text:
Will the Right to Be Forgotten Inspire Repressive Regimes to Expand Internet Censorship? · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

The original version of this post appeared on the IGMENA blog.
The EU’s “right to be forgotten” has left many advocates in the Arab region fearful that governments will exploit the law to further curtail freedom of information and expression on the Internet.
Ben Ali meets with George W. Bush in Washington, DC, 2004. Photo by Paul Morse, released to public domain.
The ruling allows EU citizens to request that search engines de-index links to personal information deemed “inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive” so that it does not appear in search results. The court clarified that the right to be forgotten “is not absolute” and a case-by-case assessment is needed to make sure that an individual’s right to be forgotten does not infringe on the public’s right to know.
But since the ruling, Google reports that it has received over 135,000 requests for removal of links from its search results. In August, the world’s largest search engine announced that it had approved just over 50% of requests received. These included links to legitimate journalistic work and news articles published by the BBC, the Guardian, and the Daily Mail, some of which were reinstated in response to journalists’ objections. The company periodically releases selective data about the process, which can be found here.
Although its implementation is currently only limited to Europe, the “right to be forgotten” ruling could inspire repressive regimes to expand their Internet filtering practices. “It will be used by other governments that aren’t as forward and progressive as Europe to do bad things,” Google’s CEO Larry Page warned in late May.
In an email interview, Dhouha Ben Youssef, a Tunisian net freedom and privacy advocate wrote that she agreed with Page.
“These governments will take advantage from this directive. Powerful people will be able to hide disgraceful actions for their own e-reputation. For example, politicians could ask for the removal of posts that criticize their policies and power misuse,” Ben Youssef explained. “It will largely impact the investigative journalism emerging in the region.”
There is no reason why Arab governments couldn’t put in place their own “right to be forgotten” model, if they wanted to. All they have to do is draft another repressive law or simply order ISPs to block content violating the controversial principle.
Governments in the region already deploy strict libel laws and broad privacy protections with no legal oversight or appeal mechanisms. These policies systematically deny users access to information and serve to prosecute those who reveal misconduct or wrongdoing by state officials and other powerful actors. Last spring, Social Media Exchange conducted an in-depth study on these types of laws — their work could serve as a roadmap for advocates seeking to preclude lawmaking in this direction.
The UAE's Cybercrime Decree lays the groundwork
In 2012, the UAE passed Federal Legal Decree No. 5/2012 on combating cyber crimes, allegedly to “provide legal protection of privacy of all information published online.”
However, like many other repressive laws approved by Arab regimes over the years, this law is yet another tool to legitimize suppression of online speech and political dissent.
The decree includes an exhaustive list of illegal activities, all criminalized under a mantle of privacy protection. It outlaws:
…using an electronic network or any information technology means for the unwarranted violation of the privacy of others by eavesdropping, intercepting, recording or disclosing conversations, communications, audio and video material; taking photographs of others, creating electronic photos of others, disclosing, copying or saving them; publishing news, electronic photographs or photographs or scenes, comments, data and information even if they are authentic.
The right to be forgotten and the UAE’s decree No. 5/2012 have one dangerous point in common: they both restrict the dissemination of authentic content for the purpose of protecting the privacy rights of others. In the Arab region the aim appears to be to conceal evidence of misconduct by politicians and public officials. While in the EU the right to be forgotten is supposedly aimed at protecting private individuals, the fact that former EU politicians are entitled to exercise the right to be forgotten is troubling.
The Internet and the world should not forget the disgraceful acts and corruption of politicians once they leave office. We have all seen how public officials are tempted again by power shortly after they leave office. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy recently announced his political comeback despite corruption allegations against him. In Tunisia, where I work as a freelance journalist, officials who served under the former autocratic and corrupt rule of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali are making a comeback to the political scene and running for legislative and presidential elections.
One might argue that Internet filtering is already rampant in the region and that the EU’s right to be forgotten ruling is not going to improve or worsen the situation. This is true to some extent, but the level of Internet filtering practices differ from one country to another. While some governments practice extensive Internet filtering, others are keeping it at minimum levels.
In Tunisia, for example, the Internet has remained open and relatively uncensored since the ousting of Ben Ali. Yet a number of government officials still advocate for the reinstatement of filtering practices to combat “defamation” and “terrorism.” Soon, they may begin to call for the filtering of the Internet to protect the right to be forgotten of others, arguing that even “democratic” Europe enshrines this right.
“For Reporters Without Borders (RWB), if they show me how France monitors the cyberspace, we will commit ourselves to do better.” Such was the response of former ICTs minister Mongi Marzouk, when RWB criticized the Tunisian government for setting up the controversial Technical Telecommunications Agency, tasked with investigating “ICT crimes.”
“This law took as reference the Budapest Convention [on Cybercrime],” Marzouk said in defence of the decree establishing the agency. Although the Budapest Convention marked a significant step forward in building international legal standards for cybercrime, it is far from perfect — many advocates believe the Convention lacks sufficient protections for non-malicious use of certain technologies.
Arab government officials do not hesitate to claim that their practices or laws are as democratic as those of Europe, even when they are not. They also learn from the undemocratic practices of “Western democracies.” Just as the NSA’s mass spying practices can aid dictatorships, so can the right to be forgotten.
EU legislators need to keep in mind that each law they draft could either inspire pro-democracy reformers in lesser democratic countries or incite dictators to “do bad things.” It is up to them to choose a side.


text:
Animated Video Dispels Ebola Myths · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ebola: A Poem for the Living (English) from United Methodist Communications on Vimeo.
United Methodist Communications, Chocolate Moose Media and iheed have collaborated to produce an animated video for use in West Africa that helps dispel myths about how Ebola is spread and promotes prevention of the disease. United Methodist Communications provided partial funding for Chocolate Moose Media to create the video, which will be produced in various languages, including English and French with West African voices and other West African languages. This is an international co-production, involving production in ten countries: Canada, Guinea, India, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone Switzerland and the United States.
Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Artists Create Climate Change Mural in Grenada to Warn of Modern-Day ‘Paradise Lost’  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Grenada's Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture, the Hon. Alexandra Otway-Noel, visits some of the artists working on the “Paradise Lost” mural – Suelin Low Chow Tung, Xandra Shaw and Victoria Slinger. Photo courtesy the artists; used with permission.
When it comes to climate change, better late than never. Inspired by the global marches against climate change which took place on September 21, a group of artists and activists in Grenada decided to paint a mural to raise local awareness about this pressing issue.
Climate change and the threat of global warming have, many feel, been ignored for long enough by world leaders who, primarily for economic reasons, have lacked the political will needed to tackle the problem and commit to a changeover to clean energy rather than continuing to extract the earth's diminishing fossil fuels. The Climate Summit that took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 23 was intended to catalyse promises from member countries and turn them into action.
Global Voices spoke to Victoria Slinger and Suelin Low Chow Tung about Grenada's climate change mural and what they hoped it would accomplish. The painting's design elements, conceptualised by Low Chow Tung, include elements such as the population of the island (crowded onto the highest points), Amerindian petroglyphs (in recognition of the country's indigenous people), and fishing boats without fish (a foreboding of one of the possible effects of climate change).
Taking inspiration from the country's Coat of Arms, the mural also contains ships (representing the country's yachting and tourism industry), a gold cross (as recognition of a God consciousness), a lion (as a symbol of strength and unwavering determination to face challenges), Grand Etang Lake as well as cocoa nutmeg and banana trees, a star (symbolic of hope), and the flora and fauna of the island, including seven roses, which represent Grenada's seven parishes. They called it Paradise Lost, a reference to 17th-century English poet John Milton's epic poem, which chronicles the fall of Man.
The Grenada Dove with a spray of Bouganvillea; a nod to the country's national bird and flower. Photo courtesy the artists; used with permission.
Global Voices (GV): How did you get the idea to paint a mural instead of organizing a march, as happened in other countries, including Trinidad and Tobago?
Victoria Slinger (VS): This was my doing mainly. I am interested in art and also wanted to do something that would be more fun to participate in. There are many people here who are concerned about climate change, but there are too many who are not – mainly because they do not have the exposure to the information and do not know enough science not to be swayed by the nay sayers who just baffle them with bullshit. I felt a mural being permanent would be able to reach more people. Also, a Sunday is no time to do a march in Grenada. St. George's [the capital] is a ghost town and nobody is going to come out to see a lot of people with banners protesting. I did not believe there was anywhere suitable to do [a march].
GV: Tell us about the design for the mural and its dimensions.
VS: The wall is between 6 and 12 feet high and 60 feet long, if we use all of it. That has not yet been decided, but it will be at the very least 6 feet high and 40 feet long. Suelin, as the designer, will decide what fits her design. It is the retaining wall at the back of the GSPCA [Grenada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] car park so many people will see it. I hope, if it gets enough publicity here, people will come specially to see it.
Suelin Low Chow Tung (SLCT): The mural's elements are taken from our Coat of Arms and they speak to the negative impact to the country by rising sea levels due to climate change.
Kai and Anja Niermann and Lene Kilde in process, working on the mural. Photo courtesy the artists; used with permission.
GV: What inspired this particular design concept?
VS: My feeling is that to some extent it should show what could be lost to us forever if something is not done about climate change. A large increase in sea level will be devastating to our main towns, St. George's, Grenville and Gouyave and will destroy tourism, the main earner for the island. Every way you look at it, it will be a disaster.
GV: How many people participated in the event? What type of support did you receive?
SLCT: The participants in the project were Victoria Slinger, Suelin Low Chew Tung, Anja and Kai Niermann, Xandra and Kirby Shaw, visiting Norwegian sculptor Lene Kilde and her daughter, and visiting Haitian artist Prensnelo. We received paint and supplies from St George’s University, Sissons Paints Grenada Limited, Insurance Consultants of Grenada Ltd, Ace Hardware/Bryden and Minors, Ramdhanny’s Hardware, Sherwin Williams, and Renwick, Thompson and Co.
Haitian artist Prensnelo paints the armadillo of the Grenada climate change mural. Photo courtesy the artists; used with permission.
GV: Do you feel Caribbean residents are as conscious of the issue as they should be?
VS: Never mind the Caribbean, I don't believe the average resident of any of the developing countries (in which category I include USA for this purpose) are as conscious of the issue as they should be. My feeling is that the main reason is they do not have the science background to understand it properly and to realise that after a certain point it will not be possible to reverse, and then it will just be a matter of time till the earth can no longer support most of life as we know it. It will be back to bacteria as far as I am concerned. Therefore they are too easily satisfied by the flawed science being fed to them by the fossil fuel, mining and other interests who don't want to act.
The Caribbean region, which is primarily made up of small island states and low-lying continental areas with fragile economics, is particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Initiatives such at the People's Mural are critical to helping the population understand the importance of climate change.

author: Matthew Hunte


text:
Child’s Murder Unveils Lack of Sympathy for Japan’s Single Mothers · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Screenshot of Yutaro Tanaka's blog.
A recent case in Japan highlights the predicament of single mothers in that country at a time when lack of childcare resources and social assistance are forcing children into dangerous situations.
In March 2014, a single mother in Yokohama, hoping to pick up a few extra shifts at the restaurant where she worked, contacted a babysitter whom she had never met over the Internet to care for her two toddlers. Two days later one of the toddlers was dead, apparently killed by the babysitter.
Months later, the case continues to be talked about, and the mother has faced a backlash on social media and from a local politician eager to score points.
Yutaro Tanaka, a municipal councillor from Tokyo’s Suginama Ward, used the incident to muse about the current perceptions of childcare in Japan in a March 2014 blog post:
大切な子宝を乳飲み子のうちから赤の他人に預けて憚らない風潮は、なぜ当然のようにまかり通っているのでしょうか。
How could a mother possibly hand over her young tots, her most precious treasure, to a complete stranger without even a second thought?
Tanaka, who admits to being unmarried and childless, also frets about a trend he has identified online called a daycare concierge:
「保育コンシェルジュ」という言葉にも、私は以前から不健康なものを感じていました。コンシェルジュというのは、「ホテルで、泊まり客の求めに応じて、街の地理案内や交通機関・観劇の切符の手配などをする係」と辞書にあります。観劇の切符の手配と、子供を他人に預ける手配が同列で良いのでしょうか。観劇の切符の手配と、子供を他人に預ける手配が同列で良いのでしょうか。
Even before this incident, for quite some time I have felt uncomfortable every time I have encountered the term “daycare concierge.” A concierge is someone, typically employed by a hotel who provides advice and information about local transportation, attractions, and nightlife.
Should handing over our children to a caregiver be as simple as getting tickets for a night out at the movies?
At the same time, the poverty and lack of support that forces single parents in Japan into these sorts of situations is getting worse.
Half of single-mother households in Japan now live below the poverty line, making Japan among the worst in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rankings. More than 48 percent of households headed by a single mother fall below the 1.25 million yen poverty line (about US$12,000 a year).
One reason for this increase in poverty rates is declining social welfare support for single-parent households combined with the decline of intergenerational households. In the past single parents, most often mothers, could be expected to live with parents who could provide help as caregivers and cover the cost of necessities such as rent.
On top of this, joint custody between parents is still relatively rare in Japan. Children receive little to no contact with the alienated parent, and the remaining single caregiver, typically the mother, receives little to no financial support.
As a result, single parents must work to support the household while somehow finding day care at a time when local governments are cutting back on childcare programs.
Yutarou Tanaka, the muncipal councillor from Suginami Ward, attracted criticism at the time for his blog post:
「この母親に、非はなかったのでしょうか」と子供を殺された母親を責める杉並区の田中ゆうたろう議員のブログ。保育園一揆の時にも物議をかもした人ですよね。私が杉並区民になることがあったら、絶対に投票しません。　ベビーシッター事件に思う http://t.co/zl2Ziq1VKi
— いがやちか「つながる図書館」四刷目 (@sisiodoc) March 20, 2014
In his new blog post, Tanaka wonders if the mother is not somehow at fault. He's always using daycare to stir up controversy. If I lived in Suginami, I would never vote for this guy.
http://t.co/RSrs3fzHdL 田中ゆうたろうブログ 「ベビーシッター事件に思う」 今読んだけど呆れた。あらゆる面で想像力を欠いてる。この議員は過去にも色々あるみたいだしこの記事も批判集中してるわけだけど、彼の論調のような雰囲気が世の中にあるなら本当に生きづらいわ
— inowledge (@inowledge) March 19, 2014
I was shocked when I read Tanaka's blog post – his way of thinking represents a total failure of imagination. Tanaka has been criticised in the past for a lot of the other stuff he has written on his blog, and it sucks that there are people in this world who hold his sorts of views.
わははは。杉並の田中ゆうたろうさんって議員さんは何も変わっとらんｗ　http://t.co/uVKYYtWmTg
— やすゆき (@yasuyukima) March 20, 2014
LOL, this guy never changes, does he?
It turns out that Suginami councillor Takana was also notorious for an earlier blog post made about parents waiting for non-existent daycare spaces in Suginami, entitled “A Touch of Shamelessness, a Touch of Doubt” (一抹の忸怩なき待機親に一抹の疑義あり). In the 2013 blog post, Tanaka essentially argued that parents (and mothers in particular) should be assuming more responsibility for ensuring their children are taken care of.
Even in 2013, Tanaka's comments had created a storm of controversy:
こ、この議員は酷いなぁ(苦笑)。 RT 突っ込みどころが多すぎてくらくらした。一番の突っ込みどころは「信念：子育て先進地域・杉並を目指します」って書いてるところ。杉並区議・田中ゆうたろう氏　http://t.co/ssq4AnY5pU
— 太郎(‘◇’) (@l_taro) February 26, 2013
…There's just so much wrong with his way of thinking, the worst of which is that parents (particularly working mothers) in Suginami are entirely responsible for providing childcare, with no help from Tanaka and the local government.
A common observation on Twitter was that, although there is absolutely no available daycare space in Tanaka's home ward of Suginami, the local politician is still criticizing a working mother using an unlicensed and unregulated childcare provider.
杉並区議の田中ゆうたろうはなんもわかってない。自分が区議として果たすべき責任を果たしていないことを棚に上げて、待機児童に悩み行動した母親たちを公式ブログで吊るし上げている。 田中氏ブログ→http://t.co/qeuEuz53K7
— 多紀 (@kumakumataki) February 26, 2013
Councillor Tanaka is totally out of touch. Instead of taking responsibility as a public servant and suggesting ways to solve the problem, he's merely using his blog to create more worry and frustration for parents on waiting lists for childcare.
It was also noted that in 2013 Yutaro Tanaka had also scored cheap political points by visiting and hoisting the Japanese flag on the disputed Senkaku Islands (China, Taiwan and Japan all claim territorial rights over the islands. China refers to them as Diaoyu; Taiwan as Diaoyutai.)
Tanaka's March 2014 blog post continues to attract a flood of comments. Said one commentor:
杉並区民として恥ずかしい。こんな現実見えない議員が居るなんて。
やめて下さい。
As a resident of Suginami Ward I'm embarrassed. This is a politician who is unconnected with reality, and should quit.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
Following Political Pressure, Citizen-Led Rural Libraries Shut Down in China · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

Citizen-run libraries forced to shut down. Chinese social media image via China Digital Times.
China's rural areas don't receive the same education resources that the country's wealthier urban centers do. This gap is a widely acknowledged problem, and many organizations have been established to improve the facilities in rural China and ensure that the students there aren't left behind.
However, Chinese authorities don't exactly welcome citizen-led initiatives with open arms, and recently an independent library project called China Rural Library (CRL) was forced to close due to political pressure.
CRL announced the closure of its library project on Sept. 18, 2014, on popular microblogging website Sina Weibo and published an open letter explaining the pressure they faced. The letter went viral on Chinese social media and was later censored by the authorities. Independent news website China Digital Times published a copy of the letter on Google Plus.
The letter revealed that the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and the Police Security Bureau started imposing pressure on CRL's library project since June this year. In some cases, the authorities raid the libraries of books that discuss religion. For example, the sociology classic, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, by Max Weber was confiscated. Their online volunteer recruitment platform and souvenir shop were also forced to shut down. By September, 19 libraries across the countries were forced to shut down. CRL  stressed that “none of its libraries are voluntarily closed for mismanagement reasons”.
Established in 2007, CRL's mission is to “help rural teenagers grow into healthy, normal modern citizens ” by providing free access to books. During the past seven years, it has partnered with local schools and government-owned libraries and set up 22 libraries across 11 provinces in China. The project is supported by donations and volunteer support.
The founder of CRL, Li Yingqiang, received his master degree in economics from Peking University and wished to boost literacy and education through public libraries after having witnessed a lack of quality education in rural China.
There is speculation that foreign donations and Li Yingqiang’s Christian beliefs might have upset authorities. But Li Yingqiang clarified that while the organization received a total of 15,000 euros in small grants from a German foundation, that foundation was founded by a Chinese living overseas, and all the donations are from Chinese citizens and organizations. In 2013, Li left his position as the chief executive of CRL and also resigned as director at the end of 2014.
Since CRL is a non-political and non-religious charity group, the nationwide crackdown on its libraries attracted many online comments. A former volunteer from CRL offered an explanation of its closure on Zhihu, a question and answer platform:
立人的一个问题就是步子走得太快了。原本意义上来说无论是立人乡村图书馆还是大朋友计划还是燃灯者计划还是乡村女生计划都没错，但是在图书馆本身根基并不稳的情况下搞了一个立人大学这本身在我看来就是很作死的行为。立大无论从哪个方面来说右这个字暴露无疑。
CRL’s real problem is that it developed too fast. While most of its projects, including the public libraries, elderly friends [a mentor project], torch and rural school girl projects are still in their infancy, the bold act of launching the Liren University [a summer camp project which was forced to be cancelled] brought the organization down.
As education is a major battlefield for the ideological struggle against western universal values like “citizen right”, any education initiatives which are outside the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party is forbidden.
Weibo user and a former supporter of CRL, “Pursuing empty dream” (@空空追梦), believed the shutdown was a result of management problems rather than political pressure:
出了这么大的事。一个本是消极自由的象征的图书馆成了出头鸟，管理层不去反思，自省。一味的用要对NGO动手，是因为“公民”，为了维持愚民政策等大而无当，没有根据的言辞推脱责任、躲避指责，这才是最令我伤心的地方。所以作为知名立人之友，在这个关头，我要泼冷水，敲丧钟，煽风点火。
Such a big mess. The library project, which was originally a passive symbol of freedom, had become the clamp-down project. Instead of reflecting on what's gone wrong, the management kept talking about NGO principles and “citizens” and blaming the authorities’ policy. It is disheartening to see people not taking responsibility. As a friend of Liren, I have to pour cold water, ring the funeral bell and light up the fire at this critical moment.
Popular Weibo user, “the myth of social work” (@社工迷思), believed the problem was rooted in the relationship between government administration and NGOs:
多家立人图书馆被关一事让人反思和质疑当下“社会组织大发展”的泡沫形式，行政干预公益是当前ngo面临的巨大挑战，它直接影响着公益慈善和社会组织发展是否正常及健康。
The closure of Liren libraries forced us to reflect upon the bubbles of “the big development of social organization”. Administrative intervention is the biggest challenge an NGO faces today. It determines whether the philanthropy and civil organizations can grow healthily in China.
Taiwanese Professor Shih-Hung Lo, who studied the development of civil society in mainland China, wrote on his blog:
在當下的中國大陸，從事民間公益活動已經變成為危險事業，任何自主的民間公益活動，哪怕再怎麼遠離政治，都隨時可能引來當局的粗暴鎮壓。立人鄉村圖書館被關閉的不幸事件，不僅對中國大陸的總體社會發展狀況發出了令人不安的訊號，也將使更多人對漸進改革失去最後一絲希望。
On China’s mainland, philanthropy and civil society have become dangerous professions. No matter how hard they try to shy away from politics, there could be the target of a crackdown by authorities. The closure of China's rural libraries is an unsettling signal of current condition of society on the mainland, destroying the last hope of those who want gradual reform in China.

author: Gloria Wong


text:
Macedonian Civic Sector Starts Fundraising to Aid Independent Fokus Magazine  · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) appealed in October 2014 to all journalists and citizens to show solidarity with the journalists of Fokus magazine, who are subject to what has been deemed by many as harsh punishment due to a lost defamation law suit for some of the investigative pieces they published. A Fokus journalist and its editor-in-chief have to pay over 9,300 euros to the Director of the Macedonian Security and Counter-Intelligence Directorate Sasho Mijalkov, who brought the defamation law suit against them.
AJM believes that the verdict is unfair and directed against critical journalism, which is essential for the functioning of Macedonian democracy.
Our colleagues are not able to pay the fee, therefore AJM appeals for mobilization and solidarity of the membership, the journalistic community and the public in Macedonia.
We believe that our support will be a contribution for the survival of free thought and criticism towards the ways the government is practicing power in the country.
Moreover, we believe that the support of the press and public will be a direct contribution to safeguarding the freedom of expression in Macedonia. Therefore we urge within your capabilities to donate to the following bank account:
AJM Solidarity Fund: 300000003296484
The Commercial Bank
Purpose of payment: Donation for the reporters from Focus
Mijalkov announced that, when Fokus staff paid the fine, he would donate the part of the money he receives to an orphanage. This, nevertheless, means endangering the survival of the magazine and the livelihood of its staff.
Other civic organizations also sounded alarms after hearing of the fine decided by a Skopje court. For instance, the National Network against Homophobia and Transphobia of Macedonia is organizing a fundraising event in Skopje Old Town on October 14, 2014, to aid Fokus in covering the defamation fine and cover court costs.

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
Protesting Students and Teachers in Myanmar Reject Law They Claim Will Strengthen Junta-Era Schooling System · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

Students protesting outside the Dagon University in Yangon. Photo from Facebook page of Confederation of University Student Unions.
The new National Education Bill of Myanmar, which was passed in late July this year and is currently awaiting the president's approval, is considered by some students, teachers and civil society organizations as a violation of human rights standards.
The elements of the legislation that are deemed controversial include restriction on the forming of student societies, centralization of the education system and emphasis on government control, marginalization of ethnic education and their languages, and the lack of transparency in the process.
In early September, protests and demonstrations against the bill were organized in front of universities by students in Mandalay, Sagaing and Yangon, among others. The opposition was later joined by several civil societies organization. Aung Myo Min, the director of the Equality Myanmar, thinks that the bill does not meet the human rights standards and failed to incorporate the suggestions of community-based organizations. He said:
Analyzing the bill, we have noticed that the National Education Bill has included [policies] that are not in keeping with the will of community-based organization. As a human rights activist, [I have] found that it’s a little bit slack on human rights standards, so we’ve taken a stand in favor of changes.
The latest support for the campaign came from the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation which plans to join the protests if the bill is not going to be revised in Parliament. In their official Facebook page, Myanmar Teachers’ Federation declared:
We have learned that student associations around the country are determined to accelerate the peaceful protests if the authorities (will force the passage) of the bill, neglecting the wishes of the students, teachers and parents and deviating from the standards of Democracy; we fully support this determination.
Nandar Phone Myint from Irrawaddy Magazine wrote an article, explaining the controversial aspects of the bill and why it revived the centralized control of the education system by the state:
The reason the National Education Bill cannot progress is that it was drafted mainly by the people who had a very influential and major role in the education system during the junta's rule and they have incorporated into the education bill their entrenched predisposition for centralized rule and imposition of restrictions.
The military took power in 1962 and it imposed absolute control in the country for the next three decades. A civilian election was held in 2010 but the government is still backed by the military.
During the junta's era, universities were established outside the city to prevent students from gathering to protest.
Meanwhile, the National Network for Education Reform (NNER), which was formed in 2012 as an independent and diverse network of university professors, lecturers, Buddhist monks, ethnic education groups, opposition groups, teachers and students, has held seminars across the country to discuss education reforms that the country should pursue. They noted in particular that the nature of the Education Bill is discriminatory against students with special needs:
Despite the country's obligation to implement an inclusive education for disabled students in compliance to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD), the proposed legislation of the government states that a separate education will be given to disabled children with “special education programme”, which is a discrimination. This must be amended.
The network also drafted an educational policy and submitted it for parliamentary review. In their statement they also want that three languages, namely, ethnic native, Myanmar and English languages, to be integrated in the school curriculum for ethnic children.
Dr. Thein Lwin from NNER also said that students must be encouraged in the new education system to develop critical thinking skills:
Students need to have the chance to share their life experiences in relation to the lessons they learn inside the classroom. Currently, many teachers don’t approve of students’ answers if they are different from their teaching notes, which prevents students to develop critical thinking skills.
The current education system of Myanmar is long overdue for reform from the tightly controlled schooling system which marginalizes ethnic culture and language. It is also highly criticized for suppressing creativity and critical thinking by emphasizing rote learning and memorization.
The series of protests by students, teachers, academics and civil society groups shows the broad challenge raised against the decades-long authoritarian style education system implemented by the junta; and at the same time it reflects the government's failure to listen to the voices of the people.

author: Juan Cebu


text:
Vladimir Putin and Russian Nationalists Don’t Get Along. Here’s Why. · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Donbas rebel and Vladimir Putin. Images mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
Like “Pussy Riot,” the Russian nationalist website “Sputnik & Pogrom” has a name that gives many pause, when they first hear it. The site’s founder and chief editor, Egor Prosvirnin, wanted to produce Russia’s first “truly nationalist journal,” and the name is meant to capture the heights of Russian intellect (which launched the world’s first artificial satellite) and the mayhem of Russian popular will (which periodically explodes in ethnic riots). This “synthesis of modernism,” Prosvirnin says, shapes the post-Soviet Russian identity.
In addition to being a fierce supporter of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and a promoter of Russian assistance to the separatists in eastern Ukraine, Sputnik & Pogrom is a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin. On October 7, for instance, on Putin’s 62nd birthday, Prosvirnin published an editorial inviting Russians to accept that the president is mortal—that every year brings Russia closer to the post-Putin era. “The absence of any competitors at age 50 is a wonderful bonus,” Prosvirnin writes, describing Putin’s arrival to the Kremlin in 1999, “but it starts to look a little different, when you’re 62.”
Prosvirnin’s animosity toward the Kremlin might strike many outside Russia as mysterious. Wouldn’t a self-avowed Russian nationalist revere Putin for sacrificing Moscow’s reputation with the West to deliver Crimea and rescue the Donbas? Isn’t Putin a nationalist?
“Putin is no nationalist—he’s just a spectator,” Prosvirnin told RuNet Echo. “He was put there [in the Kremlin] by the ruling corporation to manage the political process, while the noble members of the secret police buy villas and mansions in Cote d’-Azur.”
Prosvirnin believes that Russia’s current state—what he’s taken to calling “Great Rotenbergia,” after the Rotenberg oligarch brothers—is antithetical to Russian nationalism. Indeed, the Duma is poised to approve new legislation, commonly known as “the Rotenberg Law,” that would compensate the individuals targeted by Western sanctions—some of Russia’s wealthiest people—using taxpayers’ money.
Вы никогда не думали, что если забыть на минутку про Крым, то невозможно сказать, чем Путин занимался 14 лет? “Стабильность”, “удвоение ВВП”, “Олимпиада” – дошло до того, что Путин элементарно не мог объяснить населению, зачем он сидит в Кремле. Это наемный менеджер, только наняло его не население, а генералы КГБ и олигархи Ельцина. Обратите внимание на закон о компенсациях Ротенбергу – разве мог принять такой законопроект националист или хотя бы популист?
Have you ever thought about how it’s impossible to say what Putin has accomplished these 14 years, if you forget a moment about Crimea? “Stability,” “doubling GDP,” “the Olympics”—it’s gotten to the point that Putin is fundamentally incapable of explaining to the population why he’s still in the Kremlin. He’s a hired manager—only it wasn’t the people who hired him, but the KGB generals and Yeltsin’s oligarchs. Have a look at the Rotenberg Law. Is this something a nationalist, or even a populist, could even consider?
Egor Prosvirnin. LiveJournal.
Earlier this month, Prosvirnin revealed that federal police are building a criminal case against him, on charges of advocating extremist acts. Sputnik & Pogrom is notorious for its controversial rhetoric about migrant worker issues, which sometimes borders on racism, but the site has also been active in the offline world, where S&P promotes donations to help sustain separatist militia in the Donbas. Notably, the site has published work by Alexander Zhuchkovsky, who heads the Strelkov-info.ru project.
Prosvirnin told RuNet Echo that he’s done nothing illegal.
Я никогда не совершал преступлений, я исключительно тихий законопослушный гражданин. Обыватель. И я хочу тихих законопослушных вещей: свободы слова, свободы собраний, свободы политических ассоциаций, свободы личности, наконец. В современной России это преступление […].
I’ve never committed a crime. I’m an exceptionally mild-mannered, law-abiding citizen. An everyman. And I want mild-mannered, law-abiding things, like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of political association, and individual freedom, finally. In modern Russia, this is criminal […].
If police formally charge Prosvirnin, a conviction might put him behind bars for as many as four years, and the government could bar him from journalism for up to five years. So far, despite this threat, he’s staying put in Moscow.
Разбираюсь в алгоритмах шифрования жестких дисков и выясняю, что надо делать при первом заходе в камеру. Я поддержал русское восстание на Донбассе и не имею права сбежать, если на восставших начало давить российское государство. Возможно, я подумаю об эмиграции, если в отношении меня будет вынесен обвинительный приговор – тогда я по крайней мере смогу сказать, что сделал все, что мог. Бежать же от одного призрака преследования – это как-то… не по-русски.
I’m learning about hard-drive encryption algorithms and finding out what one should do when he’s first jailed. I supported the Russian uprising in the Donbas, and I have no right to run now, if the Russian state has begun pressuring the rebels. Maybe I’ll consider emigration, if a conviction looks imminent. Then, at least, I can say that I did everything I could. Running at the first sign of prosecution—somehow it’s not the Russian way.
Efforts to intimidate Prosvirnin correspond to how the Russian authorities have treated Igor Strelkov, Donetsk’s erstwhile rebel commander. Strelkov, who left the Donbas after resigning suddenly in August, has struggled to maintain the Kremlin’s good graces, since returning to Russia. Once a star of newscasts about separatist heroics in Ukraine, Strelkov has virtually disappeared from the Russian mass media. Television no longer mentions his name.
Sputnik & Pogrom’s troubles with the Kremlin mirror an ancient problem in Russia: the state is incapable of tolerating independent political actors, even when the authorities and the activists share the same aims. Nothing in Russia is harmless, it seems, if it is autonomous.

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
Some Gambians Don’t Feel Like Celebrating President Jammeh’s 20 Years in Power  · Global Voices
Demba Kandeh

President of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh addresses United Nations General Assembly on 24 September, 2013. UN photo by Erin Siegal. Used under Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 2.0.
A ten-day long celebration marking 20 years since the coming to power of Gambian dictator President Yahya Jammeh is under way in The Gambia. The 49-year-old Jammeh took the position through a military coup he masterminded on 22 July, 1994 after 29 years of civil and “democratic” rule.
Whereas many argue that there is nothing much to celebrate, Jammeh and his supporters often claim that the 22 July coup brought development to The Gambia worthy of sober reflection. The coup celebrations are so important that the independence day celebrating freedom from British colonial rule has been reduced to a minor national holiday officiated by regional governors and mayors.
However, in its submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Gambia, human rights organisation Amnesty International said, “Since Gambia’s first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2010, the human rights situation in the country has deteriorated. The government continues to stifle freedom of expression and commit other human rights violations with impunity.”
The opening of the celebrations on Friday, 10 October was attended by several other African heads of states, Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Naik, and foreign dignitaries. Later that evening a state banquet hosted by The Gambian leader at the State House grounds was also attended by the Bissau-Guinean head of state, the speaker of the National Assembly of Gabon, and foreign dignitaries, among others.
In his address to supporters at the Independence Stadium in Bakau also aired by state broadcaster, GRTS, Jammeh listed his development achievements, which he said is unprecedented. He also promised that by September 2015, he will remove all school fees to provide free education for all Gambians. Jammeh dismissed colonialism and reiterated zero tolerance for corruption and homosexuality.
Despite all the progress and so-called development since President Jammeh took power, The Gambia is still among the poorest countries in the world. Statistics from the World Bank show that more than 60 percent of the country’s population live below the global poverty line of $2 a day.
Sarjo Bayang, a regular commentator on issues in the country berated President Jammeh for what he described as death of the national economy and financial systems in an opinion piece widely published in Gambian online media. He wrote:
Deep biting economic hardship and financial meltdown that Gambians continue to suffer is at the extreme situation of thermal death for a nation in grief with no hope of redemption. Refusing to share the excruciating pain that ravages whole society the country’s President Jammeh instead chose celebrating 20 years of 22 July 1994 military coup in lavish spending weeklong party time from 10 October 2014.
In the strongly worded article, Bayang argued that Jammeh has misplaced priorities built on broken pillars of falling economic super structure and criticised Jammeh for lavish expenses:
Most amazingly, President Yaya Jammeh kept the flame of festivals burning from that fateful 22 July 1994. Those who know Kanilai [a village in Southern Gambia] where the president calls home will tell you that it is party time day and night dusk to dawn 247. Animals are slaughtered for sacrifice to demons and meat is distributed for meals. Drumming and dancing is all time social event. Contests are organised between various entertainers including witch craft displays, magicians, and women wrestlers.
Gambian exiled journalist Aisha Dabo complained on Twitter about Jammeh's extravagant donations:
#Gambia Presi Jammeh lavish 20yr in power: $1.5million to Muslim cleric Zakir Naik while 600k citizens food insecure 200k urgently need aid [UN estimates]
— Aisha Dabo™ (@mashanubian) October 11, 2014
Pa Nderry M'Bai, a US based Gambian journalist and publisher of a controversial online newspaper, Freedom Newspaper,  posted five new photos of the celebrations at the stadium indicating low attendance for the event.
M'bai's photos were dismissed as misleading by a Facebook user, Chatti Yayam, who posted a comment and a photo showing a more crowded celebration. He said:
This is the real celebration mr Pa Nderry mbai.. I understand u want a better Gambia an I commen u for the struggle an all your efforts but if u want us to continue to believe in u an what u are doin u have be telling the truth no matter how hard. For The Gambia our home land!
Even though modest progress has been made by President Jammeh's government, many feel that there is no justification for lavish celebrations held annually. After the coup celebrations, more attention will certainly be focused on the promise of free education for all Gambian children come September 2015.

author: Demba Kandeh


text:
Beijing Claims Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Protests Are a US-Backed Color Revolution · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Occupy Central protesters brought their tents to the sit-in sites to prepare for long-term fight. Photo by PH Yang, non-commercial use.
Days after the debut of a massive sit-in in Hong Kong calling for genuine democratic elections, Beijing began accusing the grassroots movement of being a color revolution backed by the US government.
Since late September, protesters have camped out in central Hong Kong to demand an open nomination process for candidates in the next election of the city's top leader instead of the mainland's plan for a largely pro-Beijing nominating committee. Pro-democracy group Occupy Central With Love and Peace had planned the sit-in as a last resort if the Hong Kong and Beijing governments refused to bend on the nominating committee despite significant popular support for something more democratic.
At its peak, the sit-in has attracted tens of thousands of participants. The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, China Daily, has published commentaries since October 4 accusing a small number of instigators of receiving support from the US government and attempting to stage a color revolution in Hong Kong to undermine the central Beijing government's power. The paper further characterized the protests as a “riot” in a front page news feature on October 11.
Color revolution describes a series of peaceful uprisings in countries of the former Soviet Union. The US government has firmly denied the accusation of having a hand in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
Chinese authorities’ use of the term fits with their previously stated belief that Hong Kong conforming to the Beijing-approved election system is an issue of national security. It also implies that it is rather unlikely for China's legislature, the National People Congress, to withdraw or amend the nomination framework set for special administrative region Hong Kong.
Pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong have also spread the conspiracy theory about the US government's role in the Occupy Central protests. In addition to the claim that Hong Kong pan-democrats have a connection with the National Endowment for Democracy, a US-funded organization that promotes democracy and freedom worldwide, the most bizarre smear is the accusation that Joshua Wong, the 17-year-old leader of high school activist group Scholarism, is being cultivated as a political superstar and received combat training from US Marines. Scholarism is one of the leading groups of the protests.
While pro-democracy protesters have treated the rumors as jokes, pro-Beijing lawmakers, who hold the majority in the Hong Kong Legislative Council thanks to the current undemocratic “functional constituency” system, built upon the conspiracy theory of foreign intervention and demanded an investigation into the mobilization behind the Occupy Central protests on October 10.
Some of the evidence of foreign intervention that is being pushed is the abundant supply of resources, such as food, drink, stationary, posters and banners at the protest sites. Blogger Sze Ching Cheun laughed at the claim:
在運動進行得如火如荼之際，建制人士忽然高調重提「外國勢力論」，自然是別有用心，祈望以此打擊運動。[…] 於這場運動中，物資充足竟然被追究為外國勢力侵入的證據。[…]香港人很窮嗎？翻看一些報導，以往各地有天災，香港人的捐款數字驚人，就如四川大地震中，香港民間捐款高達130億。既然如此，捐出兩星期的生活必需品究竟有何困難？[…] 每個人都是各按能力，買了自己的一份，又或多捐幾份，最後集腋成裘，有了現在物資充足的景象。所以，不需外國資金，這些物資香港人還是能夠支付。
As the occupy movement carried on smoothly, the pro-government camp reintroduced the “foreign intervention theory” with the intention of discrediting the protests. […] The abundant supply of resources is now turned into evidence of foreign intervention. […] Are Hong Kong people that poor? Let's check past reports. Whenever there has been a natural disaster, the donations from Hong Kong have always been astonishing. For example, following the Szechuan earthquake [in 2008], donations coming from Hong Kong citizens reached 13 billion Hong Kong dollars [approximately 1.9 billion US dollars] […] Everyone contributes to the protests what they can, so adding that all up means we have an abundant supply of resources. We don't need foreign donations. We can pay for our own resources.
In response to being labeled a color revolution and a riot, the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism, two key organizations that started a class boycott mid-September, issued an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jingping. In it, they pointed out the antagonism is rooted in the failure of the Hong Kong government to incorporate public opinion in their election reform consultation report:
[…] 特區政府於第一階段諮詢報告，非但未有如實記錄，更謊稱港人不同意改革立法會制度，無意廢除功能組別。此舉完全漠視民意，拒絕回應港人呼聲期待。港府報告不實，造就今天人大常委頒佈的政改框架。如果港府真誠面對民意，必須承認錯誤，自我修正，將港人對民主的真正意願，納入改革方向。
[…] The consultation report put forward by the Hong Kong government did not genuinely reflect public opinion. It even claimed that Hong Kong people did not want reform the Legislative Council election system, in particular the abolition of functional constituency. The report is disrespectful to the Hong Kong people's political aspirations. The political reform framework set by the Standing Committee of the National Congress of People Representatives was misled by the Hong Kong government's misleading report. If the Hong Kong government is sincere towards its citizens, it has to admit its mistake, correct the report and incorporate the people's aspirations for genuine democracy into the political reform.
The groups further mentioned that citizen nomination is a common practice in the election of local representatives in mainland China, hence the Hong Kong people's demand for citizen nomination is legitimate:
更何況，大陸地方政府也有選民提名，公民提名具法理及現實基礎 […] 香港發展至今的佔領運動，絕非顏色革命，而是港人爭取民主的運動。學生當天領頭罷課，至今佔領不同地方，正因梁振英等人一再逆民意而行。[…] 真普選不代表奪權，只是體現《基本法》所載的高度自治、行政管理權。
The fact that local governments in mainland China also accept citizen nomination has provided both legal and practical foundation for the incorporation of citizen nomination into Hong Kong's election of the chief executive. […] The occupy protests are not a color revolution. It is a campaign calling for democracy. The student class boycotts and the sit-in are reactions to the actions of chief executive CY Leung, among other government officials, that go against the people's will. […] Genuine universal suffrage is not about seizing power [from the central government]; it is the realization off a high degree of autonomy and administrative power as written in the Basic Law.
Szeto Tzelong, an online current affairs commentator, further elaborated on the constitutional ground of citizen nomination presented by the two student activist groups in the open letter and stressed that the Occupy Central protests do not mean to undermine Beijing's authority:
雨傘運動的訴求由始至終都是要求民主政制改革，並非推翻內地政權。群眾要求落實「公民提名」、「取消功能組別」，都是不涉及中央的管治。甚至「撤回人大決定」的要求，都是根據中華人民共和國憲法第62(11)條所賦予人大的職權：「改變或者撤銷全國人民代表大會常務委員會不適當的決定」。[…] 內地各級人大選舉法訂明皆有「選民提名」的方式，市民只需十位選民推薦，便能成為候選人。而且，內地的「選舉委員會」只有事務責任，沒有所謂實質提名權。根據一國兩制的精神，香港的法律應該比內地更鬆寛。公民提名一來符合香港的既有方式（立法會、區議會），亦不會超越國家層面的法律。故此，爭取公民提名只是維權運動，稱不上為奪權，更不用說革命。
From day one, Umbrella Movement protesters have demanded democratic political reform. This has nothing to do with overthrowing the government in mainland China. “Citizen nomination” and “abolition of Functional Constituency” will not challenge the central government's authority. Even the call for the “withdrawal of the decision made by the National Congress of People's Representatives” is made in accordance with China's Constitution Article 62 Clause 11, which includes in the authority of the National People Congress to power to “amend and withdraw the decision made by the standing committee of the NPC.” […] In mainland China, the local election of people's representatives allows for “voter nomination”. Any citizen who obtains 10 legitimate voters’ nominations can become a candidate. In addition, in mainland China, the role of an “election committee” is purely administrative and does not enjoy the substantive nomination right. According to the principle of “one country, two systems,” the election law in Hong Kong should be more flexible than mainland China. The practice of “citizen nomination” is consistent with the current practice of the elections in the District Council and Legislative Council and by no means violates the law implemented in China. The struggle for “citizen nomination” is just a civil rights movement and has nothing to do with over taking power [from the central government], nor is a [color] revolution.
Teng Biao, a mainland Chinese human right lawyer, however, believes that the fate of Hong Kong and mainland China cannot be detached and the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong will inevitably affect China. He called the dilemma, the unbearable heaviness of revolution:
极权的本质是要控制一切，极权专制之下，不会允许自由制度的存在。让香港人有真正的普选，就是允许专制堤坝出现一个裂缝，这个裂缝将会导致专制的崩溃。[…] 香港人不单是为香港争民主，在客观上也是在为中国争民主。对于本土意识逐渐增强、希望去中国化的香港人来说，这是一个相当吊诡的事实。[…] 现在，香港人承担了不可承受的革命之重，香港人为越来越不认同的那片土地上的人民来争取民主 […]
The nature of dictatorship is to keep everything under control. The authoritarian system will not allow the existence of a free system. It considers genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong to be a crack in the dam, which will eventually lead to the downfall of dictatorship. […] Hong Kong people are not just struggling for their own democracy. The political context has turned their democratic struggle into a struggle for China's democracy. This is a paradoxical reality for Hong Kong people, who have developed very strong local identification and wanted to keep a distance with mainland China. […] The Hong Kong people have taken up the unbearable heaviness of revolution, struggling for democracy for those who live in a piece of land that they do not identify with. […]
Follow our in-depth coverage: Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Bolivian Voters Give President Evo Morales a Landslide Third-Term Win · Global Voices
Pablo Andrés Rivero

Bolivian President Evo Morales. Flickr photo courtesy of user Alain Bachellier (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
According to exit polls and quick count surveys, the Bolivian media report that President Evo Morales of the Movement Toward Socialism Party (MAS) has won re-election with approximately 60 percent of the votes and will remain president until the year 2020.
There were 6.2 million Bolivian citizens eligible to vote in the 2014 general elections. The most notable change for this particular election has been that, for the first time, 273,000 citizens have been allowed to vote from 31 outside countries. Bolivia, where voting is obligatory, has one of the highest voter turnout records in South America.
The same initial counts anticipate that Morales's MAS-IPSP (Movement Toward Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the People Party) will have control of two-thirds of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.
This data is unofficial and will be confirmed within the next 48 hours.
The two most commonly used hashtags for reporting and commentary during the elections have been #EleccionesBo (Election Bolivia) and #BoliviaElige (Bolivia chooses). A few days ago, blogger and digital activist Tonny López (@tonnylp) drew attention to the proliferation of hashtags in the traditional and digital media, where nearly 20 different tags have been put into place:
A tomar en cuenta: MediosdeCom, activistas y ciudadanos en #Bolivia tienen sus hashtag para estas #EleccionesBo pic.twitter.com/CUoI9qnZTV
— Tonny Lopez (@tonnylp) octubre 9, 2014
Think about this: media, citizens, and activists in Bolivia all use their own hashtags for these elections.
The most notorious incident to date was a printer's error on the ballot sheet that read “'Plurinominal’ State of Bolivia”, rather than “‘Plurinational’ State of Bolivia.”
“Estado PLURINOMINAL de Bolivia”. ¿Culpa del autocorrector? XD #EleccionesBo #BoliviaDecide pic.twitter.com/xergGevNGQ
— Fernando Balderrama (@wakamolee) octubre 12, 2014
“The PLURINOMINAL State of Bolivia.” Blame it on AutoCorrect? XD
The responsibility for this gaffe rested with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, who responded via Twitter:
#RamiroParedes: El término “Plurinominal” no afecta el valor legal electoral. Se verificarán medidas de seguridad. pic.twitter.com/rjX2P9GCxT
— TSE Bolivia (@TSEBolivia) octubre 12, 2014
#RamiroParedes: The term “Plurinominal” does not affect the legally binding force of the elections. Our safeguard measures will be reevaluated.
#TSE: Aún no se establece el origen del error de escritura en la papeleta electoral, a partir de mañana se investigará
— TSE Bolivia (@TSEBolivia) octubre 12, 2014
#TSE: The origin of the printing error on the ballot sheet has not yet been determined; The matter will be investigated starting tomorrow.
Just two days before the election, Bolivians looked back on the 32 years since democracy was restored in Bolivia. Since that time, eight general elections have been held in the country.

author: Pablo Andrés Rivero


text:
Facebook’s Zuckerberg Promotes Greater Internet Access in Indonesia · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

Indonesia's President-elect Jokowi with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “Facebook as social media is able to link the people with leaders who turn to their people for inspiration. -Joko Widodo (Jokowi)”
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is visiting Indonesia to campaign for wider Internet access in the country.
On his official page, Zuckerberg talked about his experience visiting the Buddhist temple Borobudur:
Mark Zuckerberg
I just arrived in Indonesia and hiked up Borobudur to watch the sunrise. Tomorrow for Internet.org I'm looking forward to meeting with developers, operator partners and government leaders in Jakarta.
Despite his star status, it seems not everyone knew who he is:
Mark Zuckerberg Nikmati Sunrise di Borobudur Tanpa Layanan VIP http://t.co/EwfpM77ekE — YOGYA ISTIMEWA (@YogyaIstimewa) October 13, 2014
Mark Zuckerberg enjoying the sunrise in Borobudur without VIP treatment
Ha ha ha they didn't know who is Mark Zuckerberg so they asked him to take photo pic.twitter.com/re1C9cBbLc — Christien (@mchristien) October 13, 2014
Zuckerberg also met the incoming president Joko Widodo (Jokowi):
Ir H Joko Widodo Hari ini saya gembira karena mendapat kesempatan ‘blusukan’ bersama Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg ke Pasar Blok A Tanah Abang Jakarta Pusat.
I'm happy to get the chance to visit Blok A Market in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta with founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg was impressed to learn that Jokowi maximized social media tools to connect with voters and constituents:
This morning I met with President-elect Joko Widodo and we discussed the opportunities and challenges of connecting everyone in Indonesia.
He has an amazing perspective since he ran much of his presidential election campaign through Facebook and the internet in order to communicate directly with all 250 million Indonesians.
He also highlighted the unique leadership style of Jokowi called “blusukan”:
A hallmark of his style is “blusukan” or impromptu walkabouts to meet Indonesian citizens. After our meeting, I joined him on a walkabout to the Tanah Abang market. It was a wonderful way to connect with people directly. He recently launched an online “e-Blusukan” so that he can connect with all Indonesians online in a similar way across the archipelago.
Then he wrote about the value of the Internet to improve the lives of Indonesians:
I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people here and talk to them about how they’re using the internet. Many are already using the internet to build businesses, improve their communities and connect with the world. If we can connect everyone in Indonesia, these benefits will only continue to grow.
— at Tanah Abang.
Many are hoping that Zuckerberg's visit will encourage Indonesia's incoming government to fast-track the improvement of Internet connectivity in the country, and more importantly, promote greater Internet freedom.
There are high expectations that the Jokowi presidency may reverse some of the Internet regulations implemented by the incumbent government, especially those that undermine free speech in the country. For instance, while authorities extol the importance of the Internet, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kemenkominfo) has launched the Trust+ program which obliges service providers to use DNS filtering systems in an effort to filter pornographic content from local networks. Technical and ad hoc testing indicate that the filters also capture perfectly legal, non-pornographic content such as sexual education and LGBT community websites. The government has also blocked video sharing site Vimeo, charging that it hosts pornography, despite the fact that the site explicitly forbids this in its terms of service.
This program was initiated by former Minsiter Tifatul Sembiring who is a member of the Prosperous Justice Party, an Islamist political party, inspired in part by previous leadership of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
Roughly 28 percent of indonesians now use the Internet, with the majority accessing the Web via smartphone. There are 69 million Facebook users in Indonesia and they are among the most active social media users in Southeast Asia. Despite Internet connectivity issues, Indonesia seeks to increase Internet literacy in the country by 50 percent in 2015.

author: Juke Carolina


text:
Journal from an Ethiopian Prison: Testimony of Befeqadu Hailu · Global Voices
Advox

This testimony was written by blogger and human rights advocate Befeqadu Hailu in late August 2014. A founding member of the Zone9 blogging collective and a Global Voices community member, he was arrested and imprisoned on April 25, 2014 along with five fellow members of Zone9 and three journalist colleagues. On July 17, 2014, all nine detainees were charged under the country’s penal code and the Terrorism Proclamation of 2009. Befeqadu mentions in his text the names of several of his fellow detainees including Abel, Mahlet, and Natnael. All are members of the Zone9 collective.
This is the first of two installments of an abridged version of Befeqadu’s testimony. It was translated from Amharic to English by Endalk Chala and edited for clarity and context by Ellery Roberts Biddle. The full, unabridged testimony is available in PDF form here.
“So, what do you think is your crime?”
My interrogator posed this question after forcing me to recount my work as an activist and progressive blogger. Soon after the interrogation, when my captors reunited me with my blogger friends, we realized that we were all asked this same question:
Befeqadu Hailu. Photo used with permission.
“So what do you think is your crime?”
The question is intriguing. It sheds light on our innocence, on our refusal to acknowledge whatever crimes our captors suspect us of committing. Yes, they probed us severely, but each session ended with same question. The investigation was not meant to prove or disprove our offenses. It was meant simply to make us plead guilty.
After two years of writing and working to engage citizens in political debate, we have been apprehended and investigated. Blame is being laid upon us for committing criminal acts, for supposedly being members and “accepting the missions” of [opposition political parties] Ginbot7/May 15 and OLF. [1]
The next step is “due process” and our prosecution, but I believe there are still questions to be answered. How did we get here? What was our interrogation like? Are we really members of Ginbot7/May15?  If not, why have they arrested us?  Will they release us soon?
No matter what, boundaries exist in this country. People who write about Ethiopia’s political reality will face the threat of incarceration as long as they live here.
We believe that everyone who experiences this reality, dreading the consequences of expressing their views, lives in the outer ring of the prison – the nation itself. That is why we call our blog Zone9. [2]
Zone9 was merely two weeks old when the government made our collective blog inaccessible in Ethiopia in 2012. Despite the blockage, we continued to write, but we knew that the fate of our blocked blogs could be our own. We knew we could end up being arrested.
In the days and weeks leading up to our incarceration in April 2014, government security agents threatened us with imminent arrest, but we were still shaken by what happened to us. The six local members of the blogging collective and our three journalist allies were arrested and detained. With the exception of one of the journalists (Asmamaw Hailegiorgis of Addis Guday newspaper) we were arrested on Friday April 25 at about 11:00 pm and taken from our respective locations. Asmamaw was arrested the next morning. By the time we were seized and taken to the detention center, the search “warrant” that authorized our arrest was well over its time limit, according to Ethiopian law. The unlawful intrusion on our rights began here. Without delay, we became the victims of many violations of Ethiopian law by the authorities.
The idea of setting a foot in the compound of the ill-famed Maekelawi detention center gives a cold shiver to anyone who knows its history. But my sheer optimism and trust that the brutal and inhumane treatment of people was a distant memory saved me from trembling as I was escorted into the compound. The same was true of my friends, I suppose. What is more, we had nothing to be scared of, because we are neither undercover agents nor members of armed forces. We are just writers.
But as soon as I arrived at Maekelawi, detainees informed me that I had been placed in one of the notorious sections of the detention center, known as “Siberia”. In less than a week, I felt like I was living in the middle of an account from the 2013 Human Rights Watch report entitled “They Want a Confession”. [3]
This is the first of two installments of an abridged version of Befeqadu’s testimony. It was translated from Amharic to English by Endalk Chala and edited for clarity and context by Ellery Roberts Biddle. The full, unabridged testimony is available in PDF form here.
Six of the detained bloggers in Addis Ababa. Photo used with permission.

author: Advox


text:
Journal from an Ethiopian Prison: The Maekelawi Ceremony · Global Voices
Advox

Aerial view of Maekelawi detention center in Addis Ababa. Source: Google Earth. Originally published by Human Rights Watch.
This testimony was written by blogger and human rights advocate Befeqadu Hailu in late August 2014. A founding member of the Zone9 blogging collective and a Global Voices community member, he was arrested and imprisoned on April 25, 2014 along with five fellow members of Zone9 and three journalist colleagues. On July 17, 2014, all nine detainees were charged under the Terrorism Proclamation of 2009.
This is the second of two installments of an abridged version of Befeqadu’s testimony. The first installment in this series recounts the activities of the Zone9 bloggers and the short history of their collaboration prior to their arrest. Read part one.
The second installment was translated from Amharic to English by Endalk Chala and edited for clarity and context by Ellery Roberts Biddle. In it, Befeqadu describes the interrogation process at Maekelawi detention center, where he and his fellow bloggers were held following their arrest. The full, unabridged testimony is available in PDF form here.
The Standard Maekelawi Interrogation
The standard Maekalawi interrogation methods are more about dominance and submission than confidence or creativity. Instead of extracting information from “suspects”, the police officers usually fool around. They spend a great deal of time pretending that they already know the evils you’ve committed. If they cannot successfully extract information from you in this way, they force confessions by punching, beating, extended physical exercise and flogging.
I have concluded that this is the standard interrogation routine at Maekalawi since I have endured it from five different police officers. Other detainees tell me that they have gone through the same procedures. I spoke with some detainees who had undergone even more wicked procedures that were clear violations of their privacy. Some detainees were forced to strip naked and asked to stand or perform sit-ups until dawn.
I met people who suffered from medieval types of torture in an unnamed detention center before they were brought to their pre-trial detention at Maekalawi. These detainees suffered from diabolical barbarity such as forcible extraction of their nails from their fingers, flogging, and hooding. Among them are students from Haramaya University.[1] The information extracted from detainees in the unnamed detention center is then verified through more interrogation at the pre-trial detention center. Detainees never know where they were taken for this brutal investigation because they are hooded throughout. The unnamed detention centers are like black holes. It turns out that the anguish of Ethiopian prisoners, something that appeared to be so distant in memory, is not that far off after all.[2]
Befeqadu Hailu. Global Voices profile image.
In our case, finally we were made to plead guilty. We confessed under duress. We could not bear the ceaseless brutal and psychologically degrading pressure. We could not carry on surviving the hell of Maeklawi. We ended up telling our interrogators what they wanted to hear. To their delight, we added as many self-incriminating phrases as possible. But phrases like “yes, we wanted to incite violence” never pleased them. So they rewrote our confessions to fit their frame. Some of us tried to explain. Others had to endure beatings. But at last we succumbed to the pressure and signed the carefully scripted confession pages, with the exception of our colleague Abel, who refused to sign at that time. He has survived the pain he has endured since, and his confession, when finally extracted, is completely untrue, to say nothing of ours.
Now we know that torture is the part of the Maekelawi ceremony that reveals the “truth” of a crime. I had long thought police interrogations were complex, involving sophisticated skills, knowledge and psychological tactics to establish facts. I now know that police interrogations in Maekelawi are not so elaborate. In fact they are simple. They are like machines that produce guilt in the detainees.
At Maekelawi, the driving principle of police interrogations is that you are guilty unless proven otherwise. Your pleas for innocence – or even for explanation – fall on deaf ears. Interrogators will cook up a crime for you.
The evidence for each of the confessions to which our guilty pleas were attached include our online campaigns, our plans, the articles we wrote, the trainings we attended, the training manuals, the skills we attempted to impart.
Selected documents presented by the public prosecutor as evidence against the Zone9 bloggers:
These and many other documents were confiscated from the bloggers’ homes and computers, all of which were searched by authorities in the months leading up to their trial. Read the full list.
We all expected that their plan was to indict us with the charge of provoking public disorder. We thought the ceiling for our “crime” would be accusing us of violating Article 257/8 of the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. But no. We were formally charged under Ethiopia’s Terrorism Proclamation, particularly with violating Article 4, which can result in severe punishment of 15 years to life imprisonment.
I think our story can be best explained by an Ethiopian folk tale about a hyena and a donkey.
Once upon a time a donkey and a hyena were drinking from the same stream of water. The belligerent hyena whined to the donkey that she was making his water filthy despite the fact that the hyena was drinking upstream. The donkey told the hyena, “stop looking for a reason to prey on me.” This too is our story: we are the donkey.
They arrested us without knowing anything other than our names. We genuinely believed that if they knew what we were doing, they might understand us. In that spirit, we even passed some of our writings to them through one of their agents prior to our detention. But I don’t think they read our writings. Our interrogators just desperately wanted us to plead guilty. Why would they do that? Maybe they want to keep us away from Ethiopian social media until after the upcoming national election in May 2015.
For now, let me ponder our future. Will they release us? I will not dwell on the legal possibilities of our “acquittal”, but I will examine our hypothetical chances. Even though the Ethiopian Federal Police, which is an apparatus of the government, arrested us without having probable cause, they still thought they would find some sort of transgression.
As a matter of fact, they could not find anything incriminating even in the wildest interpretation of Ethiopia’s already broad anti-terrorism proclamation. But this did not prevent them from using it. The fact that they did not even deliver a coherent statement of our offenses when they appeared in court to charge us demonstrates that they do not have valid suspicion or evidence. Yet I do not believe that they will release us soon.
EPRDF (the ruling party) is bull-headed.[3] When they see that detainees have generated significant outside support and are critical of their governance, they will not release them, at least not without dehumanizing them. EPRDF is foolish like a child. Note that I am not saying the global support we received is not helping us. Your support is our daily bread. It is warming us like sunshine. I am sure the day shall come in which we say thank you.
They are fearful. In the weeks leading up to our arrest, they accused us of planning a color revolution following the national election using their media. Though they must know our innocence regarding their fear of inciting violence after the upcoming election, they do not want to risk that there will be a backlash from their actions.
And they want us suffer. They want us to spend our time jail because we are strong critics of their policies. They do not have a sense of decency that would prevent them from handing down judgment on innocent people.
The six Zone9 bloggers in Addis Ababa, prior to their arrest. Befeqadu is third from left. Photo used with permission.


text:
Powerful Typhoon Vongfong Kills 2, Injures More Than 70 in Japan · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

A destroyed house saw its walls and roof on the second floor collapse due to the strong winds in Makurazaki region in Japan. 13 October 2014. Photo by rieko uekama. Copyright Demotix.
Typhoon Vongfong (aka Typhoon 19) has swept through Japan, leaving at least two people dead and more than 70 people injured.
The super typhoon, described as one of the most powerful storms of the year in the western Pacific, landed on the southern tip of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, and made its way all the way up Japan before heading out to sea early on October 14.
台風１９号の今後の進路予測・きょう午後8時現在の推定です。 pic.twitter.com/o4iOLjqPBW
— ＮＨＫ生活・防災 (@nhk_seikatsu) October 13, 2014
The expected path of Typhoon 19 as of 8 a.m. October 13 (NHK Disaster Alerts)
About two million people were evacuated, and damage, while limited, was still significant in isolated and rural prefectures such as Okinawa:
Typhoon 19 causes widespread damage over all parts of Okinawa, injuries and flooding reported – October 12 (ANN News)
Twitter users all over Japan shared images of the typhoon.
One Twitter, a user in Okinawa used time-lapse video to graphically show the dramatically falling air pressure preceding the typhoon storm system:
台風接近で気圧が変わってポテチの袋が変化する様子。これはオモシロっ　2014.台風19号接近でポテチの袋は: http://t.co/Ci0oX6ipUR @YouTubeさんから
— 不破雷蔵(懐中時計) (@Fuwarin) October 13, 2014
Here's how a potato chip bag changes shape as Typhoon 19 gets closer and closer… Cool!
By the time the typhoon reached Kyushu, it had all but obscured the western half of Japan from space:
大型の台風19号、鹿児島県に上陸 http://t.co/5coFTPkD0M 世界の最新ニュースはこちら→ http://t.co/89EqvyqpaN ：写真 pic.twitter.com/yXGXa5zhSA
— AFPBB News (@afpbbcom) October 13, 2014
Super Typhoon 19 over Kagoshima Prefecture, as seen from space.
In Fukuoka (the largest city on the island of Kyushu) the storm was powerful enough to uproot trees:
西新のやよい軒前の木が倒れとる… pic.twitter.com/9NTPOdkruN
— あっくん (@Aki81218) October 13, 2014
Trees have been toppled over in front of the shops in Fukuoka.
Many towns, such as Saiki in Kyushu's Oita Prefecture, were in danger of flooding from raging rivers and culverts.
大分県佐伯市を流れる番匠川・井崎川では、避難判断水位に到達し、今後、さらに水位が上昇する可能性があり、最悪の場合、氾濫し周辺流域では冠水や浸水などの被害に見舞われる可能性があります。 | http://t.co/l9bPN5Qgng pic.twitter.com/BeRGAX9CMH
— 日刊時事ニュース (@nikkan_jijinews) October 13, 2014
Rivers are overflowing in Oita Prefecture's Saiki City, prompting evacuation. River levels are only expected to continue to rise with a high possibility of damage in the vicinity.
The town of Beppu was the scene of a raging cataract through town:
川見に行ったら氾濫しちょった！笑 ビニール傘吹き飛ぶし、びちょびちょ なるし、仮に落ちたら泳げんけん 死ぬし、川に良いことないわぁー pic.twitter.com/2mlWtllZyA
— 淵野祐輝 (@fy05410_n) October 13, 2014
When we went to the river there was a raging torrent! Our little plastic umbrella blew away and we're all wet (LOL). If you happened to fall in the river now it would be the end of you, so best to stay away!
By the time the typhoon reached Kanto and the Tokyo region it had blown itself out, leaving behind beautiful fall weather:
Fujisan from Kawaguchiko. Nice weather after the typhoon pic.twitter.com/J4UdkHLI2t
— Vincent vd Storme (@vincentvds) October 14, 2014


text:
As The Kremlin’s Media Crackdown Continues, Blogs Might Be The Final Casualty · Global Voices
Lewis May

Protesters at an opposition rally in Bolotnaya square, Moscow, document the event. Photo from Demotix.
With independent online media closing down or moving abroad and state-controlled TV following the Kremlin's every move, Russian bloggers now find themselves stranded in a media landscape dominated by the government. While blog platforms and their users still have arguably the greatest freedom for political debates and critiques of the government, and blogs have played a unique and pivotal role in those debates, the freedom has shrunk dramatically in the last year alone. Thus, the political agenda of the Russian blogosphere has also turned inward, with bloggers contemplating their own safety, and access to the Internet itself now at stake.
A study published in April found that Russian blogs were the most independent space for political discussion in 2010-2011, as mainstream Internet, print newspapers, and TV news closely mirrored the Kremlin’s dictated news agenda. The study, conducted by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, used word associations to study similar rhetoric and story selection in government websites, state-controlled TV channels, top Russian news sites and political blogs.
Researchers were surprised to find that Russian news sites closely mirrored official government news. While major Russian TV channels are widely known to be obsequious to the Kremlin, in December 2010–December 2011, when the data was collected, mainstream news sites in Russia still enjoyed a relative freedom from editorial control that has led many to believe that they were relatively uncensored. However, researchers found extensive similarities in tone and story selection between Russian mainstream news sites and official government announcements.
The study affirmed however, that Russian blogs continued to function as platforms for independent viewpoints. The topics and tone of these blogs differed greatly from mainstream news sites, state-controlled TV and government news. Russian political blogs addressed issues rarely discussed on state-controlled TV, like corruption, the arrest of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and civil rights. In this relative isolation from mainstream news sources, the Russian blogosphere in 2010-2011 was what researchers called an “alternative public sphere,” fostering an exchange of opinions and information independent of other Russian media.
The story has changed in the last few years however, as many independent online media outlets, like Lenta.ru, have been appropriated by the Kremlin, losing their freedom in exchange for closer government content control, while others faced blocking and blacklisting.
The shrinking space for an independent media agenda in the RuNet has meant less structured discussion platforms, like blogs and social media communities, now play an even greater role in political debate and dissent, permitting Russians to decide which issues concern them and organize themselves for action. Researchers cited the voter-fraud protests of 2012 as a prime example, when blogs enabled rapid organization and distribution of video evidence.
The Kremlin's most recent actions portend a darker future for independent Internet forums and blogs in Russia. Russian lawmakers have unleashed a litany of hostile legislation in an attempt to crack down on politically active bloggers and social media users, using anti-extremist and anti-terrorist laws to silence online dissent. The Kremlin is also expanding its control of the RuNet infrastructure and user data, as it contemplates an autonomous Internet, free from Western influence.
As Russia-based social networks fall under government influence and hand the Kremlin more control over the information agenda of a previously liberal space, media experts fear that alternative platforms (such as Facebook or Twitter) hosting Russian users and their politics may soon find themselves shut out from the RuNet.
Unfortunately, as the Russian government becomes increasingly more paranoid about the dangers of free expression online, most ordinary Russians remain uninterested in the bloggers’ plight or in protecting them, even as they fight on as the last independent voices left standing in Russia. Whether this attitude might change once whole social media platforms become unavailable to the RuNet users remains to be seen. Until then, Russian bloggers and social media users will have to adjust to the new harsh reality of a public sphere which requires you to register with the state as soon as your ‘alternative’ opinions gain any traction.

author: Lewis May


text:
Six Hong Kong Police Officers Kick and Punch a Handcuffed Protester in a Dark Corner · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Last night at 9:30pm, around 300 hundred protesters attempted to set up new barricade in Long Wo Road, near the government headquarter at Admiralty. Riot police took action to disperse protesters and arrested 45 of them. The process was brutal. The TV news showed that one of the protesters, identified as Tsang kin-chiu, a member of Civic Party, was intentionally brought to a dark corner where he was punched and kicked by six police officers.
The protesters action last night was a reaction to the police clearance of the barricades in major sit-in sites in the past few days. The massive sit-in action, dubbed Occupy Central protests, is to impose pressure on the Hong Kong government demanding a revision of the political reform package by incorporating the idea of “citizen nomination” in the election of the city's top leader.


text:
Will Ayotzinapa Case Become Mexico’s Political Firestorm or Will It Be Forgotten? · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

Candles burn for the 46 students who have vanished in Guerrero, México, October 8, 2014. This photo courtesy of Enrique Perez Huerta. Demotix
What lies ahead for Mexico, where the discovery of mass graves in Iguala and dozens of missing school students in Ayotzinapa has led to protests and a tense national debate about law and order? The future is uncertain, but Internet users are busy now discussing what to expect tomorrow. Some say these tragedies will be forgotten with time, while others believe they might serve as catalysts for social change.
Ishtar Cardona, who participated in a march on October 8, shared these reflections on Facebook:
Pienso en cosas que me hacen temer que Ayotzinapa tiene el mismo destino que ABC: después de los gritos, el silencio…
Resentí que durante el mitin al final de la manifestación del miércoles no se hablara de un plan de acción, de un acuerdo sobre puntos a seguir y peticiones concretas entre las que se encontraran:
a) Exigir la renuncia del gobernador Angel Aguirre (la inercia de la política nacional va a permitir que no se responsabilice por lo que le corresponde en lo sucedido).
b) Exigir el esclarecimiento por parte de las autoridades judiciales de Guerrero de las circunstancias en las que se produjo la desaparición de los normalistas y aprehensión inmediata de las autoridades municipales que participaron en los hechos además del presidente municipal y su secretario de seguridad pública (funcionarios, ministerios públicos).
c) Exigir por parte de las dirigencias nacionales de los partidos políticos la firma de un compromiso de transparencia y profesionalismo en la elección de sus candidatos a puestos de representación pública bajo supervisión ciudadana.
Era necesario gritar nuestra rabia y arropar a los familiares de los muchachos normalistas, pero ¿y después? ¿Vamos a dejar en manos de los que no hicieron lo que tenían que hacer la solución de lo que ya pasó y puede volver a pasar? […]
Some of the things I've seen make me afraid that the end result of the Ayotzinapa incident will be the same as what we saw after ABC [Day Care Center fire in Hermosillo, Sonora]: after the protests, silence…
I felt resentful because no one mentioned a plan of action during the rally that followed Wednesday's demonstration, and no one laid out any kind of mutual agreement about the next steps to be taken or specific demands to be made, which should have included the following points:
a) A call for the resignation of Governor Angel Aguirre (the apathy of national politics will allow him to evade responsibility for issues that are clearly his fault).
b) A call for judicial authorities in Guerrero to explain the circumstances that led to the students’ disappearances, and a call for the immediate apprehension of all city officials who participated in the incident (in addition to the city's mayor and his public secretary, staff, and public prosecutors).
c) A call for political parties’ national leaderships to sign, with citizen oversight, a commitment to transparency and professionalism in the election of their candidates to positions of public representation.
We needed the chance to shout out our rage and to surround and protect the missing students’ family members, but what will happen now? Are we going to leave the solution to a tragedy that has already happened (and could very well happen again) in the hands of the same people who didn't do their jobs in the first place?  […]
Around the time of the mass protests, Mexico's federal government suddenly announced it had captured the well-known drug trafficker Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, aka “The Viceroy”. Independent news medium Revolución Tres Punto Cero wrote soon thereafter:
Ya no hay manera de que se sigan montando cortinas de humo con éxito, ni la captura de “el Viceroy” o la del hermano de la esposa del alcalde de Iguala ha logrado detener este descontento popular que está latente, que se deja ver en las manifestaciones, en las marchas que se están llevando a cabo en todo el país y que marcan como un detonante lo ocurrido con los 43 estudiantes de Ayotzinapa. Este caso ha unificado, como no se veía desde hace años, a los ciudadanos quienes ven incrementada su insatisfacción con el gobierno y los partidos políticos […]
The creation of smokescreens will no longer work; the captures of “the Viceroy” and the brother-in-law of the mayor of Iguala have not been successful in quieting the smoldering popular unrest that is becoming evident in the demonstrations and marches that are taking place throughout the country and marking what happened with the 43 students in Ayotzinapa as a catalytic event. This case has unified citizens in a way not seen in many years as they sense a growing dissatisfaction with their government and its political parties […]
Some Twitter users have noticed suspicious activity online that they attribute to pro-government bots. The accounts in question echo the state's concerns that social unrest surrounding the Iguala case might threaten foreign investments in Mexico.
y esta maquinaria quien la echo a funcionar ? #Iguala [en] #AyotzinapaSomosTodos [en] #Ayotzinapa [en] quién paga a estos #bots [en] pic.twitter.com/gsKnwj4KM9
— Leonidas (@masterwarex) October 11, 2014
So who put this machinery in motion? Who is paying for this?
The tragedies in Mexico have changed the political landscape, as well. Faith in Guerrero's governor and elusive mayor of Iguala has slipped, and their political party faces grim prospects in the next elections.
El #PRD esperaba triunfo en las próximas elecciones… el #PRD esta acabado #AyotzinapaSomosTodos [en] #guerrerorojo
— HemeAqui (@PoliticStalker) October 11, 2014
The #PRD was expecting a victory in the next elections…but the #PRD is finished.
Others have turned their disappointment on President Enrique Peña Nieto:
#Ayotzinapa no topa en el olvido, en dar vueltas a una realidad dolorosa. @EPN pasará a la historia como el presidente que no supo serlo.
— RickyBersosa (@Rbersosa) October 11, 2014
#Ayotzinapa is not stumbling into oblivion, it is not just spinning in its painful reality. @EPN [Enrique Peña Nieto] will pass into history as the president who couldn't do his job.
So far, the government has spoken out against violence and has promised to bring justice. There are now accusations, however, that the state's investigations have become “chaotic and hostile“, and that the authorities leading the inquest have obstructed the work of international experts. In fact, Mexican officials have contradicted each other quite glaringly on several occasions.
From the official Twitter account of the governor of Guerrero:
Algunos de los cuerpos encontrados, de acuerdo con los avances que se tienen con los peritajes, no corresponden a los jóvenes de #Ayotzinapa
— Ángel Aguirre Rivero (@AngelAguirreGro) October 11, 2014
Some of the bodies discovered, according to expert reports, are not those of the students from #Ayotzinapa.
#OJO PGR desmiente a @AngelAguirreGro: ‘no se puede confirmar identidad de cuerpos’, dice #Ayotzinapa http://t.co/REuZeMXa3W
— Vértigo Político (@VertigoPolitico) October 11, 2014
#OJO PGR [Mexico's Attorney General] contradicts @AngelAguirreGro: ‘the identities of the bodies cannot be confirmed,’ says #Ayotzinapa
Family members cherish the hope that their loved ones will return. In the meantime, however, they're left waiting for official confirmation about whether any of the tortured remains now being identified match the students kidnapped by narcotics police. If the mass grave turns out to contain the missing students, Mexico will find out if the tension now in the air is enough to cause a large-scale political firestorm.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


text:
An Indian Photoblogger’s Lone Fight Against Plagiarism · Global Voices
Rezwan

Term of copyright in photographs:- Length of copyright -50 years. Graphics by Anirban Saha. Used with Permission.
Indian photoblogger Anirban Saha points to a growing problem in India — plagiarism of intellectual property online. A number of his photos were used in a poster for a theatre festival, on a cover of a book, in an advertisement by the state government, in political banners, in magazines in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and a school publication without his consent.
He writes that Indian copyright laws protect intellectual property, but there is not much awareness:
We can spread the awareness of intellectual property rights, share contact details of lawyers who have already fought similar cases. We should be more aware of safeguarding our creations and spreading the awareness to create a better world. Read about Indian Copyright Act 1957. More than the artists who still now are a minority, it is you readers who can make a difference. You need to be aware and spread the awareness.
Anirban Saha also publishes a number of graphics to make the Indian copyright laws easier to understand.

author: Rezwan


text:
Chinese Outbound Foreign Direct Investment in Europe · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

This five-minute video created by ESADE business school shows where Chinese capital is invested in Europe and examines the various motivations Chinese companies have for investing overseas (via the China Observer).


text:
It’s Blog Action Day: Let’s Talk About Inequality · Global Voices
Maria Grabowski

Photo by Flickr user duncan c. CC BY-NC 2.0
Today is Blog Action Day — and this year we're joining pens, pads and keyboards to discuss inequality.
Blog Action Day has existed since 2007. It's a yearly event that sparks awareness and important discussions by uniting thousands of bloggers, focusing on one theme, and reaching a collective audience of millions. Over 1,500 bloggers have joined the initiative this year, coming from over a hundred different countries.
Then participate in #Blogaction14 by registering your own blog. Write in any language, from any country. Also remember that a blog is a wide definition: Vlogs, podcasts, photos, design and social media sites all count. On Twitter, keep an eye on the hashtags #Blogaction14, #Inequality and #Oct16.
Once again, Global Voices is an official partner of the event, and some of our great contributors have joined in with their personal blogs. See their posts below:

author: Maria Grabowski


text:
With Just Over 50 Entries, Kremlin Blogger Registry Gets No Love · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

New Internet laws in Russia  may be just a front for attacks on independent thought. Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
Russia's notorious blogger law now requires popular bloggers to register on a state-approved list. But a recent leak shows that only 52 entries have been added to the registry since it started operations over two months ago.
Internet news website TJournal first reported on the suspiciously low registration numbers when it received the registry leak from Golden Boy, an anonymous online provocateur. TJournal then published the full registered bloggers’ list on Pastebin.
The list boasts Roskomnadzor's own Twitter account, and a handful of other Kremlin-loyal Internet personalities, like Duma deputy Maria Kozhevnikova (her Instagram, Twitter and VKontakte accounts are on the list), Communications minister Nikolay Nikiforov (Twitter and Instagram), and Ashot Gabrelyanov, CEO of News Media and director of LifeNews TV channel.
Other websites on the blogger registry include popular VKontakte communities, like image-and-humor-heavy Pikabu, movie community KinoPoisk, and the VK page of singer Victoria Daineko.
Not all entries on the registry are social media pages: the two opposition-flavored blogs, run by writer Victor Shenderovich  and economist (and former Putin advisor) Andrey Illarionov, are both hosted on the Echo of Moscow website.
Roskomnadzor has a public search tool for its registry of blacklisted/banned websites, but the complete content of the new blogger registry only became public knowledge with the leak. There is a form on the registry website where you can search for a particular URL or last name to see if a specific blogger or platform has been added to the registry. The registry of companies and services defined as “organizers of dissemination of information” can also be searched in a separate form.
In the end, the leaked blogger list turned out to be available on the Roskomnadzor website: Artyom Kozlyuk, head of RosKomSvoboda initiative, said he discovered the data a few days earlier. However, the format of the “open” data is not easily searchable, and the fact of the publication was not advertized, so the openness of Roskomnadzor still leaves much to be desired.
After the leaked list of registered bloggers was published, Roskomnadzor's press-secretary Vadim Ampelonskiy said that all the bloggers and websites were added to the list based on requests, sent either by the bloggers themselves or by “concerned” third parties. With only 52 entries on the list, it looks like the bloggers aren't too eager to register with the state, while the “concerned” third parties aren't using enough elbow grease to submit registration requests for popular pages.
The RuNet users have voiced their surprize at the number of registered bloggers/blogs, and speculated that the law which mandates the registry is useless.
Можно с уверенностью сказать что закон не работает. Так какого хуя его приняли, если не могут его исполнять?
We can say with certainty that the law is not working. So why the fuck did they adopt it if they can't implement it?
Some netizens, however, saw through the superficial aims of the recent Internet-related legislation and recognized the law for what it is: a tool of political pressure.
Вы не поняли
Он будет работать в нужный момент для нужных людей
You don't get it.
It will work when necessary for necessary people.
As with other web-related debates in Russia, be it the Internet ‘kill switch’ or the data retention and storage legislation, the suggested rules and regulations come with a ‘false bottom.’ The rhetoric of security and user safety, stoked by myths of an evil Western plot to spoil Russia's online fun, covers up the Kremlin's desire for complete control over online discourse and its distaste for alternative opinions. The blogger registry law may not work simply because it was never meant to work properly. Instead, it will be a Potemkin village—a colorful but two-dimensional coverup for the state's political attacks on those who dare to cross it, online or offline.

author: Tanya Lokot