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Online Platform Alerts People in Mexico’s Jalisco State to Organized Crime Violence · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Guadalajara's police helicopter beginning its daily patrol over Guadalajara City. Picture taken from Alex Lomix's Flickr account . CC BY-NC 2.0
After a Mexican air force helicopter was destroyed on May 1, 2015, supposedly at the hands of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—now considered to be the most dangerous since Mexico's most-wanted drug lord, Servando Gómez “La Tuta,” was captured—local authorities introduced an online platform that sends out alerts about events threatening public security.
The state of Jalisco is located on the west coast of Mexico; its capital, Guadalajara, is one of the country's largest cities. As has happened in other states like Michoacán (read the story here) and Guerrero (where the students of Ayotzinapa lost their lives), law enforcement in Jalisco has been overrun by criminal organizations.
Organized crime followed up the helicopter's destruction with road blocks and the burning of vehicles, which frightened the community, according to the local government:
La autoridad estatal está cierta de que estos bloqueos generaron temor e inquietud en la población y desencadenaron que el propio gobierno local activara el Código Rojo.
Las indagatorias llevadas a cabo por la Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE) arrojan que el modus operandi para ejecutar estos bloqueos fue a través de personas -que a cambio de una cantidad de dinero ofrecida por operadores de esta organización delincuencial- procedieron a la quema de vehículos particulares y del transporte público, rociando gasolina en su interior.
El Gobierno de Jalisco ratifica que detrás de estos actos de bloqueo a las vías de comunicación estuvo la delincuencia organizada y que el objetivo de los mismos fue generar alerta en la población; pero sobre todo, distraer a las corporaciones policiacas que, al tener que atender los bloqueos, dividían elementos y recursos que facilitaban la huida de los delincuentes.
The state authority is certain that these blockades created fear and restlessness amongst the community and triggered the local government to active a code red alert.
The district attorney's investigation shows that the modus operandi of setting up the blockades was by individuals, whom after receiving payment from this criminal organization, proceeded to burn cars and public transportation vehicles by dousing their interiors with gasoline.
Jalisco's government confirms that it was organized crime behind the road blocks with the purpose of providing a warning to the community; but above all, it was to distract the police, whose forces and resources were divided as a means of having to deal with the road blocks; therefore, making it easier for the criminals to escape.
Due to the fear and uncertainty caused by the excessive violence, the government of Jalisco, lead by the district attorney, presented the Ciudadano Informado (Informed Citizen) platform with the purpose of being the official source that will inform the community on these four events: blockades, the burning of vehicles, the burning of businesses, and confrontations.
Developing the platform came at no cost to public funds; according to a press bulletin, it was donated by a software company.
The Mexican news portal SinEmbargo mentioned this about the platform:
Además, implementarán una aplicación para teléfonos inteligentes que estará lista en cuatro o cinco semanas. Finalmente crearán una base de datos para generar un registro de teléfonos donde la ciudadanía recibirá información.
La Fiscalía también emitió una serie de recomendaciones para el uso de las redes sociales, para evitar encontrarse con personas que sólo se conozcan mediante las redes sociales y pusieron teléfonos para denunciar acoso por Internet. Además recomendaron no crear cuentas falsas, porque representa una suplantación de identidad y es un delito.
In addition, they will introduce a smart phone application, which will be ready in four or five weeks. Finally, they will create a database in order to generate a phone list where citizens will receive information.
The district attorney also sent out a list of recommendations on how to use social media, such as to not meet up with people whose acquaintance was only made online, as well as providing telephone numbers in order to report online harassment. In addition, the D.A. also advised against creating fake accounts because it is seen as a form of identity theft, the latter being a crime.
On Twitter, Adam Ortiz voiced his opinion on what this tool seeks to achieve:
#CiudadanoInformado es la apuesta del gobierno de GDL para combatir la desinformación y difusión de reportes falsos en materia de seguridad.
— @Adam_Ortiz (@jesus_Ortiz2) Mayo 11, 2015
Guadalajara's government wagers that #InformedCitizen will combat the lack of information and spread of false security reports.
Cecilia Márquez made a sarcastic remark, skewering commentary made by authorities in the past about violence being an “isolated event”:
Se crea web #CiudadanoInformado #Jalisco para avisar de #Bloqueos ¡Por supuesto aquí no pasa nada! #SonHechosAislados pic.twitter.com/iIhtoJVzJE
— Cecilia Márquez (@Marquez_Cecilia) May 12, 2015
So the government creates the website #InformedCitizen #Jalisco to warn about #Blockades. But of course, nothing ever happens here! #TheyareIsolatedEvents
Buen Ciudadano GDL wrote:
Acúsenme de pesimista, pero creo que eso de #CiudadanoInformado no es más que un aviso para que nos acostumbremos @_EnGdl @MISARTA @kaiv76
— Buen Ciudadano GDL (@BciudadanoGDL) May 12, 2015
Call me pesismistic, but I think that #InformedCitizen is nothing more than a heads-up in order for us to get accustomed to how things are.
Like other applications, how useful technology is depends on how it is used. In the meantime, the community (those who have Internet access) have been given an additional tool to use in an area besieged by violence.

author: J. Tadeo


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Palestine: How Much Have Israeli Settlements Expanded Since 1948? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Beirut-based journalist Adam Rasmi shares an infographic from Visualising Palestine which tracks how much Israeli settlements have expanded since 1948:
New @visualizingpal infographic tracks expanding Israeli settlements — 1948 vs Now http://t.co/i6S3fGawdP #NakbaDay pic.twitter.com/4XfjHLjuy7
— Adam Rasmi (@AdamRasmi) May 15, 2015
Check out Visualizing Palestine for more infographics here.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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The Stateless of the Dominican Republic: The Story of Juliana Deguis · Global Voices
NACLA

Haitian workers are transported to the Dominican Republic. (CC BY 2.0)
This post was written by Nicki Fleischner and originally published on NACLA, a Global Voices partner. An edited version appears below.
In September 2013 the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court passed a ruling that effectively rendered stateless some 200,000 Dominicans with Haitian roots. In “La Sentencia” (find the soundcloud below), Radio Ambulante explores the story of just one of the multitude affected by the ruling, a Dominican-born woman named Juliana Deguis who’s experience reflects the vulnerable situation of individuals of Haitian descent and the extensive challenges of their daily life.
Following the 2013 Dominican Supreme Court ruling, NACLA investigated how the decision fits into a larger picture of antihaitianismo or Anti-Black, Anti-Haitian sentiment, that not only has “deep roots in the Dominican Republic,” but has also been fueled by neoliberalism in recent decades. Historically, Dominican nationalism has relied on a categorical rejection of the country’s African roots in favor of their white, Hispanic-colonial ones; a distinction enforced by Dominican politicians and elites. Such construction of national identity has translated to anti-immigration stances in modern Dominican society: In 2001 the expulsion of Dominicans of Haitian descent reached such an extreme that the United Nations Human Rights Commission equated it to racial profiling.
Racist ideology has been exacerbated by economic and political disparities between the two countries. In 1987, Michael S. Hooper, an advocate for Haitian refugees, wrote a piece for NACLA that examined the severe socioeconomic problems in the country and how it spurred immigration to the Dominican Republic. Such economic disparities and immigration waves have generated a highly tense border between the two countries.
For more information on relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, read Todd Miller’s piece for NACLA regarding the increased militarization of the Haiti-Dominican border.

author: NACLA


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Despite Protests, Malaysia Still Plans to Build a Mega Dam That Could Displace 20,000 Indigenous People · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

View of Baram, Sarawak, that will be affected by a dam project. Photo from Jettie Word, republished with permission
The local government of Sarawak in Malaysia is building a mega dam despite the fierce opposition of residents and indigenous peoples who will be affected by the project. Sarawak is part of Borneo Island, which is famous for its rich natural resources.
A proposed dam in Baram, located in the northern part Sarawak, is expected to generate 1, 200 megawatts of electricity, but many fear that it will submerge 412 square kilometers of rainforest. In addition, about 20,000 people from 27 settlements of Kayan, Kenyah, and Penan indigenous groups will be forcibly displaced during the construction of the dam. The Baram Dam is one of the 12 mega dams that the local government is planning to build in Sarawak.
Peter N. J. Kallang, a local leader and anti-dam activist, warned that the dam will wipe out the core population of Baram’s indigenous groups:
It is built for the benefit of others rather than those who live in Baram and for the long term good of the Baram.
As one of those affected I just can’t understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploit. This seems to be a senseless exploitation which is primarily driven by avarice coupled with immorality. For us who are directly and adversely affected parties, no one can blame us in thinking that this is a calculated, intentional and purposeful maneuver to wipe out our races.
Since last year, local residents have put up a blockade to prevent the construction of the dam. They have also appealed to other communities in Malaysia and environmental networks all over the world to support their campaign against the dam.
Protest against the Baram Dam project. Photo from the Facebook page of Save Rivers
A blockade was set up by local residents to stop the dam construction. Photo from the Facebook page of Save Rivers
Rally against Baram Dam project. Photo from Sarawak Report
Blockade protest continues in Baram. Photo from Jettie Word, republished with permission.
Last week, during the 555th day of the community-led Baram Dam blockade, a documentary was released by The Borneo Project which explained why the dam project in Sarawak is not necessary and how it will not benefit the local population. The film also probed if corruption was a big factor in implementing the dam project.
Protests are expected to intensify after the government ordered the construction of the Baram Dam a few days ago.

author: Mong Palatino


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Arab-American Journalist Detained by Israeli Security for ‘Flying While Muslim’ · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Noor Wazwaz with First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner, April 2015 (via Facebook).
It is well known in the Arab community in Israel that “Flying While Muslim” will earn you extra security checks and delayed travel. Palestinian-American journalist Noor Wazwaz shared her experience of flying into Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport across her social media channels, where she has more than 28,000 followers.
Wazwaz, who says her goal is become “the first Muslim hijab [head scarf]-wearing news anchor on American television,” decided to become a journalist to better represent “[the] Arab and Muslim voice in Western media.”
She shared her travail of entering Israel this week in order to get to Palestine, the most expedient way to arrive internationally; far quicker than landing in Amman, Jordan, and driving to the Israel-controlled West Bank. Wazwaz reports that she was detained for more than four hours, followed by an interrogation by Israeli security personnel who accused her family of terrorist activity based on national and ethnic origin. Wazwaz was flying on an American passport.
On Instagram, Wazwaz recalls her experience, saying that the humiliation she was subjected to at the border would not stop her from returning to Palestine:
We arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel and at passport control, the woman checks our passports and points to a room to the right and says to me, "You know the procedure." For many who've traveled to Israel know this "VIP room" very well. They take your passport. You sit. You wait… And wait…and wait… and wait…and wait.  After four hours in this "VIP room"… I get called into my second interrogation. I walked in, smiled and said hello.  The interrogator said, "Wipe that smile off your face. Spit out your gum. And you better cooperate with me." I've done these interrogations every time I've traveled here but NOTHING was like this.  He asked why I was here… I explained that I was here with two other students and that we are working with journalism students in Ramallah. He shook his head, made smart remarks, yelled at me and didn't believe a word I said.  He asked about my family here in Jerusalem and gave him my uncles' names. "Which one of them is a terrorist?" he looked up at me and smirked.  I couldn't help but bust out a laugh at how absurd this question was. "You think I'm joking? I'm not joking," he yelled as he slammed the table. I replied, "Well…none of them are." He laughed,"And your cousins? How many are in prison?" I am at loss for words and I wish I could express how I feel right now.  The power control, the ego, the mind games, the hate, the humiliation. Disgusting. All this so I, we Palestinians, never come back again.  But I'll keep coming back for as long as I live.
A photo posted by Noor F. Wazwaz (@nfwazwaz) on
On Wazwaz's social media accounts, friends and followers reached out to express support and solidarity, commiserating on similar experiences. On Instagram, Arwa Sarsour writes:
Welcome to the club, we all have to go through it young and old same question same room u can't go to the bathroom with out someone behind u and hours and hours of waiting.
On Facebook, where her post has garnered 4,000 likes and almost 800 shares at time of writing. Follower Ahlam Abutineh shares:
Just moved to Ramallah/al Bireh from Florida where I was born and raised my whole life. I have my Palestinian passport so I have to come through Jordan as I've done the last 3 years. They hassle, hassle, make u wait wait wait, throw ur bags, make u find them, bus to bus- making a 30 min travel home end up being all night… They can't turn us away. More people need to keep coming no matter how tiring it is.
Ph Sima Ghnaim, who is also North American although not a Palestinian passport holder, writes of similar treatment:
You are amazing …. They make me wait for 6 hours each time I visit Palestine just cause I'm Arabic I don't have a Palestinian passport. I wish I did but even with a Canadian one they treat me with the utmost disdain and hate.
And Maria M. Jaber Khalil questions how Israeli security's treatment of American citizens holding dual Palestinian citizenship can be legal or accepted pro forma by the United States, arguing:
The most ridiculous thing about all this their computer system has all your personal information plus all your families and their extended family names, children,where everyone is living. And it's also linked with the USA, so why all the questions you ask humiliation, because they can regardless if you re in American citizen or not. The last my husband went he was sent to the VIP room he waiting 6 hours he is also an American citizen, when you tell them you will report them to the Embassy they just laugh in your face and say so what America can't do anything we own them. Sad but true…. Sad and frustrated with our government.
To those who have never experienced humiliation at the hands of border control, Shireen Nasser‘s description touches at the humanity of the experience.
As many times as we all try to tell the stories to others, they really can never imagine what a mental manipulation it all is until they've experienced it. It's such a form of degradation and oppression beyond what has ever been taught in any history book.
Other commenters allude to the highly controversial Right of Return, which states that the descendants of Palestinian refugees who were expelled in the 1948 War — which Israelis call the War of Independence and Palestinians call the Nakba (“Catastrophe”) — should be able to return to the land and claim their original property. An estimated 30,000-50,000 original Palestinian emigrants now have family numbering 5 million worldwide. The Right of Return has been a sticking point in peace negotiations, yet to be resolved.
As a counterpart, Israeli Jews demand recognition for the 1 million Jews who were expelled from Arab lands as a result of the establishment of the State of Israel, who, like the 1948 Palestinians, were forced to leave their property and assets at home and whose value was then absorbed by their subsequent states for significant economic gain.
Instagram user Enasjudeh enthuses:
… I would endure that a million times to visit that beautiful country!
While Rehab Eid, a self-identified Muslim Palestinian New Yorker, claims:
Arrival in Palestine: Wazwaz captions this photo, “Good Morning from Ramallah” (via Facebook).
They think that'll stop us from coming back, but we just get stronger!
Echoing the popular sentiment, Beesan Arouri asserts:
They can do all they want but we'll always go back.
As for Wazwaz herself, you can follow her journey in Palestine through her frequent updates.

author: Maya Norton


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Morsi’s Death Sentence: The International Community Is Anything but Silent · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

Cairo, Egypt. 1st July 2013 — Supporters of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi wave national flags and his posters during a rally in Nasser City, in Cairo, Egypt, before he was ousted. Photograph by Mohamed Mostafa. Copyright: Demotix
Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has been sentenced to death and the international community is not happy. The Egyptian government, too, is unhappy that the world is not too pleased with its mass death sentences.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, along with more than 100 other people, were sentenced to death on May 16, 2015, for collaborating with foreign militants to free Islamists during a prison break from the Wadi Natroun prison amid the Egyptian revolution in January 2011. Among his 105 co-defendants were some 70 Palestinians, accused of being members of Hamas, who were charged and tried in absentia. And among the Palestinians sentenced to death, Hassan Salameh has been in an Israeli prison since 1994, and Raed Attar is already dead.
The former president, a top Muslim Brotherhood member, is already serving a 20-year sentence for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters while in power.
Morsi was the president of Egypt for one year after the revolution, which overthrew Hosni Mubarak early 2011, who ruled Egypt for more than 30 years. Morsi's reign was cut short in July 2013, following massive protests calling for his ouster. Then, the Egyptian Army took command, under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and Minister of Defence General Abdul Fattah El Sisi, who is now Egypt's president.
Since being deposed of power, Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement was banned in Egypt, and thousands of its supporters arrested.
Head of Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) Dr Maha Azzam called on the international community to act in an article on Ikhwan Web:
democratic governments have failed the people of Egypt by supporting a military regime that kills its own people and now has passed a death sentence against the first democratically elected President of Egypt in a farcical trial that has no legitimacy.
She claims that torture and rape has become a pattern since the military, headed by Al Sisi, took power. Over 40,000 political activists remain in Egyptian prisons today. Several thousand protestors have been killed.
Mohamed Soudan, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood who fled Egypt and moved to the United Kingdom after Morsi's overthrow, told Al Jazeera:
They're insisting on issuing these verdicts against anyone who participated in the January 25 Revolution … all of the verdicts fail to meet international standards of law … they are farcical and will be dismissed as a failing of the coup.
Turkey, also emerged as a primary supporter of Morsi, condemning the verdict and echoing the ERC in urging the international community to speak up. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the silence of the international community over the court's decision, asking the West to take a stance on capital punishment as pioneers in abolishing the sentence. Erdogan labeled the verdict by Egyptian court as “capital punishment against the ballot box.”
The Turkish government is for once backed by the Turkish people in their position, creating a Twitter buzz of mass support for Morsi. People started their own Turkish hashtag to support Morsi #MursiYalnızDeğildir — Morsi You Are Not Alone — which was trending number one in Turkey and third worldwide the day of the sentencing.
The “Rabaa” hand sign with four fingers refers to Rabaa Al Adawiya mosque, the site of a violent confrontation between Morsi’s followers and the Egyptian army. On August 14, 2013, Egyptian security forces opened fire at a sit-in protest in Rabaa Al Adawiya Square, killing more than 800 people opposed to the ousting of Morsi.
Innocent people are murdered in Egypt! State terrorism is being carried out in Egypt #MursiYalnızDeğildir pic.twitter.com/uUG8a01qTn
— Oğuz Kaya (@oguz__kaya) May 16, 2015
Pakistan joined Turkey in raising the “Rabaa” sign in support of Morsi:
Pakistan is with #Morsi #IAmMorsi #MursiYalnızDeğildir pic.twitter.com/EfYbK73xUi
— Ahmad Shaheen (@AhmadShaheen) May 16, 2015
Contrary to the ERC and Turkey's claims that the international community is silent, there has been public statements of condemnation around Morsi's verdict.
Amnesty International condemned the sentences saying the verdict followed ‘charade trials’.
Boumedouha, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa program, said in a statement released by the organization:
His trials were undermined even before he set foot in the courtroom. The fact that he was held for months incommunicado without judicial oversight and that he didn’t have a lawyer to represent him during the investigations makes these trials nothing but a charade based on null and void procedures.
The US, UN, UK and EU speak up
The international community agreed that the latest verdict and mass death sentences are not consistent with Egypt's obligations under international law.
The United States has expressed alarm and condemned the death penalty. A State Department spokesperson said:
We have consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences, which are conducted in a manner that is inconsistent with Egypt’s international obligations and the rule of law.
The European Union (EU) also called the decision “cruel and inhumane” and called on the Egyptian government to provide the defendants with “the right to a fair trial”.
Britain's Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Tobias Ellwood said in a statement:
The UK government is deeply concerned by the sentencing to death of former President Morsi and over 100 others yesterday. We note that there are further stages in the legal process, and will continue to follow this case closely.
However, the government of Egypt sees otherwise. According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Justice “comments by foreign countries concerning the judiciary decision has violated all international conventions which respect sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of another country.”
Twitter craze over Morsi
The Twitter craze in support of Morsi has gotten louder through the hashtags #MorsiTrial , #WeStandWithMorsi and #MorsiIsNotAlone, to name a few.
Some even used revolutionary icon Che Guevara's quotes to describe the injustice:
#MorsiTrial #MorsiIsNotAlone pic.twitter.com/Ptj0HzNFh3
— Muhammad ajmal (@AjmalllCh) May 18, 2015
People are criticizing the justice system in Egypt:
Difficult to imagine #Egypt can get worse, but seems to. Real justice needed — not deadly, sham justice #MorsiTrial pic.twitter.com/4apQl6CNHa
— Adriaan Hofstra © (@adhofstra) May 19, 2015
Death sentence for #Morsi but nothing for Husni Mubarak, Now THAT'S SOME ARAB JUSTICE !!! #MorsiTrial
— Badr Sellak (@BadrSellak) May 18, 2015
RT shahzad2404: A death sentences over a prison break is plain absurd. It is not near to anything called justice! #WeStandWithMorsi
— Tuna RT Bot (@tunartbot) May 16, 2015
Others are slamming current President Sisi:
Obviously winning a democratic election is a crime in Sisi's #Egypt . What a circus! #Morsiisnotalone
— deryabeyaz (@goodnightmoond) May 16, 2015
Morsi faces a separate trial with nine others on charges of endangering national security by leaking confidential and sensitive information to Qatar. He is also facing another trial with 24 others for insulting the judiciary. The first hearing is scheduled for May 23, 2015.
Saturday's case has been referred to the Grand Mufti, the country's top religious scholar, for review. A final hearing is scheduled for June 2.

author: Faten Bushehri


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Russia Launches ‘Predictive System’ for Monitoring Protest Activity Online · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

A group of people hold banners with the name of opposition leader Alexey Navalny at an unsanctioned rally at Manezhnaya Square in the center of Moscow in December 2014. Image by Nickolay Vinokurov on Demotix.
A Russian pro-government political think tank has launched what they term a “predictive and monitoring system” to monitor unsanctioned rallies and protest actions on social networks. While similar systems have been developed around the world, experts doubt this particular system is as dangerous as it sounds.
The software began a test run on May 18, crawling a section of an unidentified social network, Yevgeny Venediktov, director of Center for Research in Legitimacy and Political Protest, told pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia. Venediktov said the system would only monitor key targeted segments of networks, like groups or user profiles, collected by volunteers into a database and filtered by “sociologists and politologists.” Those collecting targets for monitoring would pay special attention to politically oriented groups, civic protest communities, and local discussion forums, watching likes and retweets of content posted by “extremist groups.”
Venediktov claims the new software, called “Laplace's Demon,” (a name borrowed from a mathematical thought experiment by 19th-century French scholar Pierre-Simon Laplace describing an omniscient “demon”) will be able to spot preparations for protests long before they happen, and could supply that information to law enforcement, academics and state officials.
Jay Ulfelder, a political scientist and research affiliate with Data-Pop Alliance, told RuNet Echo it is possible to develop systems that use social-media posts and other raw content to anticipate protest activity “with some accuracy, especially close the time of the event.”
The simplest version of this is old-fashioned eavesdropping—watch specific social media feeds or group forums for planning activity—and that probably still works in many cases. More sophisticated versions would watch those spaces and possibly many other forms of unstructured data, convert those streams to structured data through things like natural language processing and imagery analysis, and then use statistical models or machine learning to generate forecasts about the activity of interest.
Ulfelder cites the examples of EMBERS (short for Early Model Based Event Recognition using Surrogates), a predictive system funded by the US government, and the Chinese government's monitoring of social media, which anticipates collective action and censors discussions that might trigger it. Egyptian law enforcement has also attempted to build comprehensive surveillance systems to monitor social media for expressions of dissent and content “harmful to public security.” While the predictive algorithms in each case are different and not always obvious, Ulfelder says there is at least “circumstantial evidence that this can be done reasonably well.”
What will be monitored?
Although it's unclear which social networks the software is able to monitor at the moment and what the systems’ capabilities are, Venediktov told Izvestia they were planning to start monitoring Twitter in September, and called the platform one of the worst offenders in terms of hosting “extremist content.”
Мы провели исследование и выяснили, что именно эта соцсеть является не только лидером среди других социальных медиа по числу размещенных на нем ссылок на экстремистский контент, но и к тому же не удаляет их по требованию Роскомнадзора.
We did some research and found that this particular network is not only the leader among other social media in terms of the number of links to extremist content, but it also doesn't delete these links at the request of Roscomnadzor.
Twitter, Facebook, and other online social networks have been used by activists and opposition members in Russia as an alternative to mainstream media, largely co-opted by the Kremlin, to organize protest rallies and facilitate discussion of key social and political issues. While Russian media watchdog Roscomnadzor routinely demands these networks take down content related to political activity that it classifies as “extremist,” these demands often go unfulfilled and only some pages are taken down. Roscomnadzor has been especially unhappy with Twitter as the company refuses most of their demands to remove problematic content.
How serious is the threat?
Although the new software is presented as a sparkling innovation, Russian security services already have tools in their arsenal to monitor public expression on the web, like the Semantic Archive software, used by the security services and law enforcement to monitor mainstream media and the Internet, including blogs and social networks.
Andrei Soldatov, editor of the Russian intelligence watchdog site Agentura.ru, told RuNet Echo that Russian monitoring systems were first developed for monitoring structured information, such as media reports, so making them work with unstructured data such as social media content requires them to be relatively small and tuned to specific tasks. Another issue, according to Soldatov, is that these systems are only able to work with open accounts, (not private profile pages or locked Twitter accounts), and even then they often have trouble accessing content and metadata, as is the case with Facebook.
With the multitude of monitoring tools already in place at various government agencies, Soldatov believes the new Laplace's Demon software “doesn’t look very serious,” and says the think tank and Venediktov, whom he dubs “a low-level spin doctor from Novgorod” are simply looking to cash in on a lucrative trend.
This Center [for Research in Legitimacy and Political Protest] is not a big thing. It seems to me that it’s an effort to raise the public profile of the Center and find a way to government funding. Russian secret services have their own systems, like Semantic Archive, the [Presidential] Administration and the ministries use their own systems, and this Venediktov is merely trying to find his way to this profitable market.
While we wait for the details about the new predictive monitoring system to emerge, there is plenty to worry about with existing cases of social media users sanctioned for posting undesirable content and “extremist materials.” With the Kremlin pressing on social media and other websites to store users’ data inside Russia and asking them to take down increasingly more politically charged content, it seems predictive monitoring might be only one of the things Russian activists might have to contend with as they struggle with finding a place for their work and opinions online.

author: Tanya Lokot


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The Profitable Patriotism of Vladimir Putin’s Biker Bromance · Global Voices
Adrian Sawczyn

The Night Wolves ride their growing renown all the way to the bank. Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
With a name like theirs, you expect big things from the “Night Wolves,” the Russian motorcycle gang that’s become internationally famous for its peculiar patriotic events and diehard support for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s recent foreign adventures in Ukraine.
Putin’s biker bromance admittedly isn’t radically new. With much fanfare, he first joined the group for a ride in August 2011. In the years since, Putin has met with the Night Wolves not infrequently, sometimes showing up late to meetings with foreign heads of state, as a result.
Since Russia reclaimed Crimea and started supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine, the Night Wolves have become a more overt political organization, with the group’s head, Alexander Zaldostanov (known commonly as “the Surgeon”), opining that his gang has become a “state-recognized instrument of public diplomacy.”
In March earlier this year, the Night Wolves announced plans to ride from Moscow to Berlin in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. The motorcycle convoy was scheduled to leave Moscow on April 25 and follow the Red Army’s route through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria, before arriving in Germany on May 9.
Poland’s Prime Minister, calling it a provocation, immediately condemned the stunt, citing the Night Wolves’ support for Russia’s activities in Ukraine. On April 27, the Polish authorities duly stopped about a dozen Night Wolves at the border with Belarus. Three days later, however, Zaldostanov announced that some of the group’s members succeeded in entering Poland, and the convoy ultimately made its way to Germany.
On May 6, after some hesitation, German officials ruled that there was no legal reason to deny the Night Wolves the right to ride through Berlin, which the group did on May 9, when Russia celebrates Victory Day.
The Night Wolves have attracted significant attention on social media, where Internet users flocked to communities on VKontakte dedicated to the biker gang to wish them safe travels, and applaud the convoy to Berlin. Others expressed indignation about the bikers’ treatment abroad, viewing it as an affront to memory of Russia’s war dead.
Zaldostanov says he plans to take his group to western Ukraine next, where he’s promised to restore the World War II monuments supposedly destroyed by Ukrainian nationalists.
It’s not all love for the Night Wolves online, however. On May 5, a day before the bikers got the green light to drive through Berlin, anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny published evidence that the Night Wolves have received as much as 56 million rubles ($1.1 million) in government money since 2014. About a third of these funds went to a motorcycle show in Sevastopol in July 2014, courtesy of Russia’s Ministry of Culture.
On May 13, the Night Wolves woke up to more good news in Sevastopol, where the local authorities allocated 227 hectares (about 560 acres) of real estate to the bikers to promote sports and “military-patriotic education.” The group is leasing the land on the cheap, paying just 0.1 percent for property that’s valued at roughly 1.2 billion rubles ($24.4 million).
Прибыльный какой патриотизм. “Ночным волкам” выделили 227 га земли в Крыму pic.twitter.com/NBK12JKccu
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) May 13, 2015
How profitable patriotism can be! The “Night Wolves” have been given 227 hectares of land in Crimea.

author: Adrian Sawczyn


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Thailand’s Section 44 Could Be Worse Than Martial Law · Global Voices
Prachatai

A year has passed since martial law was declared in Thailand by the army. Last month, martial law was revoked but a new law gave the army ‘unlimited’ powers to rule the country.
This article is from Prachatai, an independent news site in Thailand, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Martial law, which had been in force since May 2014, was finally revoked in Thailand on 20 March 2015. However, instead of returning Thailand to civilian rule as it had promised, the Thai junta replaced martial law with its new protocol, Section 44 of the Interim Charter, which significantly broadens its authority while still retaining the power to crush political dissent with arrests and detentions.
According to Brad Adams, the Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, invoking Section 44 of the Interim Charter provision gives Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, unlimited power without safeguards on human rights:
General Prayut’s activation of Section 44 of the Constitution will mark Thailand’s deepening descent into dictatorship. Thailand’s friends abroad should not be fooled by this obvious sleight of hand by the junta leader to replace martial law with a constitutional provision that effectively provides unlimited and unaccountable powers.
The following are 15 facts about the sweeping powers the junta has acquired through the imposition of Section 44.
1. Areas under the martial law prior to the May 2014 coup d’état, which cover four districts of the southern province of Songkhla and three provinces of the restive Deep South, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, are still under martial law.
2. Civilians are still subjected to trial by military courts in cases related to national security, such as possessing or carrying unauthorised or illegal weapons in public and instigating rebellion, and those constituting offences under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lèse majesté law, in accordance to the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Announcements Nos. 37/2014, 38/2014, and 50/2014.
3. Defendants can appeal verdicts handed down by a military court. However, cases under the jurisdiction of military courts which took place between 25 May 2014 and 31 March 2015 cannot be appealed under Section 61 of the 1955 Military Court Act.
4. Under Section 15 of the 1914 Martial Law Act, military personnel can detain individuals for up to seven days, after which suspects are to be sent to the police for investigation. However, NCPO Order 3/2015 under Section 44 assigns ‘Peace and Order Maintenance Officers’ (POM), which are defined as military personnel with the rank of sub-lieutenant up, to act as investigating officers for suspects charged with offences related to national security.
5. Section 44 gives military personnel complete judicial power over detaining, investigating, indicting, and judging in military tribunals, cases related to national security in accordance to the junta’s NCPO Announcements Nos. 37/2014, 38/2014, and 50/2014.
6. POMs can detain individuals for up to seven days in places which are not detention facilities such as police stations, remand prisons and detention centres, and detainees shall not be treated as suspects of criminal offences. Similar to the practice under martial law, detainees are not alleged criminal offenders. Therefore, they are not granted rights to see their families, relatives, or lawyers.
7. While detaining suspects accused of defying junta orders within the seven day time frame, security officers can 1) issue restriction orders, 2) demand payment of guarantees, 3) detain individuals in hospitals, 4) forbid detainees from engaging in certain occupations, 5) ban overseas travel, and 6) freeze financial transactions of detainees. These conditions are more severe than those under NCPO Announcement No. 40/2014.
8. POMs can arrest, detain, search, confiscate, and carry out actions under NCPO orders in all cases related to national security mentioned in NCPO Announcement No. 37/2014.
9. POMs can issue orders to prohibit the circulation of information and news from any source which might cause fear or distort facts or is intended to have a negative impact on national security and public order.
10. Political gatherings of five people or more are prohibited. However, if persons suspected of political gathering charges voluntarily participate in seven day training under POMs, the suspects can be released with or without conditions, free from liability of criminal charges. This POM-run training is based on Section 21 of the 2008 Internal Security Act (ISA). But unlike training under the ISA, which includes a certain level of judicial oversight, the authority to conduct seven days training under this order lies with the military POMs alone.
11. The actions of authorities under Section 44 are not covered by Thailand’s Administration Act and civilians cannot file complaints with the Administrative Court.
12. Section 44 of the Interim Charter gives authority to the leader of the NCPO alone. However, NCPO Order 3/2015, which replaces martial law with Section 44, delegates these powers to other military personnel and NCPO officers. In other words, it broadens the authority of military officers and the NCPO.
13. POMs and their assistants who act impartially in accordance with the authority bestowed by the junta cannot be held responsible for actions to prevent threats to national security.
14. Section 14 of NCPO Order 3/2015 to impose Section 44 does not prohibit affected parties from claiming compensation from the government in accordance with the Public Officials’ Responsibility and Conduct Act. However, Section 44 of the Interim Charter states that orders or actions under the junta’s directives are completely legal and constitutional.
15. In conclusion, the junta’s NCPO Order No. 3/2015 still gives the junta the authority they had under martial law. However, it adds procedures to handle political dissent based on the Internal Security Act, exempts state officials from their responsibilities under the 2005 Public Administration in a State of Emergency Act, and authorizes them to carry out investigations under the Criminal Procedure Code, all of which becomes constitutional and legal in accordance to Section 44.

author: Prachatai


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The Media Is the Message: E-Diplomacy in Egypt · Global Voices
Victor Salama

Egypt goes offline, January 27, 2011. Graphic by Committee to Protect Journalists.
The original version of this post appeared on the Future Challenges blog.
On January 27, 2011, Egyptian authorities ordered a total blackout on all digital communications in order to stem the growing calls for protests in the street to topple former President Hosni Moubarak. The blackout went on for six days during which Egypt completely disappeared from the Internet. This was unprecedented in scale and in duration. The strategy eventually backfired, demonstrating the regime’s inability to tackle popular anger.
The digital technology was not only a political paradigm shift for the Egyptian officials, it was also an alien and probably risky one as well. Social media tools were used by young Arab activists to voice dissent and spread it in a very effective way, so effective that the Arab spring was labelled a digital revolution. The mere fact that there was social media created a new rapport de force between the regime and the people. This new media, by its simple existence, created a counter weight to the power of the regime. And ever since, its presence has affected the way Egyptians consume information. The authorities were seen as digital migrants, not at ease in these new territories where control and censorship were more complicated than on traditional media.
Over the last four years, Egypt has witnessed a series of regime changes. Before the 2012 presidential elections that led to the election of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, the first regime change came with the installation of a Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) as an interim government. The second regime change came when Morsi was ousted by a popular revolution backed by the army during the summer of 2013. Then in May 2014, a former Field Marshal by the name of Abdelfattah Al Sissi was elected President.
Despite the regime changes and their impact on diplomatic issues, a non-Arabic reader would not be able to really know what was going on. Digital tools were barely used by Egyptian authorities and when they were, it was exclusively in Arabic. Take for example the following websites, the official page of the Egyptian Army spokesperson, the official YouTube channel of the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the official Twitter account of former President Muhammad Morsi and the official Twitter account of current President Abdelfattah Al-Sissi, these provide important updates on the situation in Egypt. But updates are written only in Arabic, despite the fact that most of the world does not read this language.
Is Egypt missing out by only communicating in Arabic?, source: U. Ammon, U. of Dusseldorf, Population Reference Bureau (includes bilingual speakers).
The population addressed by such e-diplomacy efforts already had access to traditional media tools in Arabic as well. But, the rest of the world, be it English, French or Spanish speakers, was left in the dark. The only English-language media available is https://twitter.com/MfaEgypt. It began in January 2015 and has less than 700 users.
Now compare this with the creative “e-diplomacies” of the region, for example Israel, who have developed targeted social media accounts and strategies for regions in which they have no official diplomatic presence. Even ISIS has been implementing very elaborate digital strategies, using multilingual digital tools such as social media, online newspapers, high-definition video cameras, slick graphics and refined editing techniques. As scholars Gregory Payne, Efe Sevin and Sara Bruya write,
Old methods of diplomacy based on behind-the-scenes diplomacy,  relying heavily on one-way communication methods where the audience usually plays a passive role. However, given the possibilities for active engagement that exist in today’s media landscape, individuals are less likely to accept this passive, submissive role.
Yet Egyptian authorities are capable of addressing the “international community” in a clear and professional manner, as demonstrated during the Egypt Economic Development Conference in March 2015. They had a fully functioning website, including a dedicated Twitter account and hashtag (#EEDC2015)  and a YouTube channel specifically for videos from the conference.
The Egyptian government has demonstrated the ability to fully implement a social media strategy, for example, in the recent Egyptian Economic Development forum. This saw a targeted, successful and open mode of communication accessible to many people. However, this same openness isn’t translated to its own international diplomatic efforts, which begs the question: Why not?
Why can’t this be replicated throughout Egypt’s global e-diplomacy? Why not take advantage of social media platforms to build a successful digital diplomacy strategy? What’s preventing the authorities from taking part in a broader, more open conversation regarding the kind of societies we want and the interactions among them and within them? Technology and social media have provided diplomacy with additional tools to do just that, but it entails a complete overhaul in Egypt’s communications strategy.

author: Victor Salama


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A Tale of AIDS, Love and Survival in Cuba · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Yohandra (seated) and Gerson are of the few left who hold on to the memories of the Pinar del Río Sanitarium in Cuba. Both were able to salvage the medical files of several patients who passed away there, many of whom were their friends. Photo: Radio Ambulante.
In Cuba, Gerson and Yohandra are known as “freaks” (frikis in Spanish), a group devoted to 1980s and 90s rock and heavy metal. Rock music is more than just entertainment to “freaks”; it is a lifestyle, like a religion. Gerson and Yohandra are one of the few left of their generation. They live in the Cuban province Pinar del Río, where there once stood a sanitarium whose mission was to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic during the 80s and 90s. Ruins, the medical files they managed to save, and their memories are all that remain.
And with this we kickoff the new collaboration between Global Voices and Radio Ambulante, a producer of radio stories from any country where there is a Spanish-speaking population, including the United States.
Global Voices author and Radio Ambulante reporter Luis Trelles (@cu_bata) brings us “The Survivors”, a story about the “freaks” from the Pinar del Río Sanitarium. During the Special Period in Cuba, many “freaks” infected themselves with AIDS in order to have what they thought to be better living conditions:
Gerson: La gente prefería antes de estar viviendo en la calle, estar enfermo y venir para acá, para tenerlo todo, y de gratis que era lo que más influía, que era gratis, regalado.
Gerson: Before living on the street, people preferred to be sick and come here to have everything —and for free– which was a most influential factor: it was free, a gift.
However, the lack of knowledge about AIDS during that time took many peoples’ lives:
Narrador: Pero había tanto que no sabían acerca del virus. Aún no se hablaba públicamente de la epidemia, ni de la forma en que se contagiaba. Los frikis que se inyectaban eran casi todos hombres y no sabían que podían infectar a otra gente a través del contacto sexual.
Narrator: But there was so little information about the virus. People didn't speak openly about the epidemic yet, nor the ways in which it was transmitted. Almost all of the “freaks” who injected themselves were men; they didn't know they could infect others through sexual contact.
Listen to the complete story in Spanish here:
And find the story in Spanish with English subtitles on YouTube:

author: Ángel Carrión


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Amateur Cartoonist Lands Radioactive Drone on Japanese Prime Minister’s House · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

A drone. Image: Wikimedia.
For the foreseeable future, the Tokyo Metropolitan government has banned hobbyists from flying drones in public parks following a strange protest against nuclear power targeting the Japanese prime minister.
The ban on drones in Tokyo public parks, which came into effect on April 28, comes after a drone carrying trace amounts of radioactive substances was discovered on the roof of the prime minister's official residence in central Tokyo on April 22.
Yasuo Yamamoto, a native of Obama in Fukui Prefecture, told police he was responsible for piloting the drone, and that the drone, with its payload of radioactive soil, had sat undetected on its rooftop location for nearly two weeks before being discovered. It also appeared that Yamamoto had carefully painted the drone black to avoid being spotted easily.
Yamamoto turned himself in to the police on April 24, and was formally indicted on Friday, May 15.
Since his arrest, Yamamoto has become known online as the “drone otaku” (drone geek) or “drone ojisan” (middle-aged drone guy).
ジャックログ : 【マジキチ】出頭したドローン放射脳おじさんのブログがヤバいｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ http://t.co/yRy4bg0pNV pic.twitter.com/59URVrnAht
— ジャックログ (@2chjacklog) April 24, 2015
On the Jack Blog: This Is Craaazy (majikichi, マジキチ): Loony no-nukes drone guy Yasuo Yamamoto has a blog and it is NUTS.
The fact that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁, keishicho) is responsible for providing security for the prime minister's residence presumably influenced the decision to effectively ban drones in and around Tokyo.
However, while drones are banned from public parks in Tokyo there are no laws regulating the use of drones themselves, particularly near public buildings such as the National Diet or the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo.
Yamamoto said that his stunt was intended to be a protest against Japan's nuclear energy policy. He was indicted for interfering with official duties on May 15.
Yamamoto told investigators he had not intended to commit a terrorist act, but instead wanted to raise awareness of Japan's nuclear power policies by using a drone, which he regarded as being trendy and high-profile.
He also claimed the radioactive soil, which investigators confirmed contained traces of cesium, a long-lived radioactive isotope that was a by-product of the 2011 accident, came from Fukushima Prefecture.
Fukushima Prefecture was the scene of Japan's worst nuclear accident in March 2011. Widespread radioactive contamination forced thousands to be evacuated from Fukushima prefecture and sparked a strong and ongoing anti-nuclear protest movement in Japan.
Obama Port; the Ohi nuclear power plant is just on the other side of the peninsula. Image credit: Nevin Thompson
Yamamoto comes from the small city of Obama in Fukui Prefecture. Fukui is home to the largest concentration of nuclear reactors on earth, and the Ohi nuclear power plant is located almost within sight of downtown Obama.
He also until recently had worked at the Sendai nuclear power plant in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima.
The Sendai plant has been in the news this spring after Kagoshima District Court rejected a bid to block it from restarting.
Following Yamamoto's confession and arrest in late April, Japanese netizens were quick discover that he maintained a blog, and that he also uploaded original manga, or comics, to the Internet.
【漫画家だったの!?】官邸ドローン事件の山本泰雄容疑者が漫画を描いていたことが判明ｗｗ http://t.co/gIBZtT4v7K　’ｗ）ドローン塗装もパーツから分解して塗装したり、方向を確認するためのライトを塗りつぶしたりしてる時点で性格はかなりﾏﾒで手先器用だと理解してたが — ura (@uraurx) April 26, 2015
Tweet reads: He was a manga artist! It has been revealed that Yasuo Yamamoto, who landed a drone on the roof of the prime minister's residence, is also a manga artist. It helps explain how he was so fastidious in taking apart the drone to paint every single last piece black.
Quoted below: Yasuo Yamamoto is a manga artist. While the themes may be brutal if you feel that you absolutely must check it out, all you have to do is sign up and you can read his manga for free on the Internet. Following his drone stunt, Yamamoto has been arrested on suspicion of interfering with official duties. This is what he says is his blog.
Based on his blog, the online consensus in Japan is that Yasuo Yamamoto is most likely not a bona fide nuclear protester but is instead a bit of an eccentric.
Japanese netizens, however, have found his manga, available for free online, irresistible.
官邸ドローン事件の山本泰雄の描いた漫画が凄過ぎる！いろいろな意味で – 夕日新聞 http://t.co/2t1yOTJ6yu #news @yuuhinewsから
— 夕日新聞 (@yuuhinews) April 27, 2015
Here's the manga created by Yasuo Yamamoto, the man suspected of landing a drone on the roof of the prime minister's residence. It's totally amazing, in a variety of ways. – Yuuhi Shimbun.
Caption: HELLO WORKER
Caption below: Yasuo Yamamoto uploaded his own original manga to manga-sharing site Nico Nico Manga. Yamamoto's manga is called “HELLO WORKER” and has become a hot topic online. While the themes are unsettling, Yamamoto's drawing style is compelling.
Yamamoto's manga is disconcerting to read, but makes for absorbing reading.
官邸ドローン事件、山本泰雄容疑者は漫画家志望だった？ 容疑者描いた漫画が面白いと話題に http://t.co/Wg5bk98YL0 :２ろぐちゃんねる #2ちゃん #まとめ #2ch pic.twitter.com/p7vb1tUUTm
— ２ろぐちゃんねる (@2log_ch) April 27, 2015
Did Yasuo Yamamoto dream of becoming a manga artist? Yamamoto's manga is compelling and has become a hot topic.
The tweet above links to a summary of a 2chan discussion that features extracts from Yamamoto's manga, followed by a long discussion thread. 2chan is Japan's largest online community, similar in size, scope and tone to Reddit.
Yasuo Yamamoto's drone exploits have also caught the attention of famed director Mamoru Oshii. Oshii, whose popular movies include cyberpunk classic Ghost in the Shell, has long explored how humans interact with technology.
In an interview with movie news site eiga.com, Oshii said:
「あれが出てきた瞬間に、テロの有効手段だと思った。撮影でも使ったし、現場でも“これに爆弾をつるせないか”という話もしていた」と大胆発言。そして、「映画はウソだからいいけれど、今は現実の方が先にいっているから、やりにくいといわれればやりにくい」
As soon as I heard what happened at the prime minister's residence, I thought drones could be an effective weapon for terrorists. I myself have used drones on film shoots, and when on location I've thought, “You know you could deliver a bomb with a drone.” While movies are make-believe, what used to be fiction is now becoming closer to reality.

author: Nevin Thompson


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From #GoHomeIndianMedia, Nepal Turns to #ComeBackIndianBarber · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

People are leaving the capital city and going back to their own villages after the massive earthquake in Kathmandu. Image by Sunil Sharma. Copyright Demotix (28/4/2015)
The mass exodus from the Kathmandu Valley after two back-to-back earthquakes has dealt a severe blow to daily life in the area. Daily wage labourers, vegetable vendors, shopkeepers, drivers, and professionals from all walks of life have left the valley to return to their homes. Some go back to help rebuild, or to check on relatives and loved ones, while most people are simply frightened and frustrated by the continuous tremors beneath their feet.
Within a week after the first tremor, almost 800,000 people left the Kathmandu Valley. Afterwards, as the situation was returning to normal, people started coming back. Following the second quake on May 12, however, the exodus began anew.
As a result, the valley is facing a shortage of manpower just as the need for labourers to make repairs spikes. Likewise, the local economy has suffered, though the situation is normalising once again. As reported by Republica Daily, shortages have in turn slowed Kathmandu’s recovery.
Interrupted supplies of essential goods continue to keep several local factories out of service, and commodity prices have skyrocketed, as labor grows more scarce and transport costs more expensive.
Motorcyclists drive next to debris of collapsed houses in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Image by Sunil Sharma. Copyright Demotix (15/5/2015)
Many of the area's barbers, mostly coming from the southern plains of Nepal and neighbouring India, have also left the valley. Due to this, many barber shops have closed and Kathmanduites are having an unusually hard time getting a haircut. The hair salons that are still open have witnessed long queues of customers with the barbers getting no time even for lunch breaks.
Confronted by the scarcity of barbers, Internet users have started using the rapidly-popular hashtag #ComeBackIndianBarber on Twitter:
कपाल ठुलो भयछ काटु भनेको कतै खुल्या देखिदैन सैलुन अब येतै बाट बोलाउनुपर्ने भयो बारबारलाई #ComebackIndianBarber भनेर |
— आदर्श -_- (@iamadaa10) May 11, 2015
[My] hair has grown. To get a haircut [I] don’t see any salon open. Now need to call barber from here by saying #ComeBackIndianBarber
Cartoons showing men with long unkempt hair have been making the rounds on social media, as well. One image shows a before-and-after scenario, where a man after the earthquake is shown sporting a grown mustache, beard, and hair.
#Come_Nepal_Indian_Barber !!! pic.twitter.com/E1aLo7Zmru
— Saroj Ghimire (@FCB_Saroj) May 11, 2015
Likewise, another cartoon by Barun Pokhrel shows men with long hair, beards, and mustaches roaming the streets, navigating the rubble aftermath of the earthquakes:
परनिर्भरताको हद् । हजाम जति मोतिहारी र दरभङ्गा तिर लागेपछी काठमान्डौको हालत । pic.twitter.com/sFwKpYtcUy
— B-Company (@brnpkrl) May 16, 2015
The height of dependency. Kathmandu after the barbers left for Motihari and Darbhanga [India].
Responding to the scarcity of barbers, the Ministry of Industry is reportedly considering launching a new program to provide haircutting training to local youth in Kathmandu. Officials are also planning to offer mason training in villages to help prepare technicians to rebuild houses in quake-affected villages.
Called by the moniker “Bhaiya,” meaning “brother” in Hindi, Kathmandu's barbers were typically looked down upon. With the earthquake, however, they've become one of the area's most sought-after professionals. This is the right time to respect the profession and call them with alternate names (like “dai” meaning elder brother in Nepali) that are pleasing to the barbers. So that they don’t feel offended. I tweeted:
Why only #ComeBackIndianBarber? #ComeBackTeraiBarber, as most are from the southern plains. Time to replace Bhaiya w/ Dai.
— Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) May 17, 2015

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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Global Voices Partners With The Balochistan Point · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Global Voices has launched a new partnership with Balochistan Point, an English language news site that writes under-reported stories from Pakistan's southwestern province.
The Balochistan Point initiated in 2010 to highlight important news from an area which Pakistan's national online, broadcast and print media largely ignores.
Adnan Amir, the editor at Balochistan Point hopes “unreported news stories from Balochistan will reach a global audience through its partnership with Global Voices.”
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest yet least-populated province. It is its poorest and most under-developed, but is rich in natural resources like coal, natural gas and copper. The Balochistan Point website explains:
The electronic and print media in Pakistan in general, and in Balochistan, in particular has failed to highlight the most important issues of Balochistan. Therefore, there is a stronger need than ever for an alternative platform to report the ignored issues about Balochistan […]
We stand for human rights, democracy, social and economic justice. The newspaper aims to mirror Balochistan. The volunteers of Balochistan Point launched it to keep reporting on human rights abuse, political, social and economic issues of Balochistan. Our center of focus is Balochistan but we are not limited to it. We also report on important issues at a national level that has implications for the Balochistan province and its people.
Like Global Voices, Balochistan Point is driven by volunteers and its “doors are always open to aspiring writers.” Global Voices will republish Balochistan Point content regularly. Sometimes we will edit their stories to add context and tailor them for our global audience.
We kick off this partnership with three articles Risking Their Lives to Save Pakistanis From Polio,  How a Bus Stop Row is Crippling Public Transport in Balochistan's Capital and For Pakistan's Struggling National Airline, Balochistan Comes Last.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Second Most Spoken Languages in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Don Osborne discusses a news feature on the Olivet Nazarene University website showing a map of “The Second Most Spoken Languages Around the World.” He points out key problems from the map:
The first issue is assuming that “The most spoken language in any country is often obvious; usually, it’s the official language of the country.” In Africa this often is not the case, if by “most spoken” one counts number of speakers. An example is Mali, whose linguistic profile was explored on this blog in discussing the long-tail of languages – Bambara is certainly more used than the official French.
Official language is a category that doesn't lend itself to ranking use of languages in Africa, beyond the (admittedly important) context of official use and its spillover to popular use. In the case of two countries at least, this runs into additional problems:
•South Africa has 11 official languages (the Olivet site incorrectly lists only one of them – Zulu – as official). So one of the official languages will be second most spoken. Perhaps that is Xhosa as indicated, but the model focusing on official languages hasn't worked here.
•Rwanda has three official languages (Kinyarwanda, French, and English), and Central African Republic two (Sango and French). Since the site doesn't consider these official languages in discussing second most widely spoken, it is reduced to stating that Swahili is “second” most used in Rwanda, and that indigenous languages are used in CAR – which doesn't tell us much.
Read part 2 of his discussion here.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Verdict Delayed in Detained Iranian Artist Atena Farghadani’s Trial · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Atena Farghadani stood trial on Tuesday, May 18 for charges of insulting members of parliament and spreading propaganda against the system. Image taken from the ‘Free Atena’ Facebook page.
Atena Farghadani, a 28-year-old artist incarcerated for charges stemming from a cartoon she drew about access to contraception in Iran, went to trial on Tuesday, May 19. After the court session, the judge declared that an official verdict would be made known in anywhere between a week and 20 days. In the interim, she remains detained.
The Facebook page supporting her case posted the following update:
دادگاه آتنا فرقدانی برگزار شد
دادگاه #آتنا_فرقدانی فعال مدنی و نقاش منتقد، امروز سه شنبه ۲۹ اردیبهشت ماه ۱۳۹۴ جهت رسیدگی به پرونده و تفهیم اتهام در شعبه ۱۵ دادگاه انقلاب به ریاست «قاضی صلواتی» برگزار شد.
امروز فضای اطراف دادگاه به شدت امنیتی بوده و از هر گونه تجمعی جلوگیری میشده است، حتی ورود وکلا و پرسنل دادگاه هم به دفتر قاضی صلواتی ممنوع بوده است و رفت و آمدها در طبقه ی دوم دادگاه کنترل میشده است.
در این دادگاه وکیل پرونده دفاعیات خود را نسبت به پرونده موکلش بیان و #آتنا_فرقدانی نیز اظهارات و دفاعیات خود را بیان کرده است.
در پایان دادگاه «قاضی صلواتی» اعلام کرده است که حکم نهایی در مورد آتنا فرقدانی یک هفته تا ۲۰ روز دیگر اعلام خواهد شد.
The trial of Atena Farghadani has been held.
The trial of #Atena_Farghadani the activist, critic and painter was held in Revolutionary Court Tuesday, May 19. The case and charges were handled by Judge Salavati.
Today, the space around the court was highly tense and security was tight, even the lawyers and court personnel were not allowed to be around Judge Salavati without screening, and all the people was screened on the second floor of the court.
In court, Atena's lawyer discussed and presented his client's case, with his comments and defence.
At the end of the court session, Judge Salavati announced that the final verdict would be released in one week to 20 days.
Farghadani is charged with spreading propaganda against the system; insulting members of parliament through paintings; and insulting the supreme leader. The image that led to her arrest depicts Iran's members of parliament as animals voting on law that will restrict access to contraception and criminalise voluntary sterilisation, severely curtailing women's rights.
Atena's cartoon depicting members of the Iranian parliament as animals voting on the prohibition of voluntary permanent contraception, or vasectomies. Image taken from ‘Free Atena’ Facebook page.
Her initial arrest came in August 2014, when she was held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods of time in Evin prison. She was released in December, but was detained again after publicly discussing her mistreatment by the prison guards.
According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency, Judge Abu’l-Qasim Salavati summoned Farghadani in January following her public discussions of the mistreatment she faced by prison guards during the first period of her incarceration.
In an open letter to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Farghadani posted the following in response to Judge Salavati's January summons:
I will be present at the 15th Branch Revolutionary court on Moallem street at 8:30 AM on Saturday, the 10th of January, before judge Salavati… I know this Saturday I will be in a court that screams injustice. I will be present before a judge who for years has skewed the balance of justice. I, therefore, must pay retribution for defending my beloved defenseless people. Inasmuch as, for many years, nowhere in my country have I ever seen any official occupy his post, and each of us has had our positions change in different ways, I, the accused, sit and proudly present my written defense to one who for 25-some-odd years has not only preserved and protected his own position, but who also sits as the head of all three branches of government…..What you call an “insult to representatives of the parliament by means of cartoons” I consider to be an artistic expression of the home of our nation (parliament), which our nation does not deserve!
Want to help? Find Amnesty International's call to action here, and continue to support Farghadani on social media.

author: Mahsa Alimardani


text:
Why Are Latin Americans Naming Their Children ‘Onur’ and ‘Sherezade’? · Global Voices
Patricia Carolina Saucedo Añez

The Turkish soap opera “1001 nights” has been emitted successfully in several Latin American countries and has also had a noticeable effect on culture. Photo by Ecuavisa and published under license.
As a genre of entertainment, soap operas are often dismissed as the stuff of the masses, and disregarded as amusement for women and the working class. New research, however, suggests that soap operas possess a unique ability to mediate how people absorb new content. New developments in the way whole nations watch soap operas also suggest that the entertainment medium could even highlight a new direction for globalization, in general.
For years, Latin America has been the world's quintessential producer and exporter of soap operas, enjoying commercial success both inside and outside the region. Things are changing, however, and Latin America also now imports several popular foreign soap operas, such as the Turkish melodrama One Thousand and One Nights.
The series stars a widowed architect with an ill child, Sherezade Eviyaoglu, who agrees to spend one night with her multimillionaire boss, Onour Aksal, to earn the money to pay for her child's medical treatment. The two ultimately fall in love, but not before getting involved in countless amorous intrigues and misunderstandings that keep a happy resolution at bay.
The particularity of this classic culebrón (a name given to soaps in Latin America that comes from the word culebra, or “snake“) is that it could have very well been set Latin America, but it is not. The show's familiar enough story takes place in Turkey, which provides scenery that is exotic for many watching in Latin America.
It is precisely this exotic quality that seems to have won over the Latin American public. In Argentina, the show has helped propelled its local distributor, Canal 13, to some enormously high ratings:
#Rating CÓRDOBA > arrasa #LasMilyUnaNoches que supera los 30.0 y se convierte en lo más visto por El Doce. pic.twitter.com/kmKDtpBQvw
— RealTimeRating (@RealTimeRating) March 27, 2015
One Thousand and One Nights sweeps through, and goes over the 30.0 [rating points] and becomes the most popular [TV show] in El Doce.
Twitter users in Chile are fond of joking about the show:
Yo extraño las noches con @_OnurAksal en chile T.T #LasMilyUnaNoches pic.twitter.com/5bLzq6s5rI
— Gema_bayraktar (@Acuario81) January 20, 2015
I miss the nights with Onur Akasal in Chile.
The soap opera has also been highly successful in Colombia, where it was broadcast by Caracol TV.
FINAL #LasMilYUnaNoches entró en su recta final en Colombia en las tardes de @CaracolTV. RT si ves esta historia! RT @BlogRumoreS
— ColombiaTVNews (@ColombiaTVNews) February 10, 2015
FINAL One Hundred and One Nights runs into the last final [episodes] on Caracol TV in Colombia’s afternoons. RT if you see this story!
In Peru and Ecuador, One Thousand and One Nights is also making a lot of noise:
@Latina_pe#LasMilyUnaNoches Todo el Perú paralizado para ver la novela. Esta buenísima!
— Alexandra Herrera (@alelhe) April 2, 2015
The whole of Peru has stopped to watch this soap opera. It's great!
#LasMilyUnaNoches cada día se pone mejor!! Me encanta @ecuavisa @MilYUnaNochesOk
— Sofía (@sofitafloval) April 9, 2015
One Thousand and One Nigts gets better by the day! I love it!
In Uruguay, Canal 10 also promotes the melodrama with excitement:
¡Se viene el capítulo de hoy! ¿Qué pasará entre Kerem y Onur? #LasMilyUnaNoches10 @canal10Uruguay pic.twitter.com/RGE6JRjWsw
— Las mil y una noches (@MilyUnaNoches10) April 1, 2015
Today's episode is coming! What will happen between Kerem and Onur?
Recently, Unitel released the soap opera in Bolivia:
En este momento por las pantallas de UNITEL el GRAN ESTRENO de ‘LAS MIL Y UNA NOCHES’ #Lasmilyunanoches… http://t.co/uhxPJZoUzI
— Unitel Bolivia (@unitelbolivia) March 3, 2015
Right now on UNITEL‘S screens the BIG PREMIERE of ‘ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS’ [is on].
The show has enjoyed similar success in Chile and Argentina, where parents are naming their children after the characters “Onur” and “Sherezade”:
#LasMilyUnaNoches una curiosidad desde que se estreno la novela en Chile se empezó a aceptar los nombres ONUR y Sherezade para los niños
— Mosquita Muerta (@MoskitaMuertaOk) January 17, 2015
It's curious, since the soap opera was released in Chile, “Onur” and “Sherezade” names have been accepted as children's names:
Not everyone online, however, welcomes this new enthusiasm for naming people after the show's characters:
Como le va a explicar esta madre a su hijo el día de mañana, que le puso de nombre “Onur” por una novela que estuvo de moda en el 2015…
— Sir Thomas William (@TomiKlimo) April 1, 2015
How is this woman going to explain to her child that he/she was named “Onur” because of a popular soap opera in 2015…
Cómo le vas a poner Onur a tu hijo? esa novela está creando monstruos.
— Malvina (@Malvina_F) April 1, 2015
Why in the world would you name your child Onur? This soap is creating monsters.
Others have criticized the gender inequalities that One Hundred and One Nights seems to encourage:
Éxitos indiscutibles de “Las mil y una noches”, y “50 sombras de Grey”. Siglo XXI y el machismo parece estar muy lejos de erradicarse.-
— Melisa sp. (@MelisaAlberti) April 1, 2015
Undoubted success for “One thousand and one nights” and “50 Shades of Grey”. [It is the] 21st century, and sexism still seems far from eradicated.
Some of the criticism of the show has been political, as well. For example, the Armenian community in Argentina condemns the soap opera, calling it Turkish propaganda. The community seems to object to any cultural imports from Turkey, in light of Ankara's refusal to recognize the genocide committed against the Armenian people 100 years ago.
Despite show's many detractors, it remains a triumph among Latin American audiences. In May 2015, Concept Media, an Argentinian consulting group, published a qualitative survey about One Thousand and One Nights, concluding that part of the show's appeal is its “close exoticism” that allows the Argentinian public to approach a remote culture that is seemingly not so different from their own. At the same time, the focus group underlined that the TV show is familiar to viewers with all the classic melodramatic elements of a soap opera, highlighting the use of love stories without sex scenes as an element that has attracted audiences accustomed to the use of sex scenes in local productions as ratings boosters.
But the success of these soap operas has not been exclusive to Latin America. In fact, in the Arab world, a similar phenomenon has taken place, with both fans and critics. This could be seen as a response to the supposed “Westernization” of the so-called “Third World”, where societies of the Global South are said to prefer media and entertainment from the West above any other region.
These cultural exchanges also raise questions about the possibility of intersections between “peripheral” societies, such as Turkey and Latin America—two regions that, despite their differences, are comparable in many ways. Cultural exchanges like the export and import of soap operas could open up what was once a privileged space, creating new possibilities for a more horizontal kind of globalization through the flow of cultural products, even when the products in question are mass-produced, conservative, highly commercial, and from countries involved in widespread censorship.

author: Patricia Carolina Saucedo Añez


text:
Why Is Pakistan’s Balochistan Shut Out of Its Own Natural Gas Reserves? · Global Voices
Pak Voices

Quetta, Pakistan. 12 December 2011 — Residents of Pasthoonbagh Nechari road gather at Sui Southern Gas Company office to protest against low pressure of Sui gas in their area in Quetta. Photo by ppiimages. Copyright Demotix
This post was written by Feroz Jan in Urdu and translated by Salman Latif for PakVoices. An edited version appears below.
Balochistan is the most underdeveloped province of Pakistan, and Dera Bugti is one of the most underdeveloped parts of this province. In Dera Bugti is located Sui, the area which has come to be the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.
Natural gas was discovered at Sui gas field in 1952 and by 1955, this gas was being supplied to different parts of Pakistan. Being discovered in the Sui fields, natural gas in Pakistan came to be called ‘Sui gas’. The two leading state-owned distribution gas companies in Pakistan go by the names ‘Sui Southern Gas Company‘ and ‘Sui Northern Gas Company.’
It is important to note here that the first provinces to get supply from Sui gas were Punjab and Sindh. On the other hand, 60 years have elapsed since the discovery and yet, only 14 townships in the 30 districts of Balochistan enjoy natural gas supply. Sui, the town which is a mere four miles from the gas discovery site, itself has no gas supply and people are forced to use wood and coal as fuel.
Even in the provincial capital of Balochistan, Quetta, Sui gas supply came as late as 1970. Then in 1990, Hub was also provided gas supply because it had become an industrial area.
Despite being the site of Sui gas, Balochistan continues to be shut out of the supply. Balochistan Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Mr. Jam Kamaal recently said, ‘We are considering the option of importing Sui gas from Iran’ — meaning that he was unaware that ‘Sui gas’ is a name specifically ascribed to the gas extracted from Sui gas fields, and that any natural gas imported from Iran will simply be natural gas.
The ridiculous statement also reflects a serious problem: that the federal and provincial governments seemingly have no plans of ensuring more widespread gas supply in Balochistan and rather look to foreign imports to meet the province's fuel needs.
It is pertinent to note that Article 158 of Pakistan’s Constitution reads:
The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from the well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day.
Which simply means that the discovery of any natural resources must first benefit the province where the discovery has been made. Sadly, the inverse is true in the case of Balochistan and its Sui gas field.
Some argue that given the scattered settlements and rough terrains in Balochistan, it is a problem to ensure gas supply to these remote areas. However, Sui gas is being supplied to some of the remotest areas of Punjab and Sindh provinces.
Below are some statistics about gas consumption in Pakistan, taken from Pakistan Annual Energy Book 2007:
According to the Energy Yearbook estimates of 2007, Balochistan accounted for 25-26% of the total natural gas production in Pakistan, down from a 56% share in 1995. That same year, Balochistan consumed nearly 5.81% of this total national produce. Since Sui gas fields are the only gas fields in Balochistan engaged in active production, they account for the province's entire share in natural gas.
Being deprived of a fair share of Sui gas for the last 60 years is one of the key grievances of the people of Balochistan. And from the looks of it, this will continue to be the case.
These days, numerous promises are being made to turn the city of Gwadar into a hub of industry, trade and development. But the sad fact is that Gwadar lacks some of the most basic amenities such as clean water. Not only that, only some 10% of the population enjoys gas supply while the rest wait for the fulfillment of grand promises.
In the absence of gas supply, people in Gwadar have to buy wood, coal and petrol to meet their fuel needs. A resident of Gwadar express their views on this issue in the following words (translation is below):
Q: What difficulties do you have to face due to lack of domestic Sui gas supply in Gwadar?
Zahid Baloch: Domestically, we have a dire need for Sui gas supply. In its absence, we have to resort to burning wood for household fuel needs. There are areas where Sui gas is available in Gwadar but these are areas where bigwig politicians and the elites reside.
But in our homes and areas, there is no such supply. Some houses along Airport Road also have access to Sui gas but again, these are households which are rich. On the other hand, the poor who are most urgently in need of a more affordable fuel, are the ones who are not provided Sui gas.
Today, the Pakistani state should consider the fact that Balochistan, being the producer of Sui gas, deserves to benefit from it fairly. Steps taken towards meeting this demand would diminish the sense of deprivation that is widely felt by the people of Balochistan.
On the other hand, continuing the policy of discrimination against Balochistan by depriving it of its rightful share in natural resources will only widen the gulf of distrust between the people of Balochistan and the rest of the country.

author: Pak Voices