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Is Ethiopia Fit to be a Member of the United Nations Human Rights Council? · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Ethiopia was among four African countries that were elected as members of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 12 November, 2012. Other countries that were elected for a three-year term are Argentina, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Estonia, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Venezuela.
However, Ethiopia’s election to Human Rights Council did not go down well with most Ethiopians. Writing about the election the Ethiopian satirist Abe Tokichaw wrote in Amharic [amh]:
Ethiopian blogger and journalist Eskinder Nega was sentenced to 18 years in jail with 23 other activists on On 13 July, 2012. Photo courtesy of FreeEskinderNega.com
ኢትዮጵያ የተባበሩት መንግስታት ሰብአዊ መብት ኮሚሽን አባል ሀገር ሆና ተመረጠች።
የትኛዋ ኢትዮጵያ!? የትኛው ሰብአዊ መብት!? የትኛው የተባበሩት መንግስታት የሰብአዊ መብት ኮሚሽን!?
እኔ የምለው ኢትዮጵያዊው የዩልኝታ ባህላችን ያለው ህብረተሰቡ ዘንድ ብቻ መሆኑ በጣም አሳሳቢ ችግር አይመስላችሁም? እንዴ መንግስት እኮ ይሉኝታ ቢኖረው ኖሮ “ተመድ የሰባዊ መብት ኮሚሽን አባል አድርጌ መርጨሀለሁ!” ሲለው… “አረ በህግ አምላክ እኔ አልሆናችሁም ሀገር ተሳስታችሁ ነው! ወይ ደግሞ ባታውቁኝ ነው የመረጣችሁኝ…!” ማለት ነበረበት። ነገር ግን መንግስቴ “ምን ይሉኝ” ያልፈጠረበት ነውና አሜን ብ
ሎ መቀበሉ ሲገርመን፤ ጭራሽ በአደባባይ “እንዲህ ነን እኛ ሰብአዊ መብት ጠባቂዎች” ተብሎ ተነገረን!
Ethiopia has been elected to be a member the United Nations Human Rights Council. Wait, Wait! Which Ethiopia? Which Human Right? Which United Nations Human Rights Council?
Is it not worrisome that an Ethiopian sense of discomfiture is not shared by our government? If our government had any Ethiopian sense of discomfiture, they would have rejected [the seat]  when they got elected as a member the United Nations Human Rights Council! They would have admitted that the Ethiopian government would not fit in the Human Rights Council but our government never had an Ethiopian sense of discomfiture and accepted the membership to United Nations Human Rights Council gladly! They even went on to declare that the Ethiopian government has a good human right record!
Zerihun Tesfaye, an exiled journalist and blogger, described the conundrum of Ethiopia’s election in an extended Amharic note on Facebook:
እስቲ ልነሳና ልበል አልቸም አልቸም
እሷ የኔን ነገር ትተዋለች መቼም” የሠፈራችን አዝማሪ።
አንዲህ ነገር ዓለሙን የተዉ ግለሰቦች፣ ዓለም አቀፍ ተቋማት እና መንግሥታት ሲያጋጥሙ አዝማሪውን ተቀብሎ ማንጎራጎሩ ሳይቀል አይቀርም። ስለኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ሰብዓዊ መብት ረገጣ አንዳንዴ እኛን ባለጉዳዮቹን በሚያስደንቅ ኹኔታ የዓለም ዓቀፉ ማኅበረሰብ ሲያቀነቅን “ወይ ጉድ ለካንስ እነዚህ ሰዎች የልብ አውቃ ኖረዋል” ብለን ተስፋ እናደርጋለን። አንድ ቀን የለውጡ አካል ሆነው የነጻነታችንን እንቀዳጃለን ብለንም ልባችን በሐሴት ትሞላለች። እናም የጋዜጠኝነት ሙያችንም የረዳንን ያህል “የማቃጠር ሥራ” እንሠራለን። አልፎ አልፎም “መንግሥት በቃሊቲ 50 ንጹሃን ዜጎችን አጎረ” ብለን ስናውጅ፤ “አይ መረጃችሁ አልተሟላም እኛ የደረሰን 120 ሰዎች ነው” ብለው ከነስም ዝርዝራቸው ሲያሳዩን እንደመምና አሁንም ተስፋ እናደርጋለን-ከኛው ከጭቁኖቹ ጋር ናቸው ብለን።
ሌሎች የማይጠቀሱ ጉዳዮች ተደራርበው ትላንት የተባበሩት መንግሥታት የሰብዓዊ መብቶች ካውንስል ይህቺን በሰብዓዊ መብት አያያዝ “የማትጠረጠር” አገር አባል አድርጎ ሲመርጥ ግን የሠፈሬን አዝማሪ ማስታወስ ግድ አለኝ። በእውነት እነዚህ የመብት ተሟጋቾች እና ተቋማት ተስፋ ሊያስቆርጡን እየሞከሩ ነው? ወይስ በየትኛውም መስፈርት አገርን ለማስተዳደር ብቃቱ የሌለው ቦዘኔ መንግሥት ምን አልባት አባል ሲሆን የጠባይ ለውጥ ያመጣ ይኾን ብለው? አሁን አሁን “እየተፎጋግርን” ያለን ያህል ተሰማኝ።
ክፋቱ አሁንም የእነሱን ድጋፍ የምንፈልግ መሆናችን፤ “የለማኝ ስልቻ ቢንከባለል ከለማኝ ደጅ” እንዲሉ።
Let me chant, I can’t, I can’t as she has forgotten my cause! Says a local songster.
I find it easy to join this local songster and chant with him when we fall upon international organizations and governments who deafen their ears to our cause! But paradoxically, sometimes international organizations have a better understanding than Ethiopians themselves, about horrendous human right situations in Ethiopia and we feel better as we consider the international community is recognizing our great efforts. Sometimes we even think the international community is part of the revolution we aspire to in Ethiopia and our hearts fill with joy! So through journalism we used to report a lot on human rights abuse in Ethiopia. For instance, if we report fifty innocent Ethiopians are jailed in a famous prison called “Kality” some of the international community members correct us with more accurate number (120) of innocent prisoners including their names! Then we feel these people are with us and hope good things are yet to come!
But when I heard of the news of Ethiopia’s election to the United Nations Human Rights Council last evening, the hymn of our local songster rang a bell! Are these intergovernmental human rights organizations trying to destroy our optimism? Or do they think a bad-mannered government will get better when it becomes a member of United Nations Human Rights Council? Nowadays I feel everybody has become politically correct to everybody! But the worse thing is still we need their help!
And another concerned netizen, Yohanes Molla, wrote [amh]:
እማር በሰር ጫሪም፣ ጒቸ ገግት ቧሪም፡፡” የጉራግኛ ተረትና ምሳሌ (ወማካ) ነው፡፡ ወደ አማርኛ ሲመጣ “አህያ ላይ ስጋ ጭነው፣ ጅብን ሸኝ አሉት፡፡” ማለት ነው፡፡ እንግዲህ ይህ ሲሆን ውጤቱ ግልፅ ነው፡፡ ጅቡ አህያዋ ላይ የተጫነውን ስጋ ሁሉ ይበላዋል፡፡ ምናልባት አህያዋንም ጠግቦ ካቆያት ነው እንጂ እርሷንም በጊዜ ይበላታል፡፡
ትናንት ማምሻውን በእንቅልፍ ልቤ አንብቤው…. ‘ህልም ነው!… ቅዠት ነው!’ እያልኩ ተኝቼ፣ ዛሬ ስነቃ እውን ሆኖ የደገመኝና እስካሁን ድረስ በአህምሮዬ ላይ ተተክሎ ቀኔን ያጠቆረብኝና፣ እያቃጨለብኝ ያለውን ኢትዮጵያ የተመድ የሰብዓዊ መብት ካውንስል አባል የመሆን ወሬ ጉዳይ ከዚህ ተረትና ምሳሌ የተሸለ ምን ይገልፀው ይሆን?!
There is a local proverb which says: A fool makes a donkey carry red meat and sends her along with a hyena! So the hyena will chomp through the red meat and later turn on the donkey!
Last night I read about Ethiopia's election to the United Nations Human Rights Council being heavy-eyed so I thought of it as a nightmare. However, when I woke up this morning I could not escape this story! It keeps coming back to me and makes my day horrific! So what could better describe Ethiopia’s election to United Nations Human Rights Council other than the proverb I cited above!
Jawar Mohammed wrote a detailed analysis of how Ethiopia secured a seat in the council. But Daniel Berehane disagreed with those opposing Ethiopia's membership to the council:
I see no anomaly with Ethiopia being elected to the UN Human Rights Council.
Both Ethiopia and the Council have good Constitutions.
They both have capacity (political, financial, etc) limitations implementing it.
Perfect match.
Human rights groups have been criticizing Ethiopia as one of the most serious human rights violators in Africa with huge number of dissidents, activists and journalists languishing in jail.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Is Israel Planning a Ground Invasion of Gaza?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Gazans braced themselves for another day of continuous shelling, as news trickles in of the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion.
The short version of why the latest bout of fighting flared up is that Israel and Gaza exchanged fire – which still continues now – after Israel killed Hamas military leader Ahmed Al-Jabari during an air raid on Gaza on Wednesday.
The news from Gaza:
Like yesterday, Palestinian bloggers in Gaza have been keeping followers updated on social media, around the clock.
From Gaza, Rana tweets:
@RanaGaza: Airstrikes again. They sound like thunder this time. #Gaza
Briton journalist Harry Fear, who is in Gaza, reports:
@harryfear: Four strikes on Gaza City while I was on air with Press TV, inc. 1 that shook open the studio door
And Sara Hussein, an Agence France-Presse reporter, in Gaza now, tweets:
@sarahussein: Listening to conversations in #Gaza about where is safe. People not sure where to go. Can't leave+don't have shelters. #Israel #Palestinians
On the ground, her narrative is that of anticipation, as she reports hearing explosions around her. Here are some of her tweets:
@sarahussein: I am in a house in #Gaza City, with a five-year-old, a pregnant woman, her husband, brother. Last five incoming booms shook the room.
@sarahussein: Last explosion very close, everything shook, glass breaking. @AFP reporter's daughter started crying. Now giggling with Mr Bean video #Gaza
@sarahussein: Hearing what appears to be both outgoing and incoming here in #Gaza City now #Israel #Palestinians
Death Toll:
According to Israeli journalist Joseph Dana, the Palestinian death toll has climbed to at least 29 people. He tweets:
@ibnezra: Reports now that the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has climbed to at least 29 people since the start of Operation Pillar of Cloud
Bilal Randeree breaks down the casualties as follows:
@bilalr:  #Gaza/#Israel update: 27 Palestinians – including 7 children – and 3 Israelis killed since Wednesday. v/ @BBCBreaking
What Next?
Iyad El-Baghdadi says:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: There are reports that #Israel closed several roads leading to #Gaza, this is seen as a step towards a ground incursion.
Dana explains:
@ibnezra: Just spoke with @emilie_baujard in Gaza. She says that journalists are nervous, fearing Israeli ground invasion soon.
He adds:
@ibnezra: You don't close civilian roads if you are not planning a large military operation. #Gaza #Israel
Emilie Baujard, Radio France correspondent in the Middle East, tweets:
@emilie_baujard: Things are getting crazy in #gaza. Everyone is expecting a ground operation soon. Rockets fired from the center of Gaza and from the beach
And Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov notes:
@Elizrael: Israeli cabinet is discussing whether to call up 75,000 reserve soldiers, more than the number of soldiers called up to the 2nd Lebanon War.
Is there another full scale war on the horizon?

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Night Clashes Overshadow Portugal’s Largely Peaceful General Strike · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

This post is part of our coverage Europe in Crisis
The general strike of November 14, 2012, in Portugal, brought once again the crowds to the streets across the country, to take a stand against growing austerity. The real motivations for people to demonstrate however, have fallen away from mainstream media's attention due to “visually appealing” and unfortunate events: by the end of an intense day of peaceful marches and sit-ins, confrontations between police and protesters turned violence into the main top news.
This was the fourth general strike taking place in the country in the last two years, only this time the stoppage, called [pt] by one of the main labour unions (CGTP), was part of a transnational call for Southern European countries – the so-called PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) – where citizens are being severely affected by the imposed austerity measures and the financial crisis.
Demonstrators walking towards the Assembleia da Republica in Sao Bento, Lisbon. Photo by Francois Bota copyright Demotix (14/11/2012)
Henrique Borralho, a Brazilian professor living in Lisbon, narrates [pt] how he ended up joining the demonstration in solidarity on his blog.
Walking throughout the capital, he had the opportunity to talk with strikers who presented their worries for the future. Two of them (from Italy and Spain) shared stories that are common to all of the Southern European countries: healthcare privatization, massive layoffs, cuts in welfare, salary decreases:
Essa crise revela a face mais sangrenta da crise capitalista européia. As conquistas históricas da classe trabalhadora foram e estão sendo suprimidas, o cognominado bem-estar social já não existe mais, a condição minima de igualdade social começa a ruir.
Existe um paradoxo nessa crise: o consumo de luxo aumentou, consequentemente, o foço [sic] entre ricos e pobres também. A taxa de desemprego em Portugal bateu a casa dos 15,8% . A taxa de pobreza já está em 19%. O governo já aprovou, falta ser votado no Congresso, o aumento de impostos para 2013, a votação será no dia 27 de novembro, além da aprovação de uma lei de incentivo fiscal para captação de empresas que queiram investir no país pagando apenas 10% de impostos.
This crisis reveals the bloodiest face of the European capitalist crisis. The historical achievements of the working class have been and are being suppressed, the so-called social welfare no longer exists, the minimum condition of social equality begins to crumble.
There is a paradox in this crisis: luxury consumption increased and therefore so has the gap between rich and poor. The unemployment rate in Portugal has hit 15.8%. The poverty rate is already at 19%. The government has already approved, and it remains to be voted on in Parliament, the tax increase for 2013, the vote will take place on November 27, in addition to passing a law of tax incentives for attracting businesses that want to invest in the country paying only 10% of taxes.
Then he describes how he lived through the “sad episode” of violence and repression that took place at the end of the day. Global Voices briefly reported that in another post.
In Porto thousands of people marched in a protest in the centre of the city. Photo by Pedro Ferreira copyright Demotix (14/11/2012)
Fallacies of violence
After the indiscriminate police charge in front of the Parliament, in response to stone throwing by a group of protesters, later at night dozens of arrests in a different area of the city were reported [pt]. On the blog 5 Dias there are several testimonies of “illegal detentions”, police violence, lack of accusations, and refusal to the right to a lawyer, to external calls, and using the toilet.
Police barrier in front of the Portuguese parlament at the chashes during the Portuguese general strike on November, 14 against the austerity measures. Photo by Pedro Nunes copyright Demotix (14/11/2012)
President Cavaco Silva condemned “the rampage that was provoked by a group of citizens” and “praised the professionalism of Portuguese police carrying its function of granting public order and combating violence in our democracy”. Many netizens and even mainstream media followed this discourse. However, first hand reports in the blogosphere show different perspectives. Amnesty International condemns [pt] the disproportionate and excessive use of force against demonstrators who were peacefully protesting in Lisbon and asks the Government to open an inquiry.
Police men point batons while a woman is bleeding from the nose during the chashes. Photo by Pedro Nunes copyright Demotix (14/11/2012)
“It is the violence of the blind measures that is generating this climate of despair”, believes journalist Sarah Adamopoulos, one of the peaceful strikers who was calling for calm among protesters and who later had to “run, trying not to fall and be crushed by the crowd in panic”. She ended up being beaten by the “police anger” too, as she describes [pt] on her blog, Um Redondo Vocábulo:
As mulheres choravam, chocadas com a violência dos rapazes da PSP. Também chorei, também me chocou a violência indiscriminada sobre as pessoas, as bastonadas ao calhas, preferencialmente nas pernas para fazer cair as pessoas e bater-lhes mais, mas chocou-me sobretudo a visão da força repressiva que este Governo está disposto a usar para tentar calar o povo – para fazer com que aceite sem espernear as suas políticas inaceitáveis.
Women were crying, shocked by the violence of the boys of PSP [Public Security Police]. I also cried, I was shocked too with the indiscriminate violence on people, the random beatings, preferably in the legs to make people fall and hit them more, but it shocked me especially the vision of repressive force that this government is willing to use to try to silence the people – to get their unacceptable policies accepted without a fight.
Sara Figueiredo Costa, a free-lance journalist and blogger at Cadeirão Voltaire, also described the events in the first person, originally published on Facebook, and then shared [pt] on the blog 5 Dias. For her “it is not acceptable to think that stones are a justification for riot police to indiscriminately sweep the Largo de São Bento, to chase people through the streets and to walk around hunting demonstrators at Cais do Sodre”:
nunca serão, coisas toleráveis numa democracia, sendo, pelo contrário, coisas que ajudam a definir a ausência de democracia.
[these] will never be tolerable things in a democracy, being, on the contrary, things that help define the absence of democracy.
She stresses that when “police obey orders, it doesn't decide on its own that it will charge at all the people, young or old, that come across their way”. Orders come from the Minister of Internal Administration, Miguel Macedo, whose statements after the events were questioned [pt] by the journalist Daniel Oliveira:
Quando a polícia espancou gente pacifica em vários locais da cidade, estava a garantir a ordem pública ou a contribuir para a desordem? Estava a garantir a integridade física dos cidadãos ou a pô-la em causa? Estava a garantir o cumprimento da lei ou a violá-la? Estava a reprimir os “profissionais da desordem” ou a espalhar a desordem pela cidade? O comportamento inaceitável de meia dúzia pode justificar um comportamento arbitrário das forças de segurança, que não poupa ninguém a quilómetros de distância da própria manifestação?
When police hit peaceful people in several places in the city, was it ensuring the public order or contributing to the disorder? Was it ensuring citizen's physical integrity or putting it at stake? Was it ensuring the writ of the law or violating it? Was it repressing the “professionals of disorder” or spreading disorder around town? Can the unacceptable behaviour of a handful of people, justify the random bahaviour of the security forces, who didn't spare any one, even those kilometres away from the demonstration itself?
And finally says that “yesterday's general strike was one of the biggest of our history. (…) And not even the indiscriminate violence that the Minister of Internal Administration ordered to be spread around half the city of Lisbon can overshadow it. On televisions, it was the brutality of one or the other that won. But the day of yesterday was a lot more than that: it was a proof of courage.”
This post is part of our coverage Europe in Crisis

author: Sara Moreira


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What is the Role of the Army in Africa Today? · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

[All quotations have been translated from the French and can be viewed in the original post]
The army has often held a crucial but ambiguous role in the running of the political process in Africa. Between the years 1950 and 2000, 53 African countries have suffered 85 military coups leading to regime change. After a period of respite in the 1990s, the African continent was once more that with the most military coups in the first decade of the 21st century with 27 takeover attempts. Being both a factor in consolidation or destabilisation of regimes [fr], the army is blamed in many countries and does not seem to know how to adapt to this change in people’s mentalities.
The Army of Madagascar supported Rajoelina during his seizure of power in March 2009 – Public Domain via Topmada
A Question of Competence and Remuneration
In Mali, the lack of resolution in the conflict in the North of the country was the main reason invoked by Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo to remove Amadou Toumani Touré from power. However, since the military coup of 22 March 2012, the army remains powerless regarding reclaiming North Mali and seems resigned to wait for help from international armed forces to chase the Islamic groups from the area. If Captain Sanogo gives the impression of having left the civil authorities and the interim president, Dioncounda Tractor, to assume leadership of the country, he is nevertheless a major figure of the current transition and remains at the head of the CNRDRE military junta.
Captain Sanogo, Leader of the Military Junta, photo via @Youngmalian
Captain Sanogo began his military training in the Kati Military Academy in Mali then continued it in the United States, firstly in Lackland,Texas then at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Wachica in Arizona. During Sanogo’s brief period at the head of the country, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, MNLA, linked to various Islamic groups including the AQMI, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, conquered half of North Mali and declared independence for Azawad. If there is a debate about Sanogo’s military competences, there is little doubt that he has not acquired the necessary political competence in light of his multiple interference and unilateral decisions regarding the management of the country. Here is a video interview given by Sanogo after having handed power to the interim president by MrMaliweb [fr]:
In Madagascar the army played a crucial role in the advent of the ongoing political crisis there. A video captured during Rajoelina’s takeover tells of the unfolding of the military coup and the army’s role in the taking of power:
The Tananews website wrote of how the army of Madagascar sacrificed its mission [fr] all because of a problem with remuneration:
Money and corruption have played a significant role in supporting this interminable crisis.
Under the eyes of the whole world, the army of Madagascar will have much to do to restore its tarnished image.
A number of officers have preferred to sacrifice their honour and pride to accede to positions which are here today, gone tomorrow! Are they proud to wear their new stripes, attributed to them by an illegal power?
Let’s hope they ask themselves the question […] To save our country, there are no two ways about it:
Either the army of Madagascar takes itself in hand and comes to swell the ranks of the Vahaoaka;
Or the army of Madagascar continues to act as puppets..
Juvence Ramasy, political scientist in Madagascar, published an article on the role of the armed forces in political and democratic stability for CODESRIA, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. He explained [fr]:
In order for the political neutrality of the army to be really effective, the demilitarisation of political power must be achieved, because the retreat of military personnel from the direct exercise of executive power and the subordination of the military to civil decisions is not sufficient to assure this political neutrality. This retreat has been achieved through the third wave of democratisation. However, the transition goes wherever the militaries go.
Mathieu Pellerin, researcher at the French International Relations Institute, IFRI, explained that during each crisis, political players in Madagascar  try to curry favour with the armed forces [fr]:
The army of Madagascar has a legalistic tradition […] This is not to say however that the army plays no part, quite the opposite. I would describe it as the force of deterrence because of the threat that it poses. Each side knows it will have to submit to its will. In 2002, the development of Marc Ravalomanana’s reservist forces has weighted the balance of power. [..] Andry Rajoelina has surrounded himself with military personnel, including the general of the retreat, Dollin Rosoloa, who was Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar’s largest city, and generals Blake and Organes who used to serve under Marc Ravalomanana. They should therefore have an influence on certain sections of the army of Madagascar.
In his book “Madagascar, le coup d'Etat de mars 2009” [fr], Professor Solofo Randrianja explained the mechanism of the army’s corruption  [fr] during the current crisis:
Rajoelina gives various benefits [to the military] to ensure their support and loyalty. The granting of loans of 3.2 billion ariary across the armed forces during 2009 Independence Day celebrations is a product of this mindset […] to ensure that this clientelist redistribution does not continue, it is necessary that the institution of the military be under democratic control and no longer under civilian control.
An Army often Divided and Under Pressure
In Côte d'Ivoire, after a civil war which has left scars, the army, Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, FRCI is still under pressure from militia faithful to the old Gbagbo regime. Confrontations took place in August 2012 [fr] near the capital, Abidjan, leading people to fear a reduction in public safety. Richard Banegas, professor at Ceri-Sciences-Po, stated that the disturbances were justified [fr]:
Many of the Gbagbo ex-militia are still at large, in Ghana or Liberia, even in Abidjan, in relative secrecy. The most radical have a Messianic warmongering mindset sowing a ‘rhetoric of return’ of their leader. […] What is more, reforms for a national army are well underway, but sometimes hide growing numbers of soldiers who have come from the pro-Ouattara rebellion, to the detriment of an ordered and therefore more just hierarchy.
In Guinea, the military coup of December 2008 led Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to power. His regime came to an end during the country’s first ever democratic elections in 2010, but not before a bloody suppression in 2009 which killed more than 1,000 during an anti-junta demonstration. Internal divisions within the army are still palpable with regard to current tensions.
In Mauritania, leading figure in the 2005 and 2008 military coups and current president Mohamed Ould Aziz was recently shot at, which led to his evacuation to France. Rumours abound regarding the origin of these shots and measures that soldiers could take if Aziz’s convalescence abroad lasts longer than predicted.
The return of Pretorianism, that is, corrupt military despotism, is an unmentionable fact in many African countries. As Juvenal Ramasy stated, demilitarisation of politics coupled with depolitisation and professionalism of the army must take place urgently in these countries where democracy is still fragile.

author: Rakotomalala


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Arab League on Gaza: “Blah Blah… Blah Blah Blah”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Arab League is meeting at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss Gaza – and netizens aren't holding their breath or being optimistic about a strong reaction.
Egyptian Mona Eltahawy asks:
@monaeltahawy: 2 questions. 1. Is the Club of Dictators aka Arab League meeting finally on Gaza? 2. Is the IDF still tweeting like fascist frat boys?
While the United Nations Security Council called for and held an emergency meeting Wednesday night [Nov 14, 2012] to discuss the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and consequent Hamas rocket attacks into Israel, the Arab League waited until today [Nov 17, 2012] to hold a meeting, drawing ridicule and anger from netizens around the Arab world.
UAE commentator Sultan AlQassemi doesn't mince his words – summing up the futility of Arab League communiques. He sarcastically tweets:
@SultanAlQassemi: Live update from Arab League meeting on Gaza aggression by Israel: We will not tolerate blah blah! We must stand with blah blah bah.
And he adds:
@SultanAlQassemi: Israel must be terrified – Arab League SecGen: We will reevaluate the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative
Israeli journalist Joseph Dana notes:
@ibnezra: Israel responds to emergency Arab league meeting in Cairo with no statement or acknowledgement whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Josh Shahryar jokes:
@JShahryar: Arab League had extremely tough words for Israel. Meeting adjourned until tougher words are invented.
Iraqi journalist Ahmed Habib quips:
@ahmedhabib: Scientists from around the world are baffled by the #superhuman ability of members of the #Arab League to take themselves seriously.
And Salem from Tunis reminds us:
@salemfromtunis: They have the wailing wall,we have the wailing league.


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Croatian Senior Generals Acquitted of War Crimes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia comments on this Friday's UN appeal court's judgment acquitting Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač of war crimes:
[…] Some people are delighted with the judgment and other people are outraged, with divisions following predictable political lines. The appeals chamber itself is no less divided. The five judges on the panel made most of their decisions by a 3-2 vote. […] So consensus about the law and the facts of the case is not any greater among the members of the appeals chamber than it is in the public. This gives us a result that does not settle controversies, but keeps them burning for a good long time. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Hurdles in Making Italy’s Illegal Workers ‘Legal’ · Global Voices
Bah Abdoulaye

[all links in Italian unless otherwise stated]
On 16 July, 2012 the Monti government approved a legislative decree to conditionally allow, the regularisation of thousands of illegal workers following a declaration by their employer.
Unfortunately, several months later the results of this conditional amnesty have been below par. The video below, published on the website of the voluntary association Naga, explains the conditions and the application process set out by the decree:
Meanwhile, at the heart of a recent “il professionista risolve” [the professional's response] column on Tgcom24.it was the following assessment of the initiative:
Poco più di 134.000 le istanze inviate, meno della metà del potenziale pubblico interessato, che si è ipotizzato oscilli tra i 300.000 e i 500.000 soggetti.
Just over 134,000 requests were submitted, that's less than half of the number of people who are potentially affected, which is estimated to be somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000
The conditions attached prevented the expected results being achieved. The CGIL union in Lecco, Lombardy, outlined some examples of the process and conditions set down by the law:
L’emersione può riguardare un rapporto di lavoro dipendente di qualsiasi settore, a tempo pieno, e per il solo lavoro domestico, anche a tempo parziale. Il rapporto di lavoro deve essere in corso almeno dal 9 maggio 2012.
Il datore di lavoro dovrà pagare la somma di €1.000 alla presentazione della domanda. Alla firma del contratto dovrà quindi dimostrare di avere versato contributi e retribuzione per almeno 6 mesi. Sono esclusi i datori di lavoro condannati per tratta o sfruttamento di prostituzione e minori, per aver dato lavoro a immigrati irregolari, per caporalato, per favoreggiamento dell’immigrazione clandestina.
The regularisation can apply to employment in any sector, if full-time, and, if part time, only in the domestic sector. The employee must be in the position since the 9th of May 2012, at the very latest. The employer must pay the sum of €1,000 when submitting the request. When signing the contract the employer must, therefore, prove that they have paid contributions and wages for at least six months. Employers excluded from the initiative include those who have been convicted of trafficking or exploitation of prostitutes or minors, who have employed illegal immigrants, who participated in the gangmaster system and employers who have encouraged illegal immigration.
Louis Benjamin Ndong, in a post on the blog of the collective “Alzo La Mano Adesso” [I put my hand up now], declares that:
Se da un lato questa regolarizzazione darà la possibilità a molte persone di uscire dalla propria condizione di invisibilità, conseguendo un riconoscimento anche da parte della società istituzionalizzata che finora l’aveva negato, dall’altro costituirà un nuovo ed ennesimo limbo per i tanti immigrati che, privi degli adeguati strumenti, quale un reale contratto di lavoro, si affideranno nelle mani di truffatori e venditori di bugie dell’ultima ora. Purtroppo la legge in questione, concepita in primo luogo per fare cassa, non possiede i vincoli necessari per arginare questo rischio …
Although, on one hand, this regularisation of their legal status will give many people the chance to escape from their seeming invisibility and represents their recognition which has always been denied them by the institutions. On the other hand however, it will be yet another limbo for the very many immigrants who, deprived of adequate resources, such as a genuine work contract, will put their trust in conmen and those who trade in the latest lies. Sadly the law in question, originally conceived to top up the state coffers, cannot prevent this risk…
Demonstration in Brescia, Lombardy, 6th of November 2012. Photo by Zic Photo on Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence.
As Marco Massaroni writes on the citizen journalism website FaiNotizia:
La disposizione transitoria, prevista dal decreto sulla regolarizzazione si è  presentata non priva di criteri restrittivi, controversie e difficoltà.
Da subito si sono espresse preoccupazioni sul fatto che questa regolarizzazione possa aprire spazi a numerose truffe, poichè in un Paese con centinaia di migliaia di irregolari è facile trovarne tanti disposti a pagare, anche a caro prezzo, la promessa di un permesso di soggiorno.
The temporary nature of the arrangement, as set down by the regularisation law, is not without restrictive criteria, controversies and difficulties. Concern was immediately expressed about the fact that this regularisation could leave the door open for fraud because, in a country with hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, it's easy to find lots of them who are prepared to pay, even very high prices, for the promise of easily obtaining a residence permit.
A post on the website Meltingpot points out:
I prezzi lievitano e dai 3.500/4.000 euro di media della scorsa procedura, sono passati a 5.000/8.000 euro per accedere a questa emersione.
Un mercato dei diritti di soggiorno che nessuno vuole fermare e che anzi, proprio grazie alle scelte del Governo, trova sempre più spazio.
Eppure lo sanno tutti. Basta mettere il naso nei luoghi di incontro dei migranti nelle diverse città per scoprire questo o quel commercialista offrire emersioni facili a caro prezzo, questo o quel procacciatore che promette, dietro il pagamento di lauti compensi, di farti avere il tanto sperato permesso di soggiorno.
Prices are increasing and, from the €3,500 – 4,000 it cost before, it has increased to between €5,000 and €8,000 under this initiative.
It's a market in residency rights that no-one wants to put a stop to and that, thanks to the Government's choices, is becoming ever more widespread.
And they all know it. You only need to go to where migrants gather together in any city to find this or that adviser offering to ensure regularisation, at a high price, or this or that agent promising, on payment of a generous fee, to get you the longed for residence permit.
Pubblicogiornale.it uploaded this video which shows an encounter between an immigrant and an agent who wanted to be paid 5,000 Euros to get his paper work in order. And another video from antefattoblog exposes also their faces.
The credibility of these amnesty results achieved so far are open to question. Massimiliano Zani, the organiser of CNA World Rimini explains why, in his view, this amnesty should be considered a lost opportunity:
Intanto è da rilevare che non è assolutamente credibile la corrispondenza degli invii, rispetto all'attività svolta.
Basta il dato dei lavoratori provenienti dal Marocco, tradizionalmente assenti dal settore domestico; su un totale di 15.600 domande, ne sono state inviate ben 12.600 per lavori di colf o badante; lo stesso dicasi per il Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egitto, Senegal, Tunisia, ecc. Viene spontanea una domanda: se da questi Paesi non sono mai giunti lavoratori che si impiegavano nel settore domestico, come mai le domande sono concentrate in quell’area di attività? La risposta è evidente: infatti il costo per una richiesta relativa a colf e badante non supera i 2.000 euro (tra una tantum e contributi previdenziali), mentre in settori come l’edilizia, il commercio, o l’ agricoltura il costo può essere tra due a quattro volte maggiore.
To start with, it must be pointed out that the correspondence between the requests submitted and the work carried out stretches credulity.
You only need to look at the data on workers from Morocco, who have not, traditionally, been represented in the domestic sector. Of the 15,000 applications submitted, 12,600 of them have been for jobs as a home help or carer. The same applies to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia and so on, which immediately prompts the question, if domestic workers have never come from these countries before, how can it be that the applications are concentrated in this activity sector? The answer is obvious, the cost of an application for home help or a care-giver is no more than €2,000 (a one off payment plus social security contributions), while, in the construction, trade or agricultural sectors the cost can be between two and four times higher.
And it goes on to explain how certain employers get around the law by declaring on the application that their employee works as domestic help or as a care-giver:
Ecco dunque che molti datori hanno optato di spendere al massimo euro 2.000, come previsto per l’emersione di una colf o badante a tempo parziale, rispetto ai €3/8.000 per l’emersione di un lavoratore a tempo pieno di ogni altro settore; ovviamente appena ottenuto il permesso di soggiorno, si potrà migrare in altro contratto di lavoro con lo stesso o con altro datore. Un altro elemento che ha influito sul modesto risultato è costituito dalla dimostrazione di essere stati presenti sul territorio italiano ininterrottamente, dal 31 dicembre 2011, con attestazione di un “organismo pubblico”.
That is why many employers have opted to spend €2,000 at most, the sum required for a part-time home help or care-giver, compared to the €3,000 – 8,000 for the regularisation of a full-time worker in any other sector. Obviously, once they have received the residence permit, they can change to another work contract with the same or another employer. Another element which has influenced the modest result is the need to prove that you have been in Italy since the 31 December 2011, without having left the country, and to have this certified by a “public body”.
How can that last condition possibly be fulfilled when the illegal immigrant, by nature of that very status, risks imprisonment if discovered? In fact, as Antonio Maria Ricci points out on his blog:
Il reato è previsto nel  DLG 286/98 del 2009 detto pacchetto sicurezza Maroni.
Si articola in due parti: articolo 10 bis che istituisce il reato di clandestinità perseguibile penalmente con ammenda e/o reclusione e articolo 14 che prevede la sanzione amministrativa che comporta l’espulsione.
The crime was established by ordnance 286/98 of 2009, known as the Maroni security package.
It is laid down in two parts: in article 10 bis, which established the crime of being an illegal immigrant, punishable under law with fines and/or imprisonment and in article 14 which sets down the administrative sanction of deportation.
In order to simplify this requirement the following measures were adopted, as outlined on the blog ItAliena:
Saranno accettati, sempre se di data antecedente al 31 dicembre 2011: certificato di iscrizione scolastica del figlio del lavoratore straniero, tessere nominative dei mezzi pubblici, sanzioni stradali o amministrative o multe di ogni genere, titolarità di schede telefoniche di compagnie italiane (Tim, Wind, Vodafone, 3, ecc…), documenti rilasciati dai centri di accoglienza o ricoveri anche se religiosi o del privato sociale, documentazione rilasciata da ambasciate o consolati in Italia.
The following will be accepted, once they date to before the 31 December 2011: the school inscription certificate of the foreign worker's child, public transport pass, traffic or administrative sanctions or any other kind of fine,  phone cards from an Italian operator (Tim, Wind, Vodafone, 3, etc.), documents issued by reception centres  or shelters, including religious or private ones, documents issued by embassies or consulates in Italy.
There's just one problem, as illegal immigrants how can they possibly enter into any contract?
To give an insight into illegal immigrants terror at the prospect of seeing all the sacrifices they have made since leaving their home country to reach the longed for Italy vanish into nothing, Maruan shares the story of Blessed, the young daughter of illegal Nigerian immigrants, on the web page Anolf – Giovani di 2° Generazione [the Youth of the 2nd Generation], in a post entitled: La storia di Blessed, clandestina prodigio promossa con tutti dieci [The story of Blessed, the illegal immigrant at the top of her class]:
La sua pagella è l'unica rimasta a scuola, affissa in bacheca ma non ancora ritirata dai genitori, che la maestra sta provando a contattare da giorni. Se è vero che la legge italiana garantisce il diritto-dovere dei figli di immigrati di essere iscritti alla scuola dell'obbligo, indipendentemente dalla regolarità della propria posizione e da quella dei genitori (articolo 45 del DPR n. 394/1999), non c'è norma che tenga di fronte al terrore dei genitori di essere espulsi.
Her report card is the only one left at the school, still pined to the noticeboard but still not collected by her parents, who the teacher has been trying to contact for days. While it may be true that Italian law sets down the right and obligation for immigrants’ children to be enrolled in compulsory education, regardless of their own legal status and that of their parents (article 45 of Presidential Decree n.394/1999), there's no law which stands up in face of the parents’ terror of being deported.
Another relevant requirement is the obligation to pay €1,000 per worker and the other costs owed to the Treasury and the INPS [National Institute of Social Insurance] for six months. These should be paid by the employer but, in reality, it has fallen to the worker to pay them. The French site bayediouf.seneweb.com calculates that, just counting the 6,296 Senegalese affected, the total amount is around €12,056,918  and adds [fr]:
Ce montant de quasi 8 Milliards CFa est le chiffre déboursé par nos compatriotes et en attendant la convocation pour le contrat de séjour et successivement le permis de séjour. En cas de rejet les sommes ne seront pas remboursées.
This sum of almost 8 million West African CFA francs is the figure paid out by our countrymen while waiting for the summons for the provisional residence permit and then, eventually, the residence permit. In case of refusal the money will not be returned.
In the last few years, under the influence of the right, Italian governments have accumulated a veritable arsenal of xenophobic judicial measures. Meanwhile, according to a report by the Berlusconi government, between 2010 and 2020 the working population in Italy is predicted to fall between 5.5% and 7.9%; as a result, more immigrants will be needed. Between 2011 and 2015, around 100,000 additional immigrants may be needed while, from 2016 to 2020, this number is predicted to rise to 260,000.

author: Bah Abdoulaye


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Maoists Chairman Prachanda Under Attack · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pradeep Kumar Singh reports that on the 16th of November Maoists Chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda was slapped by a 25-year-old Maoists cadre at a tea reception program in Kathmandu.

author: Rezwan


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Mumbai Comes to a Halt After Bal Thackeray’s Death · Global Voices
Rezwan

Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray, founder of the Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena party, died today afternoon at the age of 86 in his Mumbai residence. His followers called him the Hindu Hriday Samraat (“Emperor of Hindu Hearts”).
Blogger and columnist Dilip D'Souza laments on Thackeray's political life:
Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena (“Army of Shivaji,” the heroic medieval warrior-king of Maharashtra) in the 1960s, on the rhetoric of “Maharashtra for Maharashtrians.” Over the years, cleaving to that rhetoric, they have attacked a number of different targets: South Indians, people from the state of Gujarat, Muslims, North Indians.
Bal Thackeray. Image by BollywoodHungama. CC BY
A couple of days ago as the news emerged that Bal Thackeray's health was turning critical, there have been reports of Thackeray's followers attacking journalists and photographers, who came to cover the news at his residence, even manhandling distinguished visitors like Amitabh Bachchan.
Dilip D'Souza asked:
So yes, what will the death of this veteran general cause his loyal men to do?
After his death in the afternoon the news spread quickly and people hurriedly went home and stayed inside. Shops and establishments, restaurants and even small stalls shut down, major public and private functions were called off or postponed. By evening streets looked empty as public transports vanished quickly. There have been reports that Shiv Sena supporters have forced shops to close down and some closed down anyway in fear. Announcements were being made on loudspeakers appealing the Shiv Sena members to remain calm. Adding to the tension the Mumbai Police advised people to stay at home after Bal Thackeray's demise.
As shops were closed without warning, there were reports that water, food and other basic items are running scarce. Taxis and autorickshaws from the domestic airport at Santacruz and international airport at Sahar in Andheri are shut down as a mark of respect for Thackeray. The cinema Theaters will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Here are some Twitter reactions:
@NishreenIce (Nishreen Icewala): Mumbai Shut – Fear or Respect?!
@SnaZiness: Respect out of love and respect out of fear are two very different things. We all know what Thackeray commanded. So, stop the glorifying.
@vbubber (Varun Bubber): Apparently the lovely gentlemen of the #shivsena showed up at the CCI club with sticks and stones and made it shut. #lookhowtheymourn
@ams_des (ams_desae): Such a scary exp reaching home from office at 12 am ..no auto, no taxi..walked 3 km alone ..scary #Mumbai
@Envyas: @nixxin: My Cable operator has blocked all movie & ent chnls due to the death of Bal Thackeray. Will resume post funeral tomorrow. Not a joke.
@nickkstar10: Just got this broadcast, Shiv Sena wants city shut for 3 days, please confirm so I move out & plan my holiday #ShivSena #RIP #BalThackrey
@winningalways (Jayapriya): Whatever be said about ShivSena's influence, Mumbai is a much safer city than Delhi, and for that we must thank them. RIP Bal Thackeray
@iKabirBedi (KABIR BEDI): Love him or hate him, Balasaheb ‘s funeral will be a truly historic day in Mumbai, city he renamed, and once controlled. End of an era.
Amardeep Singh writes in his blog:
Some Indians will only remember him as a “great man” who founded and led a regional political party. This is unfortunate, because he had the blood of more than a 1000 souls — mostly Muslims — on his hands. He should not be mourned, should not be honoured.
The people of Mumbai are also contemplating on what will happen to Thackeray's legacy after his death. His funeral will be held at Shivaji Park tommorrow.


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Saudi Arabia: Peaceful Protesters to Be Flogged, Judge Rules · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Last September, we wrote about an unprecedented 24-hour sit-in for families of uncharged prisoners. The protesters were finally tricked and arrested. Last night, Saudi journalist Iman al-Qahtani published the court ruling on 19 of those protesters (here, here, here, and here), publishing copies of the rulings against them.
The rulings, which read more like a religious fatwa (edict), included suspended 50-90 lashes and varying jail sentences for 14 of them, including the person who brought food for the protesters. The sentences are to be executed if they participate again in any protest. The other five are to be tried later.
Imprisonment without charges is the top human rights issue in Saudi Arabia. Independent human rights organization Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association's estimate of the number of uncharged prisoners is over 30,000, while the government-sponsored estimate is 4,396. Many were arrested in the massive, post-9/11 “war on terrorism”.
A copy of one of the judge's rulings against the protesters. Photo shared on Twitter by @ImaQh
The sit-in took place on September 23, 2012, which marked Saudi national day. Family members of uncharged prisoners took the chance to raise awareness about their case, with a sit-in outside the al-Turfiya prison, near Buraidah. According to Reuters, 60 men, 45 women and 16 children participated in the protest.
During the sit-in, and after the riot police had surrounded the protesters, and prevented food and water, one young man managed to get it with food. The charges against that person was:
إعانة المتجمهرين عن طريق إحضار الطعام
Supporting the protesters by bringing food
The charges also affirmed reports that the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, also known as religious police, had participated in the crack down:
بقاؤهم في المكان أكثر من يوم رغم مناصحتهم من رجال الأمن وأعضاء هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر
They stayed in that place for more than a day, even though they were advised to leave by police men and members of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

author: Anas Soliman


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Sierra Leone: Mapping Out Real-Time Election Data · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sierra Leone holds its third national election since the end of their civil war on 17 November, 2012. A coalition of monitoring organisations in the country, National Election Watch, will map out real-time election-related data using OneWorld's monitoring technologies.
In an email conversation, Amanda Fortier, OSIWA Communications Assistant, describes the project:
The election monitoring project, Sierra Leone Elections Live: Citizens’ Situation Room implemented by National Elections Watch, is named for the wartime situation room, and uses an online tracking tool to monitor polling results in real time. It was used for the first time ever in Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal and now in Sierra Leone. The idea is to ensure credible elections that are fair and transparent, and to help put civil society at the forefront so they can diagnose, anticipate and prepare for immediate action in the event of fraud or violence. It was a very successful project that Hilary Clinton even mentioned during her recent visit to Senegal a few weeks back.
Map of districts of Sierra Leone. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Wikipedia user Acntx.
What exactly is Sierra Leone Elections Live?:
Sierra Leonean civil society will have unprecedented access to real-time data on information including turn-out, voter demographics, corruption levels and results during their national election on November 17. In Freetown, National Election Watch (a coalition of monitoring organizations), will receive coded SMS reports sent from a statistically significant sample of their 9,493 trained election observers – based in every polling stations across the country. The messages will be deciphered, verified and mapped using OneWorld’s real-time monitoring technologies, enabling NEW to make informed and immediate interventions. The data will also be published on this website for anyone to see, in real-time – or as soon as local internet access permits!
Why does Sierra Leone need real-time election data?:
Traditionally, collecting and analyzing data from election observers can take hours or even days, which is often too late to affect the course of events. A Situation Room, powered with real-time data from a statistically significant sample of polling stations, will enable NEW to coordinate immediate responses to serious incidents (calling on election officials, law enforcement and local and international media) and to make informed pronouncements about the status of the elections as they are happening.
Who are the people behind Sierra Leone Elections Live?:
The National Election Watch (NEW) is the largest coalition of monitoring organizations in Sierra Leone. It began operations in 1997 and deployed over 5,500 observers during the 2007 Presidential elections. OneWorld has seventeen years’ experience of innovating and deploying cutting edge technologies for social good, in some of the most challenging countries and environments in the world. SMAG Media were behind the votentext.org initiative in Liberia during the 2011 elections. Salonevote.com is supported by OSI West Africa.
One has to wait and see if real-time data from Sierra Leone Elections Live will enable the National Election Watch and other stakeholders to coordinate immediate responses to violence during and after the elections. There have been incidents of violence between supporters of the main political parties, each party blaming the other side:
Last weekend`s clashes were between supporters of the APC and those of the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), and it comes just 19 days before voting.Reports say at least ten people were wounded.
Both parties have claimed the other side attacked first. Kono is the home of the incumbent Vice President Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana, but the area previously voted in favour of the opposition SLPP.
The main opposition party, Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), claims that supporters of the ruling party have been engaging in illegal activities:
The SLPP alleges that the Sierra Leone Police on one occasion on the 20th of October arrested members of a dance troupe coming out to support the party after the dancers were accused of being Kamajors.
[… ]Lastly, the opposition party says that posters of its presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio are turned down by APC supporters. The party is calling on the police, NEC, and PPRC to take note as the laws of Sierra Leone guarantee certain rights to all political parties.
Mohamed Kabbah Turay argues that election violence sabotages nationalism in the country:
Violence seems to be garnering weight of momentum amongst some political gurus, one needs no evidence, but only to scan through the literature of their political discourse you could find your answer. Comments like: we are not going to tolerate political intimidation without retaliating further, by few people who called themselves state-men or working to be one are indeed reckless and un-nationalistic.
Only yesterday a man was beaten and lost his car through vandalizing act at the Saint John roundabout just because he was expressing his political freedom of choosing party regalia bearing the emblem of red. This simple democratic value cannot be stomached by certain party hoodlums and power drunkards who left their fellow citizen for the hospital. This uncultured act was carried out by no lesser political party, but the one that prouds itself with the spirit of ‘one people one country philosophy’, forensic the act only spells doom and cast negatives as against the kind of leaders we are breeding for the mere feature.
Another isolated incident is a case of where the flag-bearer of the SLPP party Julius Maada Bio was not welcomed in the spirit of democracy and as a Sierra Leonean, especially the leader of the second most powerful political party in the country at the Dwarzark community is despicable and militates against nationalism.
Another organisation, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), has a campaign to keep Sierra Leone's elections free and fair. You can view JHR's film about the need to keep elections coverage balanced in Sierra Leone or to find out more information about the campaign here. You can also visit them on Facebook.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Bond…Jack Bond? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

aka_lol compares James Bond and Jack Warner.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Cropper was an Exemplar · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A finer exemplar of the best that the Caribbean has to offer the world, one could hardly find.
Norman Givan mourns the passing of philanthropist and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Angela Cropper.


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‘Uzbekistan Illustrated’ on Facebook · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

A recent cartoon featured on ‘Uzbekistan Illustrated’, used with permission.
‘Uzbekistan Illustrated‘ is a Facebook page launched about a month ago by an Uzbek caricaturist living abroad. Cartoons featured on the page have already gained enormous popularity among Uzbek Facebook users. NewEurasia’s Eisenstein tells the amazing story and shares some of the hilarious art.

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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Why is the GCC Quiet about Gaza?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Gulf countries awfully quiet about Gaza,” tweets Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell. Lebanese journalist Antoun Issa adds:
@antissa: Amazing how eager GCC are to arm Arabs to fight each other, while disappearing completely when it comes to Palestine. #Gaza
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is made up of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.


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Zambia’s Currency to Get a Makeover · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambia is set to rebase her currency by removing three zeroes from the Kwacha at the beginning of next year.
Netizens have weighed in on the massive project for which the Bank of Zambia has even proposed 31 December, 2012 to be a holiday to allow for the smooth transition from the currency in use to the new rebased notes and coins that will also be reintroduced.
New rebased Zambian Kwacha notes coming into effect on New Year's Day. Picture courtesy of the Zambian Watchdog.
The debate has been intense on the Zambia Economist blog where a number of people are either for or against the exercise. One anonymous contributor on the blog wrote:
The costs of rebasing the Kwacha on businesses are becoming more clear. The benefits will always be less tangible […] Standard Chartered Bank Plc revealed early October that the rebasing will cost it K5 billion [nearly US$1 million] in terms of systems and infrastructure upgrade. Part of the money will also go towards staff training in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new kwacha.  National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE) revealed late October that it has so far spent K1 billion on the initial preparation of the rebasing of the Kwacha. The money has gone on reconfiguration of the IT platform and general implementation of the rebasing preparation in its 27 branches across the country.
The contributor was even more critical of the move by the government:
It is sad that this was a purely political decision. No single economic assessment was done by GRZ!  This of course is largely due to the “blind faith” of ordinary Zambians in the ability of government to think through things. Too many Zambians are content with simply saying, “government has thought through it, so it must be true”. It is 2012, it is shocking posture to hold that can only be explained by the psychological effects of the colonial legacy.
A comment under the blog indicated who would end up bearing the cost of the rebasing:
its simple really.i spend i billion as a business as cost incured in kwacha rebasing,i will have to find a way to recover it and ofcourse i must fined a way of transfering my cost on the consumer”””??what??did you think i would spend that much for free?it makes no business sence…….
Responding to the blog above in a separate write up, Francis Ilunga dismissed the anonymous writer’s argument, stating that he was an employee of the Bank of Zambia but writing in his personal capacity:
[…] The author has however neglected to mention the costs that most businesses incur in reconfiguring/ customizing standard packages (accounting/audit, etc), that they acquire from time to time. You will appreciate the fact that the packages used in Zambia are developed in jurisdictions where values, at a maximum, tend to be in millions. The present situation in Zambia, where some organizations, especially banks record values in billions or trillions of Kwacha, requires further customization of such packages in order to widen data fields, which tend to be very costly. With the rebasing of the Kwacha, businesses will no longer be spending money on the reconfiguration / customization of newly acquired packages.
Ilunga also gave the historical perspective of the decision to rebase the Kwacha, writing:
[…] The idea of rebasing of the Kwacha was conceived in 2003, but couldn’t be implemented because prevailing macroeconomic fundamentals at the time did not permit such. For instance, high levels of inflation, would have meant returning to higher value denominations within a short space of time, as was the case in Zimbabwe. In the recent past, inflation has slowed down and dropped to a single digit. This low level of inflation, coupled with favorable macroeconomic conditions, has provided an opportune time to rebase the Zambian currency. Therefore, the rebasing of the Kwacha has nothing to do with politics as the author alleges.
He explained what the Central Bank has been doing to prepare for the rebasing:
You will be pleased to note that the last 3 zeros on the current K50000 , K20000 , K10000 , K5000 , K1000 notes (in red), are all small and raised, and the reason for this is simple, the BOZ had in mind the idea of rubbing off these small raised zeros at an opportune moment, and that opportune moment is now.
Commenting on Ilunga’s blog, an anonymous contributor wrote:
bravo, you are indeed and economist, we need such express information so that people are not lead to believe that rebasing of the Kwacha is just an acamedic [sic] & costly exercise meant to benefit a few individuals and institutions.
A reader on the Lusaka Times website, Enka Rasha, slammed the changes as cosmetic:
The costs of this artificial dressing up of the kwacha could’ve built a few schools.Afterall countries like Vietnam got an exchange of 1 dollar to 20,000,Bolivia has 1 dollar to 7000 and 1 US dollar =25000 Cuban pesos yet these countries aren’t in a hurry to do cosmetic changes like zambia.Make the economy better with improved earnings and livelyhoods before you rush for cosmetic changes.
Zambians are waiting for the new currency to come into effect which is just a matter of time as the government has already taken the bill to parliament.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Anti-Falun Gong Campaign in Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Large scale anti-Falun Gong campaign has appeared in Hong Kong since the new Chief Executive C.Y Leung came into office. Dictionary of politically incorrect HongKongese posted a photo map of anti-Falun Gong banners in Tsim Sha Tsui and translated some reports about the political background of the anti-Falun Gong organization.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Even Under New Leadership, China Looks Bleakly to the Next Decade · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The week-long 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China finally came to an end on November 14, 2012. A new generation of leaders, headed by Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, took over from the previous leadership headed by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao.
When Hu and Wen came into power ten years ago, pro-political reform media, in particular the Southern Daily Group, believed that the new leadership would open a new page to legal and political reform. But Hu-Wen's decade has ended, and their legacy [zh] is a set of social management for the purpose of stability control, an increase in national defense, rapid urbanization and rapid growth in GDP. It is clear that people are disappointed [zh] about the missing legal and political reform. Yet critical evaluation of the past is too sensitive a topic for mainstream media. The overall tone of the state-controlled media is forward looking to the next decade of new leadership. But on social media, netizens were more open with their criticism.
The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Photo from Voice of America. Public Domain.
Human rights lawyer Guo Feixiong evaluated the past 10 years in a citizen forum [transcript published in Charter 08's blog]:
在这十年中，官员腐败的规模，同经济成就一道，登上了历史高峰。乘时崛起的世袭家族、官僚特权阶层和部门利益集团，构成了今日中国社会的三大等级-半等级势力。…从当年社会财富总量中割走的份额越来越大，底层民众越是被经济增长的高速列车所抛出，部分人甚至在医疗、教育、社保新“三座大山”压迫下回归赤贫，那些曾经分享了经济增长部分红利的城市地区，则由于“一套房子消灭一个中产家庭”，出现了“中产人为不定形”的阶层结构振荡，一旦遭遇大衰退，年轻人群的供给能力将难以为继。而权力私有化、社会等级化的大势决定下的普遍的机会不均等，更使得整个平民阶层越来越感到出路渺茫，因而越来越气馁、受挫乃至绝望。
更大危害则在于维稳体制的尾大不掉…通过对“新黑五类”的打压，维稳体系成功地为后极权主义扩充了数十倍的敌人，由此，他们反弹出更大的恐惧，并试图用升级的暴力迫害彻底抹平自己的恐惧。迄今为止，他们仍陷入制造对立，拒绝和解的迷雾中。
In the past decade, the scale of corruption expanded in the economy and reached its highest point in history. Wealthy families, privileged officials and interest groups constitute three major forces in today's society… the proportion of fortune they have taken from the sum of society's wealth is getting bigger and bigger and the [people at the] bottom have been kicked out from this fast moving train. Some have turned proletarian because of the burden of medical care, education and social insurance. In some urban districts which have benefited from economic growth, as a result of property bubbles, the middle class families are all tied up in mortgages. When regression happens, the young generation will not be able to support themselves. The government authorities have appropriated for private interest and there are no equal opportunities. Ordinary people can not find their salvation and feel frustrated and desperate.
The biggest threat lies in the stability maintenance system… The oppression of the new black five categories has created 10 times more enemies in the post-authoritarian era. It generates more fear and they try to erase their fear with more violence. They are trapped in this vicious circle of creating of enemy and fear as they refuse to reconcile [with the dissidents].
The evaluation of the Hu-Wen leadership in the past decade on micro-blogging sites somehow reflects the frustration Guo has addressed. Below are some selected comments [zh]:
说山东话的李：十年前，大家对新政抱有厚望，可结果却是大失所望。十年后，大家没什么期望，也就没什么失望的了。
Shandong Li: Ten years ago, people had so much hope for the new policy, but the result is disappointment. Ten year later, we don't have hope and thus no disappointment.
奋青张珑耀：十年前你来了，大家对你充满了期待，以为会有新政。结果十年来除了房价飙升、腐败横行、贫富差距剧增以外，什么都没发生。但我们还是对你报以希望，以为你能最后一搏做出改变，结果最后你居然被一只诈尸的蛤蟆给搞趴下了。你辜负了跟随你多年兄弟们的期望，更辜负了多年来对你寄予厚望的人民的期望！
Angry youth Zhang Longyao: 10 year ago, you came and people were full of expectation. They thought there would a new policy. But what we saw in the past 10 years was rocket-high properties, corruption, disparity between the rich and poor. Yet we still hoped that you could make some changes before you left. But you were trembling before the pretended-to-be-dead toad [meaning Jiang Zeming]. You have disappointed your brothers who have followed you all these years and all the people who had hope on you.
彭泓源：有人说虎哥完败，我认为未必，还是那句话，灯一关，谁都一样，当年鼓吹某某新政的西方周末，留下十年笑柄而已。
Pang Hongyuan: Some say Hu is over. I don't think so. In fact, when there is no light, all the leaders are the same. The Weekend media which had flattered about the so-called new policy back then has now become a joke.
t-sd：所谓糊稳新政，压根儿没有的事。2002-2012糊稳十年，乃大历史上较1992-2002更不堪的十年。
t-sd: The so call Hu-Wen new policy has never taken place. The development in Hu-Wen's decade from 2002-2012 was even worse than 1992-2002.
突然空闲_: 别告诉我谁谁谁多英明多有能力多有魄力，去想想10年前那“谁谁新政”！一个绝对倒退的十年，今后的十年能否前进，不得而知，但求倒退的速度慢点。
Suddenly free: Don't tell me so and so is clever, capable or strong. Just look back at the decade-long so and so's new policy! A decade that moved backward. Don't know if the next decade will move forward, just hope that it will slow down in moving backwards.
刘胜军改革 ￼： 【我的未来十年十大心愿】1、不用再到海外买婴儿奶粉；2、能在大超市买到安全的食品；3、白领不再沦为房奴；4、环境污染不再恶化；5、贫富差距不再扩大；6、企业家不再忙着移民；7、裸官不再增多；8、股市从圈钱机器变成价值创造场所；9、人民不再“拼爹”，机会公平；10、对公权力的约束取得显著进展
Columnist Liu Shenjun: [My 10 hopes for the next decade] 1. Don't need to buy baby formula milk powder from overseas; 2. Can get safe food from big supermarkets; 3. White collar strata do not need to become slaves to the property market; 4. Environmental pollution will not get worse; 5 Gap between the rich and the poor will not widen further; 6 Entrepreneurs are not rushing out of the country; 7. Less corrupt officials; 8. Stock market ceases to become money drawing machine but a genuine investment market; 9. People don't have to depend on their parent's connections to climb up the social ladder, more equal opportunities; 10. More restrain on the power of the authorities.


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In Gaza, Children are Paying the Price of War · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Heartbreaking photographs of dead Palestinian children were splattered across social media today, calling attention to the on-going tragedy in Gaza, as Israel and Hamas continue to exchange fire.
Today, the fifth day since Israel started bombing Gaza around the clock, an Israeli missile hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 10 civilians, including five children. Online, this tragedy has drawn condemnation from netizens.
From Gaza, Rana tweets:
@RanaGaza: 9 people were killed from the Al-Dalou family 5 of which are children in a direct Israeli raid on the family's house. #Gaza #AlDaluMassacre
Rezaa Kasu, an online journalist with Al Jazeera, adds:
@rezakasu: #Gaza medics: More than 660 people wounded including /224 children /113 women & 50 elderly people
CNN's reporter Arwa Damon, who is in Gaza, reports:
@arwaCNN:   #gaza health minister says 65ppl killed in #gaza since weds, 50% of them women & children
In another tweet, she explains:
@arwaCNN: arrived in #gaza…went 2 scene of airstrike, we saw 2 children, a 2 month old baby & old lady body pulled from rubble…
And Jenan Moussa explains:
@jenanmoussa: Everyone should have moral decency to condemn this. At least 10 people – five of them children – killed on attack on house in #Gaza.
Rana from Gaza quotes an Israeli news headline and retorts:
@RanaGaza: Israel: “We are trying to avoid harming civilians.” That's why more than 24 children have been killed since Wed. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4307940,00.html … #Gaza
Iyad El-Baghdadi adds:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: A favorite line now is that Hamas is using children as human shields. Which apparently makes it alright to drop bombs on them? #Gaza #Israel
And he continues:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: If you want to see terrorism, this is terrorism. Bombing a family home full of children in order to kill a single person. #Gaza #Israel
Meanwhile, Rob Maquire, from Vancouver, Canada, calls out a news outlet for changing a Gaza story's headline:
@RobMaquire: I wonder why @CBCNews quickly changed their headline from “children killed” to “death toll rises in Gaza”. Is reality too uncomfortable?


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Is Öcalan Key to Kurdish Negotiations with Turkey?  · Global Voices
Ruwayda Mustafah

Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners have been on hunger strike in Turkey for 67 days. As their health has continued to worsen, politicians around the world have raised an eyebrow or two. There has been numerous solidarity protests around Europe, and 24-hour hunger strikes by Kurdish politicians were declared in support of those on hunger strike. They demanded an end to a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party Abdullah Öcalan's isolation, and to allow the use of the Kurdish language in public spaces without discrimination. None of these demands have been met, but surprisingly a statement from Öcalan has been made, where he calls for an end to hunger strikes according to his brother Mehmet Öcalan.
The call to end mass hunger strikes did not change the rising tensions between Kurds and the Turkish state. Demonstrations were already underway in one Kurdish city, Diyarbakir. The police responded (as usual) by firing tear-gas from APCs.
Ivan Watson from CNN highlights the current tensions in Diyarbakir in his recent report here, where he quotes several prominent Kurds in the Diyarbakir community.
Police forces throughout Diyarbakir have spoken through loudspeakers during that demonstration, saying Öcalan has declared an end to hunger strikes. This is seen by some people that Öcalan is still relevant to settling Turkey's Kurdish question.
Some Kurdish leaders, such as Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani, have said Öcalan will play a key role in negotiations between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish state. Despite this, Öcalan has been in complete isolation, and recently his lawyers were restricted from visiting him. Although many people have disregarded any criticism of Öcalan, it is important to point out that the circumstances under which Öcalan has made these statements remains unknown, and to a large extent questions Öcalan's role as a leader. Were his statements made to ease the political pressure on Turkey despite none of the demands being met, or does he genuinely believe hunger strikes should not be held by imprisoned politicians.
Zeynep Erdim tweets:
@zeynep_erdim: Witnesses in #Diyarbakir #Amed say police vehicles announce “Ocalan asked #KurdishHungerStrike to end,” as they patrol. How surreal!
Not everyone looked at the statement in a positive light, nor were they persuaded because none of the demands have been met, and it raises some questions about Öcalan and why he did not ask those on Hunger strike to end their strike in the early stages when they started. The damage to the health of hundreds of political prisoners who have been on hunger strike may well be irreversible.
Lawen Azad asks:
@LawenAzad: How so? None of the demands have been met as far as we know. What has 67 days of hunger strike been for?
Others looked at the call for an end to hunger strikes positively, but one thing is for sure, the online community is in mixed thoughts and reactions to the current news.
Kamal Chomani writes:
@KamalChomani: Ocalan's call to end hunger strike should be supported. Why should people die when Erdogan does not care? the struggle is continuing, this is important.
And Heballo notes:
@Hevallo: The hunger strikers knew Ocalan would say stop and they have forced the state to prove his influence on the movement!

author: Ruwayda Mustafah


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Israel: Reality Under Missile Attacks · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

Israelis have been using social media to document and share their experiences over the past five days as Hamas rockets fall like rain on cities across the Southern and Central regions of Israel. While the IDF has been heavily using Twitter to control the message and rally support online, many Israelis turn to Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to share their day-to-day experiences in dealing with the tense situation.
Assaf Farhadian is a student in Be'er Sheva, Israel's largest city in the south, which has been continuously targeted by missiles. As the sirens are activated, Assaf takes shelter in stairway hall, which is said to be the most secure part of the apartment building.
Ashdod, the sixth largest city in Israel situated just 20 miles south of Tel Aviv, has been targeted by missiles since the last operation in Gaza, Cast Lead, in 2008. Numerous videos have been uploaded to Youtube showing scenes of siren going off and the aftermath of missiles hitting:
Sderot is a city in close proximity to the Gaza border. Missile attacks aren't new to the residents of Sderot, yet there have been a number of direct hits on people's houses. The Shadadi family lost their house in yesterday's missile attack:
The Shadadi's home after a Hamas attack. Photograph shared on Twitter by @JewishAgency
@JewishAgency: Damage in the Shadadi family home. Virtually all of the daughter's belongings were destroyed. #IsraelUnderFire pic.twitter.com/3YoEFa7A
The Iron Dome is an Israeli created air-defense system that has been intercepting over 90 per cent of all missiles shot from Gaza. The following video shows the Iron Dome intercepting 12 Hamas missiles in the skies above Be'er Sheva.
Amir Kdomi shot the following video from his apartment in the Tel-Aviv region. You can hear the sirens going off and then the interception of the missile by the Iron Dome system:
Ronny, creator of Israel-Loves-Iran, a Facebook movement with over 100,000 followers, was in bed in Tel Aviv when the sirens went off this morning. He describes his experience during the missile attack:
10 minutes ago , another attack on telaviv. i was in bed when the siren went off. Michal and the kids are at a friends house for the day. i was a bit sleepy, didn't find my shirt, just put my trouser took my phone and went for the stairs. there is this spot in the middle of the building witch is the safest, it s just between 1and 2 floor. then Tiki (she s our neighbor, mother of Shira, friend with Ela) just rush out her apartment. she was in th middle of morning shower when the siren started ..so she was all wet in a big towel. we look at each other, the siren was still on and we just start laughing..
wasn't funny. but… it was funny. we heard a big boom, i can tell now that the missile was intercepted in the air, and we keep laughing 2 minute till the stress blow off.
ronny. tel aviv
Over the past couple of years, this has become the norm in cities across the Israeli south. Now the missile reach has expanded to the Tel-Aviv region. Many worry that as long as Hamas is in power, this will never stop.

author: Gilad Lotan


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Israelis Protest Military Operation against Gaza · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

Yesterday a Facebook group organized hundreds of Israelis to gather in Tel Aviv's Habima square. The group calls for people to “Refuse the election war! Refuse to die or kill in the name of a political spin.”
The latest exchange of fire between Hamas and Israel started on November 14, when Israeli drones targeted and killed Hamas military leader Ahmed Al-Jabari in the Gaza enclave.
The following 10-second video shows part of the anti-war protest:
Roni More posts a photograph from the protest to Twitter:
I shall not hate, reads a sign carried during an anti-war protest in Tel Aviv. Photograph shared by @RoniMore1 on Twitter
More photos can be found here.
Many have been critiquing the politics behind this operation. In a popularly shared Facebook post, Lior Bakalu writes:
ארבע שנים כמעט לא עשו כלום, ופתאום נזכרו. ליבי עם תושבי הדרום ותושבי עזה שממשלת ישראל הפכה את המצוקה שלהם לתפאורת רקע לקמפיין בחירות
Four years and they've done nothing, and all of a sudden they've remembered. My heart is with the citizens of the south and the citizens of Gaza who's misery the Israeli government has turned into their elections campaign.
He adds an image outlining military operations from the past 15 years, and their timing in relation to elections. Translated below:
Alaa Younis critiques the politics behind the war:
החמאס עושה בשם האיסלאם את מה שביבי עושה בגלל הבחירות. שניהם שקרנים. לשניהם לא אכפת מהאזרח. ושניהם לא מייצגים אותי.
ובתור רופא שיניים אני אומר לכם: את שניהם צריך לעקור.
Joseph Dana is reporting today from Ashkelon, a city that's been hit hard by missiles. He tweets a reaction to the possibility of a ground operation:
@ibnezra: Ppl I am speaking with in Ashkelon amidst air sirens tell me that they don't want a ground invasion b/c it will harm Israel's legitimacy
While there is some opposition amongst Israelis, these opinions and protests are rarely highlighted by mainstream media. Elizabeth Tsurkov posted the following tweet:
@Elizrael: Israeli papers avoid reporting on Palestinian casualties and also don't report on the fact that some Israelis oppose this operation.
She continues:
@Elizrael: If you only receive news on the suffering of Israelis and successful assassinations of terrorists, why would you oppose this operation?


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Mauritanians Protest in Solidarity with Gaza · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

Photo of the march posted on Twitter by @mojteba
After Friday Prayers, hundreds of Mauritanians took to the streets of the capital Nouakchott on November 16, 2012, in a solidarity rally with Gaza residents after the city became the target of heavy Israeli bombing.
Mauritanian blogger Dedda Ould Cheikh Brahim wrote about the march:
كانت بعض القوى السياسية قد دعت إلى الخروج اليوم نصرة لغزة، وقد راقبت قوات الأمن تلك المسيرات من بعيد ولم تتدخل.
Some political forces called for a rally today in solidarity with Gaza. Security forces contented themselves with watching those marches from afar and didn't interfere.

author: أحمد جدو


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Misreading Magnitsky & Congress From Russia · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Russian opposition bloggers were ecstatic on Saturday, after the United States House of Representatives passed the so-called Magnitsky Act with bipartisan support on November 16, 2012. Part of a comprehensive bill which would also repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, the Magnitsky Act would ban travel to the United States for government officials implicated in the death of Sergey Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in prison, allegedly because of torture. The Act is meant to punish these officials, since the circumstances of the case were not properly investigated by the Russian government. The Russian government reacted with a scathing statement criticizing such “meddling” in its internal affairs.
US Senator John McCain speak about Magnitsky at an OSCE summit. YouTube screenshot. November 17, 2012.
Never mind the official response — Russian bloggers covering the passage of the Act appear to regard it as a fait accompli. For example, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov (who along with historian Vladimir Kara-Murza actively lobbied [ru] for Magnitsky Act passage) blogged [ru]:
Закон этот принят только потому что в России уничтожено независимое правосудие. Когда оно будет восстановлено, я буду первым, кто будет настаивать на отмене Закона Магнитского.
This law was only adopted because Russia does not have an independent judiciary. When it will be reinstated, I will be the first to demand its repeal.
Oleg Kozyrev similarly blogged [ru]:
Все же у нас есть страна-друг. Это США. Конгресс США принял закон имени Магнитского. Европейские страны также должны дальше продвинуться в принятии этого закона, если действительно разделяют демократические ценности. Страны, не принявшие этого или подобного закона, не могут называть себя друзьями России, ибо друг слушает народ России, а недруг – только российских коррупционеров и отморозков из числа силовиков.
It appears that we do have a friendly country. It's the USA. The USA Congress has adopted the Magnitsky Act. European countries should also move ahead in passing this law, if they really share democratic values. Countries that haven't adopted this or similar law can't call themselves friends of Russia, since a friend listens to the people of Russia, while an enemy – only to corrupt Russian officials and thugs from the security forces.
Twitter user @uumich was even more forthright [ru]:
Палата представителей конгресса США приняла Закон Магнитского!!! Ну что, бляди, доигрались? И это только начало…
The USA House of Representatives adopted the Magnitsky Law!!! Well, bitches, got what you wanted? And that's just the beginning…
Unfortunately for Russian supporters of the Act, it's still far from becoming a law. Perhaps unfamiliarity with the US legislative process is to blame for the misconception that the Act has now “passed.” After all, Russian bloggers can only draw on the Russian system for comparison, and the Russian parliament is to all intents and purposes unicameral.
Back in the States, the Magnitsky Act will now head to the Senate for approval, where, although it has been reported on positively by the Senate Committee on Finance, it can still be filibustered by any single senator when it reaches the floor. Even if it passes the Senate, the Senate version of the bill will need to be reconciled with the House version. After that it will come to the President's desk — who can of course choose to veto the whole thing.
The fact that the Act passed in the House 365 to 43 means very little in terms of actual bi-partisan support. Republicans in Congress have long lobbied for the Act, while the Democratic administration has been neutral on the subject. Since the House is controlled by the Republicans, its passing was all but assured. This was helped along by the fact that voting for the Act was a cost-free way for House Democrats to make a political statement. (In general, once a bill has gathered enough support to pass, it tends to pass by a larger margin than registered support indicates, as congressmen try to cover their bases.)
Since the Democrats control both the Senate and the presidency, there are still plenty of points of failure for the Magnitsky Act, as long as the US administration chooses to pursue its policy of non-confrontation with the Kremlin.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Moroccans Beaten Up for Protesting the King’s Budget · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Moroccans protested in the capital Rabat against the royal budget on November 18, 2012. Their protest was violently repressed by police, who beat up activists as well as the journalists who turned up to cover the demonstration.
Reports claim that the royal palaces of Morocco cost the kingdom's coffers 700,000 Euros a day, in a country where the number of poor people has increased dramatically over the past few years.
According to a study published by the World Bank, the number of poor people is on the rise in Morocco:
… the total number of poor increased from 13.1% of the population in 1990/91 to 19% in 1998/99 (or, from 3.4 to 5.3 million). The number of “economically vulnerable”, i.e. those who are at or below 50% above the poverty line, increased from 35 to 44% (or, from 9 to 12 million).
In response to the protest, Mamfakinch says activists, human rights defenders and even journalists were attacked at the protest. The award-winning collective blog reports:
Several human rights defenders were violently repressed by forces during a protest in Rabat against the royal budget.
[…]
Journalists who came to cover the protest were not spared either. Omar Radi, Hind Bennani, and a journalist from a Spanish news agency were beaten as well. Souhail Karam from Reuters was insulted.
Samia Errazzouki anticipates a strong reaction even before the protest started:
@charquaouia: Protesters in Morocco are directly protesting against the king's budget. But will this also be swept under the rug as illegitimate dissent?
She continues:
@charquaouia: Regardless of the percentage the palace's budget figures into the overall budget, the king's role in economic sphere can't be discounted.
And Omar Radi, who was at the protest, spells out why Moroccans are protesting the royal budget [fr]:
@OmarRADI: Rappel: Le roi vit à 700000 Euros/jour au frais du contribuable. ##BudgetPalais
Reminder: The king lives on 700,000 Euros per day – at the taxpayer's expense #BudgetPalais
Soon after the protest started, Moroccan blogger Hisham Almiraat reports:
@__Hisham: #Morocco, now: police violently disrupts protest against royal palace budget – activists
In a follow up tweet, he explains:
@__Hisham: #Morocco: activists beaten, threatened in protest agst palace share of public money in a country that struggles w/ abysmal budget deficit
And a third tweet provides context:
@__Hisham: #Morocco protest (context): King pays no taxes. salary, paid for by taxpayers money > Obama's > Holland's. #Budgetpalais
Errazzouki further explains:
@charquaoia: Beyond the fact that state allocates a budget to sustain king's palaces & courts, he pays no taxes, and is the wealthiest businessman.
Rue Zanka shares a video of the repression on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/_KRq_sjRI4I
The video is aptly entitled [ar]:
الهراوات في تفريق الاحتجاج على ميزانية القصر
Batons used in breaking up the protest against the palace budget
On Twitter, Montasser Drissi shares this photograph from a protest against the king's budget in Marrakech:
Protesting the King's Budget in Marrakech. Photograph shared on Twitter by @montasserdrissi
For more reactions, check out the hashtag #BudgetPalais. Many of the tweets are in French and Arabic.


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Palestine: Social Media in Conflict, Four Years On · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Back in 2008, during Israel's attack on Gaza that left more than 1,400 (more than 700 of whom were civilians) dead, individuals the world over took to social media to comment on the attacks and the politics behind them.  Twitter, still a young platform at the time, served as the locus for debate, while other platforms including YouTube were used by state and non-state actors alike.  Even the Israeli Consulate of New York managed to get in on the action, hosting a press conference on Twitter.  All of this occurred amidst an Israeli media blackout on Gaza.
Four years later, the world — and the Internet — has changed.  The events of 2011 that took place in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and elsewhere have demonstrated the extent to which governments can control the Internet, as well as the challenges posed by relying on citizen reporting.  Now, as Israel once again unleashes a barrage of air strikes against Gaza's population, social media has become a secondary battlefield.
One point of discussion has been the relationship between state actors and social media platforms.  As Global Voices’ co-founder Rebecca MacKinnon has written, privately-owned platforms control much of our online speech, making decisions as to what is or is not appropriate based on their own proprietary guidelines.  This week, that subject is being discussed in relation to content posted by the Israeli Defence Forces, both on Twitter and YouTube.  @Mike_Orcutt tweets the following article from Wired:
A Youtube employee tells @dangerroom why the IDF's kill video hasn't been taken down http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/11/israeli-kill-vid/
The issue has arisen on Twitter as well; as the @IDFSpokesperson tweeted what, by all accounts, appears to be a threat, some have asked whether that violates the microblogging platform's terms of service. Nigâr Hacızade tweets:
war by social media is only possible if the platforms over which it's waged give their consent http://bit.ly/THxYlQ
While Israel clearly has the military upper hand, many see them as losing online.  A game, released by the Israeli Defence Forces on its blog, “gamifies” killing, causing widespread disgust amongst activists and journalists alike; as Jon Mitchell of ReadWriteWeb told Time:
“Innocent people are dying on all sides, and the IDF wants to reward people for tweeting about it … It makes me sick.”
Richard Taylor comments:
Wonder how the IDF will gamify this… RT@farshidk: BBC journalist’s 11-mth-old son killed in Gaza strikes by Israel
Another concern is that of Gaza's telecommunications infrastructure, which is inextricably linked to Israel's and is therefore vulnerable.  As Nadim Kobeissi tweeted:
An Internet shutdown in a Gaza under siege means stripping war victims from a global voice. Read @evacide‘s article:https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/social-media-internet-access-are-latest-weapons-israeli-palestinian-conflict
Anonymous has also gotten into the game, tweeting frequent updates:
Current Internet, telecommunication and death toll situation/status in #Gaza |#OpIsrael #Gaza |http://tmblr.co/ZNMTdvXOLg0b
At the time of publication, their website marked Gaza's telecom status thus:
Broadband: Limited, Intermittent
PBX Lines: DOWN
Mobile: UP
Ham Radio: DOWN
Satellite: Unkown
Electricity: DOWN, Current electricity by Generators
This time around, Reddit is also playing an important role in conflict.  At a time when finding reliable information from the ground is complicated, Al Jazeera correspondent Nadim Baba has taken to the platform for an “AMA” or “Ask Me Anything,” during which the subject is publicly questioned by Reddit users and can answer as they like. Baba has been asked—and has answered—dozens of questions about the ongoing attacks.

author: Jillian C. York


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Archaeological Finds · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

St Vincent and the Grenadines is fast becoming an archaeological treasure.
And Still I Rise explains.


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The Egyptians have Occupied Gaza! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

An estimated 400 Egyptians have crossed the Rafah crossing to Gaza today, to show solidarity with the Palestinians and take humanitarian aid. Mahmood Abdulmonem shares this photograph of the delegation, outside Al Shifaa Hospital, in Gaza.
Egyptians outside Al Shifaa Hospital in Gaza today. Photograph shared by @moneimpress on Twitter
Reem Abdellatif comments on the photograph:
@Reem_Abdellatif: Ladies & gents, #Egyptians have occupied #Gaza

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Thousands like Dog Bites Palestinian Woman on Facebook · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Photograph of a dog biting a Palestinian woman, from the Facebook page I Love Dogs
Israeli blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov observes:
@Elizrael: This photo of a dog attacking a Palestinian woman received over 17,000 “likes” in 6 hours http://on.fb.me/TQ76Td
At the time of writing this post, the photograph has more than 20,000 likes and a 1,000 comments.


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2012 Peaceful Protest for Gaza in Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Foreign expats, the local Muslim community and local Hong Kongers marched peacefully to hand in a letter to the Israeli consulate. Photo use with permission from HongWrong.com.
Hong Wrong has collected reports and photos on the weekend protest demanding an end to the Israeli occupation and the current bombardment of Gaza.


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300 Km Long March Against Rare Earths Refinery in Malaysia · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On November 13, 2012, the Malaysian High Court lifted a two-month suspension of a license granted to Australian rare earths mining company, Lynas Corporation, to operate a rare earth refinery in Pahang, Malaysia. Alerted by the devastating pollution [zh] of rare earth refineries in China, Malaysian environment groups have been struggling to stop the project. One of the activists, Wong Tack started a 300 km march, dubbed “the Green Walk”, from Kuantan to the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur on November and many decided to follow him.
Below is the map showing the Green Walk Route.
The 300Km Long March Map. From Facebook Page Himpunan Hijau 2.0
Activists keep updating their action on the Facebook Page Himpunan Hijau 2.0. Before the march began on November 13, the activists reminded people about Gandhi's Salt March in 1930 against the British Empire:
If Gandhi is here in Malaysia today, will he not lead the Green Walk from Kuantan to the Parliament to overthrow the Australian toxic colonialists?
The long march has begun on November 13, 2012. Photo from Facebook Page Himpunan Hijau 2.0.
Chan Wei See a former editor of an online independent news Merdeka Review has joined the long march. She recorded [zh] her conversation with Wong Tack and other participants in her Facebook:
我在休息时段时跟黄德在木棚下聊了起来。他告诉我，当年从建筑系毕业的他选择到加拿大修读环保系，父亲没法理解他的选择，但他依然坚持自己的选择。毕业之后他留在加拿大发展，一晃就是15年。15年后他回到吉隆坡，为了给父亲一个交代，他在妹妹的建筑公司做建筑师，盖了几栋大楼之后，热爱自然环境的他实在没法在吉隆坡呆下去，于是飞到沙巴州做油棕园和有机农场，一呆就是五年，期间他一直领导反煤炭发电厂的工作，令当地政府和公司有所忌讳。他认为莱纳斯稀土厂、边佳兰石化厂、武吉公满山埃厂只是一些课题，要绿化环境需作长远的工作，因此他积极推广有机农场及有机生活的概念，希望能打造出一个热爱大自然的社会。
I talked to Wong Tack during the break. He told me that after he got his bachelor in architecture, he went to Canada to study environmental science. His father opposed his choice but he insisted. He worked in Canada for 15 years and then returned to Kuala Lumpur in respond to his father's request. He worked as an architect and built several buildings. However, he could not stand the life in Kuala Lumpur and decided to fly to Sabah to run a Palm Tree Plantation and organic farm. He has settled there for 5 years and has been leading a campaigner against the construction of coal electric plants. The local authorities and big corporates are unhappy about his presence. He believes that the Lynas rare earths refinery, Pengerang Petrochemical plant, and Bukit Koman Cyanide pollution are just some of the public incidents. Long term environmental protection relies on organic farming, change of lifestyles and culture.
During the march, Chan also talked to an aboriginal man from Sarawak:
来自巴南的他说，他的岳母来自巴贡上游，当年巴贡水坝计划迁移上游原住民时，他岳母种的三千多棵黄梨，政府只赔了145令吉。[…]
我从他口中获知，巴南水坝尚未开始兴建，他们打从一开始就拒绝谈赔偿，只专注于施压政府撤销水坝计划。由于水坝还未兴工，只要压力够大，他相信人民是可以成功的，因此他来到了这里，走这十四天的路程，希望能带出原住民的心声。
He came from Baram and his mother-in-law came from the upper stream of Bakun river. To prepare for the Bakun hydroelectricity dam, the government has forcibly relocated the aboriginals. His mother-in-law had planted more than 3000 pear trees in her life and the government only offered her 145 Ringgits as compensation […]
He told me that the construction of the dam has not started yet and they have been opposed to the project from day one and thus refused to talk about compensation. They want to pressure the government to stop the project. He believes that once the people stick together, they will be successful. He joined the march to voice the aboriginal people's demands.
Johor Yellow Fame from Facebook also shared [zh] his feeling in his status:
马来西亚人民有比别人践吗？是这样吗？为什么当权者会枉故人民性命，双手欢迎山埃采金、莱纳斯稀土厂、边加兰的高污染石化厂？甚至要在砂拉越建多个和新加坡一样大小的水坝而把当地原住民赶尽杀绝？[…]
振奋人心的是，今天，JYF柔南黄色行动小组成员成钢、秀君、凯聪前来支持，并全程陪伴大队同行。除此，今天也看到了各路英雄陆续加入步行队伍。一路上，无法参与步行的村名在旁为大家加油喝彩，有者更慷慨地主动提供住宿场所、食物、药品、水，和支援，让我感动不已，我定把这些勇士铭记于心。
The life of Malaysians is cheaper than others? Is that so? How can the ruling elites pay no regard to our lives and open our land to Cyanide gold mining, Lynas rare earths refinery and the highly polluted Pengerang Petrochemical plant? They even want to get ride of the aboriginal people in Sarawak by building a mega dam that occupy an area as big as Singapore[…]
Mama Bersih distributed pamphlets about the Green Walk in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Image from Facebook User: Elaine.
It is encouraging that today JYF action group members have come to show their support and walked with the team. So many people have joined in. For those who could not join the long march, they were clapping and cheering on the way, some villagers have offered accommodation, food, medicine, water and other supplies to us. I will always remember their kindness.
Those who cannot join the march, campaign against the rare earths refinery in their own way. For example, Mama Bersih, a women's organization, decided to help spread the news about the Green Walk by distributing pamphlets in downtown  Kuala Lumpur.