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Puerto Rico: “Freedom for Oscar López Rivera, Now!” · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Oscar López Rivera has already spent 32 years in prison in the United States. It is said that he is the longest-serving political prisoner in the western hemisphere. Originally, he was sentenced to 55 years for “seditious conspiracy”; later another 15 were added for a total of 70 years, due to an alleged escape attempt. The only crime he committed was to fight for Puerto Rican independence.
Puerto Rico has been under the dominion of the United States since the invasion of the Island in 1898, as a result of the  Spanish-American War. Since then, there has been a series of struggles by groups seeking to free Puerto Rico from United States control through armed combat, perhaps the most dramatic example of these conflicts being the nationalist uprising of 1950 in the town of Jayuya.
“Freedom for Oscar López Rivera, Now!” by Kike Estrada. Taken with permission from planetakike.com.
In the case of Oscar López, even the United States government recognized, under the presidency of Bill Clinton, that the sentence that Oscar is serving is disproportional to the charges brought against him. In 1999, President Clinton offered him a pardon, but Oscar rejected it because his comrades, prisoners like him, would continue to be deprived of their freedom.
Oscar, like other comrades who have been imprisoned for fighting for Puerto Rican independence, assumed the status of prisoner of war on being an anticolonial combatant. He does not recognize the United States jurisdiction, and demands instead that an international tribunal bring him to trial, or one from a third country that is not involved in the conflict between the United States and Puerto Rico. As Alejandro Torres Rivera, writing for Red Betances [es] says:
De acuerdo con el Protocolo I de la Convención de Ginebra de 1949, la protección que dicho Convenio Internacional reconoce a los prisioneros de guerra, se extiende también a personas capturadas en conflictos o luchas contra la ocupación colonial, la ocupación de un país por parte de regímenes racistas y a aquellos otros que participan de luchas por la libre determinación de sus pueblos. Así lo ratifica también la Resolución 2852 (XXVI) de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas de 20 de diciembre de 1971 y la Resolución 3103 (XXVIII) del 13 de diciembre de 1973, cuando establece:
“Todo participante en los movimientos de resistencia, luchando por la independencia y la autodeterminación si es arrestado, tiene que recibir el tratamiento estipulado en la Convención de Ginebra.”
De acuerdo con el referido protocolo, un prisionero de guerra no puede ser juzgado como un criminal común, mucho menos si la causa de tal procedimiento descansa en actos relacionados con su participación en una lucha anticolonial.
In accordance with Protocol I of the Geneva Convention of 1949, the protection that this International Agreement recognizes for prisoners of war, extends also to people caught in conflicts or struggles against colonial occupation, occupation of a country by racist regimes and to those others who participate in struggles for the self-determination of their peoples. It is also ratified by Resolution 2852 (XXVI) of the United Nations General Assembly of 20 December 1971 and Resolution 3103 (XXVIII) of December 13, 1973, when it is established that:
“All participants in the resistance movements, fighting for independence and self-determination, if arrested, must receive treatment as stipulated in the Geneva Convention.”
In accordance with the protocol referred to, a prisoner of war cannot be judged as a common criminal, much less if the cause of such a procedure rests on acts related to his or her participation in an anticolonial struggle.
Oscar López’ situation has united Puerto Ricans across ideologies. 32 x Oscar [es] was an event during the week of last May 29, the sad anniversary that marked his 32 years in prison, organized by a diverse group of Puerto Ricans who have a common goal: the immediate release of Oscar López Rivera.
This group of people, the majority of whom are women, will continue to meet on the last Sunday of every month until the United States government frees Oscar. (To see a photo gallery of the activity of 32 x Oscar, click here. [es])
The campaign for Oscar's release has also hit social networks. There are various pages on Facebook that were set up to raise awareness about Oscar's situation and demand his release, among them, 32 x Oscar [es] and Free Oscar López Rivera Now. Also, there is a petition requesting that the president of the United States, Barrack Obama, grant Oscar López a pardon.
By Kike Estrada. [“Freedom for Oscar”] Image taken from planetakike.com [es].
On the 32nd anniversary of Oscar's imprisonment, many people, including politicians, writers, actors, singers, artists, and individual citizens from different backgrounds, imprisoned themselves symbolically in protest against the unjust and lengthy sentence. The cells, designed by the artist Nick Quijano, have the same dimensions as Oscar's, and were located in public squares in various towns across Puerto Rico.
The call for Oscar's release has found sympathy in the international community. The Anglican archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, has supported the case for his release:
One of the cells in which people imprisoned themselves symbolically as a sign of protest for the disproportionate incarceration of Oscar López Rivera, in the capital city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo taken from the La isla desconocida [es] [The unknown island] blog.
http://youtu.be/HYf7AWkaV3I
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, writing for Cubadebate [es], has also joined the growing chorus of voices in favor of Oscar López's freedom:
Oscar López Rivera debe ser puesto en libertad ya, inmediatamente y sin condiciones. Esa es una decisión que puede tomar el Presidente Obama ahora mismo y hay que exigirle que lo haga sin más dilación. No debería ser difícil para él.
Después de todo, esa decisión la tomó Bill Clinton en 1999, hace ya catorce años. Si entonces Oscar no salió de la cárcel fue porque se negó a ello sino eran liberados también otros compañeros que estaban en prisión y ya han recuperado la libertad.
Oscar López Rivera should be released now, immediately and unconditionally. That is a decision President Obama can make right now, and it must be demanded that he do it without further delay. It should not be difficult for him.
After all, this decision was made by Bill Clinton in 1999, fourteen years ago. If Oscar did not leave the prison then, it was because he refused to do so unless the other colleagues who were with him in prison were also released, and they have already regained their freedom.
On his blog, filmmaker Vagabond Beaumont writes about his film Machetero, inspired by Oscar's life, reflecting on the unimaginable difficulty of being Oscar López Rivera:
The irony of Oscar’s situation is not lost on anyone who even takes a precursory look at Oscar’s life or at the history of US colonialism in Puerto Rico. Oscar Lopez Rivera is Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico is Oscar Lopez Rivera. It’s got to be unimaginably difficult to be a living symbol that most don’t want to pay attention to. It’s got to be unimaginably difficult to have your life reduced to that of a living martyr by both the US government that labels you a “terrorist” and to many Puerto Ricans who are reluctant to call him a hero and support him or his cause, much less follow his example.
The fight for Oscar's freedom continues, and it seems that it has more and more followers. It remains to be seen if President Obama, who was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, listens to the clamor for justice.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Russia Eyes Another Orphan Experiment · Global Voices
Daniel Alan Kennedy

It's been a particularly bad year for Russia's long-suffering orphans. First they became unwitting pawns in Russia's diplomatic spat with the US, and adoptions by Americans were banned [GV] in retaliation for the American “Magnitsky List” back in December 2012. Then, on May 30, 2013, Pavel Astakhov, the Russian Ombudsman for Children's Rights, proposed a ban [en] on adoptions by France, citing France's new laws on same-sex marriage. Perhaps eager to head off suggestions he was merely curtailing orphans’ opportunities for adoption, rather than expanding them, on June 7, Astakhov proposed a new, experimental programme [ru] where Russian orphans could be put up for adoption in different regions of the country.
“Странно, что итальянец, француз, немец приезжают в Россию и могут взять ребенка, а житель Северо-Кавказского или Дальневосточного федерального округа не может взять ребенка в Москве или Нижнем Новгороде. Это возможно.”
It's strange that an Italian, a Frenchman or a German can come to Russia and take a child, but someone living in the North Caucasus or the Far-East Federal District can't take a child from Moscow or Nizhny Novgorod. This is a possibility.
“Explaining Dipping Sticks to Russian Orphans” Kaluga, Russia. Photo by Robert Dann CC 2.0
Astakhov went on to claim that “If we are talking about an experiment, then I'm not opposed to an experiment”. He should probably have chosen his words more carefully, as the idea of sending Russia's highly-politicized orphans to the restive North Caucasian Republics as a kind of social “experiment” was overwhelmingly condemned by netizens of all political stripes.
Russian nationalists were naturally incensed. One blogger, fotograf_1 (whose blog is simply called “Slav”), pulled no punches [ru].
Мои глаза меня обманывают?! Да этим детям сломают психику, их будут насиловать, их будут учить убивать, их будут воспитывать в ненависти к русским. А если нет, то что? они будут овец пасти в горах?! да к этим детям будут относиться как к рабам, если не хуже!
Are my eyes deceiving me!? These children will have their psyches broken, they'll be raped, they'll be taught to kill, they'll be brought up to hate ethnic Russians. And if not, then what? They'll tend sheep in the mountains?! These children will be treated like slaves, if not worse!
The theme of slavery was brought up by another nationalist blogger, belyaev [ru], who wrote [ru]
К примеру, не так давно в СМИ просочилась информация, что прямо на автобусной остановке в Махачкале был организован рынок рабов, который «крышевали» полицейские. Местный блогер Закир Магомедов, который и привлёк внимание к этому ужасу, даже приводил цены на живой товар – 15 тысяч рублей за мужчину и за 150 тысяч за девушку. Ну а сколько приходит сообщений про рабов, освобождённых с кирпичных заводов Кавказа, лучше вообще промолчать.
Look at the recent example exposed by the media [ru], where a slave market was organised at a bus stop in Makhachkala, which was “under the protection” of the police. Local blogger Zakir Magomedov, who brought this horrific story to public attention, even gave the prices for the living goods – 15,000 rubles [460 USD] for a man and up to 150,000 rubles [4,600 USD] for a girl. And I'll save my breath on the subject of how many slaves have been liberated from brick factories in the Caucasus.
Belyaev was referring to the case of Andrei Popov [en], a soldier who claims he was kidnapped and forced to work in a brick factory in Dagestan. Such fears are not the sole preserve of hard-line nationalists. News of the story prompted over 300 comments [ru] on Andrei Malgin's popular opposition blog [ru], the overwhelming majority of them negative and many of them xenophobic or Islamophobic.
Even otherwise liberal Russians were less than impressed. Blogger yttytt [ru] sarcastically tweeted [ru]:
А меня Астахов порадовал свежестью мысли: отдадим сирот на Северный Кавказ, обратим в мусульманство и дадим в руки по автомату “Борз”. Ура!
I'm pleased with Astakhov's original thinking: give orphans to the North Caucasus, convert them to Islam and put a “Borz” [en] machine gun in their hands. Hurray!
The announcement was also discussed on the popular liberal opposition Facebook group “We Were On Bolotnaya Square and We'll Come Again“[ru], where the reaction [ru] was entirely negative:
Diallo Marina: У них девочка считается женщиной лет с 12 . Об этом он подумал?
Diallo Marina: They consider a girl to be a woman when she turns 12. Has [Astakhov] thought about that?
Olga Leonova: А что? И вырастят…боевиков
Olga Leonova. So what? They'll raise them… to be [terrorist] fighters
Leonid Jerschow: Похоже, Астахов нашел способ подготовки террористов с европейской внешностью
Leonid Jerschow: Looks like Astakhov has found a means of creating terrorists with a European appearance
The Kremlin has expended a great deal of blood and treasure over the last 20 years ensuring that the North Caucasus remains within the Russian Federation and has broadly succeeded in this aim. But while the threat of secession now seems remote, for the vast majority of Russians the North Caucasus and her people remain decidedly hostile and alien. Opposition activists from across the ideological spectrum have come to associate the region with the worst excesses of corruption and lawlessness, and resent the massive subsidies that go to local despots like Leader of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov [en]. Perhaps Astakhov's proposal was designed to bridge this divide and bring ethnic Russians and the peoples of the North Caucasus closer together. If that's the case, then the public outcry shows it's going to take a lot more than a few adoptions to change xenophobic attitudes.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Daniel Alan Kennedy


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Senegal’s Democratic Tradition Takes Worrisome Turn · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

[All links forward to French-language webpages unless otherwise noted.]
Senegal has a solid tradition of democracy and protection of freedom of expression and human rights. But recent months have seen the West African nation's reputation as a stronghold for democracy in Africa seriously damaged with the evictions of a Chadian journalist and Gambian dissident, both opponents of the governments in their home countries.
Chadian [en] blogger and journalist Makaila Nguebla [en], an opponent of his country's President Idriss Déby [en] who has ruled Chad for more than two decades, was deported on May 8, 2013 to neighboring Guinea. Nguebala runs a highly critical blog about his country's regime.
Well-known Gambian [en] opponent Kukoi Samba Sanyang [en], who led the 1981 rebellion against the regime of former President Dawda Kaïraba Diawara, was expelled April 17, 2013 to Mali.
Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, author for the Senegalese weekly Le Témoin, detailed Senegal's democratic character, giving credit to the country's first President Leopold Sedar Senghor, a poet and intellectual who served from 1960 to 1980, in his post titled “Senegal, your excellent traditions are falling apart!“:
Le Sénégal n’a ni or (ou alors très peu, dans la région de Kédougou), ni diamants, encore moins du pétrole, du gaz ou de l’uranium … De plus, la pluviométrie n’y est pas abondante et la plupart de nos paysans ne travaillent que trois mois dans l’année … Malgré tout, notre pays tient une place honorable dans le concert des nations africaines. Et, à franchement parler, il a un niveau de développement que beaucoup de pays incroyablement gâtés par la nature nous envient. Cela est dû, bien sûr, à la qualité des ressources humaines du Sénégal produites par un système éducatif de qualité mis en place par le premier président de la République, le poète, agrégé de grammaire et académicien Léopold Sédar Senghor. Un système public d’éducation dont l’actuel Président est un pur produit, soit dit en passant. … Ce niveau de développement enviable, notre pays le doit aussi à sa stabilité politique légendaire qui a fait que, depuis l’indépendance en 1960, il n’a jamais connu de coup d’Etat militaire. En Afrique, notre pays est l’un des rares à avoir toujours été gouverné par un pouvoir civil. Et au moment où partout ailleurs, les pouvoirs militaires étaient la règle, le Sénégal a constitué une joyeuse exception, un îlot de démocratie dans un océan de dictatures … Bref, de quelque côté qu’on le prenne, le Sénégal a toujours fait figure d’exception en Afrique.
Senegal has neither gold (or very little, in the Kedougou region) nor diamonds, let alone oil, gas or uranium … In addition, rainfall is not abundant and most of our farmers only work three months per year … However, our country holds an honorable place among the African nations. And frankly speaking, Senegal has a level of development that many other countries with more natural blessings would envy. This is, of course, due to the quality of human resources in Senegal which is itself, a byproduct of the quality of the educational system established by the first President of the Republic of Senegal Leopold Sedar Senghor. Senghor was also a poet, a grammar scholar and the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. By the way the current president is a pure product of this same public educational system. … This enviable standard of development, our country also owes it to its legendary political stability; since its independence in 1960, it has never experienced a military coup. In Africa, our country is one of the few to have only been governed by civil authorities. And when everywhere else, military authorities were the rule, Senegal was a happy exception; an island of democracy in a sea of dictatorships … Anyway, whichever way you see, Senegal has always been an exception in Africa.
But some consider that Senegal has moved away from that legacy left by Sedar Senghor. Last year, former President Abdoulaye Wade [en], who was accused during his tenure corruption, nepotism and curtailing freedom of the press, was defeated in his highly criticized bid for a third term [en] in office.
With Wade’s regime at an end, some expected a return to those democratic roots. But these recent measures taken by the current government raise questions about its commitment to do so.
Even Wade, who was much criticized [en] during his regime, was always respectful of Senegal's tradition as a host country for freedom of speech activists. The failure of Wade's government was not about free speech activists, but was not regularizing the situation of refugees.
As deported Chadian blogger Nguebala told Global Voices :
“Under Abdoulaye Wade's regime, I was never arrested once by the police”
A coalition called “Right of Asylum and Freedom of Expression” was created to demand Nguebla’s return. In the following video, the coalition unpacks the context of the evicitions and the risks that the bloggers are facing:
Boly BAH, journalist for La Gazette (a Senegalese website) called for the sliding of Senegal's democracy to be stopped in his post “The Deviant Turn of a Democracy“:
Une dérive à stopper. Qui est le prochain sur la liste ? En moins de deux mois, le Sénégal a chassé deux opposants africains de Dakar. … C’est une concession grave à des régimes anti-démocratiques … Cette expulsion d’un défenseur des droits humains et leader d’opinion vers la Guinée, un pays « non sûr » et en proie à des tensions politiques, laisse apparaître un deal entre les autorités politiques sénégalaises et tchadiennes, en vue d’extrader Makaila Nguebla au Tchad où sa vie est menacée.
Le combat sera mené jusqu’au retour de Makaila et de Kukoi Samba Sanyang. …
Les pays n’ont pas d’ami mais des intérêts. En procédant aux expulsions de Kukoi Samba Sanyang, le Sénégal défend peut-être les relations de bon voisinage avec la Gambie. Et fait un clin d’œil à Yaya Jammeh, président gambien au cœur du règlement du conflit de la Casamance. La Gambie avait même facilité la libération des otages sénégalais, il y a quelques mois. C’est peut-être compréhensible de lui renvoyer la monnaie en expulsant son opposant-rebelle, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. Avec le Tchad, certes, il n’y a pas cette grande amitié, mais la nouvelle posture africaine de Idrisss Deby Itno vaut peut-être cette largesse.
Deby a le vent en poupe et avec sa forte colonie militaire dans le désert malien, le président tchadien est en pleine puissance sous-régionale. Le Tchad contribue aussi au financement du procès d’Habré. Maintenant, si le jugement d’Habré participe au renforcement de l’indépendance judiciaire africaine, l’expulsion de Makaïla reste plutôt suspecte. Le blogueur était un combattant de la démocratie. Un relais entre son peuple et l’extérieur. Il était la voix des sans voix tchadiennes, il informait des dérives de Deby parce que bénéficiant de cette liberté d’expression qui fait défaut à ses confrères restés au pays.
This drifting away from our legacy has to be stopped. Who is next on the list? In less than two months, Senegal deported two African political activists. … This is a serious concession to all anti-democratic regimes… This deportation of a human rights activist and opinion leader to Guinea, an “unsafe” country plagued by political tensions suggests a deal between Senegalese and Chadian political authorities. Next might be the extradition of Makaila Nguebla back to Chad where his life is under threat.
This struggle will continue until both Makaila and Kukoi Samba Sanyang return. …
Countries do not have friends, they have interests. In carrying out the evictions of Kukoi Samba Sanyang, Senegal may be maintaining good relations with the Gambia. He might also reach out to Yaya Jammeh, the Gambian President who is at the heart of the conflict in Casamance. Gambia has even facilitated the release of some Senegalese hostages in Gambia a few months ago. It is perhaps understandable to pay him back by expelling his rebellious opponent, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. With Chad, of course, there is no such great friendship, but Idriss Deby’s new african posture (his involvment in Mali) might be worth it.
Deby is on the rise and with his strong military forces in the desert of Mali, Chad's president is showing his full might in the region. Chad also contributes to the financing of [former leader of Chad Hissène] Habré’s trial. Now the Habré trial may help strengthen African judicial independence but on the other hand, Makaila’s deportation is rather dubious. The blogger was an advocate of democracy, a bridge between his people and the outside world. He was the voice of those Chadians without a voice; he informed the world about Deby’s excess because he enjoyed freedom of expression that his colleagues back home could not have.
Another recent issue is also symptomatic of the worrisome turn taken by Senegal on the protection of human rights.
Taking advantage of the media circus in Senegal caused by these two cases, a member of parliament of the presidential majority wants to file a bill for the return of death penalty.  Senegal abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the last execution was held in 1967.
Even Fekke Maci Bolle, a political movement led Youssou N'Dour, the current Minister of Culture and Tourism, has come out against this bill. The movement published its stance on its Facebook page:
Celui ou celle qui affirme que l'on vit confortablement dans le couloir de la mort n'y a de toute évidence jamais mis les pieds … On voit rarement une personne riche ou aisée monter à la potence … La peine de mort est la négation absolue des droits humains. Il s’agit d'un meurtre commis par l'État, avec préméditation et de sang-froid. Ce châtiment cruel, inhumain et dégradant est infligé au nom de la justice.
Cette peine viole le droit à la vie inscrit dans la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme.
Amnesty International s'oppose à la peine de mort en toutes circonstances, quels que soient la nature du crime commis, les caractéristiques de son auteur ou la méthode utilisée par l'État pour l'exécuter.
Whoever says that one lives comfortably on death row has obviously never been there … You rarely see a rich or wealthy person being executed … Death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is a planned and cold-blooded murder committed by the State. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is inflicted in the name of justice.
It violates the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or how he committed the crime.

author: Anna Gueye


text:
Snowden Hides in Hong Kong, US-China Diplomacy Takes Center Stage · Global Voices
Owen Guo

It's like a Hollywood movie: a former CIA worker leaks top-secret documents and seeks refuge on enemy soil, only to drop out of public view as the scandal heats up.
Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old American tech specialist, recently revealed himself as the whistleblower who leaked details of far-reaching telephone and Internet monitoring by the US government. Snowden was in hiding for about three weeks at a Hong Kong hotel before he reportedly checked out on June 10, 2013. He is still believed to be in Hongkong but his exact whereabouts remain unclear.
The explosive revelations by Snowden coincided with Chinese President Xijinping's two-day US visit to build rapport with President Obama. Before Xi left Beijing, media speculated that the US would pressure China on the cyber espionage issue that has vexed the two nations for months. The US said China has repeatedly committed cyber espionage that targets American companies and government agencies, a charge China has resolutely denied.
The saga might help Beijing score political points, an expert was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying. In the meantime, media frenzy surrounding Snowden has created a wave of nationalism in the blogosphere in China, with many netizens seeing US government's vast snooping as a chance to strike back.
Edward Snowden, who leaked US surveillance programs, talked to Guardian newspaper. Screen grab from Youku
Yang Rui, anchor on the English channel of China’s national broadcaster CCTV, commented on the popular microblogging service Sina Weibo:
中国政府咋办？一位年轻有良知的美国人需要帮助！BBC披露：前中情局雇员Snowden 说美政府可随意监听千万计的世界任何人的电话，监看任何人的电子邮件，美国NSA国家安全署可以进入九大网络公司服务器如脸谱，谷歌和雅虎。目前29岁的 Snowden滞留香港，他面临被引渡回国。美指责中国搞IP偷窃，它自己呢？
What should the Chinese government do? A young and conscientious American needs help! According to BBC: Former CIA employee said the US government can monitor at will millions of phone calls and emails anywhere in the world, NSA can access servers of nine Internet companies like Facebook, Google and Yahoo. The 29-year-old Snowden now remains in Hong Kong, he faces potential extradition. The United States accuses China of IP theft, what about the US itself?
Zhang Jiang, a journalism professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, wrote on his Weibo account:
Edward Snowden的举动不止于载入新闻史，他以公开身份揭露美国官方应该增加了自己的安全系数。美国政府即便以“反恐”为由，也不能如此监控大量公民电话和电邮通信，其他国家也要引以为戒。
What Edward Snowden has done will go down the history of journalism, his coming forward in revealing what the US government [has done] should make him safer. Even under the name of anti-terrorism, the US government is not in a position to launch large-scale monitoring of citizens’ phone calls and emails, other countries should take this as a lesson.
Fan Haitao, a Chinese student at Columbia University in the US, summed up the divided nature of the debate:
美国人Edward Snowden目前跳出公然揭秘美国政府对电话、网络和电子邮件的监控目前让政府又处在“是否违宪”的风口浪尖。看了电视新闻，主要观点分为两派。国会议员认为政府监控没有问题，有法庭的监视并且监控的电话只出现时间没有名字。但是另一边观点认为，即便是监控也应该举办听证会，让公众决定。
US citizen Edward Snowden has made revelations that the US government has monitored phone calls, Internet and emails, the government is now facing a firestorm of constitutional violation criticism. After watching the news on TV, I found there are two factions. Members of Congress believe it’s fine for the government to undertake surveillance, it is overseen by the court and besides, the phone calls monitored contain time and duration, not names. Another faction claims that hearings should be held concerning the surveillance, so the public could decide.
Outspoken scholar Wu Zuolai came to US's defense:
有些国家用于反恐怖，有些国家用于侵犯人权，民主国家，公共信息很难用于造恶，专制国家，窃听公众信息是为了更好的专制。
Some countries use [surveillance] to counter terrorism, other countries use it to violate human rights, public information in democratic countries is rarely used to do bad things, authoritarian states instead use it to seek better authoritarianism.
Others, like Ahua de Yisaka Dao, questioned why Snowden would end up in Hong Kong:
我俩讨论了很久Edward Snowden的事情，这真是堪比大片的情节，觉得他选择来香港太诡异了，难道他真的不知道香港早已不是真正的自由港，而是被中共控制的吗？向来只有中国人去美国申请政治避难，要是现在来一个美国人向中国政府申请政治避难，这件事就精彩了。。。。
We two discussed the case of Edward Snowden extensively, this is like plot from a blockbuster! I think it was very weird that he came to Hong Kong, didn't he know that Hong Kong is no longer a free Hong Kong, instead it is controlled by the Communist Party of China? We've only heard about Chinese seeking political asylum in the US, it would be interesting if an American sought political asylum from the Chinese government….
Lvqiu Luwei, a well-known TV journalist who has 2.7 million followers on Weibo, wrote:
对Snowden来说，香港安全吗？如果在港申请政治庇护，会有漫长的审查时间，这段时间内，申请人可以合法居留，但是不能工作。媒体都在找他，千辛万苦找到一家酒店，结果被告知，一个叫这个名字的人今天退房了。去哪儿了？重庆大厦吃咖喱？
For Snowden, is it really safe for him to be in Hong Kong? If he sought political asylum here, he will have to wait a long time for necessary procedures, within this time, he could stay legally, but couldn't work. Media were all looking for him, they finally found the hotel [he stayed], but were informed that a person with this name had checked out. Where has he gone? Would he be eating curry in Chongqing mansion?
The Guardian and The Washington Post broke the story of US government spying programs on June 6, 2013 without naming him as the source, but Snowden later outed himself as the person behind the leaks. In a video interview published online, Snowden said he had chosen to flee to Hong Kong due to its “commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent”.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Under the extradition treaty the island city has with the US, Snowden still risks being sent back and prosecuted. The Chinese government has yet to officially comment on his case because of a three-day holiday.
However, Chinese media outlets have picked up the juicy story, filtering out Snowden's reference to Hong Kong as a place of “free speech”. In mainland China, Internet censorship is commonplace, and legions of the so-called Internet police are tasked to monitor politically edgy content.
So it's no surprise that while many Chinese netizens praise Snowden, some say he fled to the wrong place, implying that Beijing's heavy-handed policies are exerting increasing control over Hong Kong.
Former China Google head, Kaifu Lee, applauded Snowden on Weibo:
观看了Snowden的采访后（http://t.cn/zHT8ZsQ），我佩服他的原则性和价值观，鄙视美国Prism计划。但是他确实触犯了美国法律（泄露国家机密）。所以最合适的结局可能就是得到政治庇护了（冰岛？）。
After watching the interivew of Snowden, I admire his principles and values and I despise Prism programs of the States. But he did violate US laws( leaking State secret). So the best result probably is that he get political asylum( Iceland?).
One netizen named Fengmao Lingjiao wrote:
选错了地方。在一个人性价值观沦落的地方寻求庇护，其结果就是被当作筹码出售。大陆是BOSS，BOSS是无节操的原始商人，有杀戮与买卖的传统。兔死狗烹，鸟尽弓藏的“交易理念”，一直在被执行：曾经的地主，曾经的右派。。
[He] picked the wrong place. To seek asylum in a place where humanity is declining and value being eroded, the result would only be that [he] would be used as a tool. Mainland is the boss, boss is a barbarian businessman without morals, it has traditions of slaughter and [dirty] dealings. The philosophy of “kicking out someone after service is complete” has prevailed: [The government] was once the landlord and rightist.

author: Owen Guo


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Chile’s First Transgender Congressional Candidate Steps Down · Global Voices
Katie Manning

Valentina Verbal campaigned to make history as Chile’s first transgendered congresswoman. Had she won, Chile’s LGBT community would have representation in the national Congress before most other countries around the world.
Verbal learned that she would have to run under her legal male name or pull out of the race. Verbal decided to step down.
She tweeted (@valeverbal) [es]:
@valeverbal: Confirmado: por tema de plazos, con recurso protección no alcanzo a salvar candidatura con mi nombre social. La bajo hoy ante Servel. :-).
@valeverbal: Confirmed: Due to deadlines, having appealed I wasn’t able to save my candidacy under my social name. I will withdraw today before Servel (Chile’s election agency) :-).”
Verbal’s candidacy steps among Chile’s recent strides towards sexual equality. Chile elected its first openly gay politician, a municipal councilman, last fall. A civil-union bill is in the works. A freshly minted anti-discrimination law forbids violence and discrimination toward the LGBT community and others. But hate crimes continue. The way out of this is to get more LGBT representatives in government, according to Verbal.
So Verbal ran for a seat representing northern Santiago’s Recoleta-Independencia district. She focused her message on achieving equality, rather than her district’s specific needs.
Verbal's campaign poster, shared on Twitter via @valeverbal
“My mission was going to be to generate national laws. I promised my district to work for the rights of anyone who feels discriminated against; I also wanted equality for economic and social development.”
The transgender woman ran for office having applied for — but without having secured — a legal name change. Verbal – who was born a man, but said she always felt like a woman — prefers to keep her birth name a secret. She said that the name not only misidentifies her, but has tangled her identity since childhood.
“I thought, perhaps naively, that given the vacuum of electoral laws, and filling in that space with the anti-discrimination law, there wouldn’t be trouble getting what I asked,” she said.
Verbal explained that voters wouldn’t recognize her birth name on the ballot. The campaign would be a wash with her having been in politics for years as Valentina Verbal.
She belongs to Chile’s center-right National Renewal Party (RN) and spent the past years fighting for an anti-discrimination law.
Verbal found a surprising ally in a fellow RN member, Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera.
He is pushing for a law that legalizes civil unions. The president also signed the first anti-discrimination law into effect.
That legislation, previously stagnating in Congress, was fast tracked after four attackers beat gay 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio to death before carving swastika into his skin. LGBT victims of hate crimes have had the “Zamudio Law” to protect them since May 2012.
Under the Zamudio Law, a lesbian pair brought their neighbors to court two weeks ago, according to the Homosexual Integration and Liberation blog (Movilh [es]).
The blog [es] reads:
Un matrimonio y su hijo hacen turnos de día y noche en las afueras del domicilio de la pareja lésbica para agredirla física y verbalmente y someterlas a constantes y graves humillaciones.
A married couple and their son take turns day and night outside the lesbian pair’s home to physically and verbally assault them, subjecting them to constant and severe humiliation.
Although Valentina said that fellow politicians are generally accepting of transgendered status, she’s encountered pushback in her political career and especially on social media. She recently tweeted about her frustration with transphobia.
@valeverbal: Pensando en cerrar mi cuenta de Twitter. Me cansa bastante el nivel de intolerancia de much@s en esta red.
@valeverbal: I’m thinking about shutting down my Twitter account. I’m fed up with the level of intolerance many have on this network.
She didn’t close her account, a platform she uses to defend her political ideas and LGBT rights.
While Verbal won’t be elected this time around, she said, “I’m sure of one thing: I will continue in politics.” She added, “In order to get strong social changes, it’s necessary to make them from a position of power, in particular from Parliament. Because Chile is a very legalistic country, it’s important to have laws to provoke these changes.”

author: Katie Manning


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Cuba Increases Internet Access From Designated Public Centers · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Cuba opened 118 browsing centers to increase Internet access points on the island. Called Nauta, the service can be requested at any Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) commercial unit that has partnered with the program.
Nevertheless, the opening of these public centers of Internet connection on June 4 has not been exempt from controversy. According to Resolution 182/2013 of the Ministry of Finance and Price [es], the service will cost 0.60 (US$.60) cuc per hour for national browsing, 1.50 ( (US$1.50) for international email, and 4.50 (US$4.50) cuc for complete access to the Internet and all of its services.
Nauta card for Internet Access. (Photo: Cubadebate)
These prices have been considered excessive by some Cuban bloggers, like Alejo3399, who points out [es]:
Mientras 1 hora de conexión cueste casi 5 dólares, será el dinero quien diga quién se conecta y quién no. Y dudo que alguien, por nuevo rico y adinerado que sea, pueda hacer un uso recreativo de la nueva oportunidad.
While 1 hour of connectivity costs almost 5 dollars, it will be money that dictates who can connect and who cannot. And I doubt that someone, despite how newly rich and wealthy he or she may be, can make recreational use of this new opportunity.
On this topic, Alejo3399 adds [es]:
Se aduce que las desmesuradas tarifas que tendrá el servicio (lo cual se reconoce autocríticamente como si eso resolviera algo) responden a la débil infraestructura de telecomunicaciones del país, y se sugiere con sutileza que esas tarifas privilegian a la navegación nacional para educar a la gente en el consumo de lo propio.
They claim that the excessive fees that the service (which is self-critically recognized as if that were to resolve anything) respond to the country's weak telecommunications infrastructure, and they subtly suggest that these fees grant privilege to national browsing to educate people in its consumption.
Nonetheless, an article [es] published by Aurelio Pedro in Progreso Semanal says:
Internet ante la posibilidad de acceso al simple ciudadano era una cuenta pendiente, de amplio reclamo de la ciudadanía. Los responsables de esta operación reconocen lo elevado de las tarifas y han prometido que cuando las condiciones económicas lo propicien, bajarlas.
Internet and the possibility of access to the simple citizen was a pending issue, a broad citizen demand. Those responsible for this operation recognized how elevated the fees are, and they have promised that when economic conditions permit, they will decrease them.
The first Nauta users have shared their experiences on social networks. Mayle González recount [es] her experience:
Subir 5 minutos de video en La Habana aunque seas un usuario Nauta puede llevarte 6 horas de trabajo…
Uploading 5 minutes of video in Havana even if you're a Nauta user can cost you 6 hours of work…
According to Siomel Savio Odriozola [es],
Usando una hora semanal de Internet se te van 18 cuc al mes casi el 75 % del salario promedio. Definitivamente la bolsa negra se convertirá en un “Hueco negro”. Contemos los meses o años que demorarán en bajar los precios como ha pasado paulatinamente con la telefonía celular…
Using an hour of Internet a week costs you 18 cuc per month, almost 75% of the average salary. The black bag will soon become a “black hole.” Let's count the months or years it will take to lower the prices like it gradually happened with cell phones…
Cuba maintains a social Internet access policy that promotes connectivity to the web freely from university, academic, and scientific centers, mostly. In May 2013, the Vice Minister of Information Technology and Communications declared [es] to the state-run daily Granma that “it will not be the market that regulates access to knowledge.” For the time being, the only thing left to do is hope that the fees gradually decrease, and that getting the service from private homes is permitted.

author: Elaine Díaz


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PRISM Infects Russia with Cyberwar Scare · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Brace yourself. The cyberwar is coming.
Since last week, when the world learned about PRISM, a vast and secret American electronic surveillance program, Russian state officials have expressed renewed concerns about foreign social networks posing a national security threat. One day after news of the U.S. program broke, on June 7, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told [ru] reporters that websites like Facebook and Twitter are elements of a larger American campaign against Russia:
Через них идет мощнейшая манипуляция общественным мнением, ведь всякие “лайки” и прочие кнопки, которые вы там нажимаете, моментально вводят вас в определенные группы, которые потом анализируются, систематизируются. […] Тем самым увеличивается количество тех людей, которые начинают получать специальную контентную информацию, подрывающую авторитет власти и ценности государства. […]
Through them [American social networks], there’s a powerful, ongoing manipulation of public opinion—indeed, every “like” and every click instantly lands you in a certain group, which is then analyzed and classified. […] In doing so, rising is the number of people, who start receiving special content that undermines the authority and value of the state. […]
Dmitry Rogozin, as Russian Ambassador to NATO and Special Envoy on missile defense, 29 June 2011, photo by Security & Defence Agenda, CC 2.0.
Just yesterday, June 11, in a letter [ru] to Rogozin and other security figures, Duma deputy Ilya Kostunov called for tighter regulations on state officials’ Internet activity, based on the worry that Russian bureaucrats commonly discuss or upload government secrets in communications hosted on American websites (namely, Google’s email service, Gmail). In an exchange [ru] on Twitter, Kostunov discussed the possible implementation of his proposed regulations, running into some disagreement about the need for additional legislation and the proper criminal classification of uploading secret materials to a foreign Web host.
Communications expert Petr Pervushkin argued [ru] that a closed virtual network for private communications has already existed in the Russian government for seven years, though another Twitter user put that figure [ru] closer to four years. Just Russia party functionary Aleksandr Luchin noted that rules are already in place to forbid discussing state secrets on Internet sites like Google and Facebook, but acknowledged [ru] that regulations fail to set penalties. Luchin proposed tying such infractions to the criminal codes against disclosing state secrets (though he didn't specify [ru] if he had in mind Article 283 or 284, which threaten maximum imprisonment up to four and three years, respectively), whereas Kostunov has advocated equating such behavior with treason (article 275), which carries a prison sentence up to twenty years. (This push for classifying the offense under treason prompted qz.com reporter Leo Mirani to declare, perhaps hyperbolically, that Russia is “stepping up its war on social networks.”)
Meanwhile, blogger and RuNet guru Anton Nosik claims [ru] that station management refused to air his recent appearance on OTR, Russia’s all-new public broadcasting television channel, when during the recording he criticized Rogozin’s comments about the supposed American cyberwar against Russia. Nosik took part in an episode of the show “The Social Network,” answering a series of RuNet-related questions that began with one about Rogozin's remarks. After four days of silence following his visit to the studio, Nosik took to LiveJournal for a second time to discuss [ru] the curious absence from OTR's official website [ru] of his appearance:
Как я и предполагал, моё интервью […] не попал ни в их загадочный эфир, ни даже на сайт. Потому что, как выясняется, для этого супернезависимого телеканала неприкасаемыми фигурами являются не только Путин и Собянин, но и вице-премьер Рогозин. Самое время Общественному телевидению открывать программы про кошечек, собачек и кулинарию.
As I expected, my interview […] has appeared nowhere in [the station’s] mysterious feed, or even on the website. Because, it turns out, for this super-independent TV channel, the untouchable figures aren’t limited to Putin and Sobyanin, but even include Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin. OTR might as well launch shows about kitties, doggies, and cooking.
Nosik doesn’t often respond to the hundreds of reader comments that follow his blog posts, but one audience member did provoke a reaction, when he accused [ru] Nosik of adopting an approach “inappropriate to television,” arguing that he attacked Rogozin too early in the broadcast, without “nuance” or first establishing the context of his criticism. Nosik wrote back [ru] to say that he’s never encountered such problems in the hundreds of interviews he’s granted to other TV channels over the past twenty years.
While it’s true that OTR has yet to air or even post to its website Nosik’s segment, his thirteen-minute interview is accessible on OTR’s official YouTube channel (see above). The station’s troubles with Nosik come the same week as another censorship scandal [ru] surrounding a different unaired episode of “The Social Network,” wherein hosts Vladislav Sorokin and Ekaterina Voronina poked fun at Vladimir Putin’s recent divorce, sharing mashable.com’s faux dating profile for Russia’s now-single head-of-state. When the station declined to telecast the episode “for technical reasons” [ru], Sorokin and Voronina announced on Facebook [ru] that they would resign from the show at the end of the month.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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#Fision: Spelling Mistake Trends in Peru · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

On the day of the football match between Peru and Colombia for the qualifying stage for the Brazil 2014 Football World Cup, a well-known Peruvian artist wrote [es] “fision” instead of “afición” (“supporters” in Spanish) in a tweet where she was repeating a cheer that can be translated as: “Peru is the champion, Peru is the champion, this is what the supporters are yelling”.
The spelling mistake became a trending topic on Twitter with hashtags #fision and #Tula.
This text is part of a very popular polka titled “Perú campeón” [es] (Peru is the champion).
The apology came a little later, with another tweet [es] from the artist herself:
@tulagabriela: Acabo de llegar de correr. Es el tontín de mi hermano que agarró mi iPad, Sorry gente.
@tulagabriela: I just got back from jogging. It was my dumb brother who took my iPad, Sorry people.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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No Witnesses? No Rape, Says Pakistan’s Islamic Council · Global Voices
Tariq Malik

A ruling by Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) dismissing DNA as primary evidence in rape cases has received much flak from activists in the country. The ruling has its fair share of supporters though, with some happy that there is a legitimate institution pondering religious issues in Pakistan.
The Council does not have any legislative power in the country, it is an advisory body for the Pakistani government and the Parliament on all legal matters related to Islam. Rape is currently tried under civil law in Pakistan which allows for DNA evidence. Following the ruling, the Sindh assembly unanimously passed a resolution on June 11, 2013 making DNA tests mandatory in all rape cases in the province.
The controversial edict [ur] made public on the council's website, stipulates that Islam has given clear instructions on how to judge and punish rapists, by relying solely on testimony from four witnesses and that DNA could be only used to supplement that primary testimony.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a leading rights organization in the country called the council's pronouncement ‘regressive, exceptionally insensitive and unkind to rape victims’ on its own website:
Poor investigation methods and reluctance of witnesses to come forward out of fear mean that the balance is titled in the favour of the rapist as it is. In these circumstances, it would be foolish to not depend on all the evidence that is available, especially something as incontrovertible as DNA test results.
Victims of rape along with relatives, hold a protest against their alleged culprits to demand their arrest. Hyderabad, Pakistan. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix. 14th November 2011.
In Pakistan, rape used to be tried under Islamic Sharia or the controversial Hudood laws, which in practice equated the crime of adultery with rape – if a rape victim could not provide four male eyewitnesses to the crime, she could be charged with adultery. In fact, according to Pakistan's National Commission on Status of Women “80% of women” in jail in 2003 were there as because “they had failed to prove rape charges and were consequently convicted of adultery.”
But in 2006, the Women's Protection Bill was passed which amended the Hudood laws, bringing rape cases under civil law, which allows for forensic evidence.
Ayesha Tammy Haq (@tammyhaq), a journalist in Pakistan, posted a sarcastic remark on her Twitter account:
@tammyhaq: (Ayesha Tammy Haq) Padded bras are the devils cushions say Pakistan's #CouncilofIslamicIdeology good thing they don't have more important issues to deal with?
Conversely, Umair Rasheed (@umairrasheed1) tweeted:
@Umairrasheed1 (Umair Rasheed): Mullahs convene #Alam-e-IslamConference in #Peshawar. Say they'll start movement to implement #CouncilofIslamicIdeology proposals
Blogger Asif Zaidi wrote on the blog ‘Let Us Build Pakistan':
..no amount of evidence in the world can negate the possibility that a woman may be lying in claiming herself to be a rape victim. Hence certain fastidiousness must be summoned to impede justice’s way to doubtful decisions against innocent men.
Muhammad Ilyas Haidri commenting on an article at Dawn.com said:
…the CII reservations are justified for not accepting the D N A results out rightly … It is correct that the results of un certified laboratories like Pakistanis and many others in third word, where bribe,fraud ,tempering the results ,and poor judicial system is practiced must not be relied upon…
Rana Gulabi on the same website said :
There is a scientific reasoning behind this because DNA can be extracted from common daily use items such as combs, clothes, etc. with the help of commonly available laboratory equipment and then could be planted anywhere to mislead the medical staff doing the medical report. A woman who wants to seek revenge from an ex-husband could do this to ruin a man’s life.
Highlighting the fact that the CII has over two-dozen male clerics, HWG put forward a unique angle in the comments:
The CII should have independently thinking women members to start with. How can a body that entirely consists of male members take decisions affecting women even without listening to their representatives?
Blogger Tazeen Javed quoted a famous Islamic scholar Mr. Tahir Ashrafi:
DNA should be considered – at best – a circumstantial evidence on the basis of which arrests can be made and further investigations should be carried out. However, a suspect must not be punished on the basis of DNA evidence alone, for that evidence of four Muslim male adults is necessary.
On the same blog, Tazeen Javed commented:
If I was a legislator, I would call for making a law that would hand out the harshest punishment for those 4 adult, supposedly pious Muslims men who were silently witnessing a crime as horrible as rape.

author: Tariq Malik


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René Pérez of Calle 13 Writes Song with Julian Assange · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Puerto Rican hip hop star René Pérez (@Calle13Oficial) of the band Calle 13 announced today [es] through Twitter that he is with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where Assange was given refuge after being accused of a sexual crime in Sweden. Pérez will be live on TwitCam tomorrow at 10 pm (London time) from the Embassy composing a song with Assange and his Twitter followers. His tweet says:
Hello FBI! Here I am with Julian #Assange founder of @wikileaks. Tomorrow we will be writing together. With you. 10 pm London time.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Should Kyrgyzstan Ban Tablighi Jamaat? · Global Voices
Shakhnoza Isakova

Following the lead of neighboring Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan is debating banning the activities of Tablighi Jamaat, a non-political movement which aims to bring Muslims towards a deeper embrace of Islamic religious practices, propagating the total cessation of smoking, drinking, and drugs. The movement has proved controversial in parts of former Soviet Central Asia where Islam is widely practiced, but where a strongly secular political culture mistrustful of religion still predominates.
The issue of Tablighi Jamaat has divided political and religious leaders as well as ordinary citizens into two groups – those who support the movement and view it as a solution to social problems, and those who identify Tablighi Jamaat as an extremist organization.
Tablighi Jamaat book cover, scanned and widely shared across the internet.
Established in India in 1926, the movement first became popular in Central Asian countries during the late 1990s when bearded men in long Pakistani-style dress raised concerns among security officials and people seeking to fashion a strong Kyrgyz national identity. A Bishkek resident quoted by Radio Azzatyk said [ru] in July 2011:
Мы мусульмане, но у нас есть своя национальная одежда. Почему эти дааватчы в обязательном порядке, одевают, национальную одежду пакистанцев и арабов? Они что думают, что это мусульманская одежда?
We are Muslims, but we have our national clothing. Why do these ‘daavatists’ [Tablighi Jamaat members] only wear the traditional clothes of Pakistanis and Arabs? Do they really think this is Muslim dress?
At the moment, Kyrgyzstan is the country in Central Asia where the followers of the movement are most active. Tablighi Jamaat differs from traditional religious practice in the region by the structure of the sermon.
Commenting on a Radio Azattyk article about the group, a resident of the broadly secular Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Aybek says [ru]:
Я бы запретил их! Если надо мы и сами можем пропагандировать свою религию. Зачем нам эти даваатисты из Пакистана? Разве оттуда что-нибудь нормальное выходило?
I would ban them! We can spread the message of our religion on our own. Why do we need these ‘daavatists’ from Pakistan? Has anything normal ever come out of there?
Tablighi Jamaat missioners normally go out for three-day, forty-day, and four-month ‘daavats’ to rural areas of the country, inviting people to visit the local mosque where they conduct sermons. A young village man who may be witnessing a sermon for the first time in his life will then be asked to join the movement. Kyrgyz authorities fear that poorly-educated rural youth are often swayed in such a way by radical Islamic organizations.
The State Commission on Religious Affairs has repeatedly called [ru] Tablighi Jamaat an ‘extremist organization’. According to the Commission, preaching in Kyrgyzstan should be organized and implemented by the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims. Interestingly, however, the head of the body himself stated [ru] during a hearing in Parliament on March 5:
Это не боевое течение. Будьте к ним более снисходительны.
It [Tablighi Jamaat] is not a militant movement. Be more tolerant towards them
Similarly Kadyr Malikov, director of an independent Kyrgyz think-tank, said [ru]:
Движение не является ни экстремистским, ни террористическим, ни политическим… Вмешательство в политику считается для них неприемлемым.
The movement is neither extremist nor terrorist or political… Interference in politics is unacceptable to [Tablighi Jamaat].
Indeed, Tablighi Jamaat repeatedly claim that thet do not seek to influence the politics of any country. Missioners typically call on the population to abstain from intoxicants and to become more pious. They set an example by sleeping on the rough floors of regional mosques, wearing modest clothes, eating simple food, and reminding Muslims of their religious beliefs. But precisely because of this mission-based approach, Tablighi Jamaat activists are often accused of intrusively encroaching on individuals’ freedom of choice. An anonymous commentator on the Russian-language news site Vecherni Bishkek says [ru]:
[…] надо прекращать эти нравоучения со стороны дааватчи. Они же вторгаются в частную жизнь, со своими проповедями. В место того, что бы пойти на работу устроится, и детей своих накормить, обуть и дать нормальное воспитание, они ходят по дворам и учат как правильно жить.
[…] we need to stop the preachings from ‘daavatchi’. They interfere with our personal life through their preaching. Instead of finding jobs, feeding their children, and providing them with proper education, ‘daavatchi’ go from house to house and teach people how to live their lives.
Burul, another commenter on Azzatyk argues [ru]:
[…] даваатчы- это пропаганда, а любая пропаганда – это навязывание, то есть вмешательство в выбор человека, несвобода.
[…] ‘daavatchi’ is propaganda, and any propaganda is necessarily compulsive, that is, it is an interference with people's freedom of choice; it is unfreedom.
However, supporters of Tablighi Jamaat may argue that the movement is only presenting an option, albeit persuasively, without preventing Muslims from making a different choice. The movement's followers argue that they do not force people to become more religious. Instead they increase people's awareness of practical side of Islam, and expand knowledge of the religion. In the Azzatyk comments section, Malik replied to Burul [ru]:
Бурул, почему нельзя пропагандировать веру, религию? Когда вокруг столько безнравственного. Может Кадыр Маликов прав, в том, что мы боимся того, чего просто НЕ знаем. Что нас больше пугает неизвестность, а не вера.
Burul, why shouldn't the message of a faith or religion be spread? There is so much immorality around. Maybe Kadyr Malikov is right [in saying] that we are afraid of something we simply DO NOT understand. What frightens us the most is our lack of knowledge, not the faith itself.

author: Shakhnoza Isakova


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Simultaneous “Sit-ins for Freedom” Held Across Saudi Cities · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Small groups of Saudi women held simultaneous “Sit-ins for Freedom” across Saudi cities on June 10, 2013, which were called for by anonymous advocacy group @almonaseron [The Supporters] to call for release of their imprisoned relatives. As a result, over 140 protesters, men and women, were arrested by Saudi forces during the previous two days.
Independent human rights sources say there are over 30,000 arbitrarily imprisoned people [ar], many of whom were arrested in the massive, post-9/11 “war on terrorism”. The detainees were arrested without a warrant and have not had access to lawyers and a trial. Protests in Saudi Arabia are strictly prohibited and participants risk spending many months in prison if they get caught. This, however, did not stop prisoners’ relatives from challenging the ban many times in small numbers over the past two years.
At 4.55pm, local time, @almonaseron announced the beginning of the sit-in and tweeted [ar]:
بدأ #اعتصام_الحرية نساء في عدة مناطق في آن واحد فعلى أهالي المعتقلين الإنضمام إليهم فوراً
@almonaseron: The Sit-in for Freedom just started: women from different areas [are gathering] simultaneously. Detainees’ relatives should join them right now.
In Riyadh, a group of women, several of whom were relatives of Suliman al-Roushodi, head of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, gathered in front of the government-funded National Society for Human Rights, where they had protested back in February. One of the protesters was his daughter, Bahia al-Roushodi, who was given a suspended four-month prison sentence after that earlier sit-in. They were quickly surrounded by over 30 police cars [ar], and their driver was arrested[ar] and they were prohibited from leaving. One of Riyadh's main roads, King Fahad Road, was closed by police during rush hour to crackdown on the sit-in. At 6.20pm, one of the protesters, al-Roushodi's wife, tweeted:
تم اعتقالنا واعتقال اخي
@omamar1: They arrested us, and they arrested my brother.
Relatives of the arrested women protesters gathered in front of the prison where they were reportedly held. Photograph shared by @fatma_mesned on Twitter
At 11.44pm, relatives of the arrested women protesters gathered in front of the prison where they were reportedly held. al-Roushodi's granddaughter, Fatima al-Mesned tweeted:
الآن مجتمعون امام سجن الملز قسم النساء لمن اراد المطالبه بمعتصمات #الرياض انصروا من نصر أسرانا
@fatma_mesned: For those who want to demand [the release of] the protesters: We are now in front of al-Malez prison, the female section. Support those who supported our prisoners.
In Buraydah, women gathered in front of the city's Grand Court, and more than women joined the sit-in shortly. By 5.52pm, Saudi forces were surrounding the protesters [ar]. When a young man tried to provide water for the protesters, he was chased by the forces and arrested[ar]. Secret policemen wearing civilian cloths ordered the women to leave and threatened them, but they refused unless their relieves are released (video [ar]). The number of women protesters was increasing until they were forcefully arrested. At 8.24pm, @almonaseron tweeted:
الآن تم أركاب المعتصمات للباصات في بريدة بالقوة
@almonaseron: Women were just forced to ride the [police] buses.
The following day, June 11, at 5pm, a group of men and women gathered to protest the previous day's arrests. Within minutes, they were surrounded by emergency forces [ar], beaten [ar] and arrested.
Other small gathers were held in Mecca, Aljouf and Hial.

author: Anas Soliman


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Could Fawzia Koofi be Afghanistan’s First Female President? · Global Voices
Samea Shanori

The search for the next president of Afghanistan is underway. Last fall, Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) slated presidential elections for April 5, 2014. Voter registration started at the end of last month and will continue until two weeks before the day of the vote. Although a list of candidates is still yet to be finalized, some of the names expected on the ballot are already the source of intense discussion.
The vote is significant since it will mark the formal end of current President Hamid Karzai's decade in charge of the country, a period complicated by allegations of corruption and regime collusion with the heroin trade, as well as a glaring failure to make progress in negotiations with the Taliban, who continue [Global Voices Archive] their attacks on civilians and governmental officials. Crucially, the country's next president will have to deal with these security threats without the presence of international forces stationed in the country since 2001.
Among the expected candidates attracting national and international attention are Fawzia Koofi, a member of the Afghan parliament and women's rights activist; Qayyum Karzai, president Hamid Karzai's elder brother, and Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister and eye surgeon who was Karzai's main rival in the 2009 presidential elections. The number of candidates is certain to increase as the elections near.
Fawzia Koofi has already begun her campaign via her official website, Facebook page and Twitter account. Western media has flocked to cover her presidential bid and praise her recently published book, “The Favorite Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future”.
While appearing on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart in February 2013, Koofi talked about struggles in her life and her electoral candidacy, saying she wants to represent the hope of Afghans facing an uncertain future:
It is a choice, I could come to Europe or the US and stay a luxurious life like many other people in this world do or I could stay back in my country and try to contribute to a small change, if I can. And I have decided to go for the second option, although it is not easy.
Koofi's appearance on the Daily Show made for great viewing in America, with one tweep remarking that she had never seen Jon Stewart, the show's motormouth host, so quiet. But Koofi's supporters fear that Afghanistan might not yet be ready for a female president: Koofi has already survived several Taliban assassination attempts, and although female candidates have run for the presidency before, none have come close to a top five finish.
Electoral corruption is another consideration. Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of a run-off with Karzai in the 2009 vote, citing widespread vote-rigging. For many Afghans, the anticipated presence of a Karzai family member on the ballot is an ominous foreshadowing.
Picture of Fawzia Koofi taken from DangerDan22.wordpress.com, used with permission
But Koofi's exceptional background, political experience and struggle for causes separates her from previous  female candidates. Her focus on women's rights and fighting corruption, both crucial topics for Afghans, may help her win women's votes and those of Afghans on low incomes. Khorasan (@KhorasanCharity) tweeted on June 5:
She could be the 1st female president of Afghanistan if she manages to stay alive till April '14. She is Fawzia Koofi.
Also on twitter, Greg Mortenson (@gregmortenson), author of the scandal-tainted book “Three Cups of Tea”, asked:
Fawzia Koofi, Afghan female MP seeks presidency 2014 election: Will Afghanistan beat USA – 1st female leader?
But Shuja Rabbani (@ShujaRabbani) noted that Koofi would have to work hard on other aspects of her campaign for her presidential bid to be taken seriously:
#Afghan female politicians will need to find new ways of winning support: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/17/fawzia-koofi-targets-afghan-presidency … – #WomenRights can only sell for so long.
Photo of Fawzia Koofi, which reads, “we will build this nation together, if you stay with me.” Taken from her Facebook page.
The above image is part of Koofi's online campaign on Facebook. Many people have shown their support for her candidacy by commenting on the image.
خوب خواهد بود که از طرح های که به خاطر آبادی وطن خوددارید یک کمی ابراز میدا شتید، همچنان راه های برون رفت از مشکلات کنونی. موفق باشید
Wish you luck. It will be great if you could please share your strategies regarding the country's rebuilding and solutions to the current issues of Afghanistan.
If women are put in charge of rebuilding this country, men should leave the country.
I think, in a society until men are not developed and improved, women cannot do anything.
The Prophet said: if a nation's destiny is in women's hands, that nation awaits destruction and disaster.
Abdullah Abdullah, who lost the presidential race against Hamid Karzai in 2009, has not yet officially declared his candidacy. According to some news agencies, he is not certain if he should take the risk again.
Abdullah Abdullah mentioned in April that despite constitutional restraints preventing Hamid Karzai from running, the Karzai family will not give up its power without a fight. It seems Dr. Abdullah's reading of the situation is more or less accurate; while Karzai himself will not be standing, younger brother Mahmoud Karzai sounded out Qayyum Karzai, the oldest of the Karzai brothers, as a likely candidate during an exclusive interview with Pajhwak Afghan News outlet last year:
People vote for the families and individuals whose hands are clean and had no role in war crimes. People have faith in Qayyum Jan and I have good relations with people. They are looking to us and want one of us to stand for the election.
Afghans have negatively reacted to Qayum Karzai's nomination, calling it clan politics. On May 13 Mohammad Jawad (@MohammadJawad4) tweeted sarcastically:
We had very good run with his brother, so now we will vote for him. Karzai's brother to run for president.
To which Sajid Arghandaiwal (@SajidArghandaiw) replied:
If he become a president he will spoil the whole country!
But Mohammad Jawad felt certain:
The general public still will unfortunately go for tribe rather than talent
This post is part of the GV Central Asia Interns Project at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

author: Samea Shanori


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Brazilian Court Gags Activist from Protesting Construction Project Online · Global Voices
Elisa Thiago

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages unless stated otherwise]
A Brazilian appeal court has forbidden an agricultural engineer critical of the construction of a high-rise apartment complex from speaking out on the streets and on the Internet against the project.
Freedom of expression advocates have warned that the decision breaks with international legal standards.
The São Paulo Court of Justice shot down attorney Ricardo Fraga de Oliveira's appeal on May 15, 2013 for a temporary injunction imposed on him on March 6, 2013 to be suspended, which he argued restricted his freedom of expression.
The injunction [en] stemmed from a case filed against Oliveira by Mofarrej Vila Mariana SPE Real Estate Developments, the construction company behind the high-rise apartment complex. The company accused Oliveira of slander, arguing that he was driving possible apartment buyers away through his protests. Oliveira leads a movement called O Outro Lado do Muro – Intervenção Coletiva (The Other Side of the Wall – Collective Intervention) which has campaigned against the project saying it would damage a river on the site called Boa Vista and would increase the already chaotic traffic flowing through the neighborhood.
The court's decision reaffirms the previous court's ruling with a slight change: Oliveira must take down any content that refers to the construction company, Mofarrej Vila Mariana SPE Real Estate Developments, from his Facebook page instead of taking down the entire page. He is also now prohibited from demonstrating within less than a block away from the site of the construction project instead of the previous one kilometer.
The other side of the wall – Intervenção coletiva [Intervention Collective] Photo by Article 19, Used with permission
In Oliveira's appeal (or “agravo de instrumento”, in Portuguese), he reflected on what is at stake:
Em um país com histórico ditatorial, deve-se analisar com extraordinária cautela um caso que, se não for compreendido com a devida sensibilidade jurídico-social, poderá formar um precedente jurisprudencial gravemente periclitante ao exercício de uma Democracia conquistada após anos de censura e opressão.
In a country with a dictatorial legacy, a case which, if not understood with proper legal and social touches, can create a jurisprudence that is dangerous to the exercise of democratic rights, won after years of censorship and oppression,  should be analysed with extraordinary caution.
The YouTube channel TVassim Vila Mariana recorded the judgment of his appeal. In the footage, while listening to the final decision, Oliveira is moved to tears. Immediately after, he gets up and stands opposite the judge beside other people who gag themselves in protest:
Non-governmental organization Artigo 19, which specializes in the right to freedom of expression, has followed the case closely and posts court documents related to the case on its website. The NGO explained that the decision made by the São Paulo tribunal was not based on the article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [en], which defines only three situations in which someone can have their freedom of expression restricted: (i) to enforce a clearly written law, (ii) to respect the rights or reputation of others and (iii) to protect national security, public order or public morals, and concludes:
Caso o teste das três partes tivesse sido observado, a restrição contra a liberdade de Ricardo não teria sido concedida visto que tal restrição não se encontra prevista em lei e o interesse econômico de comercialização dos lotes pela empresa não está acima do interesse público concretizado na garantia da liberdade coletiva de manifestação.
If the three-part test had been observed, the restriction against Ricardo’s freedom would not have been allowed, for such restriction is not provided by the law and the business interest with regard to the company and the lots cannot be considered above the public interest embodied by the guarantee of collective freedom to demonstrate.
After Oliveira's Facebook page “O Outro Lado do Muro” (The Other Side of the Wall) was taken down following the court order, another social movement called “Meu Nome Não é Fraga” (My Name is not Fraga, in reference to Ricardo Fraga de Oliveira) sprung up on the social network to post content about the case. Another initiative on Facebook called O lado de cá do muro: o do cidadão da Vila Mariana (The other side of the wall: the one in favour of the citizen of Vila Mariana) was also created with the aim to push back against the construction company.
Bruno Costa, the group administrator, analyzed the situation:
Quando digo que os empreiteiros são espertos digo porque quando fizeram esta ação sabiam que tal censura nos deixariam revoltados e que protestaríamos. Com toda razão. A censura realmente é ABOMINÁVEL. Ok. Mas sabiam também que o foco central se perderia e que aumentaríamos nossos esforços contra a censura. O fato é que se não fizermos algo muito rapidamente não haverá mais como interromper aquela insanidade que é o Boulevard Ibirapuera
When I say that the contractors are clever, I say so because when they called for the injunction they knew that such censorship would make us feel angry and we would protest. No doubt. Censorship is really ABOMINABLE. OK. But they also knew that the central focus would be lost and that we would center our efforts against the censorship. The fact is that if we do not do something quickly, there will be no way to stop that insanity that is the Boulevard Ibirapuera [the name of the residential towers].
A petition, which gathered 5,000 signatures asking for a reappraisal of Mofarrej’s project as well as a manifesto to gather support for the freedom of expression of the group were launched.
As to the press, newspaper Estadão reported the case, and the story was shared on Facebook 5,500 times, where one reader named Davi Oliveira made the following comment:
A ditadura nunca foi embora, antes era a militar.. hoje é a de quem tem dinheiro..
Nunca seremos livres, eterna colonia.
The dictatorship has never gone away, previously it was a military one.. these days it is that of who has money.. We shall never be free, a colony forever.
Oliveira, who holds a degree in law and has a master of science in public health (environmental planning), created the movement O Outro Lado do Muro – Intervenção Coletiva (The Other Side of the Wall – Collective Intervention) with the aim to encourage residents of the Vila Mariana neighborhood to make use of art to voice out their opinion about what should be done in the urban space.
The “wall” in the movement's name refers to the wall that surrounds the 9.356 m² plot where, until 2004, an old factory named Cera Record stood. In an email interview with Global Voices, Oliveira explains that the “demolition [of the building] took place overnight, without any warning to the community”. The empty site came to be considered as a public space by the community, but was obtained by the Mofarrej company, however, where they began construction of three apartment tower blocks with 27 floors each and 654 parking spaces.
The movement under Oliveira’s leadership started in June 2011 and gained momentum over many Saturday's meetings, according to a piece written by Denise Delfim for the local paper “Pedaço da Vila”. The art displayed on the wall can be seen in the YouTube video below:
In addition to criticism against the apartment construction, another major aim of the movement is to engage the residents of São Paulo in a reflection “about the way the city has been appropriated, the high-rise building model which is imposed on it […].” As Oliveira said to the G1 news website:
O nome é Outro Lado do Muro porque este outro lado é a rua. E estamos na rua mostrando esta questão. Estamos brigando por projetos urbanísticos com características mais adequadas a cada região da cidade
The name is “The Other Side of the Wall” because this other side is on the streets. And we are on the streets pointing out this issue. We are fighting for suitable urban projects with features that can better fit each city area.
Regarding any chance of stopping the construction works and of restoring the site to Vila Mariana neighborhood, Oliveira affirmed to Global Voices that:
a única chance é o Ministério Público propor uma Ação Civil Pública em face das irregularidades ocorridas nos processo de licenciamento. Existe um Inquérito Civil instaurado no MP e em mãos do Promotor Vicente Malaquias da Promotoria de Justiça de Habitação e Urbanismo.
the only chance is if the public prosecutor's office proposes a Public Civil Action in light of the irregularities that took place during the licensing process. There is a Civil Inquiry instituted in the prosecutor's office and on the hands of the public prosecutor Vicente Malaquias of the Prosecutor’s Office of Housing and Urbanism.
Meanwhile, the movement has influenced residents of other areas in the city of São Paulo. For example, the Pinheiros neighborhood, where on March 26, 2013, residents got together in Benedito Calixto Square to discuss, in a creative way, the urban changes and the future they want for their community.

author: Elisa Thiago


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China Quotes Foreign Press on Snowden · Global Voices
Owen Guo

China tightened its media's use of information from foreign press in April, 2013, in a move to exert stronger control over domestic newspapers and TV broadcasts. Ironically, Chinese media in recent days have increased their quotations from foreign press as the Snowden story unfolds. China Media Project has the details.


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Colectivo Nómada: Latin American Documentary Photography · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A girl from the Zuray travelling circus. Nicaragua, 2012. Photo by Priscilla Mora Flores (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Mora is part of Colectivo Nómada, a goup of professional Costa Rican photographers who focus on documentary photography in Latin America.
Colectivo Nómada recently relaunched their website [es], where you can find photo essays [es], videos [es], the group's blog [es], and a section called Espacio Abierto [es] (Open Space) where they invite other photographers to share their work.
The work published on the website is under a Creative Commons license.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Dengue Outbreak in Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore recorded 4,632 dengue cases in 2012. This year it went up to 9,847 already. This is a record high for Singapore which last experienced a dengue outbreak in 2005.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has launched the ‘Do the Mozzie Wipeout’ campaign to promote awareness about dengue prevention:
Singapore cannot fight dengue without the community’s action to remove mosquito breeding in their homes. The Aedes mosquito breeds in artificial containers mainly found in homes, and its life-cycle averages seven days. Hence it is imperative for all to do the Mozzie Wipeout together to break the breeding cycle.
Aside from maintaining a dengue information portal, the NEA also has a Facebook page to educate the public about government and community efforts to fight dengue. It also uses a mapping system to categorize dengue cases into clusters:
A dengue cluster is formed when 2 or more dengue cases occur within 14 days and the homes of the dengue victims are within the distance of 150m.
Mr Miyagi reminds readers that construction sites are not the only breeding ground of mosquitoes which carry the dengue virus:
The NEA has reported that the majority of sites found to have bred mosquitoes have been homes. Now I’m not saying that the construction sites are not responsible at all, but the fact remains that no matter how much you want to blame someone else or some other site for the spread of this disease, the solution to breaking the vector cycle of is still firmly in your own hands.
The government plans to distribute 1.2 million bottles of insecticide to all households next month. My Singapore News has a suggestion: free medical treatment for dengue patients
Apart from giving free insect repellants, maybe it is time that all dengue patients should be given free medical treatment. This will encourage every dengue patient to come forward for treatment and will cut down the source of virus carriers in the chain.
Bertha Harian is proposing a ‘dengue shock syndrome approach’ to make people aware of the seriousness of the outbreak:
Dengue clusters
Much money has been thrown into the business of making people aware of the dengue danger, and “reality’’ videos are supposed to be hitting computer screens as well. Perhaps, a dengue shock syndrome approach should be applied to the campaign to get under the skin of those who don’t think dengue will happen to them.
Blogging for Myself argues that it is not enough to report the dengue problem in terms of numbers:
The story and danger must be much better told.
And my simple probability calculations is wrong because it grossly oversimplifies the story. We are actually looking a situation with a potential of going exponential or in layman's terms ballistic. This risk is not widely made know to the population. Not a bad idea to frighten people a little with the truth.
The outbreak also led netizens to discuss the health care situation in Singapore. Writing for The Online Citizen, Terry Xu asks if hospitals are giving adequate attention to dengue patients:
Given that more than 8,000 people have come down with dengue fever since the start of the year, why given the current dengue fever epidemic that fever patients are not given special attention?
Is there enough beds in the hospital where patients can stay to be observed by the medical professionals?
Leong Sze Hian and  Roy Ngemg probe the government’s health care spending and public health policies:
…we do not just have foreigners and PRs literally fighting for stretched healthcare facilities and capacity in Singapore, but we may also be competing against foreign medical tourists who can pay higher non-subsidised fees (and arguably sometimes may be able to jump the queue – to the detriment of Singaporeans seeking subsidised medical treatment)

author: Mong Palatino


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Dog Thefts in Vietnam · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Mike Tatarski clarifies that most Vietnamese do not eat dog. However, there is demand for dog meat which gives rise to dog thefts:
The main reason this trade continues is money. Dog meat is expensive, costing $5-$10 per kilogram. This provides incentive for something that has been big news recently: dog theft.


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Environment Impact of Mining in Indonesia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

An article published at mongabay.com exposes the destructive environment impact of mining in remote Indonesian towns.Some scholars fear that “parts of Indonesia now have the highest levels of mercury contamination on earth.”


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Iran: Rapping for Conservative Candidate · Global Voices
Farid

A teenager is rapping for Saeed Jalili, a conservative candidate in Iran's 14th of June presidential election.

author: Farid


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Iran: Viva Reforms · Global Voices
Farid

Hassan Rouhani's supporters in presidential election chanted “viva reforms” and Rouhani in Mashhad. Rouhani is supported by reformists for Iran's 14th of June presidential election.


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Iranians in Canada Cast Symbolic Votes Days Before Election · Global Voices
Farid

“I vote”
Iranians in Canada will not be able to vote in Iran's presidential election on June 14, 2103, but thanks to an initiative  [fa] by a group of Iranian expatriates they were at least able to cast a symbolic ballot. At four polling stations in different parts of Toronto, Iranians were able to register who they would have voted for. Social media was useful for organizing the activity, but as Arash Kamangir, a Toronto-based blogger and civil society activist says in this interview with Global Voices, the goal was to encourage face to face political conversations between Iranians in the real world.
Arash Kamangir: We are a group of Iranians in Toronto and we do not necessarily have the same points of view on all issues related to Iran, but we obviously have many similar perspectives. One of the points on which all of us have an agreement is that change only happens when people request it and participate in the process of delivering it. We believe that boycotting an election is a convenient, and maybe a romantic and idealistic approach, but nevertheless, in order to be able to be a part of the solution individuals must use their right to vote.
We wanted to raise awareness on the importance of participation in the political process and also state our objection to the closure of the Iranian embassy in Ottawa. To our understanding the Iranian government and the Canadian government, both, are responsible for this outcome. Not only this incident has caused many hardships for the Iranian community in Canada, whom need consulate services for passports and other government-related items, but also, and more importantly, the fact that the Islamic Republic has no official presence on Canadian land has resulted in the loss of many opportunities. For example, the Canadian government was able to be a voice to push for respect for rights of individuals in prison and those being prosecuted in the past. When there was a physical consulate, we, the Iranian population of Canada, were able to engage with the Iranian mission. One of our goals in what we did was to remind and protest against the loss of these opportunities.
Symbolic Vote in Canada. Photo shared by Arash Kamangir.
Everything started with a group message on Facebook, but we soon moved to the physical world, where we had our nightly meetings in a pub. We set up two Facebook pages, one for the organizers and one for the volunteers. We then set up a Facebook event to invite the public. We ended up inviting about 1,500 people to our event, and received 200 accepts. Our team was composed of 20 core people and about 10 volunteers. We communicated among ourselves using the two Facebook groups, Facebook messages, and also our cellphones. We also used Twitter to reach out to the general public of the web and used email to communicate with the media. One blogger in our team also blogged about the event. At the end, we collected about 500 votes in the three-day program.
Well, there was a suggestion that we would set up the polling stations in the virtual world, or that we would at least have an online component. We said no to all of that, because we wanted to get engaged with the public in the physical world. The virtual world was essentially the means of communication and coordination for us. Everything else happened in the physical world. This helped us to reach individuals whom we would have not been able to get in touch with, if we had stayed in the confinement of the virtual world.
We set up our four polling stations in locations where Iranians frequent. We had one close to University of Toronto, another one close to a big Iranian shopping area, and the next in a square in the Iranian quarter of Toronto. This helped us to talk to Iranians from different walks of life, diverse backgrounds, and different political and social views. We gave the attendees a physical ballet and had a conversation with them, sometimes a long one. One of the points that our group had explicit agreement on was that online tools are absolutely necessary in this time and age, but that, nevertheless, human connection happens in the physical realm. We wanted people, not avatars, and thus we went to the physical world.


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Iran’s Presidential Candidates Armed With Social Media · Global Voices
Farid

Cartoonist Touka Neyestani shows the reality of Iran's election in a cartoon for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Iranian presidential candidates are competing with each other in use of social media like Facebook and Twitter even though these sites are filtered and generally inaccessible to internet users. One candidate, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran's Mayor, has even defended internet filtering in his campaigns.
Iran has set the stage for countless surreal events over the past years and the presidential election is no exception. On June 14, 2013 Iranians will be free to choose a president from a carefully selected group of candidates who are all near and dear to the Supreme Leader.
Empty blogs
The presidential campaign of Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, claims there are over 1,800 blogs that support him. On an interactive map of Iran the blogs are accessible with a simple click, but interestingly some of them – such as Shahid [martyr] Zabuni – have been inactive for a long time and only recently published a photo to support Jalili without any accompanying text. Some blogs even appear to have been created solely for the campaign without a word.
Jalili also uses Twitter, where tweets in English help promote his politics to an international audience:
@DrSaeedJalili: Iran's Int'l politics was one of the most positive approach of Islamic Republic. Others need to adept to this.
Facebook is good for votes, but bad for people
Dr. Ali Akbar Velyati, a former foreign minister and an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, gets the most likes on Facebook among the eight candidates. As a comparison chart by The Brookings Institution shows, he has more than 40,000 likes. His closest rival is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with only around 19,000 likes.
Comments on Velyati's Facebook page come from supporters as well as others who seize an opportunity to criticize the internet filtering system. Kollan Nistam wrote [fa]:
[The Islamic Republic] say Facebook is not permitted and is deceiving. Why all of the sudden do you join Facebook to collect votes? Do you think becoming chief [president] makes it acceptable to contradict your own actions? Do not chant slogans. Even you wish to decide what underwear people should wear. You make us nervous in this virtual world, go away.
Instagram, the new kid on the block
All four candidates of the previous presidential election in 2009, including president Mahmoud Ahamdinejad and the two main opposition leaders, Mir Hussein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi used Facebook and Twitter for their campaigns.
This time, two candidates, Saeed Jalili and Mohmmad Baghr Ghalibaf are adding a new tool to the mix: Instagram. Saeed Jalil recently  published 33 photos of himself in various meetings and at a university. Ghalibaf uses Instagram to publish text more than photos.
Censored candidate
In the previous presidential race, former revolutionary guard leader Mohsen Rezai made the least use of the internet. This time Rezai is back with a more sophisticated social media strategy on Twitter and Facebook. His Facebook page says his campaign film was partly censored where Rezai talks about the problems facing Iranians.


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North Korean State TV’s Real-time Facebook Broadcasting a Hoax? · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Local media reported last Thursday that North Korea's state TV, Korean Central Television started real-time Facebook broadcasting, citing official sources. However, North Korea Tech blog listed several things that don’t quite add up.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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New York Times Profiles Global Voices Cuba Contributor · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Elaine Díaz at the Global Voices Summit 2012, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by @Rezwan.
According to the New York Times’ The Lede blog, Global Voices Cuba contributor Elaine Díaz “may be the most important Cuban dissident you’ve never heard of.” Elaine, currently on a visit to the US, is profiled in a June 11 post titled “Cuban Blogger Who Reveres Castro Pushes for Reform”.

author: Georgia Popplewell