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Is Bahrain Prepared for an ISIS Terror Attack? · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

A protestor carrying a I love Bahrain placard during a rally in Bahrain in 2013. Photograph by Moh'd Saeed. Copyright: Demotix
UPDATE: Since this story was published, Bahrain has announced it is taking steps to allocate “security resources to protect places of worship [which ] is the duty of the Interior Ministry, which is charged with protecting citizens and residents.” For more on this, check out our coverage on Global Voices Checkdesk here.
Following ISIS attacks against Shiites in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that have left scores dead and hundreds injured, it’s not a surprise that Bahrain is on the terror group's radar. Predictions that mosques in Bahrain could be next on the ISIS hit list are being circulated on social media.
The Al-Qaeda affiliate which now controls large territories in Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility for two separate attacks on Shiite mosques in Eastern Saudi Arabia last month, and the latest attack on Imam Sadiq mosque, the largest Shiite mosque in Kuwait City, on Friday.
On Twitter, ISIS member Waddah Alazdi issues a direct threat saying Bahrain should brace itself for an attack next Friday:
ان شاء الله الجمعة الجايه بالبحرين .. يقولون الكوكتيل كويس ^__^ #تفجير_معبد_الصادق_بالكويت #الدولة_الإسلامية
— وضّاح الأزديّ (@89_waddah) June 26, 2015
If God is willing, next Friday (referring to a terrorist attack) will be in Bahrain. They say it's a nice mix.
Researcher at the University of Cambridge and author of Sectarian Gulf Toby Matthiesen expressed concern:
I fear that the #Kuwait bombing means that IS really will try to target all Shia in the Arabian Peninsula. Are #Bahrain, #Dubai, #Oman next?
— Toby Matthiesen (@TobyMatthiesen) June 27, 2015
In a post circulated on Facebook and Twitter by Muharraq News, ISIS Bahraini leader Turki Al-Binali, whose citizenship was one of the 72 citizenships recently revoked by the Bahraini government, has announced the next attack will take place in Bahrain next Friday, on July 3, 2015:
عاجل| تركي مبارك البنعلي يعلن ان العمليةالقادمة بعد تفجير مسجد في الكويت ستكون في البحرين الجمعة القادمةتاريخ٢٠١٥/٧/٣ pic.twitter.com/W44Xu6lemt
— أخبار المحرق (@Muharraq_news) June 26, 2015
Urgent: Turki Mubarak Al-Binali announces that next operation after the bombing of a mosque in Kuwait will be in Bahrain on Friday on 07/03/2015
It is not clear if the announcement is official, but it has been also published on smaller Arabic news sites.
This is not the first empty threat by ISIS to carry out a terrorist attack in Bahrain, which is why some people are skeptical. That doesn’t mean that Bahrain should not put on its proactive hat and take necessary safety measures to ensure that mosques and people are protected from any potential attack.
On May 22, a suicide bomber killed 23 people and left 102 people injured when he blew himself up in the Imam Ali Mosque in Qatif, in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The following Friday, on May 31, three people were killed in a suicide bombing, which the ISIS Saudi branch Walayat Najd claimed responsibility for, and some 10 people were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shia mosque in nearby Dammam.
And in November, last year, eight people were killed in Al Ahsa, also in the Eastern province, when gunmen attacked a Shia community centre, where a religious ceremony was taking place.
Many feel that the two suicide bombings targeting Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia, which followed the Al Ahsa attack, and the attack in Kuwait, could have been thwarted had the authorities taken measures to stop them.
Bahrain is politically a perfect hub for a terrorist attack. The country is already divided by sectarian tensions following the popular uprising in 2011, when people called for more political reforms. The government pitted the conflict as a Shia population trying to wrestle power from a Sunni leadership, a storyline often echoed in international media. Bahrain is also different from both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait because Shias are closer to being a majority in the small Gulf island and are easier to target as the government has been engaged in daily street battles with Shiite protesters on an almost daily basis since protests started four years ago.
However, it remains the responsibility of the government first and the people second to provide security for all citizens equally, and not based on sect or political loyalty. Failing to secure the lives of all Bahrainis, regardless of their sect, is a sectarian statement in itself.
The question is, how can a country like Bahrain where systematic approaches based on sect are deeply infested, fight a bigger battle against ISIS. How are people expected to stand united, when state media fuels hatred and sectarian tensions in the country? Are we even allowed to blame ISIS for their irrational extremism when Bahraini religious figures, media outlets, and laws do the same?
Bahraini journalist Khalil Bohazza started a dialogue with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Alkhalifa on this issue:
@khalidalkhalifa ما هي الرسالة التي توجه للدواعش حين تنتهك حرمات مذهب معين من قبل مؤسسات الدولة، أليس السماح باستهدافهم
— Khalil Bohazza (@Khalil_Bohazza) June 26, 2015
What is the message that is sent to ISIS when the sanctity of a particular sect is violated by state institutions, other than allowing them to target the sect.
My brother Khalil you know me very well, did you expect that I don't condemn ISIS’ terrorism. In fact they were arrested, interrogated and their citizenships were revoked.
Bohazza elaborates on sectarian practices in Bahrain that make the country an easy target for such terrorist attacks:
حين يُسب أبناء طائفة بالتلفزيون الرسمي، وتوظف الصحف المدعومة من الدولة للتعريض بمذهبهم، فهي موافقة الدولة ع استهدافهم من قبل الدواعش وغيرهم
— Khalil Bohazza (@Khalil_Bohazza) June 26, 2015
When people from a certain sect are cursed on state television, and state-backed newspapers are employed to insult their sect, that is an approval by the state for ISIS and others to target them.
Editor-in-Chief of Arabic daily Al-Wasat Newspaper Mansour Aljamri emphasizes Bohazza's message in a separate tweet:
سيندحر الارهاب عندما تصمت ابواق الكراهية. الارهابيون الذين فجروا مسجد الصادق بالكويت استمدوا قوتهم من فتاوى التكفير والتحريض العلني.
— Mansoor Al-Jamri (@MANSOOR_ALJAMRi) June 26, 2015
Terrorism will be defeated when the amplifiers of hatred are shut. The terrorists who blew Al-Sadiq mosque in Kuwait derived their strength from the fatwas [which describe Shiites as infidels] and public incitement.
Fighting sectarianism in Bahrain should be a policy, and not a lenient preference. In a country where human rights activists and journalists get arrested for criticizing the government or “insulting public institutions”, isn't it more dangerous when prominent voices call for violent actions against other groups of people in the country? Why aren't sectarianists being punished for digging Bahrain's grave deeper into the ground?
Writer and poet Ali Al Saeed shares my concerns, and those of many others, demanding action:
Time for #Bahrain to be genuine about tackling extremism/terrorism. There are hate-preachers that must be stopped and held accountable.
— Ali Al Saeed (@alialsaeed) June 28, 2015
But he remains doubtful:
But govt looks away when it comes to certain factions/individuals, allowing #sectarianism to fester and grow. #bahrain
— Ali Al Saeed (@alialsaeed) June 28, 2015
The Ministry of Interior seems to have heard my thoughts and tweeted two days ago:
General Diroctor of Anti-corruption & Electronic Security: legal procedures against anyone misusing social media 2promote sectarian sedition
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 26, 2015
PT: public could report misuse of social media cases by calling the hotline 992
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 26, 2015
One is allowed to be skeptical of the seriousness of such measures, and wonder whether all those accused of using social media to deepen the sectarian problem in Bahrain will be punished equally, or based on their sect.
Human rights activist Said Yousif is one of those very skeptical:
ما قيمة بيانات النظام بمحاربة الإرهاب و النظام يطبع على نفقته كتب تكفيرية تحمل فكر و عقيدة #داعش ليصنع لنا دواعش جدد pic.twitter.com/xOoIdDFTkN
— S.Yousif Almuhafdah (@SAIDYOUSIF) June 6, 2015
What is the value of the regime's statement about fighting terrorism when the system prints on its own expense blasphemy books presenting a discourse that creates new ISIS recruits
The tweet is a picture of a book's cover page entitled “The light of the Sunna and the Darkness of Heresy” and is sponsored by General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force. In Bahrain, no one has yet been punished of accusing the adherents of the Shiite faith of heresy and calling them “Rawafedh,” a derogatory term used to describe the Shia, in state-sponsored media and from the pulpits of mosques.
This is the perfect opportunity for Bahrain's government to prove they are concerned for all Bahraini citizens and that security isn't important only when trying to crackdown on protesters in the streets.
Al Saeed still wonders whether the government is doing anything to prevent potential attacks:
What will my government do to ensure shia mosques are protected now that #isis announced next attack in #Bahrain? #pt
— Ali Al Saeed (@alialsaeed) June 27, 2015
If ISIS is the enemy of all Muslims, Bahrainis should unite and take steps towards facing this common enemy. Since the Shiite mosques are targeted, why can't we open the Sunni mosques for everyone and pray together. Bahrain's Foreign Minister had the same idea:
@robaa85111 @Fahad الخطأ التاريخي هو ان يكون هناك مسجد للسنة و مسجد للشيعة المسجد واحد لجميع المسلمين ، اما الاختلافات فهي فقهية تم تسييسها
— خالد بن احمد (@khalidalkhalifa) June 26, 2015
The historical error is that there is a mosque for Sunnis and a mosque for Shiites, A mosque is one and for all Muslims, the differences were politicized
Bohazza calls it as it is:
محاربة التطرف ليس بالشعارات، بل بتأسيس دول قائمة ع حكم القانون والمواطنة الكاملة #مسجد_الإمام_الصادق #تفجير_إرهابي_في_الكويت
— Khalil Bohazza (@Khalil_Bohazza) June 26, 2015
We can't fight extremism with slogans, rather the establishment of states based on the rule of law and full citizenship
Bahrain's government understands the sectarian divide, given it had played a role in strengthening it. Why can't we have a policy to unite mosques and force extremists out?
I received this picture from a private Instagram account that has been shared via social media:
The text quotes Bahrain News saying, it is hard for ISIS to carry out a terrorist attack in Bahrain. The post says that security checkpoints have been heavily installed around the country, and armed control cells have been planted around all mosques to monitor the situation. Bahrain News also announced that a terrorist cell linked to ISIS has been arrested at customs, and after interrogation it was clear they were preparing to study “targeted sites.” This confirms that Bahrain is next after Kuwait, in the ISIS plan.
Although the responsibility of safeguarding citizens falls squarely on the government, it is also in the hands of the smaller communities in Bahrain to show unity and solidarity by taking their own safety measures to keep an open eye on their mosques and visitors. On a larger scale, it is their responsibility to stop using sectarian messages, and inciting hatred between sects just because they have different political ideologies.
ISIS is not Iran, it's not Saudi Arabia, it's not a country. Our political preferences are not to be the judging factor whether some people deserve to be killed by ISIS or not.
Kuwait has shown an incredible solidarity between the Sunnis and Shiites following the blast. Kuwaitis from both sects prayed side by side to mourn the death of their fellow citizens.
Saudi comedian Fahad Albutairi tweeted this video:
بعد #تفجير_إرهابي_في_الكويت، يقف الكويتيون سنة وشيعة صفًا واحدًا في مسجد الإمام الصادق، المسجد الذي حصلت فيه الجريمة. pic.twitter.com/mok6xRRiul
— Fahad Albutairi (@Fahad) June 26, 2015
After the terrorist attack in Kuwait, Kuwaitis stand Sunnis and Shiites united in Imam al-Sadiq mosque, where the crime happened.
Will Bahrain be united and stand together in the face of a real foreign terrorist threat, or will we practice a blatant hypocrisy where we condemn a violent act elsewhere, but justify it on our own turf?
We don’t know whether Al-Binali’s announcement is an empty threat, but what if it wasn’t? Is Bahrain prepared?

author: Faten Bushehri


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Kuwait Identifies a Saudi Man as Suicide Bomber of the Shia Mosque · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) has identified the suicide bomber of Imam Al-Sadiq mosque as Fahad Suleiman Abdulmohsen Al-Gabbaa. Authorities stated he was a Saudi national who flew to Kuwait by air on the morning of the attack and entered through Kuwait International Airport. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior later said the attacker was born in 1992.
ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Shia mosque which left 27 people killed and more than 200 injured. The attack came after two separate attacks in earlier weeks on Shia mosques in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia.
This YouTube video is a slideshow of photographs compiled after the blast.
Like many other Twitter users, Qatifeed from Saudi Arabia tweeted to his 11K followers a photograph of Al-Gabbaa:
Kuwait's interior ministry says the bomber of Shia mosque was a Saudi #KuwaitAttack pic.twitter.com/VYsGfLuwmR
— أثير القطيف (@Qatifeed) June 28, 2015
Other Twitter users shared photographs of the suicide bomber moments before he entered the main hall of the mosque. The pictures were taken from the mosque's CCTV. Bahraini activist Ala'a Shehabi shares some pictures:
Photos taken from CCTV of suicide bomber as he entered packed mosque #kuwait with 2000 worshippers #تفجير_الكويت pic.twitter.com/7gldR7wXEx
— Ala'a Shehabi (@alaashehabi) June 26, 2015
The Kuwaiti government also announced it had arrested several people in connection with the attack. Among those arrested was 26-year-old Abdul-Rahman Sabah Aidan, who is reported to be the designated driver, who drove the suicide bomber to the mosque.
Kuwait declared a mourning day on Saturday and held a mass funeral to bury the 27 people who were killed in the blast at the mosque in Al-Sawabir district in Kuwait city on June 26.
Immediately after the attack, the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah paid a visit to the site of the blast, and later joined the people in their mourning at the Grand Mosque, the largest Sunni mosque in Kuwait. He also ordered the reconstruction of the damaged mosque.
Radio Sawa journalist Zaid Benjamin tweeted photographs and a video of the Emir's visit:
Amir of #Kuwait visits the grand mosque where the funeral of dozens killed in Friday mosque blast is taking place. pic.twitter.com/tkbV5oKwRL
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) June 27, 2015
Amir of #Kuwait visits al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque where a suicide attack took place earlier. pic.twitter.com/XMNXf6jLJ4
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) June 26, 2015
Meanwhile, people rushed to donate blood to those injured immediately after the bombing:
Kuwait Central Blood Bank, right now: #OneKuwait pic.twitter.com/CL5O2Xb7EF
— Azza F. Al-Jassim (@azzaaljassim) June 26, 2015
The victims were wrapped in Kuwaiti flags in preparation for their funerals:
Taking place now the funeral of the martyrs of the #Kuwait mosque bombing yesterday in Imam Al Sadiq mosque. pic.twitter.com/BqupryaPwO
— Mustafa al-Najafi (@MustafaNajafi) June 27, 2015
Sunni and Shia Kuwaitis gathered for a funeral procession and prayed side by side at Kuwait's Grand Mosque.
Here is a photograph of the Emir at the mosque, mourning the victims:
سمو الامير و سمو ولي العهد يعزون ذوي الشهداء في المسجد الكبير #الكويت_قويه pic.twitter.com/9eIQy2dqYu
— الشبكة الإخبارية (@ShabakaQ8) June 27, 2015
Twitter hashtags have been headlining social media, the latest being the Arabic hashtag “Kuwait is Strong” where people posted their condolences and solidarity, as well as sharing photographs showing the unity of both Sunnis and Shiites in the country.
Twitter users tweeted videos from the funeral:
فيديو / مشيعيون ”ينعون“: يمّه ذكريني من تمر زفة شباب في تشييع شهداء #تفجير_مسجد_الإمام_الصادق . #الكويت_قوية pic.twitter.com/Q2AYHaRyVZ
— المجلس (@Almajlliss) June 27, 2015
Kuwaitis chanted “Brothers Sunnis and Shiites, we won't sell this homeland,” a chant commonly heard in Bahraini protests:
الكويت .. وما أدراك ما الكويت ! #الكويت_قوية #تفجير_مسجد_الإمام_الصادق pic.twitter.com/bb0UrP46P4
— المجلس (@Almajlliss) June 27, 2015
Another Twitter user under the name “Al Majilliss” shared a photographs of some of the victims:
الجنة للشهداء .. والمجد للكويت #الكويت_قوية #تفجير_مسجد_الإمام_الصادق pic.twitter.com/WaLbtxnrm6
— المجلس (@Almajlliss) June 27, 2015
Kuwait has shown strong unity following blast that targeted the Shias in Kuwait. People on Twitter emphasized that Kuwait is for both Sunnis and Shias and they won't allow ISIS to divide their society.
All Kuwaitis 🇰🇼 completely united and reject terrorism,what happened attempt to sabotage the Kuwaiti People's Union #KuwaitAttack #kuwait
— Bo.fahad alajmi (@mo6lak) June 27, 2015
You don't have to be Shiae to stand for the victims in Kuwait you just need to be a Human 💔 #KuwaitAttack #الكويت_قوية
— PH.Nouf A AlQahtani (@noufqtn) June 27, 2015
The international community joined members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to condemn the attack on the Shia mosque, and offered condolences to the Kuwaiti ruling family and people.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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The Internet, a Staging Post for Protests in Ecuador, Is Under Threat · Global Voices
Alfredo Velazco

Image of demonstrations against the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. Photo: Alfredo Velazco.
Earlier this month in Ecuador, protests broke out in various cities across the country. The protests stemmed from the government's proposal to implement new taxes on inheritance and capital gains, as well as a series of other economic measures to deal with low oil prices and the appreciation of the dollar.
These protests, featuring high levels of civic participation, were assembled though the use of social networks, as 46 percent of Ecuador's 16 million residents have Internet access.
Twitter, with one million users in the country, is the network which sees the greatest amount of critical hashtag activity against President Rafael Correa.
During the demonstrations, at least during those in Quito and Guayaquil, problems were evident with mobile Internet services supplied by private service providers. People noticed the problem and came up with explanations ranging from network saturation due to the massive volume of users, to the use of signal jammers, which are illegal under Ecuadorian law.
Arcotel, the government agency responsible for overseeing telecommunications, has not commented on the communication breakdown.
Ahora, interceptores de señal contra celulares en la Shyris?… Siguen sin entender!
— Carlos Vera (@CarlosVerareal) junio 12, 2015
Now, mobile phone signal interceptors in La Shyris?… They still don't get it!
#Ecuador government bloking cell/internet access via @RossyFloresR #FueraCorreaFuera #Shyris pic.twitter.com/oQmqQrLdvD — Magdanifica (@Magdanifica1) junio 13, 2015
In the meantime, the use of peer-to-peer apps, like those used during the Hong Kong protests, is taking off. In the wake of the mobile Internet problems witnessed during the mass gatherings, opposition Senator Andres Paez called for the use of the FireChat app, a messaging service that is guaranteed to work during social protests, concerts or football games, and even natural disasters.
Me comentan sobre posibles bloqueadores de señal celular que estaban en el lugar de la concentración ayer, para evitar… Posted by Andrés Páez asambleísta on Jueves, 11 de junio de 2015
They mentioned to me about possible mobile phone signal jammers that were at the location of the protest yesterday, to avoid…
During the protests, some media reported attacks of a different nature, from denial of service (DDoS) to the creation of fake accounts to distort information.
Hemos sufrido un ataque externo a nuestro sitio web http://t.co/N7lEPrrMb4 y estamos trabajando en soluciones inmediatas. — Ecuavisa (@ecuavisa) junio 11, 2015
We have suffered an external attack on our website http://t.co/N7lEPrrMb4 and we are working on immediate solutions.
Lamentamos informar a nuestra audiencia que hemos sido víctimas de ataques cibernéticos que inhabilitan nuestra web pic.twitter.com/9D9944jcsy
— Teleamazonas (@teleamazonasec) junio 12, 2015
We regret to inform our audience that we have fallen victim to cyber attacks that have disabled our website
Cuarto día y la web de LaRepública sigue bajo ataques cibernéticos, se desconocen sus autores.
— La República EC (@larepublica_ec) junio 11, 2015
Day four and LaRepública's website is still under cyber attack, the perpetrators are still unknown.
To our readers,
In the afternoon of Wednesday 10 June 2015, a fake profile was set up on the social network Facebook. This profile uses the name, logo and images of EL COMERCIO, which is attacking our rights to freedom of expression and principally our right to protection of intellectual property. We reported this action, which coincided with the Twitter accounts of some of our collaborators being included on suspected “opposition journalist” lists. We ask our readers not to get caught off guard. At EL COMERCIO we are committed to reporting on matters of public interest, independently and accurately.
Actions affecting the mobile Internet services of people at protests and attacks on the media come amid government campaigns to publicly shame the opposition, and claims of “troll centres” to manipulate public opinion on social networks.
Upon his return from a tour of Europe on June 15 and a few hours after speaking out against the protests, Correa announced that draft laws on inheritance and capital gains tax would be temporarily withheld, citing the need for peace in the buildup to the visit of Pope Francis to Ecuador July 5-8.

author: Alfredo Velazco


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‘Transitioning Cambodia’ Photo Book Illustrates Cambodia’s Uneven Development · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Boeung Kak lake was reclaimed to make way for a real estate project. The new buildings of the Council of Ministers and the office of the Prime Minister can be seen in the background. Photo by Nicolas Axelrod (7/7/2011)
Cambodia has undergone rapid development in the past two decades but inequality and poverty continue to plague the country. It has embraced free elections, allowed free trade, and opened its borders to tourists and investors but many of its people are unable to benefit from these reforms.
The photo book ‘Transitioning Cambodia’ narrates the modern history of a “country that’s still torn between the burden of its horrific past and the promises the future holds.” It is a collaboration between photographer Nicolas Axelrod and journalist Denise Hruby who witnessed the varying impacts of Cambodia’s rise as a developing nation on ordinary people in various communities across the country.
This crowdfunded picture book offers a refreshing look into a country which has embarked on large-scale development programs while residents have struggled to survive amid the changes.
A child plays in muddy water that is spraying out of a broken pipe. The pipes are pumping sand into a natural lake in Borei Reakreay community. The community was evicted from their homes in mid-2009 to make way for residential complexes. Photo and caption by Nicolas Axelrod (3/27/2009)
Below is our e-mail interview with Nicolas and Denise:
Global Voices: What were your objectives in undertaking this project?
Denise Hruby: The objective was to document Cambodia at a time of rapid transition that is fundamentally — and irreversibly — changing its landscapes, politics, and the overall make-up of society. There's no doubt that Cambodia needs to develop on all those levels, but the way some of these changes are happening have left wide gaps between the poor and the rich. Often, development here means that the poor are getting poorer, while the rich continue to increase their wealth.
Nicolas Axelrod: There are few places in the world that have changed as rapidly and dramatically as Cambodia in such a short period of time. Not only physically, looking at infrastructure, but also psychologically, there has been a change in people’s way of thinking be it in regards to politics or family values. For example: the book starts at a time where politics were not openly discussed, this has now changed. These two chapters looking at family and politics describe this change, by giving the reader a look into where the country was, and where it might be going. The other chapters – Land and wealth deal with how the development happened, and the impact it had on both the poor and the rich.
Residents flee a bulldozer as it charges into the rubble of destroyed homes during the forced eviction of Dey Krahorm. Photo and caption by Nicolas Axelrod (1/24/2009)
GV: What has been the feedback in Cambodia about this project?
DH: So far there has been a very positive feedback from the Cambodians and others who have talked to us about the book.
The launch was packed with foreigners and Cambodians, and in the media, too, it's gotten great reviews. Most people tell us that they are happy that there's a book that looks at Cambodia as it is — not just the beautiful temples of Angkor or nostalgic photos of children riding an oxcart. Decision-makers have called it a must read for those following Asian affairs.
Monks get ready on day four of a ten-day Human Rights march into Phnom Penh along National Road 6. After Cambodia's general elections in July 2013, groups of Monks took an active role in politics and promoting Human Rights. Photo and caption by Nicolas Axelrod (12/4/2013)
GV: What is your perspective on Cambodia's development prospects? What should be given priority?
DH: One of the biggest issues in Cambodia is this deeply entrenched system of corruption and nepotism that runs the whole country. Changing this and making the country a fairer place for everyone will take decades, simply because everyone plays along – from the lowest level village chief to top government officials. There's still a huge lack of understanding of corruption, what it is and how harmful it is to society and the economy on a larger scale. Bribes are described as “tea money” and hardly anyone sees anything wrong with that.
The second priority I believe is better education. The government has already allocated more funds to the education ministry, and the new minister is pushing through with major reforms. But here, too, corruption is a major issue. School teachers get paid so little they demand a daily fee from students to attend class, and the poor often don't have the means to pay.
But that's also where I see Cambodia's biggest hope for the future: About half of the population is under the age of 25. It's the youngest population in the region. Investing in their education will be key.

author: Mong Palatino


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Tunisians Point Fingers at Government Security Failures After Resort Attack · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

Flowers laid in memory of victims at scene of Friday's horrific attack. Photo shared by Farah Samti on Twitter.
Tunisians are criticizing government security failures following a terror attack at a beach resort in Sousse, located 140 kilometers south of the capital Tunis.
On June 26, a gunman who was later identified as 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui, opened fired at foreign tourists sunbathing on the beach, before pursuing them to the pool and the lobby of the Imperial Marhaba Hotel, killing 39 people and injuring 38 others. The following day, social media accounts affiliated with ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
Friday's attack comes less than four months after two other gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs attacked the Bardo Museum in the capital, leaving 23 foreign tourists and a police officer dead.
On social media, Tunisians are blaming the authorities and the government's incompetence in dealing with security threats emanating from violent extremist groups and individuals.
Tunisian journalist Asma Ghrbi tweeted on the day of the attack:
The lesson #TNgov should've learnt from #Bardo is that touristic sites are targeted but it did not. Hence today's #sousseAttack &maybe more
— أسمى غريبي (@AsmaGhribi) June 26, 2015
#TNGOV has never had a clear strategy to halt militant insurgency. It has only resorted to fruitless ad hoc measures. Even Nida Tounes 1/2
— أسمى غريبي (@AsmaGhribi) June 26, 2015
which campaigned on an anti-terrorism platform has failed. One can argue that it actually did worse than the previous post-uprising govts2/2
— أسمى غريبي (@AsmaGhribi) June 26, 2015
Papillon tweeted:
2 attentats en 4 mois à 2 endroits censés être sous haute surveillance. Près de 60 morts. 0 démissions. Aucune remise en question du gvt.
— Papillon (@Papiillon) June 27, 2015
two attacks in the span of four months in two places that should have been under high surveillance. Around 60 deaths. 0 resignations. no questioning of the government.
Pire encore. Le pouvoir se replie sur lui même, accuse la petite opposition et veut impliquer le peuple dans la lutte anti-terrorisme.
— Papillon (@Papiillon) June 27, 2015
Even worse, the regime is accusing the small opposition and wants to involve the people in counter-terrorism.
Après le Bardo, aucune leçon n'a été retenue. Rien n'a changé. Ce qui faisait de l'attentat de Sousse une évidence.
— Papillon (@Papiillon) June 27, 2015
After Bardo, not a single lesson learnt. Nothing has changed, which made the Sousse attack an evidence.
According to Kais, security forces are not well-trained for counter-terrorism operations, adding that their mission has always been to control the people.
on est vraiment pas prêts pour ça. nos flics ne sont pas formés pour protéger les citoyens et les touristes ni à lutter contre le terrorisme
— kaïs (@MKais) June 27, 2015
We really are not ready for this. Our police officers are not trained to protect citizens and tourists nor fight terrorism.
nos flics ont depuis tjr été formés pour contenir une population désarmée et à la mater pas à la protéger. le terrorisme leur est étranger
— kaïs (@MKais) June 27, 2015
Our police have always been trained to contain and subdue a disarmed population and not to protect it. Terrorism is new to them
Wafa Ben Hassine made a similar comment:
Govts like my own are the best at suppressing freedoms in the name of terrorism but the worst in actually protecting us from it. #Tunisia
— Wafa Ben Hassine (@ousfourita) June 26, 2015
And how did the gunman become armed in a country that has the lowest gun ownership rate in the world?
Je vois des gens se demander comment le terroriste a-t-il pu accéder à la plage. C'est une plage. C'est par définition ouvert.
— Heger (@heger_) June 27, 2015
Le gars endoctriné et armé, s'il veut tuer, tuera, peut-importe qu'il y ait un flic derrière chaque civil.
— Heger (@heger_) June 27, 2015
Là où l'action est efficace est à ce niveau: pourquoi est-il endoctriné? comment est-il armé?
— Heger (@heger_) June 27, 2015
I hear people asking how was the terrorist able to access the beach. It's a beach. It's by definition open. The guy is indoctrinated and armed. If he wants to kill, he will kill even when there is a police officer behind each citizen. Where action is effective it's at this level: why is he indoctrinated? How is he armed?
Users also slammed officials’ declarations and their denial. Hours after the attack on Friday, President Beji Caid Essebsi called for unity and accused government critics for “targeting the Tunisian State, and its security.”
Huffpost Tunisia editor Monia Ben Hamadi described Essebsi's declaration as “delusional”.
La 1ere décla de BCE après l'attaque était délirante, à la lumière d témoignages elle est dangereusement horrifiante http://t.co/zB9BbYPgdy
— Monia Ben Hamadi (@MoniaBH) June 28, 2015
The first Essebsi statement after the attack was delusional and in the light of evidence is dangerously horrifying
On the other hand, Prime Minister  Habib Essid announced a number of measures to be taken in the aftermath of the Sousse attack, including deploying army reservists to resorts and archeological sites, and closing mosques outside government control.
However, not everyone seems to be convinced about the effectiveness of these measures.
Les mesures annoncées par Essid auraient dû être prises 3 ans plus tôt. Je ne suis pas sûre de leur efficacité aujourd'hui.
— Sarah Ben Hamadi (@Sarah_bh) June 27, 2015
Measures announced today by Essid, should have been taken three years ago. I am not sure about their effectiveness today

author: Afef Abrougui


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Bahrain Takes Security Measures Following ISIS Threat · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

Zinj, Bahrain. 23rd May 2012 — Bahrainis praying at the demolished mosque site. — Bahrainis pray where Alalawiat mosque once stood in Zinj. Alalawiat mosque was one of 30 Shiite mosques destroyed after the Peninsula Shield came into the area during 16 March 2011. Photograph by
bahrain14feb bilad. Copyright: Demotix
Bahrain announced it is taking precautions to thwart an ISIS threat targeting the country's Shia community next Friday. Observers are skeptic and wonder how will the same regime which has continued to wage a fierce crackdown on the country's Shia population for the previous four years following anti-government protests be entrusted to protect them today.
Following two separate attacks on Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia last month and an attack in Kuwait two days ago, the Al-Qaeda affiliate which has carved itself its own state which spans across Syria and Iraq, promises its next target will be Bahrain on July 3, 2015.
ISIS Bahraini leader Turki Al-Binali's announcement of the threat against Bahrain has since been widely circulated on social media, triggering concerns about the government's efforts to ensure the safety and security of the country's Shia population, currently at the receiving end of a security crackdown for the role they played in calling for democratic reforms during the so-called Arab Spring-style protests, which rocked the country since February 14, 2011.
Editor-in-Chief of Al-Wasat Newspaper Mansour Al-Jamri says Bahrain is under alert:
#Bahrain is virtually under alert in preparedness for a much talked about imminent terrorist attack on mosques & gatherings.
— Mansoor Al-Jamri (@MANSOOR_ALJAMRi) June 28, 2015
Bahraini authorities have since announced several measures to be taken ahead of next Friday, the second to fall in the holy month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.
Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported that the Minister of Interior met with the Under-Secretary and Chief of Public Security as well as the General Directors of all Police Directorates to discuss security procedures.
The Ministry of Interior (MOI) tweeted via their official account the measures to be taken, and what has been discussed in the meeting:
During security meeting, HE Interior Minister ordered security procedures for all public places, including places of worship to be reviewed
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 28, 2015
PT: HE Interior Minister: allocation of security resources to protect places of worship is the duty of the Interior Ministry
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 28, 2015
The MOI called on volunteers from mosques to come forward and get necessary training from security directorates in preparation:
PT: governorates & caretakers of places of worship nominate a number of citizens to be registered at the security directorates as volunteers
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 28, 2015
PT: Those volunteers should be trained in first aid & civil defence.
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 28, 2015
Some still say the government isn't doing enough. Anonymous Bahraini Twitter user Freedom Prayers shares those photographs of cars in Bahrain and Kuwait boasting ISIS stickers being driven on streets in broad daylight:
هذه السيارات ليست في سوريا ولا في العراق بل انها في #البحرين والحكومة لم تحرك ساكناً pic.twitter.com/kiPANH2KrK
— بحراني (@Baharani_88) June 27, 2015
These cars are not in Syria nor in Iraq. They're in Bahrain and the government did nothing
Investigation of the terror attack on Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government has found a tie between the suicide bomber and Bahrain. The Bahraini MOI confirmed:
General Dir of Security Ports: Person Responsible for Kuwait blast Spent 2.5 Hours In Transit Before Heading 2Kuwait http://t.co/dgYo9a3abF
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 28, 2015
Amid preparations to protect the mosques and their visitors, in particular the Shias, it is important to note that the same government that is announcing measures to protect those places of worship, is also responsible for demolishing Shia mosques in Bahrain during the popular uprising.
Human rights defender Said Yousif compares the government of Bahrain to ISIS:
ما قام به نظام #البحرين من هدم لمساجد الشيعة هو إرهاب و تكفير و تشجيع على التطرف و ما قام به #داعش من تفجير لمساجد الشيعة هو إرهاب و تكفير
— S.Yousif Almuhafdah (@SAIDYOUSIF) June 29, 2015
What the system in Bahrain has done in the demolition of Shia mosques is terrorism, Takfeer, and encouragement of extremism, and what ISIS has done of bombing Shiite mosques is also terrorism and Takfeer
Takfeer is “the practice of excommunication, one Muslim declaring a non-Muslim or an apostate, an unbeliever or kafir.”
Prominent Bahraini political activist living in exile Saeed Shehabi echoes a similar sentiment:
Bahrain's dictator was first ruler to demolish mosques in 2011. He failed to defeat people. Now he is poised to use terrorism #Bahrain
— Saeed Shehabi (@SaeedShehabi) June 27, 2015
The Minister had a separate meeting on Sunday with both Chairmen of the Sunni and Jaffary Endowment, as well as Minister of Justice Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Chief of Public Security. The minister called for “hard work and coordination”.
According to the report published on the MOI’s website, the chairmen discussed installing CCTVs and other technologies at places of worship. They also decided that mosques should be closed after each prayer to allow caretakers to monitor all parts of the building and its surroundings.
Extreme religious speeches will not be tolerated in Bahrain, says the MOI's Twitter account, and authorities will take “legal procedures” against anyone whose sectarian speech puts the country in danger. Yet, while human rights activists are targeted by the authorities for their tweets and public statements, little to no action has been taken against preachers spewing hate against the country's Shia population.
The minister has emphasized in his meeting in the second meeting the importance of using religious sermons and speeches to unite people and “promote national unity” explaining that politics should not be associated with places of worship.”
On a related note, Al Wasat Arabic daily reported that the largest Shia political bloc Alwefaq National Islamic Society was recently banned from practicing its political activities in their places of worship. The Ministry of Justice issued the order according to the political associations law which prohibits any political or regulatory activities in places of worship.
Meanwhile, the Information Minister confirms preparations to keep people safe according to an independent news account Bahrain News:
بحريننا| وزير الإعلام: اتخاذ كافة الإجراءات اللازمة لـ”تأمين المصلين” من الأعمال الإرهابية #البحرين pic.twitter.com/waRv3MlDQV
— بحريننا (@bah_news) June 29, 2015
Information Minister: We took all necessary measures for “securing worshipers” from terrorist acts


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Can Social Media Create a Lasting Impact in Uganda? · Global Voices
Prudence Nyamishana

Just as it has for many people across the world, social media has become a lifestyle for many Ugandans. The Uganda Communications Commission in 2014 estimated that there were 8.5 million Internet users in the country of over 37 million people by June 2014. Most of these Internet users use one or two social media platforms and mostly access Internet from their mobile devices. There are almost 20 million telecom subscribers.
To discuss the impact of social media in Uganda, Global Voices caught up with Collin Asiimwe, a Ugandan blogger who is “Changing the world with thoughtful abandon”.
Prudence Nyamishana (PN): How has social media impacted Uganda?
Collin Asiimwe (CA): Social media has remodelled the news cycle. In the past, social media used to pick news from the mainstream media, but now the tables have turned, mainstream media picks news from social media. Netizens break news that will be a headline of a newspaper the following day. Secondly, an argument has been fronted that only 1.5 million people in Uganda use social media and therefore it can never make a contribution to social change, this is a misconception. Although 90% of the population in Ugandan in rural areas use radios, most of the information that is shared by the presenters on these radios is driven by the social media vibe. As long as the presenters are using social media, the trickle down effect of social media cannot be undermined. In the past, information got diffused along the way leaving those in rural areas without correct information, but now even those in rural areas receive the information instantly. Social media has opened up institutions and more voices are now heard. Then we cannot ignore the efforts of 40 Days Over 40 Smiles, a youth-led initiative that uses social media for social justice.
PN: How far do you think social media can go in creating impact in Uganda?
CA: Social media has the potential to make the government of Uganda more transparent and accountable to the citizens; open governments are good because they give liberty and freedom to people to manage and access public information and open spaces for civic engagement.
PN: Often Ugandan social media is accused of being full of trivia. What is your take on this?
CA: Trivia is essential because it attracts people because sometimes the timeline is stale but when certain hashtags like #askaTweepTuesday shows up and all that it bears is trivia, on the onset it looks detrimental but yet it gives life to the timeline such that tomorrow when there is a serious issue there will be a critical mass to join the cause.
PN: What do you think about the recent arrest of Robert Shaka over Facebook comments?
CA: Shaka was definitely the wrong man, because even when he was in jail, TVO [politically-charged Facebook user the government claims to be Robert Shaka] was as vibrant as ever on his Facebook page and that was embarrassing for the Ugandan police. I am sad that the government should even think about cracking down people that are exercising their basic freedoms of expression.
The logo of Uganda Social Media Awards. Source: Uganda Social Media Awards Facebook page.
PN: What challenges does social media face in Uganda?
CA: I think the biggest challenge is that the government of Uganda does not have a plan to transform information technology; there is no digital strategy approach for critical sectors; no commerce strategy, no digital strategy for the education sector for example or even health. It beats my understanding when I sometimes visit the IT ministry website and it is down. I don’t get it. Our government discourages innovation, when the government hears of an innovation, the first thing they do is to tax the service as happened with the mobile money service. There is no support or funding for young innovators who usually guys do not need a lot of money to do their work. Sadly, lots of dreams in Uganda die because there is no one interested in funding these innovative minds. In a nutshell, the government of Uganda is clearly not equipped to face the digital revolution.
PN: How can Ugandans overcome these barriers?
CA: The road is steep but it is manageable. First, we have to address the literacy question. People must not be afraid to write in their local languages just like it is in Tanzania. Radio and TV cannot afford to be the only option available for news, education and information for people at the grass-root especially that almost every Ugandan owns a phone. Access is a challenge; access to smart phones but also Internet access is very expensive. But also when it comes to online content, bloggers are not generating specialised content. Bloggers need to discover their niche. We need food bloggers, fashion bloggers, etc. Electricity in rural areas is a barrier, for instance a farmer in a village gets weary of the trips to town to get his phone charged. We know that a more connected society is a more informed society.
PN: Ugandan bloggers have been silent on the plight of Zone9 bloggers. Why is this?
CA: Zone 9? Oh the guys in Ethiopia. There must be someone to mobilize. There is need for bloggers to indulge in cohesive industry action something that has died away since Blog Spirit meetings a few years ago organised by Node Six [Ugandan internet solution provider]. Storipot is aggregating information and that should be the starting point. This is a thought worth considering.
PN: 2016 is an election year in Uganda, what role do you think social media will play?
CA: From what we have seen so far, social media is going to play a very crucial role. Whilst people in the villages have already made up their minds on who they are going to elect, there is new constituency and anyone that ignores it will ignore it at their own peril and that is social media. The people that will decide the upcoming election are the youth. So if you want to get the youth, find them on social media. So the contenders of the election must utilize this new constituency. Whoever brings that element into play, will be the person creating the edge and will control the conversation. Whereas social media might not guarantee victory, one that ignores social media will be in great trouble because, undoubtedly, social media voices will count.
PN: What is the future of social media in Uganda?
CA: This is very hard to predict but in the next five years everything will be disrupted, crowd funding, remittance, and there will be a general yearning and increase in smart living. I predict a critical mass that advocates for innovation. I really hope that social media will have opened up government to be more accountable and responsible.
PN: Do you have any last words for our readers?
CA: Everyone has a part to play, as individuals what we can do is to inspire a critical mass in what we post and share on a daily basis to hold government accountable, those that can innovate should do so. We need people who are going to bring about sustainable transformation in our country, people that frame issues so netizens must find their space in that conversation.

author: Prudence Nyamishana


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Hashtags and User Networks in the Putin-Poroshenko Twitter Chatter · Global Voices
Lawrence Alexander

Connections between Twitter users and the hashtags they use might reveal interesting information. Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
This article is part of a citizen-media data-analysis project, a collaboration between RuNet Echo and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities. Explore the complete article series on the All the Presidents’ Tweets page.
We've already had a first look at the smaller dataset from the six-million sample, filtered by country code for a glimpse of tweets from Russia and Ukraine. Over 6,000 tweets with country code “UA” (Ukraine) and almost 8,500 tweets with country code “RU” (Russia) turned out to contain one or more of our designated keywords: poroshenko, putin, порошенко, путин and путін.
Although a much smaller sample, these two bundles of tweets give us a snapshot of the Russian and Ukrainian Twitter spheres during a period of several weeks in the fall of 2014. One of the ways to examine this snapshot is to look at the Russian and Ukrainian tweets as networks connecting individual users, and the relationships behind those connections. The best way to represent such networks visually is through the use of network graphs.
The two network graphs below reveal the associations between individual Twitter users and the hashtags they include in their tweets, both of which are shown as circular nodes. The size of each hashtag node indicates how often it was used in our sample of tweets for each country. The color coding represents clusters of hashtag usage by groups of individual accounts, whose nodes are sized according to their level of contribution to each hashtag.
User-hashtag network graph for the Russian tweets sample (country code “ru”). Image by Lawrence Alexander.
In the graph of Russian users for our particular sample, there is a large blue cluster where activity focuses around the associated dominant hashtags #путин (“Putin”) and #Россия (“Russia”). Also visible in this area, but ranking lower, are the Russian hashtags for “USA,” “Obama,” and “politics” (“политика”).
Notable contributors to the Russia-centered blue cluster include journalist Konstantin Getmansky, and pro-Russian commentators Pavel Ryzhevsky and Maksim Trushkin. Their prominence in this network graph reflects their centrality in the Russia-centered discussion in our sample, but does not, of course, reflect the general Russian Twitter situation, which for all we know, had different users dominating the Putin/Poroshenko discourse at various times.
By contrast, Russian Twitter activity around Ukraine-related hashtags (such as #Порошенко (“Poroshenko”) and #Украина (“Ukraine”)) in our sample is confined to the smaller magenta region on the left. To the right of the main blue cluster, discourse tends to focus on Putin's 2014 Valdai speech.
User-hashtag network graph for the Ukrainian tweets sample (country code “ua”). Image by Lawrence Alexander.
In the Ukrainian sample, hashtag discourse for Putin and Poroshenko during our sample period centers around the accounts of two local news agencies, both prolific on Twitter: PrestupnostiNet (which is also somewhat prominent in the Russian tweet sample) and telegraf.com.ua. Interestingly, Ukrainians seem to use the hashtag for Putin (#путин) slightly more than the one for their own president, Poroshenko.
In both graphs, hashtag communities tend to cluster by language. English hashtag contributors are mostly found around the upper right regions, a notable example being Ukraine army officer and journalist Viktor Kovalenko. Key topics among English-speaking Ukrainian users include Ukraine, Germany, the Kremlin and Putin.
Content analysis studies of Twitter tell us that relying on hashtag usage as a sole measure of influence in a network may lead to a fair amount of bias, as some users employ hashtags a lot more methodically than others, and some don't use them at all. For example, in the Russian sample, top network users Getmansky, Trushkin, and Ryzhevsky include hashtags in almost every tweet, so their prominence in the graph—e.g., through their contributions to #путин (“Putin”) and #Россия (“Russia”)—can partly be attributed to this deliberate hashtags use.
We can, however, add a second layer of analysis to discern the relative influence of individual users in a particular network. With the help of username clouds, we can also rank the Twitter users in each country sample based on the number of their tweets—with and without hashtags. Again, this only tells us which users with country codes for Russia or Ukraine were most prolific in a given sample in the fall of 2014. But while we cannot make overarching judgements about user networks and top users, we can spot some interesting trends.
User cloud weighed by tweet volume for the Russian tweets sample (country code “ru”). Image by Lawrence Alexander.
A notable trend in the top Russian user set is the prominence of deleted/renamed or seemingly fake accounts. Account @fredhofmd no longer exists (its owner, a prolific tweeter claiming to be a Western security specialist based in Russia, has apparently changed his Twitter handle to @infoagestrategy); @doctoriza1888 is an automated bot that repeatedly spams hashtags with YouTube videos; @1georg607 tweets exclusively headlines and links from segodnya.ru; and @usastupidd is an anti-US trolling account.
User cloud weighed by tweet volume for the Ukrainian tweets sample (country code “ua”). Image by Lawrence Alexander.
The top Ukrainian user set includes some accounts which generally tweet (and retweet) a lot about current events, such as @jumistress, @sileziaa1, @yadrobotun and @prestupnostinet, so that is reflected in our sample. Other top users include a Twitter trends bot (automated), but also journalists working in Ukraine like Anna Dombrovskaya and prominent commentators such as Anders Ostlund, a Swedish public figure living in Ukraine.
Our two country samples might not be wholly reflective of the larger Russia-Ukraine Twitter discourse space, but they give us a fairly good idea of who was tweeting about Putin and Poroshenko in the fall of 2014, and what kinds of users and hashtags may have dominated the discussion.

author: Lawrence Alexander


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Israel Intercepts International Gaza-Bound Freedom Flotilla · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Activists on board the Marianne now being held in Israel. Photograph from @GazaFFlotilla
Israeli occupied forces intercepted Marianne. The boat is currently en route to Ashdod port #SOSFreedomFlotilla pic.twitter.com/bqDOzcR7h1
— Freedom Flotilla (@GazaFFlotilla) June 29, 2015
The Israeli Navy has intercepted the Swedish boat “The Marianne”, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in International waters at 05:11 AM Gaza time (GMT +3) and forced it to redirect to the nearest Israeli port of Ashdod. The coalition was on its way to Gaza to deliver aid.
In a statement immediately afterward, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused the Israeli government of “state piracy in international waters’ as well as maintaining an ‘absolutely fruitless policy of no tolerance’.
At 02:06AM today (Gaza time) the “Marianne” contacted Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and informed us that three boats of the Israeli navy had surrounded her in international waters, while sailing approximately 100NM from Gaza coast. After that we lost contact with the “Marianne” and at 05:11AM (Gaza time) the IDF announced that they had “visited and searched” Marianne. They had captured the boat and detained all on board “in international waters” as they admitted themselves. The only positive content in the IDF announcement was that they still recognize that there is a naval blockade of Gaza, despite Netanyahu’s government recent denial that one exists.
[…]
It is disappointing that the Israeli government chose to continue the absolutely fruitless policy of “no tolerance”, meaning it will continue to enforce an inhumane and illegal collective punishment against 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's repeated acts of state piracy in international waters are worrying signs that the occupation and blockade policy extends to the entire eastern Mediterranean. We demand that the Israeli government cease and desist the illegal detainment of peaceful civilians traveling in international waters in support of humanitarian aid.
We call on our governments to ensure that all passengers and crew from the “Marianne” are safe, and to strongly protest against the violation of international maritime law by the Israeli state. We call on all civil society organizations to condemn the actions of Israel. People all over the world will continue to respond and react to this injustice, as will we, until the port of Gaza is open and the siege and occupation is ended.
Speaking from one of the boats, Ehab Lotayeh of the ‘Canadian Boat to Gaza’ team confirmed that the Marianne was intercepted:
The Marianne was intercepted by the Israelis a few hours ago and our understanding now is that it is being taken to Ashdod.
Robert Lovelace, former Algonquin chief in Canada, instructed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's social media team to upload the following video as a call for help in the case of an Israeli intervention. He had previously written an op-ed explaining why he joined the Freedom Flotilla.
The Freedom Flotilla was expected by Gazans who organized events and took to Twitter to welcome the crew members.
March in the see #Gaza to welcome the 3rd #FreedomFlotilla. #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/bfyA5Gag5r
— Dr Basem Naim (@basemn63) June 15, 2015
With your words, you can help #FreedomFlotilla to reach #Gaza safely and protect it from Israel #SaveFlotilla3 pic.twitter.com/o8FHYCRdE2
— Said Shoaib | Gaza (@saidshouib) June 27, 2015
An example of such events is the “Gaza Ark Exhibition“, an exhibition of Palestinian products hoped to be exported by the Freedom Flotilla III, which was held between June 6 and 8.
Gaza Ark Exhibition 2015 Poster
Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, launched a propaganda campaign aiming at discrediting the flotilla, accusing the Freedom Flotilla of ‘hypocrisy’ and calling the blockade of Gaza ‘legal under international law’. Note that the map of Israel released by the prime minister includes the occupied Palestinian territories, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
This is hypocrisy. pic.twitter.com/8IFvUvlkp6
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 29, 2015
The naval blockade is under Intl. law and confirmed by a UN committee. It prevents the smuggling of arms into Gaza. pic.twitter.com/TsCT6CA7kc
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 29, 2015
Netanyahu also said that “this flotilla is nothing but a demonstration of hypocrisy and lies that is only assisting the Hamas terrorist organisation and ignores all of the horrors in our region.”
The crew members were from 15 different countries including four European Union countries (Sweden, France, Spain and Greece); five MENA countries (Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria); Norway; USA; Canada; Turkey; New Zealand and Russia.
Among the most well-known crew members were former Tunisian president Dr. Moncef Marzuki; Knesset parliamentarian Bassel Ghattas; First Nation Canadian professor and activist Robert Lovelace; EU parliamentarian Ana Miranda; retired U.S. Army colonel and former State Department official Ann Wright; Moroccan member of parliament Abouzaid El Mokrie El Idrissi; Greek member of parliament Odysseas Voudouris; as well as journalists from Al Jazeera, Israel's Channel 2, New Zealand's Maori TV, Euronews Arabic and a number of freelance journalists.
Most of the remaining crew members were doctors. They were divided in four boats named Marianne, Rachel, Vittorio and Juliano named after well-known peace activists Rachel Corrie, Vittorio Arrigoni and Juliano Mer-Khamis (full list).
The Israeli government's comments come just two weeks after the UN report on last summer's war on Gaza, which included a repeated call for the “immediate lifting of the blockade”. On the topic of the blockade, the report reads:
The impact of the hostilities in Gaza cannot be assessed separately from the blockade imposed by Israel. The blockade and the military operation have led to a protection crisis and chronic, widespread and systematic violations of human rights, first and foremost the rights to life and to security, but also to health, housing, education and many others. In accordance with international human rights law, Israel has obligations in relation to these rights and must take concrete steps towards their full realization. In that context, while fully aware of the need for Israel to address its security concerns, the commission believes that the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, put in place with the assistance of the United Nations to accelerate efforts to rebuild destroyed houses and infrastructure, is not a substitute for a full and immediate lifting of the blockade.
Global Voices has been documenting the latest updates from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition in a CheckDesk story available here. We are currently contacting crew members of the Flotilla for an upcoming post.

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Thousands Take to Rome’s Streets to Echo Pope Francis’ Call for Climate Action · Global Voices
350.org

Multi-faith encyclical celebration march, Rome June 2015. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org
This article is based on a piece written by Hoda Baraka for 350.org, an organisation building a global climate movement, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. 350.org was one of the organisers of the march.
People of faith, civil society groups, and communities affected by climate change marched together in Rome on Sunday to express gratitude to Pope Francis for the release of his encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’“, and call for bolder climate action by world leaders.
Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org
Under the banner of “One Earth, One Human Family,” the march brought together Catholics and other Christians, followers of non-Christian faiths, environmentalists and people of goodwill. The march ended in St. Peter’s Square in time for the pope’s weekly Angelus.
The weekly Angelus takes place on Sunday when the pope is in Rome. At noon he appears from the window of his apartment where he gives a short speech followed by the Angelus prayer and ending with the Apostolic Blessing.
The celebratory march was animated by a musical band, a climate choir and colourful public artwork designed by artists from Italy and other countries, whose work played a major role in the People’s Climate March in New York City last September. Among the artwork was a 75-meter sign in the shape of a green leaf, with verses from Scripture which speak to God’s care for creation and for the poor.
Organisers of the march include: 350.org, FOCSIV, a coalition of over 60 Italian Catholic development, relief and social justice groups, and OurVoices, the international, multi-faith climate change campaign led by GreenFaith and the Conservation Foundation.
Joining the march to represent frontline communities and to relay a message of climate justice were Arianne and George from the Pacific Climate Warriors alongside Father Warren and Father Jovino, who are priests from the Philippines engaged in climate campaigning.
Voices from the Global South relaying the urgent need for climate justice. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org
In the words of Arianne: “As we stand at this critical juncture in addressing the climate crisis we are particularly grateful to the pope for releasing this encyclical as an awakening for the world to understand how climate change impacts people across all regions. The truth of the matter is that all of humanity needs to stand united in addressing the crisis of our times. Climate change is an issue for everyone with a moral conscience.”
Pope Francis asked to make divestment part of his moral argument in the urgency to address climate change. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org
Among the messages relayed to the pope during the march was a request to make fossil fuel divestment part of his moral message in the urgent need to address the climate crisis.
“The fossil fuel divestment campaign is hinged on the same moral premise communicated by Pope Francis in his encyclical,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, executive secretary of Caritas Philippines. “The campaign serves to highlight the immorality of investing in the source of the climate injustice we currently experience. Which is why we hope that moving forward and building on this powerful message, Pope Francis can make fossil fuel divestment a part of his moral argument for urgent climate action.”
March enters St. Peter’s Square in time for the Pope’s weekly Angelus. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org
A petition urging Pope Francis to rid the Vatican of investments in fossil fuels has already gathered tens of thousands of signatures. Over the past months, dozens of religious institutions have divested from coal, oil and gas companies or endorsed the effort, including the World Council of Churches representing half a billion Christians in 150 countries.
In May 2015, the Church of England announced it had sold £12 million in thermal coal and tar sands and just this week the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) announced it will exclude fossil fuel companies from its investments and calls on its member churches with 72 million members to do likewise.
In total, more than 220 institutions have committed to divest from fossil fuels, with faith institutions making up the biggest segment.
As world leaders prepare to meet in Paris later this year for the UN climate talks, the growing divestment movement will continue to fuel the ethical and economic revolution needed to prevent catastrophic climate change and growing inequality, a key message from Pope Francis’ encyclical.
The clear path required to address the climate crisis is one that breaks humanity free from the current stranglehold of fossil fuels on the planet. This encyclical reinforces the tectonic shift that is happening: we simply cannot continue to treat the Earth as a tool for exploitation.
Photo credit: Hoda Baraka/350.org


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Who Are the 5.5 Million Facebook Fans of Chinese State Newspaper People’s Daily? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Facebook is banned in China, but Chinese media outlet People's Daily has 5.5 million fans on the social media platform. Remixed image.
“People's Daily has the second largest number of Facebook likes among global media outlets,” boasted Lu Xinning, the deputy editor-in-chief of Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, during the recent China-Russia Media Forum.
Though Facebook, along with a number of popular social media platforms including Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, is blocked in China, the newspaper currently has 5.5 million likes on Facebook, a few million behind The New York Times but more than the Washington Post by 2.2 million. Lu Xinning cited the number of Facebook likes as an evidence of People's Daily's successful integration of conventional media and new media and of its global reach.
The newspaper's page, which has been active on Facebook since mid-2011, mainly promotes its English-language stories. Recent stories — on topics such as erosion of the Great Wall of China, a budding architect's beer-bottle house, or a Chinese government report on the “terrible” human rights situation in the United States — have received hundreds, if not thousands of likes and a good number of comments and shares.
In April 2013, the page only had 1,000 likes, but by July 2014 it was celebrating 1 million. Since Lu's comment, the page has received a spate of negative reviews from people questioning the current high count.
Many Chinese netizens who cannot access Facebook were left scratching their heads over who the millions of fans are. Some wondered if a portion were simply robots or zombies (accounts that remain open, but the user no longer actively maintains), common on Chinese social media platforms.
Commenting on popular Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, “Alexander the super wanderer” asked People's Daily to educate people on how to access Facebook:
请《人民日报》告诉大家怎样才能关注你脸书，我们一定要把《纽约时报》这个敌对势力报纸比下去。
Can the People's Daily tell us how to follow you on Facebook? We have to outnumber our enemy paper, The New York Times.
Art curator Yong Jian claimed that he had no idea what Facebook is:
现在才知道有个脸书，这是人民日报告诉我的，该报宣布，它在脸书的粉丝已有四百多万了。我是不知道这个脸书是本什么书，也不知道怎么看这本书，既然人日在那里拥有这么多粉丝，影响一定很大。
Only now do I learn something called Facebook exists. The People's Daily told me by saying that it has 4 million plus fans there. I have no idea what kind of book this Facebook is and I don't know how to read this book. If the People's Daily has so many followers there, its must have great impact.
Many netizens also noted that the number of “likes” cannot reflect the impact of a Facebook page. It is the engagement level that matters. Reuuter compared engagement levels between People's Daily and Japanese nude model Sola Aoi on Weibo:
人民日报走向世界了，在脸书上的粉丝数量达全球第二！真是给国家长脸了！可是它在国内的影响力似乎还不如@苍井空。虽然人民日报有3614万粉丝，阿空的粉丝数量不到它的一半，只有1587万，但是，阿空每条微博的转发评论点赞数量都是人民日报的十倍以上。
The People's Daily goes global and now becomes the second largest in the world in terms of Facebook followers. It certainly lights up the country's face. But its impact is not as big as Sola Aoi. While the People's Daily has 36.14 million fans and Sola Aoi only has 15.87 million, the number of shares and likes in each of her messages is 10 times more than the People's Daily.
Though many tossed about suspicions that People's Daily bought Facebook likes from a social media marketing agency, “Thousands of Stars” believed the phenomena has to do with the “abstract” patriotism of Chinese who live overseas:
其实在美国的中国人才是真爱国，他们爱的是抽象的祖国，是印象中的山水田园、乡音亲情。这种爱国其实是怀念。因为他们不知道田园荒芜，山河污染；他们体会不了官僚跋扈、体制丑恶、赋税沉重、生活艰辛。那些在人民日报脸书下点赞的海外华人，大抵如此。
Actually, the Chinese living in the US are the genuine patriots. They love their homeland in abstract, with a vague impression of the country's landscape and folk culture. Patriotism like this is a form of nostalgia. They have no idea that the rice fields have been abandoned, rivers have been polluted. They have no experience with bureaucratic power, ugly systems, heavy taxation and difficult living. Those overseas Chinese who like People's Daily are most likely these kinds of people.

author: Oiwan Lam


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A UK Shoe Shop Employee Crowdfunds More Than a Million Euros to Bail Out Greece (UPDATED) · Global Voices
L. Finch

Screenshot of the Indiegogo campaign page for “Greek Bailout Fund.”
Last updated at 10:50 a.m. GMT, July 4. The campaign has since ended, falling short of its goal.
Tens of thousands are opening their wallets in response to an Indiegogo campaign seeking to raise 1.6 billion euros (about 1.8 billion US dollars) for cash-strapped Greece.
In six days, more than 99,000 people from across the world have donated 1.7 million euros and counting to the “Greek Bailout Fund.” The campaign page was down for hours late Tuesday “due to its astonishing popularity,” according to Indiegogo, but is now working again.
As is the norm with crowdfunding campaigns, the organizers are offering rewards to the funders depending on the amount given. Most funders have given 3 euros (which gets them a postcard of Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras), 6 euros (a Greek feta and olive salad), 10 euros (a bottle of Ouzo) or 25 euros (a bottle of Greek wine). Five generous funders have pledged 5,000 (a Greek holiday for two).
Debt-wracked Greece received two bailout packages in 2010 and 2011 from the so-called troika—the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission—and has limped along ever since under the austerity measures the packages required. The country was due to repay 1.6 billion euros to the IMF, but missed the deadline and is now in arrears.
The Greek government and its creditors have been at odds for months over extending the bailout program. Prime Minister Tsipras has called for a referendum on July 5 to decide whether to accept the tax hikes and pension cuts it would impose, conditions he has said “clearly violate the European rules and the basic rights to work, equality and dignity.”
Meanwhile, a quarter of the population is unemployed, and the number of Greeks at risk of poverty has risen. “[T]his is affecting real people,” Thom Feeney, who launched the crowdfunded effort, writes on the campaign page. The 29-year-old shoe shop employee from the UK estimates that if every European gave just over 3 euros, the fund could cover Greece's debt:
All this dithering over Greece is getting boring. European ministers flexing their muscles and posturing over whether they can help the Greek people or not. Why don't we the people just sort it instead?
The European Union is home to 503 million people, if we all just chip in a few Euro then we can get Greece sorted and hopefully get them back on track soon. Easy.
The number of donations to the campaign, which has made headlines around the world, sharply spiked Tuesday, and money continued to pour in Wednesday.
While it's impressive that the campaign has raised so much in so little time, it has a long way to go in the three days it has left. The 1,749,448 euros raised as of writing is less than 1 percent of the 1.6 billion goal. But as Vulpine Capital, a private investment firm based in New York, tweeted, “If top 25% of EU & US households each gave $25 this would be funded.”
Under Indiegogo's “Fixed Funding” rule, Feeney's campaign will only be funded if it reaches that lofty goal, but some participants are asking if the money could be used for Greece regardless. Hellmut Blumenthal from Germany commented:
That felt much better than shaking my head over all the heartless comments on the web. Thanks for the idea, Thom, and let’s keep our fingers crossed …
Oh, and I agree with recent posts: the money should go to Greece no matter what.
While Arwen Curley-Panteleakis wrote:
This is incredible! Thanks so much to Thom Feeney and all you wonderful people from all over the world!!!
Big Big Hugs and Kisses From Greece!
Follow discussion of the campaign on Twitter under the hashtag #crowdfundgreece.

author: L. Finch


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Ecuador’s Sarayaku People Are Preserving Their Identity Through Video · Global Voices
Gina Yauri

Image from one of the film workshops held in the Sarayaku community. Photo courtesy of YouTube channel El Churo
The community of Sarayaku in the Pastaza province, located in the Amazon region in the eastern part of Ecuador, is an area of rich biodiversity where the native Kichwa people maintain a constant struggle against transnational companies seeking to exploit the oil found on their land.
In 2003, the Association of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, with the support of several national and international organizations, filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (CIDH for its initials in Spanish) based on violations committed by the Ecuadorian government against the people's rights to property, freedom of movement, religion, health, and culture.
The commission ordered the government to investigate the acts of violence and to take necessary provisional protective measures. It also established that the government must consult the Sarayaku people before carrying out any extraction of natural resources on their land.
At Global Voices we've previously written about their struggle and the methods used by the community to make their reality known, such as through their blog. The communications team, in collaboration with El Churo Collective, supported by Rising Voices through the Rising Voices Amazon initiative, recently organized a series of workshops that trained young people in the use of digital video so they could tell their own stories and shape their cultural identity.
The videos have been published on the YouTube channel of El Churo.
One of these videos is “South Amazon: Antonia, cassava, the harvest, and her family.” Antonia, a Kichwa woman who wakes up in the early hours of the morning to go to work in her canoe, recounts her childhood and shares stories about their livelihood of fishing, hunting and agriculture.
She explains that the people of this community only planted on Saturdays and some families even sang before planting. However, Fridays were considered days of bad energy for agriculture. Cassava is an essential part of her life because it is used in rituals that help ensure that the harvest is fruitful.
For Antonia, it is not important that oil is exploited because the only thing that she and other residents of the Sarayaku community, which means “river of corn,” want is to preserve their traditions, customs, and legends that are being lost with the advancement of technology. In addition, many youth are no longer interested in learning these important aspects of their culture.
So they are betting on technology, so that young people of the community can help preserve their cultural heritage.

author: Gina Yauri


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Government and Muslim Brotherhood Trade Blame After Car Bomb Death of Egypt’s Public Prosecutor · Global Voices
Nouran Elbehairy

A photograph of the explosion that killed Egypt's Public Prosecutor that has gone viral on Twitter. Shared by @TheMiinz
The Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood are exchanging accusations after the assassination of the country's Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat, who died after suffering injuries in a car bomb that targeted his convoy yesterday (June 29, 2015). Egyptian state TV announced a military funeral was held today.
Barakat was taken to El-Nozha hospital after the attack where he suffered internal bleeding. Around midday reports of his critical conditions surfaced before a spokesperson from Health Ministry confirmed his death.
UPDATE – #Egypt‘s top prosecutor dies due to wounds sustained in earlier attack on his motorcade, says Health Ministry spox #bomb #Egypt
— Aswat Masriya_En (@AswatMasriya_En) June 29, 2015
Details about how the attack took place are unclear. Reports stated that a car bomber rammed into Barakat's convoy while Reuters quoted security forces saying that a parked car was detonated from a distance.
The attack took place as Barakat was leaving his house in Cairo's Heliopolis district. Residents woke up to a massive explosion that shook the whole street and torched over 30 cars; glass windows of nearby buildings were shattered up to the tenth floor as was shown in videos of the aftermath of the attack. State media reported that nine people, including two drivers and five members of Barakat's security forces, were injured in the explosion.
Erin Cunningham, a Cairo-based correspondent for the Washington Post, tweeted:
Car bomb was quite big, damage extensive. Windows broken in all high-rises nearby, up to 8-10 floors. Cars nearby mangled.
— Erin Cunningham (@erinmcunningham) June 29, 2015
A little known group called “Giza Popular Resistance” reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack over Facebook. The group was responsible for several bombings earlier this year ahead of an international economic summit that Egypt was hosting.
Former Daily News Egypt reporter Joel Gulhane tweeted:
For those struggling to remember the Giza Popular Resistance they are the ones who bombed branches of KFC earlier this year #Egypt
— Joel Gulhane – چويل (@jgulhane) June 29, 2015
However, after a few hours of announcing their responsibility for the attack, the post on their Facebook page disappeared, according Evan Hill, a journalist specialized in Middle Eastern Affairs:
The Facebook claim of responsibility by the Popular Resistance group appears to no longer exist https://t.co/j3TKRYcBzY #Egypt
— Evan Hill (@evanchill) June 29, 2015
The State Information Service published news of the attack on its portal explicitly blaming the Muslim Brotherhood for it. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood blamed the current regime for setting the scene for violence, adding the violence will not stop until Egypt is “free”:
We affirm that violence will not end except by achieving justice, toppling this illegitimate regime and allowing #Egypt to be free
— Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb) June 29, 2015
State-owned newspaper Al-Ahram insisted the assailant was unknown and that no one claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Hisham Barakat was appointed as Public Prosecutor in July 2013 after the toppling of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Barakat's time in office witnessed several controversial cases, the Muslim Brotherhood was announced a terrorist organization and several of its leaders and members, including former President Morsi himself, were prosecuted. Hundreds of Brotherhood members were referred to trial by Barakat, which eventually resulted in the death penalty for many of them.
Before becoming Public Prosecutor, Barakat served as head of the technical office at the Ismailia Court of Appeals. This court was responsible for investigating claims that Morsi had escaped from prison during the 2011 revolution. Based on the results of this investigation Morsi was sentenced to death earlier this year.
The deceased was also responsible for referring Yassine Salah Eddin, a central security forces lieutenant to court for beating an activist to death during a peaceful march. Salah Eddin was sentenced to 15 years in maximum security prison.
He was also involved in other controversial cases against activists, journalists and a group of football fans, along with many cases related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Barakat's death is considered the first successful assassination attempt against a state figure since more than a decade. Fear and anticipation are now taking over the scene in Cairo as the attack showed how deep the reach of militants is, while activists fear the attack will inspire a severe crackdown from the government that is expected to impose emergency measures and further restrictions on freedoms.
For more updates and reports, check out our coverage on Global Voices Checkdesk.

author: Nouran Elbehairy


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How a Young Kenyan Doctor Fell in Love With Medicine · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Dr. Claire Kinuthia, a Kenyan doctor and blogger, writes about how she fell in love with medicine:
How it all began.
Medicine found me when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I have a particularly vivid memory of hearing my dad get up in the middle of the night to go attend to an emergency in the hospital. Dad was already a hero in my little beating heart but that night, lying in bed imagining what he’d been called to do and how many lives he’s get to save, he was elevated to superhero status. I remember trying hard to stay awake and wait for him to tell me all about his “adventures”. Sadly, sleep won that battle. However, the seed had been sown and I always knew I’d be a doctor one day, a superhero who saved lives

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Jailed in Singapore for Criticizing a Former Prime Minister, But Still Blogging · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Photo: Amos Yee / Facebook.
When 16-year-old Amos Yee posted a video last March criticizing Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding prime minister, Yee apparently offended the wrong people online, leading to criminal charges that could put him in prison for up to three years, if he is convicted.
During his hearing last month, a judge ordered him to be remanded for three weeks to assess if he’s suitable for reformative training. Last week, he was transferred from Changi Prison to the Institute of Mental Health, where he will stay for another week, after the judge ordered Yee to be evaluated for autism.
Despite Yee's incarceration, his Facebook page is still being updated. Some believe the teenager is able to do this by scheduling his posts, while others suspect his friends or relatives of adding new content. The page recently attracted renewed attention with posts containing what appear to be Yee's reflections about his time in prison.
In the following excerpt, for instance, Yee apparently writes about the frustration of prison life:
Cellmates, often thinking about the implications of them being in jail, or getting frustrated by the tedium of being in a cell, become enraged and hyperactive.
In a state of restlessness and anxiety, they start singing high-pitched songs, punching the walls, banging their cups and boxes.
The unrelenting sounds send me into a deep state of nervousness and apprehension.
Because of the order to remand him, many supporters of Yee consider him to be one of the youngest “prisoners of conscience” in the world.
On Yee's Facebook page, some notes have appeared that even look to William Shakespeare for inspiration:
In prison, my cell mates would become so bored that they became immensely excited when they saw a little fly, hovering above them.
They then used the plastic box that we put our soap in and captured the fly inside it. And with the fascination of a child, they would gawk at its movement and observe its behavior.
Soon, they would suddenly become woeful, and slip into a melancholic speech that could potentially rival that of Shakespeare’s ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ soliloquy, saying something along the lines of:
‘The fly is trapped, just like us.
We have trapped someone innocent, just like the Government did to us.
What have we become?’
Yee's Facebook page contains other observations about life behind bars, as well:
There is barely any sense of time in prison, there are no clocks in cells. Our only indications of time is the little light that seeps out from the vent. And everyday my cellmates would eagerly wait for that light to dissipate, knowing that another day has passed, and they’re one day closer to attaining their freedom.
While Yee's comments about the late Lee Kuan Yew were far from popular, the justice system's decision to treat the 16-year-old so harshly for thinking differently has also provoked disagreement. At one of his appearances in court, Yee was even slapped across the face by a man in front of a room of journalists, who did not intervene:
Hi you remember the guy who hit me in the face? Yeah I know he’s bad and all that. But I would like to bring your attention to the reporters who witnessed the incident.
None of them came up to help, none of them put their cameras down and tried to catch the assailant, they just continued taking pictures trying to get that best shot for tomorrow’s headlines.
Yee’s mother, Mary Toh, has also written about her son's troubles:
Amos has always been a chirpy, confident and very vocal child. He is also very creative, and would spend an endless amount of time on something which he sets his mind on.
But my son is a different person now.
Since his arrest in March and the many twists and turns in the court case, Amos is now exhausted, and yes, frightened.
I wondered why my son, who is here to be assessed if he has autism, is kept here in the same block as those who are mentally ill.
He has been so tired in Changi Prison where he is kept in a cell for 23 hours everyday, with the bright lights kept switched on most of the time, for the past three weeks.
It was impossible for him to sleep.
Human Rights Watch is one of many advocacy groups around the world now demanding Yee's release, calling attention to the fact that he's being treated the same as violent offenders, despite the peaceful nature of his supposed crime:
…by the time he was convicted, Yee had spent 18 days in jail for a nonviolent offense. When brought to court for his trial on May 7, he was handcuffed, had his legs shackled, and was wearing a prison-supplied t-shirt with “prisoner” emblazoned across the back.


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Japan’s ‘Too Handsome’ Gorilla Is a Social Media Sensation · Global Voices
N'Donna Russell

名古屋のイケメンゴリラ「シャバーニ」が海外で話題に！ http://t.co/ClRXhMUCU2 #まとめ pic.twitter.com/IUAwQvbEqf— あかしや いっとく (@BrenanStaci) June 28, 2015
Shabani, Nagoy's “Ikemen Gorilla”, has become quite the international topic of conversation!
With model good looks, striking model poses, and expressive eyes, Shabani is the cause of the collective flutter of young female hearts in Japan.
But Shabani is neither an up-and-coming actor or a model walking the catwalk.
A resident of the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya since 2007, Shabani is an Australian-raised gorilla who has become a sensation due to his striking eyes and model good looks.
Shabani's nickname? He's known in Japan as “ikemen” gorilla. The word “ikemen” means “hot guy” in Japanese.
シャバーニ ネギを食べる姿も渋くてカッコイイ #シャバーニ #東山動植物園 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 pic.twitter.com/TaXIYvhVLw
— 葉月 (@hazukikameraman) June 26, 2015
Looking handsome and cool while eating a spring onion
In addition to drawing a steady stream of young female visitors who are enraptured by Shabani’s good looks and flock to gain his attentions, Shabani has gone viral on social media.
Users have shared various photos, commenting on his good looks.
シルバーバックが見事。 #シャバーニ @ 東山動植物園 https://t.co/OzuviI9AwN
— hanemimi (@hanemimi) June 25, 2015
His silver back is beautiful!
Curiosity over Shabani has now extended beyond Japan’s borders. However, the reaction to the gorilla from the West is a mixed bag.
While some Twitter users believe that Shabani could rule the catwalks of the world if he wanted to…
this gorilla is hotter than most of my ex-boyfriends http://t.co/lFk2sQk9uF
— Jessica Roy (@JessicaKRoy) June 26, 2015
…other Twitter users from outside of Japan have written this story off as another “Weird Japan” piece.
Oh for f*ck's sake, REALLY, Japan? This is why the rest of the world is so weirded out by you. Stop it! #シャバーニ http://t.co/fxNNVdOySW
— Misono Allen (@misonoallen) June 25, 2015
Furthermore, there are those with whom the concept of “Weird Japan” does not sit well at all.
Hiroko Tabuchi, a journalist for The New York Times who used to cover news from Japan, has this to say:
#BSAlert: Women swoon over handsome gorilla in Japan “where surveys show many young ppl have no interest in dating” http://t.co/u51OjgIfB4
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) June 28, 2015
Wd you ever write that/believe that abt women in your own country? The weird fiction that gets made up abt love/sex in Japan is ridiculous.
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) June 28, 2015
Unfortunately for his admirers, Shabani is already spoken for.
He is the mate of Higashiyama Zoo’s two resident female gorillas Ai and Nene, and is proud father of two children, a boy and a girl.
Furthermore, the gorilla seems to be blissfully unaware, or at the very least, quite nonchalant about his popularity and growing fanbase.
うーむ。 イケメンってなんだ？ おいしいのか・・・？ #ゴリラ　#シャバーニ pic.twitter.com/RY90mXQZ7R
— 名古屋市東山動植物園 (@higashiyamapark) May 18, 2015
Hmm…  An Ikeman?  I wonder if it's tasty…?

author: N'Donna Russell


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Kenyan Blogger Defamation Case Highlights the Need for Education · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Shitemi Khamadi argues that a case where a telecommunication provider, Safaricom, has sued a Kenyan blogger Cyprian Nyakundi for defamation highlights the need for education on the law and Internet in Kenya:
The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) in whose mandate is to promote online local content has been running a project called ifreedoms. The project seeks to enlighten Kenyans of all walks of life about the law and the internet in Kenya. It conducts these training’s in various locations around the country. So far, these training’s have been held in Nairobi, Kisumu and Nyeri. It intends, in the long run, to go nationwide.
It is in the interest of BAKE that Kenyans know how they should conduct themselves online so that they responsibly, accurately and consistently tell their own stories online through blogs and social media platforms. Certainly when a blogger has a legal issue, BAKE may intervene when the cause is genuine and especially when it involves its members. It does these by assisting with legal counsel, popularizing the issue on social media and documenting it.
This Nyakundi court case validates what BAKE is doing. Nyakundi is still innocent until proven guilty. However, if he knew his legal rights and obligations, he probably would not be in the situation he is today. More importantly, more Kenyans should take queue from this to learn how they should conduct themselves online.


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Storipot: A News Aggregator for Ugandan Blogs · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Keep up to date with news and conversations on Ugandan blogosphere through Storipot, a news aggregator created by Dignited:
Storipot is a News aggregator that provides you with headlines of the latest stories (“Feeds”) curated from websites and blogs by or about Uganda.
Storipot helps you filter through the noise of today’s vast information by bringing to surface a summary of the day's most important stories on a single page.
We are currently doing this through clever computer algorithms that routinely crawl through our large database of more than 250(as of launch) Ugandan content sources. We analyze and gauge all this content to bring you the most compelling content on the web from Uganda.
However, with the understanding that nothing beats the human judgement, Storipot also employs human editorial curation mechanisms. With a team of long-time experienced bloggers and journalists, we sieve through the blog sphere to discover and bring you great content that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Designed for both readers and publishers.