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Jason Rezaian’s Lawyer Prevented from Responding to Iranian Prosecutor’s Accusations · Global Voices
Center for Human Rights in Iran

Jason's wife Yeganeh Salehi and mother Mary Rezaian at the courthouse. Image from ICHRI and used with permission.
This post first appeared on iranhumanrights.org and is published here in collaboration with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
The blatant denial of due process on display on the last day of Jason Rezaian’s trial on August 10, 2015, when his lawyer was not allowed to present arguments in response to the prosecutor, confirms the political and pre-ordained nature of the prosecution of the Washington Post reporter, who has spent the last year behind bars in Iran.
“During Monday’s session I presented an oral defense of my client but there was no opportunity for me to respond after the prosecutor’s representative spoke. [Therefore] I submitted my written response to the court,” Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told ISNA (the Iranian Students News Agency).
One reporter told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) that Rezaian’s mother informed the reporters no one was able to interview Jason’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, because she had been banned from speaking to the media.
Judge Salavati, of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over Rezaian’s case. Salavati has a long history of close cooperation with the intelligence arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and is routinely handpicked by the judiciary to preside over political cases, reportedly due to the notoriously harsh sentences he hands down.
Salavati’s sharp curtailment of the work of the defense, and his refusal to allow Rezaian’s wife and mother to witness the closed-door proceedings is yet another indication of the impartiality of the judicial process and the political nature of the prosecution of Rezaian.
Throughout his time in prison in Iran, Rezaian has been consistently denied any semblance of due process. He was arrested and held for months without being informed of the charges filed against him, he was denied a choice of counsel, and his counsel was not allowed to provide full and effective representation during his trial.
A former activist who was previously tried by Judge Salavati in connection with the state crackdown on peaceful protestors that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election told the ICHRI, “During my trial the prosecutor said a lot of things that were untrue but when it was my lawyer’s turn to speak, Judge Salavati cut him off after only a few minutes….That’s when I realized that trying to present a defense through my lawyer was meaningless and I was convinced the judge knew what his verdict was going to be before the trial began.”
Fars News Agency, the Vatan newspaper, and other media outlets with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other hardline factions accused Rezaian of espionage and national security crimes months before the start of his trial—unsubstantiated accusations that became a central part of the prosecutor’s case.
The court’s decision on the charges against Rezaian, which include “espionage” and “cooperation with enemy states,” is expected in a week, his lawyer Leila Ahsan told ISNA.
Referring to the recent nuclear agreement and the potential for improved relations between Iran and Western governments, Rezaian’s mother expressed hope that her son would be released soon. “Jason was a reporter like you and his sources were the same as yours,” Mary Rezaian was quoted by ISNA.
“Now is the time for Iran’s senior leaders to end this ‘judicial process,’ with its sick brew of farce and tragedy. Jason and his wife, Yeganeh, who has been out on bail, deserve to be exonerated and to be given back their freedom and lives,” Martin Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post, said in a statement on August 10, 2015.
Jason Rezaian, 38, holds dual Iranian and US citizenship, and has been the Washington Post correspondent in Tehran since 2012. Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who worked for the UAE newspaper The National as their Tehran correspondent, were arrested in Tehran on July 22, 2014. Salehi was released in October 2014, but Rezaian has remained in prison since that time.

author: Center for Human Rights in Iran


text:
My Birthday · Global Voices
مرسيل شحوارو

“We did not blow out the candles because there was no electricity.” PHOTO: Joey Gannon via Wikimedia Commons
This post is part of a special series of articles by blogger and activist, Marcell Shehwaro, describing the realities of life in Syria during the ongoing armed conflict between forces loyal to the current regime, and those seeking to oust it.
August 12, 2010
I open Facebook to find a birthday greeting. I grasped the opportunity to return the greeting, making up for those three years in which I couldn't send him birthday wishes. Those were the three years he spent in prison for writing on the Internet. I used to contribute to his site. It was called Akhawia.
Karim Arabji is a beautiful friend.
For three years, I would play with my own birthday cake and blow out my candles, wishing him freedom and goodwill. He was released from prison and I messaged him on Facebook. I sent him birthday greetings in a formal manner which did not quite convey how happy I was that he was free. And he reciprocated in a gentle way.
That was our last opportunity to celebrate Kareem, who died after leaving prison from a heart attack at the age of 33, leaving us wondering what horrors that heart had experienced, what had made it give up. He left this world just before the revolution.
My wishes were very personal. Some concerned the possibility of travelling to America, my studies, love and life. And I blew out the candles.
August 12, 2011
Each year my mother would put the family into the birthday spirit for the occasion. Nothing could convince her that we had grown up and might perhaps have preferred to celebrate our birthdays somewhere other than at home.
Dinner was always the same: Bite-sized sandwiches, zaatar, spinach and cheese, little pizzas which she would brag about being tastier than those bought at the market, taboula, a chocolate cake which had my name on it and candles. The house was tidied and she would invite a few relatives and friends.
There was a present. A necklace with a butterfly (when I was optimistic, I used to consider it a symbol of strength and femininity). And my sister and I would agree on the gift I wanted her to buy for me.
This year, my mother made the celebration even bigger. She was happy I was fine. During the party she gently reproached me about the terror I had caused her. I blow out my candles, wishing for the revolution to succeed. They jokingly sing to me: “It was a black day when you were born.” And it seems that with time, I started to think that this is really the case.
My wishes: the overthrow of Assad. I suspect none of the rebels expressed any other wish on their birthdays.
I then had another birthday with my friends, my childhood friends.
On that day, we made light of our political differences and approached our intellectual arguments with some timidity. We blew out my birthday candles for the last time.
August 12, 2012
After my mother died it didn't feel appropriate to celebrate in the house without her. I was still wearing black. My childhood friends forgot—or pretended to forget—my birthday. The fear of being associated with me became the defining factor in our relationship. Our differences became political. It became a sharp ethical difference, which could no longer be bridged with humour or even sarcasm.
In the morning I had to attend the weekly interrogation at the political security branch. I told the interrogator how ridiculous it was for this to happen on my birthday, and he laughed stupidly.
The celebrations were with a new group of friends I had got to know in the relief schools after half of Aleppo was liberated and the other half turned to providing relief aid.
My wishes were for Bashar Al Assad to leave, for the bombing of Aleppo to stop and for the exhausting interrogations to end. I blew my candles out for the last time in my family home in Western Aleppo, which is until today under the control of the regime and which I can't even visit.
August 12, 2013
I have been living in the liberated part of Aleppo for a while, surrounded by wonderful friends whom I called during war the “full half of the glass.”
They are still today how they’ve always been. They are friends who don't know anything about my childhood and have never visited my family home—all that unites us is the revolution. On that day, the ISIS started its first kidnappings in my city. The previous day, Abu Maryam had disappeared and we did not know anything about the faction that took him and if he really was kidnapped.
On my birthday, a “black day” like the all the previous ones, Samar and Mohammed were kidnapped by the ISIS. They are still missing.
The celebrations were interrupted by the sounds of explosions, which we have become used to and which did not bother us at all. The sweets on offer were modest. The bouquet of flowers would have, for some reason, looked normal at a funeral. They brought me another bouquet through the dangerous crossing which you could have been sniped at for just crossing it. My friend crossed it to celebrate my birthday with me.
My wishes were to return to the Aleppo I knew, for Abu Maryam to be fine, and for the ISIS to disappear from my life. My wishes were narrow, the size of my local concerns. I was not able to have wishes which encompassed the whole nation. We did not blow out the candles because there was no electricity.
August 12, 2014
I am in Gaziantep, in Turkey, and can't return to Aleppo. I am obsessed with the person I love and worried about losing him. Nothing in me is healthy, if it is correct to say so. He summons all his powers to organise a surprise birthday for me. He invites friends and some of his relatives. They buy presents and select a place. It’s hard to come up with a surprise that would suit what we think is my “severe depression.”
The moment I entered the party and saw them all, I wasn't overcome with joy. On the contrary, I was depressed. I reproached him unjustly, just like all my bouts of anger: “I told you I don't want to celebrate.” At that moment, the music starts. The Turkish music startles me. I will never return to Aleppo. I sit on a chair in the restaurant, surrounded by those many friends. I cry. I break down.
I leave the party.
August 12, 2015
It is a normal day. This is what I decided I would do to celebrate my birthday.
Perhaps I have become used to life in exile.
In the morning, I have to attend a conference on the role of civil society.
In the afternoon, I have a session with my therapist.
And at night, I will meet with friends where we will have political discussions about the Turkish currency, the buffer zone and the protests in the coastal areas.
Nothing personal at all.
No wishes.
No candles.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: مرسيل شحوارو


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Speaking Up for the Big Endangered Elephant in the Room · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Today, August 12, is World Elephant Day. Various groups have joined forces to spread awareness about the decreasing number of elephants because of poaching, the destruction of wild habitats, and illegal ivory trade. This is the fourth annual World Elephant Day:
World Elephant Day has been created to bring the world together to help elephants. It is a day to honor elephants, to spread awareness about the critical threats they are facing, and to support positive solutions that will help ensure their survival.
Misty Herrin, director for the Nature Conservancy, added that the #SaveElephants campaign aims to inspire the people all over the world to support initiatives that protect the welfare of elephants:
So many people around the world love elephants but aren’t aware that elephants are in crisis. World Elephant Day helps increase security for elephants and expand habitat because it creates an opportunity to raise a rallying cry.
Consumers and tourists are also encouraged to remember some of these tips when buying products or visiting countries that promote elephant tourism:
Do not buy ivory or other wildlife products. Be an elephant aware consumer.
Visit elephants in countries where they live in the wild – tourism benefits the economy, provides needed jobs, deters poachers and abuse, and gives you the opportunity to experience the beauty, intelligence, and emotional capacity of these magnificent giants.
If you wish to experience elephants in their natural environment, choose eco-tourism operators who support local elephant conservation projects and who treat elephants with respect and dignity.
It is estimated that as few as 400,000 African elephants remain in the wild. Meanwhile, about 35,000 Asian elephants are left and are already considered endangered species.
Elephants once roamed across most of Asia, from Iraq into India and from Southern China to the islands of Indonesia. However, hunting and habitat destruction have reduced their range to just 15% of their former habitat. The species now only survives in small, highly fragmented areas in 13 countries.
In Laos, once known as the ‘land of a million elephants’, only 300 to 600 elephants are left.
In support of World Elephant Day, social media users are using these Twitter hashtags: #elegram,
#elphie, #JoinTheSTAMPede, and #WorldElephantDay
Through the #elegram, Internet users are uploading their drawings, sketches, doodles, and artworks of elephants:
having some mature fun with my adult coloring book #elegram #jjgo pic.twitter.com/068kFuBA96
— ashcan eve (@AsherEve) August 11, 2015
Made a #elegram out of pretzels in a long meeting today. Thanks @JesseThorn for the inspiration on #jjgo! pic.twitter.com/m0bkSqvQ9X
— Erika Mosher (@erikamodesign) August 12, 2015
Below are #elphie posts:
My elephant loving girls #elphie #beherd @96Elephants @CincinnatiZoo pic.twitter.com/Qxp46efUQD
— Amanda Raines (@adnama95) August 10, 2015
Here's @SqrrlGrrl‘s #elphie at the @LAZoo #jointheherd pic.twitter.com/KPTebTm3VO
— Coleman Richardson (@colemanhall) August 9, 2015
#JoinTheSTAMPede videos show individuals taking part in street activities to support the #SaveElephants campaign. Meanwhile, the #WorldElephantDay hashtag provides relevant information about the various threats on elephants:
HUGS to all the #elephant supporters out there! Are you excited for #WorldElephantDay tomorrow? #JoinTheSTAMPede pic.twitter.com/n1xbMjnUkk
— 96 Elephants (@96Elephants) August 11, 2015
Saving elephants benefits us all. Together let's live in harmony @wrldelephantday @elecommunicate 🐘 #WorldElephantDay pic.twitter.com/Q30uBQZC95
— Elephants DC (@elephantsdc) August 11, 2015
96 elephants killed everyday. Pls ✏ & RT http://t.co/kZfeVdnL9g #OpFunKill #jointhestampede #DontFlyWild pic.twitter.com/GTxI3pB7ME
— FuckLogic #OpFunKill (@askmillennial) August 11, 2015
Tomorrow is #WorldElephantDay! Take action to save these precious creatures http://t.co/zKNsoxkDxy pic.twitter.com/XbB19nx62W
— Racing Extinction (@Extinction_OPS) August 11, 2015
John Calvelli, from the the Wildlife Conservation Society, reminds United States residents that they can help stop ivory trade:
The elephant crisis is not an ocean away; it is in our cities, at our doorstep, and at our fingertips online. The U.S. is one of the world’s largest ivory consumers and maintains a legal commercial ivory market that serves as cover for smuggled ivory, which is virtually impossible to differentiate from legal ivory without a costly scientific analysis.
…if we expect the rest of the world to work with us on stopping the potential extinction of Africa’s elephants, Americans must realize that the fight to save elephants is also taking place here at home.
The World Elephant Day is an international initiative co-founded by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Patricia Sims.

author: Mong Palatino


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Turkish Authorities on Blocking Binge as Political Tensions Rise · Global Voices
Ahmet A. Sabancı

Demotix image from 8 February 2014 by Görkem Keser. Hundreds of people gather on Istiklal Street to protest against the new internet censorship laws approved by Turkish government. Police used water cannon and teargas to disperse the protesters. ID: 3883727.
Tensions in Turkish politics have reached new heights this summer. This is easy to see just by looking at the Internet, where the ruling government controlled by the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) has begun blocking profiles and news websites en masse.
After inconclusive elections in June, the four parties of Parliament now have until August 23 to create a ruling coalition or face another round of elections in autumn. Among them is the pro-Kurdish HDP party whose emergence dismantled the ruling majority once held by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan AKP party.
The prospect of the parties managing to form a coalition is extremely unlikely, particularly in the wake of a July bombing attack in which an ISIS suicide attacker killed 33 citizens in Suruç, in the east of the country. HDP and AKP traded accusations over the incident and the government has since pumped up its anti-terror rhetoric.
In the meantime, Turkey has gone headfirst into the conflict in Iraq and Syria, a decision likely driven by AKP's need to improve on their showing in the June poll as coalition talks stall.
The first wave of website-blocking came shortly after Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç's statements on Habertürk TV on Press Freedom Day, July 24.
Arınç said:
A number of newspapers, including Özgür Gündem and Evrensel, are crime machines. If [government officials] would file complaints against them, they would be overwhelmed with penalties. They use expressions that praise the acts of a terrorist organization. But if we were to file cases against them, they would use [the cases] against us. They would keep writing the same things.
Özgür Gündem and Evrensel are well-known Turkish newspapers. They are both openly leftist and supportive of HDP as well as greater autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish-populated regions generally.
While it was primarily ISIS that drew Ankara into the war, Turkish military operations have largely targeted bases belonging to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in Northern Iraq, even killing ethnic Kurdish civilians living in the region's Zergele village.
Soon after Arınç spoke on July 25, 96 websites were blocked inside Turkey, including the websites of news outlets like ANF (Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê – Fırat News Agency) , DİHA (Dicle Haber Ajansı – Dicle News Agency), ETHA (Etkin Haber Ajansı – Etkin News Agency), local online newspapers like Yüksekova Haber and unionist news site Sendika.org.
All of these outlets were strongly critical of AKP and the military strikes in the Kurdish-occupied Middle East. Also on July 25, a court order asking Twitter to suspend a list of accounts in Turkey began circulating online. It is not clear whether Twitter complied with the request. The list can be seen in the tweet below.
Mahkemenin erisimin onlenmesini istedigi twitter hesaplari… pic.twitter.com/559yM2qSey
— Amed Dicle (@AmedDcle) July 27, 2015
Twitter accounts which court ordered to be blocked…
As Efe Kerem Sözeri pointed out on Medium, the latest bout of mass censorship offers more evidence that Turkey's once-independent judiciary is coming further under AKP control and delivering verdicts without due consideration.
The Ankara court, which reviewed and approved government’s ban on 96 websites, apparently found nothing wrong to ban a non-existing website “ksp-dcs.com” and ban ANF twice in the list provided by the government. It is hard to assume that the court has seriously considered the public’s right to information or individual freedom of speech whatsoever.
The government has shown no signs of letting up in its censorship attempts. For example on July 26, sendika.tv, the alternative domain of sendika.org, was also blocked. News agencies DİHA and ANF had separate domains connected to their operations quickly shut down.
Moreover, pro-AKP social media accounts have been publishing manipulated screenshots and sharing articles that discredit these outlets.
Here, a pro-government tweep bashed the leftist Özgür Gündem newspaper, claiming that they forged photos of civilian deaths in Zergele to make the Turkish military look bad.
Şimdi bu Özgür Gündem'e hiçbir müeyyide uygulanmayacak mı? Kimse kınamayacak mı? İşlediği suç yanına kâr mı kalacak? pic.twitter.com/HCb8x9VKNe
— İzzet Yasar (@yasaryzzet) August 2, 2015
Won't we apply any sanctions to Özgür Gündem? Nobody is going to condemn them? Will they just get away with the crime they committed?
Opposition-minded journalists have also suffered attacks on their personal accounts on social media.
Finally, on August 10, another news site disappeared from the Web. This time, Turkish telecommunications regulator TİB censored Dağ Medya, one of Turkey's best-known data journalism websites, citing “administrative measures.”
The website was banned without a court order or explanation according to Law 5651, Turkey's notorious censorship bill, which came into force last year.
Currently all these websites remain banned in Turkey. Although cyber rights activists such as Yaman Akdeniz and Kerem Altıparmak are pushing to lift the bans via legal channels, another wave of censorship seems more likely.
Censorship has a deep impact on Turkish society. US-based Turkish sociologist Zeynep Tüfekçi recently tweeted:
Censorship worsens already deep polarization and confusion. Those who watch TV and read gov't papers vs. those on Internet… Mars &  Venus.
— Zeynep Tufekci (@zeynep) August 9, 2015
Kuşburnu, a digital rights activist working under a pseudonym, has been documenting the pro-government smear campaign against Kurdish and leftist media. The activist also recently published an up-to-date list of all the websites that have been blocked in Turkey since Bülent Arınç's speech.
They are as follows:
- Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firate anfajans.com
– BestaNûçe ANF ve DİHA Haberleri bestanuce3.com, bestanuce4.com
– Dağ Medya dagmedya.net
– Devrimci Haber devrimcihaber.com
– Bitlis Aktüel bitlisaktuel.com
– Denge Azad dengeazad.com
– Güncel Yorum guncelyorum-canadil.blogspot.com.tr
– Ajansa Nûçeyan a Dicleye dihanews.net
– Türkistan İslam Bülteni turkistanbulteni.com
– Ümmet-i İslam ummetislam.net
– Newededersim newededersim.com
– Haber Dersim rojamunzur.com
– Ajansa Kurdî haberajansakurdi.com
– Halkınsesi TV halkinsesitv-2.blogspot.gr
– Amed Times amedtimes.com
– Kurdistan Haber Postası kurdistanhaberpostasi.blogspot.com.tr
– Med Nûçe mednuce.com
– Öteki Haber otekihaber.blogspot.com.tr
– Peyama Azadî peyamaazadi.com
– Etkin Haber Ajansı etha.com.tr
– Xqw News xqwnews.com (Sunucu erişimi yok.)
– Ajansa Nûçeyen Kurdî Haber – ajansakurdi.net
– Ajansa Nûçeyan Fırate ajansanucayanfirate.com (Sunucu erişimi yok.)
– Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firate anfturkce.net
– Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firate anf.com (Site yapım aşamasında.)
– Avaşîn avasinweb.com
– Avesta Kurd avestakurd.net
– Avrupa Halkın Sesi avrupahalkinsesi.com (Sunucu erişimi yok.)
– Azadiya Welat azadiyawelat.net (Site yapım aşamasında.)
– Azady azady.nl
– BasNews basnews.com
– Besta Nûçe bestanuce.org
– Besta Nûçe bestanuce1.com
– Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firate firatnews.com
– Anha hawarnews.com
– Ajansa Kurdî ku.ajansakurdi.com
– Kurdinfo Platform kurdinfo.com
– Cizre Postası cizrepostasi.com
– Dicle Fırat Haber Ajansı diclefirathaber.com
– Ajansa Nûçeyan a Dicleye diclehaber.com
– Kurdish Question kurdishquestion.com
– Kurdistan Aktuel kurdistan-aktuel.org
– Kurdistan Aktuel kurdistanaktuel.com
– Navenda Lekolinen lekolin.net
– Navenda Lekolinen lekolin.org
– Gelawej m.gelawej.net
– Kurdistan Media kurdistanmedia.com
– The Kurdistan Tribune kurdistantribune.com
– Kurdiu kurdiu.org
– Rojeva Kurdistan rojevakurdistan.org
– Rojhelat rojhelat.info
– Rojname rojname.com
– Rojnews rojnews.net
– Rûdaw rudaw.net
– Sendika sendika.org
– Sendika sendika.tv
– American Kurdish Information Network kurdistan.org
– Kurdistan Post kurdistan-post.eu
– Kurdistan Haber Portalı kurdistan24.info (Site yapım aşamasında.)
– Maverahaber maverahaber.net (Alan adı durdurulmuş.)
– Özgür Gündem ozgur-gundem.com
– Pirtûkxane pirtukxane.org
– Rast Haber rasthaber.net
– Rojaciwan rojaciwan.com
– Serokatî rojbas1.wordpress.com
– Serokatî rojbas2.wordpress.com
– The Sham News theshamnews.com
– Risgari Online tr.rizgari.com
– Ümmet-i İslam ummetislam.info
– Xendan xendan.org
– Yeni Demokratik Gençlik yenidemokratgenclik.net, ydg-online.com
– Yeni Özgür Politika yeniozgurpolitika.info
– Yeni Özgür Politika yeniozgurpolitika.org
– Ypg News ypgnews.blogspot.com
– Yüksekova Haber yuksekovahaber.com
– Inca News incanews.com

author: Ahmet A. Sabancı


text:
Will Nepal’s Gadhimai Temple End Its Centuries-Old Animal Sacrifice Rituals? · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Everyone in Nepal was surprised when they saw headlines that the Gadhimai temple, which hosts one of the world’s biggest massacre of animals every five years, will ban their centuries-old ritual of animal sacrifice. And rightly so — because the news turned out to be wrong.
The main priest of Gadhimai temple Mangal Chaudhary. Photo by Diwakar Bhandari. Used with permission
On July 28, journalists received a press release from a press conference organized by the Animal Welfare Network Nepal (AWNN) and Humane Society International/India (HSI India) in New Delhi, with the subject, “Victory! Animal Sacrifice Banned in Nepal's Gadhmai Festival, Half a Million Animals Saved.”
The press release from New Delhi included a statement from the Temple Trust Chairman, Shri Ram Chandra Shah allegedley saying: “The Gadhimai Temple Trust hereby declares our formal decision to end animal sacrifice. With your help,we can ensure Gadhimai 2019 is free from bloodshed.”
Some news reports also quoted the temple's main priest Mangal Chaudhary saying at the press conference: “We have decided not to hold any sacrifices inside the temple. We will urge people to not bring animals along but ask them to perform a slaughter-free puja [worship].”
However, shortly after the news of the animal slaughter ban at Gadhimai started making rounds in national and international press, the Trust Chairman Shah denied making any statement regarding a slaughter ban at the temple.
contrary to news reports in intnl media, #Gadhimai Trust chair denies end of world´s biggest animal sacrifice culture http://t.co/Y1h6firqti
— Sagar Ghimire (@nepocean) July 29, 2015
Shah wasn't even present at the press conference. He did send a letter to the rights organizations arranging the press conference in New Delhi with a statement, apologizing for being unable to attend, explaining that the Temple would work with the activists as they plan to organise public awareness campaigns against mass slaughter.
News site ekantipur.com's reporter Chahana Sigdel tweeted out Shah's original letter to AWNN and HSI India:
Letter by #Gadhimai Trust's Ram Shah. No word of ban but says they'd work with activists http://t.co/mc8x3whhyJ pic.twitter.com/C37QLDgLfm
— Chahana Sigdel (@ChahanaS) July 29, 2015
In her reporting Sigdel explains that Shah said the Temple would have to consider how their devotees would feel about the ban. She includes Shah's quote: “It is very important to acknowledge people’s sentiments and make sure that they understand. We might ban it but what can we do when people bring animals?”
Meanwhile, the press release by animal rights activists was used by newspapers and news sites to create provocative headlines and by animal rights activists to create internet memes.
A historic milestone: Hundreds of thousands of animals will no longer be victims of violence at #Gadhimai Festival. pic.twitter.com/7BFd3HdoZg
— Animal Equality (@AnimalEquality) July 29, 2015
The news covered the front pages of Nepal’s dailies and made headline news in international media.
Great to see our report on #Nepal‘s #gadhimai festival for @afp on the front page of @thehimalayan pic.twitter.com/X5rP52WHwr
— Ammu Kannampilly (@akannampilly) July 29, 2015
Gadhimai Mela 2019: Main priest appeals for slaughter-free rituals http://t.co/LayYwhnHz8 pic.twitter.com/IP96y29wNs
— The Kathmandu Post (@kathmandupost) July 29, 2015
Animal rights groups in India and Nepal have been focusing their advocacy on the Gadhimai festival for a while. In 2009, an estimated 500,000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and other animals were sacrificed at Gadhimai. During the last festival in 2014, animal sacrifice was reduced by 70 percent, largely due to the global campaign against animal sacrifice and the Indian Supreme Court's intervention to prohibit the movement of animals from India to Nepal.
While Shah was not present at the press conference in New Delhi, some Gadhimai Temple Management Committee members and the main priest Chaudhary did attend on an invitation from  HSI and supported by AWNN. After his team’s return to Bariyarpur in Bara district of Nepal, the main priest Mangal Chaudhary further clarified the Trust’s stance while talking to the Annapurna Post’s Diwakar Bhandari.
Chaudhary said he and the committee members had been informed that social activist Swami Agnivesh and famed yoga guru Ramdev would be participating in the programme. Swami Agnivesh has been at the forefront of urging Indian devotees to boycott the mass slaughter. However, when both of them failed to turn up and the press conference commenced, his team was pressurised by the rights groups to announce the slaughter ban at the press conference. The priest claimed that he and the committee members had never talked about banning the animal sacrifice.
Answering queries at the press conference, the main priest said that they would not stop any organisation from spreading awareness to ban the animal sacrifice and won’t oppose if the slaughter stops due to the awareness.
Social activist Swami Agnivesh at the Gadhimai temple. Photo by Diwakar Bhandari. Used with permission
It is unclear what affect these contradicting statements from the Temple administration will have on advocacy efforts to end animal sacrifice at Gadhimai, but Temple officials maintain they will continue to work with AWNN and HSI – India to raise awareness about the ills of animal sacrifice.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


text:
After “Grossly Distorting” UN Views on the Internally Displaced Ata-Manobos, the Philippine Military Apologizes · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Tribe leaders who sought refuge in Davao City demand the removal of soldiers in their village. Photo from the Facebook page of Terry Ridon
Human rights activists and politicians have criticized the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for distorting a statement by Chaloka Beyani, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs).
A press release issued by the AFP’s Eastern Mindanao Command quoted UN's Beyani as saying that the internally displaced indigenous peoples who have sought refuge in a church compound in Davao City are “not evacuees, but victims of trafficking.”
Beyani issued a strongly-worded statement reiterating that the military press release is “incorrect, unacceptable, and represents a gross distortion of [his] views on this issue.”
Over 700 Ata-Manobos have been staying at the United Churches of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran Mission House compound in Davao City, located in the southern part of the Philippines, since May of this year. They assert that they were forced to leave their homes in Talaingod, Davao del Norte and other parts of Mindanao because of the alleged heavy military presence and forced conscription into government-backed paramilitary groups in their communities.
The police attempted to “rescue” the Ata Manobos last July 23 by forcibly removing them from the church compound and returning them to their villages. The Ata Manobos, however, resisted and asserted that they will not return until military troops are pulled out from their homes. The military and the police have filed cases of human trafficking against rights advocates and church workers who have helped the Ata-Manobos seek sanctuary in the UCCP compound.
Rights advocates questioned the military’s version of Beyani’s statements, saying this directly contradicted the official report issued by Beyani after concluding his 10-day visit to the country:
I heard from the AFP [military] its assertion that it is seeking to protect the communities and provide services to them in conflict regions; however the displaced IPs made it clear that it is their presence and that of the paramilitary groups in their communities that continues to create anxiety amongst the indigenous communities. The community wishes to return to its lands but stressed to me that they will only feel safe to do so if the long-term militarization of their region comes to an end and they can return with guarantees of safety, dignity and protection.
Displaced Lumad in Haran, Davao City. Photo by Inday Espina-Varona.
Beyani’s media liaison reiterated that his exit statement “represent the official findings and views of the Special Rapporteur, including in relation to those indigenous people in Davao.”
Aside from insisting that the refugees were victims of human trafficking, the military has quoted Beyani as saying that the refugees were “manipulated” by activist groups into being “trafficked” and “detained” in the UCCP compound. In fact, the recording indicates that it was the police who stormed the church compound who were referred to as “manipulated.”
Bayan Muna (Nation First) Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate said that the distortion of the UN official’s statement was meant “to discredit him, undermine his official actions as well as the UN mechanisms.” Gabriela Women’s Representative Luzviminda Ilagan meanwhile said that the incident is “a grievous diplomatic faux pas that puts the Philippine government which invited Dr. Beyani in an awkward and embarrassing situation.”
In her blog, journalist Inday Varona pointed out that the video recordings of Beyani’s exit briefing with army officials in Camp Aguindaldo released by the military prove that they actually left out key passages in their version of Beyani’s statement:
Did the the AFP break protocol in leaking the conversation with Beyani? Only the UN office can answer that. The leak does show the truth. It shows the public that the AFP did delete substantial and critical portions of Beyani’s statements.
The AFP had issued an official statement that it is standing by its own interpretation of Beyani’s remarks. But today, they apologized to the UN official. Furthermore, the spokesman of the regional unit of the army has resigned his position.
The ancestral domains of Mindanao lumads are also threatened by large-scale mining activities. The report of the UN official also tackled the displacement of tribal villages in South Cotabato, where an open pit mining project is being proposed. Cartoon from the alternative media group Davao Today
During his visit to the Philippines, Beyani also met with typhoon Haiyan (local name “Yolanda”) survivors and war evacuees in Zamboanga. He expressed concern about the poor conditions of Haiyan survivors, saying that many of them continue to live in grossly defective temporary shelters almost two years after the world’s strongest storm hit the Philippines in November 2013.
According to international humanitarian groups, there are as many as 260,000 IDPs in the Philippines who are victims of extreme natural disasters and armed conflicts in various parts of the country.
To protect the rights of IDPs, the UN official recommends the passage of a draft law that was vetoed by the the country's president in 2013. The law would strengthen government agencies’ commitment to recognizing and promoting the welfare of IDPs.

author: Karlo Mongaya


text:
Bangladesh Police Chief Tells Bloggers, ‘Don’t Cross the Line’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

Activists march in a torch-light vigil demanding immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the killers of secular blogger Niloy Neel. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Image by Khurshed Alam Rinku. Copyright Demotix (8/8/2015)
It has been five days since the assassination of secular blogger Niloy Neel but Bangladesh police authorities have made no significant progress investigating his murder. Neel was hacked to death by a band of five men who broke into his apartment in Dhaka, the nation's capital, on August 7, 2015.
Left shell-shocked by Niloy's killing — which was the fourth assassination of a secular blogger in Bangladesh in 2015 — many bloggers have stopping writing and some have gone into hiding. Some of the country's most active bloggers now fear they may face jail or will die at the hands of the assailants. Others have left the country.
The names of these bloggers and others under threat appeared on a list of 84 people submitted to a special government committee in 2013 by a group of conservative Muslim clerics who accused the bloggers of “atheism” and writing against Islam. Since then, eleven individuals on the list have been murdered.
Following Niloy's death, threats have extended beyond blogging communities. The proprietor of a publishing house that published multiple books by blogger Avijit Roy, who was slain in public in February of 2015, is now in danger as fundamentalist forces have identified him as a promoter of atheist ideology.
The day after Niloy's murder, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called Niloy's killers a “blot on Islam.” She said in a meeting on August 8:
Islam is a religion of peace. Those who want to taint it cannot have true faith in it. How dare they call themselves Muslims? [..]
And now they are murdering bloggers for writing against the religion. Who benefits from this gory mayhem? Which religion they claim to have been protecting?
She continued:
We cannot let this happen in Bangladesh. The people of this country are peace-loving.
In response, blogger Haseeb wrote in Sachalayatan wrote that for him, the Prime Minister's words rang hollow:
সরকার ব্লগারদের মতপ্রকাশের স্বাধীনতা বিষয়ে যতোটা না চিন্তিত, তার থেকে চিন্তিত তাদের ধার্মিক ইমেজ যাতে ক্ষতিগ্রস্থ না হয় সেটা নিয়ে। সরকার ধর্মীয় রাজনীতি তো বটেই, সেই ধর্মীয় রাজনীতি যারা করে তাদের আদর আপ‍্যায়নেই আন্তরিকতা দেখিয়েছে। আর ব্লগারদের মুখ বন্ধ করতে চালু করেছে ৫৭ধারার মতো কালো আইন।
The government is more concerned about keeping their pro-religion image, rather than worrying about freedom of expression. The government is endorsing religious politics and are soft on those who use religion for politics. And the bloggers are slapped with Section 57 [of the IT Act]…
Section 57 of Bangladesh's IT Act criminalizes “publishing fake, obscene or defaming information in electronic form.”
Haseeb also cited a recent press release from the Awami Ulema League, a conservative Islamic group claiming to support Bangladesh's ruling coalition:
নাস্তিক হত্যাকারীদের বিরুদ্ধে ব্যবস্থা নেয়া মানে এই নয় যে, মিডিয়া ইসলাম বিদ্বেষী নাস্তিকদের হাইলাইট করবে। সুতরাং এসব নাস্তিক ব্লগার কর্তৃক বিভিন্ন ব্লগ, ওয়েবসাইট, স্যোসাল মিডিয়ায় কুরুচিপূর্ণ নাস্তিক্যবাদী লেখা বন্ধে ধর্ম অবমাননার জন্য মৃত্যুদন্ডের আইন প্রণয়ন করতে হবে। [..]
এদেশকে নাস্তিক্যবাদী দেশ বানাতে ইসলাম বিরোধী শিক্ষনীতি তৈরী করা হয়েছে। কুরআন-সুন্নাহ বিরোধী বক্তব্য যুক্ত ও ষড়যন্ত্রমূলক পাঠ্যপুস্তক অবিলম্বে বাজেয়াপ্ত করতে হবে। সাথে সাথে ইসলাম বিরোধী প্রচলিত শিক্ষানীতি বাতিল করতে হবে। ৯৮ ভাগ মুসলমানের এদেশের শিক্ষানীতি সম্পূর্ণ ইসলামিক করতে হবে।
The media should not highlight atheist writings in the name of speaking for the killers of the atheists. There should be the death penalty for those who write nasty and blasphemous things on blogs, websites and in social media.
The education policy of this country was developed to make this a country of atheists. The curriculum which contain words against the Quran and Sunnah should be confiscated. The anti-Islam education policy should be repealed. The education policy of this Muslim-majority country should be Islamic.
Haseeb writes:
যে মুহুর্তে ক্ষমতাসীন আওয়ামী লীগের সহযোগি একটি দল এই সমস্ত অশ্লীল দাবিনামা ঢাকা শহরের রাস্তায় মাইকে উগরাচ্ছে তখন শেখ হাসিনা শীতাতপ নিয়ন্ত্রিত কনফারেন্স রুমে দাবি করছেন ধর্ম নিয়ে রাজনীতি করতে দেয়া হবে না। দুঃখিত মাননীয় প্রধানমন্ত্রী। এভাবে হবে না। ক্ষমতাসীন আওয়ামী লীগ সরকারের এধরণের অবস্থান সাংঘর্ষিক।
While an Islamic front, claiming to be supporters of the ruling Awami League, are talking about these demands using loud speakers in the streets, our Prime Minister is saying indoors that “we will not let religion be used for politics.” Sorry, Madame Prime Minister. This is not right. There is a contradiction in the stance of the ruling Awami League.
The Director of News of Ekattor TV Syed Ishtiak Reza asks:
ধর্মান্ধতা আজ আমাদের দেশের শান্তি বিঘ্নিত করছে। সেখানে ক্ষমতাসীন দলের সাথে সম্পর্কযুক্ত কোনও সংগঠন এমন বক্তব্য দিলেতো বলতে হবে, বিপদ দরজায়।
Fundamentalism has disturbed peace in our country. When we hear these kinds of statements coming from a group this close to the ruling party, we have to say, peril is near.
However, in an interview Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif stated:
Awami League does not have any wing or associate group by the name of Ulema League. They have no political link with the party.
Hanif urged citizens not to confuse the Alami Ulema League with the Awami League, Bangladesh's current governing political party. According to reports, the people behind Awami Ulema League claim Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as their leader, though their ideology and principles are different from Awami League ruling party. Whether the Awami League has any affiliation with the Awami Ulema League is unknown but no ruling party leaders have condemned their speech.
On Sunday, Police Chief AKM Shahidul Hoque added fuel to the fire, saying:
Free-thinkers and bloggers should not cross the limit of tolerance while expressing their views on religion. If any person is hurt by any writing, s/he may take legal action. They can file a case with the police. Everyone should obey the law.
He added that the maximum punishment for the above crime 14 years’ jail time.
Mr. Monirul Islam, another high police official, said:
যারা ব্লগারদের হত্যার সঙ্গে জড়িত এবং যারা হযরত মুহাম্মদ (সা.), ধর্ম ও কোরআন নিয়ে যুক্তিহীনভাবে আঘাত করে ব্লগে লেখে তাদের সকলকে আইনের আওতায় আনা হবে। কারণ যারা যুক্তিহীনভাবে ধর্ম নিয়ে ব্লগে লেখে তারাও উগ্রবাদী।
The killers of the bloggers and those who write on blogs attacking the prophet Muhammad, Islam and Quran all will be brought under law. Those who illogically write against religion in blogs are also extremists.
These comments sparked an uproar among citizens who took to social media to express their outrage. Expat activist Rayhan Rashid tweeted:
Meet our InspectorGeneral. His message to the ‘still-alive’ bloggers: “DON'T CROSS THE LINE”! http://t.co/QR0yPkL4e4 pic.twitter.com/uGhjrerJrs
— Rayhan Rashid (@rayhanrashid) August 9, 2015
Renowned journalist Toufique Khalidi tweeted:
Is a police officer the one to judge or decide where to draw the line in this case? http://t.co/K0064FOtuY
— Toufique I. Khalidi (@ToufiqueKhalidi) August 9, 2015
An online petition launched by an unknown group is asking for the police chief's resignation.
Muktangon blog published a statement criticising the police response to the murder and saying that police should not be talking about bloggers hurting religious sentiments in an attempt to distract citizens from their failure to ensure public safety. Muktangon also noted that these bloggers were well aware of speech laws in their country:
এ কথা সঠিক নয় যে, মানুষের ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিতে ব্লগাররা ঢালাওভাবে আঘাত করে যাচ্ছেন। কোনো কোনো ব্লগার তাঁদের মুক্তচিন্তা চর্চার অংশ হিসেবে কখনো কখনো হয়তো ধর্মের (সেটা সব ধর্মের ক্ষেত্রেই প্রযোজ্য) কোনো কোনো বিষয় নিয়ে কথা বলে থাকেন, কিন্তু তা তাঁরা নির্দিষ্ট স্থানে এবং সামগ্রিক আলোচনার ধারাবাহিক অংশ হিসেবেই করে থাকেন। প্রকাশ্যে জনসমক্ষে হট্টগোল তুলে তাঁরা কিছুই করেন না, যার ফলে মানুষ উত্ত্যক্ত বোধ করবে কিংবা আহত ও ক্রুদ্ধ হবে।
মতপ্রকাশের স্বাধীনতার মূল কথাই হল অপ্রিয় মতামত অপ্রিয় ভঙ্গিতে প্রকাশেরও পূর্ণ স্বাধীনতা, যতক্ষণ না তা কোনো সুষ্পষ্টভাবে সংজ্ঞায়িত নিরপেক্ষভাবে বিচারযোগ্য প্রচলিত আইনের কোনো বিধানের নিষেধের মধ্যে না পড়ে। তাই, যারা তাদের রাজনৈতিক বা অন্য কোনো হীন উদ্দেশ্যে ব্লগারদের উম্মুক্ত আলোচনা ও বক্তব্যকে খণ্ডিতভাবে যেখানে-সেখানে উপস্থাপনের মাধ্যমে বিভ্রান্তিকর পরিস্থিতির সৃষ্টি করে, উত্তেজনা সৃষ্টির চেষ্টা করে – সরকার ও আইনশৃঙ্খলা রক্ষাকারী বাহিনীর বরং উচিত তাদের বিরুদ্ধে আইনগত ব্যবস্থা নেয়া।
This is incorrect that bloggers are deliberately and across the board hurting other people's religious sentiments. Some bloggers mentioned and discussed some aspects of religion (many religions, not only Islam) in their online writings as a part of their freedom of expression and part of their discussion and context. But they never did it in public or agitated or hurt people directly.
The main thing of freedom of expression is that one should be free to express adverse opinions in a critical way that may not be liked or endorsed by all. People can do it as long as they are not breaking any existing law of the land. [Author's note: Bangladesh does not have Sharia law.] So those who are creating a disturbance and inciting hatred by terming the bloggers atheist and blasphemous by taking their words out of context should be identified and legal actions should be taken against them.

author: Rezwan


text:
Croatians React to Alleged ISIS Beheading of Tomislav Salopek · Global Voices
Marinella Matejcic

Tomislav Salopek reading about ISIS demands in a video released in July Source / YouTube.
Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian citizen working in Cairo, Egypt, was abducted on July 22 by ISIS, an Al Qaeda offshoot that has come to control large parts of Iraq and Syria, using openly brutal, oppressive, and violent tactics. Three weeks later, on August 11, 2015, it was disclosed that Salopek was beheaded, when demands by ISIS weren't met, the group claims. Photos of a beheaded body were shared extensively among regional social media users on Thursday, August 12, while some Croatian media outlets pleaded with users and media not to share such images. According to Heavy.com, it is unclear when the execution took place, or if the body in the photos belongs to Salopek.
Apeliramo i na čitatelje da fotografiju ne šeraju po društvenim mrežama, ne samo zbog poštovanja prema Salopeku i… [već i zato što je objava takvih fotografija upravo ono što islamski teroristi žele.] http://t.co/370CWhwvGg
— Index.hr (@indexhr) August 12, 2015
We ask readers as well not to share the photo on social networks, not only out of respect for Salopek and… [his family, but also because the publishing of such photographs is what ISIS terrorists want.] http://t.co/370CWhwvGg
— Index.hr (@indexhr) August 12, 2015
ISIS announced Salopek's abduction in a YouTube video in July, showing Salopek on his knees, holding a recent newspaper and saying he would be executed in 48 hours, unless Egypt released a group of Muslim women from its prisons.
Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović held an unexpected press conference after news of Salopek's alleged murder, saying that it has not yet been confirmed if the beheaded body in the images circulating online really belongs to Salopek, but that he fears the worse in this case. One of the journalists at the press conference asked Milanović if Croatia will now embark on a firmer fight against ISIS and the Prime Minister replied:
Hrvatska neće sudjelovati u borbenim akcijama protiv takozvane Islamske države. S time se moraju nositi neki drugi.
Croatia will not participate in the fight against the so-called Islamic State. That is something the others will have to do.
Since the photographs have been released, mainstream media outlets are asking other journalists journalists and online users in general not to share the disputed photograph and to respect Salopek's family during what must be a very hard time.
Croatia is in shock and a large part of the local Twitter community is sharing condolences using the hashtags #TomislavSalopek and #Salopek.
Tomislav Salopek was a 31-year-old father of two, working as a surveyor for a French company in Egypt. He moved to Egypt for a better job, with the sole goal of providing for his family.
#Croatia People mourning for Tomislav #Salopek by putting black profile pictures on social networks
— Tanja Novak (@TanjaAJB) August 12, 2015
Messages of condolences and solidarity have been pouring in on social networks since the news of his beheading. The messages have come from all corners of the world, in many different languages. British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson, for instance, tweeted:
Thinking of Tomsilav Salopek tonight. Croatians, Egyptians, Brits are all one against the godless thugs who took him pic.twitter.com/M31gKre8Ln
— British Amb in Egypt (@FCOJohnCasson) August 12, 2015
Top Egyptian cleric Al-Azhar called the beheading of Salopek “demonic” and stressed that it “has nothing to do with religion or customs”, condemning this and any other similar acts by ISIS in a statement.
Commentary by Croatian social media users demonstrates a mix of grief for their countryman, shock, and anger at ISIS and similar terrorist groups.
R.I.P. T. Salopek. I prije nego vas obuzme pravednički gnjev, zapamtite, nisu svi “oni” isti i nisu svi muslimani krivi.
— Kristian Lajšić (@KICZO) August 12, 2015
R.I.P. T. Salopek. And before you are overcome with righteous wrath, remember, not all of “them” are the same and not all muslims are to blame.
— Kristian Lajšić (@KICZO) August 12, 2015

author: Marinella Matejcic


text:
Impunity Is the Tie That Binds the Tlatlaya Massacre, the 43 Missing Students and El Chapo’s Escape · Global Voices
Sin Embargo

“You're hurting me, Mexico.” March against the arrest and mass disappearance of the 43 students from the teacher's college in Ayotzinapa. Photo from the Flickr account of Sofia under  Creative Commons license.
This article was originally published on Sin Embargo and is reproduced here under a partnership agreement.
The escape of the Sinaloan cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the massacre at Tlatlaya, and the disappearance of 43 students from a rural teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa have two sinister elements in common: impunity and total disregard for the law—this according to a report filed by Mary Speck, Project Director for Mexico and Central America at the International Crisis Group.
According to an article by Speck that appeared in the Huffington Post, “the kidnapping of the 43 Ayotzinapa teaching college students in Iguala exposed the rot within the municipal police forces, who not only failed to prevent but also took part in mass abduction and murder, according to federal prosecutors. The Tlatlaya case, in which 22 suspects died, some apparently executed, laid bare the brutality within the country's vaunted armed forces, three of whose members face murder charges.” Speck points out.
“Las autoridades mexicanas deben darse cuenta ahora que incluso la policía y las operaciones militares eficientes no van a poner fin a la impunidad que infecta a las instituciones gubernamentales”, advirtió.
“Mexican authorities should realize by now that even successful police and military operations will not bring an end to the impunity that infects government institutions.”
“These actions discredit the many officers and public officials who do their work honourably — often in the face of great danger — to combat dangerous delinquents,” adds Speck.
The escape of “El Chapo” [Shorty] Guzmán, leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, is just the latest in a series of embarrassing events plaguing the Mexican government. “But instead of pursuing broad investigations up the chain of command into the crimes of commission or omission that allowed such horrific acts to take place, the government seems to have pursued a strategy of containment,” argues Speck.
As an example, she cites the disappearance of the students on September 26, 2014, a case in which only a few local officials, among them the former mayor of Iguala, José Luis Abarca, are actually facing charges, despite the fact that state, national and military officials were aware of the disappearance but “did nothing to track down the culprits.”
“A common thread runs between mass disappearances, such as the September 26, 2014, kidnapping of 43 teaching students in Iguala, massacres such as the June 2014 killing of 22 alleged criminals by military forces in Tlatlaya, and now the escape of “El Chapo” Guzmán. Repeatedly officials charged with obeying the law decided instead to flout or ignore it, whether out of greed, inadequacy, fear or revenge. Such deep-seated indifference to the essence of law — even by those who pretend to follow its letter — cannot be easily overcome. It will require decisive leadership willing not only to go after the criminals who defy the country's institutions from without but also those who for decades have been steadily corroding them from within.”
According to Speck, the recapture of “El Chapo,” who has already escaped once before from a Mexican maximum-security prison, could “help restore some credibility to an embattled government. But Mexican authorities should realize by now that even successful police and military operations will not bring an end to the impunity that infects government institutions.”
For the author of the study, the only viable solution left is for the government to conduct “thorough, impartial investigations, aired in open court and with firm sentences imposed for both operators and masterminds — no matter how powerful.”
“This is the only way to deter crime and restore faith in a state whose promises of security and justice still ring hollow to most of its citizens.”
El Chapo's most recent and spectacular escape, from the maximum security prison at Altiplano in the State of Mexico, was made through a 1.5 km-long tunnel. He first broke out of a penal facility in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart. This time, the method was more sophisticated involving a tunnel dug “under his shower, extending nearly one mile, complete with ventilation and lighting.”
“The sensational escape is an embarrassment for the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, which heralded Guzman's capture as a major strike against organized crime in February 2014. Such a complex operation could not occur without professional assistance from both outside and in — plus large doses of willful ignorance. But it is far more than a blow to one president, government or political party. It further undermines Mexicans’ confidence that their public officials — from police to prosecutors to judges to prison wardens — can deliver on promises of security and justice,” writes Speck.
She notes the increase in security forces since 2006, the year in which then President Felipe Calderon launched the war on drug trafficking. The Army, for example, has grown from about 250,000 to 274,000 members, while the Federal Police went from about 13,000 to more than 40,000.
In an article published in the The Huffington Post, Speck says, “enforcement is just one leg of public security policy, however, which must also stand on prevention, justice and rehabilitation. Most of the municipal police charged with preventing crimes remain weak at best, corrupt or infiltrated at worst.”
The author goes on to underscore that the courts “are overwhelmed, incapable of providing timely, effective justice. Mexico has only four judges per 100,000 people, far fewer than the world average of 17 per 100,000, according to the Global Impunity Index. The prisons hold more than 230,000 inmates, 64,000 more than they were designed for.”
Speck warns that many of these inmates are “suspects awaiting trial, whose detention is likely to turn them into hardened criminals, without marketable skills, upon their release. Even the high-security federal prison of Altiplano chosen to hold Guzmán was overcapacity, according to news reports, and only one out of five inmates there had been convicted.”

author: Sin Embargo


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Should Conspiracy Theories Enjoy Free Speech Protections? · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

Port of Sousse under attack by US Air Force, 1943. Photo from US Library of Congress, released to public domain.
Thirty-eight foreign tourists were killed in Tunisia last June when gunman Seifeddine Rezgui armed with a Kalashnikov opened fire at beach goers.
One month later, a mathematics teacher was brought before an investigative judge for alleging on Facebook that the attack in Sousse was a conspiracy.
Abdelfatteh Saied used and edited footage from France 2's TV show Envoyé Spécial and suggested that Rezgui was recruited by security officers after the Bardo Museum attack to test the effectiveness of security measures taken at hotels. According to his baseless theory, on the day of the Sousse attack, Rezgui did not kill anyone but it was “security leaders who committed this genocide.”
In the weeks following Saied's arrest, opinion in Tunisia seems to be divided between those who welcomed his prosecution and those who believe it is useless and a violation of free speech.
Journalist Haythem Mekki tweeted on July 25:
Et non, accuser des gens et des institutions d'avoir commis des actes terroristes ne relève pas de la “liberté d'expression”. Bisous.
— Haythem El Mekki (@ByLasKo) July 25, 2015
and no, accusing people and institutions of committing terrorist crimes is not freedom of expression. kisses
Papillon had a different opinion:
Si le type n'est pas terroriste, il va le devenir. On lui explique depuis 4 ans que c'est la démocratie et là il est en taule pour une vidéo
— Papillon (@Papiillon) July 28, 2015
A guy makes a rubbish video to whitewash the Sousse murderer. He was arrested and accused of terrorism. This is not going to get us very far. If this guy is not a terrorist, he will become one. For four years, we've been explaining to him that we're a democracy, and now he is in prison for a video
Conspiracy theories are not new in the Arab region, and with the current upheavals they are unlikely to go away any time soon. They allege among other things that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed Caliph of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, is a Mossad agent; that the Charlie Hebdo massacre was carried out by (again) the Mossad or the CIA to fuel Islamophobia in Europe; and that the so-called Arab Spring was a US conspiracy.
Conspiracy theories are not only limited to the Arab region. In the US, there are multiple theories suggesting that the 9/11 attack was “an inside job”. In Britain, conspiratorial allegations still surround the death of Princess Diana, a mere 18 years after the fact. In 2013, one theory suggested that the British military was involved in her death.
Psychologists say that a conspiracy theory reflects an individual's sense of lack of control. University of Winchester psychology lecturer Michael Wood told VICE that “people who believe in conspiracy theories tend to feel they don't have a lot of control over their lives. It's reassuring to believe the world can be controlled, even if that means it's not a nice place.” Political agendas can also motivate these theories.
In the Internet age, it has become easier for conspiracy theories, just like any other content, to spread further and attract larger audiences than in the past. So should the government censor them? And to what extent should these theories enjoy free speech protections? We asked the Global Voices community, here's what three of them had to say.
For Anna Schetnikova, an editor for the Russian lingua site, censoring conspiracy theories would amount to “hypocrisy. She explains:
In my own country (Russia), and as far as I know in some other countries of the world, there were people who stated that homosexuality was a sin and even a crime, so now we have a law against so called “gay propaganda.” People, who said to gay teens that all is OK with them and tried to help them with problems at school and with parents, became criminals. From the point of view of the supporters of that law, people who support LGBT rights are not better than conspiracy theorists, because they deem the claims about human rights “unfounded and ridiculous.” Well, that law was widely considered as a violation of free speech and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I think that it would be a hypocrisy to stand against it and other oppressive laws in different countries, while supporting an arrest of conspiracy theorists. Yes, their ideas can be strange or even offensive from our point of view, but who knows what lead them to think as they think, and it is their right to tell what they think to others.
For Global Voices Advocacy director Ellery Biddle, conspiracy theories should not be censored per se, unless they fall under illegal speech, such as a clear incitement to violence.
Even if we don't like what a person says, their right to free speech should be protected, unless it moves into territory where they are actively inciting violence against another person or group. Of course, there are other measures that governments may take anyway — accusations of libel or defamation, depending on how the person delivers their message and who is affected.
“You can't arrest people for what they believe. That should be the norm,” Tunisia author Ahmed Medien says, before adding:
Unfortunately, in Tunisia, the mainstream rhetoric against terrorism has become sickeningly demagogic that they've gone to measures like that. The whole approach to terrorist actions in Tunisia is founded on the rhetoric that the young people involved in terror attacks are youth who are “misinformed” or “misled” by thoughts and practices that are alien to the country. Thus, the government's major task is to protect the young ones from being “misled.” An interpretation of such tasks can lead to cracking down on anything that few people in the government may not agree with.
Saied has been in detention since July 16. According to Human Rights Watch, he stands accused of complicity in terrorism under the 2003 anti-terror law. He is also charged with “accusing, without proof, a public agent of violating the law” under Article 128 of the penal code for sharing and commenting on a photo-shopped picture of Prime Minister Habib Essid. The photo, which shows Essid holding a shovel, was originally posted by another user. Said shared the photo on his Facebook wall on July 12 along with a comment on a decision by the broadcast regulator to close a number of religious radios and TV stations. He said: “as if they [the government] are waiting and thirsty for the Sousse crime to happen, to shut down all sources of moderate Islam. As if it is a gift they got from heaven.”
Tunisian authorities appear to be cracking down on speech they deem to be supportive of and inciting to terrorism, following a surge in militant extremism targeting foreign tourists and armed forces. Three months before the Sousse massacre, another attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis claimed the lives of 21 tourists and a police officer.
A new anti-terror law adopted by the Parliament on July 25 prescribes a jail term of up to five years against anyone found to have “publicly and clearly praised” a terrorist crime, its perpetrator, an organization or an alliance connected with terrorist crimes, their members or their activities.

author: Afef Abrougui


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The ‘Escopetarra’: A Killer Instrument · Global Voices
Global Voices Latin America

If you believe that nothing good can come from a rifle, then you have to get to know the “escopetarra”—a hybrid that transforms two “lethal” weapons (an AK-47 and a guitar) into an instrument of peace. “Escopetarra” is a Spanish blend that combines the words “escopeta” (shotgun) and “guitarra” (guitar).
In his Spanish-language podcast, Colombian musician César López talks about how he created the instrument, tracing it from the moment of its conception to all of the technical issues he faced creating it, as well as its characteristic sound.
There are more AK-47s in the world than any other gun, thanks to how unusually cheap the weapon is to make. It is estimated that there are 35-to-50 million AK-47s in existence, not counting those that are manufactured illegally each year.
“Primero, el AK 47 es el arma que más muertos le ha causado al planeta Tierra en toda su historia. Es el arma que se ha usado en Sudáfrica, Medio Oriente, Centro América, en Colombia”, dijo López en entrevista con la cadena estadounidense Univision.
“First of all, the AK-47 has caused the most deaths by any weapon on the planet. It's been used in South Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and also in Colombia”, stated López in an interview with the American television network, Univision.
The first “escopetarra” was made in 2003 using a Winchester rifle and a Stratocaster electric guitar. The rifle is taken apart in a way that it is no longer considered a weapon and cannot be used as such.
Currently, about 20 “escopetarras” have been presented to prominent musicians and international leaders who stand for peace, including the Colombian band, Aterciopelados, Argentinean musician Fito Páez, and UNESCO.

author: Global Voices Latin America


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Gaza’s ‘Colorful Neighborhood’ Brings Hope and Healing in Palestine · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Gaza's Al Zaytoun is known as “the colorful neighborhood.” (Source: Institute for Middle East Understanding, IMEU)
This real life story sounds like a favorite children's book. Known as “the colorful neighborhood,” Gaza's Al Zaytoun is painted in cheerful tones.
Mohammed Al Saedi is our story's artist, a man of vision and inspiration, who began the project in his home earlier this year. With the help of volunteers, colors spilled into the streets until 30 nearby houses were decorated. The walls of Al Zaytoun are covered with vertical gardens in bright frames, murals of sunset boat rides, and illustrations of creeping vines that curl around building corners.
Al Jazeera reports that families have begun planting urban gardens with argula, eggplant, tomatoes, and watermelon adding hues of green, red, and purple to the urban rainbow.
Al Saedi described his motivation, saying:
Wars create devastation, coupled with the effects of the siege, nerves are frayed resulting in long term psychological suffering. So I wanted to create a serene atmosphere full of flowers and colors in an attempt to heal the suffering and psychological affects of the siege. From the stones of destruction, God willing, we will build gardens and basins full of flowers and soothing colors.
Global Voices’ coverage of the 50-day war between Israel and Gaza in July and August 2014 reported that an estimated 40 per cent of Gaza's urban areas were destroyed, including 96,000 homes.
Al Zaytoun's restoration was funded by the Tamer Institute for Community Education, headquartered in Ramallah, Palestine. According to their website, the NGO works in Gaza and the West Bank, promoting cultural renewal projects, literacy, and healthy childhood development through creative expression.
Neighborhood residents, Maram and Asmaa Haddad, ages 9 and 10, add:
We felt very happy when they painted the neighborhood. It has become very beautiful and when we play in it, we feel joy, not like before.

author: Maya Norton


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Google’s New CEO Sundar Pichai is Getting a lot of Love from India · Global Voices
Subhashish Panigrahi

Sundar Pichai, the new CEO of Google, speaking at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona as the senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps. Image by Charlie Pérez. Copyright Demotix (2/3/2015)
As Google goes through a massive change by creating a new larger holding company Alphabet, everyone in India has their eyes set on the company's new 43 year-old CEO – Sundar Pichai.
Hundreds and thousands of people rejoiced on social media when India-born Pichai ascended to the most powerful job at the world's biggest technology company Google.
Looking forward to interviews with neighbors of Sundar Pichai and scenes of sweet distribution at his native village.
— greatbong (@greatbong) August 10, 2015
Satya-m (Nadella) is there. Sundar-am (Pichai) is there. Only a Shiv-am is needed to complete the Desi Trinity! 😝 #SundarPichai
— Mistress of Vices (@cyclopsee) August 11, 2015
Sundar Pichai Became Google’s New CEO And The Indian Internet Could Think Of Only One Joke http://t.co/PLTbatyTbQ via @BuzzFeedIndia
— Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) August 11, 2015
Pichai, born as Pichai Sundararajan grew up in a two-room apartment with his parents Lakshmi and Regunatha in Madras (present day Chennai) in the Indian state of Tamilnadu.
He holds a Bachelor in Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, a Masters from Stanford University and a MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Pichai, who was relatively unknown in most of India saw much love from his home country and state after the promotion.
His Wikipedia article saw a massive edit war — between two groups of two different schools — claiming from he graduated from their alma mater before he joined the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Dear @sundarpichai, your school name in Wikipedia has been alteretd many times today, everyone wants you as alumni http://t.co/mcGFR3h8bL
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) August 11, 2015
A very humble and soft-spoken Pichai thanked everyone:
Its been overwhelming to see such generous and warm responses from many dear friends, colleagues and strangers – heartfelt thanks.
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) August 12, 2015
For pure fun, a Twitter user even shared manipulated Pichai's image:
Pic 1: Sundar Pichai Pic 2: Gandi Pic hai. pic.twitter.com/DQMalpY3Un
— Chikoo (@TweetErrant) August 12, 2015
Pic 1: Sundar Pichai (could also means “good picture” in many Indian languages), Pic 2: Bad picture
A Twitter user Gabbar cracked a joke about Pichai's massive success referring to”Rajnigandha” which claims chewing its mouth freshner will bring success:
I am surprised so many Indians are taking over as heads of Global organisations without chewing Rajnigandha Paan Masala.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) August 11, 2015
Soon after joining Google in 2004, Pichai became the force behind the annual developer conference Google's I/O, and he led product management of Google Chrome, Chrome OS and Google Drive.
In a video interview with Pichai on the Verge from June, the interviewer asks him how he feels about “Google trying to give everybody a supercomputer in their pocket”, Pichai replies:
[..] The thing that attracted me to Google and the Internet in general is that it is a great equalizer and so to me I've always been struck by the fact that Google search works the same way as long you have access to a computer with connectivity, even if you were a rural kid anywhere or if you were a professor at Stanford or Harvard [..]
When asked about the different “divisions within Google that are doing crazy stuff”, Pichai responds:
We do them, because we believe that software is increasingly playing a critical role in solving things, which it didn't before. So to me when I look at cars, people spend an inordinate amount of time in cars, these are resources which are very poorly utilized[…]They get used less than 10 percent. We see these problems and we say can we solve it at scale and does computing – software and computer science – play a role in it? While the effort may seem ambitious or crazy, we take a very disciplined approach, they are thought through like businesses but we take a very long term view, in a very disciplined away. Our research can be longer term and we do that precisely in research[..] we never know whether some of them make viable business applications but we want to push the technology.
Larry Page, Google ex-CEO and the current CEO of Alphabet announced about this big change on the Google blog, hinting that Alphabet will focus on big projects with Google continuing with its search engine and its other products:
Sergey and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google. I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google and this frees up time for me to continue to scale our aspirations.

author: Subhashish Panigrahi


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Is Pakistan’s Least Developed Province Balochistan Getting its Share of Federal Jobs? · Global Voices
Balochistan Point

Screenshot of  a job posting from FPSC's website, which does not include any spots allocated to Balochistan.
This post is an amended version of an article originally written by Adnan Aamir for The Balochistan Point. It is republished on Global Voices as a part of a content sharing agreement.
In Pakistan, federal government jobs are distributed among its four provinces and federally controlled regions according to a prescribed quota determined by their population size. For the country's vast, but least developed and least populated province Balochistan, the quota for federal jobs is 6 percent.
Balochistan Point looked into whether the impoverished province is actually receiving it's federally mandated share from the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), an autonomous body in charge of announcing vacancies and monitoring quotas. The Balochistan Point studied the FPSC's latest advertised vacancies and found that Balochistan was only allocated half of its quota.
On August 2, FPSC announced 156 vacancies in different departments and organizations under federal control. On these jobs, almost all regions were assigned allocations according to their quotes. Punjab is supposed to get 50%, it was allocated 53.2%, Sindh is supposed to get 19%, it was allocated 18%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is supposed to get 11.5%, it was allotted 9.6%. Balochistan was supposed to receive 6%, but it was only allocated half of that: 3%.
Following is a detailed breakup of these jobs with provincial allocation:
Balochistan has been completely ignored in the allocation of important vacancies such as Inspectors for Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Out of 61 vacancies for Inspector FIA, not a single one has been allocated to Balochistan. Even smaller and lesser populated regions like Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have been given allocations.
These powerful inspectors, among other duties, can also act as shift in-charge at the FIA immigration check-points at airports. The people of Balochistan often complained about the treatment that they receive at airport immigrations counters.
“We face discrimination at airport check points because the FIA and ANF personnel consider us aliens,” Haji Badr-ud-din a frequent international traveler told The Balochistan Point. He added, “FIA officers form Balochistan, if there are any, should be posted on Airport check points of Quetta and Karachi from where we normally travel.”
Despite repeated attempts by The Balochistan Point to make contact, the Secretary of the FSPC was not available for a comment on their quota rules violation in Balochistan.
The current vacancy announcement by FPSC is not the first time the Balochistan quota has been violated. On July 27, Quetta Electricity Supply Company (QESCO) a federally controlled entity, also violated Balochsitan’s job quota in 45 vacancies that it advertised.
Out of 47 vacancies of BPS-17, . QESCO was asked to stop recruitment process by Chief Secretary of Balochistan after he took notice of the protests from civil society of Balochistan against violation of quota rules.
“In my capacity as a member of different Senate standing committees, I have put up questions with PIA, HEC, CDA, OGDCL, SNGPL, SSGC and other [federal] departments and asked them to explain how they are fulfilling 6 percent quota of Balochistan,” Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini told The Balochistan Point.
Senator Jamaldini further revealed that people of other provinces possessing fake domiciles in Balochistan take jobs on what’s left of Balochsitan’s quota. “DMG officers serving as Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners have issued domicile certificates to their relatives, in huge numbers, which are used to deprive people of Balochistan form their quota in jobs,” claimed Senator Jamaldini.
In a move which was severally criticized by people of Balochistan, last year, the federal government declined to commence recruitment on 3,692 Federal jobs reserved for Balochistan.

author: Balochistan Point


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Meet Sam Wakoba of TechMoran Blog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bloggers Association of Kenya profiles Sam Wakoba who runs Techmoran blog. Techmoran won the award for the Best Technology Blog in Kenya this year:
We caught up with Sam to get some insights into his blogging journey.
Who is Sam Wakoba, in a few words?
Sam Wakoba is a humble and hardworking Kenyan, passionate about bettering lives in any way he can. He believes that, with the right information, anyone can be empowered to become a better citizen, employee or business person. My calling has been to dedicate my life and time to empower communities. This is just the start.
How did you come up with the name for your blog. Why ‘TechMoran’?
A Moran is a warrior and tour guide in the Maasai community. As tech ‘Morans’ we want to protect our local tech ecosystem as well as guide those who are new to it. International media covers African tech in a bad way – focusing more on NGO backed companies. We want to show the world everyday innovations in Africa hence protect the entire ecosystem

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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This is How Michael Jackson Sounds in Quechua · Global Voices
Global Voices Latin America

Renata Flores Rivera, a 14 year-old Peruvian, has become a social media sensation for her covers of well-known songs in the Quechua language. The video of her version of “The Way You Make Me Feel”, by the late Michael Jackson, was filmed at the Inca ruins of Vilcashuamán in Ayacucho, Peru and has been viewed more than half a million times on YouTube.
With seven million speakers, Quechua is the second-most spoken indigenous language in South America (after the Guarani). In Peru it is considered an official language along with Spanish even though only about 19% of the population speaks Quechua.
Renata's mother, Patricia Rivera, works for the Asociación Cultural Surca (Surca Cultural Association), a program that aims to teach adolescents from Ayacucho about drug prevention and the Andean region's ancestral language. Renata was part of their initiative. Thanks to her mother, “the youth also speak Quechua.”
The association was founded 11 years ago with the goal of achieving a positive attitude change in children and adolescents through art.  According to the newspaper El Comercio, their intention is to preserve Quechua as an ancestral language.
Ana Saroly affirms, in her article “Puede el quechua sobrevivir” (Can the Quechua Language Survive), that the Quechua language became the unifying language of the Inca empire 600 years ago.  Today the language runs the risk of decreasing in importance, so there is a need for younger generations to learn it and to feel proud of the language.
Comments on the singer's Facebook page have been mostly positive.  For example, Ricky Anthony Ascoy Valarde says:
We support everyone without discrimination towards our mother tongue.  It's unique.  Thanks Peru for your greatness.”
Another Quechua-language version of a classic rock song by Renata has been shared on Twitter:
Renata Flores canta “The House of the rising sun” de The Animals en lengua quechua. https://t.co/RDndj2jj9m
— JorgeFloresGallegos (@jorge0911) August 11, 2015
Renata Flores sings The Animal's song “The House of the Rising Sun” in Quechua.
Her next song will be “Fallin” by Alicia Keys.


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Turkey Hit by Wave of Attacks as It Continues Middle East Military Strikes · Global Voices
Anne Koopman

Demotix image. A peace meeting at Bakırköy in Istanbul on August 9, 2015, drew thousands of pro-Kurdish supporters concerned by Turkey's attacks on PKK positions over the border. Photo by Avni Kantan. ID: 8285673.
At least nine people fell victim to a spate of attacks in the Turkey's largest city Istanbul and the south-eastern province Sirnak on August 10. As the country gets knee-deep in the Middle East crisis, the fear of more attacks is pervasive.
Ever since Turkey launched military operations backed by lethal U.S. drone strikes in Iraq and Syria last month it has been beset by a series of small attacks in which at least 20 security officers have been killed as well as dozens of ethnic Kurds.
The focal points of Turkey's military attacks have been fighters belonging to the radical group ISIS and — increasingly — forces loyal to Ankara's old enemy the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK).
It was a bomb blast in Turkey's eastern town of Suruc on July 20, killing 33 people, that served as the trigger for the country  to become involved in a conflict it had previously stayed neutral towards.
A bomb attack at a police station in Istanbul in the early hours of August 10 injured three policemen and seven civilians. A fire caused by the bomb destroyed part of the building. The Istanbul governor’s office said the suspected bomber was killed during the explosion. Kurdish militants from the PKK later claimed the attack.
Pictures published and spread on Twitter show the aftermath of the attack.
💥Bomb attack in front of police station in #Sultanbeyli #Istanbul #Turkey. 6 wounded,1 in critical condition 📷 pic.twitter.com/yyYo0K4Hmz
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) 9 augustus 2015
At least 5 police officers & 2 civilians injured in a bomb attack on a police station in #Turkish city of #Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/INMdSMPQQE — Terrormonitor.org (@Terror_Monitor) 10 augustus 2015
Later on Monday two gunmen — reportedly women — opened fire on police investigating the scene of the earlier bomb attack. Ensuing gunfire led to the death of a police officer and at least two others.
Meanwhile a roadside bomb in Sirnak killed four policemen and in a separate attack a soldier was killed when a gunmen fired at a military helicopter.
On the same day, the U.S. Consulate was also attacked by two assailants. The attack was claimed by DHKP-C in a statement on their website. They described the United States as the “chief enemy of people in the Middle East and in the world”.
Pictures tweeted by @metesohtaoglu show the aftermath of the attack.
Photos from #US consulate attack in #Istanbul #Turkey 📷@DHA pic.twitter.com/ezEinrqKks
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) 10 augustus 2015
Tweets circulating the internet identify one of the suspects as Hatice Aşık, a far-leftist militant women from the DHKP-C. She was reportedly shot and arrested.
💥Hatice Asik,one of two female DHKP-C suspects in #Istanbul attack on #US consulate shot& arrested 📷 pic.twitter.com/DhlON1zByu — Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) 10 augustus 2015
Asik had been released from jail only 33 days ago. She had been in prison for three years and was released as she awaited the verdict in a trial regarding her alleged participation in a bomb attack on a police station in Yenibosna, Istanbul, in 2012.
According to an eyewitness the second woman escaped the scene.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey subsequently said the ‘security incident’ at the U.S. Consulate did not lead to wounded among personnel or customers.
This morning’s security incident in Istanbul resulted in no injuries to Consulate personnel or customers.
— US Embassy Turkey (@USEmbassyTurkey) 10 augustus 2015
The Consulate was closed for the rest of the day and reopened one day after the attacks on August 11.
Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed in an official statement “his deepest sympathies with the victims” of the attacks, “as well as with the Government and people of Turkey.” He says he hopes the attackers “will be swiftly brought to justice.”
After weeks of drone airstrikes on ISIS in Syria, the U.S. launched the first manned airstrikes from a base in Turkey against ISIS forces on August 12, only two days after the attacks in Turkey took place.

author: Anne Koopman


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Using Paperclips, Broccoli or Microchips, This Japanese Artist Creates a Whimsical Diorama Every Day · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Miniature Calendar by Tatsuya Tanaka. Image from Amazon.co.jp
Using common household items, Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka has been creating tiny whimsical dioramas every day since April 20, 2011.
Photos of more than 1,500 dioramas have been published on his website as a Miniature Calendar, which is also for sale on Amazon's Japanese site. He also uploads photos of his creations onto Instagram, where he has attracted a mass following of more than 260,000 followers.
Tanaka, whose Instagram profile says he works as an art director for an advertising agency in rural Japan, says on his website about the project:
Everyone must have had similar thoughts at least once.
Broccoli and parsley might sometimes look like a forest, or the tree leaves floating on the surface of the water might sometimes look like little boats. Everyday occurrences seen from a pygmy’s perspective can bring us lots of fun thoughts.
I wanted to take this way of thinking and express it through photographs, so I started to put together a “MINIATURE CALENDAR” These photographs primarily depict diorama-style figures surrounded by daily necessaries.
Just like a standard daily calendar, the photos are updated daily on my website and SNS page, earning it the name of “MINIATURE CALENDAR”
It would be great if you could use it to add a little enjoyment to your everyday life.
Here is a selection of just a few images of his dioramas that he has posted to Instagram. The photos typically include a whimsical (and sometimes nonsensical) caption:
. 7.28 tue "Solar power" . 「ソーラーパネルをもっと増やしたいよー」 「そらー、お金かかるよ」 . . #太陽光発電 #メモリ #memory #PCのメモリ増設したい
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
Man: We want to install more solar panels!
Worker: Well, that's gonna cost money!
. 7.27 mon "Escalator" . 何をしなくても時間はエスカレーターのように進み続けますぞ。 . . #ホッチキスの針 #クリップ #Staples #clip
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
“Without us having to do anything at all, time continues on like an escalator.”
. 8.5 wed "Tatooine" . タトゥイーン並みに暑いーん。 . . #猛暑 #ダンボール #Cardboard #緩衝材 #Cushioning #タトゥイーン #Tatooine #miniaturecal_starwars
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
“Tatooine is sure hot.”
. 7.19 sun "Search" . 「ちょっとまってね今調べるから」 . . #Google先生 #本棚
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
“Just a moment, I'm going to Google it.”
. 7.13 mon "Rice planting" . 「ほんなこて、半田ごて〜」 （なんとなく言ってみたかっただけです） . . #電子基板
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
“Time to pull out the soldering iron.” (I just wanted to try saying that)
. 7.7 tue "Bamboo forest" . 自分を曲げずにまっすぐ伸びよ。 今日は七夕です。 . . #竹 #笹 #ストロー #七夕
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
“Bamboo forest.” We grow straight and tall, without bending.
(Holiday: July 7th is the Tanabata Festival)
. 7.5 sun "Puddle" . 「なんで日曜なのに雨なんだよ！」と、水たまりに八つ当たり。 . . #梅雨 #水たまり
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
Why does it have to be rainy on Sun-day?
. 7.1 wed "Surf’s up!" . 今日から7月、いい波がきてますよ！ .
A photo posted by Tatsuya Tanaka (@tanaka_tatsuya) on
It's July 1st… Summer's here and surf's up!
Check out Tatsuya Tanaka's Instagram feed for more photos.

author: Nevin Thompson


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Amazing Japanese TV Commercial Racks Up Views · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Screenshot from toyotajpchannel on YouTube.
An innovative commercial for aftermarket car parts has captured the attention of social media in Japan.
G Sports, owned and operated by automaker Toyota, produced an innovative commerical called G's Baseball Baseball Party.
The premise of the video sees pedestrians suddenly joining in an game of pick-up baseball. The participants make amazing catches, and souped-up automobiles — which the commercial is supposed to be selling in the first place — don't make an appearance until the end of the clip.
The video was released in March 2015, and has so far racked up an amazing 8 million views on YouTube.
According to some on social media, part of the appeal of the commercial is that it doesn't really appear to be a commercial:
TOYOTA G's Baseball Party https://t.co/YX4vNrLHtl CMのクオリティがすんげえ高い。 だが売ろうとしている「商品」がCMに追いついてない、気がするｗ pic.twitter.com/dVk1U7GqG5
— まさひろ⊿P10広島最終日へGO！！ (@masahiro2010) August 7, 2015
The quality of the commercial is really good! Although you get the feeling they wound up making a commercial better than the product they're selling LOL.
Note: The translation of the Tweet has been updated based on insights from Marc Adler.


text:
Are GMOs the Answer to Kenya’s Food Security Issues? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan farmers Kenyans examining Genetically Modified insect-resistant corn. Image by Dave Hoisington/CIMMYT and released under Creative Commons.
Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto announced August 12 that the Kenyan government will soon lift a ban on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to create an enabling environment for the growth of biotechnology innovation and industries in Kenya.
GMO is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The Kenyan government banned GMOs since 2012 following the release of a study found that GMO maize caused cancer in rats.
The subject of GMOs is surrounded by controversy with international advocacy groups such as Organic Consumers Association, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Greenpeace claiming that GMOs risks have not been adequately identified.
Reactions on Twitter varied sharply following Ruto's announcement.
Anti: ‘GMOs are a sin against humanity’
Padie Mwangi claims that Kenya's elite will save itself while the rest of the population is lumbered with GMOs.
Politicians like RUTO will tell u 2 to eat GMOs while their Families eat indigenous crops from their organic farms. http://t.co/HVI9uIMdwC
— Padie (@Padiemwangi) August 13, 2015
Are we cleverer than bees and flies?
Imagine neither Bees nor Flies land on #GMOs and we think we are clever than they @ConsumersKenya @C_NyakundiH
— Vincent Mocha (@ItsMakori) August 13, 2015
HeinrichBöllStiftung in Nairobi, Kenya noted that genetically modified seeds’ prices keep soaring:
GM seed prices are protected by patents and their prices have soared over the last 20 years. #Foodsovereignity #stopGMOsKenya @ayicckenya
— HeinrichBöllStiftung (@HBSNairobi) August 13, 2015
Youth Without Future said:
Not ALL Technology is GOOD: @Williamsruto is like always, not concerned with public good. Why cancer everywhere? Diabetes? HBP?….GMOs
— youth without future (@YWFkenya) August 13, 2015
COFEK, KENYA advised the government on how to best help Kenyan farmers without the use of GMOs:
Stop corruption. Offer incentives to Kenya's resilient farmers. Open up the domestic/foreign markets #StopGMOsKenya https://t.co/SeChU1X3hN
— COFEK, KENYA (@ConsumersKenya) August 13, 2015
S.W. Maina warned:
Once you OK GMOs, you open loopholes for abuse that you can't close, Bwana @WilliamsRuto. Don't do it. https://t.co/5oMmCif8bj
— #WorldElephantDay (@swmaina) August 13, 2015
Is labeling GM products for consumers a solution?:
@imBarasa @PatrikJnr the problem in most countries has been labeling of GMOs. Not sure with our level of corruption and negligence
— #Kenya #Online (@irenesconcierge) August 13, 2015
Truther Botred described GMOs as a “sin against humanity”:
GMOs are a sin against humanity because we're not short on food on this planet.
— trutherbotred (@trutherbotred) August 12, 2015
Following Deputy President Ruto’s now infamous opposition to homosexuality in Kenya, Dennis Maina said:
Dear @WilliamsRuto GMOs are more harmful to the entire society than gayism please #StopGMOsKenya @C_NyaKundiH @ConsumersKenya
— Dennis maina (@Dennismaina4) August 13, 2015
Billow Ismail Jr. is worried that the Kenyan health system will not be able to handle GMO-related health risks:
@jafferisaak Our health care system is already crashing and they want to flood the market with GMO food..#StopGMOsKenya
— Billow Ismail Jr. (@billow_jr) August 13, 2015
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) reminded Ruto about the claims that GMOs have led Indian farmers to commit suicide:
#SomeoneTellRuto In India hundreds of farmers have committed SUICIDE over GMOs #StopGMOsKenya https://t.co/iuuqb0oHl1
— COFEK, KENYA (@ConsumersKenya) August 12, 2015
Alien Axioms maintained that GMOs will not solve Kenya’s food shortages:
GMOs do not increase yields, and work against feeding a hungry world. Don't fall for @MonsantoCo propaganda.
— Alien Axioms (@AlienAxioms) August 12, 2015
While Olive Njeri called for focus on organic farming:
#SomeoneTellRuto: #StopGMOsKenya KENYA STANDS A BETTER CHANCE AT IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY BY EMBRACING ORGANIC FARMING http://t.co/UdEWNc1Oqf
— olive (@aulyvnjeri) August 12, 2015
Pro: ‘Every technology is always opposed in the beginning’
Responding to arguments opposing the move by @KiamaKaara and @ConsumersKenya, Mwangi Wambui remarked:
@KiamaKaara @ConsumersKenya You can't just tell pple to #stopgmoskenya w/out giving them an alternative. #gmos #Gmo
— Mwangi Wambui (@hadasnoop) August 13, 2015
Supporting the lifting of the ban, Mesha Kenya tweeted:
#SomeoneTellRuto #StopGMOsKenya – Kenyan farmers are eager to plant the GM seeds @aghandan
— Mesha Kenya (@MeshaKenya) August 13, 2015
David Muthini asked the opponents of GMOs the following question:
@consumerskenya @gmwatch #StopGMOsKenya is backward and ignorant. Tell me the danger of GMO cotton for example…
— Davis Muthini (@DavisMuthini) August 13, 2015
Ben Makenzie pointed out:
#GMOs are not substantially different from their non-GMO counterparts in regard to nutrition or taste. William Ruto should support them.
— Ben (@Ben_Makenzie) August 13, 2015
TechGuideKE explained why Kenyan farmers need GMOs:
Many farmers rely on rain fed agriculture and therefore planting drought resistant crops would be best. This is made possible through #GMOs
— ConsumerTechGuide (@TechGuideKE) August 13, 2015
“Whats the fuss about GMOs?” asked Junior Mwanza:
Whats the fuss about GMOs? we practically eat that stuff every day i mean, with the make up, bleaching and other scientific stuff ladies use
— Junior Mwanza (@Jr_2M) August 13, 2015
Dorothy Akolo castigated those opposed to the ban saying:
@kbcchannel1 @calestous @jkioria Those opposed to #GMOs want a hungry #Africa so they can look “philanthropic” dumping commodities in Africa
— Judith Dora Akolo (@JudithAkolo) August 13, 2015
Team Korir compared the opposition to GMOs to that of other useful technologies in the past:
Every technology is always opposed in the beginning. Electricity had its opponents even if it was to benefit the people #TalkGMOFacts #GMOs
— TeamKorir (@tkorir) August 13, 2015


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Iraqi Startups One Year After the Rise of ISIS · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ahmed Marwan shares stories about a few Iraqi startups one year after the rise of ISIS, at Wamda.
He explains:
But what is more uncertain than calculating the success probability of a startup working in a city less than 50 km away from the turmoil caused by ISIS?
That is exactly what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in Baghdad: they’re operating under conditions of extreme uncertainty.
Marwan sites a few examples of Iraqi startups and concludes:
These young guys and the other entrepreneurs have proved one thing: entrepreneurship in Iraq has unlimited potential in the face of adversity.
The pressing security situation, Iraq’s financial crisis and damaged infrastructure, investors’ unfamiliarity with startups, and other big obstacles are all valid arguments for the doubters and naysayers in the debate about the future of entrepreneurship in Iraq.
But entrepreneurs beg to differ and they keep doing what they are best at: surviving in this brutal market and striving to make a name for themselves.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Meet the Displaced Kachin People of Northern Myanmar · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

Photo of young Internally-Displaced Persons in Myitkyina. Photo courtesy of Rangoon Revealed Facebook page.
A group of teenagers in Myanmar has set up a Facebook page where they share stories of Kachin residents who were displaced by war.
The teenagers behind the Facebook page Rangoon Revealed visited the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the town of Myitkyina in Kachin State, located in northern Myanmar, to raise awareness about the plight of the local residents and to deliver humanitarian aid.
Rangoon refers to the former name of Yangon city, the country's premier urban center. The Facebook page became popular for documenting the lives of ordinary Yangon residents. Last month, the team behind the Facebook page announced that they will visit IDP camps in Kachin to monitor the situation of the people who were displaced as a result of the renewed civil war in northern Myanmar.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 100,000 people are currently living in makeshift camps due to the prolonged armed conflict between Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Myanmar government. The armed hostilities started in June 2011. Last month, aid groups reported that the situation of many IDPs is deteriorating because of dwindling financial support. This inspired the young volunteers of Rangoon Revealed to organize a humanitarian visit.
They successfully raised over 2,000 US dollars before the trip. In a Facebook post, they informed the public and their donors that the money will benefit more than 1,000 students in three IDP camps.
Below are some of the Kachin people interviewed by Rangoon Revealed.
Photo courtesy of Rangoon Revealed Facebook page.
What's your happiest moment in your life?
There are no happy moments here in the IDP camp. We are all struggling to live and we are always busy with our lives. I am from Sama province, Ja Pu village. When the war broke out, almost all the villagers from our village as well as the villages nearby fled to places where the war hasn't reached. But my husband…
Photo courtesy of Rangoon Revealed Facebook page.
I'm attending 10th grade right now. I've been going to school on and off lately. I have to help out here in the camp as well so I don't have much time….
Photo courtesy of Rangoon Revealed Facebook page.
I have been volunteering here for 3 years. Well, I'm not alone. It's me and a friend of mine. We aren't IDPs but we have been staying here in this camp (Mi Na) since the first year. There are people from a lot of villages, you know? So sometimes when they get on bad terms with each other, I have to be the one who solves their conflicts. I am like a facilitator…
Photo courtesy of Rangoon Revealed Facebook page.
What's your happiest moment here?
When we all gather around on Sundays at church. Also on evenings like this, when my neighbors, children, and I gather and just talk about our daily lives and the daily struggles here. It helps us forget the problems we are facing in the big picture. It helps us distract ourselves from the war that's going on…
Rangoon Revealed told Global Voices that they will be uploading more stories in the coming weeks. So stay tuned!

author: Juan Cebu