text:
Egypt: IMF Deal Sparks Controversy · Global Voices
Lilian Wagdy

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Helping Egypt overcome the cash crunch that ensued in the wake of the January 25 Revolution, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on Sunday to a 3 billion dollar loan package to the Arab World’s most populous country.
The deal will, supposedly, help Egypt obtain funding to meet the balance of payments deficit that now stands between $10bn and $12bn in the wake of the revolution that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February.
Egyptian pounds. Image by Flickr user Moemen Shahawy (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
But while the Egyptian government and Finance Minister Samir Radwan hailed the deal as a step to “relaunch the Egyptian economy,” Egyptians were largely skeptical, with the deal receiving negative feedback from online citizens and activists.
On Facebook, a group entitled “No IMF Deal for Egypt” was created and now comprises around 300 members, to discuss the deal and provide other alternatives to save cash and reduce budget deficit.
User Noha El Shoky, for example, argues that:
reducing the salaries of ministerial consultants could save more than 70 bln [billion] dollars
Another user, Reda Eissa asserts that:
it’s possible to save 36 bln dollars immediately if the private funds were added to the general budget balance
On Twitter, blogger and activist Gigi Ibrahim (@Gsquare86) voiced a strong refusal to the deal:
@Gsquare86: WE MUST REJECT THAT LOAN!!!! we are in a revolution, NO #SCAF NO GOV can make these decisions without the people's consent !!! #IMF #Egypt
User Amr El Gohary (@amr_gohary) is questioning the validity of approving the deal by “a transitional government”
@amr_gohary: How come an interim unelected government is taking such strategic decisions as the IMF loan decision? #Egypt
The deal comes after IMF praised Egypt’s draft of the 2011/2012 budget balance which raised government spending by a quarter. The country's interim government claims the budget will help improve social justice and remedy some of the economic grievances that was, according to a Gallup poll released on Sunday, one of the main reasons that helped trigger the anti-regime uprising in January.
The balance centers around raising the national minimum wage from the old level of 34 Egyptian pounds (GBP 3.50) per month to 700 Egyptian pounds, and the establishment of a 2 billion Egyptian pound fund to pay for unemployment benefits. The IMF said the deal will help put the Egyptian Economy on the “right track”, despite opposition from businessmen who see the draft as running against the neo-liberal policies that helped their businesses flourish under Mubarak’s rule.
One thing for certain is that both Egyptians and their government are keeping their eye on how the economic wheel is moving these days. But while Egypt’s rulers attempt to “resurrect” this ailing sector, there is a fear lurking in the air that this might come at the expense of post-revolution Egyptian independence.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Lilian Wagdy


text:
Egypt: Khaled Said, One Year Later · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
One year ago, Khaled Said, a 27-year-old Egyptian from the coastal city of Alexandria, was tortured to death at the hands of two policemen who wanted to search him, justifying it under the emergency law. His death sparked anger among Egyptians, but no one at the time imagined that one year later Mubarak, the Minister of Interior, and other pillars of his police-state regime would be behind bars. Today, Egyptians are remembering the anniversary of one of the main reasons for their revolution.
On Twitter, Egyptians shared their feelings on the occasion. Here is a snap shot of some of their reactions:
@Mohamed_Atwa: #KhaledSaid Thank you for starting the revolution. Thank you for waking up the human in me. Allah yer7amak ya rab [God bless your soul]
@mariamarafat: To those of you who forgot, #KhaledSaid was the spark that ignited the Egyptian revolution. The least we can do is remember him on this day.
An illustration by the Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff that summarizes how the death of Khaled Said challenged Mubarak's rule.
Wael Ghonim shared  a photo of one of the first protests condemning the death of Khaled Said. The small number of people participating in the protest cannot be compared to the millions who took to the streets in the Egyptian revolution, however, it was a spark that would eventually start the revolution.
Some of the people who participated in those protests one year ago, were demonstrating for the first time in their lives. Ahmed Khair Eldeen wrote how the death of Khaled Said changed the mentality of the whole country, and how the fear of having the same destiny exceeded their fear to protest:
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned his death then and called for investigations into the brutal killing. But now and after all these months, both those responsible for his death nor the ones who murdered the protesters during the revolution are yet to be punished.
@nagoul1: We are #BackInBlack not only because of #KhaledSaid, but because most of those who murdered #Jan25 protesters are still loose.
Finally Mariam Arafat is sad because Khaled Said is not here to witness the change he made, and Mai Shams El-Din tweeted that Said died for all of us to live now.
@maishams: He died so we can live. RIP #KhaledSaid
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Tarek Amr


text:
Guyana: Environmental Future  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal thinks we need to clean up our act if we want to leave a proper environmental legacy for future generations.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Indonesia: English speeches are illegal · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

nrg07 mentions an Indonesian law which requires top government officials to use the Bahasa Indonesia language when making speeches. Recently, a constitutional expert said that the Prime Minister's English speeches should be considered illegal.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Indonesia: Public holidays · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesia Matters lists the official public holidays in Indonesia


text:
Indonesia: Transparency in the education budget · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesian blogger nrg07 suggests that transparency in the education budget is more urgent than demanding compliance to the constitutional requirement of allotting 20 percent of the national budget to the education sector.


text:
Indonesia: Youth and e-commerce · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

DS Research uploads a May 2011 study on how the youth in Indonesia use e-commerce.


text:
Iran: “Another blogger arrested” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Hrna [fa], Human rights activists news agency, reports [fa] that Ali Pour Soleiman, a blogger and teacher was arrested in Iran a few days ago. He was a member of Association of Teachers and wrote   [fa] in Sokhane Molem (means teacher's word) blog.

author: Fred Petrossian


text:
Macedonia: Alleged Killing of Young Man by Policeman Sparks Protests · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.
A sizable crowd gathered in the center of Skopje tonight to protest the death of a young man who was allegedly beaten to death on the sidelines of the celebration of election victory by the ruling political party.
The event coincided with Baskerfest, an annual street performance art festival held in the center of Skopje.
Vnukot provided a translation of this report [mk] by Radio MOF:
According to reports by NetPress, A1, PlusInfo, MakFax and Forum, sometime around midnight last night, June 6th, 2011, a young man [called Daniel] in his early twenties died near the square “Macedonia” in downtown Skopje. Witnesses who spoke to NetPress and A1, say that the young man was beaten to death by a member of the police special forces “Alpha”.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that such case hasn't been reported yet and they would investigate further if such report is made. The Skopje branch of the Police said that the autopsy will determine the cause of death, but there were no visible signs of violence on the body of the young man.
The mainstream media ignores the case so far (with the exception of A1), but the news spread quickly via Facebook and Twitter (hash tags #daniel, #fontana, #park) and people are gathering in the City Park for a protest, after the call published by PlusInfo.
Sandra posted a photo of “more than 200 people [who] gathered in protest for the murder of 23yo #daniel.”
Twitter user @365Eclectic posted a number of photos from the protest and walk from the park near the Government building to the central square:
Other Twitter and Facebook users circulated a handwritten petition [mk] asking to disband the Alpha police squad, personal and command responsibility for the perpetrators of the crime, and external control of the police abuse cases:
Later photos from the square by @Arangel shows the crowd carrying signs saying “Love Daniel” and “Alpha Killers,” and a sit-in on one of the main city streets near the square:
User @malaovca has published a photo of sit-in protesters blocking the street near the main square:
Details of the incident remain unclear, including the identity of the victim. Global Voices’ correspondents on the ground will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.
This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
Macedonia: Goverment Wins Elections After Tight Race · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Preliminary results of the June 5 early parliamentary elections in Macedonia suggest that the ruling political party has won more votes than the opposition, but not a clear majority. Moreover, in the new Parliament the current government will have less seats than before the early elections, and the opposition quite a few more.
After 7 p.m., when the polling stations closed, the media mostly covered subdued reactions of political parties. Press conferences were delayed, and reporters claimed that the officials were holed up in the analytical centers, suggesting close race throughout the country. Twitter and other social media profiles of political parties were quite silent, too. It was almost midnight when the ruling VMRO-DPMNE announced that, according to their field data, “Nikola Gruevski will continue to be the PM of Macedonia.”
A voter at one of Macedonia's polling stations on the day of the early parliamentary elections on June 5. Photo by Radovan Vujovikj/PlusInfo.mk
The turnout was 63.39 percent, and it is probable that the results will be proclaimed valid, in spite of pre-election irregularities, such as the use of state resources for campaigning – including raising new foreign and domestic loans, reported pressure on public servants, unclear voters’ list, and some reported incidents such as group-voting, taking digital photos of the ballots, on-site agitation, etc. According to a preliminary statement [mk] by NGO MOST, these irregularities did not escalate due to the high turnout and – for the first time – proactive vigilance of local Electoral Committees.
State Electoral Commission has not published the vote count on its website yet, but has relayed the number of votes on the state level through the media [mk]: the ruling VMRO-DPMNE and DUI won 39 percent and 10 percent respectively, while their major opposition competitors SDSM and DPA won 33 percent and 6 percent respectively.
Smaller parties have won a few percentages of the popular vote. The number of seats in the Parliament for each of the six electoral districts will be distributed through the D'Hondt method, which further favors big parties.
Almost 3 percent of the ballots were invalid: out of 1,154,371 active voters, 1,122,420 cast valid ballots.
The new Parliament must assemble 20 days after the election, by June 25. The main post-election controversies involve the following issues:
Several triumphant supporters of the current government, like Partikopolis, claimed [mk] “Victory for maturity and democracy.” On the other hand, naysayers such as Ofca, admonished [mk]  the people for having failed to notice that the current government made the hated oligarchs (created by their opponents in the 90s) richer than before, and at their expense.
More analytical Mecheto Ushko opined [mk] that the opposition must stop being so attached to personalities and business liaisons that most people blame for the misfortunes of the transition (a perception amplified by the government's campaign):
Generally Macedonia has leaned to the Right and it is high time for the Left to do something and create some sort of balance. The true struggle will take place when both winning and losing coalition receives over 400,000 votes each, and when a much slighter margin determines the winner. This would probably be the best option for development of democracy and pluralist society.
But we will have to wait for this a bit more. If the opposition wants new elections in a year or two, then it will have to change its attitude and mode of operation. It must get rid of its old mortgages and parasites…
Human rights expert Mirjana Najchevska suggested [mk] on her blog that the priorites of the new goverment must be:
1. Total reform of the judiciary – including re-election of all judges at all levels, based on very precise criteria, and establishing a system protecting their independence from the other branches of government.
2. A total reform of the public administration that would turn the Agency for Civil Servants into an independent, powerful and decision-making body that would be resistant to political pressure and capable of preventing abuse by political parties. This would imply a moratorium on firing and hiring of new civil servants.
3. Solving the name issue.
A comment by user Zharko to this post said:
Let's get real… Now the first priority for the new government will be to build a colossal Pyramid in the center of Skopje to commemorate this victory over Branko. That would cost us about EUR 100-200 million, and about EUR 50-70 million for the Sphinx with the face of our Shepherd.
It would take about 125,000 workers (employing in shifts all 2 million of us). With a meal a day and some whipping, we'll be done in 4-5 years.
Let the EU and NATO burst from envy, let the whole world envy our beauty and cleverness!!
The latest breaking news [mk]: around 2:30 pm, the police arrested one of the opposition leaders, Ljube Boškoski, “for taking bribes.”


text:
Mexico: Oaxaca Teachers on Strike Return to Classrooms · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Aguachile reports that “After almost two weeks of demonstrations, the “dissident” Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers union […] returned to the class rooms today, Monday. In one of Mexico's absolute poorest states, with educational attainment at rock bottom, the teachers left the 1.4 million or so students without a teacher for almost two weeks – all the time collecting their salary.”

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
North Korea: The Food Aid Dilemma · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In the Council on Foreign Relations site, Toni Johnson published an analysis on North Korea's food situation and the dilemma in sending food aid to the country.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


text:
Palestine: Hopes Dashed as Rafah Crossing Stays Closed · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
On May 28, 2011, Egypt opened the Rafah Crossing between it and the Gaza Strip, supposedly on a permanent basis. However, Palestinians soon discovered that Egypt was limiting the number of people who could pass through the crossing, and thousands were left waiting in frustration. A week later the crossing was closed again by the Egyptians, “due to renovations“.
Still living under an Israeli blockade, bloggers in Gaza are angry that the promised freedom of movement to Egypt has not materialized. Sameeha Elwan's mother has been waiting to go to Egypt for urgent medical treatment:
Everyone was very enthusiastic about the news of opening the only official border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, I was not less enthusiastic. It was such a relief. Even with the restriction on the movement that took place only two days after the glorious news. It sounded a relief. But, it never does when you are one of the 400 other travelers who’d get turned back or who are denied access or those who have to wait. I understood how difficult it is to wait. How painful! How tortuous! But, we Palestinians seem to be destined for waiting.
Palestinians take part in a rally at the gate of Rafah border crossing. Image by ASHRAF AMRA copyright Demotix (28/05/11).
At Sleepless in Gaza, Nader writes about visiting the crossing to see for himself:
June 2nd 2011 was the first time for me to ever see the border. On the gates, I was literally jumping out of excitement that I have finally seen what is the border like with my own eyes. There was security by the gate and this huge gate, and many people were outside waiting either for friends or relatives to arrive or waiting for some traveller who wants to get the bags carried to a taxi, as a way of breadwinning.
As I waited for over 20 minutes in the hot sun waiting for the guards to let me in, I witnessed how it is like to arrive for the first time in so many years. Hugging each other so hard, kissing each other’s cheeks. And what were heart-touching the most is the happy tears. I could feel a lot whenever I witness such scenes.
As we entered the gates, we took a taxi to take us to the departure hall, where I entered with total excitement. I look around and all I see is tired people with pale looks and hopelessness. It was 4 PM by then and the borders close at 6 PM. Kids, old men and women.
The people there were of almost all ranges of ages. I talked to a few of them asking them about what is happening and why are they still in the departure hall. Finally, I came up to the conclusion that the Egyptians don’t let more than 350-400 passengers pass a day.
Ola Anan writes:
Laila El Haddad posts this video:
A fantastic video shot by a group of Palestinian activists exposing the realities of the much heralded opening of Rafah Crossing, which has been closed for the third day in a row.
Back to Sameeha Elwan, who concludes:
Last year, I was asked by a journalist whether I remember a time when there were no restriction over movement or when we were able to travel freely. It didn’t take me much time to answer with a “No”. I still remember how we used to celebrate my uncles by making them big banquets every time anyone of them would make it to Gaza in a day or two. While celebrating their victorious effortless 3-day journey of return, we would be chatting of the way the Egyptians, the Israelis and the Palestinians would each treat Palestinian travelers.
If I’d be asked the same question today, looking at the packed bags leaning along the room, I would still answer: No.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


text:
Peru: 5 Points About President Elect Ollanta Humala · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

According to the latest official results, with 88.375% of the votes from yesterday's run-off  election counted, Ollanta Humala defeats Keiko Fujimori with 51.276% of the vote –Fujimori got 48.724%. Bloggings by boz writes “5 points on Humala” summarizing his victory and analyzing possible outcomes.


text:
Peru: Exit Polls Place Ollanta Humala in the Lead · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Follow netizen's reactions as they wait for results from the second round of presidential elections in Peru: Juan Arellano is tracking online activity via Storify [es] as exit polls place left-leaning candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead over right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.


text:
Peru: Ollanta Humala Wins Elections According to Early Results · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

Update (June 6, 2011):
At the time of writing this post, according to the latest official figures provided by the ONPE at 5:42 a.m [es], with 87.809% of the votes counted, Ollanta Humala is winning the Peru presidential election with 51.253% of the vote, with Keiko Fujimori receiving 48.747%.
Head of the electoral agency, Magdalena Chu, told CNN in Spanish that the official results would be updated through out the night, every two hours on  the ONPE website.
The data recorded in this sample correspond mainly to Lima and other urban areas, so it is assumed that once all votes from rural areas are included, the official result will approach the exit polls and resemble the quick count of the election watchdog Transparencia (Transparency): Humala 51.5%, 48.5% Keiko Fujimori. [es]
Senior citizen casting her vote in Lima, Peru. Photo: Isabel Guerra.
Early indications
At six in the afternoon in Lima, Peru, the first quick count [es] confirmed  [es] the trend expressed in the exit poll surveys: 52.6% for Ollanta Humala and 47.4% for Keiko Fujimori. The high percentage obtained by Humala in several regions within the country, which is almost 80% in some cases (see diagram), makes it unlikely that this trend will be significantly reversed, therefore we can presume that Humala is the new president [es] of Peru.
The day began with warnings from Magdalena Chu, president of ONPE the Peruvian electoral body, who called on the electorate to not rely 100% on the exit poll surveys [es] because they “show the error that all scientific sampling has and faces a lack of veracity in the response of those interviewed.”
The electoral process in Peru commenced without complications in the Andean country, with the usual coverage from the media while the candidates, Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala, issued their respective votes.
Some Twitter users reported minor incidents, such as delay in the voting booths or breaches in electoral law, among others:
Luis Alberto Arias (@LAlbertoArias):
Mi mesa 201399 en Miraflores aún no se instala.
Pao Ugaz (@larryportera):
OJO via @mundofrei “Hace unos minutos a mi amiga y a mi nos llego este mensaje Pro-Keiko al celular: http://twitpic.com/57gg06 ” #peruvota
Vanesa Yalan (@vaneyalan):
#ojo #votaperu REVISEN SUS NOMBRES en PADRONES !!!! Hay algunos q presentan errores de impresion. OJO SURCO
The process had already started hours earlier [es] among Peruvians residing abroad, in the midst of complaints of absenteeism and disruption:
From the United States, Miguelon (@casalla) shared this image:
http://twitpic.com/57e7xs y asi se vota en #HOUSTON#PERUVOTA#PERU2011#ONPE
While in Argentina, Pierre Manrique (@PierManriquESPN) reported:
Triste panorama en el Centro de Votación Peruano en la Argentina. Ausentismo de los miembros de mesa http://yfrog.com/h88vsjhj
On social networks (see the blog Globalizado [es] for detailed coverage), users (including the media) have suggested more than one hashtag for tweeting about the day's events, some of which are #peruvota, #votaperu (Peru votes), #5J, #eleccionesperu (Peru elections), #elecciones2011 (2011 elections), among others.
Another group came up with the hashtag #fraude2011 (#fraud 2011) to discuss what they considered a rigged electoral process.
Cecita (@Cecibeloxa):
El partido de K.Fujimori pasará a la historia porque en el día de las  elecciones cambiaron de membrete político:de Fuerza 2011 a #fraude2011
Carmen (@carmen_flurry):
Y lo nuevo es..RT @CaviarN: #fraude2011 @Frec_Latina (cadena de TV  local) tiene orden de dar a Keiko ganadora en boca de urna (DATUM)  tl.gd/atu0vk
The media incident occurred when Mark Villanella, husband of candidate Fujimori, posed for the press showing his identity card, allowing everyone to see his vote [es], an act that did not go unnoticed by local Twitter users, who accused of him of creating propaganda in the voting center, something that is prohibited by Peruvian law:
Yeison Ortega (@yeison_ortega):
Mark enseño su voto ¿Que dice la ONPE sobre ese acto? #elecciones2011 #peru
Javier Avila (@avilagutierrez):
Mark Vito mostró su voto marcado…habrá multa por propaganda?
Joel (@joeltoxico):
El esposo de Keyko Mark Vito mostró su voto, eso esta prohibido, hizo proselitismo
Waiting for results
Results of the poll. Photo: Norbeck, @Zonabase.
There was little more to do apart from wait for the initial results of the vote. (see Storify [es]).
The unofficial results of the exit poll survey by Ipsos-Apoyo gave 52.6% to Humala and 47.4% to Fujimori, while CPI gave Humala 52.5% and Fujimori 47.5%.
In fact, the results of nationwide exit polls by region were overwhelmingly in favor of Humala: Fujimori had only won in Lima, La Libertad, Piura and Tumbes, while Humala won with very high percentages in the 20 remaining regions.
The regions that showed the greatest support for Ollanta Humala in the polls were Puno (79.2%), Cusco (76.4%), Huancavelica (74.8%) and Ayacucho (70.4%), all located in the central and southern Andes.
Keiko Fujimori won in the regions of Lima (51.3%), La Libertad (54.7%), Tumbes (53.4%) y Piura (51.4%), all of which are located on the Peruvian coast.
The reactions on social networks were immediate.
Carlos Gonzales (@CarlosGonzalesG):
El Perú profundo, la nación cercada, se pronunció contra el continuismo. Ganó la dignidad. Ahora a vigilar a Humala. #elecciones2011
Jose Luis Alvarez (@alvarengo) celebrates:
Señora Fujimori, el Perú tiene memoria y dignidad y hoy le dijo NOOOO!!
Mónica Guerra (@guerravisada) warns:
La presión social y los grupos empresariales no dejarán respirar ni un segundo a Humala.
Social pressure and business groups will not let Humala breathe, not even for a second.
El Tuitero Allavoysinomecaigo (@Allavoysino) advises:
Ollanta debe romper la polarización. Demostrar que va a gobernar para todos. #peruvota #eleccionescaretas
Ben Solís (@bensolis) tries to tone it down:
Mírenlo por el lado amable. La primera presidenta no podía ser Keiko. Merecemos algo mejor.
A group of Twitter users expressed their total rejection of the result, like Daniel Barreno (@danielrazaxx):
Comprobado el 52.3 % del peru son unos cholos de mierda!!!
Andres Alain Ricardo (@FrappAndres):
toda esa gente debe morir en serio, que cagada, ojala mueran todos esos cholos d mela. T.T
These expressions in turn caused discomfort in others, like in Jano Lavalle (@tahuano):
Más q hacer unfollows, voy a sacar mucha gente de mi facebook. El racismo e intolerancia ahorita es INCREIBLE. Me deprime.
César Agurto (@cesar_agurto) notes:
Gente imbécil y racista poniendo ”mueran cholos”, ”indígenas”, ”me voy del país”….ASÍ SE QUEJAN? #pena
And users like Monicalsol (@monicasol_35) suggest:
hazles terapia de grupo…respiren…Lima no es el Peru…inhalen, exhalen…repitan…Lima no es el Peru…R… (cont) http://deck.ly/~uweX3
While awaiting the results of the official count at 100%, the big question is with whom will Gana Peru, Humala's party, make immediate political alliances, taking into account that it failed to get a majority in Congress. It is speculated that it could reach an understanding with Peru Posible, the party of former president Alejandro Toledo, who already has openly expressed his support in Humala's final campaign rally.
Former President Alejandro Toledo present at the closing campaign rally of Ollanta Humala. Photo: courtesy of Gana Peru Press.

author: Isabel Guerra


text:
Russia: Journalists Discuss Possible Closure of “Izvestia” Newspaper · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Nataly Oss [ru] and Ksenia Larina [ru] discuss possible closure of “Izvestia,” once “a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper.” The control over the newspaper was taken over by Inews (publisher of a popular online tabloid LifeNews.ru). If closed, Izvestia will be 4th major media outlet after Russian Newsweek (closed in October 2010), BBC Russian Service (moved to online-only regime in April 2011), gzt.ru (closure announced in May 2011) to disappear from the Russian media scene in 2010-2011.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


text:
Syria: ‘Gay Girl in Damascus’ Seized · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Update (June 9, 2011): Since this post was published questions have been raised about the true identity of “Amina Arraf”. The photo below proved to be of a Croatian woman who lives in London. Read more here.
Amina Arraf has seen a quick rise to fame.  Blogging pseudonymously, as Amina Abdullah, she writes about politics, the recent uprising, and being a lesbian in Syria.  A dual citizen of the United States and Syria, her powerful words have shown the reality on the ground in Syria over the past few weeks.
Today, on Amina's own blog, it was reported that she had been kidnapped by authorities.  Her cousin, Rania O. Ismail, reported:
Earlier today, at approximately 6:00 pm Damascus time, Amina was walking in the area of the Abbasid bus station, near Fares al Khouri Street. She had gone to meet a person involved with the Local Coordinating Committee and was accompanied by a friend.
Amina told the friend that she would go ahead and they were separated. Amina had, apparently, identified the person she was to meet. However, while her companion was still close by, Amina was seized by three men in their early 20’s. According to the witness (who does not want her identity known), the men were armed. Amina hit one of them and told the friend to go find her father.
‘Amina Arraf’ (now known to be a stolen photo of Jelena Lecic)
One of the men then put his hand over Amina’s mouth and they hustled her into a red Dacia Logan with a window sticker of Basel Assad. The witness did not get the tag number. She promptly went and found Amina’s father.
The men are assumed to be members of one of the security services or the Baath Party militia. Amina’s present location is unknown and it is unclear if she is in a jail or being held elsewhere in Damascus.
A few hours after the first post, Amina's cousin updated it with news:
I have been on the telephone with both her parents and all that we can say right now is that she is missing. Her father is desperately trying to find out where she is and who has taken her.
Unfortunately, there are at least 18 different police formations in Syria as well as multiple different party militias and gangs. We do not know who took her so we do not know who to ask to get her back. It is possible that they are forcibly deporting her.
From other family members who have been imprisoned there, we believe that she is likely to be released fairly soon. If they wanted to kill her, they would have done so.
That is what we are all praying for.
Amina's rise to fame was profiled in The Guardian just a few weeks ago, in an article which called her an “unlikely hero of revolt in a conservative country”.
On Twitter, Amina's friends and supporters are tweeting in solidarity, using the hashtag #FreeAmina, and a Facebook page has been created to urge global citizens to contact their local US Embassies, as well as journalists and other public figures.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: To Resign or Not?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tattoo examines the arguments being put forward in favour of removing Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner from his post amidst FIFA bribery allegations, saying: “In the end only one argument may be valid.”


text:
Uganda: Excitement as Cranes Edge Closer to African Nations Cup  · Global Voices
Rosebell Kagumire

Uganda is closing in on making a historic comeback to the Africa Nations Cup tournament. The country last qualified for the biggest continental stage in 1978. The Uganda Cranes have come close thanks to a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau in Kampala on Saturday June 4, 2011.
Uganda is on top of the group with 10 points and with Angola beating Kenya over the weekend, Uganda now needs just one point to make it to 2012 tournament that will be hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Uganda edged out the west Africans through goals by Godfrey Walusimbi and Geoffrey Massa goals in either half, a moment that sent thousands in the country in celebration.
Widespread support
Ugandans were all out to support their team, the game was watched by over 50,000 fans at the Mandela National Stadium. Just like many events in the last few months, Ugandans took to Twitter to talk about the game, many tweeting live from the stadium.
Under the hashtag #Ugandafootball and #Afcon (Africa cup of nations) many Ugandans expressed their enthusiasm ahead of the game in the home stadium that few teams have managed to snatch a win.
@Rugyendo asked where he could paint his face in the national colours ahead of the game:
I need to paint my face for the Cranes. Any clues? #UgandaFootball
@BillyByarugaba reported on the mood in the city ahead of the game:
Kampala city is so ecstatic!!! I love the hype to this match bt Uganda has to win, with this support #ugandafootball
@Mugumya indicated that the tickets were sold out:
FUFA printed only 46000 tickets. And all were sold out and I have mine in my pocket. hahaha #wegowego #ugandafootbal we gol
Over 50,000 fans watched the game at the Mandela National Stadium. Photo courtesy of Twitter user @mugumya.
@enamara reported live from the stadium:
Tweeting live from Namboole, Proudly Ugandan. So many people, mood is great. #WeGoWeGo #UgandaFootball
Talk of superstition, @mugumya posted a picture of a dark cloud over the stadium hinting it could be a bad luck sign for the visitors:
We go, we go! The dark clouds over Namboole are usually a bad sign for visiting team! #UgandaFootball we go! http://twitpic.com/56ab87
@sakika who was watching the game on television had no kind words for the national broadcaster (Uganda Broadcasting Corporation) for poor commentary:
UBC is so hopeless. So much for live broadcast of the match.The commentary is pathetic #Ugandafootball #cranes #wegowego #ugcranes #epicfail
Talking of politics and sports, the Democratic Party president Norbert Mao who together with Forum for Democratic Change leader Dr.Kizza Besigye have been at helm of walk to work protests attended the match. Mao offered 1 million Ugandan Shilings for the scorer of the first goal.
@andykristian pointed out Mao’s love for football:
@NorbertMao is at Nambole in the thick of things watching #UgandaCranes. Now you know the president that loves sports, huh? #UgandaFootball
The disappointment of the night came from Uganda’s striker David Obua who threw his jersey after being substituted. Obua, who plays in the Scottish Premier League club Hearts, got harsh reactions.
@mumakeith had no kind words:
How dare u throw a Ugandan jersery down? #Obua #wegowego #ugandacranes
@b_guilbert indicated that he would be unfollowing Obua on Twitter for his behavior.
However, @snottyganda said all great players have bad moments and there was no need to insult Obua for throwing his jersey:
@Rugyendo Even football gr8s hve made mistakes Beckam,Rooney Lampard ronaldinho but we dont call them terrorists @RosebellK
@ntvuganda posted a link to a video highlighting magical moments at Mandela National Stadium.
@RedPepperUG reported that people celebrated the whole night:
It was jubilation all night in all towns in Uganda as Cranes shaft Guinea Bissau! http://bit.ly/kyC1TH #ugandafootball #wegowego
This was the day that many people in the country were proud to be Ugandans:
@Ajstream @mtnugandacare @Rosebellk This was e only day dat so many ug'dans had all reasons 2be proudly Ugd http://twitpic.com/57orpu
Echwalu captured the moment in photos.

author: Rosebell Kagumire


text:
Ukraine: Censoring Facebook? (Updated) · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

To the dismay of the Ukrainian Facebook community, the account of one of the most popular Facebook users in the country, Mykola Sukhomlyn [new account], aka Николай СУХОМЛИН, was terminated by the social network on June 1, 2011.
On May 17, Mykola Sukhomlyn shared a YouTube video by journalist Oleksiy Matsuka showing Governor of the Donetsk region, Anatoly Blyzniuk, driving a customized S-class Mercedes worth at least 60,000 euro. His post got picked up [ru] by a popular online news source Ukrainska Pravda, which linked to Sukhomlyn’s profile, and was later referenced by dozens of other Internet sites. The next day Sukhomlyn received the first threat.
This is how he recounts [ru] the events in a Facebook note shared by his friends:
На следующий день я получил «приватную рекомендацию» удалить видео, а также «умерить свой пыл по отношению к украинским политикам». Вскоре «советы» начали приобретать менее рекомендательный характер и человек, позвонив по телефону и не представившись, сообщил, что «на меня найдут управу».
В течение недели личные сообщения на Facebook содержали ту или угрозу. На сей раз неизвестные с временных аккаунтов грозились заблокировать мой профиль в социальной сети и принять меры для дальнейшего «недопущения распространения порочащей украинских политиков информации». 1 июня 2011 года профиль на Facebook был удален администрацией социальной сети.
On the very next day I received a “private recommendation” to remove the video as well as to “cool down my fervor for Ukrainian politicians.” Very soon such “advice” stopped being just recommendatory when a man called me on the phone and, without introducing himself, informed me that I “would be dealt with.”
For about a week, personal messages on Facebook contained threats. This time anonymous users from temporary accounts threatened to get my social network profile blocked and take action that would “prohibit [me] from spreading defamatory information about Ukrainian politicians.” On June 1, 2011, my Facebook profile was deleted by the administration of the social network.
According to a popular portal of online activism Maidan.org.ua, Facebook has failed [uk] to notify Sukhomlyn about its intentions and reasons for deleting his account.
Official explanation (Updated)
On June 6, Ukrainian web-based media watchdog Telekritika turned to Facebook for an official explanation about its actions regarding user Mykola Sukhomlyn. The network’s representative in Russia, Yekaterina Skorobatova, told [uk] Telekritika that Sukhomlyn’s profile was blocked due to “repeated copyright violations” about which he had been warned several times. She then added that the video depicting the governor was not among such cases.
On June 7, editor of the website durdom.in.ua Roman Shrayk confirmed [ru] the statement of Facebook, stating that user Mykola Sukhomlyn repeatedly used content from their website while removing copyright notices. This is what he wrote [ru] in a letter to Telekritika:
Я подтверждаю заявление администрации „Фейсбука”. Николай Сухомлин многократно (десятки раз) воровал фотоприколы с сайта durdom.in.ua. Он срезал с них лого и ник автора и размещал как свои. На замечания не реагировал. Комментарии о воровстве поудалял и закрыл мне доступ к своему аккаунту. Меня возмутило такое отношение, и я обратился в администрацию ФБ. Они раз 5 просто удаляли ворованный контент, но Сухомлин не переставал мошенничать. Видимо, после очередной жалобы его аккаунт и был закрыт.
Shrayk also noted [ru] that between March 20 and June 1 he had sent seven complaints to Facebook about Mykola Sukhomlyn.
Together with Sukhomlyn’s profile, Facebook deleted the page “On Politics with Humor” (300,000 viewers per month) and a popular group for journalists “MediaUkraine,” administered by Sukhomlyn. In response, some Ukrainian users set up an open Facebook group [ru] in his support, while others suggested appealing personally to the network’s creator Mark Zuckerberg.
The emergence of Roman Shrayk’s statement on June 7 sparked heated debates [ru] on Facebook about whether Mykola Sukhomlyn’s story of becoming the “victim of the regime” was an elaborate fraud.
His case would not have been the first instance of closing accounts unpopular with the Ukrainian authorities. Just a few months earlier, Facebook suspended [en] an account of the female protest group FEMEN [en], most known for its provocative bare-breasted acts, for several weeks.
Internationally, Facebook has already been criticized [en] for allowing the disabling of accounts after just one report, regardless of whether or not the user in question had actually violated the network’s policies. Once an account has been disabled (regardless of the reason), it is very difficult to restore it.
Many Ukrainian netizens have pointed out that such policies make it easy to stop activists and silence dissidents on the social network. Currently, over 700 users have already signed up to attend a Ukrainian Facebook event called “Freedom of Speech on Facebook [uk].”

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


text:
Australia’s Swear-In: Fine is a Four-Letter Word · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

This post is part of our special coverage SlutWalks 2011.
Warning: If you’re easily shocked or object to so-called indecent or profane language, then please do not open any of the links or watch the video in this post.
Melbourne has just had a swear-in outside Victoria’s State Parliament to protest against new laws for on-the-spot fines for swearing. A YouTube video of the event captured by chllptr at the event was quickly posted on Melbourne Protests Weblog:
According to their report:
Media were present in force, whether hoping for police intervention or simply drawn by the novelty of the occasion, but there was no trouble. Reports can be found on The Age website and ABC online.
This issue has caused a lot of web chatter in places other than the usual suspects: mostly outrage or disbelief, mixed with a lot of humour.
At the Glitch Hop Forum, ‘a bunch of like minded techy geeks’ with an interest in music, kayhat posted the topic ‘You're not allowed to f**cking swear in Melbourne, Australia‘:
This is horrible, our human rights are being taken away from us blatently. Didn't we already have a perfectly functional verbal abuse law? This is ridiculous.
angryranchor responded:
This is possibly the dumbest thing I have heard. Really? Do police officers not have real criminals to find in Australia? Are there not real laws to enforce there against things like rape and murder? Do we really want them to be some sort of morality police?
At The Roar, Art Sapphire, aka Athas Zafiris, tackled the issue with humour in  ‘how going to the football could cost an extra $240’. It is ‘an Australian sports opinion website which blends expert analysis with fan written articles’.
No swearing sign. Image by Flickr user Alice Chaos (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
“Sergeant Brown?”
“Yes, Constable White?”
“There are 250 Sydney supporters chanting ‘F*** off Melbourne.’ What do I do?”
“Issue them fines, Constable White.”
“What? All of them?’”
“Yes. All of them!”
“What about the 1000 Victory supporters who have just started chanting “F*** off Sydney?”
“Fine them as well, Constable White. Well? What are you waiting for!”
… Let’s hope the Victorian Police apply this ass of a law with some common sense.
At off-roaders website 4WD Action the thread ran: ‘Fines for swearing in public !?‘
Angry6 who started this discussion lived up to his nickname:
Let me start by saying what the hell is this country coming to? Saw on the news a night or two ago that they will start giving $245 (dont quote me) on the spot fines to bad language in public.
If all the speed camera rage wasnt clear enough, then this will certainly open your eyes that all they are interested in is revenue any which way they can!
In reply Shaker4X4 took the side of the law:
I think cops are fed up with being sworn at in an abusive tone and they need something to book them for. How hard is it to kerb your tongue? Don't you think others are offended? I swear sometimes, but never out loud in public or among strangers. I've some respect.
Michael Vaughan at A single's survival guide likes a pun as well in ‘Obscene … and not heard‘:
Swear v.i. Use profane oaths to express anger or as expletives.
Well bugger me, move over speed-camera revenue, the Spring Street Mafia is introducing a new cash cow on the revenue-raising block – a potentially giant government swear box (oops, can I still say box?) at about 240 bucks a throw. Yeah, I said bucks with a B.
Freelance writer James Schloeffel continued the lighthearted approach with ‘Why Victoria’s swearing ban should be extended to politicians‘. He has a list of distasteful phrases that should cop a fine such as:
“Moving forward”…“Feeling the pinch”…“Un-Australian” …“Not ruling anything in or out”.
At J Man Talkback’s post ‘On The Spot Fines for Swearing‘, he sees some advantages:
…firstly it will help to free up our already overburdened courts so they can spend more time dealing with more serious matters and secondly it will speed the process up immeasurably for those charged with offensive language which is a good thing especially if the offender is a young person.
But he has concerns that:
…with every power comes the potential for the abuse of that power.
@Wil_Anderson is a popular TV and stand-up comedian. He tweeted about future Melbourne International Comedy Festival gigs:
@Wil_Anderson: Victoria announced on-the-spot fines of $240 for indecent language. Suddenly my MICF show is going to cost me a lot more next year…
So is this just a laughing matter? Not according to A f#@%ing stupid law  from Aidan Wilson of Crikey's language blog Fully (sic). He checked on the old law that is being given new life by the instant fines:
I personally find it unbelievable that Victoria still has legislation against offensive behaviour and ‘obscene’ language. Being curious, I went to the legislation and found the relevant section (17):
17. Obscene, indecent, threatening language and behaviour etc. in public
Any person who in or near a public place or within the view or hearing of any person being or passing therein or thereon-
1. sings an obscene song or ballad;
2. writes or draws exhibits or displays an indecent or obscene word figure or representation;
3. uses profane indecent or obscene language or threatening abusive or insulting words; or
4. behaves in a riotous indecent offensive or insulting manner-
shall be guilty of an offence.
Image from Crikey's Fully (sic) blog
The highlighting has been added. Many fans of Scotland's famous bard Rabbie Burns will be grateful for this warning and forgive Aidan's lingusitic redundancy, ‘I personally’ (sic).
The swear-in rally drew a smaller crowd than had indicated their intention to attend on Facebook. Perhaps the f**kwalk on 25 June, 2011, based on the recent slutwalk, will have more success.
This post is part of our special coverage SlutWalks 2011.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago: Feminism & Activism  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Womanish Words congratulates Trinidadian Simona Lee, “creator of the blog ‘Women Speak: Women Tell Their Stories of Discrimination,’ for being chosen to receive a 2011 Internet Activist BlogHer Scholarship.”


text:
Barbados: Blogs as News Source  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Some in the traditional media question why social media is gaining momentum?” Barbados Underground suggests that one reason may be that blogs are willing to tell stories that most mainstream media are staying clear of.


text:
Bhutan: An Ill-prepared Shangri-la · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhutanese Blogger at Whatever Matters comments: “We are living in a self-constructed illusion of Shangri-la which is far removed from reality.”

author: Rezwan


text:
Chile: A Photo Essay on The Making of Olive Oil · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Cachando Chile, Margaret posts a photo essay which details the steps in the production of Chilean olive oil at the Olave organic olive groves.


text:
China: Li Na’s Championship, National Pride? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Over the weekend, Chinese tennis player Li Na became the first Chinese national to win a tennis Grand Slam final. In most cases, championship in sport is closely connected in China with the celebration of national pride. However, Chinese netizens have taken Li Na's victory as a celebration of individualism, and are questioning the country's sports policy.
As the China Media Project noticed, The People's Daily has placed Li Na's victory in the headline of June 5, 2011, edition of the paper. In fact, even before Li Na won the Grand Slam, Sina.com‘s sport news channel [zh] tried to apply the rhetoric of national pride to frame the tennis match.
The news story was singled out, however, and has received a lot of criticism from [online forum] Sina Weibo. The June 3, 2011, story reads:
【李娜带着13亿人的冠军梦前进】2011年，@李娜 注定感动中国！从年初闯入澳网决赛，到战胜莎拉波娃闯入法网决赛的瞬间，李娜带着13亿中国人的大满贯梦想再一次站在国际舞台上！当之无愧成为中国体坛代表人物，亚洲体坛的No.1！两天之后，李娜将在法网冲击冠军，让我们为娜姐加油！http://t.cn/aoKYNQ
Li Na wins the 2011 Grand Slam Final. Photo by Flickr user Lucian_ge (CC BY 2.0).
In the comment section, there are more than 900 responses, the majority of which however splash cold water on the nationalistic narrative:
Zaraki_ 李娜只代表她自己，别用13亿这个数字来被代表 (6月4日 21:13)
广州滔仔 确实如此，WTA职业联赛又不是奥运会，这纯粹是个人职业赛事，跟国家屁关系没有，说什么带着13亿人的梦前进简直让人笑话，WTA的双打比赛经常是两个不同国家的运动员组合参赛的，那如果这样岂不是要带着A国家的人口+B国家的人口的梦前进了？(6月4日 17:12)
上官雪小耶 新浪煽情无处不在，你又知道13亿人的梦想是啥？至少我的梦想是能住上好房子，吃上安全吃的，看病不要钱，上学不要钱，交的税都用去照顾孤儿寡妇弱势群体，谁想去国际舞台了啊？人家娜姐的梦想大家祝福她就是了，非得搞那么大顶帽子，好像输了就要自绝与江东父老一样。(6月4日 11:37)
新疆老黄牛 也是为自己挣钱，与工人农民没有任何关系。(6月3日 12:47)
Zaraki_ Li Na only represents herself, don't use 1.3 billion to represent her.  (June 4 21:13)
广州滔仔 The WTA is not the Olympics. It is just an individual professional match and has nothing to do with the country. It is a joke to say that she carries the dreams of 1.3 billion people. In the WTA, sometimes players from different countries even pair up for a match. Should we say the two players carry the dream of all people from A and B countries? (June 4 17:12)
上官雪小耶 Sina is playing with sentiment. How could you know what the dreams are of 1.3 billion people? My dream is to have a nice apartment, safe food, health care, free education. I also hope that my tax money would go to the poor. Who care about the international stage? We can bless Li Na for her dream. Why do we have to put such a big hat on her head? It's as though if she had lost, she wouldn't be able to return home to see her fellowmen anymore. (June 4 11:37)
新疆老黄牛 She is just making her living, this has nothing to do with the workers and peasants. (June 3 12:47)
The reason why netizens don't associate Li Na's championship with national pride is due to her personal history. Li Na was born in 1982, in Hubei province. Her father, Li Shengpang, was a badminton player, but was forced to end his sports career early as a result of the Cultural Revolution. He died when Li Na was 14-years-old. Li Na started playing badminton when she was six and switched to tennis when she was nine. She joined the National Tennis Team in 1997 and turned pro in 1999. She left the Tennis Team in 2002, returned in 2004, and quit the team again in 2008. Her conflict with the National Team and Chinese Sport System went public in 2005 in an open debate[zh]. A cadre from the Tennis management center criticized Li for being too self-centered and said she would not represent China in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Microblogger Anunnaki-S reminds his “followers” on Sina Weibo about Li's conflict with the state sporting system, and raised the highly-debated question: China, what have you done to claim credit in Li Na's championship? [zh]:
#李娜威武#【中国，你凭什么为李娜夺冠而骄傲？】她曾经效力国家队，对中国僵化的体制彻底失望，比赛奖金也大部分被上层拿走。08年，她脱离体制，开始参加世界大赛，所有费用自理，每年依然上缴12%的广告费和8%的奖金。成绩不好，批评非议，夺得冠军，猪狗都赶来沾光。中国，你凭什么？

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Eating dog in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan from China Law Blog discusses the debate regarding eating dog in China.


text:
Egypt: Khaled Said’s Legacy Still Thrives · Global Voices
Lilian Wagdy

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
The date June 6, 2010, was perhaps a turning point for a lot of Egyptians. On that day, a 27-year-old businessman named Khaled Said died in disputed circumstances in the Sidi Gaber area of Alexandria, after being arrested by Egyptian police.
[WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE IN THE FOLLOWING LINK] A photo of his disfigured corpse, which surfaced on the Internet, sparked anger and protests that contributed, seven months later, to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
Now, a year on, what he stands for is still alive; thousands of Egyptians demonstrated all over Egypt not just to commemorate the first anniversary of his death, but to voice their anger over what they describe as continued police brutality and torture.
Frustration with police performance rose to new levels after several cases of alleged torture and killings by members of the police were reported during the last couple of weeks.
And while Egyptians flocked to the streets to take part in silent gatherings in cities like Port Said, Aswan and Asuit for Khaled Said, protesters in Alexandria and Cairo in particular, took matters to another level.
In Alexandria, protesters gathered in front of Khaled Said’s house, chanting against the police and demanding swift justice and maximum punishment for his killers. Artists created yet another mural for Said on Alexandria’s Corniche for everyone to see.
But it was Cairo that managed to hit a home-run with hundreds demonstrating right at the gates of the previously feared and notorious Ministry of Interior, chanting fiercely against police, torture and even the Minister of Interior (MOI) Mansour El Eissawi himself.
Blogger and activist Hossam El Hamalawy provides photos of the demonstration, including the highlight moment when some activists sprayed stencils of Khaled Said, designed by artist Hussam Shukrallah, all over the gates of the ministry and the surrounding walls.
Bloggers, tweeps and activists rushed to post pictures of what they described as a “historic” moment, as Khaled Said’s face covered virtually every wall of the MOI gates.
Journalist and blogger Sarah Carr was among the first to post pictures on Twitter of the stencils on the Interior Ministry. She exclaims:
@Sarahcarr: Wow wow wow. Khaled Said graffiti on MOI. Fuck the police.http://yfrog.com/gy3sjfdj
Now for some, the demonstration was an indicator of how far they’ve come since this photo was taken. As journalist Rasha Azab puts it:
For the sake of Khaled Said we went down to confront the Ministry of Interior last year and today we painted his pictures on the walls of that ministry that we dared not come close to its street. Glory to Khaled and all martyrs.
But for others, the fight for a torture-free Egypt remains a challenge even after the January 25 revolution and as reports of human rights violations continue to surface from inside Egyptian police stations, the momentum behind Khaled Said's legacy will not fade anytime soon.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Lilian Wagdy


text:
Equatorial Guinea: A Language That Ignores Human Rights · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.
In June in Angola, in the Sixteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Countries of the Portuguese Speaking Community (Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa or CPLP), the membership of Equatorial Guinea to the community will be considered. A report written by the CPLP mission that visited the capital Malabo on  May 4-5 will be the basis for this step in the membership process for the country governed since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang.
According to the page of the CPLP, the conditions to be proven [pt] were the effective use of the Portuguese language in the education system of the country and the orienting principles of the organization, such as “the primacy of peace, Democracy, the Rule of Law, Human Rights and social justice”.
Luanda 2010 – Eighth Meeting of Countries of the Portuguese Speaking Community. Photo by MRE Brasil on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Does language create ties?
O único território verdadeiramente humano é o da Língua.  Deixemos pois  este espaço livre da opressão dos interesses, deixemos  comunicar as  línguas, os homens, os povos.
Commented Joana Ruas, on the blog O que fica do que passa (What remains of what goes on) [pt], in an article entitled “CPLP, Guiné Equatorial Guinea & Ca; Petroleum or Platonic Love?”.
Justino Pinto de Andrade of the blog Angola Resistente [pt] tells how “the Portuguese were the first European navigators to arrive, in 1471, to the territory which today constitutes Equatorial Guinea”:
acharam a ilha de Bioko, a que depois chamaram Ilha Formosa, e também  Fernando Pó. (…)
do ponto de vista histórico, houve, sim, um contacto da Guiné-Equatorial   com a língua e a cultura portuguesas. Poderão, pois, ter restado ainda   ténues reminiscências desse contacto, que justifiquem alguma nostalgia   da língua e da cultura desaparecidas. Mas, depois, impôs-se o  espanhol. A  presença da língua francesa como língua oficial deve-se,  sobretudo, às  ligações fronteiriças que a Guiné-Equatorial tem com o  Gabão e os  Camarões – países francófonos – e a uma presença remota dos  franceses  nos seus territórios, também por ocasião do tráfico negreiro.
Brazilian journalist Michell Niero, of the blog O Patifundio [pt], adds that “Equatorial Guinea, a hispanic country, ‘speaks’ Portuguese since 2008 by decree”:
tornou[-se] membro observador mesmo com uma população ínfima falando fá d’ambô, idioma crioulo com base lexical portuguesa.
So if it isn't language, what is it that Equatorial Guinea brings to the community of Portuguese speaking countries?
The “Petrodictatorship”
In the opinion of the blog Debates e Devaneios (Debates and Daydreams) [pt] of Mozambique:
A entrada da Guiné-Equatorial como membro de pleno  direito para a Comunidade dos Países (ditos) de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP)  tem apenas a ver com o petróleo, sendo outras questões basilares, como a  língua, a democracia e os direitos humanos uma farsa. (…) A  Guiné-Equatorial é uma ditadura? É sim senhor. Mas o que é que isso  importa se tem petróleo, que é um bem muito superior aos direitos  humanos?
The idea is reinforced by Henrique Sousa, from the blog O que fica do que passa, for whom the membership “makes no sense”, given that it “is not a Portuguese language country” but instead a “petrodictatorship”. He agrees with writer and politician Manuel Alegre who used these same words.
Luba Beach Boys. Photo by John & Mel Kots on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The blog El Bonsai de la Información (The Information Bonsai) [es] in 2008, disdains “the historic and linguistic arguments” that convinced the “three strong members” of the CPLP – Portugal, Angola and Brazil – and described the ease with which petroleum interests drown out human rights:
Con la valiosa ayuda de Libia, autorizada por el líder Muammar Gaddafi, aliado histórico de Obiang Nguema, a inicios de este año una delegación portuguesa visitó Malabo, capital de Guinea Ecuatorial. Angola celebró los primeros convenios hace cinco años y Brasil comienza a explotar un bloque promisorio en off-shore.
The orienting principles: #FAIL
The CPLP is ruled by the principles of “the primacy of Peace, Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights and Social Justice” (Article 5), in an article highlighted in the CPLP website in relation to the eventual admission of Equatorial Guinea in the community.
Even in 2010, the possibility of Equatorial Guinea becoming the ninth country affiliated with the CPLP – together with Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, São Tomé and Principe and East Timor – led to the mobilization of citizens and civil society organizations in Portuguese speaking countries against its inclusion. At issue was the disrespect for the orienting principles of the organization, as constant violations of human rights in the country are well known.
National Commission on Human Rights of Equatorial Guinea. Screenshot of a video about poverty and rights abuse amid oil wealth, on Youtube by CSMonitor100 (The Christian Science Monitor)
The petition “Guiné Equatorial na CPLP não!” (No to Equatorial Guinea in the CPLP!) [pt], created in 2010 and recently recalled in Blog 19 [pt], that of Amnesty International in Portugal, asked for the imposition of:
condições relativamente aos abusos flagrantes da liberdade de expressão e à comprovada repressão da sociedade civil do país.
The non-existence of freedom of expression, the human rights violations or the disrespect for rule of law were the subject of reports by  Freedom House and of Amnesty International this year.
Celestino Bacale, of the Convergencia Para a Democracia Social  (Convergence for Social Democracy) [es] the only opposition party with representation in parliament, confirmed that the regime continues to violate human rights with or without entry into the CPLP. In a press release [es], the Movement for Self Determination of the Island of Bioko, maintains that President Teodoro Obiang hopes to “injuriously use this dignified institution as a personal service that can help him to suffocate the echoes of barbarism and the human rights which he holds prisoner in his country”. And he makes an appeal:
Admitirle en la CPLP es  animar al dictador guineano a seguir perpetrando daños contra los  pueblos de Guinea Ecuatorial.
The decision to include the country can be concluded at the Ninth Conference of the Chiefs of State and Governments of the CPLP, to take place in Mozambique in 2012. Justino Pinto de Andrade, of the blog Angola Resistente [pt], believes that “the problem of Equatorial Guinea's entry can serve to cause a rethink of the true purpose of the CPLP”:
Que tipo de Comunidade a organização persegue: Será um  qualquer modelo de integração? (…) Será a CPLP apenas um palco de  concertação política e diplomática, para facilitar a tomada de  determinadas posições comuns na arena internacional? Será uma via para a  promoção da língua portuguesa e de culturas afins? Será um mecanismo de  protecção dos interesses de cidadãos de uns países dentro dos outros  países membros? Será um expediente para a facilitação da promoção de  negócios?
This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

author: Sara Moreira


text:
France, Syria: Syria’s Ambassador To France Resigns · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Syria's ambassador to France, Mrs Lamia Chakkour, has announced  her resignation during a live audio interview with France24 [fr] TV chanel in Paris, today. “I cannot support this cycle of violence […] and ignore that protesters have been killed, that families live in grief” she said. “I invite President Bachar al-Assad to form a new government with the opposition leaders”. See video of her interview here [fr].
Update: On June 8, 2011, French TV channel BFM news released a video interview [fr] of Mrs Chakkour denying that she had resigned and stating that she would sue France24.

author: Claire Ulrich


text:
Haiti: Rain Damage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Torrential rains (after multiple other days with less torrential rains) caused a lot of damage in Port au Prince and surrounding areas last night”: Bloggers post updates.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Macedonia: Online Community Prevents Murder Cover-Up · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.
As announced, the protests against brutal killing of a young man on Sunday continued on June 7, 2011, in Skopje, Macedonia. They were non-violent and participants were proactive in self-regulating anything that could be interpreted as provocation toward the police, including insulting shouts by ‘embedded’ groups of sports fans.
The police announced they would monitor social networks for troublemakers.
Twitter user Kopriva wrote [mk]:
I repeat: “We're not anti-police… we're anti-police brutality.” – Al Sharpton
Viktor Arsovski provided the following comprehensive report [mk]:
Viral informing through Macedonian social networks led to a revelation that a member of special police forces beat Martin Neshkovski, 22, to death Sunday night. Angry citizens used social networks to organize protests against police brutality.
Protesters walking at the Parliament and the construction site for the Arc of Triumph in Skopje. Photo: Viktor Arsovski/IT.com.mk
Twitter user Velkov wrote [mk]:
After the failed cover-up attempt, now the whole online community is under surveillance. Our institutions felt the power of Internet #martin
It all started as a mysterious discovery of a dead body during Sunday night, right after the elections. The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and [its subordinate] Skopje police gave contradictory public statements, claiming there was no reported case, but there was a dead body on Macedonia Square. Except for an anonymous witness who did not know who the dead young man was, the police said there was no traces of violence, while later the autopsy determined that the dead boy had indeed been beaten, had a broken nose and marks all over the left side of his body.
Who was that and why the police beat him, who gave the police freedom to take a life? – echoed the obstinate social networks, refusing to accept the cover-up, demanding answers and calling for protests against police violence, first on [Monday night] [mk] after the news spread, and then on Tuesday afternoon, blocking the streets of Skopje.
Finally, two full days after the murder, the truth came out. MOI officially anounced that Martin Neshkovski, 22, was beaten to death by a member of the special police unit “Tigers.” MOI tried to explain that they wanted to identify Martin first, and that the autopsy was late.
Protests in Skopje following the death of 22-year-old Martin (Daniel) from Dejan Velkoski on Vimeo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w32OXcYXQo&feature=player_embedded
Viral power of networks
Macedonia has over 850,000 Facebook users, and a less numerous yet more influential Twitter community. Social networks are a serious factor in sharing information and opinions. Because of that, the news appeared on the influential blog BoingBoing and on Global Voices.
Curiously enough, some of the Facebook groups calling to protest disappeared from this network. We are expecting a response from Facebook why these groups vanished, whether they were removed by their creators or under pressure from MOI. Namely, MOI spokesman Ivo Koteski stated for Alfa TV [mk] that “the police will block any online content which, according to them, incites violence.” Such content apparently included events such as “Protest! Stop police brutality! Justice for the murdered youth!” [mk].
Twitter user Ribaro wrote [mk]:
@bazerko_88 MOI surveyed social networks yesterday and is aware of who had called for violence. Kotevski for Kanal 5 #daniel #martin
Outside of Facebook, the Macedonian Twitter community continued “loud” tweeting, sharing information and organizing protests using the hashtag #daniel (accepted due to media info that later proved erroneous) and #martin (the victim's real name).
Ribaro followed up [mk]:
[MOI spokesman] Ivo Koteski should resign also. Yesterday [evening] he lied to the whole Macedonian public that the police had no information, and today he says that the murderer voluntarily reported himself [several hours before that]
Dnevnik daily published an article [mk] based on police sources, which reports that the chief suspect is named Igor Spasov, 33:
The policeman Spasov, member of special unit “Tiger,” that evening was on duty on the square providing security detail to the government ministers celebrating the [election victory]. He was not in uniform, and received oral command for this assignment. MOI still has no information why the policeman caused death with two punches to the young man from Kozle neighborhood.
Twitter user Andrej_A summed up a news item [mk] from the anti-government A1 TV, entitled “The state killed my son”:
Mother of police murder victim – “We were visited by state and VMRO (ruling party) officials, telling us to keep quiet!”
He also posted a link to a photo providing accountability of the protest expenses, commenting [mk]:
Strange, but I do not see cheques for millions signed by Soros! ;)
Stariot, wrote [mk] in a photo caption:
The counting… around 2,500 Denars [EUR 40/USD 60], spent on megaphone batteries and whistles…
This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.


text:
Macedonia: Propaganda Blitz Re: Opposition Leader’s Arrest · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Ljube Boškoski, the leader of the opposition party United for Macedonia, was sentenced to 30 days in police custody [mk] on allegations of illegal campaign financing. The Interior Ministry published [mk] a video clip of the humiliating arrest that took place a day after the elections. Human rights expert Mirjana Najchevska warned [mk] that this abuse violates several laws and all involved should bear criminal responsibility. Coincidently, “Fun” commercial portal Mnogoo tried to spread rumors [mk] that Boškoski (famous for his macho attitude) cried during the arrest.


text:
Macedonia: Protests Against Police Brutality to Continue · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Vnukot published a multimedia report on last night's youth protests against police brutality, sparked by the mysterious death of a young man called Daniel. Netpress also published [mk] a video clip. Pablisher asked [mk] why the sensationalist pro-government media, together with the opposition parties, ignored these developments, and Barabbas wondered [mk] if this was a symptom of an Escobar season. A Facebook event [mk] scheduled the continuation of the protest for 4 p.m. CET in the center of Skopje, by the monument to Mother Teresa.


text:
Mexico: Fighting Impunity on the Second Anniversary of the Guardería ABC Fire · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

María Magdalena Millán García, Andrea Nicole Figueroa, Emilia Fraijo Navarro, Valeria Muñoz Ramos. Sofía Martínez Robles, Fátima Sofía Moreno Escalante, Dafne Yesenia Blanco Losoya, Ruth Nahomi Madrid Pacheco, Denisse Alejandra Figueroa Ortiz, Lucía Guadalupe Carrillo Campos, Jazmín Pamela Tapia Ruiz, Camila Fuentes Cervera, Ana Paula Acosta Jiménez, Monserrat Granados Pérez, Pauleth Daniela Coronado Padilla, Ariadna Aragón Valenzuela, María Fernanda Miranda Hugues, Yoselín Valentina Tamayo Trujillo, Marian Ximena Hugues Mendoza, Nayeli Estefania González Daniel, Ximena Yanes Madrid, Yeseli Nahomi Baceli Meza, Ian Isaac Martínez Valle, Santiago Corona Carranza, Axel Abraham Angulo Cázares, Javier Ángel Merancio Valdez, Andrés Alonso García Duarte, Carlos Alán Santos Martínez, Martín Raymundo de la Cruz Armenta, Julio César Márquez Báez, Jesús Julián Valdez Rivera, Santiago de Jesús Zavala Lemas, Daniel Alberto Gayzueta Cabanillas, Xiunelth Emmanuel Rodríguez García, Aquiles Dreneth Hernández Márquez, Daniel Rafael Navarro Valenzuela, Juan Carlos Rodríguez Othón, Germán Paúl León Vázquez, Bryan Alexander Méndez García, Jesús Antonio Chambert López, Luis Denzel Durazo López, Daré Omar Valenzuela Contreras, Jonathan Jesús de los Reyes Luna, Emily Guadalupe Cevallos Badilla, Juan Israel Fernández Lara, Jorge Sebastián Carrillo González, Ximena Álvarez Cota, Daniela Guadalupe Reyes Carretas, Juan Carlos Rascón Holguín.
These are the names of the children that died in a fire in a childcare facility in Sonora, México, on June 5, 2009.
Karla Garduño, a journalist that covers social movements, published  an article [es]  about the history of Guardería ABC in Reforma. The piece explains the irregularities around the system of ‘subrogated’ childcare (‘subrogation’ is “a legal concept whereby State obligations are delegated to private actors“) as well as the specific issues about the case, where only three people have been removed from their public positions out of 39 who have been identified as having some degree of responsibility. Nineteen of those charged were freed from jail after paying bails.
Investigations have implicated several high-level  officials, like Juan Molinar Horcasitas – one of President Felipe  Calderon’s closest collaborators –  as well as the administrators and  owners of the daycare, which include a cousin of President  Calderón’s wife.
Movimiento Cinco de Junio [es], a powerful social movement that seeks justice in this case, organized a citizen trial last week at El Zócalo, in the main square of Mexico City. Although the trial has no ‘legal’ validity, as Jesús Robles Maloof explains [es], it was simply an act of collective memory against impunity.
Citizen Trial.  Image via @maaariela.
El gobierno federal por escrito manifestó que la participación del presidente y de las autoridades “era improcedente pero que estaban atentos a sus propuestas”. Ah bueno. No faltaron mis colegas abogados que cuestionaron la “legalidad” del evento. Quizá nunca entendieron que el juicio ciudadano, era eso, un juicio de un grupo de ciudadanos sobre la negligencia de las autoridades. Juicio al que todos tenemos derecho en el marco de la libertad de expresión.
En sus sillas se encontraban el Juez, la Secretaria, la Fiscal, el  defensor de oficio, el Jurado, los Testigos de Calidad y esas madres y  padres estoicos como siempre. La lugares del Poder Judicial, de la  Presidencia, del Poder Legislativo, de la CNDH, del IMSS y de la PGR  vacías, “Así están en la realidad”, escuché como comentario.
The federal government stated in writing that the participation of the president and the authorities “was improper but that they were attentive to their proposals”. Oh OK. My fellow lawyers questioned the ‘legality’ of the event. Perhaps they never understood that the citizen trial was that, a trial of a group of citizens in response to the negligence of the authorities. A trial we all have the right to have under the framework of freedom of expression.
The judge, the Registrar, the Prosecutor, the defender, the Jury, the Witnesses of Quality and those mothers and fathers, stoic as ever, sat in their chairs. The seats of the Judiciary, the Presidency, the Legislative Branch, the NHRC [National Human Rights Comission], the IMSS [Mexican Social Security Institute] and the PGR [Office of the Mexican Attorney General] were empty, “They are like that in reality” I heard as a comment.
The Fiscal and the Jury declared the State and individuals involved guilty. Emilio Alvarez Icaza, former Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Federal District, acted as judge. ISP News blogs about the details. The sentence included [es] one month of community work in a childcare facility for Juan Molinar Horcasitas and Daniel Karam for each boy and girl that died, as well as an amendment to the subrogation scheme, expansion of criminal and administrative cases, repair of damages, the adoption of the ‘June 5 Law‘ [es] (promoted by Movimiento Cinco de Junio) and the government's public apology.
Paty Duarte (@madreABC). Image: Geraldine Juárez.
Paty Duarte, one of the leaders of Movimiento Cinco de Junio,  who lost her child in the fire two years ago, said:
This  citizen trial gave us energy to keep going.  PGR and the Supreme Court   are the ones that need to give justice to our dead children. […] If  people participate more in these exercises, we put pressure on them, and they  will have to work.
Most mainstream media outlets in Mexico reported on the trial, including CNN and El Universal. The Los Angeles Times wrote about the anniversary, highlighting the lack of justice. Also, the magazine Gatopardo published an article titled “I am guilty” [es] on the story of one of the parents that lost his child in Guarderia ABC.
On Sunday June 5, on the 2nd anniversary of this tragedy, many showed their support online, using the hashtags #justiciaABC and #guarderiaABC to tweet about  the events that took place in Hermosillo and other cities in  memory of the children.
Mexicans and Argentinians in an altar for the children of #GuarderiaABC in Buenos Aires. Image via @karlapre.
49 ballons in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas. Image via @contigentetam.
Subcomandante Marcos sent a letter to the parents of Guarderia ABC [es]:
No es fácil sacar palabras del dolor, nosotros lo sabemos. ¿Y de la rabia?¿Del saber que los malos gobiernos ignoran propositivamente los reclamos de justicia?
¿De ver cómo se manipula el calendario para simular justicia, y para calcular que la desmemoria cubrirá la muerte? Esa muerte absurda de los 49 pequeños y las decenas de heridos, infantes sin más culpa que haber nacido en un país donde el gobierno ha unido el nepotismo con la corrupción y la impunidad.

author: Geraldine Juarez


text:
Mexico: War-Driven Innovation in the Fight Against Organized Crime · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Theory Behind looks at “war-driven innovations that, as its name states, are those that emerge, or are catalyzed, by factors related to armed conflicts.” The blogger will be posting on innovations in the medical fields “that can emerge (or are emerging as my hypothesis suggests) during Mexico’s war against organized crime.”


text:
Moldova: A solution to the Transnistria conflict? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Zimbru of Morning in Moldova comments on and argues against rumours about an upcoming German-Russian proposal on the status of breakaway province Transnistria within a federal state of Moldova.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


text:
Pakistan: The Population Bomb · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faris Islam at All Things Pakistan urges to engage in a national discussion on family planning to tackle the looming population crisis in Pakistan.


text:
Panama: Empowering Indigenous Women Through Chocolate  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices author Clotilde Castillo interviewed [es] Mathilde Grand, the director of ‘Citizen of Chocolate,’ a “A collective dedicated to the divulgation and diffusion of Tribal Chocolate” which employs indigenous women from the Ngöbe-Buglé community in Panama.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Puerto Rico: Poverty & Choices  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius deconstructs the argument by political conservatives that “Poverty is a choice”.


text:
Russia: Bloggers’ Quest For Freedom of Photography · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Ilya Varlamov and Dmitry Ternovsky continue [ru] (see also feature article by Will Partlett) their quest for the freedom of photography. This time they visited three Moscow railway stations to check, wherever the police still prohibits (illegally) to make pictures at the self-proclaimed ‘strategic objects.’ Yet, the police ignores the law, photobloggers concluded.


text:
Russia: Life Of Central Asian Labor Migrants in Moscow · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Photoblogger dervishrv posts pictures [ru] of Central Asian migrants’ living conditions in Moscow. Gastarbeiters, as they're called by Muscovites, live in abandoned houses, basements, often illegally.


text:
Sri Lanka: Impact Of The Silent Protest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ahead of the Sri Lankan opposition party's mass silent protest against the present rule on Thursday, June 9th afternoon in front of the Maradana Railway station, Colombo, Serendipity weighs in the strengths and weaknesses of such protest.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Here Comes the iPhone?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Could the Apple iPhone 4 be coming to Trinidad and Tobago?  Tech blogger Triniberry says that its arrival seems imminent.


text:
Azerbaijan: Conditional Freedom · Global Voices
Leyla Najafli

On his new blog, Freedom in Azerbaijan, Emin Milli writes about the restrictions on his freedom since being released from prison. In particular, the dissident blogger and former prisoner of conscience says that he is unable to leave the country until the end of his parole, but that it “will not restrict my basic right and very human desire to know more and to share what I know with the rest of the world”.

author: Leyla Najafli


text:
Bermuda: The Issue of Independence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Whenever a politician raises the notion of national independence for Bermuda there is a predictable flow of negative commentary”: Respice Finem suggests that it may be time for “an honest examination of our future constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom.”


text:
Brazil: Firefighters from Rio on Strike for Wages · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

On June 3, a clash between the Brazilian Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) and firefighters from Rio de Janeiro who were demonstrating against the lowest wages for their class in the country – R$ 950 (approximately $600 USD) – took hundreds to the prison. On Youtube, several videos by guardavidarj show the violence that erupted.


text:
Brazil: Jokes About Rape and the Limit of Humor · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian stand-up comedian Rafinha Bastos, considered by the New York Times [pt] to be the celebrity who creates the most impact on Twitter, has raised much controversy by declaring in a show – and right after having his statement reproduced by Rolling Stone magazine – that:
“Toda mulher que eu vejo na rua reclamando que foi estuprada é feia pra   caralho.” […] “Tá  reclamando do quê? Deveria dar graças a Deus. Isso  pra você não foi um  crime, e sim uma oportunidade.” […] “Homem que fez   isso [estupro] não merece cadeia, merece um abraço.”
As rape is widely considered “one of the cruelest forms of violence” [pt], it did not take long for statements denouncing Rafinha Bastos’ comments to emerge. Feminist blogger Bianca Cardoso, from Groselha News blog, explains:
Não é apenas a violência física, como uma porrada ou um chute no rim, é também a violação do corpo, do privado, do íntimo, a submissão e humilhação. Há também graves consequências, físicas e psicológicas que podem resultar desse ato. Desde uma gravidez, passando pela contaminação por doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, até ferimentos graves na vagina e no reto.
'Violation'. Image by Flickr user Cidadania Queluz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Morality or censorship?
On Twitter, the hashtag #DebEstupro was widely used in the reactions to the controversy.
The singers and activists Elisa Gargiulo (@elisagargiulo) and Vange Leonel (@vleonel), demanded the comedian's arrest for rape incitement, pressuring prosecutors and lawyers to take action. Gargiulo wrote:
Estupro = crime de poder (pobres, “feias”, lésbicas, sozinhas na rua). Achar estupro útil pra “feias” é incitar crime. Advogado bom dá conta.
There were also defenders of the comedian's comments however; designer Odemilson Louzada (@Odemilsonjr) wrote “To demand ethics from Rafinha is easy”, and the rapper Fernando Rodox (@FernandoRodoxRj), who made his point saying:
#Abaixoarepressao Sou Contra a Qualquer Tipo De Censura, Isso que Estão Fazendo Com @rafinhabastos é Censura!!! #Debestupro
Facing this, journalist Mayara Melo (@Mayroses) regretted that so many people “follow, retweet and defend” Rafinha Bastos. Teacher Lola Aronovich, from blog Escreva Lola, Escreva, wrote [pt] about comedian's fans and those who laugh at his jokes:
Esses fãs acham que estupro é sexo e não violência, é isso? Acham que alguém pode ser sortuda por ser vítima de um crime terrível? Acham que só mulheres bonitas costumam ser estupradas? Ah, então a verdade é uma só: esses fãs não sabem absolutamente nada sobre estupro! Estupro é só uma abstração pra eles, uma realidade tão distante que eles podem rir à vontade! Se eles conhecessem alguma pessoa que foi estuprada, provavelmente seria difícil rir dessas “verdades”.
The blogger Eduardo Guimarães goes beyond and criticizes the health of Brazilian society when he says [pt]:
Parece bastante razoável, portanto, dizer que a sociedade brasileira – e, sobretudo, nossos jovens – está moralmente doente. Uma geração em que há tantas pessoas frias, cínicas, empedernidas é a que irá governar o Brasil do futuro. Uma geração diferente de todas as que a terão precedido, capaz de rir das desgraças alheias e de pregar atos criminosos como afogar ou estuprar pessoas.
He also suggests:
Caberia uma campanha publicitária de iniciativa do Estado exaltando valores humanistas e condenando esse tipo de mentalidade.
"Rape is hate. Go on a date. Love is the best. Don't molest. Use your charm. Please don't harm." Photo by Steve Rhodes on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Limits of the politically incorrect
The discussion ended up turning into one about humor, its limits and a critique of the politically correct [pt], defined by the teacher and blogger Idelber Avelar as “an alleged police-authoritarism from the left in the language use”, with bloggers discussing how far the humor can go, what is offensive and what is, in Bianca Cardoso's words, humor that “follows the thoughts of a conservative society. It is not [a] transgressor.”
About this, Lola Aronovich says:
[…] muitas vezes o humor é transgressor. Mas o que esse pessoal que ataca minorias pra fazer piada precisa entender é que eles não estão transgredindo nada.
Regarding humor made to offend and diminish women, journalist Amanditas, in her blog, wrote [pt]:
A sociedade está tão cínica que hoje em dia a misoginia e o preconceito são semeados sob a máscara do “senso de humor”. E o pior: esse tipo de humor que exalta a depreciação da mulher é tido como um humor “moderno”, e orgulhosamente ostenta o rótulo do “politicamente incorreto”, sobrevivendo com lucros e audiência cativa na blogosfera brasileira.
I didnt do anything to deserve rape. Photo by Steve Rhodes on Flickr (CC 2.0 by-nc-nd)
In an interview with Vice magazine, cartoonist Laerte believes [pt] that “humor doesn't have to have limits”:
O que a gente tem que ter também é uma crítica ilimitada. O humor tem que ser solto como qualquer linguagem humana tem que ser solta e livre, o que a gente tem é que ter o direito de exercer o poder da crítica sobre isso permanentemente. Então você dizer que uma piada é racista, ou sexista, e argumentar nessa direção, não é censurá-la, é exercer seu direito de crítica.
The blogger Renata Correa goes beyond [pt] this and says:
Gostemos ou não, o humor pode falar de tudo. De qualquer coisa. O humor é um reflexo da sociedade, uma lente pela qual olhamos a vida. Uma MANEIRA de olhar o que acontece ao nosso redor. […] não podemos dizer que existe, digamos, um “limite temático” para o humor. O humor deve ser engraçado. Fazer rir. E ponto.
But she warns:
Uma piada que usa um tema machista, homofóbico ou racista não necessariamente é ruim, mas corre o risco extremo de não ser engraçada. Porque é uma piada velha. Já ouvimos isso milhões de vezes. Uma piada é boa quando reverbera, te tira da tua zona de conforto.
The Imprença blog finalizes [pt]:
Lembrando bem das palavras de mamãe:
Só é engraçado quando está todo mundo rindo. Quando um está chorando e os outros rindo não é brincadeira, é humilhação.
Acho que podemos partir daí. Não precisa ser chato, nem politicamente correto. Basta não fazer ninguém sofrer.
In the absence of taking a position about the polemic declarations of Rafinha Bastos, his employers, CQC and TV Bandeirantes (@e_band) were criticized by many on Twitter.
The companies that sponsor the comedian – Pepsi Brasil (@pepsibr), Nokia Brasil (@nokiabrasil) and TV Via Embratel (@viaembratel) – were pressed (by Vange Leonel (@vleonel) and Elisa Gargiulo (@elisagargiulo)) to comment about this case. There were no reactions.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


text:
China: How To Investigate A Chinese Company · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan from China Law Blog gives some suggestions to foreign investors on how to investigate a Chinese company before agreeing on a joint venture.


text:
China: Panda Diplomacy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Olivia from China Hush translated a local news story from Netease on the fate of giant panda under the Panda diplomacy in China.


text:
El Salvador: The Impact of Dollarization, 10 Years Later · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Voices from El Salvador's Weblog analyzes the impact of dollarization in El Salvador, arguing that “dollarization does not seem to have improved economic development.”


text:
Guatemala: Social Networks and Political Platforms · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Sakis [es] looks at the use of social networks as politicians prepare for September's legislative and presidential elections. He suggests politicians should use social networks as a platform to actually communicate with the people, not just a place to share links.


text:
Haiti: Rains Continue  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rains continue to take a heavy toll on Haiti; bloggers share their experiences.


text:
Jamaica: Garvey’s Reach  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Garvey's ideas, whether accepted or rejected, have played an important role in shaping our modern world”: Geoffrey Philp blogs about Marcus Garvey's influence.


text:
Macedonia: More Anti-Police Brutality Rallies Planned · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Elizabeth Flock of The Washington Post's BlogPost and Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing write about the protests against police brutality in Skopje; more reactions to the disturbing situation are at Reddit.com; GV posts are here, here, and here. In Skopje, protesters are planning to resume the rally at 6 p.m. today; rallies are also planned in Bitola and Strumica, and, possibly, in a few other cities.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Mexico: Journalists’ Deaths Go Unpunished · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Mexico Unmasked, Tim Johnson says that the 66 journalists killed in 5 years in Mexico “is an abysmal record and reflects on the weakness of Mexico’s state that the killers of unarmed journalists are rarely captured and punished.”


text:
Peru: Congress Approves 10 Year Moratorium for Genetically Modified Seeds · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices author and translator Isabel Guerra, who recently wrote about the debate regarding genetically modified farming in Peru, reports [es] that the Peruvian congress has approved a 10 year moratorium for genetically modified seeds.


text:
Russia: Microsoft Representative ‘Would Be Glad’ To Provide FSB with Skype Source Code · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Nikolay Pryanishnikov, president of “Microsoft-Russia,” said ‘he would be glad’ to provide Federal Security Service (FSB) with the source code of Skype, after the corporation finalizes the deal. Some media outlets  first misinterpreted [ru] his statement, but later Microsoft had officially explained [ru]: “Within many years Microsoft had provided FSB with the source code of our software. In perspective, Skype can join the list of such products.” For many digital activists Skype remains one of the secure tools of online communication.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


text:
South Korea: Protests Against High Tuition Intensify · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Thousand of students and activists took to streets to demand lower tuition fee. The protests, which started as small-scale conflicts in Seoul's several universities, have spread to other major cities and continued for over a week now. South Korea's citizen/blogger news Wiki Tree consolidated [ko] Twit pictures of the protest.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


text:
Taiwan: Kidnapped Fisherman Killed by U.S. Navy · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Coolloud reports the protest in front of American Institute against U.S. Government by the Association of Labor and Human Right of Fishermen in Taiwan. On 5/10, the kidnapped ship master, Wu Lai-yu(吳來于), was murdered during an anti-pirate mission conducted by U.S. Navy near Somalia coast, whose body was buried at sea without telling his family in Taiwan, and the U.S. Navy still does not provide any explanation on the incident.

author: Portnoy Zheng


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Taking Action vs. CL Financial  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

While Plain Talk applauds the action being taken against CL Financial directors “in the mismanagement of assets that led to the biggest bail out in this nation's history” he issues this caveat: “I hope that this is not just a show. If the purpose of this is not to recover the billions pilfered then it is just another wasted lawyer enrichment exercise…”


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: There’s an App for that!   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mod Blog 101 says that it's “exciting times for Trinidadian iOS users” as “mNAV…the people who brought to Trinidad the Official Maps for Garmin and other GPS devices…are working with NavFone to create an app for us to have maps on our iPhones.”


text:
Argentina: Food Writers, Part II · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Buenos Aires Foodies has revisited their list of Argentine food writers, adding links to more blogs –some written in Spanish, others in English– on the subject.


text:
Cape Verde: Capital City Without Water · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Since water stopped running from the taps of the capital city of Cape Verde, Praia, more than two weeks ago due to improvement works, at first, and then to a breakdown at the central distribution point, bloggers have been demonstrating with poems in portuguese and creole, and posting satirical and funny pictures.


text:
China: Riot in Chaozhou City · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jing Gao from the Ministry of Tofu reports on a riot in Chaozhou City. The riot was triggered off by local factory owner's violence act on a Sichuan rural migrant worker.


text:
China: the Mainland Rhetoric · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky Liu, a mainland Chinese student in Hong Kong, writes a reflective piece about mainland students’ rhetoric in making public speech in China Hush


text:
Cuba: In Support of Artistic Expression  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Although I don’t share all of his opinions or agree with the places where he chose to publish them, I am a fervent defender of the freedom of speech”: Lazaro Gonzalez stands with artist Pedro Pablo Oliva.


text:
Cuba: Tamayo Leaves With Son’s Remains  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Orlando Zapata Tamayo was not killed because he was a slave, but because he insisted on being a free man”: As the late dissident's mother prepares for a new start in the United States, Babalu rejoices over the fact that “today, Reina Luisa Tamayo will experience what her fallen son experienced in his last few moments; freedom.”


text:
Egypt: When Citizen Media Did What Mainstream Media Wouldn’t · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
This first part of a documentary on the Egyptian Revolution tells it from the perspective of blogger and viral video producer Aalam Wassef, focusing on how online video and other media accompanied a process of civilian unrest.
The documentary was produced by NarcoNews, a website reporting on the war on drugs and democracy in Latin America,  who also hosted the School of Authentic Journalism back in May of this year, when the video was launched.
Although the focus was Latin America, Egypt seems to have been a main focus of this year's program: a session focused on the Egyptian revolution as told by key characters in the process, and also by the media who was at ground zero in Tahrir Square telling the story to the rest of the world.
The video is described as a manual on how a civil resistance was built to win, and follows the history of unrest in Egypt going back several years. Aalam Wassef tells his story of how he started posting videos under a pseudonym back in 2007 criticizing the government, and how they became viral.
But it wasn't just luck: Wassef, blogging under different assumed names, would also publish blog posts, get advertising spaces on Google's search engine and in short, ensure that whomever could get his message, would. And then, to go onto the “real” world, press.
Although he explains how his efforts were centered on raising Egyptians’ awareness, it was until BBC picked up one of his stories that he realized that 28 years after Hosni Mubarak's rise into power that the message was finally getting through and crossing borders, reaching far beyond the 10% of the Egyptian population with Internet access. The video is also available in Spanish.
After other successful viral campaigns, they found themselves going to a revolution along thousands of fellow Egyptians with one common goal: ending the regime. This next video, sent out 20 days before the revolution started might have been the pebble that started the landslide. At the end of it there's a brief message telling everyone to take their friends, head out to the streets and yell Down with Mubarak and on January 25, 2011, they did.
The work of Egyptians who wish to rebuild their country is far from done: they continue their efforts from their blogs, media and on the streets. Aalam Wassef does the same from his different websites: two YouTube accounts, a blog and his online artist porfolio. As Wassef concludes in the documentary:
Democracy is not something you get, it is something you aim at because you never get 100% democracy… each one has to wake up in the morning thinking that this revolution depends on him or her. This is how it works, this is what makes a revolution succeed. If each one of us has the impression that if he or she doesn't do something about it, that it's gone. And I do wake up with this feeling every morning.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
El Salvador: Widespread Opposition to Decree 743 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“The protests continue over the action of the Salvadoran National Assembly to try and change the rules to make it more difficult for the country's highest court to rule laws unconstitutional. The law, called Decree 743, would require a unanimous vote of the court's five judges to invalidate an unconstitutional law”: Tim's El Salvador Blog reports.


text:
Haiti: Reporting on Wikileaks · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“These seem to have been important facts that were left out, but are an important part of the dynamics of Haitian politic[s] for the past 40 years under Preval, Aristide and Duvalier”: Stanley Lucas contends that biased analysis of the Haiti Wikileaks cables only serves to advance political agendas.