaba) August 15, 2015
Good God, our cry has been heard at last. Liberation time is now. Lets all vote on October 25.
Albert Gasper Msando compared Lowassa to Robin Hood and El Chapo:
Lowassa ni Robin Hood wa Kimasai. Au ni El Chapo wa kitanzania. Look at the hands he touches and not the toes he stepped on 😂😂
— Albert Gasper Msando (@AlbertMsando) August 10, 2015
Lowassa is a Maasai Robin Hood. Or Tanzanian El Chapo. Look at the hands he touches and not the toes he stepped on.
Mwamfupe Anyisile advised the ruling party:
@EdwardLowassa wajiandae tu kisaikolojia kuitoa Ikulu kwa amani pasi na shurtisho lolote
— Mwamfupe Anyisile (@Anyisile) August 15, 2015
They [the ruling party] should prepare themselves psychologically to leave the state house in peace without any force.
Given Edward wished:
If the elections are to be held today, I'm pretty sure Lowassa is going to *drops phone*
— Given Edward (@GIVENALITY) August 11, 2015
4 Samaritan Lepers described Lowassa’s charisma thus:
Lowassa is that guy who walks into your ‘area’ and all of a sudden you forget what you were doing. Looks at you and says, “FOLLOW ME.” 😃😃
— 4 Samaritan Lepers (@SwahiliBible) August 11, 2015
DirectoR NiCKLASS touched on a stereotype that associates Chadema leaders with khaki fatigues:
@EdwardLowassa mheshimiwa, watanzania tuna ham kuu ya kukuona katika gwanda la kaki
— DirectoR NiCKLASS (@NicklassM) August 5, 2015
Honorable Lowassa, Tanzanians are anxious to see you in khaki fatigues.
Responding to the argument that Chadema is not old enough to govern, Edward Lowassa himself said:
Wanaosema CHADEMA haiwezi kuongoza, kwamba ni chama kichanga hawajitambui. TANU ilikabidhiwa nchi ikiwa na miaka 7, CHADEMA ina miaka 23.
— Edward Lowassa (@EdwardLowassa) August 4, 2015
Those who say Chadema cannot govern because it is still young do not understand. TANU [the party that won Tanzanian’s independence] governed the country when it was 7 years old, Chadema is 23 years old.
Isack Danford tweeted:
Public defiance. Uasi wa jamii. Changes in the making. Ccm watoke kabisa, siwapendi no lie @EdwardLowassa pic.twitter.com/ciVUQv4XNa
— Isack Danford (@IsackDanford) August 15, 2015
Public defiance. Changes in the making. CCM should completely go, I don’t like them.
Mwamfupe Anyisile gave away her voting preference:
Let @EdwardLowassa be the Tanzania Fifth president,
— Mwamfupe Anyisile (@Anyisile) August 15, 2015
And Leylah Malweezy believes Lowassa has divine backing:
@EdwardLowassa hakika ww ni chaguo la mungu,yan naona kama tayari umeshakuwa raisi,mungu akijaalie uwe mwenye kushinda uchaguzi #lowasa won
— Leylah Malweezy (@LMalweezy) August 15, 2015
You are truly God’s choice, I even see you as president already. May God bless you to be the winner.
On a lighter note, George Roberts shared a photo showing Chadema’s unique choice of space for publicity:
Tanzanian opposition party using every available bit of space for some publicity at today's Chadema rally in Mbeya https://t.co/gmSm0leUdB
— George Roberts (@g_m_roberts) August 14, 2015
But not everyone supports Lowassa and Chadema.
Responding to Musa Kilembo's observation that Lowassa has created a catch-22 for voters Evarist Chahali said:
.@KailemboMusa Me too. I have not only fought vs CCM's injustices but paid hefty price too. However,I've no faith in Lowassa as alternative
— Evarist Chahali (@Chahali) August 15, 2015
Suphian Juma does not trust Lowassa:
@EdwardLowassa nature never leave vacuum,how are we sure u truly anti-ccm? @MariaSTsehai @hpolepole @chademanews @to discovery @lowassateam
— Suphian Juma (@SuphianJuma) August 15, 2015
While Bernard Matungwa wrote:
Two main objectives for Chadema First: Make CCM an opposition party. Second: Loot the country! Terrible. Just terrible!
— Bernard Matungwa (@BMatungwa) August 9, 2015
Nathaniel Imani took a jab at Lowassa’s past:
ukiwa mwenye dhambi fisadi mla rushwa ukija #chadema utakuwa mtakatifu eeeh
— nathaniel imani (@nathanielimani) August 7, 2015
If you are sinful and corrupt, when you join Chadema you become a saint.
And Hamisi Kigwangalla is hopeful the ruling CCM will withstand the current crisis:
@UK999ers @edward_lowassa @ccm_tanzania New people within CCM will reform the party and the government, and opposition will die naturally
— Hamisi Kigwangalla (@hkigwangalla) August 6, 2015

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Raising Flags and Hopes · Global Voices
Elaine Diaz

Washington, United States. 20th July 2015. People gather at the Cuban embassy to witness the Cuban flag being raised in Washington D.C. after 54 years. Copyright Demotix.
A friend once told me that every Cuban will always remember what she or he was doing on December, 17, 2014. I certainly do. I have a clear recollection of the tears welling up in my eyes, my hands pressed over my mouth, literally to stop me from speaking, how I held my breath: because by the time presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro made the announcement I thought anything I did would ruin that moment forever.
So I stayed very quiet. How long did it take them to present the official statements? I have no idea. It felt like more than 50 years, and painful.
For Cubans born, like me, in the late ‘80s, the first encounter with the United States was through the second-hand experience of emigration. My best friend in elementary school won the visa lottery and disappeared all of a sudden, leaving me with lots of questions no one dared to answer, because de eso no se habla[1]. Just a year later, it was my very own uncle who left the country in a rickety raft along with 17 other men right before the so called “rafters crisis”. And I started hearing more and more people saying that que el que se va, se muere[2].
One way or the other, those who left died in our minds. Even those who called regularly on the phone seemed so far away in our imaginations that we felt we had lost them forever, a feeling intensified by the sense of being trapped on a small landmass surrounded by the sea.
In May 2013 I traveled for the first time to Washington, DC, to participate in the Latin America Studies Association Congress, an event in which the Cuba section has hundreds of affiliates. After the decline of people-to-people exchanges during the Bush years, the Obama administration’s efforts to bring them back allowed under-thirty professionals like me to share our insights about Cuban reality in a variety of academic spaces. For me, however, the most important part of that first trip to the US was the opportunity it gave me to experience a historic political confrontation from the point of view of people living “on the other side”.
So on a rainy night in June 2013, after twenty long years, I was finally able put a physical image to my uncle’s house, a wooden dwelling in the middle of a trailer park in Miami, where he sits out at night tending his barbecue and telling stories about what it’s like to be a balsero[3].
In 2014, I was awarded a Nieman fellowship at Harvard University, and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. I had few hopes, and lots of fears. But instead of the caricatural, black-and-white image portrayed by Cuban national media, I encountered profound respect from Americans toward my beloved country, the same kind of respect showed in US national opinion polls that provided the impetus for the 18 months of secret negotiations between the two countries leading up to the official announcement last December. And that gave me hope. But I also met people who believed that American democracy should or could be exported to Cuba, without acknowledging our long history of nationalism and independence.
On July 20, the Cuban flag was raised over the newly re-opened Cuban embassy in Washington, DC. And yesterday, August 14, US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Havana to oversee a similar ceremony at the US embassy in Havana. After 54 years, the flags of the US and Cuba fly once more over their respective embassies in each other's country. With the restoration of full diplomatic relations, we are witnessing a new era in Cuba. Although political differences persist, for the first time in my life there isn’t a specific enemy against whom we're expected to fight at all costs.
But the future of relations between our countries will depend on others’ ability to allow Cuba change at its own pace. The change must come from Cubans themselves, emigrants included.
In December 2014 I went back to my uncle’s place. “What do you think the new about Cuba-US affairs?” I asked him, with the combination of skepticism and hope the harsh economic crisis of the ‘90s taught us.
“I’m not a politician,” my uncle said, “I’m just a survivor. . . . But still, maybe this is a sign. It’s time to go back home.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in Havana, Cuba, on August 14, 2015, as part of his trip to re-open the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. Copyright Demotix.
[1] “We don´t talk about ´it´”
[2] The people who left, they symbolically die
[3] Rafter

author: Elaine Diaz


text:
Ethiopia’s Zone9 Bloggers Head Back to Court After 15 Months Behind Bars · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Police lead Natnael Feleke (center right) and fellow blogger Atnaf Berahane (center left) to court. Photo courtesy of Trial Tracker Blog.
Five members of Ethiopia's Zone9 blogging collective expect to learn their fate this Wednesday, August 19, when a panel of three judges will meet at Addis Ababa's Lideta High Court to rule on whether the defendants will walk free or or face another round of trial.
As the 15 months-old botched trial reaches a critical juncture just a few days before the Federal High Court goes on summer recess, we offer a brief summary of the case, along with the proceedings and the possible outcomes of what feels like a never-ending trial.
The bloggers of Zone9 covered social and political issues in Ethiopia and sought to promote human rights and government accountability. Known for their critical stance on government policies and practices, they faced various threats before they were arrested in April of 2014, on informal accusations of inciting social unrest via online means. After spending many weeks in pre-trial detention at Maekalawi, an Addis Ababa prison notorious for its harsh conditions, they were charged under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation.
They now stand accused of terror and treason-related charges for using encryption tools for their online communications and blogging. The Zone9ers’ 21-page charge sheet specifies the laws the regime claims the bloggers have violated since May 2012. Read more on this here and here.
Five of the nine group members originally arrested (one is being tried in absentia) were released on July 8 and 9 of 2015, a few weeks prior to Barack Obama's historic visit to the country. Authorities dropped all charges against the five, with no formal explanation. No changes have been made to the charges against the four Zone9 bloggers who remain in prison.
Critics suggest that the partial release of Zone9 writers was government’s attempt to deflect mounting criticism about Ethiopia’s dreadful human rights record approaching the Obama visit.
Timeline of Zone9 case by Endalk Chala.
The Zone9ers’ trial has been postponed 33 times. Judges have adjourned the case continuously, accepting a panoply of reasons for postponement, ranging from the banal to the bizarre. At a recent hearing, prosecutors pleaded for an adjournment of the case due to what they described as “a shortage of time” to review the case. The judges accepted this as a valid reason, despite the fact that the bloggers have spent more than a year in a prison.
Often times the proceedings were adjourned the moment the defendants set foot in the court room. On some occasions the defendants did not even have a chance to listen to what their counselors said in the court room.
When the government decided to suddenly discontinue the case against five of the writers and let them walk free, the judges did not know about it. Government officials insisted that the five writers were released based on the law of the country, and those who are now free had minimal involvement in the alleged crime. But this sudden move left observers with more questions than answers. Why did the government release just five individuals while keeping the others, when they were all originally charged with the same crime? Will the partial release of the bloggers have an impact on the course of the trial of the others?
Chronological order of major events during 15 the months of the trial
A fair trial is all but impossible under the Ethiopian judicial system, which is generally described as dissent-controlling apparatus of the regime. Although the release of five defendants created a short-lived optimism in July, various outcomes are possible on Wednesday. This could include a ruling that amounts to guilty verdicts, another round of long term adjournments, or even an acquittal.
After the partial release of the writers in July, government officials justified their decision to keep the remaining bloggers behind bars, issuing statements containing a wide range of flawed arguments. Those statements could provide the first clear glimpse of how the trial is likely to unfold on Wednesday, not just in terms of immediate decisions of the judges – guilty verdicts or acquittals – but also in terms of precisely how the government intends to release the bloggers.
In a sit-down interview following the Obama visit and televised on the country's sole TV network, veteran journalist Tefera Gedamu asked Minister of Government Communication Affairs Redwan Hussein, “Why didn’t you release some of them as a gesture of good will… was it not that possible? I know you say there is a due process of law…”
Redwan responded that the government would give pardon and parole when there is a reason to do so. He also defended the partial release of the bloggers, redoubling his indication that the remaining bloggers would not be released, that their case would not be dropped, and that the threat of going back to prison would be hanging over the heads of the released ones as well. He continued:
The level of their offense must be weighed…those which have a milder offense as compared to others, though each and every one of them could be convicted… if they behave and if their release outweighs the public interest …that serves the public interest rather than them staying behind bars, then they will be released.
Tedros Adhanom Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia also spoke along the same lines as Redwan when questioned by VOA Amharic service.
These statements are indications that the high court will likely uphold the convictions these government officials made in public. However, the statements can also be read to indicate that the government intends to release the bloggers after their conviction through clemency. Whatever the outcome, a robust array of online voices will continue to say #FreeZone9Bloggers until they are all released.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Human Rights Protections Weaken as Tunisia Fights Terror · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

The Tunisian government is cracking down on civil and political rights as it fights a rise in Islamist insurgency, in the aftermath of the deadliest terror attack in the country's history.
On 26 June, 38 foreign tourists were killed when gunman Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire on tourists at a beach resort in the city of Sousse. Three months earlier, 21 tourists and a police officer were killed in an attack on the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Since 2011, dozens of soldiers and police officers lost their lives in attacks by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, particularly in the mountainous Chaambi area along the border with Algeria, where the Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade is very active.
As other countries in the region grapple with chaos, wars, and authoritarianism, Tunisia is often described as the “success story” of the so-called Arab Spring. The country's transition has so far been smooth, though it remains incomplete particularly at the level of democratic institutions and transitional justice. In January 2014, a national constituent assembly adopted a constitution that enshrines civil rights. Less than a year later, a peaceful transition of power took place when the Islamist Ennahdha party handed over power to their rival, the secular Nidaa Tounes party, following successful parliamentary and presidential elections.
But now, Tunisia's democratization process and progress on human rights are being threatened by the authorities’ counter-terror policies.
Cat before being thrown in jail: ‘I do not care about human rights. I do not care about freedom. I do not care about the revolution. I just want to be secure.” Jailer: “Satisfied? You're secure now.” Cartoon by Nadia Khiari.
Eight days after the Sousse attack, President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency in the whole country, giving authorities the power to impose restrictions on protests and strikes, cracking down on press freedom and granting the army and police more authority. Violating the state of emergency, which was lasted for over 60 days, could be punished by a six-month to two year jail sentence. It did not take long before a court in the interior region of Gafsa sentenced 13 activists to 16 days in jail for violating the state of emergency by holding a labor protest.
For critics, imposing the state of emergency was motivated by authorities’ desire to crack down on strikes and protests, rather than countering terror.
A state of emergency that has nothing to do with “fighting terrorism” but rather suppressing participatory democracy https://t.co/ZIB0WkKDzd
— أسمى غريبي (@AsmaGhribi) August 13, 2015
Speaking to the Independent, Prime Minister Habib Essid tried to justify this crackdown. “It’s to protect our young democracy,” he said. “They can’t hold protests or go on strike, but they can express themselves in other ways. People can talk or write [whatever they like].”
But despite the PM's reassurance that “people can talk or write whatever they like,” the authorities have also been cracking down on speech.
On 8 July, prosecutors charged Noureddine Mabrki, editor of the news site akherkhabaronline.com, with complicity under the country's 2003 counter-terror law for publishing a photo of Sousse gunman Seifeddine Rezgui getting out of a car right before carrying out his massacre. Published on 5 July, the photo has since been taken down at the request of the authorities, which are seeking its source. Refusing to reveal the source of the photo, Mbarki now risks between 5 and 12 years in jail.
Photo-shopped picture of PM Habib Essid carriying a shovel
The same charge was brought against Abdelfatteh Saied, a mathematics teacher who alleged on Facebook that the Sousse attack was a conspiracy carried out by security officers. Though Mbarki spent only a few hours in police custody, Saied has been in detention since July 16. He was also charged with “accusing, without proof, a public agent of violating the law” under Article 128 of the penal code for sharing and commenting on a photo-shopped picture of Prime Minister Habib Essid. The photo, which shows Essid holding a shovel, was originally posted by another user. Saied shared the photo on his Facebook wall on July 12 along with a comment on a decision by the broadcast regulator to close a number of religious radios and TV stations. He said: “[It is] as if they [the government] are waiting and thirsty for the Sousse crime to happen, to shut down all sources of moderate Islam. As if it is a gift they got from heaven.”
Human rights groups and activists are also wary of flaws in the new anti-terror law, which was unanimously approved by the parliament on 25 July. The new law replaces a 2003 law passed under the autocratic rule of Zine el Abidine Ali and under which 3000 people, including political opponents, were prosecuted.
The 2015 legislation broadly defines terrorism, extends the limit of pre-trial detention from 6 days under the previous law to fifteen days, and prescribes the death penalty for those convicted of terrorist crimes resulting in death or rape. Tunisia has never abolished the death penalty, but the 2003 law did not prescribe the death penalty as a punishment for terror related crimes.
The law further grants security services exceptional powers to intercept the communication of suspects in real time (either by telephone or online communication means), for a period not to exceed four months, after obtaining a written order from an investigative judge or a prosecutor. In addition, a jail term of up to five years is prescribed against anyone found to have “publicly and clearly praised” a terrorist crime, its perpetrator, and terror groups.
#tunisia antiterrorism law is a powerful tool in the hands of a corrupt security & judiciary system. Its impact will be devastating
— Zied Mhirsi (@zizoo) July 25, 2015
C'est tjs un plaisir de voir ces élus déverser leur venin,voter une loi liberticide et rentrer chez eux avec le sentiment du devoir accompli
— Riadh (@riadheh) July 25, 2015
it is always a pleasure to see these MPs pouring their venom, voting in favor of a draconian law and going back home believing that they have accomplished their duty
The government's counter-terror policies have also been tainted with accusations of torture.
In a statement published on 5 August, the Tunisian League for Human Rights confirmed that five suspects held on terrorism charges were tortured while in detention. Though a judge ordered their release on 4 August with two other suspects in the same case, police in civilian clothes arrested them again without an arrest warrant, as they were making their way out of the court.
During the same week, another judge ordered the release of nine suspects in the Bardo Museum terror attack, whose confessions were extracted under torture.
Tunisian based journalist Yasmine Ryan tweeted about the case:
All 9 suspects held over #Bardo attack released, including alleged mastermind of attack. Lack of evidence http://t.co/8r5H9N96Cy #Tunisia
— Yasmine Ryan (@yasmineryan) August 6, 2015
Tunisian judge says supposed confessions obtained after arrest of 9 suspects in #Bardo case were result of torture http://t.co/8r5H9N96Cy
— Yasmine Ryan (@yasmineryan) August 6, 2015
Practice of using torture to obtain confessions meant wrong people arrested over #Bardo, leaving real culprits free to plan another attack.
— Yasmine Ryan (@yasmineryan) August 6, 2015
On the collective blog Nawaat, Hend Chennaoui writes that civil society groups have been noting a “considerable increase in police violence” since the government's declaration of a war on terror. She adds:
Meanwhile, the country's decision-makers do not seem to find a balance between democratization and counter-terrorism.

author: Afef Abrougui


text:
Kyrgyz Rappers Trash Bribe-Takers in Hip-Hop News Segment · Global Voices
Zukhra Iakupbaeva

Screenshot from Kloop.kg's official channel.
Kloop.kg, a youth-driven Kyrgyz news portal known for experimenting with new formats, has done it again.
After a corruption scandal affecting several important political figures in Kyrgyzstan in July, Kloop gave two young rappers a platform to critique the political system in a hip-hop-meets-the ten ‘o’ clock news format.
The young rappers, Ermek Myrzabekov and Mederbek Yrsaliyev, thus released a 2-minute long video about the arrest of Kyrgyz MP Hadzhimurat Korkmazov and former head of the presidential apparatus Daniyar Narymbayev.
The pair stand accused of combining to extort $100,000 from the daughter of a former Bishkek mayor — detained on corruption charges since 2012 — in exchange for a favourable court decision on the confiscation of his property.
One of the rap singers riffs on the arrested MP:
Привет, коррупция. Встречай, вымогательства и взятки,
Теперь Коркмазов с правосудием играет в прятки.
Hello, corruption. Meet extortion and bribery.
Now Korkmazov is playing hide-and-seek with justice.
In their song, the rappers condemn corrupted officials and courts:
По идее тут выше всех должен быть судов система,
Но в прогнившем насквозь шальных денег в мире иная схема.
Тузы, шестерки, у короля в кармане перемены.
Навряд ли возможны, нет чистых лиц на старой сцене.
Ideally, the court system has to be above everything,
But there is a different scheme in this rotten to the core world of easy money.
Aces, sixes, the King [President] keeps reforms in his pocket.
There are no clean people on this old stage.
Ulugbek Akishev, an editor at Kloop.kg told Global Voices why the editorial staff decided to give the young rappers a space to exhibit their talents:
Мы хотели запустить видео репортажи о главных событиях недели, как это делают некоторые новостные агентства. Услышав первый трек ребят, мы связались с ними и решили пригласить их делать для нас такие репортажи, потому что рэп на социальные темы затрагивают. Ребята настояли, что видео будут посвящены отдельному событию.
We wanted to launch video coverage [wrapping] the main events of the week, as some news agencies do. After hearing the first track of the guys, we got in touch with them and decided to invite them to do these video stories for us because rapping on social issues can be a strong tool. The boys insisted that the video would be devoted to a particular event only.
For another Global Voices ‘rap news’ story, see Anna Gueye's The ‘News in Rap’, an Unconventional News Broadcast from Senegal.

author: Zukhra Iakupbaeva


text:
‘Las Patronas’: Making Mexico’s ‘Train of Death’ a More Humane Place · Global Voices
Mary Aviles

Central American migrants wait to board a freight train in Ixtepec, Mexico. The train, known as The Beast, will bring them to the US/Mexican border. Photo taken from the Flickr account of Peter Haden under Creative Commons license.
The Beast.
The vehicle, also known as “the train of death,” cuts through Mexico from south to north. This cargo train carries Central American immigrants that hope to cross into the United States in search of a better future. Frequently travelling along the rails are the victims of robbery, kidnapping, rape, and torture. Standing in solidarity with them are Las Patronas.
Las Patronas consists of Norma Romero and a group of women from her family that prepare huge pans of rice and beans which they deliver in bags, along with portions of bread and water to the US-bound migrants as the train passes through La Patrona. La Patrona is a neighborhood in Acatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, México. The group's work is featured in a recent and hugely influential petition on Change.org.
The petition was created in an effort to recognize the work of a group with more than two decades of service, so that they might be nominated for the Princess of Asturias Awards, and it achieved its goal.
Las patronas son candidatas al premio princesa de Asturias http://t.co/8FXjfQiDuD
— REDefineMX (@REDefineMX) August 3, 2015
Las Patronas are candidates for the Princess of Asturias Awards
The Princess of Asturias Foundation awards “contribute to extolling and promoting those scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form part of the universal heritage of humanity”. Some of the laureates of this year included Francis Ford Coppola and Wikipedia.
In 2013, Romero, the founder of Las Patronas, was given the Human Rights Award by Mexico’s National Commission of Human Rights, and was recognized for her work in the promotion and defense of the human rights of immigrants.
It is no wonder the train is called “the train of death”:
Julián Carmona writes about ‘The Beast’ on ZonaJ:
Se llama Mario. Dice que tiene 28 años, que es de Guatemala, que él y su novia, Elsa Marlen, de 19 años, embarazada de gemelos, apenas habían iniciado su viaje hacia Estados Unidos cuando en el municipio de Huixtla, en el Estado de Chiapas, Elsa Marlen desapareció.
Dice que él la buscó durante semanas y que, buscándola, desanduvo sus pasos y regresó a Guatemala. Que fue allí donde meses después, y a través de fotografías que le mandó la cancillería de su país, reconoció el cadáver de su novia. Tenía las manos cortadas. La habían enterrado en una fosa común.
His name is Mario. He says that he is 28-years-old, that he is Guatemalan, and that he and his girlfriend, Elsa Marlen, who was 19-years-old and pregnant with twins, had barely begun their journey to the United States when Elsa Marlen disappeared in the township of Huixtla, in the state of Chiapas.
He says that he searched for her for weeks and that, as he searched for her, he retraced his steps and returned to Guatemala. It was there that months later, through photographs sent to him from his country’s ministry, he recognized the body of his girlfriend. Her hands had been cut off. She had been buried in a mass grave.
José Luis Pinilla Martín wrote an entry on his blog dedicated to the group, in which he notes that the group took a huge risk in its beginnings by helping undocumented immigrants moving through Mexico at a time when it was a crime to do so.
Como ellas mismas lo saben, los premios son plataformas por lo tanto, convertir a las Patronas en Princesas – como si fueran las cenicientas del siglo XXI – es poner en valor la realidad de un grupo que canaliza una labor organizadamente,  blanco sobre negro, desvelando la cruda  realidad de las y los migrantes en su paso por México (y por todos los caminos del mundo) . Y que descubre– y esto no es un cuento – sus  dolores y tragedias no solo en sus viajes de  tránsito, sino en sus países de origen y en los de su destino. Es más: Un acción individual que empezó con la Señora Norma,  se ha transformado – también paradigmáticamente –  en la acción de todo un pueblo
As they themselves know, the awards are platforms to bring visibility to the struggles experienced by every organization and group. Therefore, to transform Las Patronas into Princesses — as if they were the Cinderellas of the 21st century — is to highlight the reality of a group of women directing a well-organized service that brings attention to the harsh reality of migrants, both men and women, on their path through Mexico (and all those on similar paths throughout the world). And you’ll discover their sorrows and tragedies aren’t found solely in the time they spend traveling, but also in the countries from which they depart and the countries to which they arrive. What’s more, a single action that began with Mrs. Norma has transformed – in a rather paradigmatic way – into the action of an entire town.
According to the website Sin Embargo, the path to candidacy was not an easy one:
The award nomination must be appealed directly within Madrid by diplomats from each country, but the Mexican embassy was late in doing so, or rather, they wouldn't until the non-governmental organization Change practically forced them to with an initiative where citizens could support the candidates through online signatures.
Even the Senate and Chamber of Deputies had to intervene by calling the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attention. A total of 7,500 signatures were required; however, they received about 50,000.
More about the history of Las Patronas:
A decision on the award in the Concord category will be made by the Princess of Asturias Foundation on September 2nd.

author: Mary Aviles


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Russian Censors Falsify Evidence Against Newspaper to Uphold Ban on Political Coverage · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Marco Fieber's Olkhon Island, Siberia, photograph, February 25, 2013, edited by Kevin Rothrock. CC 2.0.
Almost a year ago exactly, the Kremlin’s media watchdog agency, Roskomnadzor, warned a series of news outlets against publishing reports about a protest that took place in Siberia on August 17, 2014. Last weekend, in an appeals case by one newspaper against the government, state censors finally revealed specifically why they banned several news stories last year about the rally in Siberia. According to some reports, Roskomnadzor even falsified some of the evidence it claims against one newspaper, though the court ruled in its favor, anyway.
The demonstration last year was called the “March for the Federalization of Siberia,” and it was the brainchild of a small group of former Nationalist Bolshevik activists, who’d soured on that movement, after leader Eduard Limonov’s “turn to the dark side” on the Ukraine question. (Limonov has supported Russia’s intervention.) The “federalization” march was a push for greater autonomy, focused on allowing Siberia to keep more of its tax revenues for the local government, and promote “regional politics independent from Moscow’s.”
According to the website Ovdinfo.org, which says it monitors “state violence,” the appeals case that wrapped up this past weekend marks the first time Roskomnadzor has explained—even vaguely—what it was in the news reports about the Siberian protest that it found illegal. The newspaper that challenged Roskomnadzor’s ban was The New Times, a liberal publication headed by Yevgenia Albats. (The paper lost its initial trial in January 2015, when a Tver court upheld officials’ decision to censor an article published on August 15, 2014, titled “The Parade of Sovereignties 2.0.”)
In that first trial earlier this year, Roskomnadzor offered no specifics about why it banned The New Times’ report on the protest, though the public did learn that Russia’s Attorney General wasn’t directly responsible for cracking down on The New Times. While the Attorney General is charged with combating extremism and “calls to unsanctioned rallies,” it turns out that Roskomnadzor identified “The Parade of Sovereignties 2.0” on its own, acting on broad advice from prosecutors to ban any media content about “rallies in favor of federalization.”
In the appeals trial, Roskomnadzor finally clarified its position. Ovdinfo.org reports:
По мнению Роскомнадзора, фразы о том, что в Новосибирске призывали к несогласованным акциям и о том, что марш за федерализацию хотели провести по «традиционному для Новосибирска маршруту демонстраций» являются призывами к участию в несогласованных акциях.
In the opinion of Roskomnadzor, the phrases about the fact that people were being called out in Novosibirsk to an unsanctioned rally, and about the fact that [organizers] wanted the march for federalization to occur “along the city’s usual protest route” constituted an [illegal] call to participate in an unsanctioned rally.
Ovdinfo.org also says Roskomnadzor “falsified quotes from the article [in The New Times],” offering to the court as evidence against the newspaper “phrases that do not appear in the text” of its story.
Though Roskomnadzor has been vigilant in its campaign against reports about last summer’s Siberian protest, smaller websites have demonstrated that the government’s censorship campaign is less impressive, when it comes to enforcement. In fact, The New Times’ banned article (which the newspaper deleted from its website after receiving a warning from Roskomnadzor) is still available to Russian Internet users, republished immediately on a site called Free Zone. Last summer, officials sent a warning to Free Zone, too, but the website refused to remove the content. Nevertheless, it’s still accessible in Russia today.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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The Bold and the Uniformed: How New Ukrainian Police Are Taking Over Social Media · Global Voices
Anna Poludenko-Young

Relatives and friends came to Sofievskaya square to greet the new patrol police officers taking the oath of allegiance. Photo by Stanislav Yandulsky from Demotix.
The new Ukrainian authorities are fighting corruption in the country's police service by hiring new young police officers. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv is the first city to run the law enforcement “reset” experiment, and after their first month at work, the new police cadres have become a big hit on social media.
My new police
Since the first day the new police started patrolling streets in the beginning of July, people were so excited about friendly young officers that they started taking selfies with them. This led to the trending hashtags #KyivPolice, #МояНоваПоліція (#MyNewPolice), and  #Селфізкопом (#SelfieWithACop), which were among the most used in Ukraine in July. In just the first week, the hashtag #KyivPolice was used more than 3,500 times on Twitter. In less than two months, the Instagram page of the new Kyiv police got over 23 thousand followers, adding to the 10 thousand subscribers on Facebook.
The baffling popularity of the new patrol force came soon after the new Kyiv authorities began their police reform. First, they fired hundreds of old police officers and replaced them with over 2,000 new ones who were plucked form a pool of more than 30,000 prequalified applicants. Roughly a quarter of the new recruits are females. All the newly hired individuals underwent a rigorous training under the supervision of enlisted US and Canadian trainers. Finally, the new officers received an increase in salary, which now ranges from 8,000 to 10,000 hryvnyas ($360-450).
Law enforcement reform in Ukraine's capital (and elsewhere) has been long overdue. Police officers in the country are notorious for being corrupt. In addition to that, many Ukrainians still remember how last year, during the Euromaidan protests, local police departments were helping the special unit within the Ministry of Internal Affairs called Berkut, to attack demonstrators on Maidan Square in downtown Kyiv. As a result of violent clashes with police over 100 people were killed over the course of two weeks. Police officers also played an important role in helping then-president Viktor Yanukovych escape to Russia.
Hashtags as a measure of diligence
The public’s reaction online to new recruiters has come in waves. When new officers just started patrolling the streets of Kyiv, social media users were actively posting and sharing their “cop selfies.” The general tone of the comments has been mostly positive, full of excitement and well-wishes, such as this post from Serhiy Herts on Facebook.
Something good. Finally, I talked to the new officers. I asked them about the situation downtown where they were patrolling. They answered without any hesitations. They said that the biggest inconvenience was dozens of selfie requests. But they, in general, didn’t mind that because social connection with people at this point was very important. They made a very positive impression on me. The most important was that there was no fear to approach and talk to them.
Another Facebook user, Zurab Kantariya, wrote, “In trend #selfiewithcop. They are cool! Good luck!”
Police on duty
A few weeks later, the same hashtags started to mark posts in which people were sharing their own experience of dealing with the new officers. Although mostly positive, some complained about not being able to reach police when dialing the emergency number.
Other users reposted a story published by a few local newspapers about a team of young officers who allegedly lost a car and a few weapons during the first days of patrolling. The spokesperson at the Ministry of Internal affairs quickly denied the allegations, stating that after the first two days only three car bumpers had been damaged in minor accidents.
Facebook user Sergij Panchenko shared a story about his encounter with the new police (above). He called them to complain about the loud crowd outside his house. It took officers 18 minutes to arrive and check what was going on outside Panchenko’s windows. He wrote that after the officers talked to the loud young people they went away for good. The officer later called Panchenko back to confirm that the problem had been resolved.
Social media users also used the new police hashtag to share their complaints about the new law enforcers. However, the most popular grievance was not about the officers themselves, but rather about the flashing light beacons on their cars that were always on. Some drivers complained that the lights were so strong that they simply blinded everyone on the road, especially at night.
Kyiv was the first city where the new police started working. The police reform is set to gradually take place over the next year in other major cities around the country, with Lviv and Odessa next in line. So far, Kyivans seem to be liking the changes. According to a recent Kyiv survey, 92 percent of people polled are quite happy with and totally support the new police reform.
Despite this optimism boost on the streets of Kyiv, Ukrainians still believe that the current government is not doing its best to fight corruption in the country in a broader sense. According to the results of a national poll released by the Razumkov Center, an independent research group, 81 percent of respondents don’t see any progress in the anti-corruption reforms conducted by the new government around the country. So while the new police patrols enjoy smiles and selfie requests, the officials higher up will likely have to do more to earn the people's trust.

author: Anna Poludenko-Young


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The Hilarious Mystery Surrounding Items Forgotten on Japanese Trains · Global Voices
N'Donna Russell

Personal belongings are sometimes left on Japanese trains for mysterious reasons. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
For the countless riders of Japan’s numerous commuter railway lines, accidentally forgetting an item is an everyday occurrence.
But a new trend that has gone viral on Japan’s social media features images of items that are more interesting than the average, run-of-the-mill lost article.
電車の中にトマトがある…？ 忘れ物？ pic.twitter.com/iwakVcwyLS
— 友希♡ライブ命 (@yukihyoudo) September 23, 2013
There's a tomato on the train?!
User 三頭赤sun (Santo Aka Sun) on curation site Matome Naver compiled a list of head-scratching items that Twitter users have found inside of train cars. The objects that appear can be unexpectedly hilarious and at times quite perplexing.
The thread has over 820,000 views and has been favorited over 300 times.
About the forgotten items, Santo Aka Sun said:
何が起こるかわからない電車内。忘れ物もその例外ではありません。
Unexpected things will happen inside of trains. Forgotten items are no exception.
Some items featured in Santo Aka Sun's Matome Naver thread are truly deserving of the title “mysterious”.
Users pondered how such ideas ended up forgotten on a train:
電車に傘の忘れ物があるんだけど、ちょっと予想外だったわ。 pic.twitter.com/FPHEBUSn0r
— 虎助遥人@三日目東C60a (@kosuke_haruhito) June 21, 2013
Part of an umbrella was left on the train… I wonder how that could have happened.
Other items have users wondering the whys and hows:
そういえば先日、電車内にこんなものが…忘れ物？？でもくっついてるよ…なんだったんだ(´△｀) pic.twitter.com/BlbLPo7tG1
— 方波見 桃羽 (@k_momoha) December 24, 2014
Now that you mention it, the other day somebody must have… forgotten this inside the train…? But it's not like something you could just forget! What’s up with that? (´△｀)
It's pretty normal for women to apply makeup on the train, and personal belongings will get left on the train as a result:
電車につけまつげ落ちてます(￣▽￣) 誰か忘れ物してますよ〜 pic.twitter.com/H1PzGCUs6o
— Kayano♡└|∵|┐ (@global_rabbit) January 10, 2015
Looks like a false eyelash fell down on on the train. Somebody lost this…
電車の中の忘れ物。これはお化粧用？
A photo posted by Akira Takagi (@akiratakagi) on
Isn't this for doing make-up?
Sometimes the items left on trains can be quite noticeable:
電車に盆栽の忘れ物が……www 奇妙すぎてみんな近づいかない笑 pic.twitter.com/gjmM554uRP
— てつろー (@refereeTetsuro_) January 1, 2015
Somebody left an actual bonsai plant on the train, hahaha… It looks so strange that no one wants to sit anywhere near it.
終点品川での忘れ物。 見回りの駅員さんがリアルに「えええぇぇぇぇ！」って声をあげてたw pic.twitter.com/NHPxKYGyCF
— 拝郷メイコ (@meikohaigou) January 12, 2015
We're in Shinagawa and it's the end of the line. The train conductor seemed genuinely freaked out, saying “Whaaaa?”
謎が謎を呼ぶ電車内の忘れ物。誰が？何のために？ pic.twitter.com/HH6bgBGlmx
— 高倉仮面 (@Masked_Takakura) November 3, 2014
Somebody has created a genuine mystery by leaving this [brass tea kettle] on the train. Who, and why?
Twitter users posted about finding prized possessions and turning them in to be reconnected with their owners:
朝から電車内でiPhoneの忘れ物二つに出会ってしまった。いい子なので駅員に届ける pic.twitter.com/NtZRH1poAk
— ワヘイヘイ (@waheyhey) December 26, 2014
This morning, I found these two items forgotten on the train. Because I’m a good kid, I turned them into the station attendant.
Finally, other users offered advice on what to do should one leave an item behind:
電車から降りてすぐに落し物・忘れ物に気がついたら、乗った電車の時刻・号車、そしてできれば電車の最後部にある電車番号（３〜４桁の数字とアルファベットで表示される）を控えましょう
When you forget an item on the train: If you realize that you’ve forgotten an item, (re)board the train immediately. Once inside the train car, if you can, make note of the train number (3-4 numbers and letters) located at the very end of the car.

author: N'Donna Russell


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A Trailblazing Media Outlet Fact-Checked the Peruvian President’s National Address · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala. Photo taken from the Flickr account of the Defense Ministry of Peru under Creative Commons.
This post was originally published on the blog Globalizando.
In addition to being Peru's independence celebration, July 28 is when the country's president by constitutional mandate details his or her administration's achievements over the last year in an address to the nation. Even de facto presidents have felt obligated to make a speech or send a message of some kind, if not to Congress then to the people.
The custom was established by the “Liberator of Peru,” General José de San Martín, when he proclaimed Peru's independence on July 28, 1821, in Lima with a brief but vibrant speech that was repeated in the squares of what was then quite a small city. It was upheld more or less continuously until the early 20th century, when it became an integral—and perhaps the most important—part of the national celebrations.
Although the speech in its current form (a catalog of policies undertaken in each sector as well as achievements and future plans) puts most people to sleep, the personality of each president usually shines through with the addition of flowery language or the inclusion of striking announcements.
The current president of Peru, Ollanta Humala, isn't known for the brilliance of his official speeches, and has been strongly criticized for making mistakes every time he has had to deliver one. This year was no exception, and social network were quickly flooded with memes. Besides reporting the story, the media also published numbers, analysis and opinions of the presidential message.
But investigative media outlet Ojo-Público decided to do something rarely seen in Peruvian media—fact-check the substance of the president’s message. This is how they announced it on Twitter:
#OjoBiónico: ¿Son ciertas o falsas las cifras del mensaje presidencial? #MensajealaNación pic.twitter.com/gLkLVo7y8x
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Are the numbers in the presidential message true or false?
Nelly Luna, journalist and editor for Ojo-Público, told me that the task was not exactly easy. “The whole team was focused on this verification in real-time: 13 journalists. They were split among four teams organized by subject matter and command of the area, according to the experience of the coordinating reporter.”
Los mensajes presidenciales son analizados desde siempre en los medios, pero casi siempre son contrastados con un panel de “expertos”. Es la primera vez que se hace el factchecking en tiempo real y con información oficial. En OjoPúblico hemos desarrollado una metodología, que ha contado con el apoyo de Chequeado (Argentina) que nos permite calificar las afirmaciones en cinco categorías: verdadero, falso, engañoso, discutible e insostenible.
Presidential messages have always been analyzed in the media, but they are hardly ever fact-checked by a panel of “experts.” It is the first time that fact-checking has been done in real-time and with official information. At OjoPúblico we have developed a methodology, with the support of Chequeado (Argentina) that allows us to give the statements one of five ratings: true, false, misleading, questionable and unfounded.
Below are Ojo-Público's findings:
#OjoBiónico El anuncio del presidente Humala sobre comunidades nativas es #ENGAÑOSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/WfVzBUDyaT
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “My government has paid special attention to our native Amazonian communities. We have incorporated 274,167 people who live in the 2,400 populated centers into the general household registry so that they can benefit from all state social programs and services.”
Yellow text: The Amazonian indigenous population stood at 332,975 and 51% don't have access to health facilities. Source: Most recent census (2007) and Office of the Ombudsman (2015)
Tweet: President Humala's statement on native communities is misleading.
#OjoBiónico Discurso del presidente Ollanta sobre reducción de la pobreza es #DISCUTIBLE. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/C1VFhddYsr
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “After four years of government management, more than 1.3 million Peruvians have risen out of poverty.”
Pink text: 2.079 million Peruvians have risen out of poverty in the last four years. Source: INEI
Tweet: President Humala's statement on the decrease in poverty is questionable.
#OjoBiónico El discurso del presidente Ollanta Humala sobre datos de Qaliwarma es #ENGAÑOSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/BAay61BIoo
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “Qaliwarma has reached every part of the country, from Tumbes to Ananea (Puno).”
Yellow text: 3.5 million children and 61,270 schools in the country are covered by the Qaliwarma program, but the constant problems with providers is preventing breakfast from arriving on time. Source: Qaliwarma data
Tweet: President Ollanta Humalla's statement on Qaliwarma data is misleading.
#OjoBiónico Anuncio del presidente Humala sobre meta de adquisición de vehículos para la PNP es #ENGAÑOSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/31aXmHmup4
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “Come July 2016 we will reach 5,252 vehicles (purchased), which will take care of 75% of the police's vehicular deficit.”
Yellow text: In 2014, Humala reported that his management would close with more than 6,000 vehicles acquired. Source: 2014 presidential message
Tweet: President Humala's statement on the vehicle acquisition goals for the Peruvian National Police is misleading.
#OjoBiónico Discurso del presidente Humala sobre poder paralelo del narcotráfico en el Vraem es #ENGAÑOSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/GlzMsl2Igg
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “Today I can tell you that drug trafficking is no longer a parallel power in Vraem (Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro).”
Yellow text: The Vraem is the biggest area of coca cultivation in Peru, with 18,845 hectares, and the only region in the country where the last faction of Shining Path has settled. Source: 2014 UN report and the Peruvian Counter-Terrorist Directorate
Tweet: President Humala's statement on the parallel power of the narcotics trade in Vraem is misleading.
#OjoBiónico Anuncio de Ollanta Humala sobre creación de organismos públicos en el último año es #FALSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/k3rfmNRwwl
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “We have created the Public Prosecutor's Office for Corruption Crimes, the Unit on Financial and Expert Analysis and the Unit on Information Analysis.”
Red text: These departments were created in 2012 by the Ministry of Justice during the reorganization of the Public Prosecutors Office. Source: Resolution of the Presidency of the Defense Judiciary Council of the State Nº031-2012-JUS/CDJE
Tweet: President Humala's statement on creation of public departments last year is false.
#OjoBiónico Discurso del presidente Ollanta Humala sobre Pensión 65 es #ENGAÑOSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/S328PmASwd
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “Pension 65 now takes care of half a million elderly adults.”
Yellow text: According to the Pension 65 registry, as of June 2015 the exact number of beneficiaries was 469,760. Also, the head of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion said that at the end of this year, the program would reach the goal of half a million members. Source: Pension 65 Portal / Interview with the head of the ministry in El Peruano
Tweet: President Ollanta Humala's statement on Pension 65 is misleading.
#OjoBiónico Anuncio de Humala sobre estudios de 10 medicamentos genéricos para reducir precios es #FALSO. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/YlxHDuMRJ6
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “This year, the National Institute of Health will begin bioequivalence studies on 10 generic medicines in comparison to their brand-name counterparts, which will allow access to approved generics at a lower cost.”
Red text: These studies are done before the health registry's approval is given to a medicine and doesn't imply a reduction in prices. Peru's Ministry of Health must conduct studies of 1,000 active ingredients in medicines that are already on the market. Source: Pharmaceutical chemists and doctors consulted by Ojo-Público
Tweet: President Humala's statement on the study of 10 generic medicines to lower prices is false.
#OjoBiónico Discurso sobre el incremento del presupuesto destinado a Educación es #DISCUTIBLE. #Mensaje28pic.twitter.com/C0rsV0FKAV
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “During my government so far, the budget allocated for Education rose more than 70%, exceeding 22 billion soles and reaching 3.6% of GDP. A figure without precedent in the republic's history.”
Purple text: The initial 2015 budget for Education was 22.353 million soles. However, Minister Jaime Saavedra pointed out that this sum does represent 3.5% of GDP. In 1999, it also reached that same percentage. Source: Ministry of Education / CEN / World Bank
Tweet: President Humala's statement on the increased budget for Education is questionable.
#OjoBiónico Anuncio sobre número de afiliados al programa Juntos es #VERDADERO. #Mensaje28 pic.twitter.com/vqunAHeFRl
— Ojo-Publico. com (@Ojo_Publico) July 28, 2015
Humala's quote: “Thanks to the Juntos program, more than 1.7 million citizens expectant mothers, boys and girls, adolescents and young people up to 19 years old have been able to exercise their right to health and education.”
Green text: As of June 2015, the number of beneficiaries of this program reached 1,788,738 people. Source: Unit on Information Technologies / Juntos / World Bank
Tweet: President Humala's statement on Juntos program membership is true.
Even though the initiative was popular among Peruvian Twitter users and was even trending at the time, not everyone was a fan. Some users, mainly members of the ruling political party, came out against the fact-checking results. For instance, regarding the creation of a Public Prosecutor's Office for Corruption Crimes, one user wrote:
Ustedes mienten. El discurso 2015 es un resumen d lo actuado, por lo q esa creación en 2012 fue parte d la política d gobierno. @Ojo_Publico
— Rene Galarreta (@rgalarreta) July 28, 2015
You are lying. The 2015 speech is a summary of the proceedings, so that the creation in 2012 was part of the government’s policy.
For her part, Nelly Luna said she was satisfied with the results. “This experience allowed us to interact with the audience, receive their questions and take care of them. Colleagues have recognized the work and echoed and collected the findings in their own coverage. Obvious, the supporters of the government come out of the woodwork too, but the numbers are clear and do not lie.”
To prove this, Ojo-Público released a detailed explanatory post about the Vraem issue, on which President Humala asserted that drug trafficking is not a parallel power in that region anymore:
Los hechos que lo desmienten van desde la condición de esta región como la mayor productora de hoja de coca del Perú, la no erradicación de cultivos en la zona y la renovación del Estado de Emergencia en 48 distritos de dicha jurisdicción; hasta el caso de la mayor incautación de cocaína en el Perú (7 toneladas de droga salidas del Vraem y confiscadas en La Libertad en el 2014) y las continúas emboscadas de la facción terrorista asentada en el valle.
The facts that refute it range from the status of this region as the largest producer of coca leaf from Peru, the absence of eradication of the area's crops and the renewal of the State of Emergency in 48 districts of that jurisdiction; that's not to forget the largest seizure of cocaine in Peru (7 tons of drugs from Vraem and confiscated in La Libertad in 2014) and the continual ambushes from the terrorist faction based in the valley.
Asked if it was a one-off or if they had any intention of continuing on with the fact-checking, Luna replied:
La idea es continuar. OjoBiónico es un espacio fijo en OjoPúblico. Se seleccionan frases y datos del discurso político que sean verificables, aunque esta es la primera vez que lo hacemos en tiempo real. Elegimos la frase o dato de acuerdo a la relevancia y el interés público. Aunque salga verdadero, lo publicamos. Eso nos ocurrió hoy con el anuncio de Humala sobre el alcance del programa Juntos. Era verdadero el dato, pero a muchos no les importó. Fue el dato con menos RT. (Argumento que esto puede deberse al manejo político de la información que le dan algunos tuiteros, y responde:) Cuando caliente la campaña (presidencial) será peor. Pero los periodistas no podemos controlar el uso de la información.
The idea is to keep on. OjoBiónico is a permanent space in OjoPúblico. Phrases and data from political speeches that can be fact-checked are selected, although this is the first time that we have done it in real-time. We choose the phrase or data according to it is relevance and public interest. Even if it is true we publish it. This happened to us today with Humala's announcement of the scope of the Juntos program. The data was true, but many did not care. It was the piece of data with the fewest RT. (I argue that this could be due to the political manipulating of the information of some Twitter users, and responds:) When the (presidential) campaign heats up, it will be worse. But journalists cannot control how information is used.

author: Juan Arellano


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An Icon of Iran’s Reform Movement Joins Anti-Nuclear Deal Efforts · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Ahmad Batebi, an iconic figure of Iranian dissidence, has appeared on a list of human rights activists who oppose the historic nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, as well as in an ad produced by Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran, an offshoot project of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Batebi gained much attention as the face of the student protest movement in 1999 when he was featured on the cover of The Economist brandishing the bloodied t-shirt of a fellow student. When the famous photo was taken, he was warning other students on the now famous date of 18 Tir that the police were shooting at the crowd. Some have come so far as to call Batebi “the Che Guevara of Iran”, as his image is often invoked to represent dissidence inside the country.
Ahmad Batebi became an icon of dissidence in Iran when he was featured on the cover of The Economist with his classmate's bloodied shirt during the 1999 student protests.
Following the 18 Tir protests, Batebi was imprisoned and sentenced to death. After international outcry his sentence was commuted to 15 years in prison. Batebi escaped from Iran in 2008 while on temporary medical leave from prison. He sought asylum in the United States, and has been living in Washington, DC, since.
Batebi has caused a stir on social media recently by openly denouncing the nuclear deal signed on July 14 between Iran and the P5+1. He has since removed his Twitter posts criticizing the deal, and subsequently deleted related posts on his Facebook wall, which came with many responses criticizing his actions and cooperation with AIPAC.
In the letter, those opposing the deal call for a refocus on Iran's human rights abuses and its support of terrorism in the Middle East. They fault the deal for forgetting these aspects of the Iranian government, and for enabling and strengthening them to continue with these practices. The group demands more pressure on the regime and calls out “western apologists and appeasers” for doing a disservice to the Iranian people.
Below is a tweet by Batebi sharing a link to the statement of which he is a signatory, questioning whether $150 billion is the amount of money belonging to the Iranian government to be unfrozen if sanctions are lifted on Iran:
In Iranian Dissidents statement about Iran Deal, I personally believe their bank balance is less than $150 billion http://t.co/Am5EgOXVBP
— Ahmad Batebi (@abatebi) August 15, 2015
While the link to the letter remains on his Twitter page, the link to the AIPAC ad has since been removed. Below is a tweet by journalist Golnaz Esfandiari with a link to Batebi's original tweet, which he has since deleted, blasting the deal and linking to the video:
Former student protester Ahmad Batebi who was jailed & tortured in #Iran appears in TV ad against #IranDeal https://t.co/OLUVbit6MZ — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) August 16, 2015
Criticism of Batebi's actions has been heavy since many see the alternative to the deal as war and hostility between Iran and the United States. One Twitter user slammed Batebi for formerly being opposed to hostility between Iran and the US:
@GEsfandiari ironic; in 2008 he strongly opposed use of force against Iran, said he might even go home to fight US. http://t.co/WnaASsDD4c
— Patrick H. O'Neil (@upspatrick) August 16, 2015
Batebi's actions have resulted in many spats between those who support the deal and those who are against it.
IRI apologists and sympathizers are attacking and trying to discredit @abatebi for his stand against the regime. I stand with Ahmad Batebi. — Sheema Kalbasi (@IranianWoman) August 15, 2015
So disgusting to use torture as a political tool to block #IranDeal pic.twitter.com/aXubZRq5B6
— Ariane M. Tabatabai (@ArianeTabatabai) August 15, 2015
@abatebi @prrrsiankitten I do remember, of course, and am very sorry. And your instinct is understandable, but misplaced in my opinion.
— Hooman Majd (@hmajd) August 15, 2015
On Batebi's Facebook page, many aggressive posts and comments have been deleted since the video was released on August 13. A particularly damning comment on Batebi's wall accuses Batebi of being connected to Maryam Rajavi, the president of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), a dissident Iranian group that has faced allegations of terrorism and militant action against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its supporters.
حیفه ب شما میگن انسان واقعا از شما دیگه گذشته از بس خودفروشی و وطن فروشی کردید دیگه جز پوست و گوشت و خونتون شدهچهارنفر از دارو دسته هی رجوی هم دور و برت و میگیرن فکر می کنید چه خبره سر هیچ و پوچ سربرآوردید و برا خودتون کاروبار خودفروشی و وطن فروشی راه انداختیدهمین داعش میگه من همین وحشی هستم که هستماما امثال تو مثل کفتار صفت می مونن
It is too bad that they call you a human. Really, this has become a norm for you, and it is now part of you to sell yourself and your country. A few people from the Rajavi gang are around you and you think something is going on and you are selling yourself and your country based on this. ISIS admits that they are uncivilized but people like you are like hyenas.
One journalist, however, has been vocal in calling out the back and forths on social media, even going as far as to say Batebi's involvement will not have much political impact.
Don’t think any side in the back & forth on @abatebi appearing in #Israel lobby anti #IranDeal ad can “win” #LetItGo https://t.co/6aLoOLMtWJ — Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) August 17, 2015
فكر نكنم بحث و جدل هاى طرفين بر سر شركت احمد باطبى در آگهى تلويزيونى لابى اسراييل (اِيپٓك AIPAC) بر ضد توافق، به جايى برسه. #بيخيال.
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) August 17, 2015
I don't think that the arguments and discussions surrounding Ahmad Batebi's television appearance in the Israeli lobbies (AIPAC) ad against the deal will get anywhere #ForgetAboutIt


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How 1,500 People Temporarily Shut Down Europe’s Biggest Source of CO2 · Global Voices
350.org

Photographer: Ruben Neugebauer
This article is based on a piece written by Melanie Mattauch for 350.org, an organisation building a global climate movement, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
On Saturday, around 1,500 people set off from the climate camp in Germany’s Rhineland early in the morning to try and enter the open-pit lignite mine of Garzweiler and block the massive excavators.
Utility company RWE’s lignite mines and power plants in the Rhineland are the biggest source of CO2 emissions in Europe. Three of the five most polluting power plants in Europe are located there.
The German government recently scrapped plans to put a levy on CO2 from the most polluting lignite plants. Instead it adopted a ‘capacity reserve’ proposed by the big lignite operators RWE and Vattenfall, which makes consumers and taxpayers pay polluters to put some plants on standby and falls short of the emission cuts needed.
People from all over Europe who are no longer prepared to watch politicians fail to take action on climate change travelled to the Rhineland to join an act of mass civil disobedience saying ‘here and no further’ or ‘Ende Gelände’.
The activists split into groups approaching the mine from different sides. To get to the mine, they had to get past a motorway and various police lines. There were 1,000 police on site, in addition to RWE’s private security service.
Photographer: Paul Wagner
Photographer: Paul Wagner
In places, the police response to the activists committed to non-violence was disproportionate with immediate massive use of pepper spray and batons. The activists remained peaceful and sought to de-escalate.
Photographer: Tim Wagner
Two climbers suspended from a bridge across the motorway to temporarily block it, which allowed the final group that had not yet managed to get past to cross it safely.
Photo: Ende Gelände
Photographer: Paul Wagner
Around 1,000 people were able to enter the mine forcing RWE to stop the diggers. The Bagger 228 diggers are 220 metres long and the world’s biggest land vehicles.
Photographer: Ruben Neugebauer
Photographer: Paul Wagner
One group managed to climb onto one of the diggers, other groups were surrounded by police where they remained for hours with the diggers around them out of action. Operations in the mine came to a complete halt with the conveyor belts stopped. Journalists were removed from the site.
Photographer: Tim Wagner
Photographer: Paul Wagner
Photographer: Ruben Neugebauer
Of all fossil fuels, lignite has the worst impact on the climate. Local resistance against water and air pollution from the coal fields, the forced displacement of entire communities and environmental destruction is strong. Over the last three years, grassroots activists have repeatedly occupied the Hambach forest to stop it being cut down for the expansion of the mines.
Photographer: Ruben Neugebauer
It took the police a long time to remove the activists. They collaborated with RWE’s private security service and used RWE’s vehicles that can enter the mine. In the afternoon, 800 people joined a solidarity protest outside the mine.
By the evening, all activists had left or had been removed from the mine and 240 were taken to local police stations. Everyone who took part in the action was released that night. RWE announced it is considering to file 797 charges for trespassing.
Photographer: Paul Wagner
Photographer: Paul Wagner
People returned to the camp in good spirits, even though several were injured by pepper spray and batons. Many of those that joined have taken part in an act of civil disobedience for the first time. One participant came back from the action saying that for the first time in his life, he felt truly powerful.
Photographer: Ruben Neugebauer