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Caucasus: Frozen Conflicts, Forgotten Lives? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.
Overshadowed by the conflict in the former Yugoslavia at roughly the same time, the three conflicts waged in the South Caucasus in the early 1990s remain as neglected by the international media as ever. Over a million people were forced to flee their homes as war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, while nearly half that figure were displaced when Georgia lost control over its two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at roughly the same time.
True, a resurgence in fighting over South Ossetia culminating in the war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008 might have made international headlines, but the plight of refugees and IDPs in the South Caucasus rarely does, once ceasefire agreements are signed.
Meanwhile, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the breakaway territories of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh, the local media rarely deals with the problems facing refugees and IDP communities unless they can be used to propagandize against the ‘enemy.’
Instead, refugees and IDP issues are generally covered by international development and humanitarian organizations themselves, usually in the interest of raising awareness among donors. Meanwhile, none of the three conflicts show any sign of being resolved in the near future, further casting a shadow over the fate of those displaced by war.
Ethnic Armenian refugee from Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik Krikorian 1994
However, as new and social media empowers more people in the region, even if only in terms of access to information, some of the voices of the refugees and IDPs themselves can finally be found online. An example of this can be found on iDP Voices, a project supported by the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, and Panos London.
Containing the stories of 29 IDPs from South Ossetia and Abkhazia collected by interviewers and presented in text and audio form, an electronic version in PDF format is also available for download.
When did you last listen to a displaced person and grasp the impact of displacement? Did you ever think what it means to lose close family members in conflict, lose all your belongings and to be uprooted from your place of origin? […] These direct voices have the power to cut through prejudice and political agendas, they speak for themselves.
The focus is on universal human experiences and responses, not specific political issues. By reading what the displaced people themselves want to tell us, we may learn what is important to them and what issues they are particularly concerned about. […] It allows us to glean the reality behind generalised notions of displacement. The stories stand alone with little analysis added – their power lies in their offering of images, a voice, sensations, feelings, hopes and dreams. […]
One such voice is Teah, a 30-year-old Georgian who fled Abkhazia and who says “she dreams of an “ordinary life” for all Georgians and Abkhazians, who must “forgive each other everything.”
[…] I try to speak to both Georgians and Abkhazians. It is impossible to hate each other; we have made enough mistakes without adding that one as well! We should forgive each other and ourselves too. And one more thing: there has to be the will on both sides to achieve more trust and good relations. One party alone cannot solve anything.
I think these borders [between Abkhazia and Georgia] should be opened so that people can communicate with each other. Dialogue comes first, that can lead to trust…
[…] Only after talking about our own tragedies did we truly learn about each other and start to love each other. It took time to trust each other.
It was when we believed that we understood each other’s pain, when this moment came, that we could sit down and talk openly – without aggression, without accusations.
Such narratives told entirely from the first person are rare, however, although there are some exceptions. For example, international donors have funded the airing of refugee issues on local radio stations although these are often short lived, and one young ethnic Azeri refugee wrote two guest entries for own personal project which also forms part of Global Voices’ Caucasus Conflict Voices coverage.
The first was written in English before being voluntarily translated into Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian:
[…] I was only four when I left Armenia, but in retrospect I don’t know whether that’s fortunate or not as I am unable to remember everything I left behind. But I do remember our house, our garden, the playground, my friends, my apple tree, and the rooster which I loved so much.
After arriving in Azerbaijan I used to dream about our house and walking in the ruins of our village. At some point, however, everything just faded away. Even so, my family have never lost their belief that one day we will go back home. We believe that two neighbors who have lived together for centuries will come together again even if evil has never left them alone and always whispers hatred.
[…]
In Azerbaijan, we kept ourselves apart from the local culture for many years and couldn’t adjust back to our ethnic roots. Being treated as a stranger made it even more difficult. Azerbaijanis from Armenia segregated themselves from the rest as a result and united among themselves. Discrimination towards us was everywhere. It was in the kindergarten I went to, in the primary school, and even in our social life.
[…]
This war made me a Peacemaker although I am very new in this area. My struggle is more complicated, however, because on the one hand I have to help those who are in conflict, and on the other help myself.
But if most refugees and IDPs are deprived of a voice in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, their stories are at least conveyed from time to time in independent media projects online. One example is a recent blog-based project conducted by the  International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN) and the European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI)-Caucasus.
Originally written in Russian, but also translated and available in English, one post co-penned by an Azerbaijani and Georgian journalist offers an insight into the hopes of refugees and IDPs in their own countries:
“Good neighborhood,” I was told by one refugee from the settlement of Dashalti in Nagorno-Karabkah, “this is when the people live not on the ‘other side’ and are divided by a line, but when they live near and next to one another, when they set up family, they visit one another and national identity does not matter in the least. For many centuries it was believed that the land belongs to those who live on it, who work on it. The rest was invented by the politicians. […]
Experience shows us that those who saw with their own eyes sorrow and worry and felt in their own hearts the trouble of their native country will never accept that it is lost. But at the same time they never want to repeat the same horrors, and they never strive for war. All the refugees who talked with us in Azerbaijan want to go back to their small native land and to live peacefully with Armenians.
The sentiment is not peculiar to Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs, and can often be heard from their Armenian counterparts who were also forced to flee during the tit-for-tat expulsions and mutual ethnic cleansing that defined the Karabakh conflict. However, the reach of such narratives remains small given relatively low Internet penetration and usage in the region. Television, the main information source for most citizens, remains particularly off-limits for alternative narratives on conflict.
Even so, videos including the stories of refugees and IDPs, such as these on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict rounded up by Global Voices here and here, are at least available online. Unfortunately, however, what few projects did exist to empower refugees and IDPs themselves through new and social media do not appear to have succeeded. Nevertheless, as Internet penetration increases, the potential is there.
This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China: 200 dogs rescued in Sichuan · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fan Huang from Shanghaiist reports on the dog rescue action in Sichuan, Pengzhou. The 200 dogs were transporting to Guangdong province for consumption when animal activists stop the truck.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: A Guangdong Village on the Verge of a Brutal Crackdown · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Since September 2011, hundreds of villagers from Wukan village in Guangdong's Lufeng city have begun demonstrating against illegal land acquisition and last week, armed police entered the village and arrested a number of protest organizers.
Yesterday, it was revealed that a leader of the protesting villagers, Xue Jinbo, was found dead in a police detention center three days after his arrest. Police claimed that he had a heart attack, but his family say Xue was tortured to death. While the villagers are outraged by the suspected murder of Xue and are prepared to carry on struggles with local authorities, many concerned netizens worry that the incident will develop into bloody repression.
According to reports from Hong Kong newspapers, the piece of collective land involved is worth more than RMB 700 million. On September 22, Hong Kong developer Chan Man Ching, along with a large number of local gangsters, forcibly entered the village and beat up the protestors. Thousands of villagers then surrounded the Lufeng county government building on November 21, and local authorities promised villagers that the dispute would be settled village representatives re-elected within 15 days. Below is a short documentary produced by China Sun TV on the Wukan villagers’ protests:
However, when the deadline arrive, instead of fulfilling its promise, the local government took action to arrest protest organizers beginning December 3. In response, the villagers placed the village Communist Party Committee office under siege on December 5. On December 10, thousands of villagers blocked the road to the village upon receiving the news that the police would take action in making widespread arrests.
Armed police surrounded the village
Xue Jinbo's photo via the Chinese Human Rights Defenders website
Twitter user @milpitas95035 reported on the situation [zh]:
广东陆丰乌坎村于今天（12月11日）凌晨四点半左右，一千多名全副武装的警察准备再次进村抓捕。村民闻讯敲响铜锣，五千多村民拿起棍棒、农具把守村口，与警察对峙。期间警察发射五十多枚催泪弹和其它弹药，上午7点左右村民被迫撤离村口，之后警察全部撒离。据说同一时间，其他镇发生了游行示威。
News of Xue Jinbo's death surfaced at this time. Twitter user @fumanduo helped villagers spread the news via Twitter [zh]:
：【关注乌坎】村民消息：目前薛锦波遗体在海丰殡仪馆，村民看到薛身上多处被打到皮开肉绽，家属希望领回遗体遭到拒绝．目前村外大批警察集结，进出不便．村民正在开会，准备下午冲出乌坎，再次上＃访
After the meeting, villagers urged friends and extended family members from Lufeng currently away from the village to come home and protect their homeland. Via @fumanduo [zh]:
乌坎人正排队等公安来抓。村民在网上发出紧急通告，呼吁所有陆丰人速回当地保卫家乡http://pic.twitter.com/BON71kH0
Villagers also redecorated the village committee building into a funeral parlor (via @yoke1007):
The suspected murder of Xue makes Beijing reporter Liu Xiannan very pessimistic [zh] about the development of the Wukan incident:
薛锦波之死，标志着乌坎理性维权模式的失败与破产。理性与非理性，在强权面前，已皆为绝途。
Foreign conspiracy theory again!
Indeed, local media reports are either downplaying the Wukan incident or interpreting it as foreign conspiracy. One bitter peasant writing on Sina Weibo exclaims [zh]:
陸丰政府先斷我們網絡再斷我們糧食。。我們做錯了什麼？要在我們烏坎村貪48億省政府你們就眼睜睜看着一万多人餓死？在外做事的人有家回不得這社會還有天理。。媒體全部听汕尾一句宣告就胡亂報導。記者請用職業道德去現場了解吧。南都，廣州日报，羊城晚报，今日一线们不要用假新闻去迷惑百姓吧
Twitter user @pangjiaoming is very angry that Guangdong authority has labelled the incident as foreign conspiracy [zh]:
还没起床拿IPAD看新闻，惊闻广东当局指责乌坎事件有境外势力参与。什么境外势力？不就是浩浩荡荡的民主潮流么！孙文先生之三民诉求，民主、民权、民生一个都没落实好！求求双头鹰老毛子，把中国的领土还回来，把境外势力共产党带回去！
Writer He Sanwei from Sina Weibo points out [zh]:
就算是“境外反动势力插手”了，也不是原罪，还要看做的什么知道吗？今天的中国不是还派出部队去插手外国，还称为维和不是吗？今天的中国政府不就是境外反动势力插手建立的吗？今天的联合国人权公约和政治公约，不都是由境外反动势力发起，中国作为联合国成员国最后承认和签署的吗？郑雁雄书记你说呢？
Political news commentator Zhu Zhiyong rightly points out [zh] that the rhetoric of “foreign intervention” is to justify a brutal crackdown:
广东陆丰群体事件公开打出反对独裁口号，为大陆群体事件历史上第一次，无疑有深刻政治背景。目前在阴谋论定调下抓捕行动正在进行中。汕尾市委书记郑雁雄特别强调，有境外势力插手。既然如此，中国公众需要真相，不得含糊其辞，是哪个国家，什么势力！怎样插手？用了什么手段？请郑雁雄书记明白交代！！


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China, U.S.A: Housing Prices · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan from China Law Blog compares the housing prices among cities in China and U.S.A.


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Cuba: Christmas Lights, No Human Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In the long list of the words forbidden in my childhood, there were two in particular that were censored: ‘Christmas’ and ‘Human Rights'”, writes Generation Y, explaining that Christmas has become acknowledged – unlike human rights; Uncommon Sense supports her claim by quoting “one of the island's preeminent human rights activists”, who says that “the first 10 days of December, culminating with International Human Rights Day on Saturday, saw a record round of repression in Cuba.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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El Salvador: Funes Administration Increases Number of Soldiers · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“During the first two and a half years of the Funes Administration, the military has grown by 6300 soldiers, a 57% increase, to a total of 17,000,” Voices from El Salvador reports in a post that looks into increased military spending in the Mauricio Funes Administration.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Estonia: Language and History · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Giustino of Ithing for Eestimaa discusses Estonians’ obsession with language – and especially their own as opposed to Russian – against the backdrop of a recent interview with the country's president Toomas Ilves.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Ghana: Ghana should not ban second-hand cars · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Ghanaian Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, says that legislation will be coming into Ghana to ban the importation of second -hand cars. Bello disagrees:”How are Ghanaians supposed to afford brand new cars? We don't have our own car manufacturing industry to drive costs down.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Greece: TEDxAthens, The Art of Disruption · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

On Saturday 3 December, 2011, TEDxAthens 2011 took place in the Cultural Center of the Hellenic World; a 12 hour long, 23 speech marathon, it was organized and supported by 38 volunteers. This year's theme was ‘The Art of Disruption’, as mentioned on the official website:
From Wikipedia and Twitter to Molecular Cuisine and the Tsunamis, our world is full of disruptions which redefine on a daily basis -some indeed more than the others- the way we live…It is now the time to rewrite the rules of the game and change. Everything.
This year's event also hosted TEDxAthens Challenge, a competition for interesting and innovative initiatives in education and learning with positive impact in everyday life. The winner was Urban Dig Project [el], whose aim was “to introduce the citizen to its city through impromptu theatrical performances at historical sites and buildings”.
From @TEDxAthens account.
The next program scheduled is TEDxAthens+Community, as announced at Twitter [el], which includes smaller events, such as brunches and dinners.
Reactions
A few days after the Saturday event, there were reports in various newspapers and news portals (such as articles in newspaper To Vima [el] and news portal in.gr [el]), as well as an extended graph analysis by BAAS, monitoring social media use and analyzing trends during all the TEDxAthens presentations.
TEDx speaker Chris Colwell sent thanks to all participants via a video from Dubai:
While speaker Joe Trippi expressed his enthusiasm in two tweets:
Enthusiasm and inspiration was also plain and clear from Greek netizens in  the audience, expressed through various social media platforms,  creating a unique buzz even for some days after the event [el]:
ilicon: Το κακό με το TEDx είναι ότι τέλειωσε. Το χειρότερο είναι ότι πρέπει να περιμένουμε έναν ολόκληρο χρόνο για το επόμενο.
Massive participation through Twitter updates and retweets also caused negative comments about both the #tedxath hashtag use and the “idealistic” concept of the event.
@tasos_hardcore: Tο #TEDxAth είναι λόγος unfollow .Ειλικρινά.
@mpodil: Άνεργοι και άστεγοι αυτού του κόσμου, δεν ξέρω αν το πιάσατε, αλλά αν δεν έχετε βρει δουλειά μέχρι το επόμενο #TEDxAth, εσείς θα ευθύνεστε
There were also several blog posts and articles from TEDx spectators. Dimitris Mallas noted [el] his key moments from speakers and Danos Tsakalos mentioned [el] the positive impact of the event the next day.
Mother blogger Aspa Tsamadi (@aspaonline) wrote her impressions both on her blog [el] and on a guest post [el] at xblog.gr:
Ζω ακόμα στο ρυθμό του TEDxAthens που έγινε το Σάββατο και είχε θέμα “Η Τέχνη της Ανατροπής”. Οι  εντυπώσεις, οι καλύτερες. Τα συναισθήματα, πολλά. Το όφελος για όσους  ήμασταν εκεί, τεράστιο. Έμπνευση, θετική ενέργεια και βεβαίως πολλές  “ιδέες που αξίζει να διαδοθούν”.
At same blog, Dimitris Tsounis wrote [el]:
Εν κατακλείδι, το TEDxAthens ήταν ένα event που ξεπέρασε τα Ελληνικά δεδομένα. Δεν έχει τίποτα να ζηλέψει από τα αντίστοιχα του εξωτερικού, πιο πιθανό είναι να συμβαίνει το αντίθετο μάλιστα. […] Προσωπικά πιστεύω ότι το ΤEDxAthens έδειξε ότι η ανατροπή ΕΙΝΑΙ  ΔΥΝΑΤΗ, ακόμα και στην Ελλάδα. Το μόνο που χρειάζεται είναι θέληση και  μεράκι.
Author Lena Divani, previously participated in TEDxThessaloniki 2011, expressed [el] the need for audience to “feel important” with a pinch of irony:
Σε είδα στο TEDx μαζί με εκατοντάδες άλλους σαν κι εσένα. Μοιάζατε πολύ.  Είχατε όλοι το ίδιο χαμόγελο της επιτυχίας, το ίδιο εκδρομικό ύφος κι  ένα smart phone ή μια ταμπλέτα στο χέρι για να βομβαρδίζετε τον έξω  κόσμο με εντυπώσεις από μέσα. Γιατί ένιωθες προνομιούχος που ήσουν μέσα.  Πως όχι; Δεν ήταν εύκολο! Είχες προνοήσει να παρακολουθείς τις  αναγγελίες, να στείλεις βιογραφικό (;!) νωρίς, παρακαλούσες να επιλεγείς  και να πληρώσεις 45 ευρώ για να πάρεις το πολυπόθητο εισιτήριο εισόδου  στην αίθουσα όπου αφηγούνται τα θαύματα. Δεν είναι που είσαι ψωνάρα,  ούτε που σου περίσσευαν 45 ευρώ. Είναι που έχεις τόσο απελπισμένη ανάγκη  να ακούσεις πως γίνονται πράγματα στη χώρα της αποσύνθεσης, πως  άνθρωποι σκέφτονται, διακρίνονται, επιχειρούν, τολμούν, οραματίζονται,  αστειεύονται, ελπίζουν. Και -κυρίως- να φανταστείς πως είσαι ένας  απ΄αυτούς…
Journalist Elena Papadimitriou (@elenapapad) emphasized [el] the key messages by various speakers: “Failure is OK”, “Don't be afraid”, “Happiness, not success, is important”. Illustrator and blogger Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos (@MilitaryRaiden) considers that “the main thing about TedxAthens though was not the speeches. It was never the speeches. It'll never be just about the speeches. It's about the meetings and the networking”.
While blogger Apostolos (@apas) argues [el] that:
Σε δύο προτάσεις: το φετινό TEDx Athens δεν ήταν ένα συνηθισμένο TEDx  event. Αντιθέτως, ήταν ένα TED event — ναι, σαν αυτό της California…
Maria Mouzakiti describes [el] her experience as member of the event's organisation team. To conclude, Java developer Paris Apostolopoulos (@javapapo) described his impressions [el] from various speakers and underlined the need for real actions:
Στην Ελλάδα δεν έχουμε ανάγκη από παραπάνω ενθάρρυνση  ούτε παρηγοριά.  Απο πράξεις έχουμε ανάγκη. Σε διοργανώσεις όπως το TED  πολλοί φεύγουν με  μια αίσθηση αισιοδοξίας ή ανωτερότητας για το υψηλό  νόημα ή ότι υπάρχει  ελπίδα ή ότι θα αλλάξει κάτι. Απο την στιγμή που  βγαίνεις και βγαίνω  και βγαίνουμε έξω συνεχίζουμε να είμαστε οι ίδιοι  μέτριοι Έλληνες  μικροαστοί  δεν γίνεται τίποτα. Αυτοί που  φοροδιαφεύγουμε, πετάμε την  τσίχλα στον δρόμο, κλείνουμε τις διαβάσεις,  καπνίζουμε όταν δεν θα  έπρεπε, είμαστε ωχαδερφιστές, μας αρέσει να  φιλοσοφούμε αλλά δεν  συγκρουόμαστε με τα κακώς κείμενα.
Catch-up with more information and participants’ impressions through TEDxAthens official website, blog, @TEDxAthens and @TEDxAcademy on Twitter, and also its Facebook page and Flickr gallery.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Guatemalan Children Caught in the Cycle of Starvation · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Guatemala Solidarity Network posts an article by Natasha Pizzey-Siegert entitled ‘The children of Guatemala are starving’ where she writes that, “a slow, deep hunger has been building in Guatemala for decades. And now it’s destroying a generation.”


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Haiti: Celebrity Visits Overshadow Real News  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I just don't get it. Why is it newsworthy that Kim Kardashian was in Haiti?”: Toussaint on Haiti “continue[s] to be baffled by the relative media silence around the effort of Haitians to hold the United Nations accountable” and asks: “How can we maintain attention on this issue until it gets the coverage that it deserves?”


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Iran:Female blogger was released · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Rahsanews says [fa] Rojin Mohammadi, female blogger and student released from jail in Tehran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Tehran won propaganda war against USA · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Ahestan writes [fa] displaying U.S. drone by Iranian forces, is a proof that Islamic Republic has won propaganda, political and media war against American government.


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Jamaica: Politics or Party?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Woman Tongue says of the new Prime Minister's choice of a December 29 election date: “If our PM/minister of education knew his history, he would never have dared to ‘mash up’ the holidays with politics. But ‘im young; im wi learn.’”


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Jamaica: Spy Games  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Active Voice blogs about “the spy plane the government didn’t see” and the effect that the admission of its existence is having on the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.


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Kenya: First World Problems in a Third World Country  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bankelele looks at first world problems in a third world country: “Ory (@kenyanpundit) reigned some of us with a recent comment that people are complaining on twitter about a lack of parking at the Junction Mall in Nairobi, while there are people near there who don't have enough food to eat.”


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Kenya: Nigerian Blogger’s Impression of Nairobi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian blogger, Nwachukwu, blogs about his visit to Nairobi: “Oyi ooo!  Nairobi welcomed me with a chilly breeze. I have never felt this cold before, to think that this is Africa…These guys are more adapted to the British – our common colonial masters. Most people bear their Christian ‘English’ names. Many cannot pronounce Nwachukwu!”


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Nigeria: My Interview With Santa Claus · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Crazy Nigerian interviews Santa Claus: “Me: There’s so much I’ve been dying to ask you…like why don’t you ever come to Nigeria? Santa: Oh, all the houses there don’t have any chimneys. Me: But you can’t expect chimneys in a country that’s hot virtually all year round! Santa: Sorry my boy, I can’t change a century-old tradition.”


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Paraguay: Photos of the Pilgrimage to Caacupé · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Yluux published a photo essay [es] on the pilgrimage to the city of Caacupé on December 7 and 8: “hundreds of thousands flock [to the city] from all over the country to pay homage to the Virgin of Caacupé.”


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Peru: Congress Approves Law Criminalizing Femicide · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

The Peruvian Congress has passed the text of law that includes and defines femicide as a crime, punishable by 25 years in prison. It specifies that femicide is murder committed against a spouse or cohabitant, or of a woman who has been involved in a relationship with the murderer.
Under current law, the murderer of a woman usually receives a sentence of six years in jail [es], with the possibility of release after two years through prison privilege programs and good behavior.
The Minister of Women's Affairs, Aida García Naranjo, stated that with this new law, women can expect additional support to report their attackers. “It's now up to us to prevent these crimes and tell women to report their attackers, because first offenses are never reported,” she told the local press [es], noting that according to statistics gathered by her sector, 11 women per month are impacted by femicide in Peru.
García Naranjo took the opportunity to highlight the campaigns of prevention and against violence against women [es] that her administration coordinates under the slogan “Stop the Hand”, through the Women's Emergency Center:
The text was approved with 90 votes in favor, 2 against, and 14 abstentions [es].
Fujimorista Congresswoman Martha Chávez, one of those who voted against the law, bases her stance in that [es], from her point of view, the law does not specify sufficiently what constitutes an intimate relationship “analogous to marriage or cohabitation, which could include a temporary relationship between a prostitute and her client, relations between lovers, couples, or adulterous couples”, she said, opining that this law “is completely flawed” [es].
On social media sites, it seems most agree that this law is a positive move, as Chrisstian Olivera (@Criss_Olivera) [es] comments:
Hoy el Congreso aprobó, por fin, la Ley contra el feminicidio. Sin duda, un gran logro para los derechos humanos de las mujeres.
A similar opinion was expressed by Twitter user Francheska (@francisdanna) [es]:
POR FIN UNA BUENA NOTICIA: APRUEBAN LEY DE FEMINICIDIO… URRA URRA El proyecto de ley de feminicidio fue…
On Facebook, Lili Alegría [es] joins this train of thought and adds:
Ahora ya no sera tan fácil y gratuito seguir torturando y asesinando a las mujeres y pasar como mucho 9 años en la cárcel como lo era con la anterior ley!!
Rocío Silva Santisteban (@pavese) [es] thinks the law should be accompanied by other actions:
Buena noticia pero sanciones no arreglan todo “@an_web Congreso aprueba que el feminicidio sea considerado como delito http://fb.me/15e3UA6KG”
There are also those who don't agree and even think the law is “stupid”, like Adonías Ramírez (@adoniasramirez) [es]:
Esta ley del feminicidio si q es una tonteria, ahora que den una ley a favor del hombricidio, golpear, matar discapacitados, homoxesuales
Juan Carlos Luján (@juancarloslujan) [es] asks:
@cesarlopezca Sí, espero que algún abogado aclare. ¿En qué se diferencian feminicidio y homicidio?
Neither does Miguel Manrique (@mickymh) [es] think this law provides real solutions:
Lo peor es que no se dan cuenta que la Ley de Feminicidio no es la respuesta a la reduccion de los homicidios contra mujeres
Mariela Gambini (@Marielagb) [es] expresses skepticism about the actual effectiveness of this law:
a ver cuanto caso le hacen a la ley del feminicidio recién aprobada por el pleno…
President Ollanta Humala is expected to enact this law at any moment.
According to official records [es], 64 cases of femicide have been reported this year, somewhat less than the 108 cases reported in 2009 and the 95 in 2010.

author: Isabel Guerra


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Poland: Netizens Debate Proposal to Re-Introduce Death Penalty · Global Voices
Anna Gotowska

In late November 2011, Jaroslaw Kaczyński, the leader of Poland's largest opposition party Law and Justice, announced that he favored the re-introduction of the death penalty for “the gravest crimes.” The amendment to the penal code is to be presented to the parliment later this year, he said.
Kaczyński is currently facing a serious schism in his own party [pl], and although a mere announcement of such a view on capital punishment may be treated as a way to win over some voters, a huge debate concerning the subject has started nevertheless.
Being part of the European Union, it is highly unlikely that Poland would change the 1997 law that banned death penalty, but – as it turns out – a large part of the Polish society agrees with Mr. Kaczyński. After his statement, many among Polish right-wing politicians announced [pl] that they privately supported the capital punishment, although they accepted the Polish law, which marked it as illegal.
A survey on the subject, conducted in May by CBOS (Center for Public Opinion Reaserch), stated that 61 percent of the Polish population thought that “the death penalty should be used as a punishment in case of the most serious crimes,” and 34 percent of the respondents opposed it. The latest survey, conducted by the website of the most popular Polish daily newspaper, gazeta.pl [pl], after the debate had started, also shows that the majority consider re-establishment of the capital punishment a good idea.
According to the latest online survey, 51 percent of the respondents favor re-establishment of the death penalty for the gravest crimes.
As the public debate developed, the blogosphere also didn't remain silent for too long. Blogger remigiuszmielczarek [pl], who claims to be “Kaczyński's opposition in all other cases,” writes:
I am 100% sure that death as a punishment for a proved murder case, a premeditated killing, is positively deserved and justified. That is my perception of justice – when punishment is equal to the deed commited.  When [Hammurabi] cut off hands of a thief he wasn't just, because his punishment was too severe. But it really boggles my mind that a brutal murderer is to be enjoying his life, even if imprisoned for life. Is it really just? In my opinion – it is not.
[…] These days it seems awkward to publicly admit to be a death penalty supporter – even though it is said that most of the people privately do support it. […] One thing is certain: in this case the whole idea of a democratic majority doesn't seem to work…
Another blogger, michal1000, who posts on one of Poland's largest blog portals, salon24, writes [pl]:
I don't fear death penalty […] because a judgement like that doesn't have to be passed, not one execution has to be performed. If no one murders another person with exceptional brutality, rapes and strangles a victim, beats to death an innocent child, a sentence like that won't come into existence. Not one of the above actions is obligatory in Poland, all of them are committed as an act of free will. You can either be innocent of those crimes and not fear the capital punishment, or commit them and face the consequences.
Blogger mojapolskadomowa speaks out [pl] against the death penalty:
The brutal fight for the approval of the right-wing electorate results in yet another competition between two groups originated from “Law and Justice” – Kaczyński's supporters and [Ziobro's]. Jarosław Kaczyński announced during the press conference that he would take steps to make the penal code more severe. Among other changes, he wants to re-establish the death penalty. Does Kaczyński want to steal the appearance of a sheriff away from Ziobro? […] This type of punishment brings neither relief, nor atonement. No to the death penalty.
Another blogger, nocri, claims to be a death penalty supporter, but doesn't approve of Kaczyński's actions [pl]:
Yes, my dear readers, I personally don't have anything against death penalty. […] But… I live in Poland. I accepted the decision that my country would become part of the EU. And by that I accepted the legal restrictions, forcing my country to abolish this kind of quite cruel repay. And because I did that, I have to accept the fact that re-establishing death penalty in Poland is legally impossible. That is the result of a compromise, which I have accepted.
That is why I cannot understand why some politicians are still trying to gain something by playing the “death penalty card.” I guess this is because it's quite easy to play with people's emotions. But this kind of a political game deserves only to be condemned. It is unrealistic, it is populism. I am ashamed of you, Mr. Kaczyński, not for the first time.
According to the social media research conducted by Social Media Kompas, most of the posts on the subject were submitted by Twitter users [pl]. One of them, @gkaczmarek, stated:
Just a few years ago more than 70% of the Poles were death penalty supporters, so today's 51% doesn't surprise me at all.
Another one, @nmaliszewski, wrote [pl]:
And to sum up – no wonder support for Law and Justice declines, Poles strive to earn a living and all Kaczyński thinks about is death penalty and marches
Comparing Kaczyński's statements on death penalty, @gregorius74 finds some of them contradictory [pl]:
Law and Justice is for death penalty, but only in Poland. When it comes to Belarus, it's no longer true. So patriotic :))
Although Pope Benedict XVI has clearly stated that the Church opposes death penalty and described it as cruel and unnecessary, Kaczyński, who considers himself a believer, doesn't see any conflict, mentioning “the long history of the Church's approval for the death penalty.” A few days ago, in reaction to Kaczyński's statement, Cardinal Archbishop of Warsaw Kazimierz Nycz noted that “only God may take one's life” [pl].
Blogger mylilefeluke comments on the situation [pl]:
It seems that lately some of the Catholics have gone nuts, they want the re-establishment of death penalty – in the name of Christ – as they say. They are all the first ones to yell “don't kill, each life is sacred,” they want to protect life, and then that bunch of hypocrites wants to bring back capital punishment. This type of thinking goes way back, and although it is from another era, it will always be here because people always make the same mistakes, they don't learn from the past.

author: Anna Gotowska


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Puerto Rico: The Success of TEDx San Juan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius had his reservations about TEDx San Juan, but is pleased to report that it was “a rousing success.” Dondequiera adds that it was a day “of wonderful stories, passionately told.”


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Russia: A Critical Eye on Protests · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Der Unbequeme turns a critical eye on [ger] the ongoing protests in Moscow against the results of parliamentary elections, arguing that protesters are few, divided, and that an actual OSCE-assessment of elections is still lacking.


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Russia: Holy Relic Visits Nation Emerging From State-Sponsored Atheism · Global Voices
Donna Welles

During the past few months people from across Russia traveled great distances and endured freezing temperatures in order to view the belt said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary. Such a display of religious fervour in Russia is remarkable, given that the country only stepped away from an atheistic form of government 20 years ago. However, the fact that this particular Holy Relic is  believed to promote fertility might explain why a nation enduring a demographic crisis would take an interest in it.
Kievan Rus adopted Christianity in the late 10th century from the Byzantine Empire, and for almost a millennium until the early 20th century, when the Romanov Dynasty was overthrown and a communist government was put in its place, Russia was among the most devout nations in the world. During the eight decades of communism, religion was discouraged and a new moral code was instituted based on respect for the working class. When the Soviet Union fell and the communist sense of morality no longer had as many proponents, Russians were tasked with deciding for themselves what they thought about spirituality and religion.
Russia Blog quoted an Izvestia article in a 2006 post entitled, “Are Russians Becoming More Religious?” The author noted that an alternative explanation for the increase in the number of Russians who claim to be religious was reflective of the comfort level of those polled in divulging their religiosity rather than an increase in religiosity:
In 2006, 15 years after the fall of the atheist Soviet Union, 84 percent of Russian citizens said they believed in God, according to a study conducted by Izvestia and the polling agency, VTsIOM. A similar VTsIOM poll in the early 1990's found that 34 percent believed in God. Among respondents, 63 percent considered themselves Orthodox Christians, 6 percent were Muslims and 1 percent Catholics and Buddhists. Another 16 percent said they were atheist. The percentage of Russians who attend religious services has grown from 4 percent during perestroika to 10-12 percent today.
Fr Stephen Smuts, a TAC Clergyman in Southern Africa, posted a blog entry in March 2011 entitled, “Religion Will be Studied in All Russian Schools by 2012″:
After a trial year, “Foundations of religious culture and ethics” will be taught in all Russian schools throughout the country next year, the Russian Ministry of Education announced at a press conference held on March 23 in Moscow with representatives of the four major religions. According to authorities and religious leaders, especially from the Russian Orthodox Church, the trial year was a “success”, but nobody was able to respond to journalists questions with exact figures on the course participants and the degree of satisfaction.
Banned during the Soviet era, religion made a comeback in schools in April 2010, but only in some regions, with an initiative strongly supported by the Patriarch of Moscow and blessed by the Kremlin, which aims to a cement national identity on shared values. Students of primary and secondary schools may choose to study between the history of one of the four traditional religions – Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism – or more general courses on “foundations of religious culture” or “fundamentals of public ethics”. So far the lessons were held for only one semester of the school year, but the Orthodox Church has asked that in 2012 they be extended over the year.
Such is the societal and governmental context present to receive the Holy Relic. And Amazing Grace Blog described the relic's visit to Russia in a November 25, 2011, post:
The Virgin Mary's Cincture, a belt that Christians believe was worn by Jesus’ mother, was brought to Russia last month from Mount Athos, a monastic community in Greece. Kissing the relic, which is encased in an ornamental box, is believed to help barren women conceive and heal other ailments.
The line of people, mostly women, waiting to enter the golden-domed Christ the Savior Cathedral stretched for 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) along the Moscow River despite temperatures that dropped to below minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit).
Hundreds of buses brought pilgrims from other Russian cities. Some 150 buses were parked along the embankment with their engines running so the faithful could get warm as they waited. The city provided free tea and food and put up portable toilets. Police officers announced through bullhorns that it will take worshippers 24 hours to get to the relic as the line swelled to tens of thousands.
People queueing to see the belt of the Virgin Mary, which was on display in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a week last month. Photo by Veronica Khokhlova, Nov. 22, 2011
Ruth Institute Blog quoted a Voice of Russia report last month, which contained an interview with Vladimir Yakunin, the head of the Council of Trustees of the St. Andrew Foundation, the organization that facilitated the artifact being brought to Russia from Greece:
“We did no expect to see such a great number of people willing to pray before the shrine. We saw a lot of pilgrims in Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Ussuriysk, Tyumen and other cities. And those were not only orthodox Christians but people of different beliefs. For example, in Saint Petersburg we saw a Muslim woman, who was taken from a hospice to see the shrine. This proves that more and more people are striving for spiritual revival, and they believe in better. Monks who accompanied the shrine from Athos were astonished at such a huge number of believers arriving to pray before the Belt”.
In the Russian-language LiveJournal blog of user Alliruk, there was a discussion pertaining to the relic that brought forth several issues that affect religion in Russia. There was talk of the generational divide between those who had been socialized under atheist communism and the younger generation. Members of the generation socialized under communism suggested that this religious fervor associated with the relic is a sign of a form of ‘de-modernization’ in Russia. They seemed to believe that it's not rational to look to a relic for help.
Alliruk had this to say [ru] about modernization:
Modernization in a culture is described as the narrowing of the sphere controlled by religion, and a consistent policy of secularization of politics, life, work, family relations, etc. That is – if people are praying less to be relieved of certain ailments, but are eating more antibiotics instead – it is part of the modernization process. […] You may not like modernization, [that's okay], it's an argument about values, but modernization includes secularization, nothing can be done about it.
The Soviet project was […] one of the most consistent of all modernization projects in history. This includes secularization (again – this statement is not my assessment of the Soviet experience as positive or negative, I'm just stating the facts. It is bad to persecute priests, if you want to know my opinion). As a result, the Soviet society was more or less modernized (in addition to the attitudes towards religion, this, of course, also involved upgrade in terms of education, industrialization, social mobility, and much more).
What we've seen in the last two decades – is many indicators of de-modernization. We've seen crises, the crash of high-tech industries, a fall in the level of education, the elimination of social mobility, and the transformation of state mechanisms into what euphemistically have been referred to as the proliferation of “alternative methods of solving problems” (in fact, methods taken from the traditional, pre-modern society). And finally, we have this triumphant return of orthodoxy in the form of a quasi-public religion. All this together is described with the word ‘de-modernization’.
Francis Phillips wrote in a blog associated with the British-based Catholic Herald about how if one were to focus on the authenticity of this artifact one would be in danger of missing out on its significance:
Before sceptical people point out that venerating a belt allegedly worn by the Virgin Mary in order to become pregnant displays the worst kind of medieval Christian superstition, I will add that whether the relic is authentic or not is not quite the point: it is a vivid and reverent reminder of the supernatural, telling the faithful that this world, its woes and social ills, is not all there is: and who can say that new life might not spring from heartfelt prayer in its presence?
The Nov. 28 post went on to cite an article written by demographer Nichols Eberstadt for Foreign Affairs, which claimed that of all of the tragedies that have occurred in Russia since the Soviet collapse, the country's demographic decline has been the most catastrophic. Ms. Philips added:
Obviously a religious relic alone cannot change things; healthcare, housing, employment are all involved. But it can provide the inspiration to change the climate of despair that makes people choose not to have children and the spur for individuals to think of creative solutions.

author: Donna Welles


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Southeast Asia: Crocodiles in the News · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A giant crocodile in southern Philippines and crocodiles in the flooded waters of Thailand and Cambodia were among the top news topics in Southeast Asia in the last quarter of the year.
Named Lolong, the giant crocodile was captured in Agusan del Sur province in southern Philippines and transferred to Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center drawing more than 500 people a day. A visit by a team from National Geographic confirmed Lolong’s status as the world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity although it has to wait for half a year before Guinness World Records officially recognizes it. Lolong’s capture was Top 9 in the list of most shared stories on Facebook this year.
Filipinos also followed the story of Lolong and their online conversations made the giant crocodile a trending topic on the internet. Filipinos also compared Lolong to corrupt politicians whom they tagged as bigger ‘crocodiles’ in government.
Photo of Lolong, the world's largest crocodile in captivity
Thailand’s worst flooding in the past half century killed more than 600 people and displaced thousands of residents and workers from their homes and factories. The flood disaster also inundated the country's estimated 3,000 crocodile farms. So aside from flood warnings, authorities and media networks also published crocodile alerts to remind the people to watch out for crocodiles which escaped from flooded parks and farms.
Here are some crocodile sightings and news reports: In Chonburi, crocodiles escaped from the Million Years Stone Park & Pattaya Crocodile Farm. After four days, the park chief said they recaptured 29 crocodiles but some were still missing. The park announced a reward of 5,000 baht for those who can provide information about the whereabouts of the escaped reptiles.
In the ancient city of Ayutthaya, around 100 crocodiles escaped from farms during the floods and authorities have issued a 1,000 baht bounty for each crocodile caught alive.
Crocodile farms near Bangkok were also flooded and fear quickly spread among residents who learned about the missing crocodiles. As floodwaters recede, crocodiles have been found in dry grounds looking for food. In Bang Bua Thong District, a crocodile was found in a Soi that was flooded with 50 centimeters of water.
Escaped crocodile in Siem Reap. Photo from triple j Mornings
Cambodia also suffered from a flooding disaster which was reported to be the worst in a decade. triple j Mornings reported on Facebook the presence of crocodiles in some of the flooded streets.
Oh hai pals! Back from Cambodia where beautiful land, wonderful locals and incredible food sustained me for a week. And floods. Siem Reap suffered it's most intense wet season in living memory, resulting in stuff like this… a coupla crocs from a nearby farm escaping and paddling through the city streets. Believe. See you tomorrow for less snappy adventures.

author: Mong Palatino


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Sri Lanka: The 3D Experience · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Puppeteer shares her experience of going to Sri Lanka’s first 3D Movie Theatre.

author: Rezwan


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Ukraine: Football Fans Consulates · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Odessablog's Blog argues against a recent idea by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to have fans organize their own consular services for the upcoming Euro 2012 soccer championships in Ukraine.


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Afghanistan: Being Disable Is Not An Unability  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

yahweh writes how situation with the rights of women and disabled persons has developed in Afghanistan since 2001, when the Afghan government and its international allies pledged to advance gender issues following the military intervention to oust the Taliban.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Arab World: Congratulations Tunisia!  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Human rights activist Moncef Marzouki, 66, has been elected as Tunisia's new interim president today. The opposition figure, who has been imprisoned and exiled under the regime of former President Zeine El Abidine Ben Ali, will stay in power until the new constitution of the country is drafted, and legislative and presidential elections are held.
His appointment drew reactions from Tunisian netizens, who were divided between critics and supporters. Elsewhere in the Arab world, Marzouki's appointment, which was followed by a moving acceptance speech, was noted by netizens, who cheered on Tunisia's progress towards democracy, wishing the same for their countries.
Inaugural address of Mr. Marzouki, the new president of the Republic of Tunisia. Image by hamideddine Bouali, copyright Demotix (13/12/11).
Tunisia was the launching pad of an Arab revolution which started in the town of Sidi Bouzid when unemployed Mohammed Bouazizi set himself ablaze on December 17. Since that day, millions of Arabs across the region took to the streets of their cities, towns and villages, calling for democracy, equality, human rights and political, economic and legislative reforms.
Here is a snap shot of reactions from Arab netizens from Twitter.
Yemeni Noon Arabia dreams:
@NoonArabia: I wish one day in Yemen we get to feel proud of the person who “we” choose to be our leader, as the Tunisians are today. #Yemen #Tunisia
Fellow Yemeni Abubakr Al Shamahi provides a link to Marzouki's speech at the Tunisian parliament and shares another dream:
@abubakrabdullah: Amazing – Marzouki's speech at the Tunisian parliament today – I hope to see something similar in Yemen one day..
During his swearing in ceremony, Marzouki cried when he mentioned the martyrs during Tunisia's revolution.
Journalist Andrew Hammond reports:
@Hammonda1: #Tunisia president Marzouki chokes up at mention of the revolution's martyrs; cites ongoing struggle of Palestinians, Syrians and Yemenis.
On this, Egyptian Menna Alaa comments [ar]:
@TheMiinz: Egypt is not Tunisia because you will never see any one of our officials shedding tears over the martyrs. And you will never see the Parliament rise up and chant: “If the people wanted to live, destiny would have to respond.”
The chant is part of the Tunisian national anthem. A translation of the full anthem is available here.
Egyptocracy agrees:
@Egyptocracy: Amazing speech by Al Monsef Al #Marzouki. Congratulations #Tunisia. You give us hope. #Egypt
And Egyptian Abdelrahman Ayyash laments:
@3yyash: Tunisia made a revolution, they are the genuine and we are the copy .. Ours sucks! #envy #Tunisia #Egypt #Jan25
Marzouki's blog is available at www.moncefmarzouki.com and he tweets at @Moncef_Marzouki.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Argentina: Justice System Orders Blockage of Series and Film Site Cuevana.tv  · Global Voices
Natán Calzolari

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
Few Argentinian websites have achieved as much success as Cuevana. A project that was begun as a hobby amongst friends has become one of the most visited websites in the entirety of Latin America, which provides 90% of its web traffic. Cuevana offers a catalogue of TV series and films to be watched easily online, without the need to download archives. It also allows the selection of different subtitles and audio options, if and when available.
Cuevana.tv
The 22-year-old San Juan native, Tomas Escobar, is one of the three young people that devised Cuevana, and is currently the only owner of the site. One month ago, in an interview with ALT140, Escobar explained that he “does not wish to work against the film industry”:
Cuevana no comete ninguna actividad que la ley especifique como ilícita. […] queremos llegar a un acuerdo con las productoras, distribuidoras y dueños de contenido para generar un nuevo modelo de negocios que beneficie a todas las partes, incluyendo el usuario. Por eso estamos en conversaciones para armar esto. Estamos trabajando para llegar a acuerdos con la industria, no queremos en ir contra de la misma.
Today Cuevana is ranked as the 23rd most visited website in Argentina, according to an Alexa [en] rankings. But the large popularity that the site has been receiving also means that, recently, it has been presented with the first lawsuits from the organisations that own the copyrights to content reproduced on Cuevana: Turner Argentina and HBO.
As the Argentinian newspaper La Nación reported, on November 29, 2011, Argentina's justice system ordered that they “proceed in blocking users’ access to Cuevana for the programmes Falling Skies, BRIC and 26 personas para salvar al mundo“.
A short time ago, Thursday, November 17, Cuevana was also warned by Telefé, a traditional Argentinian television channel, that it was going to sue for a violation of author rights. However, a few days later the spokesperson for Telefé explained in an interview with La Nación that:
Telefé no tiene una cruzada contra Cuevana, y no hay ninguna demanda presentada. Sí se está debatiendo en el seno de su directorio y dentro de las asociaciones de productoras y distribuidoras la actitud por seguir con este tipo de ilegalidades.
Telefé took a u-turn and decided not to sue the Argentinian site, although this does not seem to be the case for HBO and Turner Argentina, owners of the I-Sat channel.
Telecentro was the first and, until now, the only Internet Service Provider (ISP) to block the site as the Argentinian justice system ordered. However, a few hours and many user tweets later, the measure was finally lifted. As the site commented via its Twitter account:
Parecería que Telecentro escuchó a los usuarios y dio marcha atrás al bloqueo a Cuevana.
In view of each of these announcements, the users have been protesting on social networking sites, posting messages of support for the site with hashtags like #CensuranACuevana (Cuevana is censored) and #FuerzaCuevana (Strength to Cuevana). On the other hand, there are those who do not sympathise with the site. The user Yamil Salinas (@yamilsalinas) posted (1, 2) on Twitter:
Sinceramente, no entiendo todo el hype sobre Cuevana. Me parece completamente overrated y además, señores, CENSURA es otra cosa. Get a life.
¿Creaste nuevo algoritmo d compresión de video? No. ¿Das empleo? No. ¿Lucrás con contenido de otros? Sí. Y encima te llaman “innovador” :O
Meanwhile, in the blog Derecho a Leer, a computer graphic has been published which explains why Cuevana is not breaking any laws:
Computer graphic created by  DerechoALeer.org. blog which explains that Cuevana's server is in Canada and it administers the texts, images, comments, reviews, rankings and databases for cuevana.tv. It shows also that Megaupload's server is located in Virginia and it hosts the videos uploaded by its own users. The image goes on to explain that Megaupload offers free video downloads and streams that can also be embedded into other sites. The image also clarifies what a Megaupload user is: it is someone who uploads a digital copy of a video by using their Megaupload account.
[…] las películas y series que aparecen en Cuevana, están alojadas en otros sitios de descarga directa, pero no en sus propios servidores. Cuevana es sólo un catálogo de referencias y valor agregado (comentarios, críticas, puntuación). Que todo se vea en una misma pantalla junto con la película, no implica un punto de emisión común.
Eduardo Arcos, the founder of the blog network Hipertextual, has published, in light of the Turner Argentina and HBO lawsuit, a criticism of Cuevana focusing mainly on the way in which the site generates economic income:
Cuevana es una web de un chico que decidió hacer stream de películas y series de televisión en un solo sitio usando a YouTube, Dailymotion Megaupload, BitShare, o Filefactory como fuente, capitalizando, por medio de publicidad, todo el tráfico de millones de personas con ganas de ver series y películas. Da igual de dónde sale el contenido, da igual cuál es la fuente del video, si haces dinero con el trabajo de otras personas, eres un pirata.
Finally, last Sunday, Ventana Sur hosted a debate about “the new legal barriers regarding the free circulation of information” in which Julio Raffo, in defence of the sites Cuevana and Taringa, and Rosario Millé, representing the Turner channel, participated. The debate was moderated by Beatriz Busaniche of Fundación Vía Libre:
As explained in the above video by the Partido Pirata Argentino:
La iniciativa [de Raffo] se puede explicar brevemente: la idea es promover una reforma a la Ley de Derechos de Autor en la que se reconozca el derecho de libre acceso a obras culturales a través de Internet para usos no lucrativos. Todo ello, por supuesto, motivado a raíz de las denuncias en contra de los sitios Taringa y Cuevana.
For the time being, Cuevana continues working properly and it does not appear to have been blocked by any Argentinian ISP. The online community, on the other hand, finds itself divided into those who support Cuevana and its creator, Tomas Escobar, alleging that the site's activity is not, nor must it be considered illegal, and on the other side there are those who continue demanding an alternative; that it be 100% legal and that it offers a decent catalogue in order to be able to use cultural content online.

author: Natán Calzolari


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Brazil: Journalist Threatened at Belo Monte Dam Construction Site · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian journalist Ruy Sposati, in Altamira, Pará, denounces the death of yet another worker at the Belo Monte Dam construction site, another round of mass layoffs of workers on strike and a death threat against him for covering the stories in a series of tweets [all links in pt].

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil/Russia: The Struggle for Democracy in the Aftermath of Elections · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian professor in political sciences Maurício Santoro, has written an analysis [pt] about of recent Russian elections. He comments on the allegedly rigged results and the struggle for democracy in the country.


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Brazil: Youth Demands for “Real Democracy Now” · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian journalist and blogger Lucas Morais analyzes [pt] the revolutionary movements that have spread throughout the world in 2011 and says that “this youth has increasingly become more aware of the limits of capitalist democracy, and not for nothing, it is fighting for a ‘real democracy now'”.


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Chile’s Urban Cycling Movements · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rodrigo Gómez Arratia writes for Mi Voz [es] about urban cycling in Chile and the different movements that promote it.


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Colombia: Professor’s Resignation Sparks Debate on Writing · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Last week, Camilo Jiménez [es], a journalist who has been the editor of several magazines, posted an entry [es] on his blog where he explains why he resigned from teaching a class (“Evaluation of Non-Fiction Texts” [es]) at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana's Social Communication undergraduate programme after nine years.
He claims that, despite their privileged, upper-middle class background, their educated parents and a lack of material concerns, his students weren't able to draft a summary of a paragraph of a text without making writing mistakes (3 out of 30 “were close” and another 2 “did their best”). Later he writes he might be behind the times, then describes his class, and finally admits that:
Image by Anonymous Account on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Dejo la cátedra porque no me pude comunicar con los nativos digitales. No entiendo sus nuevos intereses, no encontré la manera de mostrarles lo que considero esencial en este hermoso oficio de la edición. Quizá la lectura sea ya otra cosa con la que no me pude sintonizar. De pronto ya no se trata de comprender un texto, de dialogar con él. Quizá la lectura sea ahora salir al mar de Internet a pescar fragmentos, citas y vínculos. Y en consecuencia, la escritura esté mudando a esas frases sueltas, grises, sin vida, siempre con errores. Por eso los nuevos párrafos que se están escribiendo parecen zombies.
There were some early reactions in the post's comments section and in a post [es] by Katina, a Chilean former university professor who mostly agrees with Jiménez but, after telling her personal experience, asks him not to “completely lose [his] faith in this generation.”
But after the post was republished [es] by the newspaper El Tiempo (Jiménez had to explain [es] it was sent by the university's academic vice-president), it gained wider exposure. The reactions exploded and the debate began. “Camilo Jiménez” [es] was a trending topic on Twitter in Colombia on Friday, December 9, and he was even interviewed [es] on national radio.
Journalist Daniel Pardo has a request of Jiménez [es], which starts by claiming that he [Pardo] lives out of writing despite not knowing how to draft a summary:
[L]e quiero pedir que no se vaya. Le quiero pedir, respetado editor, que  investigue sobre nuevas formas de educación vía Internet. Su blog es un  comienzo. Sigamos. Yo creo que las aptitudes que tienen sus estudiantes  son valiosas. Tal vez no para la literatura como usted la aprendió. Pero  sí para una nueva literatura: una que, de golpe, venga con un video,  con diseño; una que el lector incluso pueda modificar.
Hyperconectado [es] also comments about Jiménez's posts and gives some ideas: he welcomes the debate, mentions Newsgames and other new ways to educate in journalism. He criticizes the “blind faith” of a Colombian State obsessed with increasing Internet access without leaving the “feudal era”, which asks students to study and analyse seemingly trivial internet phenomena, and puts into question the whole “digital natives” notion.
From Mexico, Marco Gómez quotes and comments on[es] Jiménez's letter paragraph by paragraph, and writes that although his generation (the same as Jiménez's students) has issues, “there is hope”. José Luis Peñarredonda writes [es] about how the public debate on Jiménez's post in some ways deals with the difficulties faced by professors, students, and the Colombian educational system in general.
Humberto Ballesteros, a teacher of Italian, also sympathizes with Jiménez but recognizes [es] that,
afirmar que la cultura o el conocimiento mismos están desapareciendo por esa causa no es otra cosa que fetichismo de lector.
Alfonso Cabanzo proposes [es] putting Colombia's educational system “upside down” by increasing quality in secondary education, implementing a new college admission exam that includes interviews, and assuring state-funded education so universities start worrying less about their students’ money and more about teaching and researching.
At Hipermediaciones [es], Argentine researcher Carlos A. Scolari links Jiménez's pessimism and boredom (the latter shared with the students) with the ‘boreout syndrome’, and asks us to forget prejudices against the changes of the digital age and instead put these changes in an ecological and evolutionary perspective.
Students also reacted: 20-year-old Victoria Tobar wrote Jiménez a letter [es], where she criticizes him but at the same time thanks him for having the “good sense” of leaving. She writes:
Si usted se queja de que ya no hay  estudiantes con un espíritu curioso y crítico, yo me quejo de que no  tengo profesores que siembren en mí la duda y las ganas de saber. Por  que si hay algo que creo firmemente, es que las ganas de aprender por  parte de un estudiante reside, en gran medida, en las ganas del profesor  de que sus estudiantes aprendan.
Richie Tamayo, a former university professor, replied to Tobar's letter [es]. Although he praises her writing skills, he criticizes her for not knowing her university's administration, faculty selection process, and internal government system, and for questioning an educational methodology which she is not familiar with. Though he doesn't entirely agree with Jiménez's letter, he defends his decision to resign (in an earlier post [es], Tamayo writes that the university should promote a serious, informed, and participative debate on the academic quality of its Social Communication programme).
Finally, María Camila Rincón, one of Jiménez's last students, confesses feeling ashamed after reading the letter, and renews the debate it prompted (her post was originally published on Facebook [es] and later reposted by one of her classmates on her blog [es]):
Es curioso ver cómo venimos de una lucha que logró la disolución de una  reforma (¡y de qué manera!) pero cuando el fenómeno es más local (no  menos importante) nos quedamos sólo con el chisme de quiénes eran esos  tres que se acercaron al párrafo que Jiménez con tanto ahínco nos pidió.  Aquí nadie se ha preguntado qué va a pasar con esa cátedra que no sólo  es obligatoria sino pertinente para el oficio del editor. Suele pensarse  que como ya pasamos por ella, pues nos salvamos de un profesor menos  exigente o de uno con menos experiencia. ¿Y los de atrás qué? ¿Merecen  recibir una educación de menor calidad porque a nosotros no nos importó?

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Egypt: Using Twitter for a Healthier Life  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Can Twitter be used to save people's lives or improve their health? During the clashes that took place in Tahrir Square in Egypt last month, a Twitter account (@TahrirSupplies) was created to arrange the delivery of medical supplies to the field hospitals set up by volunteers in and around the square, as well as food and other items needed there. Healthy Egypt Tips, on the other hand, was a different initiative by a group of volunteers who started a Twitter account  (@HealthyEgypt) in August in order to spread health awareness tips in Egypt.
Here is one of their tips:
@HealthyEgypt: A few miniature servings of coffee at intervals works better than one large mug to keep you alert and focused.
They also reply to people's questions, help peer initiatives, and spread sex education as well where culture makes it embarrassing to ask sexual questions.
Who are you and tell us more about your initiative.
We are a group of volunteers, it started as my wife Iman Ismail and myself Kareem Mossad, then we added a doctor friend who is Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim
It's written in your bio that you are sharing 100% credible and verified information. So we have to ask you: Are you doctors? How do you normally get your medical information, confirm it, and answer people's questions?
My wife and I are health activists and enthusiasts. We are not doctors yet we've been in community service for quite a while. We have one code of conduct as that for any medical information we provide to our followers, is that we need to double check it, by checking more than once source for credible well known health websites, or verify with “Ahmed Ibrahim” who is the third person (doctor) helping in this initiative.
Is the account sponsored by any commercial entity or an NGO's? I've noticed for example that you sometimes refer to brand names. Are you affiliated with them somehow?
We're not officially sponsored by any commercial or NGO yet. However, we've received a couple of proposals, but we weren't ready for that step yet.
How long have you been raising awareness online? Do you have plans to have presence outside Twitter, such as Facebook, blogs, etc?
We started in August, around mid-Ramadan, and the followers response was pretty impressive, we bought “www.healthyegypt.org and www.healthyegypt.net“, and we're currently in the programming phase for our website so we can launch soon.
Also we noticed that you almost only tweet in English? Aren't you planning to tweet in Arabic? Don't you think English will limit your audience inside Egypt somehow?
You're absolutely right, we do tweet in Arabic sometimes but not regularly, and it’s definitely on our plans with the website which will be in both languages so we can attract more visitors to it.
We are also getting positive feedback via Twitter from people who are expressing how much such information is helping them and raising awareness about untouched issues.
This is one way Twitter is being used to spread health awareness in society. If you know of any other health-related projects online, please let us know.

author: Tarek Amr


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El Salvador: Visiting El Calvario Church · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Fernando Marroquin [es] posts pictures of El Calvario church in downtown San Salvador. He blogs about the church's history and encourages his readers to get acquainted with San Salvador's historic downtown.


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Palestine: Mourning Mustafa Tamimi · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

For more than two years, protests have taken place in Nabi Saleh, a village outside of Ramallah.  There, protesters have focused attention on the theft of water by the nearby Halamish settlement, which in 2009 took control of the Ein Al Qaws spring, preventing Palestinians access to their own land.
The protests – which broadly focus on all aspects of the Israeli occupation – have garnered some international attention in recent years, with footage filmed by protesters making it into the New York Times.  Israeli forces have cracked down on protests in Nabi Saleh and elsewhere throughout the West Bank, at times arresting demonstrators.
This past Friday 9 December, 2011, however, Nabi Saleh experienced tragedy as activist Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was “critically injured after Israeli soldiers fired a tear gas canister at his face, and died at a hospital after his treatment was delayed by the occupation forces who had invaded the village to repress the weekly demonstration,” according to Linah Alsaafin, who also wrote:
One difference that distinguishes Nabi Saleh from other villages with popular resistance committees, like Nilin, Bilin, Biddu and Budrus is that no one has been killed, or martyred in the protests. Beaten up, yes. Arrested, ditto. But never a death. Until yesterday.
Photo of Nabi Saleh protest by Flickr user zaid amr, July 2011 (CC BY-ND 2.0).
On blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, Palestinian activists are mourning the loss of one of their own.  Blogger Abir Kopty writes:
I remember your braveness during Nabi Saleh’s weekly rallies, facing the army with open chest. I apologize to you for not having your courage. Your life doesn’t worth less than mine.
…
Dear Mustafa, for the time being I’m afraid to make promises, as we have learned not to make promises bigger than us. I can only promise you that I will continue going to Nabi Saleh, I will not give up the hope, exactly as you didn’t. I promise you that your courage will keep inspiring me and giving me strength.
Rest in peace comrade.
Kopty also tweeted:
Everyday i say tomorrow is a new day, but the anger doesn't go away. #Mustafatamimi
On collective blog Front Line Echo, @amraamra writes:
For those who tell me that I take things too personal, I will continue to take it too personal and at heart because I’m human! I breathe, feel, cry, laugh, love and hate. So when someone hurts me, I hurt. When someone tickles me, I laugh. When we mourn the loss of a fellow Palestinian brother and other desensitized Palestinians are watching on the streets, smirking and making ridiculous comments, I will feel fury. When someone steals the life of another comrade in such a brutal and grotesque way, I will grieve. I will grieve… just like others are grieving.
The blogger continues:
When the international community tells Palestinians to adopt to more peaceful resistance in resisting the ongoing Israeli occupation, that is what we do. Yet, we are met with the same and even more brutal suppression. At this point I do not know what gives me the hope to continue, and I think many will agree. Nothing seems to make sense now. But one thing does make sense. Mustafa Tamimi’s soul has not gone in vain. We will carry him with us in our continuous struggle against occupation. We will not give up Mustafa… and that is for sure!
On Monday 12 December, Israeli soldiers came under fire for seemingly defending the use of fatal force on social media, a story covered by The New York Times.  Their defense largely revolved around the fact that Tamimi had thrown rocks at an armored vehicle as it drove away. In response, Israeli-American Joseph Dana tweeted:
Should throwing stones at an antagonistic armored military jeep be a crime punishable by death?
Journalist Haggai Matar, in a post translated for and republished by +972 Magazine, shares one perspective from Israel:
It is simply shocking. Truly shocking. I look around, and I don’t see my society shocked. Not shocked at all of these people, or at the two head injures in Nabi Saleh yesterday, or at the two arrests in a peaceful demonstration in Ma’asara, which didn’t even get any coverage. I see the careful reports reading, “Palestinians claim that…” and the blind faith in the stance of the IDF Spokesperson. And the lack of shock shocks me even more…
This Friday's protest will be in honor of Tamimi; a Facebook page has been set up for coordination.

author: Jillian C. York


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Peru: Protests Against Mining in Videos, Part I  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Recent protests against the environmental damage caused by mining in Peru have sparked plenty of audiovisual material, with both campaigns to raise awareness, and citizen videos of  protests, repression and more. This selection of videos helps explain the context of this conflict.
Large mining companies are not immune to corruption. The following video tells the story of how the Newmont Mining Corporation (which runs the Yanacocha gold mine) requested the assistance of the currently imprisoned Vladimiro Montesinos to settle a court case in their favor, with the support of the United States Department of State and the CIA. The 2005 FRONTLINE/World documentary, called ‘The Curse of the Inca Gold’ (La Maldición del oro inca), was produced by The New York Times journalist Lowell Bergman.
The story continues in this next video, which goes back to the time of the Spanish conquest to tell the story of Atahualpa, the Inca who offered the Spanish a room full of gold, precisely in Cajamarca, in exchange for his freedom; the Spanish killed him after obtaining the gold. The video also shows the Choropampa case, where a mercury spill affected the population, and the Cerro Quilish case, which caused a conflict between the people and Yanacocha.
The documentary ends briefly in a third part.
Although the current problem in Cajamarca also involves Yanacocha, it is about a different project from those described in the previous videos. The conflict revolves around the Conga mining project, which threatens to destroy various lakes on the high planes of Cajamarca. A group of Cajamarca civil society organizations produced the video ‘No to Conga’ (Conga no va), which describes the problems the ecological and hydrological systems there face.
The video ‘Lament of a people without water’ (Lamento de un Pueblo sin AGUA) documents the beginning of the protests of the people of Cajamarca a month ago, and President Ollanta Humala's change in position, from his pro-water stance during the campaign, to his recent proposal of “gold and water.”
An example of what happens to a lake that is used by a mining company is evident in this video showing the Totoracocha lake dried up by the Yanacocha mine:
Yanacocha has its own vision on the issue of water, as seen in this institutional video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9SpQs0DKcus
The following video is the first part of a documentary entitled ‘The Price of Gold: Human Rights Violations in the vicinity of the mine Yanacocha, Cajamarca, Peru,’ by Ralph Weihermann.
The two remaining parts of the documentary are available here [es] and here [es].
Another documentary, with a similar name, ‘Choropampa, the Price of Gold’, illustrates the problem of mercury pollution in the town of Choropampa that happened 11 years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW7zn0SbrV4
The upcoming second post in this two-part series will focus on citizen videos of the protests.
Post originally published on Juan Arellano's personal blog on December 7, 2011 [es].
Featured and thumbnail image shows bird's eye view of Yanacocha mine, Peru. Image by Flickr user elmorsa (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

author: Juan Arellano


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Peru: State of Emergency Declared in Cajamarca · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

After recent developments in Cajamarca regarding the strike against the Conga mining project, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers called for a dialogue [es] on Saturday, December 3, as a reaction to the ultimatum given by the representative of the Environment Defense Front, Wilfredo Saavedra Marreros, that left the government three days to declare the project Conga non-viable [es]. This dialogue was accepted [es] by the leadership and on Sunday, December 4, the negotiations started [es].
However, both sides kept their positions [es] unchanged: the infeasibility of the Conga Project defended by the representatives of the Defense Front, and the end of the strike pushed by the government. Finally, after nine hours of conversation, the day ended [es] with no agreement, thus the strike, that at the time of writing this post had been going on for over 10 days, continued.
Afterwards, as it was previously [es] hinted, President Humala declared [es] a state of emergency in four provinces of Cajamarca: Celendin, Hualgayoc, Contumaza and Cajamarca. This practically kills the strike. According to the Prime Minister the decision was taken [es] as a precaution before the 72 hours of the ultimatum were reached.
According [es] to the Peruvian constitution, the State of Emergency “can restrict or suspend the exercise of the constitutional rights regarding freedom and personal security, the protection to avoid home trespassing, and the freedom to assemble and transit across the country.” Speaking on this matter, Luis Alberto Chavez in his blog Polithika doesn't think [es] that the state of emergency means the conflict is being militarized:
Sólo en condiciones de paz social, es posible estudiar la viabilidad del proyecto minero Conga que tiene un cuestionado Estudio de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) aprobado en el gobierno anterior. El país necesita la inversión privada, pero no a costa de impactar negativamente de manera irreversible en el medioambiente. Corresponde, en consecuencia, revisar el EIA y hacer nuevos estudios. […] El Estado de Emergencia genera, de todos modos, una situación de tensión que requiere un alto sentido de responsabilidad de parte tanto de las fuerzas del gobierno como de los agitadores sociales para que no se desborden las pasiones. Por el bien del país, nadie espera que hablen las balas.
Only in social peaceful conditions is it possible to study the viability of the Conga mining project that has a questionable Study of Environment Impact (EIA) approved by the former government. The country needs private investment, but not by negatively and irreversibly impacting the environment. It is therefore right to review the EIA and do more studies. […] The State of Emergency generates, in every scenario, a tense situation that requires a high sense of responsibility from the government forces as well as the social agitators so passions don't take over. For the sake of the country, nobody wants bullet talk.
But, as expected, the Environmental Defense Front of Cajamarca's blog has a contrary position and states [es] that “President Humala Tasso has decided to execute his true government program: neoliberal continuity”:
Con la decisión del gobierno de la “concertación nacional” se ha cerrado la ya escasa expectativa que mucha gente tenía todavía de ver algún “cambio”. La derecha pidió represión y el gobierno le entregó en bandeja de plata. […] Pero el pueblo de Cajamarca, esa gran mayoría, está salvando la dignidad de su historia de grandes luchas democráticas y patrióticas, con sus dirigentes populares al frente. Con toda seguridad, la lucha puede sufrir un obstáculo en el camino, pero no la derrota de los que bajan la cerviz frente a los poderosos. ¡ Democracia sí, dictadura no ! ¡Viva el pueblo de Cajamarca, abajo el estado de emergencia y los traidores!
With the government's decision of “national consultation” the slim expectation that many people still had that they would see some “change” has faded. The right wing asked for repression and the government handed it on a silver platter. […] But the people of Cajamarca, the masses, has saved the dignity of their history of long democratic and patriotic struggles, with their leaders at the front. It's certain, that the fight might suffer an obstacle on the road, but not the defeat on the hands of those who vow to the powerful. Democracy yes, dictatorship no! Long live the people of Cajamarca, down with the state of emergency and the traitors!
Andres Caballero of the blog Green Cajamarca Network [es] shared his impression along with some pictures of Sunday's protests in Cajamarca:
Minera Yanacocha volvió hacer de las suyas, sacó a un grupo de sus trabajadores con polos blancos y letreros en mano y por su puesto bien protegidos por los policías para reclamar les dejen seguir contaminando a Cajamarca, entre tanto sus amos desde un céntrico restaurante de la ciudad monitoreaban al mínimo el movimiento de su portátil.
Ni la presencia de miles de policías, militares y francotiradores asustó a los cajamarquinos, quienes al enterarse de la presencia del Presidente del Concejo de Ministros en Cajamarca salieron en un colorido, concurrido y atractivo pasacalle
Yanacocha Mining did it again, it pulled out a bunch of workers with white shirts, armed with signs, and of course, well protected by the police to protest so they let them keep polluting Cajamarca, meanwhile their masters, from a restaurant in the city's downtown, followed the slightest movement from their laptops.
Not even the presence of thousands of policemen, soldiers and snipers scared the Cajamarcans, who after finding out about the presence of the President of the Ministers Council in Cajamarca, went out in a colorful, attractive musical protest.
For more photos you can check the following posts [es]: the blog “Mariategui. The Magazine” and an info graphic in The New Press [es]. In Lima, some columnists like Congressman Javier Diez Canseco see [es] a mismanagement of the situation by the executive, and others demand [es] a stronger presence from the government, blaming the left wing from agitating the social landscape, or detail [es] all the losses and benefits not gained because of the radical attitude towards the mining companies.
From Lima, journalist Jacqueline Fowks, who writes on the blog Notes from Lenovo, invites [es] readers to reflect on the matter with the phrase: “Physically, Lima is 861 kilometers from Cajamarca, but […] the distance between the capital and the department is way longer than those 861 kilometers,” and focuses on some unknown details of the failed negotiation in Cajamarca:
Pese a que una nota de prensa de la PCM negó haber condicionado la firma del acta al levantamiento del paro, una declaración del premier muestra que cuando les pidieron tiempo para consultar el tema, ellos se negaron a concederlo (cfr. en el segundo 26). […] Líderes de opinión, incluidos asesores externos de Yanacocha como Sandro Venturo, y ciudadanos desacreditaron dicho pedido de tiempo para consultar con ‘las bases’, cuestionando la representatividad de los interlocutores […] Es sabido que en organizaciones no capitalinas, sean andinas, amazónicas e incluso de colonos (mestizos) sus representantes sólo pueden tomar decisión acerca de lo previamente discutido, en caso contrario, ven como una mala práctica que el dirigente adopte una posición sin consultar.
La situación en Cajamarca es percibida con un lente distinto según la posición de cada quién. En los últimos días los comerciantes locales han aparecido más en los medios de comunicación quejándose de los perjuicios del paro, especialmente en la TV y radios capitalinas, y de otro lado están las organizaciones y ciudadanos que se sienten intimidados en el estado de emergencia debido a la gran cantidad de efectivos de la policía y del Ejército que han llegado en los últimos días al departamento.
Even though a press release from the PCM denied having conditioned the signature of the act to the end of the strike, a declaration of the premier shows that when they were asked for time to consult on the issue [es], they didn't agree upon it (crf. on the 26th second). […] Opinion leaders, including the external advisors of Yanacocha, like Sandro Venturo and other citizens, discredit such request for time to consult with ‘the bases’, questioning the speakers’ representativeness […] It is known that the representatives of any non-capital organization, whether Andean, Amazonic or even Colonial (Mestizo) can only make a decision on a matter previously discussed, otherwise, it is seen as a bad practice that the leader takes a position without consulting.
Cajamarca's situation is perceived with a different lens according to the position of the viewer. During recent days, local merchants have appeared more on the media complaining about the damages caused by the strike, especially on TV and radio stations of the capital, and on the other side, there are organizations and citizens that feel intimidated by the state of emergency due to the large number of policemen and army soldiers [es] that have arrived during the last days.
Then she makes a serious accusation and comments on the media coverage of the Cajamarca conflict:
es interesante saber que el encargado de comunicaciones de Yanacocha, Roberto del Águila, pidió a Víctor Urquiaga, integrante de una empresa de monitoreo y asesoría de prensa, que le ayude a redactar los titulares de los diarios Expreso y Correo la noche del martes, poco antes de que el presidente Humala y el gerente de Yanacocha, Carlos Santa Cruz, anunciaran la suspensión del proyecto Conga. […]
Al día siguiente, la volada y titular de primera plana de Expreso fueron: “Ante actos de violencia de “frentes de defensa” regionales, ultras e izquierda caviar” “Conga en suspenso.” Por su lado, el diario Correo tituló así: “Otra vez triunfa la irracionalidad” “Se “chupan” con Conga” “Yanacocha tira la esponja a pedido de timorato gobierno.”
El derecho de los cajamarquinos de proteger sus recursos y vivir en un entorno sano (cosa que perdieron en la provincia de Cajamarca desde que llegó Yanacocha en la década de los 90) se ha estado presentado por lo general en los medios de forma sesgada hacia uno de los dos extremos. En uno acusan a los cajamarquinos de ser unos ‘pobres manipulados’ por extremistas que no quieren el desarrollo y quieren quedarse pobres. En el otro, están quienes hartos por las malas prácticas de la empresa minera, no confían en ella y se sienten traicionados por el presidente Humala (al pasar de la preferencia por el agua a ‘el agua y el oro’ a la vez).
It is interesting to know that the communications attendant of Yanacocha, Roberto de Aguila, asked Victor Urquiaga [es], a member of a monitoring company and press consultant, to help him write down the headlines of the Expreso and Correo daily newspapers on Tuesday night, just before President Humala and Yanacocha's Manager, Carlos Santa Cruz, announced the suspension of the Conga project. […]
The following day, the front page and headline of Expreso were: “Because of the violent acts of regional, radical and leftist ‘defense fronts’, Conga is on hold.” Also, the newspaper Correo [es] had the following headline: “Irrationality wins again” “Conga gets ‘sucked up'” “Yanacocha throws the towel after a request of a mealy-mouthed government.”
The right of the people of Cajamarca to protect their resources and live in a healthy environment (something that was lost in the Cajamarca province after Yanacocha opened in the 90's) has been presented in the media with a one-sided look of one of the extremes. One accuses the people of Cajamarca of being “manipulated poor” by the extremist that do not want development and want to stay poor. On the other side, there are those who are tired of the ill practices of the mining industry, don't trust it and feel betrayed by President Humala (for going from water to ‘water and gold’ at the same time)
Even though the situation in Cajamarca is said to be calm [es], and several political sectors in Lima have given [es] the declaration of the state of emergency their approval, it is still not very clear what the Defense Front and other activists will do next.


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Russia: Gregory Shvedov on Braving the Putin Regime Online · Global Voices
Sven Hultberg Carlsson

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
Saturday’s rally in central Moscow drew to a close to the sounds of the iconic Soviet rock group Kino. The largest protests since the end of the Soviet Union criticized the outcome of Russia’s parliamentary elections on 4 December. And it wasn't just the music that brought back the spirit of upheaval from over two decades ago.
The mood was not set by police clampdowns and mass arrests—though these certainly occurred throughout the week following the elections. What many saw, instead, was the start of a wave of political engagement unprecedented under the rule of Vladimir Putin.
And, to some extent, the Russian state seemed to acquiesce. The City of Moscow had approved a rally of 30,000 people for Saturday—as many as twice that figure showed up.
Gregory Shvedov, the editor-in-chief of the online news agency Caucasian Knot [en; ru], is optimistic:
These parliamentary elections might become another keystone of change, of awakening of Russian citizens.
Caucasian Knot reports around the clock from the 20 regions within the Caucasus, a conflict-ridden region whose northern part lies within Russia's southern border.
For Shvedov and other independent journalists and activists—many of whom have taken to the internet as a tool to channel their message—optimism is key as the grass-roots opposition to United Russia, Putin’s ruling party, appears to be growing:
In the long run I am optimistic about being able to change people's perceptions in Russia.
We have about 1.7 to 1.8 million readings per month. We have been quoted about 600 times in national and international media in a few months’ time, and about 1,500 times by bloggers. This is much more than a year ago. The growth means that more people want to be informed, and more people want to share the information.
Gregory Shvedov. Photo by Sven Hultberg Carlsson
The staff of Caucasian Knot do not operate freely. Temporarily posted in a Moscow cafe, Shvedov excuses himself to sign a letter addressed to Russia's interior ministry. The ministry has requested the IP address of someone who has commented on one of Caucasian Knot’s articles. In writing, Shvedov and his colleagues deny the request:
The letter I just signed is one of the ways in which the federal authorities put pressure on us. They demand this kind of information all the time. And we always deny them.
DDoS attacks, another means by which the authorities have aimed to thwart an open online debate, are harder to deny. But despite attempts at online censorship, discussion has continued on sites such as Twitter, LiveJournal and Vkontakte.
Even on television, Russia's most popular and state-controlled source of information, word of the protests has made it through. To the surprise of many, Channel 1 and NTV, two state-owned, nationwide networks, ran evening-news reports on Saturday's demonstrations.
According to Shvedov, independent reporting will occasionally make it onto one of the nationwide networks, all of which are state-owned:
In late October, NTV broadcast a documentary on investigations into kidnappings in Chechnya in the North Caucasus. The film borrowed extensively from Caucasian Knot's own material. It was broadcast in the Far East and in the Urals before being taken off air.
That is a great example that even in state-controlled media, we can get through. In the USSR it was someone reading everything before publishing. This video could only be blocked after it had been broadcast. That is important.
In the North Caucasus, the media are less penetrable. According to Shvedov, censorship in the local press is so extensive that the federal authorities—who appear keen on monitoring the public mood in the country—resort to independent media for information:
The president's representative in the North Caucasus, Alexander Khloponin, does not say how great Caucasian Knot is, because we ask questions he does not like. But he tells me and other independent journalists that he needs to know what is happening in the region.
The media in the North Caucasus, and in the south of Russia, are controlled by local authorities. It is a strange situation; they control [the media] because they are afraid that federal authorities will read something bad about themselves.
The authorities understand that if the state controls all media, they won't know how people actually live. If unaware, they will miss the moment when the protests start. And they certainly don't want a revolution, like in Libya, Syria and so on. That is why the internet is partly free.
The current resistance against the Putin regime may not amount to a revolution. The dominant aim of those who have taken to the streets—many of whom belong to the relatively privileged, urban middle class—has not been an overthrow of the Kremlin elite, but rather new and fair elections.
As the protests have made clear, such democratic reform will not come at the behest of foreign officials, but rather when Russia's population decides to take action—despite Putin's claims that Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, ignited the protests.
Shvedov agrees that democratic action must come from within Russia itself:
Even though social apathy is spread throughout Russia, an active minority can change a lot. These so-called elections will not at all change how Russia is governed, but they can awaken a sleeping society.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.

author: Sven Hultberg Carlsson


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Russia: Post-Election Protest in Vladivostok on December 10 · Global Voices
Masha

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
The recent election and its reportedly unfair result still remain the reason for debates in the country. Despite reported cases of rigging and fraudulent activities during the voting period, Russian citizens were able to demonstrate their party preferences.
In 4 out of 5 electoral districts of the far Eastern city of Vladivostok the Communist party won over United Russia, showing one of the lowest levels of support for the United Russia party across the country.
Prior to the national protests that took place on December 10 in various Russian cities, the Vladivostok internet community had been actively discussing the necessity to protest. People did not call for revolution or the violent change of the regime; on the contrary people called for peaceful protests without any violence.  User AlleyCat wrote that calling for revolution is pointless without a clear and precise program of what will happen afterwards.
Vladivostok bloggers supported protesters in Moscow, even being ten thousand kilometers away. Picture by Don Sera (public domain)
Before the protest day some bloggers reported on the riot police that arrived from Moscow to “disperse the protesters.” It was not the first time that the Kremlin has sent Moscow riot police to stop demonstrations in Vladivostok, therefore the pre-protest atmosphere was a bit tense.
The protest, as in many other parts of the country, turned out to be non-violent and friendly without any cases of police brutality. Various sources claimed that from 500 to 1000 people – mostly representatives of the Communist party, TIGR movement and local bloggers – showed up at the protest action. You can find more pictures here and here.
User anbavl shared a video [ru] from the demonstration:
Blogger Followme noted that despite the fact that there were not that many people, even a thousand people was an impressive result for Vladivostok, a city with approximately 610 thousand inhabitants.
LiveJournal user Don Sera pointed out that there were not many cases of vote rigging during the elections in Vladivostok, therefore “protesters in Vladivostok mainly supported everyone who was fighting for civil freedoms and fair elections,” e.g. imprisoned Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin.
Police were not aggressive and no one got arrested. Don Sera wrote that this was due to a good tradition in the city where even the police officers drive cars with a steering wheel on the right side – an unofficial symbol of Vladivostok.
Renowned Vladivostoki blogger Zeka Vasch claimed that all representatives of the local LiveJournal and Twitter communities were at the protest, mainly because the mainstream media did not provide coverage for the planned protests. As in the rest of Russia, local netizens left their online world and participated in the offline activity.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.

author: Masha


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Saudi Arabia: The Witch Hunt Continues; Woman, 60, Beheaded for “Sorcery”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Arabia has executed a 60-year-old woman for practicing “witchcraft and sorcery.” The beheading of Amina bint Abdul Halim bin Salem Nasser in the northern province of Jawf yesterday has angered international human rights organisations and sparked the ridicule of netizens on Twitter.
According to news reports, the woman was accused by the religious police who arrested her for “tricking people into thinking she could treat illnesses” and charging them money for the “treatment.” She was arrested in April 2009 and convicted in a Saudi court.
Amnesty International described the beheading as “deeply shocking and highlights the urgent need for a halt in executions in Saudi Arabia.”
“The charges of ‘witchcraft and sorcery’ are not defined as crimes in Saudi Arabia and to use them to subject someone to the cruel and extreme penalty of execution is truly appalling,” said Philip Luther Amnesty International’s interim Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme.
On Twitter, Ahmed Al Attar, from Abu Dhabi, the UAE, mocks:
@AhmedwAlAttar: Lets all congratulate Saudi, the beheading of the dubiously-judged “witch” means they have now entered the 16th century.
Emirates-based journalist Tom Gara jokes:
@tomgara: Doesn't Saudi Arabia know that beheading a witch only increases her magical powers?
And Canadian Kevin Carter adds:
@wapimaskwa69: Woman beheaded for being a witch. Not a Monty Python sketch, just another day in Saudi Arabia.
Qatar-based Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell asks:
@blakehounshell: Curious to know: How does one prove the charge of witchcraft in Saudi Arabia?
The question garnered some funny reactions. Fatma Makki, from Muscat, Oman, responds:
@fatamo: @blakehounshell 1)See if she floats if u drop her in a barrel of oil 2) Give her car keys: if she knows what to do with it she's obv[iously] a witch
And Bahraini Abdulla Al Romaihi notes:
@Abdulla287: No, they push them off a cliff if she flies she's a witch, if not then she dies & goes to heaven ( :
Saudi Arabia has executed at least 79 people, including five women, this year, according to Amnesty International. This is triple the number of executions, compared to last year when 27 people were beheaded.
The human rights organisation adds:
Hundreds more people are believed to be under sentence of death, many of them convicted of drugs offences. They have often had no defence lawyer and in many cases have not been informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them.


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‘Support Rohingya Refugees’ Facebook Page · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The ‘Support Rohingya Refugees’ Facebook page aims to gather support and spread awareness about the plight of the Rohingya refugees who are ‘rejected’ in Myanmar and in other countries of the region