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Romania: “A Tsunami” of Protests Against Austerity Cuts and Corruption · Global Voices
Oana Maria Dan

After five days of protests in Romania, representatives of the Romanian police are assessing the resulting material damage, the number of weapons confiscated and people held in custody at police stations. The Romanian on-line community is trying to explain why people have taken to the streets, what the authorities’ response was and what the outcome of the protests might be.
On Jan. 15, journalist Radu Tudor compared [ro] the protests to “a tsunami” sweeping everything in its path:
Thousands of protesters in Bucharest, Brasov, Timisoara, Pitesti, Deva, Sibiu, Iasi, Cluj Napoca and other important Romanian cities have demanded loudly and clearly: the resignation of Boc Cabinet and of President Basescu. A democratic and relatively honorable resolution to this huge tension between the ruling authorities and the dissenting people are early elections.
[…]
In the minds of the majority, the decision has already been taken: the Basescu-Boc regime must end. This has caused desperate diversions with “hooligans” meant to partially compromise the legitimacy of the protests and to discourage people from taking to the streets. The violent rupture between the current rulers and the population can only have one verdict. A tsunami in favor of political change has already started, coming from ordinary citizens. It sweeps everything in its path. Especially, at the top.
Protesters in Bucharest are waving the Romanian flag and chanting slogans of support for Dr. Raed Arafat, but also against President Traian Basescu. Photo by ANDREI IONIȚĂ, copyright © Demotix (13/01/12).
Political scientist Alina Mungiu-Pippidi wrote this [ro] on Romania Curata, an anti-corruption portal:
[…] It was already time for protests. But when collective action is spontaneous, without leaders and planning, we run the risk of seeing again what happened with the [1989] Revolution – the legitimate protest being stolen, twisted and used and others taking advantage of it without actually changing anything of substance.
Traian Basescu deserves what is happening. Going outside the constitutional framework in order to hit a man who had already succeeded in implementing a reform – Raed Arafat – in the name of a future reform that even the World Bank, IMF and Romanian experts had doubts about, showing the same infallibility syndrome that reminds us of Ceausescu, he dropped the only guard that can protect a head of state. And that guard is the law and the rightfulness given to you by goodwill. No one is infallible, anyone can make mistakes, but at least you must be able to prove your goodwill.
[…]
After this week, the civil society has gone into clear opposition and its strength and territorial expansion have suddenly grown. The question is how we could institutionalize such an opposition and use it in order to have fair elections […], and after the elections to use it for controlling those in power. […]
Day 4 of the rallies against austerity cuts and falling living standards. Bucharest, Romania. Photo by GEORGECALIN, copyright © Demotix (16/01/12).
Journalist Radu Lungu answers [ro] the question many are asking these days – “Why have we taken to the streets?”:
Because what is happening in our society is our business. Because we really felt we were not living in a free country anymore. As all young people from our generation, who either remember very little from the communist days or were not even born yet, we too were manipulated by the media and political class. We were told that what is happening in the society we live in is none of our business, that educated people do not mix with the commoners. That we do not have their problems, that in our country nothing is done right and that that’s just the state of things. That standing up against this state of things is the same as being immature, uneducated. That we are going to leave abroad anyway and we’ll be rid of this impossible country. […] We wanted to see with our own eyes what was going on, so we went into the streets with our cameras – unfortunately, we didn’t take our running shoes too, but you pick up the revolutionary fashion as you go along.
Radu Lungu recounts what he saw and lived through in the streets of downtown Bucharest:
At one point, the protesters stepped out into the road. Gendarmes formed a line and closed the group of people in, pushing them back onto the sidewalk. Many people coming back from a night out in the Old Town or standing in front of kiosks in the area were just caught in the middle and held by gendarmes. There was somebody holding some cheese in a bag, trying to explain to the police that he had bought it for himself and not in order to use it for violent purposes. People wanted to show their IDs to the gendarmes, but they refused to grant them this right. […] People were also detained under the pretext that “now they can no longer leave” without being given any explanation. People were constantly asking to be searched and identified on the spot, according to Law 550 of the Criminal Code. Unfortunately, the crowd and the gendarmes could settle this legislative dispute only at police stations. […] Still, the police at the station never had an aggressive tone. Many gendarmes just told us we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better to stay calm, sign some papers, take some photos and then off we went back home. I want to end my reporting with an appeal to calm and nonviolence. Personally, I will try to get as many people to come with copies of Laws 550 and 60 to hand to gendarmes on University Square. First, I thought of bringing copies of the entire Criminal Code, but then if we had the money for such intellectual accessories we would probably not take to the streets anymore.
A man is held on the ground by riot police, before being arrested. More than 1,000 of protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas to disperse them. Photo by ALEXANDRU DOBRE, copyright © Demotix (15/01/12).
On Jan. 17, following President Basescu’s requests, Raed Arafat returned to his position of deputy secretary of state at the Health Ministry and coordinator of the emergency medical system. Journalist Radu Tudor sees this gesture as the “official recognition that Basescu can be defeated”:
After having publicly humiliated Raed Arafat and having forced him to leave, on this day the infallible Basescu has died politically. But the huge wave of popular discontent is already in motion. Basescu is scared that [the opposition] is taking control of this discontent and this is actually the stake of Raed Arafat’s reinstatement. Neither respect for him, nor recognition of his value, but the fear that the opposition will benefit from the national outrage shown over the last few days in tens of Romanian cities. Raed Arafat’s reinstatement does not reinstate cut salaries, jobs, does not put a stop to prices going up, does not decrease VAT, does not rid millions of miserable people from huge worries created by this political regime. Raed Afarat’s reinstatement is the victory of the idea that Basescu and his gang can be defeated. […]

author: Oana Maria Dan


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Romania: Towards A European Spring? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Gabriela Ionita of Power&Politics World summarizes ongoing anti-government protests in Romania, draws parallels to the Arab spring, and asks if this is the start of a European wave of revolutions.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: Foreign Ministry Critique of Human Rights Violations · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Finrosforum argues against a report from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which criticizes neighbouring countries for human rights violations.


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Russia: Kremlin Crisis Management · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ania Viver of Foreign Policy Blogs posts an interesting analysis on the Kremlin's attempts at calming down popular protests against the Russian leadership, and tries to explain why they fail in their crisis management.


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Russia: Line to a Drug Dealer in Novosibirsk · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

YouTube user Pepsick80 publishes a video [ru] of a drug dealer's selling point in Novosibirsk (city in Siberia). Several tens of cars and drug users standing in the line to buy drugs can be seen on the video. The voice behind the camera is utterly surprised and angry that there's no police around and that most of the buyers are of the school age.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Oligarchs Day in Court · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

John Helmer of Dances With Bears accounts for the legal battle over business interests between Russian business tycoons Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich, which is about to be finalised by the London High Court.


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Russia: Underwater Fire · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Dmitry Gorenburg of Russian Military Reform notes yet another fire onboard a Russian submarine, putting naval safety procedures further in question.


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Russia-US: Protest Against the SOPA/PIPA Bills · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Windows to Russia writes about the Russian Pirate Party's protest demonstration yesterday against the US SOPA/PIPA-bills outside the US Embassy in Moscow, and how they argue that this might affect Russian Internet freedom.


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Slovakia: TV Show on Corruption Cancelled · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

The Slovak public TV channel STV cancelled [sk] a scheduled live talk show on the alleged widespread corruption of 2005-2006 [en], which involved many of the country's past and present politicians. Head of RTVS (Radio and TV Slovakia) said [sk] that broadcasting such a program, produced by an external producer before the early elections in spring, “may pose a risk.” According to the blog [sk] of Miroslava Roháčová, only seven people took part in the protest in front of the TV station's building. After the most recent negotiations [sk], the show has been re-scheduled for this week.

author: Tibor Blazko


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Trinidad & Tobago: Hopeless to Combat Crime?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jumbie's Watch says that when it comes to crime, “the hopelessness and anguish are all too real”; Plain Talk adds: “The escalating murder toll is once again bringing the government's inability to bring crime under control into sharp focus”, while The Eternal Pantomime, who has been monitoring the crime situation and political goings-on, quips: “The PIGS wining back hard on the country this Carnival Season…De VICE CYAH DONE!”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Uganda: Controversy Over King of Buganda’s Child Out of Wedlock · Global Voices
Rosebell Kagumire

On Tuesday January 17, 2012 the Buganda kingdom in Uganda announced the birth of a second son of their King (Kabaka), Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
The officials captured the attention of Ugandans even more when they revealed that the child was born in July last year. The announcement which has sparked controversy and mixed reactions only referred to the mother of the child by her clan name ‘Nseenene’ (grasshopper).
The boy’s name is Richard Ssemakookiro. The King already had a son, Prince Jjunju Ssuuna Kiweewa.  The new child is the fifth born. The controversy arose because the King duly wed in church in 1999 to Slyvia Nagginda, the Nabagereka (the Queen) of Buganda.
The Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi with new born prince. Photo source: the official Buganda Kingdom website.
Ugandans took to social media to react to the news, some pointing to the obvious adultery while others arguing that the King has right to do whatever he wants. One sarcastic tweet in Luganda made rounds about Kabaka not using condoms:
@StoneAtwine: Ekyebeyi kya beyi, Kabaka tayambala condomu.
King on the sexual network?
There’s a popular advertisement currently running in Uganda. The advertisement tells people to “Get off the Sexual Network” (having more than one partner) to reduce the risk of getting HIV. So when the news of the King's son from another woman broke many tweeps like @pmagelah said it was evident that the King is on the sexual network:
@pmagelah: the flip side of #Buganda's new prince is that Someone is on the SEXUAL NETWORK and worse still hasn't used protection
Although Uganda is considered a model for Africa in the fight against HIV and AIDS, the disease has had immense consequences in the country. The government and civil society are desperately looking for new ways to put across HIV prevention messages. Public figures such as the King of Buganda are important part of the struggle against the disease.
Showing the deep-rooted and widespread acceptance of polygamy in Uganda, @pkahill says the King can get whatever woman he wants in his Kingdom:
@pkahill: The Kabaka of buganda, he is above all other things except God. He is the king, he can have what ever woman he wants it #buganda #swaziland
Discussing the subject on Facebook, Richard Kavuma asks:
TO DECLARE OR NOT TO DECLARE?
So, the palace of Buganda has announced that the Kabaka fathered a child outside wedlock. I am wondering what is more interesting: Is it the fact that it happened? Or is it the fact that the palace announced it? We have heard of presidents in East African countries who have this or that mistress or children but officially this is either never discussed or it is denied. Still, it is intriguing why Mengo announced this one. Was it a damage-managing exercise?
Who is to blame? @EdrisKisambira says it is the elite Baganda women (women from the Buganda Kingdom):
@EdrisKisambira: Seriously why the fuss about the #Kabaka? Its elite Baganda women who are kicking up a storm where there shouldn't be any @tragicanon u also
Other tweets touched on the uncomfortable position Queen Nagginda finds herself in. Nagginda and the King have one daughter together and four other children are for the Kabaka. Many arguments condemning the King center around the fact that the King married in church and that having a child out out of wedlock shows that he was breaking marriage vows. This indicates conflict between what is culturally practiced and what is religiously accepted in Uganda.
@Asinja advises the Queen:
@Asinja: When u marry a king u don't take the good things alone but even the negative ones, the royal lineage had to be saved
Another tweep says:
@jmwebaze: @primagaba @mugumya who cares abt the mama, the kingdom has a prince! LOL
Patience Akumu wonders how the Queen is supposed to feel:
I wonder how the Nnaabagereka is supposed to feel. She is the wife after all. But he ups and has a son with another woman. Once again our value comes down to our child bearing abilities (Or is it son-bearing abilities?). Onc.e again culture communicates to women that they can be ‘demoted’ if they do not meet their man's every whim. I have a lot of respect for Nagginda (a very proactive Queen). But what is she supposed to do in such a situation? What is she supposed to tell the thousands of girl children who look up to her after this ‘announcement'?
@serugo thinks the King's new born is not an important issue. He does not want the news to distract Ugandans from discussing the state of economy and the country:
@serugo: Buganda “crown prince” yet another red herring? Focus people! It's 26 years since the 10-point programme became NRM's 10 plagues.
Mugumya  wonders why the identity of the mother has not been revealed. In the beginning of his post he notes that the announcement was made on the Internet:
1. The announcement was made on a website and not on radio or with the sounding of drums. This is significant because I believe it’s designed to show that the old kingdom is now a modern entity.
Although the Buganda Kingdom wants to show that it is a modern entity,  its treatment of women is old-fashioned:
The Kingdom PR machine is definitely positioning the kingdom as a modern entity but its treatment of women is still appalling. I know many people will be silent on this issue, fearful of angering their Baganda friends. But this needs to be said. The kingdom might be now modern but its treatment of women is still as old, as old-fashioned and as terrible and abhorring and as despicable as during the days of stone age.
Now don’t tell me about culture when you are using the internet to make an announcement so important to the future of the Kingdom. The Kingdom needs to go with the times but currently they have no regard for the mother of the young Prince, she gets no recognition other than that she comes from the Nsenene clan. She has no face, no name. She’s just an object of desire for the King. and that makes my stomach turn.

author: Rosebell Kagumire


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Ukraine: Poisonous Politics · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LEvko of Foreign Notes addresses how reports about the possible poisoning of jailed opposition politician and ex-PM, Yulia Timoshenko, proliferate and remind people of the scars poison left on former president president Yushchenko.


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Ukraine: Trial By Jury Underway · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Odessablog's Blog writes about an upcoming government bill on a new criminal procedure code for Ukraine, which would long overdue introduce the constitutionally guaranteed right to trial by jury into the country's legal system.


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Unhappy Hong Kong Envious of Taiwan’s Democracy · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Having witnessed Taiwan's 2012 presidential election, Derrick Tao, a Hong Kong photographer, made a video (with English subtitles) to contrast democratic development of the two societies. As a prosperous but undemocratic city state, “Hong Kong could either join Taiwan as pioneers of freedom and democracy in the Chinese societies”, or “accept the status quo and let go of her ideals and beliefs.”

author: Andy Yee


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Venezuela: Childhood, Dance, Folklore… and Propaganda · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Through her public Facebook photo album titled “Venezuela dances to the tune of…”, Carmen Helena González shared pictures of a dance rehearsal in Margarita Island. All the pictures are available here [es] and are accompanied by reflections questioning the presence of political propaganda in an educational setting. As an introduction to the album we find the following comment:
Sentimientos encontrados esta tarde al asistir a este ensayo de danza de un grupo de niñas margariteñas. La belleza de sus caras, la luz de esta tarde y algo que bailaba en el ambiente chocaban con el contexto adoctrinante…
Much has been discussed about political and ideological propaganda during the government of President Hugo Chavez. For many, these years represent the entry of Venezuela into a new phase in which its history must be rethought and disseminated. For others, these changes are ideological impositions touching sensitive areas such as education and public administration.
The following pictures were taken during a free dance class in the “Alí Primera” library and illustrate part of the context of this debate:
Folk dance rehearsal. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Facade of library "Alí Primera". Writing on wall: "With the revolution, Bolivar lives!" Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
A collection of cuatros (a typical Venezuelan instrument) with images of some of the most important icons of the Bolivarian Revolution: Alí Primera, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Karl Marx, among others. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Folk dance rehearsal. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Folk dance rehearsal. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Posters of recent election campaigns and political messages supporting the Bolivarian Revolution. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.
Folk dance rehearsal. Photo by Carmen Helena Gonzalez, used with permission.

author: Laura Vidal


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Venezuela: Soledad Ramírez, One of Caracas’ Heroes · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ten years ago, Soledad Ramírez created the Rincón Infantil San Edmundo [es], a center that today helps 200 at-risk children from Minas de Baruta in Caracas. Journalist and blogger Mirelis Morales highlights Soledad's work in a video in her blog about Caracas [es].

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brazil: Toll Roads, Constitutional or Too Much? · Global Voices
Fernando Sapelli

All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.
After the approval of the Urban Mobility Law at the beginning of 2012, a discussion surrounding toll roads in all national territory came back into play. According to the law, cities will be able to charge an “urban toll” with the intention of diminishing automobile traffic and improve circulation around the cities. However, the implementation of yet another toll makes internal mobility impracticable for a portion of the population, given that several important federal and state highways have already been privatized.
According to data from the Brazilian Association of Highways Concessionaires (Associação Brasileira de Concessionárias de Rodovias – ABCR), of which 55 companies are members,
Essas concessionárias operam 15.365 quilômetros de rodovias, o que corresponde a aproximadamente 7% da malha rodoviária nacional pavimentada.
Tollbooths – Itiparina. Photo by Mariana Braga. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The tariffs vary from R$ 1,40 [US$ 0.80] (Highway BR 101 from Curitiba to Santa Catarina) to R$ 11,20 [US$ 6.20] (Highway BR 116 from Rio de Janeiro to Além Paraíba). It might seem irrelevant within a context of more than 180,000 kilometers of paved roads all across the country; although, besides corresponding to the main national and state highways, tollbooths are installed at a distance of approximately 80 km between each other, depending on the location.
Since 2007, an email has been circulating on the Internet, describing the final thesis of the Law student Márcia dos Santos Silva, from the State of Rio Grande do Sul. In her thesis, the student contends that:
o direito de ir e vir é cláusula pétrea na Constituição Federal, o que significa dizer que não é possível violar esse direito. E ainda que todo o brasileiro tem livre acesso em todo o território nacional. O que também quer dizer que o pedágio vai contra a constituição.
Even though the email presents some false information, like the constitutionality of free will to either pay or not pay these fees (all analyzed in the business consultant Marcelo Galvani’s blog), Márcia gave an interview to Radio CBN, in which she continued to defend her position against toll roads. A valid point of her argument corresponds to the fact that citizens already pay a specific tax (charged over gas prices) to the construction and maintenance of public roads.
Below her interview posted on the site Youtube, a discussion among those who defend the student’s position and those who are against her argument, reflects a bigger discussion on toll roads. Would its implementation be constitutionally correct given that there are specific taxes dedicated to highways?
Road works on highway BR 158, in Mato Grosso. Photo by minpanplac. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
In a commentary left by Internet user sucrilhos, he arguments that,
O direito de um termina onde o do outro começa (…) O direito de ir e vir não diz que você pode ir pra onde quiser… se pensar desse jeito eu teria direito constitucional de entrar na sua casa quando quisesse… e você sabe que não posso, porque você tem o direito da propriedade privada e por ele você pode deixar entrar só quem você quiser, a menos que seja emitida uma ordem judicial….A mesma lógica se aplica aos pedágios, as estradas são privadas. Eles podem cobrar se quiserem.
Alehage, on the other hand, referring to Art. 150, I, V of the Constitution, which authorizes tolls roads, defends that,
As leis se anulam umas às outras e não defendem aos nossos. Fácil saber que existam leis autorizando o pedágio, mas essas leis entram em conflito com a lei que Márcia citou. Ela não está espalhando desinformação, só defendeu uma tese sobre o assunto em uma faculdade, e é incompreensível tanta agressividade de vocês. Se criarem leis taxando o ar, a respiração… vamos apoiar, ou ser fora-da-lei?
According to the National Agency of Terrestrial Transportation (Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres – ANTT),
O processo de implantação [da concessão de rodovias] iniciou em 1995 (…) Esta parceria entre o governo federal e os governos estaduais deu continuidade ao processo de descentralização das atividades do Estado na área de transporte, transferindo à iniciativa privada a prestação de determinados serviços que, apesar de serem essenciais à sociedade, não precisariam, necessariamente, ser oferecidos pelo poder público. Essa transferência de responsabilidade vem possibilitando ao Estado, a alocação de maiores verbas para as atividades sociais, estas indelegáveis.
Once transferred to the private sector, the concessionaires can readjust the initial toll value according to expenses and inflation. In a recent case however, published on the site Bom Dia Feira, federal Justice demonstrated to be against the concessionaire Via Bahia, which wanted to readjust the toll to a medium increase of 9.33%, because they didn’t conclude improvements on the BR-116 highway, located in the State of Bahia, as promised.
The journalist Adamo Bazani though, writes in his blog Ponto de Ônibus, that
desde quando foi criado [o CIDE – Imposto sobre combustíveis], em 2002, o tributo arrecadou R$ 68,8 bilhões. Mas deste total, apenas R$ 35,6 bilhões foram investidos em melhorias nos transportes, um dos principais objetivos deste tributo, mais um, dos muitos impostos que o brasileiro paga.
Independent of an ideological or judicial position, several drivers challenge the law and prefer to “run away” from tollbooths. Several videos are circulating around the Internet showing how to drive by without paying.
Unconstitutional or not, in a country like Brazil, highly dependent on road transportation, the discussion regarding the payment of a toll raises certain considerations indispensible for the country’s sustainable growth. While new transportation alternatives are not heavily invested in, the payment of taxes and tolls appears, once again, contradictory to ‘you get what you pay for’.

author: Fernando Sapelli


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Chile: Discrimination, Media Ethics, and the Case of #InesPerez  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Inés Pérez interviewed on Chilevision television
“Can you imagine here, in this gated community, domestic workers [nanas] walking outside? All the workers walking on the street, and your children there, on their bikes?”
With this phrase, aired in an interview on national television in Chile on Sunday, January 15, neighborhood resident Inés Pérez became the subject of online scorn. Pérez was commenting on the policy of a gated community, El Algarrobal II, in Chicureo that prohibits the entry of maids and other workers by foot.
The tension around discrimination against domestic workers in the area had been mounting since December 2011 when an instruction letter [es] distributed to the members of the Breezes of Chicureo Golf Club [es] went viral. The letter said maids must wear their uniforms in the club and never use the swimming pool. With this controversy fresh in their minds, social media users immediately reacted to the statement by Pérez.
Sentidos Comunies published a Storify post [es] collecting Twitter reactions. On Facebook, on the page “Ines Perez Concha” [es] people left numerous comments condemning her words and even insulting her. Some Chileans also took to blogging to express their outrage.
Marcela Arellano [es] defended domestic workers and spoke against discrimination in a post that was published in several online citizen newspapers of the Mi Voz network.
Yo no sabía que en este pequeño país existían imperios (a menos que sean descendientes de reyes Incas) en donde los infantes herederos deben ser protegidos de presenciar a las seis de la tarde una horda de gente de clase trabajadora, osando pisar las mismas veredas donde juegan inocentes los principitos que no conocen un mundo distinto.
Meanwhile, in El Quinto Poder [es], Ximena Jara wrote about the word “nana” as a discriminatory term, and added:
Nos llenamos la boca de furia sagrada […] nos hemos dedicado a buscar, una por una, las normativas discriminatorias que atentan contra la dignidad del quehacer de estas trabajadoras. Esto está muy bien, pero no pasa de ser un berrinche. No, mientras no comprendamos que el compromiso parte, literalmente, por casa. Que si somos medios responsables, ciudadanos responsables, vamos a asumir que los abusos a las trabajadoras de casa particular son mucho más extensos que estos casos extremos que hoy nos sulfuran.
On January 17, however, rumors of a transcript [es] of the full interview began to spread on social networks. Chilevisión finally published the whole interview [es], which shows that Inés Pérez's statement had been taken out of context.
In the full interview, among other things, she says her maid freely goes outside with her daughter, with or without her uniform. Pérez explains that she asks her maid to arrive and leave the neighborhood in a minibus, and that she lives half an hour from the neighborhood entrance. She asks: “Can you imagine during the winter with rain and thunder, all the maids walking in the neighborhood?”
On the same Facebook page [es] where she had been heavily criticized, some [es] users are now apologizing, although several [es] still believe that no matter the context, her declarations are still insulting, especially the phrase about maids and workers walking on the street while children are “on their bikes”.
Journalism Ethics and Social Media
The discussion about discrimination quickly turned into a debate on journalism ethics and social media.
Journalist Gianitsa Corral touched on the subject of ethics in a post for Sentidos Comunes [es]. She lists some of her thoughts on the full interview and the way Chilevisión handled the editing. Later, she discusses the responsibility of media consumers, concluding that:
Los medios se equivocan, manipulan, juegan, transforman, indagan, verifican y nos estructuran la información que todos tenemos derecho a saber. Pero somos nosotros los que decidimos qué hacer con ella. No podemos justificar nuestra pereza con un 100% de credulidad a todo lo que vemos y oímos. También somos responsables de capturar esa realidad.
Mauricio Tolosa, in Sitiocero [es], blogs about online behavior in reactions to the video, and says the whole incident shows that Chile suffers from a “coexistence disease”:
El problema de fondo, la enfermedad de convivencia de Chile, que genera segregación y linchamientos, no se resuelva con explosiones en las redes sociales. El problema de fondo requiere aprender a conversar, a preguntar, a escuchar, a respetar hasta reconstruir la comunidad dañada. Son conductas que no surgen espontáneamente en este sistema comunicativo, es un esfuerzo de consciencia, una atención y un aprendizaje cotidianos.
Clases de Periodismo [es], a blog that focuses on journalism and media, declared their stance on Chilevisón’s editing:
Desde este espacio, rechazamos la falta de criterio de Chilevisión para editar las declaraciones de sus entrevistados. Además, nos sumamos al pedido de una rectificación (que no basta con la publicación del video para que los usuarios saquen sus propias conclusiones).
The public statement [es] on the Chilevisión website counters:
el segmento seleccionado es una idea completa expresada por la entrevistada, unidad de contenido  que no ha sido manipulada en modo alguno y que no altera el sentido final de sus declaraciones.
According to the latest reports on the incident, Chilevisión fired [es] Fernando Leal Quinteros, the production assistant that filtered the text of the full interview.


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China and Hong Kong: Train Scuffle Ignites Cross-Border Fury · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A YouTube video showing a dispute on a train in Hong Kong in which a mainland China tourist was criticized by passengers for eating food with her child inside the cabin, has triggered a fierce cross-border debate between mainland Chinese and Hong Kong people. As if tempers were not already flaring high, a Beijing University Professor, Kong Qingdong, added fuel to fire with his remark on a mainland online television channel that Hong Kong People are “running dogs” [lapdogs].
Below is a local news report on the subway train dispute on January 15, 2012. YouTube user Languagelover7 has added subtitles in English at the top of the screen:
The unedited version can be found here [zh]. It has attracted more than five million views within four days. Below is an explanation of the situation from the Hong Kong side:
當天與女友在紅磡站上車，上車後近我的兩排位都坐滿人，一邊一個大人三個小孩，一邊即是三個大人以及他們的行李。當時都不以為然；後來看到那個媽咪張一包童星點心麵倒進她旁的小孩手中，而另外兩個女孩則有一個拿著糖包。及後雙手捧著一堆點心麵的小孩不小心將一些灑到身上及地上。看到這個程況，我便以我有限的普通話，指著不准飲食的牌向他們說：不好意思，這裡不能吃東西。之後…..換來一輪啾呼叫。那媽咪說只是小孩子吃，以及正在收起，問我為何要多事…..我向他說剛才我都有見你放進自己口中，你也有吃…..其實講左幾句我都知冇結果，誰知這時他們對面的友伴邊笑邊出聲：佢地說得真是很差！我很火用廣東話同佢地講：我係講得差！呢度係香港人的地方，你同我講返廣東話。這時他們有一句沒一句繼續講，這時有位見義勇為的男仕出聲：收聲啦！好嘈呀！繼續食呀好唔好？自己做錯野仲嘈，要唔要叫職員呀？當那班人還在嘈時，男仕在旺角東站按著車門，等職員過來。而我亦第一時間下車向職員揮手叫他們過來。之後你地都響YTUBE度見到晒
There are two major reactions to the video in Hong Kong. Some criticize the lack of etiquette by mainland Chinese; and others feel there is no need to make such a big scene. The most popular comment on the YouTube thread is made by suilaam321:
@MrDrxchannel 請問你有看part1了嗎 你有聽到片主被嘲笑嗎? 中國大陸沒這麼糟糕?也許是小部份人吧 暑假最多中國大陸人來香港的時候 我分別去了香港迪士尼和海洋公園 但情況是 無論去到那一個主題公園 都會有大陸人插隊 當然我沒有說全部大陸人都這樣 也許你會說香港人也一樣 但香港人一般被指責後 都會乖乖排隊 我遇到的卻是 我只說叫他們不要插隊 同行插隊的那個女人便開始發爛 說前面有人幫排隊之類 試想想如果每個人都這樣 會有秩序嗎? 最後我只好找職員 那個人卻理直氣壯說 邊隻眼見到佢有插隊? 最後卻鬧多事 以粗口相對 請問這還又是否需要容忍?
As for the response from mainland Chinese, there are more moderate but critical ones, such as this one made by Wen Yunchao on Facebook [zh]:
港人很讨厌在地铁上吃东西的大陆人，因为地铁规定说不能在地铁上吃东西且吃东西的是大陆人；但港人不会讨厌在公车上大声讲电话一讲一路的港人，一则是因为没有规定禁止，二是因为讲电话的是港人。这些都与素质和文明无关。
The most controversial comment from mainland China popped up on January 19 on online television, in which Beijing University Professor Kong Qingdong said that most Hong Kong people were corrupted by their colonizers and are “running dogs”.
Languagelover7 has also added English subtitles to this video [now offline] and uploaded to YouTube.
The undercurrent of the tension between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese has everything to do with the increasing influence of Beijing government in Hong Kong – as indicated by the official visit of future premier Li Keqiang in August 2011. The political tension has surfaced in several recent cultural and social conflicts such as the public scandals over  infant formula milk powder shortage; mainland pregnant women taking up local hospital resources; the “invasion” of mainland Chinese tourists; and the official status of Cantonese language in Hong Kong.
Below is an agitated response on Kong's TV interview made by Tinykylei in her forum [zh] (sic) on January 20 that touches on the broader issues:
Wow …. this is with English subtitle and the translation is pretty accurate … can't believe a mainland Chinese “Scholar” said such a thing – why everyone has to speak Mandarin ? It's right for people can speak in their mother tongue but when you said mainlanders yelling in Hong Kong, and the HK citizen speak in Cantonese they are “dog” and not civilize … can you please check what you have just said again? the HK person also speaking in their mother tongue … I had enough of you CCP and brain-washed mainlanders – go on, keep on sending Mainland Chinese to mix the people and let the rich Mainlanders buy house and stay here, poor mainlanders come to give birth and take the social welfare, and take over the city, you better kill all the HKers who born in HK before 1997 as well

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: Bloggers React to Death of Hunger Striker  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Wilman Villar Mendoza
It has been a sad day for the Cuban blogosphere, as netizens received news of the death [es] of political prisoner Wilman Villar Mendoza, who had been on a hunger strike since last November.  Many bloggers likened his situation to that of the late prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who died in 2010, the first Cuban political prisoner to die on hunger strike since 1972.
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense made the link very clear:
Like Orlando Zapata and Juan Soto, his blood is on the hands of the Castro dictatorship.
And like those martyrs, he will never be forgotten.
He also linked to a statement from The Coalition of Cuban American Women, detailing “the death of political prisoner Wilman Villar Mendoza and how the dictatorship has responded with more repression.”
Several bloggers at babalu also commented on Mendoza's death. Val Prieto made the point that the dissident's death “wasn't solely about the usurption [sic] of his rights and freedoms…about the injustice and indignity unleashed upon him”:
Wilmar Villar Mendoza…on hunger strike for 50 days protesting his incarceration and the abject violation of his basic rights and freedoms, died yesterday at the hands of the Cuban government. He was 31 years of age.
Wilmar Villar Mendoza died a hero, not only because of his courage to stand against the Goliath of the castro regime for his convictions, but because of the steadfast dignity of his sacrifice.
Wilmar Villar Mendoza sacrificed and died so that 11 million of his fellow Cubans could be free of the very tyranny that killed him.
Alberto de la Cruz shared “a brief moment of clarity” about the hunger striker's death:
As it happened upon the murders of Zapata Tamayo, Soto, and Pollan, for a brief moment, the assassination of Wilmar Villar Mendoza tore down the facade and the lies of the Castro dictatorship that has as acted as their shield for so many decades.
It may not last long — perhaps hours, maybe days — but for the moment, the Castro dictatorship is exposed.
Perhaps as early as tomorrow, this moment of clarity will dissolve and the lies will return to subjugate the truth. Not because this clarity is too weak or a fleeting moment, but because the world will close its eyes and turn away from the unpleasant truth.
Nevertheless, for now, Wilmar Villar Mendoza's death is not in vain: for a brief moment, there is clarity in Cuba.
The blog went on to detail reports of “how peaceful human rights activists on the island took to the streets to honor Wilmar's ultimate sacrifice for freedom and liberty in Cuba”, adding: “These protestors were immediately met by Castro State Security who violently attacked and arrested several of them.”
Pedazos de la Isla explained why Wilman Villar Mendoza must not be forgotten:
I have heard various people say that a hunger strike is a form of suicide, but I do not believe that.  The only one at fault for his death is the dictatorship.  It was that same dictatorship which arrested Mendoza during November of 2011 when he, along with other activists, peacefully marched down the streets of Contramaestre demanding freedom.  And it was that same dictatorship which paid no attention to Wilman’s just demands to be liberated, which led to his hunger strike.
I did not know Wilman Villar Mendoza personally, but when a person puts their own life at risk for the well being of others, and in this case, for the freedom of an entire nation, then that says a lot about a person.  The young Cuban, who leaves behind a wife and two young children, joins the list of so many executed, tortured, and beaten men and women, and also of many who have lost their lives on hunger strike as well.  He is another Orlando Zapata Tamayo, another Pedro Luis Boitel- two Cubans who, although living in different generations, fought for the same exact cause and died the same way, in horrid conditions but with honor.
Bloggers were also outraged by the manner in which Mendoza's family was being treated.  Pedazos de la Isla noted that “his wife has not even been able to see his body as of Thursday night”, and @Yoani Sanchez posted on Twitter [es] that:
#cuba Hable con Maritza esposa de Wilmar Villar y confirma su muerte. No le han dejado ver el cuerpo. Mas info al +5353842338
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter said:
Tonight two little girls lost their father; a young wife her husband; and a mother her son. Wilmar Villar Mendoza died tonight after his kidneys and other organs failed. He died the result of a prolonged hunger strike provoked by outrage over a profound injustice committed against him by the Castro regime.
The blog also made the point that:
There was little press coverage or official protests regarding his plight until his death appeared imminent.
Ladies in White and other opposition activists marched and demonstrated on his behalf suffering brutal beatings and detentions but the international press remained silent. Now that he has died, as was done in the case of Orlando Zapata Tamayo in 2010, the international media is reporting it. Too little and too late for Wilmar Villar Mendoza. Bloggers and activists on twitter had alerted the world early on about his plight. Pedazos de la Isla, Uncommon Sense, Babalu, and Capitol Hill Cubans deserve special mention for getting the word out on their respective blogs.
When confronting a brutal totalitarian dictatorship there is a very simple equation:
silence = violence = death.
International official protests and heightened press scrutiny on behalf of brutalized dissidents means less bloodshed. Silence means that Maritza Pelegrino Cabrera, Wilman's wife, is now a widow and his two young daughters ages 5 and 6 will not get to grow up having a father.
babalu published and translated a powerful statement on Mendoza's death from one of Cuba's most high-profile bloggers, Yoani Sanchez:
I want to denounce that in my country, people have to use their bodies, their intestines, their stomachs as a battlefield, as as a way to mount a civic protest. It is very lamentable that an entire population — 11-million Cubans on this island — has had all their rights as citizens taken away or limited. The civic, electoral, and judicial avenues for citizens to seek change, to demand a transformation, to demand the end of the status quo in our country has been blocked. What do we have left? Well, the people then must use hunger strikes as a way to express their nonconformity. It is very sad what has happened today, the death of Wilmar Villar.
That is the denouncement I wanted to make. Perhaps it is just like a bottle thrown into the sea, something that falls into an abyss, but…I want to leave constancy of this. Please, we do not want to continue utilizing our skin, our bones, as a way to show our outrage. We have to have the right to do it without repression.


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Cuba: Collapse of a Building in Havana · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Miriam Celaya writes about the collapse of a building [es] in the center of Havana in which four teenagers died.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: “Free Isn’t Easy” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger and Global Voices author Ellery Biddle reflects on freedom of speech in thinking about the recent struggle against the United States proposed anti-piracy bill Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Cuba: “As I juxtapose SOPA and Cuba’s limitations on free speech, it may sound like I’m comparing apples and mangoes—on several levels, this is true. But my point is that high-level political rights don’t come easy, and that even when you have these rights, you have to work hard to uphold them.”


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Cuba: Imprisoned dissident dies after 50 day Hunger Strike · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Political dissident Wilmar Villar Mendoza died after a 50 day hunger strike. He was serving a four year sentence for disobedience; he was arrested while leading a peaceful demonstration. The Latin Americanist includes a video of Villar Mendoza protesting last November.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: On the Death of Wilmar Vilar Mendoza · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Regina Coyula reflects on the death of the jailed dissident Wilmar Vilar Mendoza [es], who died following a 56 day hunger strike. Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo also blogged [es] about Vilar Mendoza's death.


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Cuba: TV and “Women’s” Programs · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger and activist NegraCubana offers a reflection and a critique of the TV program [es] Ecos de Mujer (Echoes of Women) being transmitted on the state-run channel Cubavisión.


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Guyana: First Female Colonel · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands notes that “in a history making moment, the promotion of Guyana’s first female Colonel was today announced. She is the region’s first serving female colonel.”


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Liberia: Was the Presidential Oath of Office Taken Improperly? · Global Voices
Counselor Track

The Liberian capital Monrovia, which has for the past months been associated with riots and political tensions was the scene of splendor as Liberians from all walks of life peacefully witnessed the 2nd term inaugural ceremony of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph N.Boakai on January 16, 2012. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won presidential election last year that was marred by violence and boycott.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by the oppositions Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) which initially threatened to stage a demonstration and carry out a parallel inauguration ceremony.
Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph N.Boakai during the ceremony. Photo courtesy of http://frontpageafricaonline.com.
In her inaugural address titled “The Values of a Patriot”, President Johnson-Sirleaf challenged the nation to answer the patriot's call of duty:
Let us go forth from this Inauguration Day to roll up our sleeves, to  make the sacrifices necessary for our continued growth and development:  economic, educational, moral and spiritual.
let us resolve that our pride in our Liberian nation, and in our  tradition and heritage, will be manifested in a new commitment to the  democratic processes that we mark on this solemn occasion.
She further stressed:
A victim of elections violence ahead of Liberia's presidential run-off. Image courtesy of @liberiaelection.
True reconciliation means a process of national healing.  It means  learning the lessons of the past to perfect our democracy.  But above  all it means economic justice for our citizens and the spread of  progress to all our people.  It means creating jobs, opportunities and  giving our young people the skills they need to prosper and create the  life they choose.
The youths of Liberia are our future, and they sent us a message.  They  are impatient.  They are eager to make up for years of conflict and  deprivation. They are anxious to know that their homeland offers the  grounds for hope.  Let me say to them: We heard that message and it is  our solemn obligation to ensure that their hope will not be in vain
Oldman Nagbe, a reader at Frontpage Africa, reminds the government to save the Liberian people and not their families:
Congratulations to all Liberians for providing a peaceful atmosphere for the hosting of the inauguration.
Congratulations to all political parties for participating in the  inaugural process. This is an indication that we can put our differences  aside and work for the common good of our nation.
To the new government that will be put into place soon, please  remember, you will be working for the Liberian people and not for you  and your families. We will therefore be looking forward to seeing you  working with us to build a better Liberia. You will be there to serve  your people and not your people serving you. Do not pay any blind  loyalty to your party or the president. The President wants you to be  straight with her. You will her advisors, please tell her the truth.
We as Liberians, let be our pledge to work along with government in rebuilding our Country. Nobody can for us, but we ourselves.
CONGRATULATIONS MADAME PRESIDENT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING A NEW LIBERIA.
LIBERIA, FORWARD FOREVER AND BACKWARD NEVER!
At Liberia Elections 2011 Media Monitoring Group, J.Forkpayeah Akoi Tellewoyan, a Liberian software development engineer, highlights his favorite part of the address:
My favorite part -Pres. Sirleaf: Patriotism does not mean blind Loyalty to power, indeed sometimes the highest demonstration of patriotism may well be seen, when citizens peaceful and respectfully express their oppositions to particular policies propose by those elected to government. Patriots freely and openly and even passionately disagree about what is best for the Nation they love.
Lorenzo Gartorr, a Liberian Behavior Therapist residing in the United States, reflects:
Today was a fulfillment of what is a common trend in a democratic society(Where the incumbent is 75% of the time elected ),also in a democratic society there is an unwritten law of the main opposition taking power after the ruling party 2nd term. As we all know that election is won base on popularity, assuming that Winston Tubman will not be on CDC ticket in the next election and with no one as popular as Weah in Liberia in the absent of Ellen. Can we assume that Liberia will be lead by a Weah's Presidency after Ellen ?
A Liberian who humorously refers to himself as Crazy Man opined quite sanely:
To our youths: Let’s us put our nation first!  As a wise leader once  said, “Free speech is the first requisite of freedom and a viable,  functioning democracy. The exercise of it cannot be at the option of  those who think the right to dissent includes the right to destroy.”   This wise saying implies that our youths should not mistake freedom of  speech as their democratic right to vandalize, to loot, and to have no  conscience for the rule of laws that governs us as a Republic.  May God  grant our political leaders and youths the wisdom to disagree but to use  tolerance for the rule of law to settle disputes through dialogue, and  non-violence means! Liberians, let’s give peace a chance! May God bless  our Republic.
The ceremony had some embarrassing moments.
But in the midst of the pageantry of President Sirleaf’s inauguration  with several world leaders and dignitaries in attendance, major blunders  and errors in protocol overshadowed the fanfare as the audience and  observers  noticed  kept murmuring.One of the most embarrassing and perhaps a constitutional headache and  gaff in the  administering the Oath of  Office to the Liberian President  in keeping with the constitution…
–
As the Chief Justice administered the Oath of Office to the Liberian President, rather than raise her right hand in confirmation to taking an oath and as the country’s constitution dictates and followed by all Liberian President before the 24th Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, she instead was given a microphone through which she repeated the oath as the Chief Justice, Johnnie Lewis administered  the oath of office to her and neither did she place her hand on the Holy Bible and kiss it at the finish of the reading of oath as the normal and usual ritual of all Presidents, including President Sirleaf when she was inaugurated the first time in 2006 to her first term of office.
Liberia's famous Robot-man sending out message of national unity. Photo courtesy of tlcafrica.com.
Here is the solution:
…the Liberian President did not take her oath office since it was not done properly and needs to be re-administered just as president Barrack Obama Oath of Office was re-administered the next day by Chief Justice  John Roberts the next morning in the White House because the Oath of Office was mistakenly read by the Chief Justice.
Wade Williams describes this moment in Liberia's political history as “Rebirth of Democracy”:
My best dressed Liberian at the inauguration. Photo courtesy of tlcafrica.com.
Cooper Kwame reminds the government in this fashionable narrative:
I just read the President's inaugural speech. It is a hopeful speech and  it recognizes the urgent need to pay serious attention to those  President Tolbert referred to as his “precious jewels.”
Six  years ago the talk was about “papa na come.” People were highly hopeful  and expectations were very high. Papa did come home, day after day,  after venting his frustration for six years! Papa did not bring home  money to feed his family, but he came home knowing that no one was  following him to arrest him or to harm him and his family.
For  six long and excruciating years papa and his family endured the many  hardships in a free, democratic, and peaceful society. Papa has shown  his loyalty and patriotism and it is time for him and his family to reap  the benefits for helping to secure a free nation.
The majority  of the people of Liberia have suffered for too long: No electricity, no  pipe-borne water, no paved roads, few high schools and universities, few  clinics and hospitals, few jobs
Reacting to Wade's post, Taynue says:
I like president Sirleaf but, she's not honest when she says Liberia is no longer a country of conflict and deprivation. Unemployment is above 70% that deprives people. Opposition dropped threats of demonstration just hours before inauguration. Some of our fellow citizens died during post elections violence. Isn't that conflict? Several liberians were involved in the conflict in the Ivory Coast. They are our neigbor. I think they scare us.
Madam president, you've got a lot to do just be honest and ask the liberian people to help you steer this nation. Stop white washing stuff good leaders don't do that.

author: Counselor Track


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Myanmar’s Nuclear Program · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Democratic Voice of Burma has uploaded a video documentary about its discovery of the secret program of Myanmar’s ruling generals to build nuclear weapons.

author: Mong Palatino


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Puerto Rico: Economic Reality  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius shares “a bitter pill of economic information”, asking: “How screwed are We? On a scale of 1 to 10, about a 9.5.”


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Puerto Rico: Levels of Crime?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In response to an editorial suggesting that the citizenry “may have been complicit in the senseless murder of Karla Negrón, the latest victim of a stray bullet on New Year's Eve”, Dondequiera says: “It is pure hypocrisy for anyone to accuse Karla's murderer of breaking by the law by anyone who knowingly and willingly bought and discharged illegal fireworks.”


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Puerto Rico: The 365 Project  · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The online edition of the magazine Cruce has published some of the photographs the photojournalist José Rodrigo Madera [es] shot as part of his 365 project: a photo for every day of the year 2011. (All of the photos were originally posted on his Facebook account)


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Puerto Rico: The Latest in High School Sports · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The website Activao [es] offers the most complete and best news and pictures on high school sports in Puerto Rico.


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Review of Indonesian Laws in 2011 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Hukumonline reviews the laws passed by the Indonesian Parliament in 2011


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Russia: Echo of Moscow Under Fire · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Streetwise Professor discusses Putin's recent critique against the Russian independent radio station Echo of Moscow.


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Russia: Mafia State Review · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kelly Hignett of The View East reviews Luke Harding's Russia-critical book Mafia State on his dire experiences as a foreign correspondent in Russia.


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Russia: Security Services Put Pressure on Parents of the Protest Group Moderator · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Ilya Klishin, creator of the Facebook groups that organized Russians to participate in Bolotnaya [ru] and Sakharov protest demonstrations, wrote [ru] that his mother had received a call from FSB (Federal Security Services) and his father was summoned to the local police department. Later he added [ru] that he might be accused of inciting ethnic hatred. “It is a Kafkian case… since I've consistently against fascism, Nazism, and any kinds of xenophobia,” wrote Klishin.


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Russia-US: Receiving A New US Ambassador · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eric of The Pipeline summarizes comments on the reception in Moscow of new US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.


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Russia-US: Reviewing the Jackson-Vanik Act · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Edward Lozansky at Russia Blog argues that the US Jackson-Vanik Act – denying Russia Most Favoured Nation trade status – should be aborted in view of Russian accession to the World Trade Organization.


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Turkey: Post-Murder Trial, Thousands Remember Hrant Dink · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Thousands have marched in Turkey to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink. Angering Turkish nationalists with his outspoken position that the 1915 massacre and deportation of as many as 1.5 million ethnic Armenians as the Ottoman Empire collapsed constituted genocide, Dink was shot dead outside his office in Istanbul on 19 January 2007.
His killer, Ogun Samast, was sentenced last year, but the end this week of the trial of others involved continues to leave many questions relating to official involvement in the assassination unanswered. Writing on Critical Legal Thinking, Basak Ertür provides a comprehensive background to the case as well as the events leading up to Dink's death.
Hrant Dink’s murder was the culminating point of a persecution campaign that can be traced back to February 2004, when he published claims to the effect that Sabiha Gökçen, the adopted daughter of Atatürk and the first woman war pilot of the Turkish Republic, was of Armenian descent. Dink’s claim provoked a public statement from the Chief of Staff, the highest echelon of the Turkish army. A few days later he was summoned to the Istanbul Governor’s Office and “warned” by two people who were introduced to him as “friends” of the then Deputy Governor. Three and a half years after the assassination, the Intelligence Service admitted that these two people were its operatives.
[…]
[…] The deep state lurks menacingly behind the innumerable assassinations, disappearances, provocations, threats, disinformation campaigns, psychological operations and dirty deals of the past few decades. Though providing much fodder for what can be dismissed as conspiracy theorising, the very style and structure of deep state plots render them almost immediately recognisable to a public that has become all too familiar with them. Hrant Dink’s assassination was instantly widely recognised as one such plot.
Certain pieces of information that surfaced during the trial corroborated this view. One of the defendants testified that in his capacity as a police informant, he had repeatedly warned the security forces of the plan to assassinate Dink in the months leading to his death. Some documentary evidence supported the claim that the police was informed of the plan as early as eleven months before the assassination. Key defendants were remarkably smug during the hearings, occasionally signalling, though never disclosing their deeper connections.
[…]
This is what Fethiye Çetin, the  lawyer representing the Dink family, meant when she spoke after the decision, referring to the case as a comedy: “They’ve been mocking us all along. And today, we saw that they saved the punch-line for the end.”
Nevertheless, if Dink was loathed by Turkish nationalists, he was also disliked by their counterparts in Armenia and its large Diaspora. Also calling for reconciliation and brotherhood between Armenians and Turks, it's therefore perhaps no wonder that most of those protesting the outcome of the trial as well as commemorating yesterday's anniversary were Turks, Kurds and Armenians living in Turkey.
@UtkuCakir: İnsanlık ölmemiş… Agos'un önünde görmüşler – Fotoğraf: Tolga Bozoğlu #kardesimsinhrant – Hrant Dink pic.twitter.com/ojlyXWoD
@BerxwedanYARUK: Ankara da Hrant Dink anması pic.twitter.com/KdA1Px1m
Erkan Saka, a Turkish academic and blogger, posts some of the many updates and photos sent out on Twitter in Turkish. However, there were also updates, with some translation into English, from commemorative marches throughout Turkey.
@umitalan: Taksim'le Agos arasında müthiş bır kalabalık var. Devlete, yargıya ve tüm katillerine en ıyi cevap bu. Bu dava burada bitmeyecek.
@449981: CNNTurk 30 bin kişi oldugunu soyledi şimdi.yayını taksimden yapıyorlardı galiba,grubun en arkası gözüküyordu roportaj yaptıkları yerden.
@pinarinfanta: Belki de içimi en çok burkan ayakkabısının altındaki delikti,sessizce kaldırımda yatıyordu..suçu sadece ‘Ermeni’ olmaktı #kardesimsinhrant
@ETemelkuran: 2nd march in Istanbul today for #hrantdink case.1st one gathered thousands, ppl r gathering again. http://pic.twitter.com/FG1XEgSd via@efkanbolac
@ETemelkuran: One of the most prominent writers Vedat Türkali joined the protests for #hrantdink today. via @mungan_murathan http://pic.twitter.com/BenLfLQo”
@ETemelkuran: The protest in Bodrum tdy.In several cities ppl protested the unjust verdict in #hrantdink case via @beynigezmelerde http://pic.twitter.com/vmtJpkvo”
@ETemelkuran: Ppl of Istanbul r gathering to protest the unjust closure of #hrantdink case for the 2nd time today. The morning march was thousands.
@ETemelkuran: The march is begining inIstanbul.Ppl chanting:”Long live the brotherhood of the peoples!” #hrantdink http://pic.twitter.com/d3ok5oQ4 via@efkanbolac
@ETemelkuran: The streets of İstanbul city centre is shaking with slogans for #hrantdink! http://pic.twitter.com/4XMF4Duh via @efkanbolac
@ETemelkuran: The march in Ankara. After thousands gathered in Istanbul for #hrantdink now it is Ankara's turn. twitpic.com/896b80 via @matakanfoca
@techsoc: I keep thinking: This huge march symbolizes everything Hrant was. Such a shame that it was only his death that brought it about.
@techsoc: Here's a photo of Hrant's dead body. My grandma said: “I cried for days. Who could kill a man with holes in his shoes?” http://bit.ly/yqDn2N
@ETemelkuran: There was a whole under his shoe when #hrantdink was shot.pic shows”the crack in the justice system” pic.twitter.com/jgE3CjYn via@denizmistepe
Başka simply posted the statement in Turkish by ethnic Armenian journalist and writer Karin Karakaşlı made at the commemoration.
19 Ocak bir anma günü değil. Hiçbir zaman da olmadı. Zaten bu topraklarda ayrı ayrı yaşatılmış ne kadar acı varsa, hiçbirinin anma günü olmadı. Herkes acısının yaşatıldığı o tarih geldiğinde, kendince, bir başına kahroldu.
[…]
Dosya kapandı diyorlar bize. Kapandı mı bu dosya? Hrant Dink dosya değil ki kapatasın, o bir yara… Artık köprüden önceki son çıkıştayız. Oradan hakkıyla geçmeden tamamlanacak ödeşme, kurulacak düş, inanılacak adalet, yaşanacak memleket yok. Öbür türlüsü sadece yalan olur ve bir gün başımıza yıkılır. Altında kalırız hep birlikte.
O yüzden gün, sadece söz söylemek değil söz vermek zamanı.
Söz verelim mi birbirimize? Bu dava daha bitmedi.
Söz verelim mi birbirimize? İnsanlık daha ölmedi.
Söz verelim mi birbirimize? Devlet daha hesabını vermedi.
Sözümüz söz olsun. Bu adaletsizlikle yaşamak hepimize haramdır. Aksi için uğraşan hepimize helal olsun.
[…]
The dossier has been closed, we are told. Is this dossier closed? Hrant Dink is not a dossier to be closed. He is a wound. We are in the one but last exit before the bridge. There is no score to settle, no hope to harbour, no justice to believe in, no country to live in until you cross it properly. Any other way would be a lie and one day will come upon us. We will stay under the heaviness of it.
This is why it is time to make a promise, not to simply say we will.
Shall we make a promise to each other that this struggle has not ended.
Shall we make a promise to each other that the humanity has not died.
Shall we make a promise to each other that the state is yet to account.
We promise. Living with this injustice is forbidden for all of us. Be blessed all who struggle otherwise.
Judging from the commemorations in Istanbul and elsewhere, as well as from prominent figures and online commentary in Turkey, many appear to agree.
Global Voices Azerbaijan author Pervin Muradli provided the translations from Turkish into English for this post.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Ukraine: Tormenting Trial · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LEvko of Foreign Notes criticizes the ongoing trial against former Ukrainian Interior Minister, Yuri Lutsenko, as procedures display an abnormal amount of legal irregularities.


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Understanding Singapore Floods · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

C L Cheong writes a comprehensive article about the causes and possible solutions to the persistent flooding in many parts of Singapore


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United Kingdom: You cannot evict an idea · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Born from the marriage of the worldwide financial crises and the #Occupy Movement in London, the Bank of Ideas has been exciting many people in the capital of the United Kingdom. Independent journalist Ryan Gallagher explains the project:
On the fringe of London’s wealthy financial district, a four-storey building owned by one of the world’s largest companies has found an unlikely new purpose. 5-29 Sun Street, an office block owned by Swiss financial services giant UBS, was ‘repossessed’ last month [18 November 2011] by protesters part of the anti-corporate greed Occupy movement. Offering the opportunity to “trade in creativity rather than cash,” it is now bustling with art workshops and discussion groups focusing on everything from squatters’ rights to economic trade policy.
Photo by Ryan Gallagher
The choice of building holds no little significance for the protesters: UBS Bank was the subject of a $60bn bailout from the Swiss government in 2008, after piling up the biggest losses of any European lender from the global credit crisis. Regardless of what people think of the #Occupy Movement, @HeardinLondon says that “the idea of cleaning up an old building that has been disused for seven years and turning into a free arts space, education and community centre is hard to fault”:
What? I hear you exclaim, UBS who have been involved in massive tax evasion controversy in America? The same UBS that allowed a rogue trader to slip through the net with an estimated $2 billion?  Not UBS who stung mortgage borrowers for up to 67% interest?  The alleged bank of choice for Mr Bin Laden?  Not the same UBS that many people say bank-rolled Saddam?  Shockingly, it’s the very same UBS.
What could be a more perfect antithesis of the government’s slash and burn policies, than to rehouse the projects for the people which are being desecrated inside a bank?
The site is the third in London, set up by the economic justice campaigners who also have camps in Finsbury Square and next to St Paul’s. On YouTube, community powered news channel ynuktv posts a video about the initiative for the non-monetary trade of ideas to help solve the economic, social and environmental problems of our time:
Ideas flourishing
The place is now an open venue for free workshops and lectures held by a wide range of volunteers. Eviction proceedings have been launched against the protesters and the appeal case is expected in Court on the 23rd or the 24th January. Meanwhile, the project is entering the third month since the occupation and has free events scheduled well into December 2012, such as free university courses, permaculture workshop, an art gallery and yoga classes. Some of them are covered via live stream.
Guests and visitors have been using their blogs to report. Illustrator Isobel Williams catches a glimpse of the visitors in drawings and thoughts, whereas visual artist Raphael Franco reports on the Dr. Bike session he attended:
I met Paola and Toni, two lovely ladies who have been working with bikes and people for many years… I didn’t have much repair to do on Caca (my beloved bike), so just stayed there learning with the masters and doing some documentation of the event.
I had a great two hour session with them and learned some quite useful information about how to adjust the brakes and to work do some basic work on gears mechanic (cables, top and lower screws and balancing).
Journalist Peter Watts was surprised:
I didn’t know quite what to find inside, and while I expected a friendly welcome I was surprised by the  depth of organisation that has gone into the enterprise, owing as much to the methods of middle management as it does the spirit of the co-operative. This is organised occupation on an impressive scale. There were flowcharts, spreadsheets and white boards full of information and advice on every surface, with people running round spreading messages and sharing news. I’ve worked in dozens of newspaper offices where communication was worse than this. It’s energetic, unifying and genuinely impressive on every level.
Cristina reports on the meditation class she held there:
From the moment we arrived, we felt that we were in a special place, and among special people. These were courageous individuals engaged in a monumental effort; a peaceful struggle to achieve deep social and economic transformation. They wanted a fairer society, and we could see that they were striving, through inner and outer challenges, to become that new society.
£5 rent proposal
A bank statement. Credit: @heardinlondon. Used with permission
To carry on providing room for community groups and other public services that have lost their space due to Government spending cuts, the team at Bank of Ideas has offered to pay £5 rent to UBS, for continued use of its building. It is the full amount that the giant investment bank has claimed as the rateable value of this prime site commercial property in the heart of London, according to a recent re-rating application to the tax office. It has fallen from around £100,000 to just £1 per floor – or a total of £5 in all:
Occupy London would like to take this opportunity to make an open, warm hearted offer to UBS – we want you to help us to begin to build the Big Society.
Bank of Ideas has renovated this derelict building, without state intervention and through volunteering and skill sharing. Since it was publicly repossessed, Bank of Ideas, located in one of the boroughs worst hit by the summer’s social unrest, has been used as a community centre where many local organisations affected by the cuts have a place in which to continue their vital work.
UBS has been accused of many unsavory practices in its time. Now, Occupy London and Bank of Ideas are publicly asking them to work with us to wipe the slate clean – to enable community organisers to permanently manage this site on behalf of the people of Hackney – the border of which is but one pavement’s distance from some of the wealthiest companies on earth.
Whether or not UBS decides to reply positively, remains to be seen; meanwhile, Peter Watts advises people to pay a visit as soon as possible, just in case:
I recommend you pay a visit quickly, before the dead hand of corporatism crushes another lowly outlet of fun and dissent.

author: Paula Góes


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Zambia: Blogger Challenges Ex-ruling Party’s Query On Guy Scott’s Appointment · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

The former ruling party, the MMD, has questioned the legality of the appointment of independent Zambia’s first white Vice President, Dr Guy Scott, threatening to take the matter to the court of law to determine its constitutionality.
The MMD’s national chairman for legal affairs, George Kunda, a State Counsel, immediate past vice president and minister of justice, the position he held concurrently with the second highest state position, said recently that Dr Scott did not qualify to hold his current position apparently because he did not act as president on the only two occasions President Michael Sata has so far left the country.
But one blogger, Munshyawamunshya, argues that Dr Scott qualifies to stand as republican president, saying:
Zambia's new Vice President Guy Scott. Image from the ruling Patriotic Front website.
Article 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia 1991 (as amended in 1996) contains the notorious “presidential parentage” clause, which among other things states that for one to be president of Zambia both parents should be “citizens of Zambia by birth or descent.” […] This study will show that if Article 34 is read together with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lewanika and others v Frederick Chiluba, Guy Scott and many others would qualify to stand for the office of President of the Republic.
Munshyawamunshya, in reference to court cases of similar nature involving the first president Dr Kenneth Kaunda who is of Malawian parentage, his successor the late Frederick Chiluba, said to have been born in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and the fourth president, Rupiah Banda whose eligibility to stand for president was, ironically, challenged by the now ruling Patriotic Front because he was said to have originated from Malawi, observes:
The consequence of judicial interpretation means that a constitution like we have in Zambia is derived from several sources. First, our constitution is derived from a written physical document, which was passed by our parliament in 1991 and amended in 1996. What that document contains is our constitution. However, that document alone does not constitute Zambian constitutional law. A correct view of the constitutional law of our republic therefore should be found in that document as well as rulings of the High Court and the Supreme Court that have interpreted some sections of that constitution.
Munshyawamunshya further writes:
…[T]he court had identified serious problems with the requirement that a presidential candidate’s parents should be Zambians by “birth or descent”. The Supremes [sic]  remarked that this law would present serious problems for the future. In essence they ruled that, this article couldn’t apply to Zambians whose parents were born before 1964—before there was a Republic of Zambia. Essentially then, people like Chiluba (born 1944), Michael Sata (born 1944), Rupiah Banda (born 1943), Guy Scott (born c.1940) and or Kenneth Kaunda (born 1924) cannot produce Zambian parents. This is because by the time that the parents of these people were born in the 1800s, there was no legal or constitutional entity known as Zambia.
Munshyawamunshya concludes:
Keeping with the arguments above, it is my conclusion that notwithstanding Article 34, Hon Guy Lindsay Scott can legally satisfy the requirement of Article 34 and can in fact serve as President of the Republic of Zambia. Unless overruled, the case of Lewanika and others v Frederick Chiluba is law and therefore applies to Guy Lindsay Scott.
Commenting on Munshyawamunshya observations, which latter appeared on the Lusaka Times, Janet C says that Africa is not ready for a white president:
Ok – so even if he qualifies – and I do not mean to be racist in any way – BUT in modern day Africa, it would be ‘politically incorrect’ to have a white presido ruling in a predominanly black society. I love ba Guy and think he should remain VP, but definately not presido – Africa is not yet ready for a white president!!!!
In response to Janet C, Peter writes:
#3 YOU HAVE A SERIOUS RACIST PROBLEM. GUY SCOTT IS A ZAMBIAN AND HE QUALIFIES TO BE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT. LET NOT COLOUR BLIND YOU. ITS HIGH TIME SATA STARTED APPOINTING GUY IN ACTING CAPACITY SINCE THE AIR HAS BEEN CLEARED BY THOSE WHO KNOW BETTER. I AM PRETTY SURE EVEN SATA WASN’T SURE ABOUT IT- NO WONDER HE WAITED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR DEBATE.
On Twitter, one tweep had this to say:
@CoolKanis: George Kunda's continue attacks on our Veep Guy Scott is a clear indication that, that [obscenity removed] is a #Racist. #IHateRacists
Another tweep had this to say:
>@missbwalya: How was George Kunda Justice Minister
when he doesn't even understand our constitution? What a dull man. #Zambia

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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A Guide to Crowdsourcing in Latin America · Global Voices
Silvia Vinas

Crowdsourcing, also known as “mass collaboration,” allows anyone with an Internet connection to generate useful content for the masses. In Latin America, numerous crowdsourcing projects have arisen that respond to the various needs and emergencies that the continent is facing, such as Heroreports [en], which geotags acts of kindness in Mexico, or LluviasVe [en], which maps events caused by strong rains in Venezuela. Crowdsourcing has become a fundamental tool in Latin America to foment and utilize citizen participation in an effort to inform.
On January 14, 2012, Jacinto Lajas published “A guide to crowdsourcing in Latin America [es] on Periodismo Ciudadano, an online blog that hosts discussion and debate about citizen journalism. Below we have republished the article under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Spain license (CC BY-NC 3.0).
Americas Society (AS) is the leading forum dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas. Its mission is to foment understanding of current political, social, and economic issues that Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada are facing, as well as to augment public awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of the New World's cultural heritage and the importance of interrelationships between the diverse peoples of the Americas.
Within this mission falls the logical observation of changes effected by technological advances in the Americas, and in that same spirit comes the publication of a guide to crowdsourcing in Latin America, highlighting projects that have developed in different countries throughout the region.
The preface to the list of projects explains how crowdsourcing has become a popular method of citizen participation in compliance with the law, public health, consumer rights, and social issues in Latin America, one of the regions with the largest growth of Internet penetration in the world:
El número de usuarios de Internet creció a 112 millones en enero de 2011 –un aumento del 15 por ciento respecto al año anterior. En Brasil, Colombia, México y Venezuela, las tasas de crecimiento del uso de Internet aumentaron en un 20 por ciento o más durante el mismo período. También va en aumento es el uso del teléfono de última generación: en 2011, uno de cada cinco teléfonos celulares vendidos en América Latina fue un smartphone y, en 2010, las ventas de estos teléfonos en la región aumentaron en un 117 por ciento. Con un mayor acceso a Internet, más latinoamericanos están utilizando las redes sociales: 114.500.000 personas utilizaban sitios como Facebook y Twitter en junio de 2011.
A promising prospect. Just as the proliferation of participatory projects –some mentioned here [es]– is in Latin America. Below you will find the list of projects included in the guide. You can find more information about each project in the original publication in Americas Society [en].

author: Silvia Vinas


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Colombia: Hip hop and rap artists unite for peace · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The Conspiracy for Peace is the new video the local rap and hip hop artists have made with the support of the local TV network Telemedellin. The song was written collectively by the artists of Medellin and the surrounding cities for the Peace One Day and is a message of peace, unity, coexistence, respect and positive energy.


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Macedonia: Policeman Who Beat Young Man to Death Gets 14 Years · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.
The trial of the policeman suspected of beating a young man to death while on duty as the Prime Minister's bodyguard during the celebration of election victory on the night between June 5 and 6, 2011, ended on Monday, January 16. The police officer, Igor Spasov, member of the special forces and the only person on trial for the murder of Martin Neshkoski, received a sentence of 14 years in prison.
The attempt to cover up the murder sparked a protest movement against police brutality, through which citizens of Macedonia demanded justice, including apprehension of all accomplices, command responsibility, and political responsibility. The public prosecutor denied [mk] the victim's family's formal request to press criminal charges against the known and unknown accomplices, such as the policemen who were nearby during the murder and contaminated the crime scene afterwards, as well as those who were involved in the cover-up attempt.
The trial had a dozen sessions that were not extensively covered and analyzed by most of Macedonia's media, which rely on revenue from advertisements paid from the state budget. A notable exception is the portal PlusInfo.mk, which published a retrospective of the case [mk] the day before the sentence was announced.
Justice for Martin blog published a summary [mk] of the first ten sessions of the trial, written by activist Voislav Stojanovski's and first published [mk] by Radio Free Europe:
Igor Spasov's Account
On June 5, 2011, while coming to Skopje from Kumanovo (where he had worked on providing security for the electoral process for 15 hours), Spasov's superior officer gave him an oral command via telephone to continue guarding the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski [photo 1, photo 2]. Before the incident on the square, he had noticed Martin trying to approach the PM twice […]. These attempts were prevented by the PM's security detail. The third attempt happened near the election celebration stage. Even though the uniformed policemen had warned him, Martin kept trying to approach the stage. Spasov reacted shouting at him, “Where do you think you're going?” – Martin started running away, and Spasov ran after him. Persistent attempts to breach the security cordon were suspicious, and his task was to arrest [Martin] and take him to the police station. When Spasov got near him, Martin tripped on a wire, hit his head on the pavement, and remained on the ground. Thinking he was simulating, Spasov kicked him a bit with his foot. The policeman saw that the young man was unconscious and tried to resuscitate him. Soon, uniformed policemen arrived at the scene and called an ambulance. Spasov told his colleagues that he needed to return to the [VIP] stage, and they let him go, without requesting him to identify himself. […] Later, during the trial, Spasov revealed that after the incident he filed an official report, which was destroyed by his superiors.
Eyewitnesses’ Accounts
Most of the eyewitnesses could not confirm that the attacker they had seen was Spasov. Unlike at the time of the incident, in court he appeared much slimmer, with grown hair and beard [photo]. Very few witnesses confirmed his account; most provided quite a different version of the events.
According to them, upon reaching Martin, Spasov hit him in the back with his fist. Martin fell but managed to support himself with one hand. Trying to rise, he shouted “Don't beat me,” but Spasov right away dealt him several lightning strikes in the head with both hands, and then he hit Martin's body with his feet. Some eyewitnesses described the assault's brutality visually, through gesticulations. One of them said that he had seen such bloody beating only in the movies, while another said he could not sleep at night after that. Witnesses who tried to approach Martin were prevented by another corpulent man who identified himself as a plainclothes policeman. Some of them were told, “get lost or you'll get some yourself.”
Accounts of other police officers
The first uniformed policemen arriving at the crime scene confirmed they had spoken to Martin at the stage. After the rush, they were called by people from the crowd, and when they arrived there, Spasov told them Martin got sick. One of the policemen said he did not ID anyone, nor did he ask the people gathered around what happened. According to him, this might have been a mistake. They didn't ID Spasov because he looked like a person from the security detail. They did not notice traces of violence on Martin. Next on the scene arrived a female medical doctor and a nurse, who confirmed the death, but did not notice traces of violence. The CSI squad members who arrived next noticed injuries and defensive wounds on Martin's face and body. They informed the Ministry of the Interior's Operative Center of eyewitness accounts about the chase and physical assault.
Some ten policemen from Spasov's unit who were at the square that night also appeared in Court. Spasov claimed that–like him–they were also on duty at that time. All of them, without exception, denied this and stated that they were on the square as regular citizens, and that their work engagement ended before midnight. Even though these witnesses had the most contradictory statements… they supported the official position of the Ministry of the Interior that they and Spasov work for the day had ended at 23:30, i.e. before the election victory celebration started. During the last session, the Court stated that to qualify the act as “murder” the fact whether Spasov was on duty or not was irrelevant. This ended his efforts to prove that he was at his workplace at the time [Remark: this is related to the issue of command responsibility.]
Experts’ testimonies
During [the tenth] session, the reasons for Martin's death were examined. A neuro-psychiatrist and a psychologist stated that Spasov was an extrovert, an ambitious and persistent person, insecure in the area of emotional control. During the event he was mentally capable, and was provoked by Martin's attempt to escape as a challenge to his power. Forensic experts described the over 20 external and internal injuries caused by direct or indirect punches. Cause of death was bleeding in the brain, caused by direct application of blunt, dynamic, fast and short-term force, which excluded the possibility that he died because he hit his head on the pavement.
Prof. Mirjana Najchevska documented [mk] many procedural mishaps during the first session of the trial, related to violating articles 309, 314, 320, 327, 333, and 335 of the Criminal Code by the female judge who acted very friendly to the audience:
Before the trial ended, the movement against police brutality organized several public debates. During one of them, an important issue “neglected” by the court was raised. Activist Tamara Atanasoska recounted [mk] on her blog:
[A lady from the audience who presented herself as a professor who teaches criminal evidence subjects to postgraduates] asked where the recordings from the video cameras at the square were? Alongside numerous state-owned surveillance cameras, there are also cameras from private companies like T-Mobile, which can be obtained without problem with a Court Order […]. She also stated that in Great Britain surveillance recordings are “top evidence.”
Deputy Ombudsman was asked if the recordings could be requested, and he responded that it was outside of their competence. As previously the Ombudsman representative commended his institution for doing everything they could, the lady asked if they requested the recordings during the investigation?
The response, as expected, was – no.
Spasov appeared clean-shaven, bald and muscular again while giving his closing statement (photo). He claimed [mk] he did not strike the death blow to Martin's head and pointed at involvement of other policemen: “I believed that the fall caused the boy's death, but if you carefully observe the postmortem photo, you can see that the surface of the bruise near Martin's nose is too big for a fist blow, while the Court did not even examine the option of the previous hit through headbanging…”
Spasov said [mk] that he had his reasons for not telling the whole truth and directly addressed the family. If he knew the youth was wounded, he would have brought him to hospital. He said “God is his witness” and alluded that he was being used as a scapegoat: “…if you look for an accused – here I stand, but if you want the truth, don't look at me!”
After the Court announced the sentence, the movement against police brutality organized a street protest in Skopje [mk], demanding full responsibility for all those involved in the crime.
Protest after the passing of the sentence in Skopje. Banner says "Life > Political Party". Photo by Plusinfo.mk, used with permission
On January 19, the movement “Citizens for European Macedonia” held a public debate on the topic of “Accomplices in the Crime” [mk, full video available within the article]:
According to human rights expert Mirjana Najchevska, the accomplices are all persons who influenced the course of events during and immediately after the murder. These include the public prosecutor and the investigative judge who failed to visit the crime scene on time, and did not secure the area; the policemen who did not detain Igor Spasov, but helped him move the body; and other state organs, involving those persons who tried to cover up Neshkoski's murder. For Najchevska, the act of killing, the investigation, and the court process represent an act of state torture. An indicative fact is that the Court did not declassify the official secret status of police data, even though it could have done it without asking the Ministry of Interior for permission.
Martin's brother Aleksandar Neshkoski stated that the police officers brought in as witnesses provided inconsistent/illogical statements, and the judge interrupted and ended the testimonies of all who wanted to provide more details, without asking further questions. Aleksandar expressed disappointment with the investigation and the trial. As an example of involvement of the highest state organs, he noted the fact that Martin had his ID in his pocket, but the Ministry of the Interior hid his identity for two days after the murder. The victim's brother said that the family dis not think Spasov's sentence was satisfactory and announced seeking responsibility of all the accomplices – if necessary, through the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
During the Q & A part, Aleksandar pointed out that he was receiving direct threats on a daily basis, but that he was not scared and would continue to seek justice.
Zharko Trajanoski, Mirjana Najchevska and Aleksandar Neshkoski at the public debate in the GEM Club in Skopje, Jan 19, 2012. Photo: Vancho Dzambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
This post is part of our special coverage Macedonia Protests 2011.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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South Korea: ‘Torture Expert’-Turned-Pastor Loses Pastorship Amid Criticism · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Lee Geun-an is a former ‘torture expert’, notorious for his brutal ways of torture on numerous democratic activists under authoritarian rules in 1970s and 80s. After serving 7 years in prison, he became a Protestant pastor, but was kicked out of his job as his shameless and unrepenting comments prompt public criticism [ko].

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Bhutan: State Funding For Political Parties · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay engages in a debate whether state funding for political parties is legal in Bhutan.

author: Rezwan


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Brazil: Occupation dwellers surprised by violent illegal eviction · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Solidariedade Pinheirinho [pt] recounts the surprise with which the Pinheirinho occupation, in Sao Jose dos Campos near Sao Paulo, was surprised this morning: “Pinheirinho is being evacuated in a violent and ostentatious way by the Military Police despite the court ruling to the contrary! THE ACTION IS ILLEGAL! [There are] Helicopters, bombs, shootings rubber, everything imaginable. “


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Iran: Barbie dolls under attack · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian police close down shops selling Barbie dolls in Tehran. Sabzgosh says” Iranian police has banned selling Barbies dolls.For Iran's police Barbie dolls are considered as an instrument in the Western soft war against Islamic Republic.”

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Political prisoners in a cold jail · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

While Tehran is experiencing snow and severe cold weather, there are serious concerns over prisoners’ safety in the major prison, Evin. Saeid Pourheydar, former prisoner, writes [fa]: “The only heating system in solitary confinement cells at [Theran's prion] Evin's ward 240 is a warm water pipe. Now the prison has been out of gasoline for past couple of days. That's cold there.”

author: Hadi Nili


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Iran:Press TV loses UK licence  · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Press TV, the Iranian state-run English-language TV, lost the license in UK due to what Ofcom says “breaching the Communications Act”. Maziar Nazemi, a presenter at Iran state-run TV believes [fa]: “It is obvious that every media is fulfilling the goals of its sponsors. So Ofcom's decision is a political one”. On the other hand, Mizan Ghalam supports UK decisions and considers[fa] “justice is done”.


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Pakistan: Hate Speech Against Ahmadiya Muslims · Global Voices
Rezwan

Saira Ahmad condemns sectarian Jiyalas’ hate speech against Ahmadiyya Muslims. The blogger thinks it was a major crime of the PPP as well as other parties in Pakistan’s parliament in 1974 to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims.