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Guatemala: Access to Archives Sheds Light on Case of Forced Disappearance · Global Voices
Renata Avila

By Rudy Girón – Antiguadailyphoto.com under a Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA version 3.0 unported
Access to information plays an important role in societies in transition and in the aftermath of a war. In fact, records and official archives are becoming tools to fight impunity, providing the evidence to prosecute perpetrators. Access to archives and databases helped shed light on a landmark case of forced disappearance in Guatemala.
Edgar Fernando García was 26 years old, an engineering student, labor activist and member of the clandestine Guatemalan Workers’ Party (PGT) when he was seized by police agents off a street in Guatemala City and taken away forever. His disappearance left his young wife, Nineth Montenegro de García, and an 18-month-old daughter behind. It was February 18, 1984
That is how the narrative of the National Security Archive starts when describing the experience by expert Kate Doyle on a trial to prosecute those responsible for Garcia's disappearance.
She delivered a testimony before Guatemalan Criminal Courts based on U.S. declassified records produced at the time of García’s disappearance by the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Guatemala. They describe a planned campaign on the part of the Guatemalan government to kidnap and kill trade union activists and student leaders linked to the opposition.
This discovery was possible because of the Freedom of Information Act that permitted the release of classified notes by the government, but it also required extensive work by document analysts connecting the puzzle pieces to reconstruct all the government's strategy. Certainly, as the title of a post on the The Witness Blog about the case indicates, “Archivist can be at the heart of accountability and justice.”  Police archives actually led to the arrest of the perpetrators, who were found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The Witness Blog highlights the increasing use of archival records as criminal human rights evidence; there is a dawning realization of the absolute obligation of state governments to be open and transparent:
Kate’s work with the García case clearly illustrates her point that archivists can play an active role in creating change.  Not only was a serious human rights violation committed when policemen forcibly abducted García, but there was the grave violation to his wife’s right to information.  For years, she begged for information, going to the morgues, the cemeteries, the head of state.  Kate stated, “that silence of the state is one of the great crimes.”
Databases played an important role too, thanks to the support from Benetech, as they describe in their blog:
The Benetech Human Rights Program uses cutting edge computing methods and statistical analysis to provide objective evidence of human rights violations. The scientifically defensible data in our findings serve as a powerful tool to combat impunity and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes. Daniel Guzmán presented expert legal testimony. Guzmán’s expert testimony helped the judges in the case remove doubt about the authenticity and reliability of the documents. He showed that the records are consistent in structure and overall content with many other documents in the archive and were not chosen deliberately or selectively. He described the patterns of data found in the documents and the probability that police officials knew about the 667 documents related to García. Guzmán’s statistical estimates about which police units had access to which documents showed evidence of communications between the army and police.
Relatives of Fernando, who have been fighting got justice for 26 years, opened http://casofernandogarcia.org/ to share with the world, in English and Spanish, all the developments of the trial. There you can read the Statement from Alejandra Garcia at the close of her father's trial. This is an abstract:
I do not seek revenge, neither would my dad have, but I do seek the truth, I want to know where he was taken, I want to know why he wasn’t formally charged, I want to know who gave the order, I want to know where he was taken and who he was handed over to, I want to know what happened to him. My heart cannot rest and be at peace without the truth, as harsh as it may be, the truth always heals the soul.
Under international humanitarian law, families have the right to be informed on the fate of missing relatives, and parties in a conflict have a responsibility to search for the missing and facilitate inquiries made by families of the missing. Now new technologies and new tools, such as access to information laws, can help fulfill these obligations and help families remind other generations about the lessons learned from a violent past, by keeping the story alive and open to anyone.

author: Renata Avila


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Haiti: Where’s the Relief?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Relief is what earthquake victims desperately need right now to protect them from an oncoming hurricane. It’s what they’ve needed for the past ten months to make tent camps more livable”: Mediahacker points out a few critical ways in which “The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is lying to you.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica: Tomas On Its Way · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Girl With a Purpose, along with the rest of Jamaica, is hunkering down for the impending arrival of Tropical Storm Tomas.


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Malaysia: ‘No to mega tower’ · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

Since Prime Minister Najib Razak’s unveiling of the plan to construct the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka tower during the Budget 2011, Malaysians have come up to protest against the construction of the tower.
Most Malaysians are against the idea as they believe that it does not serve any purpose- it will not be the tallest building in the world, and Malaysia already has iconic skyscrapers- the Petronas Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur Tower.
Since the announcement of the $5 billion MYR (approximately $1.6 billion USD) project, many Malaysians have taken to using Facebook to protest, with the most popular being the ‘1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower’ page which has garnered more than 200,000 ‘likes’ from users in just slightly more than two weeks. Even a video was created to oppose the project.
However, the government’s stand is that the project will benefit the country’s economy and provide jobs, which would then benefit the citizens.
Adrian Ng, a Malaysian, wrote in Loyarburok that the funds may be better channelled elsewhere:
The RM5 billion development costs could and should be invested into other areas such as improving education and healthcare facilities, reducing poverty levels, and particularly making life easier through better public transportation and greater assistance to the Orang Asli, the disabled and the elderly.
Among others to:
* Eradicate poverty and improve the people’s standards of living by providing shelter, electricity, water and other forms of assistance to the hardcore poor.
* Improve the infrastructure of schools, and increase access to education by providing free books to schoolchildren in rural areas.
* Improve the healthcare system by building daycare and dialysis centres, and upgrading equipment and facilities in hospitals and clinics.
* Build the capacity of the disabled by providing training to enable them to enter and succeed in the job market while building infrastructure to enable their mobility.
* Provide assistance to the elderly by building old folks homes.
* Reduce traffic problems in major towns and cities while making them more livable.
Hence, I appeal to the rakyat of Malaysia to support and oppose the development of the 100-storey tower! I am still proud to be Malaysian without the tower.
Adrian’s view is also largely supported by many Malaysians. However, not all Malaysians are against it. Poobalan offered a slightly more less critical stance:
For me, its PNB’s money and PNB’s land. As long as government can guarantee won’t bail out, should be OK. BUT, since its a development project, there should be proper study and impact assessment done. In this way, public can voice out how the project will cause positive/negative impact to the surrounding area. Can suggest to improve transportation in tandem with the building development, for example.
If given a choice, I would prefer if the project is carried out away from KL city centre area. Reason is that it can spur more development. For example, can set up the tower in Sepang, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Langat, (oops, all PR area! No Go area for the moment) or Negeri Sembilan. This will provide decongestion, spur secondary and tertiary industries, and more job opportunities. The areas mentioned are still relatively near to airport and city centre, so not a big problem to attract tenants.
Popular blogger Ahirudin Attan, in retelling a conversation he had with an acquaintance, wrote:
Now, as for the proposed 100-storey building, as far as I am concerned the fault lies only on one factor — that the Prime Minister announced it in his 2011 Budget. So a lot of people think that Datuk Seri Najib Razak was going to start taxing people more in order to build this magnificent structure. Which isn't the case. The PNB has come out, belatedly, to explain that Warisan Merdeka is their project using their money, et cetera, but by that time the proposed tower has become a victim of Malaysian politics.
Najib was not announcing a new project. The PNB had made statements in the Press about the 100-storey tower late last year. No hoo-ha then. But when the PM included it in his Budget, wham bang! I was going to say, perhaps, he should not have included it in his budget, but then that would be strange — the tower is supposed to be one of his “high-impact” projects.
Everything involves public fund, so I don't buy that argument (that the government is wasting taxpayers’ money). Haven't you read Syed Akbar Ali's blog? The government does not own any money. This is Rule No 1. There is no such thing as government's own money. All government money is taxpayer's funds. Even for countries which do no have income taxes, it is still public funds. The people's money.
To me, the objection is purely political. North-South Highway back then, Warisan Merdeka now. The difference is, we didn't have blogs, we had no access to Facebook, we did not even have computers in our homes back then. And talk about the Internet, what about the government/TM's massive RM10-over billion broadband project? We are all enjoying the infra, and we are certainly benefiting from Dr Mahathir's promise for openness and non-intervention policy.
And we should view the protests positively, too. I mean, the government should. What does this group of people want to see? Many said we need more hospitals and doctors, schools and teachers. Look into those. At least the people are talking and giving feedback.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Somalia: New Political Party Launched · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A new political party has been launched by Somali politicians, Terror Free Somalia Foundation reports: “Over 160 delegates from Somalia converged in Nairobi, Kenya to attend the launch of Democratic Party of Somalia (DPS) as a political vehicle to tackle problems facing the nation. The party seeks to become a vehicle for change, growth and stability in Somalia.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Southeast Asia: Interactive Sex Education Website · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Established in July 2010 in Singapore, the website sexxie.tv claims it is the world’s first and only sex education platform adopted by renowned doctors for interactive sex education globally.
S.E.X.X.I.E, which means Sex eXperts Interactive Education, is dedicated to the protection of the sexual health of teens and young adults. Unlike traditional sex education programs, sexxie.tv uses the online platform to reach its clients.
With incidences of teenage pregnancy, abortion, STI/STDs and sexual abuse on the rise globally, S.E.X.X.I.E hopes to supplement school-based and/or home-based sex education to empower teens and young adults to be more responsible for themselves and their actions.
When faced with sensitive sexual health issues, most teens and young adults consult their peers for advice. More often than not, peers are not equipped with the right skills and knowledge to address those problems. At times, parents too feel awkward discussing such matters with their children. The consequences can be very serious.
A non-judgmental and un-biased resource like S.E.X.X.I.E can provide teens, young adults, parents, educators, etc. with honest, accurate and holistic information.
The website features include Q&A segments, streaming videos, articles, online seminars or ‘webinars’, Twitter updates and Facebook posts. What are webinars?
They are virtual seminars that provide straightforward facts. No complex medical terminologies here. Simple and convenient. Register online and that’s it! All you need is your computer and internet access. At the end of each session, get the answers to your questions “live”; be able to discuss sensitive issues, i.e., sexually transmitted disease, premature ejaculation, and more
The presentations give insights and needed information with the sole purpose of sex education. Through SEXXIE online talks, teenagers, newlyweds or anyone will be more open to talk about their problems. Be it at home, office or café, one can easily join by registering for free to start learning from renowned doctors and specialists. Q&A sessions are conducted at the end of presentation. All webinars are moderated by our own Medical Butlers.
Its Facebook page carries this slogan: Sex Education for the People, by the People.
Make your voice heard. You can be a teacher, a troubled parent, a curious teenager, or a diligent student. You can be anyone. But we hope that with your stay with us you, too, can become SEXXIE— Liberated. Well-informed. Empowered. Responsible.
SEXXIE.TV believes that everyone deserves honest and accurate information. Whether it's about a small problem or about issues concerning sex and relationships, we strive to educate.
And because we believe that education is about confronting real problems with real solutions, we give you ways to share your thoughts. Learn from other people’s experiences. At SEXXIE.TV, we call it Interactive Education.
Dr. Love, the founder of sexxie.tv, reports that the website is getting positive feedback from internet users in many parts of the world
We get an aggregate between tens to hundreds and sometimes even thousands of email/sms/chats a day depending on the kind of activities available on the website.
The letters are mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and some from the Philippines.
The source of questions range from youth to married couples.  Many questions are not anonymous.
We have partnerships in Indonesia, Singapore and will soon have partnership in Malaysia, India and China.
Occasionally we have 1 or 2 members of the public who would contact us to clarify our mission, but we managed to convert them into a fan after clarifying with them.
Dr. Wei also plans to expand the free services offered by the website. They will be soon launching virtual STD clinic and also a VR anatomy cybertour for schools.

author: Mong Palatino


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St. Lucia: Tomas Leaves Dire Situation  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

YardFlex.com reports that Hurricane Tomas caused two deaths (thus far) in St. Lucia, while Sun, Rain, Or… is frustrated: “The international media have ignored this focusing only on the possibility that Haiti may be hit. Yes, I understand, any system heading their way will bring huge tragedy, but every day that passes here without the means to start digging ourselves out, more people are in danger.”


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Taiwan: Protecting biodiversity  · Global Voices
David Reid

Michael Turton interviews Dr. Bruno Walther about biodiversity in Taiwan. Dr. Walther has co-produced a documentary called Crisis of Life to educate people about the importance of protecting biodiversity.

author: David Reid


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Tanzania: Tanzanian MC becomes Member of Parliament · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Tanzanian MC Sugu is now official Member of Parliament..first MC to enter the house in the whole entire world,” Zavara reports on Twitter.


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Tanzania: Twittering 2010 Tanzania General Elections · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tanzanians voted on on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. Using hashtags #UchaguziTZ, #uchaguzi, and #TZelect, Tanzanian netizens have been keeping their followers updated with results and on-the-ground observations.
Six hours ago (at the time of writing this post) Shurufu reported:
NCCR has won two parliamentary seats in Kigoma! Kasulu Mjini and Kasulu Kijijini. #uchaguzitz #tzelect
Babukadja announced:
CHADEMA yaangusha waziri Mbulu
On October 31, 2010 Zitto Kabwe announced on his Twitter page that he has defended his seat for Kigoma North:
I have defended my seat!
Four hours ago Human Rights Tanzania posted a link to their election photos:
I posted 13 photos on Facebook in the album “2010 General Elections” http://fb.me/EuZP0rGd
JamiiForums confirms parliamentary results in Kabwe, Dar Es Salaam:
CONFIRMED: Halima Mdee wins Kawe Constituency #uchaguzi #uchaguzitz | http://bit.ly/98tzsb
The ruling party, CCM, accepts defeats in 51 constituencies (from JamiiForums):
CCM yakiri kupoteza viti 51 mpaka sasa #uchaguzi #uchaguzitz | http://bit.ly/9u79Hp
DarajaTZ notes that there is no violence in Njombe:
@kevarist Calm indeed, here in Njombe. Can be said of everywhere, though (touch wood) seems to be nothing too out of hand.
DarajaTZ on the perfomance of Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation:
TBC [Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation} had some great live coverage from Ubungo. Media accountability in action. Then they cut it off mid-flow.
Elsie did not expect the ruling party to win presidential election in Zanzibar:
Can't quite wrap my head around the idea of Shein as President of Zanzibar. I didn't see this coming kabisa [at all].
DarajaTZ quotes EU Election Observers:
EU Election Observers: “A peaceful and generally orderly election day; key stages of the process lacked transparency” #uchaguzitz
Prince Msangala notes that,
Chadema has worn hearts of the middle-class. Those disaffected by excesses of CCM
Grace Martinn smells change in the air:
We are smelling #changes…#eatv #Uchaguzi More good news to come.Where are the posts from political parties we used to see during camp…
SubiNukta can't wait for the new parliament to officially open:
Bunge la safari hii, natamani lianze kesho! Yaani ni fulu mixi. Wanawake, Wanaume, Vijana, Wazee, Wakulima, Waganga, Wachungaji, Mafisadi…
Shafiq celebrates:
We did it Kawe.. We Did It!! CCM out hahahaa.. Halima Mdee my new MP! Love it
Tweet celebration tonight:
Anyway, gotta get back to work.. Tweet celebration tonight!


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Tanzania: Zanzibar has a new president, suspense in mainland · Global Voices
J. Nambiza Tungaraza

Zanzibar Electoral Commission announced late yesterday that Dr Ali Mohamed Shein of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (revolutionary party) won the presidential race in Zanzibar to become the seventh Zanzibar president. Dr Shein won 50.1 percent of votes while Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad, the leader of the main opposition The Civic United Front, got 49 percent. Dr Shein and Maalim Seif are expected to form a unity government that will include a President from the winning CCM, first Vice President from CUF and second Vice President from CCM.
The announcement came amidst tension caused by the delay in announcing the final results by Electoral Commissions in Zanzibar and in mainland Tanzania. During that tense situation bloggers and twitter users kept readers updated with the latest events by the minute.
Bashir Nkoromo of Chachandu Daily posted the Zanzibar presidential results in his blog:
MWENYEKITI wa Tume ya Uchaguzi ya Zanzibar (ZEC) Khatib Mwinyichande, amemtangaza Dk. Ali Mohamed Sheni kuwa rais mteule wa Zanzibar wa awamu ya saba kwa kupata asilimia 50.1 dhidi ya mpizani wake Seif Sharif Hamad aliyepata asilimia 49.1.
[…]
Seif alimpongeza Dk. Sheni kwa kupata ushindi huo na alimsifu kuwa ana uwezo, uzoefu na mahaba ya kuiongoza nchi yake. Alisema ushindi wa Dk. Sheni ni uametokana na uamuzi wa wazanzibari.
Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad (right) congratulating Dr Ali Shein (courtesy of Bashir Nkoromo)
In a post announcing similar news, a reader of Wavuti congratulated Dr Shein and reminded others of the fact that Dr Shein will be the first president hailing from Pemba:
Kwa mambo ya kwetu Zenji huyo Mpemba mwenzetu Dr Shein ndiye anakuwa Rais wa kwanza kutoka kisiwa cha Pemba tangu 1964. Na amepata ushindi mnono ukilinganisha na waliomtangulia…
Election Results Delayed
On Monday bloggers were busy posting photos of chaos and a demonstration in Dar Es Salaam. Blogger Lukwangule posted photographs of a violent events in Dar Es Salaam with the following text:
POLISI imelazimika kutumia mabomu ya machozi na maji ya pilipili baada ya kutokea vurugu katika eneo la Tandika Ngamano na kuwakamata zaidi ya watu 25 waliohusika na vurugu hizo…
And from Zanzibar Bashir Nkoromo posted photographs of people who gathered at Bwawani hotel, where the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) set its office for announcing the election results.
Crowds outside Bwawani Hotel (photo courtesy of Bashir Nkoromo)
Meanwhile twitter users including @jamiiforums, @hakingowi, @issamwamba, and @shurufu kept the elections twitter marathon alive from Sunday night to Monday through hashtags: #UchaguziTZ, #uchaguzi, and #TZelect.
The final Tanzania Elections results are expected by the end of this week and online updates are likely to continue to play a crucial role in relieving suspense caused by the delay in the announcement of final results and the slow pace of mainstream media as twitter user @Fotobaraza wrote:
Fotobaraza  Nimegundua Twitter is more reliable kuliko TBC, jamaa wanachelewa mno bwana
Here are some of the twitter users updating and discussing Tanzania Elections 2010 results by the minute:
@zittokabwe
@Subinukta
@Fotobaraza
@humanrightstz
You can also follow Mwananchi Live 2010 Election Results.

author: J. Nambiza Tungaraza


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Azerbaijan: Defaced election posters · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With the 7 November parliamentary election just four days away, Dadashov's Blog [AZ] posts a slideshow of images showing defaced election posters on one street in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital. The blog sarcastically notes that only the post of one candidate, the Rector of Baku State University running for the ruling YAP party, remains untouched.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: flash mob fuss among the masses · Global Voices
Aygun Janmammadova

Scary Azeri [ENG], a blog popular for its acerbic humor and opinion, comments on what it sees as a flashmob epidemic among youth in Azerbaijan. While it appreciates flashmobs aimed at raising issues of importance such as the environment, it wonders whether those youth involved in such actions are simply trying to appear cool.

author: Aygun Janmammadova


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Bangladesh: Bringing Order To Traffic · Global Voices
Rezwan

Photoblogger Ershad Ahmed posts some photos depicting the efforts of Bangladesh police to bring order to the chaotic traffic and stop unauthorized jaywalking in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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China: Another case of self-immolation against demolition · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A youtube video posted by MrTingpan showing an old man at Mishan city in Heilongjiang setting himself on fire to protest against force demolition of his home.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Bypassing censorship through E-reader · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese blogger blogs about the creative use of Amazon's Kindle to access censored websites such as Facebook and Twitter in China.


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Costa Rica: Video Seeks to Raise Awareness on Negative Consequences of Mining · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Conejitos Suicidas [es] shares a video called, “Say no to mining,” which seeks to raise awareness on the negative consequences of mining and calls on viewers to defend their rights to a healthy environment.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Cote d’Ivoire: Campaign Against Child Soldiers Through Music · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Fighting against child soldiers in coThe Zoblazo and Voila string star is back with his latest album 1000% M20. Mamadou & Bineta, which is on the album, was offered to the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP) actively campaigning for not using child soldiers in conflicts.


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Eritrea: Regional Aggressor or Regional Scapegoat? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is Eritrea a regional aggressor?: “Eritrea is often labeled by journalists and governments as a regional aggressor (here and here). The most often cited evidence for this designation is that Eritrea has been engaged in conflict with each of its contiguous neighbors as well as an overseas state.”


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Guyana: Simple Joys  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal manages to squeeze the sublime out of the ordinary.


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Maldives: Mocking Culture · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mohamed Saeed criticizes the culture of bullying by the Maldivians.


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Korea:Japanese Pop Star’s Asian Slanted-Eye Photo Controversy · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Two members of Morning Musume, Japanese pop group made headlines in several Korean newspapers with photos of them slanting their eyes (photos from Korean blog),the same posture that got Miley Cyrus under fire for taunting people of Asian descent. In the original link(removed), one member wrote below the photo ‘this is how I think of Koreans’.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Paraguay: Reactions to Alfredo Stroessner’s Birthday · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

E'a collected [es] reactions to Alfredo Stroessner's birthday: “for some it is a happy time […] but for others November 3 represents a grim reminder of our history.” Wikipedia explains that Stroessner was “a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989. His lengthy rule was the 12th-longest ever by state leaders other than monarchs.”


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Philippines: Labor attaché earns Filipino migrant community’s ire · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Instead of helping a victim of illegal termination, the Philippine labor attaché Romulo Salud scolded the Filipina migrant worker Agnes Tenorio when she sought help from the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong. Unfortunately for the attaché, Tenorio was able to record her traumatic encounter and posted this in YouTube.
A transcription of the recorded exchange is posted at arkibongbayan.org. A followup video shows Tenorio speaking about her plight in a press conference organized by a Filipino migrant workers’ association.
Tenorio's plight quickly spread among fellow overseas filipino workers (OFWs) and other concerned people all over the world. The 2 YouTube videos’ comment section gives a sample of the reaction to Tenorio's plight. Many are enraged by Salud's actions.
andrea30965: shame on u mr.salud di mo lng alam kung gaano kahirap maging OFW buhay namin ang kapalit kasi hindi namin alam ang pupuntahan namin tapos ganyan ka sa nangangailanga!
dhessy2007: Dapt sa mga ganung labor attache eh sinisibak n lng sa serbisyo abay kung hindi dahil sa mga pera nting padala sa pinas wala silang work.!
rsgg2: tarantadong salud yan BOBO pasalamat ka di ka d2 sa italya napunta, d aari d2 style mo gago cguradong mkktikim ka sa mga pnoy d2 SIRA ULO….
melosolis: being a hardworking OFW myself in Hong kong who knows there is no greater sacrifice than leave the comfort of home and leave family behind for a chance of a better life, being treated like shit by the very own people paid by the Filipino people to protect and guide us is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE !
Some commended Tenorio and encouraged others to do the same.
retig06: dapat taalgang irekord na lahat antin ang konveration natin sa mga taong gaya niang nga buwaya sa lipunan di na tama ang ginagawa nia di lanng yang si SALUD ang ganyan Halos lahat ng consulada ng pnas sa buong mondo e ganyan!!! Parepareho yan buti na isipan ng Pinay na io ang tama at amtuwid na gawain. Saludo ko sa yo isa kang halimbawa!!!! Maga Ka OFW gayahin natin sia ihanda ang recorder kada me kausap na opisyales ng pamahalaaan at ipost agad sa youtube!!!
Others shared own experiences of rude treatment from officials of Philippine posts abroad.
yobs17: sa airport pa lang you will see their tribes .. I witnessed this arrogant ” kontrabida actor-look-alike ” NAIIA staff on top of his voice rudely asked my co-employee why he didn't filled-up the departure data form properly .. everyone of us standing in line rankled & wanted to jump in & bash that immigration staff's head in his cubicle glass .. we were all traumatized .. like Salud they should be jailed for life ..
ricman46: is this a surprise?
Philippine Consulate of Los Angeles is no different. Mga rude ang mga empleyado doon…
malakas ang loob nya kasi kuno they have DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!
kaya makontento na tayo sa mababang serbisyo nila. to them, they are giving us all a favor.
RUDE employees of Consulates should be RECALLED!
Philippine Consulate of Los Angeles is no different. Employees there are rude.
They are confident because they supposedly have DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!
RUDE employees of Consulates should be RECALLED!
Walle7878: This happens all the time. I am married to a filipina. I have seen how the system treats their own citizens. Its horrible. The officials feel better than the ones paying their salaries (the citizens). We have had first-handexperience with many offices also abroad. The philippine embassy in Norway also likes to waste the citizens time with typical philippine bureaucracy and talkingdown. They forget that citizens are their customers. The state is there for the people – not the other……
The side of Salud, who claimed the controversy is a set-up by a migrant organization hungry for media-mileage, is posted in Resty Odon's blog.
The OFW involved left her employer just after two hours when she arrived from Manila. She had said she palpitated after cleaning the house so she wanted to go back home. She went to Mr. Salud for help. While fixing her ticket home and waving her loan from the agency that processed her work contract, she stayed at the consulate center for free, including food, for one month. She came back to Mr. Salud the second time to thank him because she can fly home. The consulate took care of everything. But she came back for the third time, singing a different tune: that she was not going home and she's suing. The ensuing conversation was recorded (in secret, I suppose) and uploaded on YouTube. Mukhang nasulsulan siya. She's referring to a Hong Kong law which states that an employee whose contract was terminated by the employer within the first 30 days of work can sue or get a month's wage. But hindi applicable sa kanya ito kasi siya ang nagrequest ng termination. Kaya tama lang na pagsabihan siya.
The migrant groups assisting Tenorio are now demanding for the removal of Salud from his office and raising the  issue of government neglect of OFWs and the transgressions against their rights.
A Blog Action Day to Support OFW Agnes Tenorio and All Neglected OFWs and Recall Labor Attache Romy Salud has also been organized for November 7.
1) Please include the youtube link of the recorded conversation between Salud and Tenorio:
2) You can also check the the facebook page of the Support Agnes Tenorio and All Neglected OFWs! Recall Labor Attache Romulo Salud! Campaign:
3) You can also include the online petition
4) Please email unifil.hk@gmail.com if you are interested to join.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Mapping North-Caucasian Blogosphere · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

LJ-user timag82 together with a_sult_h and pcnariman analyzed [RUS] North Caucasian blogs. Thorough research of 528 blogs is divided into regional blogospheres. Discussion of the research is here [RUS]. Daghestani bloggers lead the North-Caucasian blogosphere, notes Paul Goble, which can be explained by the higher level of freedom in the republic compared to others.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Opposition Blogger Has to Leave LiveJournal · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Opposition blogger pilgrim_67 (GV covered one of his investigations) has been suspended in LiveJournal (After posting a link to the video against child pornography – full story here) and had to move to Blogspot and lj.rossia.org. The case indicated insecurity of LiveJournal as platform for opposition bloggers. LJ currently hosts about 80 percent of Russian political blogosphere.


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Russia: Peaceful and Violent Protest Trends · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Oleg Kozlovski, an opposition activist and a prominent blogger, posts theses of the presentation “Peaceful and Violent Protest Trends in Russia.” Kozlovski writes that success stories of non-violent protests are seldom while “there is a significant chance of more violent outbreaks in the near future”. There are more and more non-state actors advocating violence as a means of political solution, he adds.


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Russia: Rebranding of the Police · Global Voices
Masha

Mercedes Unimog – Russia Police by conner395 on Flickr
There are many debates in the Russian society over the necessity of the new law “On Police” which passed to the Russian Duma on October 27, 2010. Skeptics say this is a meaningless move and nothing will be changed, while officials argue this is an important law that will improve the security system in Russia. Some people are more concerned that this new law will change the name “militsiya” (Russian name for ‘police’) into “politsiya” (‘police’), leaving the problems in the field unresolved. Some, however, hope that it will lead to structural changes.
During the year of 2010 a project of the police reform became one of the priorities for the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. As Radio Free Europe puts itvideo appeals were released, in which a former militia officer Alexey Dymovskiy revealed some shocking details of police work. In January 2010, there was another shocking case when Russian journalist Konstantin Popov died after being severely beaten in custody by militia officers. These are just a few examples of power abuses by the Russian police.
Lenta.ru informed [RUS] that the idea to rename the department belongs to Sergei Stepashin, head of the Accounts Chamber of Russia. He proposed to create the country's professional police services while abolishing the department of militia as a social security force.
On August 7, 2010, a draft of the new law was released and later on published on the governmental web site zakonoproekt2010.ru for an open discussion. Several Russian NGOs reacted on this move by proposing a program of “five simple amendments” on the web site police2010.ru as an alternative. The following changes were suggested:
1. Обязательным элементом форменной одежды должна стать нашивка или бейдж с фотографией, именем и фамилией, а также должностью сотрудника полиции и названием отделения в котором он служит;
2. Милиционеры должны быть обязаны составлять протоколы об административном правонарушении на месте правонарушения (как это делают сотрудники ГИБДД), прибегая к доставлению в отделение или задержанию лишь в исключительных, строго оговоренных случаях;
3. Сотруднику полиции должно быть запрещено препятствовать аудио- или видеозаписи при общении с гражданином;
4. У гражданина должно быть право на самостоятельный телефонный звонок при задержании. В случае задержания по подозрению в совершении уголовного преступления, реализация этого права может быть отложена на срок не более 6 часов, о чем делается соответствующая запись в журнале доставленных;
5. Должна быть создана единая федеральная горячая линия (например, 8-800-911-11-11) по приему жалоб на действия сотрудников полиции. Она должна функционировать не только в рамках УСБ МВД, но совместно с аппаратом Уполномоченного по правам человека в Российской Федерации.
Only the right to call relatives in the first three hours after detention was included in the law, even though this on-line petition with five amendments has received support of more than a thousand netizens.
Vedomosti informs [RUS] that comments by the Russian lawyers’ association, chamber of commerce and accounts chamber have not been considered either. Judging from the text, the interests of the current police department have won. According to the law, the Ministry of the Interior centralizes its control over the police while regional authorities have no power over it.
The law contains many novel changes, while there is some unclear and blurry wording, particularly:
Глава 2. Статья 9. Общественное доверие и поддержка граждан
1. Полиция при осуществлении своей деятельности стремится обеспечивать общественное доверие к себе и поддержку со стороны граждан;
[…]
3. В случае нарушения сотрудником полиции прав и свобод граждан или прав организаций он обязан в пределах своих полномочий принять меры к восстановлению нарушенного правового состояния. Сотрудник полиции приносит извинения гражданину, чьи права и свободы были им нарушены, по месту нахождения, работы, учебы или по месту жительства гражданина в соответствии с его пожеланиями;
This article does not say how a police officer should apologize: write a letter or come to the office of the offended citizen and apologize in person. As blogger za_prava_perm points out [RUS], public confidence and support cannot be ensured but earned by the good performance of their duties.  In the meantime, Chapter 2 also highlights that
6. Общественное мнение является одним из основных критериев официальной оценки деятельности полиции[…]
And this may become a positive change.
Another part of the law about the rights of the police left controversial impressions on the Russian society:
Статья 13. Права полиции
1.	Полиции для выполнения возложенных на нее обязанностей предоставляются следующие права:
[…]
42) привлекать граждан с их согласия к внештатному сотрудничеству; устанавливать негласное сотрудничество с гражданами, изъявившими желание конфиденциально оказывать содействие полиции на безвозмездной или возмездной основе; […]
44) беспрепятственно пользоваться в служебных целях средствами связи, принадлежащими государственным предприятиям, учреждениям и организациям, а в случаях, не терпящих отлагательства, – средствами связи, принадлежащими негосударственным предприятиям, учреждениям и организациям, а также общественным объединениям и гражданам;
In this regard, user Timofeev left a comment on the discussion board of Zakonoproekt2010.ru:
п.4[4] – прямое направление сотрудников полиции на изымание у граждан на безвозмездной основе средств связи […] Обязательно должны быть прописаны условия таких изъятий и правила компенсации использования этих средств. Речи не может идти о “безвозмездном” использовании. Добросовестный налогоплательщик уже оплатил все, что может потребоваться сотруднику полиции.
The Russian media made public some information regarding the cost of the reform. The suggested amounts ranged from one billion to three hundred billion rubles. Vedomosti argued [RUS] that the process of renaming militia into police would cost 2.2 billion rubles (approximately $714.8 million). Skepticism in the Russian blogosphere suggests that the militia reform would result only in changing the signs, while no structural changes would be implemented. It is still unclear whether this law will be successful or not. User Доброжелатель (Well-wisher) commented [RUS] on this issue on the forum of the governmental Rossijskaya Gazeta:
Уважаемые граждане!!! Весь вечер просидел у ПК в нэте, все обсуждают, разные точки зрения, но никто на самом деле не говорит, о том, что инфляция, цены на продукты питания, ипотека и т.д и т.п. не стоят на месте. Милиционеры или полицейские на деле как были нищими, так и будут нищими. С такой позицией правительства несогласно большинство, людей в погонах в регионах уже сейчас “режут” по живому, руководители подразделений создают такие “условия работы”, что нормальный честный сотрудник вынужден уходить и искать другую работу, потому что есть более “достойные” – (дети знакомых, либо кто в “теме”). Вот так!!!
The judgment call can be made only next year, when the law is implemented and the reform is launched. There are some useful ideas and initiatives incorporated in the text of the law. Meanwhile, let’s hope that it will be a change for good.

author: Masha


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Serbia: Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hits Serbia; Twitter updates in English are here; in Serbian – here: #zemljotres.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Tanzania: Another victory for yellow · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Victory for yellow in Tanzania: “Last year I observed, using an African example, that in the realm of branding, yellow may be the colour of victory (in the tropics, if nowhere else).”


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Tanzania: Swahili Fashion Week · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Haki Ngowi writes about Swahili Fashion Week 2010 in Tanzania: “Swahili Fashion week is a platform for designers – both fashion and accessory – from Swahili speaking countries to showcase their creativity, market their art and network with their clientele. This is all aimed at promoting fashion as an income generating, job creating industry while emphasizing a “Made in East Africa” concept.


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Tanzania: Tanzania thrives on Nyerere’s legacy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tanzania thrives on Mwalimu Nyerere's legacy: “On Sunday, 31st October 2010 Tanzania voted for president and legislative members. The East African country’s elections have passed relatively unnoticed, this is untypical of many African elections.”


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Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Update · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sokari's Uganda anti-homosexuality update: “After months of relative silence and following the outing of 100 LGBTI individuals in the Ugandan Rolling Stone “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos”, a few weeks ago, the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill is once again being discussed.”


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Venezuela: Citizens Use Twitter to Report Problems in Caracas Subway  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Devil's Excrement writes about the subway system in Caracas and mentions the Twitter account @caracasmetro, “a bunch of students who have taken it upon themselves not only to keep people who used the Caracas subway informed, but also to report problems, lack of maintenance and why not? The mistreatment of users.”


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Zimbabwe: Racist grade 7 exam question · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A strange grade 7 exam question in Zimbabwe: 15. Before Independence, blacks and whites failed to live together peacefully because: A. The whites had guns B. The blacks liked to strike C. The whites did not like blacks  D. All the blacks wanted to live in towns


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Africa: Cinema Africa 2010 in Tokyo, Japan · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Cinema Africa 2010 in Tokyo, Japan: “The Cinema Africa festival is here again! It will run from 13th to 25th November, co-sponsored by the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and in association with the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa.”


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Armenia: Iranian Embassy Protest · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped posts video and photographs of today's protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, in support of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, sentenced to death in Iran for infidelity. Commenting on the reaction of the Embassy, the blog opines that the Iranian Ambassador does not understand the concept of human rights.


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Australians Weigh the US Midterm Elections · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

A horse named Americain won our biggest race the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. Just for the record, it was bred in the U.S.A., has a French jockey and trainer, but is Australian owned.
Despite this distraction there have been immediate responses to the Congressional elections in the Oz blogosphere. We’ve become used to a volatile Australian electorate in recent times.
Annon at Public Opinion, a progressive blog, sees one central theme for the next two years:
A gridlocked Congress isn't going to help address the America that has a sick economy, a looming lost decade, millions of people out of work and millions more fighting to keep their home. The economy is going to dominate the next two years and the Presidential elections. To survive Obama has to turn the economy around. Can he do it?
Obama’s got problems
Steve Kates at Catallaxy Files, self-styled as a ‘libertarian and centre-right blog’, has a similar view from a very different perspective:
There were other issues of course, with health care reform at the very top of the list.  But at the end of the day, the palpable damage to the American economy of the “stimulus” package has been the core problem. Had the US entered recovery after a short sharp recession, there may have been lost seats here and there but not the rout we have seen. But with the American economy floundering, having no momentum and unemployment at deep recession levels with no sign of a return to more prosperous times, this was the result.
US Election a Referendum on Keynesian Economics
Nasking at Café Whispers wonders why Health reform hasn’t worked politically for Obama:
Maybe the American majority will truly WAKE UP oneday…see thru the cons…learn to have the patience  to wait for long-term plans to work? Perhaps the jobs will come. In time. And Obama will rise again. As people are not kicked out of their health funds due to pre-existing conditions…and they see the benefits of having their young adult children remaining on their health insurance packages…and older people realise that Medicare “donuts” have been filled so they pay less…and university study becomes more affordable…and that in fact Obama did have a vision…and even tho it seemed too much of a compromise…it still took one helluva fight to prosecute & implement it. And that there is more, plenty more to come…if given half a chance.
US Election…slightly saner than it could’ve been…but
Writing at New Matilda, Aron Paul sees a divided country:
America is split down the middle between white/non-white, small town/city, old/young — and in this election the old white small town America is still in the majority and lashing out at a president it is all too willing to blame for unwelcome “change”.
Old White Small Town America Is Back In Charge
Giles Parkinson, at business website Climate Spectator, focuces on climate legislation. However, he couldn’t avoid the inevitable pun on Obama’s 2008 slogan in his post title:
US President Barack Obama’s plans for climate reform look dead and buried by the widespread Republican victories in the nation's midterm elections.
He sees it in a gloomy global context:
In many ways, the US is a proxy for what is happening in global negotiations – a complete inability to generate a top-down approach to coordinated action on emissions reduction and clean energy, contrasted with vigorous “bottom up” efforts on an individual or a regional basis.
However, he does see some hope in California’s rejection of Proposition 23:
…a measure put forward by US Big Oil to put the state’s climate bill and clean energy acts on hold.
It means that California’s Clean Air Act of 2006 remains in place and will now begin to do useful things.
No, they couldn't
Hillary Clinton is headed our way next week so bloggers will be busy with other pressing U.S. related matters.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Azerbaijan: The media, religion & secularism · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Önər Blog [AZ] comments on calls by the Iranian Ambassador in Azerbaijan, as well as some religious citizens, to close down the ALMA newspaper after it was critical of the prophet Muhammad. The blog says that religion runs counter to democracy and freedom of expression, especially in a secular country.


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Bangladesh: Our Own Obama · Global Voices
Rezwan

“He has surprising similarity with an ordinary Bangladeshi man in the street, no one can absolutely make any mistake about his Bnagladeshi root by looking at him,” comments Rumi at Unheard Voice on the first Bangladeshi-descent congressman elect Hansen Hashem Clarke.


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Barbados: A Final Farewell  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadians paid their final respects to the late Prime Minister David Thompson this week.  One of the youngest leaders in the region, Thompson passed away on October 23 from pancreatic cancer; a state funeral took place on Wednesday and bloggers took the opportunity to pay tribute to the man and his life's work.
Barbados Free Press gave periodic updates:
12:08pm The procession is moving from President Kennedy Drive to Eagle Hall, and from there continuing on.
11:43am The National Anthem. The service ends and folks remain standing as the body is taken from Kensington to St. Johns Parish Church for burial.
11:05am The descendants of slaves and of slave owners sing together Amazing Grace, a song written by John Newton. Once a profane sailor on a slave ship, Newton turned Christian and then abolitionist. The reality of who we are and where we’ve come from is never far away in Barbados.
9:00am Dark clouds and rain on one side of Kensington Oval, blue sky and sun on the other. A fitting message for this day…
The Bajan Reporter posted photos of certain vantage points along the funeral procession's route, noting that “some of those who came to give their respects were waiting from as early as 6:30 am in the Eagle Hall junction” and that “no drizzle would stop [people] from giving their final goodbye to Barbados'…youngest Leader.”
Barbados Underground republished the text of the late Prime Minister's eulogy, while Cheese-on-bread! thought that the service was “moving”, and was pleased to see that several regional leaders attended the funeral:
At Kensington Oval, dignitaries and the man-on-the-street gathered to pay their last respects. Some of the Heads of Government in attendance were PM Hubert Ingraham of the Bahamas; PM Denzil Douglas of St. Kitts; PM Tillman Thomas of Grenada; PM Baldwin Spencer of Antigua; PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and PM Bruce Golding of Jamaica.
My Barbados Blog called the occasion “a very sad day for Barbados”, while BFP thought “Prime Minister Thompson’s funeral [was] as good as any funeral could be”, summing it up like this:
This is a short post to express our gratitude and admiration for the many folks who worked so hard to plan and carry out David Thompson’s funeral. Because of their long hours, meticulous attention to detail and heartfelt commitment to duty, our lost Prime Minister and his family were honoured in a fitting manner that, amid the tears and sorrow, brought a feeling of pride to every Bajan on the island and over and away.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados: Building Codes  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“We took a passing hit from the tail of a weakening quasi-hurricane and just look at the damage! Can you imagine if Tomas had of passed directly over Barbados as a Class 2 hurricane or worse?”: Barbados Free Press calls for better building standards.


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Barbados, St. Lucia: After Tomas  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian bloggers post photos of the aftermath of Tomas, while Sun, Rain, Or… has updates about the situation in St. Lucia, here and here.


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Brazil: online revolt against TV channel · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Many Twitter users, such as @ligadoemsérie [pt], @todearaujo [pt], @judaocombr [br] and @Inagaki [pt] tweeted their dissatisfaction with pay-TV channel FOX [pt] for its premiere of a long-awaited horror series that was shown with several cuts [pt], reducing broadcast time by ten minutes.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: online xenophobia targeting north-easterners · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Lirabellaqua, from blogging collective Trezentos [pt], and political blogger Rodrigo Vianna [pt] weigh in on the recent slew of online hate speech [pt] that has targeted north-eastern Brazilians who voted for president-elect Dilma Rousseff. Supporters of Dilma's opponent, Jose Serra, spread tweets condemning voters in the impoverished region, where Dilma won a landslide victory, claiming they are “uncivilised” and take advantage of welfare programmes such as the Bolsa Família to survive. In response, the hashtag #orgulhodesernodestino (proud to be north-eastern) has begun trending on Twitter.

author: Marta Cooper


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Brunei: Public holidays · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Geek in White posts the public holidays in Brunei for the year 2011

author: Mong Palatino


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Caribbean: Relief Must Have Benefits?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean bloggers are offended by the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister's statements about hurricane relief to hard-hit CARICOM countries; The Undisputed Truth says the backlash has begun.


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Costa Rica: Red Alert and National Emergency due to Strong Rains · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Tropical storm Thomas has seriously affected Costa Rica which has declared a State of National Emergency. The strong rains have caused extensive damage throughout the country: So far 20 people died under a landslide to the west of the Capital of San José, other people are still missing, hundreds have been evacuated and at least 11 roads and highways have been blocked or closed.
Richard Molina writes on his blog [es] summarizing the key points of the national emergency, including the hundreds who were left without water services. He also points out the country's low emergency response capabilities:
Debido a la gravedad de la situación y a la limitación de recursos, la Cruz Roja Costarricense está enfocando sus esfuerzos a la atención de incidentes donde se registra afectación directa de personas.
President Laura Chinchilla has also requested help from neighboring countries [es], specifically asking for helicopters that might help with rescue efforts and in reaching the communities which have become isolated due to landslides and bridge collapses.
On Youtube, people have already started uploading videos of how they've lived the torrential downpours which soaked the nation during the past couple of days.
FabinSerrano recorded how his neighborhood was flooded by the  river in Tejar del Guarco:
RazgrizCr shot through his windshield the flooded streets last night in Heredia, to the north of San José.
Fdelgadoz2000 shows us how the Turrucares bridge over the Virilla River has disappeared:
DecorockCr shows us flooding in Parrita [es], where hundreds of people have been sent to temporary shelters:
Outrage is palpable, as flooding and damages due to rains are a yearly event and the government hasn't been able to foresee or plan ahead to prevent the disruption and loss of lives. On twitter, Marco A. Salazar (@masala777) states:
tantas veces dijeron los expertos que esto podía pasar…. ya van por 20 los muertos… esto quien lo va a explicar?
So far there is still confusion as to what can be done to help out and send aid to those in need. The Costa Rican Social Security Institute which is in charge of the hospitals has posted on Facebook [es] explaining what they are doing to help, and also giving ideas of what others can do:
Como parte de las previsiones que se están tomando, el Banco Nacional de Sangre (BNS), alertó sobre la necesidad de que se done sangre tipo O positivo, toda vez que las reservas son escasas.  La doctora Erna Meléndez, directora de esa dependencia, solicitó que vayan a donar al BNS, ubicado al costado sur de la iglesia de Zapote.
Journalist Marianella Cordero [es] has replied to twitter requests to give out information about where donations can be taken, and has written that the Juan XXIII school in San Antonio of Escazú is receiving donations of food, clothes and money, but adds that she would also recommend taking water, since the government's recommendation has been to boil all water due to possible contamination at its sources.
However, official channels for donations have not been sanctioned by the government yet, and through twitter the issue is being echoed everywhere [es]: the media should be informing the population on how to help by relaying which are the bank accounts receiving donations, and where goods are being received.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Croatia, Slovenia: Criminal Charges Against Ivo Sanader and Janez Janša · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about things that the former PMs of Slovenia and Croatia have in common: “Not only are both former prime ministers of their respective countries, their parties are also members of European People’s Party, they were both implicated in alleged (and then strenuously denied) fixing of border incidents between Slovenia and Croatia prior to 2004 elections and now they are both facing criminal charges. Talk about male bonding!”


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Estonia: SDE’s “Uphill Battle” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about “an uphill battle” that the Estonian Social Democratic Party and its new leader, 36-year-old Sven Mikser, are facing: “Most Estonian voters I have encountered are pretty uninformed when it comes to left-wing politics. They refer to social democrats as “socialists,” which, in their mind, might as well be communists or anarcho-syndicalists.”


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Haiti: The Beauty of Haitian Art  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Sometimes I feel like I focus too much on the negative in my posts, giving the false impression that nothing good is happening in the world of Haitian culture…”: Tande trains the spotlight on the positive.


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India: Divali For The Soul · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ugich Konitari shows how to rightly celebrate Divali  – “how to bring a daily ‘Divali’ into some one's life”.


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Pakistan: Eliminating Stray Dogs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tamashbeen at All Things Pakistan posts a disturbing picture of a municipal campaign to “eliminate” stray dogs in Karachi.


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Pakistan: Flood Tax On Private Schools  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hina Safdar at Chowrangi criticizes the proposed flood tax on private schools based on school fees in Sindh state.


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Peru: Blogger Sentenced for Defamation of Former Politician · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On Friday, October 29th, the court's sentence was handed down [es] for the offensive libel suit brought by the former government minister and parliament member Jorge Mufarech Nemy [es] against the law school graduate and blogger José Alejandro Godoy [es]. The judge's ruling calls for a suspended sentence of three years imprisonment, commuted to a three-year probation as long as Godoy fulfills additional obligations: a payment of 350 thousand soles (approx. $125,000) and 120 days of community service. The reaction from the media and bloggers has been immediate [es].
The case began April, 14, 2009, when Godoy published a post [es] about the alleged threats made by Mufarech toward a parliamentary advisor. As a result, and as chronicled by the same blogger in another post from July 2009 [es], Mufarech sent him a notarized letter [es] requiring the removal of certain information because it was believed to be false.  The claim was made on the basis of article 2, point 6 of the constitution of the Republic of Perú. If Godoy did not take down the information, Mufarech would take appropriate legal action. Godoy, instead of taking down the information, published comments by Mufarech on three cases where he had been charged with corruption. Godoy refused to take down the post (although what had been asked was only the removal of some information in the post) because he considered it at odds with freedom of expression. He also replied to Mufarech with a notarized letter of his own [es]. When faced with this in August 2009, Mufarech sued Godoy for a million dollars [es].
This is a key paragraph from the original post that sparked this legal firestorm:
Una de las mayores joyas políticas de la primera parte de esta década es  Jorge Mufarech Nemy. Ex Ministro de Trabajo con Fujimori y ex parlamentario de Perú Posible, este político tres grandes perlas durante su gestión: evasión tributaria por la compra de un Jaguar, impulsar medidas arancelarias para favorecer a sus empresas, gestionar con José Francisco Crousillat mejores tratos de los inspectores laborales para América Televisión en los 90’s y, por supuesto, su persecusión contra Fernando Rospigliosi.
Curiously it wasn't even the main theme of the post (the threats against a parliamentary advisor) that caused the lawsuit, rather it was the assertions made about Mufarech's “shining achievements” while in office.  The media and blogs have written that the lawsuit was because of the links added by the blogger to document what he said [es]. But this popular explanation isn't shared by everyone, especially among legal experts. The lawyer Miguel Morachimo writes in his blog Blawyer:
La Resolución declara la culpabilidad de Godoy porque considera que las  utilización de las frases “joya” y “tres grandes perlas” respecto del  querellante resultan difamatorias. Podemos discutir bastante sobre el  fondo, pero no podemos negar que ese es el motivo que aparentemente  sustenta la decisión. Para la Jueza, no importa que se hayan linkeado o  no las noticias periodísticas correspondientes. Según su criterio, lo  verdaderamente ofensivo no es que se mencionen las investigaciones por corrupción anteriores (lo que sí quedaría acreditado con los links)  sino que se califique como una “joya” al querellante y que se diga que  sus antecedentes judiciales son “tres perlas”.
Blogger Morachimo, besides being against the sentencing because he feels it excessive (the official sentencing can be read here [es]), also discusses an important point. How will this judgment become a precedent for new, similar cases?
Lo que la Resolución dice es que se han colocado calificativos negativos a una persona con el ánimo de injuriarla. Por eso no toma el argumento del “reporte fiel” ni valora la libertad de la  prensa para informar sobre hechos públicos, porque para la Jueza el  problema no son los links sino los adjetivos con los que se presentan  los links. Por ende, ese fallo no podría ser utilizado en otro proceso  –ni como  doctrina– para argumentar que uno es responsable del contenido  difamatorio que puedan albergar otras páginas web a las que enlaza.
Another law expert, Erick Iriarte, argues in his blog Lex Digitalis [es] that though he regrets this has happened to fellow blogger Godoy, it is necessary to recognize now what this will mean in determining if internet law will be treated like other communications mediums:
La sentencia es sobre la responsabilidad por los contenidos y publicados por Godoy … Podemos discrepar sobre la sancion y sus implicancias para las  libertades de Godoy, sin embargo las mismas estan enfocadas en el tema  del delito de difamacion, asi sea por internet o no …. Internet no es un mundo sin ley ni jurisdiccion. ¿Responsabilidad?, ese  es la palabra a tomar en consideracion en toda la sentencia.
For Eduardo Gonzales from the blog La Torre de Marfil the ruling is unfair, and he gives some of the reasons for his opinion [es]:
… el Sr. Mufarech es una persona pública y en -la época de los hechos  examinados por Godoy- era un funcionario cuyo ejercicio es de interés  público, y que debía ser fiscalizado en forma libre y efectiva por la  prensa. Godoy no había publicado en el artículo en cuestión nada sobre  al conducta privada de Mufarech, sino sobre hechos que podrían indicar  un mal uso del poder político. Considerar que Godoy difama a Mufarech  por considerarlo un mal funcionario que tiene la extraña distinción de  tropezarse con la ley y la controversia en varias ocasiones es un  absurdo, y abre la puerta a que cualquier ciudadano sea reprimido por  opinar negativamente sobre la conducta de los miembros del gobierno.
Another reason against the sentencing in blogger Gonzales's opinion:
la jueza ha aplicado mal la ley y ha mostrado una ignorancia  incompatible con la importancia de este caso. En efecto, la Dra. Flor de  María La Rosa no ha motivado su sentencia compulsando pruebas,  examinando la defensa del querellado, analizando la doctrina, ni  evaluando las posibles circunstancias eximentes de responsabilidad. … Sin duda, el derecho a la buena reputación es fundamental, pero pecan de  ingenuidad quienes piensen que ese derecho debe, en toda circunstancia y  de manera absoluta, imponerse sobre la libertad de expresión.
However Francisco Canaza from the blog Apuntes Peruanos, among several legal points he makes, argues against one of the assertions made by the previous blogger [es]:
8  – Otra argumentación se basa en la calidad de “funcionario público” del agraviado, lo que convertiría al agraviado en sujeto especial de   fiscalización pública. Como ya se dijo, el agraviado a la fecha de sucedidos los hechos no era funcionario público.
10 – El  procesado, según los actuados resumidos en la sentencia, no ejerció su derecho a aplicar la “exceptio veritatis”, mecanismo que permite al  denunciado demostrar la verdad de las afirmaciones tachadas de difamatorias, para así evitar la pena.
For his part, Silvio Rendón from the blog Gran Combo Club in an extensive post that discusses many details of the blogger, perhaps not details directly related to the case but necessary to understanding his background, and he also gives his opinion on the “defamation” topic [es]:
Es evidente que Godoy está presentando a su aludido como una persona de  mala reputación. El texto que Godoy escribe no es la cita del título de  la noticia que uno ve cuando va al enlace. Es un texto de plena autoría  de Godoy. Es más, si uno hace click, por ejemplo, en el enlace “evasión tributaria  por la compra de un Jaguar” no es este el texto que aparece, sino una  noticia con otro título redactada en forma mucho más cuidadosa, … Si el texto de un bloguero es “fulano es corrupto” y está sombreado por un enlace que lleva a una noticia titulada “fulano está siendo  investigado por corrupción”, la frase “fulano es corrupto” es del  bloguero, no del autor de la página enlazada. El bloguero asume la  responsabilidad de su frase.
Godoy will appeal the ruling as far as he can as the sentencing is clearly excessive to the crime committed. On Twitter the hashtag #fuerzagodoy is being used by those sympathetic to the recently sentenced blogger. As the story develops, we will keep you informed of changes and conclusion to this case.

author: Juan Arellano


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Portugal: Broadening the NATO Lisbon Summit Debate · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

International relations researcher Bruno Oliveira Martins, has launched a series of guest posts in his blog Tratados [Treaties, pt&en], written by analysts and academics on issues related to NATO and the Lisbon Summit (November 19-20). The aim is to broaden the debate and to raise awareness about the scope of the summit.

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: Attacks on Women Not Wearing Headscarves in Chechnya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Tanya Lokshina's article about attacks on women who aren't wearing headscarves in Chechnya – at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Russia: HIV/AIDS Facts and Figures · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Some facts on HIV/AIDS in Russia and other FSU states – at FP's Passport.


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Russia: Saving Samara’s Buildings · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Clementine Cecil writes about the campaign to save Samara’s buildings from “corrupt developers.”


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Russia: Teaching About the 1930s Famine in Kazan · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Teaching about the famine of the 1930s in Kazan, Tatarstan – at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Southeast Asia: Social media events · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

John Berns links to the upcoming social media events in Southeast Asia. Barcamp Vientiane One! will take place on November 27 and Joomla Day in Thailand is scheduled on November 13


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Sri Lanka: Student Unrest · Global Voices
Rezwan

In recent months there were a number of protests involving thousands of university students in Sri Lanka, many of which have turned violent, reports Groundviews.


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Taiwan: Internet freedom faces threats  · Global Voices
David Reid

Two recent incidents raised concerns about the government's attempt to limit freedom of speech on the internet in Taiwan. One incident involved threats of a lawsuit against the producer of a parody of a campaign video for Taichung Mayor Jason Hu. In the other incident the Ministry of Education demanded  a popular online  forum to “manage” political discussions. Tim Maddog writes that freedom of speech is being oppressed again. (More see Michael Turton)

author: David Reid


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Tanzania: Partial Election Results · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Partial election results in Tanzania show the president leading his challengers, but they suggest the ruling party will lose seats in parliament. In the presidential race, the election commission has issued results from 57 of Tanzania's 239 constituencies. President Jakaya Kikwete is leading in 40 of the 57.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Tanzania: Social Media and Election Monitoring · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Elsie discusses social media and election monitoring in Tanzania: “The early report from Uchaguzi dot or dot tz* is hot off the press. Here is a quick glimpse at the accumulated efforts of citizen monitoring using the Ushahidi platform”


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Thailand: #thaiflood hashtag · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Use the #thaiflood twitter hashtag to monitor the recent flooding disaster in Thailand. Flooding also hit the north part of Malaysia


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Turkey, Poland: Polonezköy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Raf Uzar writes about the history of Polonezköy, Istanbul's “‘Polish-themed’ village.”


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U.S.: Security in the Baltic Region · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belatedly, a link to the discussion of Barack Obama's contribution to security in the Baltic region – at Itching for Eestimaa.


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Ukraine: Andrey Kurkov and Enver Izmaylov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Leigh Turner, the British Ambassador to Ukraine, draws attention to the work of Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov and the Crimean Tatar folk and jazz guitarist Enver Izmaylov.


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Zimbabwe: Stop Persecution Against Roy Bennette · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Stop persecution against Roy Bennet of Zimbabwe: “For several years now, Hon. Bennett has been victim of harassment, expropriation, prison terms and persecution by the part of Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF. Appointed by the shared-power government in February, 2009 as deputy agriculture minister, his post continues to be unfilled due to Mugabe's refusal to honour his appointment…”


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Bangladesh In Winter · Global Voices
Rezwan

“No matter what country you live in, in winter, your country takes a different look and feel,” comments Sajib in his post about winter in Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Caribbean: Light Over Darkness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today is the Hindu Festival of Lights – and while Barbados Free Press wishes everyone a “Subh Divali”, Trinidad diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch is concerned about “problems with the hazards caused by fireworks” and Globewriter, in the context of LGBT rights, says: “Divali…is the Hindu celebration of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.  I am not a religious sort myself but I think  most of my readers would join in me wishing for a bit more knowledge rather than ignorance.”


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Cuba: 68 Dead in Plane Crash · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger Yohandry Fontana [es] is posting updates with information on the AeroCaribbean flight that crashed yesterday near in the province of Sancti Spiritus province, in central Cuba, in which 68 people have reportedly died. Conversation on the tragedy is being tweeted under #sanctispiritus.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Destino Cuba Tweeting on Plane Crash · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

@DestinoCuba [es] is tweeting the latest information on the plane crash that has left 68 people dead  in the province of Sancti Spritus, in central Cuba. Also, constant updating on the Facebook account of Sancti Spritus newspaper Escambray [es].


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Cuba: Solidarity on the Net After Plane Crash  · Global Voices
Elaine Diaz

Cuban plane crashes with 68 on board. Courtesy of Escambray.
At dusk Thursday November 4 the digital website of  the Escambray [es] newspaper confirmed a plane had crashed near the town of  Guasimal, located some 15 kilometers from Sancti Spiritus city, in central Cuba. Sixty-eight people died. Minutes later, Cubans using twitter.com started exchanging  information on the deadly accident.
Journalist  @humbct66 tweeted the  first versions of the event, as well as the arrival of ambulances and  paramedics to look for survivors. When they ruled out that possibility,  messages of support for the victims’ relatives were spread throughout the web.
La solidaridad se hace presente. Mensajes de personalidades y personas comunes se conjugan en la red por #accidente en #SanctiSpíritus
From the hashtag #Cuba, the first encouraging messages from Cubans living abroad started arriving.  @marianeli54 wrote:
Mis pensamientos están con mi pueblo querido, que hoy llora por el trágico accidente del vuelo ATR-72.
The spaces devoted to comments in the Cuban websites have turned into a source of firsthand details of the event. From Cubadebate [es], Osmel says he was at the site which he describes as “terrifying” the scenes.  Meanwhile, Adrián [es], in the Juventud Rebelde [es] website asks for “a national mourning for the  tragedy”.

author: Elaine Diaz


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Denmark: Kurdish TV Station Accused of Supporting Terrorism · Global Voices
Maria Grabowski

Roj TV, a Kurdish-language satellite television station based in Denmark has been accused of supporting terrorism by the Danish attorney-general. It may lose its broadcasting license once the case goes to trial.
The prosecuting authorities claim the station has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organisation that fights for extended autonomy for the Kurdish minority in Turkey. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the European Union, and Roj TV is accused of promoting the organization through its television programming.
According to Kurdish activists the Turkish government has been pressing the Danish government to shut down the station since 2005 when it was banned in Turkey. The Danish Radio and Television Board granted Roj TV a license in 2004. Since then, the board has twice determined that the broadcasts did not violate any Danish rules.
In Denmark, freedom of speech is valued highly. Many politicians and bloggers have argued that closing the station would be wrong.
On September 11, hundreds of Kurds marched the streets of Copenhagen in protest. One Danish-Kurdish blogger, New Black Panther Party, supported the demonstration saying Kurds have “the right to have a voice”. Another protest followed on October 19, after an initial court victory that led to re-opening of Roj TV’s bank accounts after they were frozen by police.
The Council of Europe estimates that there are 8,000-10,000 Kurds living in Denmark but there are no official statistics since Kurds are usually registered as Turkish, Iranian, or Iraqi because there is no Kurdish nation state.
A Danish progressive online portal Modkraft (Counter force) shared pictures from the demonstration where people carried banners saying, “Freedom of speech goes for Kurds too” and “Roj TV is the voice of democracy”.
On the website of Kurdisk Forum (Kudish Forum), a pressure group in Denmark that aims to keep the Turkish-Kurdish political conflict in the public eye, a press release from September 10 describes Roj TV as an important counter-balance to official Turkish news for Kurds in Turkey as well as in Denmark.
Kurdistan Commentary, an anonymous blog about “anything at all related to Kurds, Kurdistan, and Kurdish”, provides a detailed overview of the case and writes:
“The case is complicated, pitting press freedoms against illegal financing and support of terrorism. But the deck is stacked against Roj-TV with Denmark being called Europe’s weak link, bringing with it enormous pressure on Danish courts to shut the station down and prove Denmark can be a partner in the global fight against terrorism.”
The Copenhagen Post, a Danish newspaper in English, analyses the case:
“The station has become a thorn in the side for relations between Turkey and Denmark, as Turkey banned the station in 2005 and has since accused Denmark of dragging its feet in the case, by taking five years to make a ruling.”
At the end of August, an investigative journalist for Berlingske Tidende newspaper in Denmark, Karl Erik Stougaard, asked readers their opinion of the case, while highlighting that the newspaper had unearthed photos, tapes and other types of documentation that proves connections to the PKK [Da] that have otherwise been denied by Roj TV management. The comment thread on the post contains heated discussion between those who think that Kurds should have the freedom to watch a television channel in their own language, and those who think that Roj-TV is religiously biased or may even have connections with the drug trade.
There are numerous Facebook groups in support of Roj TV in various countries and languages, as well as some that are anti-Roj.
No date has been announced for the trial, and Roj TV continues to broadcast in the meantime.

author: Maria Grabowski


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Ecuador: Keeping Traditions Alive on Day of the Dead  · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

Ecuadorians recently finished celebrating “Día de Difuntos” or Day of the Dead with liters of colada morada and many, many guaguas de pan — the traditional food and drink of the festivities.  The special drink and bread are prepared and consumed November 2nd in celebration of an ancient tradition. The tradition has also been celebrated throughout the blogosphere, where a campaign has appeared to prevent Halloween from replacing the traditional celebration.
The colada morada is an Ecuadorian drink, “prepared with black corn flour and fruits such as naranjilla, babaco, pineapple, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries (which give it its purple ‘morada’ color).” It is traditionally consumed during the Día de los Difuntos public holidays, November 2nd.  It is consumed together with the guaguas de pan, “a type of roll shaped and decorated in the form of a small child or infant. They are generally made of wheat and sometimes contain a sweet filling,” such as jam.
Guaguas de pan, Otavalo, Ecuador. Image from flickr account lumeriefl, used under the Creative Commons License for Recognized Non Commercial Works 2.0
Maryasol's description, on Ecuadorecuatoriano [es], indicates colada morada originated from mazamorra which the indigenous population made prior to Spanish arrival. She quotes Chef Manolo Romero discussing the food's cultural fusion:
La bebida está ligada al folclore serrano. “Probablemente los españoles  trajeron algo similar durante la colonización, pero lo que sí se sabe es  que los indígenas, en aquella época, adaptaron sus fechas celebratorias  religiosas con las de los españoles y por supuesto inventaron también  sus comidas”, refiere el chef Manolo Romero, de la Escuela de los Chefs.
Via Twitter [es], Rosa María Torres (@rosamariatorres) shared news of an ongoing campaign against Halloween:
En mi barrio los niñ@s no piden #Halloween Los vecinos compartimos colada morada y guaguas de pan. #Quito #Ecuador #NOHalloween
Melina Cova (@SoyUnMitoHippie) celebrates the event:
Mañana  toca la colada morada y las guaguas de pan *.* pondré fotos, me parece  super hermosa esa tradición del día de los muertos.
María Gabriela Mena Galárraga, on the blog Claroscuro [es] celebrates the festivities and offers an interesting viewpoint on the food and her indigenous heritage:
La actual elaboración de guaguas de pan es una tradición basada en la  cultura indígena que creía en la vida después de la muerte como una  continuación de la vida que conocemos pero no sólo en el sentido  espiritual sino en un sentido también material, motivo por el cuál los  difuntos eran enterrados con sus pertenencias que serían útiles para la  nueva vida a la que pasaban.
Además de las Guaguas de Pan, los indígenas en sus rituales funerarios tradicionales preparaban una especie de colada muy espesa llamada Uchucuta que consistía en la mezcla de harina de maíz, papa, fréjol, arveja, col y achiote. Posteriormente se fabrica la colada morada que se convirtió en el acompañante principal de las Guaguas de Pan. Esta colada muestra sin duda la fusión del ritual indígena con el católico ya que el color morado tiene un significado de muerte y luto en la iconografía católica lo que resultó perfecto para la celebración de la fiesta de los difuntos y a la vez para remplazar la Uchucuta indígena.
Besides the Guaguas de Pan, the indigenous people in their funeral ritual traditions made a very thick variety of colada called Uchucuta that consisted of a mix of corn flour, potatoes, beans, green peas, cabbage and achiote. Afterwards though, the making of colada morada was timed to mainly accompany the Guaguas de Pan. This colada demonstrates without a doubt the fusion of indigenous ritual and Catholicism. The purple “morada” color already had a death and state of mourning connotation in catholic iconography. So what resulted was perfect to celebrate the Day of the Dead and at once replace the indigenous Uchucuta.
La.Kbzuhela [es] gives her take on the celebration and an interesting list of traditional festivities for Día de Difuntos throughout Ecuador [es]:
Según la creencia, el muerto vuelve cada año, entonces hay que  prepararle sus platos preferidos.  Los vivos esperan que el invitado  haya terminado de comer, antes de servirse. En algunas regiones se le  trae además las armas y los objetos que le eran valiosos, o se le invita  también a jugar al Juego del Piruruy (un juego de dados). Según la  suerte que tire, se pueden conocer sus necesidades o sus reproches. Y  gracias a este dado tallado en un hueso de llama, se pueden también  resolver los desacuerdos
Go Ecuador [es] describes  the Día de los Difuntos as an act of full faith and ritual in the Ecuadorian culture, where hundreds of families visit cemeteries, bringing flowers and prayers. They enjoy the flavor of traditional colada morada and guaguas de pan in the company of their closest friends and the memory of the deceased:
En el norte del país, especialmente en las provincia de Imbabura  (Otavalos), familias indígenas completas vestidas con sus mejores  vestimentas típicas visitan los cementerios llevando flores, coronas de  papel, cruces, espermas y comida, llamado ricurishca: ollas de  alimentos, huevos cocidos, frutas y demás. Símbolos que expresan el  sincretismo de elementos religiosos católicos y de sus propias  tradiciones ancestrales y que el pueblo mestizo ha heredado del pueblo  indígena muchas veces sin saberlo.
Communal ancestral tradition or a day to visit loved ones; in Ecuador the tradition of respect maintains itself.

author: Paulina Aguilera Muñoz


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El Salvador: Debate on Women’s Rights Heats Up · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Voices from El Salvador's Weblog writes about the debate over women's rights in El Salvador, focusing on abortion and concluding that “it seems unlikely that El Salvador will seriously reconsider its abortion laws anytime soon.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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GM, The Car Transformer in China? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

George Chen blogs about GM's business move to make the new electric car in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Google Maps and the Costa Rica-Nicaragua Border Dispute  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz has been covering a border dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, pointing out “various maps including maps by Google and Bing which differ as to where the border falls.” A third post explains that, “In the view of the two countries, it appears the US-based technology  company [Google] may have more influence over this battle than the OAS [Organization of American States].”


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Honduran Truth Commission Continues Investigations on June 2009 Ouster of Manuel Zelaya · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Latin Americanist reports that, “On Wednesday the [Honduran Truth Commission] panel heard from Honduran journalists who claimed that  their rights where “violated” by the government and security forces [after the ouster of Manuel Zelaya in 2009]”


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Indonesia: ‘Misleading’ economic data · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Martin Manurung from Indonesia blogs about the ‘misleading’ economic data used by government ministers who are projecting that the country will be the 5th biggest economy in the world in 2030


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Indonesia: Successful Pesta Blogger 2010  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Pesta Blogger, the annual gathering of bloggers in Indonesia, was successfully held a few days ago. More than 1,000 bloggers attended the event. One of the objectives was to raise funds to help the tsunami and earthquake refugees in the country


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Kenya: A Call for Poetry Submissions · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyanpoet blog would like to give poets a platform where they can publish their poems online. Send us your poems through poem(at)kenyanpoet(dot)com and we will publish them here.


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Mexico: Statistics on Violence in Ciudad Juárez · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Diego Valle-Jones shares some statistics on violence in Ciudad Juárez, which “became the most violent city in Mexico as a consequence of the vicious war between the Juárez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel. So far more than 6,500 people have been murdered in this city since the war started.”


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Myanmar election map · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Democratic Voice of Burma has set-up an election map to monitor election-related events, protests, cases of violence in Myanmar. Elections will be held on November 7.


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Nepal: Blogger Bhela · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ujjwal Acharya writes on a recent bloggers meet in Kathmandu called Blogger Bhela.


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Nigeria: Partnership for Health II Conference · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Follow online Partnership for Health II conference in Nigeria: “For those that cannot attend Nigeria: Partnership for Health II, we will be livestreaming the plenary sessions. To access the livestream, please  go to http://www.livestream.com/nigeriahealth at 9.20 am (UK time) on 06/11/19″


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Puerto Rico: No More Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Amárilis Pagán starts the countdown [es] to November 25, the International Day of No More Violence Against Women: “Violence against women is so much more than the miscalled domestic violence.”


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Rwanda: On the road in Rwanda · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

On the road in Rwanda: “Prompted by Texas in Africa, here is Christopher’s journey through Rwanda and beyond listed in order of 25 clickable installments”


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Rwanda: Unconfirmed detentions at opposition leader’s house · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Unconfirmed detentions at opposition leader's house in Kigali, Rwanda: “#Alert! At #Ingabire’ s residence in #Kigali, the police has taken everybody (present) into custody. The lawyer was refused access to the residence. The situation is still confused. We will keep you updated.”


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Serbia: Police Hunt Facebook Misogynists  · Global Voices
Sasa Milosevic

Serbian daily ‘Kurir’ alarmed the police, requesting adequate legal action against Facebook group ‘Death to Women’
The Serbian Public Prosecutor, in cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, conducted an investigation into the case of a Serbian Facebook group “Death to Women“ (“Smrt ženama”), which was propagating hatred towards women.
According to the Serbian daily Press,Tomo Zoric, spokesman of the Serbian Prosecutor's Office, said:
The group “Death to Women” is currently under investigation, along with other groups that call for violence. Unfortunately, Facebook was not founded in Serbia, and sometimes it is difficult to identify the founders. We are trying to establish cooperation with other countries.
In the first 24 hours after the group was set up, more than 450 people became members, posting some very abusive slogans:
“Stop women's abominations, fraud and deception!“; “You want to be equal with men, to do men's jobs, but not to obey men!“; “They [women] are cowards who do not deserve to live!“; “Let's beat and kill women!”
The group's page was overflowing with photos of tortured and mutilated women, as well as men “in action,“ brutally beating women whose faces were covered in black and blue bruises.
Very aggressive tone was detected in a message directed at one of the group's opponents:
We're not gays, I swear by the venerable Cross that we are not gays, but we will not tolerate women while they are taking the money out of our pockets making asses out of us. Okay, you defend them and you will end up in the grave with them.
Bobana Macanovic, an activist of the Autonomous Women's Centre, concluded that the group was the most horrible evidence of the thesis that aggression had become the way of communication in the Serbian society. She stressed that violence often went unpunished, revealing that 26 women ended in obituaries since the beginning of this year as victims of abusive partners.
Psychologist Maya Antončić said it was not an insignificant fact that this group emerged in the month that saw an explosion of violence in Belgrade's streets during the Gay Pride Parade. But she was more worried about the number of the “fans.” She observed:
This group pays attention to the fact that violence against women exists, and still there are people who do not hesitate to publicly denounce women as weaker and less worthy beings who deserve to suffer violence.
In an article published in Kurir, Neven Cveticanin, a sociologist from the Institute of Social Sciences, pointed out that this phenomenon was a reflection of the general situation in the society. She saw it as an expression of social frustration and a form of violence against the minorities.
The editorial staff of Kurir alarmed the Serbian police about the issue, asking them to take the necessary measures against the group.
One of the earliest responses to this cruel anti-women group was establishing an alternative Facebook group – “Let's Get Rid of the Group ‘Death to Women'” (“Ukinimo Grupu ‘smrt Zenama'”) – which currently has over 5,400 members.
A response to Facebook misogynists: “Let's Get Rid of the Group ‘Death to Women'”
The founders of this group are Serbian women of all ages, but there are also men supporting them. The administrator expressed joy after the sexist group had been deleted and wrote this to members:
How are you today, after “Death to Women” has been successfully deleted and after finding that the public prosecutor's office will react? … Would anyone competent have responded if the report had not appeared in the Kurir?
Daliborka Kisic does not trust the Serbian police too much:
Yes, but the police said they believed that it was a joke and that they would react if something happened to a woman, if someone was being attacked…
Ana Milosevic is also pessimistic:
Come on, people, there is none of that, our cops do not react when a husband beats his woman to death. … People, we live in a “rotten” country.
Nebojsa Tešević sharply criticizes the story about “safe home” for victims of domestic violence as an expression of powerlessness in the Serbian society:
I would rather initiate an investigation against these broadcasters and the money they collect to build shelters for women, the victims of violence. The country, through the media, admits that the police do not have the courage to deal with bullies, but move women to a safe shelter. Very soon, mass murderers will walk around the city and the police, to avoid going out confront to them, will look at Facebook to build a safe house for all citizens.
Nadaibrane Kutanjac asked:
I do not know what fool came up with the idea of “Death to Women.”  I guess she/he has a mother … but we, mothers, have made a mistake and brought idiots [into this world] ………
Biljana Milivojevic-Lajtner is shocked:
Coincidentally, I have heard on the radio about the “Death to women” group. They have also mentioned female children … it is terrible … horrible … I have no words…
Unfortunately, this is not the end of the story.
Overweight women have also become targets of Serbian Facebook bullies
It seems that the Serbian Prosecutor's Office and the Serbian police will be very busy in next few months, hunting Serbian misogynists who have set up groups similar to the “Death to Women” group: e.g., “Death to Fat Women” (“SMRT DEBELIM ZENAMA!!!”) and “All Women are Whores” (“sve su zene kurve -.-“). For now, these groups continue to exist on Facebook and their membership is growing every day.
Serbian Facebook group ‘All women are whores’ is still there
On the other hand, 350 female members have set up a Facebook group “Death to Men” (“SmRt MuSkArCimA”), propagating abusive treatment of the “stronger sex.” This page is also flooded with photos of violence and torture. Some of the men who struggled to “neutralize” the “Death to Women” group are now disappointed by such “targeting” of the male population of Facebook.
Facebook group ‘Death to Men’ propagates abusive treatment of the ‘stronger sex’
Stefan Srpski Vuk Mitrović writes:
Excuse me, why do we deserve this, as a group? We have fought for three days to terminate “Death to Women” and we've succeeded in it. Thank you. Regards from the “Wolves.” We will continue to be against violence towards women.
Alekasandra Demirovic reminds her fellow netizens:
Stephen is absolutely right. This is not fair to those men who were with us and helped us to put out “Death to Women.”
It seems that user Idealno Losa has found the best solution for stopping the Facebook war between women and men:
Yes … this is completely wrong. We need to show that we are much more normal than those dimwits. …Helloooo, delete the group! …

author: Sasa Milosevic