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Five Issues that Matter to Kyrgyzstan’s Girl-Activists · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

Images showing solidarity with women that have suffered from violence. Photo by Devochki-Aktivisti of Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan's devochki-activistki (girl-activists) are girls aged between 13 and 17-years-old fighting for equality, justice and diversity in a challenging environment for girls’ rights.
One of the key elements of their project is a blog in which the group publishes letters from girls living in Kyrgyzstan's regions, where a culture of patriarchy tends to prevail.
In addition to the blog, devochki-activistki also express their will to participate on an equal basis in Kyrgyz society through art, poetry, music. They encourage youth to get involved in the HeForShe movement for gender equality and make education, sport, health rights and other opportunities equally open for girls and boys.
This week Global Voices sat down with Aishoola Aisaeva (17) and found out about the issues that motivate the devochki-aktivistki to carry out their work in the country.
“People think that feminism is about hating men,” says Aisaeva. “But it is about opposing violence.”
Issue 1: Education
Aishoola Aisaeva: Education is an important issue in Kyrgyzstan, especially for girls. Having held youth camps in 2013, we began raising this question at forums, and we came to understand that parents prefer to support sons rather than daughters, when it comes to education.
Schools use out-dated, patriarchal textbooks, mostly authored by men, that only teach about men’s role in Kyrgyz history and society and ignore women and their bodies.
The following is an excerpt from a letter written to us by a girl living in the Chui province that surrounds the capital, Bishkek:
I never leave my house after school. And I see nothing new, every day is the same: a mountain of unwashed dishes, cleaning, washing, looking after children. I become exhausted, and then I do not have energy to do my schoolwork – J., 16 years old.
Unfortunately not every girl in Kyrgyzstan is getting the knowledge they need. Somebody goes to school, somebody does not.
We use art and graffiti and organize movie screenings to share experience with other teenagers. On our blog we publish information about famous women scientists, explorers and politicians.
We want to inspire other girls by showing them that women can study science and become involved in politics. Women can play a role in the future of our country, we just need to encourage more girls to become educated and get involved.
Issue 2: Diversity
AA: We are all different. We are from different schools, villages, and age groups.
When we started collecting stories ourselves, we understood how different we are and how different our stories and lives are, but we all need a place where we can be understood and where we can be supported:
I studied in the village (I cannot say where exactly I lived). My aunt is very good and kind, and her daughter is the same. But the most terrible thing is that I constantly experienced sexual harassment, physical and psychological violence, from her sons and my uncle. They said it was because I was a girl that they did that to me.I cried every day, because I couldn’t do anything about it, nobody would believe me. That was my childhood. In those days, I wanted to commit suicide – А., 16 years old.
Issue 3: Health
AA: We also promoting Reproductive Health, because it is really important for us to know about our health rights. This issue is always touched on in our camps, conferences and meetings, we want girls to know more about it and make decisions that concern their own bodies by themselves.
I am already enough of an adult to decide what to do with my body. That is to say – it is my property. But the why does everyone decide for me, how to dress and what to do and what not to do with my body?! I want to shape my eyebrows and cut my hair. But my elder brothers don't let me have that opportunity – J., 15 years old.
Issue 4: Tokenization
AA: Once we attended a forum on violence against women, but we were sitting in the back of the room, despite the fact the topic was connected with girls’ problems. All the other participants were adult, but they were discussing questions that concerned teenage girls. When we got the chance to speak we asked them to look around the circle and answer why we are not the ones discussing our problems? They included us on the list but didn't take what we said seriously.
It is a problem. In society we think that we can't talk for ourselves, but that is because nobody thinks to ask us about things first.
Issue 5: Equality
AA: One of the main goals of the Girl-Activists of Kyrgyzstan is equality. Gender equality concerns everyone and we want girls and boys to make a contribution to it and promote it together.
We are getting stories from girls, who are faced with inequality and discrimination. Girls are telling us that they cannot do the things they want to do because they are not boys and society has built these stereotypes on top of them from childhood. The following excerpt is from a letter sent to us by a girl who wanted to sing the Epic of Manas, a traditional Kyrgyz epic that tells the life story of a mythical warrior king:
I have been a girl Manaschi (storyteller of the Epic of Manas) since I was 3 years old. When I was a child, everyone thought it was great – they considered all children equal. But I grew up, and found that being an older girl is much harder. Beginning when I was 9 years old, everybody started telling me the stereotypes I should follow. And so my favorite pursuit – storytelling – stopped for a while. I had already resigned myself to the fact that I was a girl – К., 13 years old.

author: Chris Rickleton


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How Muslim and Christian Women in Nigeria Banded Together to Fight Violent Extremism · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Nigerian pastor Esther Ibanga joined with Muslim leaders in the city of Jos to call for the return of Chibok girls who were kidnapped by the extremist group Boko Haram. Credit: Women Without Walls Initiative (Willie Abok). Published with PRI's permission
This article and a radio report by Joyce Hackel for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on January 14, 2015 and is republished as part of a content-sharing agreement.
With all eyes turned on France last week, a massacre perpetrated by religious extremists in a northeastern Nigerian town called Baga barely registered around the globe.
That disparity in news coverage jumps out, especially to Nigerians.
Esther Ibanga, a pastor in the town of Jos and a founder of a group called Women Without Walls, says she would have hoped the world would have paid more attention to the Boko Haram assault that took hundreds, perhaps thousands of Nigerian lives.
“I was angry in my heart. But my anger was toward my government,” says Ibanga, the pastor of Jos Christian Missions. “Because my government and my rulers have to value their own people. If you don't value your own people first, why would you expect someone else to value them?”
Jos is the capital of Plateau State in Nigeria's Middle Belt. It lies hundreds of miles south of Boko Haram strongholds in Borno State in Nigeria's northeast. Religious tensions in the Middle Belt pre-date Boko Haram and began most recently in the mid-1990s.
“It's unfortunate, but over the years we sort of got used to it, that Christians and Muslims don't get on well together,” Ibanga says.
Even after the tensions had become commonplace, the severity of a 2010 massacre in the town of Dogo-Nahawa turned Ibanga and other local women into vocal activists.
“The war was taken into the bedrooms,” she says. “The village that was attacked, they actually went right into their bedroom at night when they were sleeping and started killing them.”
In response, Ibgana organized 100,000 women, mainly Christians, in a march through Jos. The idea, she recalls, was “to let the government know the women on the plateau were not going to keep quiet any more.”
But in the weeks that followed, Ibanga and others discovered that the extremist violence in Dogo-Nahawa was in fact a reprisal attack — in response to an earlier assault in the region by Christian militants.
“The Muslim women now reacted and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, our own people were killed as well,'” she recalls. So Muslim women in Jos held their own, separate rally.
But even after the Christian and the Muslim demonstrations, the violent clashes continued. At that point, Ibanga reached out to a local Muslim religious leader, Khadija Hawaja.
“That's when I realized the issue is really not religion, the issue was politics. But religion was used as a very powerful tool,” she says. “I reached out to her and I said, ‘Hey listen, you know we're not each other's problems. It's not about you being a Muslim and me being a Christian. These politicians are knocking our heads together. And it's all about them maintaining power.'”
Because Jos was so politically polarized, the women met on “neutral ground” — in a restaurant.
“She could have been killed,” Ibanga says. “And I could have been killed also, going into a Muslim community.”
After months of collaboration, Ibanga and Hawaja founded the Women Without Walls Initiative.
“We want to do away with the walls that divide and separate us, whether it's the walls of social class or the wall of ethnicity or the walls of religion,” she says. “We really cannot join the politicians in this fight. We are mothers. We are life givers and we are solution bearers. And we think that we should bring solutions to the table, rather than dwell on the problem.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: PRI/PRX's The World


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Activists Urge Pope Francis to Drop Fossil Fuel Investments During Philippines Visit · Global Voices
350.org

Vigil held in Manila calling on Pope Francis to divest the Vatican from investments in fossil fuels. Photo credit: LJ Pasion
This article was written by Jamie Henn for 350.org, an organization building a global climate movement, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
As Pope Francis visited the Philippines, environmentalists and Filipino organizations upped their calls for the Pope to divest the Vatican from fossil fuels. You can join their call to action by clicking here.
“We look to Pope Francis to break the political impasse preventing real action on climate change. Twenty years of climate negotiations have left the world at the mercy of political and economic circles looking to protect their vested interests at the expense of mankind and the planet,” said Yeb Saño, Philippine Climate Change Commissioner. “The climate change crisis is a reflection of a profound global moral crisis, and as such Church organizations play an important role in untangling us from this mess. One way this can be done is for the Church to examine not just the purity of its vestments but where it puts its investments.”
In the Philippines, hundreds gathered in Manila on the evening of January 14 for a vigil calling on the Vatican to divest just hours before the arrival of the pontiff. The next day, a Climate Justice Caravan left the city of Dolores and headed towards Tacloban, where the pope was visiting. In Tacloban, during an organized luncheon with victims from Typhoon Haiyan, the pope was hand delivered a letter including a call for the Vatican to divest from fossil fuels.
“As Pope Francis prepares to visit the impacted communities from Super Typhoon Haiyan, we need him to stand in defence of humankind and the environment, and take the lead in actions that will help prevent further climate catastrophes,” said Lidy Nacpil, a 350.org board member and coordinator of Jubilee South–Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS-APMDD). “One such urgent action is full divestment from the fossil fuel industry. We urge the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church to lead the way.”
Vigil held in Manila calling on Pope Francis to divest the Vatican from investments in fossil fuels. Photo credit: LJ Pasion
The events in the Philippines were organized by local faith groups, theological schools, and development organizations. Around the world, tens of thousands of people have signed onto a petition, circulated by the climate campaign 350.org, that calls on the Vatican to divest. On February 13 and 14, organizations came together for a Global Divestment Day of Action, when activists around the world continued to pressure the Vatican and other institutions to commit to divestment.
Fossil fuel divestment has increasingly gained traction among faith communities. The World Council of Churches recently decided to phase out its holdings in fossil fuels and encouraged its members to do the same. Other religious groups supporting divestment include the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the Quakers in the United Kingdom, the United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalists in the USA, and many more regional and local churches.
Since taking office, Pope Francis has issued several statements in recognition of scientific findings confirming human responsibility for climatic changes and has called on world leaders to take the necessary actions to address the current climate crisis. Later this year, the Pope is expected to present an encyclical on ecology and man’s relationship with nature to serve as a letter of guidance sent to 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests with the goal of reaching the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.
Vigil held in Manila calling on Pope Francis to divest the Vatican from investments in fossil fuels. Photo credit: LJ Pasion


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Indonesia’s Pick for Top Cop is a Suspect in a Bribery Scandal · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

The only nominee for Indonesia's top police post has been named by the country's anti-corruption agency as a suspect in a bribery scandal, prompting many Indonesians to urge President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to cancel the nomination and appoint a police chief with a clean record.
Indonesian activists held a rally demanding a ‘clean’ new national police chief in Jakarta. Photo by Nugroho Budianggoro, Copyright @Demotix (1/18/2015)
According to the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK), Commissioner General Budi Gunawan had several questionable bank transactions when he was stationed at the Indonesian National Police Headquarters. This was corroborated by the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).
A report was submitted to the president, but Gunawan's nomination to the parliament was not withdrawn.
For its part, the National Police Commissioner (Kompolnas) blamed KPK and PPATK for its delayed submission of Gunawan's record. But PPATK chief Muhammad Yusuf said that his agency had filed its official recommendation last October.
Gunawan served as adjutant to former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) that supported Jokowi's candidacy. But many Indonesians reminded Jokowi that he should be accountable to the people and not the politicians who endorsed him:
Ingat selalu Pak @jokowi_do2 Bpk tdk berhutang budi kpd Megawati atau PDIP, Bpk berhutang budi kpd RAKYAT. #TarikBudi
— Sari Widuri (@sarinafa) January 18, 2015
Remember always, Mr. Joko WIdodo, you don't owe anything to Megawati or PDIP, you owe it to the people.
A petition urging Jokowi to withdraw Gunawan's candidacy has already been signed by more than 27,000 people:
Udah tembus 27 ribu! Dukung petisi http://t.co/J8bQNvgXuj juga gak? #PolriBersih
— Change.org Indonesia (@ChangeOrg_ID) January 15, 2015
We reached 27k! Support the petition. #cleannationalpolice
Many also expressed support for the efforts of the KPK to fight corruption in all branches of the government:
kami mndatangi KPK u/ dukung KPK, Polisi Bersih Harga Mati, #TarikBudi @OlgaLy_DIA @jflowrighthere pic.twitter.com/eTRX1UqjEA
— ICW (@sahabatICW) January 15, 2015
We come to KPK to support KPK. A clean police (institution) is a must. #withdrawbudi
The choice of Gunawan for the top police post is even more surprising considering that Jokowi, who was a former governor of Jakarta, the country's capital, became famous for his reformist image and non-traditional leadership. After his victory as president, he introduced the concept of “Nawa Cita” or nine primary agenda of administration, that included reforming the system and eradicating corruption in all law enforcement agencies. After news broke out about Gunawan's tainted record, many asked if Jokowi is already abandoning the idea of “Nawa Cita”:
Jgn langgar janji nawa cita,tolak budi gunawan #PolisiBERSIH #tarikbudi #calonkapolri @PintarPolitik @PartaiSocmed pic.twitter.com/GvHzZo48FM
— Tibiko Zabar P. (@bikozp) January 18, 2015
Don't violate the Nawa Cita, say no to Budi Gunawan. #cleanpolice #withdrawlbudi #policechiefnominee.
Blogger Ferizal Rami offered his insight on the murky side of Gunawan's appointment:
PDIP itu tidak sepenuhnya di bawah Jokowi. PDIP itu di bawah Mega. […] Birokrasi juga „enggan“ dekat dengan Jokowi karena banyak kebijakan Jokowi mengganggu „zona nyaman“ para pejabat birokrat. Di titik ini secara realitas jika Jokowi BERANI menentang maunya Mega dengan menolak BG maka ini „harakiri“ politik! […] kita semua tahu bahwa Mega itu punya jejak rekam buruk tentang BLBI yang saat ini sedang dikotak-katik KPK. Sangat mungkin Mega benar-benar butuh BENTENG yang melindunginya yaitu Kapolri yang siap sikat habis pihak-pihak yang berani otak-atik BLBI. Di titik ini bagi saya, Jokowi cukup cerdas untuk berkelit dalam situasi sulit dengan pilihan-pilihan sulit.
Jokowi doesn't control PDIP, Mega does. Bureaucracy is reluctant to be close to Jokowi because many of his policies attack the comfort zone of bureaucrats. At this point [we can see that] if Jokowi defies Mega by declining BG's candidacy, then he'll be doing a political hara-kiri. We all know that Mega is implicated in BLBI scandal, one of KPK's active investigations. Highly likely Mega needs a fortress to protect her, in this case a National Police Chief who will charge everyone who dares to snoop on [the] BLBI case. At this point, I think Jokowi is wise enough to dodge the impossible situation by carrying out unpopular decisions.
Jokowi responded to the public uproar by postponing the nomination of Gunawan until the KPK has finished its probe.

author: Juke Carolina


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One Month on, Pakistanis Pledge to #NeverForget the Horrific Peshawar School Massacre · Global Voices
Sana Jamal

British Pakistanis protested against terrorism and hosted a vigil outside the Pakistani high commission building in London for the victims of the Peshawar school attack in December 2014. Image by Geovien So. Copyright Demotix (16/1/2015)
Pakistanis around the world remembered the victims of the Peshawar school attack exactly one month after the tragedy with vigils and demonstrations, expressing solidarity with the families of slain children and demanding firm actions from the government against extremism.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar on 16 December 2014, killing 145 people, including over 130 children.
Ceremonies and protest vigils were held in different cities around Pakistan on 16 January, including in Islamabad, Karachi, Abbottabad, Sialkot, Sargodha, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Jhelum, Jhelum Cantt, Bahawalpur, Dera Allah Yaar, Sukkur, Larkana, and Nawabshah.
In addition to Pakistan, social media campaign ‘Pakistanis against Terrorism’, organized by the Never Forget movement, arranged global protests in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and Kenya to stand united against extremism, sectarian violence and injustice.
Collage of Global Protests. Image courtesy Sana Jamal.
The campaigners urged overseas Pakistanis to join the protest campaign “not just by sending funds, but by going to Pakistani embassies wherever they live” to give a strong message to the government.
In Mumbai, the victims were remembered during a marathon:
#PeshawarAttack remembered at #MumbaiMarathon :( pic.twitter.com/CW6CSNtYWu
— Mohsin Khan (@mohsinnow) January 18, 2015
A spirited demonstration was held outside a Pakistani consulate in Houston in the United States:
“@Irumf: Protesting Against #Terrorism in #Houston #PeshawarAttack #ReclaimPakistan #ArrestAbdulAziz pic.twitter.com/ENS23K7bst“
— Syed Muhammad Ashraf (@SyedMuhammadAsh) January 17, 2015
London saw a protest too:
London. Pakistanis protesting against terrorism. Proud. So Proud. #NeverForget #PeshawarAttack @NeverForgetpk pic.twitter.com/kt0RLgqgMK
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) January 16, 2015
Demonstrations in Pakistan
Pakistan has seen many vigils since the attack in December, but one particular protest that emerged from the capital has turned into a movement: the Never Forget campaign. Sparked after controversial Islamabad-based cleric Abdul Aziz initially refused to condemn the Peshawar attack, the movement demands Abdul Aziz's arrest and urges the government to adopt a zero tolerance policy against militants and extremist mindsets.
Spearheaded by lawyer and social activist Mohammad Jibran Nasir, the campaign aims “to ensure that we remember the thousands of brave souls Pakistan has lost due to terrorism and religious extremism.” In an interview, Nasir explained the idea behind the movement: “We are trying to empower the people of Pakistan into setting a precedent. We want to tell them that if they stand united and be loud and consistent enough to be protesting even after a month of the tragedy, then action can be taken against the likes of Abdul Aziz.”
On 16 January, the Never Forget campaign organized country-wide rallies. Demonstrators in Karachi chanted slogans such as “Reclaim your mosques”, “Arrest Abdul Aziz”and “Silence is Criminal”.
In Lahore, a human chain was formed at the Army Public School to protest against the killings.
In Islamabad, citizens, civil society members and political representatives gathered to mark the one-month anniversary and restate their resolve to fight violence. Protesters in the capital city also placed over a hundred mock coffins as a symbolic reminder of the horror witnessed on 16 December in Peshawar.
.@NeverForgetpk Aabpara chowk, 141 coffins to honour the victims of Peshawar and other terrorist attacks. pic.twitter.com/rXCVm7HQ5j
— Amber Rahim Shamsi (@AmberRShamsi) January 16, 2015
Government Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid also participated in a candle vigil organized outside Parliament House in Islamabad, saying the nation is united against militants and emphasizing that no militant will be given refuge in Pakistan.
But activists who could not hold back their anger against the government shouted against Abdul Aziz, demanding his arrest, which forced the minister to cut short his speech and eventually leave the venue.
Collage of local protests. Image by Sana Jamal.
Tributes in music and sport
Pakistan’s national cricket team visited children who were injured during the attack. Cricketers were quite impressed by the spirit of the kids. “The kids gave us tremendous courage and wished the best for us in the coming World Cup” said the team captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
Players of Pakistan Cricket team @SAfridiOfficial & @iamAhmadshahzad with students of Army Public School, Peshawar. pic.twitter.com/6UWj5fcXcE
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) January 17, 2015
As the students of Army Public School returned to school on 12 January, the military media outlet Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a touching musical tribute to honour the memories of young victims slain in the horrific attack. Many people shared the touching  song. It conveys a message of conviction and resilience from a slain child to extremists in response to the massacre.
The main verse of the song is packed with emotions: Main aisi qoum se hoon jis kay woh bachon se darta hai … Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai (I am from a nation whose children frighten him… Some enemy he is, he who targets children):

author: Sana Jamal


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Georgians Show Solidarity after Family is Massacred in Armenia · Global Voices
Joseph A. Smith

Georgians show solidarity outside the Armenian embassy. Photo by Joseph Smith.
Residents of the Georgian capital Tbilisi have expressed their solidarity with neighbouring Armenia, which is reeling from the bloody murder of seven members of the same family by a Russian serviceman in the northern city of Gyumri.
Georgians and members of the local Armenian community paid their respects to the dead by laying floral tributes and lighting candles outside the Armenian Embassy in central Tbilisi on Saturday January 17. The event was organized on Facebook by Georgian Social Science student Giorgi Chinchaladze and attended by up to 60 people.
The Georgian capital is home to around 80,000 ethnic Armenians according to census data from 2002. There is also a sizeable Armenian population in the southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region, where they make up the majority of residents of two cities – Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda.
Prayers were said at the gathering. Photo by Joseph Smith.
In the multicultural Tbilisi of the Russian Imperial period, the Armenian community formed the single largest ethnic group and the influence and wealth of the community is evident in the many Armenian-built mansions in the city’s older quarters. Tbilisi has also long been a centre of Armenian cultural life, home to poet and musician Sayat Nova, Soviet-era film maker Sergei Parajanov and writer Hovhannes Tumanyan.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry also released a statement on Saturday condemning the “shocking and terrible” murders. Tbilisi Armenians also gathered in the Saint Etchmiadzin Armenian Apostolic Church in the Avlabari district on Sunday afternoon for a memorial service led by Bishop Vazgen, the leader of Georgia’s Armenian Apostolic faithful.
Armenia is still staggering in the wake of the fatal shooting on Monday of six members of the Avestisyan family in Gyumri, home to the 102 Russian Military base. Russian serviceman Valery Permyakov has been charged with the murders of Seryozha Avetisyan, his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter after allegedly entering their house in search of drinking water. A six month-old baby who was also discovered at the scene with stab wounds was taken to hospital, but died a week later.
Permyakov fled the scene of the killings and was apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday morning by Armenian border guards in the vicinity of the Turkish border. His handover to Russian military commanders on Tuesday has angered locals, with daily protests in both Gyumri and the Armenian capital Yerevan demanding that Permyakov be handed back to Armenian law enforcement agencies.
One sign placed outside the embassy read ““Government of Armenia: Rid your country of an army of killers” in Armenian and Russian.
“This is probably the first time in the history of Gyumri when the Military Base was semi-attacked,” Tbilisi-based journalist Arsen Kharatyan, who was at the protests in Gyumri and attended the rally in Tbilisi, told Global Voices. “Coins and small stones were thrown at the building. They were throwing money probably to show that the Armenian government sold out [to the Russian authorities].”
The failure to hand Permyakov to Armenian prosecutors is a source of ongoing tension between demonstrators and the authorities in Armenia. “Gyumri was always known to be more pro-Russian and it has a lot of its people working in Russia” Kharatyan adds. “This was a nerve that no one calculated would become such a big deal. The emotion is less anti-Russian, but people are starting to understand that the local authorities have no power when dealing with Russia.”
While Armenians have been directing their frustrations more at the government that at Russia, at the rally in Tbilisi there were clear currents of anti-Russian sentiment beneath a dominant mood of neighbourly solidarity. Next to the floral tributes outside the embassy, a sign was posted saying “Government of Armenia: Rid your country of an army of killers” in Armenian and Russian.
“As friends and neighbours, we share each other’s sorrows,” said Giorgi Badridze, former Georgian ambassador to the UK, at the rally. “I really appreciate that people without official association are showing their solidarity here.”
“As Georgians, we don’t believe that Russian troops bring with them stability, including to Armenia” he continued. “The Military presence doesn’t necessarily serve Armenian interests. They had hoped that Russia would be a guarantor of their security but this has ended badly in the past.”
University lecturer Giorgi Mchedlishvili echoed similar sentiments at the rally. “First and foremost this is the tragedy of one family, but it’s also a tragedy for the whole nation and I just want to express my sincere condolences,” he said.
“However, if [Permyakov] was mentally unstable, he shouldn’t have been allowed to serve in the Russian army, and therefore the country, Russia, bears responsibility,” he added.
A wreath is laid outside the Armenian embassy in central Tbilisi. Photo by Joseph Smith.

author: Joseph A. Smith


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Hong Kong Police Make Appointments With Occupy Central Activists For Their Arrests · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Hong Kong police made arrest appointment with 4 members of student activist group, Scholarism on 16 of January 2015. Photo from inmediahk.net's Facebook page.
Most of us are used to booking a dinner table. How would you react if the police made an appointment with you for an arrest? This may sound ludicrous, but so far Hong Kong police have done just that with more than 50 activists in the aftermath of the massive sit-in protests dubbed Occupy Central Movement, a series of protests demanding a genuine universal suffrage of Hong Kong's top leaders.
The activists were arrested under the allegations of inciting and participating in illegal assembly between September and December of last year. Although they were released after the “arrest appointments”, the activists believe the arrest action is meant to create an atmosphere of white terror so that ordinary citizens would be hesitant to participate in future protest action. But the police defended their position by saying that they were just being “civilized” in their action.
Lam Shun Hin, a student activist from Scholarism, described on Facebook the “civilized” phone call he received from the police “organized crime” department on January 6 (via Scholarism's page):
「喂，林淳軒，我係有組織罪案 ……」
當我十點幾收到咁提神ge morning call
我就知可能要被直接拘捕了，結果係…
「我地懷疑你涉嫌召集及組織未經批准集結， 想請你下星期返去協助調查。」
「係咪會直接拘捕？」
「係。」
親愛的朋友請放心，衝入公民廣場當天我亦被捕了，心理上一早已有準備。公民抗命，無畏無懼。
我依然相信上帝教我們行公義，好憐憫。面對白色恐怖，我只能存謙卑的心與神同行。
‘Hi, Lam Shun Hin, I am from the organized crime unit…’
The morning call at 10am woke me up and I knew that I would probably be arrested…
‘We suspected that you were involved in the planning and organization of unauthorized assembly and would like to invite you to help out our investigation next week.’
‘Are you going to arrest me instantly on that day?’
‘Yes.’
Dear Friends, please don't be worried. When I rushed into the Civic Square [which is outside the government headquarter on September 27, 2014, an incident that triggered the massive protests], I was also arrested. I have prepared for this psychologically. I am fearless to take the consequence of civil disobedience.
I believe that God teaches us to exercise justice on earth and be compassionate to our fellows. When facing white terror, I will work with God with my humble heart.
Wong Hoi Ming, an experienced activist who has been arrested several times in the past two years, explained why the police arrested them in such a manner:
為甚麼警察這麼笨，明明不起訴，卻又讓他們「無條件釋放」，等下次正式拘捕又要重頭做一次程序呢？答案很簡單，因為警察以及律政司根本完全沒有準備好上庭的資料。哪為何不等到準備好才出擊大肆起訴拘捕呢？答案也很簡單，因為警務處處長曾偉雄在清場後曾聲言要在三個月內把佔領者「緝拿歸案」。
又捉又放，其實說到尾只是因為警務處處長的一句話，可以耀武揚威，向中共展示自己「高效率」。這樣看來，不論是被捕者，連警員都成為了政治工具，讓處長可以逞英雄。
How come they perform in such [a] stupid manner. They had not decided that they would sue them and release them without any condition [the activists refuse to pay any bail]. By doing so, they have to start all the procedures of the arrest again if they decide to proceed with the prosecution. The answer is simple. The police and the Department of Justice had not prepared the legal documents for [the] court proceeding. Then why don't they wait until they have enough materials for prosecution before they arrest the activists? The answer is also simple, because the Police Head Andy Tsang had openly claimed that they would ‘arrest’ the occupation protest activists within three months after the protest sites were cleared.
The arrest and the release is to serve the Police Head's public statement. To show that the police authority is powerful and to show to the Chinese Communist Party that he is ‘effective’. From such [an] angle, both the police officers and the arrestees have been turned into political tools for creating the heroic image of the police head.
In all senses, the “civilized” arrest by appointment is full of dark humor, which was captured in a viral photo circulated online over the weekend. The photo shows three ancient figures, the most remarkable heroes of the Three Kingdoms Period – Liu Beij, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei – standing outside the Mong Kok Police Station. Interestingly, Guan Yu, who represents justice, is a God worshipped by many local police officers. Netizens quipped that the police had also booked these three historic figures for arrest appointments.
Three ancient Chinese heroes standing outside Mong Kok Police Station. Netizens wondered if they also had appointment with the police. Photo from Mocking Jer's Facebook Page.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
The Leading Cause of Death in Developing Countries Might Surprise You · Global Voices
Ensia

A landfill fire in Fada-Ngourma, Gourma Province, Burkina Faso. Photo by Flickr user lepetitNicolas. CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0
This post by Richard Fuller was originally published on Ensia.com, a magazine that highlights international environmental solutions in action, and is republished here according to a content-sharing agreement.
What’s the leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries?
A.  malnutrition and undernutrition
B.  tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS
C.  pollution
If you guessed “C,” you got it. Exposures to polluted soil, water and air (both household and ambient) killed 8.4 million people in these countries in 2012.
Another statistic worth pondering: that 8.4 million is out of about 9 million people killed by pollution worldwide in 2012. In other words, this is not a “rich country” problem. This is a problem contained to the developing world.
To put this in perspective, World Health Organization statistics show that 56 million people died in 2012 — that’s every person who passed away on the planet, whether from car accidents, suicides, old age, cancer, hospital errors, lightning strike, infectious diseases, parachute failures, war or any number of other reasons. So, pollution killed nearly one in seven of them.
Contaminated outdoor air accounted for 3.7 million deaths. Another 4.2 million people died from particulates exposure in indoor air from cooking stoves. About 1 million died from chemicals and contaminated soil and water. And 840,000 succumbed to poor sanitation. All of these data come directly from the WHO’s website and databases, except for the soil statistics, which are sourced from more recent numbers (likely understated) from the Global Alliance for Health and Pollution.
In the same year, 2012, 625,000 people died from malaria, 1.5 million from HIV/AIDS and 930,000 from tuberculosis. That’s one-third the number of people that pollution kills, and yet this troika of terrible diseases attracts over $20 billion per year from international charities and governments.
It’s important to note that pollution rarely kills people directly or quickly. Instead, it causes heart disease, chest infections, cancers, respiratory diseases or diarrhea. Pollution acts as a catalyst, increasing the rates of these diseases above normal. For this reason, the WHO considers pollution a risk factor — a threat to human health similar to obesity, smoking, malnutrition or poor exercise. But pollution is the king of all risk factors. Worldwide, its fatality numbers dwarf those caused by any other risk factor in any other context.
It’s hard to imagine just how bad it can be. Try, though, to imagine this scenario:
You wake up each day on the dirt floor of a shack you and your family lashed together with cast-off materials from a nearby construction site for a five-star hotel. Your husband works 70 hours a week sorting chemicals in a badly run pesticides factory. Lately, he’s come home coughing up blood. He looks thinner and more exhausted each week, and you want to tell him to stop, but how can you? The pennies he earns are the only things feeding your kids.
So you head to the local pond with your plastic bucket. The water you scoop from the pond is brown and stinks of human waste, but there’s nothing else to drink. You try straining it through cheesecloth, but it doesn’t do much good. Meanwhile, the factory next door to your slum, the one the government recently shut down, has started operating again — but only at night. Its chimneys pump out serpents of thick smoke, and there’s no way of knowing what’s burning. Last week, your eldest child started coughing through the night. The rest of your children are sickly and slow to learn even the most basic concepts. None of your friends or family can help you since, curiously, almost everyone in your neighborhood has the same problems.
Our economy is global and so are the pollutants it generates.
You are one of the poisoned poor, without voice and without hope. Regulations that might exist to combat the conditions are never enforced. You cannot simply pick up and move to another town — it took you years to establish yourself to this extent. And anyway, where exactly would you go? Every village shares this plight. Like the rest of the world’s underprivileged, you have become cannon fodder in the ongoing war of growth.
Our economy is global and so are the pollutants it generates. Contaminated air from China can now be measured in other countries. Mercury from gold mining and coal plants can be found in fish, and arsenic has been found in rice.
Many highly polluting industries have moved from developed countries to poor countries with less environmental regulation and technology to manage and remediate chemicals. Clean technologies and green growth are possible for emerging economies and can prevent decades of future contamination that will harm us all. Western nations have had success in cleaning up pollution and can now transfer technology and funding to low- and middle-income countries.
Of critical importance is making sure pollution is included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which look at how to achieve future development sustainably after the current Millennium Development Goals expire this year.
Prioritizing the prevention and cleanup of pollution will not only save lives, but also mitigate climate change and reduce threats to biodiversity. Glancing through the program priorities of major international organizations, the low priority of pollution is startling, given its impact. The likely reason for this is a lack of awareness, as well as not knowing where to begin to address this complex set of problems.
Of critical importance is making sure pollution is included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which look at how to achieve future development sustainably after the current Millennium Development Goals expire this year and include topics such as ending poverty, promoting sustainable agriculture, ensuring equitable education and more. The current draft does not include a goal for pollution on its own, although pollution is included in the health goal. That text — sub-goal 3.9 — currently calls to reduce death and disability from all types of pollution. This language needs to stay in the final text, because the SDGs will define international and national efforts for the coming years.
The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution is galvanizing resources to help low- and middle-income countries address priority pollution problems. In addition to education on all forms of pollution, GAHP helps countries:
The technology and knowledge exists in wealthy countries to address this health and economic threat. Solutions can be implemented in low- and middle-incomes countries for a fraction of the cost spent in the West addressing legacy toxic pollutants from industrialization.
Which means pollution is not inevitable. It is a problem that is solvable in our lifetime.
Richard Fuller is president of Pure Earth (formerly Blacksmith Institute) and a founding member of the Global Alliance for Health and Pollution. He tweets from @BlacksmithInst.

author: Ensia


text:
A Musical Feast: Puerto Rico Indie’s List of the Best 14 Albums of 2014  · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

“The Best 14 Albums of 2014.” Image from Puerto Rico Indie.
Here is a list of the best albums of 2014, originally published by the author on his blog PuertoRicoIndie.com.
When I was little I used to carefully study the year-end lists submitted by music magazines that arrived at the nearest pharmacy. Whether it was Spin or Rolling Stone or others, they provided me with one last opportunity to find out the best albums that I had missed during the year -which by then were most of its recommendations. Then, I became familiar with the names of those listed artists and the covers of their albums —years later, I would be looking for some of these classics to add to my collection.
Today, I check the listings of excessive numbers of international media, sometimes finding the same albums reorganized in a different order, with occasional changes or additions to give some character to the selection. These differences are precisely those that are looked for by those of us who have a voracious musical appetite; for discovering new music, there is no worse enemy than consensus.
That is the use of an exercise like this, although the overwhelming abundance of the Internet is gradually stealing its true charm. It is not a prize for artists -there are enough of these. Nor is it to put an end to the year. Perhaps it will serve to ignite discussion among fans and the obsessive —and haters and hipsters and trolls, and those who want to join in from any corner of the Internet. But above all, I think of the year-end lists as a service to curious ears.
That's why I have encouraged myself to share, for the fifth consecutive year, my favorite albums of the independent scene in Puerto Rico, with the hope that it serves as a guide to those who do not follow it so closely or just found out about it. Consider it a starting point for the discovery and discussion, and an open invitation to send me your recommendations.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
2014 ushered in a wave of female voices within punk music –some of them making their debut in the circuit, other veteran voices retaking their career with new energy– from Perfect Pussy to Ex Hex and from White Lung to The Muffs. Puerto Rico is not far behind: Dada Berlín broke into El Local, Nuestro Son and Club 77 thanks to the power and kinetic presence of their vocalist Pequeña Vera, and a handful of songs, some as sharp as necessary.
Fortunately these songs were recorded on a shared album alongside Hungary Hippos under the name of Lickety Split EP. Every time the young singer uncovers the chorus of “Siete/trece”, we live again one of the most cathartic moments captured on a song this year, in which she steals the words from the object of her criticism: “I will spill blood on your pretty face.” Definitely a talent to follow in the coming year.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
The International Dub Ambassadors rocketed to stardom this year after they were selected to open the massive concert that Calle 13 celebrated in early December as the final date of their Multi_Viral tour, and again the next day, when the professor Inés Quiles dedicated airtime on her radio program Si No lo Digo Reviento to mark the group as “unfit” of having played in front of that audience. What was her problem with Ambassadors Dub? “It seemed that there was a kind of worship, an altar, a church to worship marijuana,” said the professor.
So now you know, if you seek to worship marijuana, this album comes with the highest recommendation of Inés Quiles. And if you want to listen a good record of classic style dub reggae, played by musicians of the highest caliber, then you have our additional recommendation.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
A Flying Dodo Society achieved their first installment of songs with this EP, released just before moving to Brooklyn, where I suppose that they were greeted with open arms and larger audiences, more used to Belle & Sebastian’s folk-pop than most boricuas*.
The duo, composed of Federico Ausbury and Maira Vergara, has created a wonderful world inhabited by their songs, full of melody and sing-alongs, giving a participative character (which the group was able to translate during their live show) to moments that often sound intimate and revealing. Among the highlight songs of the EP are “We Ate the Sun” and “Cake in July”, both funny, complex and full of a contagious energy that dug a special space for the group in many of our hearts.
*Another name for Puerto Ricans
SELF-RELEASED
SOUNDCLOUD
Originally from San Germán, La Futura Prole is a young band that on their first EP shows great handling of their own musical identity —a mixture of elements of blues, jazz and progressive rock, surf, punk and even carnival touches of polka. All this hodgepodge allows the quartet to explore different musical avenues without being tied to conventional song structures; however, we can perceive an affinity for melody that places the band on more pop than experimental trails. Among the six songs on the EP, “El Himno” and “Los Muñequitos” stand out, although in general there is not much to complain about here.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
Samuel Vidal Quintero, the talented composer and keyboardist of the beloved salsa orchestra, El Macabeo, is also responsible for one of the most exciting hip hop albums of the year. El S.eis is his sixth and most successful album under the stage name El S.
With a good dose of collaborations and excellent tracks, “el S.eis” is both a celebration and a testament of how Quintero has matured as an artist. “No Me Mires” is a fun but politically charged song in which El S. and rapper EBRS tell us about the experience of being constantly judged by their appearance. Likewise, the album alternates between songs spanning the jangueo*, as “Pasta y Queso” and “Pacotilla”, and more confessional and dramatic songs like “Mario Bro” and “Sangre X Sangre”.
*To hang out
LAST BUMMER RECORDS
BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY
Thralls to Strange Witchcraft, the fourth album by Fantasmes, continues the exploration of atmospheric sounds into psychedelia, sometimes using the Velvets as a roadmap and taking time to engage in a groove to slowly expand that sound to new horizons. The result is mysterious, sometimes baffling, sometimes soporific, sometimes sensual.
Through these four songs, the band proves once again that they are masters of the record studio, looking for an ascetic perfection that we will be more than happy to enjoy once they achieve it. Bonus points for one of the best combinations of title and cover in a local release.
CHACHO RECORDS
BANDCAMP
After an exhaustive and intense European tour, the garage-rock group Los Vigilantes returned to Puerto Rico with a new album under its arm. Appropriately titled Al Fin, it perfectly reflects the group’s melodic surf punk: as contagious as melancholic, it makes you shake your body to get undressed and to celebrate too.
Towards the center of the album Los Vigilantes hide the best run of songs that they have ever shared: “Pobre niña,” which includes a fabulous sax solo by Cadillac and the honorary boricua, Sergio Rotman; the sticky and sweet and sour “Ahí ya no estoy”, the second single from the album; and “Todo me da igual” with its chorus of “pa-pa-pa-pa-pas” designed for drunk singing with your friends.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
The Puerto Rican “indie” scene usually leans more towards rock sub-genres like Punk, Metal, Garage, Pop and Experimental, so it is well worth it to pay attention when a band like Sr. Langosta arises pushing our limits and moving the audience in new directions. Led by guitarist Jorge Andrés Ferreras, the trio of Acid Jazz and Funk revealed in his debut high technical musical skills with more playful trends, with a larger band of musicians willing to merge Caribbean and Latin rhythms with the influence of Classic Rock heroes like Jimi Hendrix. The production includes versions of the classics “Babe I'm gonna leave you” and “Machine Gun”, and Ferreras’ original compositions, including “Doido” a light guitar walk in the sun, shameless, and the perfect entry point to this excellent first production of the group.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
Los Wálters are both one of the most trusted and least pretentious bands on the scene. Since the arrival of their debut EP in 2011 they have shown total control of a musical concept fully developed, completed with a strong and convincing visual identity: in summary, Los Wálters want you to dance and have a great time together. In Verano Panorámico, the group exposes their ambition behind all the dancing, having created a concept album (with a photographic essay) about giving a tour of the island, going for a walk in its fields, beaches and, yes, its developments too. The group’s energy is contagious, even when melancholy notes peek into the mix – of course, not everything is celebration and excitement in the modern Puerto Rico, but Los Wálters invite us to remember the paradisiac qualities of our environment.
SELF-RELEASED
BANDCAMP
Piegrande is one of several projects involving the talent of guitarist Kristian Prieto, one of the secret weapons of Alegría Rampante, also known for his solo project, Harry Rag. Gallos Laser [“cool title, bro” -ed] is the second installment of his instrumental rock trio, which includes Eden Cruz (drums) and Christian Robledo (bass) as rhythmic base, adding the participation of trumpeter Gabriel Beauchamp from Orquesta El Macabeo on songs like the delicious first single “Pro Zack Morris” and the frantic “Trapecista”.
Piegrande achieves with his music an imaginative mix of rock, jazz and prog, full of life and endowed with an adventurous spirit. It is easy to imagine actors (or the same band) doing twirls and stunts when listening to it.
KITSUNÉ / DISCOS DIÁSPORA
SPOTIFY
Buscabulla was undoubtedly the musical revelation of 2014. When we invited them to play their first show in Puerto Rico just over a year ago, surely many doubted the choice —they had two or three original songs by then, but since the beginning it was evident that Raquel Berríos and Luis Alfredo Del Valle had found a special magic.
2014 was very generous with the duo in terms of press and exposure, and after completing this EP with the help of star producer Dev Hynes (Blood Orange, Solange), they managed to attract the attention of French label Kitsuné, who was commissioned to digitally distribute it. And it's no wonder, because, as cover letter or display, the four themes that compose it —and especially the single “Caer”— show a level of musical sophistication that we rarely perceive in an emerging project.
DISCOS DIÁSPORA
BANDCAMP
People say that the best ideas tend to sound as crazy as perfect, and a compilation of covers of Ricky Martin by artists from the independent scene certainly fits the description. Indie Martin served as an excuse to invite some of our favorite bands to explore their pop side, but we never imagined how much we would enjoy diving headfirst into the commercial waters of Puerto Rican radio.
It is clear in the genuine joy that Las Acevedo transmit in their version of “She Bangs”, on the personal reading that Ardnaxela does to “La copa de la vida”, in the energy channeled by The Wálters and Los Nadie —each one in his own way— to modernize “Dime Que Me Quieres”, and the feeling that overflows from the interpretation of “Bella” by Stonetape. And so with the 16 songs that compose the whole Indie Martin. The result is not merely a tribute to the star, who for decades has made us shake our bon-bons or mourn with his wrist-cutting ballads, but a love letter to music, an acknowledgment that it unites us and compelling evidence of the musical talent that lies in our island —gradually more exposed to and recognized by the world.
NACIONAL RECORDS / BURGER RECORDS
SPOTIFY: TERROR AMOR | BEIBI
At first listen, Terror Amor and Beibi seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. While Terror Amor showed songs with a more polished, more thought out and conceptualized production, Beibi is an exercise in lo-fi, with a distorted sound, anchored more in punk and grunge, with hints of psychedelia, and those voices passed through a filter of darkness that have become the signature of AJ Dávila and Terror Amor. Moreover, the former was promoted to a mostly Latin American audience, while the second was sold directly to an Anglo-Saxon audience.
Those differences in perception and possible audience, however, probably have more to do with matters of record labels and the black magic of musical marketing than with anything else —because if it comes to songs, Terror Amor and Beibi are two sides of the same coin. Despite their superficial differences, which reveals the true genius of AJ, a musician-boxer who does not need gloves or coaches on his corner to throw punch after punch after punch after punch…
DEAD MOFONGO RECORDS
BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY
The first full-length album of our favorite power-trio, Campo-Formio, as an introduction, announced with its title the arrival of the band, when in fact, for those who follow the local scene closely, it was a fulfilled promise. Over the four memorable EPs —edited under its own label, Dead Mofongo Records —Fernando Quintero (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ricardo Pérez (bass) and Diego Bernal (drums) developed a muscular rock songbook, agile but heavy, attractive and inviting —and above all original— turning anxiety, frustration and neglect of contemporary boricua youth into a frantic attack that left some scratching their heads and others ready to join the cult.
In Here comes… Campo Formio!, the trio pulls its musical influences into new territories, building with the history of punk and post their own vocabulary of sounds, portraying with them a world full of bad milk brats, punks, thugs and bastards —each song a polaroid of one of these reprehensible characters, either the “Dr. Rakún”, the “Rata Azul”, “Brutus”, the “Barón Barón” and even the ascetic monk “Pelagius”. The bleak lyrical content is balanced by moments of real beauty —guitars taking flight at the end of “Teenage Wrinkles”, the instrumental passages of “Pelagius” —that help to round out the album content and nail down its classical album structure.
Here comes… Campo Formio! lends itself to be heard —somewhat anachronically—  from start to finish, designed with attention to detail as an experience that is better appreciated in its double vinyl edition, with a production as polished as the talent of its three musicians. While Diego and Ricardo show again their rhythmic prowess, both willingly surrendering themselves to their shaft and motor roles, Fernando is documented along these 12 songs as one of the most versatile and interesting vocalists in the Iberoamerican scene.
So, if you were not already aware, Campo-Formio arrived. And to them we say: Thank you for coming!
…that also deserve your attention.
Calle 13 – Multi_Viral
The fifth album in Calle 13’s discography and the first under his own independent record label —El Abismo— works as a more existential kind of sequel and a little more universal concerns than the now classic Entren Los Que Quieran (2010), and includes among its genre experiments a couple of outstanding songs (“Adentro” and “Multi_Viral”) in the group’s discography. | Spotify
Enrique Vélez – Interpreta… EPs
And now, something a little different: Enrique Vélez, guitarist and leader of the tropical music project Guateke, returns with a series of EPs in which he interprets scores composed by the masters Morel-Campos, Schubert, Bach and Chilesotti on his acoustic guitar. Directed by the talented producer Hector “Stonetape” Hernandez, these recordings show great appreciation for the history of music, far beyond the local scene. | Download
Jamsha – Melasófico
Jamsha’s fourth “cyber-album” stays true to the formula established by the reggaetonero with his buddy and producer, Eggie Ruz: funny, irreverent, uncouth and armed with an arsenal of classic styles, retaken with affection by two scholars of the history of the underground. Decades ago, Ruben DJ told us about his grandmother, and now it's up to Jamsha to complain about “The potholes on the road”. | Download
Recluso – Fania Beats
One of the most prolific hip hop artists within the local scene, Recluso focused on producing sets of beats during 2014, adding two additional volumes to his series of the Tabla Periódica, another installment of his Mango Sound System, a collaborative album with the cuatro player Mario Cancel and this —our favorite of the bunch—, a tribute to Fania Records’ music. | Download
Samalot – Luz EP
Samalot delivered a handful of songs in 2014, including this small but powerful EP, produced by Stonetape. The former member of the experimental quartet tachdé, continues the spiritual exploration that began on his first solo work, i n n e r, and now projects from the inside out with a spectrum of environmental sounds, tribal drums and studio experiments. | Download
Similar – Reverso
Similar turned out to be a somewhat restless project, with several significant changes to its lineup. This is also the case with Reverso, the product of a band in transition, seeking to forge new paths for its vision of instrumental and experimental rock —but catchy and accessibletoo. With special attention on the production, the group shows us a more muscular and progressive side. | Download

author: Alfredo Richner


text:
America’s Digital Diplomacy in Russia After Michael McFaul · Global Voices
Will Wright

Michael McFaul, left, and Vladimir Putin, right. Images edited by Kevin Rothrock.
As US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul made quite a splash online. During his two-year stint as America's top man in Moscow, McFaul regularly tweeted, posted to Facebook, and blogged on LiveJournal.
McFaul's commentary spanned both his professional and personal life, and he was not afraid to engage with his online audience, even when that meant fighting a “Twitter war” with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or discussing his personal life and American culture with followers from Siberia.
In many ways, McFaul became a poster boy for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's push to adapt American statecraft to the twenty-first century by embracing digital diplomacy. Foreign Policy named McFaul among the “Twitterati 100″ for 2013, Medialogia rated him the tenth-most-quoted blogger on the RuNet in 2012, and the State Department's official monthly magazine even ran a cover story on his social media activities in December 2013.
In February 2014, however, McFaul resigned his post amid worsening US-Russia relations, and returned to teach and study at Stanford. To take his place, Washington sent John Tefft, a career diplomat who previously served as US Ambassador to Ukraine, Georgia, and Lithuania.
Following Tefft's arrival in Moscow in September 2014, Spaso House‘s online presence has changed to reflect its new boss. In a sharp departure from McFaul, Ambassador Tefft has no personal Twitter or Facebook accounts.
Instead, the embassy is now foremost represented on these social media platforms by standard organization accounts: @USEmbRu on Twitter and the US Embassy Moscow page on Facebook. Both of these accounts post content regularly, favoring more formal diplomatic-outreach messaging, like the tweet below, and only occasionally engage with followers.
Новогоднее поздравление посла США в России Джона Теффта: http://t.co/6i4F7Jm5PR
— Посольство США в РФ (@USEmbRu) December 31, 2014
New Year's greetings from US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft
Despite the change of tone following McFaul's departure, the US embassy has on occasion displayed flourishes of liveliness, challenging the likes of Konstantin Rykov and Anton Korobkov, two prominent pro-Kremlin bloggers. In December 2014, for instance, @USEmbRu mocked Rykov's decision to block it on Twitter.
Noooooooo! pic.twitter.com/hqGkwHhB0y
— Посольство США в РФ (@USEmbRu) December 16, 2014
Rykov soon changed his mind, which @USEmbRu joked about, too.
Yay! pic.twitter.com/D7NkniOkf3
— Посольство США в РФ (@USEmbRu) December 16, 2014
Also in December, @USEmbRu retweeted several posts (including the one below) lampooning Korobkov's campaign to reinstate his Twitter account, which was banned for posting death threats against a Ukrainian politician. (Ultimately, Twitter acquiesced and returned the account to Korobkov.)
Тот самый момент, когда у тебя 100 000 фолловеров, а тебя вышло поддержать 8 человек, потому что все остальные боты pic.twitter.com/h9uhHKbKOB
— Евроманежка (@euro_manezhka) December 28, 2014
That moment when you have 100,000 subscribers, but only 8 people come out to support you, because everyone else is a bot.
@USEmbRu also does sometimes retweet the more topical political tweets that tend to excite social networks. As would be expected, in recent months these retweets have often been related to events in Ukraine.
Adding to the embassy's Twitter presence is spokesperson @WBStevens, who brings a personal touch, engages more with followers, and posts edgier and more playful political content, such as the tweet below.
На Измайлове. 2,000 рублей ($30). Слов нет. No comment. pic.twitter.com/o5vpcYk7db
— Will Stevens (@WBStevens) January 17, 2015
At Izmailovo [Market]. 2,000 rubles ($30). There are no words. No comment.
Despite channeling McFaul in some ways, @WBStevens only has about 1,500 followers (@McFaul is closing in on 100,000). Stevens is, after all, not Ambassador though.
The embassy updates several other social media accounts, as well, in addition to Twitter and Facebook. The “Embassy Voices” blog on LiveJournal features posts ranging from an embassy intern writing about American football, to promotion of a US pop/rock band touring Russia, to a post by the Vladivostok Consul General reflecting on cities in the twenty-first century. The embassy's VKontakte page largely mirrors its Facebook page. Occasional Instagram posts share photos such as of the beautiful holiday decorations in Spaso House.
Ambassador Tefft does, however, use one social media platform himself. He blogs on LiveJournal.
Since arriving in Moscow in September 2014, Tefft has written ten LiveJournal posts, exhibiting a measured, diplomatic style. In different posts, Tefft tells the story of how he helped bring bronze duck statues to a Moscow park, shares thoughts on the American tradition of Thanksgiving along with his wife's recipe for stuffing, and discusses facing global challenges such as the fight against HIV/AIDS and corruption.
In a post from November, Tefft recounts an outing to the Bolshoi Theater and reflects on how culture and ballet helped build a bridge between the American and Russian peoples during the Cold War, before concluding:
Независимо от того, какие проблемы разделяют наши правительства, я думаю, что русские и американцы едины в своей любви к красоте балета, которая отражает наши общие человеческие переживания языком танца и музыки.
Regardless of what problems divide our governments, I think that Russians and Americans are united in their admiration of the beauty of ballet, which reflects our shared human experiences through the language of dance and music.
Overall, while Spaso House is not neglecting digital diplomacy under Ambassador Tefft, the online buzz generated by Ambassador McFaul in Russia certainly seems to have dissipated in a big way.

author: Will Wright


text:
Caribbean Perspectives on the Charlie Hebdo Free Speech vs. Intolerance Debate · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

The “Je Suis Charlie” slogan, uploaded by Flickr user Clément Belleudy; used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
The murder of 12 people, including police officers and journalists, earlier this month at the Paris offices of the irreverent satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is still resonating across the world. Two Caribbean bloggers, one from Jamaica and the other based in Bermuda, have shared their perspectives on the tragedy and religious extremism in general.
Carolyn Joy Cooper, who blogs at Jamaica Woman Tongue, was actually in Paris at the time of the attack, ruminating on European attitudes towards other cultures — something that seemed to take on new significance after she heard about the Charlie Hebdo killings on the news later that day:
For most of the day, I was playing tourist at the Louvre museum. I visited the Egyptian Antiquities galleries. […]
At the Louvre, Europe is clearly the centre of the world. This is understandable. What is less acceptable is the way the rest of the world is represented. In the Egyptian collection, I was struck by the following text which I’ve translated: ‘The Egyptian slept on a low bed, even on the floor, the head resting on a wooden support, as is still done in some countries of Africa.’
The peculiar phrase, ‘in some countries of Africa’, seems to imply that Egypt is not in Africa. If it were, ‘other’ would have been used instead of ‘some’.
The peculiarity of phrase was reinforced in her mind after a BBC report curiously referred to the “flawless French” of the perpetrators, Cherif and Said Kouachi, who were of Alergian descent. Cooper noted:
In other words, they didn’t sound like foreigners. Language continues to be seen as a marker of identity. But it is sometimes quite unreliable. Despite the flawless French of the Kouachi brothers, they were unquestionably alienated from mainstream French culture. Though born in France, they had a fatal flaw. Their home culture was not French. Their religion was not Catholicism; it was Islam. And they were radical Islamists at that.
Making the connection between their differences and mainstream French culture, she had an interesting take on the “Je Suis Charlie” slogan that became symbolic of the tragedy:
In this formula, the collective ‘I’ is the French nation united against an unstated, but clearly implied, ‘you': those outsiders who do not share the normative values of French culture.
Furthermore, to assert that ‘I am Charlie’ is to claim freedom of expression, particularly the cutting art of satire, as an essential constituent of French national identity. The capacity to laugh at one’s own weaknesses and that of others is at the heart of satire. Nothing – no one and no god – is sacred. In effect, failure to pass the satire test means failure to become French.
In Bermuda, Breezeblog was struck not only by the Charlie Hebdo killings, but also “by news of the horrifying massacres by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the public flogging of activist Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia“, saying:
My emotions have run the gamut from shock and outrage to fear and defiance. It has made me question what that freedom really means to me and what my values and beliefs are. As a former journalist, I have had conflicted feelings about freedom of speech and the role of the media. Like many others I was quick to change my Facebook profile to ‘Je Suis Charlie’ in solidarity. However after the last few days of debating, reading and watching the deluge of coverage, I’m inclined to change it to a more nuanced ‘avec Charlie’.
The author of “Infidel“, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who Breezeblog cites in his post, is of the opinion that freedom of speech does not have limits, noting that “in the press, in the universities, in the schools, we have to make sure that Muslim immigrants who come to the West understand that our rules protect satirists from jihadists, and not the other way round.” Carolyn Joy Cooper addressed this point in her own post, saying:
Devout Muslims who insist that Allah must not be mocked alienate themselves from their adopted homeland. They fight their god’s battles and they take no prisoners. One of the most insightful condemnations of the murders came from a representative of the Muslim community in London who was interviewed by the BBC. I’m so sorry I didn’t catch his name. He asserted that it is antiquated ideologies that need to be murdered, not journalists.
But Breezeblog called out a double standard, saying:
Poking fun at Muslims is considered freedom of speech. Satire of Israel is anti-Semitic.
He cited figures which suggested that “around 40 percent of Muslims in European countries want to live under sharia law […] The figure is reportedly higher among 16-24 year olds, many of whom want Western countries to become Islamic states.” But then, in referring to the oft-quoted ideal to defend freedom of speech — “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” — he makes the point that “we can no longer afford to tolerate intolerance”.
Cooper agreed, suggesting that the Charlie Hebdo narrative could be “seen more positively as an opportunity to rethink what we consider to be natural and normative”:
Can France begin to conceive the nation as fundamentally multicultural, making space for marginalised communities?

author: Flora Thomas


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Myanmar’s Nationalist Monk Attacks UN Envoy in His Speech · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

The leader of the Myanmar's nationalist 969 Movement made a caustic remark on the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee. The video of the monk insulting the UN envoy has gone viral and became a much discussed topic in Myanmar.
The video of the speech was shared by the Democratic Voice of Burmese [Warning: The video contains offensive language.]
The 969 Movement is a Buddhist nationalist movement in Myanmar that has gained popularity among the people over the past two years. It is led by the controversial icon, Wirathu, who was named “The Face of Buddhist Terror” by Time Magazine. Most recently, the movement has tried to pass a controversial bill that would impose serious restrictions on inter-faith marriages in the country.
The speech was made during a protest, in time for the second trip of the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar. During her first visit, she issued statement of concern about the situation of the Rohingya people living inside refugee camps in Myanmar. Rohinyas are mostly Muslims living in Myanmar and other parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Myanmar government recognizes them as illegal immigrants and they are not even considered as an ethnic minority.
Some Burmese Buddhists believe that Rohingyas and other Muslims are plotting to dominate Myanmar, which has a predominantly Buddhist population. In recent years, violent clashes between Muslim and Buddhist groups have displaced thousands of residents in the country, especially in the Rakhine state.
Ye Htut, the Presidential Spokesperson and Minister of Information, thought that the Buddhist monks should have focused on the topic of peace. He said:
Personally, I believe that Buddhist monks and any other religious leaders should recite speeches reflecting compassion, love, empathy and good ethics.
U Pandavunsa, a famous monk in the country, said that using inflammatory language is against the code of ethnics of Buddhist monks:
According to our code of ethics, a member of our clergy cannot use his hands to bring other people to harm, not to mention curse or badmouth or insult them. Everybody understands that a monk should be a man of loving kindness. The International community will look down on Buddhism for what he said.
Maung Zarni, a political analyst, shared his thoughts about Ms. Yanghee Lee being addressed in this way:
In the eyes of #Myanmar Nazis in monk's Saffron robe, UN human rights investigator and law professor is a ‘whore'! For she supports the rights of #Rohingya to self-identity, to a nationality and to be treated as humans.
Myo Lwin (Demo Fatty), an anonymous Facebook personality and whistle-blower, was concerned about the impression that the world would now have about Myanmar's Buddhism:
Now it is widespread in the international news. Even swearing a women “prostitute” is too much. Now the face of our people, our country, and our religion is going down the drain.
This protest and the speech come as the latest in the anti-Muslim movement initiated by the 969. Wirathu, however, defended his decision to attack the UN envoy:
That was the harshest word (I could think of), so I used it. If I could find a harsher word, I would have used it. It is nothing compared to what she did to our country.
Wirathu believes the UN rapporteur has no right to portray Myanmar in a negative light by commenting about the situation of the Rohingya refugees, insisting that Rohingyas has no legitimacy to remain in the country.
The Myanmar government announced that it will investigate the speech of Wirathu against the UN rapporteur.

author: Juan Cebu


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Russian Politician Tells Public to ‘Eat Less,’ As Food Prices Rise · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Images mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
Hard times call for sacrifices. That was the message of Ilya Gaffner, a legislator in Yekaterinburg, on a recent visit to a local grocery store, where he told TV cameras that Russians should consider going on a diet, when faced with rising food prices. “To put it bluntly, if you’re short on money,” Gaffner said, “you need to remember that we’re all Russian citizens—Russian people—and we’ve survived hunger and the cold. We just need to give some thought to our health and eat a bit less.”
Elected to his current post in 2011, Gaffner joined United Russia, the country’s dominant political party, in 2012. Since April 2014, he’s been a member of United Russia’s “Popular Control” project, which conducts “raids” on stores, monitoring consumer prices and compliance with different business laws. Between 2010 and 2011, for instance, United Russia claims to have coordinated almost 2,000 such raids.
On the website for United Russia’s Yekaterinburg regional branch, there is a video of Gaffner’s January 21, 2015, raid, though the embedded news report does not include his controversial advice to “eat less.” Instead, Gaffner can be seen explaining that the steep rise in food prices is a result of Russia’s currency woes.
While Gaffner has refused to talk to the press about his remarks, United Russia’s Yekaterinburg regional director, Viktor Shepty, told Kommersant newspaper that Gaffner spoke “incorrectly,” stressing the need to “think seven times before speaking once.”
On YouTube, the local television report containing Gaffner’s full remarks now has more than 53,000 views and almost 800 comments. Probably because Gaffner emphasized his audience’s “Russianness,” many YouTube users are busy speculating about his ethnicity, suggesting that he might be Jewish (and therefore somehow “compromised,” presumably). Other commenters appear to represent different sides of Russia’s endless Ukraine War trolling. “Hey, Russians, you’re always growling, ‘Everything is ours! We’ll do it all ourselves! We’ll put up with anything for Crimea!’ So what’s up now? Why all the whining?” writes “Stas Gerstas,” attracting 384 “up-votes.”
Still others have found enough fodder for political humor, without turning to the war in Eastern Ukraine. For example, Aleksandr Makhorin, with 305 “up-votes,” writes:
Далее он наверно посоветует гражданам поменьше пить, аккуратнее носить одежду и обувь чтоб поменьше покупать, а также поменьше ходить в туалет, дышать, разговаривать и, наконец, оптимальный вариант, поменьше жить.
Next he’ll probably advise the public to drink less, and then to wear our clothes and our shoes more carefully, so we don’t have to replace them as often. Then, he’ll tell us to go to the bathroom less often, to breathe less, to speak less, and, finally, the best option of all, to live a bit less.
As Russia’s economy struggles amidst low oil prices, Western sanctions over Moscow’s policies in Ukraine, and internal political stagnation, episodes like Gaffner’s slip-up are becoming a regular feature of local politics. Earlier this month, a similar episode took place in St. Petersburg, where the lieutenant governor came under fire for telling citizens to clean up their own streets, when snow-removal crews don’t show up. As Russian consumers continue to feel squeezed by rising prices, and the country’s politicians adjust to the public’s rising expectations of the government, the year promises more gaffes ahead.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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WhatsApp, Line and Tango in Jeopardy in Iran, As President and Judiciary Clash · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

The future of the messaging services WhatsApp, Line, and Tango has become uncertain in Iran since the national judiciary announced a decision to filter the three apps. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is refusing to comment on a January 7 decision.
According to reports by Iran's official state news agency, the judiciary's decision was meant to enter force immediately after it was announced on January 7. Iran's judiciary is independent from the president's office, reporting only to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomenei.
In a public statement on January 17, Culture Minister Ali Jannati refused to say if the government planned to implement the ban on the three messaging services, but did confirm that they currently remain accessible to Internet users in Iran. Jannati also reiterated President Hassan Rouhani's position on the issue, saying Iranians should have free access to the messaging services, particularly in light of their popularity.
WhatsApp, Line, and Tango provide Iranians with an inexpensive means of circumventing state-controlled telephone and messaging services, connecting Iranians with each other and people abroad.
Tehran’s Chief Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi acknowledged that the government and the Judiciary do not agree about filtering the applications, but he confirmed that police will implement the judiciary's ruling either way. Mehr News reported that the judiciary issued implementation orders to the Ministry of ICT, but officials have put the orders on hold until the government and judiciary are able to come to an agreement.
According to Fars news agency, Jannati stated: “we have to use smart-filtering to rid these applications of unlawful content, however blocking these applications entirely would be wrong.”
Discussions regarding “smart-filtering” have been ongoing in Iran. Given the technological obstacles to content-based filtering, however, such an approach wouldn't likely resolve the current conflict between Iran's warring bureaucracies. Despite blocks on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in Iran, many Iranians bypass these controls using proxy-servers and other circumvention tools.

author: Mahsa Alimardani


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Hong Kongers Should Have the Right To Be Forgotten, Says HK Privacy Commissioner · Global Voices
inmediahk.net

Image from flickr user Mixy Lorenzo. CC: NC-AT-SA
This article was originally published in Chinese on December 31 and was translated by Cheung Choi Wan into English for Global Voices as part of a content-sharing partnership.
Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner Allan Chiang Yam Wang has begun expressing strong support for the Right To Be Forgotten (RTBF), the controversial policy under which online search engines can be compelled to remove or “forget” information that is deemed irrelevant or outdated.
In a recent post on the blog of the Office of Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), Chiang argued that concerns about the policy infringing on freedom of expression were overblown and appealed to opponents of the policy to be open-minded about its implementation in Hong Kong. He stated that “rapid developments (of this issue) are expected in the short and medium terms.”
Last May, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that individuals have the right to ask search engines, such as Google, to remove links about them if they find the information “inadequate, irrelevant, no longer relevant or excessive.” Since then, Internet activists in Hong Kong and around the world have spoken out against the policy, arguing that it would effectively become a “right to delete” and that it would threaten and restrict freedom of information.
In recent months, the Privacy Commissioner has spoken about the policy at a variety of high profile events. At a forum held by the Asia Pacific Privacy Authority (APPA) in Vancouver, Canada, Chiang pledged to APPA members that he would:
…continue to closely examine the forthcoming developments. While no concrete action has been contemplated, the possibility of future collective action is not ruled out either.
According to an industry insider, APPA members were not able to reach a consensus about the Right to Be Forgotten at the forum, largely because of the vast political differences between Asia Pacific countries. It would therefore be difficult to implement the policy on the regional level.
The same source also said Chiang might introduce RTBF into Hong Kong through code of practice or via a local court case.
Speaking at the Hong Kong University Symposium on Privacy on Greater China, Chiang said that he had never proposed enacting laws on RTBF, but did emphasize that transnational network companies, such as Google, should implement consistent privacy policies globally.
From Chiang’s blog post, it could be seen that his stance has toughened over the last six months, and particularly over the last three weeks. Last June, when he wrote about RTBF for the first time, he made it clear that he would follow up with the ruling, “including the possibility of APPA members engaging with Google and other search engine operators to discuss the rights of users in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Despite Chiang's various statements, over the last six months, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has not made any major moves on the issue.
Meanwhile, a working committee comprising EU data protection authorities released a set of guidelines on the implementation of RTBF at the end of last November. It is stated in the guidelines that search engine companies now only remove links in EU domains which is insufficient. To guarantee the effective and complete protection of the rights of data subjects, it is suggested that link removal be effective in all relevant domains, including .com (see Guidelines, p.9). In light of this new development, EU member states are expected to step up measures to implement RTBF and other governments have more ground to follow suit.
In his most recent blog post, in which he expresses strong support for RTBF, Chiang quotes the EU Guidelines as his basis for supporting RTBF and classifies his opponents’ reactions as being “overblown”. He tries to refute their concerns point by point, but his arguments fail to address the doubts of the public.
Below are the three main arguments that Chiang puts forward and the stand of opponents of RTBF, followed by responses from its opponents:
The implementation of RTBF will only affect the search engines; actual sources of information will not be removed from the Internet.
Opponents: Hong Kong In-Media has pointed out earlier in an open letter jointly signed by a number of organizations to Chiang that search engines are one of the few ways that citizens gain access to information freely. Netizens are used to searching for information using search engines. Links being removed from search results will make it more difficult for people to get information that they are looking for and will block information flow.
RTBF cannot be used for “white washing”. Requests for removal of links will be considered based on 13 criteria set down by EU. According to statistics on Google’s handling of requests for links removal, only 10% of these cases are controversial and only a few cases have been appealed against Google’s decision. Chiang believes that the implementation of RTBF “will not allow public figures to ‘whitewash’ their unflattering personal tidbits. Nor will it allow professionals or public officials who owe a duty to the public to cover up their past misconduct.”
Opponents: Economic Commentator, David Webb, holds out the possibility that some people, who are about to become government officials or public figures, may whitewash themselves by requesting Google to remove links to reports on their drunk driving conviction, infidelity, divorce battle or fake doctorate degree.
RTBF will help to protect the private life of ordinary people. RTBF protects ordinary people by removing search results and reducing harms done to ordinary people whose private life is exposed. If the persons involved are public figures, the search results would not be removed.
Opponents: Organisations that oppose the right have long emphasized that Hong Kong already has laws such as defamation that could balance conflicts between an individual’s rights and freedom of information on the Internet and which could prevent harassment suffered by individuals. Instead of responding to this, Chiang only reiterates that when an ordinary person’s private life is affected, removing search results could definitely reduce the harm suffered by the person involved.
inmediahk.net has produced a three-minute video explaining why Hong Kong should not introduce the RTBF:


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Israel’s Arab Sector on Strike Over Alleged Police Brutality · Global Voices
Maya Norton

“NOW: Funeral of Sami al-Jaar turns into chaos as Israeli police uses live ammunition at attendees #Rahat #Israel,” tweets @Activestills.
Israel's Arab sector is on strike over alleged police brutality following the death of two men from the southern, Bedouin city of Rahat. Sami Al Jaar, 22, died during a police operation near his residence, struck by a stray bullet. Sami Al Ziadna, 45, died from tear gas inhaled at Al Jaar's funeral that had been fired by the police. More than 20 were hospitalized for their injuries, including Rahat's mayor, Talal Al Krenawi.  In solidarity, the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee declared a national general strike of the Arab sector, closing schools, businesses, and public institutions.  Israeli police maintain that the deaths were not intentional, but rather, collateral damage incurred from other, nearby violence.  In their own defense, police remarked:
In a democratic country, in which law and order are at its core, there can't be a situation in which residents attack lawmen who came to do their job. This is challenging the rule of law. We expect the leaders in the (Arab) sector to prevent a further deterioration of the situation and work to restrain the rioters. We won't allow anyone to hurt policemen and will act determinedly against outlaws.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) countered:
It is intolerable that Arab citizens [are faced with] such significant danger, including the risk of death, during any friction with police forces. Such a reality points to serious failures in the conduct of the police in confronting Arab citizens. The government must decide whether to continue to blindly support these institutional failings and to deepen the distrust, alienation and fear of the police among the Arab public, or decide on a comprehensive review of police conduct against Arab citizens through the legal and judicial tools at its disposal.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel likewise asserted:
Ever since the shelving of the Prawer plan the Israeli police have taken a particularly violent and aggressive approach against the Arab-Bedouin citizens with the intention of ‘teaching them a lesson'… In addition, the Police Investigations Unit doesn’t investigate these serious incidents in a fitting and professional manner, and thus enhances the police perception of the Arab citizens as the enemy whose blood can be shed.
The Begin-Prawer Plan, which was cancelled in December 2013, intended to relocate tens of thousands of Bedouins into communities that had been formally established by the Israeli government in order to better provide basic services, such as electricity, water, sewage, and health and educational services. Bedouin communities objected, saying that they had not been consulted as key stakeholders in the plan. It is estimated that there are 200,000 Bedouins who are citizens of Israel's Negev region, 100,000 of whom live in villages that are “unrecognized” by the government and where their most fundamental needs as citizens are not met.
The city of Rahat, home to an estimated 55,000 people, was established in 1972 by the Israeli government to provide permanent residence to the semi-nomadic tribes. It is one of seven Bedouin towns recognized by the government of Israel.
On Sunday, January 18, 2015, an estimated 8,000 mourners gathered at the Rahat cementery to memorialize Al Jaar and stand in solidarity with his family. The police and Rahat's mayor agreed that the police would secure the main road but not approach the burial site due to high tensions.
Witnesses report that a police car driving by the ceremony was met with fury and that members of the crowd reacted immediately by throwing rocks at the vehicle. In response, a large police force advanced upon the mourners, firing tear gas, sound grenades, and cork bullets (which are deemed non-lethal). Tear gas inhalation was reportedly Al Ziadna's cause of death. This second casualty made an already tense situation more dire.
A community page on Facebook, Breaking News: Rahat, dedicated to the recent protests posted this video footage from Al Jaar's funeral:
Reporting from the scene, Activestills, an organization of Israeli activists specializing in photojournalism, broke the news of Ziadna's death, writing:
BREAKING: Sami Ziadna, 43, confirmed killed by Israeli police tonight in #Rahat at funeral of Sami al-Jaar #Israel pic.twitter.com/xdev4Dy804 — Activestills (@activestills) January 18, 2015
On Twitter, Avi Blecherman, who identifies himself in his profile as a “citizen journalist… social justice and human rights fighter,” posted images of Al Ziadna's funeral on Monday, January 19, picturing large gatherings of people in the cemetery, mourning collectively. He tags them #PoliceBrutality and #BlackLivesMatter, aligning with the US-based movement protesting police violence against African Americans, and the murders of Trayvon Martin (2012) and Michael Brown (2014) in Ferguson, Missouri.
NOW:1000's in the funeral of #SamiZiadna a Bedouin killed y-day as #police targeted #Rahat cemetery. #PoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/NU5blAP74L — Avi Blecherman (@Yomgashum) January 19, 2015
He added:
“#Police hands r too easy on trigger when it comes to Arabs”. Now at #SamiZiadna‘s funeral. #Rahat #PoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/czZOEcr1w1 — Avi Blecherman (@Yomgashum) January 19, 2015
On Facebook, the page “I Am Palestinian, I Am Not A Terrorist” shared photos of solidarity protests around the country. Pictured here is a mixed Arab-Jewish event at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  In the midst of a developing situation, Israel's President Reuven Rivlin phoned Rahat's Mayor Al Krenawi, conveying his condolences and urging that they find a solution to the current crisis, saying, “It is important that we do this together.”  Disclosure: The author works at an Arab-Jewish organization in Israel that promotes the rights and welfare of the Bedouin community.

author: Maya Norton


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Once Again, Mexicans Will Have a Starring Role at the Oscars · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Alejandro González Iñárritu. Picture taken from Wikimedia Commons.
For the second consecutive year, Mexican filmmakers will have a leading role in the awards ceremony of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known as the Oscars. Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of Birdman, leads the group. Last year, that role was taken by Alfonso Cuarón, also Mexican, who directed the acclaimed film Gravity.
González Iñárritu is nominated not only for his work as director, but also as screenwriter. Martín Hernández competes for the statuette for sound editing of the same film, also known as The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance or La inesperada virtud de la ignorancia. Emmanuel Lubezki (alias “El Chivo”) competes in the category of Best Cinematography. A year ago, he won the award for Gravity.
It is unusual that the Oscars acknowledge the participation of Mexicans in several films. While it is true that in 2014 Cuarón and Lubezki reminded the Academy and the moviegoing public about the potential and talent of filmmakers to the south of the US border, on other occasions that talent has gone unnoticed.
This does not imply that González Iñárritu is a new name to the list of Oscar nominees. In 2007, “El Negro”, as he is known, was considered for the award for Best Director for Babel, but he did not win.
Meanwhile, The Reaper or La Parka, produced by Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, A.C., is competing for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. This work was written and directed by Gabriel Serra Argüello.
Unlike Birdman or Gravity, La Parka is a Mexican production, while the former are produced by international companies. The producers of La Parka announced the nomination on Twitter:
Aquí puedes ver el trailer de #LaParka, nominada al Óscar a Mejor Cortometraje Documental. Producción del @CCCMexico https://t.co/7fWHohHJb3
— El CCC | México (@CCCMexico) January 15, 2015
Here you can watch the trailer for #LaParka, nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short. Produced by @CCCMexico https://t.co/7fWHohHJb3
From Nicaragua, people have shown support for this short film:
Felicidades #gabrielserra #Oscars2015 #LaParka
— Ruth Chavarria (@RUTHGBY) January 15, 2015
Congratulations #gabrielserra #Oscars2015 #LaParka
Martín Hernández received the news of his nomination while broadcasting his radio show “Asi las cosas”, and this is how his colleagues reacted:
Así se ve #MartínHernández en la cabina de @WRADIOMexico luego de su nominación #Birdman #Oscars2015 http://t.co/5WyhwWeDub
— Así Las Cosas (@asilascosasw) January 15, 2015
This is #MartínHernández from @WRADIOMexico‘s booth after his nomination #Birdman #Oscars2015 http://t.co/5WyhwWeDub
Osvaldo Suarez commended González Iñárritu’s work:
siempre me ha gustado el trabajo de Gonzales Iñarritu, sobre todo su gran película “Birdman” excelente historia !!
— Osvaldo Suarez (@paul_suco) January 15, 2015
I have always liked Gonzales Inarritu's work, especially his great film “Birdman” great story !!
The eighty-seventh annual Academy Awards will take place on February 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Birdman competes with several other successful films, including The Imitation Game, Selma (based on the activism of Martin Luther King Jr.) and The Theory of Everything (adapted from a book about the love life of Prof. Stephen Hawking), in addition to The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, American Sniper and Whiplash.
Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center.          Picture by the author.
González Iñárritu, meanwhile, vies for the Best Director honor against American filmmakers like Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher) and the Norwegian Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), who will all hope to bring home the award. As can be expected, it won’t be an easy competition for the Mexican.

author: J. Tadeo


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Saudi King Abdulla Dies at the Age of 90; Succeeded by Salman, 79 · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia died today at the age of 90. His photograph appears on all Saudi currency. Photo credit: Amira Al Hussaini
After weeks of speculation, Saudi Arabia today [January 23, 2015] announced the death of King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz, 90, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Abdulla came to power in August 2005, after the death of his half-brother Fahad bin Abdulaziz, and is now succeeded by his other brother Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is 79. And their other brother Muqrin has been named Crown Prince. They are all the sons of King Abdulaziz, who founded Saudi Arabia in 1932, and have been ascending the throne in succession over the years. Abdulaziz had 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood and had children of their own. Egyptian Amro Ali shares this infographic which shows the “ever shrinking old generations of Saudi kings in waiting.”
The ever shrinking old generation of #Saudi kings in waiting. 3 remain. http://t.co/vjLCCf5VE2 pic.twitter.com/A2K0CxTdhf v @markscheffler — Amro Ali (@_amroali) January 23, 2015
Online, citizens of the world were quick to share their two cents. Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran notes how the now King Salman's bio on Twitter has changed to reflect his new position:
Twitter bio of @HRHPSalman updated to read: Official account of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman pic.twitter.com/ieqqq1kTUZ — Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) January 23, 2015
There was also a confusion about the deceased King and his new successor's ages. From the UAE, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla tweeted:
Just in. 93 years old King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has died. 82 years old Salman bin Abdulaziz is the new king. — Abdulkhaleq Abdulla (@Abdulkhaleq_UAE) January 22, 2015
And many were not kind to news of Abdulla's dead. This Twitter user shared this meme:
King Abdulla is alive and was spotted riding his horse pic.twitter.com/h3XJAi8jN6 — Zalameh (@BDS4Justice) January 22, 2015
But there were also Saudis sad over their King's demise. This Twitter user writes:
My eyes filled with tears, There are no words can describe how much i loved this man!#وفاة_الملك_عبدالله — ﹌ (@Lmashmranii) January 23, 2015
Another user writes:
He wasn't just a king he was a leader and a father #وفاة_الملك_عبدالله — miss g (@AJustagirl123) January 23, 2015
And the mourning continues:
#RIPKingAbdullahBinAbdulaziz We lost a father We lost a great leader We lost King of Humanity RIP king Abdullah #وفاة_الملك_عبدالله — رمآد ..♡ (@ramad_n_) January 23, 2015
From Egypt, The Rock was quick to jump on the mouners bandwagon, thanking the Saudi monarch for his services to Egypt:
#وفاة_الملك_عبدالله Great king:Thanks for all your efforts to help Egypt. Condolences to the saudi people. pic.twitter.com/M5nLYVWwWd — Etch H (@TheRockH2012) January 23, 2015
Thousands of messages of condolence continue to pour in with prayer for mercy for his soul.

author: Amira Al Hussaini