text:
Environmentalist Ex-NBA Star Visits Kenya on Anti-Poaching Tour · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

Since retiring from the National Basketball Association a year ago, Chinese star Yao Ming has become a committed environmentalist. He is currently working with WildAid to “promote wildlife conservation and to reduce the demand for products from endangered or threatened species”. China is a significant market for products such as ivory and thus having Yao Ming lead the cause was a perfect fit for WildAid; well over half of illegal ivory ends up in China.
From 11 August, 2012, Ming arrived for his first African tour and was hosted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi – one of the few cities in the world with a national park. The Nairobi National Park plays host to the Kenya Wildlife Services’ headquarters, which is the custodian of the country's national parks and most public conservation areas.
Yao Ming comes face to face with a poached elephant in Northern Kenya. Image by Kristian Schmidt from WildAid Facebook page.
In response to the visit, DailyKenya blog says:
Former NBA basketball player Yao Ming is in Kenya in his role as WildAid Ambassador, to bring attention to poachers threatening rhinos and elephants. Yao is also expected to shoot an anti-poaching documentary in the country. On Saturday, the former Houston Rockets star visited the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Nanyuki. The conservancy serves as a sanctuary for four of the world’s remaining seven Northern white rhinos and in spite of increased security in the conservancy, 5 of its 88 rhinos have been poached in the past one year. The documentary titled “The End of the Wild” is expected to show the beauty and economic importance of wildlife and the extent of the poaching crisis
On his African travel blog, YaoMingBlog, Yao Ming himself has captured each and every step of this African tour along with great photos to tell the story further:
Then I get to meet Najin and Suni, two of the world’s remaining seven Northern White Rhinos – representing one of the most endangered species on the planet. The Northern White Rhino once roamed through Congo, Uganda and Sudan but now only seven remain, four of which are at Ol Pejeta. The four Northern Whites (were) translocated to Ol Pejeta in December of 2009 from a zoo in the Czech Republic in a last attempt to save the species. They have been totally decimated in the wild, due to poaching fuelled by demand for rhino horn for traditional medicinal uses in Asia. The transfer was aimed at providing the rhinos with the most favourable breeding conditions in an attempt to pull the species back from the verge of extinction. It was thought that the climatic, dietary and security conditions that the rhinos will enjoy at Ol Pejeta will provide them with higher chances of starting a population in what is seen as the very last lifeline for the species
Nanyuki and the North blog captures Yao Ming’s visit from a local’s perspective in a brief post:
1. China’s Growing Presence in Africa - Ol Pejeta, the conservancy very close to Nanyuki, had a big (see what I did there? Not yet? You will) visitor this past weekend. In fact, I was rather bummed I didn’t hear about this until after the fact. Apparently, Ol Pejeta has been active in developing an anti-poaching initiative. Pretty cool, right? Well, so cool apparently, that in order to support their initiative, they were visited by none other than YAO MING. Out of control. Yao was 10 miles from my home this past weekend in Rift Valley, Kenya.

author: Richard Wanjohi


text:
Ethiopia: Rage and Sorrow as Meles Zenawi’s Death Confirmed · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Today's official confirmation of the death of Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minster, has stirred both rage and sorrow. Ethiopians all over the globe reacted to his death with mixed emotions on Facebook and Twitter where his name is trending.
Following his death, Meles Zenawi is trending on Twitter. Source: Twitter Screenshot
Meles Zenawi, died of an undisclosed illness, Ethiopian State TV confirmed on Tuesday, August 21, 2012. He was 57 and is believed to have died in a hospital in Europe on Monday just before midnight after contracting an infection.
Rumors about the health and whereabouts of Ethiopia’s Prime Minster Meles Zenawi have been circulating online for weeks after disappearing from the public immediately after the G20 meeting in Mexico in June. He even failed to attend the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union which was hosted in Addis Ababa in July.
Facebook:
Reacting to the official confirmation, Fekade Adera said:
RIP Mr. Meles! finally we officially learnt that you are gone. Never too late to your remnants to draw some good lesson from your demise.
Mesfine Negash posted on his Facebook page:
#WhereIsMelse? He was dead till proven alive. Now officially proven dead! The seismic lie exposed.
Meles Zenawi at the World Economic Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, May 2010. Photo courtesy of World Economic Forum (CC BY-SA 2.0)
However, Solomon Birhanu remembered him in a positive light:
..He set the standard what to offer to be Ethiopia leader , he accomplish so many but there were too many on the line, his vision was greater than anyone can imagine ….but no one know him very well , he is the man studied master & PhD while he is in PM position , he studied all the past, present & future wisdom,he pushed hard him self to see the unseen so that all Ethiopia can see it, he librate him self from material world so that others will librate automatically , he think big & dream big, he sees no one will see, he lives for others not for him self, …. If you push very hard, something will break that is what happen ….. I am just very sad . You did not lost we lost you, RIP PM meles !
Abiye Teklemarima has a message for people who think it is impolite to highlight ignoble acts of a public figure after their death:
Glenn Greenwald on the etiquette of saying good things and expressing good wishes in the immediate aftermath of the death of public figures:
But that is completely inapplicable to the death of a public person, especially one who is political. When someone dies who is a public figure by virtue of their political acts discussions of them upon death will be inherently politicized. How they are remembered is not strictly a matter of the sensitivities of their loved ones, but has substantial impact on the culture which discusses their lives. To allow significant political figures to be heralded with purely one-sided requiems — enforced by misguided (even if well-intentioned) notions of private etiquette that bar discussions of their bad acts — is not a matter of politeness; it’s deceitful and propagandistic. To exploit the sentiments of sympathy produced by death to enshrine a political figure as Great and Noble is to sanction, or at best minimize, their sins. Misapplying private death etiquette to public figures creates false history and glorifies the ignoble.”
Mehrat congratulated Abiye  for sharing the message from Greenwald:
OMG! I love you for sharing this, Abiye Teklemariam Megenta! And God bless Glenn Greenwald's soul! You both rock! You have no idea how therapeutic it is for me to read this right now!
Tsion wrote:
i second this saying ‘Misapplying private death etiquette to public figures creates false history and glorifies the ignoble’
Meaza disagreed:
I don't agree! Today i only opt to think about the other side of meles. Meles the reformer, Meles the visionary, meles the african leader:(….. I wholeheartedly say ‘rest in peace prime minister'!
Girma said that Zenawi deserves some respect:
Despite the flaws He has made,He deserves some respect -He was once a leader(for better or worse)!
Twitter:
@BBCDanielS: Meles Zenawi had many flaws and crushed dissent ruthlessly at times. But Ethiopia is a far better place today than 20 years ago.
@EurasiaGroup: Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi is FOURTH African president dead in office in 2012. Joins: Sanha (Guinea-Bissau); Mutharika (Malawi); Mills (Ghana)
@Sam2habesha: RIP to the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.. & RIP to the hundreds of people he murdered also..
@ayittey: Shedding crocodile tears over the demise of the crocodile liberator, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
@addis_fortune: Question:- “Federal and regional election after this?” Bereket [Government Spokesperson] reposnded “Not at all.” #Ethiopia #MelesZenawi
@TigistSelam: Ethiopia has a lot to look forward to, despite it's sudden loss. At the end of it all, it is the people that matter. #Ethiopia #MelesZenawi
@dicthandbook: Dead Dictator: Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia), pro at torture, detention, one party system, surveillance. Must have read Dictators Handbook.
Meles Zenawi was President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and later became the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in 1995 following the general elections that year.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Endalkachew Chala


text:
Georgia: Ancient Fortress Discovered in Tbilisi  · Global Voices
Liana Aghajanian

During construction to one of Tbilisi's main streets, parts of a 5th century fortress used to defend the city were unearthed. The Young Georgians has a series of photos of the remarkable discovery, which appears on Georgian cartographer Vakkshuti's map of the capital from 1735.

author: Liana Aghajanian


text:
Graffiti in Times of Crisis · Global Voices
Elena Arrontes

The word graffiti comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Modern graffiti was born in the 1960s in New York and was inspired by hip-hop music. The number of graffiti signatures an artist has depends on the reputation and fame of the artist.
Although sometimes this type of art has remained under the radar, and despite the fact that authorities have spent lots of money in erasing graffiti, street art has spread to other countries and has become popular in urban spaces in many cities. Some are scrawls with personal messages, and others are true works of art. In this time of economic crisis graffiti art is rife with social demands, and like it or not, has become part of our daily life.
Many webpages dedicate their content to showcase this type of street art such as the blog Fogonazos, a collection of which can be seen here:
“Let them eat crack” reads this graffiti in New York. Image by Flickr user Omiso.
Money flies on a building's exterior in Caracas, Venezuela.
Drawn in Manchester, UK. “The rich and powerful piss on us and the media tells us it's raining”.
Spewing up the crisis in London.
These photographs below (taken by the author) show the wave of graffiti that can be seen while walking through Granada, in southern Spain, the compelling images and phrases making reference to the political and economic system of the country.
In the third photograph, one can see the letters PP (the Spanish Popular Party) and PSOE (the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party).  The abbreviations of the two most popular political parties in Spain appear to be muddled with a single logo: a way of saying that the two parties are the same, which denounces the two-party system.  One can also see a mural in the city with chickens with the caption “Gente presa, mercado libre” (People become prey in a free market).
“Happy consumption”
“In defense of public [education]”
“Education is not for sale”
Photograph by Elena Arrontes
In Madrid you can often find graffiti by the well known Basque artist Alberto Basterrechea, who started writing poetry more than seven years ago. He is the author of two blogs titled Neorrabioso and Batania in which he presents photographs of his verses plastered on the walls of the capital city. His poems tend to have a personal edge or often have a demanding tone to them, as we can see in the following photographs:
“¿Confianza o con fianza?” (Trust or finance?) a play on words on the wall of the Santander Bank, photograph by Neorrabioso.
“Freewhat, equalwho, brotherwhen” (a play of words in Spanish of the famous Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité).
In any part of the world, it is common for pedestrians to walk amongst all types of paintings on the exterior walls of buildings, parks and houses. But beyond the city walls, graffiti has moved from the streets to other types of media: photography books, blogs and Facebook pages such as Global Street Art.

author: Elena Arrontes


text:
Guinea-Bissau: “Our Culture” in Photos · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The Facebook profile of Nôkultura Associação (“Our Culture” Association), launched by Teodoro Gomes in late July, 2012, features a rich – though still small – set of photos on culture and traditions of Guinea Bissau.

author: Sara Moreira


text:
Guyana: Social Media Plays Role in Linden Solidarity Protests · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

The protests in Linden have spawned other protests in solidarity, both in Guyana and overseas – and social media, in the form of blogs, online videos and Facebook – have been helping to spread the message.
In London, protests were held in front of the Guyana High Commission in Bayswater, which were organized by Global Women Strike and Caribbean Labour Solidarity, among other groups. Selma James (former wife of the late Trinidadian intellectual C.L.R. James), Michael Rahman, a founding member of the Working People's Alliance and Luke Daniels, President of the Caribbean Labour Solidarity and a former bauxite worker from Linden, all addressed the crowd.
Videos of August 4 Linden Solidarity Protests in front of the Guyana High Commission in London:
Chhattisgarh Women’s Organisation in India sent a message signaling their solidarity with the Linden protesters:
Chhattisgarh Women’s Organisation condemns the killing of three people and injuring of 20 people, who were protesting against increasing electricity prices, by police in Linden, Guyana on 19 July. Many women’s groups in Delhi are also opposed to these killings. We are very sad about this. People were making their own demands and they were killed by the police. We support the protest today in Georgetown called by Red Thread and others. We are having a protest in Chhattisgarh to support people in Guyana. People in India are also protesting increase in prices.
Nicola Marcus, a member of Red Thread who has been organising vigils and other support in Georgetown said:
When I saw the photographs of the demo I felt as if those protesting were right here – they had all the names of the people who were murdered and those who were injured. I felt moved by that. I said to one of the other women in Red Thread – I’m sure there are many people in Guyana who don’t know all those names and look! – here are people from all over the world, in London, for whom each of those women, men and children is important. When I reported on the demo at a vigil in Buxton on Thursday to the over 1000 women, men and children there all I heard was ‘Wow!’ – and I felt even more moved. I used that to say to the vigilers that the struggle is not only in Linden, and if people from all those places, based in London, of all races, women and men, could see that, we must see it too.
In Guyana itself, the Occupy Guyana movement was launched at the People's Parliament at the corner of High Street and Brickdam in Georgetown on August 15th. Unlike its American counterpart, which saw fierce debates over whether it should make concrete demands, Occupy Guyana started off with a list of  immediate demands in its mission statement:
We elect to remain in this occupied free space until the following conditions are met: • The immediate dismissal of Guyana's Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee; • The laying of criminal charges against the officers responsible for the fatal shooting of Ron Somerset, Shemroy Bouyea, and Alan Lewis—unarmed citizens of Linden; • The end of any attempt to raise the electricity rates of the town of Linden. • The guarantee, at the highest level, that citizens will not without their consent be hindered in their right to peaceful assembly and association; • Full compensation to the families of the slain and to the injured citizens of Linden, as determined by legal advisors of their choice.
Occupy Guyana also laid out some longer term demands :
We, the ‘Free’ citizens of Guyana resolve to continue our peaceful struggle until a new parliament is constructed that will reflect the views of the people, addressing with urgency: • the high levels of unemployment especially among our youth; • lack of accountability of high officials; • the high levels of state violence, corruption, police brutality and general police harassment. • the continued degradation and exploitation of our rainforest and other national and natural resources; • the continuing environment of racial segregation, discrimination, and disharmony among the Guyanese people.
The initiative for Occupy Guyana came from Red Thread, a feminist grassroots social movement which began as an association of craftworkers in 1986. Red Thread felt that other Guyanese should emulate the Lindeners and be more assertive. Sherlina Nageer, also from Red Thread and one of the organizers of Occupy Guyana, wrote about her reaction to the protests:
Less than 48 hours after the massacre I attended a forum recognizing women’s unwaged work put on by the Women and Gender Equality Commission on. The welcoming remarks, the first, second, and then third speakers all delivered their messages on cue, with nary a word about Linden.   I sat there transfixed unable to believe my ears. I had expected as a show of decency, at the very least, a moment of silence for the people killed and injured in Linden. I was immediately scolded when I raised the point.
This is not a women’s issue!
Nageer concluded that there was no way the gender dimension could be ignored in this situation:
Women were shot. Women are taking care of relatives and friends who were shot. Women are camping out in the streets. Women are lying down in front of bulldozers sent to clear the roads. Women are helping to move logs to re-block the road. Women are cooking and feeding their community members and fellow protesters. Women are reporting on the goings on. Women are part of the community’s leadership, negotiating and strategizing the next steps forward.
After leaving the first People's Parliament gathering, newspaper columnist and strident government critic Freddie Kissoon was attacked as he tried to enter his vehicle (Kissoon was victim of a similar attack in 2010 when a bucket of feces was dumped on him ):
So what explanation do I have? I was asked by one media house to explain why I think it happened. Here now is what I deeply feel about the constant oppression against me – someone very high in the power establishment has an obsession with me out of their mistaken belief that I am probably the greatest threat to the Government. How do you deal with such an obsession?
Freddie Kissoon and Dr. David Hinds discuss the Linden Protests on ‘Plain Talk’
International Press Institute Deputy Director Anthony Mills was very concerned about this situation:
We are very concerned about this week’s attack on Freddie Kissoon and we urge the Guyanese government to open an immediate investigation and to bring those responsible to justice. Furthermore, officials must ensure that what appears to be a campaign of harassment against Mr. Kissoon and his family is stopped. The right to engage in critical journalism is vital to any democracy and must be respected.

author: Matthew Hunte


text:
History of Cambodian Comics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

John Weeks created a slideshow presentation about the history of Cambodian comics in the past half century.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Hong Kong: Citizens Lead Clean-Up of Typhoon Plastic Pellet Spillage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More than 150 tons of plastic pellets manufactured by SINOPEC were spilled into the sea when Typhoon Vicente hit Hong Kong on 23 July, 2012. However, the Hong Kong government neither announced the incident to the public nor took action to clean-up the pollution until citizens found the plastic pellets on local beaches. Currently, environmental groups are still coordinating the clean-up action via Facebook.
The first online report was written by Gary Stokes of Sea Shepherd Hong Kong and he also created a Facebook page to follow up the incident:
After the recent Typhoon 10 that hit Hong Kong a few days ago, a grim discovery was made by Tracey Read on Discovery Bay’s North Beach. A total of thirty 25kg sacks of Pre Processed Plastic [Raw Plastic in small pellet form also known as Nurdles] was found washed up on the beach. Sadly 11 of the sacks were empty and their contents now lay strewn across the beach. Plastic is one of the largest pollutants in the worlds oceans today. These small translucent balls look very similar to fish eggs and because of this they are consumed by fish and seabirds. The Nurdles absorb all pollutants before they are ingested, passing these toxins onto the host. Once in the food chain, plastic then works it’s way up the food chain and eventually ends up on the human dinner table.
The news was mainly spread amongst English speakers and was briefly reported in the South China Morning post on July 31. The Facebook group quickly produced an advocacy video to raise public concern:
Not until the Discovery Bay-based environmental group, DB Green, made a public call for volunteer clean-up action via a Chinese online forum on August 2, did the local Chinese mainstream media pick up the story. A full page report appeared in Apple Daily [zh] on August 4.
Pressured by journalist inquiries, the government finally admitted on August 5, that they had received reports from SINOPEC about the incident soon after the typhoon but they stressed that the pellets are not toxic. However, local fish farm owners have reported that [zh] their fishes have been ‘stuffed’ to death by eating the plastic pellets.
Although both the government and SINOPEC have promised to help with the clean-up, the public have been outraged by the delayed response and following DB Green's example, citizen groups such as Lamma Corner, Scholarism, Green Sense have also called for clean-up actions.
More than a hundred volunteers showed up at Shek O beach on August 12, 2012. Photo from Plastic Disaster on Facebook.
In addition, a Google Map has been put up for coordinating the clean-up:
A month has passed since the incident and citizens continue to share clean-up tips and update on new plastic pollution areas online:
Report from Sam Pak Wan, Discovery Bay in August 10, 2012. Photo from Plastic Disaster on Facebook.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Myanmar: Abused Child Goes to Court Without Lawyer · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

Wira Thu, a monk activist, wrote[my] about an ‘unfair’ trial where a 14-year old girl victim in a child labor case appeared in the court without a lawyer.

author: Chan Myae Khine


text:
Puerto Rico: In Conversation with Calle 13’s “Residente” René Pérez · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

It's hard to imagine anyone betting on Calle 13‘s success back in 2005, as the popular Puerto Rican group prepared to release their eponymous debut. Back then, reggaeton was still very much the rage on – and off – the island, and René Pérez Joglar (“Residente” – the group's lyricist and vocalist) and Eduardo Cabra Martínez (“Visitante” – band leader and musical mastermind) where, at first glance, just another duo trying to make it. However, their irreverent blend of hip-hop, electronica, World Music, and reggaeton was in truth much more interesting than anything else getting the media's attention – even revelatory by local radio standards.
And while the majority of the entertainment press – not ready or willing to tackle Calle 13's more politically minded lyrics and public statements – chose to focus on the group's penchant for controversy, René and Eduardo kept working on their music: upping the stakes with each release, collaborating with renowned musicians like Café Tacuba and Gustavo Santaolalla – among many others – and conquering Latin America in the process. “Our project is honest and good. We have good lyrics, good music, we have a great live show,” René said to me simply, a couple of days before headlining the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City. The more than six thousand people who showed up at Brooklyn's Prospect Park for Calle 13‘s set clearly agree with him.
Our conversation took place over a couple of hours last July 3rd at Residente's apartment in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Comfortable, yet spare, with colorful paintings by local artists adorning its walls – it's evident René spends more time away from home, having played over a hundred concerts in 2011 alone. We sat down over a beer to chat about Puerto Rico's independent music scene, Twitter, and his involvement with the Movimiento Revolucionario Calle 13 or MRC13 for short – a revolutionary movement inspired by the group's lyrics. What follows is an edited version of that interview, produced for Puerto Rico Indie‘s online music series Archipiélago [es].
NOTE: If the video doesn't display English subtitles automatically, first press PLAY and then look for the CC (Captions) button under the video timeline. Click the CC button to enable or disable english captions.
*Thumbnail photo taken from Flickr from Oscalito's stream and republished under CC License BY-2.0.

author: Alfredo Richner


text:
Puerto Rico: Social Media’s ‘No’ Campaign Wins Big in Referendum · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Even with lack of economic resources and an advertising infrastructure, the “NO” option prevailed in the referendum that took place in Puerto Rico last August 19th to amend the country's Constitution. The proposed amendments [es] limited the right to bail and the amount of legislators.
Social media played a huge role throughout the campaign process in favor and against the proposed amendments. However, those who advocated for the NO (against the amendments) took more advantage of the power of social networks because they didn't have the means to get the same presence in traditional media than those who favored the “YES” option (that was backed by an official political party, the pro-statehood PNP-New Progressive Party). The advocates of the “NO” couldn't do a TV campaign in favor of the NO because they were forced to have the same rules and requirements that any citizen group needs to obey when it wants to become a political party, making the process of getting an approval for the NO advocates a lot more difficult.
Nonetheless, as the following videos and images show, initiative and creativity flourished as it took over social networks as the ideal tool to spread the message of what the Constitution amendments meant (videos are in Spanish):
This poster explains why women favored the “No” option.
On Twitter, users celebrated the fact that with tools like social media, which are available for everyone who has Internet connection, you can call people to action similarly, or even more effectively, than with traditional campaigns that costs millions and are run by political parties:
@irizarryangel: De ahora en adelante hay que contar con La gente de las redes sociales. Son una gran comunidad y pueden hacer la diferencia en elecciones
@irizarryangel: From now on we have to count on the people on social networks. They are a great community and can make a difference in the elections
@RositaMarrero: No y no ganó con todo y la d falta de recursos económicos y la poca publicidad.
@RositaMarrero: No and no won even with lack of economic resources and little advertising.
@CarloRubenRosar: Tanto estuvieron 140 caracteres dando a la conciencia del pueblo que hoy resquebraron la maquinaria levantada con dinero. Triunfa el NO!!!
@CarloRubenRosar: 140 characters focused so hard on raising awareness among people that today they broke the machinery put together by money. The NO won!!!
The victory of  NO, a victory that also belongs to citizen media against the political parties’ millionaire machinery, has been compared to the story of David and Goliath, as an example, here's a cartoon by the cartoonist Kike Estrada:
“Goliath” by Kike Estrada. Used with his authorization. “Did you hear that noise?. The Earth shook!; What happened is that David has beaten Goliath.”
And of course, celebrations were present on Twitter:
@larod98: Me voy a dormir con una sonrisa en la cara. Gracias Puerto Rico por no entregar tus derechos! #NOyNO
@larod98: I am going to sleep with a smile on my face. Thank you Puerto Rico for not surrendering your rights! #NoyNO
@solojoe: En las olimpiadas ganamos la plata y el bronce… pero HOY el pueblo puertorriqueño se ganó la de oro con el #NoyNO . Felicidades!!!!!
@solojoe: At the Olympics we won silver and bronze… but TODAY the people of Puerto Rico won the gold with the #NoyNO. Congratulations!!!!!

author: Ángel Carrión


text:
Russia: Pussy Riot and the Orthodox Reformation · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Vladislav Inozemtsev, economist and opposition politician, recently published an opinion piece [ru] extolling the virtues of the protestant ethic and calling for the modernization of the Russian Orthodox Church. The article was a response to the sentencing of the three Pussy Riot members to two years in prison on August 17, 2012.
Inozemtsev was on trend. In the past several months, many Russian bloggers have compared the slow disaster of the trial to the start of the Protestant Reformation. For example, in an August 20 post, blogger, banker, and businessman Roman Avdeev expressed certainty [ru] that:
[…]перспектива у Московской Патриархии в ближайшем будущем, похоже, одна – возникновение раскола, а точнее – “православной реформации”, которая и станет реакцией наиболее духовно здоровых сил в нашей Церкви на нежелание священноначалия что-либо изменить в современной церковной жизни.
Patriarch Kirill holds his first service as Patriarch, St Petersburg, Russia (5 April 2009), by Mike Kireev, copyright © Demotix.
Journalist Yulia Latynina framed the issue [ru] in a less optimistic fashion:
Если бы российское общество было действительно глубоко религиозным, то действия патриарха Кирилла привели бы к реформации, как разврат и симония римских пап привели к Лютеру.
These are just the latest examples of visions of a new Reformation — both published after the verdict. But netizens started making the comparison back in March, when there was still a chance that the young women might go free. The first netizen to mention it was LiveJournal user norlink, who commented [ru] on an altercation between Orthodox supporters of Pussy Riot and their critics:
противостояние обретает оттенок религиозной реформации, которую так долго ждали в России и отсутствие которой и завело нацию в исторический тупик.”
Other examples include LJ users yakushev, who expanded [ru] on the point, adding that atheists will support the reformers in a modern version of the Reformation, and Mikhail Solomatin, who wrote a post [ru] neatly organizing the arguments of Pussy Riot defenders into protestant theological categories like “Adoption of Scripture as the sole authority and rejection of blind obedience to the Church” and “Faith in the possibility of direct communication with God.”
Of course, a Reformation needs more than just a cause. It needs leaders and examples. On August 18, it seemed that Russia found such an example. A priest named Sergey Baranov published an open letter [ru] to the Patriarch on his Facebook account. The letter began like this:
В связи с позорными событиями последних месяцев и в особенности вынесенным при прямом подстрекательстве священноначалия Русской Православной Церкви и людей, по недоразумению именующими себя «православными гражданами» неправосудным приговором в отношении Pussy Riot, я, заштатный клирик Тамбовской епархии диакон Сергий Баранов, официально объявляю о своем полном и безусловном разрыве отношений с Русской Православной Церковью Московского Патриархата и ходатайствую о снятии с себя священного сана.
The text eloquently went on to criticize the Patriarch and the Church for a lack of compassion and understanding. The general reaction to the letter can be summed up by this enthusiastic comment [ru] from Olga Bakushinskaya's blog:
ИМХО, это начало новой Реформации. Есть предчувствие, что это российский Мартин Лютер
Not all supporters of a liberalized Russian Church were as ecstatic, however. For example, Vladimir Golyshev, a vehement Pussy Riot defender, has generally praised Baranov, but wrote immediately [ru] to criticize him for signing the letter with “a humble acolyte of ‘Your Holiness.'”
Unfortunately, this was not the only thing for which Baranov would be criticized. For one, people questioned his status as a priest. According to Baranov himself [ru], he retired in 2003, and has not served the Church since. However, the term Baranov uses, “заштатный клирик,” literally “a cleric not on staff,” is more complex than simple retirement. It is explained on one forum [ru] as something akin to an honorably discharged officer who no longer performs his military duties, but does not lose rank and can return to serve if needed.
A much more ominous accusation came shortly later. As it turned out [ru], a large portion of Baranov’s letter was plagiarized from at least three different sources: another Facebook post [ru], a column [ru] on Echo Moskvy, and an Echo Moskvy radio show [ru] transcript. It was unclear why such an important letter would be composed with such a heavy dose of plagiarism.
In addition, Baranov’s Facebook profile shares a number of similarities with the now-defunct profile of one Sergey Aristarkhov [ru], including the profile pictures and listed interests. The name “Sergey Aristarkhov” appears in Internet searches as a signatory to a 2011 petition [ru] to the Patriarch, requesting an investigation into the Bishop of Tambov diocese.
Facebook profile of Sergey Baranov and Google cache of Facebook profile of Sergey Aristarkhov. Screenshots, August 20, 2012.
In fact, there is a recent precedent of priests withdrawing from the Orthodox Church. Just last year, three priests from Izhevsk [ru] were “dishonorably discharged” for speaking out against the Patriarch and increasing bureaucratization of the Church. Nevertheless, it would be easy to assume that Baranov’s story and persona were fabricated — either a nuanced PR move by the Kremlin, or a heavy-handed attempt at astroturfing by the opposition. Thankfully, the Tambov diocese soon came out with a press release [ru] confirming Baranov’s existence, at the same time stating that he has been subject to a number of interdicts for his behavior prior to retirement.
Baranov has since been interviewed by several news agencies, and has promised to provide documentation [ru] proving that the diocese’s allegations are untrue. Neither BBC Russia Service [ru] nor Izvestia [ru] asked Baranov questions about plagiarism, by far the most disturbing and RuNet-discussed claim against him. Baranov has only addressed this topic in a radio interview [ru] with Russia News Service, where he acknowledged the plagiarism and said it was intentionally designed to prove that the text was written after a certain date, as insurance against the Church backdating his withdrawal, in order to claim that he was no longer a priest when he wrote it.
Logical fallacies aside (proof that the letter was written on August 17 in no way stops the Church from backdating his withdrawal; the letter refers to the Pussy Riot trial verdict, which also dates it), Baranov's reasoning does not adequately explain why the plagiarism was as extensive as it was. And what of the mysterious second Facebook account? Perhaps it is a pseudonym?
The story is still uncertain and developing, but at this point we can safely say that Baranov is not Russia’s Martin Luther.

author: Andrey Tselikov


text:
South Africa: ‘Apartheid Era’ Police Brutality at Mine Massacre · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On 16 August, 2012, a historic bloodbath occurred at a Lonmin mine in Marikana, South Africa, when police used lethal force on mine workers who were striking. The incident claimed 34 lives, injuring 78 more people, while 259 miners were arrested.
Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega stated in press conference that police officers used maximum force to protect themselves during the clashes.
The massacre has caused many reactions at both the domestic and international level. Ayanda Kota analyzing the issue writes:
The Marikana Mine is the richest platinum mine in the world and yet its workers live in shacks. Most of the slain workers are rock drillers, the most difficult and dangerous work in the mine. They do the most dangerous work in the mine and yet they earn only R4 000 a month. Through the blood and sweat in the mines they do not only produce wealth that is alienated from them, they also produce the fat cats, which wine and dine on naked bodies and call that sushi.
This video, uploaded to YouTube on 17 August by user enewschannel, asks what can be revealed from studying the news footage of the event [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT]:
Reactions
Carina Conradie, a 21 year-old South African, has opened a Facebook page inviting people everywhere to join her project to end inequality and senseless killings in South. She recalls that:
310 people were killed in Khayelitsha between April 2010 and March 2011. 80% of households in the Western Cape do not know where their next meal will come from. This desperation leads to the violence of inequality that is seen on a daily basis in our communities.
We will therefore stand in hunger and solidarity on a 24 hour hunger strike every Monday until the 24th of September. Join us for as many Mondays as you can to spark debate and dialogue and spread awareness of this crisis.
Her plans are:
This Monday (20/8) we will be striking in honour of the 34 protestors who were killed at the Lonmin mine shooting.
On Monday we will also meet at UCT (at 2pm outside the Arts Block) and in front of parliament (at 1pm) to engage with the issue of the violence of inequality and the ways in which the Lonmin shooting is such an example. Anyone who is hunger striking or wants to engage with these issues is encouraged to join in these gatherings.
Another Facebook page is called Justice now for Marikana Strikers! We condemn the police massacre of 45 strikers! The introductory part of the page reads:
Thursday the 16th of August 2012 will go down in South African history as the new Sharpeville. 45 dead because police and the South African government cannot handle an independent union movement.
We are in solidarity with the workers of Marikana against the bosses and the police and those who support the bosses and police.
To protest this massacre and all other forms of police violence, we will gather at parliament on Friday the 17th of August at 3pm. Please bring signs.
Joining the discussion on the page, Lorna Houston is of the opinion that:
The blame game never moves us forward. RIP Striking Miners who were killed. Life in our country is not valued and so we can attack each other and kill – this is true for SAPS, strikers, protesters, abusers, gangsters and ‘regular’ people. We need to learn our own value so that we can begin to value others. Love, peace and harmony
On the same page, Rehad Desai has published a communiqué from a group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) calling for a series of activities to be held next week:
On Wednesday 22 August, civil society organisations – faith-based, non-governmental and community-based organisations, social movements and trade unions – will initiate an independent civil society-led inquiry into the massacre of more than 34 mineworkers at Marikana.
The communiqué gives details of the inquiry:
The launch will take place at a public meeting to be held this Wednesday. The meeting will hear testimony from Marikana workers, affected women and leaders of community organisations. We will hear their account of developments leading up to the massacre and a description of how the police slaughtered their loved ones and comrades. This version of events differs from those that have prevailed in the media.
Marco Guidetti expressing his view, says on the same Facebook page:
No matter how bad the situation on the ground is, the government and it's resources (police,etc) should at all times do their best to protect it's populace. There are many non-lethal means that could've been employed to quell the unrest.
Many South African readers have commented on a story published by the BBC. Lillina Ruiters, 18 year-old Grahamstown resident summarizes the opinion of many people, when she states that:
This atrocious and outrageous violence is symptomatic of the relationship that has been developing between protesters and the police over the last two years. There have been violent outbreaks and confrontations with the police continually. It is no longer possible for the media to portray these as “isolated events”.
South African people are angry and tired of the inequality that is so rife in our country. It is heart-breaking to see our country being so brutally torn apart in a manner strikingly reminiscent of the apartheid days
While the South African government has declared a week of national mourning, the mining company Lonmin issued an ultimatum to the strikers, threatening to fire them if they failed to report for work on Monday 20 August. Commenting on this ultimatum on 3-mob.com, user Three Men On a Boat wondersHow the company thinks that threatening people’s employment at a time like this will help bring calm at this point is beyond us. It is the initial refusal to engage which has caused the situation to escalate and radicalising it further does noone any good.
However, Kerryman reports that:
But it said just 27% of the staff who were supposed to go on shift at the Marikana mine were at work on Monday morning, which was not enough to resume production and means the shutdown has dragged into a second week.
In another official communiqué, the mining company Lonmin says:
In addition to the Help Desk Services [established at Lonmin’s Andrew Saffy Hospital], Lonmin commits to provide funding for the education of all the children of employees who lost their lives. This funding will cover education costs from primary school to university.
When the police crackdown took place, President Jacob Zuma was attending the 32nd SADC Summit in Maputo, Mozambique. He cut short his participation and returned home to visit Marikana. He later announced at a news conference at Mooi Nooi near Rustenburg, that a commission of inquiry to probe the deaths of the 34 miners will be put in place. President Zuma said there was a need to uncover the truth about what happened there.
On Monday 20 August, a report issued by (September National Imbizo) (SNI), a national voluntary movement of like minded people who wish to bring about a new society where all are taken care of for real, after a visit to the site of the dramatic event in Marikana, was published on Facebook saying:
What is clear from what we are told is that this was an ambush. The video material in mainstream media showing workers charging at the police was in fact workers running away from bullets being hurled from behind. Why would workers, armed with knobknorries charge at armed police? The workers were completely surrounded and what we've been seeing in the media is only half the story. There was clearly a mission to shoot to kill, thus the deployment of the army.
The coming days will be very difficult in the political and social space in South Africa. The Marikana massacre is the most serious tragedy in South Africa since the end of the Apartheid era.
Some political analysts have compared it to the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, when the South African Apartheid police opened fire on the crowd killing 69 people and the Soweto Uprising of 1976, where it is estimated that 700 people were killed and another 4,000 were injured. The 6 June is now a public holiday, known as Youth Day, in South Africa, in remembrance of the Soweto Uprising.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


text:
Togo: Police Clashes with Thousand of Protesters in Lomé    · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Today (August 21), the association ” Sauvons le Togo” has posted photos on its twitter and Flickr account that illustrate clashes between police and thousand of protesters who demand reforms in the electoral process.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Vietnam: Human Rights Lawyer Attacked · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Le Quoc Quan, a human rights lawyer based in Hanoi, Vietnam, was beaten by a group of armed men. Quan believes the attackers could be plainclothes police who wanted to silence him for his activism.


text:
Zimbabwe: Politician Lashes Out at Zuma Snub · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

Zimbabwe’s political crisis has dragged on for years now and mediation efforts by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have proven frustrating as the country’s coalition partners continue bickering.
The SADC-appointed mediator, South African President Jacob Zuma, was in the country last week to meet the leaders of the three political parties forming the Inclusive Government (IG) to find out what progress was being made toward holding of elections scheduled for next year.
He met three leaders of the three main political parties, namely Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Welshman Ncube and President Robert Mugabe.
But he did not meet the Deputy Prime Minister Authur Mutambara, which upset the politician. Mutambara lost the post of his party's president to former associate Welshman Ncube, after the High Court ruled against Mutambara's claim to Movement for Democratic Change leadership.
He accused Zuma of violating Zimbabwe's constitution for meeting Ncube as the leader of MDC while the matter of who is the leader of the party is still pending before the Supreme Court. He said, “Anyone who undermines the Supreme Court by making a determination on a pending issue is violating Zimbabwe’s laws and Constitution.”
Arthur Mutambara at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) by the World Economic Forum.
Immediately after Zuma's refusal to meet Mutambara and his public statements about the snub, Zimbabweans took to social media platforms to express their feelings about the issue.
Ntungamili Nkomo posted the following on Facebook:
Adios A.G.O Mutambara. Clearly the honeymoon is beginning to unravel.
This drew responses from other Facebook users. Mzala Tom commented wrote:
He has lost all court cases ! He handed over power to Ncube and even gave a farewell speech ! Why are we even talking about this ???!!! Just crazzzzy gukurahundists (perpetrators of Gukurahundi) hating on Ncube!
Munei Chiganangana added her voice to the debate that seems to have divided the nation along tribal and ethnic lines:
To say Mtambara is a Dog is more of hate than reality.Mtambara is as good a politician as any in the field if not better.What is wrong is how he entered the political field.You can't expect to perform wonders when you join a small run away group whose solely objective is Government position rather than the people they purport to lead.History will tell you that the Ncube faction broke away from MDC because it was up to Gvt positions as opposed to fight to unsettle the Mugabe regime. Still again up to now, Ncube continues to fight for gvt position as he wants to be part to GNU. My thinking was that Ncube could have left this GNU animal alone and do the ground work, mobilising and building up his small disintegrating part to something more than the main MDC. We desperately needs a part outside GNU at the moment.If academic and professional excellence equals political excellence, Simba Makoni could be our president right now. But its always not the case.
Marko Phiri at Kubatanablogs wondered whose constituency Mutambara was representing:
It’s not always that one gets to enjoy news details from the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). Well, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this on radio last night: “Professor Authur Mutambara was denied audience with President Zuma…” When will Mutambara learn to get off? In his crazy bald head he firmly sees himself as Zimbabwe’s future president and those who saw him “awaiting his turn” to meet President Zuma must have wondered whose constituency he was representing. I can imagine that, because President Mugabe has “allowed” him to bumrush the GPA, the garrulous fop must have pleaded with President Mugabe to let him meet Zuma! The ambitious fool forgot that Zuma would, as the courts decided already, meet his in-law, Welshman Ncube, the same man Mutambara would have liked President Zuma not to talk to! Talk about a useless bald head. Just for kicks, I leave it to ZBC: “Professor Authur Mutambara was denied audince with President Zuma…” Dimwit”.
On Twitter, some commented as follows:
@jessiedendere: Throwing tantrums is how Mutambara will end his political career.
@SavileImage: Surprisingly [#Mutambara] was pushing President #Zuma to address #ZanuPF concerns.
@SavileImage: Well and good for #mawere to join the #Zimbabwe presidential race but he needs to be wary of being the next Mutambara.” This was in response to reports that a wealthy businessman and former Mugabe sympathiser Mutumwa Mawere had announced his interest in contesting next year’s presidential elections.

author: Madalitso Mwando


text:
Arab World: Scenes of Eid from Syria, Palestine and Bahrain · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting – Ramadan, was commemorated with three days of celebrations across the Arab world, or so goes the tradition. Instead, celebrations were muted as Syria buried its dead and Bahrain laid to rest a 16-year-old teenager killed by police.
Syria
Syrian activist Razan Saffour reminds us:
@RazanSpeaks: For Muslims, today was the last day of Eid al-Fitr. In #Syria, over 500 people have been killed by Assad during the past 3 days of Eid.
Dona, who lived in Syria, tweets:
@donatelladr: #Syria tv links Eid wishes to army`s braveness in killing “terrorists”& features soldiers sending personal wishes to families #disgusting
The Syrian regimes, like the other Arab dictatorships, refer to protesters in government-owned and/or controlled media as “terrorists” and “thugs.”
And Abdulla Aldahham shares this video, posted on YouTube, which shows Syrian children enjoying themselves on a captured tank, converted into a swing, in Homs:
Palestine
Worshippers praying the Eid prayers in Gaza. Photograph shared by Maher Zain on Twitter and retweeted more than 1,000 times
Meanwhile in Palestine, Twitter users reported hearing “explosions.”
Palo Rawan tweets:
@MyFreePal: explosion heard in west Gaza. israel is wishing us a happy Eid. #Gaza Eid Mubarak
And Rana Baker adds:
@RanaGaza: HUGE explosion rocks #Gaza on first day of Eid!
Meanwhile, Nour Odeh, who lives in Ramallah, takes the opportunity to remind her readers about the predicament of the Palestinians and prays for Syria [ar]:
Bahrain
In Bahrain, Suhail Algosaibi tweets:
@SuhailAlgosaibi: A day of mixed emotions; Eid mubarak to all of us in #Bahrain, & condolences to us all on our latest death.
Hussam Al Haddad was killed by riot police on the eve of Eid. According to the Al Jazeera story linked to in this post, ‘Bahraini officials said the security forces were merely following procedures and called al-Haddad a “terrorist”.’
Al Haddad's death reminded Bahrainis of the murder of Ali Jawad Al Shaikh of Sitra, who was also killed  last Eid.
The killing of teenagers for two successive Eids, as well as the arrest of children, has led to netizens rallying for their cause under the hash tag #eid_without_kids
Noor Rajab shares this video, from YouTube, showing security forces shooting tear gas into people's homes in Sitra:

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Argentina: “I’m an Organ Donor and I Tell the World” · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

The news that renowned Argentinian singer Sandra Mihanovich [es] was donating a kidney to her goddaughter Sonsoles Rey Obligado, daughter of her girlfriend Maria Paz Novarro, surprised Argentinians and raised awareness about the importance of saving lives. Sandra's example has also revived online campaigns seeking to raise awareness about organ donation.
Argentina's law prevents organ donation between living persons who are not direct family members, so Sandra had to go to court for approval. Sandra's website [es] describes the moment when the Judge asks her why she wants to donate her kidney:
“Dar amor”, así Sandra definía por estos días frente al juez, cuando éste le preguntó sobre el por qué de su decisión de donarle un riñón a su ahijada de bautismo Sonsoles. No hay mucho que decir frente a estos actos, frente a estas expresiones de amor tan concretas. Pero este hecho grandioso, emotivo y generoso nos da la enorme posibilidad de aprender, de educarnos, de conocer, de saber, de perder miedos. Es nuestra oportunidad de conocer más sobre el tema donación de órganos e informarnos al respecto.
“To give love” that's how Sandra defined her decision before the judge, when asked about the reason for donating a kidney to her goddaughter Sonsoles. There isn't much to say against these concrete expressions of love. But this great, emotional and generous act gives us enormous opportunities to learn, to get educated, to lose fear. It is our opportunity to learn more and get informed about organ donation.
On its website, INCUCAI, the government body that regulates, coordinates and supervises organ, tissue, and cell donation and transplants in Argentina, publishes daily statistics about patients on a waiting list for organs. The following is a real time report [es] at the time this post was being translated:
Statistics at 9:49 am
7153 waiting list patients
910 Implants 2012
398 real donors 2012
9.6 Donors PMH 2012
In his blog [es], journalist Alfredo Leuco [es] dedicates a post to Sandra Mihanovich and suggests that everyone share the news about her donation:
Los periodistas, los docentes, los religiosos, los políticos, los artistas, los deportistas y todos los que tenemos un micrófono, una tribuna o un púlpito desde donde difundir informaciones y pensamientos tenemos la responsabilidad social, la obligación moral de incitar a la esperanza, de fomentar la donación, de multiplicar la solidaridad de hacer una propaganda constante de los valores que nos hermanen mas y nos hagan mejores personas y mejores argentinos. No hay otra.
Journalists, teachers, religious leaders, politicians, artists, athletes and all who have a microphone, a podium or a pulpit from which to share information and thoughts have a social responsibility, a moral obligation to encourage hope, to encourage donation, to multiply solidarity, to constantly advertise values that bring us closer together and make us better people and better Argentinians. There is no other way.
On May 30, following the National Day of Organ and Tissue Donation, the INCUCAI launched an online campaign [es] using the hashtag  #SoyDonante [es] (“I'm a donor”) on Twitter. Also a video on YouTube was launched with the motto “I'm a donor and I tell the world”:
Furthermore, the INCUCAI website [es] announced that Argentina will host the next World Transplant Games which will be held in 2015.
Tras superar las postulaciones de países competidores como Japón y Alemania, la candidatura de nuestro país fue avalada por la World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF) en su reunión desarrollada en Durban, Sudáfrica, lo que constituye un fuerte aval a la política argentina de procuración y trasplante de órganos, ya que Argentina será el primer país de Latinoamérica en el que se realizará esta actividad.
After winning the bid against competing countries like Japan and Germany, our country's candidacy was endorsed by the World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF) at its meeting in Durban, South Africa. This constitutes a strong endorsement of Argentina's policy on organ transplantation, since Argentina is the first Latin American country to host this activity.
A complete report [es] on Sandra's experience was published on the singer's website. It includes videos, like one with her song “Honrar la vida” (“Honoring Life”). The report concludes:
Sandra esta vez no cantó, sino que, con su ejemplo vivo nos habló de DAR AMOR y de HONRAR LA VIDA con mayúsculas y a viva voz.
This time Sandra didn't sing, but rather, with her living example she spoke about GIVING LOVE and HONORING LIFE with capital letters and a loud voice.

author: Laura Schneider


text:
Azerbaijan: An Alternative Energy Partner for Europe? · Global Voices
Liana Aghajanian

Baku Views, a blog on economic commentary and opinion from Azerbaijan reflects on a recent NY Times column by Paul Krugman on Europe's dependence on Russian energy, noting that with its gas pipelines projects, Azerbaijan could be an alternative, reliable energy partner. In its opening notes, the blog also compares America's sliding approval rating of  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Azerbaijan giving up on expecting Armenia to withdraw forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh region.


text:
Benin: Fear and Loathing as State of Emergency is Declared   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Justin Yarga reacts [fr] to the statement issued by the government of Benin on  alleged large-scale terrorist plots and planned national strikes [fr] to destabilize the country.  A state of emergency has been declared [fr] but many wonder whether such measures are justified.


text:
Central America: Upcoming “Camps” for Young Cyber-Activists  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rising Voices is partnering with Hivos and Dialogía in two “camps” for young people using digital media for social change. The workshops, called “Activistmo” [es], will be held in Nicaragua and Guatemala during September and October. Young people from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala between the ages of 18-25 can apply [es] until August 31.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Costa Rica: “Was it My Fault I Was Raped, Because I Went Out at Night?” · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

[All links in this post lead to Spanish language sites]
With strength and courage, blogger SophiadelSol of Love Fashion & Vintage  [Update September 2012: this blog is no longer publicly accessible.] has written about her recent carjacking, abduction and rape as she was out at night with her boyfriend. In a society that blames the victims for exposing themselves to muggings, theft and anything else that may happen to them, she has bravely stood up for victims and placed the blame on the society that allows these things to happen.
She wrote the post “That happened because you went out at night” as a response to a comment directed at her boyfriend when someone heard about the carjacking: that it happened to him because he went out at night. So she extrapolated: did it mean that it was also her fault she was raped?
She writes about the events that led to her assault, describing how they were taken at gunpoint from their car and forced to undress, and then tied and placed face-down in the middle of a coffee plantation. She writes that she was then taken away to be raped. SophiadelSol describes how she was able to run away, go to her boyfriend and together walk for hours among the coffee plants until they found a road at dawn. Her answer: No. It was not their fault.
Night Sky, Moon, by Ruthanne Reid used under CCBy license.
Entonces no, esto definitivamente no nos paso por salir de noche, ni por estar donde estabamos, no es nuestra culpa, no es culpa de nadie que este tipo de cosas pasen. Pero si es nuestra responsabilidad hacer algo para que dejen de pasar. No basta con andar con más cuidado o armados, la solución es cambiar nuestras leyes, que los jueces, fiscales, policias y agentes de investigación tengan una mano dura. Porque aquí los que hacen y deshacen son los delincuentes. Y nadie hace nada para que esto cambie. El valevergismo es lo que más abunda en Costa Rica. Pero y si fuera yo la hija de alguno de esos jueces? La historia tendría un final bastante diferente.
Support for the blogger has come through people sharing the post on Facebook and commenting on her blog.
Daniela López commented congratulating her for being so brave and for being an inspiration, insisting that the country needs more people like her.
Other readers took the opportunity to also tell their story, like Catalina Orozco, who wrote about being abused as a child and dealing with people asking why she never reported the abuse:
Mi papá biológico abusó de mi desde siempre, hasta que quedé embarazada a los 14 años de mi hijo (al cuál amo en términos de infinito). Mi futuro se perfilaba oscuro, pero ‘no me dejé’, me aferré a seguir adelante con mi hijo y hoy (después de 9 años) me siento orgullosa de poder decir que si hay algo que me sobra en la vida es luz, felicidad y bienestar.
Menciono lo anterior para enmarcar lo siguiente: nada que me choque más como la constante pregunta de terceros ‘¿y porqué usted no dijo nada?’. ¿Cómo es, fue mi culpa el haber sido abusada porque ‘no dije nada'?
My biological father abused me since forever, until I got pregnant at 14 of my son (whom I love to infinity). My future seemed dark, but I did not let it get to me, I decided to go on with my son and today (after 9 years) I feel proud to say that if there is something I have much of in life is light, happiness and wellbeing.
I mention this to frame the following: nothing was as upsetting as the constant question asked by third parties of ‘why did you not say anything? So, is it my fault I was abused because I didn't ‘say anything'?
Lechuga added her comment, of how reading SophiadelSol's post was like reliving her own experience, with only a couple of changes. She also expressed solidarity in the face of all those who revictimize women and blame them for dressing a certain way, going to bars, drinking, or for trusting in people. Although Lechuga reported the crime, nothing came out of it:
Finalmente, mi proceso judicial fue un fracaso, otra historia o expediente que se suma al montón :( espero que si decidís hacer algo te vaya mil mejor, empoderate mucho frente a los investigadores, fiscales y demás, porque son sumamente machistas. Así que fuerte, valiente, demostrá la gran mujer que sos…
Fernando Arias, while confirming that in his opinion none of this was their fault, tries to speak up for the people who work in the justice system. He also believes that changing the laws isn't really a solution.
Difiero igualmente, con el mayor de los respetos, en que la solución esté en cambiar las leyes; igualmente debo salir en defensa de todos los profesionales de la judicatura. Ellos no tienen la responsabilidad de lo que sucede afuera, ni actúan dependiendo de quienes sean las partes en el proceso. Pero le manifiesto mi más profundo respeto y consideración, porque aunque mis experiencias no han sido tan traumantes, sé lo que es sentirse amenazado por un arma y que me despojen de mis pertenencias.
As for SophiadelSol, she closes with this statement:
Yo soy una mujer fuerte, ando con mi frente en alto, nada ni nadie va a hacer que desista de mi vida, mis sueños y metas. No tengo miedo ni verguenza. Soy la misma que era hace un mes pero más fuerte, más decidida. Viví una pesadilla pero estoy aquí para contarla, para que todos sepan que esto está pasando todos los días. Ningún periodico ni noticiario saca estas notas, no me interezan las razones. Lo único que quiero al contar este testimonio es que nadie más viva algo así, esto tiene que terminar!

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
Egypt: Disgust with Eid Harassment Photos · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogging Egypt shares her views on what she thinks of the Eid harassment photographs:
it DISGUSTS me that whoever caught these images on camera – of women being harassed, boys grabbing women's behinds, etc – did not bother to blur the victims’ faces before spreading the images across the internet.


text:
Egypt: Sexual Harassment over Eid  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Zeinobia, from Egyptian Chronicles, reports on sexual harassment this Eid in Egypt. Check out her report, which includes photographs and videos, here.


text:
El Salvador: 30 Years Since ‘El Calabozo Massacre’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Today, August 22, 2012, marks the thirtieth anniversary of the ‘El Calabozo’ massacre, “when troops of the US-trained Atlacatl Battalion murdered more than 200 civilian victims taking refuge along a river's banks,” as Tim's El Salvador Blog reports. Tim highlights how families of the victims will “commemorate, remember, and demand justice” on this anniversary.


text:
Hong Kong: Campaigning Against Cattle Relocation Policy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Although Hong Kong is a highly industrialized and modern city, agriculture was vibrant several decades ago in rural areas, and back then yellow cattle were the local farmers’ best companions and helpers. Nowadays there is little agricultural activity left and the cattle are retired, with only very few of them still living in rural areas.
In Mui Wo, a rural town on the eastern coast of Lantau Island, there are still 14 yellow cattle living within the community. They were let free by local farmers who gave up cultivation 20 to 30 years ago. However, in a meeting in June 2012, the Mui Wo district rural committee pressured the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to implement a “zero cattle” policy with the pretext that the cattle are distributing the traffic. Eventually a compromise was met within the meeting that only six of the cattle can remain.
Since the meeting was close door without public participation, animal rights activists and local residents, especially those who move in from urban areas oppose to the agreement and insist that all the 14 cattle should be continue to live in the community.
Yellow Cattle in Mui Wo. Photo from inmediahk.net
According to the report [zh] from inmediahk.net, the pressure to relocate the yellow cattle started six years ago because of a development plan:
遷移黃牛的問題已不止是發生於今日，至少六年前也發生同樣的事。規劃處計劃將梅窩打造成新的旅遊景點，於是牛群便變成阻街，阻礙發展。這種發展的壓力，在香港樓價地價持續上升的環境下，在六年後的今日只會更大。
As many local residents and animal rights activists protested again the plan, the rural committee claimed that the eight yellow cattle to be moved will be relocated to the Hong Kong Wetland Park. However, different from water buffalos, yellow cattle have to live in a dry environment and the proposed new home would expose them to skin diseases, explains animal activist Ho Loy.
She has also criticized [zh] the decision making process and the government's animal policy:
香港政府對鄉郊的地方管治落伍，現在的管理方式只是透過民政事務專員與各鄉村代表，如鄉事委員會或村長等會面決定。會面內容不但不是正式官方會談，而且是不公開，甚至沒有一個詳細的會面紀錄。不論是原居民代表或居民代表，均以家族式管治，只可以是同族村民擔任，而由村外搬入的居民難以進入村代表的架構內。村代表又欠缺問責意識，幾乎是一人說了算。
香港的政策向來就只有兩種動物，一是流浪動物，而另一種則是寵物。對於流浪動物，政府過往的做法就只有捕捉及人道毀滅。「他們只會保留動物四天，看是否有人會前來領回，如果沒有就人道毀滅。」然而，對於流浪牛來說，相比普通的貓狗，牛隻因體形大而更難捕捉。因此，對於流浪牛隻的做法更不人道。
Save Yellow Cattle's Facebook event picture.
A Facebook event page was set up around end of July 2012 to save the yellow cattle in Mui Wo. The activists urged concerned citizens to send an open letter to the government:
據了解，現時梅窩的黃牛，眾居當地多時，屬同一牛家群，自我管理整齊，每天都是一隻跟一隻的走過田野，牛牛和大佛已是大嶼山的代表， 大嶼山的巴士和旅遊宣傳亦有牛的形象； 這些牛的存在，構成了梅窩的獨特鄉土文化。
若人為的將14黃牛家群分開，對牛牛和社區都有很大影響，包括小的牛沒有母親，大的牛沒有牛首，空降別處亦會造成牛首相爭，流離浪盪。 人人皆知這14黃牛的公牛已全部節育，很多居民包括大人小孩， 都知道牠們是梅窩最後一群黃牛，再沒下一代， 對這群黃牛載滿感情，其情殷殷可鍳。
So far, more than 4,000 people have shown their support on Facebook and the government has agreed to arrange a meeting between the rural committee and animal rights activists later this week on August 25, 2012.


text:
Kazakhstan: Trial of Opposition Leaders Draws Pussy Riot Comparisons · Global Voices
Altynai Sydykova

“A Pussy Riot of our own” is how Kazakhstani netizens are referring to the judicial drama involving three opposition leaders accused of active participation in the Zhanaozen oil-strike in December 2011. The trials of Vladimir Kozlov, Aizhanat Aminov and Serik Sapargaly started on August 16, and are expected to end within the next two weeks. On Twitter, Kazakhstan's political opposition has been sending out tweets with the hashtag #Kozlov from the court room in Kazakh, Russian and English.
As Joanna Lillis of Eurasianet.org informs, the leader of the unregistered Alga! opposition party, Kozlov, a former oil worker from Zhanaozen, Aminov, and Sapargaly, an activist from the People’s Front political alliance, are all charged with “fomenting social unrest” and “calling for the forcible overthrow of the constitutional order”. Kozlov and Aminov face an additional charge of “setting up a criminal group”. According to Lillis, the trial is “expected to show where authorities in Astana demarcate the border between legitimate political expression and criminal behavior.” Moreover, Kazakh officials have suggested that the three activists were influenced by “third forces”. She continues:
An official investigation concluded that the Zhanaozen unrest was fomented by “third forces” from outside Kazakhstan and perpetrated by activists on the ground. Investigators have accused exiled oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov of masterminding the violence for political ends with a UK-based accomplice from Kazakhstan, Muratbek Ketebayev. Ablyazov, who is currently on the run from British justice in a fraud case, is a political foe of [Kazakhstani President] Nazarbayev.
While Human Rights Watch and the US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake have both expressed their hope for a fair trial, Kazakh netizens have little doubt that the court in the western town of Aktau will follow the example of its Russian counterpart in the recent trial of Pussy Riot [see Global Voices post for background] and hand down draconian sentences to the defendants. As Twitter user Astanchanin tweeted [ru]:
Судебная система Казахстана это зеркалка Российской системы. Посмотрим результаты по #Козлов.
On online forums, discussion mostly centres on the perceived politicization of proceedings and the decision to admit the trio to trial in the first place. Sammitkhan [Саммитхан] comments [ru] underneath an article on RFE/RL's Kazakh service, Azzatyk.org:
Жалко марионеток, участвующих в этом спектакле под названием суд. За свои поступки конечно отвечать надо. Но в первую очередь за Жанаозен должна ответить власть, не решившая этот конфликт и расстрелявшая безоружных людей. Власть и ее приспешники в бессильной злобе готовы навешать на Козлова и других все, даже Арканкерген..Это уже паранойя.
Nevertheless, while few domestic observers believe the country's courts enjoy any sort of independence from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the latter is broadly admired for ensuring the sort of poltical stability enjoyed by the Central Asian republic prior to 2011, an admiration reinforced by state-controlled media. Prizing security over democracy, the view expressed [kz] by another Azzatyk commenter, Sarsenbekov, is typical to many Kazakhstanis:
Оз басым Елбасы устанган саясатты колдаймын, озимиздин ортамыздагы шіріктерден сактанайык. Немесе шетелден келген шириктердин колдаумен журе берсек барлыгымыз кырылып калармыз. Мумкин Алгалыктар артылык кыламыз деп тыртык жасаганшыгар,онын тубири кай жерден екенин барлыгымыз тусинип отырмызгой.
“We all know where it comes from” is a likely reference to Mukhtar Ablyazov, a billionaire Nazarbayev rival-in-exile wanted on banking fraud charges in both Kazakhstan and Russia. Having ignored an arrest warrant by a court in Great Britain, where he was initially offered assylum, Ablyazov is now believed by some to have fled to France.  In a thinly disguised piece of PR for state prosecutors, an article on the Kazakh embassy website makes the connection between Ablyazov, the defendants on trial, and December 2011's fatal oil strike.
But while Astana  scrambles to sugarcoat whatever verdicts the Aktau court reaches in order to preserve its international reputation, the Zhanozen events and their aftermath appear to have encouraged newfound introspection and far-sightedness among Kazakh netizens. Their septuagenarian president has been in power for 22 years now, and as the country enters a new era, semingly marked by instability and political discord, debate is brewing over what course Kazakhstan should take when he eventually dies. Tolegen Jukeev posted [Kz] his opinion on Janaozen.net:
Ал Назарбаевтан кейін кім келеді дегенге келер болсақ, бұл өте қиын мәселе. Екі таңдау бар, бірі ашық қоғам құру, екіншісі дәл қазіргі олигархиялық режимді сақтау. Бірақ, барлығына қарамастан мен бізде парламенттік республика орнағанын қаламаймын. Себебі, біз оған дайын емеспіз. Көп саяси институттар әлі де қалыптаспаған. Сондықтан, парламенттік республика бізді бар мәселеден құтқарады деген дұрыс емес. Олай дейтіндер мемлекеттің құрылымын, оның іргетасының қалануы дегеніміз не екенін түсінбейтіндер. Әлсіз саяси институттар ұлттық мемлекеттің, қазақ мемлекетінің жойылуына алып келуі мүмкін.
The press has been allowed access to all trials relating to the Zhanaozen events. On a YouTube video uploaded by ladakz on August 16, 2012, Vladimir Kozlov, the best known defendant in the current trial, can be seen pumping his arms in defiance from the defendant's box (0.59):
Below is an amateur video of December 16, 2012 protest by oil workers in Zhanaozen, a key oil town in Kazakhstan. The video was uploaded by YouTube user chamberlinp.

author: Altynai Sydykova


text:
Vibrant Maldives Eid Celebrations – Despite the Political Wrangling · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

As Muslims throughout the world celebrated the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid Al-Fitr festival on 19 August, 2012, in the Maldives the celebrations were marred by controversy, with political and religious divisions overshadowing some of the joyful moments.
When the Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced that the morning Eid prayers in the capital city Malé were to be held in an open space, it created much controversy and debate. Eid prayers were previously held in mosques and some people viewed the decision to have it in an open space as a move by the present government and religious groups to consolidate power by abusing the country's religious identity.
Women gathered for Eid Al-Fitr prayers at a sports ground in Malé, Maldives. Image by Saffah Faroog. Copyright Demotix (19/8/2012)
Political turmoil
Maldivian society has gone through deep divisions recently after the first democratically-elected government, headed by President Mohamed Nasheed, lost power on February 7 when the president resigned following a police mutiny. The military were seen as sympathetic to the police and failed to curb the mutiny, while some soldiers joined the mutinying police, on a day of total chaos.
Nasheed's deputy Mohamed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as the new president. Since then Nasheed and his supporters have been declaring that he was ousted through a coup, being coerced to resign. The present government, which comprises of a loose coalition of various political parties, insist that they came to power legally through constitutional means.
Protests by supporters of Nasheed, demanding an election, have become frequent in the Maldives, with several protesters having been injured during heavy police crackdowns. The police have suffered injuries too as protesters turned violent. Several journalists, who tried to cover the protests, have been threatened and injured through actions of both police and protesters, and the country's media has suffered in the wake of the violence.
The role of Adhaalath Party, a political party based on religion as its main ideology, in building a momentum against Nasheed during his final days in power — marked by daily protests against the president's controversial detention of a judge and what some viewed as policies that undermined religion — has made it a bitter enemy of Nasheed's supporters.
Ironically, it was Nasheed himself who brought Adhaalath Party to the corridors of power, assigning it a cabinet portfolio when he picked his cabinet in November 2008. Adhaalath Party split with Nasheed only in his final months as president. His successor, President Waheed, has let the religious party regain its cabinet post, presumably as a reward for the party leaders’ role in ending Nasheed's government.
When the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, headed by the Adhaalath Party, called for a large congregation to perform Eid prayers at an open space in the capital, the news was met with skepticism and hostility from citizens, who saw it as a publicity stunt to show numbers at the event and interpret it as support for the ruling government. Opposition supporters called for a boycott of the large congregation and instead for people to go to individual mosques for Eid prayers.
Huzam tweets:
AS USUAL PLEASE GO TO ISLAMIC CENTRE FOR EID PRAYERS TOMORROW! ACT AGAINST MISUSING RELIGION FOR POLITICAL GAIN!
However, some Maldivians felt that a religious event such as an Eid prayer need not be politicized by any of the political sides.
Azim Zahir tweets:
Accusing Adalat of politicizing Eid prayer, opposition equally politicized it by urging ppl to attend Islami Marukaz. How long can we go on?
Azim Zahir emphasizes:
Instrumentalization of religion is a vicious cycle driven by all sides on the political divide. Eid prayer is a clear case.
Eid outdoor prayers
On the morning of Eid Al-Fitr, a large crowd of approximately 10,000 people turned out for the congregation, held at a football ground in Malé. Among them were even some supporters of ousted president Nasheed, giving credence to the view that most people saw the event purely as a religious gathering, free from political undertones. President Waheed and other senior figures of the present government were seen joining the open air congregation.
As expected, Nasheed himself, along with some of his supporters, boycotted the congregation and instead attended the prayers at the capital's largest mosque.
The large congregation itself was remarkably peaceful, with Maldivians praying side by side with migrant workers from Bangladesh, who are normally subjected to ill treatment in their daily lives. A number of women also attended the Eid prayers.
Hassaan Rasheed tweets:
@Hadithoftheday Here in Maldives we prayed EID AL FITR in the largest ever congregation and it was amazing. pic.twitter.com/7Aq4fBop
A large congregation gathers for Eid prayers in Malé, Maldives. Image by niOS. Used with permission.
The congregation was free from political rhetoric and provided a rare moment of unity and diversity; however, there were fears that politicians would use such events to consolidate their power, under the guise of religion or the call for social harmony. There were discussions on Twitter as to whether the large congregation symbolized a boost of support for the present government and for the religious groups. User Two Dead Fish tweets:
I bet they will politicize and call the people who attended stadium as their supporters.
Some Twitter users pointed out that a large proportion of the people who attended the prayers were expatriates. EhJu tweets:
@2deadfish It's alright. At least half the people there can't vote in a Maldivian election.
Adhaalath Party celebrated the success of the congregation, with one leader claiming [div] that more than 35,000 people attended the prayers. However, this claim was rebuked by some social media users who presented evidence such as this photo which seemed to indicate that numbers were not as huge as some religious leaders claimed.
The controversy over the Eid prayer congregation shows how polarized the Maldivian society is today and how even an event such as an Eid prayer is not spared from political wrangling. Azim Zahir tweets:
Three ladies head to Stadium for prayer, another shouts at them: supporters of coup. How long can we sustain these tensions and dissonances?
Azim Zahir adds:
Ordinary Maldivians are caught up in the dilemmas of instrumentalization of even their Eid prayer. Such mental burdens in today's Maldives.
Enjoying Eid nevertheless
Despite the political wrangling, Malé residents still enjoyed various games and theatrical street performances to celebrate Eid, as documented by photographer Muha in the following photos (used with permission).
For a brief time, children and adults – depicting dheli maali, a black demon – reigned the streets and captured people's attention, sidelining politicians and religious leaders.
More photos are available in a photo essay posted in Bug's blog.

author: Saffah Faroog


text:
Mauritania: Landslides Leave Residents Homeless · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

Landslides resulting from recent heavy rain have left hundreds of families homeless [ar] in different parts of Mauritania. After destroying their homes, the landslides [at the end of July 2012] left hundreds of families in Kaedi [ar] (Southern Mauritania), Makta'a Lahjar and Aleg (Central Mauritania), and Nema (Eastern Mauritania), without roofs over their heads.
The heavy rains came after two years of decreased rainfall, which led to droughts all over Mauritania that almost threatened to decimate the country's animal resources. The people of Mauritania highly depend on these for their lives; some 700,000 citizens face the danger of starvation according to a report by the World Food Programme.
A photo showing the effects of the floods published by @RimtodayRim on Twitter.
Alegcom [ar] blog talked about the condition of Magta-lihjar city after the floods:
تعيش مدينة مقطع لحجار هذه الأيام أوضاعا صعبة بفعل موجة السيول التي اجتاحت المدينة فجر الاثنين الماضي وأسفرت عن تشريد ما لا يقل عن ثلاث مائة أسرة، متسببة في قطع طريق الأمل الذي يعتبر شريان الحياة بالنسبة للموريتانيين في وسط البلاد وشرقها.
A photo of water flooding the ‘Road of Hope’ in Aleg published by Alegcom blog.
The blog also talked [ar] about the drowning of a young man from Sankrafah:
توفى عصر اليوم بمدينة صنكرافه أقصى شرقى لبراكنه الشاب ” سيدى محمد ولد أحمد لعياس “غرقا فى المياه الراكدة التى خلفتها الأمطار الأخيرة على المنطقة.
Kankossatoday [ar] blog also talked about the displacement of 30 families in one of the villages:
تسببت السيول الناتجة عن الأمطار الغزيرة التي شهدتها قرية كرل فلي على بعد 30 كلم جنوبي كنكوصه والتابعة لبلدية هامد في تشريد 30 أسرة على الأقل بعد أن جرفت منازلهم وقال مسؤول القرية السيد بولاي فلي في تصريح للمدونة إن 24 مسكنا تم جرفها بالكامل وقد استوت بالأرض فيما تشققت 6 منازل وأصبحت غير صالحة للسكن.
Mauritanie demain [ar] page on Facebook showed solidarity with the homeless in Kaedi:
لا تنسوا إخوانكم في كيهيدي من دعائكم عند الإفطار فقد تضرروا من جراء الأمطار اليوم.
Don't forget to pray for your brothers in Kaedi while having breakfast. They were effected badly because of today's rain.

author: أحمد جدو


text:
Morocco: Is the ‘Allegiance Ceremony’ a Thing of the Past? · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

The bay'a is the name of the annual “loyalty” ceremony where dignitaries from across Morocco pledge allegiance to King Mohammed VI. Critics [fr] of the ceremony decry a “shameful show of servility and a display of archaism,” whilst proponents contend it establishes a symbolic contract between the ruler and the Moroccan people.
Originally, the bay'a is an act of allegiance to the successors of Prophet Mohammed. The Moroccan King claims to be descendant from the Prophet and derives part of his authority from his supposedly sacred genealogy.
Abdelilah Benkirane is the serving prime minister. In a statement he made while he was still part of the opposition, he described the bay'a as “shameful ritual” and “a thing of the past,” fueling speculation as to whether the King will decide to cancel this year's ceremony.
But much to the chagrin of bay'a‘s opponents, on Tuesday, August 21, the ceremony did take place (video posted by hespresslive):
The bay'a follows a strict protocol whereby notables and elected representatives present themselves before the King. The monarch, cloaked in a golden robe, parades on horseback, protected by his personal guard, all whilst being covered by an umbrella which, according to commentators [fr], conveys the cosmic symbol of the monarchy. Dignitaries then bow before him, loudly praising his status as “Commander of the Faithful,” before retreating deferentially.
Many followed the event on Twitter like OnlyZineb who tweets:
There's a degrading allegiance ceremony going on right now in morocco where officials bow to the king like slaves to a master #TwittoBayaa
On Facebook, over 1,000 people pledged to gather on Wednesday, the day after the bay'a, at a “public celebration of loyalty to freedom and dignity”.
One member of the group writes:
I am getting ready for another celebration in Morocco, an alternative celebration in which I will declare my full allegiance to the Moroccan people. I will do so with an unshakable sense of honor, with the heightened consciousness of my full Moroccan citizenship and with my irreducible human dignity; I will do it as would any free citizen, standing up tall, proud and dignified
The ritual is also a matter of concern for blogger Larbi, who writes [fr]:
Mardi […] lorsque les images des prosternations feront le tour du monde, beaucoup de Marocains vivront l’instant comme un moment d’humiliation nationale.
Reda disagrees. He writes [fr]:
je [me prosterne] a chaque fois que je rencontre mes parents […] sans que cela ne soit accompagne d’aucune dégradation a ma personne [certains esprits trop occidentalisés y verront de l'humiliation pas moi]
The bay'a is a ritual rife with political symbols. It establishes a relationship of hierarchical power at the center of which sits the monarch. Ahmed thinks the ceremony is a reminder of the power relations between the people and an all-powerful, unaccountable monarch. He writes [ar]:
أعتقد أن محمد السادس أضاع على نفسه فرصة عند توليه “العرش” عند مشارف القرن الواحد والعشرين، أن يكون “ملكا مواطنا”، بقطع تلك العادات المشينة بكرامة الإنسان من ركوع وتقبيل اليد وأيضا ألقاب التعظيم والتمجيد..
For the latest updates on the alternate “ceremony” activists are planning to stage in front of the Moroccan parliament today, follow the hashtag #TwittoBayaa on Twitter.

author: Hisham Almiraat


text:
Saudi Arabia: Ramadan Documentary  · Global Voices
Mohamed ElGohary

Saudi filmmaker Mazen Al-Angary shares this documentary about Ramadan in Jeddah.

author: Mohamed ElGohary


text:
Jordan: Say No to Internet Censorship · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordan is slipping into a black hole, with new restrictions on Internet freedom being approved by the government today [August 22, 2012]. First, the government gave the go ahead to block websites. Now, a new Publications Law, which allows for more control and censorship over the Internet, has also been approved as a draft.
According to Al Ghad newspaper [ar], the Jordanian government approved amendments to the Publications and Press Law, which now require the owners of websites to register with the government and obtain a license, “just like any other publication.” Owners of websites will also be made responsible for the content of comments published by readers on their sites.
The draft law will now have to be approved by Parliament to become an actual law.
Jordanian blogger Moey shares a series of videos protesting recent moves to censor the Internet in his country.
Moey's post is entitled Say No and the body of the post reads:
Not writing a single word, watch and judge!
Here are the videos:
This is ‘censored Moey':
Here's ‘censored Sarah':
And this is Omar, after he has been censored:
On Facebook, Jordan's former ICT Minister Marwan Juma addresses a letter to the Jordanian government. In it he says:
I have an obligation to speak up! Not because I ran the first company that brought email to jordan, or was one the founders of Jordan’s REACH initiative, and not because I recently served as Minister of ICT, but because what is taking place in our sector, namely the attempt to censor the Internet, is simply wrong if not bone-headed!
Among the reasons he gives for his refusal of censorship are:
1. It doesn’t work!
Countries who tried to block sites failed and failed miserably! It costs millions and simply doesn’t work!
Juma adds:
2. There are laws in place already!
There is a cybercrime law in Jordan that specifically addresses the issue of promoting pornography to minors with stiff penalties and jail terms! And this is the real threat here and it already has been addressed. So why complicate matters now?
And continues:
3. Where do we draw the line?
First it starts with porn and then it could evolve to other sites or issues that are deemed offensive! We are opening a pandora’s box here that will be impossible to close. And if we block sites do we want to block email that contains adult images and videos? Or block satellite TV that contains nudity? Where do we draw the line here?
He concludes:
Let us keep the Internet open and free and maintain Jordan's position as a vanguard in the IT industry and protect our image as a country of openness and tolerance.
Check out the link above for the rest of Juma's arguments.
7or ya net: Jordanian netizens are encouraged to use this image as their profile picture in social media to protest against Internet censorship
Also, a new blog named 7or ya net (You are free, Internet) [ar] has been launched to protest against the government's attempt to censor the Internet and spread awareness about filtering and freedom of speech.
In its latest post [ar], the site says:


text:
Syria: Ali Farzat Insults Al Arabia Anchor for her Sect · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

Al Arabiya correspondent Alia Ibrahim was allegedly insulted by famous Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat for her sect. What happened saddened Syrian activist Mohammed Al Abdallah [ar] who apologized on the behalf of Farzat.  Asa'ad Abu Khalil blogged about Farzat, saying: “The man has now exposed himself to be a petty, vulgar, sexist, sectarian, violent and crude person.”

author: Thalia Rahme


text:
Syria: Give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Syrian People  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian netizens have a dream – that the Syrian people would be awarded the Nobel peace prize this year. They even have a dedicated website to push the cause, with information in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Italian.


text:
Tajikistan: Troops Open Fire on Protesters in Volatile Province · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

A rally in the eastern Tajik town of Khorog turned violent today after government troops opened fire [ru] on protesters, injuring two people in the legs. Khorog is the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO), a high-altitude region that has recently witnessed a large-scale military offensive by government troops after a local strongman, Tolib Ayombekov, was accused of murdering a senior security official on July 21, 2012. One of the individuals the government blames for aiding Ayombekov (and for being involved in a range of other criminal activities), wheelchair-bound former opposition fighter Imomnazar Imomnazarov, was killed [ru] by unidentified assailants in his home in Khorog early in the morning today.
Tajikistan's leading independent news agency Asia-Plus reports [ru] that following Imomnazarov's quick funeral, about 100 people gathered in front of the local government building in Khorog to protest the murder. Some of the protesters threw stones at the office, leading troops that guarded the building to open fire. The incident angered local residents who began to gather on the square in front of the government building. According to Asia-Plus, some 3,000 people, including residents of nearby villages, participated in the protest, demanding that the government pull out its troops from the region, dismiss the head of the provincial administration, and allow the locals to elect a new governor.
Square in front of the provincial government building in Khorog where the protest took place today. Lenin's monument on the square has recently been replaced with that of Ismoil Somoni. Image by Flickr user kudinov_dm, uploaded October 4, 2008 (CC BY 2.0).
The authorities have confirmed [ru] that Imomnazarov was killed by a grenade tossed from outside his house and said they were investigating the incident.
[For an insightful analysis of what the recent conflict in GBAO is all about, read Christian Bleur's post on Ghosts of Alexander blog. Global Voices has also reported on how the natives of GBAO (both within Tajikistan and abroad) used social media to draw international attention to the situation on the ground during the government military operation in the region].
Today's incident in Khorog has left Tajikistani netizens wondering who was behind Imomnazarov's killing and what implications the incident might have. Underneath a news report about the killing on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik service (ozodi.org), an anonymous user asks [ru]:
Какой идиот мог убыть этого человека в такой момент, когда даже маленкая разборка может привести к повторной гражданской войне в Таджикистане?
Jam Kadyrov asks the same question on Facebook, offering [ru] his analysis:
Кому на руку это убийство? Да всем, кто замешан, кроме простого народа, только вот что странно:
1 – Убивать правительственным силам – несподручно. Только-только уладили большой конфликт и вновь вызывать его?..
2 – Убивать памирцам: для малого народа – это позор и вряд-ли кто на это пошел бы, тем более что личностью он был известной и весьма уважаемой.
3 – Третьи силы? Интересно – кто? Кому нужно взорвать регион, зная, что вторая гражданская обернется “билетом в один конец”?..
Однозначно – провокация… Кому-то необходимо столкнуть лбами простой народ. Либо кто-то сводил свои счеты под шумок, в такой ситуации можно все что угодно свалить на любую из сторон…
Who benefits from this killing? Well, everyone except for the ordinary people. But here is what I find strange:
1. For government forces it would not have been smart to kill [Imomnazarov]. They have just resolved a major conflict; why would they start it again?..
2. Have the Pamiris [this is how the natives of GBAO are collectively known] killed him? For a small people, [such a murder] would be a disgrace, and hardly anyone would go for it, particularly because [Imomnazarov] was such a prominent and respected individual.
3. Outside forces? It is interesting, who? Who needs to blow up the region while knowing that the second civil war would be a “one-way ticket”?…
I am confident that this was a provocation… Someone needs to pit ordinary people against each other. Or someone was just settling scores on the quiet, because in such a situation anything can be blamed on any of the sides…
Many other netizens did not believe that the government had nothing to do with the killing. The moderator of Tajikistan's largest Facebook group, Platforma, wrote [ru]:
Вот это да! До чего таджикские властимущие кровожадные и мстительные! Значит война продолжается.
Another user, Suhrob Kasymov, added [ru]:
Подчищают за собой. Тактика называется умиротворение для отвода глаз, а затем ликвидация наиболее активных. Сопротивление гасится методами адресных убийств. Теперь каждый потенциальный лидер будет знать, что в любой момент может быть ликвидирован.
Underneath a news report on TopTJ.com, Ravshan_1980 explains [ru] why he thinks the government had something to do with the killing:
Как это возможно? В городе, заполненном правительственными войсками и КГБ-шниками, убивают человека, за которым без всякого сомнения велась круглосуточная слежка – и правительство не в курсе кто это сделал? Никогда в это не поверю! Я уверен, что правительство отлично знает о том, кто и почему убил Имомназарова. Причина банальна: он слишком много знал и слишком много говорил.
Meanwhile, a group of young natives of GBAO has called [ru] on the President of Tajikistan to end violence in the region through peaceful means.

author: Alexander Sodiqov