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A Disappearing Generation of Indigenous Children in Kerala, India · Global Voices
Inji Pennu

Kavitha, only one and half years old, died of malnutrition last week, adding to the staggering statistics of the dead tribal children in Attappady, a tribal belt area in Kerala, India with a dense population of indigenous people.
Since the start of 2013, 35 tribal children have died due to malnutrition in Attappady. Many reports in major newspapers across the nation and other media outlets are shedding light on this tragedy happening to one of the most vulnerable sect of India’s population.
Poor health is to blame thanks to the failure of healthcare centers in Attappady to properly care for pregnant tribal women, mothers and babies, leading to infant death, according to a UNICEF report.
Another reason for such sordid state of affairs is mindless development with massive deforestation, throwing the indigenous population out of its traditional comfort zones. Dr. P K Sasidharan, head of Department of Medicine at Kozhikode Medical College, did a pilot study on the issue and has come up with the revelation that massive deforestation (pdf link), growing influence of consumerism and lack of awareness are the major factors behind the health issues in Attappady.
A graphical representation of infant deaths. By Noushad
Rajendra Prasad, editor of Gothrabhumi, a tribal-oriented magazine, told The Hindu newspaper that if this development model is continued, the population of tribal people in Attappady will decrease drastically in two or three generations. An organization of tribal women in Attappady, ‘Thai Kula Sangham’ has claimed that the actual figures of children who have died due to malnutrition is much bigger than what the government has claimed.
Photo by Sivaram V in Attappady. Used with permission
Even though in India 50 percent of children under three are malnourished according to UNICEF data, in the state of Kerala such stories of child malnourishment are rare due to its model of development and numerous health facilities in the state. The state has one of the lowest infant mortality rate in the country, which is comparable to developed countries: While India’s national average is 44 babies per 1,000, Kerala prides itself on having it a low 16 babies per 1,000. That is why it comes as a shock to many that in Kerala, such a tragedy is occurring due to massive neglect by the changing governments.
To make matters worse, ministers in the current United Democratic Front, led by the Congress Party of India, have come out with outrageous statements blaming the mothers of alcohol abuse and blaming the children of not eating properly. Culture Minister K C Joseph invited controversy when he stated that the consumption of alcoholic drink arrack by expectant tribal mothers was a major cause of death of infants in Attappady adivasi belt.
Rebuking such claims of prevalent alcoholism, Prabhu Das, former chief medical officer of the Kottathara Government Tribal Specialty Hospital and presently deputy district medical officer of Palakkad, who has so far delivered 3,000 babies in the tribal hamlet of Attappady over the past 15 years, said that he has not encountered a single expecting mother consuming alcohol.
Photo by Sivaram V in Attappady. Used with permission.
Even when many reports by the media have tried to expose the situation, the government continues to have a lackadaisical attitude. This has angered the citizens in the social media.
tUskEr kOmbAns, a blogger and an avide Google Plus user, writes about the general health situation in Attappady:
#ATTAPPADY ഇക്കഴിഞ്ഞ ഒന്നര വര്ഷം കൊണ്ട് മരിച്ചു വീണത് 52 കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങള്. കഴിഞ്ഞ ബുധനാഴ്ച മാത്രം രണ്ടു ശിശു മരണങ്ങള്. മതിയായ ഡോക്ടര്മാര് ഇല്ലാത്തത് കാരണം രോഗികളെ കോഴിക്കോട്ട് ഗവ. മെഡിക്കല് കോളെജിലേയ്ക്ക് കൊണ്ടുപോകേണ്ടി വരുന്ന ഇവിടുന്ന് അവശരായ രോഗികളെ കൊണ്ടുപോകുന്ന വഴിയില് ആംബുലന്സ് പണി മുടക്കി വഴിയില് കിടന്ന് പലരും മരിയ്ക്കുന്നതും നിത്യ സംഭവം. സ്പെഷലിസ്റ്റ് ഡോക്ടര് ആയി ഇവിടെ ആകെ ഒരു ഗൈനക്കോളജിസ്റ്റ് മാത്രമേ ഉള്ളൂ. ഇവിടുത്തെ നിരക്ഷര-ദരിദ്ര നിത്യപട്ടിണിക്കാരുടെ പ്രധാന ആശ്രയമായ കോട്ടത്തറ ഗവ. ട്രൈബല് ആശുപത്രിയില് ഉപയോഗിയ്ക്കുന്നത് ഭവാനിപ്പുഴയില് നിന്ന് നേരിട്ട് പമ്പ് ചെയ്ത് എടുക്കുന്ന കലക്ക വെള്ളമാണ്. ആശുപത്രിയ്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി ശുദ്ധജലം ലഭ്യമാക്കാന് മുറവിളി തുടങ്ങിയിട്ട് കാലം ഏറെയായെങ്കിലും നാളിതുവരെയായി ജലം ശുദ്ധീകരിയ്ക്കാനോ, പാക്ക് ചെയ്ത ശുദ്ധജലം ലഭ്യമാക്കാനോ വേണ്ട യാതൊരു നടപടികളും സര്ക്കാറിന്റെ പക്ഷത്ത് നിന്ന് ഉണ്ടായിട്ടുമില്ല.
Fifty-two children have died in the past one and half years. Due to the lack of doctors, patients are taken to the nearby Kozhikode Medical College hospital. Even then due to the traffic congestion, many of the patients die on the road. There is only one specialist doctor in the Attappady area, which is a gynecologist. Most of the dirt poor people who live in this area use water from Bavani river which is heavily polluted. Even the hospital gets the same water. Nothing has been done by the government to ease the situation.
Sreekanth Nair, also a Google Plus user, is ashamed of the current situation and mocks the much celebrated Kerala model:
ചർച്ചകൾ ഇങ്ങനെ നീണ്ടു പോകാൻ തന്നെയാണ് സാധ്യത , വിദേശ രാജ്യങ്ങൾക്ക് ഒപ്പം ആരോഗ്യ രംഗത്ത് മികവു കാട്ടിയ കേരളത്തിൽ 36 കുട്ടികൾ പോഷക കുറവ് മൂലം മരിക്കുകയോ ?. ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് ഡോക്ടർമാർ ഉള്ള സംസ്ഥാനത്ത് ജോലി ചെയ്യാൻ ആളെ കിട്ടാതെ വരികയോ ?. കോടികൾ ഒഴുക്കുന്ന എമെർജിംഗ് കേരള ഉള്ള നാട്ടിൽ പട്ടിണിയോ ?. നാലാൾ അറിഞ്ഞാൽ കേരളത്തിന്റെ അന്തസ്സ് എവിടെ പോകും ?. ജീവന് വിലയില്ലാത്ത മുപ്പത്തിയാറ് കുട്ടികളെ ഓർത്ത് നാണം കൊണ്ട് തല താഴ്ന്നു പോകുന്നു എന്നതാണ് സത്യം.
Pretty sure the debates are not going to have any conclusions. We used to stand in par with the developed nations and now we have 36 children who died due to malnutrition. There are thousands of doctors in the state but none is working in the Attappady region. Millions of Indian Rupees are spent for developmental programs like Emerging Kerala and there is acute hunger in these hamlets? I am ashamed of myself and this state thinking of those children whose lives have no value in this state.
Kunjaali Kk retorts on a similar post, which lamented the Attappady crisis:
കേരളത്തിൽ അട്ടപ്പാടിയിൽ മരിക്കുന്നതിന്റെ അൻപതിരട്ടി ആളുകൾ വാഹനാപകടങ്ങളിൽ ഓരോ വർഷവും മരിക്കുന്നു, ആശുപത്രികളിൽ സൌകര്യങ്ങൾ ഇല്ലാത്തതിന്റെ പേരിൽ ശരിയായ ചികിത്സ കിട്ടാതെ മരിക്കുന്നു, കൊട്ടേഷൻ ടീമുകൾ ഒരു തെളിവും ബാക്കി വെക്കാതെ ആളുകളെ കൊല്ലുന്നു. ഇതിനെക്കുറിച്ചൊന്നും പറയാത്തതെന്തേ? ഒരു മനുഷ്യന്റെയും ജീവൻ മറ്റൊരാളുടെതിനേക്കാൾ മെച്ചമല്ല, മോശവുമല്ല. അതോ ഇതൊന്നും സർക്കാരിന്റെ ഉത്തരവാദിത്വം അല്ലേ?
അപ്പൊ നമ്മൾ ദീനാനുകമ്പൻ ആകണം എങ്കിൽ അട്ടപ്പാടിയെയും ആദിവാസിയെയും പറ്റി പറഞ്ഞു കരയണം, അതാണ്. വേറെ എന്തൊക്കെ വിഷയങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടായാലും പുട്ടിന് പീര ഇടുന്ന പോലെ ഇടയ്ക്കിടെ അട്ടപ്പാടി, ആദിവാസി എന്നൊക്കെ പറഞ്ഞു കൊണ്ടേ ഇരിക്കണം.
There are many others, almost 50 times more, dying in different ways in accidents and other ways throughout the year, which is much worse than Attappady. There are patients dying in hospitals due to negligence, there is loan mafia who kill people for mortgages. Why is no one bothered by these deaths? No death is worse of better than others. Aren't these all the government's responsibility too? So, in order to get sympathy, we need to shed some crocodile tears for tribal people and Attappady. That's why even if there are a lot of other things happening, this is the only one topic everybody likes to harp on.
Ramachandran Vettikkat is worried about the moral mindset of the public and writes:
അട്ടപ്പാടിയിലെ മരിച്ച് വീണ കുഞ്ഞുളെ അപഹസിച്ച് കൊണ്ട് ഒരു ഭരണാധികാരി നടത്തിയ പരാമർശം ഒന്ന് മതിയായിരുന്നു തെരുവുകൾ കത്തിയമരാൻ. അവനവന്റെ ജാതിയിലും മതത്തിലും രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തിലും സവർണ്ണത നടിക്കുന്ന ഒരു ജനതയിൽ നിന്ന് ദളിതരുടേയും ആദിവാസികളുടേയും പ്രശ്നങ്ങളിൽ അങ്ങനൊന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കാനാവില്ല തന്നെ.
The single instance of what the chief minister has said rebuking the children of Attappady was more than enough for a general outrage in Kerala. But the people are now only concerned about their caste, religion and party politics. No one is even bothered about the tribal population.
Sajith N, an entrepreneur, asks the question on everyone's mind:
Kerala tops the India human development index .. but death and malnutrition stalk the state's tribal block. http://t.co/k9lTfhK2nm
— Sajith N (@playandthink) July 8, 2013
Journalist Biju Govind talks about the government's attitude:
Successive govts both Congress & CPM led coalitions in Kerala have exploited poor tribals whether in Attappady or Wayanad.
— biju govind (@bijugovind) July 2, 2013
A nation needs development and infrastructure. But if it ignores the basic social development issue concerning women and children, and erasing a sect of its valuable indigenous population, how will it compensate for this lost generation?

author: Inji Pennu


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A Lesson on Dignity from Syria · Global Voices
Rami Alhames

This post is part of our Special Coverage Surviving in Syria.
On his Facebook Page, Rebel Painter of Horan expressed his cynicism towards the silence of Arabs silence  following the “chemical weapon attack” on Al Ghouta, a Damascus suburb. He shares a drawing of an Arab giving a Syrian child a pamphlet on how to protect herself from chemical weapons. The child responds by giving the Arab a pamphlet on how to live with dignity.
Source: Horan Rebel Painter on Facebook

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rami Alhames


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At 89 Years Old, Zimbabwe President Mugabe Sworn in for Five More Years  · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

President Robert Mugabe took the oath of office in Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare on August 22, 2013 after beating his closest rival, former Prime Minister of the coalition government Morgan Tsvangirai for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in the disputed July 31 presidential election.
Tsangirai boycotted the inauguration ceremony calling it “a robber's party”.
Mugabe, who is 89 years old and has been in power for 33 years, will continue to rule the country for the next five years. Election observer missions from the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed Mugabe's victory amid claims of massive electoral fraud coming from the opposition and Western nations led by US and the UK. Botswana is the only African country that called for an independent audit into the election.
Mugabe responded to allegations of rigging by telling critics to “go hang.”
President Robert Mugabe is the oldest leader in Africa. Photo released to the public domain by the U.S. federal government.
In his inauguration speech in front of 40 heads of state and thousands of his supporters, Mugabe dismissed Western nations “as the vile ones whose moral turpitude we must mourn.”
Zimbabweans and non-Zimbabweans online have been discussing the event on Twitter using the hashtags #inauguration and #zimbabwe.
Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube), a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and owner of the South African Mail & Guardian, assessed the mood in Harare:
Just driven around Harare.Apart from crowd at National Sports stadium the mood is subdued.No evidence of inauguration celebration #Zimbabwe
— Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube) August 22, 2013
otukile ben (@otukileob) wanted to know Mugabe's secret for being in power for 33 years:
Hw does mugabe do,dis guy ws president b4 i was born nd he's still the president nw,damn
— otukile ben (@otukileob) August 22, 2013
the people (@nowisthetime_13) wondered:
Only God knows how the feeling of every #Zimbabwean will be if it was [Morgan Tsvangirai] @mrtsvangirai #Inauguration today. #ZimElections #ZimVoices
— the people (@nowisthetime_13) August 22, 2013
Sizani Weza (@Sizzle769) questioned the timing of the inauguration:
@tarimaviyo @sharontawuya1 How was all this organised in 24 hours- did they know the outcome of the ConCourt [Constitutional Court] judgement?
— Sizani Weza (@Sizzle76) August 21, 2013
The opposition MDC and Tsvangirai withdrew their election petition following a failed legal challenge at the High Court seeking permission to access all materials used in the elections. In an unexpected turn of events, the judge ordered the arrest of Tsvangirai's lawyers for alleged contempt of court following statements made by Tsvangirai in his Electoral Court application, which questioned the integrity of the judiciary.
Pole Sana (@takawiram) wrote the following about Tsvangirai:
Will #Tsvangirai be watching the ‘robber's party’ aka #inauguration on the big screen with family saying, that guy stole my crown?
— Pole Sana (@takawiram) August 22, 2013
zenzele Ndebele (@zenzele), editor at Radio Dialogue FM, wrote:
Some call it an inauguration, others think this is a farewell party.I will just enjoy the holiday.
— zenzele Ndebele (@zenzele) August 22, 2013
Referring to Mugabe's seventh term in office, Voice of Reason (@DiscipleofLogic) said:
The definition of insanity might just be doing the same thing 7 times and expecting a different result. #Inauguration
— Voice of Reason (@DiscipleofLogic) August 22, 2013
ZimElections2013 (@Zimelections13) reported that people attending the ceremony were treated to chicken from a popular Zimbabwan take-away while Mtarazi (@chamapiwa) wanted to know the source of funds for the food:
@Zimelections13 who is making the order? Govt or Zanu pf? Has the looting started?
— Mtarazi (@chamapiwa) August 21, 2013
All Things Zim (@Zimtweets) tweeted a photo of the free chicken:
Congratulations Cde President #Inauguration #FreeChicken pic.twitter.com/Ap3bCWKaLR
— All Things Zim (@Zimtweets) August 22, 2013
Talking about the same issue, Sekuru Simba (@zimhipster) asked:
Are the “thousands” of heads of state in attendance also being fed greasy fried chicken from Chicken Inn #Mugabe #Inauguration
— Sekuru Simba (@zimhipster) August 22, 2013
Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube) advised the opposition MDC:
MDC must go back to being loyal opposition,prepare for next election. In the interim engage,be constructive,No point in sulking #Zimbabwe
— Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube) August 22, 2013
Finally, Gareth Bench-Capon (@garethbc) shared a joke making the rounds online about Mugabe rigging family vote for holiday destination:
Nice little zim election joke !!! pic.twitter.com/vUCmqMNTdw
— Gareth Bench-Capon (@garethbc) August 22, 2013

author: Madalitso Mwando


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Brazilian Soccer Team Launches Campaign Against Racism · Global Voices
Fernanda Canofre

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
In a video released Monday, August 12, the soccer team Grêmio of Porto Alegre brought together some of the key players on its roster, white and black, to talk about racism. The initiative was carried out in support of a new FIFA initiative, implemented in May of this year and unanimously approved, that made punishments against racism in soccer more strict.
While campaigns for raising awareness and discussions against racism on the field have intensified in the past few years in Europe, the subject is rarely addressed inside soccer stadiums in Brazil.
In the video, Zé Roberto, the tricolor team's midfielder, former player on Brazil's national team, tells how he was never a victim of racism on the field, but before becoming a successful player, he was discriminated against during an interview because of his skin color. Defensive midfielder Matheus Biteco recalls an incident from his childhood, when a supermarket security guard tackled him, his father, and his brother Guilherme, also a player on the team.
The team's campaign made the rounds on social networks with the hashtag #azulpretoebranco (meaning blue, black and white, in reference to the team's colors).

author: Fernanda Canofre


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Citizens Concerned as Agrarian Strike Escalates in Colombia · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Since August 19, Colombia has been experiencing an agrarian strike, through which farmers are demanding guarantees from the government that allow them to live with dignity in order to sow the land.
In a country with high agricultural potential, opinions are abundant and it appears as though there is no negotiated solution in sight [es]. This has generated countless expressions of concern among citizens.
Tatiana Mena (@TatianaMenaV) [es] says:
Debo confesarlo: estoy muy triste por la situacion del pais y es mas triste la situacion que estan viviendo muchas persona, la pobreza…
— TatianaMena☆ (@TatianaMenaV) August 23, 2013
I must confess: I am upset about the country's situation and the situation that many people are living through, poverty, is even more upsetting…
Maria Fernanda Carrascal (@MafeCarrascal) [es] imagines different scenarios for Colombia, as she accompanies her post with an image:
Que sería de Colombia, de nosotros, sin nuestros campesinos. #LoQueEsConLosCampesinosEsConmigo pic.twitter.com/d6odDRzkK1
— Ma.FernandaCarrascal (@MafeCarrascal) August 22, 2013
What would Colombia be, what would we be, without our farmers. (Cartoon reads: “Sorry for the inconvenience, we are risking our lives so that you can have food on your table”)
And Soñando Despierto (@juanrhc) [es] affirms:
HP Santos Buscando la paz con guerrilleros terroristas y declarandole la guerra a quienes nos dan de comer #LoQueEsConLosCampesinosEsConmigo
— Soñando Despierto! (@juanrhc) August 23, 2013
[President] Santos looking for peace with terrorist guerrillas and declaring war to those who feed us.
Translation: “How can we not support those who have always fed us!” Image by Liliana Castro Morato on Facebook
In the midst of the conversation are also the voices of those calling for real action on the part of all those who continue posting their opinions via the Internet.
Maly Mejía (@Maly) [es] expresses the following:
#LoQueEsConLosCampesinosEsConmigo nosotros en twitter escribiendo y en la vida real no haciendo nada, así somos.
— Maly  (@Maly_Mejia) August 23, 2013
(The farmer's situation is my situation) we are on twitter writing and not doing anything in real life, that is how we are.
And Ricardo Casas (@BecauseImHouses) [es] says sarcastically:
Los verdaderos campesinos son los que luchan en las redes sociales por mejoras en likes y aumento de favs #LoQueEsConLosCampesinosEsConmigo
— Ricardo Casas (@BecauseImHouses) August 23, 2013
The true farmers are those that fight on social networks for improvements on likes and increases in favs
On the other hand, the blog El Churro [es] shares photos from the fourth day of the strike and assures that:
Los medios de comunicación nacionales y regionales hasta el momento estigmatizan, opacando la magnitud que ha tenido el paro agrario y popular.
The national and regional media have stigmatized up until now, detracting from the magnitude that the agrarian and popular strike has had.
Concluding the fourth day of protests, the media reported [es] shortages and curfew measures, meaning the conversation has not ceased under hashtags #LoQueEsConLosCampesinosEsConmigo (The farmer's situation is my situation) and #YoParoPor (I strike for).
The government also reported a blockage of over 30 streets throughout the entire country [es] and, concurrently, several citizen videos report attacks taking place by the riot squad.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Fight Erupts in Saudi Mosque After Preacher Curses el-Sisi  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A fight broke out in a Riyadh mosque between Saudis and Egyptians after a Saudi clergyman cursed Egyptian Defence Minister General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during today's Friday prayers sermon. The fight, uploaded on to YouTube, has gone viral and the tug-of-words continues online.
The 46-second video, uploaded on several accounts on YouTube, has been the talk of the Saudi blogosphere today. One version, uploaded today by umum0707, has been watched more than 750,000 times at the time of writing this post. It shows a man in Saudi garb taking off his headgear, the agal, and hitting another man, an Egyptian, inside Al Ferdous Mosque, after the latter objected to el-Sisi being cursed. A commotion follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_l5tvTNe8
el-Sisi, who is also the First Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt now, played a leading role in the ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood member.
Mohamed Al Omar posts a link to the video on Twitter and quips [ar]:
@MdAlomar: هذا العراك هو الدليل الأول على الفوضى التي قد تحدث في حال نزل الخلاف من تويتر للشارع http://youtu.be/un_l5tvTNe8  #عراك_جامع_الفردوس
This fight is proof of the chaos that will happen if squabbles on Twitter are taken to the street
Ibrahim Al Rasheed said the preacher had no business butting into Egyptian affairs:
#عراك_جامع_الفردوسأهل مصر أدرى بشؤونها ومن قلة الذوق أن ينصب هذا الإمام نفسه وصيا على المصريين!
— إبراهيم  الرشيد (@iar_98) August 23, 2013
The people of Egypt are more knowledgeable of their affairs and it is of bad taste for this preacher to employ himself as a guardian over Egyptians
Others provide suggestions of how to deal with such clergymen in the future.
Yazeed Al-Mogren writes:
#عراك_جامع_الفردوس في المرةالقادمة على المصلين كسرفك الخطيب المختلفين معه بالرأي لكي يعود الى صوابه ويجعل خطبته خاليةمن وجهات نظره السياسية
— Yazeed Al-Mogren (@Yzd8) August 23, 2013
Next time, those praying should break the preacher's jaw so that he learns his lesson and stops including his political opinion in sermons
And he adds:
#عراك_جامع_الفردوس يقولون اعتقلوا الامام، طيب والبهايم الي انتهكوا حرمة المسجد وضربوا المصريين ليش مايعتقلون ويحاكمون ؟
— Yazeed Al-Mogren (@Yzd8) August 23, 2013
They say the clergyman has been arrested. What about the cattle who disrupted the sanctity of the mosque and hit the Egyptians there? When will they be arrested and put on trial?
Activist Waleed Sulais sees no reason for aggressive behaviour.
لا للعنف … يجب أن تبقى الخلافات السياسية ضمن السلمية ، وانجرار الأمر إلى العنف وتبريره من أي طرف هو امر مرفوض .#عراك_جامع_الفردوس
— وليد سليس (@WaleedSulais) August 23, 2013
No to violence. Political differences should be peaceful, and resorting to violence and excusing it, by any side, is unacceptable
He adds:
الدعاء على الاخرين بشكل استفزازي غير مقبول ، ومواجهة ذلك بضرب من يعترض على ذلك هو أمر مستهجن وقبيح فالانسان له كرامة #عراك_جامع_الفردوس
— وليد سليس (@WaleedSulais) August 23, 2013
Cursing others is unacceptable and beating up whoever objects to that is vile. People have dignity.
Aziz notes:
They laughed at seculars when they said having religious based political parties will cause conflicts even in mosques. #عراك_جامع_الفردوس
— عَزِيْز (@llAMZll) August 23, 2013
And Mazeed Bandar connects the dots. The clergyman is said to have cursed both el-Sisi and Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. He tweets:
#عراك_جامع_الفردوسهذا الإمام على نياتهالا يعلم ان بشار يقتل بالسلاح الروسي لعنة الله.اما السيسي فهو يقتل بسلاح امريكي
This clergyman doesn't realise that Bashar kills using Russian arms while Al Sisi kills using American weapons

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jailed Blogger’s Mother Begins Hunger Strike · Global Voices
Farid

Hossein Ronaghi Maleki and his mother Zoleykha are now both on hunger strike. Photo from Facebook campaign page.
Zoleykha Mousavi is a mother without hope. She's the mother of a jailed Iranian blogger, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, who has been on hunger strike for about two weeks. Mrs. Mousavi began her own hunger strike on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 to “make her voice heard”.
Hossein Ronaghi Malki is serving a 15-year sentence. A Facebook campaign was launched to support him.
The first thing we read on the campaign page is: “Hossein's life is in danger, we should support him today and not speak of him as a hero at his funeral.”
A recent post on Facebook informs us that Hossein's mother has begun her hunger strike “because the authorities do not pay attention to her son's hunger strike and situation.”
The same post encourages activists not to be silent on this situation.
Many worry about his deteriorating health condition because Hossein previously suffered from kidney and mouth problems and is in a lot of pain. He wrote a letter about how he was tortured by Intelligence Ministry agents to be forced to confess to a prosecutor, but the letter was confiscated.
No Vengeance
Once before returning to jail after a short leave, Hossein uploaded a video saying that if we want to change the country's situation, we should go to extremes… We should go forward hand in hand without any vengeance. We should build with rationality and kindness because Iran should be free from any discrimination. Each of us can have an impact on Iran and we are all responsible.

author: Farid


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Jamaican Media “Won’t Call a Spade a Spade” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean bloggers are often critical about the region's mainstream media and the way in which it sometimes covers important stories.
The latest news item to attract Jamaican blog Active Voice's ire is this report about a little girl who died and another who is seriously injured, both victims of a jet ski accident.  The blogger, Annie Paul, liberally quotes from the article and comments:
What started out as a pleasant holiday trip to a beach in St Ann over the weekend was suddenly transformed into a nightmare for a 28-year-old father of two when a jet ski raced out of the water on to land and into his children, killing one and leaving another battling for life.
Richard Hyman’s six-year-old daughter, Tonoya, was killed by a deadly blow from the jet ski, while yesterday, it remained touch and go for her four-year-old sister, Remonique.
This story is typical of the farcical reporting that passes for journalism in Jamaica. It focuses completely on the victims and says nothing about the perpetrator of this killing. Instead it makes it sound as if a rogue jet ski emerged from the water and struck this poor family down. Jet skis do not propel themselves. Tell us who was riding it and at exactly what beach this ‘accident’ happened. As usual Jamaican media is more interested in protecting the name and reputation of the wealthy (the owner of the jet ski, its rider, the beach in question). Nowhere in this story is there a sense of the outrage this unnecessary death represents. Disgusted.
She also quotes the perspective of a prominent Jamaican writer, Marlon James, who posted on Facebook:
So you’ve been looking around for an example of Yellow Journalism. Look no further. How do you report on a act of manslaughter without implicating the possibly rich, influential or foreign person responsible? You recast it as a Stephen King Horror story (minus the talent) of a rogue jetski becoming suddenly animated with freak power then charging on its own into an unsuspecting family, killing a kid in the process. Who was the skier? Which beach? Who owned the jet skis? Private or a company? It’s called Journalism, Gleaner. You’re here to give us the news, not protect the interests of whoever’s reputation might be damaged because they slaughtered a child.
Paul makes the point that this type of “suss” reporting does not just happen at one newspaper – she cites another recent example from a different daily:
And its (sic) not just the Gleaner either. A few days ago, reporting on tensions in West Kingston the Observer carried this masterpiece of evasive, or is it defensive, reporting:
‘Police intelligence suggests that since the arrest and subsequent extradition of Christopher Coke, individuals said to be related to a prominent family that claimed to rule the community from the nineties to 2010, and others claiming to be relatives of a late well-known resident, who claimed to be a ‘Don’, and was said to be the leader of the community in the1980s have become involved in a deadly battle for control, a police statement Monday said.
She asks:
These families and Dons have no names? In the 21st century is this what passes for reportage? What’s the deal here? Why is it so hard to just say that the descendants of Claudie Massop, the Don who ruled Tivoli Gardens once and those of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, are locked in a deadly power struggle?
Just what we need when the country seems to be going down the tube…a media that won’t call a spade a spade.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Lebanese Blogger Beirut Spring Tweets from Tripoli Bomb Explosion · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

About 40 people were killed and hundreds injured when two explosions occurred outside two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli today [August 23, 2013].
The blasts coincided with Friday prayers, which take place at noon. The first blast happened near Taqwa Mosque, and the second, minutes later, near Salam Mosque. Lebanese blogger Mustapha Hamoui was a few metres away from the second blast, in his own apartment, when it occurred. He reports on the unfolding mayhem.
First, there was the explosion:
Huge exlosion near my house… all glasses shattered
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
Then, Hamoui checks on his family:
Just made sure my family is safe. I live on the 10th floor and all my glass is shattered
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
And then inspects damage in his apartment:
This photo is for a door INSIDE my house, and it was shattered, I live in 10th floor #tripoliLB pic.twitter.com/4Uwm5ZpR8O
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
And then the realisation of “what if”:
If I were sitting just 4meters away I would have definitely been severely injured or dead.. #TripoliLB
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
Hamoui ventures outdoors to check out the scene. He shares this picture of absolute mayhem:
Scene of explosion #TripoliLB pic.twitter.com/Pv9mn8iqmj
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
Writing about such incidents is one thing, living through them another thing, he explains.
I still can’t believe this. I drive &walk by this spot about 10 times every day. It’s a miracle that the people I love r alive #trilpoliLB
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
As someone who has previously tweeted about such things, it is a *Completely* different experience to live through it. Heart still racing
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
That lingering feeling that one of the dozens killed is someone you know #TripoliLB
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
Last week, a bomb explosion ripped through Dahiyeh, in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Hamoui tweets:
Dahieh:1 , Tripoli: 1Can we call it a draw? Please?
— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) August 23, 2013
But Antoun Issa shares a photograph from Dahiyeh, a Shite stronghold, which shows solidarity with Tripoli:
Solidarity from #Dahiyeh to #TripoliLB. Don't give into sectarianism – #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/CCj0hqOzQd
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) August 23, 2013
Meanwhile, AFP's reporter Patrick Baz shares a video of the moment one of the blasts took place, from a security video inside one of the mosques:
Security video inside mosque shows moment of blast that left 29 dead and more than 300 injured.#Lebanon #TripoliLB http://t.co/xXYBEXHeTY
— patrickbaz (@Patrick_Baz) August 23, 2013
And from afar, Ghassan Bendali shares this picture, showing the port of Tripoli, with the plumes of smoke from one of the explosions in the horizon:
Definitely an explosion at the entrance if the port it seems.  #tripolilb pic.twitter.com/dtKyQfDf7Y
— Ghassan Bendali (@ghassanb) August 23, 2013


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Navalny’s Montenegrin Kryptonite or Russia’s Invulnerable Candidate? · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

When Alexey Navalny decided to run for the Moscow Mayor’s office, he probably expected to learn a lot about his enemies—the various masters and minions of Kremlin politics. Certainly, that has happened. As regular as clockwork, he has blogged exposés [ru] about incumbent Mayor Sergey Sobyanin’s luxurious apartments, which he suspiciously registered in his daughters’ names. More recently, Navalny’s campaign has played up [ru] Vladimir Putin’s sloppy attention to procedural details, which required the President to issue written permission for Sobyanin’s candidacy after the latter’s “resignation.” (The Kremlin later offered up a slapdash [ru] substitute.)
One thing Navalny perhaps didn’t anticipate was learning something compromising about himself. That happened two days ago, when information emerged showing Navalny’s ownership of an active real estate company in Montenegro, established in 2007 and undeclared when he registered as a candidate for the mayor’s race. The party responsible for digging up this data was a website called “FLB” (Free Lance Bureau, an established RuNet resource for damaging investigative reporting), but one blogger, Stanislav Apetyan (LiveJournal’s infamous “Politrash”), was the man responsible for whipping up the media storm that followed.
How super is Navalny? Image created by author using image captures from YouTube.
Apetyan made a name for himself in late 2011, when he blogged detailed analyses [ru] of Navalny’s email archives, which RuNet bogeyman “Hacker Hell” stole and published that year. In July 2012, in response to Navalny’s attacks on Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin’s foreign property holdings, Apetyan accused [ru] Navalny of harboring similarly extravagant tastes, highlighting excerpts from the hacked emails, wherein Navalny discussed his wish to invest 350 thousand Euros in a real estate venture in Montenegro.
When FLB revealed evidence [ru] that Navalny did indeed help found a limited liability company in the city of Podgorica, Apetyan was already well versed in the subject.
In his first post [ru] on the scandal, Apetyan republished excerpts from the hacked emails that addressed Navalny’s real estate plans, and linked to the materials FLB discovered online. FLB found the information by searching for Navalny’s name on OpenCorporates.com (“the open database of the corporate world”), which indexed data from the Montenegrin government’s official website for its Central Register of Business Entities. On the latter website, Navalny is listed as a cofounder of “MRD Company,” a construction firm established in November 2007 and “active” today. Curiously, the registry lists no financial records for MRD (a detail Apetyan duly omitted).
Eager to generate public interest, Apetyan titled his blog post, “They Might Remove Navalny from the Election Because Of His Company in Montenegro.”
Navalny’s team was quick to respond, sensing the danger of these allegations. His campaign manager, Leonid Volkov, worked through the night, tweeting [ru] into the morning hours requests for assistance from experts in “Joomla,” the content management system used to build the Montenegrins’ Central Register website. The next day, Volkov published a long refutation [ru] of Apetyan’s accusations, claiming that Navalny owned no businesses registered in Montenegro. Additionally, he accused Apetyan and his “Nashist” allies of exploiting the Register’s coding vulnerabilities, and uploading the compromising data about Navalny themselves. As proof, Volkov pointed to the fact that the Register was out of service at the time he was writing (something Apetyan later accused him of orchestrating), and linked to a still-active page on the Register’s domain that appears to be a hacked advertisement for Ray Ban sunglasses.
Volkov also took aim at OpenCorporates.com, highlighting the presence of hyperlinks to the FSB and Kremlin in MRD’s “related Web links” section. This, Volkov claimed, was evidence of Russian authorities’ “embarrassing and clumsy work.”
As it happens, OpenCorporates aggregates only the business information of government registries. The data Volkov singled out as evidence of a government conspiracy was in fact submitted by anonymous Internet users, presumably as a prank, after the story broke in the news. In a response, Apetyan explained [ru] that the Montenegrin government’s website only recently connected itself aggregators like OpenCorporates, which finally made it accessible to Google indexing, earlier this year. That, he says, is why researchers are only now learning about the real estate firm. (Before Google saw it, only someone searching the Register’s archives could have discovered Navalny’s company.)
Two days after the initial revelations, and a day after Volkov’s claim that hackers had planted the incriminating information, Montenegro’s Tax Administration confirmed the existence of MRD Company and Navalny’s cofounding role, denying any hacker intrusions on its website. The tax authorities’ official statement (prompted by “Article 28” of its “Media Law,” which concerns corrections of misinformation in the press) says that Navalny signed the company’s “statute” and “founding contact” (sic), and provided copies of his passport. The press release also identifies several procedural errors in the company’s registration, noting a failure to submit paperwork to the “Central registry of taxpayers” and the absence of any “profit or tax liabilities” declarations.
Clearly embarrassed, Volkov responded [ru] hours later, no longer disputing the real estate company’s existence, but adamant that Navalny had no knowledge of its registration. The “sensible” explanation, Volkov wrote, is that Navalny shared and signed certain documents in 2007, when he was considering the purchase of land in Montenegro, unaware that it would be used to register what then was only a hypothetical business. Anxious to return to the rhetoric of the mayoral campaign, Volkov concludes his post with sloganeering, writing, “The main thing is that this is our election campaign and our victory!”
Stanislav Apetyan, 23 June 2013, screen capture from YouTube.
While Apetyan at first propagated the idea that the Montenegrin business might endanger Navalny’s candidacy, most observers doubted the odds that this scandal (or any other) would cost Navalny his place on the September 8 ballot. Indeed, the wide consensus that Sobyanin is protecting Navalny’s candidacy is a major catalyst for conspiracy theories surrounding the latter’s release from prison last month. To the relief, but perhaps not the surprise, of many, Moscow’s election commission ended speculation in an August 22 press release [ru], claiming that Navalny’s Montenegrin real estate company does not violate Russian election law [ru], which it says bars elected officials only from owning foreign land and holding foreign accounts. (Typically, the election commission seems to be wrong about the foreign assets law, which the government amended this past May. Though an early draft of the legislation forbid officials from owning property abroad, the final version does not [ru].)
Given the apparent security of Navalny’s candidacy, it’s easy to wonder if bloggers and journalists have overblown the Montenegrin scandal. Some analysts, like Tatiana Stanovaya, however, have mused [ru] on Facebook that the timing of this attack raises the chances that Russian authorities now hope to damage Navalny’s reputation significantly enough to validate election results that show him in third place. While Navalny’s own pollsters claim [ru] he is on track to force a second round of voting (a one-on-one contest with Sobyanin), a Kremlin-friendly think tank recently reported [ru] that Navalny could possibly come in third in Moscow’s September election.
The institution responsible for this unexpected claim, the Civil Society Development Foundation, employs none other than Stanislav Apetyan.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Photo: Pro-Morsi Supporters Rally in Cairo  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Pro-Morsi supporters on the Arab League street in Cairo. Photograph shared by @evanchill on Twitter
Journalist Evan Hill shares this photograph of supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi from a rally at the Arab League Street in Cairo today.


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Pro-Morsi Supporters Rally Across Egypt  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia maintains a live blog here for protests and rallies planned by supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi across Egypt today. (August 23, 2013)
She adds:
There will be not less than 28 rallies in Cairo and Giza alone.
The Pro-Supporters today are not going to street alone today , Revolutionary Socialists are going to protest the release of Mubarak despite the criticism of other revolutionary powers for choosing the same day like the Pro-Morsi supporters.


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Special Probe into South Korean Spy Agency’s Electioneering Falls Flat · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

As protests continue in South Korea, critics are calling special investigations into the actions of agents within the intelligence agency who wrote Internet comments to manipulate public opinion in favor of the ruling party before elections in December 2012 a disappointment.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has come under fire for interfering with the latest presidential election for the Internet posts that tried to sway readers against the opposition. A flurry of protests have taken place in major cities for several months now, almost regularly every weekend from mid-May. Rallies grew substantially bigger around mid-July, with an estimated 40,000 [ko] participating in the latest candle light vigil held in Seoul. (Police estimates 9,000)
Prominent citizen blogger Media Mongu tweeted a dramatic photo of the recent protest with a short description: “Candles light up the Seoul Plaza”.
서울광장에 촛불이 켜지고 있습니다. pic.twitter.com/4z5350St7K
— 미디어몽구 (@mediamongu) August 17, 2013
The month-long parliamentary investigation appeared to be an attempt to quell public anger over the scandal. The low expectations of the public regarding the effectiveness and sincerity of the probe seem to have been right on: The investigation has turned out to be a disappointment, hobbled by a lack of cooperation from key witnesses and the ruling party.
Two key witnesses, the former chief of NIS and the ex-Seoul Police Agency commissioner, refused to swear to tell the truth and that the third hearing was not even held properly as the ruling Saenuri party boycotted [ko] so that it is almost impossible come up with the full conclusive report by the deadline of August 23, 2013.
One newspaper even comments [ko] that it was a “probe that beat around the bush” and “seeing it was almost like watching a conspiracy drama unfolding that the ruling party, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the police work together to cover up the major issues”. Web reactions are similarly critical.
However, the probe revealed further insight into the electioneering scandal, including that there were 12 subdivisions [ko] of the NIS specifically worked on leaving Internet comments, with one covering major Korean portal sites such as Naver.com, another one handling mid-sized community sites such as TodayHumor.co.kr, and another on social media sites such as Twitter.
A female whistle-blower, Kwon Eun-hee, the ex-chief investigator at Seoul’s Suseo District Police Station, made a shocking revelation that police tried to cover up the case when the NIS scandal initially broke out in mid-December 2012. Kwon told at the hearing [ko] that her and her team had received “unreasonable orders” from above that could lead to reducing the scope of investigation and that they also were pressured from their superior.
Net users praised Kwon and even set up an online petition page [ko] to show their support. Only three days have passed, but it has gathered more than 27,000 signatures. Some related tweets read:
이번 국정조사에서 권은희 한사람을 만난 것으로도 희망을 보았다. 여성의 몸으로, 협박도 전혀 굴하지 않고 정의에는 한발도 물러서지 않는 강인함과 투철함을 보았다. 저 사람이 경찰총수가 되어야 나라가 제대로 설 것이다.
— 강려(江廬) (@Riverside_hut) August 19, 2013
In this parliamentary investigation, by meeting Kwon Eun-hee, I saw hope. As a woman, she has demonstrated unyielding integrity and tenacious spirit in face of threats. Such a person should become the head of police, only then this nation will stand firm.
The NIS argued that the Internet posts were a legitimate operation, a part of online psychological warfare against the pro-North Korean groups or North Korean sympathizers. However, people pointed out [ko] that if they were really serious in executing “anti-North psychological warfare”, why did they leave so many trashy comments against people from certain provinces that are traditionally “safe states” for the opposing Democratic party? And more over, if their acts can be justified, why delete the comments? @jjnsoo made similar points:
국정원 증인들은 댓글이 종북세력의 인터넷 활동에 대한 대응이라고… 정말 그렇다면 국정원이 그것을 추적하고 그런 사람들을 잡아들여 조사한후 이것을 발표하면 될걸… 뭐하러 댓글로 대응을 해야만 한다는 건지?
— 장진수 주무관 (@jjnsoo) August 19, 2013
NIS witnesses claim that their commenting was an operation against the pro-North Korean groups and their Internet activities. It that were true, they could have just traced [the sources] and caught people who write that stuff, and then report the outcome. Why did they need to react online and leave comments?
Net users also lashed out at two key witnesses, the ex-chief of NIS and the former Seoul Police Agency commissioner, who refused to be sworn in before the hearing–a tactic [ko] people use to avoid perjury. However, it seems to have backfired:
원세훈-김용판이 국정조사 청문회에서 증인선서를 거부함으로써 그들의 발언이 위증으로 입증된다 해도 위증죄로 처벌받지는 않게 되었다. 그러나 대신 그들이 정직하지 않고 거짓말을 하고 있다는 사실이 전 국민에게 알려졌다
— 상식이 통하고 사람이 존중받는 나라 (@Hurphist) August 20, 2013
Won Sei-hoon and Kim Yong-pan, by refusing to be sworn at the parliamentary hearing, avoided the chance of being punished for perjury even if their testimonies turned out to be false. However, it revealed in front of the entire nation that they are not being honest and told lies.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Syria: Photos of Chemical Weapons · Global Voices
Rami Alhames

On Brown Moses Blog more evidence illustrating what is believed to be the devices which have been used in the “Chemical Weapons attack” on 21/08/2013 in Damascus suburbs, Syria, has emerged. The blog claims that they are similar to those previously recorded in the conflict and reportedly launched by government forces in Daraya, Adra, and Khalidiya.
Photograph of the munition taken in Ein Tarma 21th Aug 2013. Source: EinTarma Coordinating's FaceBook Page


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Wave of Violence Against Guatemalan Journalists · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Guatemalan journalists Carlos Alberto Orellana Chávez was gunned down on Monday, August 19, 2013; he is the fourth journalist killed in Guatemala this year.
In an opinion piece [es] published in Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre, UN's special rapporteur for freedom of expression Frank La Rue denounced “the recent wave of aggressions against journalists in the country,” as Alejandro Martínez reports in The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog:
La Rue criticized the administration of President Otto Pérez Molina for failing to stem crime in the country, siding with private interests, persecuting social leaders and not protecting journalists from judicial harassment, lawsuits, threats, physical aggressions and killings.
“Today violence has turned toward the sectors of the press that hold critical positions toward those in power, because of their social function of investigating and informing, but this year's level of aggressions had not been seen in a decade,” said La Rue, who described the violence as a “step backwards for democracy and (the country's) peace process.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Are Female Vigilantes The Answer To Stop Rapes In India? · Global Voices
Lakshmi Sarah

A 22-year-old intern working as a photojournalist at a magazine was gang-raped in Mumbai, India while on assignment on August 22, 2013.
The injured victim underwent surgery and is now recuperating. One man out of five suspects has been arrested so far. Like the Delhi gang-rape case (see Global Voices report) in December 2012, yesterday's incident has also evoked nationwide outrage and a renewed search for solutions.
The mainstream and social media are buzzing with discussions on how to stop these rapes.
Neha Sanghvi (@nehasanghvi) was outraged:
Just feeling horrible to hear about the sick gang-rape of a girl in Mumbai city that too in broad daylight. Shame!
— Neha Sanghvi (@nehasanghvi) August 23, 2013
Avinash Iyer (@IyerAvin) tweeted:
Going by initial reports,the Mumbai rape is so similar to the Nirbhaya case. Girl,friend in isolated situation,friend overpowered,girl raped
— Avinash Iyer (@IyerAvin) August 22, 2013
Script writer and blogger Constant Rambler (@ajitjagtap) thinks that impunity is inspiring more crimes:
Gang rape in mumbai. Rapists are taking inspirations from the ones who didnt get punished or even arrested for their filthiness.
— Constant Rambler (@ajitjagtap) August 22, 2013
Rabia sheikh (@Rabiasheikh7) was pessimistic about a solution:
another gang rape..few more protests, nothing is going to change! India is not safe for women #Mumbai
— Rabia sheikh (@Rabiasheikh7) August 23, 2013
But why this frustration? According to Catholic Online, reports of rape, dowry deaths, molestation, sexual harassment and other crimes against women in India rose by 6.4 percent in 2012 from the previous year. Statistics showed that 244,270 crimes against women were reported to the Indian police in 2012 compared with 228,650 in 2011, according to the National Crimes Records Bureau. India's rape problem has been reported as “bad enough to jump out of a window” by The Atlantic magazine, referring to the case of a British tourist who jumped out the window in March 2013 to escape the unwanted advances of the owner of the hotel she was staying in.
Vishal Bheeroo identified the problem:
The main problem is the lack of effective laws to protect women and the sexist comments in parliament is such a shame.
Since the Delhi gang rape, the Justice Verma Report has been submitted, (though not without criticisms), and the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace Bill has been made into a law. However, violence against women persists. Representatives of women’s groups, democratic and human rights groups and activists are alarmed about major ommissions in current legislative protection to women which can leave women even more vulnerable than they already are.
So, what is the best means of response to what seems to be continuous rape cases in India?
To many, it is clear that rape is a problem in India, but the responses have been varied. There have been campaigns to arm women with pepper and knives, gender sensitivity training and changing laws.
Members of the the Red Brigade from a small village in Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, are taking matters into their own hands by taking direct action against sexual harassment. Led by 25-year-old teacher Usha Vishwakarma, the Red Brigade began in 2010, about four years after the similar Gulabi Gang.
Gulabi Gang. Image from Flickr by Lecerle. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Gulabi Gang served as the subject for a 2010 movie called Pink Sari's. However, the Red Brigade is a younger version comprised of girls ages 11 to 25 years old. As the Guardian reported, members of The Red Brigade take:
Direct action against their tormentors and now when a local man steps out of line, he can expect a visit from the group.
The Red Brigade girls. Screenshot from Red Brigades Blog
Dressed in red and black salwaar kameez (traditional Indian-style dress) many of the girls were victims of violence in the past. They now take martial arts classes and participate in protests.
If a man has been found to be harassing a girl, he is ordered to stop. The consequences may escalate from there and if he does not stop, he may be punished by public mocking or violence. Though they have only resorted to violence on one occasion.
When asked where her courage comes from the leader of the group, Usha Vishwakarma said:
When you suffer, you get that courage. When you are victimized, you get that courage.
Not only fighting, the red brigade members are continuing their education to make a career:
#NewsPositive of #ABPNews, meet girls of Red Brigade in Lucknow who are making themselves stronger. http://t.co/a2ppfNHz6e
— ABP News (@abpnewstv) August 23, 2013
Meet India's Red Brigade in Lucknow, they protect women and Girls from rapists!!! http://t.co/WogM9Cygyh
— Tosin (@Olutosin) August 14, 2013
As of August 23, activists and journalists gathered at Hutatama Chowk in south Mumbai in a silent protest. The opposition parties took up the issue in parliament and organizations took out rallies in different cities. What they missing are perhaps more pro-active people like vigilantes.
Update: By Sunday 25 August, 2013, the Mumbai police have arrested all the five men wanted in connection with the gang-rape of the photojournalist. The eldest one is 25 years old and the youngest of them is suspected to be 16.

author: Lakshmi Sarah


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Bangladesh: Startling Disaster Stats Of Three Decades · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

During 1980-2010 Bangladesh faced approximately 234 natural disasters. A shocking number of 191,836 people died in these calamities. PreventionWeb has the detailed statistics.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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Charges Dropped for South Korean Indicted for Retweeting North Korean Messages · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Park Jeong-geun, a photographer/activist who was sentenced to 10 months jail term for satirically re-tweeting messages from a North Korean official account, was found not guilty [ko]. A flurry of tweets congratulating him were sent to Park's Twitter account (@seouldecadence), who tweeted after the verdict [ko] that there is a chance the prosecutor may appeal the case. Park added ‘but dont do that if you have any conscience left’.


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Leaked Chinese Document Warns Against the Evils of Western Values · Global Voices
Abby Liu

A secretive directive from the Chinese Communist Party warning party members of the dangers of a free press, democracy, and other Western notions was leaked to the anxiety of Web users who feared the government's grip on power.
Document No. 9, as it is referred to, was issued in April 2013, but was not openly published, and any curious discussion about it was soon censored on Chinese social media. In August 2013, however, the document was leaked, and the whole piece was published by Hong Kong-based Minjing news [zh] on Aug 19, 2013.
The document titled “Concerning the Situation in the Ideological Sphere” referred to as Document No. 9 warns party members that they face losing power if they fail to address subversive elements in Chinese society. The document reveals President Xi Jinping's conservative political stance since his rise to power despite economic reform and a crackdown on corruption.
According to the document, the “seven subversive currents” that are endangering the Communist Party are:
Netizens shared the full version of Document No. 9 on Sina Weibo.
1. 宣揚西方憲政民主。企圖否定當代領導，否定中國特色社會主義政治制度。
2. 宣揚“普世價值”，企圖動搖黨執政的思想理論基礎。
3. 宣揚公民社會，企圖瓦解黨執政的社會基礎。
4. 宣揚新自由主義，企圖改變我國基本經濟制度。
5. 宣揚西方新聞觀，挑戰我國黨管媒體原則和新聞出版管理制度。
6. 宣揚歷史虛無主義，企圖否定中國共產黨歷史和新中國歷史。
7. 質疑改革開放，質疑中國特色社會主義的社會主義性質。
1. Promoting Western constitutional democracy. Attempting to negate current leadership and deny the socialist political system with Chinese characteristics.
2. Promoting the universal value of human rights. Attempting to shake the party's ideological and theoretical foundation.
3. Promoting civic participation. Attempting to disintegrate the social basis of the ruling party.
4. Promoting neo-liberalism. Attempting to change China’s basic economic system.
5. Promoting Western-inspired notions of media independence. Challenging the principle of party-controlled media and the press and publication management system.
6. Promoting historical nihilism. Attempting to negate the history of Chinese Communist Party and the history of the New China.
7. Questioning the Reform and Opening up, questioning socialist nature of socialism with Chinese Characteristics.
The document also involves the “seven speak-not” subjects, a policy for university professors instructing them not to teach seven subjects, including freedom of the press, past mistakes of the communist party, and citizen rights.
After the Document No. 9 was shared on China’s most popular microblogging Sina Weibo, many worried about the government's seemingly increasingly powerful hold. Earlier this month, Beijing authorities set up a site [zh] where users can be alerted of online rumors. This week, Chinese police have detained two Internet users for allegedly starting online rumors that tried to defame government groups and a cultural icon.
One netizen “Huang Jinbiao” wrote [zh]:
新一轮文革到来，五毛们都活了
Another Cultural Revolution, and the 50 Cent Party [editor's note: Internet commenters paid by the Communist Party of China to write favorably about the party] is alive again.
“Wang Yi” lamented [zh]:
什么“9号文件”的内容令人失望。如果最高层都这样绝对，直接视必要改革为颠覆。那为了把这个国家变得更好的一腔热血，是不是也该重新思考。
The content of Document No. 9 is disappointing. If the top level is so determined, and considers necessary reform as subversion, then my passion for a better China is worth rethinking.
Chinese real estate Tycoon Ren Zhiqiang [zh] looked to the bright side:
九号文件将成为引发思想革命大辨论的起点，但绝不是终点。不断爆发出来的以官方为背景的荒谬，有助于让民众认清事实的真相。并选择正确的道路。
Document No. 9 will become the starting point of a great debate on the ideological revolution, and it is by no means the end. Constant bursts of absurdity detailing the background information of officials will help people understand the truth and choose the right path.
“Qinting Rensheng” expressed [zh] optimism:
反宪政就是为了维护、巩固专制统治，这当然没有错。但2013年的反宪政浪潮更有它的特殊意义，就是以此为切入点，在意识形态领域掀起一场对自由民主思潮的大扫荡。出于意料的是，虽然有9号文件的动员，却应者寥寥，只有那么几个无行文人投机凑热闹。究竟文化专制主义的百宝囊里还有什么法宝。
Anti-constitutionalism is for the sake of maintaining and consolidating authoritarian rule. The rising wave of anti-constitutionalism in 2013 has special significance. It serves as a starting point of a conversation about freedom and democracy. As expected, despite the lecturing of Document No. 9, not many have showed enthusiasm. What magic does the cultural autocracy still have?

author: Abby Liu


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‘No’ to Homosexuality, ‘Yes’ to Child Marriage in Nigeria · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A man was beaten by members of the public in Kotodayo community in Ota in western Nigeria, on August 22, 2013, for allegedly being gay. This came in the wake of a bill passed in the Nigeria's House of Representative on May 30, 2013, which criminalises gay marriage, same-sex relationships and membership of a gay rights group.
The man, known only as Sadiq, was whisked from the scene conscious but there is no information on his current condition.
President Goodluck Jonathan must approve the bill before it becomes law. The bill, which was passed by Nigeria's Senate in November 2011, sets prison sentences of up to 14 years for offenders. Ironically, it is the same Senate that approved child marriage in July this year.
Global Attitudes Project by Pew Research Centre shows that Nigeria is the least tolerant country in the world when it comes to homosexuality. A mere rumour of being gay in the country can lead to violence and even imprisonment.
A map showing penalties targeting gays and lesbians in Africa. Image source: http://ilga.org/
Homosexuality is outlawed in 38 African countries and it can be punishable by death in Mauritania, Sudan and northern Nigeria.
In February 2012, Uganda re-tabled a controversial anti-gay bill proposed by a Ugandan member of parliament, David Bahati, who claimed to to have dropped the death penalty and jailing of family members who fail to report homosexuals to the authorities in the new bill.
In the same month, the former Liberian first lady, Jewel Howard Taylor, introduced a bill making homosexuality liable to a death sentence.
Many African politicians and lawmakers claim that homosexuality is un-natural and un-African. South Africa is an exception with a constitution, which provides the most comprehensive protection of gay rights in the world.
Reacting to the story of mob justice meted out against the suspected gay on Nigeria Eye news site, Mr Speaker made the following observations:
Mare [sic] allegation that someone is gay is enough to expose them to violent attacks in Nigeria what a shame. I don’t think there is any law that will change the sexuality of homosexuals. Human rights for all please.
On PM News Nigeria website, Naubiko wondered why the public should be so concerned with “myopic issues” such as homosexuality:
I don’t [he later made a correction in another comment saying that he meant to use the word “do” instead of “don't”] abhor gay pratice but is this what we should be bothering ourselves with . When we should be making politicians lives a living hell we’re bothered with all sorts of myopic issues .
But Adeyinka was not convinced:
Gay is evil dont support it in any form. Nothing concern politician here.accept jesus christ b4 it is too late for you.
On Twitter, Nigerian writer St.Vince (@vinzPaz) thought mob justice against homosexuals is sadistic even if homosexuality in illegal:
Come on guys, homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria but mob-beating them? That's just sadistic.
— St. Vince™ (@VinzPaz) August 23, 2013
Alexis Okeowo (@alexis_ok), a journalist writing about Africa for international media outlets, wished for a day Nigerians will get angry over anti-gay bills like they do with child marriage legislation:
The day Nigerians get angry over anti-gay bills like they have with child marriage legislation is when I'll permanently move to Nigeria.
— Alexis Okeowo (@alexis_ok) July 26, 2013
The Nigerian Senate on July 18, 2013 upheld a clause in the Nigerian Constitution that defined full age to include any woman that is married regardless of her age. Concerned Nigerians and activists opposed the move on Twitter using the hashtag #ChildNotBride created by Ayomidotun Fadeyi (@IAmAyomiDotun), a Nigerian visual storyteller.
In 2010, Ahmad Sani Yerima, senator and former governor of Zamfara State in Northern Nigeria, was accused of marrying a 13-year old Egyptian girl. Yerima reportedly paid the girl's parents 100,000 US dollars in dowry. Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima led the group of senators who opposed changing the definition of legal age of marriage arguing that certain religious traditions allow for marriage under 18.
Tweeting about the same issues of child marriage and homosexuality, Bar Baric (@Bar_Baric) wrote:
Our Western partner nations have been relatively silent about the child marriage issue in Nigeria, unlike homosexuality.
— Bar Baric (@Bar_Baric) August 10, 2013
Eusebius (@IgbokweEusebius) is sure that Lagos will legalise gay marriage in the future:
As I see it, Lagos will be the first state to legalise gay marriage in Nigeria. Mark my word!!!
— Eusebius (@IgbokweEusebius) August 22, 2013
Homosexuality is deeply rooted in Nigeria, noted Pizzle Houdini (@thisisphd):
If u went to a boarding school,u will know how deep dis gay ish is rooted in Nigeria.
— Pizzle Houdini (@thisisphd) August 22, 2013

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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PHOTOS: Mapping Urban Art in Buenos Aires and Beyond · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

What perhaps started as a fad or hobby is now an expression of art that is regularly seen in the streets and walls of cities worldwide.
Argentines Alejandro Güerri, Fernando Aíta and Tomy Lucadamo invite us to look, share, explore and build through their blog Escritosenlacalle [es] (Writings on the street):
Mirar la ciudad con otros ojos, pensar y charlar sobre lo que nos dicen las paredes.
Compartir fotos de graffiti, ubicarlos en un mapa, trazar relaciones.
Recorrer el paisaje urbano prestando atención a lo que las personas
escriben y pintan en los espacios comunes.
Construir un archivo visual, lingüístico, de tipografías, de las ideas y
sentimientos que se expresan en la calle.
See the city through different eyes, think and talk about what the walls tell us.
Share photos of graffiti, place them on a map, draw relationships.
Browse the cityscape by paying attention to what people write and paint in common areas.
Build a visual and linguistic archive, with fonts, ideas and
sentiments expressed on the street.
The GraFiTi project allows artists – or any citizen – to send photos of graffiti and map them [es] to see where the graffiti is located.
The project started collecting graffiti from Buenos Aires, but now you can also see photos of urban art in other Argentine cities like Neuquén, Córdoba or Rosario. You can even find photos of graffiti from cities in other countries, like Santiago (Chile), Santa Cruz (Bolivia), and Montevideo (Uruguay).
Alejandra Inzunza writes about the project in Yoroboku [es]:
En 2010, tres colegas argentinos (Alejandro Güerri, Fernando Aíta y Tomy Lucadamo) montaron una página web para registrar todos los grafitis interesantes que había en las paredes. Empezaron por fotografiarlos y publicarlos en Escritosenlacalle para construir un archivo visual y lingüístico de tipografías, ideas y sentimientos expresados en la calle.
Desde entonces, el proyecto no para de crecer. Los lectores envían por mail escritos que se encuentran en los muros y dejan su dirección exacta para construir un mapa digital del grafiti y la poesía que se esconde en él.
In 2010, three colleagues from Argentina (Alejandro Güerri, Fernando Aíta and Tomy Lucadamo) set up a website to collect all interesting graffiti on walls [across the city]. They began by photographing the graffiti and posting it on Escritosenlacalle to build a visual and linguistic archive of fonts, ideas and feelings expressed on the street.
Since then, the project has not stopped growing. Readers send writings found on walls by email with the exact address to build a digital map of graffiti and the poetry behind it.
The blog [es] divides users’ images by categories
Under the category “Delirios” [es] (delirium) we can find images like this one:
Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo sent by Alejandro Guerri.
This is a graffiti under the category “Preguntas” [es] (questions):
“Why?” Graffiti in Venezuela 2000, San Cristóbal, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Photo sent by Fernando Aita
As you might expect from an Argentina blog, there's also a category called fútbol [es] (football):
Graffiti in Av. Belgrano 1550, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Photo sent by Fernando Aita
Balvanera 300, Old Terminal, Salta, Argentina. Photo sent by anonymous user.
The project has received support from several entities, like the ‘2009 National Scholarship For Group Projects’ from Argentina's National Endowment of the Arts, and the ‘Grant for Creators in Letters and Thought’ from the Metropolitan Fund for Culture, Arts and Sciences of the city of Buenos Aires.
Av. Montes de Oca 6, Barracas, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo shared by GRaFiTi
Dorrego 1800, Colegiales, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo sent by Leandro Giovinazzi
Sargento Cabral 300, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Photo shared by GRaFiTi
You can send your photos of urban art by clicking on ‘Mandar graffiti‘ [es] (send graffiti).
You can also follow the project through Facebook [es] Twitter [es], and Flickr [es].

author: Laura Schneider


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Prison Overcrowding in Indonesia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Leopold Sudaryono tackles the problem of prison overcrowding in Indonesia. In 2011, there were 144,000 prisoners in the country. Prisons were reported to be overcrowded by 45 per cent on average. Among the factors contributing to the problem are lack of alternative sentencing options at trial and delays in the administration of the criminal justice system.
In the Indonesian context, prison overcrowding is a sign of a disintegrating criminal justice system, in which law enforcement agencies prioritise the function of their own institutions at the expense of other parts of the system.

author: Mong Palatino


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Suspicions Arose Over North Korean Defector-Turned-Lawmaker · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

During a parliamentary hearing on the spy agency election interference scandal, Cho Myung-chul, a ruling party lawmaker famous for being the first North Korean defector to take a senior government post in South Korea, went under fire for making snide and offensive remarks discriminating against people from certain province. More criticisms mount as prominent political blogger Impeter disclosed that [ko] Cho has misrepresented facts about his academic records, whether intended or not, and as news came out [ko] that Cho's family, even after Cho's defection, still enjoys affluent life in North Korea.


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Three Youths Harassed After Speaking Catalan at Music Festival in Spain  · Global Voices
Cristina Simón

Three young people have reported incidents of discrimination and physical abuse for speaking Catalan at the Arenal Sound music festival in the eastern region of Valencia, Spain. Like in Catalonia, Spanish and Catalan are both official languages in Valencia.
The fourth Arenal Sound musical festival took place in Borriana in the south of Castelló province from 4-7 August, 2013. On the first night, Laura, a young woman from Castelló, was denied entrance to the arena for having addressed a security guard, who was manning the entrance, in Catalan. According to what Laura explained [ca] to the online newspaper Vilaweb [ca], the security guard demanded that she and her friends spoke in Spanish because he didn't understand any other languages. When the guard searched Laura, he found she was carrying self-defense spray. He used this as an excuse to refuse her entry and notify the Guardia Civil, the Spanish gendarmerie.
The Guardia Civil suggested that the young lady spoke in Spanish if she wanted to regain entry, but she and her friends preferred to abandon the festival rather than the right to speak their own language. They then demanded a full refund which they were denied because, according to the guards, the festival director was not informed. Laura and her friends wore their festival wristbands in protest against an incident which was not motivated by a genuine, language-related misunderstanding, but rather an act of humiliation because of the language they spoke.
On Sunday night, another two youths, who had found out about what had happened to Laura, asked the guards if they spoke Catalan. The same guard who was involved in the previous incident confronted them.
Photo of the Arenal Sound festival-goers found on the festival's Facebook [es] page.
According to the story that one of the young men, Christian, reported to Vilaweb [ca], Christian's friend accused the guard of being a fascist and it was from there that things escalated. They were surrounded by five guards and one of them pushed Christian to the floor and kicked him. The hospital report [ca] that the young men shared with Vilaweb provides evidence of the attack.
The festival organisers have not apologised. Their Facebook [ca] page has received some negative comments, but for now, the only statements [ca] in response are repetitions of what the director, David Sanchéz, said: “The security personnel came from a company in Jaén and therefore didn't understand Catalan”.
He also insisted that the festival does not discriminate against anyone “because of their language or origin” and that he had spoken to the security company so as to prevent this from happening in the future. However, news that Francisco José López Perea, a well-known neo-Nazi [ca], is the founder of Opcón Security which was the company responsible for the security at the festival, has caused many people to doubt this statement.
Valencian is a dialect of Catalan which is spoken in the Valencian Community, an autonomous community in Spain located south of Catalonia and to the West of the Balearic Islands. These three autonomous regions share a history together based on a common language and culture. Catalan is one of the four official languages in Spain, each corresponding to one region, and the Valencian Statute of Autonomy grants it “native language” status in the region.
Nevertheless, centuries of marginalisation  and language shift has caused the situation regarding the lack of protection for the language to be worse than it is in neighbouring Catalonia, subjecting those that speak it to more severe attacks on their rights. Protests in support of the assaulted and against any of this type of discriminatory behaviour were not expected on the Internet like had happened previously with other cases of anti-Catalan prejudice. For example, the singer from Xàtiva, Feliu Ventura (@feliuventura) [ca] tweeted:
Això s'ha d'acabar. Aquest apartheid és terrorisme contra la valenciana manera de veure el món. http://t.co/pTuMa5zpKD — Feliu Ventura (@feliuventura) August 6, 2013
This has to stop. This apartheid is terrorism against the Valencian way of seeing the world. http://t.co/pTuMa5zpKD — Feliu Ventura (@feliuventura) August 6, 2013
Comedian and television presenter Eugeni Alemany (@EugeniAlemany)[ca] questioned the quality of democracy in a country that still today has to deal with situations like those experienced at the Arenal Sound festival:
Diu molt dels fonaments d'un país el que el 99% dels “segurates” siguen d'extrema dreta. Gent violenta i intolerant controlant? Toca-te-la! — Eugeni Alemany (@EugeniAlemany) August 4, 2013
It says a lot about the foundations of a country if 99% of their “security guards” support the extreme right. Violent, intolerant, controlling people? Deal with it! Eugeni Alemany (@EugeniAlemany) August 4, 2013
Musician and journalist Miquel Ramos (@Miquel_R) [ca] defended the right to speak Catalan:
Contra les agressions feixistes als qui parlem valencià. Contra la impunitat, #stopvalencianofobia — MiquelRamos (@Miquel_R) August 7, 2013
Stop fascist attacks on those who speak Valencian. Stop impunity. #stopvalencianofobia — MiquelRamos (@Miquel_R) August 7, 2013
And in the same vein, philologist Bàrbera M. (@barberamaria) tweeted:
#stopvalencianofòbia No ens cansarem de dir que parlar en català no és cap delicte. Per què els molesta tant que tenguem una llengua pròpia? — Bàrbera M. (@barberamaria) August 6, 2013
#stopvalencianofòbia We will not tire of saying that speaking Catalan is not a crime. Why does it bother them so much that we have our own language? — Bàrbera M. (@barberamaria) August 6, 2013
In addition to this, a mass tweet [ca] was organised via social networks on 10 August, with the tags #stopvalencianofòbia and @arenalsound in order to raise awareness regarding this linguistic discrimination and to force the festival organisers to apologise. Here you can read some of the most notable tweets from the mass tweet organised on Saturday evening, such as the tweet by journalist Amàlia Garrigós (@AmaliaGarrigos) [ca]:
La nostra llengua només romandrà viva si l'estimem. Només la podem estimar si la parlem. #StopValencianofòbia @arenalsound — Amàlia Garrigós (@AmaliaGarrigos) August 10, 2013
Our language will only stay alive if we appreciate it. We can only show our appreciation by speaking it.#StopValencianofòbia @arenalsound — Amàlia Garrigós (@AmaliaGarrigos) August 10, 2013
Or the tweet from Miquel Gironés (@miquelgirones)[ca], member of the most international Valencian band, Obrint Pas, who has also been a victim of a police attack [ca] for speaking Catalan:
M'agradaria que l’@ArenalSound no torne a contractar a eixa empresa de seguretat. Per favor demaneu disculpes.
I would like @ArenalSound not to contract this security company again. Please apologise.

author: Cristina Simón


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Chelsea Manning Case Surfaces Issues of Transparency, Security, Journalism, and Sexuality · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning,* was a soldier in the United States Army who leaked over 700,000 classified documents that revealed U.S. government violations of the Geneva Convention, indiscriminate slaughtering of civilians committed by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan, and hundreds of classified U.S. diplomatic cables.
For this, she was sentenced to 35 years of prison, the longest sentenced ever imposed on a leaker of classified information, and longer than the sentence imposed on most convicted terrorists. It is worth noting that the prosecution pushed for a sentence of 60 years, even though it failed to show that the information leaked by Manning resulted in any harm; not a single life of anyone involved in the U.S military or intelligence was lost due to the leaks. The charge that would have exposed her to the death penalty, “aiding the enemy,” was rejected by the judge presiding over the case.
Manning herself understood that her actions were against the law and pleaded guilty to all charges, except aiding the enemy. In her letter to President Obama requesting a pardon she says:
I understand that my actions violated the law; I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others.
If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society. I will gladly pay that price if it means we could have a country that is truly conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all women and men are created equal.
What makes Chelsea Manning's case so important is not only the unprecedented amount of information she revealed of government wrongdoing, but the implications that her treatment by the justice system will have for journalists, bloggers, whistleblowers, leakers, and citizens in general. Her case is the highest profile conviction under the Obama Administration's crackdown on leakers. Indeed, the Obama Administration has charged more leakers than any other administration for disclosing classified information to the public. Josh Stearns (@jcstearns), writing for Boing Boing, sees this case as just the latest one of a disturbing tendency to curb freedom of information:
We should see the Manning verdict in the context of a mounting press freedom crisis that impacts all of us. As Dan Gillmor wrote in the Guardian, “the public needs to awaken to the threat to its own freedoms from the Obama crackdown on leaks and, by extension, journalism and free speech itself.”
We live in a time when anyone may commit an act of journalism. The person who sets up a Facebook page to cover the hurricane hitting her community. The person who uses her smartphone to record police officers killing an unarmed teen on a train platform.The person who live-blogs a court case from start to finish. Each of these people is participating in journalism in ways we should protect and celebrate.
[…]
We should be glad that this military court did not equate Manning’s actions to aiding the enemy, but this case is part of a much bigger debate, and one the public has largely been left out of. That needs to change.
Trevor Timm (@trevortimm), in a post for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, is also worried about the zeal with which the Obama Administration is prosecuting leakers. He says that one of the laws used to convict Manning, the Espionage Act, is being used to equate leakers with traitors:
The Espionage Act, a draconian statute written in 1917 as a way to punish non-violent opponents of World War I, has unfortunately been used in recent years to equate leakers and whistleblowers with spies and traitors. Facilitating that warped view in Manning's trial, the judge ruled early on that the defense was not allowed to put forth evidence of Manning’s sole intent to inform the American public, or evidence showing that none of the information materially harmed national security.
In spite of the official narrative of the Obama Administration that labels Chelsea Manning as a traitor, people everywhere are expressing their support, as evidenced by the chatter currently on the web. Supporters of Chelsea Manning have rallied together to create awareness of how important and necessary her disclosures were. A joint petition by Amnesty International and the Bradley Manning Support Network to request that President Obama grant clemency to Manning is currently making the rounds on the Internet. Many have also expressed their support on Twitter:
The fact that Bradley Manning leaked the truth for free pretty much says that he is not a traitor/attention whore/etc.
— #TheEnemy (@Rugure89) August 24, 2013
“Manning helped spark a new civil rights movement. She deserves Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize in a way the president doesn't.” @jricole #Manning
— Paul Orlowski (@npdrifter) August 24, 2013
I've gotten into so many great discussions over Bradley/Chelsea Manning this week. American hero, nothing less than that. #FreeBrad
— Jerrad (@JerradWilliams) August 24, 2013
In this video, The Young Turks discuss Chelsea Manning's letter to the President asking for a pardon. All four men express their respect and the high regard in which they hold her:
Journalst Norman Solomon (@normansolomon) expresses a deep admiration for Chelsea Manning's actions and integrity in an open letter to President Obama published in the independent digital news journal Nation of Change:
Imagine. After more than three years in prison, undergoing methodical abuse and then the ordeal of a long military trial followed by the pronouncement of a 35-year prison sentence, Bradley Manning has emerged with his solid humanistic voice not only intact, but actually stronger than ever!
Transgender Identity
Image of Chelsea Manning with a wig shared extensively on the web. Taken from Wikipedia.
On August 21, Manning publicly announced her true identity as a transgender woman, saying that from now on she prefers to be called Chelsea Manning and would like to begin hormone therapy as quickly as possible. Trans activists have praised her decision to come out, granting visibility and a legitimacy greatly needed for transgender people in the ongoing struggle for LGBTT rights. This raises a whole new set of issues for Manning, as she will be taken to a male prison and already the U.S. Army has refused to grant therapy beyond that given by a psychiatrist. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement saying that the denial of hormone therapy to Manning raises worrying constitutional concerns:
[P]ublic statements by military officials that the Army does not provide hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria raise serious constitutional concerns. Gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition in which a person's gender identity does not correspond to his or her assigned sex at birth, and hormone therapy is part of the accepted standards of care for this condition. Without the necessary treatment, gender dysphoria can cause severe psychological distress, including anxiety and suicide. When the government holds individuals in its custody, it must provide them with medically necessary care.
The events of the past few days will undoubtedly have an enduring and far-reaching effect on future whistleblowers and journalism in general —not to mention the trans community. Whether that will translate into a more open society with greater government transparency and accountability or a more secretive one in which citizens's rights to information will not be recognized remains to be seen.
*In this post we use feminine pronouns to refer to Manning, who explicitly and publicly asked to be referred to in this way.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Chinese Social Web Shines Spotlight on Illegal Rooftop Structures  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More and more Chinese netizens are uploading pictures to social media of elaborate rooftop constructions around the country in an effort to pressure authorities to clear out the illegal structures and more fairly enforce the law.
One of the first constructions to draw attention online was that of a rooftop villa in Beijing that resembles a lush green mountaintop. The Beijing rooftop villa was built five years ago by a Chinese medical doctor Chang Biqing. The illegal addition has never been approved by the city authorities and has brought serious leakage problem for other residents of the same building.
Nevertheless, the city management administration had failed to enforce the demolition order until the case was exposed through local newspapers and widely spread in social media. Below is a video showing ostentatious villa:
Writer Juncaixinchi (俊采興馳) on Tianya, a popular online forum in China, pointed out [zh] that the selective law enforcement by the city management authority is a result of consent inequality:
百姓的权益得不到维护已经有5年之久，而此霸道的空中楼阁也已经霸道的存在于京城空中5年之久，这样的情况，应该没有人不知道，实际上，辖区城管的违章建筑拆除通知已经下达了5年，却未能清除。城管执法被人病垢已久的直接、简单、粗暴，在此时却显得如此的宽容和耐心 […]
It has been five years since the residents had filed complaint to the authorities but the bizarre rooftop villa has continued to exist in Beijing for five years. This is not a secret. In fact, the demolition notice was issued by the city management authority five years ago, only that it has not been enforced. The brutal, straightforward attitude of city management [in handling street vendors] has been widely criticized, but in this case, they are so patient and tolerant […]
The writer further explained how media and netizens intervention has brought change:
[…]只是半路杀出个“程咬金”，把这件事报道了出来，放到了网上，引发围观。
第三方的介入，打破了原来二者的平衡和默契，释放和扩大原来被压制的小区业主利益诉求的能量，面对这种突如其来的冲击力，作为管理方的政府和业主方的张必清都在急切的寻找“再平衡”，因而，我们看到，5年都未能拆除的违章建筑以迅雷不及掩耳之势开始拆除了
[…] An third party entered the scene. The story was reported and distributed online, catching everyone's attention.
The intervention of the third party has broken the consensus between the villa owner and the authority, unleashing the anger of the other residents, who had been repressed. Under such pressure, both the government and the villa owner Chang Biqing have to find a way out. That's why they started demolishing the illegal villa instantly.
The Beijing case has set an example for others. More and more residents affected by illegal rooftop constructions have started publishing photos and videos to social media platforms.
The online sentiment has generated huge public pressure on the owners of such structures. For example, in Heng Yang, the developer of 25 villas on the roof of a furniture shopping mall, has finally given in and torn down the illegal construction on August 21. When the case was first exposed in early August by Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reporting [zh], the developer refused to take action claiming that the villas are dormitories for the workers in the shopping mall.
Screen capture from Zhuzhengnan's video on the Suzhou rooftop villa.
In the past two weeks, netizens have revealed more cases. @shoujipaike on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo highlighted a video taken by Zhuzhengnan on a smartphone of an illegal Suzhou rooftop villa:
【苏州楼顶园林式别墅被举报6年 传业主是官员】近日网民爆料称，苏州市区某大厦楼顶有疑似违章的园林式建筑，影响楼内业主生活，但市民6年来举报多次无果，堪称“苏州最牛违建”。有居民透露，“空中花园”的业主“是个当官的，权力很大”。实拍视频由网友@朱征南 提供http://t.cn/zQu6Wk2
[Rooftop villa in Suzhou reported to authorities over the course of six years. The hearsay is that the villa is owned by a government official] Recently netizens reported that a villa on the roof of a building in Suzhou city has disturbed residents. They filed complaints to authorities over the course of six years but no action been taken. It is the most strange illegal construction in Suzhou. Some residents revealed that the rooftop villa's owner is a powerful government official.
@”Sister Anber” (@Anber姐姐蔚) also detected a case in Xian:
【西安现违章加盖“空中仿古庭院” 官方展开调查】8月21日消息，北京的“最牛违建”正在拆除，西安市一小区内的高层楼顶又被曝出加盖了“空中仿古庭院”。21日，西安市规划局莲湖分局介入调查，并责令该业主立即停止违法建设行为。
[An illegal rooftop “courtyard in ancient Chinese style” in Xian. Authorities begin an investigation] News on August 21. While the most bizarre illegal construction was torn down in Beijing, a rooftop “courtyard in the ancient Chinese style” has been revealed on a high-rise building in Xian city. The Lianhu branch of Xian city planning bureau has started investigating the case. A warning has been issued to the owner.
Photo uploaded by Changweibao
The latest case is exposed by @changweibo who tagged a number of Shenzhen-based newspapers to follow the rooftop temple construction:
#深圳也有最牛屋顶违建#报料开始：南山区华侨城沙河街道的美加广场(益田假日广场后面，世界之窗对面)E栋屋顶有违建，从外观看非常明显，呈庙宇状。据说加建的2103号房户主在市里有背景，一直无法查处，媒体也不敢报道。很好奇这位牛户主是什么人，求转发人肉之。@晶报 @南方都市报 @深圳微博发布厅
#Shenzhen also have most absurd illegal rooftop construction# Here begin the whistle-blowing: The E flat of Meijia Square at Huaqiao town in Nanshan district (at the back of Yitian holiday shopping mall and opposite to the theme park of the World's Window) has an illegal rooftop structure. It looks obviously like a temple. The hearsay is the owner has some background and the law enforcement unit dare not touch it nor the media. I wonder who is the owner, please find out. @Jingpao @Nanfang Metro Daily @Shenzhen Weibo press release center.
Photo uploaded by Changweibao: http://weibo.com/2932237812/A4YwRce4A?mod=weibotime
http://weibo.com/3279260215/A5TKhc2OA

author: Oiwan Lam


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PHOTOS: Protest Against LPG Price Hike in Thailand  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

More than 500 people joined a protest organized by the Foundation for Consumers and the People’s Network against the proposal to raise household liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices in Thailand. The rally was held in front of the main office of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT)
According to the government, the increase will take effect on September 1
LPG for the household sector currently costs 18.13 baht per kilogramme. Starting next month, the price will rise by 50 satang per kilogramme per month until it reaches 24.82 baht next August. The total increase will be 37%.
But Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal reminded the protesters that the increase would ease the tax burden of motorists who have been subsidizing the low LPG prices. He also said that low-income families will continue to receive government subsidies:
…the state Oil Fund has been using money from motorists to subsidise the price of cooking gas for years.
About 7.7 million low-income people and street food vendors will be allowed to buy LPG at the old price
Twitter user @chaiyaphat also supports the price hike:
Why do people care so much about lpg price? It's been artificially cheap for years. I believe that commodity prices should not be intervened
— Chaiyaphat (@chaiyaphat) August 23, 2013
Photos of the protest are available at Demotix website. They were contributed by Piti A Sahakorn
Protest against LPG price hike. Photo by Piti A Sahakorn, Copyright @Demotix (9/23/2013)
Protest in front of PTT office. Photo by Piti A Sahakorn, Copyright @Demotix (9/23/2013)
Protesters wearing LPG Gas dress during a rally. Photo by Piti A Sahakorn, Copyright @Demotix (9/23/2013)
Protesters hold their slogans during a rally. Photo by Piti A Sahakorn, Copyright @Demotix (9/23/2013)
This photo by @BkkLifestyle also shows the size of the rally
Photo by @BkkLifestyle
Meanwhile, taxi drivers and operators are also reported to be preparing to hold their own rally to remind the government that they also need assistance when the LPG price is raised next month.


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Ugandans Blast President’s Gifts to Country’s Marathon Champion · Global Voices
Prudence Nyamishana

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda hosted Stephen Kiprotich at his country home for the second time following his victory representing Uganda at the men's marathon on 17 August, 2013 at the Moscow World Athletics Championships. For winning gold in Moscow, Museveni gave Kiprotich a brand new Mitsubishi Pajero and promised to build the athlete a three-bedroom house, gifts that stirred mixed reactions online.
Stephen Kiprotich at the London 2012 Men's Olympic Marathon. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Flickr user Peter Mooney.
Kiprotich is also the 2012 Olympic champion in the marathon. This was the first Olympic medal for Uganda since 1996, the first gold medal since 1972, and the first ever in the marathon.
Kiprotich is not only breaking records in Uganda. The ever-smiling runner is also the third person to win both the Olympic and World championship gold.
With the World Athletics Championship gold added to his collection, the Ugandan runner is now being mentioned in the same breath with other African great runners like Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie.
The Ugandan Observer newspaper (@observerug) reported:
Stephen #Kiprotich also gets a brand new Pajero, a house in Kapchorwa and a monthly allowance of Shs 5m for winning the #IAAF marathon
— The Observer (@observerug) August 23, 2013
After hearing the news, Omaido Blair (@BlairAO) suggested:
@observerug why not put up the high altitude facility already to produce more of his kind
— Omaido Blair (@BlairAO) August 23, 2013
Angelo Izama (@Opiaiya), a Ugandan journalist and analyst noted:
There is more to aspirations than material gain. #Kiprotich‘s gold is symbolic.Don't piss on it even with good intentions. #Uganda
— Angelo Izama (@Opiaiya) August 24, 2013
He also asked:
Can they not find other ways to immortalize #Kiprotich? Is their message to their children run for money or run for glory? #Uganda
— Angelo Izama (@Opiaiya) August 24, 2013
T. Ddumba (@tomddumba) replied:
@Opiaiya Celebrating Greatness is our biggest challenge! #Kiprotich is a humble man. It's a shame we can't think further than money!
— T. Ddumba (@tomddumba) August 24, 2013
Catherine Byaruhanga (@cathkemi), a BBC Uganda multi-media reporter, responded:
“@Opiaiya: While money reflects the success of his achievement, over focus on money demeans it too. #Uganda #Kiprotich“
— Catherine Byaruhanga (@cathkemi) August 24, 2013
Kobel Christopher (@oluwenyi), an artist and poet, said:
#Kiprotich clear example that Talent breeds Success put aside that 60's-70's theory of u have to be studied to make it in lyf.
— kobel Christopher (@oluwenyi) August 24, 2013
Collins Mugume (@cmugume), a Ugandan business junkie, had this to say:
Holy Smokes! I should have been born with a running talent!!! 5 Million Ugx pay per month for life if you win Gold. #Kiprotich #Uganda
— Collins Mugume (@cmugume) August 23, 2013
Patrick Mugumya (@mugumya) criticized Museveni, whom he calls “Sevo” in his tweeet, for his gesture:
Again Sevo does somethin unsustainable in gifting #Kiprotich. If we got 10 golds, statehouse would default on its precedence. Ask Kipsiro
— Patrick Mugumya (@mugumya) August 23, 2013
Making reference to Ugandan workers who often have to strike when demanding salary increase, Ugandan campaign strategist E. Otim (@iDEASUG) advised Ugandans:
If u want more money join athletics and win medals & u'll be treated like #Kiprotich promotions & money without striking #Uganda
— E. Otim (@iDEASUG) August 19, 2013
On a positive note, Ugandan communications consultant Maureen Agena (@maureenagena) pointed out the narrative about Uganda should now change:
The narrative about Uganda shd change from idi Amin to a country that has both Olympic and Worldchampion #Kiprotich. #media
— Maureen Agena (@maureenagena) August 18, 2013

author: Prudence Nyamishana


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Crowdfunding Project in Brazil Seeks to Finance Independent Reporters  · Global Voices
Paula Góes

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
Publica, a non-profit investigative reporting and journalism agency in Brazil, has launched its first crowdfunding project. Publica will distribute ten grants of 6 thousand reais (2,500 US dollars) for investigative projects chosen by the public.
The competition's purpose is to expand the grants given to independent reporters and at the same time increase participation of the public, which will participate as an editorial board formed by those who contribute with crowdfunding. According to Natalia Viana, director of Publica, it is a journalist's dream:
O trabalho vai no sentido inverso dos portais de notícia convencionais: eles negam a informação para o público liberando-a apenas para quem pagar por ela; nós pedimos dinheiro a algumas pessoas para espalhar a informação independente para todas as outras.
The work will go in the opposite direction from conventional news sources: they deny information to the public, making it available only to those who pay for it; we ask for money from some people in order to provide independent information for everyone else.
The reports will be published on Publica's website with a Creative Commons license and will be offered to a network of re-publishers, of which Global Voices is a part. In addition, the publication of an e-book is expected, offered as one of the compensations for donations.
Interested reporters should fill out this form. Contributions, which can vary from 20 reais (8,5 US dollars) to 2,000 reais (850 US dollars), can be made until September 20, 2013, on the Publica Report page on the Catarse crowdfunding platform.

author: Paula Góes


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Kazakhstan Eyes 2022 Winter Olympics · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and the former capital, will be bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. However, blogger Politolog warns [ru] that the event might prove too costly for the oil-rich nation. Another blogger, Ylya, weighs [ru] the country's chances to win the bid to host the Games in nine years.

author: Alexander Sodiqov