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Uganda Marks 50 Years of Independence · Global Voices
James Propa

Uganda@50 Logo. Image source: Uganda@50 Facebook page.
On Tuesday 9 October, 1962, Uganda got its independence as the Union Jack flag of England was lowered, the Ugandan flag raised whilst jubilant Ugandans sang the Uganda National Anthem.
On Tuesday 9 October, 2012, Uganda marked the Golden Jubilee of this historic event. Many occasions have taken place around the country to mark this special day, which started with the Kampala Carnival on Sunday 7 October. Many people converged at Kololo Airstrip today to mark the 50 years of independence.
Uganda has had eight presidents since independence, namely, King Sir Edward Muteesa II, Apollo Milton Obote, Idi Amin Dada, Yusuf kironde Lule, Godfrey Lukongwa Binayiisa, Paulo Muwanga, Tito Okello Lutwa, and the current President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The country still faces challenges of health, education, press freedom among others.
Generally however, many Ugandans seem to be happy about 50 years of independence, and look forward to the next 50 years, as they say Yoga Yoga Uganda (the title of the official Uganda@50 song, which means congratulations in Luganda).
Some Ugandans, however, think the the celebration is a waste of resources in a country where some people sleep hungry.
Ugandans online have been discussing the Jubilee on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter
During the main event, there was a spectacular show by Uganda's fighter jets. Norman Anguzu tweets a pic of the jets in air:
@normzo: #UgandaAt50 Awesome picture from ‘The Mzungu Diaries’ #Ugandapic.twitter.com/IJ25bPUw
Lucy Smize tweets about the colors of the Ugandan flag and their meanings:
@Lucy_smize: Black, Yellow, Red: People, Sunshine, Brotherhood. #UgandaAt50
Patricia Kahill wishes Ugandans nice independence day, but comments on the load shedding of power by Umeme, the company providing hydro electric power:
@pkahill: Happy independence day in Dark #fumemeug@50 #ILoveUgBecause more
Rosebell Kagumire says that despite Uganda celebrating 50 years, the country does show any sign of maturity:
@rosebellk: You r celebrating 50 years of independence + no sign of maturity whatsoever! You cant stand dissent, how will you grow?#Ugandaat50
Angelo Izama believes Uganda is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world:
@opiaiya:  Still possibly one of the most beautiful countries in the world #Uganda@50
Vanessa proposes a tost to Uganda's Jubilee:
@v_sees_you: A toast to Uganda! 50 years Independent! \☺/ May God continue to bless our nation!
Timothy Kalyegira tweets about Google Uganda's Jubilee homepage:
@timkalyegira: Even Google is into Uganda@50 hype, with a Uganda theme on its homepage. (But I bet the Internet link is off at Google's Kampala office!)
Google Uganda Homepage
Maxentia comments about the colors she wore today:
Happy Betty believes she is blessed to witness Uganda at 50 years:
Happy Betty: Blesed 2b hea as Uganda meks 50 sure i shall stil b around at 100 bt 2my generation thus far our fathers hv come its our turn 2take Uganda thr da nxt 50 yrs we determine what we shall have then-God sure is with us!
Facebook
Edwinsmith Kigozi says:
It feels really good to see Ugandans coming together to celebrate 50 years as Ugandans not looking at the different political parties but just as Ugandans. Let's go Uganda. For God and my country.
Akampa Ivan feels that the fighter jets show was not the best Uganda could have:
Someone should have given me a good stone to shoot for you one of these Jets that have been polluting Kampala with noise and smoke. I wonder whether our Government lacks a proper procurement unit to procure jets that are of advanced technology of current other than old crap or Uganda lacks qualified personnel with jet flying skills. So much disappointed. A proper ride would actually move faster than these jets. Anyway its Uganda at 50, and am proud to be Ugandan. Happy Golden Jubilee Uganda!!!! Lets celebrate.
Shy V Okecho notes that as Uganda is growing old, everything else is growing old too, a reference to un-repaired roads, schools and hospitals:
Naye Uganda@50 ga ekuuze eguudo zikuuze,amaddwaliro gakuuze amadagala tegalimu, ba M.P's bafuuna eguuzi ya 200,000 okuyeesa budget. Naye UGANDA ensi yenge!!
But Uganda@50 as it grows, the roads have also grown, Hospitals grown with no medicine  M.P's get bribes of 200,000 to pass the budget. But Uganda my country.
Evelyn Mirembe Nkuyahaga says:
WoW this is just awesome! Uganda@50! I Love my Country and my President! Ululululu… Thank you Jesus for Uganda!

author: James Propa


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Zambia: MP Suspended for Criticising President’s ‘Jokey’ Speech · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

An opposition MP in Zambia was recently suspended from the House for overly criticising President Michael Sata’s official speech on the opening of the second session of the 11th National Assembly. While addressing parliament, a presidential annual tradition which is supposed to be a solemn occasion, President Sata kept on cracking jokes which made him divert significantly from the prepared speech.
Mwandi MP Michael Kaingu, who is also vice president for the former ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) was immediately ejected from the House by the deputy chairperson committee, who was chairing proceedings at the time, and who said:
It is inappropriate for the member to tear the speech. What he should have done was to express his views in the rightful manner.
National Assembly building, Lusaka. Picture courtesy of Zambian Watchdog
Another opposition MP, Vincent Mwale, put Kaingu’s actions into perspective when he tweeted the following:
@Vincent Mwale: Hon Kaingu tore the presidents speech in parley today saying we cannot debate it becoz [because] its not what the pres[ident] presented, drama unfolding.
The following day, Mwale also tweeted this:
@VincentMwale: Today's parly session promises more drama as the debate whether to debate MCS [President Michael Chilufya Sata] written speech or his verbatim which ar[e] different continues!
Political satirist, Kalaki’s Korner, was quick to pounce on the unfolding drama:
Just then our daughter Kupela came sailing out onto veranda. ‘Everything  working perfectly in Zambia?’ she cackled, spilling some of her gin and tonic onto floor. ‘You’ve come back at the right time! After all these years of peace, a terrible thing has just happened! An unprecedented scandal has shaken the country to its foundations! An opposition MP, Mr Mangle Kayungulu, has just torn up a copy of our Great Leader’s speech to parliament!’
Kaingu’s suspension was received with mixed feelings, with some netizens supporting his act of tearing up the presidential speech and others supporting his suspension.
Phil, reacting to the suspension story, wrote:
Dr. Kaingu you are a man. You vividly stood for your right. Sata’s speech was one of the worst speeches I have ever heard being delivered during the opening of the house. How can you make such jokes like that concerning Fackson Shamenda and Sylvia Masebo. If the president said those words concerning “Facks”, then it was shameful and embarrassing. Only gullible human beings can support such utterances. God warned the children of Israel that when the get to the promised land they should not behave like the people they will find there, but follow the Laws of God who brought them out Egypt.
One reader, Chunza, thought the two weeks suspension was too short:
the time is to[o] short he deserves 3 years and the MMD should also punish him these are the people bringing the party to ruins.sham[e] for a VP and even worse for the poor people he is representing.
The issue also attracted debate on various threads on the Zambian People's Parliament Facebook group. On one thread, Maanka Chipindi asked:
Hon Speaker, the question we must first establish is what is meant by the words “President's Speech”. This is because one of the first acts of a session of parliament after it is opened is to debate this speech. Is the President's speech what he says to parliament or what he hands in on a piece of paper? Is it both? What will parliament record in the minutes? What was said or what was printed? For example, will parliament record the minute of silence for Mama Kaunda and the national anthem sang? If we establish this, then we can decide whether Dr. Kaingu action defiled parliamentary codes. This brings another important question; parliament must agree that both the printed and recorded versions of the presidents speech be tabled because these two go hand in hand. Imagine if the president had verbally abused the MPs during his audio version but not in the printed material, what would that mean?
On another thread on the Zambian People’s Parliament Facebook group page, Wallace Nguluwe asked:
Mr. Speaker I rise on a very serious point of order. I understand that people and members in particular have different ways of expressing their disappointment. Now is the member in order to tear the speech as a way of expressing disgust. if yes, what parliamentary etiquette has he abrogated, and what is the penalty?
The question is, was President Sata's speech one of policy peppered with jokes or was it jokes peppered with policy?

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Cambodia: Life Under the Khmer Rouge Regime · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

I was born in 1977. My mum told me it was hard to find food for me. They forced people to work on the rice field but they didn’t allow people to eat anything but just a bow of porridge. It was the Pol Pot regime.
Santel Phin describes the life of many Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

author: Mong Palatino


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Chinese Hold Breath for Nobel Literature Prize · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

Latest Update: The Swedish Academy just announced that Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel Literature Prize. Upon hearing the news, Mo Yan said he was “overjoyed and scared”.
Hours before the Nobel Prize in Literature reveals on Thursday, October 11, 2012 the Chinese are holding their breath.
This year, Chinese writer Mo Yan and Japanese Haruki Murakami are top candidates for winning the literature prize according to several betting agencies says Global Times [en, zh]. Both authors are familiar to Chinese readers, and the news that they have been shortlisted for the Nobel Prize immediately sparked heated discussion of who is more fit to win the award.
Compared with other contemporary Chinese writers such as Yu Hua and Wang Shuo, Mo Yan is most recognized. Indeed, instead of giving credit to Mo’s literary works, most critics online focus on other aspects of Mo's career, which in their opinion disqualifies him for the Nobel.
Chinese author Mo Yan pictured in Hamburg in 2008. Photo by Johannes Kolfhaus (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Offbeat China outlined Mo’s “sins” posted by netizen 滕_彪on Weibo (the original post was deleted but the translated one is preserved):
He was one of the writers who copied Mao’s Yan’an Talks on Literature and Art by hand [The talk was given by Mao in 1942 which laid out the approval style of art and literature in China, one that has no darkness and showed only the bright side of society.] He once said that there were no restrictions or censorship on novelists in China. At Frankfurt Book Fair, he refused to sit in the same seminar with [dissident Chinese authors] Dai Qing and Bei Ling. When he was asked about opinions on Liu Xiaobo’s 11-year sentence, he said he didn’t know much about it and had nothing to say. He has never said a single word against ‘a China heart’…
“假装在纽约” accuses him of similar “sins” but goes a step further when he points out that the universe of literature should be boundless:
@假装在纽约：文学无国界，一个真正的文学家，他的心中也应该是没有祖国的。他不会在书展上和官员一起退席抗议异议作家的出席，也不会抄写极权领 袖在文艺座谈会上的讲话。因为真正的文学家，在思想上既是引领时代前行的先驱，也代表着一个时代最后的坚守。诺贝尔文学奖应该给这样的人，至于他是不是中 国人，不重要。
@假装在纽约: “A writer who deserves a Nobel Prize should be one without borders – he shouldn’t protest against the presence of dissident writers together with government officials and he shouldn’t copy a dictator’s talks by hand, for a true great writer should not only be the pioneer of his time, but should also hold his ground. As for whether he is a Chinese or not, it is the most important thing.”
Others criticize Mo for not daring to protest literary censorship by ridiculing his pen name, which translates literally to “don’t speak”:
@封新城：如果莫言获得诺贝尔文学奖，最重要的得奖理由是因为他的名字。
@封新城: If Mo is awarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature, it is mostly because of his pen name.
Yet, those who are more familiar with Mo’s work stepped up efforts to merit Mo’s literary achievement and give Mo their blessings. Famous host from Chinese Central Television Cui Yongyuan’s voice may represent many:
@崔永元-实话实说：希望他得奖，他配得上这个奖
@崔永元-实话实说:I hope he wins. He deserves it.
The poet Zhao Lihua argues that the Nobel Prize should get away from the moral high ground and calls for a more tolerant heart :
@赵丽华：莫言作品驳杂恣肆，元气充盈，对历史和现实都有强烈的关怀和反思，有深度有广度有想象力有先锋性，如能获诺奖是名至实归。抄讲话也不过是走过场，不值得站在道德制高点上纲上线苛责于他。
@赵丽华:Mo Yan's works are full of vitality, multicolor and abandon. They possess breadth, depth, imagination and a cutting edge by reflecting on our history and reality. Bestowing the honor on him is worthy. Copying a dictator’s talks by hand is just a token. It is not necessary to criticize him with a moral high ground.
For many netizens out of the literary field, they think Murakami has better odds partly because his works are more popular among Chinese readers. As @Adelaide是全称 asserted:
@Adelaide是全称: 我真心觉得我们这代读过村上村树的要比读过莫言多。。。
@Adelaide是全称: I really feel that our generation read more of Murakami than Mo Yan.
While for others, Murakami’s courage to challenge the system and to bring the uniqueness of each individual soul to the surface is his charisma. As netizen Li Fanghua commented:
@李芳华:对我来说，我当然更希望村上春树获#诺贝尔文学奖#。有人说文学的审美价值是超越政治的，我想回答这个问题没有比村上春树本人的耶路撒冷文学奖获奖致辞更合适了。“以卵击墙，我愿与卵共存亡。
@李芳华: I hope that Murakami could win the prize. Some say that the aesthetic value of literature surpasses politics, and I think there is no better place to find out the answer in Murakami's speech when he accepted the Jerusalem Prize: “Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.”
Nobel Prize in China
For the Chinese, the Nobel Prize is both a dream and a scar. Up to now, the Nobel Prize for Sciences has never been conferred to a Chinese national, and partly due to this, China has long been viewed as a nation lacking of innovation. Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize was given to  Liu Xiaobo, who has been sentenced to prison for 11 years on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”. His prize was considered to be “Anti-China”.
In Literature, the only other writer with a connection to China was Gao Xingjian, a French-Chinese dissident writer who left China in 1987 and won the award in 2000. Therefore, Mo Yan, as a typical Chinese author whose work reflects ordinary life in China, has been the only hope for Chinese depend on.
Only few hours before the announcement, we hold our breath for the final results. But many are still suspicious, as the author Feng Tang wrote on his Weibo account:
多个不懂中文的外国人在一起，通过翻译作品评价一个好的中文小说家，非常可笑。
It is ridiculous when foreigners who don’t understand Chinese gather together and give credit to a Chinese writer through its translated version.

author: Gloria Wong


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Colombia to Close ‘Week of Indignation’ with Nationwide Protests  · Global Voices
Lully

Through various citizen media, Colombians are promoting protests for Friday, October 12, to close a ‘week of indignation‘ (“semana de la indignación” in Spanish) which began on October 4. The week of indignation was promoted by various organizations and social movements, like Marcha Patriotica [es], Congreso de los Pueblos [es], Coalition of Social Movements and Organizations of Colombia (COMOSOC) [es], and other organizations [es] that later joined the cause.
Among the many blogs who have promoted the demonstrations, the students of the University of Antioquia present [es] the reasons to participate in this march and other activities as part of the week of indignation. They point out, among other reasons:
El deterioro paulatino de la calidad de vida y la pérdida sistemática de derechos, garantías y libertades democráticas son las razones fundamentales para manifestar nuestro rechazo e indignación contra las políticas neoliberales y de globalización implementada por el imperialismo, las clases dominantes colombianas y el régimen de Juan Manuel Santos.
[…]
Indignación por el asesinato, desplazamiento, amenaza e intimidación de los dirigentes sindicales, sociales, indígenas y populares, además de la criminalización a quien opina diferente y no está de acuerdo con las políticas impuestas.
The gradual deterioration of quality of life and the systematic loss of rights, guarantees and democratic freedoms are fundamental reasons to show our rejection and indignation against neoliberal policies and globalization implemented by imperialism, the Colombian ruling classes and the regime of [President] Juan Manuel Santos.
[…]
Outrage for the killing, displacement, threat and intimidation of union, social, indigenous and popular leaders. Also the criminalization of people who think differently and don't agree with imposed policies.
Furthermore, some groups that are participating in the week of indignation demand to be included [es] in the peace talks between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government.
On YouTube, Zonapublica posts a video of the week of indignation in Cali:
Likewise, the blog El Salmon shares [es] a promotional video of the march scheduled for October 12:
On Twitter many announce their participation and share posters, like Bogotá Indignada (@BogotaIndignada) [es]:
@BogotaIndignada: Este 12 de Octubre Colombia entra en #PARONacional pic.twitter.com/6THZAIeP
@BogotaIndignada: This October 12 Colombia is holding a #PARONacional (National strike) pic.twitter.com/6THZAIeP
“For the second and final independence. October 12, national strike! Day for dignity.” Image shared by user @BogotaIndignada on Twitter
Yira Andrea Lopez   (@YAndreaLopez) [es] adds:
@YAndreaLopez: No más censura. No más silencio, Tenemos muchos motivos por qué estar indignados, vamos a marchar éste 12 de octubre! pic.twitter.com/8KMkydfP
@YAndreaLopez: No more censorship. No more silence. We have many reasons to be outraged, we are going to march this October 12! pic.twitter.com/8KMkydfP
“Get ready” Image shared by user @YAndreaLopez on Twitter
On Facebook, several organizations have published the schedule of activities for the week in different regions [es]. They also promote the protests scheduled for October 12 and encourage a discussion with the question: Why are you outraged? [es].

author: Lully


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Costa Rica: Students Protest Veto of ‘Photocopying Law’ · Global Voices
Jenny Cascante Gonzalez

[All links forward to articles in Spanish unless otherwise stated]
Thousands of students participated in a march in San José on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, protesting for their right to photocopy textbooks for educational purposes.
The unrest was caused by President Chinchilla vetoing Bill 17342 (known as the ‘Photocopying Law’) which seeks to amend Law No 8039 on Procedures for Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, on the grounds that it removes protection of the work and intellectual property in the artistic, literary and technological areas.
Supporters of the march and the Photocopying Law point out that her decision was influenced by pressure from publishers whose business is selling highly priced books. This is why the supporters consider it necessary to ensure the democratisation of education and knowledge through the legalisation of the use of photocopies for educational purposes.
Students protesting Veto of Photocopying Law. Photo by Diego Molina Moreira, Diego Molmo on Flickr, under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The movement ‘Photocopying to Study’ wrote about the veto in a series of Facebook updates:
Es irónico e inconcebible que un país como el nuestro, que es reconocido a nivel internacional, como promotor de los Derechos Humanos, niegue a las personas, mediante unas penas y multas altísimas, comparables inclusive con uno de los muchos proyectos de Ley de Tránsito, el acceso a las fuentes de información.
The movement added:
Desde la juventud no podemos quedarnos callados. Debemos exigir a todos los legisladores que hagan un examen de conciencia, que escuchen a las nuevas generaciones y que aprueben nuevamente el Proyecto Fotocopiando para Estudiar de forma unánime. El próximo 9 de octubre los y las jóvenes marcharemos desde distintos rincones del país hacia la Asamblea Legislativa para reclamar nuestros derechos a una educación accesible y de calidad
Regarding one of the motivations for the March, the Liga por la Revolución Socialista (League for socialist revolution) blog published:
La marcha del 9 de octubre, apoyada y convocada en algunos casos hasta por las autoridades (como en la UCR), debería servir como un recurso para relanzar la lucha por el “derecho a fotocopiar” en el marco de la más absoluta independencia respecto a los empresarios, sean grandes como los de las casas editoriales, o “pequeños” como los “copistas”.
The Photocopying Act has also been subject of analysis by those who consider that the reform is only delaying proposals of concrete, long term solutions which benefit the majority, not just the intermediaries.
Carolina Flores explained in her blog Piensa Libre (Free Thinking) why she is against the reform:
¿Cómo, una defensora del conocimiento abierto, puede oponerse a algo así? La respuesta simple es: porque ese derecho ya existe y constituye una de las excepciones al derecho de autor que nuestra ley contempla. La respuesta complicada es: porque el conocimiento abierto, el software libre y la cultura libre dependen de que se respeten los derechos de autor. También, porque esta reforma de visión cortoplacista desperdicia la oportunidad de enmendar a profundidad las leyes nacionales sobre estos temas.
In addition, the blog offered a number of suggestions as part of its proposal for the handling of the issue, among which were:
Las instituciones académicas deben asumir su papel. Les corresponde a estas resolver cómo proveer a los estudiantes de esos materiales en formato digital (por ejemplo), volver a dotar a las bibliotecas de las obras que necesitamos y tener dentro de su marco los centros de fotocopiado trabajando al costo o con ganancias que se destinen a fines que no sean el lucro.
[…]
El Estado debe asumir su papel y realizar campañas informativas sobre estos temas. En la sociedad de la información y el conocimiento, la propiedad intelectual constituye como nunca antes, una herramienta que todos debemos saber manejar. Estas campañas deben incluir por supuesto, los modelos alternativos que proponen el conocimiento abierto y la cultura libre, de manera que las personas podamos elegir cómo queremos compartir nuestras creaciones, cuáles son nuestras obligaciones y cuáles son nuestros derechos.
Academic institutions must play their part. They need to resolve how to provide students with such materials in (for example) digital form, provide libraries again with the works we need, and have centres within the framework of photocopying, working at cost or with proceeds intended for non-profit purposes.[…]
The State should play its part and carry out information campaigns on these issues. In the information and knowledge society, intellectual property is, like never before, a tool that everyone must know to use. These campaigns should obviously include alternative models proposing open knowledge and free culture, so that people can choose how we want to share our creations, what our obligations are and what our rights are.
Students protesting the veto of Photocopying Law. Photo by Diego Molina Moreira, Diego Molmo on Flickr, under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
For his part, Andrés Guadamuz wrote on the topic on his blog Tecnollama:
Tenemos entonces varios intereses en pugna. La educación superior requiere de acceso a obras de calidad, pero estas van a ser producidas tan solo si los autores y editores tienen la expectativa real de que sus inversiones van a ser recuperadas. El autor tiene tanto derecho a una remuneración justa como el estudiante tiene derecho a tener acceso a textos económicamente accesibles
He also wrote about alternative solutions to the problem, saying:
Un sistema que existe en otros países es el de tener fotocopiadoras automatizadas en bibliotecas en las que la totalidad de fondos es destinada a los autores por medio de sociedades de gestión colectiva. Este sistema tiene la ventaja de permitir a la vez el acceso a textos educativos de forma barata, así como el permitir la justa remuneración para los autores de las obras.
The march went peacefully until arriving at the Legislative Assembly, where there were clashes between some demonstrators and the police.
Tweets about the march can be read under the hashtag #FotocopiandoParaEstudiar (Photocopying to study).

author: Jenny Cascante Gonzalez


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Developing Latin America 2012 · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages unless otherwise noted]
Last year we informed you, our readers, of the regional hackathon: Developing Latin America, organised by the Fundación Ciudadano Inteligente (Intelligent Citizen Foundation) in six Latin American countries. This year we decided to involve ourselves a little bit more and we are pleased to announce that we will be more actively supporting Developing Latin America 2012, which has actually already been launched:
Durante los días 1 y 2 de diciembre se realizará en 8 países de América Latina, y por 36 horas consecutivas, la segunda versión de “Desarrollando América Latina”. Dicha iniciativa apunta a convocar equipos multidisciplinarios de desarrolladores, diseñadores, periodistas, líderes de proyectos, emprendedores y ciudadanos motivados en encontrar -a través de herramientas tecnológicas- soluciones a problemas transversales de la región.
During the first 2 days of December, for 36 consecutive hours, the second version of “Developing Latin America” will be carried out in 8 Latin American countries. The initiative aims to organise multidisciplinary teams of developers, designers, journalists, project leaders, entrepreneurs and motivated citizens to find- through technological tools- solutions to a cross-section of problems in the region.
The countries where Developing Latin America, or #DAL2012, will take place are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. In each country there will be an institution in charge of organising the local event: in Argentina, Wingu; in Bolivia, ICPC; in Brazil, W3C; in Costa Rica, GrupoInco; in Chile, Fundación Ciudadano Inteligente; in Mexico, Fundar, Citivox, and SocialTIC; in Peru, Escuelab; and in Uruguay, Data.
As far as the subject matters or tracks for the designers to have in mind for their applications, they have health, education, citizen security, state spending, poverty and environment amongst others. The technology blog Fayerwayer indicates:
Cada país trabajará en base a temas de relevancia que podrán elegir, para crear aplicaciones que apunten a resolver esos problemas. Los participantes tendrán a su disposición acceso a datos abiertos de gobiernos, instituciones, ONG y más, que pueden usar para su desarrollo.
Each country will be able to choose their own relevant topic, in order to create applications that aim to resolve these problems. The participants will have, at their disposal, access to open information from governments, institutions, NGO's and more, that they can use for their development.
Aurora Moreno in the website Applicantes [a website about mobile apps] highlights the motives for making this event:
Por un lado, su objetivo es llamar la atención de la ciudadanía para que sean conscientes de la utilidad de los datos que sus gobiernos ofrecen de forma digital; por  otro, esperan que sea un impulso para emprendedores de distintos países y áreas, que puedan conocerse, interactuar entre ellos y generar nuevas ideas en conjunto.
On the one hand, the objective is to draw attention to citizens so that they become more conscious of the usefulness of government information available in digital format; on the other hand, it is hoped to create an impulse for entrepreneurs in different countries and areas to meet one another, and interact with one another in order to generate new ideas together.
“Registration is now open. #DAL 2012 is arriving in full force!”
Registration for teams is already open, it's a question of what the web developers, graphic designers, web masters, project managers, journalists, experts in social topics and people from other disciplines are motivated by and join together in teams within their countries in order to participate. For further information, visit these sections of the website #DAL2012: What is DAL?, But, what is a hackathon?, And, what is open data?, What is an un-conference?, FAQs, Rules.
And if this hasn't been enough to encourage your participation, don't forget that there will be local and regional prizes for the best developed applications, up to the value of $2,000USD. Furthermore the DAL organisation will be looking for the winning apps to continue their development in order to be applied and replicated in the region. As a regional prize, there will also be a mentorship with RandomHacksofKindness [en] through its programme SustainabilityProject.  [en]
We will bring you more updates soon, as well as ideas and inspiration for your projects!

author: Juan Arellano


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Global Pot-Banging Protests Scheduled for October 13 · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

This post is part of our coverage #Occupy Worldwide
A day of pot-banging protests promises to shake the most sensitive ears across the globe on October 13, 2012. The Global Noise initiative is organized by the international networks of Occupy, Indignados, #YoSoy132, and other social justice movements and activist platforms from several different countries. It will take place roughly one year after 2011's October 15, when the world saw the rapid spread of square occupations calling for #GlobalChange.
Click the image to see a collection of #GlobalNoise designs
According to the website for Global Noise, local organizers and participants define the focus of each protest themselves:
The result is a turbulent cacophony of issues and slogans: “Don't owe, won't pay” in Spain, “Fuck the Troika” in Portugal, a clear message against war from Istanbul, a protest in front of the annual IMF/Worldbank meeting in Tokyo,
One common theme running through all the #GlobalNoise events is the targeting of political and financial elites who are held responsible for destroying our communities and the planet, resonating the ongoing wave of anti-austerity protests in Europe and around the world. At the same time #GlobalNoise is a symbol of hope and unity, building on a wide variety of struggles for global justice and solidarity, assuring that together we will create another world.
[This and other #GlobalNoise videos can be seen here]
Occupy Wall Street explains the concept behind the upcoming non-violent day of action, when demonstrations are expected to get “louder than ever” with the global cacerolazo, casserole, pot-banging protest:
Historically, banging on a pot has been a universally understood means to gain attention. The casserole march has its origins as a means to call attention to problems facing the community that the power structure is not addressing, using a method that is hard to ignore. In the past, this form of activism has been used to draw attention to education reform, starvation, government corruption, inequality in resources, and more.
Potbanging citizen media
@potbanging_NL: Play #potbanging but take care of your children #OK13Global #globalNOISE http://t.co/AoNE5Xcj (click the photo for more #GlobalNoise images)
While hundreds of actions are expected to take place covering a wide range of issues, protesters are also planning to take over social media with a help from the crowds.
Starting on October 10, an international Twitter campaign aims at leading the hashtags #GlobalNoise, #13O, #O13 and #OK13Global to worldwide trending topics. Follow @potbanging for updates and check their lists of local organizers on Twitter.
OccupyTheComms crowd-sourced media page for #GlobalNoise will collect all the relevant media related to the action using real time tools during October 13, and Live.globalnoise.net Livestream.com/globalnoiselive and GlobalRevolution.tv will be used to gather different livestreams from the world from October 12 onwards.
An interactive map with live updates (such as tweets, pictures, and links to livestreams), based on the work of the Spanish Voces25s, is in the works.
Other online platforms for interaction include Facebook, occupii.org, interoccupy hub, mailinglist, mumble meetings and gmail.com.
This post is part of our coverage #Occupy Worldwide

author: Sara Moreira


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Pakistan: Religious Extremists Attack Malala Yousufzai · Global Voices
Kumail Ahmed

Extremists severely wounded a 14 year old education for girls activist, Malala Yousufzai.
Malala was intercepted by the Taliban, and bullets were fired on her as she was returning home from school. A bullet pierced through her neck that had put her life in acute danger. Recent media reports say that the bullet has been successfully removed, and the girl is out of danger.
Malala Yousufzai is a Swat girl and an ardent education for girls activist. She openly speaks for the right of girls to attend school. Moreover, she publicly criticised the Taliban's attack on girl schools in the Swat valley.
She came on the global scene in 2009 when she wrote a diary for BBC URDU. The ‘Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl‘ originally appeared on BBC URDU with an anonymous pen name of ‘Gul Makai’. The chronicle speaks about the atrocities Taliban did against girl education in the swat valley.
Picture extracted from youtube.com
During the time when extremists controlled swat, girl schools were forcefully closed down and right of education was exclusively granted to boys. It was Malala who wrote down about the atrocities committed by the Taliban. Here is a small excerpt from her diary:
Only 11 students attended the class out of 27. The number decreased because of Taleban's edict. My three friends have shifted to Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi with their families after this edict.
Malala Yousufzai was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation in 2011.
The banned terrorist group, Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), swiftly accepted the responsibility of this horrendous act. The groups says that Malala's work was spreading moderation in the society and ‘whomsoever will commit so in future too will be targeted again by TTP’. Taliban spokesperson also said that “whom so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah.”
TTP spokesmen, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said in an interview:
[Malala] has become a symbol of Western culture in the area…[and the attacks were justified because] she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas.
Activists of Minhaj-ul-Quran Women's League hold photos of Malala Yousaf Zai and chant slogans against the attack. Image by Owais Aslam Ali. Copyright Demotix (10/9/2012)
The attack was criticised across every spectrum in the society. Not a single tweet was present that supported the Taliban's justification of gunning down a 14 years old innocent bairn.
Twitter users condemned this attack in the severest words:
@SabahatMS:An 11 old Rimsha Masih was a danger to Mullah's Islam & 14 year old Malala Yosufzai a threat to Taliban's Islam!! #Disgusting#Pakistan
@EeshAsh: To what extent can #Taliban go to? All prayers for #Malala. May Allah grant her speedy recovery
Mubashar Shah comments:
Malala Yousafzai is [the] *daughter* of Pakistan and also *daughter* of world. *God* bless you.
Pervez says:
Malala Yousufzai is decidedly an exceptional person and brave beyond her tender years. The TTP are cursed but those behind the TTP are doubly cursed.
A flood of netizen prayed for the better health of Malala. They took a deep breath when the news came that Malala is out of danger.
Feroz writes:
I hope the inspiration shown by Malala will make a marked impact and the younger generation throws up Malala like souls in the thousands. Those attempting to push Pakistan into the stone age must be repelled in every way possible. Malala, the entire world is praying for your speedy recovery.
The female literacy rate in Pakistan stands at a low 45% (2009). The threat by Terrorist against female education will take this number to new lows.
Adam B Ellick recalls about the time he spent with Malala Yousufzai. Malala took him to her ruined school that was converted into debris. On the wall of the her school it was written: ‘This is Pakistan’. Upon seeing this, Malala said impromptu:
“Look! This is Pakistan. Taliban destroyed us.”

author: Kumail Ahmed


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Political Exile On Board the Eritrean Presidential Jet · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

The blog “les Erythréens” has this report [fr]:
Yesterday morning (October 3rd) two Eritrean pilots defected—in their Eritrean Air Force jet—to Saudi Arabia, requesting political exile upon landing at the airport in Jizan.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Politically Liberal In Pakistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Who is Politically Liberal in Pakistan?” – asks Raza Habib Raja. Read the answer here.

author: Rezwan


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Russia: Democratic Public “Outraged” by Release of Pussy Riot Member · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Last week, Pussy Riot defendant Yekaterina Samutsevich surprised many when she changed her lawyers and adopted a new defense strategy for her ongoing appeals process. At the time, there was no consensus among Russian bloggers about what exactly was happening or why. (Global Voices covered some of the theories here.) It now appears that Samutsevich’s gamble has paid off. She was freed after today’s hearing, her two-year prison sentence reduced to two years of probation. The other two imprisoned band members, Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were not so lucky — the appellate court upheld their sentences (there is one more chance for appeal in Russia’s Supreme Court).
Samutsevich’s new and successful defense was predicated on the fact that she did not actively participate in the group’s performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This fact was pointed out by many bloggers last week, but it still appears to have been unexpected news for some people, who in turn questioned the court’s reasoning. Opposition activist and blogger Ilya Yashin tweeted [ru]:
Самуцевич освободили, т.к. она была задержана охраной до акции #PussyRiot в ХХС и по сути не участвовала. Но тогда надо вообще оправдывать.
Samutsevich was freed because she was detained before the #PussyRiot action and in essence did not participate. But then she should have been completely exonerated.
And then there were only two. Pussy Riot members appear in court to appeal two year jail sentence (October 1st, 2012), photo by Maria Pleshkova, copyright © Demotix.
Some bloggers have intimated that Samutsevich’s “inactive participation” was merely a pretext for the court's decision. She was really freed, the theory goes, because she decided on a non-confrontational defense strategy. Eduard Limonov, the leader of Other Russia, blogged [ru]:
Условный срок  для Смуцевич, – это благодарность ей за то, что она сменила адвоката. Одновременно это приговор против Виолетты Волковой,пощечина ей как профессионалу, которая  вела себя вызывающе-неумно, оскорбляла судью в некоторых случаях. Волкова превратилась фактически в революционно-оппозиционного трибуна, проигнорировав участь своей подзащитной.
A probation for Smutsevich [sic] is gratitude to her for switching her lawyer. At the same time, it’s a sentence against Violetta Volkova, a slap to her professionalism, since she conducted herself in a provocative, stupid manner, sometimes insulting the judge. Basically Volkova has become a revolutionary-opposition orator, having ignored the fate of her client.
Publicist Dmitry Olshansky similarly blogged [ru]:
Екатерину Самуцевич отпустили, потому что […] она отказалась от политических адвокатов, отказалась от политической войны с системой и в сущностном смысле попросила прощения у системы
Yekaterina Samutsevich was released because […] she renounced her political lawyers, renounced the political war on the system, and in essence asked the system for forgiveness.
Pavel Chikov, the chairman of Agora [ru], the human rights NGO now representing Samutsevich, agreed with Olshansky’s first point, tweeting [ru]:
Надо было биться за максимальный резонанс с жестким приговором либо за минимальную ответственность. Девушки выбрали первое, всё удалось.
The fight would have been either for maximum visibility and with a harsh sentence, or for minimal culpability. The girls chose the first, everything worked out.
However, he disputed [ru] that Samutsevich ever apologized:
Хочу подчеркнуть — Катя Самуцевич вину в совершении преступления не признала, заявила, что никакого раскола в группе нет.
I want to stress that Katya Samutsevich did not admit her guilt in committing a crime, and said that there is no schism in the group.
Some do not believe Samutsevich. To them, the new ruling is a way for the Kremlin to break up the punk group and the protest movement, or perhaps to attack the band's lawyers (Feygin, Polozov, and Volkova), who have defended the three young women since charges were first pressed. For example, journalist Tikhon Dzyadko tweeted [ru]:
По-моему, цель сегодняшнего решения-расколоть #PussyRiot и вылить побольше говна на тройку адвокатов.к закону это не имеет отношения.
In my opinion, the goal of today’s decision is to cause a schism among #PussyRiot and to pour some more shit on the trio of lawyers. It has nothing to do with the law.
One of these lawyers, Nikolai Polozov, is perhaps a little too eager [ru] to martyr himself:
Если властям мы настолько не любы и для освобождения Нади и Маши нужно пожертвовать статусом, я первый положу удостоверение адвоката на стол.
If the powers that be dislike us so much and if in order to free Nadya and Masha we need to give up our status, I will be the first to put my legal license on the table.
Oddly, some bloggers seem to pity the lawyers more than the remaining two imprisoned Pussy Riot members:
я смотрела на лица адвокатов и реально рыдала…
I watched the faces of the lawyers and literally wept…
says [ru] journalist Alexandra Astakhova in her Facebook. A commenter responded [ru]:
Главная их цель была дискредитация адвокатов — Самуцевич помогла, за помощь и освобождение.
Their main goal was to discredit the lawyers -– Samutsevich helped, in return for assistance and freedom.
As the last quote shows, some in this case cannot help but blame the victim. Although Samutsevich's conduct seems completely reasonable, the RuNet is full of thinly veiled accusations that she has somehow “sold out.” Perhaps the most thinly veiled of all belongs to journalist and philosophy lecturer Kirill Martynov, who wrote the following on his LiveJournal [ru]:
Екатерина Самуцевич получила свободу ценой оправдания российского суда и за счет дискредитации всей кампании в защиту Pussy Riot.
Yekaterina Samutsevich gained her freedom at the cost of vindicating the Russian courts and by discrediting the entire campaign for the defense of Pussy Riot.
Such over-the-top rhetoric is instant ammunition for the opposition movement's critics. Fake internet personality Lev Sharansky summed up the sentiment, wryly tweeting [ru]:
Все демократическая общественность до глубины души возмущена освобождением Самуцевич.
The democratic public is outraged to its core by the release of Samutsevich.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Saint Lucia’s New Value Added Tax Jumps at Citizens · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Beginning October 1, 2012 the government of Saint Lucia imposed a Value Added Tax (VAT) on good and services. In doing so, Saint Lucia became the last member of the Caribbean Community to adopt VAT. In the months and weeks leading up to the deadline, various stakeholders expressed doubts about the country's readiness for VAT, citing concerns about the the new equipment and accounting systems which were required; uncertainty about the exemptions and of course the major question of whether the country should even being attempting this during a difficult economic period. During the first week of the implementation of VAT, it was a popular topic of discussion on social media.
On Facebook, in the group “Saint Lucians Aiming for Progress”, Ethelbert James felt it was unreasonable for citizens to make demands on the government without also paying the taxes that allow it to fulfill those demands:
when a goverment borrows money from foreign or commercial banks, it adds to the national debt.when a goverment borrows from the NIC,it is a headache.but when the citizenry wants road infrastructure,housing, etc,goverment have to find the resources to do so.just to assist in the development of our country by giving 15% of our own money,it is like hell came on earth.goverment gives 100% to make sure we are safe,proper roads,proper working environment,better schools,proper amenities, etc,etc,etc.do st.lucians want the goverment to keep on borrowing and borrowing,where as we can play our part. we have to help our selves now. the taxes we are paying before vat collectively cannot sustain this country. so now the question before us is ask not what can our country do for us,but what can we do for our country.
Nicholas Leo reiterated this point and added that many of the people complaining have no problems with paying VAT in other countries:
Baywalk Shopping Mall in Saint Lucia. Photo by missmeng on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
I have tried to stay away from the senseless chatter about the implimentation of VAT in St Lucia, but after seeing so many ignorant statements about the tax, I asked myself this question; how many of these same Lucians who now complain have visited the US and Canada, paid taxes on almost everything yet they would not complain. The taxes that we pay on these items in these foreign countries go towards paying for their infrastructure, paying down their deficits/debt and running their public institutions. Had the UWP won the last election, VAT would have been introduced in April of this year, yet now King and company are trying to fool Lucians yet again. Lucians this is the 21st century, VAT is an inescapable inconvenience
Fairness and taxation
Yogi Sandy Dale Flavien felt that Saint Lucia needs to revisit its tax code, particularly with regard to the rate of corporate taxes:
The huge Elephant in the ROOM is that Corporate taxes are too low, There are no dividend taxes, capital gains and interest tax – all not in the tax code. These tax code issues have to be solved. St. Lucia is only Caribbean Island, and maybe one of few places in world without these taxes. Rich and expats do not pay their fair share !!! govt must fix that – 80 -100 million right there
Leigh Allan was upset that some sectors of the business community, most notably the hotel sector, were seeking exemptions from the VAT:
It is Morally wrong, Ethically wrong and just plain Unfair for some industries to pay and or charge VAT while others don't. If the Hospitality Industry doesn't want to pay and charge VAT then the Poor, Underprivileged, Wealthy and everyone else can do the same. Those that don't pay their taxes but receive subsidies and concessions need to be sorted out. No double standards please, Not in 2012!!
Nadia Cauzabon asked consumers to be vigilant and to make sure that they were not being taken advantage of:
Citizen Watch: In a small bid to get St. Lucians just a bit more conscious of their power as a consumer, I would like all members in this forum and living in St. Lucia to start monitoring prices of items in Saint Lucia. Get a file sheet, draw up a table, write a list of about 20 commonly used items in your household and write the price of each item every month to track changes. Dig out your old bills to get pre-vat prices. Or better yet, do it in a spreadsheet in excel. Use one file sheet/spreadsheet for each company. Then you can provide ‘data’ to the VAT office or other regulatory office to REPORT if you suspect consumers are being ripped off by any establishment.
In the blog Damajority.com, Jerry George compared the attention paid to the implementation of VAT to the devotion shown to the West Indies cricket team:
let’s face it…Plain and Simple, St. Lucians are just “bava”… all that talk about VAT..bla, bla, bla…most of us aint take time to understand VAT…so bla, bla, bla…same thing with West Indies Cricket team…we are “Hot and cold” about support for the Team…only when St. Lucians want to support West Indies…just let West Indies lose…you will see!!! “BAVA”… First I though VAT roro was still going on…when I look Looshans watching West Indies on every TV set available…and cheering to thy kingdom come! Eh Bien…West Indies mantjé bay zòt batmanntjè (heart attack)
Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Kenny Anthony attempted to clarify some issues on his Facebook page:
…we have always been paying taxes on medicines but we never saw the actual taxes before. Now we do and the taxes jump at us. However, the Government was mindful of the likely impact of VAT on medicines. We secured the agreement of Caricom to remove the Common External Tariff (Duty)on pharmaceuticals for a period of four years, that is from May 01, 2012 to April 30,2016.So there will be no duty on medicines. Medicines will, therefore, attract just VAT no duty. What has happened is that many of the stores are still selling items imported prior to September with duty already paid on those items. In days to come, we all should see a reduction in the prices of medicine as the old stocks get depleted and new stock is imported without the payment of duty.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Thailand: People’s Movement for a Just Society · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The People’s Movement for a Just Society is a network organized to strengthen the voices of different causes working to bring justice for marginalized groups in Thailand, including land rights for small-scale farmers, citizenship for stateless persons, fair compensation for communities forced to relocate to accommodate large scale state projects, and housing solutions for urban slum dwellers
Jason Lubanski writes about the objectives and activities of the People’s Movement for a Just Society in Thailand.


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The Venezuelan Elections, From Panama · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012.
In the last few years, Panama has seen an increase in the amount of Venezuelan immigrants. For this reason, many Panamanians and Venezuelan residents in the country have intently followed the presidential elections leading up to October 7. According to the website Info Sur Hoy [es]:
3,500 venezolanos residen legalmente, informó el Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá. Aunque también hay 86.815 venezolanos que llegaron al país en los últimos seis años y que no han legalizado su estatus migratorio, informó el periódico Panamá América.
The Venezuelans that complied with regulations started coming to vote very early in the morning, as reported by El Venezolano [es], the weekly newspaper of the Venezuelan community in Panama:
A las 6:15 am se inició el proceso de votación donde tres salones han sido habilitados dentro de la Embajada. Hasta los momentos, todo ha sido fluido y organizado. Los venezolanos mostraron su cara de esperanza y felicidad por tener la oportunidad de ejercer su derecho en este país, desde muy tempranas horas de la madrugada cuando se acercaron a la Embajada, equipados con café, bebidas, agua, alimentos y su cédula de identidad.
Venezuelans voting in Panama on October 7, 2012. Photo shared by the user @ElVenezolanoP on Twitter.
Once the winner of the electoral contest was known, reactions quickly came through social networks, where Panamanians and Venezuelans were commenting on the results. For example, Diego de Obaldia (@DeObaldia [es]), a Venezuelan residing in Panama, joked a little:
(@DeObaldia) Vamos a ver quién puede más: la maldad de CHAVEZ o la hospitalidad de PANAMÁ…
Twitter messages with this tone started to circulate amidst messages of encouragement and hope for Venezuelans, even though there were also those who warned of a large new wave of immigration. La Estrella de Panamá [es] reports:
Tras la victoria de Chávez se prevé que ocurrirá una nueva ola de migración. Lo que si llega a pasar, sería bueno para la economía panameña de acuerdo con el economista socio de la firma Indesa Felipe Chapman.
Panama has always been considered a multicultural country, explaining why Giordano C (@GiordanoCQ) [es] is grateful for the reception that Panama gives Venezuelans, and why he predicts a large new wave of immigrants:
(@GiordanoCQ) Presiento un tsunami de venezolanos a PTY , gracias Panamá por abrirnos las puertas y recibirnos como en casa …
For some Panamanians, the elections in Venezuela made them reflect upon the possibility of subsequent presidential terms in Panama (Reelecting presidents is unconstitutional in Panama). The user ‘ec’ comments on Foros Slot [es]:
En fin, yo creo que esto es un testamento de que en países con democracias tan inmaduras como las nuestras no debemos permitir re-elección por que las masas son fácilmente manipulables.
Later in the night, on Sunday, October 7, the Panamanian Yoli Moreno (@_YoliM_) [es] reminded her followers of the importance of paying attention to these elections:
@_YoliM_: Leo algunos tuits y siento pena. Cuando empiecen a pensar globalmente se darán cuenta que lo que pase en cualquier país nos afecta.
This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012.

author: Ariel Moreno


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Trinidad & Tobago: Privatizing Healthcare · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

An ad in the newspaper has Trinidad & Tobago blogger, The Eternal Pantomime, wondering whether the government plans to privatize the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mount Hope.


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Ukraine: “The Babushkas of Chernobyl” Documentary Project · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Kickstarter.com, only a few hours are left to pledge funding for The Babushkas of Chernobyl, a documentary project by Holly Morris and Anne Bogart, which tells stories of “an extraordinary group of women who live in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster ‘Zone of Alienation’ or ‘Dead Zone'”:
Time really is of the essence. We must capture their lives, and the bizarre realities of living in the Zone, on film before the aging babushkas, now in their 70s and 80s, are no longer with us. Radiation or not, they are nearing the end of their natural lifespans. With each season, many of them pass.
Holly Morris’ feature, A Country of Women, is here. The project is also on Twitter and on Facebook.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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United States: The Road to Peace According to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi   · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the emblematic figure of the Burmese opposition and Nobel Peace Prize winner, received the Vaclav Havel for Creative Dissent award from the Human Rights Foundation, during the San Francisco Freedom Forum on September, 28 at the Bently Reserve.
Moments before receiving the prize, San Suu Kyi called for fostering “true friendship,” such as the one she had with the late Czech president for whom the award is named, in order to direct attention to human rights violations. Her participation in the forum was part of a 15-day tour throughout the United States, including cities where the Burmese diaspora lives such as Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She gave talks at various universities and visited Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama in the White House where she was given the Congressional Medal of Honor.
San Suu Kyi's passionate speech, called “The Long Road to Freedom,” was also a retrospective look at her life as an activist.  “Living in peace with my conscience,” she said, “has been the road to freedom.” In terms of the situation of her country, she promised to build a Myanmar “that lives in peace with its own conscience. In Myanmar, there are prisoners of conscience, but a society with a peaceful conscience can free those people.” However, the Nobel Prize winner added that her people are prepared for the inevitable challenges. “The road to freedom does not end,” she emphasized.
Among other major players on the global scale was George Ayittey, a professor of Ghanaian ancestry who launched strong criticisms at current African dictatorships when he stated that “for every dictator that we bring down, another emerges. It's like playing Whac-A-Mole,” and mentioned that “the only good dictator is one that is dead.” Among other things, Manal Al-Sharif [es] of Saudi Arabia shared her experiences of challenging her country's leadership by getting behind the wheel even though women are not allowed to drive.  Al-Sharif closed her presentation with the music video “Bad Girls” by singer M.I.A., which, according to Al-Sharif, was made in support of her cause.
Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Drug Policy Alliance, provided the Latin American touch.  Nadelmann applauded the intervention of presidents of Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala at the recent United Nations General Assembly, where the three leaders called for a reexamination of the failed policies of the war on drugs, which has cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the last four decades.
Using the hashtag #SFFF, alluding to the start of the event, participants and online spectators shared their impressions on Twitter.  For example, Matisse B H (@matissebh) tweeted:
@matissebh: The long road to freedom is one where you need friends: Aung San Suu Kyi; count me in…
Others like weddady (@weddady) highlighted parts of Ayittey's presentation:
@weddady: George Ayittey: “20 of the countries on the bottom of the list of the human dev report were ruined by military regimes”
Bint Battuta (@BintBattuta87) echoed Al Sharif's words during the forum:
@BintBattuta87: @manal_alsharif: Dreams of a #Saudi where mothers will not need permission from their sons to travel. #SFFF Amen.
Here are some images from the forum (all taken by the author):
Aung San Suu Kyi speaking to participants of the San Francisco Freedom Forum.
Manal Al-Sharif shared her experience driving a car on Saudi street, where it is prohibited for women to drive.
“The only good dictator that exists is one who is dead” said the Ghanaian profesor George Ayittey.
During her participation at the San Francisco Freedom Forum, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was vigilantly watched by secret service.
The Bently Reserve located in the center of San Francisco, where the San Francisco Freedom Forum was held.

author: Robert Valencia


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Bolivian Politicians Turned ‘Gangnam Style’ · Global Voices
Pablo Andrés Rivero

Screen shot of the video “Evo Morales dancing Gangnam Style” (October 2012). Video by kwonbanya on YouTube
The “Gangnam Style” parody has reached Bolivian politicians. Earlier this week, KwonBanYa, a Bolivian YouTube user, uploaded a humorous version of the Korean rap-pop song featuring prominent political figures.
The video stars representations of President Evo Morales and vicepresident Alvaro García Linera, as well as other members of the ruling party and the opposition.
The “Gangnam Style” has been turned into a source of political parody in many countries around the globe.

author: Pablo Andrés Rivero


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Cambodia: World Habitat Day Rally · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A protester in Cambodia wearing a hat designed as a house with lotus flowers in hands during World Habitat Day. Photo from Facebook page of Community Legal Education Center's Page
More than 500 people from communities facing land evictions participated in a protest during World Habitat Day in Cambodia.


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Czech Republic: Přednádraží Forced Eviction Struggle Continues · Global Voices
Daniela Kantorova

Přednádraží is a street in Ostrava with eleven brick buildings on it, inhabited mostly by Roma families, members of the largest Czech ethnic minority. Since August 2012, it has been a site of an intense struggle against forced evictions imposed on the owner of the houses and the residents by the Ostrava City Council, allegedly due to dilapidation of the houses and particularly due to broken sewage lines.
The Ostrava City Council let the sewage system at Přednádraží dilapidate to its current state of dysfunction during more than ten years of neglect, until August, when it decided to “solve” the problem by evicting the residents and blaming the devastation largely on them and on the owner of the buildings. For most residents, evictions mean displacement and a threat of homelessness, since the authorities did not offer any alternative low cost housing, recommending that the residents move to overcrowded and overpriced hostels. In what is a historical step in the struggle for Roma civil rights, the residents and the owner of the buildings have joined forces with Czech activists and collectively resisted the pressure from the state institutions.
Přednádraží has suffered several severe blows over the last month, however.
While approximately 50 people still remain at the site, in a building that is known as “Number 8,” they are facing the ever-increasing pressure from the institutions as well as physical hardships, with the electricity cut off and their entire water supply available from a single tap, as winter approaches.
On Sep. 20, Romea News reported that Vzájemné soužití [cs], a non-profit advocacy and social work organization focused on Roma rights, run by Kumar Vishwanathan, who has been actively involved in supporting the struggle for Přednádraží, has been evicted from their offices [cs], rented to them by the Ostrava City Council. Vzájemné soužití has not received any rationale for this eviction, and is considering legal action.
On Sep. 25, Czech activist Jakub Polák [en], an outspoken supporter of Přednádraží, heavily involved in the Roma civil rights struggle since the Velvet Revolution, died of cancer. His friends organized an anti-funeral march in his honor in Prague, carrying large banners that said “The Struggle Continues” in Czech and Romani. The event became a beautiful expression of the Czech-Roma solidarity and was attended by a number of Roma rights activists and community representatives.
The Anti-Funeral of Jakub Polák: The Struggle Continues. Photo by Saša Uhlová, used with permission.
Only two days after the news of the death of Jakub Polák, on Sep. 27, Romea News reported [cs] that the owner of the houses at Přednádraží, Oldřich Roztočil, who had stood by the tenants, attempted to commit a suicide. Mr. Roztočil has been the subject of constant harassment by the authorities since his refusal to comply with the evictions order. The Building Works Authority of the City Hall issued him a fine of 30,000 CZK [cs], ordered him to make numerous repairs on the buildings (rendered meaningless by the unresolved sewage situation), and finally ordered him to demolish one of the houses [cs] in an impossible two-week deadline since the order, which would have cost him around 4 million CZK (an initial estimate from a construction company reached an exorbitant amount of 26 million CZK). Mr. Roztočil is currently in a stable condition physically and is recovering.
Oldřich Roztočil debriefing with Přednádraží community representatives and activists. Photo by Daniela Kantorova.
Most recently, the Building Works Authority of Ostrava has started sealing off individual houses at Přednádraží [en] and barring entry of the residents. All residents have moved into the building “Number 8,” and they are planning to stay there whilst they search for funds to make necessary repairs to the building and its sewage system. The residents face continued pressure from the social services agency that is threatening with taking away their children. They also have a reason to fear for personal safety, as the remaining abandoned houses have become target for looting, particularly of any metal parts that can be sold. This type of looting renders the abandoned houses less secure and further increases any future costs of repairs; however, the Ostrava police have not acted to protect the location.
Building 8 at Přednádraží. Photo by Daniela Kantorova.
While the pressure keeps rising, alliances also keep growing.
A new civic group, SOS Přednádraží [cs, en] has started a petition that has at this point 277 signatories, mostly individuals, but also a couple of organizations and groups, including the Czech Helsinki Committee [en] and a hip-hop duo Čokovoko.
At the first ever Roma Pride [en] march in Prague on Oct. 7, members of SOS Přednádraží read a statement in support of Přednádraží. Several activists from Prague have moved to Přednádraží to help guard the houses. Martin Škabraha [cs], the spokesperson of the civil liberties organization ProAlt [en] and a professor of philosophy at the Ostrava University, is planning a public debate about Přednádraží at the university.
Currently at Přednádraží, despite all the painful losses, there is a sense of hope, and as the alliances grow, the authorities do not realize one thing: the absurdity of their actions is becoming clear to a growing circle of the public, which, in a long run, means more support for the Roma civil rights movement.

author: Daniela Kantorova


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Demotix Hits One Million Photos · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

One of the hundreds of photos from the online photo agency Demotix appearing on Global Voices. Overcrowded prisons in Brazil. Photo by Giuseppe Bizzarri (Demotix)
The online photo agency Demotix has just hit one million photos uploaded by 30,000 photographers since their launch in 2008. Techcrunch calls it proof that a crowd-sourced photo agency can work. Global Voices is a proud partner of Demotix since 2010, enjoying the extremely broad diversity of topics and locations.

author: Solana Larsen


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Dominican Republic: A Fiscal Apocalypse? · Global Voices
Pamela Martínez Achecar

On the 4th of October, the Dominican government finally unveiled proposals for the new  Fiscal Reform [es] following a controversial negotiation process with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). During a session of the Economic and Social Council, the Minister for Economics, Planning and Development revealed that the deficit had reached 148,564 million Dominican pesos (DOP) (6.5% of GDP), making this year's figures the highest in Dominican history.
The new fiscal reform, which is really a tax reform as it does not take into account government spending, has elicited discontent from all sectors –business, unions and civil society– who have united for the first time to oppose the reform. The bill, which has yet to be discussed in the House of Representatives, affects all social classes but hits the poorest and middle class hardest; 47% of the projected tax collections, estimated at 55,044 million Dominican pesos ($1,395,995,103.36 USD) will come from indirect taxation.
President Danilo Medina has tweeted that:
@DaniloMedina: Estamos enfocados en promover una reforma integral que garantice que la población cuente con las condiciones básicas para vivir con dignidad.
We are focused on bringing about wholesale reform which guarantees that the population can count on having the fundamental conditions to live with dignity.
Civil society is in almost unanimous agreement that the reform, far from offering better conditions to the less well off, is actually a way to finance the rampant corruption of the state, and avoid having to consider ways to improve the quality of government spending. The public completely refuses to support the reform if it is not accompanied by radical reforms of the government structure, including transparency in the use of state resources, freedom of information and social audit, as well as the imposing of harsh sanctions against those responsible for the current crisis. Pavel Isa Contreras, a respected economist, said on the subject:
@IsaPavel: Antes de discutir impuestos e ingresos, urge acordar qué es lo que queremos financiar, en qué vamos a gastar, quién gastará y cómo.
Before discussing taxes and revenue, we must agree upon what we want to fund, where we are going to spend, who will do the spending and how.
The current vice-president and former first lady until the 16th of August this year, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, stated that:
@MargaritaCDF: Las causas de este #PactoFiscal son: el alto subsidio al sector eléctrico, deuda del país con el Banco Central y la caída de recaudaciones.
The causes of this Fiscal Pact are the high costs of subsidies to the electricity sector, national debt at the Central Bank and the drop in tax intake.
Nonetheless, Miguel Ceara Hatton, economist and former Director of the Office for Human Development at the United Nations Development Programme for the Dominican Republic, refuted this statement, asserting that:
@CearaHatton: Es falso que el subsidio eléctrico explica el aumento del gasto público. El aumento del subsidio es 10.6% del aumento del gasto total 2011-2012.
It is false to state that the electricity subsidy explains the increase in public spending. The increase in the subsidy accounts for just 10.6% of total spending in 2011-2012.
Consequently, until the facts which led to the current crisis become clear, and precise measures are put in place to put an end to the waste, the cronyism, and the corruption, and ensure that tax revenues are directed towards government plans which positively impact the lives of all Dominicans, the trade unions, business owners, social activists and civil society in general have agreed not to negotiate with the government on the proposed tax rise.
Some legislators have also expressed their disapproval of the reforms. The representative for the National District, Víctor Gómez Casanova, and colleague José Paliza, who represents the northern province of Puerto Plata stated:
@VGomezCasanova: La Propuesta de Reforma debe ser REFORMADA. No es una Reforma Integral, es más de lo mismo. Es hacer lo que siempre se ha hecho…
The Reform Bill needs to be REFORMED. This is not an complete Reform, it is more of the same. It's doing what has always been done.
@JosePaliza: Impuestos por soñar? “Hacer lo que nunca se ha hecho”.
A tax on dreaming? “Do what has never been done.”
Both legislators’ comments alluded to President Danilo Medina's electoral campaign, which included a slogan pledging to do what had never been done during his mandate.
Elsewhere, the studied economist, Jaime Aristy Escuder, predicted that the Reform would have a negative effect on the economy.
@AristyEscuder: La reforma tributaria aumentará los precios y el desempleo.
The tax reform will push up prices and increase unemployment.
Meanwhile, the Dominican public awaits the results of the evaluation and negotiation process which the Reform must undergo, fearing that its approval will mean a death sentence for the country's economy. The Economic and Social Council will meet this week to agree amendments, as will the National Congress.
Interestingly, in what appears to be perfect timing, on Monday, the 8th of October, Alicia Ortega [es], the famed investigative journalist, released a report on the construction of luxury residences with State resources [es] in one of the most costly neighborhoods in the country, properties which are currently inhabited by high-ranking government officials and their family members. With a little bit of luck, it is possible that this report, in conjunction with other scandals, will awaken the public from its lethargy and motivate them to mobilise en masse against corruption.

author: Pamela Martínez Achecar


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DR of Congo: Tension Between Kinshasa and Paris as Summit Commences  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Le Potentiel writes that [fr] French president Hollande's assessment of Human Rights violations in DR of Congo were not taken lightly by the Congolese government as the Francophone Summit is set to take place in Kinshasa, DRC. The two governments seem to be at odds on the death of Human right activist Chebeya, the national electoral commission and the need for a human rights committee.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Guatemala: Petition Demands Justice for Totonicapán Victims · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Guatemala Human Rights Commission has released a petition [en, es] to “demand justice for the massacre in Totonicapán, Guatemala,” where 8 were killed and more than 35 injured when combined armed forces violently removed indigenous demonstrators from Cuatro Caminos, a well-known road intersection in Guatemala.
With the pain of the recent genocide still fresh in the historic memory of indigenous communities, it is extremely concerning that acts of state violence are once again taking place in Guatemala against indigenous people who seek to exercise their legitimate rights to free speech and peaceful protest.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Indonesia: Anti-Corruption Agency Gets Online Support · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The power of social media was once again affirmed in Indonesia when internet users collectively expressed their support to corruption investigators who are being harassed by the police and some politicians.
Online support for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) became an offline campaign as netizens organized protest actions and assemblies against a raid conducted by the police and to thwart a proposal in the Parliament to weaken the authority of the agency.
Many people accused the police of using its coercive power to stop the KPK from effectively conducting its probe on the corruption practices in the bureaucracy.
An activist holds up a poster in support of the work of the Indonesia Anti-corruption Commission in Surabaya. Photo by Robertus Pudyanto. Copyright Demotix (10/8/2012)
The hashtag #SaveKPK trended on twitter which demonstrated the overwhelming public opinion in favor of the mandate of the KPK to expose corruption in the government. Another popular hashtag is #dimanaSBY (Where is the President?) which probably forced the Indonesian leader to order the police to go easy on the KPK. Below are some twitter messages using the two dominant hashtags:
@dilakarinta Have you ever imagined an actual president who's intimidated by his country's police chief? Well, no need to imagine no more. #SaveKPK
@LarasaTita #SaveKPK Fight corruption, stop intimidation. Stay optimistic. Determine a better Indonesia for our children!
@munahusin1 Corruption is the root of all evil in this country .Fight Corruption! #SaveKPK
@rdungga Conversations about absence of SBY and people urging accountability Indonesian National Police is happening. #dimanaSBY this morning works.
@farahwardani It's his 2nd term. So basically he might as well just warm up his seat and enjoy the perks until 2014. Bet he thinks that way. #DimanaSBY
An Indonesian vendor displays her support for KPK. Photo from Facebook page of Save KPK
The rallies in support of KPK took place in many Indonesian cities. Projecting Indonesia notes the active participation of the middle class, including entertainment stars, in the protests:
…we may underline one thing: the middle class becomes more articulate and assertive in politics.
…they are part of the symbols of Indonesian middle class who now become active politically (even though not necessarily be part of political parties). At least, they have generated a wave of middle class who want to see the country free from corruption.
Hardjanto Soebdjantoro explains the two issues which sparked public outrage:
There are two crucial issues related to the position of KPK that have sparked concerns among public. The first being the lawmakers intention to revise law No 30/ 2002 on the KPK and the second is the police's attempt to arrest the KPK investigator. SAVE KPK
As of this writing, more than 18,000 Facebook users have ‘liked’ the Facebook page of the Save KPK.

author: Mong Palatino


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Mexico: #YoSoy132 and the Festival ‘Corona Capital 2012’ · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

The music festival Corona Capital 2012 [es] will take place in Distrito Federal, Mexico on October 13 and 14, 2012. The event is sponsored by a well-known beer company. Many internationally renowned bands will participate, such as New Order (England), Franz Ferdinand (Scotland), The Raveonettes (Denmark), The Wallflowers (United States) and many more.
For a couple of months, Corona Capital 2012 has been caught in a controversy for being organized by a company that is connected to one of the major Mexican television networks. The youth movement #YoSoy132 expressed its discontent, encouraging the public to not attend, as reported by the weekly Proceso [es] and Animal Político [es]. The following quote is from a website that publishes information on behalf of #YoSoy132 [es]:
El 40 por ciento de las ganancias de Ocesa serán directamente entregadas a Televisa. No se trata de una campaña contra las bandas que participan, sino una manera de informar nuestra resistencia a eventos patrocinados por Televisa y sensibilizar respecto al tema, invitando a no asistir. Entendemos que se trata de un evento que consiste en un espacio cultural de gran atractivo para muchos; sin embargo, recordemos que debemos ser consistentes con nuestros principios y exigencias siempre, no sólo cuando nos conviene.
40% of Ocesa's profits will go directly to Televisa. This is not a campaign against the participating bands, but a way to inform our resistance about events sponsored by Televisa and raise awareness about the issue, asking people not to attend. We understand that this cultural event is very attractive for many; however, let us remember that we should always be consistent in our principals and demands, not only when it is convenient for us.
Víctor Hernández [es] commented on the issue in Blog de Izquierda (Leftist Blog):
Afiche de #132sinCorona
La intención es loable. Falta ver qué tanto impacto tiene. Es un riesgo muy alto el que toma #YoSoy132 al hacer una apuesta de convocatoria de ese tamaño. Habrá que ver el resultado. Si el boicot es efectivo, será un triunfo político enorme para #YoSoy132.
The intention is commendable. We still have yet to see what impact it has. #YoSoy132 is taking a big risk to call a bet of this size. We have to see what the result will be. If the boycott is effective, it will be a huge political triumph for #YoSoy132.
Germán Méndez [es], in the blog Inverna Ideas, expressed his views on the issue and the moral dilemma that it represents for him:
Como muchos, dudaba asistir al Corona. Sin ser 132, entiendo y comparto su demanda con respecto a la equidad en tiempo y contenido de la información mas no la idea de que mis preferencias políticas determinen mis preferencias musicales.
Entiendo que Televisa es un uno de los principales accionistas de una de las empresas que organiza el concierto; entiendo que una de las mejores formas de combatir monopolios es vía consumo. Sin embargo, es absurdo atacar límites con más límites; convertir la decisión de asistir o no a un concierto en un predicamento moral.
¿Dónde queda la principal arma de un grupo compuesto en su mayoría por jóvenes? CREATIVIDAD, pensar fuera de la caja.
Like many others, I have thought about not going to Corona. Although I am not a part of 132, I understand and share in their claim with respect to fairness of time and content of information more than the idea that my political preference determine my musical preferences.
I understand that Televisa is one of the major shareholders of the companies that are organizing the concert; I understand that one of the best ways to fight monopolies is via consumption. However, its absurd to attack limits with more limits; making the decision whether or not to attend a concert becomes a moral predicament.
Where is the main weapon of a group composed primarily of young people? CREATIVITY, thinking outside of the box.
David Radii also spoke towards this dilemma, commenting on a post [es] about the issue:
Me interesa asistir por New Order (quién no) y por Death In Vegas (incluso más por este último). Soy de los que llevan 10 años esperando que DiV se presente por estas tierras, y justo cuando vienen, tengo la gran incomodidad de la situación socio-política, de la que nadie es ajeno. Soy antipriísta desde que tengo uso de razón (tengo 32 años).
I am interested in seeing New Order (who wouldn't?) and Death in Vegas (even more for the latter) I am someone who has waited 10 years for DiV to play a concert here and right when they come, I have the great discomfort of this socio-political situation from which no one is exempt. I have been anti-PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party, the party of President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto] since I had the use of reason (I am 32).
The commentator in question also pointed out:
Creo que a corto y mediano plazo los mexicanos tendremos que seguir soportando que quienes pueden organizarnos eventos y presentaciones de artistas importantes, sean casi siempre empresarios sin escrúpulos.
I think in the short and long term Mexicans will have to continue to accept that those who organize events and appearances of important artists are almost always unscrupulous businessmen.
In the same post, commentator Freddie Walker [es] spoke towards his displeasure with the fact that the youth movement is encouraging people not to attend the event:
Para mi, la música es un artículo de primera necesidad (llámese en discos, en conciertos o de manera digital) y no estoy dispuesto a privarme de ir a donde a mi me plazca y ver a quien yo quiera solo por lo que “sugiere” un movimiento que la verdad considero, ya no sabe que inventar para seguirse autosustentando. Mi ideología política no está peleada por si quiero ver las olimpiadas o por si deseo seguir yendo a conciertos.
For me, music is a staple of necessity (be it CDs, concert or digitally) and I am not willing to deprive myself of going where I want to go and seeing who I want to see because of the “suggestion” of a movement that I truly believe does not know what to invent to continue self-sustaining. My political ideology is not fought for because I want to watch the Olympics or because I want to keep going to concerts.
As the event approaches, Twitter users have expressed their opinions more and more about Corona Capital 2012. @Rojomon9 [es] commented:
@Rojomon9: Están insoportables con su Corona Capital y todavía falta más de una semana. Que horror.
@Rojomon9: They are unbearable about their Corona Capital and there is still a week left. What horror.
On the other hand, user @Turquoise42 [es] used the social network to state that he will not go to festival:
@Turquoise42: Ver los espectaculares del Corona Capital 2012 y saber que no voy a ir :'(
@Turquoise42: Seeing the greatness of Corona Capital 2012 and knowing that I'm not going :'(
@omarfugo [es] shared that his dilemma is choosing what bands to see at Corona Capital 2012:
@omarfugo: Aún estoy indeciso entre ver a Suede, The Hives o a Franz Ferdinand en el #CC12 :
@omarfugo: I'm still undecided between seeing Suede, The Hives or Franz Ferdinand at #CC12 :
User @AngeMavzi [es] launched the following question to members of the #YoSoy132 movement:
@AngeMavzi: Si sabrán los eruditos del Yo soy 132 que el dinerito de su boleto del Corona Capital va a Televisa?
@AngeMavzi: Do the experts of Yo soy 132 know that the money from the tickets for Corona Capital goes to Televisa?
@Marushan [es] openly expressed his reasoning for not attending the festival:
@Marushan: y no voy al Corona Capital por no tener money sino por que #yosoy132…[sic]
@Marushan: and I'm not going to Corona Capital not because I don't have money but because of #yosoy132…[sic]
Those are some of the diverse opinions about the controversy over Corona Capital 2012, which you can follow on Twitter with the hashtag #CC12 [es]. For more information, the official festival account is @CoronaCapital [es].

author: J. Tadeo


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Online Journalist Barred from Japan’s Diet Press Hall · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Protesters in front of Japan's National Diet on Friday July 6, 2012/image captured from ustream video by Ourplanet-TV
Every Friday, “No Nuke” protesters gather in front of the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo. On July 6, 2012 video journalist Hajime Shiraishi, who heads the online Our Planet TV, observed that the best bird's-eye view of protesters could be obtained from the rooftop of Diet Press Hall across the street. However, she was denied access to film there because she is not a member of the official Press Club.
Shirashi is a well known journalist who has received awards from Japanese Women in Radio and Television, and the Japan Congress of Journalists. She considered it essential for Our Planet TV to capture the lively motions of citizens participating in historical demonstrations, and launched a court order proceeding to gain access to the rooftop. On July 27, the Tokyo High Court denied her request, and Ourplanet TV have appealed to the press hall management.
This Ourplanet TV video on Ustream shows Shirashi attempting to gain access to the Diet Press Hall rooftop on July 6.
Video streaming by Ustream
While the Prime Minister's Press Club claims to use the Diet Press Hall to uphold freedom of the press, it denies access to online news media and freelance journalists.
Many citizens have shown their discontent with the mainstream news organizations affiliated with the Press Club, feeling that not enough coverage has been given to the “No Nuke” demonstrations.
The historic Diet Press Club was established 120 years ago. However, Shiraishi thinks excluding Internet-based media and freelance journalists is interrupting free competition. She asks for the “State-owned building to be used fairly, for the sake of public's right to information.”
This post is a summary translation of a post from Ourplanet TV [ja] published under a Creative Commons License.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Russia: Getting It Wrong on the Pussy Riot Prisoner’s Dilemma · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Reactions to the release of Pussy Riot's Yekaterina Samutsevich have generally been myopic and misleading. The popular “insight” from experts and amateur observers alike has been that the authorities are maneuvering to “divide and conquer” the punk rocker trio. That is undoubtedly part of what's happened, but it isn't the whole story.
By freeing Samutsevich, the Russian government has achieved two distinct objectives in its battle against the protest movement: differentiation and proportionality. “Divide and conquer” describes the first concept, but it doesn't capture the latter, which is just as vital to the state's efforts to stymie the opposition.
Consider how Samutsevich was able to overturn her original prison sentence. She fired her lawyer, Violetta Volkova, and hired Irina Khrunova, who asked [ru] the judge to recognize that Samutsevich had never actually managed to “dance, sing, cry out, or do anything [in the church] that the court had qualified as a crime.” Writing in Bolshoi Gorod magazine, Kirill Rogov argued [ru] that Khrunova essentially appealed to Vladimir Putin's interpretation of the case (that the defendants’ misdeeds occurred only inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior).
Pussy Riot, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, painted portrait in St. Romain, Rhone-Alpes, France (7 June 2012), photo by Thierry Ehrmann, CC 2.0.
In other words, the anti-Putin lyrics later dubbed over video footage of the church incident (see video below) did not constitute a crime: only the actions committed inside the church were criminal. Because security guards intercepted Samutsevich before she could join her fellow band members at the altar, she never jumped, gesticulated, or otherwise exuded any religious hatred, says the narrative.
Samutsevich's release sends many messages. The one bloggers and journalists have mostly picked up on is that “it's now everyone for herself” in the Pussy Riot case. This Prisoner's Dilemma is usually acknowledged disappointedly. (Think of the many disenchanted accusations levied at Samutsevich that she “struck a deal” with the authorities and effectively betrayed her compatriots. You can find this sentiment in Facebook posts by Evgeniia Albats [ru], Tikhon Dziadko [ru], and many others [ru].) More irreverent voices have welcomed Pussy Riot's split as the overdue arrival of “common sense” on the part of Samutsevich. (Dmitri Olshanskii used this exact phrase [ru], and others [ru] have implied as much in attacks on the band's three original lawyers.) While nearly everyone in the opposition has applauded the fact that a Pussy Riot inmate is now free, the divide between “disappointed” and “overdue” celebration is real.
This angle, however, fails to capture the proportionality aspect of the government's latest move. Driving a wedge between Pussy Riot's supporters and sympathizers is just one facet of yesterday's court decision. Samutsevich's release also signals that the state will respond varyingly to various types of protest. Less disruptive behavior, it turns out, will be punished less. This is a novelty for the case. So far, the Pussy Riot trial as a Russian social event has communicated only threats to the country's protest movement. “Any kind of unconventional demonstrations won't be tolerated,” the memo read.
The authorities have now refined that message. As a result, the reasons for moderate protesters (or indeed the general public) to support the remaining Pussy Riot inmates are fewer. Before Samutsevich's release, the band's cause had an urgency that accompanied their apparent blanket persecution. All three members had been convicted and sentenced identically, despite the fact that Samutsevich had technically “done less.” This conveyed to citizens that any cooperation whatsoever with protests as unconventional as Pussy Riot's would be repressed unconditionally.
(Unedited video of Pussy Riot's performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 21 February 2012.)
The authorities’ calculation was presumably to scare more extreme protesters into backing down. Whether or not that was their intention, the trial did not subdue or silence much of anyone. Instead, it heaped celebrity on Pussy Riot, transforming them into martyrs of Russian civil society at large. Yes, some dissidents refused to embrace the band as a symbol for their movement (elderly human rights activist Liudmila Alexeyeva has bemoaned [ru] the attention paid to their case, for instance), but the general trend has certainly been to treat Pussy Riot as the bellwether of freedom in Russia today.
Will the band's exalted status now change? In the aftermath of yesterday's events, many activists fervently denied that possibility. “She just got lucky,” Kommersant's Demian Kudriavtsev explained [ru]. “Nothing has changed,” journalist-blogger Oleg Kashin wrote [ru] unflappably. “It's just that Yekaterina Samutsevich is now free,” he added.
Indeed, things had changed so little that Kashin felt compelled to pen two separate op-eds within 24 hours of Samutsevich's release. In his other composition [ru], he likened the Moscow court to Chechen terrorists and compared Pussy Riot to Shamil Basayev's hostages in the 1995 Budyonnovsk hospital standoff (which resulted in the deaths of over 100 people).
Kashin's parallel should alarm his readers. If Budyonnovsk is his idea of “nothing happening,” Russia's future is muddy indeed.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Saudi Arabia: “People Want the Fall of Al Saud” · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran shares a video reportedly from Qatif, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, last night.
@ahmed: VIDEO: “People want the fall of Al Saud,” women chant reportedly during a protest in Qatif last night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0H0esiTyCY … #SAUDI
Here's the video shared by YouTube user Revolution2East:

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Saudi Arabia: Government Pressured to Issue Statement on “Uncharged” Detainees · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Following a wave of unprecedented small demos that swept the county to protest arbitrary detention, the Saudi Interior Ministry finally issued a statement on the issue.  The statement came in three points:
(The term they actually used in the Arabic statement was not legitimate [rights] but sharia-compliant)
Furthermore, the statement included details about certain “detainees whose names have been repeated in a series of limited protests”, including human rights activist Mohammad al-Bejady whose charge was described as “contacting foreign entities to spread insecurity, and other crimes”.
Imprisonment without charges is the top human rights issue in Saudi Arabia. Independent human rights organization Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association's estimate of the number of uncharged prisoners is over 30,000, while the government-sponsored estimate is 4,396. Many were arrested in the massive, post-9/11 “war on terrorism”.
The statement was described in locally-licensed newspapers as being “fact-revealing”.  Popular online newspaper Sabaq commented:
“الداخلية” توضّح حقائق استغلال قضايا الموقوفين والمحكومين في جرائم الفئة الضالة
@sabqorg: The Interior Ministry revealed facts on taking advantage of the issue of detainees and prisoners with charges relating to the deviant group.
Editor-in-chief of national al-Eqtisadya newspaper, Salman al-Dosary, tweeted:
#السعودية البلد الوحيد في العالم الذي يدافع فيه ناشطين حقوق الانسان عن مفجرين ومهربين يورانيوم ومتهمين بجرائم ارهابية.. #بيان_الداخلية
@SalmanAldosary: Saudi Arabia is the only country in which human rights activists defend exploders, Uranium traffickers and people charged with terrorism.
On the other hand, many Twitter users expressed discontent, including the relatives of arbitrarily-detained prisoners.  Nourah Suliman, the sister of one of those prisoners, tweeted:
#بيان_الداخلية أشهد أمام العالم أننا كذوي معتقل لم نأخذ من الداخلية ريال واحد حتى أننا كنا نسافر للزيارة من الرياض ﻷبها على نفقتنا الخاصة! 1
@A5tSJEEN: I testify before the whole world that we, as a family of a prisoner, did not receive a riyal from the Interior Ministry. We even pay the costs of traveling from [southern city] Abha to Riyadh to visit.
Joking about a detainee's crime which was described in the statement as “marketing Uranium”, popular Saudi columnist Essam al-Zamel tweeted:
قلنا لكم حلّوا مشكلة البطالة ووظفوا الشباب قبل لا يطيحون ببيع اليورانيوم. #بيان_الداخلية
@essamz: We did warn you:  Solve the unemployment problem, or else young people will fall into selling Uranium.
Twitter user Souhayl al-Yammi tweeted:
كنت على وشك تصديق #بيان_الداخلية حتى رأيت اسم البجادي وتهمته ضمن القائمة .
@agrni: I was about to believe the Interior Ministry statement, until I read al-Bejady's name and charges.
Famous Saudi blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, tweeted:
الجهة الخارجية التي يقصد #بيان_الداخلية أن #البجادي تعامل معها هي الشعب.
@alfarhan: The foreign entity mentioned in the Interior Ministry statement that al-Bejady dealt with was the people.
And Saudi blogger Khaled Yeslam tweeted a popular George Carline quote:
@kyeslam: “I have certain rules I live by. My first rule: I don’t believe anything the government tells me” – George Carlin

author: Anas Soliman


text:
Zambian Watchdog Website in Jeopardy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

On May 9, 2012, visitors to the citizen media site Zambian Watchdog were met with “page not available.” Zambian Watchdog reported that its website was the target of a denial of service (DDoS) attack, allegedly by the government.
Earlier this year it was reported that the Zambian government had released K5 billion or US$1 million to send police and security staff abroad to learn to hack websites. In April, Zambian Watchdog listed several measures taken by the government to crackdown on Internet users in Zambia.
On October 2, the Zambian Registrar of Societies, Clement Andeleki, gave Zambian Watchdog 48 hours to provide a physical address or face de-registration. An article on Zambian Watchdog explains:
According state owned but PF controlled ZNBC TV2 news for Tuesday 18 hours, Andeleki says the Watchdog should also pay K18 million to his office as statutory obligation.
Andeleki told reporters during a press briefing in his office that the Watchdog was registered in 2002 but did not provide a physical address.
Zambian Watchdog responded to the request for a physical address with a virtual one:
Editor’s response: our address is www.zambianwatchdog.com, our contact detail is editor@zambiawatchdog.com
After receiving the threat of de-registration, the site pointed out that the Zambian Watchdog the government said registered in 2002 without a physical address is a government sponsored fake called “Zambia For Watchdog” but trading as Zambian Watchdog in order to implicate the news website.
Notice from the Registrar of Societies to cancel the “fake” Zambian Watchdog certificate of registration. Image used with permission from zambianwatchdog.com.
Commenting on the 48-hour ultimatum, mtu-wa-mezi said [the site does not have permanent links for individual comments]:
In a country with limited media channels, no community halls, etc one only needs the introduction of more watchdogs. Really there is much that we learn and share we the bloggers.
If the website is blocked in Zambia, those living abroad will use emails to share its articles, said Mpangula:
if u manage to block them in Zambia, us ouside zambia will be posting their articles to e-mails in Zambia. u shall see How these will circulate like HOT Cakes. are u also going to tell us to pay for peddling in the Zambianwatchdog stories.
Bwalya Koni joked about Zambian Watchdog's physical address:
we operate from your servants quaters. WI-FI connection we get from your house.
When some netizens argued that Zambian Watchdog should pay taxes, a reader by the name of New Age asked:
How much tax does zambia get from facebook?
The Zambian President and several government ministers have openly attacked the site on many occasions. Early this year, the Zambian President sued Zambian Watchdog for defamation.
Graph of the distribution of DDoS attacks on Zambian Watchdog. Image source: zambianwatchdog.com.
On Thursday, October 4, Levi Kabwato, the Regional Programme Specialist for Media Freedom Monitoring & Research at the Media Institute of Southern Africa  issued a statement in support of free speech online saying:
[…]instead of clamping down on the alleged offenders by either sneaking in laws without much public awareness or using some obscure legislation to target such media, these governments – and indeed those in the rest of the region which have also previously registered discomfort with the Internet – must recognise that the online publishing phenomenon is not only irreversible but, perhaps more importantly, beneficial to the promotion and protection of democracy, fundamental human rights and good governance.

author: Ndesanjo Macha