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Going Postal: Tajikistan Stops DHL, UPS and Pony Express in Their Tracks · Global Voices
Salam Aleik

Pixabay image. OpenClipart-Vectors / 27454. CC0 Public Domain.
Tajikistan, a country with an atrocious state postal service, has shut down several international courier firms such as DHL, UPS, TNT, and Pony Express. The government says that the firms that have been working in the country for the bulk of its 25-year independence will now need licenses to operate.
Last week the buildings of the companies in the capital Dushanbe were sealed off and their employees ordered to leave the premises, several local and international news agencies reported.
The move was the apparent brainchild of the Tajik Communication Service, an organisation that does more to inhibit communication than facilitate it. Mostly, the service headed by Beg Sabur (formerly Beg Zukhurov) is known for orders to block social media platforms. In 2012, Sabur blocked Facebook — which he accused of spreading “slander and lies” — and sent a barb in Mark Zuckerberg's direction.
Does this Facebook have an owner or not? Could he come to Tajikistan? I would meet with him during my office hours. If he doesn't have time, I could meet with one of his assistants.
That explains why Tajik Facebook user Ivan Zanin wrote ironically last week:
Вообще хозяин у этого DHL есть или нет? Он не может приехать в Таджикистан?
Does this DHL have an owner? Can’t he come to Tajikistan?
Mostly, international courier services have operated normally in Tajikistan, although DHL employees were accused of sending drugs to Russia ten years ago. The reason they are being targeted now may have more to do with rent-seeking behaviour increasing as the country's economy falters.
Put simply, these courier services, which are too expensive for ordinary Tajiks but useful for international organisations, corporations and embassies, are a soft target. They can be shaken down without significantly angering the broader population.
Another, more regular target for the Communication Service is Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who are completely beholden to Sabur, a relative of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon via marriage. One ploy to extract money out of the cash-cow ISPs is the Unified Electronic Communications Switching Center the government plans to build at their expense.
As Eurasianet reported last year:
In its latest effort to fasten its grip over the flow of information in and out of the country, the government has established an agency called the “Unified Electronic Communications Switching Center,” abbreviated as EKTs in Russian.
In crude terms, the system requires all traffic — be it from mobile phones or the Internet — to be filtered through a network gateway run by state-owned telecommunications company Tojiktelecom.
“Implementation of the decree is obligatory for all domestic entities active in the electronic communications sector,” the decree states.
There are doubts, however, as to the extent to which the the centre will even exist, with many viewing it as an elaborate facade to secure payments from ISPs who have been unable to extract meaningful information about how it will operate. Earlier this year, the same website reported that Tajikistan's government was using other  methods to extort cash from the same companies.
A few months ago, all private dealers of mobile phone sim cards were shut down, emptying space for two new dealers rumored to be belong to Sabur's son, who is also the all-powerful Rakhmon's son-in-law.
There are rumours that the very same man now plans to open a new ISP. Only time will tell whether he will add a new private courier to his blossoming business empire.

author: Salam Aleik


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How Much Money Did Macedonian Railways Make From the 2015-2016 Refugee Crisis? · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Refugees boarding a train in Gevgelija, Macedonia, Feb 23, 2016. Photo by Robert Atanasovski, used with permission.
During 2015 and 2016, Macedonia's state-owned railway charged refugees, who had crossed into the country's territory while fleeing war, conflict, persecution, and other injustices, five times the normal price of a ticket. The move was widely criticized for seeming to profit off of a vulnerable population.
Fast forward to June 2017, when Macedonian train engine drivers went on strike demanding their unpaid salaries for April and May. The strike paralyzed domestic transport and ended after one day when the new government agreed to satisfy their demands.
The development has left some Macedonians wondering just how much the railway and other state companies profited from the influx of refugees and migrants and where that money has gone. Journalists seeking accountability, however, have had a hard time finding out the truth, given the Public Revenue Office's refusal to disclose details.
Nearly 900,000 people used the so-called Western Balkan Route to transit from the Middle East and North Africa to Western Europe in 2015 and 2016. From July to September 2015 alone, over 300,000 of them passed through Macedonia on their way from Greece to countries perceived to be more welcoming, like Germany.
After the flow of refugees and other migrants increased in mid-2015, the Macedonian government established special trains. The refugees would cross the Greek border on foot, get processed there, then board the train in Gevgelija and disembark in Tabanovce, near the Serbian border, which they'd cross on foot also. The following Red Cross video presents an overview of the situation at the time.
These trains also had special price, too: public enterprise Macedonian Railways increased the ticket price from the regular five euros to 25 euros for their customers, who had no other choice for legal means of transport. In fact, Macedonian citizens who would help refugees move through the country faced human trafficking charges. This is how one Syrian refugee described the state-sanctioned trip through Macedonia:
We paid 25 euros ($27) each to board an old trash pile they called a train. No words can describe its dirt and terrible smell. Then, when everyone was piled in, it moved as if walking on eggs. That’s what we say in Syria about slow things. But finally I was on the Serbian border.
The Macedonian state-owned railway companies had been suffering constant financial problems due to alleged mismanagement. They had been operating at a loss for at least four years, with a cumulative loss of 27.6 million euros for the transport branch, and over 30 million euros for the infrastructure branch.
This has seemingly made for poor working conditions for railway employees, who complain they are underpaid and often forced to wait for months to receive their salaries. The situation culminated in June strike of engine drivers.
Leading Macedonian photojournalist Robert Atanasovski connected the refugee crisis to the seemingly sorry financials of the public railway enterprise on June 5, 2017 when he published a photo on Facebook (presented at the beginning of this story) and wrote:
Мислам дека нема фела како железничариве што ги мразам повеќе. Ги гледав пред мене една година како ги пунат возовите со луѓе небаре се стока и плус им наплаќаа за тоа по 25 евра вклучувајќи го и човекот на сликата. Со 25 евра ќе отидеш до Барцелона со Визер а не со скапан воз до Табановце. Имаше денови кога поминуваа по 10000 луѓе на граница и на сите (освен на мали деца) им наплаќаа карти… Сега сакаат да штрајкуваат дека немаат плати. Каде се парите маме ви ебам лоповско.
I grew to abhor the railway employees. I watched them for over a year how they fill the trains with people as if they are cattle, and on top of that they charged people 25 euros for tickets, including the man [in a wheelchair] in the photo. With 25 euros one can buy a cheap airplane ticket from Skopje to Barcelona with WizzAir, let alone a rotten train to Tabanovce. There were days when over 10,000 human beings would cross the border, and everyone (except small children) had to buy the tickets… Now they want to strike because they have no salaries. Where are the money gone, you f*cking thieves?!
The Macedonian ombudsman and human rights organizations have previously demanded an audit of the work and income of the railway companies over alleged violations of the UN Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Several days after the strike, the Public Revenue Office refused to disclose the information to journalists who inquired, saying that the profit data about the publicly owned railway firms is classified, with a status of “tax secret.”
During the peak of the crisis, profiteering from the plight of migrants and refugees by private citizens, at least, scandalized the Macedonian public. Before the special train was introduced, some local residents of the towns near the Greek border had charged those passing through exuberant prices for bicycles. Along the way, some people were reselling food and drinks to them at prices several times higher than in the shops, or were asking a very high price of two euros for recharging mobile phones or using a toilet. In the following video, one man who was migrating through the area explains, “These people are very poor, and they want to work. They take some money from the people…”
On the other hand, many other Macedonian citizens invested their own resources into helping the refugees and migrants, eventually forming a nascent humanitarian movement. Global Voices published the testimony of acclaimed volunteer Lenče Zdravkin, while civil society organizations such as Macedonian Helsinki Committee and Legis are publishing regular reports about their work in English.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Filip Stojanovski


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More Twists and Turns in Trinidad & Tobago’s Chief Justice Fiasco · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Chief Justice Ivor Archie speaks to the first group of graduates of the OAS-supported pilot drug treatment court in 2014. Photo by OEA – OAS, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
The imbroglio between the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), Chief Justice Ivor Archie and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) continues to be fluid and fast-changing.
In one of the controversy's latest twists, Marcia Ayers-Caesar, the magistrate turned judicial appointee whose untended case load prompted a no-confidence vote aimed at the chief justice, has revealed that she “was put under pressure to resign”.
Her position was outlined in a letter to President Anthony Carmona, dated May 19, 2017, in which she asked him to acknowledge that her resignation letter is “of no legal effect” and her removal as a High Court judge “unlawful and unconstitutional”. Copies of the letter were sent to the chief justice and the JLSC.
According to Ayers-Caesar's timeline, on April 10, 2017 — two days before her High Court appointment — Archie asked whether she had any part-heard matters. On April 11, she learned that there were 28 outstanding matters at the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court; she sent the list to Archie. Her appointment as a judge took place as planned on April 12.
Then, on April 25, she had a meeting with Archie and the acting chief magistrate, who advised her that she actually had 52 outstanding matters. In a meeting with the chief justice the very next day, Ayers-Caesar said that the question of the part-heard matters didn't come up — but the chief justice maintains that Ayers-Caesar told him in a telephone conversation that “she had no other outstanding matters”.
On April 27, they met again and Archie informed her that the JLSC, at an emergency meeting, decided that the best thing for her to do would be to tender her resignation or have her appointment revoked.
Ayers-Caesar signed the resignation letter, saying she was “unable” to get legal advice before doing so. She also claimed that she was never afforded an opportunity to respond to the JLSC's allegations, and took issue with the chief justice referring to her dismissal of 16 cases on March 22 “unusual”.
Although Section 137 of the country's Constitution says that a judge can only be removed from office for an inability to perform duties or for misbehaviour, Ayers-Caesar does not consider that her actions fall under either of these categories. Further, she has taken the position of her legal counsel, attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, that her High Court jurisdiction would allow her to hear her outstanding cases in the Magistrates’ Court, saying, “I would expect that within the next few days, if the Judicial and Legal Services Commission agrees with this position, that I will be informed in writing of that agreement.”
Ayers-Caesar's promotion from the Magistracy to the High Court has left scores of prisoners in desperate positions, since their cases will now be further delayed.
As soon as the story broke in one of the daily newspapers, political commentator Rhoda Bharath was all over it on Twitter. She did not buy Ayers-Caesar's excuses about omitting information pertaining to her case load, nor that someone with enough legal experience to be appointed a High Court judge was coerced into signing a resignation letter:
Marcia say her workload and short notice is why she couldnt remember her full caseload, oui. #MarciaCovfefe
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) June 11, 2017
Marcia say they show her the resignation letter, ask her if it ok and she said, “Whatever”. #MarciaCovfefe
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) June 11, 2017
Marcia say nobody give her permission to get legal advice. Give her permission inno? In 2017? #PermissionPlease #MarciaCovfefe
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) June 11, 2017
Facebook user Vaughn Thomas also shared his observations:
I get 2 points from Marcia Ayers-Caesar's letter.
1. The Honorable Chief Justice exercised diligence in enquiring into whether the Chief Magistrate had part heard matters and;
2. It will be difficult for Her Worship to prove that her resignation was not reasonably voluntary.
Meanwhile, more voices are joining the chorus for the chief justice not to resign over the matter.
Civil society group Fixin’ T&T, though no fan of the chief justice as an influencer in the “desperately needed transformation of our judiciary”, and unimpressed with his “high handed, dismissive and arrogant response to this spectacle”, still advised Archie to “robustly resist ongoing attempts by the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) to force his demitting of office in the absence of a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into recent elevations to the High Court.”
LATT, it alleged, “has been a tool of specific political interests for quite some time”. Fixin’ T&T pulled no punches when it called the organisation's effort in this imbroglio “highly irresponsible” and “the single greatest threat” to the administration of justice.
On June 13, 2017, the country's prime minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, who has not been publicly commenting on the situation thus far, accused the opposition of “identify[ing] the courts as a place to go, to create as much mayhem and disturbance as possible, to advance their political prospects”.
In another development, thanks to a request made under the country's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by opposition United National Congress (UNC) Senator Wayne Sturge, the examination which formed part of the “robust” screening of judicial candidates by the JLSC has been released.
Though Ayers-Caesar produced the third highest score from among the successful applicants, the difficulty level of a few questions raised some eyebrows. Gerald Ramdeen, the controversial attorney and UNC senator who initially raised the issue of the assessment criteria for judges, said the test proves the JLSC is prepared “to copy questions from the internet and use that as the examination for persons who have applied for such positions”, adding, “It clearly demonstrates a lack of constitutional responsibility to the people of this country.”
On Twitter, Rhoda Bharath quipped:
So SEA students could apply to be judges? #batandball#CJCovfefe#MarciaGate
— rhoda bharath (@rhodabharath) June 13, 2017
SEA refers to the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination, which students sit when they are, on average, 11 years old.
In a public Facebook post, Gerard Johnson mused:
If you wonder sometimes how the president of Trinidad and Tobago and the Chief Justice could have been High Court judges and still be hopelessly incompetent, wonder no more. It's all in the exam.
Journalist Kevin Baldeosingh countered that stance in the comments thread, however, saying that they are “logic questions” and therefore good tests — especially since most people might get them wrong.
The legal manoeuvres — and the public debate — will, no doubt, continue.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Photos and Videos Show Massive Destruction of Marawi Battle Zone in the Philippines · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Destroyed buildings in the town proper of Marawi. Photo by Maulana Mamutuk, used with permission.
On 23 May 2017, a group with alleged links to ISIS attacked some parts of Marawi City in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. In response, the government declared martial law in Mindanao to pursue the attackers and prevent the spread of ISIS in other towns.
The clash between the military and the militant group known as Maute forced the mass evacuation of Marawi residents. As of June 7, more than 46,000 families, or 220,000 persons, have been displaced from their homes. The government said it has provided 33 evacuation centers, but these could only shelter 18,000 persons.
After three weeks of being a battle zone, hundreds of houses and other buildings in Marawi were destroyed. The extent of the damage was revealed when rescuers, residents, and journalists uploaded photos and videos of Marawi’s town proper.
The Maute group is blamed for the destruction, but the military is also being held accountable because of its continuous airstrikes. The military claimed it is conducting ‘surgical bombing’ operations, but some residents said the air bombs are being dropped indiscriminately.
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra is saddened by the destruction in his city:
I weep for all the civilians who were mercilessly killed, I weep for the lost homes of my people and I weep for the loss of the true essence of Islam in the people who caused all these destructions to our lives and properties.
As of May 30, the government said 19 civilians were killed by terrorists.
It is ordinary civilians who are enduring the greatest suffering as the crisis continues to drag on. And even if the clashes end soon, rehabilitating Marawi is expected to be a more difficult task because of the destruction caused by the fighting between the military and the militants.
Below are photos and videos showing the situation in Marawi today:
Soldiers conducting a clearing operation in Marawi. Photo by Najib Zacaria, used with permission.
Tanks and soldiers deployed in Marawi to flush out the remaining members of the Maute group. Photo by Najib Zacaria, used with permission.
A deserted street in what used to be a busy intersection in Marawi. Photo by Maulana Mamutuk, used with permission.
“This is not Aleppo. This is Marawi City,” wrote TV reporter Gerg Cahiles. Source: Facebook and Instagram
A covered court converted into a temporary evacuation center. Some residents are seen lining up to receive relief goods from the local government. Photo from the Facebook page of the Marawi City government.

author: Mong Palatino


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#FreeNassar: Palestinian Authority Arrests a Student Over a Facebook Post · Global Voices
Marwa Fatafta

An orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall. Photo by Brian Jeffery Beggerly via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
On 8 June, the Palestinian Authority (PA) arrested a young Palestinian activist, Nassar Jaradat, over a Facebook post criticizing a Palestinian official. The arrest appears to be part of a broader crackdown on free speech in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Jaradat, a 23-year-old activist and student of agricultural engineering at Al Quds University, published on his Facebook page a post critical of Palestinian official Jibril Al Rajoub, who caused controversy with a recent interview he gave to Israel's Channel 2 “Meet the Press” program.
On the program, Al Rujoub, who is from the West Bank's ruling Fatah party, said that the Western Wall in occupied East Jerusalem should “remain under Israeli sovereignty.” The Western Wall, located at Al Haram Al Shareef or Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, is a place of prayer and a highly contested holy site, revered by both Muslim and Jewish people. It is administered by a Jordanian Islamic religious trust or Waqf.
Al Rajoub's statement was widely denounced by Palestinians who saw it as an outright concession of Palestinian rights to their land and the holy site. Many condemned the statement, saying that it did not actually represent Palestinians or their aspirations for liberation and freedom from Israeli occupation.
Criticizing his statement, Jaradat wrote:
To give what you don’t personally own to those who do not deserve it. This is the essence of deception and the terror of concession…to appear in the enemy media, by competing with time, you and your ilk from the Fatah leadership, you make concessions and promote yourself in order to be accepted by the surroundings and to impose yourself as an alternative to the “old man” [referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] and a good inheritor who can be accepted [by the Israelis]..
At the expense of a land that is of Islamic Waqf and belongs to the Moroccan Quarter and the Moroccan pilgrims, and which is protected by nothing but trust, a trust which we have betrayed and deceived during the existence of the [Palestinian] Authority. Words remain words, there are no taxes on words, as long as the next stage is the stage of people’s revolution, and these people will not accept you as part of this movement…Jibril al-Rajoub, this is not how it works.
Right after publishing his post, Palestinian Preventive Security, an internal intelligence apparatus tasked with protecting the PA, arrested Jaradat from his home and detained him for three days. He was subsequently charged before a Palestinian court in Ramallah with insulting and defaming public officials. His detention was renewed for an additional 15 days.
Nassar Jaradat. Photo: Free Nassar Jaradat Facebook page
Jaradat could risk anything from three weeks to two years in jail, in accordance with chapter 2 (3) on “defamation, insult and abasement” of the Jordanian Penal Code of 1960 which is still applicable in the West Bank. The PA has often used criminal defamation clauses in the law to crack down on Palestinian activists and journalists who openly criticize Palestinian officials and politicians.
Jaradat's family and friends launched a Facebook page “الحرية لنصار جرادات – Free Nassar Jaradat“, asking supporters to use the hashtags #FreeNassarJaradat and #FreeNassar on social media to campaign for his immediate release.
The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is also campaigning for his release and has asked people to contact the Palestinian embassies and representative offices in their respective countries.
The arrest of Jaradat adds to a longer string of violations of freedom of expression online by the PA, which has detained a number of journalists and activists for expressing their political views on Facebook.
It also underscores the problem of the so-called “revolving door” connecting security coordination between the PA and the Israeli occupation. The revolving door describes a policy whereby Palestinians released from PA prisons are arrested again by Israel shortly after their release or vice versa. In the case of Jaradat, who was previously imprisoned by Israel, his current arrest by the PA puts him under the radar of the Israeli authorities, making him vulnerable to be arrested again by Israel.
Condemning the PA's increasing political repression against its own youth activist, the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe sent an open letter to Members of the European Parliament calling for the immediate release of Nassar and an end to the PA's repressive policies under a banner of security coordination.

author: Marwa Fatafta


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Netizen Report: China Has a New Cybersecurity Law · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Photo by Dong Fang, VOA, public domain.
It has been only two weeks since China's new Cybersecurity Law came into force, but its effects are already being felt across social and news media networks.
On June 1, public social media accounts were officially barred from writing or republishing news reports without a permit, as stipulated by the Provisions for the Administration of Internet News Information Service.
On June 7, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s online censorship agency, shut down at least 60 major celebrity news accounts across Weibo, Tencent, NetEase and Baidu. The CAC said the move is intended to “proactively promote socialist core values and develop a healthy and positive atmosphere” by curbing coverage of sensationalist celebrity scandals.
This marks a shift in focus for the CAC. In the past, many believed that the driving force of censorship was mainly political and that people could enjoy “online freedom” as long as they refrained from commenting on current affairs. The crackdown on entertainment news indicates that ideological struggle is not only directed against foreign enemies, but also at thoughts and activities seen to go against “socialist core values.”
The new cybersecurity law has also become a point of contention for foreign technology companies operating in China. Among other things, it requires that companies store their data in China and that users register with their real names to use messaging services. Officials have yet to convey much information about how the law will be implemented, but these provisions do not bode well for the protection of digital rights.
Media rights advocates and independent news outlets in Egypt are reporting that web censorship has continued to rise since authorities officially banned 21 news websites in late May, alleging that they were “supporting terrorism and spreading lies.” These websites include the Arabic edition of Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, and local independent news site Mada Masr, among others. This past week, the Association for Freedom of Thought in Egypt reported that five virtual private network sites (which help circumvent censorship) were blocked, along with blogging platform Medium, and multiple Turkish and Iranian media outlets. On June 11, the group reported that the total number of sites currently blocked in the country had risen to 64.
Egypt’s Parliament will soon consider a bill that would require ride-sharing companies to keep their servers in Egypt and provide their data — which includes a digital map of customers, drivers and their journeys — to “relevant bodies” in government. Egyptian military intelligence has attempted to access the tracking software of the ride-sharing services Uber and Careem, but their requests to the companies have thus far been rejected on the basis of jurisdiction, as the companies’ servers are located outside of Egypt.
Egyptian authorities have engaged in increasing levels of surveillance of citizens over the past few years, including the use of phishing attacks to gain access to the accounts of Egyptian activists (uncovered by the Citizen Lab under the moniker “Nile Phish”) and prosecuting citizens for posts on social media sites.
Despite having touted his efforts to protect access to social media platforms in Iran, recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani’s government announced that it has improved Internet control methods and shut down a number of platforms.
The ICT Minister boasted to the parliament: “over the part three years, we have closed 7 million addresses that have been notified to us by the relevant authorities and blocked 121 relevant pieces of software as well as circumvention tools.”
Blogger and former university lecturer Pham Minh Hoang, who is a dual citizen of France and Vietnam, recently published an open letter stating that authorities were stripping him of his Vietnamese citizenship. The decision, signed by the President of Vietnam, is effective immediately.
A member of the opposition group Viet Tan, Hoang was sentenced in 2011 to 17 months in prison and three years under house arrest for his blog posts about education and the environment. Authorities are likely to expel Hoang if the decision holds. He will be the only activist to have his citizenship revoked in modern times.
Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) issued a statement on June 12 indicating that regulators are working on a proposal to ban anonymous speech on social media, reasoning that it has led to an untenable amount of violent and abusive behavior online.
The move comes several months into a multi-pronged crisis of civil unrest, economic downturn and government repression, in which online harassment and attacks — targeting both government and civil society entities — has played a significant role. It is unclear how the policy would be implemented over platforms such as Twitter, which allow for the use of pseudonyms.
Mahsa Alimardani, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Oiwan Lam, Don Le,  Weiping Li, Inji Pennu, Elizabeth Rivera and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


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No Limited Abilities: Meet Georgia’s Paralympians · Global Voices
Chaikhana.media

Photo of swimmer Lika Chachibaia by Maurice Wolf.
The following is a version of a partner post written by Ana Lomtadze with photos by Maurice Wolf that first appeared on the website Chai-Khana.org.
In Georgia people with disabilities, which in Georgian literally translates as “people with limited abilities,” face a daily uphill battle against stigma and negative attitudes. And yet Georgia boasts a thriving paralympic scene, which has produced athletes capable of winning significant hardware, such as Irma Khetsuriani and Nino Tibilashvili who landed gold and bronze medals respectively, at the Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Italy in 2017.
It was a slow start. The Georgian Paralympic Committee was established in 2003 and the country sent its first athletes to compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. In 2013 the Parasport Development Centre was opened in Tbilisi and two years later it expanded with a new training and physiotherapy facility. It currently welcomes 194 athletes from all over the country, of which 18 are women, and conducts trainings in 16 different disciplines.
This photo project portrays some of Georgia’s paralympians, bringing this diverse group of men and women into the limelight. Some of them are already experienced sports people, others are beginners, some have won medals, others have not. With interests ranging from criminology to folk music, their stories are stories of resilience, iron-willed focus and the dream to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
I have been playing football for years. That’s where I lost my eyesight, on a football pitch, at 13, while playing with my friends. The ball hit me in the face. I always had poor vision but I actually turned blind after that incident.
I joined the Blind Football Association in 2014. Since then I have traveled to many different countries. For me, the most memorable trip was to Romania in April 2017, to the European Championship qualifying tournaments. Our team got a silver medal and I was awarded the best goalscorer title.
Apart from football, I am passionate about folk music. I studied folk music and religious chants at university. After graduation my friends and I founded a band called “The Relic”, whose singers, except one, are all blind. We’re now preparing for a concert in Greece.
I was born with a missing leg and have been using prosthetics for most of my life. I have been engaged in fencing since 2015. Three months after I started, I participated in my first fencing competition. I normally compete with up to 23-year-olds or sometimes even with older fencers.
I got my first bronze medal in 2016 at a competition in the United Arab Emirates. The same year I won two bronze medals and one silver one in The Netherlands. In early 2017, I got two bronze medals, one at Italy’s World Cup and another one in Hungary. I am currently preparing for a tournament in the Netherlands, which will be held from May 10-14.
I am passionate about everything that has to do with art. I am currently studying architecture at the Art Academy in Tbilisi.
I started swimming in 2015. In 2016, I participated in the Rio Olympic Games but did not secure any medals. Unfortunately, I am the only one competing for Georgia in the S8 SB7 category – for swimmers with an amputation of one arm or significant restrictions across hip, knee and ankle joints. I often have to compete against those who are much more experienced than me…I hope to participate in the 2020 Olympic Games and improve my standing.
I have very diverse interests. My main passion is dancing; in 2015 I even participated in Georgia’s Got Talent as a dancer. But I am also interested in criminology, which I pursued for two years at the Tbilisi Teaching University. I left because I could not pay the tuition.
I truly believe that there is no such thing as ‘limited abilities’.
I have always been into wrestling but picked up weight-lifting only in 2015. Since then I have acquired a new nickname – ‘The Weightlifter’.
Thus far I have participated in the Dubai World Cup, in March 2017, where I received a certificate. I did not get any medals at the championship. I am now looking forward to participating in the 2018 Paris Tournament. My main goal, though, is the 2020 Olympic Games.
I got injured at 21. I was cutting trees for firewood in a forest outside of Tbilisi when a tree fell on me. My spine was severely injured and I have not been able to walk ever since.
I started arching in October 2015. In November of the same year I took part in the Tbilisi Championships where I managed to get the third place. But I feel mostly proud of the 2017 Tbilisi championships where both olympians and paralympians participated – I managed to get second place. It was a real challenge to compete against such experienced archers — this really was a critical experience for me.
I am determined to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. Until then, I plan to participate in the 2017 Georgian Championships in Arching and then later to compete in the European Championship in Italy.
I lost the ability to walk in 2014, while accompanying my son on a school trip. While visiting one of the sites I was taking pictures on a terrace, which suddenly collapsed. I received a severe spine injury. I did physiotherapy for a year but had to start using a wheelchair.
In 2015, I learned about the Wings for Life World Run [a global running competition held for charity since 2014]. My physiotherapists helped me prepare for it and I won the run among female wheelchair users – I was able to cover 6,8 km in 30 minutes This achievement truly was a turning point in my life. It further motivated me to also participate in the 2016 edition – and that time I covered 7.3 kilometres.
I am a doctor. Before the injury I worked in the Emergency room in Gardabani, [a town 39 km south of the capital Tbilisi]. Now I work as a receptionist at the Tbilisi Parasport Development Centre.


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One Woman Is Behind the Most Up-to-Date Interactive Map of Femicides in Mexico · Global Voices
Lu Ortiz

Screenshot of the Femicides in Mexico Map.
The interactive Femicides in Mexico Map, the most comprehensive and up-to-date of its kind in the country, is – according to its fundraising page – a “citizen-led, civic, independent initiative based on open data which, using geographical coordinates, has been mapping cases of femicide since 2016″. So far, it has recorded 2,355 cases.
The map's creator uses the practical definition of the United Nations model protocol for the investigation of gender-related killings of women, which defines “femicide” as:
the murder of women because they are women, whether it is committed within the family, a domestic partnership, or any other interpersonal relationship, or by anyone in the community, or whether it is perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents.4
Her sources are newspaper reports and official statements on femicides, and her motivation is simple and clear: to name every single one of the women so that they are not forgotten.
She uses the pseudonym “Princesa” (“Princess”) to conceal her true identity so as to ensure her safety. Princesa says she became aware of community affairs through her mother, now 80 years old. Her mother, originally from the state of Zacatecas but who moved to Mexico City, is a working woman, the granddaughter of revolutionaries, with strong religious beliefs and who fights for the rights of the just and those of workers.
Princesa studied physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and developed a passion for seismology and tsunamis. She ended up working commerce, but also became involved with maps when she collaborated with the intersectional peace project Nuestra Aparente Rendición (“Our Apparent Surrender”) and with online grassroots groups that track cases of kidnappings. Her dedication and technical knowledge gradually grew, as well as her ability to deal with big data and to use tools for the systematisation of geographical coordinates.
On the Femicides in Mexico Map's Facebook page, she receives messages from the press, politicians, legislators and ordinary people interested in her documentation project, but for her, the most important messages are those from the family members of the victims. Seeing the names of their daughters and the places in which they lost their lives on the map is a way of recognising that they have a name, a history, and that their lives have value, Princesa says, as she recalls some of those messages.
And she adds:
Este mapa sirve para visibilizar los sitios dónde nos están matando, encontrar patrones, reforzar los argumentos sobre el problema, georeferenciar la ayuda, fomentar la prevención e intentar evitar los feminicidios.
This map makes it possible to highlight the places where we're being killed, identify patterns, back up arguments concerning the problem, georeference sources of help, encourage prevention and try to prevent femicides.
Princesa's project is undertaken pro bono, so she is in constant need of support. For this reason, she has opened a fundraising page on the Generosity website, where she explains a bit more about her motivation:
[…] reúne información fundamental para que personas periodistas, investigadoras, activistas, defensoras de derechos humanos, buscadoras de justicia y tomadoras de decisiones comprendan la realidad del feminicidio en México. Es una realidad cruda, granular y en constante aumento.
[The goal is to] gather essential information so that journalists, researchers, activists, human rights campaigners, those who seek justice and those who take decisions understand the reality of femicide in Mexico. It is a harsh, day-to-day reality which is constantly increasing.
The “Chicas Poderosas” (“Powerful Girls”) community support Princesa's appeal:
Una imagen dice más que mil palabras y aún hay mil historias que contar. Apoya al #MapadeFeminicidios https://t.co/jd4XqyVpcu #Niunamenos
— Chicas Poderosas MX (@ChicaPoderosaMX) May 11, 2017
A picture says more than a thousand words and there are still a thousand stories to be told. Support the Femicide Map #MapadeFeminicidios https://t.co/jd4XqyVpcu  #Niunamenos
Princesa says she's happy doing something for people. Her mother and sister think likewise; her father always asks her to be careful, but also to not give up doing it because it is so worthwhile.

author: Lu Ortiz


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Singapore Ad Watchdog Advises LGBT Event to Remove ‘Supporting Freedom to Love’ Tagline · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The theme of this year's Pink Dot celebration is “Supporting the freedom to love”. Source: Facebook
Singapore’s annual LGBT event known as the Pink Dot will be held on July 1 with the theme “Supporting the freedom to love”.
More than 100 sponsors have already pledged their support for the event, which is expected to gather thousands of participants in Hong Lim Park, the only place in Singapore where citizens can hold a protest and gather with minimal police supervision.
As expected, various conservative groups have publicly opposed Pink Dot by arguing that it promotes values that are not shared by all in Singapore. Some have complained about the presence of Pink Dot billboards in mall, cinemas, and other places visited by children.
In fact, a formal complaint was probably filed about a Pink Dot billboard placed in a cinema owned by Cathay company, which prompted the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) to review the ad. Cathay was a previous sponsor of Pink Dot.
ASAS subsequently urged Cathay company to remove Pink Dot’s tagline in one of its cinemas:
The ASAS Council is of the view that advertisements in public spaces should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to public sentiments. As such, advertisers should avoid statements in advertisements that may contribute to heightened public sensitivities. This was the basis on which ASAS asked Cathay and Pink Dot to consider removing the tagline “Supporting the freedom to love”.
Below is a photo of the billboard ad which was featured in a Facebook page opposing Pink Dot. Cathay defended the placing of the ad before ASAS made its recommendation to remove the tagline.
Pink Dot ad: Cathay says it believes in all-inclusive society https://t.co/8yARXMJ3eW via @ChannelNewsAsia
— PinkDotSG (@PinkDotSG) June 8, 2017
ASAS is an advisory council recognized by the government. It clarified that while the billboard does not breach the country's ad standards on upholding family values, the tagline could inflame “public sensitivities”. The billboard announcing the event can remain but ASAS said Cathay should reconsider the use of the tagline.
Cathay acknowledged the advice of ASAS but reiterated that it cannot simply remove the ad's tagline because it's owned by Pink Dot. A Cathay spokesperson added that Pink Dot’s tagline reflects the mission of the company:
This is and has always been in line with our mission of bringing people together. We hope to inspire people to embrace the values of equality where one can live and love freely.
For their part, Pink Dot organizers are quite confused with the reasoning of ASAS:
We cannot see how a tagline calling for inclusion and love can therefore be seen as undermining the concept of family or disrespecting the individual.
We cannot help but wonder if the Council’s request arose out of complaints by a small group of people against Pink Dot who vociferously support the discrimination of Singapore’s LGBT community. We are confident Singaporeans are able to discern our message of inclusion, diversity and love from one that seeks to divide us because of differences.
Media scholar Cherian George advised ASAS to focus on other pressing issues like the rise of violence in TV programs:
If the Advertising Standards Authority can take up frivolous complaints like this, surely it can vigorously pursue issues of advertising ethics that are far more pressing from the standpoint of consumer rights.
Given what years of research tells us about the impact on the young of irresponsible depictions of violence, do you sincerely believe ASAS has done enough to regulate the way fictional violence is glorified in our public spaces?
The ASAS action is not the only controversy encountered by Pink Dot this year. Last month, the police reminded the organizers about the recent amendment in the law banning the participation of foreigners in political events like the Pink Dot. Furthermore, police insisted that a barricade is needed around the park to ensure the safety of the participants. Pink Dot is also prohibited from getting donors from other countries.
Despite the growing strength of the LGBT community, Singapore continues to criminalize sexual acts between men.
The July 1 event will be the 9th Pink Dot celebration in Singapore. In 2015, the event gathered more than 28,000 participants.


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Announcing the 2017 Global Voices Summit: Join us in Colombo, Sri Lanka on December 2-3! · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Floating market, Colombo, Sri Lanka. PHOTO: Amila Tennakoon (CC BY 2.0)
We're excited to announce that the 2017 edition of the Global Voices Summit will take place on December 2-3 in Colombo, Sri Lanka! Register here.
Our seventh Summit takes us for the second time to South Asia, where we'll convene two days of public conversations and workshops with bloggers, activists, technologists, journalists, policymakers, development experts and others from around the world and address the evolving state of citizen media, open Internet advocacy, open Internet culture, and grassroots activism from a Global South perspective. Like all GV events, the 2017 Summit will be a great opportunity for learning and sharing with a diverse and dynamic global community.
Supported by Groundviews, with sponsorship from the Mozilla Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and others, our 2017 meeting will analyze the challenges to the open internet, looking at questions of open architecture and conditions for safe and free expression in an environment of increasing threats to both. We will explore how key ideas in the architecture of the internet and of discourse can rewire our societies for resilience, reflection and deep research.
Stay tuned for the launch of the Summit website and details on venues, registration, programming and more—and do save the date!

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Black, Female, Spanish, and a Police Officer · Global Voices
Afroféminas

CAEO in her uniform. Picture used with permission.
The following is an adaptation of an interview conducted by Lucía Mbomío and published originally on Afroféminas. It is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
While CAEO (who prefers to go by her initials for this interview) was studying law enforcement on her path to become a police officer in Spain, she almost believed that her dream wouldn’t be achievable. The lack of similar role models in the profession is noticeable, and not all those around her were confident that she’d be capable of success in the field.
Nonetheless, she persisted. Now, after nearly a decade, she has completed not just her studies, but her childhood dream of becoming a member of the police force in Spain, showing once and for all to those who doubted, that yes, it can be done.
The following is an interview that touches on weighty issues including male chauvinism and racism, but also dives into one woman’s unfaltering passion for her profession.
Lucía Mbomío (LC): How is it to be a black woman and a police officer in Spain?
C.A.E.O.: No le veo distinción alguna respecto a una policía de raza blanca, pero cierto es que es un gran orgullo que, a pesar de los prejuicios que hay en esta sociedad, yo sea una mujer policía y sobre todo, siendo negra.
CAEO: I don’t necessarily see a difference between how I’m treated in the police force compared to a white police officer. That said, it’s a great honor that, despite the many prejudices in this society, I’m not only a female police officer, but also a black police officer.
LC: What do you like best about your job?
C.A.E.O.: La labor que desempeñamos en muchos ámbitos, tanto de investigación como en ayuda al ciudadano.
CAEO: I like how my work touches many different fields, from conducting investigations to helping out the everyday citizen.
LC: What would you describe as the hardest part?
C.A.E.O.: Saber actuar en todo tipo de situaciones que se nos presenta y saber tratar con todo tipo de personas.
CAEO: I’d say the hardest part is knowing how to act in any given situation, and figuring out how to deal with any kind of person.
LC: Do you remember the greatest day of your career in the National Police? Tell us about it.
C.A.E.O.: Aunque no tenga nada que ver con la labor policial, para mí el día más bonito fue cuando me presenté en un despacho de la Comisaría de Algeciras para realizar las prácticas en uno de sus grupos y me atendió un compañero, el cual, sin dejarme apenas hablar, dijo que si venía a arreglar papeles para extranjería era en la primera planta.
En la actualidad, es mi marido.
CAEO: Although it doesn’t have anything to do with police work, the best day for me was when I presented myself to the Algeciras Precinct to do an internship in one of their groups. A man attended me and, without hardly letting me speak, he told me that if I was filling paperwork for the foreigners office, I’d better head to the first floor.
Nowadays, he is my husband.
LC: Do you think the economic crisis has transformed law enforcement? If yes, then how so?
C.A.E.O.: Trasformado no, la policía sigue haciendo sus mismas funciones, pero sí es cierto que el número de opositores ha aumentado con la crisis dada la poca salida laboral.
CAEO: I wouldn’t say transformed. The police continue doing the same work as ever. It is true, though, that the number of people applying to the police has grown considerably given the lack of job opportunities.
LC: Switching to the topic to gender, how many women work in the same police station as you?
C.A.E.O.: Aquí me pierdo un poco porque no sabría decirte un número exacto ni aproximado, pero somos bastantes.
CAEO: I’m not exactly sure. I really couldn’t tell you an exact, or even an approximate number, but there’s a lot of us.
LC: Would you describe your work environment as a bit male chauvinistic?
C.A.E.O.: Partiendo de que vivimos en una sociedad machista sí, hay y habrá machismo como en todos los sitios. En mi profesión se percibe un poco, especialmente en compañeros más veteranos, aunque cada vez son menos.
CAEO: Considering that we live in a male chauvinistic society, then yes. There is, and will continue to be, male chauvinism in all different areas. In my profession, you feel it every once in a while, especially with older, more veteran colleagues, but it’s gradually lessening.
LC: Were there many people of color within the police force academy?
C.A.E.O.: No, en mi año había una chica mestiza y yo, aunque había también gente árabe y alguna persona originaria de Latinoamérica. Considerando que éramos unas 2,500 personas en la escuela de formación, no, no éramos muchos.
CAEO: No, in my class there was just one girl from a mixed-racial background and myself, although there were several students of Arab background, as well as one person originally from Latin America. However, considering there were about 2,500 students then no, I can’t say we were many.
LC: Do you know others that are police officers of color?
C.A.E.O.: Personalmente conozco a cinco, dos chicas mestizas y un chico en la Policia Nacional y otros dos guardias civiles, todos de raza negra. Pero me consta que existen algunos más.
CAEO: Personally, I know five — two women and one guy with mixed-race heritage in the National Police Force, and two civil guards who are black. But I’m sure there are others.
CAEO dressed in her police uniform and in civilian clothing. Photo used with permission.
LC: Among other things, the police force hears a lot of criticism for perpetuating racism by using racial profiling. As a member of the police force, what do you make of this critique?
C.A.E.O.: Creo que esa es una defensa del ciudadano extranjero muchas veces fácil de utilizar e innecesaria. Dentro de la policía hay diferentes brigadas y cada una de ellas tiene su cometido, depende lo que se busque se identifica a unas personas u otras.
Yo he realizado servicios uniformada, así que he tenido que identificar o, incluso, detener a algún extranjero que me ha llegado a decir que soy racista y que lo detengo o lo identifico por ser negro.
Para mí es un arma de doble de filo. Mi marido dice que a él le ha parado la policía más veces en estos 8 años de relación, que en los 40 años que tiene y creo que eso tiene solo un motivo: yo. Con esto quiero decir, que si se detiene a una persona de raza negra no es por racismo sino por un hecho concreto.
Hay otras veces que sí buscas a personas con situación irregular en España. Si estoy yo con mi marido paseando, hay más probabilidad de que la irregular sea yo que él.
Ahora bien, reconozco que el hecho de que siempre te paren para pedirte la documentación es algo incómodo y más cuando, en muchas de las ocasiones, no es porque te vean en una zona conflictiva ni porque hayas efectuado un movimiento extraño o sospechoso.
CAEO: I think that claim is sometimes used unnecessarily or as a cheap shot. Within the police force, there are multiple different brigades and each one of them has their own tasks. Depending on what they are looking for, they take a closer look at some people versus others.
As a police officer, I’ve also had to identify, or even detain, foreigners who have sometimes accused me of racism and profiling based on the color of their skin.
For me, it’s a double-edged sword. My husband claims that he’s been stopped by the police more times in the last eight years since we’ve been in a relationship, than ever before in his 40 years. I credit this to one reason only: me. Despite this, I’d like to make it clear — if the police detain a person of color, it’s not due to racism, but because of a concrete reason.
There are some situations when officers keep a closer eye on situations that are considered “irregular,” or out of the norm in Spain. If I’m taking a walk with my husband, I suppose that I’m the one that sticks out in a crowd instead of him.
On the other hand, I realize that the fact that people of color are continually stopped and asked for their official documents is uncomfortable. Much of the time, I admit the officers don’t ask for paperwork because the “offender” is in a conflict zone or because they’ve done anything suspicious.
LC: How do you think we can change this negative view of the police force? Maybe with internal police organizations, presence in the media, more people of color in the police force?
C.A.E.O.: […] El racismo está en toda partes, nunca he entendido ni entenderé las generalizaciones. El racismo no se quita con una formación, las cosas las percibes y las sientes de diferentes maneras, con la experiencia personal que vives día a día y con la educación recibida en el transcurso de tu vida. Eso es mucho más que una formación que te puedan dar en un momento dado.
¿Más personas negras dentro del cuerpo? Soy nacida en España, mis padres llegaron aquí cuando tenían 6 años, siempre me he codeado con gente de mi raza y la verdad es que nunca en mi círculo he escuchado a amigos o familiares decir que se han presentado alguna vez a las oposiciones de la Policía Nacional.
Con esto quiero decir que, quizás, si no hay mucha gente de diferentes razas dentro del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, es porque ellos mismo piensan que es imposible, es más, eso mismo pensaba yo. Mientras estaba opositando, mi propio círculo de amigos cercanos me decía que no iba a aprobar por ser negra. Cuando realice el examen, había una parte de mí que decía que sería un esfuerzo en vano, porque de tanto escucharlo me lo llegué a creer. De hecho, muchas veces cuando conocía a gente y me preguntaban y ¿tu qué estás haciendo? yo decía “estudiando unas oposiciones de administrativo”, por vergüenza a que se rieran de mí.
CAEO: Racism is found all around, unfortunately, and I’ve never been one to condone generalizations. Racism doesn’t end thanks to groups or committees. It’s the personal experience one lives through, the things we perceive and what we feel, day-to-day, as well as the education we receive throughout our lives — this is what can put an end to racism. That is a lot more than the momentary relief a course or a group may give you from what surrounds us in our environment.
You ask about more people of color within the police force? I was born in Spain, my parents arrived here when they were six years old, and I’ve always been associated with, and nudged towards, people of my race. The truth is, I’ve never even heard any of these friends or acquaintances trying to apply to National Police.
What I’m trying to say is that maybe, there aren’t many people of color within the National Police force simply because they believe, as I used to, that it’s impossible to find a way in. While I was studying in the police academy, even my own circle of friends told me I’d never be able to succeed here, simply because I’m black. When I took the first exam, there was a part of me thinking that this would be an effort in vain — I’d heard so many times that I would fail, that I began to believe it myself. In fact, when people used to ask me what I did for a living, I would say I was studying administration, out of a fear that they would laugh at me.
LC: Considering that there aren’t many non-white officers in the police, how do people react when they see you out in the field? How do other police officers react?
C.A.E.O.: Para la gente de fuera, hasta para los mismos compañeros es un caso inusual. Muchas veces me han preguntado si soy española. Puedes llegar a entender que esa pregunta te la haga la gente de fuera porque desconocen los requisitos que se piden a la hora de opositar, pero cuando me lo preguntan personas que pertenecen a mi profesión, me choca más.
CAEO: For those outside the field, they typically think it’s pretty unusual to see a black police officer. I’ve been asked many times if I’m originally from Spain. I can understand this question from people outside the force because they just don’t know the many requirements it takes to become a police officer; however, when I get this question from people within my profession, it hits me harder.
LC: Do you have any particular anecdotes, either positive or negative, that illustrate this point?
C.A.E.O.:Tendría para escribir un libro. No sabría definir cuál es positiva o negativa, porque soy muy pasota a la hora de llevarme ciertos comentarios al ámbito personal.
He estado realizando servicio uniformada en las elecciones generales y ha venido un ciudadano a decirme: “Perdone, es usted es policía?”. Acto seguido, me ha entrado la risa y le he respondido que no, que es un disfraz que me compré en la tienda de la calle de atrás.
He estado prestando servicio uniformada en un Centro de Internamiento para Extranjeros (CIE) y al entrar algún compañero perteneciente a otra plantilla diferente a la mía, creyó que era una interna que se había disfrazado de policía para hacer la gracia.
He tenido que identificarme junto con mi marido ante la policía. A él apenas le miran su carnet profesional y la placa emblema. Sin embargo, a mí me la quitan de la mano, la cogen, la miran de una manera y de otra, como si de un extraterrestre se tratase.
Estando en Barcelona, en una misa el día de Nuestro Patrón, tuve que leer un discurso. Al salir de la iglesia, se acercó una mujer para decirme que había leído en español muy, muy bien.
Historias así tengo para aburrir. Todas estas anécdotas demuestran que a la gente, ya sea de fuera como de dentro del Cuerpo Nacional de Policiá le cuesta ver e imaginar que existan uniformadas negras.
CAEO: I’d have enough to write a book! I wouldn't know whether I’d define any as positive or negative, probably because I don't easily these comments as personal.
There was one time during the general elections, when I was in my official police uniform, when a man came up to me and said, “Pardon, ma’am, but are you a police officer?” I burst out laughing and told him that no, actually, this was a costume I bought just down the street.
There was another time that I was introduced, in my official uniform, to the Internment Center for Immigrants (CIE) and, as soon as I entered, one colleague who works on a different floor from me, immediately thought that I was actually a newly arrived immigrant dressed as a police officer as a joke.
In the past, I’ve had to identify myself, along with my husband, before the police. With him, they just take a quick glance at his badge and ID and they’re done. When they get to me, however, they snatch my badge from my hand, examine it carefully this way and that, peering at it as if it were an alien.
There was another time in Barcelona, I attended a mass for the feast of our patron saint where I had to read a short piece. As soon as I left the church, one woman hurried up to pay me the compliment that I read Spanish very, very well.
I could go on forever. The point here is that most people, whether or not they’re part of the police force, struggle to imagine that there are black women in police uniform.
LC: What advice would you give other people (women, men, of any race) who want to become police officers?
C.A.E.O.:Que con esfuerzo y constancia se consigue todo, que ellos y ellas mismos(as) no se pongan prejuicios, al menos, sin antes intentarlo.
CAEO: With perseverance and effort, you can succeed. Don’t let the prejudices get to you, at least not before giving the job a fair shot.

author: Afroféminas


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Deadly Landslides in Bangladesh Disrupt Road Networks and Create Food and Fuel Crisis · Global Voices
Palash Ranjan Sanyal

Screenshot from YouTube video uploaded by user News of the day.
Heavy monsoon rains since the night of Sunday, June 11 caused landslides in five districts of Bangladesh, killing at least 150 people, burying many in their homes while they were asleep. Many still are trapped under the mud, and rescuers are struggling to continue their work as the weather is not in their favor.
Thousands of homes have been also destroyed or damaged in the hill districts of Chittagong, Rangamati, and Bandarban, and more than 10,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters.
পার্বত্য জেলা রাঙামাটি, বান্দরবান ও চট্টগ্রামে পাহাড়ধস এবং পাহাড়ী ঢলে– চার সেনাসহ ১২৯ জন মৃত্যুর ঘটনায় দ্বিতীয় দিনের মত চলছে উদ্ধার কাজ। pic.twitter.com/sXXqBRPBOs
— Robiul Hoque (@robiulhoque789) June 14, 2017
In the second day of the landslides in the Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban hill areas, the death toll rose to 129 including four rescuers from the army. Rescue work is still going on.
Officials fear that the death toll could rise as rescuers find it difficult to reach remote areas. Without proper rescue gear, the villagers are using shovels to try to dig bodies out of the mud.
It is not the first time that landslides have caused casualties in Bangladesh. Every year, Bangladesh is hit by storms, floods, and landslides during monsoon season. But this time around has had particularly severe consequences. Some of the districts, especially Rangamai, faces acute food, fuel, power and drinking water crises following the landslides. The main road connecting Rangamati to Chittagong and the rest of the country was severed by the landslides and could not be restored till Thursday. The other main road leading to Khagrachari, another hill district, has also has been damaged.
Adibasi Nayan writes on Facebook:
ভূমিধ্বসে এতগুলো যে প্রাণ হারালো এটুকুতে শেষ নয়, আরো অনেকের প্রাণ যাবে'। [..] বুঝতে পারছেন কি? প্রেট্রোল পাম্পে তেল, সংকট, বাজারে মরিচের দাম ৬০০ টাকা কেজি চালের দাম বেড়ে দিগুন, সবজির বাজার ধরা যাচ্ছে না আগুনের মত তাপ’ যে আলুর দাম কেজি ১৫ টাকা সে আলুর দাম দাম বেড়ে ৫০ টাকা কেজি হয়েছে” আরো বাড়বে বলে আশঙ্কা তারপর ও খুলাচ্ছে না মজুদ শেষ, সারা দেশের সাথে যোগাযোগ বিচ্ছিন্ন নৈসর্গিক স্বর্গ রাঙ্গামাটি।
The landslide took scores of lives. But it does not end there. More lives will be lost. […] Do you get it? There is no more fuel available in petrol pumps, Chili costs now 600 taka (six times the normal price), the price of staple rice has doubled. The vegetable prices are out of control, potatoes are 50 taka per kg (from the usual 15 taka). The prices will go up as available stocks are decreasing. Rangamati, the place known for its natural beauty, is detached from the rest of the country.
A damaged road in Rangamati. Image via Dipu Sring Lapcha. Used with permission.
Dipu Sring Lapcha posted some images on Facebook that show the extent of the damage in Rangamati, and he reported that vehicles are not running because of the shortage of fuel.
According to the district officials, the Chittagong-Rangamati road link will take minimum two weeks to repair. Heavy downpour in this region is preventing rescuers from removing the debris and piles of landmass lying around.
Muktasree Sathi Chakma described on Facebook on Thursday, June 15 the panic that indigenous people living in Rangamati were experiencing:
It started raining again… last four days’ life. every night we go to bed after packing our bags, so that if landslides take place or trees start falling down we can run away with the things we need. It started raining again.
And on Friday, June 16 she warned:
It started raining again! To the indigenous peoples in Rangmati, particularly who are in risky houses. Please move out from your home and go to shelter center.
On social media, some have criticized that the world is ignoring this tragedy in Bangladesh. Md Abdullah Al Mamun wrote on Facebook:
ম্যানচেস্টারের কয়েকটা মানুষের জন্য কেদে কেটে বুক ভাসায় ফেলার ভান করি।অথচ প্রায় ১৪০ টা মানুষ যারা পাহাড় ধ্বসে মিশে গেছে মাটির সাথে, যাদের মধ্যে ৪ জন সামরিক সেনাও ছিলেন তাদের নিয়ে কোন কোন হ্যাশট্যাগ হয়না, কোন ফ্রেম তৈরী হয় না, কোন সেফ মার্কিং হয়না।
We have seen people mourning for the killings in Manchester. But more than 140, including four soldiers, have already perished in landslides in our own country. We don't see any use of a hashtag or frames or safety checks on Facebook.
Many South Asian countries are frequently hit by flooding and landslides during the monsoon season. More than 200 people were killed in Sri Lanka a few weeks ago when the monsoon triggered landslides and the worst flood in a decade.
According to news reports, Bangladesh's meteorological department warned about excessive rain and possible landslides this time around. Authorities earlier marked around 600 homes as at risk, but they were not shifted to safer spaces.
Each year more and more hills are being demolished for the area to be sold as land plots for settlements. The writer behind Sobuje Bacho (Live in Green) blog alleged:
কিছু অর্থ-লোলুপ প্রভাবশালী মানুষ এবং সরকারের পাহাড় ও ভবন সংক্রান্ত কয়েকজন রুই কাতলা তাদের পাহাড়ের উপর অস্থায়ী ঘর তৈরী করে থাকতে দেয় এবং অর্থ উপার্জন করে। যার কারনে তাদের উচ্ছেদ অভিযান কখনও সফল হয় নি। পাহাড় কেটে বন ধংস করে তারা ঘরবাড়ী বানায় ফলে অতিরিক্ত বৃষ্টি হলে মাটি ভেজা ও ভারী হয়ে পড়ে : যার ফলাফল ভূমিধ্বস।
Some greedy and influential people let people settle in the hills by bribing forest officials. The government cannot stop these people from settling in landslide prone areas. They build their houses by cutting hills and loosening the mud. In the event of excessive rain, this loose soil becomes heavy and they slip. The result is a landslide.
Journalist Probhash Amin wrote:
পাহাড় কেটে, গাছ কেটে, বসতি গড়ে পাহাড়গুলোকে আমরা মৃত্যু উপত্যকায় পরিণত করেছি। এখন প্রকৃতি প্রতিশোধ নিচ্ছে। আমরা অসহায়, নিহতদের স্মৃতির প্রতি গভীর শ্রদ্ধা জানানো ছাড়া আমাদের আর কিছুই করার নেই।
We have demolished the hills, cut the forests to settle people in the hill districts. Now they have become death valleys and nature is taking revenge. We are helpless, we can't do anything except mourn the dead.

author: Palash Ranjan Sanyal


text:
Ditching the Egyptian Islands: Between Cash, Legitimacy, and Public Outrage · Global Voices
Salma Essam

Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during a meeting held at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., April 5, 2017. (DOD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith). Photo from Flickr user Secretary of Defense. CC BY 2.0
Following his formal rise to power in 2014, President Abdelfattah Sisi and his government have curtailed democratic freedoms, tightened the grip on press platforms, and limited the role of civil society.
His latest controversial exertion of power involves the transfer of ownership of the Tiran and Sanafir Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, a move that recently won parliamentary approval, despite some irregularities in the process.
Egypt's sovereignty over the Tiran and Sanafir islands has been a public point of contention since Saudi Arabia's King Abdelaziz Salman met with Sisi in 2016 in Cairo. The oil-rich kingdom pledged billions of dollars for aid and investment, signed a bilateral accord to establish an industrial zone in Egypt, and announced a series of agreements between the two countries.
Given Egypt's struggling economy, the cash flow was purportedly a prime motive for Sisi and his retinue to lavish their Saudi ally with a substantial return: two islands in a strategic corner of the Red Sea.
The initial agreement provoked public outcry as many Egyptians took to streets, calling for Sisi to step down and accusing him of “selling” the lands. The protests — in and of themselves significant given the shrinking space for peaceful assembly under Sisi — appeared to work, and Egypt's Administrative Court of Justice blocked plans to transfer the lands in June 2016.
That ruling was further backed up by Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court in January 2017. An excerpt from the decision reads:
أخيرا، قد وقر واستقر في عقيدة المحكمة، أن سيادة مصر على جزيرتي تيران وصنافير مقطوعٌ بها، وأن دخول الجزيرتين ضمن الأراضي المصرية ما انفك راجحا رجحانا يسمو إلى اليقين، ذلك كأثر لسيادتها المستقرة من ناحية، وأن الحكومة لم تقدم ثمة وثيقة أو شيء آخر يغير أو ينال من هذا الأمر.
Finally, and as it has been settled for the court, that the sovereignty of Egypt over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir is indisputable, and the inclusion of the two islands within the Egyptian borders has been an issue of certainty. This comes as a result of its stable sovereignty from one hand, and from the other, the government did not submit any document or other evidence that prove otherwise.
However, this popular triumph did not last long. “The government has insisted, under Saudi pressure, to go ahead with the transfer, turning to Parliament after making a series of arrangements to ensure the deal will be passed,” independent newspaper Mada Masr explained.
Although the agreement required over 500 members of parliament of a total of 596 eligible voting incumbents to approve it, as Mada Masr noted, the landslide in question was, indeed, an easy job for the government.
On June 14, Egypt's parliament backed the transfer plans. House of Representatives Speaker Ali Abdelaal declared, “I announce the House's final approval of the maritime demarcation agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed on April 8, 2016.
Whipping the votes involved “current pressures, blackmail and major security threats to parliamentarians who were determined to reject the vote,” a parliamentary source told Mada Masr, on the condition of anonymity.
Pressing forward with the transfer of the islands despite the two court rulings and the vocal outrage of the people is a worrying signal of Sisi's disregard for the judiciary and the people — as well as risky politics. Egypt is due for presidential elections in 2018, and his critics are painting him as abusing power and betraying the national will with this move. The islands could end up not only representing Egyptian sovereignty, but Sisi's own legitimacy.
Egyptians outraged over the land deal called for marches on June 16 to protest against Sisi's decision.
And on social media, Egyptians pressed their country's right to the islands. The president of the Al Hayat party Michael Mounir published two photos from the congress library, dating back to 1897, showing Egypt's maritime borders with Tiran and Sanfir included.
Photo published by @MichaelMeunier on Twitter. Source.
In a viral Facebook post, political satirist Bassem Youssef vented his revulsion to the government and its actions over Tiran and Sanafir, saying, in a excerpt:
انا عمري ما تخيلت اني اكتب كمية الشتايم دي بس عمري ما تخيلت اننا نبقى بالموات و السلبية و قلة الحيلة دي و الارض بتتباع عادي. احه، يعني المفروض الاسبوع ده عادي جدا ان البرلمان بيناقش نسيب ارضنا لبلد تانية و لا لا؟ كس ام المهانة و الذل
I never imagined that I may write all these slurs, but I never imagined that we may be in such inefficacy, passivity, and helplessness, while the lands are being sold without a hitch. Fuck it! Is it normal that, this week, the parliament would be discussing relinquishing our lands to another country or not? Fuck this disgrace and humiliation
Youssef continued to voice his rage:
الجيل اللي اتغلب على امره و هو بيشوف البلد بتتباع حتة حتة و مش عارف يعمل حاجة. للاسف لو حد حاول يعمل حاجة مصيره يا السجن يا الموت . يلعن روحنا كلنا واحد واحد. يلعن ابو ده زمن على دي بلد على ابونا كلنا.
This generation has been helpless while seeing the land being sold in pieces, unable to do anything. Unfortunately, if anyone tries to do anything, he's either destined to imprisonment or death. Damn our souls, everyone of us. And damn this age and this country and all of us.
Likewise, political activist and journalist Nourhan Hefzy wrote on her Facebook account:
طب لؤاءات وضباط الجيش مش غيرانين حتى لكون مضيق تيران هتحول لممر دولي ملناش سيادة حقيقية عليه بعد ما دفعنا دم عشان يفضل تحت سيادتنا، مبيفكروش في تامينا في معارك قادمة ولا خلاص اسرائيل امان وحبيبة، حقيقي اللي لازم يتحمل المسئولية كاملة ويتجرس قبل السيسي هو الجيش من اكبر لؤاء لاصغر ضابط قرروا يفرطوا عادي
Colonels and military officials do not seem to care that Tiran's island strait will be an international maritime passage without any sovereignty from our behalf. Even after we fought for it, they do not think of securing us [Egyptians] from future battles; when did Israel become a friend? The one who should entirely bear responsibility is the army. They decided to let go so easily
The wave of rage extended to Twitter.
Many Egyptians, including human rights activists, journalists and politicians channeled their voices through a viral hashtag, namely “تيران_صنافير_مصرية” which translates to “Tiran and Sanafir are Egyptian”.
Journalist Amr Khalifa wrote on his Twitter account:
تبيع أرضك. تبيع عرضك .يبقى انت خاين. #تيران_صنافير_مصرية
End of text.
— Amr Khalifa (@Cairo67Unedited) June 10, 2017
When you sell your land, when you sell your honor, then you are a traitor
Activist Hazem Amin tweeted a photo of former President Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown in July 2013 by Sisi, saying:
يوم من الايام قطعناك عشان كنت هاتتنازل عن جزء من سيناء وطلع كله كذب !دلوقتي مش عارف اقولك ايه مين الخاين ومين اللي بايع #تيران_صنافير_مصرية pic.twitter.com/ALQNLR9KsI
— ولو بعد حين ! (@Hazem__Azim) June 11, 2017
One day we smeared you for intending to give up part of Sinai, which turned out to be untrue. Now, I do not know what to tell you. Who's the traitor and who sold [the lands]!
Meanwhile, calls for mass protests across the country spread in a viral hashtags: “نازلين بكرة عشان” which translates as “We are going down tomorrow” and “سقطت شرعيتك يا سيسي” which means “your legitimacy has fallen, Sisi”.
Egyptian politician Amr Abdelhady wrote:
رفض لبيع تيران و صنافير
قضائي
سياسي و #نازلين_بكره_عشان نقول للعالم ان كمان بيع الجزر مرفوض شعبيا
ادعو الله ان يفض عمر السيسي كما فض رابعه
— عمرو عبد الهادي (@amrelhady4000) June 15, 2017
The rejection to sell Tiran and Sanafir is judicial and political, and we go down tomorrow to tell the world that the people reject the sale of the islands. I pray to God to bring Sisi's life to an end as the latter brought Rabaa to an end
Activist Mohamed Emam tweeted:
لو مانزلناش البيع مش هيقف .. صفقة القرن أولها تيران وصنافير والجاي سيناء
يوم الجمعة القادم .. #سقطت_شرعيتك_ياسيسي pic.twitter.com/6S8xKC7lIL
— Mohamed Emam (@memam8) June 14, 2017
If we don't go down, the decision to sell will not be halted. Today's bargain started with Tiran and Sanafir and the next one will be Sinai. Next Friday [we go]. Your legitimacy has fallen, Sisi
Another Twitter user posted a photo, calling on people to head to streets:
#سقطت_شرعيتك_ياسيسي نزول الميادين يوم الجمعة ، ثوروا يرحمكم الله. pic.twitter.com/ufYqTOmxdj
— Ahmed Mahmoud (@AhmedMa30011773) June 14, 2017
We shall head to streets on Friday. Rebel!

author: Salma Essam


text:
Japanese Traditional Sweets Day Means Twitter Is Full of Mouth-Watering Photos of ‘Wagashi’ · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Making suisen manjuu (水仙まんじゅう) at Iseya, a traditional Japanese confectionery shop in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
June 16 is Japanese Traditional Sweets Day and Twitter users are uploading pictures of their favorite confections using the hashtag “#和菓子の日” (wagashi no hi).
Japanese traditional sweets, known as wagashi, have long been associated with good fortune and gift giving, and Traditional Sweets Day has been observed for more than a thousand years. Today, wagashi are still an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony, and the hundreds of varieties of confections are also a popular treat.
For example, dorayaki, a sort of pancake filled with sweet red bean paste, is still very much a popular snack.
Happy Wagashi Day! 6.16 = #和菓子の日 or Japanese Traditional Sweets Day ? pic.twitter.com/a7G8ehFPke
— Yuuki (@ore_english) June 15, 2017
To kick the day off, a Japanese yuru-kyara or mascot holding a dango, a popular traditional sweet, explained the origins of the day:
おおさか和菓子親善大使のたいしくんだよ！あした6月16日は、和菓子の日っ！むか～しむかしから、6月16日に16個のお菓子やおもちをたべて、健康でしあわせにくらせますようにとねがった「嘉祥（かじょう）（嘉定）」という行事があるんだよ。だからあしたは、「和菓子の日」だよ。#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/hHZDkVP1kM
— たいしくん (@taishi_cho) June 15, 2017
Hi, I'm Taishikun, Osaka's official wagashi ambassador. On June 16 it's wagashi no hi! Long ago, in the olden days, on the 16th we would eat 16 pieces of wagashi to ensure happiness. The day was originally call “kajou” (嘉祥, 嘉定). And so the 16th is wagashi no hi.
Yet another mascot, Gunma-chan, who represents the Japanese prefecture of Gunma, showed off some elaborate wagashi that are representative of the delicate details common in some varieties of Japanese sweets:
お昼のほっこりぐんまちゃん１
今日は和菓子の日との事なのでぐんまちゃんの和菓子を張って置こう
桐生の舟定さんの芸術品です＾＾#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/3YTXqJ26BR
— ぐんまちゃん投票応援アカウント (@gunmachan_toa) June 16, 2017
[…] Since today is wagashi no hi, here are some wagashi that look just like me, Gunma-chan. These were made in the city of Kiryu, in the mountains of Gunma.
Many people are uploading photos of their own favorite traditional treats:
今日は和菓子の日みたいなので！
いつぞやつくった桃山と練りきり
#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/hFjJonnThv
— さゆき (@_sayuki_12) June 17, 2016
It seems like today is wagashi no hi! Here's a photo of some momoyama (a confection made with rice flour) and nerikiri (a sweet made from white azuki bean paste, sugar and yamaimo, a kind of starchy mountain yam) that I ate a while ago.
先の2枚は浅草でよく食べる。あとの2枚は昔からの大好物(❁´ω`❁)
#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/a2QqToTUPt
— みずっち@羅夢 (@hibi_miz) June 16, 2017
[…] Here are some photos of my favorite Japanese traditional sweets. (❁´ω`❁)
Wagashi come in all shapes and sizes, some whimsical and others more like works of art.
和菓子♥
すごいおいしい。ありがたや。#写真撮ってる人と繋がりたい #写真 #和菓子の日 #フォロバ ←気になった人だけ pic.twitter.com/Pugo8hroQs
— ＭＡＭI (@sakura4200) June 17, 2016
These are super tasty #awesome_photos #photo #wagashinohi #follow_me
Just as wagashi are connected to traditional Japanese culture, so is the old imperial capital of Kyoto, which has its own traditions associated with the tea ceremony and sweet confections. One Japanese cafe has capitalized on wagashi no hi to invite people to try out its own beautiful creations in the lead up to the Gion Matsuri, one of the most famous festivals in Japan that is as old as the thousand-plus year-old tradition of wagashi no hi itself.
おはようございます。
少し蒸しますか？あと半月もすれば祇園祭…the京都の夏は近いようです。
喫茶去京極の一週間の始まりは金曜日「和菓子の日」本日も11時半open&ランチタイムスタートです☆
今週も宜しくお願いいたします！#清水寺 #和風カフェ#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/8Xk8N2922C
— 玉露cafe 喫茶去京極 (@gyokurocafe2008) June 16, 2017
Good morning! It's just a couple of weeks until the Gion Matsuri and the beginning of summer in Kyoto. […] Kyoguku, our traditional Japanese cafe, will be open today for wagashi no hi starting at 11:30AM. We hope to see you!
#Shimizu Temple #Japanesestylecafe #wagashinohi
Japanese wagashi are not just limited to delicate confections. Shaved ice, served with macha tea and a macha syrup, is also popular in some traditional Japanese cafes.
#和菓子の日 ということで抹茶ー♡ pic.twitter.com/JtXdRadQx9
— 香川愛生@17日JCGｼｬﾄﾞｳﾊﾞ-ｽ (@MNO_shogi) June 16, 2017
It's wagashi no hi, so we're having macha.
Of course, marketers are also trying to take advantage of the hashtag on June 16. Giant candy maker Glico reminded everyone about their own product. While not exactly a traditional, this Japanese snack has become popular all over the world.
一応、50年以上つづく日本発のお菓子なので。#和菓子の日 #ポッキー pic.twitter.com/FRJKa4fMOb
— pockypretz11 (@pockypretz11) June 16, 2017
It's been more than 50 years since this candy was first introduced to Japan. #wagashinohi
To see more photos of traditional Japanese sweets, follow the hashtag #和菓子の日 on Twitter.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
The Disturbing Wedding Trend in China of Groomsmen Sexually Assaulting Bridesmaids · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Screenshot from the viral video.
Teasing the bride and groom on their wedding day is part of Chinese marriage custom. However, in recent years, that custom has been twisted in an alarming way in mainland China to include groomsmen sexually assaulting bridesmaids.
The trend is in the spotlight thanks to two recent cases. The first is a viral video (content is disturbing) circulating on Chinese social media. The video shows a bridesmaid being restrained and sexually assaulted by two men in a vehicle in Xi'an city. The woman screams and struggles while the two men forcibly take off her underwear, laugh and command her to “make sex noises”.
The video was uploaded to social media on June 8 and went viral. Two days later on June 10, Xi’an police took a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old into custody; the victim, however, said she did not want to pursue the case against them.
Very often, the bridesmaids refrain from reporting the assault to the police as they don’t want to “taint” their best friend’s marriage with a criminal investigation. Moreover, it's likely the groomsmen or wedding guests would defend the assault claiming that it was part of the Chinese custom to “naohun” (闹婚) — which literally means “to make turbulence at a wedding”.
However, the concept of bridesmaids is very much Western, not Chinese. If you take a close look at the Chinese wedding custom, the Chinese bride is assisted by a “wedding master” (喜娘/大妗) who is supposed to know all the ritualistic etiquette. Marriage was mostly by arrangement in China until the late 1900s. It is customary for wedding guests to compel the groom into drinking as well as to tease the bride to “encourage” them for their first night together. In some regions, wealthy families would hire prostitutes to entertain the guests, but that was not part of the customary practice.
But now, the “naohun” custom has somehow provided an excuse for sexual assault and harassment during weddings.
Another recent case of “naohun” taken to disturbing lengths ended in tragedy on June 13 in Guangzhou with the death of one of the bridesmaids.
According to witness accounts as reported by local media outlets, after the groomsmen handed over the customary red packet gift for the bride’s family, the family opened the door. The men rushed in and chased after the bridesmaids who ran upstairs to hide. One of the bridesmaids who hid on the fourth floor was killed when she fell from a balcony.
Though the case is still under investigation, netizens could not help but associate the bridesmaid’s death with “naohun”. Below are some comments in a news thread on Chinese social media platform Weibo:
做伴娘要不被性侵强奸，要不被弄死，风险真大，
Bridesmaid is such a high risk role — sexual harassment, rape and now death.
失足？无人推无人挤会失足？玩伴娘摸奶猥亵还不够？草菅人命的恶俗风气，政府要出面治一治了！
Accident? How could she fall if no one pushed her? Sexual harassment and groping breasts is not enough? If the custom is so vulgar and harms people’s lives, the government should intervene.
As for the viral video, both state-affiliated news outlets and netizens condemned the two men who attacked the woman. But after local news reported that the bridesmaid had forgiven the two men because they were acquaintances, some turned their anger on the bridesmaid:
我们都以为伴娘受了委屈，在网上声讨，谁知道人家自己根本不追责
We thought the bridesmaid was bullied and we slammed the men online, now she doesn’t want to pursue the case.
既然你愿意被摸，以后发视频的时候尽量开心点。别让我们误会
If you really want to be touched, please act happy in future videos. Don’t misguide us.
Some were more sympathetic towards the bridesmaid’s decision. Weibo user “I love Google” commented on a news thread:
知道受害者为什么不打算追责吗？因为都是亲戚同乡，对方肯定出动大批人出来说情，受害人不给面子，以后在本地就很难待下去。但嫌疑人触犯的是刑法，受害人不追责，也应该提起公诉，公安和检察部门不要尸位素餐。
Do you want to know why the victim does not want to pursue the case? Because they have a kinship affiliation. The other side must have mobilized social pressure, accusing the victim of making them lose face and she probably couldn't stay in the local community if she pursued the case. However, the case is criminal in nature. Even if the victim does not want to pursue, authorities can file charges. The police and prosecutors should perform their duty.
Lawyer Ye Xuefei also argued in legal terms that the police should pursue criminal charges against the two suspects regardless of the bridesmaid's decision:
根据视频记录，两名男子已经涉嫌强制猥亵罪，该案属于公诉案件，只要公安机关立案受理，不以受害人不追责而撤销。受害人不追责可以认为是对嫌疑人行为的谅解，只能影响量刑，不影响定罪
Judging from the video, the two men allegedly committed sexual assault. It is a case for the public prosecutor, which means if the public security authorities take that as evidence, regardless of the victim's attitude, they could pursue it. The attitude of the victim has an impact on the sentencing, not the conviction.
Wang Zhian, who works in media, made a sarcastic remark on using Chinese custom as an excuse to “forgive” a criminal act:
这算什么性骚扰？闹伴娘是中国千百年来的文化传统，正准备申请非物质文化遗产。这是怎么了？怎么能用西方那一套资产阶级的标准来审视中国的传统文化？今后哪个中年男子还敢去参加别人的婚礼？
How can that be sexual harassment? Teasing the bridesmaid is Chinese culture and tradition and we are ready to apply for it to be declared [UNESCO] Intangible Cultural Heritage. How can we use Western capitalist values to examine Chinese custom? If so, no men would dare to attend another's wedding.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Witch Doctors’ Latest Victims Are Bald Men in Mozambique, Police Say · Global Voices
Dércio Tsandzana

Police in Zambézia warn the population that bald men in Mozambique could be the target of attacks. Photo: Anders Bolin/Flickr, CC-BY-NC 2.0
A new phenomenon of kidnapping bald people for organ trafficking, reportedly for superstitious reasons, is worrying the police in Mozambique’s Zambézia province, whose government launched a series of operations to curb the practice.
At the beginning of June, three men were killed in the district of Milange, a few kilometres from the Malawian border. One of the victims was found decapitated and with parts of his organs removed. Two men were arrested and subsequently admitted that the organs were to be used by witch doctors in Tanzania and Malawi.
The motive behind the killings is local superstitions which hold that the head of a bald man contains gold or can bring riches, a Zambézia’s police spokesperson told the BBC. This is the first time bald men have been the subject of recorded attacks in Mozambique.
But there have been other instances in the country where killings motivated by dark magic have been reported, particularly affecting albino people. The situation became so dire that the United Nations was compelled to conduct a mission in 2016 to investigate the practice in the Southeast African nation.
The persecution of people with albinism has been reported in other countries in Southern Africa, in particular neighbouring Tanzania, where the government has been developing campaigns to combat superstition and prejudice and arresting suspects.
In Mozambique, some people took to social media to discuss this latest attacks against bald men in the country.
Ukombe Weya, a resident of the city of Maputo, gave a warning to those intending to travel there.
Atenção Homens calvos viajando para Moçambique
Homens calvos em Moçambique estão sendo alvo de ataques rituais, alertou a polícia Moçambicana, após o recente assassinato de três homens calvos para as partes dos seus corpos. Dois suspeitos foram presos no distrito central de Milange, onde ocorreram os assassinatos.
Warning for bald men travelling to Mozambique
Bald men in Mozambique are being targeted by ritual attacks, the Mozambican police warned, after the recent killing of three bald men for body parts. Two suspects were arrested in the central district of Milange, where the murders happened.
Hussene Algy Adamo, a student living in the city of Inhambane, in southern Mozambique, said that the local police were already dealing with the case:
PRM acredita no envolvimento de curandeiros na morte de homens calvos vulgo carecas.
A perseguição e assassinato de indivíduos calvos para a extracção e venda dos seus órgãos, no distrito de Morrumbala, província da Zambézia, para presumíveis rituais supersticiosos, tem motivações culturais e é encomendada pelos médicos tradicionais, considera a Polícia da República de Moçambique (PRM), que indica, também, existir uma crença segundo a qual as vítimas têm, na cabeça, algum poder que gera fortuna. Nos últimos dias, pelos três homens com problemas de calvície foram mortos naquela parcela do país.
PRM believes witch doctors are involved in the death of bald men.
The tracking and murder of bald individuals for the theft and sale of their organs, in Morrumbala district, Zambézia province, for presumed superstitious rituals, has cultural motivations and is ordered by traditional healers, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) believes, which also indicates the existence of a belief that the victims have, in the head, some power which generates wealth. In recent days, three men with problems with baldness were killed in that part of the country.
Angela Ferreira Samantha shared on Facebook a report by the blogger Armen Snaippa, who suggested that the issue is part of the larger social challenges affecting Mozambique:
EU QUERIA UM MOÇAMBIQUE COM VERGONHA NA CARA
Um país onde as pessoas tivessem vergonha de sair a rua vestidas como se fossem a gravação de um filme porno, onde os professores tivessem vergonha de pedir sexo em troca de notas e as alunas de oferecer sexo em troca de notas, emprego e outros benefícios, uma nação onde as pessoas procurassem empregos honestos e não tivessem que ferir ou mesmo tirar a vida dos outros para ganhar o seu pão, um país onde não se caçassem nem albinos e nem calvos ou carecas para práticas obscuras ou de “magia negra” visando o enriquecimento fácil.
I WOULD LIKE A MOZAMBIQUE WITH A SENSE OF SHAME
A country where people were ashamed to go outside dressed as if it was a porn movie shoot, where the teachers were ashamed to ask for sex in exchange for grades and the students were ashamed to offer sex for grades, jobs, and other benefits, a nation where the people looked for honest jobs and did not have to hurt or even take the lives of others to earn their bread, a country where neither albinos nor bald people were hunted for dark practices or “black magic” aimed at easy enrichment.
Despite the seriousness of the events, some did not miss the chance for a bit of macabre humor. Zenaida Machado, a researcher with Human Rights Watch in Angola and Mozambique, and an avid Twitter user, took to the platform to point out that the Morrumbala district chief Pedro Sapange and Zambezia police spokesman Inácio Dina were both bald.
Mozambican authorities are extremely worried about the ritual killings of bald people. ? pic.twitter.com/SLBWgBGgEH
— Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) 8 juin 2017

author: Dércio Tsandzana


text:
A Cuban Writes to Donald Trump · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

“Havana”. Photo by Flickr user Pedro Szekely. Used under CC 2.0 license.
Donald Trump:
Do you happen to know the meaning of dignity?
The measures that you announced today, President Trump, are pathetic. As pathetic as that group of people who call themselves Cubans, and who gathered around the leader of another country to beg him to economically strangle their own. Those who yell “Long Live Free Cuba” from the other side of the Straits of Florida, or the congressman who can barely pronounce the word “freedom” with the beauty and looseness of the Spanish language. The measures you announced today are disrespectful of the Cuban government and disrespectful of the Cuban people. They are disrespectful of me.
An absolute arrogance—a word that not by chance rhymes with “ignorance”—has characterized all your presidency, and reached a turning point today, June 16, 2017. It is not possible to ask to a president who is incapable of understanding the fundamentals of climate change—which is especially noticeable in the state where his most cherished property is located—to understand the complexities of a country like Cuba. A president who has been unable to commit to the future of humanity, who is incapable of committing to the future of a small Caribbean island and its citizens. And it would have been extremely simple. All the Cuban citizens have asked of the United States since forever is respect. And the only thing we didn't get this June 16 was precisely that—respect.
At the beginning of my letter, Mr. President, I asked if you knew the meaning of the word dignity. It is easy for a ruler to have dignity. He or she doesn't have to choose what to eat, where to sleep, what his or her kids wear. It is people, not governments, who can fancy themselves dignified, because they are the ones who face tough decisions. I come from a poor, dignified family. People who were born poor and dignified, and who have remained poor and dignified for almost three generations. Primary school teachers, librarians, school aides, technicians, cowboys, farmers. When my mother asked what I wanted to study if I managed to go to university, I, a 9-year old girl, answered “Anything but a teacher because I don't want us to be so poor”.
The windows of my mother's bedroom were paid for with the profits from selling two orphaned sheep we had fed with baby bottles. I have had the same bed for 25 years. I remember each pair of my shoes since sixth grade, because I have only had three. I could tell you about the first time I saw a foreigner throwing candies out of his rental car on Guanabo Beach, because never before had I seen candies of such colors. I remember every book I read from seventh to ninth grade because they saved me from the so-called Special Period.
Even with all these economic hardships, somehow I managed to be happy. Mangoes, tomato season, and the mountains that surrounded my house made me happy. I invented a thousand stories to make some sense of our economic poverty and turn it to spiritual richness. One day, I told my friends from school that if you follow the track across the mountain behind my house, you could arrive at Guantanamo Bay. There were so many repeated stories and mysteries around that place that wasn't yet a torture camp, but a space for Cuban fishermen, that brought it close to me. I told them about the minefields, the sea, the Cuban soldiers’ faces, the American faces, the camping tents. Poverty taught me to imagine. I don't think all kids should have to be poor in order to develop their imaginations. All I am saying is that, somehow, maybe in a manner that's somewhat twisted, we have learned to overcome reality barriers.
You can hear stories like these in any Cuban street. On December 17, 2014, Barack Obama showed that another reality was possible. But to be fair, we have learned to be mistrustful. I am sure the measures announced today took few Cubans by surprise. We have learned to wait and hope for the worse and celebrate the good, when it comes. It almost never comes. Not the wage increases, the Internet access we need, the Constitutional reforms we ask for; not the prosperous economy or the sustainable socialism—nothing. Instead we had immigration reform, the end of the carte blanche, the opening up of the private sector, the ability to buy and sell cars and houses and another bunch of favors euphemistically disguised as “reforms”.  In this back and forth between people and government we have accomplished things, and other things, age-old debts of a country to its people, start to crumble.
Repeat after me, Mr. President: “Access to education should be free and universal”. This is not a Bernie Sanders issue, is an objective that several countries infinitely poorer than yours have managed to achieve. Repeat after me, President: “Access to health care should be free and universal”. Another nice way for not only Cuba, but also Switzerland, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, to ridicule your country. A huge international conspiracy to put the United States in an awkward position.
Individual trips by American citizens are done. Do you know whom this decision harms? Firstly: the people of your country; a country that boasts of its freedom and that allows its government to limit its freedom of movement (enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Secondly: the government of your country. What kind of global power believes that allowing its people to travel to an island with 11 million inhabitants and a president named Castro could enrich only that government? Have you ever seen someone from the Cuban government cleaning Saratoga Hotel rooms, serving in the taverns and restaurants proliferating across Havana, planting the organic food Americans want so badly? Have you seen Raúl Castro selling souvenirs in Cathedral Plaza? Have you seen José Ramón Machado Ventura taking a bus to get to work early? Have you seen Ramiro Valdés’ house listed on Airbnb? Or Miguel Díaz Canel offering round-trip airport taxi service to a Kentucky citizen? Is Lázara Mercedes López Acea cleaning bathrooms in Terminal 3? I'll help you with the answer: No. It is not only the aforementioned persons who benefit from the increase in American tourism to our island. The government takes its cut, obviously—you should know that since you are a now in government—but also the common citizen: the waitress, the farmer, the taxi driver, the cleaning lady….
You didn't even have George W. Bush's courage to halt money transfers, travels and visas. Your measures are barely containment rules to appease Marco Rubio—your presidential campaign adversary who ridiculed you on several occasions, not because he's especially brilliant, but because it's so easy to mock you. Your measures reek of cowardice. They're a smoke screen. A distraction to keep the American people focused on something besides what really matters to the country. Meaning not even the future, but the current state of the country. Your measures, President, are the result of political arrogance and disrespect. Other countries may yield to your country. Cuba has never done so and won't start now. Maybe the deal with Obama is totally fucked. But our dignity remains intact.

author: Elaine Díaz