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Is Cameroonian Journalist Ahmed Abba’s Imprisonment Because of Security, or Is It an Attack on the Press? · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Correction: A previous version of this post mistakenly used a photo of a man named Simon Ateba, a journalist who at one time was also arrested by Cameroonian authorities. Simon Ateba has since been released; Ahmed Abba remains in prison.
On 30 July 2015, Ahmed Abba, a Hausa-language correspondent at Radio France International (RFI) in Maroua, northern Cameroon, was arrested by the security forces in connection with inquiries into the activities of militant group Boko Haram.
Two years later, he was convicted of “non-denunciation of terrorism” and “laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts” and was sentenced by a military court to 10 years in prison.
His supporters say the charges are unsubstantiated, and his Abba's case has led many to believe that this is an excuse for the Cameroonian government to attack press freedom. Abba had been tasked by RFI to cover the region and specifically the activities Boko Haram at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria.
Cameroon President Paul Biya has repeatedly stated that his country is “at war with Boko Haram.” Under the guise of this policy, Biya's government has cracked down on civil liberties and targeted journalists reporting on the situation. Three other journalists – Baba Wame, Rodrigue Tongue, and Félix Cyriaque Ebolé Bola – have also been prosecuted by a military tribunal for failing to disclose information and sources to the government.
Makaïla Nguebla, a Chadian blogger with experience of the abuses of authoritarian African regimes against human rights activists — having been forced into exile from Chad and then expelled from Senegal and Guinea — presented the facts after Abba was convicted in April 2017:
Ahmed Abba avait été arrêté le 30 juillet 2015 en lien avec sa couverture des attaques du groupe terroriste Boko Haram. Il avait passé sept mois détenu au secret durant lesquels il avait subi des sévices, avant d’être finalement présenté à un juge le 29 février 2016. Depuis, les demandes de libération sous caution de ses avocats ont été systématiquement ignorées lors des 17 audiences de son procès. Le journaliste devra donc purger une peine de 10 ans de prison. Ce dernier a déjà passé 20 mois en détention dans l’attente de ce verdict inique. Les avocats du journaliste ont immédiatement annoncé leur intention de faire appel.
Ahmed Abba was arrested on 30 July 2015 in connection with his coverage of the attacks of the terrorist group Boko Haram. He spent six months being held in secret, during which he was physically abused, before finally being brought before a judge on 29 February 2016. Since then, requests for bail have been systematically ignored during the 17 sessions of his trial. The journalist will therefore have to serve a 10-year prison service. He has already spent 20 months in custody while awaiting this iniquitous verdict. The journalist's lawyers immediately announced their intention to appeal.
The Cameroonian national press and international press roundly condemned the weakness of the evidence presented against Abba. For journalist Masbé Ndengar:
L’issue de ce procès indigne autant les défenseurs des droits humains que les défenseurs de la liberté d’expression de la presse. Il ressort qu’il n’existe pas de preuve irréfutable pouvant condamner le journaliste. L’accusation s’est basée sur un supposé téléphone qui aurait appartenu à un terroriste ou une de ses victimes et dont les données numériques seraient sauvegardées dans un cybercafé détenu par Ahmed Abba. On voit là une volonté manifeste de nuire. Mais pourquoi s’en prendre vertement à celui qui n’a que son micro pour accomplir sa tâche ? visiblement les autorités camerounaises se trompent de véritables cibles. Pendant qu’elles engagent une lutte acharnée contre la liberté d’expression et de la presse, les vrais collabos courent en toutes libertés dans les rues de Yaoundé, de Douala, de Gamdéré, de Maroua, etc.
Si condamner Ahmed Abba doit être vu comme un acte dissuasif alors c’est raté parce que cela n’a pas empêché les terroristes, en occurrence Boko Haram de continuer à sévir sévèrement ni aux petits esprits de leur apporter leur soutien.
The outcome of this trial has human rights defenders up in arms as much as it has the press freedom defenders up in arms. It turns out that no irrefutable evidence to convict the journalist exists. The accusation is based on an alleged telephone which is said to have belonged to a terrorist or one of his victims, and whose digital data is supposed to have been kept safe in a cybercafe run by Ahmed Abba. We see here a flagrant intent to harm. But what has a man who has only his microphone to carry out his work done to earn it? The Cameroonian authorities are visibly off-target. While they are engaged in a relentless struggle against press freedom, the real collaborators remain scot free in the streets of Yaoundé, Douala, Gamdéré, Maroua and so on.
If convicting Ahmed Abba is to be seen as an act of deterrence, it has failed, because it has prevented neither the terrorists, in this case Boko Haram, from continuing their depredations, nor the weak-minded from offering them their support.
Meanwhile, Olivier Tchouaffe denounced the methods of President Paul Biya, who has led Cameroon for the past 42 years — from 1975 to 1982 as prime minister and as pPresident since — beating all worldwide records for hanging on to power:
Par ailleurs, ces prisonniers, pour la plupart, sont aussi embastillés, non pas dans des prisons conventionnelles mais dans des institutions militarisées ou de sécurité dite maximale, ce que le président du CL2P, Joël Didier Engo, a appelé des “mouroirs concentrationnaires”.
Le cas d'Ahmed Abba montre, encore une fois, un gouvernement qui abuse de la notion de raison d'État afin d'inféoder la justice et de la placer sous ses ordres.
Inconstestablement, les methodes de destrution rapide et lâche du régime de Paul Biyane méritent rien de moins qu'une vigilance implacable…Les enjeux en présence dans la crise actuelle nous permettent donc d'apercevoir l'étendue de la machine à déformation des faits, puis celle de l'orchestration des mensonges, eux-mêmes déclinés en véritables catégories de savoirs-pouvoirs intégrés à la lutte de pérennisation d'une dictature, pour laquelle uniquement certaines vérités – ses vérités – sont autorisées, pendant que toutes les autres doivent systématiquement être réprimées. Ces vérités voulues officielles sont naturellement enrôlées pour le maintien de l'ordre établi et dominant de Paul Biya depuis bientôt quarante ans, et n'ont en réalité jamais été une affaire de Justice
In any case, these prisoners are flung, for the most part, not into conventional jails, but into military or so-called maximum security facilities, institutions which Joël Didier Engo, the President of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CL2P) in Cameroon, has called “death camps”.
Ahmed Abba's case shows yet again a government which is misusing the concept of “reasons of state” to suborn justice and subject it to the government's own dictates.
No one can deny that Paul Biya's regime's methods of rapid and gutless obliteration call for nothing but implacable vigilance. The very stakes set by the present crisis afford us a glimpse of the extent of a machine for twisting facts – or, rather, for orchestrating lies – lies, that is, sinking to the level of their true category,  of ‘how-to’ tips in the fight to foster a perennial dictatorship, for which only certain truths – its truths – are authorized, while all others must systematically be repressed.  Naturally, these so-called official truths are pressed into service for the maintenance of Paul Biya's order of dominance, established for nearly 40 years now, and have never in reality had anything to do with Justice.
In an interview broadcast by RFI, Denis Nkwebo, president of the National Union of Journalists of Cameroon, an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists, was quoted as saying:
C'est une punition contre la presse, c'est une volonté de criminaliser le métier de journaliste au Cameroun. Tout ce qu'on reproche à Ahmed Abba, c'est d'avoir été en situation professionnelle. A aucun moment dans ce procès, on ne nous a donné la preuve qu'il a été impliqué dans quelque chose de grave. La presse était jusqu'ici sous le coup d'une oppression silencieuse, et la condamnation d'Ahmed Abba est un message fort à l'endroit des journalistes qui osent encore exercer ce métier dans un pays où l'on nous affirme tous les jours que l'on est en démocratie.
This is an attack on the press. It's as if they want to criminalize journalism as an occupation in Cameroon. All they're accusing Ahmed Abba of is being a professional. At no point in this trial have we been given evidence that he was implicated in anything serious. The press has laboured up to now under a silent oppression, and Ahmed Abba's conviction is a strong message aimed at journalists who dare to carry on this occupation in a country which we are assured daily is democratic.
In a July 2016 interview with Reporters Without Borders before Abba's conviction and sentencing, his lawyer Charles Tchoungang said judges had yet to examine his client's case:
It must be said that his case is special. Firstly, for the first three months after his arrest, no one knew where he was or no one wanted to say. The authorities eventually admitted they were holding him secretly. And even then, the matter had to be raised with the president’s office. He had been transferred to the intelligence services in Yaoundé, he had been questioned without a lawyer being present, and he had been transferred directly to a military court without a proper judicial investigation. During this period, he was also clearly subjected to physical and psychological mistreatment. At the next hearing, we will ask for a special session to be scheduled so that the substance of the case can finally be considered.
In the same interview, Tchoungang told them he was kidnapped and drugged by persons unknown on the day one of the hearings. The lawyer went on to explain his firm conviction that different treatment was being meted out to his client in comparison with other journalists indicted on similar charges, such as Baba Wame, Rodrigue Ndeutchoua Tongue and Félix Cyriaque Ebolé Bola:
I think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was initially arrested in the course of a routine check, but when the police learned that he was RFI’s correspondent, he was handed over to the political police in Yaoundé and was accused of passing information to the country’s enemies. I have checked all of his reporting and it is beyond reproach. In my view, the only aggravating circumstance is the fact that he works for a leading French radio station. As you know, there is a big anti-French current of opinion in Cameroon and some officials may have wanted to pull off a stunt.
What we now want is for Ahmed Abba to be freed, to be reunited with his family and, very importantly, to be able to return to work. I am convinced that I am defending an innocent man.
Abba's work with a France-based radio station is allegedly playing a role in his harsh sentencing. Anti-French sentiment in Cameroon is not new. This sentiment originates in what is perceived as unfair bilateral trade agreements that favors France in the mining industry and has expanded because of the French origin of weapons seized from the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.
A hearing to appeal the conviction was scheduled for 17 August 2017, but without explanation, his case has been struck from the tribunal's agenda.
On its Facebook page, the Committee for the Liberation of Cameroonian Political Prisoners protested angrily:
Cameroun: Non à la prise en otage d'un journaliste dans un sordide chantage diplomatique exercé à la France sous couvert de la nécessaire lutte contre le terrorisme…
Il n’y a en effet que l’imagination fertile d’un tyran pour faire germer une telle manœuvre en détournant et instrumentalisant de la sorte la nécessaire et légitime lutte contre le terrorisme, dans le but non avoué d’exercer indirectement un ignoble chantage diplomatique sur sa puissance protectrice, La France.
Nous n’exigeons rien d’autre que la libération pure et simple du correspondant camerounais en langue haoussa de Radio France Internationale (RFI), Ahmed Abba.
Cameroon: No to the hostage taking of a journalist in a sordid diplomatic blackmail operation against France under cover of the necessary fight against terrorism!
All it really takes is a tyrant's fertile imagination to incubate a manoeuvre like this, for diverting and exploiting the necessary and legitimate fight against terrorism, with the unstated aim of carrying out an indirect and despicable act of diplomatic blackmail against his protecting power – France.
We demand nothing less than the release pure and simple of the Cameroonian Hausa-language correspondent of Radio France International (RFI), Ahmed Abba.
A Support Ahmed Abba Committee has been created, encompassing many personalities from the media and music worlds, as well as non-governmental organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, Africtivistes (a collective of African cyber-activists for democracy), the Committee to Protect Journalists, Journaliste en danger (Journalist in danger), and the International Federation of Journalists.
In the 2016 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Sans Frontières, Cameroon occupies 126th place out of 180 countries considered.
You can sign the petition here.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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‘Massacre’ of Suspected Gang Members Has Mozambicans Asking: What’s the Role of Police? · Global Voices
Alexandre Nhampossa

Mozambican police are frequently criticized for abuse. Screenshot from YouTube video by TVM Moçambique.
An old debate over police violence returned to dominate the Mozambican internet after the police killed seven individuals suspected of belonging to a gang that had carried out attacks in the capital city, Maputo.
According to the police, on the night of 11 August, officers pursued a car carrying the alleged gang members. The chase culminated in an exchange of gunfire, in which the seven individuals were fatally injured. No police officer was hurt. The incident occurred in Matola municipality, on the outskirts of Maputo.
The account of the newspaper O País, one of the first to report the story, stated that the seven bodies were found with multiple bullet wounds and some of the individuals’ faces were unrecognizable. A graphic video recorded minutes after the event, shared on social media, corroborated this.
In a press conference on 15 August, attended by Global Voices, a police spokesperson said the officers reacted in legitimate defence and had no intention of killing:
A intenção nunca foi de a Polícia tirar a vida. A intenção era de neutralizar os mesmos e levar à barra do tribunal, mas a troca de tiros fez com que os indivíduos perdessem a vida no local. Foram os primeiros a disparar, e tínhamos que responder.
The intention of the police was never to kill. The intention was to neutralize them and bring them to court, but the exchange of shots led to the individuals losing their lives at the scene. They were the first to shoot, and we had to respond.
Mozambican police are frequently criticized for abuse, and the news provoked a divergence of opinions among the public. Some defended the police and others said that they had caused a massacre, pointing out that the country does not have capital punishment.
Businessman Nini Satar, imprisoned in 2003 for the murder of the Mozambican journalist Carlos Cardoso and now a fugitive for allegedly having commanded, while he was in prison, a gang which committed kidnappings in Maputo, described the incident as a massacre in a Facebook post:
Em Moçambique, repito, não existe pena de morte. Está plasmado na lei. Não entendo, no entanto, como é que alguém pode dar parabéns a Polícia por ter cometido aquela chacina. Aquele é um acto reprovável em todos os sentidos. A responsabilidade da Polícia é de garantir a legalidade. E esta simpatia pela atitude da Polícia revela fraquezas da sociedade moçambicana. Como sociedade, não estamos bem. Temos problemas graves. Uma das premissas duma sociedade é respeitar a dignidade humana.
In Mozambique, I repeat, there is no capital punishment. It is expressed in the law. I do not understand, though, how it is that somebody can congratulate the police for having committed this massacre. That is a reprehensible act in every sense. The police’s responsibility is to guarantee legality. And this sympathy for the police’s attitude reveals weaknesses in Mozambican society. As a society, we are not well. We have serious problems. One of the premises of a society is to respect human dignity.
The killing of these seven individuals happened in the same week that a group of eight to ten armed men attacked seven residences in Maputo and killed a man in front of his wife and children when he tried to stop an attempted rape of his wife.
Talking of the case, Paulo Boune posted online:
Quando estes mataram o jovem trabalhador, honesto e responsável por não ter os deixado violarem sexualmente sua esposa frente dele e dos filhos não houve alaridos. Hoje, foram abatidos sem dó nem piedade e assisto tristemente no nosso “quintal” uma campanha contra nossa força policial. Alguns compatriotas já trazem teorias de Direito, mas ontem não vi neste “quintal” nenhuma brochura se quer de Direito para nos assistir (…) Há falta de seriedade e honestidade neste “quintal”
When these men killed the hardworking, honest and responsible youth for not having let them sexually abuse his wife in front of him and the children, there was no uproar. Today, they were killed without pity or mercy and I am sadly watching a campaign against our police force in our “backyard”. Some compatriots are already bringing up theories of law, but yesterday in this “backyard” I did not see any pamphlet of law to help us […] There is a lack of seriousness and honesty in this “backyard”
Matias Guente, senior editor and journalist for the weekly Canal de Mocambique, disagreed with the above post, responding:
(…) Não é papel da polícia matar pessoas. Eu também fiquei altamente lixado ao saber que um.grupo de delinquentes violou uma mulher e assassinou o marido. Isso revoltou me é sinceramente e confesso que tomado por alguma raiva cheguei a pensar horrores. Mas os jovens que foram assassinados hoje, não foram apanhados em flagrante delito. Estavam a caminho de cometer um crime. Se é que isso é verdade. Porque a polícia não os neutralizou? Esse é o papel da polícia. E não matar pessoas. Eu até assumo que aqueles jovens são mesmo bandidos, mas e daí? O papel da polícia não é matar bandidos é criar condições para que os bandidos não actuem. O que aconteceu hoje na Matola é a polícia a assumir o papel de bandidos. É de uma incompetência monumental para não dizer é de uma delinquência sem prazo
[…] It is not the role of the police to kill people. I was also angry to know that a group of delinquents raped a woman and murdered her husband. This revolted me and sincerely I confess that in a rage I ended up thinking horrible things. But the youths that were killed today were not caught in the act. They were on the way to commit a crime. If this is the truth. Why did the police not neutralize them? That is the role of the police. And not to kill people. I even assume that those youths really are thugs, but so what? The role of the police is not to kill criminals, it is to create conditions such that the criminals do not act. What happened today in Matola is the police assuming the role of criminals. It is a monumental incompetence to not say it is a crime without limit.
Similarly, Isalcio Mahanjane, a political analyst and lawyer for the Guebuza family in the murder case of the daughter of Mozambique’s former President Armando Guebuza, commented:
Temos de repensar o nosso sentido de direito e atentar para amanhã não estarmos envergonhados diante da sociedade por tamanhas “declarações”… o Estado de Direito deve prevalecer sempre. Compreendo a raiva de muitos, mas não compreendo o desvairar…
We have to rethink our sense of morality and pay attention so that tomorrow we are not ashamed before society for such “declarations” … the rule of law must always prevail. I understand the anger of many, but I do not understand the craziness…
For his part, political analyst and university professor Julião Cumbane replied to those criticizing the police, stating:
Não é trabalho da polícia fazer justiça. O trabalho da polícia é defender a lei e os cidadãos e seus bens. O sucesso do trabalho da polícia mede-se pelo mal que não acontecem, pelo crime que não ocorre. Ou seja, prevenir a ocorrência do crime é igualmente trabalho da polícia. O que se exige é que a polícia faça o seu trabalho dentro da lei. Quando a polícia persegue e abate bandidos sanguinários, está a fazer o seu trabalho dentro da lei.
It is not the work of the police to take the law into their own hands. The job of the police is to defend the law and the citizens and their property. The success of the police’s work is measured by the evil which does not happen. In other words, preventing the occurrence of crime is also the police’s job. What is required is that the police do their work within the law. When the police chase and kill bloodthirsty criminals, they are doing their work within the law.
Sociologist and university professor Elísio Macamo drew attention to those defending capital punishment for the bandits:
Uma das coisas mais arrepiantes em toda esta discussão sobre a acção policial que vitimou sete indivíduos é a voz daqueles que saem em defesa da pena capital num país onde já se verteu tanto sangue. Arrepia. Só espero que no dia em que pelo peso da maioria a pena capital regressar se incluam disposições para que se seja consequente: os familiares das vítimas têm que ser os executores, a forma tem que respeitar a maneira como o bandido ceifou a vida dos outros e, se tiver também morto família, que a sua família também seja executada. Vingança sem proporcionalidade não anima.
One of the most frightening things in this discussion about the police action that targeted seven individuals is the voice of those who come out in defence of capital punishment in a country where so much blood has already been spilled. Frightening. I only hope that on the day when, due to the weight of the majority, capital punishment returns, provisions are included which ensure: the relatives of the victims have to be the executioners, the method has to follow the way which the criminal took the lives of the others and, if family have also died, that their family are also executed. Revenge without proportionality is not uplifting

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Alexandre Nhampossa


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Netizen Report: Vietnam Targets ‘Illegal Cyber Information’ — and Political Speech · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

Internet cafe in Vietnam. Photo by Ivan Lian via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang called for tougher controls on the internet, charging that “hostile” entities online had “undermined the prestige of the leaders of the party and the state, [bringing about] a negative impact on cadres, party members and people.”
Quang, who is a former minister of public security, also vowed to increase online surveillance in the name of protecting national security.
His comments come on the heels of a public consultation on Vietnam’s new draft Law on Cybersecurity, which was written by — and gives broad powers to — the Ministry of Public Security. The draft includes special provisions around “illegal cyber information” that “incites any mass gatherings that disturb security and order, and anti-government activities in cyberspace.” The law also sets new standards for “critical systems,” stipulating that operators of such systems must store system data on Vietnamese soil, but it does not offer a clear definition of “critical systems”.
Assuming it goes into effect, the Law on Cybersecurity will increase the government’s ability to control independent voices online, which are already heavily scrutinized and regularly silenced under Vietnam’s Penal Code.
In late July, multiple bloggers and human rights defenders were arrested and charged with “conducting activities aimed at attempting to overthrow the state” under Article 79 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which carries a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison and a maximum sentence of capital punishment. Among those arrested were the founding members of the Brotherhood for Democracy, a network of activists involved in community building and mobilising across Vietnam.
Prominent Vietnamese human rights lawyer and blogger Nguyen Van Dai was also charged under Article 79, on top of a previous charge under Penal Code Article 88 for allegedly “conducting propaganda against the state.”
A recipient of Human Rights Watch’s Hellman-Hammett Award in 2007, Dai has been detained for more than 600 days without trial. The new charges will allow police to extend their investigation period for an additional 20 months.
An internet blackout in the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India, has been ongoing for two full months, following the deaths of citizens in a violent clash between security forces and separatists calling for an independent Gorkhaland. The situation has severely impacted daily life in the region, as businesses, students, and journalists grapple with the effects of the ban.
Meanwhile, in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, internet and mobile services were shut down for several days surrounding the announcement of the court verdict in a criminal case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the controversial leader of the hugely popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect. Ram Rahim was found guilty of rape by a special Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, a decision that triggered outrage among his followers, who took to the streets in protests that in some cases led to clashes with police and other citizens. Authorities say that more than 30 people have been killed in the ensuing violence.
In a historic decision, India’s Supreme Court ruled that the right to privacy is “intrinsic to [the] right to life.” The right to privacy will become part of India’s constitution, after the court considered multiple citizen petitions challenging the legalities of India’s national biometric digital ID system, Aadhaar. The court did not issue a judgment on the constitutionality of Aadhaar, but called on the government to create a robust scheme for data protection.
Mexican journalist Candido Rios was murdered on August 22 in a gun attack in Hueyapan de Ocampo, Veracruz, the ninth journalist to be assassinated in the country this year. Rios, known by his colleagues as “Pavuche,” was the founder of the weekly newspaper La Voz de Hueyapan. Shortly before his death, Rios posted a video making strong accusations against political figures of Hueyapan de Ocampo. In the video he said, “We do not use firearms. They kill us knowing that our weapons don't shoot bullets. Our weapons shoot truth.”
A Macedonian court applied the lese-majeste portion of its criminal code for the first time since its independence in 1992, punishing an anonymous person for insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Facebook. The person will have to pay a fine of 400 euros or serve a prison sentence.
The newly inaugurated Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly is seeking to regulate the use of social media to combat hate crimes with a new draft law. The text of the law is not available online, but it allegedly punishes “hatred” on social media with prison sentences of up to 25 years.
Venezuela’s vilification of social media is nothing new. In 2010, the government (then led by Hugo Chavez) was already accusing online networks of inciting hatred and violence, and those who use them routinely risked arrest for political speech. In 2014, a draft law proposed by the governing party sought to classify online protest as “cyberterrorism.”
Cambodian authorities revoked the licenses of multiple outlets, including Moha Nokor FM 93.5, which carries Radio Free Asia and Voices of America, and threatened to close others allegedly due to violations of the country’s tax and licensing laws. The independent political program Voice of Democracy also experienced disruptions after the station was ordered to stop broadcasting. Media groups expressed concern that the closure orders were politically motivated, meant to silence critical voices in the lead-up to the 2018 general elections.
The Cyberspace Administration of China announced a new regulation that requires netizens to register with their real names in order to post comments online, a decision that will significantly reduce space for discussion and place a burden on sites required to implement identity verification systems. The regulations appear to be part of a broader scheme to integrate a social credit system into Chinese internet platforms, which will rank individuals on the basis of their online speech and other factors. Comments deemed harmful or abusive will likely be a key factor in the calculations of the system. The commenting regulation will take effect on October 1.
Denmark’s foreign ministry approved the sale of surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia and the UAE despite human rights concerns about how it would be used, according to the Danish foreign minister. Earlier this year, the BBC published an investigation into the Danish subsidiary of UK-based BAE Systems, which was selling surveillance technologies that may have been used to monitor and target individuals involved in the Arab uprisings of 2011-2012. The systems were sold to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Morocco and Algeria, and were used in Tunisia before the fall of Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali. The ministry said human rights considerations were “only one part” of their overall assessment of the business decision.
Ellery Roberts Biddle, Mohamed ElGohary, Oiwan Lam, Don Le, Weiping Li, Elizabeth Rivera, and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


text:
Okinawans Protesting US Military Base Asked If They ‘Understand Japanese’ · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Henoko protesters in March 2017. Screencap from official Kyodo News YouTube channel.
Okinawa's Defense Bureau has come under fire from residents, the media and local politicians after security staff under the command of the bureau used insulting language towards activists protesting the construction of an American military base by asking them, “Do you understand Japanese?”
The incident occurred on August 29 in front of Camp Swab, a United States Marines installation that sits on Henoko Bay in Okinawa, a Japanese island in the East China sea. The American military is in the process of building an airstrip on reclaimed land in Henoko Bay. Local activists have conducted a sustained campaign of civil disobedience to protest the base's construction, and the Defense Bureau, which is under the control of Japan's Ministry of Defense, is tasked with removing them.
Activists have long complained that Japanese security forces use heavy-handed tactics to deal with protests. For locals, the latest taunts and insults aimed at protesters by Defense Bureau officers underline how Okinawans often perceive themselves as being treated as second-class citizens, and not truly Japanese.
防衛局が暴言「 #日本語分かるか 」　辺野古反対派に、沖縄反発
またも、沖縄の人たちの心を傷つけかねない発言。https://t.co/rQbSLRkoTS pic.twitter.com/fkW3Bipt7x
&umdash; 東京新聞政治部 (@tokyoseijibu) August 29, 2017
Defense Bureau uses abusive language with Henoko protesters: “Do you understand Japanese?” Okinawa backlash [ensues].
Once again, words that would wound the hearts of Okinawans.
According to an article by Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, the language used by security staff on August 29 was intended to mock the Okinawan dialect, which is quite distinct from the standard Japanese spoken by Defense Bureau officers. The incident received limited coverage in Japanese media.
8月28日午後2時56分、キャンプ・シュワブゲート前で機動隊が市民の座り込みを強制排除しました。フェンスの後ろから市民に退去を呼び掛けていた沖縄防衛局職員が「日本語、分かりますか」と発言しました。#辺野古　#沖縄
— 沖縄タイムス辺野古・高江取材班 (@times_henoko) August 28, 2017
At 2:56PM on August 28, the riot squad removed protesters engaged in a sit-in in front of Camp Swab. An officer of the Okinawa Defense Bureau called out from behind a fence to residents, “Do you understand Japanese?”
Besides the Tokyo Shimbun's short report, Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper described the Defense Bureau officer's remarks as “inappropriate” (不適切). Japanese Defense Minister Onodera Itsunori was quoted as saying he would like to caution Defense Bureau representatives “against using language that might invite misinterpretations” (誤解を招くような言葉遣いに気をつけるようしっかり注意したい).
Sankei also quoted Nagase Kazuo, the head of an umbrella organization representing local activists Okinawa, as remarking:
「沖縄は歴史的に方言差別や米国統治に苦しめられてきた。許し難い発言だ」
Okinawa has historically been discriminated against because of its dialect and has suffered under American occupation. It's hard to forgive such language.
Once its own kingdom, Okinawa has long felt apart from the rest of Japan. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the United States administered Okinawa until 1972. It was developed into a base for the American military in the Western Pacific; despite accounting for just 0.6% of Japan’s territory, Okinawa is home to over 70% of American military installations based in Japan. US military bases occupy at least 18% of the main island of Okinawa.
In 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima signed an agreement to build a new US Marine base at Henoko Bay, a relatively pristine area that will be destroyed by landfill to create the facility. The decision triggered ongoing protests and civil disobedience that briefly made national news, just as Okinawa marked the 45th anniversary of its return to Japanese sovereignty.
In April 2017, work commenced to fill in parts of Henoko Bay with rock to make way for a seawall and helicopter landing pad. Protesters showed up at the gated entry to the construction site, but were met with a crackdown by Japanese police. Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi sought an injunction to stop work on the seawall, with no success so far.
The remarks by the security forces may also be interpreted as questioning whether or not base protesters are truly Japanese, since there is the perception that many activists are foreigners.
外国人が多いからだろう！
— トミちゃん (@jjwEifbXNhj6ccX) August 29, 2017
Well, there are a lot of foreigners [at the protests]!
んで、全員きちんと日本語理解してた？
— Shige (@SShigeshige) August 29, 2017
Can we really be sure everyone was able to comprehend Japanese?
In fact, the perception that Okinawan protesters may not be from Japan at all may come from deliberate disinformation campaigns, where right-wing counter-demonstrators pose as foreign agents.
The taunting by the Okinawa Defense Bureau officers highlights the divide that exists between local activists and the Japanese government, with no solution in sight.

author: Nevin Thompson


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#GoHazeFree Campaign Encourages Singapore Restaurants to Use Sustainable Palm Oil · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Deforestation and the burning of peat lands, aside from causing haze, also displaces orangutans in Malaysia and Indonesia. Photo from website of People's Movement to Stop Haze
The People’s Movement to Stop Haze (PM Haze) is promoting citizen action to stop haze pollution by convincing restaurant owners in Singapore to use sustainable palm oil in their kitchens.
Haze pollution is a recurring problem in Southeast Asia, mainly caused by deforestation and burning of peat lands in western Indonesia to make way for the expansion of palm oil plantations. This causes haze to descend not only on Riau, Indonesia, but also in the nearby countries of Singapore and Malaysia.
A quick refresher on the link between palm oil & the haze!
Find out more: https://t.co/fgkh382u0u#hazefreefact #GoHazeFree pic.twitter.com/OAlYjbdJ2r
— PM Haze (@PM_Haze) August 25, 2017
According to PM Haze, more than 50 percent of products in supermarkets contain palm oil, which motivated the group to launch a campaign in 2015 enjoining consumers to boycott companies engaged in unsustainable palm oil production.
This year, PM Haze hopes to “raise awareness among the public and eatery owners about haze-free palm oil” through the #GoHazeFree campaign. The group’s initial research revealed that more than 90 percent of popular restaurant chains in Singapore use palm oil and none are haze-free.
Sustainable palm oil means it is sourced from haze-free plantations. Based on the standards set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), haze-free plantations “use zero-burning method to clear land, respect land rights and work with local communities to minimize use of fire, protect forests and plant on open land, avoid new planting on peat and properly manage water level in existing plantations on peat, and they have sufficient manpower and equipment to detect and stop fires early.”
This video explains the campaign and how it plans to address “the low awareness of the palm oil issue among both consumer and business owners.”
In an email interview with this author, PM Haze Executive Director Zhang Wen shared the response of some restaurant owners about the #GoHazeFree initiative:
We have reached out to about 70 restaurants in Singapore so far and the majority use palm oil for cooking. However, the awareness of the link between palm oil and haze is extremely low. None of these restaurants know about the sustainable palm oil alternative. Therefore we need to first raise awareness of the issue and then encourage restaurant owners to switch to sustainable palm oil. We found those that are already adopting sustainability messages are more open to our message. One restaurant we reached out to is trying out the sustainable palm oil at the moment and we hope to get their confirmation to switch to “sustainable palm oil only” soon.
Zhang Wen also discussed the appeal of PM Haze to the government and the finance sector. Some banks in Singapore are accused of providing the money to companies that engage in unsustainable palm oil production:
The Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) made mandatory the green public procurement of paper products earlier this year….We hope the government can discourage consumption of unsustainable/haze-causing palm oil and to encourage sustainable/haze-free palm oil.
The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) published a responsible finance guidelines in response to the 2015 haze. DBS bank recently also adopted No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) policy for palm oil financing. We hope the other local banks, e.g. OCBC and UOB, can adopt similar policies soon and all banks be transparent of the implementation of these policies and play a more proactive role in safeguarding the air we breathe.
PM Haze has acknowledged that the campaign should target both business owners and especially consumers in raising the demand for haze-free palm oil.
The goal of this outreach activities does not stop at the eateries, but goes beyond into more awareness of the palm oil issue. Palm oil producers will be more motivated if more people demand haze-free palm oil.

author: Mong Palatino


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Macau Journalists Told to Write More Positive Stories in Wake of Deadly Typhoon · Global Voices
Hong Kong Free Press

Flooding in Macau after Typhoon Hato. Photo: Macau Concealers/Facebook.
Below is a compilation of reports written by Catherine Lai and Karen Cheung originally published by Hong Kong Free Press between August 28 and 30, 2017. The post below is published on Global Voices as part of a partnership agreement.
Authorities in Macau, a special administrative region of China, are attempting to control the narrative around the aftermath of Typhoon Hato by ordering journalists to minimise critical reporting, barring Hong Kong journalists from entering the city, and cracking down on rumors.
Typhoon Hato swiped through Hong Kong and Macau on August 23. While Hong Kong, also a special administrative region of China, was relatively unaffected, the storm caused power outages, severe flooding, and at least 10 deaths in Macau, and is said to have been the worst storm the region has seen in 53 years.
Upon a request made by Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui, the Macau garrison of China's People’s Liberation Army deployed on August 25 to conduct storm relief work. At the same time, the chief of the city's weather observatory, Fong Soi-kun, resigned and is being investigated by the Ombudsman in relation to the disaster following public complaints that city response and rescue efforts have been insufficient.
Against this backdrop, Macau police arrested two people, aged 73 and 68, on suspicion of releasing false information via mobile chat groups and private messages alleging that the authorities had sought to cover up the discovery of bodies in a car park during the typhoon.
Article 181 of the Macau Penal Code forbids citizens from spreading information which damages the credibility of any individual or institution which exercises public authority.
The Macau Journalists’ Association announced on Facebook that at least five media outlets, all members of the association, had instructed staff to publish more “positive” stories.
According to the post, employees from these media outlets were told to:
report more on good people and good deeds, actively spread positive energy throughout society, and decrease [reports] holding the government, especially the highest officials, accountable.
The association condemned the order as an act to “fool the public and distort the profession of journalists,” and said its purpose was to divert attention away from the government’s dereliction of duty. It expressed anger, saying it would follow up on the matter. It also asked the public to support the work of journalists in reporting the truth.
A media worker who wished to remain anonymous told independent news site Apple Daily that journalists would not be permitted to report in the field if they did not write more positive stories. They said that they received a call from their boss telling them that the tone of their reporting must be “harmonious,” and “if you don’t submit, then you don’t get to do [the work].” They said that other professionals in the industry knew of journalists in similar situations.
The association said that the value of journalism lies in warning the public, verifying information, finding the root of the problem, holding officials accountable and scrutinising their work, and preventing the same thing from happening again:
But after the storm hit Macau, the plan to deal with the flooding had not even come out, and we only saw the government busy clearing the noise, using ridiculous reasons to refuse entry to outside journalists; and [compelling] multiple local outlets to conduct self-censorship at almost the same time… with the intent to divert public attention and cover up the root of the problem.
Macau authorities refused entry to at least four Hong Kong journalists over the weekend of August 26.
The journalists intended to report on the destruction and clean-up efforts following Typhoon Hato. But Macau immigration said that they “posed a threat to internal security,” citing the Internal Security Law.
Mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong has questioned the Macau government’s decision to request the help of the People’s Liberation Army garrison in clean-up work. Many Hong Kong opinion leaders have criticized Macau's governance and dependence on mainland China.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association released a joint statement expressing “deep regrets” over the Macanese government’s actions:
We urge the Macau government to respect press freedom and not to arbitrarily restrict the rights of entry and exit of journalists in Macau…They were not trouble-makers. It was unreasonable for the Macau authorities to say they posed a threat to internal security. A number of Hong Kong journalists had been rejected entry to Macau in recent years. We have expressed deep regrets over the Macau authority’s arbitrarily restrictive immigration policy.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association also slammed the ban:
[The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association] finds the explanation given by the local authorities incomprehensible and unsatisfactory and cautions that this move, similar to previous ones of the same kind, tarnishes the international image of the [special administrative region] regarding press freedom.
Victor Chan Chi-ping, the head of Macau’s Government Information Bureau, was asked about the internal orders at a press conference. He denied knowledge of the situation, and said:
The government only supports the media – we never interfere with the internal issues of media outlets.
Read More Post-Typhoon Coverage by Hong Kong Free Press:

author: Hong Kong Free Press


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Mexico Offers Relief for Hurricane Harvey Victims Amidst Storms of Immigration Controversy · Global Voices
Amanda Lichtenstein

Mexican Soldier. Picture by Flickr user yesy belajar memotrek. Used under (CC BY-NC 2.0) license.
Days after Category 4 Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston on Friday, August 25, residents desperately seek assistance and support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as state and local leadership. Ordinary citizens have stepped up as first responders in daring rescue missions, activating ‘citizen navies’ like Cajun Navy to navigate un-passable flooded roads with private boats to reach victims.
Meanwhile, even as heavy rainfall continued to pound down on Houston and surrounding areas over the weekend, President Trump found the time to remind Mexico about his plan to build a border wall.
With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
In contrast, as this catastrophic ‘life-threatening storm surge’ hit the region, Mexican officials replied with an offer to help.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry press release regarding various issues of the bilateral relationship: https://t.co/z1bS9NVish pic.twitter.com/Nc99BH2Kf6
— SRE México (@SRE_mx) August 27, 2017
Described as a ‘landmark’ natural disaster, Carlos Sada, Mexico's undersecretary for North American relations, said late Monday, “Our offer is open and permanent. We're just waiting for instructions,” Sada continued, “Texas and Mexico share more than half the border. There are families, marriages, businesses that bind our two sides. This is about being good neighbors.”
Mexico’s declaration of support interrupts increasing hostilities and tensions between the US and Mexico over a long list of immigration policy battles, including Trump’s insistence that Mexico pays to build his proposed wall at the US-Mexico border.
Houston hosts the third-largest undocumented immigrant population in the country making up nearly 9% of its population. Hurricane Harvey has thrown undocumented residents into a further state of panic, fearing their requests for federal support may lead to deportation even though officials have reassured they will be protected. While Texan Governor Abbot has acknowledged Mexico’s relief offer, US government officials delayed acceptance of help from its neighbors but agreed readily to receive helicopters from Singapore.
Buzzfeed Mexico Bureau Chief Karla Zabludovsky tweets her frustration with the US’s delayed response to Mexico’s offer:
It's been 40+ hours since Mexico offered the US help w/Hurricane Harvey's devastation. Trump's response: crickets. No thank you, no yes/no.
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) August 29, 2017
Trump bullies Mexico (again) and Mexico rolls its eyes, sighs, and offers hurricane-battered Texas help https://t.co/KvZK9ZHdmB
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) August 28, 2017
Journalist Pedra De Costa points out the irony of the situation:
Trump: Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico: Here's some humanitarian aid.
— Pedro da Costa (@pdacosta) August 28, 2017
President Trump has not yet commented on the generous offer, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson thanked the Mexican government on August 31.
It's very generous of the government of Mexico to offer their help at this very, very challenging time for our citizens down in Texas and now moving towards the border of Louisiana as well.
Stoking further controversy, Trump chose to announce the pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arapio on Friday evening as Hurricane Harvey first made landfall because it was likely to get ‘far higher ratings.’ Arapio displayed ‘boundless and illegal animosity toward immigrants,’ and some analysts describe Trump’s pardon as an ‘impeachable offense.’
Viridiana Hernández, immigration rights activist and executive director of Center for Neighborhood Leadership, spoke out against the pardon in tears:
We have fought for decades [against Arapio] and we are not done fighting. We’re not going to stop…We have lived under Arapio and have survived and we have thrived. We are going to resist like we have been resisting every single day for our whole existence.
While tensions continue to mount between the US and Mexico, Mexico’s foreign ministry released a formal statement of solidarity with the people of Texas and all those affected by the havoc wreaked in the storm’s wake. The gesture echoes similar relief efforts by Mexico in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina which struck Louisiana and surrounding states with catastrophic consequence.
NEVER FORGET that Mexico sent troops and aid to help us after Hurricane Katrina. pic.twitter.com/aD3K3ET1dZ
— Patricia (@Patricia_DSC) August 25, 2017
As Houston residents struggle to reach higher ground, many are also having to confront rumors of an impending threat to eliminate DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) allowing those who entered the US as minors to stay on renewable two-year permits to work and study. Nearly 200,000 undocumented immigrants in Texas have been approved for DACA since 2012 and Houston alone hosts 56,000 DACA-supported immigrants. Now, amidst the chaos and destruction of Hurricane Harvey, there is also an uncertain legal future to consider. A decision to end DACA would compound the suffering of thousands of Texans who see DACA as a lifeline among others they need right now to survive the storm.
.@Cesar_Espinosa says Trump ending DACA would mean adding a “political disaster” to a natural disaster for Houston residents #DNlive pic.twitter.com/OlCtGTzp5y
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) August 29, 2017
Journalist Bradford Pearson points out the irony that ‘first responders’ and rescuers are actually immigrants or DACA youth:
Tens of thousands of Houston-area residents are going to fight for their lives this week, only to face deportation when Trump rescinds DACA.
— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) August 27, 2017
For example, four Mexican bakers living in Houston didn't think twice about baking hundreds of loaves of bread for fellow flood victims when stranded over the weekend at El Bolillo Bakery.
With a reported death toll at 44 and thousands of displaced, an intense focus on rescue and recovery make it difficult to think about anything else. Yet, Houston activists continue to make calls and raise funds to avert further despair and 1,850 leaders including governors, state officials, civic and faith leaders have written a joint letter of support urging Trump not to kill DACA, especially not now, when the storm has taken away nearly everything but their dreams.

author: Amanda Lichtenstein


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Public Trust in Justice Takes Another Knock With Arrest of Former Trinidad & Tobago Attorney General · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

The Hall of Justice in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Photo by Debangsu, CC BY-NC 2.0.
It's not unusual for politicians to steal the spotlight from one another, but social media users in Trinidad and Tobago probably didn't expect it to happen quite so fast.
August 28, 2017: Tobago House of Assembly Minority Leader Watson Duke completes his protest swim-turned-boat-ride from Scarborough to Toco. August 29: Former attorney general Anand Ramlogan is arrested on charges of perverting the course of justice and misbehaviour in public office.
But the charges should not have come as a surprise. After a story that broke in January 2015, the police began investigating Ramlogan based on allegations made by David West, director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).
In return for the then government's support of West as head of the PCA, Ramlogan was said to have asked him to withdraw as a witness in a defamation suit Ramlogan had brought against Dr Keith Rowley, who was leader of the opposition at the time.
The lawsuit in question involved the failed extradition of Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, businessmen who were financiers of the United National Congress (UNC) political party to which Ramlogan belongs (and which led the then People's Partnership coalition government).
Ferguson and Galbaransingh were wanted for extradition by the United States on corruption charges stemming from the construction of the country's new airport, and attempted to evade these charges through a short-lived clause that was insidiously made into law while the country was in the midst of its 50th independence celebrations.
Known thenceforth as Section 34, the clause prevented the prosecution of accused whose trial has been delayed for up to 10 years after the alleged offence was committed (except in instances of “blood crimes”).
Rowley, who is now the country's prime minister, maintained all along that the insertion of Section 34 into the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act was “a conspiracy by the government.” The amendment was repealed by the country's parliament on September 12, 2012.
Once West's allegations were made public, Ramlogan (along with then Minister of National Security Gary Griffith) were fired over the debacle.
Five years later, the ripple effects of the Section 34 controversy are still being felt. Social media was abuzz with updates about Ramlogan's arrest.
One of Ramlogan's attorneys soon suggested that the questioning of her client was becoming “oppressive”:
“It's bordering on oppressive now,” Pamela Elder SC tells the media after charges still haven't been laid against Anand Ramlogan @tv6tnt pic.twitter.com/EaLZj1PkXy
— Kejan Haynes (@KejanHaynes) August 30, 2017
To which political commentator Rhoda Bharath retorted, referring to the country's 2011 state of emergency:
&& once locked up 8000 ppl for 3 months without questioning them and his lawyer vexed he detained for 36hrs.#ArrestedDevelopment
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) August 30, 2017
Charges were laid soon enough, however. Interestingly, the last item that Ramlogan has up on his Twitter account (dating back to 2015) is a press release stating that a judicial investigation cleared him of any conspiracy allegations made by the People's National Movement (PNM) party, which Dr. Rowley heads:
Judiciary investigation rejects conspiracy allegations made by the PNM pic.twitter.com/XQ5oF8M1sE
— Anand Ramlogan (@AnandRamlogan) January 26, 2015
There was much online discussion about the fact that several colleagues who tried to visit Ramlogan while he was in police custody were denied access:
Attorneys who visited the police admin building denied their request to see former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan @expressupdates @tv6tnt pic.twitter.com/G0fWTedqsV
— Alexander Bruzual (@NateGreyy) August 29, 2017
Bharath again clapped back:
Are other arrested persons allowed visitors for “moral support”? #ArrestedDevelopmenthttps://t.co/Ld8QufTZCw
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) August 29, 2017
One of Ramlogan's colleagues, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, suggested that the timing of Ramlogan's arrest was curious, what with the current administration facing accusations of improper procurement practices and grappling with escalating crime.
Ramlogan was subsequently released on TT $750,000 (just over US $111,000) bail and will appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court on September 1, 2017 to answer the charges. Ramlogan's attorney, senior counsel Pamela Elder, described her client as “a person of unblemished character […] who has served his country with distinction” and said she “patiently and eagerly” awaits the day when West is made to defend his allegations in court.
Meanwhile, the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), which has been embroiled in a controversy following a mostly symbolic no confidence vote in the country's chief justice, has admonished politicians for attempting to turn the arrest of the former attorney general into political fodder. LATT's statement “remind[ed] the public of the importance of the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty”.
A couple of legal practitioners wasted no time in weighing in. Attorney Justin Phelps found the association's stance ironic:
The Law Association can knowingly pass an ineffective (and meaningless) no confidence in a Chief Justice but warns against criticism of police because it could reduce confidence in the administration of justice. […] The truth is that the attack on the [Chief Justice] was the groundwork being laid to question the administration of justice in exactly the manner it is being questioned now. Two months ago LATT convened to do exactly what it is condemning today.
Dr. Emir Crowne, an attorney and senior lecturer at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, also shared his perspective on the site Wired868. Regarding LATT's concern about “undermin[ing] public confidence in the administration of justice”, he said:
Too late. The public’s confidence in the administration of justice has been severely undermined in recent times, the most recent of which is the elaborate, Spielberg-esque detention of Mr Ramlogan […]
Furthermore, let’s not forget the Law Association’s own role in undermining the administration of justice, when select members passed a—meaningless—“no confidence” motion against the Honourable Chief Justice.
The Law Association’s current attempt to stifle legitimate dialogue about matters of public interest—like excessive detentions and the abuse of police powers—is also an affront to the independence of the bar and the rule of law. […]
Worse still, by telling others to not politicise an issue, the Law Association is itself being inherently political. […] In condemning politicisation, the Law Association has committed the very sin it chastised.
In today's hearing, the former AG was not asked to plead. His case has been adjourned to January 11, 2018.

author: Flora Thomas


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Russia’s Social Inequality Is in the Spotlight After an Ex-Senator Gets High, Shoots Up Hotel Room · Global Voices
Alexey Kovalev

Umar Jabrailov, 59, is an ex-senator for Chechnya in Russia's Council of the Federation and chairman of Russian-Qatar Business Council Photo via Wikimedia Commons by Ivanna91. CC BY-SA 4.0
On August 30, Russian news websites reported that Umar Jabrailov, an ex-senator who represented his native republic of Chechnya in Russia’s Council of the Federation, was detained by the police after an incident in the upscale Four Seasons hotel in Moscow.
Jabrailov had discharged a firearm several times in his room while under the influence of one or several types of narcotics (his drug test came back positive, the police confirmed later). He publicly voiced his regret about “disturbing the peace,” but in the same statement, made in an interview with the REN TV channel, blamed the hotel for “this unfortunate disagreement.” As it turns out, he was extremely upset with the quality of service there, Jabrailov said.
His behavior caused much embarrassment to high-profile organizations that endorsed him. His party, the ruling United Russia, disavowed Jabrailov, temporarily halting his membership, and Russia’s Interior Ministry denied that his Yarygin handgun (MP-443 Grach) was a government-issued honorary weapon. Jabrailov is now facing charges of “malicious hooliganism” which potentially carries a prison term of up to five years.
Nevertheless, Jabrailov’s actions failed to produce the same kind of swift and aggressive response that Russian law enforcement usually reserves for opposition activists. People participating in protest events are often detained, arrested and even jailed for crimes like picketing a public prosecutor's office. Jabrailov, on the other hand, was released quickly and not placed under house arrest.
This latest incident comes amid an ongoing series of public scandals and gaffes involving senior Russian officials. In each case a high-profile politician, public officer, or in many cases, their children, has behaved in a way that is perceived as privileged, arrogant, and ignorant of the extent of people's grievances.
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev became a meme when he told a group of anxious pensioners “to hang on in there” after informing them that adjusting their pension for inflation was not possible because “there's just no money.” Corruption scandals involving senior officials rarely lead to investigations, and a wristwatch costing four times the annual salary causes little concern on state media.
This discrepancy attracted many sarcastic comments on Russian social media:
Бывший сенатор Умар Джабраилов вчера ночью устроил стрельбу в отеле. Завели дело по статье ХУЛИГАНСТВО! А ты лайк поставишь и уже экстремист
— Сталингулаг (@StalinGulag) 30 августа 2017 г.
Last night an ex-senator Jabrailov shot up a hotel room. He was charged with HOOLIGANISM. However, you are an extremist for liking [a social media post]
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny commented on a court’s decision to place travel restrictions on one of his campaign managers:
Ну да, это же не Умар Джабраилов, который всего лишь стрелял в потолок под наркотой. Это координатор штаба Навального в Волгограде. https://t.co/7f9JVxSROI
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) 31 августа 2017 г.
Well, he isn't Jabrailov, who only peppered a ceiling with bullets while high on drugs. He is Navalny’s campaign HQ manager in Volgograd
Parallels were drawn between the cases of Jabrailov and Kirill Serebrennikov, an accomplished theater director, now in pre-trial detention and facing charges of embezzlement and potentially a 10-year prison term. Echo of Moscow, an opposition radio station, posted on its Facebook page a comparison chart titled “Jabrailov VS Serebrennikov”:
Comparison chart highlighting the unequal legal treatment of Umar Jabrailov, a well-connected businessman who shot up a hotel room, and Kirill Serebrennikov, an accomplished theater director facing embezzlement charges. Shared on the Echo of Moscow Facebook page.
Translated, it reads:
Jabrailov: shoot up a hotel — DONE. Leave some “white powder” in your room — DONE. Get slapped on the wrist with travel restrictions — DONE.
Serebrennikov: Become a globally renowned director — DONE. Stage a play — DONE. Get arrested — DONE
Some critics also highlighted the fact that Jabrailov is from Chechnya, a republic in the Northern Caucasus region of Russia where Muslim separatists fought two bloody wars against the Russian army. Now the republic is under the control of vocal, ultra-loyalist strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Critics have accused Kadyrov of numerous human rights abuses and effectively turning the republic into a de-facto independent fiefdom where Moscow law enforcement officers dare not tread. Therefore, the criticism goes, Jabrailov is Kadyrov’s fellow Chechen and a longtime ally, so he is just as above the law.
Others, like Konstantin von Eggert, a political expert writing for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s website, said that Jabrailov’s hotel “incident” was a sign of larger trend: Russian elites’ detachment from society and their unaccountability, both fatal for Russia:
Если вам нужна была моментальная фотография страны, медленно сползающей в пугающую неизвестность, и ослепшей элиты, переставшей понимать собственный народ и совершающей медленное самоубийство, то вот она.
If you're looking for a snapshot of a country slipping into terrifying uncertainty, and its blind elites, out of touch with their own people and committing slow suicide, here’s one.
Umar Jabrailov ran for president of Russia in 2000, competing against Vladimir Putin. He was nominated by a youth movement called “The Power of the Mind.” Photo from Sergey Polyakov's Facebook, with author's permission
Jabrailov achieved some political notoriety in 2000 when he ran for president, competing against Vladimir Putin and a number of other Russian political heavyweights. He came last with 0.10 percent of the popular vote.
Today, Jabrailov is accomplished businessman known as an enthusiastic patron of arts — and a steady generator of controversy. He was involved in one of the first Russian-American joint ventures that ran a luxury hotel in Moscow. His American business partner Paul Tatum was brutally assassinated in 1996 after a string of disagreements with Jabrailov, but the latter’s involvement has never been proven.
His career in post-Soviet Russia has also seen a number of other conflicts involving his armed guards and, lately, heading Avanti, an “entrepreneurs’ association for promotion of patriotism in business”.
The daughter of Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov worked for that association. Immediately after Jabrailov’s detention, Elizaveta Peskova announced her resignation, and her father was forced to publicly deny Elizaveta’s connection to Jabrailov.

author: Alexey Kovalev


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The Complicated Morality of a Mixed Martial Arts Fight Club for Impoverished Chinese Boys · Global Voices
Jimmy Wu

An adolescent was forced to sign a document ending his training at a fight club and sent back home. Screen capture from Beijing News video.
A video of underprivileged adolescent mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters duking it out in a ring, with a large crowd cheering them on, recently went viral on the Chinese web, triggering widespread debate about the morality of recruiting vulnerable children to take part in a violent sport.
In response, government officials — seemingly to save face — yanked some of the children from the club without prior warning, leaving the boys in tears and Chinese netizens worrying about the young ones’ futures.
The original report, entitled “MMA orphans: If you don’t fight, then you can go back home and eat potatoes,” was produced by online media outlet Pear Video. It shows a number of boys between the ages of 12 and 14 fighting. Some of their faces are bloodied.
They belong to EnBo Fight Club in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, founded by a man named En Bo, who used to serve in the Chinese Armed Police Force and won two championships in a district army fighting match.
The video reports that EnBo Fight Club takes in about 400 children of the Yi people, an ethnic minority from Liang Shan Autonomous Prefecture. Rates of drug abuse, HIV and poverty are high in the region. Most of the EnBo children have lost either one or both of their parents, and would have to work hard labor at home.
In the club, they eat foods that might not otherwise be available to them, like beef and eggs. One of the employees from EnBo mentions that the children earn some money from their commercial fights; the money is managed by the club and is given to the children when they need it.
One of the children says that even though the training is hard sometimes, life in the club is much better than back in his hometown. His ultimate dream is to win the UFC (Unlimited Fighting Championship), which comes with a gold belt.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, EnBo Fight Club came under fire after the video report went viral. Chinese netizens furiously debated the ethics of an MMA fighting club for vulnerable boys:
十几岁就这样强训练的格斗以后身体会吃不消吧
Starting such intense fight training when they are only adolescents will probably cause permanent damage to their bodies in the future.
这也是一条很好的出路，比起在大山里长大在出社会好多了！
This is also a good way out to a brighter future, much better than growing up deep in the mountains and then trying to go to the city.
让小孩训练了参加地下格斗比赛，边上一帮人下注或者欢呼叫做正确的人生道路么？我的天。
Letting the kids be trained to participate in underground combat and to entertain the gamblers, this is the right path? My god!
为什么从小打乒乓、练体操、打篮球就不会被冠以没出路之名，练格斗就成了没梦想、只会打架斗殴、未来的社会隐患？
How comes starting young in ping pong, gymnastics, or basketball aren’t considered bad for your future, but training to be a fighter is believed to lead to no future, that it can only teach physical fighting and become a hidden danger for society?
Following the attention, on August 17 local authorities from Liang Shan county in Sichuan province stepped in. They pulled some of the children from the club, took them back home, encouraged them to focus on their studies, and promised 748 yuan per month (112 US dollars) as a monthly stipend for those living in extreme poverty.
But club founder En Bo wasn't hosting and training the children without the government's knowledge. He says some government officials from Liang Shan contacted him and sent him the first batch of students. Later more arrangements of the same nature were made.
Some of the criticism centered on the children being deprived of the opportunity to receive China's nine-year compulsory education. En Bo explained to Beijing News that he tried to enroll the boys in schools in Chengdu, but was asked to pay 30,000-50,000 yuan (about 4,500-7,500 US dollars) per child for fixing their local residential permits. Eventually, he decided to start his own night school in the club by hiring four part-time tutors to teach Chinese and math.
During the interview, the fight club founder choked up when talking about the children having to leave. Below is the full video report of their last day in the club:
Beijing News interviewed a number of the boys, who were in tears when they learned it would be their last day. The video showed children being forcibly dragged away from the club, triggering another heated online debate, but this time, public morality and local government authorities were the subject of scrutiny:
这是我今年看到的最心酸的视频！以“善”的名义集体作恶的结局！
This is the saddest video I’ve seen this year! An outcome of collective vice in the name of “kindness”!
你父母吸毒、赌博，要么死了要么人间蒸发，你在老家大山里饱一顿饿一顿。突然有一天，大城市一流运动俱乐部收留了你，不收培训费，还供你吃穿，老板送耐克鞋给你，让世界冠军给你当教练，你在这里有了师傅，有了朋友，有了自信……突然，一切又结束了，你得重新回山里去。——换我可能会自杀
[Imagine] your parents are drug addicts, gamblers or have vanished. In the mountains, you are always starving. One day, a top-level sports club in the city takes you in without asking you for a training fee. It gives you food and Nike sport shoes, provides you with the world's top trainers. You have teachers and friends and have developed a sense of confidence… suddenly, everything ends and you have to return to the mountains. If I were in that situation, I might kill myself.
敬佩恩波，伟大的梦想制造者。
Admire En Bo, a great dream creator.
政府脸面有孩子们重要吗
Is the government’s face more important than the kids?
你们把孩子强制带走时，问过孩子的想法吗？你们只不过是把自己的欲望加到孩子身上，还认为理所就当。
When you forcefully took the kids away, did you consider what they think? You are just putting your own desire above the kids, and believe that it’s the right thing to do.
恩波要利用这次机会更好地给自己做个宣传，对的路一定要走下去！格斗运动也是一项特别好的运动项目！加油！
En Bo should use this opportunity to advertise the fight club, if it’s the right road you should keep going! MMA is a very good sport!
Discussions will surely continue, and we can only wish the children all the best in their future.

author: Jimmy Wu


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55 Years After Cutting Ties With Great Britain, Is Trinidad and Tobago Independent or “In Dependence”? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Image of a postage stamp displaying the Trinidad Hilton Hotel and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the year (1962) of Trinidad and Tobago's independence from Great Britain. Photo by Mark Morgan, CC BY 2.0.
On August 31, 2017, Trinidad and Tobago celebrated its 55th anniversary of independence from Great Britain. Social media channels were full of the usual celebratory messages, but also commentary on the meaning of the event.
The day had hardly begun when Facebook users began sharing “a short essay on the state of our Independence”:
Outside of a few sporting and artistic achievements, some internationally recognized local cuisines, some good rum of course, a handful of beauty pageant titles, and a couple of regionally powerful privately owned conglomerates, the slap in the face reality is that after 55 years of independence, this nation has little else it can boast of achieving on an international scale that was not imported, built by or managed by foreigners [who] returned to reclaim everything our independence was meant to give us. […]
They now again own, manage and control every major aspect of our lives, our finance, economy and future, so I really don’t know what 55 years of independence achieved.
Facebook user Tyehimba Salandy expressed similar concerns:
Myths of In Dependence: Eric Williams [Trinidad and Tobago's first prime minister] is not the father of the nation […] the national coat of arms glorifies Christopher Columbus, genocide and colonialism. Can we really celebrate and feel happy about all of this? In the words of Ramon Grosfoguel: ‘One of the most powerful myths of the twentieth century was the notion that the elimination of colonial administrations amounted to decolonisation of the world. The heterogeneous and multiple global structures put in place over a period of 450 years did not evaporate with the juridical-political decolonisation of the periphery over the past 50 years.’ Of course, we can still celebrate those who worked hard towards better, and contributed their blood, sweat and tears for this nation. Unfortunately much of them remains faceless, nameless, unknown or forgotten.
While many netizens acknowledged that the country has its share of challenges, others took heart from the many aspects of the country worthy of celebration. Kathryn Stollmeyer-Wight shared the musings of one of her friends, Stephanie Garcia-Plummer:
Yuh go to NAPA [National Academy of the Performing Arts] to hear the young people […] play pan and yuh feel like yuh went to heaven without even bothering to die. […] Yuh go to the bank and see faces of every kind and colour. Yuh know a single mother who took in ironing for a living and her son is now a ‘big pappy lawyer’. You and your friends volunteer in various organizations and yuh don't sleep well at first because yuh can't help all the children and yuh want to take some home with you. Yes you are very aware that there many problems. High crime situation, inept politicians, ineffective policing, terrible roads inefficient health care ad nauseum ad infinitum. We know we are a third world country. We do need to hold our politicians accountable. […] Become more responsible citizens in every walk of life. Hopefully all is not lost. […]
Let us endeavor to do better, use our resources wisely, make good use of the many dozens of NGOs operating on this little island. What have you done lately to help? If you are not part of the solution you may be part of the problem.
Happy and safe independence to all.
Corey Gilkes, writing at Wired868, also got in on the discussion:
You, the Independence Generation and the children and grandchildren you sired—including me—are you happy with how things turned out?
I’ll rephrase: Yuh own up yet to the shit yuh do? Have you acknowledged yet that the more you’ve tried to bend up this country like a kurma trying to fit it into Western colonial notions of modernity, the deeper we’ve sunk into the faecal pool the British (un)consciously left behind? […]
The root of many of our problems is a near religious refusal to believe we can do better, deserve better and can accomplish things bigger, older countries may want to emulate. Forget foreign recognition and validation, we’ve got that over and over; it made no difference.
Learned self-contempt is exactly that, learned! It is acquired, installed through a system of schooling and churching informed by deeply racist, pseudo-scientific ideas and clever divide-and-rule measures an elite minority needed to keep in place.
Harsh words, you might think, but truths which must be spoken.
Like Garcia-Plummer, though, he too thought there was hope:
We have almost all the models we need right here; we have most of the solutions that will move us up to a different level. It’s all there in the heads of our grandparents who could barely read or write; it’s there in the civilisations that our ancestors came from which we have been taught to scorn.
What we lack is the self-confidence to tap into it…
Independence Fireworks (Port of Spain, Trinidad). Photo by C*POP and uploaded by Georgia Popplewell, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
In that vein, many Facebook users were appalled at the choice of music that accompanied the national television coverage of the Independence Day fireworks display. Peter Samuel mused:
55 YEARS of INDEPENDENCE and they could not find anything local to play… SMDH…. Big FAT steupsss.
A “steups” is a noise that Trinbagonians make by sucking air through their teeth, usually to express annoyance or disapproval.
Curiously, an event that would typically unite both sides of the political divide caused further alienation when a news report alleged that for the second year running, Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other members of the opposition bench failed to attend the traditional Independence Day parade.
Facebook user Hyacinth Bovell commented:
Thought that this was a NATIONAL CELEBRATION.
Rhoda Bharath was less diplomatic:
Public Facebook status update by Rhoda Bharath, which reads: “So the Opposition really ducked Independence celebrations? For real? In 2017? Happy 55th, TnT.”
Images of unity were still shared, however, most notably those by photographer Maria Nunes, who regularly chronicles national events and festivals:
Independence Pan on Tragarete Road, hosted by Newtown Playboyz. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
Scenes from Newtown Playboyz Independence Pan event. Photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.
The 55th anniversary was viewed through many different lenses. In typical style, many injected humour into the mix, thanks to a meme showing a classic shot of Dr. Eric Williams, one of the engineers of Trinidad and Tobago's independence and the country's first prime minister, with members of The Beatles—except that this version surreptitiously snuck in the figure of Cedric Burke, an “alleged criminal” whose presence at a government minister's recent swearing-in caused a social media outcry, resulting in the ministerial appointment being revoked.
Rhoda Bharath, who shared the meme on Twitter, commented:
Meme, extensively shared on social media. Caption reads: Dr. Eric Williams liming with John Lennon and Ringo Starr of The Beatles. [1966 film photography]”
Eric shoulda never give all yuh Independence!
Who. Did. This?! https://t.co/W9sgiTltsf
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) September 1, 2017
“Trinidad-Tobago gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, and selected the Scarlet Ibis as the symbol for Trinidad and the Rufous-vented Chachalaca for Tobago. Both species are featured on the T-T Coat of Arms.” Photo of a Scarlet Ibis by Len Blumin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Writing at Wired868, Salaah Inniss focused the spotlight on the plight of Trinidad and Tobago's national bird, the Scarlet Ibis, which despite being a protected species, is being poached:
As we approach the 55th anniversary of the attainment of Independence, I think it is appropriate to ask whether national pride is only fit to be, like the national flag, unveiled and unfurled when we are strutting proudly on the international stage. Shouldn’t national pride be something we show off on a daily basis, arguably in everything we say or do?
A retired teacher, Patricia Worrell, lamented the lack of local knowledge by the younger generation:
Just had the ‘pleasure’ of listening to interviews with some young Trini people who were clearly clueless about basic facts about Trinidad and Tobago.
And I was getting more and more angry with them, and disgusted at their basic ignorance about their own country, until I remembered:
These young men and women have all passed through the education system in T&T, which obviously allows our citizens to experience both primary and secondary education, and to emerge with all the bloom of their ignorance about their country upon them.
But as always in these twin islands, hope got the last word. Criminologist Renee Cummings, in a public Facebook post, said:
I remain hopeful that one day soon our collective behaviour as a nation will catch up to the holidays we celebrate. We began the month with Emancipation Day and we end it with Independence Day. How powerful is that! Happy 55 beautiful T&T!

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Papua New Guinea’s Health Minister Accused of Ordering Public Hospitals to Stop Speaking About the Country’s Drug Shortage · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Susa Mama health clinic, Port Moresby General Hospital, PNG. Source: Flickr.  Photo taken by Ness Kerton for AusAID. Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Health has issued a circular ordering the staff and officials of public hospitals to stop speaking to the media about matters pertaining to the country’s health system.
Various groups denounced the circular as a “gag order” on public servants who had been speaking out about the shortage of medical supplies in hospitals. But the minister clarified that it was only meant to protect public safety and that health personnel continue to have the right to freely express their views.
On August 15, Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Sir Puka Temu signed circular number 66/2017, which instructed health personnel to refrain from issuing unofficial statements to the media:
It has been noted recently that certain information on Health matters have been released in the media by certain health institution personnel that has distorted and created fear and confusion in the community and has been reported out of proportion without careful thought and sufficient evidence.
I now instruct and direct that no individual health worker or chief executive officer or management and boards at all levels shall provide any information of health matters and/or issues, to any means of media.
The circular, which was uploaded on social media and quickly went viral, mentioned that only the Office of the Minister can release information about the health system.
Anti-corruption group Transparency International Papua New Guinea said the circular “gags public servants”. It added:
This directive stifles public discourse, violates values enshrined in our National Constitution, and creates an environment of fear when frank discussion is most needed.
Health professionals and other civil servants need protection when they raise issues of national concern.
Sam Yockopua, the secretary of Papua New Guinea's Doctor's Association, defended the right of doctors and health workers to speak out on issues that need to be discussed in public:
I must make it very, very clear, that if we run short of medicines, we will continue making noise, irrespective of the ministerial orders in place. It will not stop us because if we wait for them (the government) it's going to take years and years and the patients will die. We will not wait for them. We will continue to make noise. We will continue to talk.
The shortage of drugs in public hospitals is reportedly being caused by a lack of funds and administrative inefficiency.
Responding to criticism, Sir Puka clarified that his office merely wants “to be consistent with its messaging to avoid fear and confusion in the community, especially on sensitive issues like the shortage of medical supplies”:
In every organisation, public or private, the head of the organisation is normally the official spokesperson.
The minister also emphasized that he has an “open door policy”, which means that health personnel can speak about practices and that there’s a mechanism to gather feedback from hospital workers and officials.
The minister added that the new government plans to develop a two-year procurement program to address the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.


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Syrians in a Besieged Town Are Learning to Grow Mushrooms to Survive · Global Voices
Mustapha Itani

Screenshot from the promotional video. Source: CanDoAction
Since the start of the 2011 Syrian revolution and subsequent civil war, many cities around Syria fell victim to harsh sieges and blockades, primarily by forces loyal to the Assad regime.
According to Siege Watch, a joint initiative of peace organization PAX and research institution The Syria Institute, there are about 1 million Syrians currently living under siege in areas of Damascus, Rural Damascus, Homs, Deir Ezzor, and Idlib governorates.
One area hit particularly hard is Eastern Ghouta, where a chemical weapon attack on August 21, 2013 left hundreds of civilians dead. Many governments, international organizations, and the Syrian opposition conclude — based on investigations by the United Nations and other human rights groups — that the massacre was perpetrated by the Assad regime.
This part of rebel-held Syria right outside of Damascus has been under siege since 2013, leaving residents to rely on food produced locally or smuggled in through tunnels or across checkpoints.
Years of regime blockade have put traditional staples like meat far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. In response, a group of Syrian humanitarians and academics are educating residents of Eastern Ghouta to cultivate their own mushrooms “as a lifesaving source of food.”
They call themselves Ghiras Al Nahda and the project is in coordination with another local NGO called the Adala Foundation.
Mushrooms are not among common crops in Syria, and are rarely featured in local cuisine, but their relative benefits have made them an appealing source of food for many in besieged Eastern Ghouta.
The project's director, Abu Nabil, told news agency AFP:
We turned to cultivating mushrooms because they're a food that has high nutritional value, similar to meat, and can be grown inside houses and basements.
Speaking to Global Voices, one of the organizers, Dr. Ahmed Leila, said they have been struggling to make this project known for the past three years and expressed relief at it “finally seeing the light”.
They have been using the humanitarian crowdfunding platform CanDo, in coordination with the NGO Ghiras Al-Nahda, to raise funds for their initiative. Dr. Leila told Global Voices that the project plans to teach 125 families to grow mushrooms.
At the time of writing, they had reached over 100% of their expected goal of approximately 14,800 US dollars, but will continue to receive donations on CanDo until Monday, September 4, 2017.
This endeavor relies on generators to maintain temperatures stable at 25 degrees and the humidity in the air at 80%. Because of short supplies of fuel, these generators are fed with a locally produced fuel that is extracted from plastic.
Dr. Leila told Global Voices that they started by “producing seeds from mushrooms that grow naturally in the region” before examining them and assessing their quality and suitability to be consumed.
They then built a small mushroom farm in a tub, and when this worked, they moved on to a bigger tub, and so on. Now, they have “designed an educational farm for the region”.
Since the start of this project, and over a period of three months, they have distributed mushrooms across Eastern Ghouta free of charge.
Dr. Leila explained that it's part of a wider movement to educate. “We work to teach people how to grow mushrooms for several reasons”:
1- Breaking the Siege.
2- Providing a new food source on the market.
3- Spreading the culture of self-sustenance by benefiting from the remains at homes (like paper, tea, coffee ground, carton etc) and convert it to food.
4- Employing more of the labour force, especially women working from home.
5- Employing those with specia needs who are restricted to their homes.
He added that they're hoping to “spread this idea to the world so that they know our success as well as our struggle with hunger and the siege. We want our experience to inspire other trouble regions so that we can help humankind.”

author: Mustapha Itani


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Offbeat ‘Objets d’Art’ Are Rather Commonplace in Japan · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

“Narita hot dog dude” by Flickr user Joi Ito. Image license: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
A blogger by the name of bluebluelucky at the Japanese curation site Naver Matome, has collected some of Japan's strangest “objets d'art” from social media users all around the country. The highlighted pieces are essentially large sculptures that are not quite art and have no apparent purpose, according to bluebluelucky:
町を歩いていると、特に公園などでたまに変なオブジェを見かけるのですが、あれは誰のため、何のためにあるのでしょうか…？　考えているうちにまとめてしまいました。まとめた後も、わかりませんでした…。
When walking around town, especially in parks and playgrounds, you often see strange ‘objets d'art’. Wondering who and what are they for, I gathered some images together, although I am still not sure of the answer.
The sculptures are typically puzzling, often weird, and sometimes even a little menacing:
みんなの遠足ログ♫　【川口運動公園】竹を噛み砕いている外見がとてもホラーなパンダ。新潟中越沖大地震の影響で来園者数が大幅に減っていたが、テレビでこのパンダが紹介されてから見に来る方々が増えたそうだ。　投稿者：おざわ隊長 pic.twitter.com/yZ0YEItL5i
— 終末オトナ遠足 (@otonapicnic) May 20, 2016
Here's a report from our field trip ♫: (Kawaguchi Athletic Park) The panda chewing on bamboo is a horrible sight. While not as many people have come to see this panda as a result of the 2007 Niigata earthquake, thanks to a TV show that introduced this panda, more and more people are coming to see it (again).
This particular sculpture (apparently a pump for a well) is supposed to resemble Doraemon, Japan's most beloved anime character, but, as is typical with playground sculptures in Japan, there's something a little off:
色々とヤバい、地元の公園にあるオブジェ(?) pic.twitter.com/y4J2RzbI6j
— Tee (@yukiguniTH) March 16, 2016
There are a lot of things wrong with this objet d'art (?) at the local park.
Odd-looking animals are not at all unusual in Japan's parks and playgrounds:
近所の公園のライオンのオブジェから狂気を感じる件 pic.twitter.com/T6RPe884qc
— もっきゅ?? (@mokkyu09) July 2, 2014
This lion at the local park is totally nuts!
公園ってたまに狂気しか感じない遊具とかオブジェがあるよね！
こっち見んな☆ pic.twitter.com/Up4OJHCsuD
— リンさん (@mastigiaspapua4) April 6, 2016
Sometimes there is some pretty crazy playground equipment and objets d'art at the park!
Rural tourist attractions in Japan can also harbor some very odd (and some might say creepy) statuary:
【宮崎・みやまどり苑】生駒高原のすぐそばにある日本一猪料理店。日本一怪しい公園・ダルマの里を経営していた人物が以前は運営していたためか、店の外にはひょっとこ親子や巨大なヤマトタケル像、イノシシ像等、ややくたびれた感のある像が立ち並ぶ pic.twitter.com/M0gn6JWxvU
— B面 （B級スポット・珍スポットガイド） (@bii_men) May 9, 2016
Miyamidori Park, Miyazaki: Quite close to Ikoma Highlands there's Japan's best wild boar restaurant. There's also Japan's spookiest public park. I'm not sure if it's from the person who ran the park in the past, but outside the restaurant there's a statue of a mother and child *and* a giant statue of Prince Osu, plus a statue of a wild boar. The statues are all kind of weather-beaten, too.
みやまどり苑に立ち寄った。
もともとはもう閉鎖した日本一怪しい公園のオブジェだったらしいです。
日本一怪しい公園行きたかったな〜 pic.twitter.com/XZ3oXdmicO
— しらたきめんのスープ (@ccbbbc) May 1, 2016
Found in Miyamidori Park. This used to be in Japan's spookiest park which is now closed. Man, I wanted to go to that park.
愛媛県北宇和郡鬼北町の鬼の銅像ですっ！
テレビで見たことあったけど、実際に見るとめっちゃ迫力あるw
鬼の肩に乗っているのは、キジです。 pic.twitter.com/GOIjgRIeY1
— ねね (@mofu_wa) May 1, 2016
This is a bronze stature found in Oni (ogre)-Kita township, in Uwa, Ehime Prefecture! While I've seen it on television, up close it's really impressive, lol. A pheasant is perched on the ogre's shoulder.
Other objets d'art are good examples of the whimsy that can be so much a part of Japanese culture:
静かな狂気を感じる公園のオブジェ#taipei https://t.co/w7lnPi5FYf pic.twitter.com/JlFTiTi607
— 鈴木マイ (@mai_siesta) April 16, 2016
An objet d'art that evokes a quiet feeling of madness.
Some, however, are just strange.
岐阜の土岐プレミアムアウトレット行った。近くに奇妙なオブジェがあって思わずぱしゃり。タイトルは「KAGUYA-SYSTEM」怖い。 pic.twitter.com/zG5M8sRGnV
— シャカイフテキゴー@TRAGICS (@_BREEEEZE_) May 24, 2015
I went to Toki Premium Outlet Mall in Gifu Prefecture. There's a strange objet d'art nearby that I could not resist taking a picture of. It's called KAGUYA-SYSTEM. It gives me the creeps.
In fact, many visitors to Japan have likely encountered the country's most famous objet d'art, otherwise known as “the hot dog guy”:
成田空港でみかけた狂気を感じるオブジェ貼っておくね。 pic.twitter.com/2DzuuTxsR9
— ぺち太 (@plamizo_pechita) March 16, 2014
There is a really unsettling objet d'art in the arrivals hall of Narita Interational Airport (outside of Tokyo).
Check out even more unusual Japanese objets d'art at Naver Matome.


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Starbucks Opening in Turkmenistan Is Fake News · Global Voices
Eurasianet

Atvatan Turkmenistan reports on the Starbucks that isn't. Screenshot of website.
The following is a partner post from EurasiaNet.org. Republished with permission.
In a plush shopping center in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, a brand new cafe bearing the name “Starbucks” has sent tongues wagging with its authentic-seeming decor and 15-manat Frappuccinos .
Predictably, however, it isn’t the real deal.
Social media was briefly stirred by the revelation that a Starbucks had sprung up in a mall that was opened by autocrat ruler Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov with great fanfare last year.
A Turkmenistan-focused news website provided a photo of the cafe — parked in a leafy corner of the the white-marble-dominated Bagtyyarlik mall — unambigiously bearing the Seattle-based company's logos and look.
Armenia’s ambassador to Turkmenistan also took a snap, hailing it as the advent of globalization in the country viewed as one of the world’s most isolated.
Alas, Starbucks told EurasiaNet.org that it had nothing to do with the global retail chain.
“I can confirm that we do not have a store in Turkmenistan,” Starbucks corporate communications director Jaime Riley wrote in emailed comments.
The store also fails to appear on Starbucks’ store locator app, which tracks 24,000 stores in 70 different countries. (The company does have a strong presence in neighboring Kazakhstan).
At the fake “Starbucks” cafe, a “grande” cappuccino costs 12.50 manats, more then twice its average cost in other trendy Ashgabat cafes.
While that equals more than $3.40 at the manat’s official rate with the dollar, it is worth noting that the dollar is fetching more than 6 manats on the black market.
The country’s current economic crisis, brought on by sagging global prices for energy commodities, has led to a sharp spike in the price of imported goods. So depending on the type of coffee and other products the would-be-Starbucks is bringing in, prices at the till might just reflect the weakened purchasing power of the local currency.
International trademarks are often abused in ex-Soviet Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, a restaurant using the TGI Friday's brand name closed in 2014 after receiving a threatening letter from the US restaurant chain. The same city boasts a Whatsapp cafe and a Burger Kiиg, which deserves credit for its innovative use of Cyrillic to obfuscate a clear violation of copyright.
Turkmenistan is a signatory to the Berne convention , which protects copyright to some degree. But unlike Kyrgyzstan, it is not a member of the World Trade Organization, which treats intellectual property very seriously.
What is most interesting in the Turkmen case is the ownership of the cafe in question.
Given that Berdymukhamedov was at the opening ceremony for the Bagtyyarlik mall, it is clearly an site of some economic prominence. Moreover, few businessmen can make hay in the closed-off country without patronage from the state, prompting the question of who might be acting as political cover for the cafe.
The would-be-Starbucks opened ahead of the 2017 Asian Martial Arts and Indoor Games, which Turkmenistan hosts later this month. Unfortunately, the ersatz Starbucks does not appear to be especially close to the ersatz Olympic Village built for the games, so coffee-loving sports fans will have some way to schlepp for an ersatz Seattle coffee bar experience.

author: Eurasianet