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Jailed Kuwait Stateless Activist Tweets Torture Ordeal · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Over the past two years, people outside the Gulf, have been exposed to the issue of statelessness in the region as the Bedoon (which translates to without in Arabic) communities protest for their rights to education, health, employment, and most importantly, their right to citizenship. The Bedoon of Kuwait have been the most outspoken in the Gulf, protesting in their areas to raise awareness for their plight. More than 230 of them have been arrested and charged with illegal protesting since the Arab Spring started.
Last October, Kuwait witnessed one of the biggest Bedoon protests on the international day of non-violence. In that protest, in Taimaa area, a protester named Abdullatif Ajil Al-Shammari was shot in the eye and is trying right now raising money for a surgery that might save his eye in France. The same protest was mainly organized by prominent Bedoon activist Abdulhakim Al-Fadhli, who is now in Kuwait's Central jail.
Picture of activist Abdulhakim Al-Fadhli in court (posted by @7raak)
According to Bedoon Rights, the activist was arrested after his brother Abdulnasser was taken. The website published this picture of a protest in Taimaa on the 12th of December that called for the release of the Al-Fadhli brothers.
Bedoon protesting for the freedom of the two activists – Bedoon Rights
Jail and Deportation!
According to their lawyer, Bedoon Rights reports that the brothers were taken after a court verdict of “two years in jail and a deportation order” was issued against them. The verdict was made in absentia for case number 357/2012, which accused them of attacking a policeman in a protest last March. The policeman has actually cancelled the case against the two activists but authorities pushed the case to punish the two activists for their leading role in organizing protests in the past two years.
Tweeting about Torture
On December the 13th, Abdulhakim Al-Fadhli's account on Twitter had new updates about the way he and his brother were arrested. Al-Fadhli spoke also of the way they were arrested. It seems that Al_Fadhli is tweeting his ordeal and that of his brother's – from jail.
Here are the tweets:
عاجل عاجل/من داخل السجن المركزي صباح الخير بعد قليل سأقوم بكتابة تفاصيل ماحدث معي انا وأخي عبدالناصر وكيفية اعتقالنا وماتعرضنا له من تعذيب!
@Hakeemq80: Urgent from the Central jail: Good morning, in a bit, I will write to you the details of what happened to me and my brother Abdulnasser and how we were arrested and tortured.
اولا سأحكي تفاصيل اختطاف أخي تم اختطاف عبدالناصر في يوم الأحد مساءا واعترضته سيارات المباحث في صباح السالم وكان عددهم أكثر من ٨ أشخاص
@Hakeemq80: First I will write how my brother was kidnapped on Sunday evening (9th of December) and was blocked by state police cars in Sabah AlSalem area. The police men were more than eight.
وقاموا شبيحة الحمود بأنزال أخي من مركبتة وقيدوه بالكلبشات واقتادوه الى مخفر الصليبية وهناك قاموا بتعذيبة وضربة لرفضه اعطاهم معلومات عني
@Hakeemq80: The thugs of [interior minister] Al-Humood got my brother out of his car, handcuffed him and took him to Sulaibiya police station and tortured him there and beat him to give them information about me.
ومارسو معه جميع ادوات التعذيب من (شواية وفلقه) وشددو بضربهم على اماكن حساسه بجسمه لمدة ٢٤ ساعة ومنعوا عنه الاكل والشراب
@Hakeemq80: They tortured him with different methods such as burning and falaqa. They also focused on beating him in sensitive parts of his body for 24 hours and did not allow him to eat or drink.
وبعد ما اسأت حالة أخي عبدالناصر الصحية من قبل شبيحة احمد الحمود لتعذيبهم له قاموا بتحويله الى مباحث الجنائية وهناك اتضح أن عليه حكم سنتان
@Hakeemq80: When my brother Abdulnasser's health deteriorated because of all the torture, AlHumood's thugs took him to the criminal investigations where he was told that he has a two years jail sentence.
قاموا بتحويله الى السجن المركزي وهو الان بجانبي حالته الصحية سيئة من شدة الضرب والتشوهات الكثيره في جسمه من كثرة التعذيب الذي مارسوها معه
@Hakeemq80: He was sent to the Central Jail and now he is next to me in a bad shape because of the beating and has different deformed areas in his body because of the torture.
والأن سأحكي لكم تفاصيل اختطافي تمت مراقبتنا منذ خروجنا من الاعتصام الذي كان في تيماء يوم الثلاثاء لحين وصولنا الى النفق اللي بصليبية
@Hakeemq80: Now I will write details of how I got kidnapped. I was tracked since I left the protest in Taimaa on Tuesday until we got to the tunnel in Sulaibiya area.
وبعدها دخلنا النفق وقاموا بتسكير النفق علينا من امامنا وخلفنا بمركباتهم ونزلوا علينا حاملين أسلحتهم وقاموا بأنزالنا من مركبتنا
@Hakeemq80: We got into the tunnel and they closed the tunnel from the front and back with their cars. They came to us with their guns and took us from our car.
واسقطونا ارضاً ووضعوا أسلحتهم على رؤوسنا وقاموا بتكبيلنا وربطوا عيوننا “بالشماغ” ومن ثم توجهوا بنا الى مخفر الصليبية وهناك مارسو معي الضرب
@Hakeemq80: They put us on the ground, pointed their guns to our heads, handcuffed us and blindfolded us, and took us to Sulaibiya police station and beat me there.
والتعذيب لعدم تسليم نفسي والتحريض المتكرر للاعتصاماتنا وقالوا لي حرفياً ( راح نوديك ورا الشمس ) !! ولكن اراهن عليكم
@Hakeemq80: They tortured me for not turning myself in and for calling for protests. They told me “we will send you behind the sun” [a police expression in Arabic for threatening extreme punishment]. But I count on you.
ولكن اراهن عليكم يا أخوتي وعزوتي “البدون” بأنكم ماراح تخلون حقكم وأستمروا بحراكم السلمي ولا توقفكم تهديدات الاجهزة القمعية وترهيبهم لكم
@Hakeemq80: I count on you my Bedoon brothers. I bet you will not let go of your right and that you will keep your peaceful struggle. Do not let police oppression scare you.
The activists are set to meet a judge on the 26th of December for an appeal.

author: Mona Kareem


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Pangolin Rehabilitation Center in Cambodia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Half of the world’s species of pangolins are found in Asia where they have been hunted heavily to very low numbers. The Sunda pangolin, Manis javanica, is the only species found in Cambodia and is now very rare due to hunting pressures to supply the international illegal market.
A new center for pangolins or scaly ant-eaters has been established in Cambodia.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Philippines: Summary of Data Privacy Act · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Data subject has the right to know if their personal information is being processed. The person can demand information such as the source of info, how their personal information is being used, and copy of their information.
Janette Toral provides the salient features of the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act of 2012


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Prank Reveals the Depths of Anti-American Propaganda in the Russian Media · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Anonymity affords ordinarily timid individuals the courage and opportunity to behave dishonestly. That, anyway, is the story we typically hear, especially in the context of the Internet. As Oleg Kashin recently pointed out in his column [ru] at openspace.ru, however, it takes two to make a successful prank (the prankster and the sucker)—a point on vivid display in a minor RuNet scandal last week. On December 14, Komsomolskaia Pravda newspaper chief editor Vladimir Sungorkin received a fax [ru] supposedly from the American embassy in Moscow, informing him that his visa to the United States had been frozen in connection with the recently passed Magnitsky Act, which bars certain Russians from entering American soil.
Revealing something about the hierarchy of Russia's media landscape, Sungorkin took his case to Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of the (largely anti-American, pro-Kremlin) RT (formerly “Russia Today”) television network. Simonyan quickly tweeted [ru] at Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, complaining that America had lost sight of the Magnitsky case and demonstrated its own weak commitment to free speech (implying that Sungorkin had been targeted for his criticisms of the White House).
As it turned out, the fax was a fake, and Sungorkin and Simonyan had fallen for someone's gag, hook, line, and sinker, exposing a moment's gullibility, but also the consequences [ru] of anti-American propaganda on the people who manufacture the stuff: namely, that they so easily believe the American government would target them in such diplomatic maneuvers.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Reddit Users Debate the Pricing Game Of The Cancer Drug Industry · Global Voices
Angilee Shah

When the Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla announced last month that it would cut the cost of three drugs used to treat cancers – one used for lung cancer and two for breast cancer – people around the world responded. Some of the most lengthy conversations took place on the news commenting site Reddit, including a thread 420 comments long in response to a news report in The Economic Times (India).
The conversations and debates centered on why these specialized drugs are so expensive, as well as what pharmaceutical companies’ rights and responsibilities are to make sure life-saving drugs are available in the developing world.
“Misterrespectful” wrote:
This isn't about Cipla being ‘nice’. This is about Cipla trying to earn a buck, exactly like every other company in the world. It just so happens that in India, the way for a cancer drug company to earn a buck is to make their drugs cheaper, so more people can afford them. That sounds good, right?
Strangely, the reason for this is not just that the population is so great, but that they don't have insurance, and the government doesn't have a lot of money to spend on drugs, either. When everybody is sufficiently poor, you have no choice but to cut prices and go after volume.
“Reserved for Handicapped and Cancer Patients” by Cory Doctorow in Mumbai, 2008, on Flickr Creative Commons
India’s system is different from most other countries in that it doesn’t recognize foreign pharmaceutical companies’ patents when drugs have been slightly altered for the purposes of patent renewal. The effect, as explained by the German newspaper Spiegel, is that Indian pharmaceutical companies can capitalize where others cannot, but also that Indian drugs have become very important to many parts of the developing world because of their affordability.
“_No_idea” commented on the issue of cost, patents and licensing in India:
The only reason some companies can slash prices on drugs like that is because they are usually not the one's spending millions in trying to develop it. Most likely the company that did develop it, no longer has a patent on it.
“mionendy” quipped:
in honor of this, i will cut prices on my ripped DVDs also by 63%.
“KING_UDYR” wrote:
Corporate social responsibility done right.
The cost of cancer treatment, however, is still out of reach for many Indians, commented “nummakayne,” whose mother was treated for ovarian cancer:
Each round of chemo (including overnight stay in the hospital) came out to about $480 (includes the chemo drugs, overnight admittance in a general ward, doctor's fee). That is not copay – that is what anybody would pay out-of-pocket.
It's still a decent chunk of change when you factor in that $480 would be considered a decent monthly salary for a fresh-out-of-college computer grad. But for a lot of folks here it's still out of reach.
My Dad died of cancer before my Mom was diagnosed – Stage III colon cancer. Five years – two surgeries (ileostomy, later followed by a reversal of the procedure), 12 rounds of chemo, 45 sessions of radiation, all kinds of experimental drugs and procedures that I can't even remember the names of…my Mom estimates it came up to around $50,000 in total medical expenses. May not seem like a lot of money to someone in the US but believe me when I say what we got him was nothing short of world class treatment, at least to my layman eyes.
Commenters discussed marketing campaigns as one potential reason these kinds of drugs are so expensive. “Jonnysunshine” wrote:
This is the sort of thing that should be commended. Time and time again we see adverts on television and in magazines telling us about this or that new miracle drug, but at what cost to the consumer?
To which “calibos” replied: “If you want the new miracle drug which presumably offers some benefits to you, then you pay for it.”
“Cocktails4,” who identified as a pharmaceutical researcher, explained that the process of drug design as lengthy and expensive:
Drug designers such as myself take the basic research done at universities and attempt to apply it towards the goal of curing a disease. I might, for example, find promising research pointing towards the importance of a specific protein kinase in a specific type of cancer. I can then attempt to find an existing drug compound that can inhibit that kinase using something like high-throughput screening assays using extensive corporate compound databases or I can use structure-based small molecule design methods using a protein kinase crystal structure if I am lucky and such a structure actually exists. At that point I've either discovered a promising compound or designed a compound and then begins the drug optimization process wherein one works with medicinal chemists and biologists to improve the drug while juggling a myriad of problems such as insolubility, organ toxicity, high serum binding, low oral bioavailability, lack of potency, etc. This process can take several years and has no guarantee of success. Most drugs are abandoned long before they ever are tested in man. Fewer still make it out of clinical trials.
“Cocktails4” continued in the thread:
Science is very expensive. I think a lot of people from the tech field don't realize what it's like to have a burn rate over a $1 million per month at a startup.
Conversations on Reddit about cancer have recently been dominated by discussions of the cost of cancer drugs. A thread of 917 comments on an article in The Hindu began last June when Cipla slashed prices on drugs that treat brain, kidney and lung cancer. Cipla’s chairman, Yusuf Hamied, said then that it was “a humanitarian move.”
In that thread, “TheGreatEnt” wrote:
As a person, it makes me happy to see that more people can afford medication.
As a chemist, it makes me sad to see people not understand the R&D costs of these drugs.
I think that the government needs to spend more of its money on supporting R&D costs and supplementing the cost of drugs (universal healthcare, public option) which will lead to both drug developers and consumers to benefit.

author: Angilee Shah


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Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.
After being adrift at sea for more than 30 hours, 40 Rohingya refugees were rescued by a Vietnamese ship, MV Nosco Victory, on December 5, 2012. A few days after, the ship reached Singapore but the government refused entry to the Rohingya survivors. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away the refugees.
Maruah reminds the government to treat distressed people humanely:
Government ministers have touched on values emerging as a major strand in the Our Singapore Conversation; what then is the value being espoused by the Singapore Government, when it implicitly advocates that the Rohingya should have been left at sea? How would we want ships to treat Singaporeans stranded at sea?
Singaporeans have clearly articulated a desire for Singapore to become a more humane and compassionate society. The way that we treat distressed people fleeing genocide seems a good place to start.
A Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh near the border of Myanmar. Photo by auniket Copyright@Demotix (10/15/2012)
The Singapore Democratic Partythinks the right decision was to give temporary shelter to the Rohingya:
It was wrong to turn them away as they were in need of food and medical help. The right thing to do would be to afford them temporary shelter and to ensure their physical safety. The refugees can then be repatriated at a later time.
Singaporeans are a compassionate people and the Government representing us should not be cold and cruel, one that calculates everything in material terms.
Where Bears Roam Free accuses the government of being ‘heartless’:
For all the effort S'pore has made to gain first world status, this incident shames Singapore to the core. We have a heartless govt. Just 40 people and we can't shelter them temporarily? Forget about the argument “more will come”. That argument means that you are willing to allow 40 to die because you are not confident you can take more.
Limpeh debunks the government arguments for rejecting the Rohingya:
…when you are fleeing genocide or war, you just run and go wherever you can get to, it's not the same as economic migrants shopping around for a nice place to work. Even if it means simply allowing desperate refugees temporary shelter whilst waiting for transit to a third country willing to take refugees, that means simply offering them shelter for a few weeks or months – is that too much to ask?
There is a long and heated exchange of opinion on Facebook about the issue:
Eng Patrick my heart will weep with joy seeing their happiness knowing somebody cares. i feel singapore can house them for a period of time while they seek a permanent home elsewhere. sad to see them turned away.
Cedric Koh They are a persecuted minority in their homeland.If we don't help them, their entire race, their culture,their ways of life, will be extinct, and what we are doing equates to sending them to their own deaths.
D-jin Toh By not helping them we are not saying we are condoning anything. By not helping them, we are saying we will not help them, nothing more. There are millions of refugees worldwide, by not helping them, does that mean that for all these years we have condoned war, slavery, violence, genocide etc.?
One last thing, I am not against helping these people, but I am against letting them in. Give them some food and water, then sending them on their way to another country would be the better choice in my opinion.
Frankie Png There many countries which are huge with own resources cannot even accept them. We have no resources and land, how can we open our doors. Giving them food and medicines which is already a generosity for a small island with 8 million people. This is so hard to please, humanity or sustainability?
Desparatebeep is disappointed with the politicians who sent away the refugees:
Perhaps the politicians are seeing something that I don’t see here but who we show compassion to seem grossly wrong. When Westerners who have been screwed out of their homes decide to turn on the bankers who screwed them, we rush to show compassion to the bankers. When people flee being imminent slaughter, we decide that they’re not worthy of our compassion. Not sure where the logic in that comes from.
A Singapore twitter user is also saddened by the decision of the government:
@chotemiya3 If the reports of Singapore turning away the ship carrying Rohingya refugees are true, then i am truly ashamed to call myself a Singaporean.
Rohingya is an ethnic group which is struggling for recognition in Myanmar. But the government of Myanmar continues to refuse to grant citizenship rights to Rohingya residents. Local conflicts erupted this year involving Rakhine and Rohingya villagers in Western Myanmar. The government has denied that the Rohingyas are victims of genocide and religious persecution.
Fortunately, Malaysia agreed to give shelter to the 40 Rohingya refugees.


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Vietnam’s Dipping Sauces · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Vietnam is a wonderful world of sauces… At Hanoi's bia hơi establishments, for every four or five dishes ordered there will be a corresponding number of sauces coming to table, too.
Mark Lowerson or @stickyinhanoi introduces Vietnam's popular dipping sauces.


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A special Christmas gift · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

Peruvian blogger Cyrano [es] from Columna 17 ends his five-part series of Christmas-related posts republishing an article by Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and says [es]:
I hope you all like these words as much as I did and may them be my virtual present to all of you.
You can read the whole series here: one, two, three, four and five [es].

author: Gabriela García Calderón


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Animal Welfare Groups Step Up Campaign in Laos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Animal welfare groups in Laos have stepped up their campaign to promote protection of animals and public awareness about animal care. For example, the Animal Rescue Center Laos was established with the following objectives:
-Providing a shelter for rescued animals, in particular dogs, horses and cats
-Providing a laboratory and clinic for diagnostics in cooperation with a certified and registered veterinarian
-Providing facilities for workshops for veterinarians, pet shop owners, pet owners and breeders and conducting those workshops
-Establishing a kind of a small zoo with domestic animals to provide education to local children
-Providing commercial boarding facilities for dogs and cats (Dog and Cat Hotel) as a way to subsidise the Animal Rescue Center
Animal Rescue Center Laos
The group explains the challenge of rescuing stray animals in the streets of Vientiane, the capital of Laos:
In Vientiane, where we are operating right now, it is not that easy to make a difference between stray dogs and those belonging to people… In fact, most dogs belong to someone. Even if you see some dogs roaming, it is mainly because Lao people usually just open the gate in the morning and let the dogs out.
Some other dogs belong to temples. This is where it gets tricky: Although the monks often care a lot about the dogs, they don’t have sufficient funds for vaccinations, vet visits and treatment
In the future, once the center is built, we will have an area for cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters and other small domestic pets.
After rescuing and rehabilitating injured animals, they seek the help of individuals who are willing to adopt or provide a home to these animals. They broadcast their appeal through their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. For example, the group is looking for someone to adopt this rescued kitten:
Kitten Needs a Home
This kitten was found near Home Idea and brought to us, because the founder could not keep it. It is a app. 4 week old boy, quite strong, with beautiful coloured grey stripes. If you can give this cat a new home, please contact us as soon as possible!
Another animal welfare group is PAL or Pet Awareness in Laos:
PAL is a grass-roots, volunteer operated project with a vision to improve the welfare of cats and dogs and associated human health in Lao PDR through greater social responsibility and support for veterinary care.
It organized Laos’ first ever spay/neuter and vaccination drive:
This drive will be a small but crucial contribution to improve animal and human health. The drive will provide for better human health through the decrease disease factors in which the community is exposed. Anectodal reports from local and international veterinarians working in Lao PDR, many domestic dogs and cats are severely malnourished, unvaccinated and covered with external parasites (ticks, mites, fleas etc).
The group Paws 4 Thought also organized a vaccination campaign in Ban Sibounhuang, Laos
Vaccination in Ban Sibounhuang, Laos. Photo from Facebook page of Paws 4 Thought
Another campaign involves the stopping of the illegal dog meat trading. Kayleigh Andrews writes:
This disgusting trade is increasing in Laos, There are now many dog meat restaurants in Vientiane…..many of these dogs were peoples stolen pets.
It's not so much the eating that concerns me (although I'm a vegetarian) It's the terrible cruelty and suffering theses animals go through. Don't even get me started on the human health risks and spread of infectious disease caused by this illegal trade.
Through Facebook, a dog meat center was exposed.
“This is one of the places where dog meat is sold in Vientiane.” Photo and caption from Facebook page of Animal Rescue Center
Pitiphone Sitthikoun I've heard, and seen, people trading dogs for blankets, instant noodles, etc. Those dogs are likely not theirs (probably dognapped)
These animal welfare groups are mostly social enterprises whose long term goal is to educate the public, including policymakers, about the importance of prioritizing animal protection in society.


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Are Dynastic Politics Making a Comeback in East Asia? · Global Voices
Abby Liu

First, Kin Jong-un took over North Korea after the death of his father. Then, Xi Jinping, the son of a communist politician veteran Xi Zhongxun, was announced the new leader of China. Last week, Park Guen-hye, daughter of South Korea’s longest-ruling dictator Park Chuang-Hee, was elected the new president.Chinese netizens wonder if dynastic politics are making a comeback in East Asia. Offbeat China has a detailed analysis based on Chinese web users’ comments.

author: Abby Liu


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Greece: “Gods Just Got Bored Playing Dice” · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

German daily Handelsblatt reportedly picked Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras as politician of the year, after yet another round of austerity measures, another bailout tranche to Greece, a warning from the European Commission of more to come, and endless ‘GRexit’ speculation (on whether Greece will exit the Eurozone and default). Financial blogger Albert John offers an explanation:
There's no universe where Samaras is ‘politician of the year. Gods just got bored playing dice. World has ended. Don't believe what you see

author: Asteris Masouras


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Iranian-Americans Seek Heros to Save a Life · Global Voices
Hooman Askary

Screen capture from the official website of Project Marrow
Iranian netizens are looking for a hero. Not for a revolution or a war, but to save a life. Nasim, a young woman from Northern California of Iranian descent is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Several Iranian celebrities have  stepped up to help spread the word to save her. They are using social media to find a hero to give a bone marrow donation.
A project was born to solve this kind of challenge in 2003: Project Marrow. According to its Facebook page, Project Marrow was founded by an Iranian-American, Behnoush Babzani, who herself was once diagnosed with a rare blood disorder in 2003. After being treated with marrow donated by her brother, the special experience gave her unique insight into the lives of patients whose health depends on marrow transplants from people with marrow types matching theirs – usually found in individuals of similar ethnic backgrounds.
The campaign initiated by Behnoush has now apparently come to save other patients suffering from diseases like marrow cancer by reaching out to fellow Iranian-Americans for help. 21-year-old Nasim is one of those patients. Her story has moved people to an extent that community members and celebrities alike have stepped up to try to help to save her. They have posted video messages on Youtube, donated marrow samples and tried to raise awareness through social media. This Facebook page is one example.
In their video message, famous Iranian-Americans, such as actor Maz Jobrani and athlete Ehsan Hadadi, have pleaded to their fellow Iranians for help repeating the motto “I am Nasim” over and over again in the clip.
The video closes with these lines:
If you're lucky enough to match to be able to help and save this girl's life… then they will contact you and it's just a very quick process… it doesn't… they don't rip you open… there's nothing… it's very easy!
We're not asking for money, we're asking you to consider joining the registry.
To be able to donate something from my body…
that would help somebody else would be the greatest gift
So let's come together!
Save Nasim,
Save Nasim
Save Nasim NOW!

author: Hooman Askary


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It’s Christmas in Bethlehem · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

It's Christmas in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine, the birth place of Jesus Christ. What better way than to celebrate this occasion than by sharing photographs and reactions of netizens to this event, celebrated by billions worldwide.
Israeli journalist Joseph Dana was in Bethlehem to see the lighting of the Christmas tree and shares this photograph:
The lighting of the Xmas tree in Bethlehem. Photograph shared by @ibnezra on Twitter
Lauren Bohn offers a closer image of the tree, from the same celebration:
Beautiful Christmas tree lighting in Bethlehem, comments @LaurenBohn on Twitter, as she shares this picture
And Maath Musleh shares pictures of the lit up streets of Bethlehem, in preparation for Christmas:
Bethlehem streets lighting up for Christmas, tweets @MaathMusleh, who shares this image on Twitter
Ahmed Aggour posts this photograph of the tree during the day:
The most beautiful #Christmas tree ever, and right where it belongs. Merry Christmas. #Bethlehem #Palestine, tweets @Psypherize
And Daniel Aqleh posts this video on YouTube of the ceremony to light the tree, which included a fireworks display:
Merry Christmas!

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Macedonia: Nude Art Twitter Calendar for Charity · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Twelve Macedonian women – regular Twitter users – took part in a humanitarian project organized by @IlinaBookbox, two photographers and one designer via the hashtag #ТвитерКалендар (Macedonian for ‘Twitter Calendar’). The resulting nude art calendar was donated to anti-cancer association Borka [wallpapers available via mk, mk, sq]. The original photos are on sale through the exhibition in Lee Cafe in Skopje [mk], and all proceedings will be donated to charity.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Saudi Writer Arrested for Controversial Tweets · Global Voices
Nada

Prominent Saudi novelist and political analyst Turki al-Hamad was reportedly arrested by the Saudi authorities for a series of controversial tweets. The news broke on Twitter on Monday morning when journalist Khaled al Matrafi @Almatrafi announced [ar]:
هام : حسب معلوماتي وزير الداخلية السعودي محمد بن نايف أصدر امرا بالقبض على الكاتب تركي الحمد وقبض عليه الان.
@Almatrafi: Important: According to my sources, Saudi Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef has issued an arrest warrant for writer Turki al-Hamad and have just arrested him.
Saudi blogger and journalist Ahmed al Omran @ahmed relayed the information on his blog Riyadh Bureau and explains the author was arrested for declarations via Twitter:
Al-Hamad, a political analyst and novelist, has published a series of controversial tweets Saturday criticizing Islamists who, he said, “have distracted us with nonsense that we forgot the important issues.” In his next tweet he likened Islamism to Nazism. “But the age of Nazism is long gone,” he said, “and the sun will rise again.”
However, the tweet that seemed to have caused the strongest reaction from conservatives on Twitter came earlier that day. In that tweet he said: “Our Prophet has come to rectify the faith of Abraham, and now is a time when we need someone to rectify the faith of Mohammed.”
The incendiary Tweet [ar] in question is dated December 22nd:
جاء رسولنا الكريم ليصحح عقيدة إبراهيم الخليل، وجاء زمن نحتاج فيه إلى من يصحح عقيدة محمد بن عبدالله..
@TurkiAlHamad: Our Prophet has come to rectify the faith of Abraham, and now is a time when we need someone to rectify the faith of Mohammed.
For the alarmed Saudi Twittersphere, news of the arrest was condemned as an attack on free speech in the very conservative kingdom where criticism of religion, the royal family and government are not tolerated. The hashtag #اعتقال_تركي_الحمد (#ArrestOfTurkiHamad) reflected a movement of solidarity as well as a heated debate. As some voiced their disagreement with Hamad’s views, @abdulazizbulbul replied:
Its your right to be disappointed or disagree, but his right to express his views without being arrested.
And @m_alwade said [ar]:
#اعتقال_تركي_الحمد لا أتفق مع تركي فيما يقولة ولكن الوقوف في صف المستبد اكثر جرما من تغريدة الحمد.
I do not agree with Turki’s declaration but being in the position of a despot is a bigger crime than #Hamad’s tweeting.
At the time of writing, it is unclear whether the writer has been arrested or if he’s being held for questioning by the authorities according to @fSabouni:
With regards to the previous tweet, other sources claim that Turki Al-Hamad is only being questioned over the tweets and was not arrested.
An advocate of liberal Islam, the author of the trilogy Atyaf al-Aziqah al-Mahjurah (Phantoms of the Deserted Alley) whose work has been banned in his home country as well as in Bahrain and Kuwait writes about the taboos of Saudi society and does not shy away from discussing religion, politics and sex. Numerous fatwas have been issued against him, but despite that, he remained in Riyadh after obtaining his Ph.D from the University of Southern California. He is very critical of the Saudi government and Islamists.

author: Nada


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Promoting Recycling in Macedonia  · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

The tree makers. Photo by @teksega, used with permission.
Continuing the tradition that started last year (en, mk, nl, es), the Macedonian Twitter community has erected a new Christmas Tree made of plastic bottles (mk, mk, photos 1, 2, 3) in Skopje City Park in order to raise awareness of the importance of recycling. The event was again organized around the hashtag #елкамк (Macedonian for ‘fir tree mk’) and open source instructions [mk], announced [mk] three weeks in advance by several bloggers. The tree will be purchased by a local recycling company and the money donated to charity.


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Tajikistan Blocks 130 Websites · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

After cutting local access to Facebook in November, the authorities in Tajikistan have ordered to block over 130 websites, including popular Russian-language networking platforms. Blogger Tomiris writes [ru]:
Hurray! [Tajikistan is] ahead of the rest of the world again! Where else do they block more than 130 websites at once?

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Tanks and Prayers in Afghanistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Praying on the wreck of a Soviet tank. Image by Nasim Fekrat, used with permission.
Afghan journalist Nasim Fekrat writes on his photo blog:
Praying over a destroyed Russian tank is funny but it carries a bitter metaphor about the Afghans and their perception of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Many Afghans like this Mujahid [freedom fighter] lost a member of their families, praying on tank wrecks provide[s] them [with] a sense of relief.


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Uzbekistan’s Boring TV · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

What's the most boring thing in the world? Waiting for a bus? Attending a philosophy class at a university? Elections in Belarus? No! The most boring thing in the world is Uzbek television!
Eisenstein on NewEurasia.net explains [ru] what is wrong with the state-run TV in Uzbekistan and why most people in the country prefer to watch Russian channels.


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Who Supports Russia’s Ban on American Adoptions? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

At first glance, public opposition to a new law banning Americans from adopting Russian orphans has united RuNet as few things have in the past. Among those speaking up against the the Dima Yakovlev Law [ru] (passed in retaliation for the US Magnitsky Act and named for a Russian boy who died due to his adoptive American father's negligence) is Russia's Minister of Education, Dmitry Livanov. Livanov recently tweeted [ru] that law can adversely affect orphans which are unable to find families in Russia. His unlikely bedfellow is the anonymous prostitute behind the popular blog prostitutka-ket [ru], who wrote a lengthy post [ru] discussing the negative policy implications of the ban.
Or take Maksim Kononenko (recently interviewed by RuNet Echo), who, although a stalwart pro-Kremlin partisan, has engaged in an online campaign to stop the law from passing, and reacted strongly when it did pass, writing on the website [ru] where he usually publishes humorous Putin anecdotes:
- Ебаные же вы бляди… – удивленно пробормотал Владимир Владимирович(TM), глядя трансляцию Государственной Думы.
- You f*cking f*cks… – muttered a surprised Vladimir Vladimirovich(TM), while watching the State Duma broadcast.
Kononenko later removed the story, a screenshot of which remains here [ru].
An entrance to an orphanage. Penza, Russia. April 26, 2010. © maticulous.
The seemingly ubiquitous opposition to the law, however, tells only part of the story. The real Putin has come out in its support, and is likely to sign it. In and of itself this comes as no surprise, but his position is fully in alignment with the views of the RuNet majority, as reported [ru] by a perturbed Tonya Samsonova:
Запрет на усыновление российских сирот гражданами США поддерживают 52% пользователей российского интернета […] Компания Tiburon Research провела опрос на выборке, репрезентирующей интернет-пользователей РФ в возрасте 18–55 лет.
The ban for adoption of Russian orphans by US citizens is supported by 52% of Russian internet users […] Tiburon Research has conducted a survey on a sample representing the population of Russian internet-users aged 18-55.
The 52% is split between 26% who “strongly support” the law and 26% which are “leaning towards support.” Half of those surveyed say that they do not understand the motivation for international adoptions, and 60% think that such adoptions endanger children. Who are these people, and what are they saying?
One “strong supporter” of the law appears to be Other Russia leader Eduard Limonov, who blogged [ru]:
дОлжно запретить, или лучше поставить слово “не позволять”, всем иностранным гражданам вывозить из страны русских детей. ВСЕМ, а не только американским. У нас катастрофически до сих пор уменьшается население. Так какого же…………….., мы отдаем наших детей во всякие сраные государства ? Чёрт знает кому ? Наших беленьких и голубоглазеньких… […] Не отдавать детей за границу. Вот моё предложение. Вообще. Никому.
We should ban, or better use the world “disallow,” all foreign citizens to take Russian children out of the country. ALL, not just Americans. We are still dealing with a catastrophically shrinking population. So why the ………… do we give our children away to all sorts of crappy states? God knows to whom? Our blonde and blue-eyed babies… […] We should't let children go abroad. That's my suggestion. At all. To anyone.
Limonov's post, which has garnered over a thousand comments, should probably be taken with a grain of salt given his penchant for contrarian statements.
A similar post [ru] by little-known journalist Denis Tukmakov has proven even more incendiary, with over 3,000 comments. In his defense of the law, Tukmakov channels Apocalypse Now‘s Colonel Kurtz, and, it must be said, his logic would do the Colonel justice:
Мы прекрасно понимаем, что русский ребенок, выросший в американской семье, став взрослым, перестанет быть русским. Он будет уже американцем до мозга костей. […] В дилемме “или неизлечимый русский сирота продолжит жить и вырастет американцем, или он умрет ребенком” – что мы выберем? […] если мы выбираем их “жизнь чужими людьми”, то мы, как нация, на этом кончаемся. […] Если же мы выберем их смерть – это, при всей своей утробной чудовищности, после которой тяжко жить, только и способно сделать нас свободным народом.
We understand full well, that a Russian child, having grown up in an American family, will stop being Russian as an adult. He will be American to the core. […] Faced with the dilemma “either an incurable Russian orphan will stay alive and grow up an American, or he will die as a child” – what will we choose? […] if we choose “their life as strangers”, then we, as a nation, are finished. […] If we choose their death – this, for all of its monstrosity, after which it is difficult to live, and only this can make us a free people.
Other bloggers have expressed their support for the law in less certain terms. Boris Yakemenko, who has in the past curated pro-Kremlin youth movements along with his brother Vassily, asks [ru]:
Неужели на США сошелся свет клином? Неужели усыновление российских детей американцами решало все проблемы усыновления? Ведь есть многие другие страны. Возможно, было бы намного лучше, если бы ребенок вырос на французской, британской или немецкой культуре и традициях, нежели на американских.
Is the USA the end-all and be-all? Did the adoption of Russian children by Americans solve all the problems of adoption? There are other countries. Maybe it would have been a lot better if a child grew up in French, British, or German culture and traditions, instead of American ones.
Even though she is generally against the law, psychologist Lyudmila Petranovskaya, who specializes in orphans, questioned [ru] the efficacy of international adoption in the light of Russia's endemic corruption:
одни дети спасаются, другие правдами и неправдами  задерживаются в Системе, чтобы был выбор “товара” для тех усыновителей, которые вовсе не за инвалидом приехали. В свое время Алексей Рудов делал такие диаграммы по регионам, на которых было очень видно, что где больше ИУ, там больше детей в детдомах.
some children are saved, other are kept in the System by hook or by crook, so that those adoptive parents that didn't come for an invalid have more “goods” to choose from. At some point Alexey Rudov made diagrams by region, and you could plainly see that where there is more international adoption, there are more children in orphanages.
Finally, Olga Sagareva, Rogozin's former press-secretary currently residing in the USA, weighed in on Facebook [ru] (the post, since removed, can be found here [ru]) with a number of reasons the new law isn't so bad. Like Limonov, Sagareva talks about Russia's demographic crisis. Like Tukmakov, she notes that only struggling states make international adoptions available. She also cites aggressive behavior of many transplanted Russian orphans, and finally makes the following point:
Каждый потенциальный усыновитель, который не поедет теперь в Россию из США, все равно усыновит ребенка. Африканского, китайского, румынского, украинца. Он усыновит другого ребенка, которому также нудны родители и в стране которого вполне возможно сиротские условия хуже чем у нас. Да, дорогие либералы, в мире МНОГО стран где сиротские условия хуже чем в России. Если вас волнуют гуманитарные ценности мира и будущее всех сирот, почему вам так важно чтобы эти американцы усыновили именно российских детей? Что, на остальных детей вам плевать? Вы, что ли, шовинисты?
Every potential adoptive parent that now won't got to Russia from the USA, will still adopt a child. An African, Chinese, Romanian, Ukrainian child. He will adopt another child, who also needs parents and in whose country conditions of orphans are possibly worse than in ours. Yes, my dear liberals, the world has MANY countries where the conditions of orphans are worse than in Russia. If you are concerned with humanitarian values and the future of all orphans, why is it so important to you that these Americans adopt specifically Russian children? What, you don't give a damn about other children? Are you chauvinists?
Most Russian orphans will probably remain unconvinced by the argument. But is seems that they, as always, have little choice in the matter.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Bahrain Police “Slap” Video Goes Viral · Global Voices
Mohamed Hassan

Two years ago what has become known as “The Arab Spring” was sparked when a member of the Tunisian police forces slapped a young man in Sidi Bouzid. People thought that the days of police suppression will be over soon, but in Bahrain yet another video has gone viral to remind us that police states are alive and well.
Activist @alaashehabi tweeted:
@alaashehabi: Vid of police slapping man in #Bahrain goes viral-200k views in 24hrs. How many news channels aired it?
The video shows a man holding a baby being shouted at by a police officer, who then slaps him, twice, while he is  still holding the baby:
The reactions to that video went beyond Bahrain. Famous commentator on Arab affairs Sultan Alqassemi, from the UAE,  shared the video saying:
@SultanAlQassemi: Bahrain police officer abuses power, slaps citizen http://goo.gl/RMsCB  Video via@muradalhaiki
Qatari journalist Mohamed Fahad Alqahtani [@mohdwaves] tweeted :
مؤلم لانه يثبت بالدليل القاطع ان كرامة الانسان في الدرك الاسفل من التقدير في سلم اولويات بعض القيادات الامنية الخليجية,ياللعار
@mohdwaves: The slap video is agonizing because it is a testimony that the dignity of a human is the least appreciated thing on the priority list of some Gulf police states. What a shame!
Saudi media celebrity Waleed Alfarraj tweeted saying:
.. فضيحة من الصعب ترقيعها !!
@waleedalfarraj: The slap video .. A scandal that is hard to amend
Kuwaiti poet Rana Alabdulrazzak also tweeted:
http://youtu.be/zI_L1rAn4Bw  أن ترى هذه الصفعة ولا تشعر بألمها وهي تهوي على انسانيتك .. اعذرني فانت لست إنسانا أصلا #البحرين
@ranati01: To see this slap and not feel its pain falling on your humanity…pardon me, you are not even human
Omani Academic Dr. Haider Al-lawati had a very interesting suggestion:
رجل امن في #البحرين يصفع مواطنا اعزلا في وجهه. منظر مؤلم ومحزن. اقترح ان يعرض على القادة المشاركون في قمة التعاون !! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zI_L1rAn4Bw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzI_L1rAn4Bw%26feature%3Dyoutu.be …
@DrAl_Lawati: A policeman in Bahrain slapping an unarmed citizen, an agonizing and sad scene, I suggest that it's shown to the leaders participating in the GCC summit
The GCC, or Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE and its leaders are currently meeting in Bahrain.
After thousands of tweets regarding that video the official response  was as follows:
@moi_bahrain: Assistant Undersecretary of Legal Affairs: Detention of a policeman in connection with an online video
and later on:
تشكيل لجنة برئاسة رئيس الأمن العام لحصر هذه التجاوزات ودراستها وتحديد سبل معالجتها..يتبع
@moi_bahrain: A committee led by the head of public security will be formed in order to intercept and study these violations to define ways to rectify it
Meanwhile, the head of public security and head of the above mentioned committee brigade Tariq Alhassan tweeted from his personal Twitter account:
١- محاولات تشويه صورة وزارة الداخلية ومنسوبيها هي جزء من حرب شعواء من أشخاص وجهات معروفة ومفضوحة بعد ان فشلت في مخططاتها السابقة #البحرين
@Talhassan: Attempts to defame the ministry of interior and its staff is a part of a fierce war by known and exposed persons and organizations after their previous plans have failed.
٢- تقوم تلك الجهات واتباعها بإطلاق مسميات تزدري بها رجال الأمن بهدف النيل من شخصيتهم وزرع البغض لهم لدى الناس كبارا وصغارا #البحرين
@Talhassan: Those organizations and their followers use derogatory terms towards policemen to demean their personalities and incite hate towards them among the people young and old.
٣- تقوم بتجهيز الكمائن لرجال الامن حسب سيناريوهات معدة من إعلاميين محترفين في قنوات معروفة في دول أخرى ثم تصور وتعرض عند الحاجة #البحرين
@Talhassan: They setup ambushes for policemen based on scenarios prepared by media professionals working in known media channels in other countries and then filmed and released when needed
– يقوم الدجالون والعملاء ببث تلك اللقطات ويبالغون فيها وحسبما يردهم من تعليمات وبما يحقق لهم ولمن يدفعهم من الدول أهدافهم #البحرين
@Talhassan: These traitorous fakers publish those scenes and exaggerate them as they are instructed and the way that fits the goals of those countries and theirs
A few hours later, human rights activist Naji Fateel tweeted another video:
خطير جداََ؛~ اعتداء وحشي على شاب في العكر اول مرة يعرض http://youtu.be/t-UuDXOT-cA  #bahrain #feb14
@najialifateel: A brutal attack on a young man in Aleker shown for the first time

author: Mohamed Hassan


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China’s hottest “styles” of 2012 · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Because of the Korean pop hit “Gangnam Style”, the English word “style” has been popularized in China in 2012. On Dec 24,a local newspaper published a special round-up of the hottest “styles” on Chinese social media in 2012. The feature includes six categories: “Funny (幽默) Style”, “Strong (实力) Style”, “Emotional (感情) Style”, “Surprising (惊诧) Style”, “Lateral Thinking (偏锋) Style”, and “Controversial (争论) Style”. DANWEI translated the piece.


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Conversations: Pregnant Syrian Refugee in Winter’s Cold · Global Voices
Syria Deeply

As part of our collaboration with Syria Deeply we are cross-posting a series of articles that capture civilian voices caught in the crossfire, along with perspectives on the conflict from writers around the world.
Below is a conversation between News Deeply and Ayesha, a 29-year-old woman living in the Atma refugee camp in Idlib Province, in northwest Syria. She is one of an estimated 50 pregnant women in the camp of internally displaced Syrians; volunteers tell us there’s an acute need for baby milk.
Ayesha lives cheek-to-jowl in a thin, muddy tent with her family. Her children have only the thin clothes on their backs and the daily food ration provided by the camp’s communal kitchen. She’s terrified of the toll the mounting cold and wet winter will take on a fragile newborn baby. As she stood on a muddy hill near her tent, clutching her four-year-old’s hand, we asked her to talk about what it’s like being heavily pregnant in a refugee camp.
I already have 10 children. I don’t have clothes for the new baby. There’s no money to buy anything. How will we get him warm clothes and a warm place to stay?
I check in at the clinic at the camp once a week and they give me a painkiller. I need medicine to ease pain in my stomach. I’m from Idlib. Before getting here, I used to go to a private doctor at a private clinic.
I’m afraid to have a newborn. We’re suffering so much from the cold, we’re already getting so sick from it. I have so much pain in my stomach. It’s caused by the cold, by the conditions we’re living in.
Syrian refugees brace themselves for a long winter at the Zaatari Refugee Camp.
There’s a woman in the camp who is designated to help with births. I’ll give birth in Kar, which is a town near here, or at the Dana Hospital in Atma.
My husband is here with me, but he no longer has work. He does nothing all day.
All Assad’s people want is to go back to their big houses. They don’t care about anything. They don’t care about these kids. All these other countries [who don’t help us] hate us.
[Ayesha’s son, four-year-old Sahed, is holding a cardboard box containing a product called Lactacyd. I ask our male translator to ask her what it is. Ayesha blushes modestly, telling him it’s vaginal wash. We all have a chuckle, then Ayesha defuses the awkward moment.]
You see…there are moments here that are funny, that make us laugh, even in the midst of all the sadness.

author: Syria Deeply


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Do Egyptians Really Want IMF Money?  · Global Voices
Ahmed Awadalla

Soon after the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, negotiations over a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Egyptian government began. The purpose of negotiations was to secure a loan that supports Egypt’s economy following the concerns over its compromising state.
Since its beginning, the negotiations were met with several setbacks. Before coming to power, Islamist parties Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood's political wing) along with the Salafist Al-Nour Party spoke out against the loan, even citing religious reasons to object to it. Following Mohammed Morsi's election as president, the loan negotiations resumed and the proposed 3 billion dollars loan was even increased to $4.8bn.
While presumed to boost economy and encourage foreign investment, the IMF loan was met with criticism and protest. In a letter sent to IMF Executive Director and Egyptian Prime Minister in November 2012, 18 human rights groups, political parties, and youth movements criticized the negotiation process. The letter focused on the both the IMF and the government’s failure to ensure a transparent, inclusive process and the lack of public consultation. They also questioned how the loan would truly benefit the livelihood of Egyptians, especially those in most need of it.
Protesters against IMF loan in Cairo raise banners saying ‘Enough’ and ‘Renaissance is the extermination of the people’ alluding to Morsi's promised Renaissance Project. Photograph by Mohamed Ali Eddin, used with permission
During the IMF delegation meeting last November, protesters took to the street to express their anger at the IMF loan and their concern over possible “austerity measures” that usually come as a condition of the loan. Various protests were organized under the title “No to the loan. The people want to know. The people are the decision takers”.
Indeed, President Morsi moved towards implementing an austerity package that included increasing taxes and removing subsidies. In response to vehement public criticism of the package, Morsi decided to suspend the package, resulting in a further delay of the loan negotiations.
Various social media initiatives were also used to mobilize against the loan. In a video produced by Mosireen, a non-profit media collective with a strong activism mission, Dr. Amr Adly from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, dispels the myths surrounding the austerity plan  (Arabic with English subtitles). State media and some Islamist groups tried to portray the tax increase as one targeting harmful products such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.
The website Drop Egypt's Debt is one of the active groups rallying against the loan and used Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to create awareness around it.  On Twitter, netizens cautioned from the consequences of the loan on the average citizen. Under the name (Muslim but not Brotherhood) this Twitter user ranted:
#مرسى علشان يثبت حكمة لازم ياخد قرض , وعلشان يجيب القرض يزود الاسعار ويرفع الدعم ويخلى الفقر شعار المرحلة ,, يسقط حكم ابن الوسخة #مصر
@Egypt_077: For Morsi to solidify his rule, he has to get the loan. And to get the loan, he increased prices and removed subsidies and declared that poverty is the slogan for the upcoming period. Down with the son of a bitch!
Mohammad Gramoun added:
#اقتصاد الإخوان: اللهث لتطبيق اشتراطات صندوق النقد الدولي دون حوار مجتمعي يعني الكارثة ثم الثورة الكبرى، اصلحوا هيكل الضرائب بدلا من زيادتها
@mgramoun: Muslim Brotherhood Economics: Rushing to implement IMF conditions without public dialogue which means disaster and major revolution. Reform taxing structures instead of increasing them.
In a creative way of protest, artists created a sarcastic music video (Arabic with English subtitles) on the IMF loan. The song proved a big success and managed to get more than 145,000 views in a few days.
There is a long history of IMF work with successive governments in Egypt. The economy-focused blog Rebel Economy produced a timeline of Egypt's history with the IMF. When president Anwar Sadat started introducing “Openness” neoliberal policies in the seventies, the IMF and World Bank mandated the removal of subsidies on basic foodstuffs which led to mass protests in what was known as the Bread Riots. The ensuing violent crackdown resulted in around 80 deaths and hundreds of injured.
‘Your money increases our poverty’ banner raised by protesters against IMF loan during IMF delegation visit to Cairo. Photo by  Mohamed Ali Eddin, used with permission
Despite the existence of critique offered by some commentators of the movement against the anti-IMF movement, concerns and suspicions persist. The loans that were given to Egypt mandated the government implement certain economic measures. Most notably, the structural adjustment agreements that were implemented in the 90s during Hosni Mubarak's rule led to unpopular policies such as privatization, currency devaluation and subsidy removal. These policies are accused of causing mass unemployment and increasing poverty, which was one of the catalysts of Egypt's revolution.

author: Ahmed Awadalla


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Journalists, Opposition Thrown Out of Macedonian Parliament Amid Street Protests · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

On Monday, Dec. 24, the Macedonian capital Skopje was shaken by a violent protest – and a counter-protest – related to the Parliament's approval of the 2013 state budget (en, en).
Youth Radio MOF provided this short summary [mk]
1. The direct motive for the outburst of (institutional and physical) violence was the opposition's blocking of the adoption of the budget in the Parliament, which was conducted through the submission of numerous proposed amendments, a method previously perfected by a junior government partner […]. The opposition proposed a plan of saving EUR 240 million planned for unnecessary expenses and luxury. [The total budget is EUR 2.7 billion.] They also announced the withdrawal of the amendments if the government accepted their saving proposal. The ruling party, however, claimed that by blocking the budget, the opposition was ruining the state and denying funds for the pensioners, social welfare cases, farmers, students, artists… Both sides did not budge, and several protests against the opposition took place in the past few days, demanding its leader to leave politics…
A police officer who received an egg aimed at the opposition protesters. From an extensive hi-res photo gallery by Vanco Dzambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
The proposed cutting of expenses mainly referred to the new construction within Skopje 2014 project, which earned the city the title of the “Kitsch capital of the Balkans” in the international media, thanks to a widely circulated AP story (en, ro, also it). One of the counter-protests included “the artists,” organized by the government-appointed directors of Skopje's Macedonian-language theaters, ballet, and national folk ensemble. When asked if it was normal for a theater that was supposed to require EUR 4.5 million to actually receive EUR 27 million, with additional EUR 10 million budgeted for 2013, Jelena Zhugic, director of Theater “Comedy” replied [mk]: “Milk and honey also did not flow in the streets of France when they were building their castles.” Social network users quickly drew comparisons with the the infamous pre-French Revolution quote: “Let them eat cake.”
Radio MOF explanation continued:
2. Last weekend, the Assembly President Trajko Veljanovski returned the budget to the PM's Cabinet, which urgently adopted it with slight modifications, and returned it to the Assembly. It bypassed the Finances and Budget Committee, and was placed directly to a plenary session instead. This set a precedent which the opposition deemed “contrary to Constitution, Rules of Procedure and the laws.”
Bloggers TheRealPsmst and Goran Arsov concurred, quoting [mk] the Rules of Procedure and other relevant legislature [mk]. Radio MOF concluded:
3. Supporters of the government and the opposition announced protests in front of the Parliament at the same time. The tense atmosphere with the police buffer in between, both groups exchanged insults and projectiles (stones, eggs, apples, [potatoes]). Around 20 protesters and 11 policemen were injured.
An opposition protester who received a head injury by an object hurled by the pro-government counter-protesters. Photo by Vancho Dzhambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
One of the government MPs was videotaped [mk] defiantly marching behind the police cordon, making obscene gestures at the protesters and yelling, “Die! Die!”
Amdi Bajram, MP from the government coalition, “addressing” the protesters. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
At one point, in response to missile attacks, opposition protesters broke the first line of the police cordon and were stopped by force. Photo by V. Dzambaski, CC BY-NC-SA
Meanwhile, inside the Parliament [sq], the security detail threw out the resident journalists, and most of the opposition MPs who tried to physically block the upcoming session. Three of them ended up in hospital [mk]. Then, the new budget was passed with 65 “yes” votes and 4 “against,” out of 123 MPs. The protest dispersed after the news of the adoption of the budget, except for a lone young man who undressed in front of the police and was arrested, unlike a police-approved government supporter.
The unrest in the Parliament included a serious denial of freedom of expression, which some international media covering the events of the day (en, en) have failed to mention.
NGO Civil–Center for Freedom has strongly condemend the violence against citizens, their parliamentarian representatives and journalists [en, mk, sq]:
Chaos and violence took place in Macedonia today. Officers of the security in the Macedonian Parliament acted in an unspeakable manner and physically attacked people’s representatives of the opposition, beating and dragging them through the corridors.
Before the eyes of the Macedonian public and the world, all rules and principles of democracy, the Constitution and the laws have been suspended.
[…]
Government officials and the parliamentary majority, security and police authorities, as well as officers of these structures who acted violently must immediately apologize to the Macedonian citizens and take responsibility for their actions.
The Journalists’ Trade Union protested [mk], and the Association of Journalists of Macedonia issued the following statement [en, mk, sq]:
The Association of Journalists of Macedonia strongly condemns today's incident in the Parliament, where journalists were forcefully expelled from the “gallery room” from which they were following the plenary session. With this act, the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of expression and media freedom, was grossly violated.
The authorities who gave the orders for this shameful act have formalized censorship and decided what must and what must not to be reported by the journalists. The forcibly evicted journalists did nothing to cause the reaction of the security, nor was there a legal basis for their removal.
We were removed in order not to witness the removal of the opposition MPs from the sessions. This is a case that should not go unpunished.
For these reasons, the Board of AJM stops all the negotiations with the government until the return of the constitutional order in Macedonia, and until the perpetrators and the authorities of this shameful behavior are not identified and punished according to the law.
AJM will use all the legal mechanisms to protect the freedom of expression and media freedom. Also, we will alert the domestic and foreign public about these events in the Parliament.
The police in front of the Macedonian Parliament after the protests on Dec. 24, 2012. Photo by Vachno Dzambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
The mood on the social networks was grim during the day and in the evening, with people expressing disappointment and disgust. A representative pessimistic blog post is listing reasons “Why I would immediately leave this country” [mk].


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Kenyans Wake Up to ATM Fraud Scare on Christmas · Global Voices
Ephraim Percy Kenyanito

On Christmas day, a number of Kenyan ATM users tweeted that they had received alerts that there had been fraudulent activity on their bank accounts. The alerts detailed “unusual withdrawal activity” for Kenyans who banked with Standard Chartered, Barclays, Kenya Commercial Bank and Stanbic:
@maina_bejamin: Not a very Merry Xmas to Stanchart, KCB, Barclays and Stanbic customers whose accounts have been defrauded in that massive ATM scam. Poleni [I am sorry]
Logo of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).
@TerryanneChebet: RT @gkogolla: RT @gmeltdown: Just got my Stanchart ATM PIN stolen/changed and cash withdrawn. People CHANGE your PIN numbers!!
@MisterAlbie: Stanchart account holders in Nairobi will be clocking impressive marathon timings as they dash to the nearest ATM to change their PIN.
However, some Kenyans were skeptical about the claims and went ahead to tweet their doubts about the developing story:
@Paapa_: Peeps who are planning to overspend then blame it on stanchart, we see you
There have been calls for the banks to block ATM withdrawals until they sort the mess out:
@bintiM: Is it possible for Stanchart to block ATM withdrawals until they sort this out? It's gotten crazy
There has been no official communication from bank officials and all that Kenya's ATM users can do is change their ATM pin numbers.

author: Ephraim Percy Kenyanito


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Last-words analysis – Why Tibetans Self-immolate? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ogyen Kyab has translated Chinese scholar Wang Lixiong's analysis of the reasons behind the Tibetans self-immolation.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Protesters March for 270km in Yemen’s Second Life March  · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Last year the revolutionary youth marched from Taiz to Sanaa for five days, covering 270km on foot in what they called the Life March. The aim of the march was to invigorate life into Yemen's ongoing revolution. This year the revolutionary youth commemorated the martyrs of the 2011 Life March by walking in their footsteps all 270km from Taiz to Sanaa. They were greeted at the borders of Sanaa and were joined by more youth and supporters.
The second Life March arriving at Sanaa. The youth carrying a banner that reads in Arabic “our revolution is a march of life”
Many netizens recalled last year's march with nostalgia:
@Nefermaat: Today I'm remembering the martyrs of the Life March last year…Dignity, Courage and Desire for Change were met by bullets and death! #Yemen
@BaraaShiban: #lifemarch was the crown of the peaceful revolution, thousands of youth travelling hundreds of miles facing military with their bare chests
@NasserMaweri: Recalling the great memories of the #lifeMarch #Yemen . Proud to have been part of the march that made history n will always be remembered
As the youth marched towards the presidential palace they were besieged by anti-riot forces. The youth staged an overnight sit-in in front of the presidential palace and demanded the clear removal of Ahmed Saleh, (ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh's son), Ali Mohsen and Ghaleb Al-Qamish, the three notorious army and security leaders that caused a lot of bloodshed in Yemen from any posts in the new military restructure. It was a cold hard night for the youth, with hardly any food and water was allowed in.
Yemen_ Updates tweeted:
@yemen_updates: Although PM says his government provided supplies to youth of #LifeMarch, dozens are stranded by the presidential palace, activists. #Yemen
Hanan Alshowafi added:
@Hanaalshowafi:
Only in #Yemen n the heart of WINTER Yemeni Army sieges Yemeni youth n Alsabeen Square denying them food&blankets!A great SIN #LifeMarch!!!
A video by yaheea alsowarii was posted showing how they spent the night in the cold weather chanting revolutionary slogans:
The goals of the Life March this year, as posted by the (News of the Yemeni Revolution) NYR Facebook are:
The Media Committee of the Life March issued the initial demands of the objectives of the march and sit-in:
1 – Dismissal of all military leaders and Supreme Security who worked with Saleh, headed by Ahmad Ali Saleh, Ali Mohsen Saleh, Ghalib Aalghemh and fully dismissing them and not reshuffling their positions in the new appointments, whatever the circumstances; and accelerate the implementation of the decisions of the army restructure and achieving safety, security and stability in the country and the extend the state power on the entire regions and provinces, particularly Saada and Marib.
2 – The release of prisoners of the revolution, and forcibly disappeared, and support the families of the martyrs and the wounded, and prosecute the killers of the rebels and looters of public wealth and the private sectors, and recover the looted and stolen wealth.
And it calls on all the popular forces to stand beside it and support it to achieve these goals.
Yemeni activists expressed their disappointment that the 2012 Life March wasn't getting any media coverage.
@NajlaMo:
Such a shame that we yemenis stand up with everyone who needs a voice and yet when we need it, we can't find that support #LifeMarch #Yemen
@WomanfromYemen:
#Yemen: if the peaceful #LifeMarch (where ppl walking 280km in protest) was happening in any other country it would've been TOP news (1/2)
@WomanfromYemen:
but i guess positive news on #Yemen isn't something that gets international media attention (2/2)

author: Noon Arabia


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This December, Russia’s Kids Aren’t Alright · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

As billions of people across the world awoke today to open gifts and be with their families, three of Russian Duma Deputy Sergei Zhelezniak's four daughters rolled out of bed to find that intimate photographs from their social network accounts had been published [ru] in a muckraking attack on their father. The man behind this effort was none other than Alexey Navalny, Russia's most famous anti-corruption netizen, and the venue was Navalny's blog on LiveJournal. The post now has over four thousand “shares” on Facebook and over three thousand retweets on Twitter.
Navalny called attention to the fact that Zhelezniak's three oldest daughters have attended or are now attending foreign universities in Switzerland and England. He also highlighted that Zhelezniak owns two expensive non-Russian cars and two large apartments. In connection with his Good Machine of Truth campaign, Navalny is releasing two versions of a flyer [ru] propagating Zhelezniak's supposedly suspect financials, as well as his public statements about the need for strict Russian patriotism.
Anastasia Zhelezniak. Screen capture from Alexey Navalny's blog attack on Sergei Zhelezniak for sending his daughters to foreign universities. 25 December 2012.
Navalny's decision to target Zhelezniak's children has split the RuNet into camps of supporters [ru] grateful for Navalny's daring and critics [ru] terrified by his audacity. Certainly, the most unsavory aspect of Navalny's attack is that he elected to include photographs of Zhelezniak's daughters, Ekaterina, Anastasia, and Liza. The photos of Anastasia, for instance, are rather risqué, despite the fact that she is underage. (Major media outlets, such as Forbes.ru, have subsequently reposted some of these photographs.) Of course, many defend Navalny, arguing that these images were available publicly, but—as blogger Maksim Kononenko points out [ru]—Navalny also posted links to the girls’ social network pages on Facebook, Vkontakte, and Lookbook. While Navalny later amended his original LiveJournal post to encourage readers to be respectful toward Zhelezniak's daughters and mindful of their youth, that he linked to their social network accounts at all indicates a rather underhanded attempt to bully Zhelezniak's family.
Zhelezniak responded within hours in a Facebook post [ru], explaining that he earned his wealth before becoming a Duma deputy, when he headed News Outdoor, an advertising agency. (Kononenko quipped that Navalny possibly bought advertising space from Zhelezniak during his public relations work for SPS in 2009.) In a somewhat disjointed reply, Zhelezniak tried to clarify his understanding of patriotism, saying that “[t]rue patriotism is realizing oneself in the country for the good of the country.” He then implied (not entirely convincingly) that his daughters have pursued educations abroad in order to serve Russia better, later in life.
Navalny's favorite (and faithful) blogger, Vladislav Naganov, immediately assaulted [ru] Zhelezniak's answer, regurgitating the main aspects of Navalny's initial work, and adding his own rejoinders to choice excerpts. Also apparently in response to backlash about the decision to post compromising photos of adolescent girls, Navalny shared [ru] on Instagram the following SMS from his wife:
Хочу вам также напомнить про Захара Навального, который в 4 года вынужден смотреть на эти мерзкие картинки у нас во дворе, и Дашу Навальную, которая не имеет возможности, в отличие от этих прекрасных девушек, завести вконтакте из-за нашистов.
I also want to remind you about Zakhar Navalny [their son], who at four-years-old has to look at these vile pictures in our courtyard [presumably NASHist graffiti? ~RuNet Echo], and Dasha Navalny [their daughter], who—unlike [Zhelezniak's] pretty girls—can't have an account on Vkontakte, thanks to the NASHists.
Naganov seemed to endorse this spirit of revenge, tweeting [ru] triumphantly:
Думаю, сегодня все депутаты-единороссы звонили своим детям и кричали в трубку: Нет времени объяснять! Удаляй все свои аккаунты в соцсетях!
I think that, today, all the United Russia deputies called up their kids and screamed into the phone: There's no time to explain! Delete all your social network accounts!
Russia's most read blogger, Rustem Adagamov, was even more succinct, tweeting [ru] simply:
Я за Дашу Навальную. А вы?
I'm for Dasha Navalny. What about you?
In a long and at times bizarre exchange, oppositionist Maria Baronova tangled with various Twitter users after she accused [ru] anyone who defended Zhelezniak against Navalny of being complicit in the imprisonment of Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina:
Хочу напомнить каждому, каждому защищающего Железняка про Геру Верзилову и Филиппа Алехина, лишенных матерей. Вы поощряете это
I want to remind everyone, everyone who defends Zhelezniak, about Gera Verzilova [Tolokonnikova's daughter] and Filipp Alekhin [Alekhina's son], who have been deprived of their mothers. You're behind this.
Sergei Zhelezniak at the 2011 RuNet Awards. 25 November 2011. Photo by Dmitry Rozhkov, CC 3.0.
Later in her conversation with Olga Shanster, Baronova actually declared [ru] that Zhelezniak's daughters are “guilty,” adding “they're even very guilty,” arguing that their failure to denounce their own father makes them culpable for his crimes.
Baronova's old boss, Duma deputy and oppositionist Ilya Ponomarev (whom many in the protest movement have condemned [ru] as a Kremlin agent), was not so eager to paint a target on the backs of Zhelezniak's girls. In a post [ru] on Facebook, Ponomarev wrote:
Всегда говорил и говорю: не надо втягивать семьи в политические разборки. […] Не надо развязывать борьбу на новом фронте, нам хватает существующих баталий. Это по меньшей мере неумно.
I've always said and I am saying now: we shouldn't drag families into political showdowns. […] We don't need to open a new front for our fight, we have no shortage of battles, as it is. At the very least, [Navalny's post] was not smart.
As with any RuNet scandal, the basic frame we apply to this Navalny-Zhelezniak confrontation says a lot about our biases. Did Russia's hero-blogger etch the latest chapter in his “speaking truth to power” epic? Or did Russia's worst mudslinger traumatize three innocent girls, in order to wound a political foe?
There is also the current context to consider: earlier this month, United Russia rammed through the Duma a draft law to ban American adoptions of Russian orphans. For weeks now, the RuNet has been ablaze with protestations and outrage about how Putin's minions have politicized the children. (Never mind the fact that Ekaterina Savina at Publicpost.ru mused [ru] just yesterday that Zhelezniak might have recently signaled [ru] on Facebook subtle reservations about implementing the legislation, if Putin signs it.) It's in this atmosphere that Navalny published photographs of three teenage girls making fools of themselves.
Is this giving United Russia a taste of its own medicine? Or was Navalny simply out of line?

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Two US Drone Strikes in Yemen for Christmas · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Merry Christmas from Yemen! Christmas day was a day of double  drone strikes in Yemen, killing five ‘suspected’ militants. The first drone strike killed two people travelling in a vehicle in a southern town, al-Bayda province on Monday. In the second attack, which also occurred on Monday, the unmanned aircraft fired missiles at three people riding on two motorcycles travelling in Hadramout province, killing all three men.
Omar Mash, a Yemeni blogger, tweeted:
@Omar_Mash: ‘Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.. bombs engraved with ‘MADE IN USA’ rain over Arabia's oldest civilisation’ #Yemen
@Omar_Mash: As Americans take time out to feast and celebrate w their families, let it be known that their Gov is destroying Yemeni families #NoDrones
@Omar_Mash: They stole our revolution, they enforced their version of stability, they make it rain with their bombs from our sky. Merry Xmas from #Yemen
Ibrahim Mothana, a Yemeni activist, also commented:
“@imothanaYemen: Two US drone strikes in Yemen today. Should we consider them a Christmas gift?!”
US Air Force General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Image by Flickr user james_gordon_los_angeles (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Glenn Greenwald, a columnist and blogger for the Guardian, replied:
@ggreenwald:Not just any gift: from a Nobel laureate! RT @imothanaYemen 2 US drone strikes in Yemen today. Should we consider them a Christmas gift?!
Dr Qais Ghanem tweeted, commenting on a link to an important article by the Washington Post:
@dialogue_979_FM: Whether Saleh & his FM or Hadi & his FM When U.S. drones kill civilians, Yemen’s government tries to conceal it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/when-us-drones-kill-civilians-yemens-government-tries-to-conceal-it/2012/12/24/bd4d7ac2-486d-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html … #drone
Sam Waddah pragmatically posted on his Facebook page:
While Santa Claus is distributing gifts in the West, Obama is sending drone strikes to Yemen! Another drone strike hits Yemeni soil today!
I strongly believe that the problem is not with the US administration striking drones, but rather with our government approving of them!
Drone strikes decreased in Pakistan by 41% in 2011 and another 40% in 2012 because the Pakistani government started to disapprove of them! On the other hand, US drone strikes in Yemen have increased by 240% in 2011, and another 250% in 2012, simply because our president approves of them!
Unless our government values Yemeni blood and opposes drone strikes, Obama Claus will keep increasingly bringing us drones in 2013 and so forth!
We are victims of our leaders, more than we are of the US!
Much has been written, tweeted, and blogged by Yemenis venting their anger at Obama and the US administration for the continuous US strikes, yet their own president approves those drone strikes. Who should be blamed more for the injustice of it all?
This is just one of many series of posts about US drone strikes in Yemen and it certainly and sadly will not be the last.


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What Did Chinese Web Users Search for in 2012? · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Baidu, the leading search engine in China, has compiled two Top 10 lists —the most-searched terms online in 2012, and the “fastest rising” words or phrases. TeaLeafNation has a detailed analysis on what the lists mean.


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Analyzing the Salaries of Congressmen in Latin America · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

After the payment raise scandal [es] of Peruvian congressmen, disguised under the rubric of expenses, in Sesión de Control, journalist Martin Hidalgo makes a comparative analysis [es] of the salaries of deputies in Latin America. “At the top of the highest paid legislators are Chileans, who earn a salary of […] about $ 30,602 dollars.” “Until November, Peru was in the sixth [place], but the increase has put the country over Colombia.” Martín concludes: “Disapproval of Congress in Peru remains high, with 63%. Everything is even more worrisome if we consider that, according to Proética, 86% believe that there is corruption in Parliament.”

author: Juan Arellano


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Bangladesh: Mobile Health Service For Expecting and New Mothers · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

The total number of Mobile Phone subscribers in Bangladesh is currently more than 98 million and a large portion of them are female. Targeting this population a maternal health care service using mobile phone was launched recently.  Aponjon is a mobile phone based health service for expecting and new mothers in Bangladesh under the auspices of Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA). It is a low-cost service, free for the poorest 20 percent of its subscribers and it aims to reduce maternal and newborn illnesses and deaths.
Kirsten Gagnaire, MAMA Global Partnership Director, writes:
Aponjon logo. It symbolizes that involvement of husband and other family members is important for maintaining better health of mothers. Image courtesy Aponjon website.
Aponjon, which means “trusted friend” in Bengali, is a service developed by the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) partners in Bangladesh.  It focuses on providing moms with messages via mobile phones that share information on how to care for themselves and their babies throughout pregnancy and the first year of life. A unique aspect of Aponjon is that it has a service targeted specifically for gatekeepers, as they make decisions about the family’s care and finances.  Gatekeepers in Bangladesh are often partners, mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters and other figures in the community. The Aponjon messages for gatekeepers reinforce the messages the women receive through the mom-focused service, but emphasize the critical role they play in ensuring that pregnancy, birth and early childhood are healthy and happy experiences for their families.
The Aponjon service was introduced in September, 2011 in 13 locations of four districts in Bangladesh with 1200 subscribers on a pilot basis. On completion of a successful pilot, Aponjon kicked off its national scale operation. Aponjon aspires to reach more than 2 million expecting women and new mothers by 2015.
The state of of Mother and Infant health in Bangladesh
Both the Maternal and child mortality rates are high in Bangladesh. According a report, every 45 minutes a woman in Bangladesh dies from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Every 4 minutes, a child less than 1 month old dies because their mother didn't have access to proper post-natal and ante-natal care.
However, over the past decades, persistent efforts at national and local level, have led to a sharp decline in maternal and child mortality in Bangladesh. Infant mortality declined from 97 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 37 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011. In the same period, post-neonatal mortality fell by 50 per cent, and under-5 mortality dropped by 67 per cent.
Successes story
Asha Rani, a 24-year old woman happily married with two children, lives in the Vashantek slum in Mirpur, one of the most crowded slums in Dhaka city. After the birth of her second child she learned about “aponjon” from a health worker and got registered. She is happy for the service:
Asha Rani, a satisfied user of Aponjon mobile health service. Image courtesy Aponjon website.
“Well…to tell you the truth, now I know that I should keep my daughter on my shoulder for a few minutes after she receives breast milk. She doesn’t vomit anymore and I am so relieved. The Aponjon service helped me to get accurate health messages on how to raise a child as well as how to take care of my own health.”
In last few years, mobile phone rapidly spread in rural Bangladesh. Most of Bangladesh are now covered under mobile network. So mobile phone is a very convenient medium to send and receive information. Dr. Fida Mehran wrote in an article published in the Daily Star:
A few years back it was unthinkable that a mobile phone would become a common commodity item for most of the population; that even people below the poverty line would be able to buy mobile phones, learn to call and receive calls, even learn to read and write a few SMSs. Given the usage and network spread that mobile telephony has managed to reach in Bangladesh, mobile phone itself is becoming the best media to spread information and awareness.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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China Considers Real Name Registration for All Internet Users · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Following the call for more internet supervision by state-run People’s Daily newspaper last week, Xinhua news reported on December 24, 2012 that the Chinese government is considering a new law requiring real-name registration for its 500 million internet users.
According to Xinhua, the legislation would “safeguard” Internet users from defamation and fraud. Li Fei, deputy director of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee, said:
Such identity management could be conducted backstage, allowing users to use different names when publicizing information.
Although Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo was required to introduce real-name registration earlier this year, implementation has been bogged down because of technical difficulties. Now the government is taking it to legislation, which could have a major impact on China’s social networking services such as Weibo which supports over 400 million registered users. While some netizens think it’s necessary to regulate the fast growing Internet service in China to protect personal information and avoid fraud, many worry that the move is just another way to further restrict freedom of speech.
Local TV team reports on the draft legislation for real-name registration, interviewing some web users about internet privacy. (Screenshot from Youku)
Lawyer concerns
Liao Rui, a lawyer based in China's Sichuan province said on Weibo:
廖睿：The direct motivation of the proposal is the constant stream of anti-corruption comments on social media recently. I urge the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to treat this proposal seriously as it involves citizens’ freedom of speech which the Constitution has regulated. Cast your own vote with responsibility to country and the nation!
Another lawyer and writer wrote on Weibo:
法客瑾爷：对于保障他人名誉权、防止网络犯罪具有重大意义，但难保不会成为政府干涉言论自由的帮凶。
法客瑾爷：The law is of great significance, helping to protect the reputation of Internet users and prevent cyber crime. But there is no guarantee that it will not become an accomplice to the government in interfering with freedom of speech.
Lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan with 70,000 followers on Weibo cited South Korea’s failed attempt for real-name registration as example:
刘晓原律师: 2012年8月23日，韩国宪法法院做出裁决，8名法官均认定网络实名制违背了宪法。宪法法院称互联网实名制阻碍了用户自由表达意见，没有身份证号的外国人很难登录留言板，此外留言板信息外泄的可能性增大，从这些因素来看，这一制度的不利影响并不小于其公益性。
刘晓原律师: On August 23, 2012, South Korea's Constitutional Court made the decision. Eight judges found that real-name registration violates the Constitution, as the Constitutional Court said that the Internet real-name system would hinder users’ freedom of expression, foreigners without ID numbers would have difficulty logging onto message boards, in addition, it also increases leaking of message board information. Judging by these factors, disadvantages far surpass any advantages that could have come from real-name registration.
What do ordinary netizens think?
东来和西去：我不知道你们立法的初衷是什么？是维护公民的言论自由还是扼杀？
东来和西去：I don’t know the intention of this law, is it to protect our freedom of speech or to control it?
扬尘无导：实名没什么可怕，怕的是应言获罪。
扬尘无导：Real-name registration is not scary, but being punished for online speech is.
zhang3:原来准备了那么多天的圣诞大礼，是网络实名制。实际也没啥。本来真要找你也是分分钟的事，现在就少走一个程序。短期会让人恐惧，长期会给人勇气，让人有担当。掘墓的，焉知不是为自家准备。
zhang3: The big Christmas gift prepared for so many days is Internet real-name registration. In fact it’s no big deal. It’s already easy for them to find you anyway, now it’s even easier. In the short term, it’s terrifying. In the long run, it makes us more brave. Who knows, the ones who dig the grave are not expecting to lay in it themselves.
游离的世界已经灰白:网络是悬在官员头上的一把利剑！立法是应当的，关键看这法怎么立？关键是如何处理保护官员与保护公民言论自由孰轻孰重的问题。
游离的世界已经灰白：The Internet is a sword hanging over the head of officials! Legislation is necessary, but the key is how to deal with both the protection of officials and the protection of citizens’ freedom of speech. Which comes the first?
Zhan Jiang, a professor at Beijing International Studies University suggested:
展江教授: 应该首先将《政府信息公开条例》上升为法律，并扩大政府信息公开范围；同时对言论自由制定保护性法律，然后才能进行限制性立法。否则，网络实名制最后可能法不责众，不了了之。
First we should elevate Government Information Publicity Regulations to law, and expand the scope of public disclosure of government information; at the same time, introducing laws protective of freedom of expression before developing restrictive legislation. Otherwise, real-name registration may not work out due to public criticism.
It is still unclear if or when the law would be implemented. In the past few weeks, the government has also obstructed pathways normally used by foreign VPN services for dodging censorship restrictions. It looks bleak for anyone hoping for looser Internet control in China.


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Christmas Decorations around Lebanon · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Cloud of Lace posts beautiful images of the Christmas decorations from various cities in Lebanon during this year's (2012) celebrations.

author: Moussa Bashir


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From Gangnam Style to Jailed Tweeter: Korea in 2012 · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Starting from North Korean leadership change, to Gangnam Style spreading over the world and finally the presidential election in December, 2012 has been a dramatic year in South Korea. Here are the top seven Korean stories  which created major social media buzz this year.
1. Psy’s Gangnam style
Korean rapper, Psy's Gangnam Style video went truly viral, starting from mid-July and has continued dominating online space worldwide over the year. It has recently became the first-ever Youtube video to hit 1 billion view, bringing tremendous fame to Psy and creating various memes and parodies internationally.
Read how Koreans reacted to Psy's unexpected success, the ten 10 parodies and even the Gangnam-inspired activist videos.
As the North Korean dictator, Kim Jung-Il died of a suspected heart attack on Dec 2011, the young successor, Kim Jong-un, was nominated as the next leader of the hermit kingdom, North Korea. The young Kim has continued his father military rule and the brinksmanship strategies throughout the year and tried several satellite launches, one in December and a previous one in early April, which has invited international blame for both increasing already heightened tension in the East Asia region, but also for ignoring mass starvation of its own people.
North Korean Soldier at DMZ, public domain
Many media organizations claim the launch in December was successful and bloggers came up with their own analyses. A prominent North Korean tech blogger wrote about how the satellite can be tracked and concluded in his latest post, though its in the right orbit, the satellite might be not be fully-functional.
3. History's child
Through the December 19 presidential election, Park Geun-hye, the former dictator's daughter, was elected the next president and the first-ever female president in South Korea. Park's father, despite a dramatic economic growth made under his rule, was notorious for his authoritarian, military rule and many, as mentioned in this previous GV post, voiced worries over Park's vague stance on her father's rule.
Park Geun-hye during campaign, Upload by Flickr User 박근혜 공식앨범 (CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA)
4. Twitter arrest
Park Jung-geun, a South Korean photographer/activist, was arrested for retweeting North Korean official Twitter account's messages in January this year, making more headlines in international news than in local news.The verdict came out in November and Park was sentenced to a suspended 10 month jail term.
Park's Parody of a North Korean Soldier/Poster, which has spread wide across Korean web, many times tweeted and memed, Park tweeted this image (the original source/link unclear and the author did not specify/claim copyrights).
5. 6-month media strike
The year 2012 has ridden with various walk-outs, but the media strike which continued for nearly half a year, clearly stood out amongst them. Previously, GV explained why journalists and producers of one of the the nations biggest network TV, MBC, staged mass protests against its chairman and introduced citizen's wide support for their fight.
MBC chairman Kim Jae-Cheol [ko] has been accused of corruption, siding with the government on major issues and allegedly silencing critics within his company by firing or reprimanding them, as can be seen from the mass firing of the writers from MBC's signature investigative program.
A Caricature of Ahn, Uploaded by Flickr User 안철수의 진심캠프 (CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0)
6. Ahn Cheol-soo phenomenon
Ahn Cheol-soo, the founder of the iconic antivirus software company AhnLab, who also happens to be a doctor and a former professor and dean of the prestigious Seoul National University, dominated the nation's political news section throughout the year as he decided to run for the presidency.
Ahn has a reputation of being apolitical and the least corrupt candidate in the nation's recent political history. His unexpected dropout of the presidential race despite his high popularity, shocked Koreans and made lot of them talk on Twitter.
7. Social media clash with Election Laws
As the presidential election became the major course of discussion starting mid-year, there were conflicts between citizen's political activities in social media and the nation's strict, often criticized as ‘outdated’, election law.
Beside the nation-wide calls for longer poll hours, lots of litigation and summons were initiated over so-called ‘illegal campaign activities’. The political podcast Naggomsu (meaning ‘I am a petty-minded creep’), famous for its investigative reporting and shrill mockery of the current President and his conservative ruling party became an easy target. This year, its influential podcasters were either being arrested, charged, or summoned for questioning over their alleged illegal campaign activities in podcasts, as GV covered, showing that 2012 has been not an easy year in the citizen's social media/online political engagement front.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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India Debates Capital Punishment for Rape · Global Voices
Inji Pennu

Delhi, with its dubious distinction as the ‘rape capital’ has witnessed another tragedy of sexual violence on a 23 year old woman (see Global Voices report), that has led to wide spread protests in and around the capital and the country. Shocked at the brutality of the recent violence, people from many spheres are asking for stricter laws and harsher punishments and there has been vigorous debates going on about capital punishment for rapists, started out by a member of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj.
The issue of the current debate on rape and capital punishments is a complex one. The National Bureau of Crime in India reports staggering numbers of gender violence. This same year a two year old girl Baby Falak died due to injuries from abuse in Delhi. In India gender violence manifests in many forms from female feticide, ragging, eve teasing, dowry, rape (some of it is considered a norm in the society). India’s north eastern state Manipur has witnessed rape by its own army men and Manipuri women protesting with the banner, “Indian Army: Rape Us.” Among its parliament members, 369 faces charges for crime against women.
With such complexities as a society and such widespread abuse prevalent, the social media with its new found voice, has started massive campaigns, and the debate of Capital Punishment also rages including online petitions.
A highly agitated protester points as she shouts at police officers during renewed demonstrations following the gang rape of a female student on a Delhi bus. Image by João Costa Leão. Copyright Demotix (23/12/2012)
Stalin K Padma criticises a newspaper (Times of India) advertising for Capital Punishment,
The ad unfortunately perpetuates the notion that a woman's life is finished (‘takes away a woman's life’) when she is raped! The severe social stigma attached to rape, promoted by ads and arguments like these, are singularly responsible for women committing (or attempting to commit) suicide.
To which Sakshi Soi reasons with the staggering numbers in Delhi alone:
We've been through all of these discussions earlier haven't we? This isn't the first rape case Delhi/India has seen. 600+ and counting in Delhi alone! How many punished? We demand death penalty because there is need for immediate action!
Protests at India Gate. Photo by Flickr user ramesh_lalwani CC BY-NC 2.0
Aswathy Senan who has called in and participated in the protest rallies, comments:
Hope all this doesn't come to a point when we will need to hold another protest against capital punishment!!! I wouldn't hesitate to hold media as one of the prime forces responsible for making “capital punishment” the ideal punishment for the rapist!
Suresh Kumar comments on a Google Plus discussing the pros and cons of Capital Punishment:
നിലവിലുള്ള ശിക്ഷയേക്കാൾ കൂടുതലായി വധശിക്ഷ ഒരു ഡിറ്ററന്റാകുമോ എന്ന കാര്യവും സംശയമാണ്. അഥവാ അങ്ങിനെ വധശിക്ഷ കൊടുക്കാമെന്ന് തീരുമാനിച്ചാൽ തന്നെ ഇൻഡ്യയിൽ ഏതാണ്ട് നാൽപ്പതിനായിരത്തിലധികം ആളുകളെ ഇപ്പോ തന്നെ വധിക്കേണ്ടി വരും എന്ന് പറയപ്പെടുന്നു. അത് നടക്കുന്ന കാര്യമാണോ? അപ്പോൾ പിന്നെ ഈ കുറ്റകൃത്യത്തിലേക്കെത്തുന്നതിനു മുന്നെ അതെങ്ങനെ ഫലപ്രദമായി തടയാമെന്ന കാര്യങ്ങളിൽ കൂടുതൽ ശ്രദ്ധകേന്ദ്രീകരിക്കേണ്ടി വരും.
It is doubtful whether capital punishment will be a deterrent to the existing laws. The judiciary conducts itself in a very slow manner and as of now if capital punishment is issued, there are more than forty thousand people who will need to be sentenced. Is that even possible? So we would need to think what all steps and measures are needed in this society to stop such things from happening.
As the debate continues on Capital Punishment, Nirmal Harindran posted a Facebook status with a news clipping, which seems to have all the answers to this recurring gender violence in India.
Girl Child Abandoned in Delhi
I think our issues starts here…The Indian Express, Delhi 19-December-2012

author: Inji Pennu