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“Take the Right Side in the Struggle of the Oppressed”: A Letter to John Kerry from Kilinto Prison, Ethiopia · Global Voices
Advox

Scan of original letter from Natnael Feleke.
On April 25, 2014, nine bloggers and journalists were arrested in Ethiopia on accusations of “inciting public disorder via social media” and “receiving support from a foreign government.” The detainees had all worked with Zone9, a collective blog that covered social and political issues in Ethiopia and promoted human rights and government accountability. In July 2014, all nine detainees were charged under the country’s penal code and the Terrorism Proclamation of 2009.
The following letter, addressed to US Secretary of State John Kerry, was written by economics student Natnael Feleke, in December 2014. A founding member of the Zone9 blogging collective and a Global Voices author, Natnael has been in prison for one year.
Natnael spoke with Kerry at a public event at Addis Ababa University in 2013, where he studied before his arrest. His meeting with Kerry has now become part of the case against him. In this letter, smuggled out of Kilinto prison where Feleke is being held, he asks the United States government to reconsider its support for the Ethiopian government. The following text has been edited only for grammar and spelling.
Dear Sir,
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude, and that of my friends here in Kilinto prison, for the concern you and your government expressed about our arrest.
Back in 2004, it was during the US presidential election that I first came to know about you. Although I was little cognizant about US politics (or politics in general), I discussed the campaigns and possible outcome of the election with my schoolmates. A few months later, the historic 2005 Ethiopian national election took place. This election differed from previous ones in that the process up to polling day was mostly democratic. This left many Ethiopians hoping they would witness the first democratic change of government in the country's history. But it was not to be. After realizing they had miscalculated winning the election without rigging, the true face of the regime reemerged. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the much hoped about election was bloodshed of civilians and the arrest of thousands, including journalists and opposition leaders. At just seventeen years old back then, the election provided me with the first real experience of democratic practice in which I could grasp the significance of the events. It also left in me a desire to follow and seriously consider the political situation unfolding in the country.
It could be said that it was this interest and commitment that led my friends and I to find each other and form the bloggers’ and pro-democracy activist group we called Zone9. All nine members of Zone9 are young and passionate about contributing to the democratization process in the country. It was under the aim of creating a platform for our fellow Ethiopian youth to discuss political, economic and social issues of the country that we launched our blog, with the motto — “we blog because we care.”
Although our arrest came almost two years after the launch of the blog, our blog was blocked in Ethiopia early on. Understanding this to be a not-so-surprising interference, we continued to share our views and campaigns on different issues via social media. Of course, finally, the regime took the drastic measure of arresting six of the Zone9ers and three journalists that have nothing to do with Zone9. Whenever Ethiopians demand and exercise their constitutional rights openly, the regime resorts to its security apparatus to silence them. This was what happened in our case. We are now facing fifteen years to life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Natnael Feleke with John Kerry, 2013.
After I met you in Addis Ababa University, the current minister of foreign affairs invited me and a couple of other friends to his office for a free discussion in which | raised my concern about the regime's deliberate tactics employed to push young citizens away from participating in politics freely by making it a perilous engagement. I tried to highlight the negative impact this is inflicting on the political sphere. I told him that I was risking a lot merely by expressing my thoughts freely. At that time, my arrest was only an abstract possibility.
The absolutist regime, using its security apparatus, continues still today to silence any form of dissent using the unconstitutional anti-terrorism law enacted in 2009. This has made it practically impossible for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights without risking a jail term or being forced into exile. Because of the repressive regime, the Ethiopian constitution is powerless to protect citizens from being abused psychologically and physically.
It is quite common for the federal police and the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to use force to solicit confessions from suspects being investigated. My friends and I fell victim to this type of abuse at the federal police crime investigation sector commonly known as Maekelawi. The abuses they commit include beatings with electric wire (after forcing the suspect to be naked), forcing suspects to do heavy physical exercise, interrogation with minimal rest, and keeping suspects in solitary confinement, a two-by-two dark room, until suspects agree to incriminate themselves and others. This happens to suspects regardless of the crime they are suspected of, their age, sex, or health condition. The torture gets stronger in NISS. I felt a great deal of agony when I learned three Oromo university students confessed to committing a particular crime, all in an effort to save their lives. One of them allegedly committed suicide while in NISS custody.
We spent the first 85 days of our arrest at the federal police crime investigate sector where nine of us were kept separately in rooms that were locked all day without access to natural light. We were given a 20-minute toilet break twice a day. In case of emergency, one had to be lucky enough to get an understanding officer or serve himself in a bucket within the room. The rooms were very crowded, with suspects from all over the country. We slept, ate and did whatever we had to do in the little space available. The suffocation was sometimes unbearable. In the last decade, no independent humanitarian or human rights organization has been granted access to visit the facility.
The overall investigation was ridiculous. I was, for instance, repeatedly asked what kind of relationship I had with you, how and why I was invited to the BBC'S Hardtalk program and about the question I raised for you. Similarly my engagement with the German foreign minister and representatives of other countries and international organizations was also part of the investigation. My reply to the inquiries of the police is included in my statement to the police. I can't figure out its relevance in an investigation of a suspected terrorist.
To be honest with you, how much time I will be spending in prison is not the most pressing issue on my mind right now. Rather, I am worried about the amount of additional sacrifice required until the international community, specifically your government, will assume a firm pragmatic stance in demanding fundamental progress in the democratization process of the country against the billions of dollars pouring the regime's way. I don't want you to get me wrong here. It is not that I don't appreciate the earnest assistance being forwarded to the development process in my country. It is just that I strongly believe effective monitoring of such assistance can only be employed where there is a government accountable to its people. It is ironic that the world's top recipient of development assistance is without effective monitoring and accountability.
On top of this, I am certain you share the view that international relationships should be built on values to which both sides adhere, if it is meant to be durable. In his book The Audacity of Hope, President Obama states that the true test of what we really value is where we invest the time, energy and money that we have. I understand the difficulty you face in striking a balance between maintaining security and stability and promoting democratization in your foreign policy. But sustainable stability can only be achieved through a democratically elected government and a state institution trusted by the people. As US national interests are built on core values of liberty and democracy, I have hope and confidence that you will adopt a new stance that forges a clearer relationship between any form of assistance and the democratization process.
Having said all this, I want to assure you that I understand the question of liberty and democracy in Ethiopia should be primarily answered by Ethiopians ourselves. Ultimately, it is the “willingness to suffer and sacrifice [for our cause],” in the words of Madiba, that will determine our fate. The evidence continues to mount in support of the assertion that the oppressed Ethiopian people are left with no alternative to violence. I don't think it is in the best interest of humanity to sit back and wait for the stick that will break the camel's back. I think it is time for the international community, led by your government, to take the right side in the struggle for the rights of the oppressed.
Yours sincerely,
Natnael Feleke
Download a PDF scan of Natnael's original letter


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Watch Serj Tankian’s ‘100 Years’ Commemoration Video for the Armenian Genocide Centennial · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Serj Tankian performing in “100 years”. Source: Screenshot from the music video.
Serj Tankian is best known as the frontman of alternative metal/hard rock band System of a Down with whom he has been playing with since 1994. The band's relationship to the Armenian Genocide is a rather direct one: they're all Armenian-Americans and themselves descendants of survivors of the Genocide. Tankian himself has already distinguished himself as a passionate activist for a variety of causes, from criticizing the US prison system to environmental issues.
Needless to say, the struggle for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is particularly important to him. As he recently told Rolling Stones magazine, speaking of justice:
I think for us it's important for Turkey to know its own history in a truthful manner. It's not just about the genocide of the Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians, but what's going on now. There are no executable international agreements that have to do with stopping the genocide. Irrespective of a number of great U.N. bodies and even U.S.-based bodies in terms of genocide prevention, there's no binding resolution on any genocide or holocaust occurring. We still see them happening. I read in today's press that they discovered a mass grave in Deir Ezzor in Syria of ISIS massacres of this one tribe there, and it reminded me of all the bones that are under those sands in Deir Ezzor from the first genocide of the 20th century in the exact same place. If that's not symbolism, I don't know what is.
Global Voices was at the latest System of a Down concert, part of the band's “Wake Up The Souls” tour in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. The band gave a free concert on April 23 (the night before the Official Centenary) in Yerevan's Republic Square which was attended by thousands of Armenians, as well as Georgians, Iranians, Ukrainians, among others.
Serj Tankian playing in Yerevan's Republic Square on the 23rd of April 2015. Photo by Joey Ayoub. More Photos.
But if metal isn't your thing, don't despair. Tankian is a prolific artist. His video ‘100 years’ features Duduk (Armenian flute), Daouli (regional drum), Lyra (regional stringed bowed instrument) and Kanun (regional string instrument) musicians as well as guitar, piano and violin with him on vocals. This beautiful performance echoes the heavy history suffered by Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.
As its description states: “the video is a somber commemoration to honor the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian victims of the first genocide of the 20th century.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Were Turkmen Dissidents Wrong to Publish a Video of Schoolgirls ‘Turning Up the Love’ on Their YouTube Channel? · Global Voices
Anna Fergana

First grade Turkmen schoolgirls. All schoolgirls in Turkmenistan, like female news presenters and cabinet ministers, are obliged to wear national dress. Photo taken from Radio Free Europe's Turkmen service. Used under creative commons.
“We are one, tonight, and we are breathing the same air,” sings a Turkmen schoolgirl into a mop in a mobile-made video that currently has close to 50,000 hits on YouTube. The amateur dance routine she performed with her friends to the Far East Movement’s well-known groove ‘Turn Up the Love’ earned her fame across the planet, including in Turkmenistan, where authorities are allegedly investigating the incident and confiscating mobile phones from schoolchildren.
The clip is innocent, if perhaps slightly rebellious, fun. The problem is that in Turkmenistan, schoolchildren are not breathing the same air as their counterparts elsewhere in the world. The country is in a small elite of repressive states that includes neighbouring Uzbekistan, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia and others. In 2004 it was the Economist's ‘World's Worst’ place to live.
For this reason, the decision of the Turkmen Chronicles news blog to publish — or republish –the video via their TurkmenDissidentTV YouTube channel is problematic, given that it associates the girls with a website banned in Turkmenistan and well-known for producing material that is consistently critical of authorities.
The author of the article on the news blog writes Turkmen authorities are unhappy with the video and have held massive inspections across schools in Lebap province where it was supposedly filmed. Representatives of the prosecutor's office are reportedly checking mobile phones for video and photo content and confiscating them.
Global Voices could not find prior versions of the clip despite the fact the author suggests the video “appeared on the networks” before appearing on the dissident YouTube channel.  Moreover, the schoolgirls faces are fully visible and easily identifiable. The clip is here.
Typically, discussions of the video on YouTube and on the Turkmen Chronicles’ website had political overtones, which may not have helped the girls’ cause in a state where internet discussions are tightly monitored:
Nijat Guluzade wrote from another authoritarian state across the Caspian Sea:
Kan Torren saw the seeds of mass disobedience:
Пророческими оказались слова из «Гимна демократической молодежи мира»: Песнь “СВОБОДЫ” запевает молодежь, молодежь, молодежь, Эту песню не задушишь, не убьешь, не убьешь, не убьешь…)))
The words of the “Hymn of Democratic Youth of the World” turn out to be prophetic: Freedom! Sings youth, youth, youth, this song cannot be strangled or killed, killed, killed …)))
MegaWolkov questions the dissident channel's purpose in publishing the video:
TurkmenDissidentTV name ucin edyan buzatlary? nameden nedowolny sen? Sen politika garshy hereket edyan, bu bolsa halky masgara etya ayyr gayrat etde
Why do you do these things? What are you unhappy with? You work on political issues, and this video shames the nation. Remove it please.
Server Illiyev also criticised the channel:
вам тока подавай дерьмо размажете не только на себя но и на других
You only want to receive some shit to spread it around yourself and others.
The channel's administrator replied:
Мен наоборот очень довольный. Молодцы девушки, отрываются. Ничего предосудительного здесь нет.Счастливые дети для вас масгара?
On the contrary I'm very happy. The girls did a good job and are having fun. There is nothing wrong with it. Happy children is a shame for you?
But Guncha Halmyradova argued:
девченки веселятся, ничего плохого в этом нет, не правильно поступил тот кто выложил видео в социальную сеть.
The girls are having fun. Nothing wrong with that. The people that put in on the social networks did the wrong thing.
In Turkmenistan, where patriarchy is enforced from the president down, some suggested it was immoral to dance provocatively to Western music:
Aziz Nazarov:
что вы творите? как же вам не стыдно, разве мусульманка должна быть такой?
What are you doing? Shame on you. Should a Muslim woman behave like this?
But these voices of morality were quickly met by criticism from a pro-childhood camp.
Bill Uoker wrote:
net musulmanka doljna yexat v siriyu i ucastvot v seks cixade…a eti devki vmesto etoqo poyut inastrannuyu pesnyu…
No. A muslim woman should go to Syria to participate in a sex jihad…while these girls instead dare to sing a foreign song…
There has been no news of the girls’ fate since the publication of the video.

author: Anna Fergana


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Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemorated in Egypt · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Armenian community in Egypt marched to  commemorate the Armenian Genocide Centennial. Photograph shared on Facebook by Kegham Karsian
Egyptian Armenians joined millions of people around the world to mark the Armenian Genocide Centennial yesterday [April 24].
The day marks the date when Ottoman authorities began rounding up around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, paving the way for the Armenian Genocide in which an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated between 1915 and 1918.
“Members of the Armenian community in Egypt commemorated the Armenian Genocide centennial at Egypt's Unknown Solider Memorial in Nasr City in a rally led by the scout boys and girls of  The Armenian community in Egypt,” writes Egyptian blogger Zeinobia, on her blog the Egyptian Chronicles.
Armenians, says Zeinobia, have had a long and vibrant history in Egypt. She writes:
The Egyptian Armenian community has got a very long history in Egypt since the Middle ages and the rule of Mamluks. It is enough already that Queen or Sultana Shajar Al-Durr was said to be of Armenian origins according to some historical accounts.
In 19th century, the Egyptian Armenian community began to participate effectively in building the Modern Egypt we know now. We had several ministers in the 19th century from Armenian origin above them Nubar Pasha, Egypt’s first Prime minister.
After the Armenian genocide and its forced migration, Egypt received many of the refugees and survivors who found safe haven in this country.
Also Read: Millions of People Around the World Commemorate the Armenian Genocide
Zeinobia continues:
After 1952 and the nationalization policies adopted later by Nasser’s administration, many Egyptian Armenians left Egypt to Europe and to the United States.
Nevertheless, there are still thousands of Egyptian Armenians living now in Egypt quietly.
Most Egyptians now do not know that the Armenian community still got two daily Armenian newspapers and an Armenian school still operating in Cairo since the 19th century.
Already I pass by Kalousidan School, Egypt’s oldest private school in Boulaq, Cairo every day on my way to work.
There are two daily Armenian newspapers published in Egypt: Housaper and Arev. Both newspapers are among the oldest private daily newspapers in Egypt.
Egypt Does Not Recognise the Armenian Genocide
Despite this, the Egyptian government does not recognise the Armenian genocide. The Big Pharaoh comments:
In spite of current anti-Turkey sentiment and policy, Egypt does not recognize the #ArmenianGenocide.
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) April 24, 2015
Egyptian Amro Ali laments:
testimonies, photos, mass graves, news reporting as it unfolded, 100 yrs of scholarship – yet sadly denial of the #ArmenianGenocide persists
— Amro Ali (@_amroali) April 25, 2015
The Big Pharaoh shares this photograph from the event in Cairo:
Armenians in Egypt commemorated the 100th anniversary of the #ArmenianGenocide at Cairo's memorial of unkown soldier pic.twitter.com/3fxUEogAzB
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) April 24, 2015
And on Facebook, Kegham Karsian shares a photo album from the event.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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At Least 115 Children Killed as a Result of War in Yemen · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen said there were 7.9 million children among the 15.9 million people – 60 per cent of the total population – in need of humanitarian assistance in war-torn Yemen. The increasing violence in Yemen is taking an intolerable toll on children. UNICEF stated that at least 115 children have been killed and 172 maimed as a result of conflict in Yemen since 26 March. It believes that these are conservative numbers as the verification process is ongoing and that the total number of children killed or maimed is likely to be higher.
At least 115 children killed & 172 maimed in deadly month-long fighting in #Yemen http://t.co/Xay1qCfxNy @UNICEFmedia pic.twitter.com/SfRU89VD8R
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) April 24, 2015
Arab coalition forces have been pounding Yemen with airstrikes since March 26. Their assault has not been limited to military sites or the main target of the campaign, the Houthis, who had taken control of Yemen's capital Sana'a in January.
There is also massive destruction in the beautiful southern port city Aden, where the Houthis have been launching their response along with militias loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdulla Saleh, who was forced to step down after three decades in power, following popular protests in 2011.
As usual children are the ones most traumatised and victimised in any war, yet in the war in Yemen, some of them are both soldiers killing and victims being killed.
Julien Harneis, Unicef’s representative in Yemen, said:
We are seeing children in battle, at checkpoints and unfortunately among [those] killed and injured,” during a stop in Geneva…There are children dying in bombings in the north … and by very intense battles in Aden and Daleh. All of the parties to the conflict are to blame
He added, staff of Unicef and its partners had estimated that around 30 per cent of fighters in the armed groups were minors:
UNICEF believes 30% of Yemen fighters are children, killing and being killed. http://t.co/E9fHuEDr5I pic.twitter.com/hU1RfVuSJ0
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) April 10, 2015
Children fighting
Militancy over Education? Children turning to arms and not books…. to fight alongside Houthis. #Yemen #اليمن pic.twitter.com/WHxzpx3yFF
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 20, 2015
#Yemen #Houthis militia hire young army . pic.twitter.com/mI90vLrBEB
— Hamzah alkamaly (@hamzaalkamaly) April 8, 2015
Defending their homes
Activist asked children:what're U doin here?They said:it's a check point 2 prevent houthi militia from coming #Aden pic.twitter.com/5SiM0mMt4Y
— amal suqaf (@amalsuqaf) April 8, 2015
Injured and killed by it
More than 400 children have been killed or injured from #Saudi Airstrikes according to #Yemen Health Ministry, #اليمن pic.twitter.com/2Ujnpg2i7n
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 11, 2015
Child…casualty of war. Father carrying his killed son to his grave. #Yemen #OpDecisiveStorm #عاصفة_الحزم #اليمن pic.twitter.com/eDbCe5uMOk
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 19, 2015
"Hevey shelling in #Aden killed the child Anas, he was in his room playing you see how threatening he was!! pic.twitter.com/futo0VbJbb"
— Thana Faroq (@Thanafaroq) April 4, 2015
Sara 10 killed by sniper few days ago N #aden was playin w siblings @home,fall down&didn't getup again #AdenBleeding pic.twitter.com/aQRTl0mm8b
— Rasha Jarhum (@RashaJarhum) April 22, 2015
PR-CHILD KILLED AND 48 INJURED FOLLOWING HUGE MILITARY EXPLOSION IN SANA’A RESIDENTIAL AREA #yemenchildren #Yemen https://t.co/x3ZakFdUDo
— Save the Children YE (@sciyemen) April 22, 2015
Another child (4 years) added to AlHothis & Saleh victims in #Aden -South #yemen. Killed today by sniper's bullet. pic.twitter.com/y6F0MmZdmu
— Mohammed Alyazedi (@MohamedAlyazedy) April 22, 2015
Loosing families and homes
“Ruins are all over. Please stop this war.” Nesmah, 13, from Aden, #Yemen. Via @UNICEF_Yemen pic.twitter.com/LViLrsrnj0
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) April 16, 2015
This kid lost his parents in a Saudi airstrike outside Sanaa #Yemen Dear #KSA, his house is not aHouthi military base pic.twitter.com/00Ny45KJZ5
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 5, 2015
Traumatised by it
This war will have its biggest impact on children, let alone the infrastructure that has been destroyed.#SaveYemen
— Zaid al-Alaya'a (@zaidaahmed) April 11, 2015
Kids taking refuge against wall, covering ears from loud explosions, watching sky for hell coming from above #Yemen pic.twitter.com/TGnd78nsJ6
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) April 16, 2015
Hisham Al-Omeisy ( gives a first hand recount of how his children are traumatised to BBC World Service Radio:
Children of Yemen draw war images instead of flowers.#YemenVoices @HelenClarkUNDP @UNICEF_Yemen @UNDP @miktanaka pic.twitter.com/G29meANyuz
— UNDP Yemen (@UNDPYEMEN) April 14, 2015
Six year old Wigdan woke up to bullets and shrapnel close to her bed. RT to tell the world her story #yemen pic.twitter.com/4Fq21urtOG
— UNICEF Yemen (@UNICEF_Yemen) April 19, 2015
Carrying the burden
Poor child insists on selling flower necklaces though streets are empty & airstrike from above. #Yemen #اليمن pic.twitter.com/IARqV0ELV9
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 17, 2015
War in #Aden did not stop even children from cleaning streets in the absence of a government. #Yemen #اليمن pic.twitter.com/PCtTbXcDIU
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 14, 2015
Humanitarian crises forces children to help their family survive the war in #Yemen #اليمن pic.twitter.com/XYgcEfLZjm
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) April 12, 2015
"If it happens and I die say that im a nice kid helping my dad and i don't get scared when I hear explosions" #Yemen pic.twitter.com/9tOl8OLVZR
— Everyday Yemen (@everydayyemen) April 6, 2015
Hoping for peace
"We want to be safe. I want to go to school, play and be happy. No more war." #YemenChildren, via @UNICEF_Yemen pic.twitter.com/vlzaUIQ7r9
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) April 9, 2015
A cry for peace from the children of Yemen to their rulers and to the world to end the war.

author: Noon Arabia


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Mapping Cambodia’s Land Concessions · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Licadho, a Cambodian human rights group, has released its dataset of land concessions approved by the government in the past years. The group is now urging the government to release all records related to the land contracts it awarded to domestic and foreign companies. According to activists, many of these concessions were given at the expense of small farmers who were subsequently evicted from their villages.
Land contracts awarded to foreign companies in Cambodia. Green represents Vietnamese companies, Red areas are Chinese-owned, and Yellow for Malaysian firms. Image from Licadho.

author: Mong Palatino


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Millions of People Around the World Commemorate the Armenian Genocide · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Armenian Genocide Centenary march in Yerevan, April 24. Photo by Joey Ayoub.
Millions of people marched on April 24 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide Centennial. The day marks the date when Ottoman authorities began rounding up around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, paving the way for the Armenian Genocide in which an estimated 1-1.5 million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated between 1915 and 1918.
In Yerevan, hundreds of thousands of Armenians and foreigners took part in a massive march from Republic Square to Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial. This Global Voices author participated and took photographs.
Armenian Genocide Centenary march in Yerevan, April 24. Photo by Joey Ayoub.
Armenians and supporters arrive at Tsitsernakaberd, April 24. Photo taken by Joey Ayoub
The eternal flame is seen as a man lays a flower inside Tsitsernakaberd, April 24. Photo Taken by Joey Ayoub.
Armenians and supporters arrive laying flowers inside Tsitsernakaberd, April 24. Photo Taken by Joey Ayoub.
In Los Angeles, home of the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia, over 100,000 Armenians and supporters marched towards the Turkish consulate.
Many marchers have reached Turkish consulate on Wilshire Blvd. @Sky5Tim is overhead. Watch: http://t.co/RS504NKVau pic.twitter.com/r084G0Xnig
— KTLA (@KTLA) April 24, 2015
An ariel view of #ArmenianGenocide march in Los Angeles, approx. 50k in attendance #MarchForJustice pic.twitter.com/xTaDcl31Eo via @Araksya
— reported.ly (@reportedly) April 24, 2015
In Lebanon, an estimated 30-40,000 marched. Many Lebanese have spent the last few days celebrating their Armenian heritage.
Yesterday's march in Beirut to mark the centennial of the #ArmenianGenocide. pic.twitter.com/uSoZxdDEuX
— Mahmoud (@MahmoudRamsey) April 25, 2015
Lebanese Armenians and supporters marched on April 24. Photo by Paul Gorra.
In Istanbul, Turks, Kurds, Greeks and Assyrians describe their fears that nationalists would spoil their rallies. The following story was shared by the Armenian Diaspora Project on Facebook.
The march in Istanbul on April 24. Photo shared by The Armenian Diaspora Project.
The caption reads:
Yesterday was an indescribable day. My biggest fear going into the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul was that Erdogan, with elections approaching and a need to appeal to the MHP/nationalist voters, would see our presence on Istiklal Cd as a threat and that the police would then melt away, allowing the nationalist protestors to break through their lines and attack us.
As we sat facing towards Taxim Square, we could hear the shouts from the nationalists at our backs every time the speakers would cut out. Chillingly it seemed to get louder and louder, as if they were edging nearer and nearer. Then – as the sounds of Sareri Hovin Mernem faded- we heard a loud cheer from much closer, and then chants growing louder and louder, a sound I had heard countless times in my years of covering protests; the sound of protestors breaking through police lines.
As we stood up to face what was coming, we saw them. Not angry nationalists waving the red flags of the Vatan Party, but thousands of Turks, Kurds, Greeks, and Assyrians, bearing signs reading “հո՛ս էնք” (We are here), bearing the pictures of Hrant Dink, Gomidas, Sevag Balikci, Taniel Varujan and many others, the streets echoing with their chants of solidarity.
A friend ran through the stunned crowd, arms wide open shouting “They are here with us! They have filled the street!”
So thank you. Thank you Turks, Kurds, Assyrians for standing with us. Thank you Turkish human rights groups for organizing the commemoration at Hydarpasa. Thank you Istanbul Armenians. Thank Osman Kavala. Thank you Sarah Leah Whitson, Nancy Kricorian, Heghnar Watenpaugh, and everyone else at Project 2015.
There is no place else I would have rather been this week.
In Diyarbakir, Turkey, home to a large Kurdish population, people marched on April 24:
People in Amed (Diyarbakir) march to remember the #ArmenianGenocide/Seyfo. pic.twitter.com/3G6UeXmm1z
— Lawên (@Lawwwen) April 24, 2015
Paris and Rome saw their most famous landmarks turn their lights out to commemorate the Armenian Genocide:
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower goes dark to commemorate the #ArmenianGenocide 100yrs later. pic.twitter.com/fZ4yHbgSNm via @armembfrance
— reported.ly (@reportedly) April 24, 2015
“The eternal city- #Rome, the Colosseum goes dark in memory of #ArmenianGenocide victims” pic.twitter.com/DXX3GWeJib via @TMkrtchyan
— reported.ly (@reportedly) April 24, 2015
For more photos from around the world, view this coverage by RT.


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Question Time: How Many Jihadists Have Military Backgrounds? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Taking the cue from a Der Spiegel report on the mastermind behind the structure of ISIS, Palestinian blogger Iyad El-Baghdadi tweets:
After that Spiegel story about the "mastermind" behind ISIS's takeover of Syria – noticed just how many Jihadists have military backgrounds?
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) April 21, 2015
Der Spiegel names Iraqi Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi, killed in Tal Rifaat in Syria in January 2014, as the “architect” of the ISIS, an Al Qaeda off-shoot which has come to control larges swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, leaving terror, death and destruction in its trail. It says al-Khlifawi was a former colonel in the intelligence service of Saddam Hussein's air defense force.
El-Baghdadi adds:
ISIS higher command has many ex-Iraq Baath officers; in Libya ex-Gaddafi officers form some of their core support…
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) April 21, 2015
And explains:
ISIS in Egypt (Sinai) also has several ex-Egyptian army officers; the chief of Ansar Bayt al Maqdis is an ex-Egypt army commando.
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) April 21, 2015
Turn On Fact-Checking:
Help us track and verify stories on the number of ISIS top command with military backgrounds in our Global Voices/Checkdesk partnership project here.


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Tunisia Looks to Tap Into Its History and Push Its Olive Oil Front and Center · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Workers harvest olives in one of Slama Huiles’ groves last fall. Credit: Marine Olivesi. Published with PRI's permission
This article and radio report by Marine Olivesi for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on April 20, 2015, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
During the olive harvesting season in Tunisia, laborers — mostly women — climb up on ladders and get to work. Using a small rake, they sweep every branch of the tree, making the olives fall on a net below them.
It takes five of them about half an hour to strip a tree bare. It’s hard work. But in Tunisia, it’s also a ritual and a celebration. Workers chat and laugh until a man breaks into a song. Women follow with ululation as if an impromptu back-up choir.
Three Italian clients visiting the grove as part of a business trip on that November day looked at the harvesters, amused and envious.
For Europeans, the scene is a throwback to the days when people, not machines, harvested olives. In Italy, Greece and Spain, the three heavyweights of the olive oil industry, olive harvesting is a highly mechanical process that involves tractors shaking entire trees — or, in a less drastic fashion, uses automatic rakes, the harvesting method of choice for higher-quality brands.
Olives in Tunisia are still harvested manually with a rake, making it unique among the world's top producers of olive oil. In other countries, the process has turned largely mechanical over the years. Credit: Marine Olivesi. Published with PRI's permission
Besides nostalgia, though, there was another reason for the Italians’ envy this year.
“It’s so full of olives here!” one of them exclaimed. So full, the Tunisian supervisor quipped, that some branches were collapsing under their own weight. Meanwhile, across the Mediterranean, there was barely any harvest at all. Poor weather and insects ruined Italy’s crop, allowing Tunisia for the first time to overtake Italy in total olive oil production.
Usually ranking fourth in olive oil production after Europe's three giants, Tunisia came in second, after Spain, in olive oil production this year with a 280,000-ton output. Even in an industry where production varies widely from one season to the next — Tunisia’s yields in 2014 amounted to a mere 70,000 tons — the industry figures mark a record season for the tiny North African country.
For Tunisians in the olive oil business, it’s kind of a “Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar” moment.
“We started before the Italians,” Chiheb Slama pointed out. Slama, the general manager of Slama Huiles, one of Tunisia’s leading olive oil companies, took over the business his grandfather started in 1930. Here though, Slama referred to something that took place a few thousand years before that, when olive trees were brought to North Africa from the Middle East by the Phoenicians.
Only later, he says, did the Romans take trees from Tunisia to Italy — and stole the show.
Olives are sent to the oil mill and processed within 24 hours of their harvest. This year marked a record-high for Tunisia, with a 280,000 ton output. Credit: Marine Olivesi. Published with PRI's permission
A decade ago, almost all Tunisia’s olive oil was sold in bulk to Italians and Spaniards who would blend it with their own olive oil, and repackage it under their label.
Since then, Tunisia has been pushing to reclaim its industry. Olive oil companies agreed on a tax on bulk sales to help Slama and others brand their own olive oil. Then, they got a big boost from the Arab Spring, which put Tunisia on the map.
“I lived it personally,” recalled Slama. “In February 2011, my client in UK called me: ‘The Arab Spring! Tunisia! How is it, how are you? Please I want some oil, can you send me an offer?’ I said ‘yes, yes, OK you’ll have it this afternoon.’ You know, with this customer, it usually took three weeks to just try and negotiate the price. But that time, they made an order right after receiving my quote.”
Along with other Tunisian companies, Slama Huiles also received technical assistance from USAID, which helped them transition from bulk producer to bottling.
This landmark farmhouse nestled in an olive grove has been featured on some of Slama Huiles’ bottles since the company started to export olive oil under its own label in 2008. Credit: Marine Olivesi. Published with PRI's permission
“Tunisia is one of the world's largest producers of olive oil, but branding is very poor,” said Henri Stetter, a value chain specialist with USAID in Tunis. “We are helping them brand their own products, which have a higher added value and higher margins. The goal is to reach a higher business growth, and hire people in the process.”
Now, Slama exports its bottles of olive oil to Canada, Russia and even Italy.
His company hasn’t cracked the US market yet, but other Tunisian olive oil is there. Last spring,Trader Joe’s put its first Tunisian olive oil on shelves — an eye-catching rectangular tin can. Visiting a New York store earlier this year, the item appeared to have been discontinued over the winter, but a clerk said a new order was on its way.
At Whole Foods, a more traditionally packaged olive oil bottle from Tunisia was on shelves too, in between a large selection of olive oils from southern Europe but also Chile, California and Palestine.
Chiheb Slama, right, presents the company's latest olive oil production to Italian clients, who compare varieties before confirming their order. Credit: Marine Olivesi. Published with PRI's permission
“It’s a crowded market,” said Roberta, a customer wandering in the olive oil alley. She said she’d love to try the organic, extra virgin Tunisian bottle if it weren't so pricey: $26 for 33 ounces.
“I’d probably want to drink it like wine as opposed to put it on anything for that price.”
Industry leaders in Tunisia say they’re getting more competitive, but they still need to work on marketing so people know what they’re paying for.
“The Italians go on and on about their traditional olive oil,” said Akram Tray, Slama Huiles’ marketing manager. “But everything there is industrial. … We are the traditional ones. And we need consumers to know that.”

author: PRI/PRX's The World


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American Artist Returns Stolen Sculptures to Nepal With Her Paintbrush · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Lakshmi-Narayana – 15th-century stone, 34 inches. Stolen in 1984 from Narayan Temple, Patko Tol, Patan. Image by Joy Lynn Davis. Used with permission
Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is an open museum of art and culture. With countless temples, including seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Kathmandu Valley is not only an attraction for art lovers and religious pilgrims, but also for art thieves and smugglers.
Many statues, hundreds of years old, were stolen from the temples after the 1950s, not just by professional smugglers, but also high-profile expatriates and powerful elites. A huge cache of wild animal parts and centuries-old idols discovered by Nepal police during a raid in 2009 at adventurer Ian Baker’s residence in Kathmandu hints at the magnitude of theft and involvement of big names.
Efforts have been made over the years to document the looting, including “Lost Images of Nepal” by Lain Singh Bangdel, “Gods are leaving the country: Art theft from Nepal” by Jurgen Schick and “Gods in Exile” by Kanak Mani Dixit. Inspired by these publications, American artist Joy Lynn Davis visited the theft sites and recorded the memories shared by locals. Building on the work done by Bangdel and Schick, she started painting the sacred places from where the statues were stolen and visually ‘repatriating’, in her words, the stolen sculptures with 23 karat gold.
According to Davis, the gold symbolises commodification of the priceless sculptures and makes them visually stand out in her photorealistic paintings – making people aware of their absence.
Joy Lynn Davis is artist & researcher, part of gathering movement for documentation & return of stolen Nepal statuary pic.twitter.com/Jcje8aX4H4
— Kanak Mani Dixit (@KanakManiDixit) April 8, 2015
“Remembering the Lost Sculptures of the Kathmandu Valley”, an art exhibition currently running at Nepal Art Council in Kathmandu, showcases her valuable work.
The movement to restore the stolen artwork is relatively young. During the 1980s, Nepali artist and scholar Lain Singh Bangdel and German art connoisseur Jurgen Schick took on the arduous task of documenting the lost statues. The Huntington Archive at Ohio State University showcases the images photographed by Lain Singh Bangdel in his book “Stolen Images of Nepal”.
After seeing the before and after images of theft idols published in his book, a Californian art collector returned four sculptures in August 1999 and another statue was returned from Berlin, reports Nepali Times.
Donna Yates, an archaeologist studying antiquities smuggling, archaeology and art crime, tweeted a photo from the archive:
Before and after. Sculpture mutilated during a looting attempt. Lost & Stolen Images: Nepal http://t.co/sNQmhrpStz pic.twitter.com/ySH1v13MnX
— Donna Yates (@DrDonnaYates) October 10, 2014
At Davis’ exhibition in Kathmandu, informational panels display historical photographs of the stolen sculptures, current photographs of the sites and information about the stolen sculptures including maps depicting the original theft sites. Earlier, she showcased her works at the exhibition ‘Narratives of Faith and Memory: Remembering the Lost Sculptures of Kathmandu’ in 2013 at the Patan Museum in Lalitpur, Nepal.
Part of Davis’ efforts includes an interactive map and database of stolen artwork. According to the project's website, its contents will be added to the International Criminal Police Organisation's (Interpol)'s own database of stolen art.
Database of lost & stolen #NepaleseArt to be linked to Interpol. Kudos to Joy Lynn Davis for her hard work! http://t.co/xUGfTpDtmR
— AMaki (@MakiAriana) April 13, 2015
Where #Nepal’s idols were stolen from and where they are now. Joy Lynn Davis Exhibit till 22 May @ Nepal Art Council pic.twitter.com/sE8IDlQH7S
— Kunda Dixit (@kundadixit) April 12, 2015
Davis explains the project further in a YouTube video:
Thanks to the awareness and joint collaboration of government and non-government organisations with local communities, art stolen from Nepal has been documented, and many works have been restored. Most importantly, major campaigns have been launched to preserve the historic temples, monasteries, palaces, and other objects of cultural importance.
The exhibition “Remembering the Lost Sculptures of the Kathmandu Valley” runs until 22 May 2015.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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‘There Is a Word Missing in the History of the Armenian Genocide: Justice’ · Global Voices
Mary Aviles

Aleppo January 1920: Armenian refugees at the American Relief eye hospital, photo by University of Michigan Expedition, George R. Swain, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Public domain.
Friday, April 24 marked the 100th anniversary of the extermination of 1.5 million people by Turkish authorities. Almost a third of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire at the time perished through massacre, mass deportation and famine.
Of the 22 countries that have officially recognized the Armenian genocide, five are in Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The largest concentration of the Armenian diaspora in Latin America—and the third biggest in the world—happens to be in Argentina and is estimated to be between 70,000 and 135,000 people; among them, the family of Argentine journalist Lala Toutonian (@LalaKarenina).
El relato de los abuelos de @LalaKarenina llega hasta hoy: esto fue el #GenocidioArmenio → http://t.co/VBxypRL23U pic.twitter.com/MGC8V5JfRg
— Infojus Noticias (@InfojusNoticias) April 24, 2015
The story of @LalaKarenina‘s grandparents resonates even today: this was the #ArmenianGenocide
Toutonian recently recounted the story of her grandparents to Infojus Noticias, a publication of Argentina's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, describing how they travelled to the other side of the world to escape the slaughter and begin a new life:
Contaba mi abuela Nazlé, la paterna, que no sintió el balazo en su brazo. Estaba fuertemente aferrada a su hermano menor cuando notó una sangre marrón, espesa, bañando su mano y la de su hermanito. Mientras relataba esto, mostraba su cicatriz, con el ceño fruncido, la mirada grave, la voz firme…
My paternal grandmother Nazlé said she never even felt the bullet wound in her arm. She was holding on tight to her younger brother when she noticed thick, brown blood covering her hand and that of her sibling. As she recounted this, she showed the scar, frowning, her gaze steady, her voice firm…
Contaba mi abuelo Vartevar, el materno, que mataron frente a sus ojos— unos turquesas, brillantes hasta el último de sus días a los 99 años—, a su esposa y a su bebé. Que él sobrevivió en el desierto escondiéndose bajo la arena cuando pasaban arrasando los turcos, bebiendo del orín de una mula moribunda, que sus compañeros en la marcha de la muerte caían como hojas secas. …
My maternal grandfather Vartevar tells of how his wife and baby were killed before his very eyes—turquoise and bright until the day he died at the age of 99—and of how he survived in the desert hiding beneath the sand when the Turks passed through, drinking the urine of a dying mule, while his companions on the march of death fell like dried leaves…
The Turkish government denies that an actual genocide took place. It does accept that during World War I many Armenians were killed, but it asserts that many Turks were too, arguing that massacres were committed by both sides as a result of ethnic and factional violence that erupted during the conflict.
Toutonian continues in her piece:
Estas son las consecuencias de un Genocidio: odios, rencores, dolores, resentimientos, nacionalismos exacerbados, chauvinismos baratos, y todo horriblemente sustentado. También el afán de mantener viva una cultura, una lengua, una religión, una memoria que se quiso tapar, matar, silenciar.
These are the consequences of a genocide: hatred, bitterness, pain, resentment, exacerbated nationalism, facile chauvinism, continually feeding off itself. But also the desire to keep a culture, a language, a religion, a memory alive, one that people tried to crush, to wipe out, to silence.
Porque cada una de las imágenes expuestas, cada niño moribundo, cada mujer violada, cada abuelo tatuado, cada hombre degollado, nos recuerda que tenemos porqué vivir.
Because with every one of the images, every dying child, every woman who is raped, every tattooed grandparent, every man whose throat is slit, we are reminded of why we must go on living.
Porque falta una palabra en la historia del Genocidio armenio: justicia.
Because there is a word missing in the history of the Armenian genocide: justice.

author: Mary Aviles


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Eritrean Man Recalls Near-Death Journey Across Mediterranean, Says He Wouldn’t Do It Again · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Crowds joined a rally in Rome's Piazza Montecitorio in the aftermath of a shipwreck that caused the deaths of hundreds of migrants, calling for a change in immigration policies and the right to freedom of movement in Europe. Photo by Stefano Montesi. Copyright Demotix
This article and radio report by Nina Porzucki for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on April 21, 2015, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
More than 800 undocumented migrants were killed on Sunday, April 19 after their boat capsized during an attempted voyage from Libya to Italy. They became just the latest victims of the surging trans-Mediterranean trafficking trade, which had already killed more than 500 people since the start of the year.
Many of the migrants are Syrians fleeing the violence of the civil war at home. But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says the second largest group of migrants are Eritreans.
Habtey left to escape compulsory military service; Eritrean men are conscripted into military service indefinitely in what Habtey calls a modern form of slavery. “A friend of mine, it’s been nearly 20 years now that he’s been serving the government. He's a slave,” he says.
Habtey escaped from the barracks of his military training camp and walked three days to neighboring Sudan, where he was reunited with his wife and his 6-month-old child.  Together they crossed the Saharan desert in a Toyota Hi-Lux. He wasn’t alone in that pickup truck: More than 30 people crammed in with him, and it took 15 days to cross into Libya.
The danger was hardly over. Habtey set out over the Mediterranean with 80 other people in a boat so small he says he could put his hand in the water. “There was no safety features at all,” he remembers. “No light, no compass. The captain was an Egyptian guy and he told us, ‘I don’t know where I’m going and I’m running out of fuel, so you need to yell and shout for help.'”
Twice his small boat crossed paths with large ships: “They looked like a beautiful city, the light and everything,” Habtey says. “I was screaming, ‘Why don’t we ask for help?’ No help. At that time, everybody was hopeless.”
Habtey admits he also thought he was on the precipice of death. Then an unlikely event brought him hope: While at sea, a pregnant woman went into labor. Habtey, who had experience working in a hospital back in Eritrea, was called into the boat’s engine room to help with her delivery.
“God gave us a baby boy,” he says, recalling his message to fellow passengers: “Let’s just rejoice, let’s be [optimistic.] Please let this be a sign.”
Just hours later, his boat landed in Italy, on the island of Lampedusa.
Habtey now lives as a pastor in the north of England. Asked whether he would take the journey again, he takes a long pause.
“Well, when I see my experience now, I wouldn’t,” he admits. “I wouldn’t.”


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Social Media Becomes a Lifeline in the Nepal Earthquake Aftermath · Global Voices
Filip Noubel

Your house has just collapsed. People are screaming on the street. You cannot reach your brother who is in another part of town as all the phones are down. But you can still post things on Facebook and inform your friends in China or in New York about your whereabouts. This is Kathmandu since April 25, within hours of the worst earthquake to have hit the country in 80 years.
Rescuers trying to dig out people still suspected to be buried in the ruins of the Hari Shakher Temple in Patan. Photo taken by Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times. Use with permission.
While the toll is rising every hour, already well over 2,000 victims, and people are trying to cope with regular strong aftershocks, trauma, anxiety about finding where are their relatives, rain and a government that is not prepared for such a disaster, social media have organized themselves in a couple of hours and provide vital information outside of the traditional phone or media networks.
In a typical example of technology leapfrogging, information sharing is happening due to the few people in Kathmandu mostly who still have access to the major global social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and the people outside of Nepal – Nepali overseas communities, experts in disaster responses and social media strategies, but also many Nepal global friends (former tourists, pilgrims) who are building data collection to provide key support to people back in Nepal and are calling for action.
Renown Nepali writer Prajwal Parajuly told Global Voices via Facebook message:
We felt the earthquake in Gangtok, Sikkim, for a long time. My mum commented on its not being as intense as the one in Sept 2011.  We couldn't contact any of my mother's family in Kathmandu, so I went on Twitter to see what was happening. It was awful–the first pictures were harrowing.
On the ground reports from across Nepal can be viewed via another Nepali writer, Manjushree Thapa's Nepal Twitter list. Kashish Das Shrestha a developmental NGO advisor uploaded photos from the streets:
Historic #earthquake in #Nepal; much lost, many to mourn, as much to rebuild.Hopefully worst is over.Stay alert, safe pic.twitter.com/xLwn6JZ70a
— Kashish Das Shrestha (@kashishds) April 25, 2015
Response from Chinese speaking communities
Nepal’s northern neighbor China is paying large attention to the disaster via its social media networks such as Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter) and Weixin (Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp, also known in English as WeChat) for a variety of reasons.
China itself is prone to massive earthquakes – the recent 2008 earthquake cost the lives of nearly 90,000 people – and the one that just happened in Nepal caused life casualties across the border in China in Tibetan areas.  People are sensitive to such news as they feel immediately concerned given the large concentrations of populations on China.
Second, Nepal has a visa upon arrival policy for Chinese tourists  – one of the very few countries to do so – thus large numbers of mainland Chinese – over 100,000 per year since 2013 have been going to Nepal as tourists, climbers, Buddhist pilgrims in the past years and have established personal friendships with Nepali guides, drivers, hotel managers, shop owners, translators, monks, and thangka [traditional Buddhist painting on scrolls revered by most Buddhists in China and beyond] painters.
The sense of spiritual and romantic imagination of Nepal is crystallized in a Chinese popular movie, Up in the Wind 2013. But many of the historical and religious sites captured in the film are now destroyed.
Screen capture from a Chinese Buddhist community public account from WeChat.
Nepal is a major destination for people on Buddhist pilgrimages and a lot of Buddhist sites and Weixin accounts are posting updates and calling for prayers.
Many tourists are expressing their concern and solidarity on social media as well. Ruby, a Taiwanese living in Kathmandu, keeps updating the latest situation on Facebook and helps people to locate their family members and friends who are traveling in Nepal.
Recently, Kathmandu airport was across in the news in China as a Turkish airliner crashed at the single international airport and blocked the air traffic for about three days, leaving hundreds of Chinese and other tourists stranded.
Global social media response and practical tools
Information about the earthquake and its still on-going aftershocks is available here and reported via social media by residents of Kathmandu via their twitter accounts:
That swarm of aftershocks around #Kathmandu in last 20 hours is alarming.
#NepalQuake
@USGS
http://t.co/rULPczNVCM pic.twitter.com/IsRFLNJhv5
— Kunda Dixit (@kundadixit) April 26, 2015
More importantly several groups have been established to use social media and crowd sourcing information to account for so far missing people. Google launched a Person Finder for people to file missing person reports. But many are using social media platforms as well, including this facebook page, where people from Nepal or foreigners who have friends, relatives currently in Nepal are posting information but also request to account for people they currently cannot reach:
Friend of the newly married couple was looking for them on Facebook.
For example, someone is enquiring here about a recently married couple.
And already difficult questions are being asked:
Different countries are sending us troops and aids to help us overcome the aftermath. But who will be coordinating everything??? What action plans will be taken?? Does Nepali government have a plan to locate these troops sent for help? Do they have plan to distribute the necessities? This needs to be pondered upon.

author: Filip Noubel


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How a Bus Stop Row is Crippling Public Transport in Balochistan’s Capital · Global Voices
Balochistan Point

Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, Chief Minister of Balochistan, Pakistan. Screenshot from YouTube.
This post is republished under a content sharing agreement with Balochistan Point, an independent online newspaper based in Quetta, Pakistan.
Dr. Malik Baloch is the Chief Minister of Balochistan, Pakistan's largest, least populated and poorest province. Baloch's recent decision to move all bus stops in the city of Quetta to Hazar Gunji, a suburb about 30 kilometers (almost 20 miles) away, has enraged many people and prompted drivers to boycott public transit.
The drivers’ strike has caused significance inconvenience to the commuters of the province's capital and economic hub Quetta, especially those living in the Sariab area of the city.
Murad Ahmad is a 40-year-old low-level state employee who lives in Kalat. He travels to Quetta once a week for different reasons. “Life would be very difficult for me, if public transport coming from Kalat drops me at Hazar Gunji rather than Musa colony on Sariab road,” Ahmad says. He has many strong words for the Balochistan government and its apparent apathy toward the suffering of ordinary people.
Dr. Malik Baloch Source: Wikipedia Commons
On April 23, Chief Minister Baloch chaired a public meeting with the drivers’ union representatives. Baloch refused to compromise and ordered drivers to end their strike and return to work, reiterating that the city's bus stands are being moved to Hazar Gunji, despite the protests.
The unions, led by Abdul Qadir Raisani, rejected Baloch's demands, vowing to continue their strike, which they say is also an effort to protect passengers’ rights.
Raisani says Hazar Gunji is too far from Quetta, forcing passengers to pay an additional fare to reach the center of city. He also claimed that Hazar Gunji lacks the basic infrastructure that is necessary for commuters to transfer between buses.
Raisani and other union leaders have also accused several government ministers of buying large chunks of real estate near Hazar Gunji. Relocating bus stop to the area, critics say, is how these officials hope to drive up the value of this land. On condition of anonymity, two sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to The Balochistan Point that the real estate allegations are accurate.
Balochistan's government denies these claims, saying the decision to move the bus stops is based on the government's estimation of Quetta's best interests as a city. Officials refuse to elaborate, however, on what they mean by “best interests.”
“I pay Rs. 300 fare to reach Quetta from Dhadar district normally, if bus stands are shifted to Hazar Gunji then I would have to pay an additional Rs. 250 to reach Quetta city,” says Karim Baksh, a frequent bus passenger, who questions how higher fares could be in his best interests.
Abdul Karim Nosherwani, a member of the provincial assembly and provincial general secretary of PML-Q, also disagrees with the government's position. “Shifting bus stands to Hazar Gunji is a great injustice with people of Balochistan,” Nosherwani argues. “If this unjust decision is not withdrawn then I will challenge it in Balochistan High Court,” he vowed.
PML-N's youth wing has demanded that the Balochistani government roll back its decision on bus stops. Sajjad Raisani, the group's leader, lamented the local authorities’ seeming indifference about the inconveniences their decisions are bringing on the public.
Other groups that have condemned Balochistan's new policy on bus stops include the Union of Traders and Shopkeepers, the All Balochistan Traders Union, and Aziz Ahmed Shahwani, a member of District Council Quetta.
“The way Dr. Malik Baloch is defending the decision to move bus stops to Hazar Gunji proves that he only cares about protecting his government,” said Mohammad Ali, a bus driver. “We have the right to ask whether Dr. Malik is our Chief Minster or our enemy number one.”

author: Balochistan Point


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Nepal Earthquake: People Around the World Scramble Online to Find Loved Ones · Global Voices
Saprina Panday

Patan durbar square historic infrastructure in Kathmandu, Nepal greatly damaged due to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Image by Sumit Shrestha. Copyright Demotix (25/4/2015)
An overwhelmed Nepali government has declared a state of emergency appealing to the international community following a massive 7.8 earthquake, which struck close to noon on April 25, between Nepal's key cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara, resulting in more than 1,800 deaths.
In the midst of this crisis, people are using tools like Google Person Finder and Facebook Safety Check to find loved ones. Google Person Finder launched in 2010 in response to the earthquake in Haiti and helps people find each other in the aftermath of a disaster, by downloading or uploading data from the site.
Use @google ‘s “Person Finder” help those affected by #NepalQuake http://t.co/lrgqmUD8px pic.twitter.com/9cNdp6MZ9o #Kathmandu
— Kristina Dei (@2kdei) April 25, 2015
Facebook users have also been using the site's newly launched Safety Check tool, where you can mark yourself or a friend in the disaster area as ‘safe’.
These are particularly helpful against the distressing images that have been shared online.
With phone lines and cell towers down, people are also trying to contact loved ones through the Internet.
#earthquake Mobile phone services affected across Nepal
— Times of India (@timesofindia) April 25, 2015
Everyone trying to call #Nepal, please use Viber, WhatsApp and Text Messages. Calling landline is creating congestion, not helpful.
— Anup Kaphle (@AnupKaphle) April 25, 2015
Three people you must follow for #Nepal quake updates from the ground in Kathmandu — @kundadixit, @KanakManiDixit and @kashishds.
— Anup Kaphle (@AnupKaphle) April 25, 2015
Only Krishna Mandir and Taleju Temple left standing in Patan Square. Image by Kunda Dixit. Used with permission
Many are relying on social media sites for changes on the ground.
Nepali immigrants are glued to FB for news of loved ones in Jackson Heights, Queens, one of fastest growing diaspora communities.
— Benjamin Mueller (@benjmueller) April 25, 2015
This is when you realize the importance of twitter! When you are far away and you get the information needed! #EarthquakeNepal
— Pallavi Dhakal (@PallaviDhakal) April 25, 2015
Kathmandu’s Patan Durbar Square before and after the #NepalEarthquake pic.twitter.com/KoYNXAjAOr
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) April 25, 2015
#Nepalquake: Buildings collapsed, hundreds feared trapped and injured, phone networks affected. Our team is on standby and ready to assist.
— UN OCHA Asia Pacific (@OCHAAsiaPac) April 25, 2015
BASANTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE IS GONE!!! pic.twitter.com/HnauT0fDia
— Kashish Das Shrestha (@kashishds) April 25, 2015
massive damage #earthquakenepal pic.twitter.com/XAN6njWC0N — Achyut Luitel (@achyutluitel) April 25, 2015
Hunkered down in Lobouche, some building damage #earthquake #Everest #NepalQuake pic.twitter.com/WKZF1pJmup
— David Arvan (@threadalist) April 25, 2015
The historic tower of Kathmandu, which people use to climb to catch a glimpse of the magnificent city, is gone.
Dharara was seen by my grandfather minutes after it fell in 1934. Today was my turn to see the rebuilt Dharara fall. pic.twitter.com/QWbcJYOgSY
— Kanak Mani Dixit (@KanakManiDixit) April 25, 2015
In the midst of this destruction, hospitals in the capital Kathmandu have been declared inundated. Many  are being treated outside.
TU teaching hospital. #Earthquake injured are getting treatment on open space. Tents are urgent need. pic.twitter.com/Dp2fswi051 — Dipak Bhattarai (@dipakbhattarai) April 25, 2015
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake has caused loss of life in India, Bangladesh and Tibet as well. People are being rescued from under collapsed buildings. The earthquake also affected the base camp at Mount Everest, where it triggered an avalanche.
Incredible @epaphotos image of man trapped by #NepalQuake upto his chest. And he's one of the lucky ones! #Nepal pic.twitter.com/jDBwWvomzv
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) April 25, 2015
The earthquake triggered a wave of fear in the region and as per latest reports 54 people died across the border in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh in India. Three people have died in three districts of Bangladesh as tremors jolted the country.
According to some reports, this was a shallow earthquake, making it prone to the terrifying shaking that was felt by all in the region. It is feared that given the nature of the earthquake, and the flimsy state of many buildings in the capital, mainly the older ones, it will not take much for a slight aftershock to result in further destruction and deaths.
180 bodies retrieved under the Dharhara Tower rubble in #Kathmandu in #NepalQuake pic.twitter.com/FDFiv2uith
— Rajesh Shenoy (@ranjalrajesh) April 25, 2015
It is a time when many feel helpless.
#afterquake how come you be so rude to us! Please have mercy on people in Nepal! :( #earthquake #NepalQuake God where are you? Shit!
— सृष्टि महर्जन (@twity_seestee) April 25, 2015
And a time of enormous uncertainty.
According to the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Nepal and the region is to continue experiencing constant large aftershocks. The situation may be far from safe.
Almost 7 hrs. since the initial Earthquake, the aftershocks are still continuing. Source : USGS. #NepalQuake pic.twitter.com/Vp7UtMSFqW
— Deepti Gupta (@deepti_jbg) April 25, 2015
At the moment, fear of aftershocks has kept many waiting outside their homes.
#Kathmandu in near total darkness as hundreds of thousands spend night in tents. Reports of entire villages razed from near epicentre.
— Kunda Dixit (@kundadixit) April 25, 2015
Bhandarkhal Garden of Patan Darbar has been turned into a shelter for locals. #Nepalquake pic.twitter.com/goUxIu9O30
— Kunda Dixit (@kundadixit) April 25, 2015
Some relief is arriving through relief organizations like Oxfam, Save the Children, the Red Cross as well as through the government of India. Here is a link to some charities doing relief work following the earthquake.
The senior vice president of the Times of India tweeted:
@kundadixit @KanakManiDixit 3 IndianAirForce big birds landed in Nepal w/relief teams, anothr w/mobile hospital/35 docs tnite enr — Rachna Burman (@rachnaburman) April 25, 2015
On Facebook, some have thanked India for this gesture. The damage that has been shared through Twitter, however, suggests that a lot more help will be needed, and fast.

author: Saprina Panday


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Late Author Eduardo Galeano Saw Something Deeply Profound in Soccer · Global Voices
Carmen Victoria Mendez

Eduardo Galeano. Photo by Jose Francisco Pinton, from Wikimedia Commons.
Fernanda Canofre contributed to this post.
Eduardo Galeano's book The Open Veins of Latin America, famously presented to Barack Obama by Hugo Chavez, will always be his magnum opus, even though the Uruguayan writer later distanced himself from the work, characterizing it as the product of an overly ambitious young mind.
Less well known but equally groundbreaking is his book Su majestad, el fútbol (His Majesty, Soccer), written in 1968. At the time, Latin American intellectuals were reluctant to consider the sport a topic worthy of either serious thought or the pen of a serious writer. But Galeano never renounced this early work nor any of the other texts he devoted to the so-called opium of the people.
Instead he decided to play along, arming himself with passages from esteemed writers such as Albert Camus, Mario Benedetti, Horacio Quiroga and others. Unlike the prose of The Open Veins of Latin America, which brims with youthful passion, Galeano's musings about soccer are deeply philosophical. In 1995, when he was already entering the autumn of his life, Galeano dared to ask:
¿En qué se parece el fútbol a Dios? En la devoción que le tienen muchos creyentes y en la desconfianza que le tienen muchos intelectuales.
In what way does soccer resemble God? In the devotion of its followers and in the mistrust it engenders in many intellectuals.
This is the theme Galeano explores in the pages of Soccer in Sun and Shadow, a work in which the author conjures up the player, for whom the ball is really a shot at upward mobility; the referee, uniformly hated by everyone; and of course the fan, who craves goals more than victories.
Galeano riffs on the same philosophical questions in Futbolerías, one of the episodes from a televised series in which he explains his vision of Latin America and the world:
The writer reflects on the power structure inherent in soccer and finds parallels between what happens on the playing field and in the corporate arena that was created by a surge of neoliberal economic policies in the 1990s:
A medida que el deporte se ha hecho industria ha ido desterrando la belleza que nace de la alegría de jugar por que sí”.
As the game becomes a business, it destroys the beauty born from the joy of playing simply because you can.
Nevertheless Galeano underscores the role that professional soccer played in changing the lives of some of its greatest stars, players whose talent on the pitch earned them a place in history rather than in the annals of crime, a common fate for many in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. In Futbolerías, Galeano recounts both the history and the stories of the Beautiful Game. He shares important anecdotes and draws connections between social movements and the different eras that left their mark on the world of soccer.
Among his last contributions to the subject was his noteworthy appearance at the literary festival that took place in Brasilia in 2014. He took the opportunity to draw attention to the Chilean Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo, whose players had been demanding greater participation in the team, claiming it had been held hostage by management:
Pienso que todo ese movimiento es necesario para la recuperación de los clubes, para que vuelvan a ser lo que ellos quieren ser, o sea, un conjunto de personas ligadas por amor a una camiseta y una pasión futbolística y no por intereses económicos o políticos”
I think that this whole movement is necessary to take back the clubs, so that they can once again be what they want to be, in other words an association of people bound together by the love of a jersey and a passion for the game, and not for economic or political interests.
Social media continues to highlight Galeano's legacy. Twitter in particular is full of quotes from his works and his unique take on soccer. Many emphasize Galeano's originality and provocative spirit as evidenced by his willingness to spill so much ink on the world's most popular game:
Eduardo Galeano desvirtuó esa superioridad intelectual de los que creen que el fútbol un gusto de ignorantes.
— Carolina (@Caromunozb) April 17, 2015
Eduardo Galeano negated the intellectual superiority of those who believe soccer is just for the uneducated.
Others remembered the writer's reflections on a more profound aspect of the game:
“En los conflictos en el mundo, el fútbol es el único instrumento de conciliación que no ha fracasado” Galeano DEP pic.twitter.com/NguiAhvKmF
— Revista Líbero (@revistalibero) April 13, 2015
“Among the conflicts in the world, soccer is the only method of conciliation that hasn't failed.” Galeano DEP pic.twitter.com/NguiAhvKmF
And finally, there were signs of mourning for a distinguished voice that carved out a place for soccer in the lofty sphere of literature:
El fallecimiento de Eduardo Galeano impacta y duele. Nadie pudo entregar una descripción tan poética del fútbol como el.
— Martin Charquero (@MartinCharquero) April 13, 2015
The death of Eduardo Galeano is affecting and painful. No-one but he could write such poetic words about soccer.

author: Carmen Victoria Mendez


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Thousands of Guatemalans March to Demand Resignations of Top Leadership · Global Voices
Renata Avila

Protests in Guatemala against corruption. April 25, 2015. Photo by Surizar. CC 2.0.
As many as 15,000 mostly urban and middle-class Guatemalans took the streets on April 25 to demand the resignations of President Otto Perez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, after the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala uncovered a sophisticated network of tax evasion used by middle- and high-ranking members of the government.
After protesting peacefully for hours in the streets, demonstrators returned home and continued their activity online in social networks, tweeting the hashtag #RenunciaYa (#ResignNow) and sharing pictures from the demonstration and banners denouncing corruption and demanding justice.
Some of the banners were colorful indeed:
Muchos #CartelesMemorables en #RenunciaYa. Muéstranos tu favoritos y lee qué toca ahora [http://t.co/KklmmvZeSP] pic.twitter.com/Bp9JWH4zEc
— Plaza Pública (@PlazaPublicaGT) April 26, 2015
Several #BannerstoRemember in #ResignNow! Show us which one is your favourite and then read what's next!
According to Martín Rodríguez Pellecer (@martin_guate), director of the website Nomada.gt, these protests are different from demonstrations against “corruption as usual,” as the nation's vice president is implicated, and could lead to an institutional crisis, early elections, or even a coup.
Resignations by Molina and Baldetti could trigger the worst institutional crisis in Guatemala since 1993, when President Serrano Elias fled the country after he tried and failed to dissolve the Congress. The country will hold general elections later this year in September.Alejandro Sinibaldi, the current frontrunner for the incumbent Patriot Party ticket, recently dropped out of the race, blaming Vice President Baldetti for needing to withdraw.
Among protesters, meanwhile, there have been worrying reports that mobile networks are shutting down for unknown reasons, leading some to accuse the government of trying to disrupt demonstrators’ ability to coordinate and promote their message:
According to @prensa_libre these devices were set up this morning to block the Internet during #Guatemala protest. pic.twitter.com/8mMvHfMQeA
— Jo-Marie Burt (@jomaburt) April 25, 2015
It remains unknown whether the shutdown was intentional or due to network saturation.
This weekend's demonstrations follow last week's citizen victory, when public scrutiny mobilized by a controversial tax fraud case finally pressured President Molina to ask the UN Secretary General to extend the mandate of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) for another two years. The commission has been one of the country's few effective weapons against corruption. Demonstrators from Guatemala and abroad demanded its continuation using the hashtag #CICIGSI (#CICIGyes)
The new discovery of tax evasion by state officials and subsequent protests have made for a tense situation in Guatemala, where citizens face unprecedented levels of violence, the denial of justice for genocide victims, the criminalization of community leaders, the murder of journalists, and a terrible food crisis now affecting thousands of rural and indigenous Guatemalans.

author: Renata Avila


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Understanding Copyright in the Arab World · Global Voices
Riyadh Al Balushi

“Hardcover book gutter and pages” by Horia Varlan CC-BY 2.0
The World Intellectual Property Day, an event organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization, is held on April 26 of every year to “celebrate innovation and creativity.” The rights granted by intellectual property laws, such as copyright, are meant to draw a balance between the rights of creators to make a living out of their craft, and the rights of members of society to have fair access to these cultural works. One of the ways in which this balance is achieved is by making copyright law last for a temporary period of time and not forever.
When the term of copyright protection expires, the work enters the public domain. Works in the public domain can be copied, shared, and translated by any person for free and without the need to seek anyone's permission. It is very important for us to have access to freely available public domain works because they make up many of the building blocks that we use to create new cultural and scientific works.
Figuring out how when this term expires can be a difficult task because it differs from one country to the next and varies depending on the work in question. For example, books and other literary works are protected in the Arab World from the moment the work is created for the entire lifetime of the author plus 25, 50, or 70 years after his death.
Duration of copyright protection of books
The majority of Arab countries protect books for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years after his death as a result of their international obligations under the TRIPS and the Berne Convention. Bahrain, Morocco, and Oman provide a longer copyright term than the rest as a result of their signature of a free trade agreement with the United States, not too different from the infamous TPP currently in the works.
The term could be more complicated for different kinds of works. For example, even though the majority of Arab countries protect photographs for the same duration as books, some countries provide a shorter term of protection for photographs that is calculated from the moment the photograph is taken or published.
Duration of copyright protection of photographs
The charts above show that calculating copyright term is complicated. For example, “Afghan Girl” by Steve McCurry was taken in 1984 and published in National Geographic in 1985. The photo has been in the pubic domain in Libya since 1991, in Saudi since 2010, in Yemen since 2011, and remains protected by copyright in all countries where the term is linked to the lifetime of the author because Steve McCurry is still alive.
Should countries that have a shorter term make everyone's life easier and extent their protection to match those that protect copyright for the longest period? The argument often presented by those who support a longer copyright term is that the author of the work spent time and effort to give birth to his work and therefore deserves to have his work protected in a manner that makes it possible for him to make the profit he deserves, which should consequently encourage him to create more works.
The argument against extending copyright terms is that there is no evidence that authors would feel more incentivised to create new works if copyright granted protection for their work for 70 years instead of 50 after their death. On the contrary, users in countries such as Bahrain, Morocco, and Oman are clearly disadvantaged by the longer term because they have to wait for 20 years longer than their Arab neighbours before universities, students, and other users can legally copy, translate, and use old works. This 20 years difference can easily make sectors that rely on copyright, such as the education and entertainment industry, more expensive to operate than their neighbours.
This is not to say that things are perfect in countries where the protection lasts for the lifetime of the author plus only 50 years, this duration is already too long and practically means that works created by others during our lifetime is not likely to join the public domain except after we die. Copyright laws in the Arab world provide exceptions that allow users in certain circumstances to copy and utilise works without the permission of the author, but no Arab country has a “fair use” exception and the existing exceptions are limited and do not satisfy the needs of the users of creative works on the internet.
Arab countries should not extend the length of their copyright term without thinking of the consequences that this will have on the ability of society to access knowledge and culture. Additional protection does not necessarily mean a greater incentive for authors to create and certainly does not create a better copyright system.
This article was written jointly by Riyadh Al Balushi and Sadeek Hasna. Charts are taken from the Infographic on Copyright Term in the Arab World.

author: Riyadh Al Balushi


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Following Hundreds of Deaths at Sea, a ‘Die-In’ in France Calls for EU Migrant Reform · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Migrants arriving on the Island of Lampedusa by Regis51 CC-BY-20
April was a particularly deadly month in the Mediterranean Sea, where several boats carrying migrants with hopes of reaching Europe sunk. More than a thousand are estimated to have drowned, 800 alone in the April 19 wreck.
In the wake of the tragedies, a “die-in” took place on April 25, 2015 at Place Kléber, the main square in Downtown Strasbourg, France. The rally was organized following a call by the Collective for Another Migration Policy. In spite of the drizzling rain, participants were invited to lie down for ten minutes alongside a long banner carrying the names and circumstances of 17,306 migrants who perished between 1993 and 2012 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
Frontex is the European agency in charge of security and external borders in the EU. It has come to symbolize the strict EU policy of drastically restricting European borders to migrants and asylum seekers. Yet the policies have not stopped the flow of migrants who, against all odds and deadly hazards, have persisted in seeking their future across the Mediterranean sea.
Here are a few pictures of the rally:
“I am a migrant” Poster on the ground during the rally for an overhaul of the European migratory policies.  Photo by Suzanne Lehn
The list of over 17,000 people who drowned in the Mediterranean while attempting to cross the sea. Photo by Suzanne Lehn
The makeshift boats carrying the migrants say “Freedom not Frontex”. “Die-in” protest to support migrants, Strasbourg, April 25, 2015. Photo by Suzanne Lehn
Small paper boats and fake body bags stand for the shipwrecks. Die-in protest to support migrants, Strasbourg, April 25, 2015. Photo by Suzanne Lehn
Die-in: Demonstrators lying on the ground alongside a list of victims. Strasbourg, April 25, 2015. Photo by Suzanne Lehn
Migreurop, a group of charities and NGOs fighting for reforms in EU migration policies, lamented the European Council's unwillingness to take relevant action in a release on April 24. They also promised further action after the die-in protest:
23 April 2015 was a terrible day: the European Council, that was at last to “take action” as regards a “tragic” situation in the Mediterranean, merely attempted to shelter the European Union and its Member States from migrants by toughening border protection.
The European Union Heads of Government, who met with great ado, had but one message for those thousands of human beings – men, women and children – who risk death and often find it, attempting to reach a place to rebuild their lives. That message was: “Security!” They did not seek to put an end to the race to the bottom between Member States to take as few migrants as possible after rejecting all the others. As for the word “welcome”, it does not form part of the vocabulary of the Heads of Government
The special Summit of the European Council in Brussels on April 23 showed that the member states of the European Union have failed to find a consensus on immigration issues: Each state is clinging to their own restrictive national policies instead of delegating the authority to the dedicated European agency.
During the meeting of the Special European Council, undocumented immigrants protested in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. Will their message carry some weight in trying to shift policies from security to a humanitarian response?

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Southeast Asian Activists Unite in ‘People’s Walk’ Ahead of Regional Leaders’ Summit · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

People's Walk. Photo from Facebook page of ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
Southeast Asian activists and members of various civil society organizations gathered in Malaysia a few days before the start of the 26th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The assembly concluded with a “People’s Walk” where more than 1,400 participants marched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, to call for the immediate action and resolution on several issues affecting the residents of the region.
ASEAN is currently undertaking an ambitious plan to integrate the economies of Southeast Asia. Inspired by the European Union model, ASEAN is also envisioning the formation of a united community that will become one of the strongest economic blocs in the world. Malaysia is the host of this year's summit aside from leading the ASEAN secretariat.
While promoting unity is a worthy goal, Southeast Asian activists urged their leaders to address the impact of the ASEAN integration on marginalized groups and sectors. They also urged ASEAN to consider the views of ordinary citizens on global initiatives that will affect the region like the Trans -Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Through the ASEAN People’s Forum, which united civil society organizations across the region, participants declared their position on issues such as the Mindanao (southern Philippines) peace process, Rohingya (stateless people of Southeast Asia) persecution, human rights violations, and growing economic inequality.
Some of the delegates of the ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
One of the workshops pressed for a “Junta-Free ASEAN” and an ASEAN free of political prisoners “so that the voices and choices of the people can displace all forms of dictatorship and strengthen solidarity for democracy and social justice across the Region.” This is also in reference to the situation in Thailand today where a military-backed government is accused of establishing a junta.
A banner displaying an image of Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the army general who led a coup in 2014. Activists are calling for the restoration of democracy in the country. Photo from the Facebook page of Julius Choo Chon Kai
Another issue discussed in the forum is the demand for greater protection of free speech. Human rights groups highlighted the increasing number of laws in the region that restrict media freedom:
Governments across the region are imposing sweeping restrictions on the right to freedom of expression through repressive legislation as well as state-sanctioned attacks and intimidation. Draconian laws, often enforced under the guise of protecting national security, target peaceful dissenters both online and offline. Human rights defenders who are working on the frontline to promote human rights as well as to expose human rights abuses by state and non-state actors continue to face attacks, threats and imprisonment for their work.
#FOEAsean on the move! #AseanPeople pic.twitter.com/Y5IjkpkYrU
— EMPOWER (@empowermalaysia) April 24, 2015
An activist holding a placard in support of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a Thai journalist who was charged with Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult law). His case is an example of the free speech restriction in Thailand. Photo from ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
The Twitter hashtag #AseanPeople was used during the forum and the People’s Walk. Below are some of the images during the event:
#stoptpp in #asean campaign @PANAsiaPacific @apwld #aseanpeople pic.twitter.com/9eQiSz1VhY
— IWRAW Asia Pacific (@IWRAW_AP) April 24, 2015
The case of missing activist Sombath Somphone from Laos was tackled during the forum. There was a workshop which cited the cases of other missing activists in the region.
Photo from the Facebook page of ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
Giving voice to the voiceless: missing persons, missing peoples at #aseanpf #aseanpeople pic.twitter.com/26tadeUV6E
— SEAPA (@seapabkk) April 23, 2015
The plight of detained Myanmar students was also featured in the People's Walk. The students were arrested in Myanmar for leading a rally which was organized to demand education reforms.
Photo from the Facebook page of ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
Some participants decried the death penalty conviction of Filipina maid Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia. The High Court of Indonesia affirmed the conviction of Veloso, who was earlier found guilty of drug trafficking. But activists asserted that Veloso didn't receive proper legal representation and that she was a victim of human trafficking.
#SaveMaryJaneVeloso campaign tableau @aseanpeople forum happening now in KL pic.twitter.com/MO0Ew0flBd
— Rowena Paraan (@rowenaparaan) April 24, 2015
Also present during the People's Walk were activists supporting the cause of migrant workers, in particular the improvement of welfare of Cambodian workers.
Photo from the Facebook page of Julius Choo Chon Kai.


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The Beginning of a New Era for Bangladesh Cricket · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

Bangladeshi team poses for a group photo with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the end of the Dan Cake Cricket Series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo by Md Manik. Copyright: Demotix (24/04/2015)
The last few days were a dream for Bangladesh cricket. Following a successful 2015 ICC World Cup, in which the team reached the quarterfinals, Bangladesh swept Pakistan 3-0 in the One Day International series and defeated the same country in a lone Twenty-20 match quite convincingly. All these performances show that a new era for Bangladesh cricket has began.
So far, Bangladesh used to be considered a minnow in a sea of big fish, a small team prone to huge defeats. But the situation has changed. In 2015 in particular, they have been playing competitive cricket consistently. From Bangladeshi fans to world-famous ex-cricketers, trainers, sport reporters, commentators and cricket lovers all around the world, this is truly the start of something exciting for the spirited Tigers, as the team is called.
Writing in the Dhaka Tribune, Minhaz Uddin Khan gave an example of how Bangladesh cricket team has changed:
Gone are the days when Bangladesh was depended on a couple of star players in order to eke out a win. The emergence of several performers and their maturity have given new hope to the supporters. The convincing series win over Pakistan has no doubt ushered in a new era for Bangladesh cricket.
On Twitter, user Reem was proud for the team's successes:
Absolutely destroyed Pakistan. This ladies and gentlemen is the #riseofthetigers #Banglawash #proud
— Reem S (@ReemDoha) April 22, 2015
Bappy was impressed by Bangladesh’s performance:
This Bangladesh team can beat any team in world cricket. Well done Bangladesh #RiseOfTheTigers #BANvsPAK
— Bappy (@im_bappy) abril 22, 2015
Blogger Ishtiaq Rouf credited Sri Lankan coach Hathurusinghe for this achievement:
Said it during the World Cup, saying it again. I am absolutely amazed at how Hathurusinghe and his coaching staff have transformed Bangladesh. There is a bit of Lankan doggedness in this team. Everyone is pulling in the same direction, the team is greater than the sum of its parts. […]
From Nepal, Ramesh Aryal commented:
That was a remarkable cricket from #Bangla.. The beginning of new era of Cricket.
— Ramesh Aryal (@rameyesh) April 23, 2015
Even the official Twitter account of the International Cricket Council tweeted:
A complete performance with bat and ball sees Bangladesh win the 1st ODI by 79 runs: http://t.co/OsoV58MVDd #BanvPak pic.twitter.com/cpTAwuCH7d
— ICC (@ICC) April 17, 2015
VVS Laxman, a former Indian cricketer, saw the positive attitude and confidence among Bangladeshi cricketers:
Congrats to Bangladesh on a comprehensive series win against Pakistan. They are growing in confidence since the World Cup.#Whitewash
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) April 22, 2015
Indian cricket journalist Ayaz Memon was surprised by Bangladesh's performance:
Clean sweep against Pak. Who would have thought? Well played Bangladesh!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 22, 2015
Dileep Premachandran, who is editor-in-chief of Wisden India, tweeted:
Looks like #BAN are cruising to a 3-0 series win against #PAK. They've been mighty impressive, building on World Cup gains. #BANvsPAK
— Dileep Premachandran (@SpiceBoxofEarth) April 22, 2015
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle was taken aback by Bangladesh's skill:
Pakistan haven't just been beaten, they have been annihilated by @BCBtigers. I thought the World Cup was the best I have seen them play.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 22, 2015
But Sri Lankan ex-cricker Russel Arnold thought that Bangladesh has a ways to go:
Hope @BCBtigers players enjoy D moment ND stay grounded unlike D fans..There is a long road ahead .. More hard work and dedication required
— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) April 23, 2015
Former Bangladesh bowling coach and ex-England cricketer Ian Pont told off doubters:
Yet again @BCBtigers continue to prove the doubters wrong. New faces coming in and youngsters doing a job #BANvPAK Alhamdulillah
— Ian Pont (@Ponty100mph) April 24, 2015
According to Wikipedia, Bangladesh first entered the international cricket scene officially during the 1979 ICC Trophy in England. On 31 March 1986, Bangladesh played its first ODI match, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Eleven years later, Bangladesh won the ICC Trophy in Malaysia, which qualified the country to participate in its first Cricket World Cup in England in 1999. It played its first Test match, the longest form of cricket, in 2000 (against India at Dhaka), becoming the tenth Test cricket playing nation. Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status (currently at no. 9 of the 10 full members).

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


text:
The Curious Chronology of Russian Twitter Bots · Global Voices
Lawrence Alexander

The creation dates of Twitter accounts in Lawrence Alexander's ‘bot’ sample provide ample evidence of automation. Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
Using open-source tools, Internet researcher Lawrence Alexander gathered and visualised data on nearly 20,500 pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts, pointing to extensive information manipulation attempts on the RuNet. In the second part of a two-part analysis, he discusses how bot behavior over time exposed key traits of these accounts and resonated with major political and social events.
Once I examined the scale and relationships of the bot networks in the first installment of my analysis, I decided to look into their chronology. Would examining the timeline behind their creation reveal further details as to their origin and purpose?
One of the Twitter metadata items NodeXL collected for the bot accounts was the “Joined Twitter Date.” This is an automatic parameter that can't be changed by the user, so it provides an accurate ‘birthday’ for each account.
Bot time-stamp data in Excel, showing rapid account registration during short time periods.
Using Microsoft Excel, these figures—for all 17,590 bots—were visualized as scatter plots labelled by group (groups were formed based on the text content of the tweets). For comparison, I produced an identical graph for the 11,282-strong random sample group of accounts.
Timeline of creation dates for random sample of Twitter accounts. Image by Lawrence Alexander.
The vertical time-scale axis covers the entire history of Twitter, from its inception in July 2006 to the present day. The horizontal axis refers to the number of Twitter accounts, and therefore the sample size, of each group. They are arranged in the order that NodeXL originally collected them. The creation date of each account is signified by a blue dot.
As you would expect in a random sample group, there are few trends to be seen beyond a general increase in Twitter's popularity in its first four years. The timeline of the creation dates for bot account groups from my sample, however, tells a different story.
Timeline of account creation dates for Bots Group A. Image by Lawrence Alexander.
The Group A graph is taken from the sample of bot accounts sourced from @PressRuissa‘s  tweet. You can see marked linear trends where multiple accounts were rapidly created on the same day, sometimes within hours of each other. This is characteristic of the automation that is typical for bot networks, and the same trend shows up in all four bot sample groups.
I marked dates of peak activity in red for clarity. Above, a rapid increase in account registration for Group A can be seen in November 2013 and July 2014.
Timeline of account creation dates for Bots Group B, showing mass registration in short periods. Image by Lawrence Alexander.
Group B was sourced from suspected bot accounts based on their behavior and characteristics, as well as the distinctive RSS error message I referred to in the previous post. On the graph above, you can see two sharp peaks in account registration recorded for the spring and early summer of 2014, and later in the autumn of the same year. Relatively few accounts in the group were registered prior to this period.
Timeline of account creation dates for Bots Group C shows three instances of rapid account creation. Image by Lawrence Alexander.
Bots for Group C were collected based on a tweet by a political analyst who reported an instance of suspiciously similar messages. The graph for this group shows a clear pattern of mass account registration in three batches, spaced eight months apart, as more bots were added to the network.
Timeline of account creation dates for Bots Group D. Image by Lawrence Alexander.
An Internews Ukraine media expert provided the screenshot that became my starting point for Group D (see graph above). Here, the automation trends are less distinct, partly because the data set is smaller. However, the pattern of rapid account registration, peaking in the summer of 2014, is still clear.
Although these results cannot guarantee a comprehensive conclusion about the nature of the ‘bot’ accounts, it's interesting to note that periods of increased bot registration coincided with the start of the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine (late fall and winter of 2013) and the subsequent armed uprisings by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine (early spring 2014).

author: Lawrence Alexander