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Impunity Prevails over State of Law in Guinea · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Guinea was the first French colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence in 1958. From September 1958 until April 1984, a power that is described as revolutionary transformed the country into a huge open-air prison, arresting, torturing, imprisoning and killing innocent people. In 2010, Alpha Condé, a law professor, came to power following elections that were marred by violence from security forces and ethnic clashes.
A History of Impunity
Prof. Tierno Siradiou Bah, Guinean historian and executive director of the Camp Boiro Internet Memorial, wrote on his blog:
Arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, fake trials, and executions became a routine. Military barracks turned into detention centers and killing grounds. Thousands of political prisoners disappeared there. The country itself became a global prison. Everyone was a potential target of the ‘revolutionary’ secret police, including children and the elderly. The terror peaked in 1976. Then, in a series of provocative and self-destructive speeches, Sekou Touré incited to ethnic warfare and genocide against the main ethnic group: the Fulɓe [fr].
Located in the center of Conakry, the Camp Boiro National Guard Barracks was the epicenter of the Guinean Gulag. It is estimated that more than 50,000 political prisoners disappeared there. The purges targeted the country's brightest minds but also the entrepreneurs, the unions leaders, women…
The army in Guinea via Abdoulaye Bah's article from October 2, 2011 (CC-license-NC-2.0)
From Sékou Touré to Today
Since his death, other dictators have ruled the country. They also subjected civilians to extrajudicial violence under different pretexts: union or student demonstrations, revolts by women against miserable conditions and living costs, etc.
In 2011, ACAT France [Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture] together with numerous militant Guinean human rights organisations carried out an investigation across the country and published a study on the torturer phenomenon in Guinea called “Torture: Force is Law”. Following this inquiry, ACAT France launched an online petition, “Guinea: Stop the Torture” [fr], addressed to President Alpha Condé, which comes to an end on December 31. It reads [fr]:
[…] la torture reste une pratique courante dans le pays, que ce soit à l’encontre de détenus de droit commun, à l’occasion de répressions de manifestations ou pour sanctionner les militaires suspectés de sédition. Dans un contexte politique qui reste tendu, les autorités feront-elles le choix de rétablir l’état de droit ou de laisser prévaloir l’impunité ?
[…] torture remains a common practice in the country, whether against common law prisoners, whilst controlling demonstrations or punishing soldiers suspected of sedition. In a political situation which remains tense, will the authorities choose to restore the rule of law or will they allow impunity to prevail?
The most notorious example of this violence, which has attracted international attention, are the massacres that took place on September 28, 2009, and the following days. Amnesty International details the facts [fr] on its website:
Le 28 septembre 2009, les forces de sécurité guinéennes avaient abattu plus de 150 manifestants non armés durant un rassemblement de l’opposition dans ce même stade. Plus de 40 femmes avaient été violées en public, au moins 1 500 personnes avaient été blessées et beaucoup d’autres avaient disparu.
On September 28, 2009, the Guinean security forces had killed more than 150 unarmed protesters during an opposition rally. More than 40 woman were raped in public, at least 1,500 people were injured, and many others disappeared.
Nathalie Zajde, a lecturer at the Université de Paris VIII and responsible for the psycho-social unit in the Mother and Baby Centre in Conakry, wrote [fr] on lemonde.fr, a French daily newspaper's website, on the second anniversary of the September 28 massacres:
Je ne sais si Mme Nafissatou Diallo a été ou non victime de violences sexuelles à l'hôtel Sofitel de New York en mai. En revanche, je sais, et nous sommes très nombreux à en avoir les preuves, que plus de 100 femmes guinéennes, dont une majorité de Peules, ont été le 28 septembre 2009 et les jours qui ont suivi, victimes de viols atroces et de tortures commis par des militaires, gendarmes et responsables politiques guinéens dont certains clairement identifiés, et qu'à ce jour, exactement deux ans après les terribles événements, aucun n'a été arrêté, ni même convoqué par des juges.
I do not know if Ms. Nafissatou Diallo [fr] was a victim of sexual violence in the hotel Sofitel New York [fr] in May. But I do know, and there are many of us who have proof, that more than 100 Guinean women, most of them Fulani, were, on September 28, 2009, and the following days, victims of rape and torture carried out by Guinean soldiers, policemen and politicians, some clearly identified, and that to this day, exactly two years after those awful events, not one person has been arrested or tried by judges.
Impunity still Rampant Today
The United Nations and the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) have each sent an inquiry mission to Guinea to evaluate the extent of the violence and draw up a list of those responsible.
In 2011, HRW wrote:
Personne n’a encore eu à rendre des comptes deux ans après que les forces de sécurité guinéennes eurent abattu des manifestants non armés lors d’un rassemblement de l’opposition à Conakry, la capitale, rappelle aujourd’hui Human Rights Watch. Le gouvernement guinéen doit faire davantage pour s’assurer que justice soit faite pour les victimes du massacre du 28 septembre 2009.
No one has been held to account two years after Guinean security forces gunned down unarmed protesters at an opposition rally in Conakry, the capital, Human Rights Watch said today. The Guinean government needs to do more to ensure justice for victims of the massacre on September 28, 2009.
However, according to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH), the UN's inquiry commission submitted its report to the Security Council in July, 2012, recognising that this was a crime against humanity and calling for referral to the International Criminal Court.
None of the people who controlled the security forces during this violence has been questioned. The OGDH notes [fr]:
Nous assistons impuissants à la promotion de certains présumés auteurs de la barbarie à de hautes fonctions civiles et militaires.
We remain powerless to the promotion of certain alleged perpetrators of this barbarity in high civil and military positions.
Among the soldiers who were in positions of power and were promoted by President Alpha Condé, is Lieutenant Colonel Tiégboro Camara, charged [fr] by the Guinean courts last February and promoted to the post of Secretary General solely in charge of special services, the fight against drugs and organised crime, with the rank of minister.
The last case of violence took place on November 9, 2012, when Ms. Aissatou Boiro was shot after finishing her work investigating a case of high-level corruption. She was going home when armed men blocked her car and shot her in broad daylight. An article on HRW's website says:
Les hommes ont surgi d’un autre véhicule qui s’était arrêté de manière à bloquer la voiture d’Aissatou Boiro et ont tiré deux fois sur leur victime. Les amis et la famille d’Aissatou Boiro ont rapporté qu’elle avait reçu des menaces de mort […]
The men got out of another car that had been positioned to block Aissatou Boiro's car and they shot their victim twice. Boiro's family and friends have confirmed that she had received death threats […]
Her colleagues told HRW that she was investigating a suspected embezzlement of more than 13 million Guinean francs of public money (1.8 million US dollars).

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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In Russia, Fake News Sounds Real · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

RuNet Echo has on many occasions made note of the somewhat sequestered nature of the Russian internet, as well as the fact that many RuNet online media developments parallel anglophone counterparts. Now it seems there is one more website that can join Lurkmore, VKontakte, and Yandex in the ranks of such examples. This site is called FogNews [ru], and it has surreptitiously invaded the Russian blogosphere over the past year.
Fognews is the Russian version of The Onion. Many anglophone internet users are no doubt familiar with this satirical fake-news organization. Although most people know better than to take The Onion's pieces seriously, sometimes the satire strikes a little too close to home — such was the case recently when a Chinese newspaper took at face value an article declaring Kim Jung Un the “sexiest man alive.” In some ways, it's people taking such stories seriously that provides the most entertainment.
FogNews homepage. The main story reads: “NATO invades parallel worlds.” Screenshot, November 28, 2012.
Founded in the winter of 2012, FogNews comes complete with a hammer and sickle favicon, and has already managed to repeat some of The Onion's high points. First, there was an April article that announced Vladimir Putin's wife's pregnancy [ru], citing a radio interview. The news seemed plausible, since Liudmila Putina had been increasingly absent from the public eye in the months running up to the March 2012 presidential election.
This is probably why the satirical nature of the article and the website it was published on flew under the radar. The Moscow Times (published in English) referred to FogNews as an “an obscure news portal” which “published a report.” Article commenters were earnest in their their well wishes for Liudmila and hate of Vladimir. Noted Russian feminist Maria Arabatova blogged [ru]:
Молодец! Уважаю! […] Всех желающих слить политическую агрессию на женщину, решившую забеременеть в таком возрасте, имея в анамнезе тяжелейшую аварию с переломом основания черепа, модерировать буду безжалостно.
Well done! Respect! […] Anyone who wants to take out their political aggression on a woman who decided to get pregnant at such an age, given medical history of a fractured skull due to a serious accident, I will moderate pitilessly.
Needless to say, the news was patently fake. Since then, the cycle has repeated several times. Fake story is picked up by news sources that don't know any better and gullible bloggers disseminate it through sheer wishful thinking.
Such was the recent story [ru] that the venerable TV personality Vladimir Posner is emigrating from Russia, as a result of a media spat with a United Russia MP. In a fake quote reported in the story, Posner calls his detractors “monkeys” and refuses to live in the same country as them. The story was picked up [ru] by one of Russia's top bloggers, Natalia Radulova, who took it seriously until someone pointed out it was fake in the comments. Radulova used the “news” to make a larger point about a trend of people leaving Russia. Vladimir Posner, with his French citizenship, certainly fit the bill.
Another story [ru], this one reporting on new legislation that would force any blogger with over 1,000 readers to register for a mass media license, was picked up by at least three news outlets and managed to freak out a great deal of bloggers, according to Lenta.ru [ru]. Even though the Ministry of Communications came out with a statement [ru] disavowing the news, it is still up uncorrected on two [ru] of the sources [ru] that originally used it.
Perhaps the most evocative prank [ru] came in August, at the height of the Pussy Riot trial. According to FogNews the famous Russian conductor Valery Gergiev paused his performance in London to deliver a scathing speech about Russian politics. The story came with the speech, and managed to fool quite a few people, including gossip columnist and controversial blogger Bozhena Rynska [ru]:
Сама речь, написанная якобы от лица Гергиева, была потрясающей. И я, не разобравшись, тут же поверила. Надо же, думаю, вот и у Гергиева, который кормился от власти, агитировал за Путина, есть своя точка невозврата. Надо же, какой молодец. […] И страшно зауважала, даже расплакалась. […] Любимый сразу сказал, что это фейк, что не дале, как вчера Гергиев дал лизоблюдское интервью […] Короче, обломалась я и опять заплакала, теперь уже от обиды.
The speech itself, supposedly by Gergiev, was amazing. And without getting to the bottom of it, I immediately believed it. Wow, I thought, even Gergiev, who subsists on the government, campaigned for Putin, has his point of no return. What a guy. […] And I felt tremendous respect, even started crying. […] My beloved said right away that it's a fake, that as recently as yesterday Gergiev gave a lickspittle interview […] In short, I got bummed out and started crying again, but now from resentment.
Stories like this cannot help but breed enemies. There is even a LiveJournal account, whoisfognews [ru], which contains a single post that alleges that FogNews is a pro-Putin publication funded by the government. Whoisfognews claims that the Ministry of Communications database lists FogNews as having been founded by the government. Unfortunately the Ministry does not publish information on permits issued after 2010, so it's not clear where the information comes from. Nevertheless, whoisfognews let's its opinion be known:
Теперь вы понимаете, почему РИА FogNews “прощают” то, за что любую другую газету уже давно бы закрыли […] Теперь вы понимаете, почему на сайте нет рекламы, хотя с их трафиком они могли бы грести деньги лопатой? Зачем нужен FogNews? Ответ очевиден: чтобы люди перестали верить лживым СМИ и учились думать самостоятельно.
Now you understand why RIA FogNews is “forgiven” for things that would result in any other newspaper getting shut down […] Now you understand, why the site has not ads, although with their web-traffic they could be pulling money in hand over fist. What's the purpose of FogNews? The answer is obvious: so that people stop believing the lying mass media, and learn to think for themselves.
Almost as a counter to this argument, the Chechen government is now threatening to sue FogNews [ru] for another plausible fake story. (This one feeds on Russian nationalism: “Chechnya abolishes housing and utility payments.” [ru]) Somehow the news that Ramzan Kadyrov could sue a satirical publication reads like satire in and of itself. Until real stories like this stop appearing, one can expect people to fall for fake ones. In the meantime, if you hear something preposterous-sounding from Russia, take a second to wonder whether it could have originated on the Russian Onion.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Is Meles Zenawi’s Ghost Haunting Ethiopians?  · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

It has been three months since Meles Zenawi, the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, was formally declared dead at the age of 57 after months of speculation as to his whereabouts. However, Meles Zenawi’s ghost shows no sign of loosening its grip over Ethiopians, through his portraits in the streets of Addis Ababa and almost all major cities, towns and rural villages.
As his legacy continues to be discussed in various international mainstream media, Ethiopians have been taking to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to reflect on his legacy.
Discussing unpleasant facts of Zenawi's legacy, Kirubel Teshome wonders why many Ethiopians fail to put Meles Zenawi’s legacy in context on the ground.
Portrait of the late Meles Zenawi at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo courtesy of Endalk, used with permission.
Kirube writes:
I used to wonder about people who bitterly hate Genet Zewde while she was a minister of Education and love Meles, People who hate Bereket Simon and admire Meles, those who detest Ethiopian Television and have kind word for Meles, those who despise Ethiopian Telecom and adore Meles. Now that he is dead and we are told that he has been the thinker and doer of all the undertakings the country does the past two decades, can you at least have the decency to get of them and blame the man who is behind all these degenerations and denounce the legacy he built? If he takes all the praise to himself, should he not be entitled to solely take all the blame as well?
On one of major unpleasant chapters in Zenawi's legacy, Abiye Teklemariam writes:
An Ethiopian court just convicted Bekele Garba, Olbana Lellisa and others of committing acts of terrorism. This is the country we have, this is the country we have! I am sure many of the people who were singing the praises of our late PM immediately after his death doesn’t even know who these people are.
However, some consider Meles Zenawi a visionary leader and believe that his legacy should be maintained. In a Facebook post, Jossy Romanat recounts a conversation he had about the legacy of Meles Zenawi with his friend:
A Sunday conversation between Me and My Friend (MF).
MF: Do you think PM. Meles Zenawi was a great leader?
ME: Yes indeed! He was a great leader and probably the best Ethiopia has seen so far. However, this doesn’t mean he wasn’t irreplaceable, as you always believe.
MF:- If you think PM. Meles was a great leader, do you support the idea of naming different institutions after his name? Like the “renaissance dam” to be named “Meles Zenawi dam” and his image to be featured on the 100 Birr bill ?
ME: – There is no problem with naming things after a great leader at all. For example, I was happy to see that Mekelle University named its new camps in Quiha as “Meles Zenawi Institute of Technology” I also heard the same story from Jigjiga University. And then, it seems many Universities, offices, towns and villages are busy naming whatever thing they have after Meles. It sounds like they are in completion as to who wins the “game” of the day well, and this could go beyond the limit. For example, yesterday I heard that one of the oldest high schools in Tigray (which was named after one of the past Ethiopian heroes) has been changed to “Meles Zenawi high school” – If this is true, it is ridiculous and disrespecting PM. Meles. Besides, don’t we have other local heroes who should be recognized at the local level, at least? Can’t we just give whatever we want for the new ones and keep the old ones as they are. Regarding the renaissance dam, well I believe it is appropriate to name the dam after Meles as it is believed to be one of his ambitious plans and had full energy and commitment for its accomplishment. But then, I fear that this could be against Meles’s belief because when he decided to name the dam “renaissance dam” he probably had a good reason for that. But still completely in support of the idea of “Meles Zenawi Dam”. As to featuring Meles’s image on any of the Ethiopia banknotes/bills, I do not think it is a good idea.
The Ethiopian ruling party, EPRDF, has had to endure an endless censure for using the name and pictures of Meles Zenawi to unite the country under his vision. However, some people feel that the party is abusing the late leader to the maximum.
In an open memo, Kirubel Teshome asks the widow of Meles Zenawi to stop cheap adoration of her dead husband:
Open memo to W/ro Azeb Mesfin: Can you please, please, please, tell the Addis Ababa .A city administration to stop violating the wish of the late PM. You openly told Ethiopians and the world that Meles was not a kind of person that indulges individual fame or cult. You revealed how he would have disliked to see all this images of him being a wall paper of the city. I am sure, by now, you may have noticed how the city administration have been relentless in advancing against his legacy by painting the town with pictures of the late PM. I wonder why they don”t wish to let him have peace at least on his death? It is also against his legacy to see cleaner and greener Addis. Can you please call for the immediate collection of his images from the walls, fences and buildings of Addis? It would be a favor that the people of Addis will not forget!
Since his death, the late prime minister has been praised for the economic growth Ethiopia has claimed to have recorded over the past two decades. By the same token, he has also been criticized for jailing political activists and journalists, using vaguely defined terrorism offenses.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Japan’s Live Streaming Platform to Host Cross Party Talks · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Japan's popular live streaming platform Nico Nico Douga will host cross party talks on November 29, 2012. Niwango, the company that runs Nico Nico Douga invited the presidents of 14 different political parties. At the venue, nicofarre [ja], LED monitors which surrounds 360 degrees will show real-time comments made by online viewers.  The live stream will be available here [ja] at 8 pm Japan Standard Time.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Mauritania: February 25th Movement says “No to Guardianship” of France · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

Mauritania is undergoing a period of great political uncertainty following the evacuation for medical reasons of  President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz after he was shot on October 13, 2012. While Mauritania was preparing for his return, many citizens were left wondering what political role France would play in the current situation. [Ed's note: President Aziz has just returned to Mauritania in a bid to save his administration]
The ambiguous role of France during the 2008 coup
President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was overthrown by a 2008 military coup which saw General Aziz come to power. Vincent Hugueux of L'Express magazine explained that, at the time, France had taken a fairly ambiguous stance towards this coup:
Très vite, la ligne du fait accompli, qu'incarne le secrétaire général de l'Elysée, Claude Guéant, muselle les “légalistes”, partisans de fermes sanctions et du retrait d'Aziz, à défaut d'un retour au statu quo ante que nul ne souhaite vraiment. Pour preuve, la galéjade de Nicolas Sarkozy, qui, le 27 mars, ose prétendre que le pronunciamiento n'aurait suscité aucun désaveu au pays [..] Dès lors, le clan Guéant ne lâchera plus son poulain galonné. Certes, il dissuade celui-ci d'opter pour le passage en force, préconisé par le Libyen Muammar Kadhafi: un simulacre de scrutin, bricolé à la hâte dès le 6 juin.
Mauritanian journalist and blogger Dr Elycheikh Bah Ahhmedtolba explained that, to this day, France plays a predominant role in the political life of Mauritania:
The question of French-dependency exists since the advent of colonization and reached its peak during the so-presumed “independence”, since then there has been a generation living on its rewards. [..] It is our duty as the young generation to, at least, discuss and share ideas about the doubtful positioning of the “Old Political Guardians” within the French negotiation with the military junta about the possibilities of keeping the disappeared Aziz on the top of the state or to push forward another accomplice for the looming war in Northern Mali
The February 25th Movement and the “No to Guardianship” campaign
Young Mauritanians created the February 25th movement to protest against successive military regimes. Ahmed Jedou explained [fr] why this movement clashed with what it calls the “Guardianship of France”:
Nous, Mouvement du 25 février, considérant la régularité de l’ingérence française dans les affaires intérieures mauritaniennes et ses conséquences, particulièrement dans le contexte que vit le pays aujourd’hui, annonçons le lancement d’une campagne de sensibilisation contre la tutelle étrangère. A travers cette campagne, nous voulons faire parvenir aux autorités et à l’opinion publique françaises, les messages suivants : – La détermination de la jeunesse mauritanienne à combattre la dictature de fils du pays et, a fortiori, la tutelle étrangère [..] l’Histoire retiendra ceux qui se seront rangés du côté des aspirations légitimes des peuples et ceux qui se seront ligués contre eux en soutenant les régimes dictatoriaux
Poster for February 25th Movement “No to Guardianship” (“Yes to Partnership”) via Ahmed Jedou used with permission
News website Alakhbar added [fr]:
Le mouvement dit aspirer «malgré le passé colonial, à des relations de confiances avec la France basées sur un partenariat qui sauvegarde les intérêts des deux peuples. Il se dit satisfait de l’annonce de François Hollande à Dakar de la fin de l’ère France-Afrique qui a fait souffert la Mauritanie et contribué à la réussite du coup d’Etat de 2008 du général Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
On twitter the hashtag #NonAlaTutelle [No to Guardianship] was chosen by the campaign to make itself known. Many people reacted on twitter to a recent discussion between French president Francois Hollande and President Aziz on November 20:
“@Sidimedlemin: l'audience aujourd'hui entre Hollande et Aziz montre que nous somme toujours sous la tutelle #NonALaTutelle #France #Mauritanie @Elysee“
A demonstration against French Guardianship, November 21, 2012, Nouakchott, Mauritania, was filmed by  YouTube user jnsrfd [ar]:
The return of President Aziz to Mauritania on November 24 was also, it seems, cheered by a large crowd. YouTube user CricemClaude uploaded a video [ar] of the president's arrival at Nouakchott Airport, Mauritania:
According to the Associated French Press on news website romandie.com [fr]:
Des dizaines de milliers de personnes l'ont ovationné le long des trois kilomètres séparant l'aéroport du palais présidentiel.

author: Rakotomalala


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Mozambican Newspaper Wins Innovation Grant to Develop a “Citizen Desk” · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Global Voices partner in Mozambique, @Verdade newspaper, is one of the winners of the African News Innovation Challenge, ICFJ announced today, November 28, 2012. The innovation grant will be used to implement a “Citizen Desk” in partnership with Sourcefabric: “a tool that allows news organisations to create a mobile-optimised platform for aggregating, verifying, publishing and rewarding citizen journalism”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Peru: “Iquitos needs fast Internet. Help!” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Facebook campaign: “Iquitos needs fast Internet. HELP!” This photo, uploaded by Patricia Vela, has been shared over 600 times on Facebook.
Residents of Iquitos have launched a Facebook [es] and Twitter [es] campaign with the message “Iquitos needs fast Internet. Help!”. Netizens are invited [es] to share a photo with the campaign's message on Facebook, or tweet with the hashtag #SiIquitosTuvieraInternetVeloz [es] (“If Iquitos had fast Internet”). The campaign –which was started by Alan Lozano, an economist from Iquitos– tries to raise awareness about the need to improve the precarious Internet connection [es] available in Iquitos.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Spotlight on China’s ‘Re-education Through Labour’  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Ren Jiayu, a 25-year-old former village official in Chongqing became the focus of the media again after he was released from a labor camp on November 19, 2012 just a few days after the leadership handover at the 18th Party Congress.
Ren was sentenced to two years of “re-education through labour” in August 2011 after he posted messages on microblogs accusing former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai of bringing the Cultural Revolution back to China with his “red songs” campaign. Ren’s case triggered a campaign to end the “re-education through labour” system in Chinese social media.  CCTV English channel even ran a panel discussion on reform of the labor re-education system.
On his release, China’s official media Global Times and People’s Daily published commentaries criticizing the unconstitutional system, calling for more freedom of speech. Global Times called Ren’s release “an essential step toward more freedom of speech”. People’s Daily mentioned that the reform of the “re-education through labor” system is currently under discussion by the government.
Following his release, a CCTV documentary programme ran an interview with Ren Jianyu. During the interview, Ren described how the police arrested him and his life in the labor camp:
Thousands of people are posting complains about the government on microblogs everyday, there’s no reason to arrest me for this. I will not withdraw my lawsuits against the re-education through labor committee, I want them to restore my reputation.
In another interview with Beijing news, Ren explained that his confidence in the reform comes from the 18th Party Congress:
I studied the 18th Party Congress report, I found the fifth chapter particularly relevant to me, it says: Promoting political restructuring, promoting governance in accordance with the rule of law and further establishing and completing a system to monitor and supervise power. I was sent to the labor camp without trial mainly because there was no monitoring system to supervise power.
Screen grab from CCTV documentary programme “face to face” which ran an interview with Ren Jiayu.
News of Ren’s release together with the CCTV interview went viral on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, with over 1,578,125 comments. Netizens wonder if Ren’s release indicates the potential for a more free and just society.
The abolition of the “labor re-education” system?
Commentator Zhu Wei  [zh]wrote:
朱巍：希望这不仅是他“个人的胜利”。希望该案能成为一个转折点，此类有疑问的案件都能很快得到复查，还无辜当事人以自由，对责任方予以追究。同时也希望，任建宇们所付出的代价，能对劳教制度的改革有所推动。
I hope the release is not only his own victory, but also brings the release of other innocent people. Those decision-makers should be responsible for all of these people. I hope that the case will push substantial reform of the system.
Veteran journalist Fu Jianfeng [zh] responded:
傅剑锋1984: 人民日报此文非同一般，第一次看到人民日报批劳教制度，这是废除劳教恶法的前奏吗？希望是！
The piece from the People’s Daily is a break from formality. It’s the first time I’ve seen the People’s Daily criticizing the system. Is this a prelude to the abolishment of this nasty law allowing re-education through labor? I hope it is!
“Zhangwen’s article” echoed [zh]:
章文的文章：习-李-体-制开始，任建宇案会否成为劳-教-制-度-被废的契机呢？我相信，聪明的政治人物一定不会放过这一大好机会。让我们拭目以待吧！
Could the new leadership bring the abolition of the “labor re-education” system? Smart politicians wouldn’t miss this chance, let’s wait and see!
More freedom of speech?
Guole Yudan [zh], lecturer at Nankai University, wrote:
国乐于丹：央视采访任建宇，敢接触比较敏感的时事，可能是新闻工作本色的回归，也可能是因为在重庆重组的时候，百无禁忌。让双方都说话，是一个亮点，新闻媒体不是法官，你做判断，解读，不如把双方观点都呈现给大家。但愿这只是个开始和前奏，而不是昙花一现。
CCTV’s interview with Ren indicates their boldness in reporting sensitive news, which might bring real journalism to China. However, maybe it also has something to do with the current restructuring of Chongqing’s top officials. The dialogue format makes a good platform for the audience themselves to judge and to think. I hope it’s just the beginning of good journalism, not a flash in the pan.
Langlang Jianghu  [zh] echoed:
郎郎江湖: 任建宇居然上了《面对面》，这是个令人欣喜的信号吗？CCTV也有正义的一面，言者无罪的时代真会到来吗？
Ren Jianyu is on CCTV, isn’t it a nice surprise? Looks like CCTV has shown some integrity, is the age of free speech really coming?
Laoma Shitu [zh] was also optimistic:
老马迷途1：近一段,因言获罚的任建宇释放了,说是处理不当;因跪访总理而获拘的农妇释放了,警方道歉;李庄的申诉历经曲折,最高检受理了…这确实让人对新政充满想象与期待。
Ren was released due to an ‘improper charge'; a farmer was released after being arrested for kneeling to visit Prime Minister, and the police apologized; the news makes us full of hope for the new leadership.
While Ren’s release brings joy and hope for most netizens in China, some netizens remain skeptical. Xiaokai wrote:
凯菲教育-小凯：刚看完中午的新闻，关于任建宇的。看样子，他现在又成了一枚棋子。政客太可怕了。
I just saw the news about Ren Jianyu. It looks like he has been ‘harmonized’ by the government, just like a chess piece on the politician’s chess table. How scary!

author: Abby Liu


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Senegal Scam · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

When the top cop gets duped by an internet scam you don't know if to laugh or cry.
Abeni thinks the Police Commissioner “should have done the honourable thing and resigned.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Television Network Telecinco Sues Blogger in Spain · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

*Update: On November 27th, Telecinco announced the withdrawal of its suit against Pablo Herreros. Telecinco/Mediaset’s CEO and Herreros had a meeting and came to an agreement. A joint statement and the blogger’s comments can be read on his blog [es].
You may have heard of Pablo Herreros, the blogger [es] who a few months got sponsors of a television show to pull their advertising until TV executives committed to more ethical behavior. The controversy arose when the show “La Noria,” which airs on the Telecinco network, paid between 9,000 and 10,000 euros to the mother of “El Cuco” [The Kook]—a young man involved in a murder—for a live interview.
Herreros, who has long asked broadcasters to stop doing business with criminals—thus demonstrating that crime can pay quite well—launched a campaign on change.org to ask sponsors to withdraw their advertising
Pablo Herreros: profile photo from his blog, comunicacionsellamaeljuego.com
if the program did not change its approach, and the petition garnered more than 50,000 signatures. One by one, sponsors joined the public outcry, and within weeks “La Noria” had lost all its advertising, at which point it was canceled and stopped airing. In this presentation [es], Herreros himself summarizes what was considered a critical victory for ethics and the will of the people.
Moreover, the Telecinco network—owned by Silvio Berlusconi and specializing in sensationalistic content, reality shows and celebrity news—substituted “La Noria” for “El Gran Debate” [The Great Debate], a program with a more serious tone, and it even seemed that the network wanted to clean up its longtime reputation for vulgarity [es].
But a few days ago came a shocking surprise: after several months of consideration, a judge has decided to allow Telecinco's lawsuit against Pablo Herreros, the blogger who started the movement, to move forward. It has been reported that the network has accused Herreros of threats and coercion. Telecinco is calling for the blogger to be sentenced to three years in prison and fined 3.7 million euros.
As the news broke, social networks mobilized at an unprecedented pace, even for a medium whose main characteristic is speed. Mario Tascón, a journalist and writer, launched a campaign on change.org to ask sponsors to pull advertising from Telecinco until the network withdraws its suit, and collected tens of thousands of signatures within hours. At press time, more than 145,000 people have voiced their support for the petition. The search engine Trivago [es] has already announced that it is suspending its advertising [es] on Telecinco through December.
On Twitter, the hashtags #lavozdePablo [Pablo's voice], #todosconpablo [everyone with Pablo], #conpabloherreros [with Pablo Herreros] and #bravotrivago received thousands of tweets, like these from Jomagaro, Pepo Jiménez, Olga Herrero and Carlos M. Cuasante:
@Jomagaro: @trivago_ES Dejará de anunciarse en @telecincoes El principio del fin de la TV Basura? #lavozdePablo
@Jomagaro: @trivago_ES will stop advertising on @telecincoes The beginning of the end for Trash TV? #lavozdePablo
@kurioso: El ridículo de Tele5 en el caso @PabloHerreros puede ser histórico… ¿Alguien apoya a la tele?… http://chn.ge/Y23gLU
@kurioso: The absurdity of Tele5 in the case of @PabloHerreros could be historic… Anyone supporting the station?… http://chn.ge/Y23gLU
@olgaherrero :País d pandereta, igual se juega una pena superior a la del Cuco RT @mktfan: imputado x caso “La Noria” #todosconPablohttp://mktfan.es/XY7Pa5
@olgaherrero :Stupid country, watch for a worse sentence than El Cuco's @mktfan: charged in the “La Noria” case #todosconPablohttp://mktfan.es/XY7Pa5
@cuasante: Así q denunciar entrevistas a madres de criminales es delito de amenazas! Que clase de justicia es esta? http://cultura.elpais.com/ … #todosconPablo
@cuasante: So condemning interviewing criminals’ mothers counts as a threat! What kind of justice is this? http://cultura.elpais.com/ … #todosconPablo
Outraged Internet users don't understand how a blogger can be sued for threats when they consider the plaintiff, Telecinco/Mediaset, to be a much bigger menace. As the Associated Television Viewers of Catalunya (TAC) explained in a statement [es]:
TAC considera que este tipo de acciones contra periodistas como Pablo Herreros tienen como fin último amordazar la libertad de expresión y un desarrollo natural de la profesión.
(…) la demanda de Mediaset es una táctica para infundir el miedo a todo aquel que se atreva a denunciar su modelo de negocio, que se lucra, a menudo, con el dolor ajeno, las miserias humanas y la intimidad de las personas.
TAC believes that these sorts of suits against journalists like Pablo Herreros are designed to mute freedom of expression and the fundamental work of the profession.
… Mediaset's lawsuit is a tactic to instill fear in anyone who dares to condemn their business model, which profits, often through the pain of others, on human misery and personal privacy.
The network defended itself [es], alleging that:
Cuando el Sr. Herreros decidió mandar una carta a nuestros anunciantes diciendo textualmente: “si no se adhirieran a nuestra propuesta (retirar la publicidad de “La Noria”) seguiríamos exigiéndoselo en adelante y promoveríamos un boicot de sus productos” ni está criticando, ni convenciendo. Está amenazando.
When Mr. Herreros decided to send a letter to our advertisers saying, quote, “if you do not support our proposal (to pull advertising from “La Noria”), we would have to go ahead and call for a boycott of your products,” that is not criticism nor persuasion. That is a threat.”
Strangely, the Telecinco website [es] does not mention the suit against Herreros, and neither does its Facebook page [es]. But interested Internet users have used other posts to leave comments about the case.
Bosco Martín Algarra, on his blog treinta y muchos [es], says:
Telecinco parece olvidar que el boicot es una herramienta de protesta en una sociedad democrática. ¿Acaso creen que son los únicos? (…) Hay gente que no compra cava catalán. Otros no acuden a restaurantes que se niegan a celebrar bodas de homosexuales. (…) Señores de Telecinco: ¿en qué mundo viven? La gente hace lo que le da la gana, y está en su perfecto derecho. (…) La misma sociedad que conecta con Terelu o que compra los productos que anuncian en sus programas, es la que se molestó por aquella entrevista tan repugnante de La Noria. No hay conspiraciones. (…) detrás de su audiencia no sólo hay consumidores. También hay personas, con inteligencia y voluntad. Y libertad.
Telecinco seems to forget that boycotts are a tool of protest in a democratic society. Do they think they are unique?… There are people who don't buy Catalonian cava. Others who don't go to restaurants that refuse to allow gay weddings… Messrs. Telecinco: what world are you living in? People can do what they want, and that is their right… The same community that connects with [Telecinco presenter] Terelu [Campos] or buys the products advertised on your programs is the one that is bothered by that repugnant interview on “La Noria.” There is no conspiracy here…. your audience is not just consumers. There are also people, with their own minds and will. And freedom.
And as Javi de Rios says in the article “Telecinco tropezará dos veces con la piedra de Pablo Herreros” [Telecinco will stumble twice on Pablo Herrero's stone] [es]:
(…) Las televisiones se deben a sus espectadores y a sus anunciantes, y a veces parece que no escuchan ni a unos, ni a otros. Telecinco obvia, de nuevo, que las redes son un punto de encuentro de personas, de espectadores, que se han puesto de acuerdo en transmitirles un mensaje, que no parece interesarles.
Es complicado, pero en ocasiones David gana a Goliat. Es más, es posible que en este caso pueda hacerlo dos veces.
TV stations have an obligation to their viewers and advertisers, and sometimes it seems that they don't listen to either. Telecinco has forgotten once again that the networks are a meeting point for people, for viewers, that have agreed to transmit a message, one that doesn't seem to interest them.
It's complicated, but sometimes David conquers Goliath. Moreover, it's possible that in this case, he can do it twice.

author: Lourdes Sada


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The Lives of Hui Muslims in China · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Screen shot from ChinaFile's video about China’s female mosques
China’s Hui Muslims is second-largest ethnic minority, ChinaFile shoot a video about the lives of Hui women and what the religion means to them.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Losing My Accent  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

What does an accent have to do with it?  Outlish investigates.


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Trinidad & Tobago: No Simple Highway  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

University lecturer and environmentalist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, who began his hunger strike on November 15 outside the Prime Minister's office as a protest against the construction of one part of a billion dollar highway project in southeastern Trinidad, has the blogosphere talking about much more than a road – many netizens see his dissidence as a plea for transparency in the use of public funds and a demonstration against the cavalier manner in which the electorate's concerns are managed by those in public office.
Guanaguanare is saddened by how the whole drama appears to be playing out:
I do not want Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh to leave us now, and certainly not for citizens who are not sufficiently compelled to take care of their own business and judging by the online comments, many others who intend not to remember his ultimate sacrifice past this Christmas season. I want Dr. Kublalsingh to continue to live and fight for his country. This world is overrun by the ignorant, the crass and the ignoble and I seriously doubt that his death will have any impact on the jaded and spiritually dead. I am ashamed to have concluded that in this valley of death where life is cheap another person's demise will not provide the much needed tipping point.
Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh talks with lawyer Gillian Lucky.
He may be right.  What many feel should have been a tipping point around which citizens could rally is, in some online forums at least, turning into a mockery.  Fueled by the government's continuing efforts to humiliate the man and discredit his cause, one local radio station even posted a clearly photoshopped image of Dr. Kublalsingh sitting at a table in a fast food outlet.  Addressing these types of mean-spirited pranks in another post, the blogger adds:
I was among those who, valuing Dr. Kublalsingh's life more than this country, more than this cause…more than my beautiful and sometimes ugly countrymen, more than this government, urged him to let this cup pass from him. But perhaps being more optimistic, more hopeful and more generous than even those who love him and certainly more than those who continue to deride and dismiss him, he put our concerns aside and persevered patiently with his lesson.
He has reminded me that although this is what we have come to accept as normal, it is unnatural, if not calamitous for any man to believe that he has an existence separate from his country, from just causes…from his countrymen and from his government. In this ‘eat ah food’ world, he has done the unthinkable and little wonder then that the shock of it all has thrown many into disarray and has caused some of us in high and low places to retreat to the usual refuges of cynicism, disrespect, vitriole, puerile humour and callousness.
In turning his back on the opiate of the ubiquitous pot of pelau, he has threatened to drag us also from the warm comfort of that prison of belly full and asked us to reflect upon other forms of nourishment of which we have been starved.
Thank you, Dr. Kublalsingh for allowing the nation once again to witness that the truth means NOTHING to many. Not only will they avoid it to save their skins and that of their cohorts but they will avoid it even when a fellow citizen's life is on the line. They will avoid it in the quiet of their own consciences and they will ineluctably avoid it even when the whole interested world's gaze is upon them.
kid5rivers has a different point of view:
What Dr Kublalsingh was saying then is, no matter what, concerning the issue he and his Reroute Group raised, it was their way, or the highway: the project must be stopped! In other words, he and his group were prepared to enter negotiations with the Prime Minister or any government official, only on the implacable ground that they were not going to yield or give any quarter to the government…in short, any continued discussion or negotiations they'd have with anyone, would be shallow and merely for show.
To the contrary, the Facebook page of the Highway Re-Route Movement, which is the lobby group that Dr. Kublalsingh represents, posted a note late yesterday that is very clear about its intentions:
The Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM) has always been, and is, in favor of the construction of the San Fernando to Point Fortin highway.
However, the HRM has difficulty with the Debe to Mon Desir link to the main highway which will push through the Oropuche Lagoon. It is this particular segment of the highway for which they recommended a substantive review including a social impact assessment, a hydrological study, and a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed construction. A review of these proposed works by an Independent body is what had been requested, and was agreed to by the Prime Minister.
On March 16th 2012, the Prime Minister met with the HRM led by Dr Kublalsingh, and by calling for a halt on all construction and a technical review, acknowledged that there were legitimate technical concerns that needed to be addressed. Today, Dr Kublalsingh is on the 13th day of the hunger strike, to protest the Government's failure to provide the independent review.
The HRM was subsequently called to two meetings. At the first meeting, the HRM was prevented from bringing their own technical team to meet with the Government’s technical team and it is because of this that the HRM left the meeting. At the second meeting the HRM was given a five-page document with photographs and one-line statements. At no stage have the technical reports been produced in the areas of hydrology, enviroinmental and social impact, or cost benefit.  Although construction works were slowed for a while it has never stopped.
The Government claims to have satisfied the promise of the technical review. The HRM has called the process a farce and a public relations gimmick.
kid5rivers maintains that:
The hardheaded, bigoted, self-righteous approach has no relevance in the modern-day arrangements of governance, policy-making, negotiations and societal interaction. In the end, in fact, throughout, such bigotry contaminates to the extent where the wounds inflicted never heal.  Having observed the retrogressively-mutating charades of Dr Kublalsingh regarding the construction of the Point Fortin Highway, I cannot endorse his fast.
Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh attempts to get up during his hunger strike.
The Highway Re-Route Movement's response?
After years of writing letters, placarding, campaigning, camping on the site, being arrested, and witnessing the Prime Minister renege on her commitment, Dr Kublalsingh has embarked on a hunger strike, eating no food and drinking no water. As at November 27th, Dr Kublalsingh would not have had any food to eat or water to drink for 13 days. The health and potentially the life of Dr. Kublalsingh remains significantly at risk.
Via the United Voice blog, which is known for being sympathetic to the current administration, a supporter “of the proposed highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin since it was first announced by Dr. Eric Williams in his Budget Speech of January 1981″ wonders whether Dr. Kublalsingh's hunger strike “has given him the attention he had not been getting up to now”:
Dr. Kublalsingh had engaged in popular and successful protest actions against the proposed smelters and other projects. Could it be his hubris now that is causing him to take action in a cause that is clearly lost?
It is noteworthy that although Dr. Kublalsingh does not reside in the area, none of the people who do have decided to join him in his hunger strike. Should he not survive his self-inflicted torture, will they will take their ‘settlement’ and move on?
The same blog posted this contrasting perspective in an open letter to the Prime Minister:
A PM is first and foremost a leader, and empathy and magnanimity are key qualities of a high performance leader.
Empathy means placing yourself in the shoes of citizens to understand where they are coming from…and why.
A PM must be magnanimous and show care and understanding even if she feels the person is wrong or misguided. This is what effective leadership is about. The argument that fasting by one prominent citizen will lead to copycat action is flawed.
You need to be a good manager and manage well this fasting issue. Laughing or scoffing and telling him to listen to elders is not the answer.
If Kublalsingh dies, your government will most likely fall as it will be extremely difficult to govern! Out of sheer political survival, you need to make sure that he stays alive.
So, dear Prime Minister, reroute yourself…and make sure that the man does not die…and if you did give your word to the group, honour your commitment. An effective leader’s word is a key element of trust. A Nation needs to be assured that it can trust its Prime Minister.
A supporter of Dr. Kublalsingh holds a placard outside the Prime Minister's office.
Political blogger The Eternal Pantomime has been supporting Dr. Kublalsingh from the outset.  Here, she republishes what the Leader of the Opposition had to say about the issue and here, hosts a guest column by a blogger who is “a native of the area under the direct orbit of the Debe – Mon Desir stretch [of proposed highway]:
Let me make it unequivocally clear to all and sundry that I WANT that stretch. I want if BADLY. The ability to drive to Port-of-Spain without passing on the South Trunk Road will make sense only to those of us who have lived with the increasing burden of traffic along that road.
I also wish to make it unequivocally clear that while I want the Debe – Mon Desir stretch, I remain resolutely opposed to the secrecy, nepotism, and corruption that seems to be part of the mix right now. Unconfirmed figures are popping up on facebook that seem to suggest that the cost per mile to build that stretch is way above and beyond anything that obtains anywhere else in the world.  If at the end of it all, this issue of cost is not interrogated, we would have missed a major opportunity to continue the process of fighting back against the systemic corruption that has bedeviled all admininstrations of this country and kept us back from being the leading beacon in the WORLD that we can be.
Can we use this Highway impasse as another opportunity to interrogate ourselves as a country and start holding our leaders to a higher standard??
That may be the very question that Dr. Kublalsingh wants answered.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Parang, Parang!   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In the spirit of the Christmas season, Outlish posts a list of its Top 10 Parang songs.


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Worldwide Protests for Brazil’s Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá  · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
They are threatened with expulsion from their land, their waters have been poisoned by farmers, and they are ready to resist till their death. Given these gruelling circumstances, the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue / Mbarakay, in the municipality of Iguatemi, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), have found on social media and on the streets support, what they did not receive from the government and only timidly from the FUNAI (National Indiginous Foundation).
The Guarani-Kaiowá represents one of the largest indigenous communities in Brazil (46,000 out of aproximately 734,000), but in the last decades they have been the target of constant attacks as the ancestral lands they inhabit in MS have become the most profitable in the country for the rapidly growing agri-business and biofuels industry. Under yet another threat of eviction, in early October 2012 the Pyelito Kue / Mbarakay community released an open letter, which lead to a massive response. By the end of the month, on October 30, the Federal Regional Court of the 3rd region, in São Paulo, suspended the order of eviction of the Guaraní-Kaiowá from their encampment. The decision should stand until the identification and demarcation of the final indigenous territory by FUNAI.
For over a week, from October 26 to November 9, 2012 activists from around the country mobilized in the streets to demonstrate in defense of the Guarani-Kaiowá against their expulsion and the abandonment of indigenous communities by the government. In social networks, activists from around the world adopted the name “Guarani-Kaiowá” as a surname on their Facebook profiles.
Call for demonstrations across the country circulated on Facebook
About the protest in Sao Paulo, Ana Paula de Souza and Deborah Camargo wrote [pt] for the blog Vírus Planetário (Planetarium Virus):
Danças indígenas, e gritos como “Somos todos Guarani- kaiowá”, “Matam um, matam mil estão matando todos os índios do Brasil” além de trechos da música “Pais e filhos”, de Renato Russo, ecoaram durante todo o percurso do protesto e chamou a atenção de diversas pessoas que andavam pelas ruas de São Paulo.  O silêncio também se fez presente em respeito aos índios que foram mortos em confrontos pela disputa de terra no Mato Grosso do Sul.  Na ocasião, muitas pessoas que não faziam parte do protesto se sensibilizaram com a reivindicação dos manifestantes e entraram no movimento que ocupou cerca de três quarteirões das ruas de SP. Com o crescente número de massa humana aderindo ao movimento, as autoridades locais já não sabiam mais qual o número exato de pessoas que faziam parte da passeata.
Indigenous dances, and shouts like “We are all Guarani-Kaiowa”, “they kill one, they kill thousand: they are killing all the Indians of Brazil” along with excerpts of the song “Pais e Filhos” (Parents and Children) by Renato Russo [singer from the famous Brazilian rock band of the 80's, Legião Urbana], echoed throughout the route of the protest and drew the attention of several people who walked the streets of São Paulo [SP]. Silence was also made present in respect to the Indians who were killed in clashes over the land dispute in Mato Grosso do Sul. At the time, many people who were not part of the protest were sensitized with the claim of the protesters and joined the movement which occupied about three blocks of the streets of SP. With the growing number of human mass adhering to the movement, local authorities no longer knew anymore what was the exact number of people who were part of the march.
Sandra Benedetti posted, on Youtube, a video of the protest in São Paulo:
Alexandre Guarani-Kaiowá posted a series of photos on his Facebook album:
Demonstration in São Paulo. Photo by Alexandre Guarani-Kaiowá, used with permission.
Demonstration in São Paulo. Photo by Alexandre Guarani-Kaiowá, used with permission.
Journalist Alex Haubrich posted a series of photos on his Facebook profile of the demonstration in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul:
Demonstration in Porto Alegre. Phto by Alex Haubrich, used with permission.
Demonstration in Porto Alegre. Phto by Alex Haubrich, used with permission.
Also in Porto Alegre, Youtube user Carol Nugem posted [pt] a video with the speech of Chief Vherá Poty against the Guarani-Kaiowá genocide:
The blog of the International Committee of Solidarity with the Guarani-Kaiowá posted a series of videos of the protests in Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
Youtube user Agnaldo Mattos posted a video of the demonstration in Salvador, Bahia:
Rossanna Pinheiros posted, on Youtube, a video of the protest in Rio de Janeiro:
And she also posted a series of photos of the demonstration in Rio de Janeiro:
Demonstration in Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Rossanna Pinheiro. Photo used with permission.
Demonstration in Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Rossanna Pinheiro. Photo used with permission.
Demonstrations also took place in many other cities throughout Brazil, such as João Pessoa, Feira de Santana, Osasco, Sorocaba, and more.
On Vimeo, Robson posted a video of the demonstration in Brasília:
http://vimeo.com/54017273
There were even protests outside Brazil, as in front of the UN Headquarters in New York:
Protest in front of the United Nations, New York. Photo by Leandro Viana, Masayuki Azuma and Sebastian Loaysa, used with permission
Protest in front of the United Nations, New York. Photo by Leandro Viana, Masayuki Azuma and Sebastian Loaysa, used with permission
Protests also occurred in Porto (Portugal) and Hamburg (Germany). A complete list of events which occurred in Brazil and their respective Facebook groups can be found here.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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2013 Dakar Rally Will Visit Peru, Argentina, and Chile · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

The 2013 edition of the Dakar Rally was presented at the Pavillon Gabriel in Paris, France, on November 21, 2012. The rally will tour three South American countries, starting on January 5 in Lima, Peru, passing through Argentina from January 13, and culminating in Santiago, Chile, on January 20, 2013.
Argentine news website Télam [es] writes about the different categories in the new edition:
Tendrá 14 etapas, la categoría autos recorrerán 8574 kilómetros (4419 km de enlace y 4155 km cronometrados); en la categoría motos habrá 8423 km(4277 km de enlace y 4146 km cronometrados) y en la categoría Camiones habrá 8121 km(4580 km de enlace y 3541 km cronometrados).
[The competition] will have 14 stages, the cars category will cover 8574 kilometers (4419 km linked and 4155 km timed); the motorcycles category will cover 8423 km (4277 km linked and 4146 km timed) and the trucks category will cover 8121 km (4580 km linked and 3541 km timed).
Dakar 2012 – photo: Laura Schneider
The official website comments on the topography of each country and shares a map of the rally:
Peru, episode II
The discovery of Peru thrilled everybody who reached this stage of the rally in 2012. This time, all the riders, drivers and crews will be able to test their mettle on the largest chains of dunes crossed on the continent since 2009. The Dakar has never before started in the middle of the desert in its history. Whilst the dosage of difficulties will decide just how and when the pressure rises, there will be no room for improvisation in 2013.
Argentina and its many facets
Once it crosses the Andes Mountains, after a first visit to Chile, the rally will encounter a different face of South America: one that guarantees a broad range of terrains which smile primarily upon flexibility. In Argentina, the capacity to adapt will be vital to switch from one type of riding and driving to another and between different methods of managing the race. Although the ration of sand will be less dense, the visit to Gaucho country will nevertheless finish with a major test in which only genuine experts in desert riding and driving will be at ease.
Chile a double and capital dose
Two distinct sequences will be played out in Chile and each of them will be decisive. The return to the Atacama corresponds with the phase of the Dakar where competitors navigate in the domain of extreme endurance. As a challenge of ultimate resistance, the sessions in the dunes will continue up to the day before the finish. Before reaching Santiago, the competitors will have to tame difficulties of the highest order right up to the end.
However, Alex Sender in his blog Astroufo [es] writes about his concern regarding the geoglyphs in one of the stages in Peru:
El desierto y pampas del departamento de Ica (Perú) es posiblemente la zona más poblada en el mundo por innumerables geoglifos, es decir figuras trazadas sobre el terreno las cuales sobreviven a pesar del paso de los siglos. Ejemplo de ello tenemos las famosas Líneas de Nasca, las figuras de Palpa, los geoglifos de Ocucaje, asi como el Candelabro de Paracas. Pero estos no son las únicos geoglifos que podemos hallar en la región, también en el desierto de Paracas se encuentran un grupo de figuras poco conocidas, los denominados: Geoglifos de Paracas.
The desert and pampas of the Ica department (Peru) is possibly the most geoglyph-populated area in the world. [Geoglyphs] are designs drawn on the ground which survive despite the passage of centuries. For example, there are the famous Nazca Lines, the figures of Palpa, the geoglyphs of Ocucaje, and the Paracas Candelabra. But these are not the only geoglyphs we can find in the region; in the Paracas desert there are a group of little-known figures called Paracas geoglyphs [es].
On the same blog, Alex had warned [es] about possible damages during the 2012 Dakar edition:
Desde este humilde sitio, hago un llamado a las autoridades y personas en general, para que se interceda por la protección de estos invalorables legados de nuestros antepasados, patrimonios no sólo del Perú sino también del mundo. Que no se permita se destruya lo que ha perdurado en el tiempo transmitiéndonos un mensaje histórico, y se preserve el desierto, el cual seguramente contiene muchas otras maravillas aún ocultas.
From this humble site, I call on authorities and people in general to intercede in protecting these priceless legacies of our ancestors, a heritage not only of Peru but also of the world. Let's not allow the destruction of something that has endured over time, transmitting a historic message, and let's preserve the desert, which probably still contains many other hidden wonders.
Rally Dakar 2012- photo Laura Schneider
For five consecutive years, the Dakar organization has chosen South American territory for this competition that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists. The Dakar generates an economic movement that favors the region, revealing to the world the natural wonders offered by the three host countries.

author: Laura Schneider


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Algerian Rulers and Contemporary Performance Arts  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Algerian blogger MnarviDZ writes:
The Algerian rulers are actually artists who invented the art of time stretching and we, the Algerian people, are all taking part in their performance. And as contemporary art doesn’t care much about beauty, happiness and stuff like this, the rulers chose to make their performance feel ugly, and this is why we are not enjoying it much. These rulers do take this art to its limits because we’re forced to watch (and endure) their art work forever.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Are Communications in Damascus Down?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi has raised the alert of a possible Internet cut in the capital Damascus, where she reports that the phone services are also down. She tweets:
@RedRazan: Two hours ago the #internet was cut at least in most neighborhoods in #Damascus. This is troubling news. #Syria
And she adds:
@RedRazan: I am trying to call my family in #Damascus but the call won't get through, many are trying to call their families inside as well. #Syria


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Chinese Shareholders Trapped in the Stock Market’s “Fraud” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Shanghai Stock Exchange composite index fell below 2,000 points on November 27, 2012, the lowest since 2009. According to a poll, 92% shareholders have lost money [zh] in their investment. A recent survey in Sina showed that more than 25% suffered from 50-80% loss and 24.2% suffered from 30-50% loss. Within 7 months, Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Market has vaporized RMB 4300 billions (approximately USD 700 billions), only 3.35% shareholder accounts are still active in the exchange market. On average each shareholder has lost RMB 76,800 yuan (USD 12,000).
As China's economy has been growing, its stock keeps sinking. Why is that so? Many shareholders blame corruption. Below are some discussions in China's micro-blog [zh]:
Chinese shareholders posed in front of the stock market curve to express their wish for a more healthy market. Screen capture from Anhui Star TV.
鼎鏊肖志军￼：这十年，我国的GDP与股市行情成反比，股市越跌越惨，股民损失惨重，国家收入虽然逐年增加了，而广大股民却血本无归，民生艰难，还有什么值得炫耀的呢？
Xiao Zhijun: In the past ten years, the stock market and our country's GDP have been moving in opposite directions. The stock market keeps sinking and shareholders are desperate. The country's income has grown, the shareholders have lost their investment. People's livelihood is difficult, there is nothing to be proud of.
Corruption and fraud in the market
2012很疯狂：这是一个极少数人利用规则掠夺绝大多数人的地方，其黑暗，堕落之程度比之反腐前的中国足坛有过之而无不及
2012 is very crazy: This is a place where the extreme minority of people rob the majority by making use of regulations. The corruption and decadence is much worse that the China football sector before reform.
Nanimina￼：中国股市不是投资市场是投机市场，某种意义上讲和花十几万买一注彩票一般，大骗子裹着一小撮二，三级骗子骗光中国股民的钱。觉悟吧！
Nanimina: The China stock market is not investment market but gambling market. It is like putting thousands of dollars onto the gamble table. The big fraud works with a bunch of deceivers cheating the Chinese shareholders’ money. Wake up!
pavage：包装上市，控制流通，高价发行，骗取钱财，造就亿万富翁；年复一年，编故事，造报表，骗取财政补贴；增发扩股，再融资，二次骗取股民钱财；不分红，、少分红，挨过三年，迅速套现。移民国外，丢下破烂企业。如此拙劣一套，外行人也看清，为何这10年不查，不惩，不改？利益共享，悬弄百性也！！！
savage: They repackage the corporation for the market, control the flow and push up their listing price to steal money and create new billionaires. One year after another, they fabricate stories and account details, cheat government's subsidies. Then they issue more shares and extract money from the market, cheat the shareholders again. They do not share profits by giving out dividends. After a few years, they cash out their shares and migrate out of the country, leaving the corporation behind. Even outsiders see such tricks, but nothing has been done to stop this. There is embedded interest in the fraud while ordinary people are doomed to be cheated.
老徐时评￼：沪深股市今天又创新低了。按理说股市是市场行为，赚了亏了和政府没什么关系。可是我要问了：是谁在党的政治报告中忽悠要增加人民的财产性收入？是谁要求股民们坚持价值投资？是谁鼓吹对中国的上市公司要有信心？中国的股民是全世界最好的股民，痴心不改矢志不移，最后落得连裤衩都输光了，责任在谁？
Lao Xu: The Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock market sinks to the lowest today. Common sense tells us that the stock market reflects the market and we should not blame the government for its behavior. But I have to ask: Who gave the instruction in the party [Chinese Communist Party] political report that the proportion of people's property income should grow? Who persuaded shareholders to stick to value investment? Who told people to have confidence in the listed companies? Chinese shareholders are the most innocent kind, they follow the advice and now have lost their underpants. Who should be responsible for their misery?
自成一段：1.3亿股民基本都受到股市严重的掠夺和损害，我敢肯定，他们从股市看到了中国的黑暗和腐败，他们对你们的看法和感受是不言而喻的，不管你们说的多么动人。
A single paragraph: The stock market has robbed and harmed 130 million shareholders. I am quite sure that they have experienced Chinese corruption through the stock market. No matter how flowery your speech is, they will judge by their own experience.
Calls for finance regulation reform
Although more than 60% of shareholders hope that the government can intervene and save the market, many professional commentators think otherwise. For example economist Hua Sheng believes [zh] the only solution to the current situation is finance regulation reform:
华生2010：参加财经年会记者问股市，我说任何市场下跌都是因为供求失衡，供大于求。改革就是最大的救市。大幅提高上市门槛，驱散前门排队的饿狼；调高后门退出的门槛，限制现股价远低于发行价包装上市的原始股东和高管套现离市，并追究相关保荐机构责任吊销几家执照，若此，今天宣布改革启动，股市明天就止跌回升
Some reporters asked me about the stock market at the annual finance conference. I explained that the main reason for the sinking stock market is that the current supply is much bigger than the demand. Hence, reform is the best measure to save the market. [The China Securities Regulatory Commission] should impose stricter requirements for corporate entry to the market so as to kick the wolves out of the queue. At the same time, impose restrictions for major shareholders cashing out their stock when the stock price is much lower than the initial listed price. [The authority] should also investigate fraud, make sure that the sponsor institution which gave recommendations and guarantees to the listed corporation have liability for the fraud. If such reform is put into practice, the stock market will stop sinking and rise again.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Developing Latin America Hackathon Draws Near! · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

[All links lead to Spanish language pages unless otherwise noted]
We are only 2 days short of commencing the regional hackathon Developing Latin America 2012 (#DAL2012, or DAL), and in each participating country the teams have already begun sharpening their skills and refining details. A workshop about Open Street Maps [en] was carried out during the weekend, which relied on transmission via streaming and was replicated in various headquarters; both developers and those interested in participating attended the events.
Furthermore, the organisation #DAL2012 has published a guide for the Evaluation of Applications, an extremely useful document that tries to bring participants up to speed about certain concepts that will be considered important in the development of applications. Aside from general instructions and evaluation procedures, amongst those concepts mentioned are: scalability, efficiency, spectacular-ness, the use and re-use of technology and data, and depth and coherency of subject matter. These are some extracts that include practical examples:
Eficacia – El problema de encontrar comida a domicilio puede ser más que sólo un directorio de teléfonos. En este sitio(Quehambre.cl) se puede encontrar los restaurantes cuyas áreas de cobertura incluyen el punto de interés, además permite ver los menús y ordenar el pedido desde el mismo sitio, es decir, entras al sitio y solucionas tu próxima cena.
Uso y Reuso de Tecnología y Datos – Esta aplicación (Polygraft, Detector de influencias) detecta entidades (empresas, políticos, empresarios, deportistas, etc) en artículos en los medios, en correos electrónicos, etc. Luego de detectar estas entidades busca en una fuente de datos central las relaciones que han tenido con otras entidades y más.
Efficiency – The problem with finding home-delivery food might be more than just a telephone directory issue. In this site (Quehambre.cl) you can find restaurants whose delivery areas are favourable to a point of interest, as well as being able to view menus and place your order all in the same place. In other words, you enter the site and your next meal is sorted.
Use and Re-Use of Technology and Data – This application (Poligraft, [en] Influences Detector) detects entities (businesses and businessmen, politicians, sportsmen, etc) within media articles, in emails, etc. After detecting these entities, it searches for their relationships with other entities via a central data source.
Anca Matioc, who is in charge of the organisation of DAL, spoke with us about preparing for the event. She also answered some questions relating to the development of a hackathon like Developing Latin America:
Anca Matioc, organiser of the hackathon Developing Latin America 2012
Global Voices (GV): What experiences and lessons have you taken on board from the first hackathon that took place last year?
Anca Matioc (AM): Last year the topics were the same for everyone. It was good that this year each country  was able to choose their own since in 2011 there were some people left wanting to present work in other areas.
One of the difficulties from last year was the databases. In some cases, they simply didn't exist! In other cases, the governments showed signs of fear at having to provide access. This year the countries are more open in talking about open-source data. In one year we have seen very big changes in favour of these initiatives, principally in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Even in Brazil there is now an advice board for open-data available; they meet monthly and look for ways of making data available to everyone. Also, there are more people from outside technological fields that are wanting to get involved.
Furthermore, we realised that the projects needed further support, outside that which was being offered in the hackathon, in order to be correctly completed as well as looking to be economically sustainable. For this reason, this year the prizes will be in seed capital and projects will receive backing for one month afterwards in order to guide bringing the developments to a conclusion, whether it be in design, testing or even searching for potential clients and funding.
The 8 countries that have joined this year will work on different social issues. This time we have ensured that there are good quality databases in all 8. However, in Bolivia, we had technical difficulties since the subject of databases is not well developed.
Another thing that we have ensured this year is that the participants have made themselves aware- through workshops prior to the event- of the root of the problems with which they are going to work, that way they can arrive with more ideas for possible solutions, as well as the necessary information in order to achieve a good project.
GV: How did you manage to achieve access to better databases?
AM: One of the influencing factors that has encouraged governments to make their data available to us is to have invited them to be either part of the judging panel or spectators at the very least. After interacting with participants they have realised the potential benefit of opening up their data. Furthermore, we have seen that by involving the government we are able to generate long term results. The Chilean Government, for example, was so inspired by the hackathon last year that it organised its own during 2012 from which arose many interesting applications.
GV: Who are the main users of the applications that are developed in a hackathon?
AM:The main users of the applications depend on the topic and the data. The idea is that the applications are for the everyday citizen, for people that are looking for certain information or are curious to know more. Journalists are also popular users of the applications that are derived from open data.
GV: What happens to the applications after the hackathon?
AM: Generally what happens is that the teams want to launch their application. We ask everyone during their support month to keep their application going as an open code and from there, owners can do what they want with them. The ideal situation would see the applications generating an income and therefore opportunities to continue forward as well as stimulating the developers to continue making improvements and creating more. Let's hope that “open data” is more than just a good idea. Governments will be more interested as well if their databases are seen to be generating an income.
GV: For those that don't know what open data is, could you describe it in a ‘tweet'?
AM: Open data is data permanently available in an appropriate platform. It results in more transparency, citizen web applications, and hopefully business.
Soon we will be reporting on the events of the hackathon Developing Latin America!
Other related posts (all in English):
Developing Latin America 2012
What Exactly is a Hackathon? And What is Open Data?
Hackathons in Droves: How is a Hackathon Organised?
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Demands Better Sanitation
Crowdmapping Water Contamination in Peruvian Indigenous Communities

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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‘Industrial Scale’ Hunting of Migratory Amur Falcons in Nagaland, India  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Every year thousands of migratory Amur falcons (Falco amurensis) are hunted by locals in the Indian State of Nagaland during their passage through that region. The massacre was first documented on November 1, 2012, by Shashank Dalvi and Ramki Sreenivasan on the Indian online campaign site ‘Conservation India‘  where they wrote that “a mind-boggling 120,000 to 140,000 birds are being slaughtered in Nagaland every year during their passage through the state.”
Every October, a large numbers of Amur falcons arrive in northeast India and Bangladesh from Siberia en route to their final destination — Somalia, Kenya and South Africa. Amur falcons travel up to 22,000 km in a year, in one of the longest migration routes of all birds.
Amur Falcon (Falco Amurensis). Image by Alastair Rae, from Wikipedia. CC BY-SA.
Last month a group of activists (Ramki Sreenivasan from Conservation India, Shashank Dalvi, Bano Haralu, Rokohebi Kuotsu) travelled to Nagaland to check out information that thousands of falcons were being hunted annually on the banks of the Doyang reservoir during their passage through that region. They accompanied a hunting group and documented the massacre:
The Amurs spend the day on the transmission wires (almost entirely inaccessible to hunters) and descend to forested patches along the banks of the reservoir to roost (see map). The hunters ruthlessly exploit this particular behavior and set-up huge fishing nets (30-40m long, 10-12m tall) all over the roosting sites.
Birds get caught in the nets in large numbers. These birds get tangled in the nets while they come to roost during late evenings or when they leave the roost early in the morning. The nets were permanent and the hunters come every morning to remove the trapped birds. The nets were observed over the entire roosting area giving virtually no safe area for the birds. Branches and paths were cleared to set up the nets.
Here is a video of the terrible proceedings (warning: graphic images):
The Amur Falcon Massacre, Doyang, Nagaland from Conservation India on Vimeo.
Now the shocking figures:
Each hunting group had set-up at least 10 nets. On an average, 18 birds (18.30, n=23) were caught per net; hence each group catches about 180 birds per day. This was confirmed with interviews with hunters. We were also informed that about 60-70 hunting groups operate every day. This means during the peak migration about 12,000 to 14,000 birds are caught everyday.
Each bird is sold door-to-door in nearby villages as a fresh food for a price of about Rs. 25 ($0.5). Reports say local villagers can earn a few thousand rupees by selling the smoked Amur falcons. It may be noted that Amur killing is illegal and banned by the local authorities since 2010.
This story went viral and news quickly spread around the world shocking many people. There were a number of petitions online. Soon other popular sites like National Geographic highlighted the issue and called for a global solution. National Geographic commented:
The local people filmed by Conservation India catching Amur falcons, breaking their wings, sorting them, smoking them, and trading in them, cannot possibly enjoy this annual activity and do this purely for money and trade goods.
Amur Falcons being extracted from the net by hunters. Screenshot from the video by Conservation India.
Birdlife International wrote:
The recent trapping and slaughter appears to have been taking place on an ‘industrial scale’ and unless stopped will clearly have a devastating affect on the birds’ global population at these unsustainable levels.
The site also confirms that with the help of their advocacy the following happened:
The Honourable Minister (for environment and forests), Miss Jayanthi Natarajan personally intervened and The Indian Forest Department and District Administration also acted fast to destroy nets and release several still-captive falcons. The sale of falcons has now been stopped and at least one person has already been jailed.
However, hunters in Nagaland has defied the ban for many years and it may happen again in future if the behaviors of the local hunters are not changed. The Chief Wildlife Warden, Nagaland, Dimapur stated in a press note:
Seizing and releasing of the birds from the possession of the offenders did not discourage them but rather, they resented and rebelled against the action taken and continued their offence.
The press note also talks about education and awareness campaign for the local villagers and stakeholders as a future course of action.
According to latest news the State department of forest, ecology, environment and wildlife has directed district forest officers (DFOs) of Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Wokha districts to immediately ban the act of capturing and killing of Amur Falcon.
Bogdan Draganescu comments at the Conservation India post:
Just because these birds are numerous and are not on the verge of extinction, does not mean they are food for humans. animals should be respected not only as individuals but also as groups and societies. just as a flock of birds is. a living entity and a result of evolution of life. this is what we have to respect and conserve.

author: Rezwan


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Egypt: Down with The Tyrant – Take Three!! · Global Voices
Nermeen Edrees

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011/12.
In what is being described as the third wave of the Egyptian revolution,  Egyptians across the country and not only Cairo took to the streets again to make a strong message that they are more than willing to take down another tyrant in the making.
The calls have started following president Muhammed Mursi's announcement of the new – controversial – constitutional decree which qualifies him to become a new Middle Eastern tyrant. Egyptians are back on the streets to protest sweeping powers Mursi has granted himself. According to news reports, Mursi has neutralised the judiciary, declaring that courts will not be allowed to challenge his decisions. This has angered Egyptians, who have turned out en masse at Tahrir Square to protest what they call Egypt's new pharaoh and his Muslim Brotherhood organisation, which they say is grabbing too much power.
Although the Egyptian demand of ousting the regime still stands, Zeyad Mourad shares another request [ar]:
على فكرة : الشعب يريد توسيع الميدان
@ZeyadMourad: On a side note: The people demand to enlarge the square
The scene restored to thousands not only the image of the first wave of the revolution, but also the faith and belief of Egyptians in a free country that has been lost over the past two years. The participation of the couch party (a term that has been given to those who occupied the couches watching the news and not participating on the ground since the eruption of the revolution) as have been called, has pulled off contradicting feelings among revolutionaries. But at the end of the day, unity prevailed [ar]:
حزب الكنبة مش فلول..دول اهلى واهلك والناس اللى كانوا خايفين الثورة تخرب البلد.. هما الأغلبية فعلا ومبيتحركوش اللا للشديد القوى #Nov27
@thKool: The couch party is not part of the regime remnants. They are our families, who were pretty apprehensive about the revolution negative consequences, they remain the majority who won't mobilize unless it is a matter of life and death
Although thousands are in Tahrir to make their voices heard, the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) IkhwanWeb decided to pull a denial blanket. They claimed:
@ikhwanweb: We support peaceful protests & strong opposition; low protesters turnout today indicates lack of support among Egyptians unlike #Jan25
For netizens it was pretty amusing to bombard the Ikhwanweb account with sarcastic comments over their way of handling the heat – literally and figuratively – as their headquarters in different Governorates were attacked and set to fire. Karl Sharo addressed them:
@KarlreMarks :  you're on fire tonight. No pun intended.
While the spirits were high and pretty celebratory for the return of the life to the revolution, a few meters away the clashes of 8 days continued between protestors and the police in  Simon Boulevard St. Also it has been reported that violent clashes have erupted in Mahalla between protestors and MB supporters.
Committing his predecessor mistake, the Egyptian President didn't comment on the firewall coming his way, nor addressed the nation in a commendable note. However, the president's spokesman announced that there is no turning back, and the decree is staying.
According to Ikhwanweb:
@Ikhwanweb: Prez spox: no turning back,decree is staying, those not willing to reach to a point of stability will be held accountable to God & history
Political movements and parties announced a sit-in in Tahrir until the withdrawal of the constitutional decree. And as Egyptians like to say “The Revolution Continues.”  Rawah Badrawi notes:
@RawahBadrawi: I want the country to revolt against me if I don't respect the Law and Constitution.” – Muhammad Morsy (Ask and you shall receive) #tahrir

author: Nermeen Edrees


text:
Egyptians Back on the Street  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Greek blogger Asteris Masouras uses Storify to compile reactions to protests against president Mohamed Morsi in Egypt's iconic Tahrir Square.


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ElBaradei to Egyptian Protestors: Hold Your Ground · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei has called on Egyptians to hold their ground in protest squares across the country – on Twitter.
He tweets [ar]:
إلي شعب مصر في كل ميادين مصر من أجل الحرية والكرامة: اثبت مكانك
@ElBaradei: To the people of Egypt protesting across all squares in Egypt for freedom and dignity: Hold your ground


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Families of Kidnapped Lebanese Protest Authorities’ Neglect · Global Voices
رامي الهامس

Enough Waiting, it is our right to know their fate. The banner is from Beirut Walls blog
“Enough Waiting, it is our right to know their destiny”. This was the slogan of a march protesting the neglect of the Lebanese authorities in answering the questions of the families of thousands of Lebanese who were abducted. The protest was held in Corniche ElMazra'a road, the place where the families first met 30 years ago, to inquire about the fate of their loved ones.
The blog Beirut Walls wrote about the November 17 march, which called for searching for the kidnapped.
Further reading:
Lebanon: Fresh Attention For Lebanon's Missing and Abducted People

author: رامي الهامس


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Hundreds Rally Against Anti-Semitism in Hungary · Global Voices
Marietta Le

Budapest, Hungary: the protest against anti-Semitism. Photo by David Ferenczy, copyright © Demotix (27/11/2012).
On Nov. 27, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Parliament in Budapest (photos) to protest a Hungarian far-right MP's call “for Jews to be registered on lists as threats to national security.” Some of the protesters wore yellow Stars of David. The rally took place despite the removal of the Facebook event page for it by Facebook admins.
According to Millamedia [hu], the news site of ‘One Million for the Freedom of Press in Hungary’ [hu, en], the event page had been removed due to misunderstanding of the meaning of the event's profile picture: the Star of David with the word ‘Jude’ (German for ‘Jew’) on it, which alluded to the Nazi WWII practice of forcing Europe’s Jews to wear yellow stars as “badges of shame” – and was used by the protesters not to offend, but in protest against anti-Semitism in Hungary.

author: Marietta Le


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Iran: Flood Kills Four People · Global Voices
Hooman Askary

Iranian authorities announced on Tuesday, 27th of November, flood in Brozjan killed at least four people. Watch the video here.

author: Hooman Askary


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Jamaica: In Search of Reliable Partners · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

I sometimes pessimistically think of women working with men on gender equality as a high risk endeavor, akin to walking on the verge of a precipice or a high tension wire.
Roots and Rights explores the complex issues surrounding male advocacy for gender equality.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Kuwait: Who is Dumping Garbage Outside My Home? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Empty plot of land turned into garbage dumpster
Mark from Kuwait complains about an empty plot of land behind his home is being turned into a garbage dump. He blogs:
I have no clue who’s smart idea it was to turn the empty piece of land behind my building into a garbage dump. That yellow truck on the left actually came, dumped some garbage and then left!


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Life Sentence for Qatari Poet for Insulting Amir  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Qatar today sentenced Mohamed Bin Rashid Al-Deeb to life in prison .. for writing a poem. The poem, in Arabic, is said to praise the Arab Spring, drawing comparisons to other countries living in repression and under dictatorship.
According to Qatari journalist Abdulla Al Athbah, Al-Deeb's poem was seen as insulting to the Qatari Amir [Ruler], and called for overthrowing his rule.
He tweets [ar]:
محكمة “الدرجة الأولى” في #قطر تصدر حكمها بالسجن المؤبد بحق محمد بن راشد الذيب بعد قصائد اعتبرتها تطاولا على الذات الأميرية وتدعو لقلب الحكم
.
@A_AlAthbah: The First Instance Court in Qatar sentences Mohamed Bin Rashid Al-Deeb to life in prison for poems it considered insulting to the Amir and which called for over-throwing his rule.
On Lockerz, Maysaa Alamoudi shares a photograph of a copy of one of his poems, that allegedly landed the poet into trouble with the law.
A copy of a poem by Al-Deeb
Zaid Benjamin posts the verdict in the case:
@zaidbenjamin: Picture: The verdict in the case of Mohamed Bin al-Deeb al-Ajmi who was sentenced to life in prison in #Qatar today pic.twitter.com/VDvyde9R
Mohamed Al-Deeb's life sentence. Photograph shared by @zaidbenjamin on Twitter
In Arabic, the hashtag #محمد_بن_الذيب_مؤبد which translates to Life Imprisonment for Mohamed Al-Deeb soon followed. Under the hashtag netizens from across the Arab world decried the verdict, which they say is a blow to freedom of expression.
Mofareg Alshuya, from Saudi Arabia, says the verdict was too strict. He tweets [ar]:
حكم على #محمد_بن_الذيب_مؤبد ..كنت متوقعاً أن يُحكم عليه لكن بهذا الحكم ولأجل قصيدة…في الحقيقة لم يخطر الحكم هذا على تفكير أكثر المتشائمين.
@MofarehAlshuyah: I was expecting that he would be sentenced but with this sentence and for a poem .. In reality, this verdict did not even cross the minds of the most pessimistic people
Also from Saudi Arabia, Seba Alhamad says:
بلد يسجن خوفا من شاعر و اخر خوفا من رسام كاركتير كم هي هشة امبراطوريات الاسلحة امام القلم
@SebaHmd: A country which jails its people out of fear from a poet and another jails it people out of fear from a cartoonist. How fragile are those empires of weapons in front of the pen
And Egyptian Menna comments:
@TheMiinz: Life Sentence for Mohamed Ben ElZeeb for a poem about Arab Spring and Qatari Emir. The Arabs are going nowhere. #Qatar
Omani OmanLover suggests airing the appeal to the verdict, when it happens – live – on Qatar's Al Jazeera, which comes under constant criticism for not covering negative stories on Qatar.
However, Emad Silawi calls on people to wait for the verdict:
الى كل المغردين في هذا الموضوع اقول ان قطر دولة قانون وممكن يستأنف الحكم وممكن يطلع عفو أميري ولا تصيدون في الماء العكر
@emadsilawi: To all those tweeting about this topic I have to say that Qatar is a country of law and this verdict can be appealed or he could get a pardon from the Amir
And Ahmed Al Rashdii asks them to mind their own business:
ينتقدون قطر ب حكم #محمد_بن_الذيب_مؤبد ويصمتون عما يحدث في اوطانهم . البعض اختفى والبعض سحبت جنسيته والبعض سجن . اين انتم من احرار اوطانكم ؟!
@ahmed_alrashdii: They criticise Qatar for Mohamed Bin Al-Deeb's verdict and shut up when it comes to what is happening in their own countries, where some have disappeared, others have had their nationalities withdrawn and many are in prison. Where are you from the freedom fighters in your own countries?


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Morslini Meets Hitler in Egypt  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Facebook, Ayman Monged shares this photograph of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi
On Facebook, Ayman Monged shares this photograph of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi – who many say is propping himself up to become the next pharaoh of Egypt.
Egyptians are back to protesting in Tahrir Square after Morsi granted himself sweeping powers when he neutralised the judiciary and declared that courts will not be allowed to challenge his decisions. This has angered Egyptians, who have turned out en masse at Tahrir Square to protest what they call Egypt's new pharaoh and his Muslim Brotherhood organisation, which they say is grabbing too much power.
On Twitter, Sultan AlQassemi quips:
@SultanAlQassemi: Image – Morslini meets Hitler


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“My Vote Under Arrest” Support for Iran’s Opposition Leaders · Global Voices
Hooman Askary

Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Profile image of ‘My Vote Under Arrest’ Facebook page
Iranian former presidential candidates and Green Movement leaders, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi, along with Mousavi's spouse Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest for around 650 days.
A group of Iranian netizens who call themselves “Green Movement supporters” have turned to social media to raise awareness and push for the release of these prisoners of conscience. A page has been launched on Facebook named My vote is under arrest.
A recent post on the page links to a flyer (pdf) that it suggests should be downloaded, printed and circulated during the upcoming religious ceremonies of the month of Muharram held across the country. The flyer quotes, among other things, an open letter by Mehdi Karroubi's family to the Islamic Republic's judicial authorities expressing their grave concern over Karroubi's state of health. In the letter, they say they hold the authorities responsible his physical well-being. The flyer reads: “They finally agreed to take Mr. Karroubi to the hospital.”
Iranian opposition websites had already reported that Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were both shortly hospitalized on November 19, 2012. Meanwhile, prisoner of conscience Ahmad Zeydabadi, a journalist and secretary general of a reformist student organization was also taken to hospital due to critical lung problems. Mousavi suffers from serious heart problems due to which he had to undergo surgery in late August. Karroubi reportedly suffered from sudden weight loss, nausea, lack of appetite and vertigo.
Screen capture of a pro-Mousavi Blog called “chenin-goft-mirhossein” [Thus said Mir-Hossein]
The Iranian blogosphere reacted once the news made rounds. A pro-Mousavi blogger [fa] addresses the Islamic Republic leader: “Seyyed Ali [Khamenei]! Mirhossein [Mousavi] is your last chance! As long as there is still time, hand over the administration of the country to him so that perhaps the nation will forgive you. Otherwise, the ashes under this fire will haunt you!” [link to video of protest included in the original post]
It is not the first time Iranian netizens remember the two jailed opposition leaders. For their 600th day of detention they published this video on YouTube:


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Politically-Charged Questionnaire Triggers Tibetan Student Protest in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On November 26, 2012 about one thousand Tibetan students protested in Chabcha County, Qinghai Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (or Tsolho in Tibetan pronunciation) against a politically-charged questionnaire on a Medical School campus. According to VOA Tibetan, the students were “chanting slogans for equality of nationalities, freedom of language, respect for truth and establishment of new governance” during the protest. More than 20 students were injured and four were in critical condition. The school has been sealed off from outside contact. The video below shows the protest scene:
According to the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), the protest was triggered by a questionnaire distributed to the students by the authorities for the purpose of stability control. TCHRD translated the document:
The politically-charged questionnaire that triggered the protest on November 26, 2012. Image from Facebook user: Dossier Tibet
1. Economic development in Tsolho should be based on what?
1. Is Tibetan culture protected and developed?
2. Are environmental protection and urban construction in opposition to each other?
3. Does bilingual education mean the deterioration of minority language?
4. Who in authority is doing anything to ensure the equality of nationalities?
5. What is the reason behind self-immolation protests?
6. What harm is caused by illegal public protests?
7. Who is agitating for separatism and causing unrest?
8. How should the comprehensive and correct implementation of the freedom of religious belief policy be understood?
9. Is the present environment of development in tranquil harmony not something to be cherished?
There are bits and pieces of information and photos about the protest in Facebook and Twitter.
Dossier Tibet translated one of the protest banner slogans: “You can't arrest my brother and kill my friends!”
One of the protest banner slogan: “You can't arrest my brother and kill my friends!” Photos from Facebook User: Dossier Tibet
Lhase Sonam posted photos of the injured students in his Facebook:
Three Tibetan students are critically injured in the protest. Photos from Facebook User: Lhase Sonam
This is not the first time Tibetan students in Qinghai protested against the Chinese government's policy. Back in October 2010, about 8000 students protested in Tsolho against the language policy in schools. The Tibetan students fear that their culture, language and identity will be further eroded.