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What Next for Turkey After Erdogan Power Play? · Global Voices
Efe Kerem Sozeri

On 7 March 2016, Turkey's Prime Minister Davutoglu met European Parliament President Martin Schulz: “For the benefit of refugees we need to cooperate with Turkey” Source: European Parliament.
Ahmet Davutoglu was disliked by many in Turkey. As he steps down as Turkey's Prime Minister amid an apparent confrontation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he will fail to distance himself from the grave human cost of the government military operation in Eastern Turkey and a crackdown on media and the opposition.
But it is what happens next, with President Erdogan likely to be even less restrained than he was prior to Davutoglu's exit, which is of most concern.
Under the pretext of the “fight against terror” and the outlawed militant organisation PKK, PM Davutoglu's cabinet ordered month-long curfews and heavily armed assaults on Kurdish towns in the country's southeast, which cost at least 338 civilian lives and forced at least 355,000 people to flee their homes in the last eight months, according to a report by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey.
Til now, at least 338 civilians lost their lives under #curfews in #Turkey!https://t.co/LWrWjDGPMo
Enough of blood! pic.twitter.com/OndfKx23xn
— TİHV-HRFT (@insanhaklari) April 20, 2016
Also under Davutoğlu's government — formed in August 2014 — four newspapers and a national news agency were appointed with ‘government trustees’ before being shut down, while about 20 TV channels were removed from satellite and digital platforms following “terror propaganda” accusations.
Dozens of websites and news articles from mainly Kurdish news agencies, dailies and other media outlets, along with hundreds of Twitter accounts belonging to reporters and dissidents were blocked by the government on “national security” grounds.
A Judge in Turkey blocked access to 130 Twitter accounts with a decision lacking any justification. Pure censorship. pic.twitter.com/sOIq2h3oz1
— Yaman Akdeniz (@cyberrights) January 18, 2016
93% of world's court-ordered Twitter censorship requests come from Turkey
(Jul-Dec 2015) https://t.co/d18aNoq1DL pic.twitter.com/YFdCL2dtVx
— Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) April 23, 2016
Also during this time, more than 1,845 people, including journalists, were sued for “defamation” of the president, some of whom have already received jail sentences.
As of this writing, there are 33 journalists in Turkish jails, most of whom are Kurdish reporters in pre-trial detention for “terrorism propaganda” charges.
On May 6, the daily Cumhuriyet's editor-in-chief and Ankara bureau chief was sentenced to more than five years in jail for “revealing state secrets” in their news reports covering evidence of Turkey's intelligence agency shipping arms illegally to Northern Syria.
Several freelance reporters have been jailed and deported since the last summer, and now growing number of foreign correspondents and reporters are being denied entry into Turkey.
Giorgos Moutafis deported from TR back to Athens! Authorities said he's on no-entry list!@GiorgosKosmop @CarmenDpnt https://t.co/OusPncGlfD
— Begum Basdas (@BegumBasdas) April 24, 2016
Der Spiegel's correspondent was last year pulled out of the country after receiving death threats and having his press card not renewed, Sputnik's Turkey bureau chief meanwhile was deported to Moscow and had his press card seized.
Access to Sputnik — a Russian news website whose propaganda has increasingly come to focus on Turkey since Ankara downed a Russian military jet used in operations over Syria last November– is predictably blocked in Turkey.
Another quartet of reporters were denied entry into the country in the last week of April.
Foreign journos denied entry to Turkey in past week
1.Volker Schwenck
2.Tural Kerimov
3.Giorgos Moutafis
4.D.Lepeska
(Ebru Umar can't leave)
— Howard Eissenstat (@heissenstat) April 25, 2016
Both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Index on Censorship has published detailed timelines of Turkey's press freedom violations, which provided the pretext for a significant drop in Turkey's Reporters Without Borders‘ ranking.
On this World Press Freedom Day 2016, Turkey could be the fastest deteriorating environment. #WPFD2016 https://t.co/APzumI8XZl
— Marina Petrillo (@alaskaHQ) May 3, 2016
But, while Davutoglu was constitutionally more empowered than ally-turned-rival Erdogan, few believe that he was the driving force behind the crackdown on media and political opposition.
Erdogan, who came into power as a reformist Prime MInister in 2003, initially promised to direct the country towards full EU-membership and the rule of law.
In 2009 he initiated a courageous peace policy, the ‘Democratic Initiative,’ that involved negotiations with the PKK leadership to end Turkey's decades-long Kurdish rights problems and forge a political solution that PKK leaders were also ready to accept.
But when the EU membership talks stalled around 2010, Erdogan began an autocratic turn, with the Kurdish political movement hit hardest.
By 2012, there were as many as 100 critical journalists in jail, while a leading TV channel and its sister newspaper were seized by the government and sold to a company controlled by Erdoğan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak in a bid to bring media ownership into the hands of a few government-friendly business partners.
(Albayrak is now Turkey's Energy Minister and one of several potential candidates for prime minister.)
Following the 2013 Gezi protests Erdogan and the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) asserted ever more control over Turkish society.
The December 2013 graft probe that touched the Erdogan family as well as several of his ministers ended with a purge of police chiefs and prosecutors involved in the investigation.
Today's sweeping online censorship and disproportionate police violence against mass protests can be traced back to legislative amendments that followed these political developments.
Throughout this time, Davutoglu was Erdogan's foreign policy advisor and later his Minister of Foreign Affairs. Then, when Erdogan was elected as President in August 2014 — vacating the office of Prime Minister — Davutoğlu was his loyal successor.
But Davutoglu reportedly grew uneasy over some of Erdogan's more extreme authoritarian tendencies, with one outlet reporting the pair had as many as 20 significant disagreements — roughly one disagreement per month — during his premiership.
But the controversies which will define Turkey's immediate future will now exclusively be associated with the unassailable Erdogan.
The president is currently demanding more powers for his office through a new constitution, and an even broader definition of terrorism as he seeks to suppress political dissent.
And as the opposition talks of a ‘palace coup’, pro-Erdogan columnists are already sounding the death knell for the parliamentary system in Turkey.
Erdogan loyalist Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag is the favourite to replace Davutoglu, at least until an expected referendum on lifting parliamentary immunities — a move that AKP MPs literally fought over — which will allow the government to jail opposition MPs.
And as the EU and Turkey haggle over the lives of millions of refugees – a deal that may be harder to implement without Davutoglu around — Turkey's own people appear increasingly like boat-bound captives, too.
But Turkey's boat does have a captain, and no-one doubts his name.

author: Efe Kerem Sozeri


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Uganda’s Defiance Campaign Will Not Be Televised · Global Voices
Prudence Nyamishana

Electronic media houses in Uganda such as this one, Voice of Tooro FM, might lose their licenses for broadcasting the opposition's Defiance Campaign. Creative Commons photo (CC BY 2.0) by the U.S. Mission Uganda.
Less than a week since Ugandans celebrated World Press Freedom Day, Minister for Information and National Guidance Jim Katugugu Muhwezi has banned media houses from covering opposition protests, which their organizers are calling a “defiance campaign”. The demonstrations are organised by Kizza Besigye, the leader for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the country's main opposition party.
Addressing members of the press, the minister said the ban on the live coverage of FDC's activities will be implemented by the Uganda Communications Commission as well as the police, and that any electronic media houses covering the opposition's campaign will lose their broadcast licences. He did not say anything about coverage by print media.
The executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission, Godfrey Mutabazi, warned social media users saying, “The ban may be extended to social media, if it is used as an alternative tool for propagating [the] defiance campaign.”
Meanwhile, the defiance campaign organizers plan on using weekly prayers and public demonstrations to demand an independent audit of the 2016 presidential results. The controversial elections, which took place on February 18, saw President Yoweri Museveni win his fifth term in office with 60.75% of the vote, while Kizza Besigye took 35%. Besigye and his supporters claim that the election was rigged. International observers and human rights groups also criticized the election process.
A local court has ruled that that the defiance campaign is illegal. The court ruled that carrying out the defiance campaign with the aim of obtaining control of government stands in violation of the Ugandan constitution. It should be noted that the objective of the campaign is not to directly overtake the government, but rather to challenge election results through public protests. The Uganda Law Society has criticised the ruling, arguing that the court only heard from one party to the issue, the Attorney General. The FDC says that it will not respect the court order.
The online community has reacted to the ban using two Twitter hashtags, #PressBan and #UgandaMediaGag.
Some Twitter users pointed out the irony of the ban's timing, while others were keen to see the media's next move:
Hot on the heels of #WorldPressFreedomDay comes #UgandaMediaGag. Ironic
— Nancy Kacungira (@kacungira) May 5, 2016
Eager to see how the media responds to this #UgandaMediaGag. Will it ban coverage of govt/ruling party activities?
— Harriet Anena (@ahpetite) May 5, 2016
Others simply mocked the government's decision:
You have a right to remain silent. Your tweets can be used against you in the courts of law. #PressBan #UgandaMediaGag #FreeMyVote
— WorshipNotAShow 20th (@BenjaahEdwards) May 5, 2016
Referring to the minister's threat to online journalists, this Twitter user wrote:
👏🏿👏🏿they jus learn the word digital Journalist. Bushmen threats can be ridiculous #ugandamediagag https://t.co/MiEN729DWJ
— Rosebell Kagumire (@RosebellK) May 5, 2016
Finally, US Mission Uganda was bemused by the move:
Citizens of Uganda should be able to decide for themselves what information to use to make informed choices about their country.
— U.S. Mission Uganda (@usmissionuganda) May 5, 2016

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Prudence Nyamishana


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Iranians Lip-Sync Their Love for Music Maestro Mohammed-Reza Shajarian in Tribute Video · Global Voices
Tori Egherman

Screenshot of a video honoring the music of Shahjarian. The sign reads “Maestro, We Love You”
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian is the true voice of Iran for many inside and outside the country. His traditional Persian music is played restaurants, tea houses, and ski slopes. It fills the homes of Iranians all over the world, whatever their political views.
The 75-year-old icon has been battling cancer throughout the past few years, and his health has become a concern for music lovers everywhere. As a tribute to Shajarian and his music, the marketing site Avideh recently published a video of people lip-syncing to one of his songs and sharing messages of love, including the hashtag #Maestro_We_Love_You.
In a tweet promoting the video, Avideh called Shajarian the “voice of the people of Iran”:
شجریان، صدای مردم ایران#استاد_دوست_داریم #شجریان #محمدرضا_شجریانhttps://t.co/wEyHZbXxtY pic.twitter.com/cftK3GWO5f
— Avideh (@avidehbranding) May 4, 2016
Shajarian, voice of the people of Iran: #Maestro_we_love_you #Shajarian
Facebook user Shervin Nekuee shared the video and wrote his own message to the ustad (maestro):
Wishing the maestro well – Iranian public singing a message of best wishes to living maestro of Classic Persian Song Ustad Shajarin [sic] – who is fighting cancer these days.
چه زیباست این همدلی – [What a beautiful sentiment]
This past March, Shajarian released a video to mark the Norouz (New Year's) holidays in Iran. In it, he discussed his cancer, wished people the best and conveyed his hope for the future.
Shajarian is not only a master of Persian traditional music, but also a music historian who revived the public's love for traditional forms of music in Iran. His work archiving and sharing that music is a large part of the reason why it is now popular with younger generations. For his musicianship and his work to save Iran's cultural heritage, he was twice presented with awards from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). In 1999 he was presented with the Picasso Award and in 2006 the Mozart Medal.
If you're new to his music, many of his songs are available on YouTube for your listening pleasure. Here's one to get you started:

author: Tori Egherman


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Draft Law Would Prohibit Showing ‘Disputed Areas’ on Maps of India · Global Voices
Subhashish Panigrahi

An anti-Russian satirical map produced by a Japanese student during the Russo-Japanese War, photographed by Harmon 2004, Public Domain.
Maps that label geographic areas of conflict as “disputed” territories in India could put one behind bars for seven years with 1B Indian Rupees (US$15M) penalty if a recently proposed bill becomes law.
The controversial bill, also known as Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 would make it illegal to “depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form.”
If approved, it could put large corporations like Google (with its Google map), free and open source projects like Wikipedia and Open Street Map, and several other organizations in trouble for showing areas of conflict as disputed. Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Arunachal Pradesh near the China border are two well-known examples of such areas.
Here's your cheat-sheet for the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016 pic.twitter.com/mSnnyRO0Mz
— Kim Arora (@arorakim) May 7, 2016
The Indian government ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quite critical of the depiction of the PoK and China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
If passed in the parliament as law, it could prevent Indians and foreigners, government employees and people traveling in ships and aircrafts that are registered in India, to acquire geospatial imagery or data. To acquire such data, one needs to obtain permissions from the security vetting authority.
In recent years, the Indian government has targeted numerous foreign publications including Al Jazeera for showing distorted maps of India that excluded parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and even another state Arunachal Pradesh. While the bill does not explicitly mention these efforts, it seems to fall in line with these previous attempts to control the free flow of geospatial information.
A news article about the proposed bill published on the portal MediaNama explains how the potential law could affect map portals like Open Street Map and Google Maps, taxi, e-commerce and public safety sites and many other services that allow marking and sharing coordinates. “Most digital photographs contain location meta-data, and by sharing your photos online, you’re adding to a repository of data related to man-made phenomenon,” suggests the same article. Open data advocates also have published list of 25 different services, seven major news portals, and 14 nonprofits that would be affected if the bill is approved.
The Open Data community of India also has come up with a campaign “SaveTheMap” to draft a request to the government to not pass the bill. The draft request states:
Request for comments / suggestions on draft “The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016” To regulate the acquisition, dissemination, publication and distribution of geospatial information of India which is likely to affect the security, sovereignty and integrity of India, a draft “The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016” has been prepared. Copy of the draft “The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016” is attached herewith for comments/suggestions. The comments/suggestions on the draft Bill may be forwarded to the Joint Secretary (Internal Security-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, North Block, New Delhi at email id: jsis@nic.in within 30 days.
There has been a lot of discussion with hashtag #GeoSpatialBill and humorous comments on social media:
dear darlings, this is what love in the time of no maps looks like! https://t.co/MByasZM4E4 #geospatialbill #savethemap
— Smarika Kumar (@SmarikaSays) May 7, 2016
@firstpost if Pak comes up with a similar law , all map-making companies/apps will go bust … Why mock Trump when we have BJP @timesofindia
— Chitta (@chittasec) May 7, 2016
Many have already started tweeting with the hashtag #savethemap:
Bombay archives has 18k historic maps. #GeoSpatialBill will restrict citizens access to digital copies. #savethemap pic.twitter.com/j7h8R0InXM
— Srinivas kodali (@iotakodali) May 8, 2016
Response to the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016https://t.co/e3wDw8C0MF#savethemappic.twitter.com/rbQFuyVYrK
— Akhilan (@AkhilanIn) May 7, 2016
Twitter user Prasanto Roy explained the implications of geospatial bill for various companies including Google, Uber and Open street maps:
In India, thousands of sites, incl train stations, govt bldgs, airports are off limits for cameras. They could go off Google Maps #geobill
— Prasanto K Roy (@prasanto) May 6, 2016
Here's what other experts have to say:
Arup. R writes in Geospatial World:
This Act needs to be dropped. In its attempt to cover all bases it has been made so broadband and all encompassing that it may actually impede the progress of work on Geospatial systems and therefore on key Government programmes and projects. The Act does not take into account the fact that with the advent of the Cloud, Data as a Service, Software as a Service and Platform as a Service there is no need for ‘persons’ to possess data. They can just access data, do their work and retain only the final results. This Act does not, in fact cannot, even begin to comprehend the paradigm shift in geospatial technologies which makes it a non-starter.
India does need a Geospatial Information Act, but it has to be an enabling and encouraging Act that makes for faster and better implementation of programmes, not a regressive and punitive Act as the proposed one.
Devdutta Tengshe writes about the overreaching ambit of Geospatial bill on Medium:
Worst of all, it (the bill) is trying to implement Security by Obscurity, which is expecting the country to become secure by hiding information from its citizens. This is dangerous, because the real mischief creators, be they terrorists, Foreign government agencies, or domestic criminals, will most likely have access to kind of data from foreign sources, and will not even think about getting permits and licenses from these Indian Authorities.
Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal told The Wire:
The draft legislation has the intrinsic problem that it has been given extra-territorial applicability in terms of jurisdiction. It is applicable to any person anywhere in the world. We have historically seen that such jurisdiction does not work well in practical terms. What if global players do not want to take your licence or subject themselves to your jurisdiction?
Duggal further spoke about how the law could impact the growth of e-commerce and m-commerce in India.
Under this law, Google Maps will be illegal without a licence, which means that all mobile or e-commerce applications working on Google Maps will also become illegal. The licence will also only be applicable to the concerned person. So if I am a taxi aggregator like Ola or Uber, I will have to get a separate licence over and above what Google Map has.
Indian Express calls the Geospatial bill a death note for Cartography:
The draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill of 2016 is so perfectly ridiculous that one can only hope that it falls off the map before it can be tabled in the House. Publishers the world over have learned, to their bewildered amusement, that India censors maps of itself. Now, to strike fear into their anti-national gizzards, the government has invoked an official map censor, a babu-led organisation whose prior permission will be required to publish geospatial information, which is newspeak for maps. Failure to correctly depict the borders of India could attract a fine of up to Rs 100 crore, before the poor offending bozo is dragged away to the cooler for seven years. With this draft, the government has embarked on a journey without maps, which must rapidly become directionless.
Not the first time around?
Meanwhile, this clearly isn't the first time that services such as Google Maps have come under the federal scanner in India. In 2014, India's prime investigation agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had launched a probe into Google Maps’ irregularities in Mapathon 2013 and had accused the company of running the competition without procuring proper governmental permissions. But the agency had called off the case citing lack of ‘adequate evidence to corroborate the allegations’.

author: Subhashish Panigrahi


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Meet Two Sahrawi Activist Filmmakers Who Dare to Document Human Rights Abuses · Global Voices
WITNESS

WITNESS video advocacy workshop in the Tindouf camps in February, 2016. Photo by Madeleine Bair.
By Habibulah Mohamed Lamin
Witness Editor’s Note: On a recent trip to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, WITNESS met local journalist Habibulah Mohamed Lamin. This dispatch from Lamin is part of Watching Western Sahara, an initiative of the WITNESS Media Lab curating and contextualizing human rights videos of Sahrawi media activists. This post was originally published on the Witness blog.
The Sahrawi refugee camps are mainly scattered tents and mud houses that stretch out in the vast Sahara desert in western Algeria. They were created when Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975, and the estimated 100 thousand people who live there today depend on humanitarian aid to meet basic needs like food, water, and clothing.
The Sahrawi people founded a state in 1976 called the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, or SADR. It operates in exile in the camps and the Polisario-controlled part of Western Sahara. After agreeing to a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991, Sahrawis have explored peaceful means to demand their right to self-determination. The peace agreement promised a referendum to allow Sahrawis to vote for independence, but that has yet to happen.
Brahim Dihani is 31 years old. He grew up in the capital of Moroccan-occupied territory of Western Sahara, El Aaiun (also known as “Laayoune”). Dihani has a masters in journalism, and is a human rights activist. He works with the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Severe Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State (or ASVDH) to document abuses in the region and organize peaceful demonstrations.
Brahim Dahani
Dihani came to the camps to participate in a workshop organized by the Sahrawi Students Union (or UESARIO). The 16 students gathered in a big room were all eager to learn. As soon as their teacher asked them to identify filming shots, they started: ”wide-shot, “no, long shot,” with an atmosphere full of enthusiasm.
“I came to learn filming skills so that I can apply them when I go back home,” Dihani said. According to him, it is hard to protest in Western Sahara because of Morocco’s prevention of any assembly of protesters.
Morocco’s repression of protests is an issue international advocacy groups and UN officials have long documented. At a congressional hearing on Western Sahara convened last month by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch’s Eric Goldstein outlined the organization’s concerns, which included “violations of the right to free expression, association, assembly, and the right to a fair trial, torture during interrogation, and police violence against demonstrators.”
“Risking your life,” Dihani told me, “starts just as you leave the El Aaiun airport.” As he explained it, the media repression he is subjected to by Moroccan authorities is a process of tight scrutiny. “As I head back home,” he added, “I expect all types of unethical inspection such as strip searches and so on”.
Mariem Zafri is 33 years old, living in the Moroccan-occupied city of Smara. She recently finished a training course on video advocacy for human rights organized by FiSahara and WITNESS.
While returning from the camps to her home in Western Sahara, her booklet for human rights defenders was confiscated. “I experienced racially-based treatment as I was put in a separate interrogation room.” She described media activism in the territory as a mirror to reflect the “the grave human rights situation in the region.” As an example, Zafri pointed to the 2013 military trial of Gdeim Izik detainees, which resulted in life sentences for nine Sahrawi civilians. The political prisoners were recently on a hunger strike for 36 days. When their families were denied visits, they demonstrated in Rabat, chanting “No legitimacy to the military court.”
Zafri agrees with the many Sahrawis and international organizations who would like to see human rights monitoring added to the mandate of MINURSO, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara. Such monitoring, she said, will “enable Sahrawis to take to the streets and demand their rights.”  Currently, human rights in Western Sahara is rarely covered by international journalists or advocates. Earlier this month, a group of Europeans who tried to visit the Gdeim Izik prisoners were expelled from Rabat by Moroccan authorities. Human Rights Watch has been banned from visiting the territory.
However, when the Security Council voted today to extend MINURSO’s mission, it did not make that change.
Those who are left to document abuses in Western Sahara are local media activists like Zafri and Dihani. As Zafri told me, her ability to do that work is at risk. “I am always in danger, even when I am not filming.”

author: WITNESS


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Panama Papers Database Only Fuels Indians’ Frustration With Government’s Response · Global Voices
Vishal Yashoda Manve

A screenshot of the searchable database offered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
With the latest Panama Papers revelations piling on the perception that India is a country of haves and have nots, Indians on social media are questioning the response of those in power.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released an online database earlier this week in which users can search more than 300,000 names of people and companies that appear in the organization's Panama Papers investigation into the legal and illegal offshore holdings of the world's elite.
The data is only a selection of the more than 11.5 million financial documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm, and analysed by ICIJ journalists and partner news networks around the globe.
Nearly 37,000 files related to India were released by ICIJ as part of the database, and among those entries are 2,000 Indian individuals, entities and addresses. According to the Press Trust of India, that's about 22 offshore entities, 1,046 officers or individual links, 42 intermediaries and as many as 828 addresses.
The Panama Papers investigation was announced in April, and included the news that A-list Bollywood actors, businessmen and other high-profile people in India have or once had offshore holdings. It led the Indian government to create a Multi-Agency Group to probe for any wrongdoing, which comprises officers from numerous central investigative agencies such as the Income Tax department, Reserve Bank of India and Foreign Tax and Tax Research.
The government also announced that the Income Tax department has issued notices to a number of entities mentioned in the papers.
But on Twitter and Facebook, some Indians didn't think the Narendra Modi-led government was doing enough.
@Snowden Here in India #panamapapers is just a rustle in the wind,of dead leaves.
— Asithanthi (@Sithanthi) 10 de mayo de 2016
If Modi Ji is serious about bringing black money back he should immediately investigate & act on the information provided in #PanamaPapers
— jawahar (@jawaharshivkish) 10 de mayo de 2016
Even before the release of the database, users were skeptical about the government's response.
Modi's friends Adani, Amitabh and Ajay Devgan are all patriots who chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai. They all figure on #PanamaPapers too. #BMKJ
— Samar (@Samar_Anarya) 7 de mayo de 2016
“Bharat Mata Ki Jai” means “Victory for Mother India.”
Though some did defend the course of action taken:
Tax notices have gone to all the names that came up in #PanamaPapers.
Modi govt acting strictly. All those who made noise are now silent!
— Kiran Kumar S (@KiranKS) 7 de mayo de 2016
On Facebook, Rabindra Nath Roy complained that authorities were all talk and no action on anti-corruption measures:
So long Modi Govt. has done nothing about initiating investigation into the names of Indians appearing in Panama papers, many of them are [ruling Bharatiya Janata Party] as well as [opposition Indian National Congress] leaders. And Modi's election campaign is that since he has taken over there is no corruption. He is infact sleeping over the issues of corruption unless it is electorally beneficial.
During the general elections of 2014, Modi promised to systematically weed out corruption in the government. This was a direct attack on the leading opposition party, Indian National Congress, which was mired in numerous corruption scandals.
But two years into Modi's governance and the general public are questioning the lack of substantive action. The Panama Papers and subsequent reaction on social media is indicative of the same growing discontent among the public and civil society.
Ramesh Sharma wrote that the user-friendliness of the database could only help authorities in their investigations — “if they are serious”:
With the entire database of Panama Papers now available how long before we find the truth of actually how much black money has been siphoned off from India to tax havens. This could help investigators, if they are serious, to at least begin a meaningful investigation. The site is so user friendly, you need to type in names to get to those who have been lazy and not covered their tracks with multi layered shell companies
And others criticized that the Indian justice system is tilted in favor of the rich:
Iam sure that none of these will be caught., because of loopage of our court system., in our court only poor will be punished and rich can hire number of lawyers and run cases for [number] of years and finally he will be spared,.
The onus of bringing those involved in illegal tax evasion to justice lies with the Indian government and law enforcement agencies. Indians will be watching their response closely.

author: Vishal Yashoda Manve


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Social Media Blocked in Uganda Ahead of President Museveni’s Inauguration · Global Voices
James Propa

H.E Yoweri Museveni. Photo from Wikipedia
Ugandans will soon watch incumbent President Yoweri Museveni be sworn into office for his controversial fifth term after he won over 60% of the vote in elections in February 2016. With the inauguration ceremony coming up on May 12, the Uganda Communications Commission ordered on May 11 that access to social media within the country be blocked.
This is déjà vu for Ugandans, who experienced a forced shutdown of social media for four days during the February 18 election, in which opposition leader Kizza Besigye took 35% of the vote. The political opposition claims that the poll was rigged; international observers and human rights groups have also criticized the election process.
Besigye and other opposition figures have been under house arrest for much of the time since February, and have relied on social media to organize what they're calling a “defiance campaign” of protests. Besigye was only able to file a legal challenge against the election results with the help of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.
The court eventually ruled that Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, had been rightly elected, and May 12 was chosen for his swearing-in. In preparation, major roads have been blocked off and the army was heavily deployed around the capital city of Kampala. Besigye was also arrested yet again as he tried to make it to town to be inaugurated by his party in an alternative ceremony.
As of the evening of May 11, some Ugandan users were reporting that they couldn't access social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The country's major telecoms, like Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda, confirmed the shutdown in notices to their customers:
Dear Customers, as per UCC directive Social media has been temporarily blocked however all our other services are available. We regret any inconveniences caused.
Twitter user @JZiras shared the communication from Roke Telkom, which said the blackout was due to “security reasons”:
Social media shut down ordered by Ugandan government ahead of contested swearing in ceremony of president Museveni pic.twitter.com/sG7mXCwGOo
— #IstandwithMM (@JZiras) 11 de mayo de 2016
Last week, the country's minister for information and national guidance banned media houses from covering opposition protests, and the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission had warned that the ban “may be extended to social media.”
During the February shutdown, many users were still able to access social media using virtual private networks (VPNs). Hoping to avoid a repeat of that scenario, Ugandan technology news site Tech Jajja reported, relying on unconfirmed reports, that Internet service providers “have been asked to even block not just social media and mobile money but also the Internet in general if the worst comes to the worst.”
Netizens who are still able to access social media have started to sound the alarm.
Social media and General internet in Uganda might be down for 24 hours https://t.co/uF6l8MGcdn
— roger bambino (@rogekk) May 11, 2016
ISPs in #Uganda say that they have been instructed by the regulator to shutdown social media until 18h tomorrow #UgandaSocialMediaShutdown
— Michael O'Hagan (@micoh) May 11, 2016
Others are encouraging fellow Ugandans to download VPNs now, while the Internet is still working. Trevor Mugabi, a digital marketer, tweeted:
Darkness hovering over Uganda
Internet is shut down and all social media platforms
VPN is the only way to go now pic.twitter.com/cNVGCXHhQP
— Mugabi™ (@trevormugabi) May 11, 2016
ZeroBrain injected a little humor into the situation, wondering what physical threat the Internet bundles that people subscribe to in Uganda could pose to the inauguration:
But why block Internet access ?? We're bundles threatening to storm the swearing in ceremony…Uganda is led by jokers.
— ZeroBrain (@cyrylkojo) May 11, 2016
And technologist Neil Blazevic hunkered down for the block:
Here we go. #Uganda social media blackout Pt2 in advance of President Museveni swearing-in #internetfreedom
— Neil Blazevic (@neilblazevic) May 11, 2016

author: James Propa


text:
The Jacaranda Flower Bloom Has Painted Kathmandu a Lovely Shade of Blue · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Screenshot from Instagram user @aannda's account.
At the moment, Kathmandu looks like a city in bridal make-up, thanks to the blue jacaranda in full bloom. But with the spring season coming to an end, it’s your last chance to see the flowers in Nepal's capital city.
Fortunately, Kathmanduites never get tired of sharing the pictures of their beautiful city on social media.
#Jacaranda #summer #kathmandu pic.twitter.com/oneNYxYuRp
— anecdote (@cabeerazzzz) May 9, 2016
Kathmandu's @Durbarmargh today; rarely does the blvd look as gorgeous as it does when its #jacaranda are in bloom. pic.twitter.com/5ezt4WA66s
— Kashish Das Shrestha (@kashishds) April 23, 2016
अलिकति मात्रै कम धुलो र धुवा हुँदो हो त Jacaranda अझ कति मुस्कुराउँदो हो काठमाडौं मा #Jacaranda #Kathmandu #Nepal pic.twitter.com/GWJI3ykLhi
— Gopal Panta (@GopalPanta) May 1, 2016
Had there been a little less dust and smoke, how much more the jacaranda would smile in Kathmandu.
Mostly two types of jacaranda are found in Nepal – Jacaranda mimosifolia and Jacaranda ovalifolia.
@lochangyawali Most literature state the ones found in Nepal are Jacaranda mimosifolia & Jacaranda ovalifolia. But there are many varieties.
— mukum (@mukum3) April 29, 2016
Have a look at some more beautiful pictures of the jacaranda in full bloom:
ल्याम्पोष्ट मुनि ज्याकराण्डा :) pic.twitter.com/yG5mOBYndB
— **shovas** (@SharmaShova) May 3, 2016
Jacaranda under the lamp post.
Summer, Kathmandu and Jacaranda tree in full bloom, quite intoxicating. pic.twitter.com/SdZKHp4TgX
— rashmi lohani (@RashmiLKhanal) April 18, 2016
Many Nepalese people mistakenly refer to the jacaranda as “shirish”:
शिरीषको फूल फुलिसक्यो, मन फुलेको छैन …#Kathmandu #Summer #Jacaranda@kathmanducity pic.twitter.com/lbYg8h8zuc
— Nayan P. Sindhuliya (@npokhrel) 7 de mayo de 2013
Shirish flowers have already bloomed, [my] heart hasn’t bloomed.
The longstanding confusion between jacaranda and shirish among the Nepalese is thanks to a famous novel called “Shirish ko Phool” (Flower of Shirish) written by renowned Nepali writer Parijat.
Folks, hope u know Jacaranda & Shirish (Albizia sps) r diff plants.
Kathmandu media, don't write Jacaranda as Shirish this time.#keshref
— .:¤¤:keshuvko:¤¤:. (@keshuvko) April 17, 2016
On his blog, Kabi Raj Khatiwada explores the history of how this case of mistaken identity came about:
One of the finest book ever written in Nepali literature….Shirish Ko Phool… and one of my personal favorite…. is able to change the identity of the tree…. Seems crazy but the fact is true…… Shiris Ko Phool is a novel written by prominent Nepali writer Parijat (Bishnu Kumari Waiwa) and also published in English language as “The Blue Mimosa”.
While doing translation… I don’t know why… did they took that name… the blue mimosa… and the cover page image… but this was enough to give the false identify of a beautiful tree of Kathmandu.
Slowly but surely, Kathmanduites are now finding out the difference and realising that they are jacaranda trees.
@luni_ba हुँदाखाँदाको शिरिषको फूल ज्याकराण्डा निस्कियो याँ भन्दा ठूलो भ्रम के हुन्छ??😉😉😉
— **shovas** (@SharmaShova) April 23, 2016
The Shirish flowers turned out to be jacaranda. What could be more misleading than this?
While Kathmandu is blue and beautiful with jacaranda bloom, the southern plains of the country are awash in a pleasing red color because of the blooming gulmohar trees planted along the roadside.
पानी परेपछि खुलेको आकाशमा गुलमोहर फुलेर मनमोहक बनेको छ वातावरण । बस् गर्मीले सताउने भयो भन्ने डरमात्र छ। pic.twitter.com/Nelv2EZYMa
— Indra Dhoj Kshetri (@indradhoj) May 5, 2016
After the rain the environment is pleasant with gulmohar blooming under the clear skies. Just afraid that the heat will torment.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


text:
Ukrainian Activists Leak Personal Information of Thousands of War Reporters in the Donbas · Global Voices
Aric Toler

Images from Wikimedia Commons/UTR News, CC BY 3.0, and Luis Prado/the Noun Project. Images edited by Tetyana Lokot.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian activist website Mirotvorets (“Peacemaker”) published a spreadsheet listing what appear to be the names and details of thousands of journalists who have received accreditation to report in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DNR”). The database was published on May 7 with little publicity, until a Facebook post on Tuesday by Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and an advisor to Ukraine's interior minister, Arsen Avakov. The release of this list, titled “7901scoundrels,” has prompted the condemnation of both Ukrainian and foreign journalists and media organizations around the world (including the OSCE RFoM and CPJ), as well as the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Appalling & dangerous: #Ukraine website leaks data on 1000s #journalists who worked in separatist territ, calls them terrorists’ accomplices
— RSF_EECA (@RSF_Europe) May 10, 2016
Mirotvorets, the site that released the list of DNR-accredited reporters, bills itself as the “Center for Research of Signs of Crimes Against the National Security of Ukraine, Peace, Humanity, and International Law.” The site, allegedly run by volunteer activists, doxes (publishes personal information on) individuals that are deemed to be working against the interests of Ukraine or what they call the peaceful world, such as Russian soldiers and volunteers fighting in the Donbas and (as previously detailed by RuNet Echo) Russian fighter pilots in Syria and their families.
According to Gerashchenko, unnamed hackers acquired this spreadsheet a month before it was published by Mirotvorets. Along with a list of accredited journalists, the hackers also modified the webpages of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to include Ukrainian symbols. Gerashchenko says the hackers managed to acquire 7 terabytes of information from the separatist servers, with the 1.25-megabyte spreadsheet of accredited journalists being only a small part of the larger hack.
The May 7 post on Mirotvorets came with the following reasoning for the decision to publish the list:
Cегодня этот список журналистов в наших руках. Не знаем, какие последствия будут после публикации этого списка, но знаем наверняка: публиковать его необходимо исходя из того, что эти журналисты сотрудничают с боевиками террористической организации.
Today this list of journalists is in our hands. We do not know what consequences will come after the publication of this list, but we know this for sure: it is necessary to publish this list because these journalists are cooperating with the militants of a terrorist organization.
The Mirotvorets activists made these allegations without presenting any specific proof, also making several “strange observations” about the list of reporters. For instance, the activists wondered why “non-Russian outlets” like CNN, BBC, or AFP had journalists with Russian names. They also reasoned that, because many of the accredited foreign journalists had Ukrainian phone numbers, this (somehow) pointed to their crossing the border into occupied territories illegally from Russia, and not from Ukraine. It remains unclear how the activists arrived at these conclusions or what information they have to support such claims.
The spreadsheet with the reporters’ data itself has six fields of information: the journalist’s name, employer, phone number, e-mail, period of accreditation, and special notes. While we cannot verify all of the information in the list, RuNet Echo contacted numerous journalists on the list who verified that the information corresponds with email addresses and telephone numbers provided to accrediting officials. For many journalists in the spreadsheet, the leaked information is not sensitive, but in some cases there could be consequences, as many perceive the doxed list to be intended as a blacklist that could trigger harassment and present other obstacles to their work in Ukraine.
The reaction of the media community to the leak was one of disbelief and anger. A number of Ukrainian and international journalists signed and released an open letter, addressing the leak and stressing that the journalists who worked in the occupied territories were instrumental in providing crucial information about the events of the conflict and covering incidents like the MH17 tragedy.
Ми особливо наголошуємо, що акредитація не означає і ніколи не означала співробітництво журналістів з будь-якою стороною конфлікту. Акредитація – це форма захисту і безпеки журналіста.
Нагадуємо, що, за даними українських та міжнародних медіа-організацій, тільки у 2014 році у полоні бойовиків побували майже 80 журналістів, українських і закордонних, багато з яких зазнали тортур. Акредитація була єдиним, хоч і мінімальним, механізмом захисту журналістів від тортур чи потрапляння в полон.
Після звинувачень у «роботі на терористів» та оприлюднення персональних даних, номерів телефонів та емейлів журналістів, їм почали телефонувати та писати з погрозами, а від деяких українських політиків уже пролунали заклики вважати цих журналістів «ворогами України» і взагалі закрити їм можливість працювати.
Подібне ставлення до журналістів є прямим порушенням української Конституції, Закону України «Про захист персональних даних», порушенням Європейської конвенції прав людини, і є ганебним і абсолютно неприйнятним в цивілізованій і нетоталітарній державі, якою є Україна.
Ми вимагаємо від сайту «Миротворець» негайно видалити з вільного доступу інформацію про персональні дані відповідних журналістів.
We want to especially stress that accreditation doesn't mean and has never meant that journalists are colluding with any of the sides of the conflict. Accreditation is a form of protection and security for the journalist.
We remind you that according to data from Ukrainian and international media organizations, in 2014 alone almost 80 journalists, both Ukrainian and foreign, were captured by the militants, with many of them undergoing torture. Accreditation was the only, though minimal, mechanism of protecting journalists from captivity or torture.
After being accused of “working for the terrorists” and having their personal data, phone numbers and emails made public, they started receiving phone calls and emails with threats, and some Ukrainian politicians have called for these journalists to be labeled “enemies of Ukraine” and to prevent them from working in the country completely.
This kind of attitude towards journalists is in direct violation of the Ukrainian Constitution, the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Personal Data,” the European convention on human rights, and is shameful and completely unacceptable in a civilized, non-totalitarian state that Ukraine currently is.
We demand that the “Mirotvorets” website immediately remove from public access information about personal data of the aforementioned journalists.
RuNet Echo asked several of the journalists whose names were on the list for their reactions to the leak and how it reflects the overall attitude towards correspondents working in war zones.
Ian Bateson, an independent journalist based in Ukraine, said the Mirotvorets leak was based on false assumptions about the role foreign journalists had played in eastern Ukraine:
This list reduces all journalism to propaganda. It assumes writing about separatist controlled eastern Ukraine is somehow supporting the groups that have seized control of it which is a view that has no place in a democratic Ukraine. Foreign journalists have played a key role in publicizing information about what was going on in eastern Ukraine because we were the only ones who could get in. We put our lives on the line to do that and now as repayment get labeled as collaborators with our our personal details shared for all to see. Journalism has never been so thankless.
Evgeny Feldman, a photographer and reporter for the Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, says the actions of Mirotvorets are counter-productive and display ignorance about the work journalists do in conflict zones:
Необходимость подчиняться требованиям вооруженных людей — печальная, но неизбежная сторона реальности в работе журналиста на войне. Ты не снимаешь человека с оружием, не спросив разрешения. Ты не снимаешь то, что запрещено снимать. Ты получаешь все документы, увеличивающие безопасность твоей работы – в том числе аккредитации, что СБУ, что “ДНР”. Ты пересекаешь границу «ДНР» легально, со стороны Украины, подвергаясь унизительным бессмысленным допросам, попыткам депортации, снятию с поездов посреди ночи. Ты соблюдаешь другие неприятные или неудобные меры обеспечения безопасности — носишь тяжелый бронежилет, возишь с собой жгуты и всякое такое, клеишь на машину буквы TV и держишь двери открытыми, когда едешь по простреливаемой дороге, останавливаешься на ней же, если видишь сломанную машину коллег.
Задача журналиста — найти возможность работать честно, лавируя между этими необходимыми и неизбежными ограничениями. Мне кажется, что я сумел это сделать, снимая как ключевые точки собственно войны, так и сложную жизнь мирных жителей. Более того, имея все эти возможные разрешения и не нарушая установленные ограничения, я сумел помочь нескольким украинским солдатам, попавших в плен — тем, кого заставили пройти на «параде» в Донецке и тем, кого принудили к работам в Иловайске: о ком-то узнали родные, кто-то попал в списки на обмен, кого-то улучшили условия. Это, пожалуй, главная моя профессиональная гордость за те 5 с лишним лет, что я в профессии. Сегодня сайт «Миротворец» выложил «утекшие» от «ДНРовцев» данные журналистов, аккредитованных в Донецке. Как я писал выше, бумажки — неизбежное условие, обеспечивающее возможность работать там. Хочется добавить, что сайт «Миротворец» задает глупейшие, идиотские вопросы о том, почему у журналистов украинские номера телефонов и почему у журналистов CNN русские имена. Публикация сайта показывает, насколько его авторы не имеют представления о специфике рискованной работы журналистов на войне.
Утечка этих данных со стороны собиравших их в Донецке показывает крохотную часть этих рисков, которые приходится принимать мне и моим коллегам.
The need to comply with the demands of armed individuals is a sad, but unavoidable part of the reality of working as a journalist in war zones. You do not film or photograph a person with a gun without asking permission. You do not film or shoot what you’re forbidden to shoot. You get every document that increases the safety of your work—including accreditation from both SBU (Ukraine’s security service) and “DNR.” You cross the border with “DNR” legally, from the Ukrainian side, where you’re subjected to humiliating and senseless questioning, deportation attempts, removal from trains in the middle of the night. You adhere to other unpleasant or inconvenient security measures, like wearing a heavy bulletproof vest, carrying a first aid kit and tourniquets everywhere, sticking the letters TV on your car, keeping the car doors open when you’re taking the road where there’s active fire and stopping on the same road if you see a colleagues’ car has broken down.
A journalist’s task is to find a possibility to work honestly, navigating between these necessary and unavoidable restrictions. I like to think I was able to do that, capturing both the key points of the war itself and the difficult lives of the civilians. Moreover, having obtained all of these permissions and without violating the restrictions imposed, I was able to help several Ukrainian soldiers who were captured—those who were made to march in the “parade” in Donetsk and those who were forced to do labor in Ilovaysk: someone’s relatives found out they were there, someone else got into the exchange lists, someone else’s living conditions were improved. This is probably my main professional point of pride during the five plus years I’ve been in the profession.
Today the “Mirotvorets” website published the “leaked” “DNR” data on journalists accredited in Donetsk. AS I said above, paperwork is an unavoidable condition that allows us the opportunity to work there. I’d like to point out that the “Mirotvorets” website asks the dumbest, most idiotic questions about why the journalists have Ukrainian phone numbers and why CNN reporters have Russian names. The website’s publication demonstrates that its authors have no idea about the specifics of the risky work journalists do in war zones.
The leak of this data on the part of those who collected it in Donetsk is testament to only a small part of these risks that my colleagues and I have to accept and deal with.
Simon Ostrovsky, a reporter for VICE News who has filmed dozens of dispatches from eastern Ukraine and Crimea since the beginning of the crisis, was also concerned with the misunderstanding of the work of a war zone correspondent:
It's completely stupid to claim that journalists are facilitating terrorism simply because they have been issued credentials by one of the factions in a war. Journalists should cover both sides of the war and in order to do so they need the permission of the armed men on all sides of the conflict in order to operate in the areas they control. The assertion the hackers made that all the journalists entered the area held by the separatists illegally is also unfounded. It is possible to enter Ukraine through an official border crossing controlled by Ukraine and then to enter the areas under control of the Russia-backed separatists. I should know. I've done it enough times.
The rhetoric coming out of Ukraine both from activists and government officials is unfortunately starting to mirror more and more their nationalist counterparts in Russia who want to blame the media and outside forces for internal problems that they're not willing to address themselves.
Ukrainian and foreign journalists have almost universally criticized the decision to publish the personal details of reporters who worked in the Donbas war zone, as well as the efforts of Anton Gerashchenko (a state official) to publicize and promote the leak. While Mirotvorets says the leak reveals those collaborating with separatist officials, it provides no conclusive evidence of this claim and, in essence, really only attempts to shame those who were doing the valuable, underappreciated work that journalists do in hot spots all around the world—reporting from an area where information is hard to come by and where numerous journalists have been injured, kidnapped, and even killed.
Kyiv Prosecutor's Office in Ukraine has opened a criminal investigation into the website's actions.

author: Aric Toler


text:
After Months of Investigation, More Doubts Than Certainties Remain in Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Case · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Where are they?! Ayotzinapa. 43 are missing. Photo from Flickr user Flickr Uriel López. Used under a CC 2.0 license.
Where are the 43 Ayotzinapa students? This question remains unanswered 19 months after the group of teaching students were detained by local police in Mexico and disappeared afterward, even after experts nominated by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) finished their work assisting the country's authorities.
The “historical truth” upheld by the Mexican government claims that the 43 students were detained by municipal police officers from Iguala and Cocula, in the state of Guerrero (Western Mexico), to prevent them from reaching a protest they were going to. According to this version of events, the 43 students were then handed over to members of organised crime groups and executed in different places at different times.
The young people's bodies were taken to the Cocula landfill where, in a large fire which lasted many hours, they were incinerated and subsequently crushed and thrown into the San Juan river.
Since the Mexican government, through then Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam, published this “historical truth”, the term has been heavily criticised by the public, even though it is not meant to describe the investigation as an absolute truth. It is a technical and legal description used daily in courts to refer to the Public Ministry's goal of investigating and describing events in terms of facts relevant to criminal law.
But the reality is that some members of the public are suspicious of this “truth” and are actively seeking to disprove it. Thus the participation of a panel of international experts was welcomed. In November 2014, the Mexican State and the IACHR signed an agreement to allow the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI, by its Spanish acronym) to provide technical assistance in the search to bring the missing students back alive. This was to take place over a six-month period, extendable “for the length of time necessary to fulfill” this mandate.
On Twitter, the group's official account constantly recalled this objective:
El @GIEIAYOTZINAPA fue creado por la @CIDH en acuerdo con el Estado y los representantes de las víctimas, para dar asistencia técnica.
— GIEI Ayotzinapa (@GIEIAYOTZINAPA) April 30, 2016
The GIEI AYOTZINAPA was created by the IACHR in agreement with the state and representatives of victims, to provide technical assistance.
Users like Miguel laid out what many expected of the GIEI:
Los #GIEI vs Los #Expertos#Mentirosos de la @PGR. Una piedra en el zapato para @EPN que le apuesta al tiempo, al cansancio y al olvido.
— Miguel (@reycolm) April 29, 2016
The GIEI vs the lying experts of the Attorney General's office. A stone in the shoe of [Mexican President] Enrique Peña Nieto who is counting on time, fatigue and oblivion.
On the last day of April 2016, the extension of the agreement ended, which led to the closure of the GIEI's activities and its departure from Mexico.
This is where things get complicated. Many people who disagree with the government and the way the issue has been addressed assumed that the GIEI would be on a mission to destroy Attorney General Murillo Karam's “historical truth”. They thought that the GIEI would establish a new theory about the case that exposed mismanagement by Mexican investigators and experts.
This doesn't appear to have happened, or not entirely. None of the GIEI's activities demonstrated that events occurred in a way that is diametrically opposed to the Mexican authorities’ version of events.
The debate has focused around the final resting place of the bodies, given that some members of GIEI believed it was impossible for them to have been burned in the Cocula landfill. This central point, about the way in which the criminals could have disposed of the bodies, has also been studied by the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (which intervened in the investigation at the request of the families of the missing students). They did not deny that the incineration happened, but they did denounce the fact that they were not allowed access to certain procedures where evidence was collected.
The absence of a new theory on the case has made some people uncomfortable, as illustrated in this comment from Twitter user Fernando Lozada Cruz:
@CentroProdh#GIEIAYOTZINAPA solo acusan obstáculos porque no pudieron con el caso, demostraron ser un fraude #GIEIpic.twitter.com/6UeeSpTEhz
— fernando lozada cruz (@cruzfer_cruz) April 28, 2016
First tweet: In order for an investigation to be impartial, the suspect should not have power over the evidence: GIEI on [head of the Attorney General's Criminal Investigation Agency Tomás] Zerón
Second tweet: @CentroProdh GIEI AYOTZINAPA only denounce obstacles because they could not solve the case, they turned out to be a fraud
Image: After more than a year of investigation and charging two million dollars, the GIEI was not capable of presenting an alternative to the fundamental conclusions of the investigation conducted by the Attorney General, nor of clarifying where the 43 students are.
Little is known about the technical assistance that the GIEI – according to its mandate – was supposed to provide for the search to bring the missing students back alive. We only know that the search (with or without assistance) has been fruitless, since the students have not appeared, except for one whose burnt remains were identified by the University of Innsbruck (Austria), a prestigious institution which has also assisted in the investigations.
Urban tribute in Mexico City in which photos of the missing Ayotzinapa students are shown. Image by J. Tadeo
In its final recommendations, the GIEI drew attention to the matter of torture, which some of those detained in relation to the violent acts of September 26 and 27, 2014, in Guerrero claim to have suffered. This torture was not uncovered by the GIEI, but rather is mentioned in various volumes documenting prior investigations, including the certification of experts in the matter who recommended the application of the Istanbul Protocol, an international instrument for the investigation of these kinds of practices.
Nevertheless, to date no government agent has been held responsible for this violation of human rights in the case.
The independent news website Sin Embargo compiled in one text references to torture made by experts:
Al menos 17 de las personas detenidas, relacionadas con el caso, sufrieron algún tipo de maltrato físico o tortura, entre ellos, los cinco presuntos integrantes del grupo criminal Guerreros Unidos cuyas declaraciones son la base de la teoría sobre el homicidio y quema de los 43 estudiantes en el basurero de Cocula, Guerrero.
At least 17 of the people detained in relation to the case suffered some type of physical abuse or torture, including the five alleged members of the criminal group Guerreros Unidos, whose declarations are the basis for the theory regarding the murder and incineration of the 43 students in the Cocula landfill in Guerrero.
Torture is unacceptable in any context, but is not surprising coming from the Mexican state, given that other international authorities have indicated that it is common practice in the country and that it usually goes unpunished. So far it seems that the case of those detained in relation to the Ayotzinapa case is no exception.
Before leaving the country, the GIEI became immersed in a dispute with Tomás Zerón, the head of the Attorney General's Criminal Investigation Agency, accusing him of participating in procedures that do not coincide with what is documented in the case records, including going to the San Juan river with one of the suspects who was not accompanied by his lawyer. This fact was part of one of the GIEI's final recommendations:
Por otra se necesita investigar, tomando en cuenta la evidencia presentada por el GIEI, la actuación de los funcionarios que aparecen en el video el día 28 de octubre de 2014 en la orilla del Río San Juan realizando inspección del lugar con un inculpado, la recogida de evidencia en el río y el ocultamiento de dichos procedimientos al EAAF.
It is also necessary to investigate, taking into account the evidence presented by the GIEI, the actions of the officials who appear in a video taken on October 28, 2014 on the banks of the San Juan river, conducting an inspection of the area with a suspect, the collection of evidence from the river and the fact that they hid these procedures from the EAAF [Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team].
Zerón has denied any wrongdoing and is supposedly now being investigated by the Attorney General's office.
The Ayotzinapa case has happened under the watch of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI, by its Spanish acronym), which returned to power in 2012 after 12 years as the opposition. This is a disgraceful episode which evokes the impunity of members of PRI for the Tlatelolco massacre in 1968 – where a number of victims are still unknown – as well as other macabre events in which the right to the truth has been crushed, overshadowed, and access to justice has yet to arrive.

author: J. Tadeo


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Cue the Next Witch-Hunt Against Russia’s News Media · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

The witch-hunt against Dozhd television. Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
With the recent release of the “Panama Papers,” money laundering is big news these days, and in a country like Russia, where anti-corruption rhetoric is as popular with politicians as it is with opposition activists, the specter of illicit cash grows scarier by the day. Just this week, officials from Russia’s Justice Ministry requested expanded access to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, telling parliament that they need new policing powers to trace money secretly entering the country.
But Russia’s Justice Ministry isn’t interested in the Panama Papers’ revelations about offshore deals and loans worth roughly $2 billion connected to Vladimir Putin’s friend, Sergei Roldugin. Russian police want wider access to the state’s records because they’re concerned about nonprofit organizations using companies registered inside Russia to funnel foreign money to nonprofits “working against the country’s interests.” The Justice Ministry’s request is part of a reinvigorated campaign to address the threat of “foreign agents.”
If Moscow is saddling up for another offensive against “foreign agents,” Ilya Ukhov couldn’t have timed it better when he wrote on Facebook this week that the independent television station Dozhd might secretly receive funding from the US government. Ukhov, identified as a “publicist” in news stories, is a frequent contributor to pro-Kremlin news outlets like Vzglyad and Ridus. He has also published articles on the official website of Youth Guard, the youth wing of the country’s ruling political party United Russia, where he’s listed as a “sociologist.”
Ukhov’s allegation is a bold one. He says three of Russia’s best respected (and perhaps most hated) liberal news outlets—Dozhd, RBC, and Echo of Moscow—receive funding from the US government, and Dozhd moreover has insisted on getting its money under the table.
As evidence, Ukhov highlights formerly “sensitive-but-unclassified” documents drafted in 2013 and 2015 by the US Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a US government agency that oversees Washington’s “civilian international broadcasting,” including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, and more. Ukhov also cites the BBG’s own Fiscal Year 2017 Congressional Budget Request, where one of the “accomplishments” for the Voice of America in 2015 is listed as “added national network affiliations for VoA Russian on RBC, Echo Moskvy, and Dozhd for audiences inside Russia.”
OIG’s 2013 report states that BBG’s Office of Strategy and Development “signed an affiliate agreement” with RBC, arranging to put a Voice of America reporter on RBC’s business news TV station every weeknight. The report also describes an “affiliate-type relationship” with Dozhd, albeit without a “formal agreement,” due to the outlet’s “reluctance to sign any documents with a foreign entity while the current political climate prevails.” The report goes on to recommend that the US government needs to implement “an official policy detailing an internal mechanism for affiliate partnerships without a contract.” In OIG’s 2015 report, this issue is logged as “closed-implemented,” meaning that “agreed-upon corrective action is complete.”
Ilya Ukhov. Photo: Facebook
Ukhov says he’s concerned—as he’s explained on Facebook, in comments to the news website Vzglyad, and in an interview with the television channel Life—that Dozhd’s “informal affiliation” with the BBG could be a scheme to disguise funding from the US government:
Отсутствие официальных контрактов может говорить о ненадлежащем исполнении «Дождем» налогового законодательства и использовании им мошеннических схем для легализации поступающего от BBG финансирования.  Как вы понимаете, тут очень широкое поле для проверок телеканала по линии Федеральной налоговой службы и Генеральной прокуратуры РФ.
The absence of formal contacts may indicate Dozhd’s improper observance of its tax obligations and its use of fraudulent schemes to legalize financing received from the BBG. As you can imagine, this offers a wide array of reasons for the Federal Tax Service and Attorney General’s Office to conduct inspections of the television station.
Perhaps in part because the BBG mentions its partnerships with Russian liberal media outlets in its 2017 budget request, Ukhov simply assumes these affiliations involve exchanges of cash. Admittedly, one of the “program changes” described in the budget request basically equates the threats of “Russian misinformation” and “ISIL recruitment efforts,” saying Voice of America plans to launch a $3.5-million digital content project “targeting Russia and ISIL.”
If the Voice of America’s partnership with RBC is any indication, however, it’s pure speculation to suggest that the US government is funneling money to Russia’s independent media through “affiliate agreements.” When raising its concerns about the BBG’s informal affiliation with Dozhd, for instance, the OIG warned only that problems risk “the unilateral interruption of operations,” framing it as an issue of access to Russian airwaves, rather than financial bookkeeping.
Ukhov says he will consult with lawyers to determine if there are legal grounds for demanding a police investigation into Dozhd’s informal “affiliate-type relationship” with a US government agency.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Environmental Activists Warn Mining Is Putting Colombia’s National Tree in Danger · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

“Valle de Cocora”, Image via Flickr user Nuria Pascual. Used under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.
The wax palm of Quindío is a vulnerable species native to Quindío, Colombia, and is also the country's national tree. The palm is protected by various measures put forth by the Colombian government since it faces many threats.
However, the most recent dangers that the tree is facing are in an area where it should be most protected: a national park.
Minería en Salento, Quindío, amenaza el árbol nacional de Colombia https://t.co/clZyUOKkmm #NoalaMegamineriaenSalento vía @Contagioradio1
— ForoNacionaAmbiental (@FNAmbiental) May 8, 2016
Mining company in Salento, Quindío, threatens the national tree of Colombia
To date, there are at least three mining concessions pending in the municipality of Salento, Quindío. Some of the areas in question have supposedly been solicited by gold mining company Anglo Gold Ashanti (although their representatives have denied any interest).
This would affect land in Los Nevados National Natural Park, and various areas that are classified as Forest Area, Natural Reserve or Integrated Management District.
Es absurdo sustituir el ecoturismo en Salento y Cocora, intensivo en mano de obra, por megaminería de oro. #NoalamegamineriaenSalento
— Carlos Lozano Acosta (@CLozanoAcosta) May 8, 2016
It's absurd to replace labor-intensive ecotourism in Salento and Cocora for mega-mining of gold.
Tatiana Herrera Giraldo, representative for the municipality of Salento, created a Change.org petition called “Detengan la megaminería en Salento,” (Stop the mega-mining in Salento), which as of writing has more than 8,000 signatures. The petition is addressed to the National Mining Agency of Colombia and other institutions. It says “Salento, the Cocora Valley, Los Nevados National Natural Park, and our national tree, the wax palm, are at serious risk if mining becomes a reality in Quindío.”
Minería inmoral! Gracias @VLADDO @RevistaSemana pic.twitter.com/gZGCWWmb4o
— Tatiana Herrera G. (@Tatianahg) May 8, 2016
Immoral mining! Thank you @VLADDO @RevistaSemana
Además de los 10 en trámite, estos son los títulos concedidos en Salento y el Dpto Tolima #YoDefiendolaPalmadeCera pic.twitter.com/0Ud8UgXVEq
— Tatiana Herrera G. (@Tatianahg) May 7, 2016
In addition to the 10 pending, these are the titles awarded in Salento and Tolima
The palm is not the only species that will be affected:
La palma de cera es hogar del loro orejiamarillo, especie endémica y amenazada. No a la megaminería en Salento. pic.twitter.com/nzGgj7sqkS
— Carlos Lozano Acosta (@CLozanoAcosta) May 8, 2016
The wax palm is home to the yellow-eared parrot, endemic and endangered species. No to mega-mining in Salento.
According to a report in newspaper El Espectador, the real danger lies elsewhere. The future exploitation of La Colosa ore deposit, in Cajamarca, Tolima could also represent a threat, since mining activities would affect the basin of the Tochecito river where the most specimens of wax palms, some 600,000 trees, are found.
The possibility that these environmental menaces could come true is mobilizing activists, both on the ground and online. The cause has recently gained visibility on Colombian social media, and the actions in defense of the wax palms are expected to continue:
No olviden mañana a las 7pm apoyar a la comunidad de SALENTO con el hashtag #YoDefiendoLaPalmaDeCera pic.twitter.com/xiIaMq0Y0i
— Justicia Ambiental (@RJAColombia) May 8, 2016
Tweet: Don't forget tomorrow, support the Salento community with the hashtag #IDefendTheWaxPalm
Image: Large Twitterthon in solidarity with Salento, which is facing the threat of mega-mining. Everyone, tweet using the hashtag #IDefendTheWaxPalm this Monday, 9 May at 7 p.m. You can also show your backing by taking a photo of yourself with a message of support.
We hope for the environment's sake, the prediction in the next tweet never happens:
Tal vez la única forma de ver la palma de cera en el futuro sea en estampillas y billetes #NoALaMegaMineriaEnSalento pic.twitter.com/vqwitULCMo
— Mauricio Duarte (@Mao_DuarteNY) May 8, 2016
Perhaps the only way to see the wax palm in the future will be on stamps and banknotes #NoToMega-MiningInSalento

author: Juan Arellano


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Farewell to Tony Cozier, the Commentator Who Helped West Indies Cricket Find Its Voice · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Screenshot of a YouTube tribute video to cricket legend Tony Cozier, which shows him in the commentary box during a match.
On May 11, 2016, the cricketing world lost a piece of its heart: Barbadian cricket commentator Tony Cozier passed away after a long illness at the age of 75.
Known the world over as “the voice of West Indies cricket”, Cozier was much more than a sports analyst. While his commentary was always insightful, measured and fair, his voice — clear, with a melodic Barbadian lilt that some describe as “champagne on air” — conjured up the experience of Caribbean cricket. When Tony Cozier took the microphone, no matter where you were in the world, you were transported to a cricket ground where warm breezes blew, the sparkling sun threatened to blind you if you dared look skyward to follow a ball that was hit for six, and the energy, both on and off the field, was electric.
Cozier's voice, to West Indian cricket fans, was like home, and Cozier himself that benevolent father figure who gave unconditional love. He adored West Indies cricket; lived it and breathed it, and was a worthy steward of the game, regardless of whether the team's performance was mediocre or outstanding.
In the 50-plus years that Cozier was the soundtrack of West Indies cricket, he had seen both extremes: the glory days of the 1970s and 80s when the West Indies dominated the sport and the team's sudden, steep decline in the 1990s and early 2000s, until the popularity of Twenty20 cricket started to play a role in the side's revitalisation.
Unsurprisingly, Cozier was a sharp critic of the West Indies Cricket Board‘s (WICB) lack of vision and poor administration of the game. Nevertheless, the WICB paid him a stirring tribute, saying:
The lifelong work of Tony Cozier centred around West Indies cricket and he made a lasting contribution to the game. […] He was not just a great journalist, but also a great ambassador. He represented West Indies wherever he went. He educated people around the world about our cricket, our people, our culture and who we are. His voice was strong and echoed around the cricket world. He enjoyed West Indies victories and shared the pain when we lost. He gave a lifetime of dedicated service and will be remembered by all who came into contact with him.
A lifetime indeed. The son of journalist Jimmy Cozier who was editor of the St. Lucia Voice newspaper, the young Cozier reported on his first cricket match (Australia vs. the West Indies at Barbados’ Kensington Oval) at just 15 years old. He was a solid and prolific writer, branching out into broadcast journalism in the early 1960s thanks to a stint at a Trinidadian radio station. He never looked back, going on to work with some of the most prestigious international broadcasters, including Australia's Channel Nine, the BBC and Sky Sports.
When Cozier first began filing cricket stories from different parts of the world, they might not make the sports pages for days; the immediacy with which news of his death flooded social media sites like Twitter and Facebook may very well have amused him, but the fact that he was trending speaks to the impact that he made — on the region and beyond.
#TonyCozier Rip. Grew up listening to ur commentary. Will never forget ur voice @phanilv @mithildave @itsme005 :@vicky_64
— Girish (@Girish_Dongre) May 12, 2016
Just told my old man, who's devastated. RIP Tony Cozier, one of the greatest to hold a microphone at the cricket. Our game is poorer today.
— Sairam Krishnan (@_sairamkrishnan) May 12, 2016
Difficult to say goodbye to #TonyCozier, the last legend of Radio Commentary era where non-playing commentators ruled in equal measure.
— Hemant Bhatt (@hembhatt14) May 12, 2016
Cozier didn't play the game professionally, yet he knew it so intimately; this was one of his greatest strengths. Barbados-based journalist and blogger B.C. Pires wrote of his passing:
It’s the ultimate firetruckery for every one of us, and most of us will be lucky not to have to face it for a long time yet, but it came this morning for the most important man in West Indies cricket history who never raised his bat or sent down an over. What the now late Tony Cozier sent down, instead, were millions of words, every one of them up in the block hole, about our cricket. West Indies cricket would be in a good place now, had we listened to TC, instead of the hordes of pompous idiots gallerying themselves in their jackets-and-ties but revealing themselves in their press releases.
Many tweets about Cozier were personal recollections from friends and colleagues, who talked about his generosity (he enjoyed entertaining at his beach house) and his professionalism:
Sad news about Tony Cozier, the voice of Caribbean cricket and a superb commentator. Generous host to many friends at the Conset Bay shack.
— jim maxwell (@jimmaxcricket) May 11, 2016
I'm really upset about the passing of Tony Cozier. He was one of the finest the comm box has ever been blessed with and a good friend. RIP
— Graeme Swann (@Swannyg66) May 11, 2016
RIP to Tony Cozier. A legend of cricket, a superb writer and fearless journalist. He had deep, inspiring passion for sport and journalism.
— Lasana Liburd (@lasanaliburd) May 11, 2016
Even Global Voices Managing Director Georgia Popplewell, who once worked with and interviewed Cozier, said on Facebook:
I learnt more about cricket in the week I spent with Tony Cozier than I could ever have in a lifetime of reading about or watching the game. Farewell to a great and gracious man.
Other updates by Twitter users recalled, among other things, Cozier's skill at storytelling, his expansive knowledge of the game, his integrity, intelligence, gentleness and wit.
One Twitter user simply couldn't believe that he was no longer with us…
I'm still waiting for someone to tell me it is one of those twitter hoaxes. How can Tony Cozier go? Only one word. Great.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 11, 2016
While others found solace in cherishing his legacy:
Go well Tony Cozier. You adorned our game. You loved it like a child and a parent. You had respect. You had dignity. And you had love.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 11, 2016
Rest in Peace Tony Cozier. The voice of #WestIndies Cricket has gone silent. But the echoes will continue to reverberate. #TonyCozier.
— ђəñ®¥ (@1Aim_1Destiny) May 12, 2016

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Happy 50th Birthday to Rana, Masud Rana, Bangladesh’s Very Own James Bond · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

Golden Jubilee poster of the Masud Rana series. Image courtesy of the official Facebook page of Sheba Prokashoni (publisher of Masud Rana book series).
An ex-military major who now works for the country's intelligence services. A man who travels the world on secret missions and goes by a short and catchy code name. A suave womaniser who never settles down.
Sound familiar? It probably does, but it's not James Bond. It's Masud Rana, code name MR-9, the most popular spy character of the few to be found in Bengali literature, who turns 50 in May 2016.
Qazi Anwar Hussain, creator and author of the Masud Rana series. Image by Humayra Ahmed via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
The creation of renowned author Kazi Anwar Hussain, this spy extraordinaire of Bangladesh first appeared in 1966 in the book ‘Dhwangsha Pahar’ (The Mountain of Destruction). Readers will find a number of similarities between Rana and James Bond. In fact, he is lovingly known as the Bengali version of James Bond among fans.
Rana has had a long career in Bangladesh's fictional espionage world, and was a cultural icon in the 1970s and 80s. He has appeared as the central character in more than 400 books so far.
Hussain is said to have liberally borrowed plot lines from popular Western spy thrillers at the start of the Masud Rana series, but at the same time it catered to Bengali-speaking young people, who had few entertainment alternatives in an era pre-dating video games, cable TV, Western books and the internet.
The character and a number of stories have been adapted into movies and television dramas in the country.
The popularity of Masud Rana becomes obvious when reading this Facebook comment by Tasdik Aurangazeb:
সেই সময় আমার হাতে তেমন একটা পয়সা থাকত না। এক একটা বই যোগাড় করতে কি যে কষ্ট করতে হত তা লিখে বোঝাতে পারব না। এক একটা বই কেনার জন্য ১৫ থেকে ২০ দিন না খেয়ে টিফিনের পয়সা বাঁচাতে হত। রিকশা ভাড়ার পয়সা বাঁচানোর জন্য মাইলের পর মেইল হেটে পারি দিতাম। আহ কি অদ্ভুত সব কষ্ট-মাখা আনন্দের দিন গেছে সেই সময়!
Back in those days I didn’t have much extra money to spend. It was extremely difficult to buy books; the extent of that difficulty can hardly be explained in a few words. I used to skip meals to save money so that I could buy Masud Rana books. I also used to walk for miles so that I could save on rickshaw fare. Ah, those were the days! Full of bittersweet memories.
Most Masud Rana readers are young. However, the thrillers also hold great appeal for adult readers as well. Morshed Alam Badol wrote:
কৈশোর পেরিয়ে যৌবন । যৌবন পেরিয়ে প্রৌঢ়। আজও মাসুদ রানা সমান ভাবে টানে। সেই স্কুল বয়সের কিশোর ছেলেটির মত।
From adolescence to youth, from youth to middle age, Masud Rana still attracts me the same way. Just like he did back in high school.
Raat-Prohori's comment illustrates how Masud Rana has been an influence on Bangladeshi readers:
দীর্ঘদিন মাসুদ রানা পড়ে মনে হতো আমাকে কোথাও কেউ ঠেকাতে পারবে না। আমি ঠিকই উতরে যাবো। তা পাঁচতারা হোটেলের রিসেপশন হোক, বিলাসবহুল জাহাজ এর ক্যাপ্টেন হোক আর উড়োজাহাজ এর পাইলট হোক যে কোন পরিবেশ সামলাতে পারবো আমি। কিভাবে আগ্নেয়াস্ত্র চালাতে হয়, কিভাবে প্যারাস্যুট জড়িয়ে প্লেন থেকে লাফাতে হয়, কিভাবে স্কুবা ডাইভিং করতে হয় এসব যেন মাসুদ রানার মাধ্যমে আমাকে শিখিয়েছেন আমাদের কাজী'দা।
Being a long-time reader of Masud Rana, I used to think that I was unstoppable. Whether I was at the reception desk of a five-star hotel, or I was a luxurious ship’s captain or an aircraft pilot, I’d have no trouble getting used to my role. Mr. Kazi Anwar Hussain taught me how to use firearms, how to jump from a plane with a parachute, how to scuba dive, and he taught me all this through Masud Rana.
A new book and magazine were published to celebrate 50 years of Masud Rana. Image courtesy of the official Facebook page of Sheba Prokashoni (publisher of the Masud Rana book series).
However, not all Bengali families welcome Masud Rana into their households. The series has faced criticism due to the sexually explicit content in some books. In some circles, young readers of the series are seen in a negative light because of this reason.
But Masud Rana's most dedicated fans continue to sing the series’ praises undeterred. On a Masud Rana Facebook page, people recall their memories of reading the books. Sottom Haldar remembered:
আমি জানি এখনকার ছেলেমেয়েরা আর রানা পড়ে না, তারা সিডনী শেলডন নাইলে রর্বাট লুডলাম পড়ে। আমি জানি রানার বই সাহিত্য পন্ডিত দের কাছে একদম অখাদ্য। কিন্তু আমার মত যারা 90″s কিড তাদের কাছে এখনো রানা আর কাজীদা এক মহাপুরুষের নাম। আমি কৃতজ্ঞ রানা আর কাজীদার কাছে যারা বিনা পাসপোর্টে আমাকে দুনিয়ার রং রুপ চিনে নিতে শিখিয়েছেন।
I know that today's generation of teens do not read Masud Rana, they prefer [the novels of American writers] Sidney Sheldon or Robert Ludlum instead. I know they would just throw away Masud Rana books as inferior. But for the 90s kids [in Bangladesh] like me, Rana and Kazi Anwar Hussain are legends. I am indebted to them as they showed the world to me through those books.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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Latin America and the Middle East Take One Step Closer to Each Other on the Dance Floor · Global Voices
Rawan Gharib

Salsa-belly dancer Yulduz Starkova combines styles in front of an audience. Screenshot taken from a video recorded at the Gala Concert in Moscow.
Belly dancing has its roots in the Middle East, while salsa grew out of Latin American traditions. When you combine them, you get a high energy, hip-swaying fusion dance form that bridges the two regions of the world, separated by thousands of kilometers of land and sea.
The Internet is full of belly dance-salsa mashups. One example is below, a workshop from the Discover Dance studio in the UK:
And here, professional belly dancer Natasha Bradly performs a fusion belly dance-salsa routine to a song by Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela:
Or this performance by belly dancer Lana Terra and the group Rumba Havana at a concert in Moscow in 2015:
This cultural collaborations go beyond dance and into the music itself. Egyptian Hossam Ramzy and the Chilean Pablo Carcamo released an album in 1994 made just for belly dance.
Hanine y Son Cubano is a musical group featuring a Lebanese singer that combines traditional Arabic singing with Cuban music.
It isn't just the unique flavor of Middle Eastern-Latin American mixes like this that listeners like. It's also the greater potential for understanding that they represent, as one YouTube commenter explained:
Wonderful traditional Arabic singing woven into fabulous Cuban jazz. Just like we always dreamed, music will bring people together and give us a chance at world peace.
In Egypt, where the belly dancing tradition is strong, salsa on its own is already pushing boundaries and promoting diversity. As we reported in March, the popularity of the dance has grown, despite the prejudices that exist in a conservative culture.

author: Rawan Gharib


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Netizen Report: Facebook and Twitter Disappear in Uganda Amid Election Tensions · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

“We are all Ugandans….voting should not divide us.” Poster in Uganda, 2012. Photo by pixelthing via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Last week, Uganda's minister for information and national guidance banned media houses from covering opposition protests, and the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission warned that the ban “may be extended to social media.” This appears to have come to fruition.
On May 11, the Uganda Communications Commission ordered telecommunications service providers to block access to major social media sites, in anticipation of the inauguration of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni on May 12.
Musveni will begin his fifth term in office after winning more than 60 of the vote on February 18, 2016. The election results were called into question by both the leading opposition party and international observers.
On of the evening of May 11, Ugandan users began reporting that they couldn't access social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The country's major telecommunication companies, like Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda, confirmed the shutdown in notices to their customers:
Dear Customers, as per UCC directive Social media has been temporarily blocked however all our other services are available. We regret any inconveniences caused.
Twitter user @JZiras shared this communication from Roke Telkom, which said the blackout was due to “security reasons”:
Social media shut down ordered by Ugandan government ahead of contested swearing in ceremony of president Museveni pic.twitter.com/sG7mXCwGOo
— #IstandwithMM (@JZiras) 11 de mayo de 2016
Opposition leader Kizza Besigye and other opposition figures have been under house arrest for much of the time since February. They have relied on social media to organize what they're calling a “defiance campaign” of protests.
Maps that label geographic areas of conflict as “disputed” territories in India could put one behind bars for seven years with a roughly $15 million penalty if a recently proposed bill becomes law. The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 would make it illegal to “depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form.” If approved, it could land entities like Wikipedia, Open Street Map, and Google Maps in trouble for showing areas of conflict like Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh near the China border as disputed, which many of them currently do.
Canadian citizen Robert Penner was arrested and charged with disrupting social harmony with critically worded tweets; it’s the first reported arrest of a person in Nepal over messages sent on Twitter. Penner’s visa was canceled and he was forced to leave the country. Though it’s unclear which tweets triggered his arrest, BuzzFeed reports that authorities received pseudonymous tweets reporting Penner for “doing politics” and violating immigration rules. Penner is a vocal critic of Nepal’s new constitution, which went into effect in September 2015 and which two Nepali ethnic groups argue could lead to their political marginalization.
A Russian regional court sentenced social media user Andrey Bubeyev to two years and three months in prison over charges of promoting extremism and separatism online. Bubeyev reposted two pieces of content connected with the crisis in Crimea. He is already serving a year in a penal colony for other social media posts and possession of ammunition supplies.
Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki was freed on bail May 4, 2016. Maleki was arrested in December 2009, six months after Iran's disputed presidential elections, and was immediately incarcerated at the notorious Evin prison, serving 376 days in solitary confinement before his trial finally began in 2010. This led to a 15-year sentence on charges of “spreading propaganda against the regime,” “membership of the Internet group Iran Proxy, and “insulting the Iranian supreme leader and the president.” He went on a hunger strike this past April to protest his imprisonment.
In a May 6 tweet, Maleki shared a recent photo with a poetic comment:
هر رفتنی را بازگشتی است هر چند با جسم ضعیف و مریض احوال اما ایستاده و خندان باید بازگشت. باید بازگشت… pic.twitter.com/lp3zICJuka
— Hossein Ronaghi (@HosseinRonaghi) May 6, 2016
With every departure there is a return. Even when weak and ill we must stand and smile. We must go on…
Australia’s Productivity Commission, a government agency designed to give independent advice to the government, issued a report arguing the country’s copyright protection is “cast too widely and lasts too long.” In the report, the commission argues in favor of adopting fair use, saying “Australia’s copyright arrangements are weighted too heavily in favor of copyright owners, to the detriment of the long-term interests of both consumers and intermediate users.” The report goes against the grain of previous policy lines taken by the Australian government, led by Attorney General George Brandis, to expand copyright laws in the country.
Mahsa Alimardani, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Weiping Li, Hae-in Lim, James Propa, Elizabeth Rivera and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


text:
The King of Congolese Rumba Has Died. This Is His Legacy. · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

Papa Wemba, December 30, 2015. Photo: Flickr user dicap ipups / CC 2.0.
African music legend Papa Wemba passed away on April 24, 2016, in Abidjan, after collapsing on stage during one of his performances. He played an active role in popularising Congolese rumba on the international music scene, and he was also known for mentoring other African music stars, including Koffi Olomidé and King Kester Emeneya. Three days of national mourning were declared following his death, and a national funeral was held on May 4, 2016, at Our Lady of the Congo Cathedral in Kinshasa. More than a thousand people reportedly attended the ceremony:
Despite being renowned amongst African music lovers, he is still not very well known outside Africa. If you have just discovered this African legend, here are four highlights in his career full of achievements.
Papa Wemba was dubbed the King of Congolese Rumba, a continuously evolving genre that has given rise to other styles such as Soukous and Ndombolo. As its name indicates, Congolese rumba has roots in Cuban rumba, which arrived in Congo in the 1930s. Below is a video from the show “Africanités”, broadcast on TV5 Monde, illustrating the music's history with a selection of hits:
Papa Wemba's and his colleagues’ contribution to the evolution of Congolese rumba in the 1970s was manifold, when the genre came to favor percussion instruments over wind instruments, as well as a quicker tempo, blending more strongly local trends with rumba's Cuban origins.
In 1993, Papa Wemba toured North America and Europe on the “Secret World Live Tour” alongside Peter Gabriel, who  was at the time one of the music industry's biggest stars. The international recognition was huge for Papa Wemba. Here the two artists can be seen performing “In Your Eyes” at a concert. (Papa Wemba begins to sing in Lingala at 7:40.)
Peter Gabriel is as well known for his musical career as for his human rights activism, notably through the organisation he founded, called WITNESS. Peter Gabriel attended Papa Wemba's funeral in almost complete anonymity.
Screen capture of TV show Taratata with Nagui's interview of Papa Wemba and Peter Gabriel
Throughout his 40-year career, Papa Wemba recorded many popular hits. Here is a selection of his most famous songs:
Yolele:
Maria Valencia:
Show Me the Way:
Papa Wemba was also famous for collaborating with many African stars, such as Koffi Olomide, notably for the song “Wake Up”:
With Extra Musica on Etat Major:
In the 1970s, Papa Wemba created a movement called “SAPE”, which is an acronym for the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes (or Society of Ambiance-ists and People of Elegance). (This is the origin of the expression “sapé” in French, which is slang for a loudly but still well-dressed individual.) Papa Wemba liked to dress extravagantly and, by the middle of his career, he was also called the King of Sape. Congo is now known as the world's leading “sape” country, thanks in large part to Papa Wemba. The following documentary details the origins of the ‘King of Sape’ nickname:
And so we have lost Papa Wemba, a Congolese rumba pioneer and the “King of Sape”. “Farewell to the artist and thank you,” says Global Voices.

author: Rakotomalala


text:
These Images Illustrate How Litter Is Destroying Myanmar’s Famous Landmarks · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

Photo of Yangon Government Office by Si Thu Aung. Source: Facebook album of Si Mon, used with permission.
Pictures of Myanmar's landmarks photoshopped to include litter in the foreground have gone viral among Facebook users in the country. The images, which highlight the worsening garbage problem in Myanmar's famous tourism destinations, were created by artist Si Thu Aung, who encouraged people to share them to raise awareness about the need to protect the country's landmarks.
Garbage pollution is a concern raised by many experts, who urge Myanmar to embrace a more sustainable model of development. Even Nobel Laureate and top government minister Aung San Suu Kyi led a nationwide garbage collection campaign at the end of 2015 to demonstrate the urgency of addressing the problem.
The photos were uploaded to Facebook by Si Mon, who explained how picking up litter can uplift the image of the country:
အခုဆို နိုင်ငံအပြောင်းအလဲတွေ ကြောင့်နိုင်ငံခြားဧည့်သည်တွေ ဝင်လာရင် ဘယ်နေရာကြည့်ကြည့်သန့်သန့်ရှင်းရှင်း သပ်သပ်ရပ်ရပ်နဲ့ ကိုယ့်နိုင်ငံအလှကို ကမ္ဘာသိအောင် ပြဖို့အကောင်းဆုံးအချိန်ပါ။ သင်ကိုယ်တိုင်ကဦးဆောင်ပြီး စည်းကမ်းတကျအမှိုက်ပစ် ခြင်းအားဖြင့် သင့်ပတ်ဝန်းကျင် သာယာလှပရုံသာမက နိုင်ငံ့ဂုဏ်ကိုပါမြှင့်တင်ပေးရာ ရောက်ပါတယ်။ အဲ့တာကြောင့် သင့်အမှိုက်တစ်စကို စည်းကမ်းမဲ့တစ်ကြိမ်တစ်ခါပဲဆိုပြီး ပစ်လိုက်ပေမဲ့ လူတိုင်းအဲလိုပဲတွေး ပြီးပြစ်ကြမယ်ဆိုရင် ကြီးမားတဲ့သက်ရောက်မှု ရှိလို့ အမှိုက်ပစ်ခါနီးတိုင်း သတိဆောင်ကြပါလို့ တိုက်တွန်းအပ်ပါတယ်။
Now foreign visitors are coming because of the political change and it's time for you to show the beauty of the country to the world by being clean and organized. If you set an example by by being careful with where you throw away your trash, we can raise the standards of our country. So, if you throw out trash recklessly, even only once, and if everyone thinks the same way, it will create a huge impact. Therefore, please be mindful before you litter.
Photo of U Bein Bridge in Mandalay by Si Thu Aung. Source: Facebook album of Si Mon, used with permission.
Photo of Ngapali Beach by Si Thu Aung. Source: Facebook album of Si Mon, used with permission.
Photo of Bagan by Si Thu Aung. Source: Facebook album of Si Mon, used with permission.
Photo of Golden Monastery in Mandalay by Si Thu Aung. Source: Facebook album of Si Mon, used with permission.

author: Juan Cebu