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Colombia: More Reactions to the March Against FARC · Global Voices
Carlos Raúl van der Weyden Velásquez

Photo by Pattoncito and used under a Creative Commons license.
On February 4, hundreds of thousands of Colombians around the world demonstrated against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, for its initials in Spanish), an event which started as a Facebook group, taking advantage of the popularity of this social network in the country (Colombia is the 9th country in active users), and soon endorsed by the media and the government. It was the main topic on the Colombian blogosphere during most of January and, of course, after the march almost everyone reacted, in addition to posting their pictures and videos.
Journalist Jaime Restrepo in Atrabilioso [es] says:
Las FARC perdieron su apellido de ejército del pueblo. Simple y contundente. Millones de personas en Colombia y el mundo le enviaron un mensaje tajante al grupo terrorista sobre sus pretendidas justificaciones de propaganda nacional e internacional en el sentido de representar a los colombianos. Que les quede claro: No representan al pueblo. Pero las FARC ganaron un apellido: ejército del Polo. Así de fácil. (…) Quedó claro: las FARC representan a múltiples sectores del Polo y ahora lo que resultará difícil será determinar a cuales si, y a cuales no….Y los ciudadanos, esos millones de colombianos y extranjeros que decidieron, POR PRIMERA VEZ EN LA HISTORIA RECIENTE DEL PAÍS, salir a las calles a emitir una rotunda condena contra los terroristas de las FARC… Quedó claro que son demasiados millones de “oligarcas” los que están contra las FARC. Si la tan cacareada oligarquía fuera tan numerosa, Colombia sería más próspera que la mayoría de países desarrollados.
FARC lost their last name of  “People's Army.”  Simply and bluntly. Millions of people in Colombia and around the world sent a sharp message to the terrorist group on their domestic and international propaganda-intended justifications of representing Colombians. It should be clear: they don't represent the people. But FARC have earned a last name: [Opposition leftist party Alternative Democratic] Pole's Army. Just that easy. (…) It's clear: the FARC represents several sectors within the Pole and what will turn out difficult will be to figure out which ones do they represent and which ones they do not….And the citizens, those millions of Colombians and foreigners who decided, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE COUNTRY'S RECENT HISTORY, to go out to the streets in order to condemn outrightly  the FARC terrorists… It's clear there are way too many “oligarchs” who stand against FARC. If there were so many members of the “oligarchy”, then Colombia would be more prosperous than most of the developed countries.
Julián Rosero, at equinoXio [es], also criticizes the opposition party (PDA for its initials in Spanish):
La posición del PDA debió ser contundente, rápida y consecuente. Debió decir NO a la marcha del 4 de febrero hasta que los organizadores le cambien el fin, o en su defecto, organizar paralelamente, con el mismo despliegue y con un gran ahínco, una marcha con la consigna NO A TODAS LAS FORMAS DE TERRORISMO, en cuyo eslogan estén presentes las conjeturas: No a las FARC, No al Paramilitarismo y No al Terrorismo de Estado. De hecho, debió imprimir carteles en donde la conjetura que encabezara el eslogan fuera “No a las FARC”, encima de las otras dos mencionadas, para impedir que los críticos del PDA relacionen a este partido político con esta agrupación terrorista.
PDA's position should have been blunt, quick, and consistent. It should have said NO to the February 4th march, until their organizers changed its objective, or otherwise, to organize, separately, eagerly and with the same display of enthusiasm, a march with the slogan NO TO ANY FORM OF TERRORISM, including No FARC, no paramilitaries, and no State terrorism. In fact, it should have printed posters where the heading was “No to the FARC” over the other two mentioned, in order to prevent PDA critics to link this political party with that terrorist group.
Cartoonist Vladdo claims [es] that the march doesn't own its success to Facebook, but to the hate most Colombians feel toward the FARC is:
El mismo odio que ha elegido dos veces a Álvaro Uribe. Y el mismo que llevó a las emisoras de radio, canales de televisión, periódicos y revistas a dedicarse con un empeño sin precedentes a la causa del 4-F; proceso en el cual quedó claro que la crispación que producen las FARC es un tema que conquista lectores y capta audiencia. (Lástima que ese fenómeno nunca se vea con las víctimas de las AUC y sus masacres y desaparecidos; ni con los desplazados; ni con los perjudicados por los falsos positivos).
The same hate which has twice elected Álvaro Uribe. And the same who lead radio stations, television networks, newspapers and magazines to devote an unprecedented effort to the F-4 cause (February 4th march date); a process which made clear that the anger FARC produces and is an issue that attracts readers and gains an audience. (It's a shame that phenomenon can't be seen with the victims of AUC, their massacres and their disappeared; nor with the displaced people, not those affected with the false positives).
Vladdo also criticizes the ambiguous attitude of the Democratic Pole toward the demonstration, which “confused a lot of their militants, who in this kind of circumstances need a lot their leaders to instruct them”.
Colombians abroad also chimed in with their thoughts. From Los Angeles, Alexillopillo, besides wondering about the real usefulness of the demonstration and how the magnitude of the march had moved him, makes a reflection [es]:
Hace 13 años, una de mis primeras noches pagando servicio militar en Neiva escuché a un capitan decir ante todo el pelotón formado, momentos antes de enviarnos a dormir, que el ejército Colombiano era tan bueno pero tan bueno, que la guerrilla no habia podido acabar con él en mas de 40 años. Todo mundo pareció estar de acuerdo, pero yo por dentro solo pensaba “No será mas bien al revés? Que el ejército Colombiano es tan, pero tan abominablemente inepto, que no ha podido acabar con la guerrilla en mas de 40 años?” Con esa mentalidad, no es una sorpresa que la guerrilla nos desangre lentamente a su gusto.
Thirteen years ago, on one of my first nights of my military service in Neiva, I heard a captain say in front of the entire squad, moments before he sent us to bed, that Colombian army was so good that guerrilla had proved to be unable to destroy it for more than 40 years. Everyone seemed to agree, but I thought inside “Shouldn't it be the opposite way? That Colombian army was so abominably terrible that it has proven to be unable to destroy guerrilla for more than 40 years?” With that mentality, it's not a surprise that guerrilla slowly bleeds us at their will.
Though she didn't marched, Ana María Arango remarks [es]:
[L]a marcha del 4 de febrero  fue una ruptura con los antecedentes de aletargamiento, apatía y negligencia  en la clase media y alta colombiana frente a problemáticas políticas. Independientemente de la polarización que generó, esta marcha es un logro sin precedentes y un hecho del que nos debemos alegrar;  porque además de que  puso en evidencia el rechazo tan fuerte a las FARC, nos mostró que también miles de personas  salieron de su comodidad y de su entorno inmediato a protestar por la violencia y el secuestro más allá de sus inclinaciones políticas.
The February 4th march was a breakthrough against the lethargy, apathy and negligence fromColombia's upper and middle-classes, in regards to political issues. Regardless the polarization it caused, this march is an unprecedented achievement and a fact we should be happy for; because, besides making clear such a strong contempt for FARC, it also showed us thousands of people who left their comfortable and their immediate environment to protest violence and kidnapping regardless of their political tendencies.
Minoría desinformada [es] slammed the politicians of the ruling party who took advantage of the march to propose Uribe's second re-election [es]:
Muchos sabíamos que eso iba a pasar -así los organizadores digan que no tenían ningún interés político- y por eso fue que decidimos de manera autónoma y consciente, no marchar. No salimos a unirnos a la multitudinaria manifestación, que sin duda marcó un hito en nuestra historia patria, no porque eso signifique que estemos de acuerdo ni remotamente con algún crimen de lesa humanidad cometido por las FARC. En muchas oportunidades en esta bitácora, la Minoría desinformada ha expresado claramente y sin dubitaciones su rechazo contundente contra esta organización armada, que nos atrevemos incluso a definir como “cartel”, porque en eso se han convertido (…) Entonces, no necesitábamos marchar para expresar nuestro repudio tantas veces mencionado. En ese sentido, respaldamos todavía a quienes ese histórico día se manifestaron en contra de la violencia en Colombia, y uno de sus causantes, sin duda, es la guerrilla de las FARC.
Pero no marchamos porque sabíamos que eso se iba a utilizar para hacer política y de la forma más oportunista y repulsiva, porque ahora el significado de esa concentración es “el respaldo a Álvaro Uribe”. No hay derecho. Cuando sabemos que esa marcha se dio porque todavía hay gente secuestrada, que no ha visto la libertad en más de 5 años y ninguna de las partes ha querido bajar su arrogancia para solucionar el conflicto de forma negociada.
A lot of us knew this was going to happen -even the organizers say they had no political interests- and that's why we decided autonomously and consciously not to march. We didn't go out to join that multitudinary demonstration, which without a doubt set a milestone in our country's history, not because that means that we remotely agree with any of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by FARC. We've expressed in several occassions on this blog our contempt for that armed organization, which we dare to define as a “cartel”, because that's what they've become. (…) Then, we didn't need to march in order to express our rejection so many times mentioned. In that sense, we still support those who demonstrated that historic day against violence in Colombia, and one of its causes, without a doubt, are the FARC guerrillas. But we didn't march because we already knew that was going to be used for campaigning so repulsively and opportunistly, because right now the meaning of that demonstration is to “support Álvaro Uribe”. They have no right. When we know that march happened because there's still people kidnapped, who haven't seen freedom for more than 5 years and no one of the parts involved want to forget their arrogance to solve the conflict in a negotiated way.
Mateo Echeverry [es] writes about the media coverage:
El cubrimiento que le dieron los medios a la marcha fue masivo, pero paradójicamente, un poco superficial. La emotividad y dimensión de la manifestación la hacían más apropiada para el deleite estético (muy apropiadamente RCN tuvo a su servicio un helicóptero que daba vueltas por todo Bogotá trasmitiendo las imágenes en vivo). Más allá de las imágenes, la información de los medios se limitó a interpretar la marcha como una señal de “unión entre los colombianos”. Lo que no hicieron fue matizar el significado que para cada marchante tenía. La imagen de la gran masa blanca desplazándose opacó las particularidades de la jornada.
Analizando los medios no resulta tan interesante la cobertura de la marcha en sí, sino, la fuerte decisión de los medios de apoyar esta marcha particular creada por un ciudadano cualquiera.
The media coverage on the march was massive but paradoxically a little shallow. The emotivity and the dimension of the demonstration made it more appropriate for the aesthetic joy ([Pro-Uribe] RCN used a helicopter which toured the Bogotá sky broadcasting live pictures). Beyond the pictures, media information limited interpretation of the march as a sign of the “unity among Colombians”. What they didn't do was to clarify the meaning it has for every one of the demonstrators. The picture of the big white mass moving hides the particularities of the day. Analyzing the media is not as interesting as the coverage on the march itself, but the strong decision by the media to endorse this particular march created by an anonymous citizen.
Marsares summarizes in a post some lessons and consequences from the march. Besides agreeing with some of the other views posted here (the critics towards PDA, the unity of Colombians expressed through their hate towards FARC, the role of the mass media in the demonstration's success), equinoXio's chief-editor remarks [es]:
Los problemas de Colombia involucran sólo a los colombianos que viven en Colombia. Los que residen en el exterior sólo participan en las fiestas patrias o en situaciones coyunturales como ésta. Es natural. Tienen sus propios problemas de supervivencia y sólo sienten al país en las noticias, la música o los recuerdos. No les queda tiempo para más. (…) La verdad, incluso para Estados Unidos, es que somos apenas un país de Latinoamérica que poco le interesa al mundo como hace poco lo resaltaba Andrés Oppenheimer. De ahí la importancia de la marcha. Por lo menos estamos unidos para enfrentar a la guerrilla y eso ya es mucho.
The problems of Colombia only involve Colombians living in Colombia. The ex-patriates only participate during the national holidays or situations like this one. It's natural. They have their own survival issues and they just feel the country on the news, the music or their memories. They have no time for anything else. (…) Actually, even for the United States, we're just a Latin American country the world is only a little interested in, as Andrés Oppenhaimer remarked. That's the importance of the march. At least we're united to confront guerrilla and that means a lot.
He is also concerned about Uribe's upcoming possible re-election:
En 2010, salvo un hecho extraordinario, se le renovará el mandato a la Seguridad Democrática (a Uribe o a un uribista), erosionándose los principios fundamentales del Estado Social de Derecho, que se fundamenta en la pluralidad, regresándose al unanimismo del pasado y a la concentración del poder, con un PDA que ingresará a la lista de proyectos fallidos de la izquierda. La Seguridad Democrática, como las telenovelas de mayor audiencia, se alarga para conservar el rating de la derecha recalcitrante y excluyente que hoy gobierna a Colombia.
In 2010, unless something extraordinary occurs, the Democratic Security's mandate will be renewed (to Uribe or one of his supporters), eroding the fundamental principles of the pluralism-based Social State of Right, and returning to the unanimity from the past and the concentration of power, with a PDA which will become part of the list of the Colombian left's failed projects. The Democratic Security, as prime time telenovelas, extends to keep the rating of the diehard, excluding right-wing that currently rules Colombia.
Finally, “Utopian chronicler” Daniel Ramos believes [es] Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez did gain something with the march:
[L]o que Hugo quiere es darle una salida política a las FARC, enseñarles principios revolucionarios (“Se puede sin secuestro, aunque un golpe de Estado es una opción válida también”), pedagogía humanitaria (“Suelten otros 3 secuestrados por favor, ahí vamos poco a poco volviéndonos una alternativa social y política”) y bases democráticas (“Compañeros, estamos jodidos en apoyo popular, ¡miren esa foto! Chamos: así no se puede seguir. Tenemos que hacer méritos a ver si algún día podemos abrir nuestro propio grupo en Facebook”). Claro, la reeducación de las FARC le tomará bastante tiempo, pero hoy en día parece que no hay nadie más capaz de hacerlo.
What Hugo wants is to give FARC a political option, to teach them revolutionary principles (“It's possible with no kidnappings, though a coup d'état is a valid option too”), humanitarian pedagogy (“Please, release another 3 hostages, we're gradually becoming a social and political alternative”), and democratic grassroots (“Comrades, we're screwed without popular support, look that picture! Chamos: we can't continue like this. We must gain recognition to see if one day we can open our own Facebook group”). Of course, FARC's re-education will take a lot of time for him, but nowadays it seems there's nobody else who can do it.

author: Carlos Raúl van der Weyden Velásquez


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Costa Rica: High Price of a .cr Domain · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es] cannot believe that it costs $100 per year to purchase a .cr domain in Costa Rica.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Eduardo Avila


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Czech Republic: Presidential Election 3.1 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The presidential election in the Czech Republic continues – and the legislators have been drinking some wine, The Czech Daily Word reports.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Dominica: Going Green  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Stores must spend a small fortune on black plastic shopping bags (Dominica imported US$1.3 million of plastic products last year)” writes Steve's Dominica, but says: “All is not lost.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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East Timor: Investigate Xanana first · Global Voices
Paula Góes

A text by Leidar, a human rights activist based and Bidau, Dili, published on Timor Online casts suspition at Xanana's involvement at Monday's incidents. “Xanana’s Convoy was attacked almost one hour later after the attack at President Residence. How was the security information circulated at that time? Xanana’s Security guards did not inform him about the attacking at president house? One hour for security respond from Dili not only reaching Balibar, but may reached Aileu. Where Xanana was at the time of his convoy was attacking?”

author: Paula Góes


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East Timor: Please come forward and bring the truth · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Malai Azul [pt] launches an appeal to those who may be involved in Monday's assassination attempts in East Timor to carefully give themselves up: “A piece of advice from us: come forward, at least the truth will be revealed.”


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Ecuador: Videos of Guayaquil Protest · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Cambiemos Ecuador [es] posts videos of last month's protest held in Guayaquil, which was called together by the city's mayor Jaime Nebot.


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Egypt: Mughniyeh’s Assassination · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Zeinobia from Egypt sheds light on the assassination of Lebanese Hizbullah second in command Imad Mughniyeh in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Fouad’s Week: Fouad will not be forgotten! · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

The Free Fouad campaign has organized and carried out “Fouad’s Week”, during which bloggers were invited to republish one of Fouad’s posts on their blogs and to embrace “We Are All Fouads” as a slogan. This week-long event marked two months since  the dean of the Saudi bloggers, Fouad Alfarhan, was arrested on December 10, 2007 and held in Jeddah’s Dahban prison without any charges brought against him.
The goals of the “Fouad’s Week” event, as outlined on the blog campaign, are to:
1- Let Fouad rest assured that he WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN, this is the only thing he asked for before his detention.
2- Send a message to those who detained him: “Violating one's right to speak peacefully and freely, will only support his message, and give it a burst of momentum”.
From their side, human rights organisations expressed concern and called for the release of Fouad Alfarhan. And while Reporters Without Borders condemned the government’s silence on the matter, Amnesty International has expressed fears that he is being tortured. “He is still being held, without charges and without access to a lawyer, a doctor or his wife. For someone to be held in secrecy like this, it is likely he is being ill-treated, interrogated or tortured. Why else would he be held in secrecy?” Lamri Chirouf, a researcher at Amnesty International, told ArabianBusiness.com.
In the meantime, Hands Across the Middle East Alliance (HAMSA) , a non-profit organization that works to connect activist efforts in America and the Middle East, organized a vigil on Saturday 9 February in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C. to draw attention to the Fouad's case. The rally marked the 60th day of the blogger's imprisonment. The HAMSA initiative has also launched an online letter-writing campaign addressed to Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. So far, 1330 people have sent letters.
I spoke with Nasser Weddady, a Mauritanian activist who directs HAMSA's outreach efforts, about this rally and the effectiveness of mixing offline an online activism:
: Last Saturday Hands Across the Middle East Alliance (HAMSA) organized a vigil in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., why did you felt the need to take to the streets and demonstrate?
: The issue for us is why we didn’t do it sooner. This rally happened two months after Fouad was arrested. Activism is not only online, it is also on the ground. Here in the US, we have the freedom to organize. In fact, the Saudi embassy security minder tried to intimidate us thinking that he could simply make us go away because his government does not like a protest in front of its embassy. There are a lot of people here who are very concerned about Fouad and want to do more than writing a letter. Besides, I was initially scheduled to come Washington to give a talk about Fouad’s case to Congress so we decided that we should have both events.
:Did you get any reaction from the Saudi embassy?
: The Saudi embassy security tried to intimidate us at first. They insisted on seeing some sort of permission to be on public grounds — no such thing is required. However, we had gone the extra mile by having filed for a permit to run a demonstration. A totally superficial formality. Then  they called for the Capitol Police to monitor the situation. The Police officers were visibly annoyed by having to come keep an eye on a protest. Meanwhile, a Saudi individual of some capacity in the embassy was monitoring the scene and calling back and forth on his cell phone. He then asked through one of the guards to have the name of the organizers and that of the person the protest was done for. All in all, the Saudi staff’s behavior just confirmed the world’s impression of them: intolerant and muzzling.
: We've seen dozen of activists rallies in front of Egyptian embassies around the world calling for the release of the detained blogger kareem Amer without any success. How optimistic are you about this kind of actions and why has nothing changed?
: Grass roots protests typically don’t generate results immediately. It took the US civil rights movement YEARS of grass roots protest to end segregation. The campaign for the Burmese dissident Ang Su Kyi has been going on for a decade. It would be strange to think that US activists in the 50’s and 60’s or the Burmese monks who took to the streets last year are wasting their time. The protests are a key component of a larger campaign. They will not necessarily per se get an activist released, but are rather an element of multi-faceted struggle. Every time a protest happens a report gets sent back by these diplomats to their governments letting them know that these dissidents are not forgotten. It is also a moral statement that we will use the freedom we have here to demonstrate and will exercise it to support dissidents under fire.
: Free Kareem and Free Fouad campaigns are very successful in attracting the attention of the global blogosphere and the mainstream media, though, they didn't achieve their goal of releasing booth detained bloggers, how can you explain that? Do you believe there is a correlation between a successful media campaign and a failed mission when it comes to the Middle East, a region that is very sensitive to foreign pressures?
: The decision-making process about handling dissidents is very complex and varies from case to case. the question for activists is not to outguess the dictators. The challenge is to stand up for what is right and take action. A media campaign alone will not necessarily get someone out of jail. It is, however, a vital component of a successful campaign. Harry Truman  had an expression: “Sunshine is the best disinfectant”. Generally the best and most effective step to solve a problem is to acknowledge it and spot-light it instead of remaining silent. We are optimistic that Kareem and Fouad and the other bloggers we never hear about and who are behind bars will be released-thanks to grass roots protests, media coverage, diplomatic interventions and letters from thousands around the world who care. What HAMSA is strategically aiming to achieve is fusing online and offline activism. We want to create air cover for dissidents. Ultimately what we need is for lots of people to join these campaigns to succeed. Next time  a free Fouad rally happens a thousand people should be there

author: sami ben gharbia


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France mute on detained opposition leaders in Chad · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Le Pangolin writes about the extrajudiciary detention [Fr] of opposition politicians in Chad and France's conspicuous silence.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Iceland: Hostility Towards Poles · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about hostility towards Poles in Iceland.


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India: Daughters and Insurance · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A certain advertisement aired in India – that seems to sell insurance by communicating that daughters are a burden, isn't winning this author's heart at Sepia Mutiny.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Widows on Valentine’s · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

An apt post for Valentine's Day, The Rational Fool on the plight of Indian widows and the religious sanction that allows society to ostracize them.


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Iran: Protests over ban of women’s magazine · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Zanan Magazine [Fa] (means “women's magazine”) was banned by the Iranian government two weeks ago, after 16 years in print. Iranian authorities have canceled the license sof many journals and magazines in recent years, but Zanan's closure has stirred strong international and national protests.
More than 120 academics and human rights activists such as Noam Chomsky, Jürgen Habermas, Betty Willams, and Shirin Ebadi have signed a letter and addressed it to Iranian leaders protesting the ban.
More than 1000 Iranian journalists, intellectuals, and cultural personalities within Iran and abroad, wrote a similar letter and praised the role of Zanan in Iran. Human Rights First launched a protest campaign too.
One thing we can learn form this story is despite 27 years of censorship, people are still not complacent. Some bloggers have covered this issue with passion and almost real-time updates.
According to a New York Times report from Iran, authorities said the magazine was a “threat to the psychological security of the society” because it showed Iranian women in a “black light.”
RazeNo [Fa] (Syamak Ghasemi) has covered this story form the beginning and not only shares his idea but provided his readers with links to other magazines and blogs that talk about the end of Zanan.
The blogger says:
This magazine after 16 years history and publishing more than 150 issues was shutdown as simple as this. I wish courage for Shahla Sherkat, the editor of Zanan, to continue her struggle against ignorance and oppression.
The blogger also has published a cover photo (you can see above) of one of the issues of Zanan that may be the reason for the closure of the magazine. On the cover is written, “They get killed in order to kill”. This is an article about Iranian female martyrdom seekers.
Razeno adds [Fa] that Zanan has covered and analysed different aspect of womens’ role and status in Iranian society and was popular among both men and women.
Futurama writes [Fa] that Zanan has not received any financial support from government in all these years and that the magazine is truly one of women’s achievement. “It seems what happened to this magazine is the destiny of all independent magazines and journals in country. But the question is where is the end of such actions?”
Asieh Amini has chosen[Fa] “Execution of Word” as the title of her post.
She says with irony:
Zanan just reflected women’s voices in the magazine, and they are women who threated the so called psychological security of society.
She has also published some photos of the final ceremony to honour the magazine's 16 years of history.
Shirin Ahmadinya writes [Fa] in two words, that she is not surprised, and continues, “We become more sorry each day.”
Kafe Naseri says [Fa] “Zanan called itself the first feminist magazine in Iran when the word feminism for many equals an insult.”

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Jailed students and empty chairs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Ghommar says [Fa] we should be worry about several jailed students in Iran rather than barred candidates from parliament election.He considers life of students and their right to study is more important than empty chairs in parliament.


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Iran:Journalist sentenced to death · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Yaghoob Mehrnahad,a journalist from Sistan and Baluchestan province was accused of being involved with terrorist groups and was sentenced to death by a court.Several bloggers including Gorgomishskysay[Fa] that this journalist was just a civil society activist.You can see his photo here.


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Iran:No beautiful faces please · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kamangir writes when Iranian Fars News wanted to publish pictures from a meeting in a film festival in Tehran, they had no othere choice than to focus on the name-tags and blur out the ladies.You can see several photos here.We should say that Fars News in another photo collection did not blur any photos.


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Iran:Parvin Ardalan Receives 2007 Olof Palme Prize · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Change4equality,Parvin Ardalan, one of the founding members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, and a longtime women’s rights activist in Iran has been awarded, the Olof Palme Prize for 2007, in honor of her achievements and activism designed to achieve equal rights for women. Kosoof has published one of her photos during a demonstration.


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Iran:”Revolution just an illusion · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Haminjori writes [Fa] when Islamic Revolution happened in 1979 in Iran,he was just four months old. The blogger says when he was a kid he thought that Iran's new political system has brought heaven on earth or something close to that for Iranians. The blogger adds now he knows that it was just an illusion and people like him was just sacrifices of new system.


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Iraq: Ad Dora Bazaar · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Caesar of Pentra, from Iraq, visits Ad Dora Bazaar in Baghdad.


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Iraq: Baghdad Round Up · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Baghdad Dentist was in Baghdad and updates us with what he experienced here.


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Iraq: Treatment of Iraqis in Jordan · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin, who lives in Jordan, revisits the subject of the treatment of Iraqis in Jordan in this post.


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Iraqi Bloggers Losing Hope · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Out of Iraq Bloggers Caucus rounds up the reactions of some Iraqi bloggers under the title: Iraqi Bloggers Losing Hope.


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Jamaica: “InI” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Through the music of Bob Marley, Jamaican Geoffrey Philp examines the roots of Rastafarianism.


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Japan and U.S: U.S. Military Crime Record · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Edward Chmura from Japundit reposts a list of U.S Military sex crime record in Okinawa since 1955.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Japan: Bloggers study group · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Blogger shinyai [ja] (Keiwa College Associate Professor Ichinohe Shinya) writes about an upcoming bloggers study group [ja] organized by the Agile Media Network (AMN), which will take place on February 22 from 7pm at the Pasonatech seminar room [ja] in Shibuya, Tokyo (Japan). For more details see the original announcement (in Japanese). Presenters at the event include bloggers from the Polar Bear Blog [ja], lifehacking.jp [ja] and mitaimon [ja].

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Okinawa Outrage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Japan Observer follows up the incident of the raping of 14 years old girl by U.S marine and explains its political implications on U.S presence in Japan.


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Kazakhstan: Opposition Offers Help to the Ruling Party in Fighting Corruption · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zhanna Zhukova tells that the leading opposition party of Kazakhstan offers its recommendations on what the ruling party Nur Otan shall do first of all to implement its newly declared counter-corruption campaign.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kidnapping in Haiti · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

NoteDor writes about kidnapping in Haiti [Fr]:  “Kidnapping has entered our morals and seems to be ingrained in them.  The authorities are powerless, or rather indifferent; often it is they who organize [kidnappings]…Those who orchestrate these horrors must hate our country with all their heart…Love to them all, for they know not what they do.  They have not yet woken up to love.”


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Korea: Adjusting to college life · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

A Korean student recently wrote a lengthy post about her experiences adapting to college life. Her comments apparently struck a chord with many others, and responses flowed in. Her post and the reactions of other Koreans show how some netizens think about issues like fitting in and individuality in Korea today.
나에게 너무 잔인한 대학교.대학가면 즐거울줄 알았다. 적어도 고등학교보단 …하지만 첫날에 아니라는걸 알았다.첫강의시간이 되니까 요란스런 머리를하고 연예인같이 공주님같이 입고온 햑생들이 개미떼처럼 몰려들어온다. 그리고 언제친해졌는지 왁자지껄 떠들기 시작한다. 한명씩 늦게들어오는 사람이있을때마다.안녕이라는말이 들린다. 단한마디도 할수가없다 출석체크대 빼고는 ,,, 어느 강의를 들어가도 아는사람은 존재하지않는다. 하지만 이상하게 편하다 어차피 연예인처럼 입고오는 그런애들과 친해진다는건 불가능이었다. 점심시간 식당에선 혼자먹을려면 용기가 필요하다. 유일하게 나만이 용기를냈다 혼자먹는건 나뿐이었다. 배식을 받기위해 줄을선 위대한 대학생들이 날 보고 키득거린다. 자기들은 승자라는 듯이 웃어대는 놈들 무리로 몰려다니면 자신감이 샘솟나 보지? 옷쪽팔리게 입고 머리도 고등학교때랑 다를것없고 가방도 안사고 집에있던거 매고오는게 잘못된건가? 자기눈에 유치하게 보이는것도 죄가 되는건가? 요란하게 옷을입으면 뿌듯한가? 날 깔보던 뒤에서놀리던 어떻게 생각하던 신경쓰이지않는다 웃음만 나올뿐이다. 첫강의를 마치고 나오는 난 무심코 하늘을 쳐다봤다. 고등학교 야자시간 노래를 들으며 쳐다봤던 하늘과 다를것없었다. 장소만 달라졌을뿐인데 성질 드러웟던 선생님들 말이안통했던 담임선생님 원수지간이었던 반친구 지각을했다고운동장 오리걸음 10바퀴 시키시던 선도부선생님이 왜 이렇게 그리워지는걸까…. 대학교정문이 활짝 열려져있다 자유라는 건가….. 정문이 굳게 닫히고 담을 넘어가야했던 그곳이 더 자유롭게 느껴지는건 뭘까? 다시한번 담을넘으려는 나와친구들에게 달려오시던 선생님이 있었던 시간으로 돌아가고싶다.
Several interesting comments and advice below her post are here.
입학식 후 첫 학기… 모두들 마치 자존심 싸움 하듯이 개성을 발산하곤 하고… 본인이 원하는 방향으로 학교생활을 하세요…자의식이 강하신 분 같은데 도서관에서 지내다 보면 자신과 생각이 비슷한 사람도 만날 기회가 오고, 또 옷 잘입는 학생과도 친분이 생길 기회도 있는 등 많은 경험을 하게 될 거예요…농활도 참여하고.. 다만 수업 끝나고 곧장 집에 가는 우를 범하진 마세요..
당신이 바뀌지 않는이상 세상은 바뀌지 않습니다..저는 학교다닐때 어느집이나 하나쯤은 있는 “회색츄리닝”을 주로 입고 다녔습니다. 물론 청바지도 입고..면바지도 입고..당신의 대학생활은 외모로 결정되어 지는게 아닙니다. 그 무리들과 친해지려고 노력해보셨나요? 밥 혼자 먹을용기는 있으면서 왜 그들에게 다가갈 용기는 없는거죠? 그리고!!그들이 당신을보고 웃었는지 다른 무언가 때문에 웃었는지 어떻게 아십니까?감히 제가 당신에 대해 상상해보면 당신은 내성적이고 말도 별로 없는사람으로 보여집니다. 담대해지세요..용기내시고 먼저 말을 걸어보세요..
대학교에서 옷 못입는다고 그 사람을 피하거나 소외시키는건… 글쎄요… 사람들이 당신의 내면을 못보기 때문아닐까요? 당신의 내면을 보여주려면 당신도 그들에게 다가서야 된다고 생각합니다. 저도 2학기를 휴학하고 복학하니 친구들이 수업도 다르고 학년도 달라 처음에는 적응하기 어려웠는데 후배들에게 말도 먼저 걸어보고 수업시간에 많이 마주치다보면 서로 친해지고 모임 나가다 보면 인맥은 점점 넓어지기 마련입니다. 다른사람에게 혐오감을 줄정도로 냄새나고 요상한 차림이 아니라면 신경쓸일이 아니라고 생각되네요.
전략이란 말이 있을정도로 사람들은 첫번째로 겉모습으로 평가하기 때문에 호감을 주는 노력은 필요하지 않을까요? 물론 내면이 가장 중요하겠지만 앞으로 회사를 다니셔도 이성을 만나서도 수없이 평가받게 될테니깐 아르바이트를 통해 번 돈으로 자신을 꾸며보세요.그리고 사실 그러다 보면, 자신감도 어느정도 생깁니다.노력없이는 바꿀수 없어요.. 사람은 혼자 살수 없으니깐 한번 노력해 보세요.충분히 잘 해낼수 있을께용. 화이팅..^^
괜찮아요~ 신경쓰지 않고 자신의 줏대대로 살아가면 되요~ 사람과 사람이 친해진다는건, 꽤 많은 시간을 필요로 하잖아요~ 처음이라 그래요 신입생이라 그래요 나중에 동기들이랑 친해지면 언제 그랬냐는듯 즐거워질거에요~!! 화이팅!!
다들 혼자 다니는 걸 격려하는 듯 하는 분위기라 한마디 씁니다. 물론 혼자 다니든 몰려 다니든 자기 자유지만 님은 학교 생활에 적응하지 못해 혼자 다니는 것 같아 걱정이 됩니다. 대학교 가서 생활에 적응 못하는 학생들 정말 많습니다. 이전에 신문기사에도 났지만 요새는 그게 더 심해졌다더군요. 사실 중고등학교 때야 교실 앉아서 같이 생활하니 어지간히 내성적인 학생 아니면 앞뒤 학생들과 한마디라도 섞고 같이 밥 먹고 하면 되지요. 그러나 대학생활은 수업도 강의실 찾아가서 듣고 식사도 자기가 알아서, 도서관도 자기가 알아서 가야 하기 때문에 대부분의 학생들은 그 생활 패턴에 처음엔 적응을 하지 못합니다.
미국이나 케나다 카패테리아에가면 혼자, 한국대학식당엔 거의 최소2인이상. 겁내지 마요^^
평소에 옷잘입는거 좋아하거나 깔깔거리며 좋아하는 사람들이랑 많이 지내보지 못하셨다고 생각하는데요.. 그런 사람들 역시 그냥 보통 사람들이랍니다.. 그리고 님의 옷차림에 대해 쑤군대는건 자신들의 집단에 들어오지 않는 님이 껄끄러워서일 겁니다. 새로운 곳에 도착해서 혼자이게 되면 뒤쳐져보인다는 생각을 하게 되잖아요 특히 여성분이 더 그럴거라 생각하는데..그래서 자기가 속한 집단에서 멀어지지 않기 위해서 옷도 막 신경쓰고 말도 일부러 더 많이하고 그러는 거라고 생각해요..
목표의식이 없으면 그렇게 되는겁니다. 뭘 바라고 대학 가신건지? 대학은 학문을 탐구하기 위해 가는 곳이니 학문에 힘쓰세요. 동아리 활동같은 것도 좀 하시구요. 대학가면 하고 싶은 공부만 하고 좋기만 한데-_-

author: Hyejin Kim


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Kosovo: Towards Independence? · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

As the talk of an imminent declaration of independence by Kosovo next Sunday or Monday intensifies, and as leaders in Serbia and Russia make statements rejecting it in advance, bloggers in the Balkans have been busy discussing the issue since December. Here are a few of their views.
Shannon, an American working for the UN in Pristina, on Feb. 10 described what is expected to happen next regarding Kosovo's independence:
It seems that the clock is ticking on Kosovo's independence.  It is expected that Kosovo's parliament will sign a declaration of intent to declare independence on 17 February.  The actual declaration is due to take place in early March.  The timing of the decision is interesting as it looks to be set to take place right before the meeting of the EU and on Sunday which would give more than 100 countries a chance to recognize Kosovo's independence before the UN in NY woke up and Russia could call an emergency session of the Security Council to block the move.  There are fears that jovial mobs of Albanians celebrating may attack fleeing, angry, and scared Serb communities who are expected to make a mass exodus from Kosovo following independence despite Kosovo PM's assurances and pretty speeches about how Kosovo Serbs should stay.
And, in her last post on Feb. 14, she added:
Lately the news makes my head spin in regards to Kosovo's independence declaration.  There are so many conflicting reports about what will actually take place this Sunday.  Will it be an intent to declare or an actual declaration…at this point, I really can't tell and anyone who reads the news as I do is probably just as confused about what is going on.  The UN has issued a warning to staff to be vigilant and to not take part in any celebrations in their official capacity and Serbia's PM has asked Kosovo Serbs to stay put and reaffirmed that Belgrade will never recognize the declaration. Meanwhile, some Serbs in the north are ready for a fight should Kosovo try to rein in north of the Ibar river.
At the end of January, as Slovenia was entering its second month of EU presidency, a memo of consultations between the U.S. State Department and Slovenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was leaked to the media. In the memo, Americans outlined their foreign policy priorities (including support for Kosovo's independence). This sparked a heated debate in Slovenia. Slovenian blogger Sleeping with Pengovsky has recently expressed his opinion on what his country's position should be:
As odd as it may seem, Slovenia and Kosovo share a common link in recent history (apart for the fact that they’ve both been a part of Yugoslavia).
[…] Milošević started the breakup of Yugoslavia in Kosovo and it is only right and fitting that the process come full circle and ends where it started twenty-one years ago. Slovenia declared independence only four years after that fateful phrase and the memory of every political power in the world (including the EU and the US) trying to block our way to independence one way or another is still very much alive.
Not so much out of solidarity or heeding to a US dictate, but out of the fact that Kosovo has similar legal grounds for independence and that Serbia lost it by waging war against its people (just as it did in Slovenia), I think that Slovenia must recognize Kosovo as soon as it declares independence. I think it is only fair that Slovenia uses the same arguments when deciding on this as it did when arguing its own case for independence seventeen years ago.
Dr. Filomena, another Slovenian blogger, disagrees with that view. For her, Slovenia shouldn't be the first to recognize Kosovo's independence, “if for no other reason, then for the sake of our investments in Serbia.” She also discusses whether Serbia should be entitled to have a say in the matter and be compensated for Kosovo's loss:
I hope that whether or not Serbia is entitled to a say in the issue of Kosovo’s independence in the eyes of the EU or the US that keeps one of its largest military bases in the world in Kosovo, a region that is positioned strategically and holds an enviable reserves of lignite, which are estimated at around 12 billion tonnes (source), other natural resources and fertile land with cheap labour to boot, I do hope that they offer Serbia what its people will consider fair compensation for lost territories and resources. Considering what’s at stake, it shouldn’t be so hard to offer the country something more tangible than the EU freer trade, visa liberalisation and educational exchanges […]
Although for most external observers and international media the independence of Kosovo is inevitable, for Serbian bloggers that outcome is still debatable and a painful issue, as expressed by Serbian-Croatian blogger Boris Matijas [es] in a little metaphor of EU negotiations with Serbia on the Kosovo issue:
-Can I cut your arm?
-No
-Can I cut your arm? Please
-No!
-Come on, let me cut your arm, please.
-No, stop being a pain!
-Ok, fine. No need to get so worked up.
Some years later…
-Let me cut your arm.
-No!
-Ok. Listen. This is my last offer: let me cut your arm and I'll let you be my friend.
Aleksandar Vuksanović at Semanario Serbio, a collective Serbian blog in Spanish, recently wrote a post giving his reasons against Kosovo's independence:
The independence of Kosovo is the maximalist solution that satisfies the demands of the Albanians, completely ignoring those of the Serbs or other ethnic groups in Kosovo. In theory, there's a broad range of possible solutions for Kosovo that could satisfy both sides because we can find similar situations in the world. I'm referring to some solutions like Hong Kong (one country – two systems), South Tirol, Faroe Islands or some type of autonomy such as Mount Athos in Greece. We have to grant to the Albanians all the instruments for them not to feel threatened but this shouldn't allow them, as it has been the case until now, to threaten and harass other ethnic groups in the province.
[…] The independence of Kosovo would be a prize to the terrorism that the Albanians in Kosovo used to reach the current situation. It is difficult to imagine other European groups in a similar situation not resorting (or accentuating) the use of the same terrorist methods to achieve their separatist dream.
Basque professor Asier Blas from Cartas del este, another blog in Spanish focusing on Eastern Europe, doesn't agree with the argument often used by Serbian politicians to oppose Kosovo's independence on the ground of protecting the Serbian minority in the province, because for him the leaders in Belgrade are not really interested in protecting the interests of that minority:
[…] for Belgrade, the future of the Serbian minority in the province is a secondary issue, and it is only partly interested in it because it serves as a pretext to oppose the pro-independence project.
[…] Politicians in Belgrade are not feeling empathy for the situation that the Serbs in Kosovo are living, they are only concerned about their patriotic pride wounded by the upcoming amputation of a part of their current territory […]
If Serbia were acting at the service of Serbian Kosovars, it should commit itself to a multicultural state in Kosovo. In this way, the rights of the minorities would be more protected and guaranteed, and also all those symbols of the Serbian nation that are now attacked. In that sense, Serbs have given priority to keeping Kosovo within their national boundaries and have never considered seriously negotiating a project for an independent Kosovo that would guarantee an optimal and safe situation for Serbian Kosovars.
Francisco Veiga [es] believes that regardless of whether Kosovo declares its independence next Sunday or not, the issue will sure spark passionate reactions all over Europe “with he same football frenzy shown previously towards conflicts in the Turkey-Balkan region”. For him, discussing Kosovo's separation from Serbia is discussing much more than just that:
It is a characteristic of discussions on these cases to be associated with issues that are totally unconnected to the apparently central one. As a result, real matters that are simply in the waiting list for the immediate future remain in the shade: the impressive rapprochement between Ankara and Athens, the possible debate about EU integration of the republics in the Caucasus, the threat that Kosovo's independence represents for the integrity of Macedonia or the possible chain outbreak of double standards.
We can find an example of the implications of Kosovo's independence for other frozen conflicts in Georgia, as described in Steady State‘s post What is Kosovo for Georgia?:
It is interesting that Kosovo was poised to get independence since 1999, but, until recent couple of years, Russia hasn’t been drawing parallels with Abkhazia or South Ossetia. Could it be due to Saakashvili’s efforts to join the NATO and his usually bitter rhetoric towards Russia that prompted Putin to argue for Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence?
In fact, for Russia Abkhazia and South Ossetia are more beneficial as they are right now — unrecognized breakaway states. If for instance they do get independence, then similarly Chechens, Ingush and other “peoples” living in Russian part of the Caucasus, could argue for “Abkhazia’s precedent” — although improbable, but conceptually very possible thing to happen.
To finish this roundup with a touch of humor, Bosnia Blog collected a typical Balkan joke with Serbian protagonists, Belgrade blogger Anegdote recently published a poster that was part of a campaign by Serbia to promote Kosovo being in Serbia, which depicted George Washington and had a quote saying, “It is time to show whether we are freemen or slaves! Kosovo is Serbia,” adding underneath a few very funny mock-up posters showing characters such as Homer Simpson claiming that “Kosovo & Mammoothohia is Serburbian forever!” or Baldrick telling the Black Adder “How about we give them a duck instead?”
And for those who still aren't sure about where Kosovo is and what's there to see, Independence and Kanun reports that Bradt has just released the first ever Kosovo guidebook!

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Kuwait: Anti-Segregation Rally · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Eshda3wa from Kuwait attended an anti-segregation rally.” I went with 7alawa my friend, she expected some kind of 70's riot, hell no we wont go kind of thing, and she kept chanting Integration not segregation the whole way there!” she writes.


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Latvia, Russia: Ambassador Veshnyakov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Latvian Abroad is pleasantly surprised with Russia's new ambassador to Latvia – Aleksandr Veshnyakov, former head of the Central Election Committee: “He was interviewed by Echo of Moscow radio station before leaving for Latvia and he declared that he will learn Latvian because he considers that as a measure of respect for the country to which he is appointed […].”


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Macau: Cold death · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Leocardo [pt] comments on the news that 44 people have died because of the ferocious cold weather in Macau. “It is absolutely inconceivable that a developed country or territory allow their citizens to die because of cold weather. More important than the GDP or the human development index, these are small things that count a lot.”


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Mexico: Calderon Visit to the United States · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mexican president Felipe Calderon recently visited the United States and the blog Enigmatario [es] provides some of the critics and praise received by the head of state.


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Mozambique: People out of the bottle · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Carlos Serra [pt] has discovered a new popular expression circulating among Mozambicans: ‘people are out of the bottle’. He provides interpretations in the face of protests against the cost of living that have taken place in the country: “It seems that the term refers to the won sense of freedom, of asserted rights. Moreover, it is also important to note that there is a local belief that the witches are capable of bottling people.”


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Myanmar: Ban Ki-Moon Must Go To Burma · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Keith commenting on a post about Myanmar's government's ignoring of the UN writes “Ban Ki Moon must go to Burma. If Kofi Annan can go to Kenya and tries to resolve the conflict there, Ban must go to Burma. As a fellow Asian, Ban must show compassion to the Burmese people.”

author: Preetam Rai


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Myanmar: May Referendum · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Mayburma has penned a poem welcoming the referendum announced by the military rulers of the nation.


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Nepal: India’s interventions · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepal Monitor on why positive intervention by India is necessary to sort the issue of Madhesh in Nepal.


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Peru: Blog Devoted to Capital City · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Vivir Lima [es] is a new blog site devoted to events, activities and stories about the Peru's capital city.


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Russia: Bribes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Moscow Rules writes about corruption and reposts a table of “the current going rate for bribes people have to pay to do business here in Russia,” originally published in a Russian business daily.


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Russia, Georgia: 2002 Interview With Patarkatsishvili · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Gideon Lichfield of Fugitive Peace recalls meeting Badri Patarkatsishvili in Sept. 2002 and posts interview notes.


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Russia, Georgia: Coverage of Patarkatsishvili’s Death · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes reviews coverage of Badri Patarkatsishvili's death.


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Russia: Inadequate Media Coverage · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander criticizes “international media's one-eyedness in Russia reporting.”


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Russia: Sergei Dorenko on Badri Patarkatsishvili · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Badri Patarkatsishvili, an exiled Georgian tycoon, opposition politician and Boris Berezovsky‘s longtime friend and business partner, died unexpectedly on Feb. 12 in England.
World media are providing extensive coverage of the ongoing investigation into Patarkatsishvili's death, and the Russian blogosphere offers plenty of commentary as well.
Here is what journalist Sergei Dorenko, who headed Berezovsky's ORT channel's news service under Patarkatsishvili, has written (RUS) about his former boss and the people who surrounded him:
I called Boris [Berezovsky], asked him whether it was really so.
He could barely talk – very difficult for him. But he confirmed, yes, Badri [Patarkatsishvili] is gone.
Strange and hard to believe.
Then I also talked to a friend who was doing some business with Badri, and they'd had a phone conversation at 7 PM London time yesterday. Badri was full of energy during that conversation, joked a lot and sounded beautifully.
He died at 11 PM London time.
And I had also spent nearly two weeks with Badri, from Dec. 14 to 26. Saw him for many hours daily – from morning till evening. A very strong person. Very energetic. Don't remember him complaining of being tired, not once, don't remember him feeling unwell, or taking any medication, or visiting doctors.
Since he was running for president of Georgia, there was a lot of work to be done. But he was managing well. He was coping with pressure better than I'm capable of – because I can't stand sleep deprivation at all.
He was 52. He would've turned 53 at the end of October.
Everyone's asking me about him, but I don't know what to say, except for what I've said above.
He is Berezovsky's friend. More than a friend. More than a brother.
He was a good friend of Kostya Ernst [director general of ORT]. Until Putin invited Kostya to join him. They had reached an agreement. Kostya called Badri after the meeting with Putin and told him very loudly and clearly: “Badri, I'm a piece of shit.” And then he hung up right away. I think this says a lot about Ernst. Characterizes him positively overall as a human being. He could've abstained from calling, but he did call. It means a lot. And this is how Badri thought about it. And Kostya today could've said a lot about his friend.
[Andrei Lugovoi, ex-KGB operative, currently a deputy of the State Duma, accused of murdering Aleksandr Litvinenko] had been working under his command for a long time. Lugovoi has a lot to tell, I think.
I used to run into Lugovoi in Badri's reception area. As for Kostya Ernst, I used to see him in Patarkatsishvili's study. Though it wasn't too often that I passed through that reception into that study. Badri ran the finances of [the ORT Channel], while I was in the news. We the news folks are a special caste, the elite […]. We don't need money, don't give a damn about the money – that is, we don't count the money and never will, and who gets the money and where from, it's none of our business. Well, Badri was somehow getting the money, and we never bothered to ask whether it was easy for him or not…
So yeah, it'd be worth it to ask Kostya some questions. And Lugovoi.
And me, what can I recall?
He tried to look very respectable. He was imitating Stalin a little bit? The way he acted, the way he spoke…
Once, at Berezovsky's birthday party in 1997, Badri came up to me and patted me on the should, saying: “Attaboy, attaboy!” Then he moved his hand the way I interpreted as an attempt to pat me on the cheek superiorly. I'm not sure, because I turned around and evaded his pat, and left outraged.
I waked through the hall. I walked through the vestibule. I walked down the stairs of the [LogoVAZ] receptions building. I got outside and ran towards my Pajero. Got behind the wheel. But couldn't shut the door – because Boris had been walking behind me all this time. He held the Pajero's door and asked: “Don't leave, it's my birthday, forgive him, this is the way he is, this is how he's used to be, he's Georgian. Over there in Georgia it's okay for people to touch one another, it's not considered offensive.” I responded angrily and with curses, said bad things about the Caucasian habit of standing 20 cm from each other, yelling right into the other guy's mouth, patting on the shoulder, etc. Boris said he really wanted me to accept Badri the way he was, because Badri was his friend, the only REAL friend. Boris was standing out in the freezing Moscow street on Jan. 23, without his jacket on. At some point, I pointed out to him that he was freezing, standing the way he did, holding the Pajero's door. He admitted the absurdity of the scene – bodyguards five meters away, on tram rails, me inside the car, he right next to it. Well, it was kind of silly. It was his birthday, moreover. And so I returned.
Then in Nov. 1998 Badri decided at some point that ORT might cease to exist at any moment. And he threw a party at LogoVAZ's receptions building. Shabdurasulov, Pozner, Yakubovich, Lyubimov were all there. There were some ten people, including Berezovsky. They were serving suckling pigs from some Georgian restaurant. Badri said that we had done a good job, and that we would probably not work any longer, if a loan didn't turn up. Then someone said a toast. Then I got up and spoiled the evening. I said that I manage 500 people – the news service. That those people haven't been paid their salaries since August [following the financial crisis of 1998]. That these people had lost their [bank savings]. That my colleagues were coming to work with plastic bags with buckwheat meals in them – they couldn't afford eating at the cafeteria, it was too expensive for them. And that I considered this party [immoral] – with those piglets and well-fed [faces]. And I couldn't stay with this crowd. And so I left. And this time no one tried to get me back. Because, moreover, my resignation got exchanged for a 100-million loan at the order of [Yevgeniy Primakov]. And thank God for that. These words sounded very appropriately and beautifully afterwards: “You want your staff to get their salaries, don't you? Then leave and don't stand in the way – this is [Primakov]'s condition.”
Eventually, we did forgive each other. Me and Badri. When I became déclasséd and he turned into an exile. We started to interact, little by little, carefully, every minute expecting to find a reason to have a fight. And we didn't find any reason to fight.
And now we'll never have it at all.
Though, here's one: this death of his is so sudden and inexplicable – what kind of a prank is that?
I really, really regret it. It's bitter for me to think that our Badrik is dead. And I'm happy to have known him and to have worked with him.
And I fear for Boris – Litvinenko was quite a blow, and Badri is a blow that's many times as forceful.
A question: did he [leave] by himself or was he helped to. I'd like to get an answer to this question.
Garry Kasparov's aide Marina Litvinovich (LJ user abstract2001) posted a link to Dorenko's account on her blog and wrote (RUS):
Other people's lives.
Dorenko writes in his LJ about Badri, Berezovsky, Ernst, about his departure from ORT (in exchange for a loan for ORT from Primakov – the war of clans had already started then, and it ended with Putin's arrival).
Nice, useless details – and the significant ones are showing through.


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Serbia: Rimtutituki · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgrade 2.0 writes about one Serbian band's antiwar efforts of the early 1990s.


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Serbia: Web Journalism School · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ljubisa Bojic announces the launch of the first Serbian Web Journalism School.


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South Korea and China: What If Sungnyemun Arson Happened In X? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Yi shao from my1510 imagined how would the government respond to the Sungnyemun Arson if it happened in X country rather than South Korea? Obviously no government official would step down and all the responsibility would be taken by the suspect. Moreover, in the official media, the government would become hero in fighting against fire (zh).


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South Korea: Irregular and Migrant Worker Movement · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CINA posts the video produced by seoulidality on the history of irregular worker movement and the recent crack down of migrant worker organization by the South Korea government.


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South Korea: Netizens on Namdaemun Fire · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Korea Beat translated a report from local media on netizens’ response to the Namdaemun Fire.


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Sri Lanka: Right to Shoot · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

groundviews talks of the right to ‘shoot’ – in the context of a leading Sri Lankan photojournalist being detained by the police for taking photographs near a well-known Colombo school.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Commonweath Writers  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize shortlists are announced, Antilles writes: “I'm sure some…will share my disappointment that more Caribbean writers were not shortlisted for the only major writing prize most are eligible for.”


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Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Fired For Blogging?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Further Thoughts has only one thing to say about the firing of a CNN producer who was allegedly sacked for blogging.


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Turkmenistan: Petrol Prices, Market Economy and Corruption · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula writes about the introduction of market prices for petrol in Kazakhstan and analyses possible reasons and cosequences of this decision.


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Zimbabwe: Valentine’s Day Protest · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kubatana blog has a post about Valentine's Day Protest in Zimbabwe: “The power of love will overcome the love of power, claims Zimbabwean activist group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). In what has become an annual event, an estimated 800 members of WOZA members (and their male counterparts in MOZA) marched through the streets of Bulawayo in an early Valentine’s Day protest.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Afghanistan: Ambassador Abducted? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Manan Ahmed says that Tariq Azizuddin, the Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan, has gone missing, presumably kidnapped by the Taliban, although the latters have already issued denials.


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Bahrain: Ouch! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif writes about a bizarre medical case here.  You will have carefully examine the X-rays to believe your eyes. ***WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.


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Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago: Airline Alliance?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Barbados, Notes From The Margin says that the latest proposed merger of regional airlines sounds like something he's heard before.


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China: Politician and Artor · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Xiao feng comments on the Edison sex photo scandal and points out that politician and actor shared similar nature, both have a mask on their faces. So there is no reason to expect them to be genuine (zh).


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China: Squeezed To Death On Train · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Xici.net posts a note by the family of a rural migrant worker. The 46 years old Sichuan rural migrant was squeezed to death on a train when she was travelling back home during lunar new year. The family hopes reporters can write about the case as the railway department should be responsible for passenger safety (zh).


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China: Thoughts and more on editor Yu Huafeng’s release from prison · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The early release of well-known newspaper editor Yu Huafeng last week has prompted several of those personally involved in his case and many others to share their perspectives on their blogs.
Yu is widely respected for his role in operating the successful and groundbreaking Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily since its early days in the late 1990s and, it seems, just as widely seen as having been made the main object of official anger at reports his commercially highly successful newspaper published over 2003 on stories from initial SARS cover-up in Guangzhou to the brutal police murder of a student in the same city, a death which provoked outraged across the country and led to significant legal reform.
On February 8, Yu's lawyer Xu Zhiyong wrote on his Sina blog, ‘Yu Huafeng has come home’:
早上醒来接到向丽和喻华峰的电话，老喻刚刚走出监狱的大门，南方的朋友们在迎接他。我说真的想和大家一起去接你。挂了电话，我觉得自己忘记了说一句话： “其实你最应该感谢的是向丽！”当然，这句话也许根本不用我说了。时间过得真快，在向丽年复一年日复一日的申诉奔波中，四年转眼就过去了。
从来没有这样一个“贪污犯”受到自己工作单位同仁们执著的尊敬和爱戴。老喻甚至在监狱里还像他在任时一样发布战略发展意见。多年来，南方报业集团从领导到普通员工，看望他的人一群接着一群，联名申诉信一封接着一封。老喻是为南方日报集团受难，是为中国新闻自由事业受难，我为这样一个“贪污犯”辩护过，真的感到骄傲。
Never before has someone convicted of embezzlement consistently received so much respect and love from their own workplace colleagues. Even when when was in prison, Old Yu went on as normal issuing strategies and suggestions. During those years, from the executives at Southern Media Group down to the ordinary employees, group after group paid him visits, sending joint letter after joint letter of appeal. Old Yu suffered for Southern Daily Group, and for the cause of press freedom in China, and to have defended this “criminal”, I feel truly proud.
感谢所有关心喻华峰的国内外朋友们、尤其是媒体的朋友们，谢谢你们！但请原谅我暂时不打算接受采访，其中一个原因是我作为辩护人只考虑案件本身的正义，而目前喻华峰获释并不意味着冤案本身已经有所改变。在喻华峰获释的时刻，我还是要重申，喻华峰无罪，我们会继续申诉。
想象着南方的朋友们正欢聚一堂庆祝一场噩梦的结束，而这个走向自由的年代我们依然看到南方飘扬的旗帜。祝福喻华峰和向丽，祝福南方日报集团，也祝福我的祖国通往自由与文明。
2008-2-8
02/08/2008
Southern Group veteran and documentary filmmaker Zhou Hao has some photos of his own of Yu and his family's reunion on his SinoReel blog:
MSN Live Spaces blogger MaxiCool2004 finds hope in Yu's release in his Feb. 9 post, ‘Yu Huafeng released with a reduced sentence’:
“喻华峰减刑出狱”
也许是奥运的来临，报告Sars、广州警察非法逼供的《南方都市报》《新京报》前总经理喻华峰终于出狱了，我不再像以前一样一厢情愿的认为：中国民主有希望了！执政党要自己推动政治改革了。
喻华峰先生是以被贪污10万元被判了12年徒刑，且不论真有此事，还是莫须有的罪名！当初周正毅涉案3亿才判了3年，执政党如何可以让人民信任司法呢？既然确实贪污，又何必在奥运前释放他呢？这样司法有没有尊严？！
Yu Huafeng was sentenced to 12 years for embezzling 100,000 RMB, but no matter if he in fact did, this was still a trumped-up charge! The Zhou Zhengyi case at the time involved 300,000,000 RMB, and he was sentenced only to three years, is this how the ruling party makes the people have trust in the judiciary? Since that case really was about corruption, why then was he let out [at all] before the Olympics? Does a judicial system such as this have any dignity?!
From Sina blogger ‘Big Tiger’ on Feb. 11, ‘Law and order is like gang war’:
by大老虎
孙志刚事件推动了中国，或者至少是广州法治建设的进程，代价是广州治安恶化了一阵子。没有孙志刚事件，我们不知道强制收容原来如此黑暗；没有了强制收容，广州市民才知道强制收容维持着一种治安平衡。治安是有成本的，强制收容成本比较低；法治也是有成本的，如邓小平所说民主的门票很贵，改良总是需要过程，取消强制收容不是改良，是用了革命的手段——而革命，也是需要代价的。
许多人把南都案作为孙志刚事件的延伸，南都人被公开修理了一翻，虽然老领导都出动了，仍然没有改变几位重要人物入狱的结果。如果这里真的什么因果关系的话，那么真是我们的世界仍然很江湖的一个佐证。
Many people see this Southern Case as an extension of the Sun Zhigang incident. The Southern people got a public fixing, and even though the old leaders got involved, it still didn't stop a few key people from going to prison. If this really was a case of cause and effect, then it's also evidence of what a real jungle this world is that we live in.
MSN Live Spaces blogger Seismometer2006, who used to work at Yu's newspaper, doesn't see Yu's release as sign of any victory for press freedom:
上周五，喻华峰出来了。财经网的报道是这样写的：“在中国新闻界、经济界和法学界引发争议的南方都市报系列案（简称‘南都案’）终于翻过一页。”看了半天，我始终没明白，这事怎么就“翻过一页”了？难道如今真到了继往开来、大伙儿一起开香槟的时候？作为在南都做过一年杂役的小字辈，虽然级别仅为“少林寺扫地僧”，我还是情难自持，不揣冒昧地在博客吐两口痰，供人鄙视。
需要说明的是，这条新闻我并非首先从国内媒体得知，而是午间休息时在“记者无国界”（Reporters Without Borders）网站上看到的。由于下午还有课，只能稍微“谷歌”一下，发现《卫报》上也有相关文章。 与国内消息有所不同，英国人暗示是最近国际笔会（International Pen Organization）向北京政府施压才直接导致了老喻一干人等的出走。但最根本的原因，大家都知道，还是要算到奥林匹克头上。文章这样写道：The campaigning for the release of other prisoners…must be stepped up before the Olympic Games ，我倒觉得不如直接把“before”改成“only because of”更贴切。问题接着就来了，正如易卜生询问的“娜拉走后怎么办？”，我们也（拼命地）跟着问一下：老喻出狱后怎么办？或者上纲上线，继而把问题扩大化：奥运以后，新闻怎么办？
What I want to point out is that I didn't even learn of this news first from domestic media, but from the Reporters Without Borders website during my lunch break. I didn't have class in the afternoon, so I stayed and did a bit of “googling”, and I found the related news on the Guardian website. Where it differed from mainland news is that the English person hinted it was recent pressure that International PEN had levied on the Beijing government alone that secured Old Yu's release. But the real reason, as everyone knows, rests with the Olympics. The article reads: “The campaigning for the release of other prisoners…must be stepped up before the Olympic Games,” but the way I see it, it'd be more appropriate if “before” were just changed to “only because of”. Which raises the next question; just like Mr. Ibsen asked, “What will happen after Nora leaves?,” we are also (madly) asking the same question: now that Old Yu is out of prison, what now? Or more practically, and to expand the issue: after the Olympics, what's News going to do?
On February 8, exiled activist Liu Xiaobo, who writes often of the struggle for press freedom in China, published a statement, ‘Yu Huafeng's Release and the Olympic Year’:
程益中先生在俞华峰获释后的第一时间发出呼吁：“我热烈欢迎喻华峰光荣归来！但这实属减刑之后正常的刑满释放，不是平反冤案，不是改正错案；所以我不表扬有关方面。《南方都市报》案是一个时期以来思想转向僵化、改革走向倒退的一大标志性事件，是广东改革开放的一大拐点，是中国和谐社会的一道伤痕，我强烈呼吁广东新的思想解放运动，须从平反南方都市报案开始！”
[…]
随着北京奥运的一天天临近，国内外要求兑现申奥承诺的呼声也日益高涨。胡温政权既要在某些最敏感的领域加强控制，以确保奥运期间的政治稳定，又要在某些方面放松控制，以对外显示开明形象，降低国际压力。严控，主要针对政治异见人士、著名维权人士和独立民间组织，最近的吕耿松被判四年和胡佳被捕就是这种严控的明证。放松，主要针对国内外媒体、非政治领域的异见、维权和公共舆论，这种放松始于2006年下半年，不仅表现在大幅度放松对境外媒体的限制，也表现在对国内舆论的放松。正因为有了这样的放松，才会形成诸如“最牛钉子户”、“黑砖窑”、“聂树斌案”、“彭水诗案”、“城管打死人”、“废除劳教建议”等多个公共舆论潮，2007年也才会被称为“公共事件元年”或“民意年”。
这种严控与放松最具戏剧性的对比发生在春节前的2月5日。在这一天，因“间谍罪”获刑五年的香港新闻人程翔提前二年多假释，而浙江异见人士吕耿松被控“煽动颠覆罪”判刑四年。中共当局在宣判吕耿松的同一天释放程翔，显然顾忌到奥运年的政府形象，是为了冲淡吕耿松案的负面影响。果然，当日境外媒体对两案的报道，大都把程翔获释放在吕耿松案的前面。尽管中共政权在口头上最反对“奥运政治”，但在行为上却最想玩好“奥运政治”，他们根据自己对国内外局势的主观评估，挖空心思地玩弄“抓放”、“松紧”的游戏。“抓” 和“紧”是为了震慑和控制，以确保奥运年的政治稳定；“放”和“松”是为了政权的脸面，以争取在奥运年赢得政治开明的美誉.
The most dramatic contrast between this kind of loosening and tightening of controls took place just before the Lunar New Year on February 5. On this one day, after being sentenced to five years for “spying,” Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong was given a conditional release more than two years early, and Zhejiang dissenter Lu Gengsong was sentenced to four years for the crime of “inciting subversion”. CCP authorities’ delivery of Lu Gengsong's verdict on the very same day Ching Cheong was released was obviously in consideration of the Olympic image, seeking to water down the negative impact of Lu Gengsong's case. Sure enough, foreign media reports that day compared the two cases, with most of them putting Ching Cheong's release ahead of Lu's case.
MediaView blogger zany posts the part of the above-mentioned Caijing magazine article which lists the early developments in Yu's case, and ends with an old photo of a historical moment, the first printing of another highly-respected newspaper:
图片说明：2003年11月10日晚，（从左到右）新京报第二任总编辑杨斌、第一任总经理喻华峰、第一任总编辑程益中、社长戴自更正在看新京报第一份报样，翌日，新京报正式出街。
Indie blogger Wang Junyu also writes on Caijing coverage of Yu's case:
我记得军训的最后一个晚上收到短信说, 程益中无罪. 那时候我很高兴. 但是喻华峰仍然获罪, 程益中也仍然被开除了党籍, 于是仍然如鲠在喉. 如今喻华峰也终于获释, 看着 “财经” 网站上喻华峰和妻儿团聚喜气洋洋的照片, 突然想起当年读过喻华峰之妻向丽的文字, 说到只能欺骗儿子说 “爸爸出国工作”, 不禁唏嘘不已.
新年之际看到这样的消息, 我很高兴, “财经” 也可以高兴地宣布南都案 “翻过新的一页”. 个体的自由可贵, 自由的获得让我们高兴, 即使这样的自由或多或少是被赐予的.
[…]
程翔也于年前假释了. 这两天香港电视台新闻被遮盖的部分, 大部分是讲这个的.
I was happy to hear his news while ringing in the new year, just as Caijing was happy to announce “a new page had been turned” in the Southern case. Individual freedom is something precious, and the regaining of freedom makes me happy, even if it has more or less granted.
[…]
Ching Cheong has also been given early release. Parts of the Hong Kong TV News have been snipped these last two days, I guess most of it was talking about him.
Call Me Ishmael also expands on the Caijing story in Ishmael's Feb. 9 post, ‘Editor-in-Chief of ‘Panyu Prison Post‘ has been dismissed’:
《财经》网同时刊出了喻华峰回到家中，与妻儿欢聚的照片。
报道还透露：喻在四年监禁中并不委靡，而是大量阅读人文类书籍，学习英语，并担任《番禺监狱报》责任主编。
很少有人读过这份报纸，但这是一次令人高兴的离职。
多年前，我采访过国内的多座监狱和看守所，广东省亦在其列，因而相信喻先生得到了狱方力所能及的善待。
过去数年，南方报业集团旗下媒体大量报道了番禺监狱的新风新貌，该集团还成为了“广东省首个为监狱服刑人员设立阅报栏并赠送报纸的媒体。”
And, Netease blogger Round Yao on the evening of Feb. 11 published a pre-prison interview with Yu that was allegedly never allowed to be published but has been making the rounds online ever since, in which Yu talks about the business strategy and philosophy that helped him make Southern Metropolis Daily into what many consider remains today one of the most successful and respected newspapers in the country.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Tibetan kids · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Michael puts up a short video showing hyper active Tibetan kids in his class.


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Colombia: Planned March Against Paramilitary Groups · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Plan Colombia and Beyond writes about plans for a protest similar to the February 4th march against the FARC, but this time against that country's paramilitary groups on March 6th.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Costa Rica: Political Games · Global Voices
Roy Rojas

Ever since October 7th, Costa Rica has been falling into a political game, where the government has been facing off with the 2nd political force in the country in the Legislative Assembly. It has become the government vs. Citizen's Action Party (PAC, for its initals in Spanish).  Some say that this could be what is in store for the next elections in 2010 and that the PAC would be the big loser because it has caused disillusion in many of their followers, and that it could cost them in the near future.
The Congressional deputy Andrea Morales (the “Rebel Girl of the Assembly“) elected with the PAC spoke about the promises made by Otton Solís, founder of PAC and some might say, owner) about what her party would be.  The blog Fusil de Chispas provides the quote:
Como si fuera ayer, recuerdo a Ottón Solís hablando antes de las elecciones de 2002, sobre el filibusterismo legislativo, sobre el obstruccionismo irracional, sobre su convicción en otras formas de hacer oposición; la necesaria, la sensata. Hoy los diputados de su partido, el del modelo alternativo, el de la nueva forma de hacer política, se gastan en una semana el papel de un mes, para inundar el congreso con mociones, para tener más tiempo para hablar más viento.
It was like it was yesterday, I remember Ottón Solís talking before the 2002 elections about legislative filibustering, about irrational obstructionism, about his conviction regarding other ways to be the opposition, only the necessary, the sensible.  Today the deputies of this party of the alternative model, of the new way of politics, wastes in one week the paper for the entire month, to inundate Congress with motions, so that they have more time to talk more empty air.
The blog Manda Güevo [es] reminds us  las of the words from Elizabeth Fonseca, leader of the PAC fraction group:
“Presentaremos las mociones que consideremos necesarias, así sean miles y no haremos el quorum…”
We will present the motions that we consider necessary, even if they are thousands and we won't make quorum…
The government of Costa Rica led by Oscar Arias, with much more political esxperience, has been able to move its pieces even with the opposition from various social sectors (PAC, Unions, Intellectuals) that are primarily opposed to the laws associated with the Free Trade agreement with the United States (FTA or CAFTA).  Many are still wondering if the free-trade agreement will be good for the country.  However, the country voted in favor of its passage at the October 7th Referendum, and others are trying to focus on other laws that are currently being discussed such as the new Transit Law, the new Law of Public Works, among others.
The blog Mop [es] says:
“Señores del PAC, por que no buscan vida o se ponen a trabajar?? Respeten nuestra democracia y a nuestro pueblo!!!”
Gentlemen of the PAC, why don't you get a life and get to work?? Respect our democracy and the Costa Rican people!!!
Many share the same sentiment in that the PAC would be a new, renewed and important option.  Blogs like h3dicho.com [es] had strongly supported this socio-political movement, but are now showing their discontent:
“Tengo que confesar que en el 2002 fui uno de los que voto por el PAC y realmente me desilusionó por completo que Ottón perdiera…Mi apoyo a Ottón tenía varias razones entre las cuales estaba la necesidad que tenía Costa Rica de romper los fraudes provocados por el bipartidismo… Pero poco tiempo despues me di cuenta que realmente fue una salvada que Otón no hubiese llegado a presidente…Me decepcioné del PAC por el curso que estaba llevando en la Asamblea Legistlativa…”
I must confess that in 2002, I voted for the PAC and I was really disappointed that Ottón lost…There were many reasons for my support for Ottón, including the need to see Costa Rica break the frauds caused by bipartisanship…But a short time later, I realized that we were saved that Ottón did not arrive to the presidency…I was disappointed by the PAC for the course that it is taking in the Legislative Assembly.
What will happen from this point forward is anybody's guess, but it is obvious that there needs to be more political will from both the government and the opposition.

author: Roy Rojas


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Dominica: Information Overload? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Dominica is still at a primitive stage when it comes to information technology,” writes Dominica Weekly, providing some tips on how to “recognize the disadvantages the information age brought to our daily work ethics.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Echoes of Orwell in Senegal · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Blog politique au Senegal discusses George Orwell [Fr] and sees echoes of 1984 in Senegal's political system.


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Ecuador: Indigenous Justice in the New Constitution · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

La Voz de Guamote [es] comments that “Indigenous Justice” will be included in the new Ecuadorian Constitution according to one of the delegates. and that this form of justice goes beyond what is normally presented and misunderstood in the media.


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Ecuador: President’s Website Hacked · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es] writes about the recent hacker attacks on the Ecuadorian Presidency's website.


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Ecuador: The Cost of Cell Phone Service · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Danny Ayala Hinojosa of El Federalista [es] questions why cell phone service is so high in Ecuador and provides some possible reasons.


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Egypt: Free Kareem Rallies Planned · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Worldwide rallies to protest the jailing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulieman are being lined up for February 22, announces Free Kareem.


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Egypt: Free Moroccan Fouad Mourtada · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“The arrest and brutal treatment of Fouad Mourtada, the young man who create a fake Facebook profile of Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid, is a sad testimony to the fact that things have not changed as much as the regime would like you to believe in Morocco,” notes The Arabist, from Egypt.


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Egypt: Kissing Women Picture · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egypt's Sandmonkey posts a picture here of two women kissing each other, which sparks a debate – around 110 comments and counting so far.


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Egypt: Kudos to Al Jazeera  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Kudos to Jazeera for condemning the recently announced “ethical charter” for Arab satellite stations,” writes The Arabist from Egypt.


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Egypt: When Violence Against Women is Acceptable · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Here is the typical misogynist argument we have to fight against everyday. Human rights and feminist NGOs aim at destroying family morality because they want women to report their abusive family members to the police!!” writes a cynical Hatshepsut from Egypt.


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From Morocco, With Love · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

On this, St. Valentine's Day, the day for lovers, poems, flowers and romance, Moroccan bloggers are sharing their hearts.  Few holidays have the ability to inspire both love and blog posts, but today's is certainly one of them.
Some bloggers are in love and not afraid to share.  Sassy Gal, of The Adventures of One Sassy Gal and Her Topsy Turvy Luggage, has written a poem:
I admit it. I’m scared
I’m scared because no one explained to me that your frequency to vibe as often as I do would permeate right down to every follicle that sways each time you get near.
This is me admitting it.
I’m scared because when you told of where you’ve been, I related with fierce commitment to a past that didn’t adhere to conventional standards and grandeurs of youth.
Here I am admitting it
Scared because when you look at me and time becomes fluid and manipulated by the beats my index finger makes when wrapped around yours, I know harmony exits.
I sit
Yes
Admitting it
It beats
I’m scared
It beats
I’m here
And so are you
And so is LOVE….Holla!
Others aren't afraid to admit confusion!  Kaoutar of Big World Learner shares a couple of scenes she scripted about the holiday:
Scene 2:
He: Has the woman on the radio said that they’ve been talking about love for an entire week? Weird choice! What’s going on?
She: Yes! Well it’s Velentine’s day!
She2: Don’t you know about it?!
He: (A bit surprised, laughs) Lucky you!
She: What do you mean “lucky you”? Valentine’s day is everybody's business!
He: No… We celebrated our Valentine's Day a long time ago. Now it’s your turn.
She: Love has no age! (Playfully) Come on! Why do you men keep coming up with pretexts to ignore this kind of occasions? Just to avoid buying presents? :p Why don’t buy a present to your wife after work. She’d be happy about it.
He: (Laughs, addressing He 2): We have women’s movements here.
Question 2: Why are men too proud to admit that they do care about such things as love!?
Still others choose to share stories…La Gatita Gringa, who technically is no longer a member of the blogoma but lived in Morocco for long enough that I'll include her just this once, shares the story of a lovelorn pachyderm:
Draw near gentle reader – gentle lovelorn reader – on this, the day of Saint Valentine, the most lugubrious day of your year, and listen to the edifying tale of Petita the Pining Pachyderm. Heed my words and hearken unto them that you may find succour and draw strength from them on this most cruel of days.
Matthew Helmke, a resident of Fez, shares tips on Valentine's Day fun for married couples:
I have been married for more than 15 years to an amazing woman that I love and respect greatly. When you are in a relationship for a long time, it can be easy to get into a rut. Here are some (often silly) ideas to spice things up. Really, this is just for laughs, unless you are with a significant other with a great sense of humor like mine. However, if you use one and it works, please comment and say so! If you have any other good or goofy ideas, I would love to hear those as well.
1. Pretend you've never met, then loudly try out lame pickup lines in a upscale cafe. Act like they worked.
2. Go on a walking journey and every fifteen feet draw a chalk arrow in the direction you're going. At the end of the trip, leave a big pile of chalk.
3. Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn't really happen.
4. Go for a drive. You can only make right-hand turns. When you finally get stuck, turn around and then you can only make left-hand turns. Repeat until you find something interesting. Take pictures along the way!
5. Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
6. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books.
7. Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
8. Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.
9. Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!
10. Hide and seek in the park.
11. Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things.
12. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you've never been to. With fake names.
13. Go for a drive with the passenger blindfolded, choosing directions at random. see where you end up.
14. Dress up as pirates, commandeer shopping carts, and have a war upon the high seas.. er, parking lot.
15. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence.
16. Rent a movie you've never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.
17. Dress up as pirates and go parrot shopping at local pet stores.
18. Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when you show up, and stay there for a weekend.
19. Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
20. In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
And when words fail bloggers, they share the words of others.  Myrtus presents us with a beautiful image and quote from Erich Fromm:
“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.'”
— Erich Fromm
If love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired, then the question of how to make ourself more deserving for it makes love an art. Fromm's book The Art of Loving is an excellent guidance for young people who are looking forward to a beautiful new life.
And when there's no love on Valentine's Day?  Celebrate it anyway!  Carpe Diem (fr) shares some words about celebrating the holiday as a singleton:
Pour cette Saint-Valentin, je me joins aux milliers d'hommes et de femmes qui célèbrent leur célibat pendant la fête des amoureux…
Finally, one blogger shares some Valentine's Day Goodies!  Chergaoui.com (fr) has a whole list of fun V-day things to do online.  Check it out!
Creative Commons-licensed photo by dieselbug2007

author: Jillian C. York


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Ghana/Nigeria: Electronic payment linking West Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Oluniyi writes about an electronic payment network linking Ghana and Nigeria: “A news item on Vanguard’s website indicates that Nigerian-issued Etranzact cards can be used on Etranzact-linked ATMs in Ghana and vice-versa…”


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Hong Kong: Ng Tung Chai Waterfall  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jack Szeto posts some great photos of Ng Tung Chai Waterfall(zh) in Hong Kong.


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Imad Moughniyeh’s execution without trial · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Lebanese blogger Frencheagle discusses the assassination [Fr] of Hezbollah leader Imad Moughniyeh, described as an execution without trial, and its impact on Lebanon.


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Iran:Two women activists were arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to[Fa] several blogs including Asman dailynews,Raheleh Asgharzadeh and Nasim Khosravi, two women activists were arrested in Tehran today.


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Iraq: War Kills Seven Friends · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin writes: “My best friend during primary school was killed a month ago by a stray bullet in Baghdad. He was a Turkmen, I only knew of him yesterday. Coupled with my four dead friends, Haji Amir, and a college acquaintance, this is the 7th person that I directly know who was killed since the war.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Japan: Filtering going global · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Blogger and social activist Sakiyama Nobuo [ja] (see earlier coverage) picks up a number of recent news stories and predicts that it may not be long before Chinese filtering policy is no longer thought of as “another country's problem” [ja]. He points to the launch of the Mobile Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Content, which he argues could put sites on a blacklist simply because they are “illegal” according to national laws, and points to a case in Finland where something similar has already happened.


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Japan: Hand Towel Dolls · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lee from Tokyo Times posts a new manga figure called hand towel hero. Apart from this hero, there are some other cute hand towel doll pictures in his post.


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Japan: Sex and Marriage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ping mag has an interview with Sumie Kawakami, who has spent two years interviewing Japanese women on issues related with sex and marriage.


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Kazakhstan: Series of Road Photos Continued · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Mikhail posts new picture from his numerous road adventures, featuring the astonishingly miserable, middle-age-like road in the Western Kazakhstan.


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Kenya: Obama Beer  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rebekah posts a video about “Obama” beer in Kenya: “A friend sent me a link to this video, in which two jovial CNN reporters discuss Senator Beer's amusing new nickname: Obama.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Debates over Alphabet · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Asel says that following the similar debates in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz politicians also raise the issue of possible switching the Kyrgyz alphabet from Cyrillic to Roman.


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Lebanon: Queen Rania and Palestinians · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Finally. The queen of Jordan finally commented on the regular Israeli killing of Palestinians. She urged Palestinians to avoid…reckless driving,” writes Lebanese commentator Asad Abu Khalil.


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Lebanon: Two Republics; One Country · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“It is official: Lebanon is now made of two separate and distinct republics: a Sunni republic versus a Shi`ite republic, and each republic enjoys an outside regional and international patron. The Christians and Druzes are mere bystanders,” writes Lebanese commentator Asad Abu Khalil.


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In Madagascar, bloggers debate abortion and women’s rights · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

With a Valentine's Day performance of the controversial Vagina Monologues and a human rights committee's decision to call for a review of Madagascar's abortion ban, gender issues are a hot topic in the Malagasy blogosphere.
A group of female Malagasy bloggers (Sipakv, Trinitty, Sipagasy, Ikalakely, Jogany) planned a reading of the Vagina Monologues in Malagasy, as part of celebration of V-Day, “a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.”
This announcement made quite a few waves in the Malagasy blogosphere.
Male reactions were a bit skeptical.  Rajiosy asked, “Is this reasonable?” [Fr] and The Non Required wondered, a bit facetiously, whether it isn't men who hold an inferior position:
Il y a un mouvement qui se lance sur Internet pour changer la condition de la femme à Schgeumland. Je ne sais pas quoi en penser. En fait, je n’ai pas l’impression que les femmes soient mal loties à Schgeumland. Les femmes ne peuvent pas souffrir à Schgeumland. C’est une société matriarcale. Preuve en est qu’au du XIXeme, 3 femmes se sont succédées au pouvoir. Il a (presque) fallu que les hommes schgeumes fassent appel aux colons français pour mettre fin à cela! En fait, les êtres humains mal considérés à Schgeumland ce sont les hommes.
Of course, even though the last three sovereigns were queens, they were puppets controlled by the male Prime Minister.
The Non Required‘s post prompted a torrent of 23 comments.  Some readers accused him of machismo.  Others pointed out all the ways Malagasy women continue to occupy a lower status than men, as well as some advantages women enjoy relative to men.
Qui met-on en prison en cas de flagrant délit d’adultère : c’est encore elle.
Une femme schgeume peut-elle facilement quitter un mari volage : non … et pourtant c’est une réalité à Madagascar. J’ai même vu un quotidien titrer : “Tsy maintsy mamitaka ve ny lehilahy”. Le jour où la loi sur le divorce changera à Madagascar, la femme schgeume sera peut-être mieux respectée et saura se faire respecter.
Je mettrai cependant en balance le fait que les hommes n’ont pas de droit de garde apres un divorce.
(When a child is seven years old, he or she is in charge of his or her destiny, and is allowed by the judge to choose which parent will have custody.)
The Malagasy Vagina Monologues also set off a debate on how to translate the word “vagina” into Malagasy. Many words used to describe sexual organs in Malagasy carry vulgar connotations and this fact is illustrated by the comments left by the male Malagasy bloggers.
The Non Required explains that “vagina” can be translated into “fory,” which is considered very crude in Malagasy.
But as answered by reader SipaKV, it can also be translated into a multitude of, “very pretty words, descriptive, poetic, functional, erotic” [Fr].
Mialysenfout raised the more serious and controversial topic of abortion.
Abortion is illegal in Madagascar, but in December 2007, a human rights committee asked the government to review the country's abortion laws and consider decriminalizing it.
Ici, la couverture contraceptive est encore très en-deçà de la demande. Et c'est un vrai souci dans une société à la sexualité debridée ( c'est une affirmation, pas une critique haha) où les premières relations sexuelles se font de plus en plus tôt, les préventions sont encore très maladroites et les cas d'avortements, de plus en plus nombreux. Parce qu'ils sont interdits, les avortements se font clandestinement et généralement dans des conditions hygiéniques et sanitaires déplorables et rarement par la personne compétente. Ces 30 000 décès, nous avons le pouvoir de les éviter si la loi autorise que l'intervention se fasse dans un centre hospitalier et par des médecins et bien sûr, dans un délai strict et rigoureux fixé par la loi.
Soit on choisit d'agir et faire en sorte que toutes les naissances soient le fruit d'un choix et non d'une contrainte. Faire en sorte que les femmes violées ou victimes d'une inceste n'aient pas à porter le fruit de leur humiliation. Faire en sorte que la loi permet aux femmes dont la grossesse menace la vie puisse de bénéficier d'un avortement thérapeuthique.
In more than 40 comments, readers responded with a wide range of perspectives, some declaring abortion selfish or immoral, others discussing the consequences of dangerous, back room procedures:
L'avortement, je trouve que c'est lâche. On fait payer un enfant innocent, qui n'a rien demandé et qui ne peut même pas s'exprimer. (Rayon de soleil)
A Madagascar, l'avortement est interdit même en cas de danger pour la santé ou la vie de la mère, même en cas de viol et même en cas d'inceste. Avec une peine allant d'un à cinq ans d'emprisonnement et une amende de 360 000 à 10 800 000 Ar.
En cas de viol, NON à la dépénalisation. La mère devra mettre au monde l'enfant non désiré. (dotMG)
En ce qui concerne le fond du débat, je suis pour déployer des gros moyens de mise à disposition et informations sur les méthodes de contraception. (Vola)
madagascar.mabulle.com writes a detailed description of a clandestine abortion procedure performed in Antananarivo, and offers a harrowing statistic:
“Pendant ce temps là, à Antananarivo, 50% des décès liés à la grossesse seraient dus à une IVG clandestine qui a mal tourné.”

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


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Middle East: Protesting Love · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but in the Middle East, the debate still continues on whether it is an occasion which should be celebrated or shunned. With both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait warning against Valentine's Day celebrations, bloggers had a lot to talk about.
Kuwait:
Shopaholic Q8eya lashes out at the new restriction in this post from Arabic:
مع إني ما أحب الفالنتاين بس حامض على بوزكم راح أحتقل هالسنة
!!حرام، مو حرام راح نحتفل راح نحتفل
حامض على بوزكم بعد مرة و
Happy Valentine’s Day everybody
(Do what you want)
Happy Valentine's Day everybody
The blogger also posts the following picture of a banner places in Kuwait which reads:
No to Valentine's. Muslims, this celebration is Haram.
Saudi Arabia:
Brightlightz posts a CNN report on Saudi Arabia banning all things red ahead of Valentine's.
Egypt:
Egyptian Sandmonkey reacts to the news with a post entitled The Saudis are Cuckoo. He further explains:
Their religious police is banning red roses because they want to discourage people from celebrating Valentine's Day. Those damn sinners. Maybe now they will focus on their Rain Prayer.
Bahrain:
Ammar too isn't impressed with the Saudi crackdown on Valentine's and writes:
Last Valentine they banned all florists from selling red roses, but no goddamit they had to top it this year; so they went around and banned every single flower and gift shop from selling not only red roses, but ANYTHING red. Yup. If you wanted to buy a red box, for example? Well, tough. Want to wrap a gift in red? Nope. Want to just buy a red string? Nu uh, that ain't allowed either.
I have nothing for or against Valentine. I think it's a stupid occassion.. I ain't bothered. But to totally ban everything red ‘just in case’ some guy wants to buy his wife a flower? This ain't just about Valentine's day. This is about a bunch of retarded morons trying to impose rules that not only make for a really crappy quality of life, but end up causing half the problems that the youth of Saudi face today (who would otherwise grow up as really intelligent, hardworking people). Thanks for really screwing up Saudi, guys.
Still in Bahrain, Coolred38 cannot maintain her cool when she writes:
I remember a few years back a fatwa was released from Saudi clerics that forbid giving flowers to sick patients in the hospitals…it was a western idea and had nothin to do with Islam or Muslims…geez…hoping someone will forget their health troubles for a moment and enjoy looking at some beautiful flowers is such a haram thing to do…Im surprised they even let flowers grow in Saudi…anybody could just….pick them for Gods sake and take them home to their sick mother….whats the world coming to when you deem it a good deed to present flowers(oh those evil little buggers) to a hear and dear one….I think more prayers are in order….away with flowers i say…they lead to all sorts of “good feelings”…and Muslims are forbidden to feel good…
if your feeling good…your probably doing something haram…you sicko!
Hayat , also from Bahrain, adds her voice to the debate, saying that love is sacred – regardless of religion. She writes:
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the celebrations went uninterrupted.
Tunisia:
Magharebia takes us to Tunisia and reports that love is in the air.
For Tunisians young and old, the Valentine's Day celebration of love and romance is growing increasingly popular. In preparation for the February 14th event, retailers fill display windows with red hearts, teddy bears and woollen cats of different colours to tempt shoppers, while store owners greet enthusiastic customers with phrases such as “love is the dearest thing in life” and “lovers’ satisfaction is our mission”.
Bahrain:
Farah Mattar announces to the world that she enjoys the feelings of love. She writes:
On a day when the profoundly intelligent mullas across the causeway are busy mangling red roses and hunting down hormonal, repressed girls in crimson, we have the liberties to enjoy the day known as Valentines Day. Now regardless of all the retarded emails of warning that I’m going to get today on “do you know what you are celebrating?” and the history of St. Valentine and what it really meant and how it is the end of Islamic civilization, if I give my husband a rose; in spite of all this stupidity, the overpriced balloons at Al Osra, and the Styrofoam hearts in restaurants, I think what today makes me think of, whether I like it or not, is love.
Jordan:
From Jordan, Qwaider has advice to his female readers. He says:
Ladies… very simple questions …
1) Define your best Valentine's day event
2) Define your PERFECT gift.
Be as frank as you like
Dubai:
Qatar Cat, who lives in Dubai, introduces a Secret Love Calculator, to her amourous readers. She explains:
I am reintroducing my hugely successful Valentine day calculator again this year. All you have to do is click on the link, follow simple steps – and all your Valentine day dilemmas will be solved!
And even if you are not planning on giving a card this year, this might help you guess whether you will be getting one!
Turkey:
And last but not least, mersenne_twister shares two Turkish songs celebrating love to mark the day.
Related Global Voices Online articles:
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
From Morocco, With Love


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Myanmar: Mr & Miss Valentine Photos · Global Voices
May Hnin Phyu

Blogger MgHla posted the photos of “Mr & Miss Valentine” competition that he attended on the Valentines’ Day. He also complaint about having to leave the show early and couldn't get to see the winners for the sake of keeping the curfew issued by the Missus back home. One of Mandalay model-bloggers also competed in the show.

author: May Hnin Phyu