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Cuba: Two Protests, Many Arrests  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Ladies in White (Las Damas de Blanco) are again top of mind with Cuban diaspora bloggers.  As one of the oldest and most respected opposition entities on the island, their peaceful protests – and regular arrests by state security forces – continue to attract attention.  The most recent confrontation happened this past weekend as members of the group attempted to carry out two protests in Havana.
Pedazos de la Isla, which chronicled the events in photographs, noted that:
Despite the government repression, more than 40 Ladies in White carried out their accustomed march to the Santa Rita Church in Havana this Sunday, June 17th, to celebrate Father’s Day.  When the mass concluded, these women decided to catch their oppressors off guard and marched for the second time in one day, this time from Infanta street to Neptune Street.
The blog also posted two other entries about state action against members of the Ladies in White.  The first detailed how Caridad Caballero Batista, her husband and son were searched and detained:
After visiting some relatives…they were intercepted by the political police upon arriving to the province of Holguin.  According to Caballero, the police agent who intercepted the vehicle her family was traveling on…told the driver to hand him his documentation.
However, the activist explains that ‘more than for the purpose of asking to see the driver’s documents, this action was intentionally aimed at searching my husband Esteban and the bag he was carrying, which was full of clothes’.  The agent ordered Esteban to get off the vehicle in order to search him, to which the dissident replied that he was not going to allow, considering that he ‘is not a delinquent’.  Caballero says that ‘the agents were infuriated and told Esteban that he was committing a crime’.
The response of the agents was to shove Esteban Sandez into a vehicle of the Operational Guard to take him to the Police Unit, where he’d be searched and detained.  Upon seeing this, Caridad Caballero and her son Eric Sandez got off the car and began to protest against the arbitrariness, assuring the agents that if they were going to take Esteban, then they’d have to them too.
In a matter of minutes, the three activists were taken to a police unit located on the outskirts of Holguin.
After a number of hours, the family was released, but upon arriving to their home in the city of Holguin they noticed that the political police had already set up the accustomed weekend operation in order to impede them from arriving to Sunday Mass.
Obstruction from attending Holy Mass has been one of the tactics employed by state security to contain the activity of the group.
The second post told of the arrest of an elderly member of the group:
This Father’s Day, Ladies in White throughout all of Cuba mobilized with the purpose of carrying out peaceful activities to celebrate the date.  As a consequence, the regime’s police forces responded with a repressive operation which began days prior, resulting in the arrests of countless of these women throughout all of the island’s provinces.  Among those arrested was 75 year-old Blanca Hernández Moya, who suffered physical attacks at the hands of police agents…
The elderly woman…was on her way from her home in Central Havana to the headquarters of the Ladies in White- the home of the fallen leader of the group, Laura Pollan, located on Neptuno Street- when she was violently intercepted by state police.
‘They attacked me’, said Moya, ‘they shoved me into a vehicle, and a female agent twisted my arm and hit me’.
After some minutes, the vehicle which the Lady in White was in parked and she was kicked out, being left abandoned by a dam near the desolate area known as Penalver, on the outskirts of Cotorro.
Capitol Hill Cubans also took notice of the weekend's arrests.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ethiopia: Disconnecting Citizens From the Future · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Ethiopians have their attention focused on the controversial new bill which criminalizes the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as Skype and Google Talk. Netizens are especially furious over the country’s state owned Ethio-Telecom, which proposed the new bill. Meles Zenawi's government claims that the new bill is meant to prevent external security threats.
A number of Facebook groups have already been created to condemn the state-controlled telecommunication service provider. One of the groups is Ethio-Telecom Sucks which has 1,297 members so far. Members of this group usually share their frustration with Ethio-Telecom services but the recent controversial telecom bill and the deployment of Deep Packet Inspection – a form of computer network packet filtering that examines internet traffic – caused members to be even more vocal.
Logo of Ethio Telecom Sucks Facebook group. Photo source: Group's Facebook page.
One member of this group posts [amh]:
እኛ ሃገር ከዛሬ ትናንት ይሻላል፤ ከነገ ደግሞ ዛሬ:: ስለዚህ እንደ አያት ቅድመ አያቶቻችን “ተመስገን” እያልን መቀጠል ነው የሚበጀን:: የእነ ‘ስካይፕ’ እና የነ ‘ጉግል ቶክ’ መከልከል ሲገርመን “የ ‘ኢሜል አካውንት'ም አያስፈልጋቸውም አርፈው የሃገር ውስጥ ምርት በሆነው ኤሮግራም ይጠቀሙ” የሚል ህግ ካልወጣ ከምላሴ ፀጉር….
While expressing their contempt for the bill, some Ethiopians compare it to the controversial anti-terrorism law. Another comment reads:
Instead of passing this crazy legislation wasn’t it sensible to just block the VOIP protocol if it is really for national security ?(That is if using Skype really vests a trait) Unless the intention of this open ended law is to use it to convict people with no real grounds at all and just arrest whoever they want.  This just sounds like a succession of the Terrorism law
Daniel Berhane disagrees. He blames the government public relations machine for failing to explain the essence of the bill while blaming the Western media for rushing to condemn the bill without even confirming whether the bill was passed to be a law or not.
Daniel writes a post titled “Skype me Indeed”:
Though the media rush to make unverified claims, which is obviously based on remarks from some local politicians/activists, is disturbing, it is the Ethiopian government’s inability and unwillingness to provide info mainly to be blamed. Strangely, officials in Addis were as informed on the matter as the guy on the street regarding the matter in the past week.
For Mesfin Negash it does not matter whether the bill was passed into law or not. He points out that it is a custom of the Ethiopian government to encourage citizens to do something then criminalize the same thing later. He shows how the website of Ministry of Information Technology promotes the use of VoIP. The section that promotes the use of VoIP was taken dawn right away the bill went public. Mesfin Negash shares the screen shot of this section on Facebook:
Promote then criminalize! Two days ago I visited Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's website http://www.mcit.gov.et/?q=home.aspx. In the service section of the site, one of the services promoted was VoIP. It was laughable to read one government promoting and criminalizing VoIP. Right now I could access all the content of the section except that of VoIP.
Fortunately I had captured the page that promoted VoIP. The first line of this subsection of VoIP reads: “If you've never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls.” Interesting. Promote then criminalize looks the underlying working principle of MZ. Promote freedom of speech then make it a crime, promote freedom of assembly then criminalize it…..promote VoIP then criminalize. Next time you hear something promoted expect the criminalization.
Argaw Ashine who wrote the story for Africa Review for the first time before it got picked up by  mainstream media writes:
I read some distorted headlines mentioning my name as a source about the new telecom law which criminalizes use of VoIP which includes , Skype, Viber, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and Pal-talk etc. To make clear, The imprisonment for using social media software is 2-8 years and internet phone calling service provision(intent cafe) is punishable up to 15 years.
I respect and appreciate all the efforts by other media organizations but I am not responsible for any other publication/broadcast except the one published by my own agency Africa Review or the whole NMG outlets.
Endalk briefly analyzes the bill on his blog:
This proclamation [bill] provides broad and ambiguous definitions particularly for telecommunication services and equipment which might be used to include blogging and possessing social media pages such as facebook and twitter.
The draft Proclamation defines telecommunication services as anything designated as telecommunication service by Ministry of Information Technology (MIT) with the exception of broadcasting and intercom connections and listed more than ten services that are considered as telecom services. Furthermore the proclamation enlarges the definition of telecommunication equipment in considerable ways to include any apparatus intended to use for telecommunication services and it includes its accessory and software.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Guyana: Stories in Photos  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“These young photo enthusiasts now are capturing not only life and landscape but vibes, passions and feelings…in years to come, they will be reminded, as will generations to follow, of how life used to be when Guyana was yet to define her place in the world”: Imran Khan blogs about a young photography group that he calls “one of the rare specks of beauty which shines through in an otherwise muck-ridden Guyana.”


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Hong Kong, China: Military Vehicles Entered the City · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dictionary of Politically Incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese posted photos and video taken by netizens on the night of June 15th, showing military vehicles of the People Liberation Army running on the busy city streets. Many believe that this is a move to scare people away from July 1st demonstration.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Iran: Is LGBT an Online Reality? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

“The Internet has been a gift for us,” Arsham Parsi, a leading Iranian gay activist told Global Voices Online four years ago. A newly published study by Small Media, a London-based non-profit organization, called “LGBT Republic of Iran: An Online reality?” shows how Iranian LGBT communities use Internet in their daily lives.
Homosexuality, which is banned in Iran, is punishable by prison or death. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once said “there is no gays in Iran.”
Global Voices conducted an interview with Dr Bronwen Robertson, Small Media's Director of Operations, who led the team of researchers and translators on this project.
Global Voices (GV): How did you prepare and develop your research?
Bronwen Robertson (BR): We did all of our research online. Logistically, it's impossible to do research about LGBT issues on the ground in Iran because it's such a taboo subject and there are so many risks involved. We started a secret Facebook group and we used the snowballing technique, which is where you start with a group of people and ask them to reach out to others through their networks. It was really difficult to find people to speak openly with us, because, very understandably, they find it very difficult to trust people. Once we gained their trust, by ensuring they felt safe knowing that we wouldn't compromise their identities with our research, we gained some incredible insight into their lives, and their case studies are what really brought the report to life.
GV: What were the main challenges to accomplish this report?
BR: The biggest challenge for us was developing trust with LGBT Iranians, but we also came across a number of other challenges, and one of these was a linguistic one. Because sexuality is such a taboo topic in Iran, it's really complicated to find the right words in Persian to talk about it and to search about it! For example, ‘hamjensbaz’ (homo) is a derogatory term and ‘hamjensgara’ (homosexual) is politically correct. But due to the fact that sexuality is such a taboo subject, many gay and lesbian Iranians refer to themselves as ‘hamjensbaz’, because this is all they hear in the public sphere. A lot of the homophobia we came across online (and there was a lot of it) was due to misinformation and a lack of awareness rather than hatred. Another example is the word ‘degarbash’, which is an all-encompassing term meaning LGBT or ‘queer’. It is very controversial and although it is accepted by some, its use is condemned by others who argue the word ‘others’ LGBTs and ostracises them from society further. It's for this reason that we supported the establishment of an online glossary of LGBT terms, to which users can add their own words. It's like an ‘urban dictionary’, and we hope it encourages discussion and debate in the public sphere, which is what is desperately needed when it comes to LGBT issues in Iran.
GV: Do you think online LGBT activities in Iran can have any real impact on their real life? Can you provide examples?
BR: We know from our research that online activities can have a real impact on the lives of LGBTs in Iran. They all told us how important the internet was in their lives. A 26-year-old gay man from Bandar Anzali told us, “Words can’t describe how important the internet is for me. My life was totally different before I had access to the internet … I didn’t have a single homosexual friend … Because I live in a really small city, where the homosexual
community (if there even is one in our city!) is very very secretive … the only way for me is the internet.”
GV: How were the reactions to your report?
BR: We've had a lot of amazing feedback. There was a great article in the Guardian, Huffington Post mentioned us, our report has been read online nearly 800 times in a week and people are e-mailing us and contacting us via social media and asking how they can help out. The most important thing for us is that the report starts a discussion amongst policy makers and people who care and we rally together and get stuck into projects that can really make a difference on the lives of LGBT Iranians. We're going to support a shortwave radio station for LGBTs in Iran and are currently discussing how to set up a secure online platform for them to network over and be informed via.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Windscreen Murder  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Woman Tongue blogs about the murder of a man who cleaned windscreens for a living, saying: “This murder seems to be about rank class prejudice.  We have to find a sustainable solution to the chronic problem of unemployed young men.  Shooting them in the head is not an option in a supposedly civilised society.”


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Malawi: New Government, Costly Livelihood · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

While many Malawians seem to be filled with hope since Joyce Banda became Malawi's president, some Malawians are coming up with innovative ways of making ends meet because of high cost of living.
Some youths have explored how best to make a living from the best possible initiatives in towns. This is amid fuel, forex and power shortages whose improved situation is yet to trickle down to everyone.
Discussing shortages of essential supplies in Malawi, Richard Chirombo writes:
Fuel shortages continue. It has, particularly, been worse the past three weeks.
Foreign exchange shortage is another remarkable feature, both in the last two years of the forgotten regime of the Democratic Progressive Party, and the April 5, 2012-born regime of Joyce Banda.
Essential drugs still cannot be found in Malawi's public hospitals.
The only thing that runs in abundance is hope.
There seems to be renewed faith in Banda's regime, a regime that tames lie-peddlers such as Finance Minister Ken Lipenga.
Blogger Vincent Kumwenda in Lilongwe shows how residents making money out of wooden bridges. The entrepreneurs are neither licensed nor pay taxes to the city council for trading along and on Lilongwe river:
It is a useless river to those who simply pass it everyday.It is one of the dirtiest rivers around and no meaningful business can come out of it. But for Dalitso Chimwaza it is where they earn their living. Chimwaza and several other friends earn a living from collections they make on a wooden brige they constructed across Lilongwe River.
Malawian youths earn a living from collections they make on a wooden brige they constructed across Lilongwe River. Photo source: vincekumwenda.blogspot.com
I counted four bridges ran by dfferent groups of people who are always busy collecting money and giving back changes to their customers. Some people can pass through the bridges several times each day. The bridges are made out of long blue gum trees and planks sourced from the nearby market.
This is happening while Malawi's parliament is discussing the 406 billion Kwacha  (est 1.63 billion US Dollars) budget for July 2012-June 2013. The so called recovery budget was presented by Finance Minister Ken Lipenga
Meanwhile, Malawians are still coming to grips with a nation without former president Bingu wa Mutharika:
Malawi's president Joyce Banda  speaking at the DFID conference in 2010. Photo shared on Flickr by DFID under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) .
It has been a roller coaster ride for the warm heart of Malawi in the past 67 days since the demise of the mighty Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika. Alot has been done and undone by the ‘new’ regime that took over from the fallen African son. Things have been moving too fast to the extent that this blog could not keep up with he pace of events. Information flow was and is still not stable yet as it was in the past months. Fancy you can hear of a purported change in government positions from mere people even days before the official announcement. Rumours have been in constant supply in the past 67 days even more than the nearly 8 years of Professor Mutharika's rule. What is worrying me most is that most of these rumours prove to be true. Somebody ought to tighten the grip on the information flow!
However there are several issues worthy mentioning on this blog. It took me time of compile these issues because of their sensitivity and how they keep on changing with the pasaage of time.
Following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika in April, Malawi sworn in Vice President Joyce Banda as its president at the parliament in Lilongwe on Saturday 7 April, 2012. She becomes the 4th but first Malawi's female president and will serve for the remainder of Mutharika's term to May 2014.
President Joyce Banda is the second female president in Africa after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia.
Mutharika had been under heavy local and international pressure to improve political and socio-economic situation for Malawi during his administration.

author: Victor Kaonga


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Myanmar: Netizens Celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 67th birthday in Europe, her first foreign trip after more than two decades of being placed under house arrest by the military-backed government.
Myanmar citizens around the world are also delighted and proud with her Nobel Peace Prize lecture. Netizens actively shared news stories, photos and sound clips of the speech on Facebook and Twitter.
Since June 18, a day before her birthday, netizens posted birthday wishes for Aung San Suu Kyi.
Soe Min wrote[my] a note about the draft of her life and concluded with a promise as birthday present.
If (somebody asked), what would I give as birthday present for mom[a number of Myanmar referred Aung San Suu Kyi as Mom or Mom “Suu” ] this year, I would delightfully promise that I would try to be a respectable man with sense of duty.”
Tun Tun Aung gave[my] his opinion about Suu Kyi's efforts to work out a better future for the country.
It's certain that not only the whole of Myanmar but also the whole world would wish for Mom Suu's birthday. What I'd wish to request to those who are voicing out their love for Mom Suu is that to make efforts to develop a pleasant country like mom's home if they really love her. Let's think deeply. How much should we expect from a 67-year old mom. Rather than clapping and supporting outside (of her world), let's try to take more responsibilities
Some posted their portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi as a birthday present. Here are some of the remarkable artworks sketched by Myanmar netizens.
Reflecting peace and courage of The Lady, designed by Thiha Maung Maung
An identical graceful sketch by Aung Sann Kyaw
An artistic piece made by ZawMyoNyi ZawMyoZaw
Not only portraits but also poems were shared among Myanmar Facebook users. A Facebooker with pen name University Phone Kywal composed[my] a poem
“Mom Suu Who Brought up the Pride of Nation”
Gusty and Upstream
She rows with great strength
Future of Myanmar
She imagines it as a noblest
Across the world
Her news in honor
Bringing up the nation's pride
With glorius light
Among people, her
Hein Htet wished[my] her on Facebook as well.
There's only one like you in the world, Mom.
Mom who is respected by leaders…
Mom who is loved by followers…
Mom who is depended by public…
From 67th Birthday till many more years,
May you perform for the world and for the country with healthy and wealthy living.
Zaw Win shared a scanned image of the poem composed by a well-known Myanmar poet, the late Min Thu Won, for Aung San Suu Kyi's 45th birthday. Than Thar Win, a singer, uploaded[my] a song titled “Move Forward Ladies” dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the other hand, some netizens are wondering why no government media in Myanmar reported or mentioned anything about Aung San Suu Kyi's Europe trip especially her Nobel Peace prize lecture.

author: Chan Myae Khine


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Panama: A Country For Sale · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

Panama is for sale: or at least that is how a large group of Panamanians see the situation after watching with indignation how President Ricardo Martinelli‘s government is aiming to liquidate a large portion of state assets.
The state of Panama owns 49% of telephony in Panama; the other 49% belongs to a British company Cable & Wireless and the remaining 2% belongs to the company's employees. The state also has shares in electrical companies; however, the government has decided to sell 24% of its shares in both companies. The people of Panama have reacted with outrage.
Erick Simpson tells us his point of view in his blog Pma507Pty Panamá Blog [es]:
Cual si de un baratillo de liquidación por cierre se tratara, el gobierno de turno se ha dado a la tarea de rematar los últimos activos en los que el Estado tiene participación en las empresas mixtas. Para comenzar, los “honorables” padrastros de la patria, “legalizaron” a hurtadillas, de espaldas al pueblo, y en plena madrugada, la venta de las acciones que el Estado posee en las empresas de distribución y generación eléctrica, y el Consejo de Gabinete autorizó al MEF a presentar a la Asamblea Nacional una modificación a la ley que restructuró el Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, con el propósito de rematar el 49% del capital social que el Estado posee en la empresa Cable & Wireless y depositar el 25% del producto de dicho remate, en el recién creado FAP.
"Dear Politicians, If you really want to sell something, why don't you have a garage sale in your house? Panama is not for sale! Enough…"
Outrage has reached astonishing levels since two historically conflicting parties have created a united “front for democracy”. The Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), founded by General Omar Torrijos, has formed an alliance with the Panameñista Party, founded by Arnulfo Arias Madrid, who was president of Panama until a coup d'état led by Torrijos and the Panamanian Public Forces. However, last weekend both parties “smoked the pipe of peace” and agreed to take a stand against the current government's intentions.
Some Panamanians gathered on Monday, June 19, 2012, in front of the Legislative Assembly, where legislators would discuss whether or not to allow the sale of these shares. The attendees and politicians from the opposition practically boycotted the session, which had to be cancelled and postponed until June 19. La Prensa [es] reports:
Las gradas frente al pleno legislativo quedaron abarrotadas este lunes. A las 12:45 p.m. se escuchó el canto del Himno Nacional al tiempo que los presentes ondearon banderas panameñas.
En tanto, los diputados de las bancadas de oposición se levantaron y se colocaron frente a la silla del presidente del Legislativo, alzando el emblema tricolor. En total, llevaban tres banderas grandes, cada una sostenida por dos diputados.
The stands located in front of the legislative plenary were packed this Monday. At 12:45 p.m. they began to sing the National Anthem while waving their Panamanian flags.
On the other hand, opposing party legislators stood up and placed themselves in front of the chair of the president of the National Assembly, carrying the flag. In total three flags were being carried, each one held by two legislators.
Panamanian netizens also showed their indignation and the hashtag No Vendan Panamá [es] (“Don't Sell Panama”) was created, where hundreds of Panamanian people expressed their displeasure at the way state assets are being treated.
Ana Lorrein J (@analorrainej) [es] sees a deep-rooted problem in the matter that goes further than political class and touches the roots of Panamanian society:
La clase política es un reflejo de esta sociedad de solo importo yo y los demás que se jodan…
Karen Chalmers (@karen_chalmers) [es] asked the president to avoid confrontations between Panamanian people:
Sr. Presidente, se lo rogamos, por nosotros, nuestros hijos, nuestro amado Panamá! Recapacite y evite nuevos enfrentamientos entre panameños.
The day ended with a march in which thousands of Panamanian people asked the government to stop the sales. La Prensa [es] sums it up:
Sin embargo, unas mil 500 personas se sumaron a la manifestación más tarde. Con la actividad se pretende ponerle un alto a las más recientes actuaciones del presidente de la República, Ricardo Martinelli.
The sessions in the Assembly were scheduled to resume on June 19. Meanwhile, the people of Panama were still waiting to see what might happen with these government initiatives, ready to voice their opinion about the outcome on the internet and in the streets.

author: Ariel Moreno


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Paraguay: Land Dispute Leaves Several Dead and Injured · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz highlights several key issues related to a land dispute which increased in violence on Friday, June 15, when “a shootout between police and campesinos occupying land near the border with Brazil led to about 17 deaths and several dozen wounded.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Singapore: Alternatives to Minimum Wage · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Kumaran Pillai, editor of The Online Citizen, identifies alternatives to the proposed minimum wage system in Singapore

author: Mong Palatino


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South Korea: Former Dictator’s Cadet Review Sparks Public Anger · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea, a former president notorious for directing a massacre and oppressing democratic activists during his term (1980-88), has been criticized for participating in a cadet review at the Korea Military Academy (KMA) and enjoying perks as a former head of the state, despite his criminal record.
Former President Chun Doo-hwan is mostly remembered as a military dictator who rose to power through a military coup, arrested and persecuted activists, suppressed free press, and clamped down the Gwangju Democratization movement (also known as the ‘Gwangju Massacre’) with an army, killing several hundred civilians. Chun was initially sentenced to death for this tragic event but was later pardoned and instead received a jail term and fine.
Chun made the national headlines again with his cadet review at the KMA on June 8, 2012. In the following week, more news reports revealed further facts about Chun; one claimed that when playing golf at the Academy's golf course, Chun was escorted by eight armed guards [ko] provided by the police.
Image of parade of the Korea Military Academy pupils in South Korea, by Flickr User Morning Calm News (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Twitter user @ssyoon66 wrote [ko]:
내란죄로 형이 확정된 범죄자이자 국가 추징금 미납자를 국민 세금으로 경호?
@mettayoon tweeted [ko]:
살인마 전두환이 상왕 대접 받는 세상이군요. ‘육사생도사열’ 논란의 와중에 군 골프장에서 ‘VIP 골프'를 즐겨 국민적 분노를 사고 있는데, 한술 더 떠 전두환의 안전을 위해 무장경찰이 경호를 펼친 사실까지 드러났네요.[…]
Accusations were also thrown at the Korea Military Academy, a prestigious institution for the undergraduate education and military training of officer cadets and also the former school of Chun Doo-hwan and other military leaders. @jjang24025 tweeted [ko]:
육사 포함 사관학교 차라리 폐교합시다! 쿠데다주역, 반역자, 살인자 전두환에게 충성하는 육사. 그들이 과연 나라를 지킬 지휘관이 되겠습니까. 너도나도 야전은 기피하고 좋은 보직만 찾는다는데, 썩은 정치꾼들만 더 양산하지 않는다는 보장이 어딨습니까.
@roysoo tweeted [ko]:
육사생도들 이등병 전두환할배가 존경스러운가? 한번 육사선배는 영원한가? […] 허갸 90년대출생인 네들이 뭘알겠냐!!
User @shinfran doubted the academy is teaching [ko] history from right, democratic angle:
육사에서 5.16이나 12.12 등의 군사 반란에 대해 어떻게 가르치는지 정말 궁금하네요. 교수들이나 훈육관들이 제대로 가르쳤다면 애국심으로 똘똘 뭉쳤다는 생도들이 그런 반응을 보였다는게 절대 이해가 될 수없으니 말입니다.
@shinfran later updated his timeline with tweets linked to news articles quoting KMA pupils who later complained [ko] that they had not been made aware of whom they were saluting. Reports claim that although it is customary that the academy notifies pupils on who will be attending the cadet review, especially when well-known figures pay visits, no announcement was made about Chun's appearance this time.
Twitter user @myungsup emphasized [ko] the importance of correct history education:
[…] (육사에서) 전두환을 반란으로 민주주의 유린한 실패한 군인으로 가르칠 수 있을 때 육사는 명예회복을 할 수 있을 겁니다.
@ksk88kig lashed out [ko] at the principal of the academy who directed the cadet review, suggesting a close tie between the old military power and the current one:
육사 교장 **가 전두환이를 불러더가 생도들을 사열시킨 거는, 지 스스로 조폭 깡패 중간 보쓰 짓이나 하고 있다는 거를 실토한기지. “야들아, 너그 큰 행님 오싰다. 큰 인사 올리라” “안녕하십니까, 행님””
What really concerned people was not the cadet review itself, but it as evidence that the old military power still has a firm grip on power. Earlier this month, one of Chun's closest inner circle member was nominated as chairman [ko] of the National Assembly and debate is still going on around the daughter of another military dictator who will be running for president in the coming election.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Togo: Violent Police Clash With ‘Save Togo’ Protesters · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

A peaceful march by the ‘Save Togo‘ collective [fr] on June 12, 2012, degenerated into a stand off with security forces. Around 120 injured were recorded [fr] during clashes over 12-13 June. Amongst other things, the protesters are calling for the implementation of recommendations made by the National Commission on Human Rights relating to torture and wide ranging constitutional change.
Togo is in a period of political instability following the widely disputed 2005 presidential elections, which saw the arrival in power of Faure Gnassingbé Eyadema [fr], son of former president Gnassingbé Eyadema. Other demonstrations are scheduled for the upcoming week.
Repression of the demonstrations on June 13, 2012, by the 'Save Togo' collective. Used with permission
The birth of a collective
The ‘Save Togo’ collective brings together several political and human rights organisations. It was created on April 4 in Lomé and totals 17 groups, including 7 organisations dedicated to the defense of human rights [fr]. The collective was born out of an appraisal of Togo's political, economic and social situation [fr]:
Le processus démocratique amorcé au Togo depuis les années 1990 peine à se concrétiser faute d’alternance au sommet de l’Etat. Ainsi notre pays continue de traverser une crise enrôlée dans un cycle infernal sans précédent et sur tous les plans.
Au plan politique, les accords issus de multiples négociations n’ont jamais trouvé d’application effective et efficiente. Le plus inquiétant est l’intrusion fréquente et violente dans le débat politique de certains éléments des forces armées togolaises, réels détenteurs du pouvoir politique, foulant aux pieds leurs obligations républicaines d’impartialité et de neutralité.
Au plan institutionnel, force est de constater que toutes les institutions de la République chargées de réguler la vie démocratique et de contrôler l’action du pouvoir sont malheureusement instrumentalisées.
Au plan économique, le pillage systématique des ressources de l’Etat par un groupuscule de personnes pendant des décennies a fait basculer le pays dans un processus effréné d’endettement.
Au plan social, cette confiscation des richesses du pays par une minorité a plongé plus de 65% de la population dans une misère effroyable; la grande majorité des ménages ne pouvant ni s’offrir plus d’un repas par jour, ni s’assurer les soins de santé primaires, ni subvenir aux besoins de scolarisation de leurs enfants.
Les violations massives des Droits de l’Homme ont atteint leur summum avec les pratiques de torture et de toutes les autres formes de traitements cruels, inhumains et dégradants, interdites et réprimées par les Conventions des Nations Unies que le Togo a pourtant ratifiées depuis plus de 25 ans
The process of democratisation begun in Togo in the 1990s is unable to become a reality due to the constant changes at the highest levels of the state. Thus, every aspect of life in our country is stuck in an unprecedented and never-ending crisis.
On a political level, agreements reached over the course of multiple negotiations have never been effectively or efficiently implemented. Most worrying are the frequent and violent intrusions into the political debate made by certain factions within the Togolese armed forces, the real holders of political power, making a mockery of their republican obligation to neutratily and impartiality.
At an institutional level, it must be concluded that all the institutions of the Republic tasked with regulating political life and overseeing the actions of power are, unfortunately, being manipulated.
At an economic level, the systematic pillaging of State resources by a tiny minority over many decades has plunged the country into debt.
At a social level, this confiscation of the country’ riches by a minority has plunged more than 65% of the population into abject poverty;  the vast majority of households are not able to eat more than one meal per day nor take care of basic healthcare needs, nor provide for their children's educational needs.
The widespread violation of human rights has reached its peak with the practice of torture and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, which are forbidden or suppressed under the United Nations Conventions ratified by Togo over 25 years ago.
The objectives set by the collective are explained by Fabbi Kouassi in his blog, which describes the creation of the group [fr]. According to Kouassi, the group are demanding:
1) La démission sans délais du gouvernement qui s’est rendu coupable de faux et usage de faux
2) L’identification et la sanction de tous ceux qui ont participé à la falsification du rapport de la CNDH
3) La mise en œuvre effective et dans les meilleurs délais des recommandations formulées par la CNDH dans son rapport authentique
4) L’annulation de toutes les procédures et de tous les procès ayant conduit à l’arrestation et à la condamnation des personnes accusées dans l’affaire d’atteinte à la sûreté intérieure de l’Etat, ainsi que de ceux et celles de toutes les autres personnes torturées à l’ANR
5)Le dédommagement et la réintégration immédiate et sans condition des officiers et hommes de troupes injustement radiés de l’armée dans l’affaire de tentative d’atteinte à la sûreté intérieure de l’Etat
6)La révocation de tous les magistrats ayant connu des affaires dans lesquelles les personnes mises en cause, ont fait cas, de manière concordante, précise et persistante, d’actes de torture et autres formes de traitements cruels, inhumains ou dégradants sur leur personne à l’ANR et ailleurs, mais qui ont continué les procédures jusqu’à condamnation.
Here is the video clip announcing the creation of the collective:
Since its creation, the collective has organised several marches calling for democracy and respect for human rights. Sylvio Combey from Lomé recalls one of the marches that took place on May 24 [fr]:
Les trois principaux points au menu de cette marche selon Me Adjare sont notemmeent la non prise en compte par l’exécutif togolais des recommandations de la CNDH relatives aux actes de tortures, deux projets de lois déposés à l’Assemblée nationale portant loi électorale et le découpage élecotrale mais aussi, le retour des neuf députés ANC exclus de l’Assemblée nationale. Pour le Collectif sauvons le Togo, cette attitude du gouvernement viole une diposition de la CEDAO interdisant toute modification des textes électoraux six mois avant les élections sans consensus.
Violent clashes with police
The marches organised by the collective have been violently repressed for the security forces. Combey describes the toll of the clashes [fr]:
Au deuxième jourde la révolution, la manifestation du Collectif « Sauvons le Togo » a tourné au vinaigre. Des policiers ont réprimé à coups de grenades lacrymogènes et sans merci les paisibles populations qui sesont amassées au quartier Déckon, en guise de protestation. Le Collectif dit dénombrer 54 blessés dont 24 graves dans la journée du 12 juin 2012, 65 blessés dont 32 graves. Aussi,15 personnes arrêtées le 12 juin 2012, 63 personnes le 13 juin 2012, dont une douzaine au sein de l’église saint Augustin d’Amoutivé à en croire le CST qui affirme que l’ensemble du matériel de sonorisation déployé surles lieux a été emporté et saisi. La situation emmène le coordinateur du CST, Zeus Ajavon a faire durcir le ton [..] A cet effet, le gouvernement a demandé au ministre de la sécurité etde la protection civile de« prendre des mesures additionnelles pour assurer la sécurité des biens et des personnes, ainsi que la liberté de circuler ». Une réaction aussi gauche qui risque de faire enliser beaucoup plus la crise. La révolution Kpatima est en marche.
Photos taken during the clashes testified to the violence of the clashes [Warning: Graphic Content].
One video shows the police severely beating a demonstrator [Warning: Graphic Content]:
On Twitter the Togolese activists are using the hashtag #occupyLome to share information on the demonstrations in real time.
Wilfried Toussine from Togo tweeted:
@Toussine: “Police fire tear gas at protesters in Togo capital http://azstarnet.com/news/world/police-fire-tear-gas-at-protesters-in-togo-capital/article_8b6569ec-0f14-5ed0-acd7-1fc206ac483c.html //#leguede #occupylome
Philoticus adds:
@Philoticus: #Togo: Il faut pousser le tyranneau vers la sortie, ici et maintenant http://bit.ly/MjPdpJ #TGInfo #Togo #OccupyLome
And shares a worrying piece of news form one of the leaders of the march, M Célestin Agbogan:
@Philoticus: #TOGO:  M. Célestin Agbogan malmené et interpellé – La #FIDH réagit http://bit.ly/MjPWqS #TGInfo #OccupyLome

author: Rakotomalala


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Trinidad & Tobago: Problems for People’s Partnership · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Much of the political discourse in the Trinidad and Tobago blogosphere of late has been about the shortcomings of the People's Partnership Government.  It was no secret that there was dissension within the party ranks, but yesterday's news that the Movement for Social Justice has officially pulled out of the Partnership Government has got a few bloggers talking about possible repercussions.
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog, which collates mainstream media stories for online consumption, summarized this latest development by saying:
In a highly anticipated move, political leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah yesterday announced his party’s withdrawal from the coalition People’s Partnership (PP) and his resignation as a Government Senator.
In response, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she has accepted his resignation, thanked him for his service, but in a parting shot noted that the demands he had made of Government were ‘impossible, unreasonable and reckless.’
The blog also published the Prime Minister's full statement on the Movement for Social Justice's resignation.  Judging from the responses in the comments section, it was clear that the move did not come as a surprise to most readers.  Loyal Trini said:
MSJ was using time as a means to launch a bombshell but how effective is it when the writing was on the wall for all to see for some time now. What is glaring is the incitement to encourage COP [Congress of the People, another political party that comprises the government partnership] to ensue i.e. to break down the Partnership slowly.
In the same vein, kid5rivers examined the things that could kill a partnership in this post:
In a partnership, two (or more) separate entities voluntarily join together in order to accomplish an objective which, individually, none may or may not have been able to achieve.
Having partnered, each becomes the agent of the other(s), thus each becomes individually liable for the debts of all…consequently, it makes good sense for partners to get a firm grip of the happenings which cause a partnership to end, as under:
1. The completion of the project for whose execution the partnership was formed, or, before such time, any of the following:
2. The death of, or onset of insanity in, a partner.
3. The resignation of a partner.
4. The effluxion of the time allotted for completing the project.
Did I miss anything?
5. The partners agreeing to bring it to an end.
We came to dance. Shall we? Or, have you forgotten who brung you?
That last statement, of course, alludes to whether the United National Congress, the party which the Prime Minister leads, would have been able to win the country's last general elections without the coalition's support.
The Eternal Pantomime, meanwhile, mused about what the population could expect following the MSJ party's resignation:
The MSJ pulled out of our coalition Government…the PPG is Dead, Long Live the PPG.
Now, that isn’t to say that the government is fallen. Oh, far from it. Even without the Trojan Horse, more commonly known as the COP the UNC would still be firmly entrenched in Government.
The MSJ had one senator in the upper house of the Parliament, David Abdullah. And so you are going to hear the supporters of the UNC and COP now derogate and denigrate the MSJ, and call them useless and marginalise them and their contribution to the coalition winning, and you are also going to hear them say that Labour was always in the PNM back pocket anyway…And that is a bad sign for any coalition.
She also noted that “Abdullah’s comments came at around 1pm [yesterday] and by about 5pm the [Prime Minister] had sent out a response that made the rounds on all the blogs, groups and FB political sites”, calling the reaction “unnecessarily nasty”:
In light of David Abdullah’s comments [which the blog also republished], and if you’ve followed this blog since its inception, I’m hadrpressed to think why Kamla feels the MSJ would have stayed. What I do know is that given her response today I am tempted to think that Kamla vex David pullout before she was ready for him to do so!


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Trinidad & Tobago: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The case of a 12-year old girl, who recently gave birth to her stepfather's child in Guyana, gets Outlish talking about feminism, education and the everyday reality of women in the Caribbean, while journalist and blogger Lisa Allen-Agostini says it is time to speak out about child sexual abuse.
Writing at Outlish, Tonya Haynes, the co-ordinator of CODE RED for gender justice, talks about her initial reaction when she heard the news:
The newspapers reported that after the [caesarean section] surgery she was resting comfortably. I’m not sure what they meant by that. But I know that news made me uncomfortable.
What about her right to a life free of violence? Why did this girl’s community fail to protect her from sexual abuse? Why, when they found out about it, did they remain silent? What about her right to a life free of violence?
This is why I’m feminist. Because I know the answers to those questions, and I don’t like them.
She views the problem not solely in a sexual context, explaining:
For all the attempts to convince me that there is no gender inequality in the region, and that we have made collective peace with the other forms of inequality, I know better.
I know that we view children in a hierarchical relationship to adults. We expect them to be seen and not heard. We tell them to know their place. We fail to protect them on a massive scale. How safe are public spaces now for teen girls? For gay, lesbian and transgender youth? For young men anxious to prove themselves? Hell, for grown women who just want to walk, or exercise in peace?
This is why I’m feminist. Because any form of inequality or discrimination needs to be redressed. Because gender inequality cuts across other forms of oppression.
Let’s break this down a bit.
Only 10% of Caribbean 18-30-year-olds access tertiary education, according to Sir Hilary Beckles, Principal of the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus. While we’re busy crunching the sex ratios of university education we’re forgetting the majority of Caribbean people (women and men) who just don’t have access to university. Now I’m not saying that finding out why so many young men are turned off formal education isn’t important. It is.
What I’m saying is that we also need to talk about the 90% of women and men who don’t have access. We need to talk about the Ponzi scheme that is the Common Entrance exam, which most Caribbean children take at age 11. We need to talk about how this system essentially bars many of them from access to education in the first place.
The post goes on to detail the experience of the CatchAFyah New Generation Feminist Grounding, which was recently held in Barbados:
We learnt from each other. Tracey-Ann from Jamaica shared that though her mother supported her human rights activism, she had asked her not to appear on television identifying as lesbian. Safety is a daily negotiation among partners, family and community.
Ifasina from Belize shared that because of her organization’s HIV prevention work the groups’ members were stigmatized as all being HIV positive themselves. They persevered out of a sense of conviction for the importance of their work. They went on to not only be awarded by UNAIDS for their community work, but to also win over the community members who now seek them out for the sexuality education, which they provide on location at fetes and parties.
These everyday acts of courage constitute and sustain Caribbean feminism.
Lisa Allen-Agostini, who writes for a mainstream newspaper, republishes her most recent column on child sexual abuse because:
My column in today’s Trinidad Guardian was supposed to be formatted in a certain way and it isn’t. The lack of formatting makes it incredibly difficult to read and I am sure it will make no sense whatsoever to whoever reads it there. That’s why I’m here, to repost the column with the correct formatting. I also want to share it far and wide because it’s about child sexual abuse and we can never say too much on that topic.
Referring to the high-profile Sandusky case in the United States, she talks about the importance of breaking the silence about the issue:
We in Trinidad and Tobago might imagine the Sandusky story is some alien thing, and that this could never happen here. We would be very wrong. There is child sexual abuse happening in this country at this very moment. Somewhere not far from you there is a boy or girl being seduced by someone he or she trusts, seduced with cake and money and weed and PS3’s, and love, or the facsimile of it. This seeming love is the thing that draws child victims in and shuts them up. Because the one who is seducing them seems to care, sometimes more than their own parents and siblings. These monsters will give hugs and back rubs and listening ears. They will know just what a child wants and give it unstintingly. And then they will take what they want.
She makes the point that in the Sandusky case, “it is not the victims’ silence that is the most horrifying part, but the silence of their community”:
The Grand Jury testimony gives stories of people who walked in on Sandusky lying on top of boys, showering with them, having oral sex with them, raping them. Some reported what they had seen to a superior, and those superiors did not do what the law mandated: report it to the police, investigate and take measures to protect the boys who may have been molested. (In one case, a mother did report it to the police, who subsequently dropped the investigation.)
If a child you know says a respected adult is making him or her uncomfortable, what is your first impulse? Is it to ask questions, or to brush the child aside? Do you listen to the silence, or compound it with your own? Whatever the outcome of the Sandusky trial let us take one thing away from the horrendous story: Break the Silence.
In closing, Tonya Haynes makes the point that:
Caribbean feminism is not some giant hairy man-eating monster anxious to claw its way to the top and destroy the family and society in the process. It’s a movement of ordinary diverse women (and men) like the ones I had the privilege of spending two days with: passionate, courageous and committed to being the change they want to see.
Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?


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Ukraine: Marko Dević’s “Ghost Goal” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Facebook, in the past two hours, over 4,800 users have ‘shared’ and over 2,900 have ‘liked’ the screenshot of the “ghost goal” by Ukraine's Marko Dević in today's Euro 2012 game against England. The screenshot was posted by Korrespondent, a Ukrainian news site and magazine, and over 400 comments [ru, uk, en] have been left so far, most of them expressing dismay with the referee's failure to confirm the goal. Ukraine lost 0:1 and is now out of the championship, which it is co-hosting with Poland, while the English team has advanced into the quarterfinals.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Free Children’s Books Online in 61 Languages · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

If you have Arab roots but are living in Brazil, you may want to read Abu Ali Counts his Donkeys to your children, a popular story from the Middle East available in Portuguese on the International Children’s Digital Library. Over four thousand children's books are available in 61 different languages for free with the aim of promoting tolerance and respect for diverse cultures.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Belarus: Parliamentary Elections Set for Sept. 23 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Transitions Online (TOL.org, @TransitionsMag) reports that the parliamentary elections in Belarus have been scheduled to take place on September 23 – and tweets this question: “Will they be (un)free and (un)fair?”


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Cameroon: Officials’ Corrupt Behaviors · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Salma Amadore, wrote [fr] about the bad habits of Cameroon officials, on blogitude.mondoblog.org: ” When they are assigned to another city, directors  take it upon themselves to sell the TV, mobile phone (especially when it's a blackberry) and fridges that belong to the office.  As for laptops, one director even bought one that was out of service in order to declare that his own laptop out of commission (and have it replaced), and let's not forget about cars that are declared “ruined”. “

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Caucasus: Photo Reports by a Belarusian Blogger  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ani Wandaryan (@GoldenTent) links to this photo report [ru] from Armenia by Anton Motolko, a photographer, blogger and traveller from Minsk, Belarus (LJ user toxaby, @Motolko). More of his photos [ru] – from Azerbaijan and from Georgia.


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Costa Rica: The Need to Treat Computer and English “Illiteracy” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Costa Rica has a high literacy rate; but the blog Carepicha [es] argues that the country should also strive to increase computer and English-language “literacy”.


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Ghana: Implementing Electronic Surveillance Of Coastline  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ghana is implementing a vessel traffic management and information system (VTMIS) to provide electronic surveillance and monitoring of the entire coast of the country, Ghanaian blogger Seth reports.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Iran: Songs of Freedom · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In 2009, artists from around the world supported the Green Movement in Iran with their artwork, as protesters defied the Islamic regime over the presidential election results. Three years later United4Iran, a non profit organization campaigning for human rights in Iran, steps in with an online music compilation designed to revive hope for freedom for Iranians.
Firouzeh Mahmoudi, founder of United4Iran says to Global Voices:
We chose songs for the album “Azadi: Songs of Freedom for Iran” that had the right message – that spoke to the struggle for human rights and democracy in Iran and around the world. We operate from the perspective that struggles for human rights, democracy and freedom are global issues, and our best opportunity for success is solidarity. In that spirit, we also sought non-Iranian artists, which ended up including countries like Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, South Africa, the United States, etc
You can listen to all the songs here.
Firouzeh says:
Music speaks to the heart, and it is most often through emotion that people are moved to action… within the first 36 hours of the release on June 12, we had had more than 8,000 visitors to azadimusic.bandcamp.com and more than 9,400 total listens of the songs.


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Kenya: Online Reactions to the Killing of 6 Lions  · Global Voices
Collins Mbalo

Kenyans are reacting on Twitter at the news of the killing of 6 lions by residents of Kitengela a town near Nairobi in an apparent human wildlife conflict.The hashtags #Lion and #Kitengela are trending on Twitter.

author: Collins Mbalo


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Kyrgyzstan: Cartoons Expose Ills of Patriarchal Society · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

The Kyrgyzstani art group ‘705’ [ru] has produced a number of hand-drawn animation films [ru] that criticize the conventions and norms of a patriarchal society. Domestic violence and the oppression of women in such a society are two big themes in these films.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Nepal: Justice For Amar Bahadur Bam · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nepali worker Amar Bahadur Bam was wrongly accused and convicted for a crime in Dubai in 2003 and was tortured to give a false confession. He is currently on a death row and his family had no knowledge of him for years. Save Amar Bahadur is a Facebook campaign which tries to save him and get justice, reports Aakarpost.

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Supreme Court Disqualifies Prime Minister · Global Voices
Salman Latif

Pakistan's political environment has been rather turbulent for quite some time. The ruling party, Pakistan People's Party, had its horns locked with the highest court of law, the Supreme Court (SC), over alleged contempt of court by the Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani.
While PM was eventually convicted by the SC for being guilty of contempt and was thus sentenced to a few seconds of imprisonment, it seemed that the heat had cooled off. The Speaker of the Parliament, as per the powers vested in him, refused to deem PM as ineligible or dismissed.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with British Prime Minister. Image by Bimal Sharma. Copyright Demotix.
However, opposition parties took to SC, yet again, filing petitions against the Speaker's ruling and demanding the removal of PM. And today, the SC ruled that PM had been disqualified ever since April 26th, when SC gave the final ruling on the contempt case.
Naturally, the decision came as much of a shock to many. At one side, the popular sentiment was that of jubilation, given the fact that PPP's popularity is touching the lowest right now. However, on the other hand, social and political analysts were quick to express their concern. The chief contention was that SC has absolutely no right, under the constitution, to disqualify a standing PM and that this right remained with the Parliament.
Yasser Latif Hamdani, while writing in Pak Tea House, aptly sums it up:
“Chief Justice of Pakistan is NOT vested with the authority under the constitution to dismiss the Prime Minister or over-rule the decisions of the Speaker i.e. Presiding Officer of the National Assembly whose decisions are his or her privilege and are covered by the parliamentary privilege clause.”
He further wrote:
“Chief Justice of Pakistan/the entire Supreme Court of Pakistan has no authority to dictate to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on what to write to which foreign authority. That is an executive function and not a judicial function.”
Pakistani Twitterati was also abuzz over this new developments, ringing with sentiments ranging from sheer jubilation to bitter criticism. Cyril Almeida, an editor with a local paper, tweeted:
@cyalm: All hail the court. We're one step closer to a judicial dictatorship.
Similar responses were registered by many others on Twitter. Some termed it a ‘Judicial coup’ whereas others likened it to the court-sanctioned murder of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the founder of PPP, back in 1979 under General Zia's regime:
@shehryar_taseer: Chief Justice Pakistan has staged a Judicial Coup against the democratically elected Government of PM Gillani #Pakistan#Islamabad#gillani
Pakistan Peoples Party protest in favor of Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. Image by Janali Laghari. Copyright Demotix
A third opinion, apart from downright jubilation or direct opposition of the decision, was that whereas SC indeed doesn't have the constitutional right to ‘sack’ a PM, doing so to the current government is not all that bad. I tweeted:
@salmanlateef: I absolutely agree that CJ or SC has no right at all to remove a PM. But then, I have no love lost or sympathy for the PPP government.
Despite having the option of trying to oppose the decision, PPP has rather accepted it and has announced that it will be choosing a new Prime Minister within the next 24 hours. This move by the ruling party is considered by many as an attempt to avoid a  direct confrontation between the government and the judiciary.

author: Salman Latif


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Rediscovering Africa’s ‘Forgotten’ History · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

[All links lead to pages in French, unless otherwise stated]
The colonial period in Africa has often been singled out, rightly or wrongly, regarding the numerous troubles affecting the continent. The debate on the real impact of colonization on the development of African countries and their intermittent problems is rarely consensual. However, there is one aspect of this period that has caused less controversy: the ignorance of pre-colonial African history.
It is not uncommon to find that a significant number of African students from both the colonial and post-colonial periods have a very rudimentary knowledge of Africa's history. These same students often know the history of the colonizing country better than that of their own country, a phenomenon underlined by the expression “Our ancestors the Gauls” [.pdf] used not so long ago in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal.
Women doing their hair- Antananarivo, Madagascar. Vintage photographic postcard, c.1907, photograph by Collection M. T., printed by Ateliers de Phototypie Guende, Marseille, France. Shared by postaletrice on Flickr (CC-BY-NC-3.0)
Dangers of neglecting our past
Contrary to what former French President Nicholas Sarkozy said in Dakar, Senegal [en] in 2007, on the place of African men in history [en], the history of the African continent is full of rich civilizations and iconic characters [en]- a story that is too often overlooked or ignored.
It was in response to the famous Dakar speech that Adame Ba Konaré [en], a Malian historian, wrote with the help of fellow historians a collection of essays called ‘Petit précis de remise à niveau sur l'histoire africaine à l'usage du président Sarkozy‘ (A new short synopsis of African history from President Sarkozy's perspective). In the introduction to this collection, the authors explain why it is necessary to better understand the history of Africa and how to do it:
Il faut surtout se préoccuper de disséminer le plus largement possible l’histoire, la vraie histoire de l’Afrique et des peuples africains, en Afrique et hors d’Afrique. La jeunesse africaine est avide de savoir. Elle se pose légitimement des questions qui reviennent presque toujours à celle-ci : comment se fait-il que nous en soyons là où nous sommes aujourd’hui ? Parallèlement à l’écrit, nous disposons désormais de toutes sortes de moyens techniques pour procéder au mieux à cette dissémination.
YouTube user Dembeto has uploaded a video [fr] of a programme discussing the forgotten history of Africa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI-ugayMWTc
In Guinea, Papa Attigou Bah warns against the consequences of forgetting history, given the periodic political crises experienced by the continent. In an article ‘L'Afrique politique, une histoire oubliee?’ (African politics, a history forgotten?), he asks:
La nouvelle génération africaine, celle née pendant et après les indépendances, pourra-t-elle objectivement bénéficier de l'enseignement de l'histoire des luttes politiques successives engendrées par nos anciens pendant la période postcoloniale intitulée l'époque des indépendances africaines? Aussi, quel bilan l'Afrique tire-t-elle aujourd'hui de ses douloureuses décennies de lutte politique et démocratique gérée cette fois par cette même génération qui a milité pour les indépendances africaine ? [..] L'Afrique peut et doit  être le continent de l'avenir dans ce 3ème millénaire, à condition que la nouvelle génération africaine prenne toutes ses responsabilités devant l'histoire.
In Madagascar, books written by Malagasy people on their own history are not plentiful. This can be explained by the fact that French is the dominant language in what is theoretically a bilingual setting. Rakotoarisoa Victor James explains:
Le bilinguisme est effectif, au profit Français. Parmi les huit principales matières officielles en Terminale, seul le Malgache se fait en malgache et deux autres (la Philosophie et l’Histoire-Géographie) pour lesquelles l’enseignant (en dispensant ses cours), et les élèves (quand ils traitent leurs sujets d’examens) ont le choix. Cette interprétation nous montre en effet que, dans le cadre de l’enseignement apprentissage, le Malgache est légèrement moins important que le Français.
Relearning history
Several initiatives promote a reappropriation of African history by its citizens. UNESCO launched a project [en] in 1964 to develop the ‘General History of Africa’ which aims to:
..remédier à l’ignorance généralisée sur le passé de l’Afrique. Pour relever ce défi qui consistait à reconstruire une histoire  de l’Afrique libérée des préjugés raciaux hérités de la traite négrière et de la colonisation et favoriser une perspective africaine,  l’UNESCO a fait appel aux plus grands spécialistes africains et internationaux de l’époque. [..] Supervisée par un Comité scientifique international dont deux tiers étaient africains, l’élaboration des huit volumes de l’Histoire générale de l’Afrique a mobilisé plus de 230 historiens et autres spécialistes pendant plus de 35 années.
The Facebook group Mémoires d'Afrique (Memories of Africa) aims to start:
Un débat autour d’une figure de l’histoire africaine ou des peuples noirs. L’objet est de libérer la parole sur des questions souvent taboues, de dépoussiérer le panthéon noir [..] notre modeste objectif est juste de faire découvrir à nos enfants, à la grande famille panafricaine et ses diasporas, de susciter le débat et peut-être des passions. [..] Vous pouvez vous exprimer sur un sujet qui vous passionne et qui rentre dans le champ qui nous intéresse ici. Sans jamais tomber dans la polémique, l'insulte ou l'intolérance [..] il faut espérer que notre passion pour l'histoire de notre continent continuera de nous unir.
A rich history, it is too large to detail representatively so selected pieces are discussed, for example the history of Togbè Agokoli, King of the Ewes, founder of the Kingdom of Notsé [en] in Togo:
In Accra, Ghana, a Black History Month [en] was organised last March to celebrate Pan-African history. Many Internet users appreciate this desire to make African history more widely known.
After viewing the video above, netizen Boris Amouzou said on Facebook:
Moi ce que j'aime dans cette émission, c'est qu'elle nous permet de revivre cette partie de l'histoire du Togo qui nous échappe..
But to relearn the history of the continent is a long process. Jacques Binet reminds us that African leaders also bear some of the blame for this forgotten history:
Il faut rappeler en effet que l’opinion publique et les parlementaires africains voulaient une école et des programmes  exactement conformes à ceux en usage en France.
Malassem, however, thinks that ignorance of African history is no longer a problem of lack of resources but of will:
Afrique mon Afrique. Afrique des fiers guerriers. L'histoire a toujours une trace. Il est juste dommage pour celui qui veut rester à tout jamais dans l'ignorance.


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Russia: Crowdsourcing Project for Finding Missing Children · Global Voices
Teplitsa

The emergence of the search and rescue team Liza Alert [ru] is hardly a typical story for the Web. After September 13, 2010, when Liza Fomkina disappeared in the town of Orekhovo-Zuevo [about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, east of Moscow], the flaws in the work of the Interior and Emergency Situations ministries became clear. Shaken by this tragic story and responding to the call for help, volunteers decided to unite in order to ensure nothing like it would ever happen again. And so the search team Liza Alert was formed online.
Liza Alert's work is based on crowdsourcing. The community exists and grows almost exclusively thanks to its online effect and the wide territorial dispersion of its volunteers.
Screenshot of the main page of lizaalert.org
Liza Alert's advantages:
Organizers have managed to recruit not only concerned citizens to the project, but also a number of experts with useful skills. Volunteers working with Liza Alert in the search for missing children include: dog-handlers and trackers, 4×4 and quad-bike drivers, and aircraft and boat pilots. Nikolai Lomakin, one such volunteer, says:
I can't stay home when a person has gone missing in the forest. More than likely, they're alive, and we'll search for them until we find them.
Any concerned individual can contribute to Liza Alert. One simply needs to complete the volunteer form, joining any of the existing teams on a real-time basis.
The site Liza Alert is accessible to all Internet users. As a resource, it is very simple and functional. Information is posted on the portal about projects, current searches, and so on. Telephone numbers for reporting disappearances and learning how to take part in searches are also available on the site. (Specific information about individual searches’ progress, however, was made inaccessible to the general public, after a child-abductor used data published on Liza Alert's portal to evade the authorities.)
Original [ru]

author: Teplitsa


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St. Lucia: Flower Festival · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

At “I and Iyanola”, Nkrumah Lucien completed a two-part blog post exploring the origins of Saint Lucia's flower festivals: “It is not that La Wòz and La Magwit cannot be made into an app…but that those practicing these traditions were not allowed the space and material conditions to allow them over the generations to evolve it to fit the times and circumstances.”

author: Matthew Hunte


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St. Lucia: Our Own Stories  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Nkrumah Lucien reviews Davina Lee's debut feature film The Coming of Org: “It is indeed important for us to tell more of our own stories, too reflect adequately on ourselves not to reproduce images of ourselves tailored by others and to steer away from cliché and the narrow uncritical Hollywood stereotypes.”


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Turkmenistan: Lonesome Dictator Invites Opposition Parties to Form · Global Voices
Anna Fergana

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has recently rocked the Internet by pondering the creation of new political parties in the country which currently allows only one party, the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT).
In the beginning of 2012, following a parliamentary approval, Berdimuhamedov signed a decree legalizing the establishment of new political parties. This measure was taken to ensure competition during presidential elections on February 12, 2012.
Then, in May 2012, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (UIE) decided to set up a political party. That process has been spearheaded by Aleksandr Dadaev, the UIE chairperson, who is said to be [ru] a close friend of the Turkmen President. Dadaev is also a successful businessman, the owner of the country's only private bank and a private newspaper, and the chairman of the Turkmen-Russian Business Council.
In fact, Berdimuhamedov had started talking about the creation of a multi-party system as early as 2010. He suggested [ru] uniting farmers by creating the Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan, without indicating when the party should be created and how.
As the country's agrarians proved slow to mobilize, by May 2010 Berdimuhamedov  was willing to allow the Turkmen opposition in exile to form a party and compete against him in the upcoming presidential elections. However, the exiles were not willing to go back to Turkmenistan because of fears for their safety.
Portrait of the Turkmen Preisdent, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in a public park in Ashgabat. Image by Flickr user Martijn.Munneke (CC BY 2.0).
So what is happening in Turkmenistan in 2012?
Some netizens believe that positive changes are afoot. They say that Berdimuhamedov is lonely without an opposition and wants to form a stable two-party system that will help Turkmenistan move in a democratic direction. Netizens also mention the Arab Spring as a potential catalyst of change that occurs in dictatorships.
As Discoursemonger argues [ru] on Lenta.ru:
все-таки арабская весна многим мозги вправила
While, Vena, writing on the Turkmen Chronicles newsblog, said [ru]:
Режимы Ливии или Сирии не менее жестокие чем туркменские. И эти страны и народы не менее образованы и открыты чем  Туркменистан. Но однако там народ встал на защиту своей свободы не взирая на человеческие потери. Нашли брешь режимов. Честь и хвала им. За это они достойны уважения. Никто не отрицает, много крови там пролилось и проливается. И возможно еще будут жертвы. Вес мир сожалеем этому, но не смотря на это все без исключения поддержали. Естественно кроме тех кто следующим в очереди как Северная Корея или Туркменистана. Все знают по другому там не могло ничего изменится. Диктаторские режимы добровольно не покидают свои насиженные места.
Many are skeptical about the very idea of a genuinely opposition political party in Turkmenistan.
Bender-bey jested [ru]:
“В феврале текущего года глава республики призвал всех желающих создать оппозиционную партию.” Желающих провести остаток своей жизни в тюрьме не оказалось.
On the Turkmen Chronicles website, debate is more earnest, with some netizens questioning [ru] whether or not people in Turkmenistan are ready for political pluralism.
Tahmasp alluded to the ‘real opposition’, when he said [ru]:
Демократический процесс в Туркменистане умер на корню, в народе нет понятия о демократических ценностях. Правящие круги(я уже об этом говорил) навязали народу свой страх потерять власть, внушая, что народовластие принесет нестабильность…Все происходящее уже даже не спектакль, а просто смена расстановки предметов в «мебельном магазине». Настоящие партии создаются из гражданских движений, снизу, а не сверху, т.е. правительством….Если бы не публикации правозащитников на Гундогаре и ХТ, туркменское руководство продолжало бы поручать создание новых партий зампредам правящего «кабинета министров».
But what if a loyal associate like Alexander Dadaev decides to betray a friend? And how much power Berdymuhamedov is actually ready to share?
Underneath an article about Dadaev, Turkmen netizens discuss who he is and what he is trying to achieve. Different discussants describe him as a presidential ally, oligarch, or thief, but also an honest entrepreneur. Given his talents in business, will he show the same strengths in lawmaking and avoid joining the political ‘black list’ populated by other dissidents?
Tahmasp ventured [ru]:
Александр Дадаев в том числе работал заместителем хакима города Ашхабада в 2004-2005 годах. После того как против него было возбуждено уголовное дело по статье хищение государственного имущества, публично в газетах покаился перед Туркменбаши и предложил сдать все свое имущество на тот момент в качестве компенсации…
To which another discussant, ‘businessman from Turkmenistan,’ responded [ru]:
Пожалуйста не надо лить грязь, Александр Дадаев трудяка и не кто и не когда ему не приносил не чего на чистом блюдечке с голубой коемочкой…
Finally, Bazar invoked [ru] Marxist dialectical materialism to explain why even competition created from above can be fatal for authoritarian regimes:
Создание подручной партии рано или поздно приведет к политическому противостоянию интересов бизнеса. (Капитал определяет политику- К.Маркс). Как я предсказал, оппозиционные партии и движения отталкиваются от разности интересов и любая подручная партия в будущем будет в оппозиции.

author: Anna Fergana


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Uruguay: Government Proposes to Decriminalize Sale of Marijuana · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The announcement that the Uruguayan government would push a bill to decriminalize the controlled sale of marijuana has generated mixed reactions. The proposal was presented as a security measure to prevent the consumption and trafficking of cocaine paste (“pasta base” in Spanish), a popular drug among Uruguayan youth.
According to the latest reports by newspaper El País [es], the government will announce a package of 16 measures as a “war against cocaine paste”. The government argues that cocaine paste is responsible for many crimes, especially those committed by minors. El País reports that the bill would, “leave the sale of marijuana to the State as a way to ‘launder’ the drug market, removing a significant profit margin from drug traffickers and ‘moving’ cocaine paste addicts to a softer drug.” The newspaper also points out that the possession and use of marijuana for personal use is not penalized in Uruguay.
The blog World War -D explains:
According to the proposal, marijuana will be legally available under government control through a user registry and subject to quality control and traceability. Users will be limited to a maximum of 40 marijuana cigarettes per month. The price will be accessible and taxes will be levied to finance addiction treatment.
Twitter users quickly reacted to the news. Some celebrate the announcement, like Vanesa Casanova (@vanecasan) [es]:
Me levanto escuchando un discurso SUBLIME de Mujica…”proyecto de legalización de la marihuana”. Maravilloso #BuenFeriado
Others, like Álvaro Amoretti (@aamorettivp) [es], wonder:
Con todo lo que hay que resolver y encarar, ¿es razonable embarcar al país en un debate por la marihuana? Es tiempo de hacer, presidente.
Similarly, user @LalaCanessa [es] tweets:
Legalizar la venta de marihuana… Otra vez ponen el foco en cosas que no nos mejoran como pais. Enserio Pepe, deja de vender humo!
While Graziano Pascale (@grazianopascale) [es] doesn't see how legalizing the sale of marijuana will solve the country's issues with security:
La legalización de la marihuana en un “paquete x seguridad” tiene tanto sentido como promover ciclismo para combatir accidentes de aviación
The discussion over legalizing the sale of marijuana is not new in Uruguay. On May 5, 2012, more than two thousand people marched in Montevideo as part of the Global Marijuana March held in cities across the world. Prolegal-Proderechos shares this video of the march:
The government's proposals will have to go through parliamentary discussion and approval before any measures take effect. In the mean time, the debate is likely to continue on social networks.


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Ai Weiwei’s lawyer was missing as the tax hearing approaches · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

Upon the hearing of the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei’s tax case hearing on Wednesday, Ai told the Guardian that he was warned by the police to stay away from the court. Ai also said his legal consultant, Liu Xiaoyuan, has been unreachable since he was told to meet state security officers on Tuesday night.

author: Gloria Wong


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Armenia: Army Doctors Beaten In Oligarch’s Restaurant · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on the severe beating of three army doctors dining out  at a restaurant owned by notorious oligarch MP and Armenian Football Federation President Ruben Hayrapetyan. Better known by his ‘Nemetz Rubo’ nickname, the blog notes that the violent assault, allegedly by his bodyguards or security guards, is not unexpected in a country where such figures forcibly command near total economic and political power.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Bloggers Criticize Public TV Eurovision Coverage · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage Eurovision Azerbaijan 2012.
No stranger to controversy since Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan entered Eurovision in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively, this year's international music competition held in Baku, Azerbaijan, was perhaps the most talked about in years.
With the country's poor human rights record under increased scrutiny from international bodies, much of the media's attention on the song contest naturally centered around that. However, also of interest to regional observers was how the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh would play out.
Eurovision logo
To begin with, there was some hope that Armenia might participate in the song contest, but that soon faded when Azerbaijan's foe in the region instead pulled out. Ostensibly linked to the death of an Armenian serviceman, at first reportedly the result of Azerbaijani sniper fire, that soon turned out to be false when it transpired Albert Adibekyan had instead been killed by a fellow soldier.
Hastily finding another reason to withdraw, incurring a fine from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in the process, Armenia was also informed that failure to broadcast without interruption the final in Baku would result in disqualification next year.
Announced only at the last minute, few Armenians knew about the broadcast of the final on Armenian Public TV, but for those that did tune in on 26 May, what they encountered was a barrage of anti-Azerbaijani propaganda from a political commentator rather than one specialized in culture or music.
Concerned by yet another example of the information war waged between the two countries, some Armenian bloggers such as Global Chaos spoke out against the negatively politicized coverage.
[…] Because Armenia was too late to withdraw (well past the deadline), it was to be fined; and more importantly, the Armenian Public TV had to broadcast – live – the contest in full, with the public having no right to vote for the contestants. Had Armenia not complied, it would have been disqualified and barred from participation in 2013, as well. There was some uncertainty over whether the Public TV should be broadcasting the contest, but it eventually confirmed that it would.
EBU is against politicization of the contest? Yeah, right…
Some three-four hours of uninterrupted streaming of what is obviously Azeri promotion (propaganda?) live on Armenia's Public TV? In return, instead of going the traditional way and choosing well-known TV hosts for the occasion, the Armenians decided to get Gohar Gasparyan (head of Armenia's Eurovision delegation) and Artur Grigoryan (Public TV's foremost analyst on Azeri and Nagorno Karabakh affairs) as local commentators throughout the broadcast.
The blog also noted how the propaganda that followed at times bordered on the ridiculous, especially when it came to a small video intermission showing Azerbaijanis celebrating Novruz, a Zoroastrian festival predating Christianity by several hundred years, with eggs and fire:
There were other remarks – plain wrong – confusing Nowruz’ dyed eggs and jumping over fire (both, typical Zoroastrian traditions, still practiced in Azerbaijan) with Christian Easter eggs and the equivalent Armenian tradition of jumping over the fire during the Candlemas (or Hypapante; or Tearendaraj) festivities. Thus, they indirectly claimed such traditions for Armenians only, not knowing – or pretending to not know – that there are their equivalents in the Azerbaijani tradition as well. There was also a lot said about the use of “traditional Armenian duduk” and “zurna”, carpets (and their patterns), folk dances and costumes, art, and even horses.
[…]
In short, the commentary, although reserved at times, was all but apolitical. There were instances, though, where I wondered if the hosts even knew what they were talking about. Why did they have to play so dumb? Why make proprietary statements about a much wider culture shared beyond borders, without any consideration of the fact that once, in the distant past, there were no borders at all…? Why feed into already bubbling nationalism?
Well, that was the very point, wasn't it? The public is already predisposed to selective perception and anti-Azeri processing of information, and with a little help from the commentators, Public TV tried to turn this disaster into their own version of the anti-Azeri Eurovision propaganda. It might have worked with the majority.
I just hope that there were some, not just among the Armenian audience, who would lament (along with me) the loss of this great opportunity: the opportunity to see (for many, for the first time) that the “Azeri” culture is not really all that different from the “Armenian” one; that there is much shared by the people; and that there is “dolma” on the other side of the border, too (and no, it is really not just Armenian).
Making Connections was also another Armenian blog concerned by the coverage:
“A few buildings, a bit of culture and some clouds. What all this has to do with the ‘Land of Fire’ I don’t know,” said one of the announcers on Armenian Public TV, commenting on the images of Azerbaijan shown between acts of the Grand Final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest held on May 26 in Baku. And so began the tirade of superfluous remarks and ridicule by Armenian hosts on the H1 channel, which decided to air the contest even though the country had opted not to participate this year.
[…]
[…] what was supposed to be a fun, entertaining, perhaps even peace-making affair turned out to be another tool for the state to “prove” how much superior we are to the “enemy” — in short, to engage in further propaganda.
And though many readers might disagree with me, after all, it could’ve been much worse, I believe H1 and the hosts could’ve done a better job of bridging the divide between our two countries and used this unique opportunity to highlight the similarities, especially in culture, instead of the differences between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
With tensions continuing to rise between the two countries, it remains to be seen how Eurovision will next become a staging ground for conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But, even if that seems inevitable, some Armenian and Azerbaijani bloggers have at least chosen to speak out against the ongoing propaganda war that has sometimes proven to be as much of an impediment to peace as tensions on the front line itself.
This post is part of our special coverage Eurovision Azerbaijan 2012.


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Azerbaijan: British Embassy Awards 4,000th Facebook Page Member  · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The British Embassy in Azerbaijan has awarded the 4,000th member of its Facebook page with a certificate and a small prize. With the British Embassy in Armenia and Georgia boasting 1,526 and 2,581 likes respectively at time of writing, the announcement shows how diplomatic missions in the Caucasus are increasingly turning to social media as a medium for engagement. In October 2011, for example, the British Ambassador to Azerbaijan answered questions on Twitter while two months later his counterpart in Armenia used Facebook.


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Azerbaijan: Musical Talent on YouTube · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Gultekin Garadaghly continues to post her own renditions of well-known songs on YouTube, including those from this year's Eurovision Song Contest held in her native Azerbaijan. The young singer living in Baku, who also covers Azerbaijani folk songs, has even been featured in the local press with 1news.az [RU] reporting that at the end of May her YouTube channel had received over 322,000 views. A month later at time of writing, that has now increased to over 467,000.


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Bolivia: “We want a democracy of participation” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Peter Lackowski from Upside Down World interviewed Oscar Olivera, “an activist, thinker, and writer based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He was a leader during the uprising in 2000 in Cochabamba in which the people of the city threw out Bechtel, the multinational corporation that had privatized all the water in the city – even the rain that people collected.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Africans Protest a Suspicious Death in Police Custody · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hundreds of Africans recently took to the street in Guangzhou's Sanyuanli District the day after the suspicious death of a fellow African while in police custody. The protesters demand the police to return the dead body to the African community for an independent autopsy.
It's estimated that there are as many as 200,000 Africans residing in Guangzhou. As a result of the ongoing nationwide campaign “to clean up foreign trash”, many Africans have been unable to renew their visas and have become illegal residents in China. The tension between Africans and police in Guangzhou has peaked in the so-called “chocolate city”, and the Nigerian community has now openly demanded that the Nigerian government set up a consulate in Guangzhou to “eliminate harassment”.
According to a Guangzhou police media briefing yesterday (June 19, 2012) [zh], a conflict between a taxi driver and an African passenger over the taxi fare took place on June 18 at around 1pm. Both persons were brought to the police station for further investigation. At around 5pm the same day, the African fell into a coma and died soon after.
An autopsy report found no signs of bodily injury, however Cam from TheNanfang.com interviewed a 26-year-old Nigerian resident of Guangzhou, Matouvu, who gives a different account of the taxi fare conflict and the Tuesday protest.
Protester holding a placard which reads “Give us the dead body!!!”. Image via Facebook User Konchog Yeshe.
The African community has rejected the police report and demanded the dead body be returned so an independent autopsy can be arranged.
Chinese public opinion toward the protest is very diversified. Some are sympathetic to the protesters, while some are highly discriminative toward the African community. Below is a selection of some typical comments from one Weibo news thread [zh]:
@碧水涢天0712￼：本国人经常无故死于派出所，最终不了了之。用同样的方式对待外国人，人家却不和中国人一样吃你这一套。
@我拍死砖家：这就是纵容的结果！多年前，我在广东生活，亲眼见过很多黑人在我们 的国土上竟然胡作非为、肆无忌惮，我曾对朋友说：总有一天会养虎为患的。
@黄猫sips￼：这下花几百亿买的的中非友好破裂了
@HeAvEn-Ko：真喺要管制下D黑人喺廣州的勢力先得。越嚟越多黑人喺廣州太危險。
@隔世情缘franch：作为广交会发展的副产物，黑人在广州满大街都是。一直以来，我们与黑人兄弟相称，但他们背后却是若干非洲联合国成员国，涉及到对非洲的大笔支援和投资。牵连到在非洲庞大中方人员的安危！此事件如果真扩大到外交事件，影响不可小觑。前不久查非洲黑人非法居留，马上尼日利亚华人就遭殃，前车之鉴
@阿笑儿_汤抖森中毒ing：手段不硬起来，黑人区只会越来越庞大。非法入境都遣送回国呗，至于非洲，别只去当金主，没有武力安保，黑人只会抢劫华人，如同宰肥羊一般，就欺负你软，你打得他疼了，让他知道厉害他才会听话。中国一个常任理事国，每年定时去非洲撒钱，还要看这些非洲国家脸色，哼哼，够失败，因为一开始方法就用错了
@风过痕留：我希望黑人全部都离开中国，中国不需要黑人基因

author: Oiwan Lam


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Costa Rica: Thousands March in Capital for Human Rights · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Thousands marched in the capital of San José on June 16, 2012, claiming equal rights for same-sex couples, the legalization of In-Vitro Fertilization and the separation of State and Church. The march was called The March of the Invisible due to statements made by the head of the Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly, religious fundamentalist Justo Orozco who stated he hasn't seen any discrimination in Costa Rica.
As a call to action inviting people to the march, the following video was produced by the Colectivo Creativo 98:
The March of the Invisible's event facebook page [es], tells the story of their name and why this is about more than just gay rights:
Nace del discurso-lógica de Orozco “no los veo, no los reconozco, por eso no discrimino” que es solo el reflejo de la elite política de este país, que no nos ven, ni quieren vernos. Ese no vernos, ni querer vernos, no es exclusivo a las personas no heterosexuales, sino a las mujeres, las y los trabajadores, al más de 20% de costarricenses que se encuentran en situación de pobreza, a los pueblos indígenas, de las personas afro caribeñas… es decir no son sólo reivindicaciones concretas de poblaciones específicas, sino reclamos que tienen que ver con la desigualdad social y la política que nos afecta a todas y todos…
Thousands marched for Human Rights in Costa Rica. Image by Jose Daniel Clarke CCByNC
The Tumblr blog  Justo Orozco Quotes brings together a series of his statements regarding the role of women in society, the sinful nature of homosexuality, the bible, his superior moral fiber  and his explanations on why he failed to declare 11 properties for tax purposes. For example, this one from a video interview after he voted against same-sex couples legal rights and against In Vitro fertilization (Costa Rica is still one of the only countries in the world where IVF is illegal):
La población homosexual no se puede quejar del país en que vivimos. No he visto que a nadie se le persiga, aquí tienen posiblidad de estudio, de trabajo, ni siquiera nadie los molesta. Aquí se respetan esos derechos, discriminación en Costa Rica, sinceramente no lo veo
No to Homophobia poster during the march in Costa Rica. CCByNC Jose Daniel Clarke
He also said that homophobia was a myth, that infertility only happened to rich people since poor people always have lots of children and that he didn't know any poor people. Full transcript of the interview can be found here.
Colectivo Alma Prima brings this musical video showing images and scenes from the march. In the middle, the music breaks up to show how an actress, with the powers granted by her theater group, “marries” gay couples. This event, although not legal, is certainly emotional. Later on, the people in the march can be seen scrubbing the walls of the Legislative Assembly as a symbolic act to cleanse it from corruption.
Even bloggers who usually discuss other topics wrote about the march. Such is the case of FoodJunky, who usually shares recipes and talks about food in her blog. This time she opened up the space to share her thoughts on the march and pictures she took.
While Legislator Justo Orozco uses his religious views to defend his political decisions, Food Junky believes that Christianity should be about keeping things separate and not denying rights, but mostly, that someone who doesn't believe in granting equal rights to minorities has no business presiding a Human Rights Commission that legislates on rights for minorities.
…el sábado fue un día hermoso, lleno de gente a la vez contenta y enojada, con sonrisas grandes compartiendo con todos los demás que apoyan una causa tan importante, pero tomándose muy en serio una situación que tiene que cambiar! Había familias enteras, animales, niños, señores, de todo! Todos gritando que al fin y al cabo, somos humanos ante todo, cada uno de nosotros, y como humanos merecemos ser respetados por igual!
Families at the march, image by Jose Daniel Clarke CCByNC
The University of Costa Rica's Student TV Channel 15 produced a video[es] on the March of the Invisible, showing more images, some chants, and interviews and interventions made by activists, writers, psychologists, organizers and participants. “Invisible” childless parents were also present, those who have faced the government's prohibition for In-Vitro Fertilization, while at the same time having to hear from the same government officials the message that a family without children is no family at all.
But not all people believe that the march was a success, as shown in the comment thread on Graciela Gonzalez's blog where comments under the name of Ocram or Marco Zeledon underlined their belief that the march was part of a “gay agenda” and that granting equal rights to same sex couples would destroy society. Here is a segment of Ocram's comment [es]:
Primero están los derechos humanos de las verdaderas familias con hijos, que nos partimos la vida por sostener y levantar a nuestras familias, somos los que realmente necesitamos la protección del estado. El verdadero matrimonio debe seguir siendo entre el hombre y mujer.
It seems that regardless of what detractors may say about the march, it had positive results: on  Wednesday, June 20, the Ministry of Presidency met with human rights groups for a knowledge sharing session including the diversity movement and the Invisibles movement.
The Invisibles movement put forth their requests to remove Justo Orozco from the presidency of the Human Rights Commission, to separate church from state, to allow same-sex couples the same rights that heterosexual couples have, for In Vitro Fertilization to be allowed as the International Human Rights Commission has established and for the government to publicly recognize the existence of minorities who have had their human rights denied and to use the legislative powers to make sure that the bills written to protect these human rights are approved.
Photographs of the march can be seen on Roberto Carlos Sanchez's blog, on the flickr page of Jenny Cascante; and more images by Jose Daniel Clarke (which we've used to illustrate this post and which can be used under a Creative Commons license) are available on his flickr page.
Jesus is Invisible. Image by Jose Daniel Clarke CCByNC

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Ecuador: Remembering the Colombian Refugees  · Global Voices
Belén Quezada

In Ecuador, the number of Colombian refugees rises every year. The number began to be significant in 2010, with 1,200 to 1,500 refugees arriving each month; in previous years, such as 2008 and 2009, this figure stood at 500 refugees per month. It is currently estimated that there are 53,000 Colombian refugees in Ecuador [es], according to official figures from the Foreign Ministry. With the celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20, the issue of Colombian refugees in Ecuador has captured the attention of the media and citizens alike.
Due to its geographical proximity, Colombian citizens migrate to Ecuador to escape the consequences of the violence caused by the armed conflict in their country. In Ecuador this has given rise to social and economic controversy with many Ecuadoreans reacting negatively to the arrival of the Colombians.
Octavio Villacreses (ox_villacresesp) [es], city councillor of Guayaquil, recently met with Luis Varese, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). During the visit, Villacreses posted [es] on Twitter:
Los refugiados son aún discriminados en Ecuador y sus derechos humanos afectados. Estamos trabajando para que eso disminuya.
As many users [es] have shared on Twitter, Ecuador has been named as the country which receives the highest number of refugees in Latin America. At the same time, a study carried out by the Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES), backed up by data from UNHCR, shows that Colombia remains the highest-ranking country in the world [es] in the number of internally-displaced persons and refugees, with more than 5.28 million people, all as a result of the internal conflict.
The website Refugees United [es] collects the stories of many displaced Colombians who live in the rural areas on the Ecuadorean border. The highest number of Colombians is found in the border province of Sucumbíos where they engage in agricultural or commercial activities as a means of subsistence.
Numerous [es] humanitarian assistance campaigns have been led by the national government, neighbouring countries and organisations such as the UN, UNHCR [es], CODHES [es] and Doctors Without Borders to improve the conditions of thousands of displaced Colombians on Ecuadorean territory.
The UNHCR has shared a series of videos on the Internet which illustrate the reality for thousands of refugees on the Ecuadorean border:
In turn, the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has declared [es] that he condemns all forms of xenophobia. He also states that the policy of open borders with Colombia has nothing to do with the growing “wave of delinquency”, and that the prison population is minimal in relation to the economically active population which boosts the Ecuadorean economy.
The head of state also referred to the Andean community alliance and the pact between countries like Colombia, Peru and Bolivia which promotes human mobility in the region. Moreover, the President called on Colombians to declare themselves and demonstrate that they are citizens fleeing from an armed conflict and that they have not come to commit criminal acts.
In relation to recent criticism of the Ecuadorean state for demanding a police history document from Colombians seeking asylum, Luis Varese [es] from UNHCR stated that the state “has the right, just as it grants refuge and asylum, to check the cases which it considers to be appropriate”.
On Sunday, June 17, 2012, a mobilisation was carried out in support of refugees with some Twitter users inviting more people to join the cause, such as Vanessa Hervás (@VanessaHervas) [es]:
Actividades este domingo 17 en Quito a propósito del Dia Mundial del Refugiado. En Bici desde la Plaza de la Independencia a la Carolina
Christian Salas (@CSalasteleSUR) [es], correspondent for Ecuador for teleSUR, shares the most recent figures:
Hasta el mes de mayo de este año #Ecuador ha reconocido a 56 200 refugiados,de los cuales, el 98.5%son colombianos. @ecuainm
Finally, the Jesuit Service for Refugees and Migrants in Ecuador (@serviciojesuita) [es] notes:
“La integración de los refugiados y migrantes a la sociedad, es un derecho que enriquece nuestra cultura” @SJRLAC“

author: Belén Quezada