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Is There Anything More Public Than Twitter? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

A man huddles in fear from a squawking flock of twitter birds. By Pete Simon on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
What are the ethics of publishing a tweet without permission? With millions of users, is everything we say on Twitter truly public? These are questions being asked in the wake of a controversy in which BuzzFeed republished a Twitter discussion on March 12, 2014 in which sexual assault survivor and Twitter user @SteenFox had asked women to discuss what they were wearing when they were assaulted. Although the women had given @SteenFox permission to retweet the tweets (and later, the Buzzfeed reporter too) some were still upset that BuzzFeed had republished them, sparking a discussion about the ethics of major publications further publicizing tweets.
While it's true that Twitter is public, over 400 million tweets are sent into the ether every day, with most users never expecting theirs could end up on the front page of the newspaper. And yet, publications are increasingly using Twitter users as sources, and tweets as content.
This is one thing when the subject is an uprising; while, say, a Turkish or Egyptian protester may not expect their tweets to show up in the New York Times, the tweets sent from Gezi Park or Tahrir Square are often intended for public, even foreign, consumption. A discussion about sexual assault, however, may feel more personal.
In response to the controversy, Gawker (which uses tweets regularly in its reporting) published a piece by Hamilton Nolan arguing that Twitter is public. In it, Nolan writes:
Because Twitter is public, and published on the internet, it is possible that someone will quote something that you said on Twitter in a news story. This is something that you implicitly accept by publishing something on Twitter, which is public. That is well within the rights of a “journalist,” as well as anyone who clicks the “Retweet” button on something that you published on Twitter. Just because you wish that someone would not quote something that you said in public does not mean that that person does not have the right to quote something that you said in public. When we choose to say something in public, we choose to broadcast it to the world…
Some have taken issue with Nolan's binary argument. Anil Dash, a blogger and thought leader, wrote:
Billions of people know “visible on the web” doesn't always equal “I want this published in the media with ads around it”. Respect that.
— Anil Dash (@anildash) March 13, 2014
Many times, the public good is served by publishing things others don't want shared. Sometimes the public good is served by holding off.
— Anil Dash (@anildash) March 13, 2014
Journalist Jenna Wortham noted that Twitter is often used differently than how it was intended:
Extra thoughts on this: It seems like some people have co-opted Twitter to suit their needs, regardless of original intent/design (1)
— ▵ Jenna Wortham ▵ (@jennydeluxe) March 13, 2014
and expectations / desires for gradients of public visibility have evolved ahead of the Twitter's ability / desire to service them. (2)
— ▵ Jenna Wortham ▵ (@jennydeluxe) March 13, 2014
Journalist Alex Howard argued that it's a matter of journalistic ethics:
Journalists need to consider the ethics & impact of making obscure tweets public just as they do using mugshot data: http://t.co/94hSNB9OL3
— Alex Howard (@digiphile) March 13, 2014
"Just because we can rupture obscurity, should we? Just because we can publicize content, should we?"-@zephoria http://t.co/u5hwK90zdg
— Alex Howard (@digiphile) March 13, 2014
Blogger Jamie Nesbitt Golden, writing at hoodfeminism, similarly argued that it's less about Twitter and more about the ethics of journalists:
But the real issue isn’t so much about Twitter being a public space; it’s about the absolute lack of empathy, sensitivity, and thoroughness when it comes to covering stories like these and the flippant, snarky responses that come from media outlets after the inevitable fallout. Testa’s quest to be the first to break the story alienated a number of people and did irrevocable damage not only to Buzzfeed’s brand, but the public’s trust. Some expressed relief that they didn’t share their survivor stories out of fear they’d become troll fodder. Testa didn’t take into account Steen’s safety or comfort, potentially exposing her to trolls and other unsavory characters.
In response to my own comments, Sarah Kendzior argued similarly:
@jilliancyork Much of the objection to the Buzzfeed piece isn't private/public but thoroughness/laziness. Bad "reporting" on traumatic topic
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) March 14, 2014
This is an important discussion, and a serious one. As Twitter, and social media in general, becomes more and more popular globally, journalists will need to put more thought into how to they approach using it for their stories. While it sometimes may seem justified or in the public interest to amplify a tweet (think the Justine Sacco affair), in many other cases, it's at least worth asking: “Am I doing harm by amplifying this content?”

author: Jillian C. York


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Macedonian Government to Introduce Internet Filtering · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Airborne blog commented on the Macedonian government's plan to set up a new company to provide online betting and other gambling to residents of Macedonia:
The plan will involve “disabling of betting/gambling online games on foreign web sites”. This blockade is set to last two years beginning in March 2014.
Citing benefits for “the [Macedonian] state and society”, blocking of the sites will be carried out by the Agency for Electronic Communications and the Ministry for Information Society.
Given the extremely poor record of the Macedonian government on media freedom and previous unsuccessful attempts to legislate liability for Internet access providers for content published via their services, it's not too difficult to imagine a more broad use of the blocking mechanism once it is set up.
At this point, raising concern about the proposed plan for blocking access to site is the least we can do. The communities from the Internet should rally again.
The blocking mechanism is set to take effect sometime in March [mk], following a change in the Law on Games of Chance [mk] adopted on December 28, 2013.
The State Lottery operates under the motto “It's for good” and holds monopoly on most kinds of gambling, while it also administers other government lottery schemes.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Riau Forest Fire Triggers Worst Indonesia Haze Pollution  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Forest fires in western Indonesia have intensified this month affecting the residents of Riau, West Sumatra and North Sumatra. The forest burning is also blamed for producing a thick haze to descend on neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.
A burning forest in Riau, Indonesia. Photo by Virna Puspa Setyorini, Copyright @Demotix (6/20/2013)
Fire hotspots have increased to more than 2,000 early this month. To contain the fire, the government released six tons of salt above Riau to trigger rain in the 13,000 hectares of affected area.
Air pollution has worsened most especially in Riau, regarded as the ‘ground zero’ of the haze disaster. More than 33,300 residents of Riau have already suffered acute respiratory tract infection because of the haze. A bigger number of residents, including children, has been diagnosed with asthma and cough.
The fire is caused by the deliberate burning of forests mainly by corporate agricultural plantations. Big farmers are also accused of causing the ‘perpetual’ burning of forests because of their pollutive tilling methods.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) explained that the forest fire is both a natural and man-made disaster:
Kebakaran ladang & asap ini di samping disebabkan oleh cuaca yg ekstrim, juga karena ada penduduk & perusahaan yg membakar ladang. *SBY*
— S. B. Yudhoyono (@SBYudhoyono) March 13, 2014
The fire and smoke was not only caused by extreme weather, but also by the local people and companies who tried to burn the land. *SBY*
The ongoing fire disaster is also expected to affect Indonesia’s oil supply since Riau accounts for 30 to 40 percent of the national oil production.
Fire density in Riau, Indonesia. Image from World Resources Institute
Twitter hashtags #PrayForRiau, #MelawanAsap, and #RiauHaze are used by Indonesian netizens to monitor the haze and fire situation:
before and afternya riau. #PrayforRiau everyone. Hoping for a heavy rain in Riau. amen. pic.twitter.com/GQgC3a8eci
— Jeanne (@jeanneross) March 15, 2014
How we can survive in this city? Please #PrayForRIAU #MelawanAsap cc: @delpieroale @delpieroINA @juventusfc pic.twitter.com/YoFfZOrAtv
— JuLiana Sitindaon (@Jueluvpidi) March 13, 2014
#MelawanAsap Don't stop now, until those corporations act responsibly. If we stop, next year will be the same. pic.twitter.com/AH0450xAiG
— Jerry (@jerryzhng) March 15, 2014
WE MISSED THIS! THE CLEAN AIR LIKE THIS! NOT LIKE THIS! #PrayForRiau pic.twitter.com/05ApdXeZoJ
— KYUHYUN'S WIFE ε˘`)♥ (@Kyuteukbi) March 13, 2014
i know how hard it is to live in a place with bad situation and you can't go anywhere because you can't see anything outside #PrayForRiau
— Dyah Puspa Arum (@DyahPuspaAruum) March 15, 2014
we deserve to be awarded as the no 1 city with the worst hazardous haze in the world and the president doesnt give a damn. #RiauHaze
— Dedy Ong #RiauHaze (@OngDedy) March 12, 2014
5% oxygen only. What a horrible situation it is #PrayForRiau
— Wijaya.A.Lutfi (@LutfiAfansyah) March 15, 2014
This is not the doom of the Gods. But at the hands of people who are not responsible. #PrayForRiau
— Miftahul Jannah (@miftahulmitaa) March 13, 2014
RT @OngDedy: let's make this an International Issue! we need unite to STOP this. #PrayForRiau … http://t.co/xQbv21JUCq
— satria putra (@satria_pku) March 13, 2014

author: Mong Palatino


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Tajik MP Comes Out Against Cousin Marriage · Global Voices
Uguloy Mukhtorova

Saodat Amirshoeva, a female MP in the Tajik President's People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT), seems to have a passion for trying to regulate marriage. Back in 2010, she proposed to ban girls from getting married before the age of 22. In 2013, she warned Tajik women against marrying non-Muslims, “especially Chinese”. Now she is returning to her favorite theme by urging the parliament to outlaw cousin marriage.
MP Saodat Amirshoeva
Speaking to journalists on March 4, Amirshoeva described [tj] cousin marriage as “immoral” and blamed the practice for what she believed was an alarming number of children born with birth defects. According to the MP, more than a third of Tajikistan's 25,500 children with disabilities were born to parents who share at least one grandparent.
Marrying within the family is common in Tajikistan. Yet, some netizens supported the MP's initiative. Commenting on the Radio Ozodi's (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik service) report, Shodi wrote [tj]:
Депутатхои мухтарам ин конуна хатман кабул кунед,ин бадбахтии миллат аст, бо шахсони аз авлод берун оиладор шуда риштаи хешутабориро зиед кардан лозим аст
Dear [MPs], please pass this law. [Cousin marriage] is a national misfortune. [Tajiks] should marry outside their families and extend their familial links.
Mirkhovand chipped in [tj]:
хамхобаги бо хеши наздик бадахлокии нафратангез аст. инчо масъалаи хукумату ислом нест масъалаи ахлок аст…
Having sexual relations with close relatives is nasty and immoral. This is not an issue of the government or Islam, this is a moral issue…
Many more netizens, however, had their reasons to criticize the initiative. Khasan asked [tj]:
О ин мардум дигар кор надоранд. ха рурз ном нав куниву хучат навкуни. ба ин корхо оё мо пеш меравем? албатта не! хар рузе дар шабакахои Руссия кудакони навзодеро нишон медихат ки нокисусакл ё бо норасоии чисмони таваллуд шудаанд. магар онхохам хешу табор буданд? кадуюмаш минталитети мо ин талаботхоро кабул намекунад. дар дехот аксаран хама кариб хешутабори доранд.
Don't these people have other things to be busy with? Every day they want us to change our names [see Global Voices report] or change documents. Are all these things helping us develop? Of course not! Russian TV channels show babies born with different disabilities almost every day. Were those babies also born to parents married within the family? Our mentality will not let us accept this initiative. In villages, almost all people are related to each other.
Another anonymous reader doubted [tj] Amirshoeva's claims that cousin marriages were to be blame for disabilities in newborns:
Тахлилро хону кайф кун. Сабабхои маризихо инхо мебошанд….
Хонахои сард.
гушнаги.
дур аз тарбяи фарзанд.
асабони будани падар.
99.9 дар сад инро тахлилхо гувохи медихад.
Read the analysis and enjoy it! Disabilities [in children] have the following causes:
cold houses
malnutrition
father's anger
I am 99.9% confident that studies will prove this.
Amir suggested [tj] that there are better ways to bring down the number of children born with disabilities:
…Маслихати ман ин аст; вакто мехохед чомеаи солим ба дунё биёяд, хешаст ё бегона пеш аз карори хостгори чавон писару духтарро аз муоинаи тибби бигзаронанд, хамчуноне,ки дар кодекс Чумхури (tjk) мавчуд аст. Хамун конуни бударо сахт гиранд, ин рохи осонаст. Дар Точикистон ин конун мувофикат намекунад. Ин фикри хатост. Издивочи хешутабори бадахлоки нест…
…My advice is as follows: if you want to have healthy children, whether you are married within the family or outside, the young men and women [creating a family] should have their health checked. There is a provision to this effect in the Tajik [legislation]. Enforcing the law is easy. A law [banning cousin marriage] will not work in Tajikistan. This is a bad idea. Cousin marriage is not immoral.
Firuz suspected [tj] that the initiative to ban cousin marriage comes from the West:
…Оё хамаи он анбиё ва уламову авлиёе,ки бо хешутабор издивоч карда буданд дур аз ахлок буданд? Кабули ин конун зидди шариъати Исломи буда ба ойини мо точикон мухолифат дорад!!!!! ИН афкори ГАРБЗАДАХО аст!!!!
…Do you think that all the prophets and clergy who had sexual relations with their relatives were immoral? Passing this law would be against the Islamic sharia law and would contradict Tajik customs! This thinking comes from Westernized people!
Another user, writing under the nickname ‘Mukhojir’ [Migrant], recommended [tj] that Tajik MPs spend their energy on something else:
Ин конунро якуним хазорсол мешавад дар ягон давлати мусалмон зиндагимекардаги инро маън накардаанд.шумо намояндахои халк проблема кам доред ки боз ин конунхои хандаовар мебароред.бисери конуни кабулкардаи шумо хандаовар аст.як конун кабул кунед ки ба фоидаи халк бошад.кудакони навзоди точик ки аз хамма бисер мемуранд ин аз руи хешутабори нест ин аз руи кашоки бевитамини беназоратии духтурон аст.масъалаи порагиро бубинед кормандони давлати руирост пора мегиранду ягон чора дида намешавад…
Over the last 1,500 years not a single Muslim [society] has banned [cousin marriage]. You, people's representatives, obviously have few problems and, therefore, make such laughable laws. The law you are [working on] is laughable. Why don't you write laws that would benefit people? Most newborns that die in Tajikistan do so because of poverty, lack of vitamins, and poor healthcare. You'd better address the problem of bribery: public servants openly accept [or solicit] bribes, and nothing is done about that…

author: Uguloy Mukhtorova


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The Appeal of WeChat and Self-Media in China  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Tencent’s WeChat, semi-private messaging service has replaced Twitter-like Sina Weibo as a leading channel of alternative information. Tea Leaf Nation has explained the appeal of WeChat and “self-media” in general to young Chinese generation, and the implication of the sudden crackdown.

author: Abby Liu


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Flipboard Adds Global Voices to Local Content Guides · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Italian users of Flipboard will find Global Voices listed prominently in the news section of recommended feeds.
Starting this month, Global Voices (in different languages) will be recommended to the millions of people who use an app called Flipboard on their tablets and smartphones to create the experience of a “magazine” that combines their favorite media and social media content in one place.
For instance, Italian users will have Global Voices in Italian suggested to them, and users of Flipboard in Brazil will have Global Voices in Portuguese suggested to them. You can see what it looks like to browse through Global Voices in magazine format here.
Flipboard says Global Voices will initially be added to content guides for users in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Russia, Arabic.
Global Voices is currently available in more than 30 different languages thanks to the amazing volunteer editors and translators of our Lingua project. Together, we work towards the goal of making local citizen media and stories from around the world reach a truly global audience. Join us!

author: Solana Larsen


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In Peru, Racism Strikes Again · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The streets of Lima, Peru. Image from Flickr user Martín García, used under license CC Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0).
All links lead to Spanish-language pages, except where noted.
People say that racism in Peru is subtle, underhanded, and hidden. Despite the fact that Peru is a multiethnic [en] country, with a large indigenous and mixed-race population, racism has persisted from colonial times until today. It appears in various forms: in the tradition of powerful families hiring black people to carry the coffins of their loved ones, in ads with racist or classist overtones, in the discriminatory treatment of household workers, who are usually of Andean origin, and in the discrimination against Quechua-speaking members of Congress for their errors in writing in Spanish.
Until a few years ago, these signs of racism were accepted passively: they remained anonymous and limited to the private sphere, and the media paid little attention to the issue. But with the spread of social networks, these types of practices have become a topic of debate among the general public, fueled by human rights activists and others who refuse to put up with any more discrimination.
However, the very same social networks also serve to spread and normalize the racist and discriminatory practices that others are fighting against. In an article for the newspaper El País, journalist Jacqueline Fowks comments on a recent event online:
La polémica más fuerte se originó el sábado primero de marzo, con las reacciones racistas en las redes sociales tras la muerte de Edita Guerrero, cantante del exitoso grupo de cumbia Corazón Serrano. “Todas las cholas feas y los serranos emergentes ya estarán yendo al velorio de Edita Guerrero de Corazón Serrano. Cuiden sus billeteras”, “Falleció Edita Guerrero de Corazón Serrano. Pucha, ahora mi empleada me va a pedir descanso”, escribieron tuiteros. Emergente es el término para los migrantes o pobres que han mejorado significativamente su condición económica.
The most heated controversy began on Saturday, March 1, with racist reactions appearing on social networks following the death of Edita Guerrero, lead singer of the successful cumbia group Corazón Serrano. Twitter users posted: “All the ugly half-breeds and emerging serranos [derogatory term for people from the highlands region of Peru] must already be on their way to the vigil for Edita Guerrero of Corazón Serrano. Keep an eye on your wallets.” “Edita Guerrero of Corazón Serrano passed away. Great, now my maid is going to ask me for a day off,” Twitter users wrote. “Emerging” is the term for migrants or poor people who have significantly improved their economic situation.
Fowks also cites another case of discrimination, this time rather high-profile, and not based on skin color:
La discriminación en Perú también es socioeconómica. El domingo, un programa de televisión difundió el audio en el que el regidor de Lima Pablo Secada insultaba a una mujer policía que le imponía una sanción por infringir las normas de tránsito. “No sea babosa, ¿ha ido al colegio, la han educado, entiende lo que he dicho? En un Cenecape seguro ha estudiado leyes”. Los Cenecapes eran centros de formación técnica, estatales, que surgieron con la reforma educativa a inicios de los años 70. Secada, un destacado economista y tecnócrata, fue hasta el martes aspirante a la alcaldía de Lima.
Discrimination in Peru is also socioeconomic. On Sunday, a TV program aired an audio recording of Lima city councilor Pablo Secada insulting a female police officer who fined him for breaking traffic rules. “Don't be stupid, you went to college, you got an education, do you understand what I said? You must have studied law in a Cenecape.” The Cenecapes were state institutions for technical training that emerged as part of the education reform at the beginning of the 1970s. Until Tuesday, Secada, a noted economist and technocrat, was a contender for mayor of Lima.
Those weren't the only cases to take place this month. The return of a TV show called “La Paisana Jacinta” [The Peasant Jacinta] also provoked wide-ranging reactions. The show first came out in 1999 and 2002, with a brief return in 2005, and ever since that time has faced criticism for its exaggerated portrayal of the main character, an Andean woman. Continued reruns of the series were met with objections over the years, and the TV station found itself forced to reduce the frequency of reruns.
This new iteration of the show received a high rating. Although the character is essentially the same, some critics claim that the racist humor is now more subdued. But many are opposed to a series like this returning to primetime on free-to-air Peruvian television.
On the blog Trigo Atómico, writer Jaime Bedoya comments on the circumstances surrounding the relaunch of “La Paisana Jacinta,” which had more viewers than a new local reality show:
EN UNA DIALECTICA SINGULAR y propia del estado actual del supuesto bienestar nacional el prejuicio le ganó a la estupidez, abriendo el debate entre si el moco o la baba, la caca o la pila. La Paisana Jacinta se apropió del rating que supuestamente debería tener la madre de todos los realities. Un hombre haciendo humor rastrero disfrazado de una mujer indígena había derrotado el invencible dominio de la imbecilidad sexy.
In a peculiar debate typical of the current state of supposed national well-being, prejudice has triumphed over stupidity, launching the debate between snot and drool, between crap and piss. La Paisana Jacinta took over the rating that supposedly should have been held by the mother of all reality shows. A man disguised as an indigenous woman making sick jokes has beaten the invincible sovereignty of sexy idiocy.
The blog Colectivo Dignidad reposts an article questioning the role and the responsibility of the media:
La pregunta es ¿hasta qué punto deben los medios de comunicación dar a la gente ‘lo que quiere’? ¿Han olvidado quienes manejan los medios que además de entretener, su función también es informar y educar? En una sociedad como la nuestra, con un contexto en el que aún se soporta una pesada carga racista, ¿hasta qué punto es legítimo explotar los estereotipos como recurso humorístico?
The question is, up to what point must the media give the people “what they want”? Have the media moguls forgotten that besides entertaining, their job is also to inform and educate? In the context of a society like ours, which still carries a heavy burden of racism, up to what point is it legitimate to exploit stereotypes as a comic device?
On the blog Feministas, psychology student Gonzalo Meneses recounted what his little brother says takes place in his classroom:
hay una pequeña y tímida niña chaposa de apellido Ñaupari, a la que ya algunos empiezan a llamar “Jacinta” […] Me cuenta que a los profesores parece no importarles. Me cuenta que no pasa nada, porque cada salón tiene su Jacinta o su Jacinto (o su Huasaberto). Cuando le pregunto, “¿qué te parece gracioso de la paisana?”, sus respuestas son directas: es bien cochina; es bien estúpida; es bien fea (y él no deduce que es fea, se lo dicen en el programa, y él aprende que ese cuerpo es un cuerpo feo); por cómo tiene los dientes; por las cosas que le hacen; por cómo habla; cómo camina; por cómo se viste, por cómo se orina en las calles. En resumen, por cómo es. Por lo que es.
There's a shy, ruddy little girl with the last name Ñaupari. Some people are already starting to call her “Jacinta” […] He tells me that the teachers don't seem to care. He tells me that it's no big deal, because every classroom has its Jacinta or Jacinto (or its Huasaberto). When I ask him, “What do you think is funny about the peasant girl?”, his answers are straightforward: she's really ugly, she's really stupid (it's not that he's figured out that she's ugly – they say that on the show, and he learns that that body is an ugly body); the way her teeth are, the things she does, how she talks, how she walks, how she dresses, how she urinates in the street. Essentially, how she is. What she is.
Facebook user Qullana Qhapaq Amaru writes about a girl, imaginary but very real at the same time. Because of these jokes, this little girl will grow up thinking “that she's ignorant, stupid, that she doesn't know how to speak Spanish […] She'll believe that she's dirty, unkempt, that her clothing is a cause for shame.” And when this girl grows up, she will have three options: passively accept the discrimination, isolate herself, or rebel.
Ella no renegará de su identidad, la reafirmará tercamente, estudiará, investigará y descubrirá la verdad, la terrible verdad, de todo un pueblo subyugado política, económica, social, cultural y religiosamente desde hace 500 años. Ella luchará por cambiar el actual estado de cosas, la sociedad colonial la odiará: la llamarán “terrorista, chola rebelde” “el mejor indio es el indio muerto” le dirán que es una radical que busca el caos, el atraso, la llamarán “resentida social” “fronteriza.”
She won't deny her identity. She'll stubbornly reaffirm it. She'll study, investigate, and discover the truth: the terrible truth of an entire people subjugated politically, economically, socially, culturally, and religiously for the past 500 years. She'll fight to change the current state of things. The colonial society will hate her. They'll call her “a terrorist, a rebel half-breed.” “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” They'll say that she's a radical who's looking for chaos and backwardness. They'll call her “a social reject” and “backwards.”
But not everyone is opposed to the show. On the blog Sin Sentido, Arturo, who likes the show, argues that it's a classic of Peruvian television and says that he's hoping for a full season, not just a pilot. Arturo adds:
Como es obvio, este anuncio causará el enojo de aquellos sectores acomplejados que se niegan a reconocerse tal como son, porque la Paisana Jacinta es sin duda alguna, la típica representante de la mujer peruana que vemos en las calles de Lima, Es mas, ese personaje habría sido inspirado en una vendedora de golosinas del cruce de las avenidas Las Palmeras y Javier Prado, tal como confeso su creador en una reciente entrevista.
Obviously, this announcement will anger those complex-ridden people who refuse to face the reality of the way they are, because La Paisana Jacinta is without a doubt the typical example of the Peruvian woman we see in the streets of Lima. Furthermore, this character was inspired by a candy vendor at the intersection of the avenues Las Palmeras and Javier Prado, as its creator confessed in a recent interview.
Racism in Peru was the subject of a recent article in the Spanish version of National Geographic. Although the article mainly dealt with the case of the late singer Edita Guerrero, it also mentioned what took place during the Copa Libertadores club football competition. During a match between the local Real Garcilaso and the Brazilian team Cruzeiro, fans began to make monkey sounds every time the black Brazilian player Tinga touched the ball.
El racismo está lleno de paradojas. Ese partido se jugó en la ciudad andina de Huancayo y la mayoría de asistentes eran mestizos con marcada esencia indígena, es decir, esos mismos que sufren la discriminación y los insultos de los “blancos”. Siempre aparecerá uno más oscuro para burlarse y tomarse revancha, explican expertos. Sociólogos, antropólogos y demás estudiosos coinciden en que el racismo está fuertemente instalado en Perú, quizás con pocos similares en América Latina.
Racism is full of paradoxes. That game took place in the Andean city Huancayo and the majority of attendees were mixed-race, with significant indigenous blood. That is to say, the very same people who suffer the discrimination and insults of the “whites.” There will always be someone darker to make fun of and take revenge on, experts explain. Sociologists, anthropologists, and other academics agree that racism is firmly embedded in Peru, perhaps with few similar cases in Latin America.
National Geographic recently published a global DNA study [en] showing that the inhabitants of Lima have 68% indigenous blood.
The quest to improve the current situation has yielded some interesting but unrealistic suggestions, like an anti-racism attorney general. Some actions are being taken, including a petition in protest of the show La Paisana Jacinta, though this may seem like armchair activism. Nothing will change overnight.

author: Juan Arellano


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Protesters Occupy Taiwan’s Legislature Over China Trade Deal  · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

A group of protesters stormed Taiwan's legislature March 18, 2014 demanding a full public review of a controversial trade agreement with China after ruling party lawmakers pushed the bill through committee.
Protesters occupy the Legislation Yuan. Image from Island Nation Youth. CC: NC.
The latest Cross-Strait Service Agreement, a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and China, was sent to the Taiwan's legislature for reviewing after 16 rounds of public hearings, which ended on March 10, 2014. Even though China is a huge market for Taiwanese businesses, some fear the unrestricted entry of mainland capital poses a threat to Taiwanese culture, freedom of expression and even national security.
While most lawmakers within the Legislative Yuan, as the island's legislature is called, agreed to review the agreement clause by clause, Chang Ching-Chung, the presiding chair of the legislature’s internal Administrative Committee, declared on March 17 that the committee had already completed review of the agreement. Backed by the ruling party, Chang sent the agreement to the legislature's plenary session for its second reading without proper review processes.
Since the Taiwanese and Chinese government started signing bilateral economic cooperation agreements in 2010, a number of Taiwanese civic groups have been protesting against the “black-box” negotiation process not open to the public. Serious concerns have been raised by people from all walks of life. Amid mounting pressure, the Legislative Yuan finally agreed to hold public hearings and a clause-by-clause review of the agreement, but the ruling party has failed to keep that promise.
Protesters walk to the Legislation Yuan after work. Photo from the Citizen Congress Watch. CC: NC.
In reaction to the ruling party's autocratic decision, angry protesters from different civic groups surrounded the Legislation Yuan, and some even occupied the podium in the legislation building. They called for a proper review of the Service Trade Agreement and an apology from the ruling party for its shady move, which violates the earlier agreement of a thorough review.
Since March 17, protesters against the Service Trade Agreement have surrounded the Legislation Yuan. They raised banners with slogans such as, “9% President Ma forced the parliament to pass Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services (Agreement) within 3 seconds.” According to a poll in September 2013, only 9.2% of the general public was satisfied with President Ma Ying Jeou's performance.
The civic group Democratic Front Against Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement explained their protest [zh] on their Facebook page:
我們再次強調，目前全國已有百分之七十三民眾表達應該逐條審查，其中包含百分六十八的國民黨支持者，但是馬英九總統違背民主國家三權分立的基礎，踐踏立法程序三十秒就讓服貿協議過關…
We must emphasize that currently 73 percent of citizens believe this Service Trade Agreement should be reviewed clause by clause. 68 percent of ruling party supporters also hold the same opinion. Nevertheless, President Ma [Ying-jeou] trod on our Constitution concerning the division of legislative, executive and judicial powers and made the Legislation Yuan pass the Service Trade Agreement within 30 seconds.
J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based journalist, tried to explain why the Ma administration took such a bold move:
Protesters resist police officers at the exit. Image from Island Nation Youth. CC: NC.
A number of factors can help explain this, including a disorganized opposition; the ascension of Xi Jinping in China; President Ma Ying-jeou’s re-election in 2012; and the fact that, under Taiwanese law, this will be his last four-year term as president.
All those factors, added to growing Chinese impatience at the pace of “progress” in the Taiwan Strait — by this read the commencement of negotiations on Taiwan’s political future — and fears that whoever comes after Ma might not be able, or willing, to deliver the political goods, have resulted in Beijing applying tremendous pressure on Taipei, and thus forcing it into a reactive position. Already, some prominent individuals have observed that Ma’s government has failed to take the initiative in cross-strait negotiations by allowing China to set the agenda, a most dangerous strategy (or non-strategy).

author: I-fan Lin


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Three Years of the Syrian Revolution: “Our Dream Remains Alive” · Global Voices
مرسيل شحوارو

This post is part of a special series of articles by blogger and activist, Marcell Shehwaro, describing the realities of life in Syria during the ongoing armed conflict between forces loyal to the current regime, and those seeking to oust it.
Marcell and friends preparing the martyrs memorial to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian revolution. Image courtesy Marcell Shehwaro.
Before the Idea
I realise this year how late we are in talking about the third anniversary of the Syrian revolution. It is as if delaying talk about it will change the depressing reality. We are marking the third year since the start of the revolution. A lot has changed in those three years, to the extent that you no longer recognise yourself, or your friends, or your family or your own home. Those who have managed to remain as they were—if you do manage to find a Syrian who has not changed—are lucky. Or perhaps very unlucky.
I've also noted the absence of the debate that Syrians love to engage in every year, about the exact date the revolution started. The question we ask ourselves jokingly is: Are you a supporter of the March 15 revolution, or the March 18 revolution? I will try to explain briefly the roots of this debate, which has not surfaced this year because of exhaustion, or perhaps because we have given up on pinpointing the exact date which ushered in the revolution.
Here's the argument put forward by proponents of the notion that the revolution started on March 15, 2011: On that day, a small protest took place in Al Hareeqa in Damascus. A number of protesters were arrested, which prompted a sit-in  the following day, next to the Ministry of Interior, to demand their release.
Those who insist that the revolution started on March 18 (I am one of these), state that the revolution kicked off in Daraa on March 18, 2011, and that this was the point of no return. All that had happened before this date was merely a prelude, with relatively few participants, and which would have been stifled had it not been for the popular rebellion in Daraa on March 18.
This year we seem to have reached a consensus that the anniversary stretches from March 15 to 18. And in Aleppo, my city, the debate raged in the comment pages, between those who decided to stay put and those who decided to take a break in Turkey. We decided to prepare for this anniversary celebration 10 days earlier.
While Preparing for the Idea
A friend of mine who is always enthusiastic, and whom I envy for his passionate belief in the revolution, says: “We need to organise something across all of Syria.” As soon as he utters this, we realise how  difficult it has become to say “all of Syria”. The concerns of those besieged in the Damascus countryside and Homs are completely different from the concerns of those in the liberated North, and is painfully distant from normal life in other parts of the country. Even the concerns of those in the liberated North are not the same as those in Aleppo, which is constantly bombarded; or Idlib, which is celebrating its recent liberation; or Al Raqqa, which is suffering under a new dictatorship—a faction which calls itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or as Syrians prefer to call it, Daesh.
Despite all this, we start a small group on Facebook to prepare for the third anniversary of the revolution, as we rarely meet in real life, thanks to electricity cuts and the difficulties in accessing the Internet from one region to the other. We insist on re-instilling the basic values of the revolution. Someone suggests the slogan “Rights, Humanity, Justice.” Nowadays, however, there are some who oppose the revolution simply because of the word “freedom”, so we insist on including it. We decide on “Freedom, Justice, Dignity” as our motto for this anniversary, which expresses, essentially, the values we held at beginning of the movement.
We acknowledge that there are many reasons the slogan has changed over three years, and how linguistics have interfered to deny the revolution its values. Among them are politics, and money and a desire to appease the Western media by adopting its vocabulary. Because we are the children of this revolution, we decided that we needed to remind people that what is happening in Syria today is not a crisis, or a conflict, or a civil war, or a clash between two forces. What is happening is a revolution: a dream for change, rights, humanity, freedom, justice and dignity. These are the reasons we chose this year's slogan.
A Rebellion for Freedom, Justice and Dignity
On the first day our slogan will be “Freedom”. We will paint the word in different languages on a public wall in Aleppo, to tell the world which is witnessing our blood being spilled that whatever price we pay, we still believe in freedom.
On the second day, we will focus on “Justice”, and put up a memorial with photographs of 500 martyrs killed in Aleppo. We will also take flowers to the graves of martyrs, which have filled up our cemeteries.
On the third day, we will celebrate “Dignity”. We will collect letters from the front-lines of the Free Syria Army, from the medical camps, from activists, from people on the street. They will be letters of support, from one part of Syria to another.
And on the last day, we will erect revolution traffic lights which remind people that “Calling People Apostates is a Critical Juncture”, “Revolution is a One-Way Street”, and “The Road Ahead is Monitored by Media Cameras,” among others.
All the tiny details we have prepared are painful to contemplate. It hurts to search for old slogans which were a dream for most Syrians, before violence changed us. The photographs of martyrs are heart-wrenching. How have they already become numbers, after being covered in blood and when the pain felt by their families is far from over? It is exhausting to write to Syrians of whose suffering and challenges we know very little. It is worrying that they have actually started to divide us.
It hurts to try and bring back the happiness that disappeared after the year one, the intensity of preparations for the second anniversary and to consider how much we have lost by the time of this third anniversary.
I am proud that after all this violence, we have not lost our minds, and that we still adhere to very high values. We may perhaps be worn down from the debates, the back-stabbing and the horrible errors being committed. But I am proud of the movement, mistakes and all, and just as I have written, in the local dialect, to the fighters who have become exhausted and given up:
“The road of the revolution is asfull of pride and freedom as the number of people we have lost, and the energy and dreams that have vanished. I am writing to you to remind you of that moment, when we raised our hands at the protest, and swore to complete the road together and bring a better future to this country.
“I am writing to tell you that you, perhaps, may not have felt the importance of your presence with us as I have. Remember that each of us was leaning on the other for support, and any one of us leaving leaves all our backs exposed. Remember that we have a duty towards the families of martyrs.
“Perhaps last year in particular was a shock, which reminded us that for our freedom to grow, we had to pay a dear price, and that our ability to live in the liberated areas was paid for by the blood of young people, who received the first bullets, shot at the demonstrations. Today, we are able to move freely in Aleppo, without a dictator, thanks to the sacrifices of Abu Younis, Sultan, Saif, Amin and other young people.
“We still have a lot to fight for, Abdulwahab, Abu Mariam, Luay Abu El Joud and Nour, and many many more to return.
“We still have a long way to go for people to stop being martyred in Syria, like Tuti, who was killed from torture.
“Yes, the road is very long. But just as we wrote, on the walls of my city, a quote by [Palestinian poet] Mahmoud Darwish:
“We are still alive and will persevere. And our dream remains alive, no matter what.”
Marcell Shehwaro blogs atmarcellita.com and tweets at @Marcellita, both primarily in Arabic.

author: مرسيل شحوارو


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Trinidad & Tobago: Hollick Arvon Prize Finalists  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Bocas Lit Fest Blog has announced that emerging writers from Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago are the finalists for the much-coveted 2014 Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize, now in its second year.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Unlocking Time: A Collective Virtual Album of Old Photos from Latin America · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

All links lead to Spanish-language pages
#plenoverano en ABRIR EL TIEMPO: los animales inflables en el mar. Fotos playeras de Uruguay, 1940! pic.twitter.com/IM3Tg801
— Abrir el tiempo (@abrireltiempo) January 16, 2013
Summer in Unlocking Time: Inflatable animals in the sea. Beach photos from Uruguay, 1940!
Abrir el tiempo (Unlocking Time) is a virtual collection of old photographs from Latin America. Anyone can upload a photo and tell the story behind it. You can follow this collective album on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Zapatista Textbook Now Available in English · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Put on your thinking caps because the first of four Zapatista textbooks from last year’s widely popular escuelita (little school) have been translated to English.
For those who are not yet familiar, the Zapatista Escuelita (Zapatista little school), brought 1630 students from around the world to learn what it really means to be Zapatista. Contrary to what some might believe, there’s a lot more to the Zapatista than “smashing the state” or looking good doing it!
John Ahni Schertow writes about the first English translation of the Zapatista textbooks in Intercontinental Cry, where you can download the textbook and see the dates for the upcoming translations.
You can read more about the ‘escuelita’ in Upside Down World.


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Algerian Opposition TV Network Shuttered Ahead of Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Abdou Semmar

One month ahead of Algeria's presidential election scheduled for April 17 [fr], it appears freedom and civil liberties in there are under threat.
Independent television network Al-Atlas TV [ar], known for broadcasting Algerian opposition viewpoints without any restriction or censorship, was shut down by Algerian authorities [en] on March 11.
In the currently tense atmosphere leading up to the vote, the loss of Al-Atlas TV comes as Algerian protesters faced violent pushback from police. Six candidates are in the running, among them Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the outgoing president who is seeking a fourth term after having ruled the country for 15 years.
Al-Atlas TV stopped broadcasting following pressure from the Bouteflika regime on the Jordanian satellite provider Noorsat that carries the channel. One day earlier on March 10, Al-Atlas studios and offices were raided [en] and all their materials including cameras, computers, DVDs and recording tapes were seized under the pretense that the channel doesn't have an official license to broadcast in Algeria.
Al-Atlas TV has aired programs since 2012, and its news crew consists of young and freshly graduated Algerian journalists and technicians. According to Amnesty International and Al-Atlas TV lawyers, foul play was at hand here:
Reportedly issued a temporary licence in 2013 and, upon applying for an extension for 2014, was informed that such a renewal was not necessary given that a new audiovisual media law to regulate private television channels would soon come into force. The law was passed by Algeria’s parliament and senate in January but has yet to be promulgated.
On the network's YouTube channel, Al-Atlas TV Information Director Ghoul Hafnaoui pleaded for the support and solidarity of Algerian and foreign journalists:
Never before have the channel executives or staff been harassed. Al-Atlas TV holds the same legal status as the other private television stations in Algeria, which were are all still allowed to broadcast. So why the ban?
Hichem Bouallouche, the network's general director, told Algerian media that the authorities want to punish Al-Atlas because it opposes the fourth mandate sought by President Bouteflika.
In spite of a strong show of solidarity from TV colleagues and reporters, Algerian authorities have maintained their position on the ban. The chorus of condemnation from organizations such as Reporters without Borders and the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights as well as the strong mobilization of Algerian journalists and cyber activists have failed to dissuade the regime from putting an end to this blatant violation of freedom of press.
Another repressive act by the regime ahead of elections is the crackdown on peaceful protest in the streets. Freedom to demonstrate is consecrated in the Algerian Constitution. Yet that right is jeopardized by those entrusted with guaranteeing it. Barakat (meaning it's enough) opposition movement members attempted twice to hold sit-ins at the University of Algiers to denounce a fourth term. And both times they saw their protest broken up and members arrested.
The photo below went viral on social media in Algeria. It shows a supporter of the Barakat movement attacked by police officer forbidding her from chanting against the president's run. Captured by an Algerian photojournalist, it has been reposted by Envoyés Spéciaux Algériens (Special Algerian Envoys), among others:
Civilian Protests on March 6 – screen capture of video by Algerie choc on YouTube
The videos and photos of the violent police repression toured the global web. Algerian Police Chief General Abdelghani Hamel has tried to justify his officers’ violent behaviour and these more than 260 arrests by saying that high officials in the regime were behind the crackdown.
The following footage aired by Al-Atlas TV on March 6, a few days before the interruption of its broadcast, show how police treated protesters abominably in Algiers:
Al-Atlas TV is probably the only private channel in Algeria standing against Bouteflika's fourth term. The picture in the country is quite gloomy nowadays. But civil society refuses to sit back and give up. The Barakat Movement is calling for protests throughout the country. The battle continues.

author: Abdou Semmar


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Are America’s Latest Sanctions on Russia Based on a List by a Blogger? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

“Waiting for sanctions.” A jingoistic meme that has been making the rounds on RuNet. Anonymous image found online.
After the first set of rather toothless US sanctions [Global Voices report] against several Russian public officials failed to elicit much of a response, on March 20, 2014 Obama announced new sanctions that would affect 20 more Russians. Although many of these individuals are members of the Russian government, some out of them are oligarchs with unofficial ties to the Kremlin.
The new list appears to closely follow one recently proposed by online activist Alexey Navalny, a major figure in Russia's opposition movement. Yesterday Navalny published a post [ru] on his LiveJournal blog (currently blocked [Global Voices report] by order of Russia's Attorney General's office), in which he asked his readers to vote on who they would like to see on a hypothetical sanctions list. Among these were what Navalny called “”businessmen” who are part of Putin's most intimate circle” — the Rotenberg brothers, Yuri Kovalchuk, and Gennady Timchenko. Navalny has previously targeted these men in his anti-corruption efforts.
Putin, Navalny, Obama post sanctions? Artistic reenactment.
Remarkably, the new list of sanctioned individuals includes these men, as well as many of the other candidates proposed by Navalny. This led some bloggers to joke:
похоже, что это не ЦРУ управляет Навальным, а Навальный управляет ЦРУ, весь список санкций из его колонки
— Feldman (@EvgenyFeldman) March 20, 2014
looks like it isn't the CIA that's in charge of Navalny, but Navalny that's in charge of the CIA, the whole sanctions list is straight from his piece
Mentioning CIA and Navalny in the same tweet might strike a little close to home these days — recently NTV and pro-Kremlin bloggers have claimed [ru] that Navalny confessed to working for the CIA in a bugged lunch-time conversation. Navalny himself says [ru] that his talk of CIA connections is nothing more than a joke, a bit of sarcasm he often repeats in good fun.
Nevertheless, even Navalny likely thinks that his joke might have been ill advised, especially in light of the new international developments. It does appear that he and his NGO have been involved in lobbying for sanctions against specific individuals. For example, Navalny repeated the takeaway points of his blog in a New York Times editorial on how to punish Putin. Earlier, an anti-opposition news portal published [ru] a link to an Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party document [pdf] on proposed EU sanctions, which was “drawn up in cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Foundation of Alexey Navalny.”
Maybe it was this that led Navalny to dourly tweet, probably referring to himself:
Да, и чтоб не было иллюзий. За эту радость от введения санкций против ворья некоторым придётся заплатить. Надо сумочку собирать для СИЗО
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) March 20, 2014
Oh, and so that people don't harbor any illusions. Some people will pay for this happiness over sanctions against thieves. Should make yourself a prison go-bag
Former Kommersant director Demian Kudriavtsev agrees:
Вероятность того, что Алексея Навального посадят выросла в разы:(
— Демьян Кудрявцев (@kudriavtsev) March 20, 2014
The probability that Alexey Navalny will go to jail has just risen several times:(

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Draft Penal Code in Violation of Women and Children’s Rights · Global Voices
Dércio Tsandzana

Advert for the March Against the Violation of Human Rights in the Mozambican Penal Code, March 20, 2014. Photo published by Fórum Mulher on Facebook
This week, the Mozambican NGO Fórum Mulher (Women's Forum) organized a march in protest of a change to the penal code that would threaten human rights.
A group of civil society organizations delivered a note on February 24, 2014 denouncing violations of the rights of women, children and sexual minorities and other gaps in the Draft Penal Code. [.pdf].
A post on the Facebook page of Lambda Mozi, an organization which defends the rights of sexual minorities, summarizes the problem:
A revisão do Código Penal aprovada na generalidade em Dezembro último pelo Parlamento moçambicano manteve artigos que atentam contra os Direitos Humanos de todas(os) nós, por exemplo:
– Promove a impunidade do violador sexual e força a vítima a casar-se com este,
– Aplica medidas de segurança àqueles que se dedicam a prática de actos contra a natureza
The revision of the Penal Code approved in as a whole last December is that it maintained articles which are an attack on the Human Rights of us all, for example:
– It promotes impunity of a rapist and forces the victim to marry [the rapist]
– Applies punishments against those who practice acts against nature

author: Dércio Tsandzana


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Global Solidarity for Missing Malaysian Plane MH370 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Almost two weeks have passed since a Malaysian Airlines plane went missing during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing but authorities are still unable to locate it and its 239 passengers. The search for flight MH370 has been expanded after more than a week of unsuccessful attempt to locate it around the area where it was last detected on radar.
Trendsmap showing global Twitter discussion on MH370
Because of lack of official information about the status of MH370, many people turned to speculation and other less credible theories that seek to explain the mysterious disappearance of the plane. Misinformation is adding to the misery of relatives and friends of passengers of MH370. Some of the relatives have expressed anger and frustration over the lack of any positive update about the search for the missing plane.
Perhaps what gives them inspiration and the courage to survive the crisis is the outpouring of solidarity and messages of support from all over the world.
Prime Minister Najib Razak is grateful to all countries which are helping Malaysia in the search for MH370:
As of today, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are involved in the search. I wish to thank all the governments for their help at such a crucial time.
Susan Ng A. Suan was overwhelmed by the global support received by Malaysia:
It is so heart warming to see nations and people from around the world, coming together in one united effort, to help in the search and rescue operations for MH370.
Thank you to these countries for having relentlessly scoured the skies, seas and land for MH370
And also the 2.3 million people worldwide who are crowdsourcing and spending hours painfully scrutinising satellite imageries.
This is an amazing demonstration of faith in humanity restored.
Filipino students hold a candle lighting ceremony in honor of passengers of MH370. Photo from Kathy Yamzon
England's Liverpool club is touched by the Twitter message of the daughter of the chief steward of MH370:
This has touched our hearts – a tweet on Sunday night by Maira, daughter of #MH370 chief steward Andrew Nari pic.twitter.com/Y4CF4CpkZd
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 18, 2014
Many netizens are using the hashtag #PrayForMH370 to show support for the relatives of the missing passengers. It also highlights the global sympathy and concern for the missing MH370. Below are some photos from many countries expressing support for Malaysia:
Praying for #MH370 … #Syria pic.twitter.com/xUvi3a56GA
— Wasan Midliji (@WasanMid) March 19, 2014
Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik applies the final touch to a sand art sculpture for well being of #MH370 pic.twitter.com/R4I2Bhn72J
— Vaibhav (@pragmatistic) March 13, 2014
Pinoy artists pay tribute to passengers of missing Malaysia plane #MH370 http://t.co/IjTW6lb68P | Photo by Danny Pata pic.twitter.com/KtTbMFrcH5
— GMA News (@gmanews) March 17, 2014
Mobilising the students at University of Warwick! Be part of something big! #PrayForMH370 @Khairykj @warwickuni pic.twitter.com/0bGckPa7OO
— MHJr (@MHakimJr) March 13, 2014
The Whole World Is Praying For You #MH370 #PrayForMH370 pic.twitter.com/xNQxMBoagn
— AFIQ (@AfiqVizwa) March 13, 2014
#PrayForMH370 pic.twitter.com/fDGdCgVprj
— danial (@afellaa) March 12, 2014
#MH370 The Global Response. See how they all come together in this infographic. #PrayForMH370 http://t.co/ljSYabjvge pic.twitter.com/V7HGthpnMJ
— Airport Reality (@airportreality) March 13, 2014
Messages of hope and prayers for those on #MH370 and their loved ones at Kuala Lumpur airport #PrayForMH370 pic3 pic.twitter.com/lLryhgbfnT
— Jennifer Pak (@jpak25) March 13, 2014


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Haitian-American Filmmakers’ Web Series Invites Women to Live, Laugh, Love (Part 1) · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Live, Laugh, Love: Not a bad motto for young women searching for their purpose in life. A new independent web series (aptly dubbed 3L) by Haitian-born director Francesca Andre follows the story of Gaelle – a young, ivy league educated African-American woman, played by Haitian-American jazz vocalist Melanie Charles, who is left in a tailspin after a bad breakup.
Lost, confused, and feeling like a part of her is missing, she relocates to Brooklyn, beginning a new journey as a jazz singer, poet and amateur cook. Things don't always go as planned, and she must deal with harsh new realities in the highly competitive city of New York. Her friends support her in her quest to find her passion, opening her up to new possibilities and relationships.
In a month in which we celebrated International Women's Day and Global Voices highlighted some extraordinary real-life women, we thought we'd talk to some of the women involved in the series (Andre, the director, and Melissa Ternier, one of the producers) about the message they want to send to young women. (We will also publish a second part to this post, in which we talk with the lead actress, Melanie Charles).
Global Voices (GV): You've built a great reputation as a photographer; why venture into the realm of film and web TV?
Francesca Andre (FA): I started producing short videos for Fanm Kanson Network as well as doing stills for several productions as a way of getting my feet wet. Eventually I knew I was going to use film as medium to tell stories.
3L is basically the story of taking control of one's life, holding tight to ambition in the face of hardship, and being blessed with the type of friends that will push and guide you through the struggle on the way to success.
GV: Is this a Haitian story or an American story? [Andre and Melanie Charles, the lead actress, are Haitian/Haitian-American, yet the main character is described as African-American.] Do you see distinctions between the two or are the lines becoming blurred? And does it even matter?
Melissa Ternier (MT): It's a story of young American adults of diverse backgrounds. The lead character, Gaelle, is Haitian American. We describe her as African-American at times, since we blur that distinction. The important thing is that the character navigates in two different cultures – one of the American culture and of her heritage. It’s not uncommon for people to adapt to different cultures in order to create their sense of self. The important thing is that you’ll see elements of culture throughout the series – whether it’s through art, music, food, etc.
The cast of the 3L web series; photo by James Hercule, used with permission.
GV: How did the series idea come about, why were you inspired to work on it and what message does it send about womanhood?
FA: The series came about in the cold winter months [as Melissa and I] juggled the daily anxiety of our personal lives. We had free time, since work was slow for both of us. I came up with the idea of a series about a young graduate making her way in the unapologetic world of present-day USA. Melissa was intrigued and loved the concept because we both imagined so many issues, problems and highlights that either we [personally] experienced or knew that people, in general, went through. And there were many perspectives that we often didn’t see on the [TV] screen that accurately represented us as women on a normal, matter-of-fact level that we wanted to see. So the web series was born out that hunger to create and depict stories of women living in this generation.
The message that this series portrays is that we are [more connected] on varying levels than we might admit, especially as young female adults of this generation.
Production still of Melanie Charles, in character as Gaelle; photo by James Hercule, used with permission.
GV: Can you elaborate on the use of the web as the medium for your series? Why the Internet? What advantages does it have over traditional broadcast media?
FA: We loved the idea of using the web as a platform because it's more accessible to use. I use the web frequently in my daily life for work and for pleasure. I loved the idea that [3L] could potentially reach a greater amount of people around the world without being so costly, just by the connection and draw the series may organically have for women and men. So for me, it was easy an easy choice to make it web-based.
The web has a firm presence among traditional broadcast media, because it has the potential to reach so many people from across all walks of life. That connection creates more fuel and leads to more creations and more networks. And the thing is, series – and anything else on the web – is fueled by the viewers. If they like it or hate it they will let you know. The viewers have a vital role in playing out the longevity of what creators put out there. If it's placed and marketed correctly, the Internet can be a treasure chest of discovery, connection, epiphanies, and growth than traditional broadcast media could ever give.
GV: How has social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, etc.) helped you to fund and market the series?
MT: We used social media (to the extent of our basic knowledge) to help raise our initial funding for filming. We connected with friends and family and filmed a few episodes last summer, and came back to again to increase the momentum and interest for the series. We're getting ready to launch our final fundraiser to help complete filming the series, so that we can deliver the whole season to our supporters who have been SO patient with us! The thing about social media that I love, is that you get to connect with people all the time who are interested in what you're doing. And I hope as we get to know our market we can continue to sustain and nourish our relationship with our viewers, even beyond the series.
Production still from the 3L web series; photo by James Hercule, used with permission.
GV: Can you give us details about the series launch?
FA: The series is set to launch in the summer. We will make regular updates on the website.
GV: Why should people watch the series and what do you hope they will come away with?
MT: If you want enjoy, connect, poke fun, laugh and recall what it means to live, fall, and get back up in this society, you should watch 3L. We really hope that people can converse, and connect while seeing themselves or people they know in this series.


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The ‘Happy’ Videos of Middle East and North Africa · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

When Pharell Williams released his “Happy” single followed by the stunningly beautiful “24 hours of Happy“, who could have expected it to have influenced hundreds of covers from virtually all corners of the world? Well, people in the Middle East and North Africa were no exception. From Lebanon to Morocco, passing by Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunis, and Algeria, it seems like the MENA region is filled with people willing to just be happy and dance. So who are those happy Middle Easterners and North Africans?
They are random men and women of all ages, professions and backgrounds who have responded to Pharell Williams’ call to share their happiness with the world. So without further ado, here they are. We'll start with Lebanon and make our way West all the way to Morocco.
A huge thank you to the awesome people at WeAreHappyFrom.com for cataloging all Happy covers so far, and counting. Apologies in advance in case we missed your city.
Lebanon
No Label, a Lebanese anti-bullying campaign started by Nour El Assaad, produced this Beirut cover in cooperation with Rinov8 Group and Mad Beirut.
The latest from Beirut came from Blog Baladi's cover directed and produced by Joy Zeinoun. Other Beirut covers include Elias Abou Jaoude's Mazzat and this cover by ElNashra.
Cre8mania, a Lebanese interactive agency, produced this video shot in Beirut, Jounieh, Byblos, Dbayeh, Bourj Hammoud and Dora.
Bayt.com, a popular Job Opportunity website, produced its own cover. Lebanon was also represented by DirtyConverse27 and Gael Choueiry.
Jordan
The following video was done by BeAmman which, in its own words, “is a site that was borne out of a love and passion for the city Amman, and a desire to present Jordanians and visitors with all that the city has to offer – from people to meet, places to see and things to do, to the challenges and opportunities that exist in the city.”
Amman produced another cover, this time by Sarah Sharif. You can also watch this hilarious parody by Jordanian comedian Ahmad Al-Khalidi, also known as “Khame3″.
Israel
The following video was produced by Tel Aviv-based film and post production studio Kino Kitchen & Glikson Rental Services and was shot in Tel Aviv.
You can also watch Balagamba's cover as well as Idan Matalon's cover.
Kuwait
The following video was produced by 6maaSha, a Kuwaiti comedian group.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia couldn't have asked for a better representative than Alaa Wardi himself. With over 300,000 subscribers and 37,000,000 views, the Saudi Arabia-based Jordanian singer is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, Arab online sensations. He's known for his Hindi covers of Bollywood hits Pehla Nasha and Jiya Re, his covers of both western songs such as Lorde's “Royals” and Rihanna's “Stay” and Arabic songs such as Khaled “Aisha” and Nancy Ajram's “Fi Hagat” as well as producing the satirical “No woman, no drive” criticizing Saudi Arabia's ban on Women driving with comedian Hisham Fageeh and Fahad Albutairi. The following Happy cover features Telfaz11.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hidden gem company “Dubai Confidential” can boast over 200,000 viewers for its cover of “Happy”. In their own words: “watch 29 Nationalities and your city, Dubai from sunrise to midnight, dance, share and be happy.”
You can also watch the covers by Many Frames, The Dubai Scenes and Dubai Janna Hotels.
Egypt
Right from the heart of Umm al-Dunya (mother of the world), AIESEC AAST produced this cover from Cairo, Egypt.
Tunisia
Predictably, Tunisians were the ones who started covering the ‘Happy’ song to begin with. With at least 18 covers, Tunisia has more covers than all other MENA countries combined.
Let's start with the most popular one. With over 1,400,000 views, the Star Wars fan club of Tunisia shot this cover in Tatooine. Okay maybe not Tatooine, but quite close.
With over 250,000 views, this cover directly from Tunis was directed by Ezzet Chtouro and produced by Asma El Constantini in cooperation with Pulse Mag. The cover became so popular that it even earned its own Facebook page.
Other covers from Tunis include those of TunisieActu1, Summary TV, Hor Cujet, and Wassim Ben Arab.
Also with more than 250,000 views, Bizerta was able to catch up Tunisia's capital. This cover was produced by “Fayrouz” and released by Amine Ghali.
Unlike the other MENA countries (except Morocco – see below), Tunisia can boast a greater diversity of towns represented. Indeed, they come from Nabeul, La Marsa, Sfax, Monastir, Djerba, Carthage, Kairouan, Sousse, and Carthage again!
A nice remix produced by Nawaat features selected performances from the above video.
Algeria
The students of Computer Science school Exia Cesi produced Algeria's liveliest cover.
With over 10,000 views, Algeria's “Fays Che” tops the list of the country's cover. Capuccino13 also produced its own cover.
Morocco
We're ending our series in Morocco, which was represented a fair amount of time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular cover comes from Casablanca with over 350,000 views and was produced by Cine-Scene International.
Also from Casablanca, we have Alice DialCasa and Sallouki Ibrahim.
With 250,000 views, Agadir can claim the title of the second most popular cover. Forty participants joined to dance for this one.
MENA's most popular university cover comes from the students of Al Akhawayn University (AUI) in Ifrane.
And the other Moroccan companies, cities, and regions covered by happy dancers are: Marrakech, Rabat-Sale, Hem Tanger, Rabat, WebHelp Agadir, Oujda, Meknes, Agadir (again), Nador, Theatro Marrakech, Kenitra, El Jadida, Tafraout, Fes, Sale, Rabat (again),

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Is India’s New Rape Law Helping Women? · Global Voices
Rezwan

We got a law that upped the punishment for rape, as well as broadened the definition to rape in a grand promise to more and more people – when the fundamental problem was that people who were raped as per the old definitions and punishments weren’t getting justice already in a country with one rape in seven minutes, but not one rape judgment.
Vidyut at AamJanata questions whether the newly enacted rape law in India is really helping women.

author: Rezwan


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Macedonian Students Demanding Better Living Conditions Called ‘Unpatriotic’ · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

A collage by an anonymous author circulated via Facebook that combines a photo of a dorm common room with statues from the Skopje 2014 Project, which has an estimated cost of up to 500 million euros.
In early March 2014, Macedonian students demanding better life conditions in state university dormitories published a blog entitled “Operacija studentski” [mk] (“Operation Dorm”) that was accompanied by photos of inadequate living conditions in the facilities. The campaign urged others to share the information, and has since gained much attention both in the country and internationally.
While the vast majority of people are supporting the students, the campaign has been criticized by a few and even called “anti-Macedonian” and “unpatriotic” by one Macedonian columnist.
The students have continued to demand better conditions in university dorms, and Operation Student Dorm has posted [mk] on their blog recently that after just 20 hours of displaying the images and descriptions of the deteriorated state of public university dorms on social networks, they gained more attention “than by talking to authorities during the previous 20 years:”
Операција Студентски Дом се роди чекајќи заглавен лифт, додека другиот лежи струполен до него затоа што паднал пред неколку години, се роди во чекањето ред во менза во оној период кога треба да има храна ( не кажувам вкусна, здрава храна, велам оброк едвај топол), иницијативата се роди чекајќи ред за туширање и ред за одење во тоалет ( ти треба некој да чува стража-затоа што нема врата), се роди и кога излезени пред домот чекавме да се изгасне пожарот од дотраената инсталација, се роди кога тропкаме кај комшиите на спрат дали повторно нема интернет, дали има топла вода кај нив, заедно да одиме кај управниците или веќе биле.
The Operation Student Dorm initiative was born while waiting for a stuck elevator, while the second one was lying in the shaft – where it fell several years ago. It was born waiting in line in the mess hall during the time when food should be there (not saying tasty or healthy food, just a supposedly warm meal), waiting in line to shower or to go to the toilet (you need someone to guard the door – because there's no door), while we were waiting outside to die because of the fire sparked by an obsolete electrical installation, while we were asking neighbors if they had Internet or warm water, whether to go together to the manager to report it…
Independent student magazine Izlez (Exit) tweeted [mk] that access to Facebook for the residents of the “Goce Delchev” Student Dormitories, one of the dormitories represented in the photos provided by Operation Dorm, was blocked after the story broke:
Пристапот на #Facebook на станарите во Студентскиот дом „Гоце Делчев“ во #Скопје вечерва блокиран. Споделувајте! pic.twitter.com/oVctLldZVV
— Излез (@Izlezmk) March 11, 2014
Access to #Facebook blocked for residents of “Goce Delchev” Student Dormitories in #Skopje this evening. Share!
A day later, Macedonian Telecom (T-Home), the Internet provider for the dormitory,  tweeted [mk] that they weren't behind the block, but that it was their client, the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science [mk] that was using their software. The branding within said software has been changed to that of the Ministry since this statement.
The most critical reaction came in the form of a column [mk] on pro-government website Puls 24 by G. Angeleski, a person claiming to be a former dorm resident. He admitted that the information about the living conditions was true, but that talking about it is “unpatriotic”:
Како што во рамките на едно семејство, остануваат проблемите на тоа семејство, така и маките што си ги имаме во државичкава, треба да си останат меѓу нас. Ама проклет да е неартикулираниов сајбер простор на кој ова го пишувам во моментов. Поголема, посилна, поуверлива антимакедонска реклама од оваа не можеше да излезе. “Yes, this is a student dormitory, and yes, there are 1200+ students living in it as we speak”, е ова е насловот на, мислам американскиот портал imgur.com. Кликнете, кликнете на насловот и погледнете, ако случајно до сега на ви се појавило на почетна. Гледате колку сме познати. Е оти преку океанот мајтап си прават со нас, е за тоа душа ме боли. Па и под секоја слика си има опис, опис на место. Оти цел свет ќе знае, е за тоа душа ме боли. И додека живеев во тој дом душа ме болеше, ама сега повеќе ме боли.
Јасно дека многу од вас ве боли за ова, оти вие секако не мислите да останете во државава. Да, многу од вас така мислат, ама кога ќе отидете по тоа Америките да работите и кога ќе му кажете дека сте од Македонија, ќе им биде шубе да се дружат со вас, да не имате некоја болест, оти таква слика сме оставиле. Уживаме во антимакедонските реклами, е за тоа душа ме боли. Јас сум живеел во тој дом, а и многу други кои ги познавам сеуште живеат во него и се луѓе на место, ама сега светот ќе не стави во класата со средноафриканските земји. Епа и вас треба душа да ве боли!
As the problems of a family should stay in the family, and so the problems of our little state should stay between us. Damn this inarticulate cyberspace that I use to write this! This must be the biggest, strongest, most convincing anti-Macedonian advertisement ever to appear. “Yes, this is a student dormitory, and yes, there are 1,200+ students living in it as we speak.” is the title on, I think, an American portal imgur.com. Click, click on the title and see, if you haven't seen it on your first [Facebook] page already. See how famous we are. Well, my soul is hurting because those people across the ocean are mocking us now. They even put descriptions under each photo, truthful descriptions. My soul is hurting because the whole world will know now. My soul hurt while I was living there, but this hurts more.
I know that many of you don't care about this because you intend to leave the country. But when you go to the Americas to work and say you are from Macedonia, people won't socialize with you. Because of these images, they will act as if you have some disease. My soul is hurting because we enjoy the anti-Macedonian commercials. I have lived in this dorm, and I know many people who still live there, but now the world will put us in the class of middle African countries. Your soul should hurt too because of that!
As part of a Twitter discussion about the above article, actor and professor Sinolichka Trpkova tweeted [mk] in reference to a recent government publicity campaign:
@RubinBt @Goran_Man @majajam немам коментар.Ова е пострашно и од условите во домот.Лајната под черга, МК-вечна.
— Noli (@SinolickaT) March 12, 2014
No comment. This is worse than the dormitory conditions. Keep your shit under the carpet, Macedonia – Timeless.
Operation Student Dorm continues publishing videos filmed in the student dormitory “Goce Delchev” in Skopje, part of Saint Cyril and Methodius University. Meanwhile, more influential websites such as US-based Business Insider and British Independent conveyed the news and horrifying photos, some of which are shown in the video below.
In November 2013, Alternadil, a visiting blogger from Serbia, compared [sr] this dormitory to “a ghetto”. A Macedonian student retorted with a following comment to his post:
Nazalost, studentski dom “Goce Delcev” je jedan od oni malo pristojnijih domova u Skoplje. Treba da vidis kako izgleda studendski “Stiv Naumov” ili neki od srednoskolskih internatima. E to je prava mizerija! Kada ih uporedim, Goce izgleda kao hotel sa bar 3-4 zvezdicama. Jos pateticniji trenutak je to sto je pozeljno da imas neke veze da bi imao mesto u dom ili malo bolju sobu. I to je tako vec godinama… Apsolutna mizerija! Razumem da nam je standard takodje mizeran, al nije do tolko!
Sadly, the “Goce Delchev” dormitory is one of the more decent ones in Skopje. You should see the “Stiv Naumov” dorm or some of the dorms for high school students. There you will see real misery! In comparison, “Goce” is like three- to four-star hotel. Even more pathetic is that you need connections to even get a bed in the dorms, or to move to a slightly better room. It has been like this for years… Absolute misery! I understand our standard is miserable too, but not to this extent!

author: Danica Radisic


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Russia Today’s YouTube Glitch Spurs Censorship Fears · Global Voices
Daniel Alan Kennedy

Screenshot of RT's YouTube account suspended for violating Terms of Service.
On March 19, 2014, YouTube temporarily suspended its most popular channel, Russia's state-owned, English-language media company RT (formerly Russia Today). Viewers attempting to access the account found instead the message displayed above, which said RT's page “been suspended due to multiple or severe violations of YouTube's policy against spam, gaming, misleading content, or other Terms of Service violations.” Google was quick to apologize to RT, calling the temporary suspension a “technical error” and restoring the popular media company's account and administrative privileges within several hours.
Glitches happen, and Internet users generally shrug them off as innocent mistakes. But with tensions at fever pitch [GV Report] between the West and Russia over the latter's annexation of Crimea, the apparent decision of a Western company (YouTube is owned by Google) to block a Russian media outlet was seen as the latest skirmish in an ongoing information war. Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications watchdog, probably exacerbated the situation when it recently acted on the Russian Attorney General's orders to force ISPs to block access [GV Report] to several independent websites, including the LiveJournal page of Alexey Navalny, Russia's most prominent political blogger.
The RuNet's sizable contingent of anti-American netizens was quick to jump on the apparent muzzling of RT as a sign of the West's double standards on freedom of speech. Stanislav Apetyan, who runs the popular pro-Kremlin blog, Politrash [ru], was quick to quip [ru].
YouTube демократично заблокировал аккаунт Russia Today в разгар кризиса на Украине https://t.co/DvOwdP5iJP Свобода слова она не для всех.
— Stanislav Apetyan (@politrash) March 18, 2014
YouTube democratically blocked Russia Today's Account at the culmination of the crisis in Ukraine. Freedom of speech isn't for everyone.
Aleksandr Slavyaninov, whose avatar demonstrates a clear penchant for Soviet nostalgia, also took the opportunity to needle [ru] the US.
Ютуб заблокировал канал “Россия сегодня”. А вообще США против цензуры в любой её форме.
— Александр Славянинов (@redhunky) March 18, 2014
Youtube blocked Russia Today's channel. And the US is against censorship in any form.
Russia's liberals on the other hand, seemed to be torn between their principles and a clear opportunity for schadenfreude at a Kremlin-friendly station's troubles—no doubt remembering how many cable providers recently dropped [GV Report] Russia's only independent TV station, TV Rain, in what was seen as a politically motivated move.
RIP Novosti, a parody account based on the recently liquidated [GV Report] state media group RIA Novosti sarcastically suggested [ru] that blocking was a boon to patriotically minded Russians who wish to boycott American goods—an allusion to a Russian businessman who was widely mocked [ru] for tweeting [ru] from his iPhone that he planned to remove all American goods from his life.
Ютуб заблокировал Russia Today, чтобы им было проще отказаться от американских товаров.
— RIP Новости (@riarip) March 18, 2014
YouTube blocked Russia today to make it easier for them to stop using American goods
Most liberals seemed to take little pleasure in the turn of events. Ekaterina Vinokurova, a journalist at opposition news portal Znak.com tweeted [ru] simply.
Я против цензуры, поэтому считаю отключение RT на Youtube несправедливым
— Ekaterina Vinokurova (@k_vinokurova) March 18, 2014
I'm against censorship and therefore consider the closure of RT on YouTube to be unjust.
Not everyone agreed. Responding to a (since deleted) Facebook post by TV Rain's chief editor, Ilya Klishin, that criticized censorship on YouTube, journalist Roman Dobrokhotov reckoned [ru] that RT had lost its right to free speech since the Kremlin has stripped others of the same freedom. When someone suggested that this made him no different from the Kremlin, Dobrokhotov argued [ru] that blocking RT on YouTube was a form of self-defense and was not equivalent to Roskomnadzor blocking oppositionist blogs.
@OsmiyPanda @Vorewig Простая аналогия: убивать людей плохо, но когда наши войска убивали вторгшихся нацистов, они не уподоблялись нацистам.
— Roman Dobrokhotov (@Dobrokhotov) March 18, 2014
@OsmiyPanda @Vorewig A simple analogy: killing people is bad, but when our forces killed the invading Nazis it didn't turn them into Nazis themselves.
Ilya Yashin, one of Russia's most prominent oppositionists, was more concerned [ru] with the move as an apparent tactical blunder.
А если серьезно, блокировка RT это плохое решение. На наши аргументы про цензуру в РФ кремлевская пропаганда будет орать: “А вот у них там”
— Илья Яшин (@IlyaYashin) March 18, 2014
If I could be serious, blocking RT is a bad decision. Kremlin propaganda is going to respond to all our arguments about censorship in Russia with “Well look what goes on over there.”
Strangely, it seems it didn't occur to nearly anyone that blocking its most popular channel might contradict YouTube's commercial interests. Neither did Russian Internet users appear to question the US government's inclination, much less its ability, to force a company as large as Google to cease broadcasting a foreign news channel, simply because of editorial disagreements. Most bloggers appeared to be fully convinced that YouTube had indeed blocked RT's account, without any intention of restoring it. Whatever the geopolitical results of Russia's Crimea grab, today's information war with the West is real for many on the RuNet. Under the influence of such perceptions, netizens of every stripe in Russia now are prepared to judge and interpret anything online as an attack or a conspiracy.

author: Daniel Alan Kennedy


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Support Pours in for #CongressOccupied Protesters in Taiwan · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Protesters and their supporters are using the hashtag #CongressOccupied on Twitter and Facebook to spread the message about their occupation of Taiwan's legislature in response to the ruling party's autocratic move to pass a controversial trade agreement with China without a promised clause-by-clause review.
The Cross-Strait Service Agreement, a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and China, was pushed through an administrative committee by presiding chairman Chang Ching-Chung and sent to the Legislative Yuan's plenary session, despite an earlier commitment to hold a thorough public review of the document. Some fear the unrestricted entry of mainland capital poses a threat to Taiwanese culture, freedom of expression and even national security and so are wary of the trade agreement.
The protest at the podium of the legislature is being broadcast live on Ustream. The live-cast is mirrored in Japan.
As news spreads on the Internet, supporters from all over Taiwan continue to stream in to the Legislation Yuan. Photo from JANEZCHOU. CC: NC.
In the evening of March 19, the Democratic Front, one of the key organizers of the occupation action, held a press conference to make public their demands [zh]:
一、警察立刻退出國會，馬英九向全民道歉，江宜樺下台；
二、張慶忠違法會議無效，立即退回服貿協議；
三、盡速完成兩岸協定簽署條例之立法，在此之前，暫停所有兩岸協商與高層互訪。
1. The police should leave the legislature, President Ma [Ying-jeou] should apologize, and Premier Chiang should resign.
2. What legislator Chang Ching-Chung did in the legislature on March 17 is illegal, and the decision that he claimed to make is not valid. The Legislation Yuan should reject the Service Trade Agreement.
3. The Legislation Yuan should proceed with regulations for signing the Cross-Strait Agreement as soon as possible, and the government should stop Cross-Strait negotiation and visits until this regulation is completed.
In addition to the request that the administration review the trade agreement, a coalition of youth and civic groups claimed in a press conference [zh] on March 20 that they will expand the scale of the protest if President Ma Ying-jeou and his government do not respond before noon on March 21.
Healthcare workers joined the protest to give medical assistance to both the protesters and police officers, and they used Facebook to recruit more volunteers. Wei Liulin explained their action:
Health care workers at #CongressOccupied. Photo from Wei Liulin. CC: NC.
我們會盡力守護現場所有民眾跟警察的安全。但是也要呼籲警察千萬不要用暴力、武器攻擊場內手無寸鐵，堅持和平非暴力抗爭的學生與民眾。
我們已經決議，如果警方用暴力方式攻擊民眾，基於醫療人員保護病人的職責，我們絕對在第一線保護學生。
We will try our best to protect the citizens and police. We ask that the police not take any violent action and do not use any kind of weapons to attack these non-violent protesters.
We already made a decision that if the police use any violent measures against protesters, we will stand in front of the injured protesters because we are healthcare workers and we will protect the patients we are taking care of.
Örkesh Dölet, known for his leading role in the Tiananmen protests of 1989 who now resides in Taiwan, entered the Legislation Yuan and encouraged protesters in the early morning on March 20:
在關鍵的時刻，挺身而出，是光榮的。公民應該挺身而出表達自己的責任，這是台灣有希望的體現。1989年到現在25年，我那時是學生，學生關心國家關心命運的決心沒有死，在台灣繼續發揮，在中國也會繼續發揮，這就是民主的希望。
Standing out at this critical moment is honorable action. This is how I find hope in Taiwan because the citizens think they should stand up and express their responsibility. Twenty-five years have passed since I was a student in 1989. Students’ determination to care for the fate of their countries never dies out, as I can see in Taiwan, as I can see in China. This is our hope for a democratic society.
Protesters in the rain. Photo from munch. CC: NC.
Another important leader of the Tiananmen protests of 1989 who also resides in Taiwan, Wang Dan, went to the Legislation Yuan with Örkesh Dölet to show his support:
記者問這場學運與中國的八九民運如何對比，我覺得當然不同的地方很多，但是相同的關鍵詞也很多：學生，理想，熱情，付出，還有愛。[…]看著滿場疲憊的學生，我也覺得，臺灣有這些年輕人，真好。
The reporters asked me how this student demonstration is compared to the Tiananmen protest in 1989. Of course there are a lot of differences, but there are also a lot of things that they have in common: students, ideals, passion, giving and love. […] When I look at these tireless students here, I feel that Taiwan is blessed because of these students.
Taiwanese students studying abroad also have provided what they can for the protest via Facebook pages. For example, Students abroad support for the protests against the Service Trade Agreement and Save Taiwan! Fight for democracy! Taiwanese students in UK against the black-box trade agreement are rallying support for the cause.
Hundreds of Taiwanese in Japan, Germany and elsewhere have signed a petition on a Facebook page for students abroad:
屬於我們世代的三月學運，不能少留學生一份！
[…] 全球24小時都有人醒著，陪著現在在立法院奮戰的台灣人。
The students abroad shall not be left out of the March Student Demonstration […] There are Taiwanese all over the world around the clock to accompany the Taiwanese fighting in the Legislation Yuan.


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An Attempt to Intimidate? Sri Lanka Releases Human Rights Activists  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Screenshot of Ruki Fernando from an interview on YouTube with Vikalpa.org
A little more than two days after the terrorist unit of Sri Lanka's police arrested two human rights activists and drew international condemnation, the pair was released.
Ruki Fernando, human rights adviser to NGO Reform, and Praveen Mahesan, a Catholic priest, were detained March 16, 2014 and accused of selling information abroad, attempting to damage the national harmony between communities, and aiding and abetting the rebuilding of the Tamil Tigers, a militant separatist in the north and a principal player in the island's decades-long civil war.
Blogger D. B. S. Jeyaraj wrote that “both were in good health and had not been bodily harmed during detention and interrogation.”
Some speculated that the pair's arrests were an attempt to intimidate human rights defenders. Fernando himself told news network CNN in an interview that he was asked who he was sharing information with outside of Sri Lanka. “It seemed very clear they took great care for other nations not to hear any alternative information or perspectives from within Sri Lanka,” he said.
Sri Lankan born novelist Roma Tearne remembers conversations with Ruki:
Ruki talked of the people in Sri Lanka who desperately needed his help. There was the widow whose cartoonist husband had vanished because of his work. And her children, deeply traumatised by their father's disappearance. There were the men and women who were gang raped, and tortured, the people who had lost loved ones simply because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tamil people, Sinhalese people, Muslims, anyone really, who spoke of Human Right's Abuse going on in Sri Lanka.
The arrests come as a resolution sponsored by the US, UK and other countries calling for an independent international investigation into war crimes during the civil war, which ended in 2009, as well as any government abuses afterward is expected to be tabled in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Sri Lanka has faced accusations before of silencing critics at home of its alleged human rights records related to its civil war.
After his release, Fernando said that he still fears for the safety of himself and other human rights defenders.
At the time, Fernando and Mahesan's detention sparked widespread condemnation in Sri Lanka and abroad. Fred Carver, the campaign director at the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, told University of York's student newspaper Nouse about their alumnus Fernando:
Ruki and Fr. Praveen have worked tirelessly to combat extremism and build a more tolerant Sri Lanka. It is bitterly unfair that they should be charged with promoting ethnic discord.
Ruki, as one of the Sinhalese activists most ready to take up the cause of Tamil victims, and Fr. Praveen, a half-Sinhalese, half-Tamil activist for intercultural understanding, do the exact opposite. And the idea that they, renowned campaigners for peace, could have any links to terrorism is patently absurd.
Activist Prabu Deepan questioned the charges against the two:
What are the ‘terrorism’ acts committed by Ruki & Fr. Praveen? Documenting missing persons in the north? #FreeRuki #Lka #HRC25
— Pd. (@prabudeepan) March 17, 2014
Mohamed Hisham from Colombo was worried:
If Ruki is also detained by police in kilinochchi, I fear if all dissenting voices & campaigners will hv to be ready for worse. who's next?
— Mohamed Hisham (@mhmhisham) March 16, 2014
Netizens also noted that another human rights defender, Balendran Jayakumari, and her 13-year-old daughter who were arrested at their Killinochchi home in northern Sri Lanka on March 13, are yet to be released.
#SriLanka Arbitrary detention of Human Rights activist Ms. Balendran Jeyakumari continues http://t.co/i0dw8MYU81
— Mannfred Nyttingnes (@MannfredNikolai) March 20, 2014