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Maldives: On the Brink of Chaos · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

Three years after the first democratic multiparty election in the Maldives ushered a democratic government to power, the infant democracy of the Maldives seems to be on the brink of anarchy and chaos. The democratic experiment of the Maldives could face an untimely demise as thugs belonging to the ruling party and the opposition clash on the streets of the capital Male‘, vandalising private property, torching private TV stations and attacking one another under showers of bricks and stones.
A rebellion within the ranks of police officers has created a nasty stand-off between the military and the police and a number of military personnel have joined the police in mutiny. Tension has reached a tipping point when there are conflicting reports about whether the president will resign.
The political crisis facing the Maldives was given a head-start in January when the government asked the police to start investigations against certain opposition leaders for what the government claimed were baseless insinuations and allegations that the government was undermining the Islamic faith of the country. Critics were puzzled when the police detained said opposition leaders in high profile investigation cases while the claims of the opposition could have been addressed through a civil case of defamation.
The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) then started a public campaign named ‘Thiheneh Nukiyeyne‘ [div] (You Can't Say That), proclaiming that the party would not permit the opposition to continue making what it believed to be baseless allegations.
In the past, defamation was a criminal act and writers and individuals were sentenced to prison, based on defamation charges, for criticism they had expressed. Decriminalizing defamation in 2009 was hailed as a remarkable improvement for freedom of expression in the Maldives. The government's inclination towards criminal investigations regarding cases of defamation has become a deep concern for advocates of free speech.
After the Abdulla Mohamed, the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court ruled that the detention of the Vice President of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) was illegal and ordered to release him from police custody, the police requested the assistance of the Maldives National Defence Force or the military to apprehend the judge. Mohamed has been under military custody since January 16 and his enforced disappearance has sparked street protests which has continued for three weeks.
Mohamed himself had been in the centre of several controversies earlier and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has found that he had violated the code of conduct for judges. Mohamed appealed this decision of the JSC in the Civil Court, and the court has issued an injunction against JSC not to take any disciplinary measures against Mohamed till the appeal case is closed. This injunction by the Civil Court itself is highly controversial because it encroaches on the powers the constitution has granted to JSC to make the judiciary accountable.
The government has since then claimed that the detention of Mohamed is part of its campaign to clean up the judiciary, which is corrupt to the core, according to the government.
Mohamed's detention in a military training camp has been declared unlawful and a violation of the constitution by several parties which point out that the military does not have legal authority to detain people. The government has not put any formal charges against Mohamed. The military claims that it has provided Mohamed with access to a lawyer and it has permitted the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives to visit him. His family was informed about his whereabouts only days after he was detained.
A number of eminent lawyers in the Maldives have spoken out against the detention of Judge Abdulla Mohamed. Among them are Shaheen Hameed, the Vice President of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the current constitution, Dhiyana Saeed, the first Attorney-General of the present government and Husnu Suood, another former Attorney-General under the present government.
Prosecutor-General Ahmed Muizzu, who was a prominent practicing lawyer of the country before his appointment as PG, has also pointed out that the detention is unlawful. Ahmed Faiz, the Chief Justice, has called for the judge to be released.
The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has also expressed concerns about the continued detention of the judge. The UN has urged the government of the Maldives to either release the judge or to press formal charges against him. Abbas Faiz, South Asia Researcher at Amnesty International, in an opinion piece published in the local Minivan News website, has said that the judge's detention is arbitrary. “Amnesty International is calling on the government to either bring formal criminal charges against him or release him,” Faiz wrote.
Tension has reached a tipping point when protesters from the ruling party and the opposition parties clashed on February 6 evening leading to considerable violence. Thereafter, some police units stormed the assembly hall of the ruling party and allegedly vandalised property there. A group of police officers have rebelled against what they say are unlawful commands and gathered after midnight at the Republic Square in Male’ in protest.
In a night filled with violence, the offices of VTV, a private broadcaster which is sympathetic towards the opposition and is owned by an opposition leader, was set on fire by a group of thugs. Aminath Shifleen, a journalist at Haveeru Daily, was injured while covering the protest. In the past few weeks, a number of journalists have been attacked during the protests and offices of media outlets have been attacked on multiple occasions. Private property destruction has also been a common feature of the protests that has engulfed the Maldives.
In the early hours of the morning some people are still active on social media, expressing their opinion on the unfolding crisis. This Facebook page titled Zuvaanunge’ Maidhaan (The Square of Youth)  has some pictures of the protests. There are frequent updates in Twitter:
Husnu Suood, former Attorney-General, tweets:
@hsuood: dont think they can avoid a bloody confrontation. Sad day for Maldives. #mvprotest
Nattu tweets:
Maldives National Defence Force vs Maldives Police #mvprotest. MNDF steps back.
Yoosuf Waheed asks:
What's going on! Hard thing r pretty nasty in #Maldives
Ali Tholhath says:
@tholhath: Sad day for Maldives. Stop this madness.
Ali Shiyan tweets:
@falho_D: Sad to see it all come to this, who is winning now? And to think it cud hav been so simple,sad day for Maldives indeed.
Shareef asks:
@shareef: Things are getting worse, #Maldives Army V/s Maldives Police. Who will Win
Agisa asks:
@agisaa: what happened to the #maldives while i was sleeping?
Sofwathullah Mohamed tweets:
@sofwath: Nothing more to say. Blame games won't help. God save Maldives. #mvprotest
And here is an update: Ahmed Affan Shafy reports with a picture:
Maldives Military joins forces with police and the public against the unconstitutional rule of Mr Nasheed.
Image posted to Twitter by @AhmedAffanShafy

author: Saffah Faroog


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Maldives: President Resigns After Mutiny · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

Mohamed Nasheed, the president of Maldives most famously known as a climate champion, announced his resignation on Tuesday 7 February, 2012, after the military forces joined the police mutiny against his rule.
Nasheed, sworn in to office in November 2008 after the country's first democratic multiparty election, was inside the military headquarters when the military started withdrawing their allegiance to him. He was taken in a car to the nearby President's Office where he announced his resignation on live television in front of journalists.
Some Maldivians were worried about the safety of the president. Maeed wrote:
One Sincere Request remain, DO NOT HURT A PRESIDENT OF MALDIVES. UPHOLD DIGNITY and DON'T LET HISTORY REPEAT. PROTECT HIM.
People gather in front of Bandaara Koshi, the headquarters of Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) where president Nasheed was taken. Image by MUHA. Used with permission.
He added in a following post:
We shifted from a Dictatorship to a democracy in 2008 and we showed an example to the world then. I call the Security forces to show that example again.
Earlier in the day, tension escalated as the police rioted against what they claimed were unlawful commands. After what appeared to be a bitter stand-off between the military and the police, the military retreated into their headquarters. The police protest was preceded by three weeks of evening protests organised by the opposition parties in the capital Male’, after the government ordered the military to detain a top judge.
Mohamed Waheed Hassan, the vice president in Nasheed's administration, has been sworn in as the new president. Even though Hassan urged for calm during a speech after taking oath, it remains to be seen if the country can quickly restore stability after weeks of protests, destruction of property and attacks on journalists and media outlets.
Soldiers who mutinied shake hands with public. Image by MUHA. Used with permission
The continuity of the democratic exercise of the Maldives is in question as tension remains high. The supporters of the deposed president label the change in power as a coup while his opponents claim Tuesday's events showed the will of the people.
Opinion is divided and feelings are mixed on social networks and twitter as Maldivians try to come to terms with the fact that the government has changed approximately two years before the next scheduled election. The hashtag #Maldives trended on Twitter today.
Dhaanish tweets:
@Dhaaanish: @JeelAli @yaittey People will start realizing how sane Nasheed is compared to all these opposition retards later! Mark my words!””
Hum_Don tweets:
@Hum_Don: I feel sorry and sad to see the resignation of the very president we worked so hard to elect.
Epicloser expressed his views:
@epicloser: You didn't listen to #Dec23 protest Nasheed, you just made fun out of us and called us terrorists. This is the outcome for you. Peace.
Haumaldives has this to say about the mutiny:
@haumaldives: @CNN Maldives Nasheed carried arbitary arrests using the Military which led to protests.. and Military crackdown led to Police revolt.
People waving Maldives flags after the tension is over. Image by MUHA. Used with permission.
Limmto tweets:
@Limmto: Citizens beat #Nasheed at his own game. The #muzaaharaa. #Maldives #MVrevolution
profEuLOGist tweets about the rebranding of the state-owned TV station after police took over:
@profEuLOGist: Fastest transition of a media and rebranding I have ever seen! TVM to MNBC1 took months but back 2 TVM – 10mins!
Mashafeeg has this to say about the turn of events:
@mashafeeg: New era of democracy in Maldives, people proves their power and president shown his bravery by the resignation.
Maldives11 responded to Mashafeeg's tweet:
@Maldives11: @mashafeeg I doubt it was the people. sorry I am not convinced it was the people.
Mashafeeg also ponders about the future:
@mashafeeg: At last Dr.Waheed’s longed dream has come true, wonder how people will accept his presidency! better wait and see for a while! #Maldives
Hilmy7007, has high expectations of the new government:
@Hilmy7007: President Waheed should ensure his government is corruption free. We demand transparency n accountability in all projects awarded.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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Mexico: Josefina Vázquez Mota Wins PAN Primary · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz reports that “Josefina Vázquez Mota, a member of Congress and President Calderon's former secretary of education and secretary of social development, won the PAN [National Action Party] primary yesterday and will be their candidate for president.” He goes on to explain why he thinks her victory is “the best case scenario for the PAN.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Myanmar: Human Rights Violations Persist Despite Reforms · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

After a six-day mission to Myanmar, U.N. Human Rights Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana releases his report about the continuing human rights problems in the country despite the reforms implemented by the government

author: Mong Palatino


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Pakistan: Deadly Pills · Global Voices
Rezwan

Talha Bin Ayub at Teeth Maestro takes a look into the sordid state of health care delivery systems in Pakistan.

author: Rezwan


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Peru: Following the Great Water March · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

It has been 7 days since the Great Water March set off, on February 1, 2012, from the heights of Celendín, Cajamarca, Peru, where the lakes threatened by the Conga [es] mining project are located. The march has unfolded practically without incidents, and is currently halfway to Lima, its final destination.
Meanwhile, the media are reporting on its progress, and publishing editorials [es] on the real purpose of the march, stressing above all its political and ideological affiliations; and government spokespeople declare [es] that in reality “there is an excess of water in Cajamarca”.
The media does not have a standard figure on the number of people who departed from Celendín on February 1. While Terra.pe writes [es] of 200 people, EFE counts [es] 300. Newspaper El Comercio mentions [es] that 600 community landowners started the journey, and RPP indicates [es] that 300 people arrived at Cajamarca's Plaza de Armas to sleep overnight and continue marching the next day.
The blog Seamos un río (Let's be a river) reproduced [es] what was published by Marcio Arana, one of the march's organisers:
Salimos a las 4am, nos reunimos en la plaza de armas de Celendin. Líderes ronderos, mujeres, jóvenes, músicos, maestros, comunicadores, vamos llegando. No hace mucho frio y una suave llovizna nos anuncia que la tierra fértil la está esperando y que los pequeños ríos van a juntarse hasta formar el Gran Rio de Vida que es nuestra Marcha. […]
La noche anterior habían llegado los responsables de barrios trayendo sus aportes económicos para apoyar a los caminantes. Hasta la colecta de profesores, maestros católicos y una niña que en nombre de sus padres dona 20 nuevos soles son aplaudidos. En Lima no faltan políticos que se preguntan quién financia la marcha. Los políticos financiados por grandes grupos de poder económico jamás comprenderán la fuerza y el poder de las pequeñas donaciones como no están entendiendo el gran río que serán los pequeños riachuelos y manantiales.
We left at 4am, and met up in Celendin's Plaza de Armas. Rondero leaders, women, young people, musicians, teachers, communicators, we're arriving. It is not very cold and a light drizzle announces to us that the fertile land is waiting and the small rivers are going to join together to form the Great River of Life that is our March. […]
The night before, neighbourhood leaders had arrived with their economic contributions to support the marchers. Even the contributions from professors, Catholic teachers and a girl who donates 20 nuevos soles are applauded. In Lima there is no shortage of politicians who are wondering who is funding the march. Politicians financed by large, economically powerful groups will never understand the strength and power of small donations, just as they do not understand the great river that small creeks and springs will become.
The first moments of the march were recorded, as can be seen in these videos from users GobRegCajamarca and jampaoli [es]. There were also various statements, like this one from user MetsaRiba who captures the words of a participating campesino:
Or this one showing women from Cajamarca chanting pro-water slogans:
That same day another march took place in Cajamarca, the Jug March [es], where 2,000 people marched in favour of nature and ecology, and protested against polluting mining activities. Servindi published some photos to accompany its report on the solidarity parade held in Lima, which can also be seen on a video uploaded on YouTube [es]. On the blog Celendín Libre (Free Celendín) an itinerary for the first day of the Water March was posted [es], alongside photos of the day's events:
10:30 a.m. Primer obstáculo, una tranquera particular en plena vía pública no deja el pase a ningún vehículo. Los manifestantes proceden a retirarla.
Arribo a la Laguna Cortada (a más de 3 800 m.s.n.m.), donde unas 300 personas dan inicio a la Marcha por el Agua con un rito simbólico de agradecimiento a la mamapacha y mamacocha, por comuneros del Ámaro.
10:30am. First obstacle, a private gate in the middle of the main road is not letting any vehicles past. The protesters proceed to remove it.
Arrival at Laguna Cortada (more than 3,800 metres above sea-level), where some 300 people begin the Water March with a symbolic ritual giving thanks to mamapacha and mamacocha [Incan Goddesses of earth and water], carried out by community land-holders from Ámaro.
Payment to mamapacha. Image by Celendín Libre blog.
Beginning of the Water March. Image by Celendín Libre blog.
In its blog [es], an “International Observation Mission of the Great National March for the Right to Water”[es] publishes information on the march's events, as well as monitoring its peaceful development. There they share the mission's principles and objectives [es] and a list [es] of the entities supporting it. On the first day of the march they commented:
La movilización también ha sido secundada en la región norteña de La Libertad, donde un grupo numeroso de campesinos inició una marcha hacia la ciudad de Trujillo desde las provincias andinas de Huamachuco y Santiago de Chuco.
En Lima, unas 300 personas, en su mayoría jóvenes y dirigentes estudiantiles, realizaron un Pasacalle para celebrar el arranque de la Marcha que culminó en la Plaza San Martín.
The mobilisation has also received support in the Northern region of La Libertad, where a large group of campesinos began a march towards the city of Trujillo from the Andean provinces of Huamachuco and Santiago de Chuco.
In Lima, about 300 people, mainly young people and student leaders, held a street parade to celebrate the start of the March which culminated in the Plaza San Martín.
The next day, the second of the march, participants from Celendín, Bambamarca and other towns departed [es] Cajamarca for Ciudad de Dios in La Libertad, where they spent the night, though not before passing through Choropampa. This is a town where in the year 2000 about 151 kg of mercury belonging to the Yanacocha mine were spilled, greatly affecting the local population. The Observation Mission reported on this day in their blog [es]. Videos [es] of the departure [es] from Cajamarca in the morning have also been uploaded to the internet.
On the third day the marchers left Ciudad de Dios, passed [es] through Pacasmayo and arrived [es] in Trujillo, where they were joined by other delegations from various towns in the La Libertad region, in numbers estimated at around 2,000 [es]. These delegations were greeted by about 5,000 people, and then a rally was held, which included discussion sessions, the presentation of petitions, and other activities as planned [es].
In a post [es] on the blog “El Maletero” “Red Verde Cajamarca” (“The Trunk” “Cajamarca Green Network”) photos from the first three days of the march can be seen. Meanwhile the blog Frente de Defensa Ambiental de Cajamarca (“Cajamarca Environmental Defense Front”) shares more photos [es] of the day in Trujillo. A post on the blog ¡Conga no va! (“Conga will not happen!”) links to a set of photos on Flickr taken in Trujillo.
Twitpic user @YoDash posted some photos of the protest in Trujillo's Plaza de Armas, like this one:
Water March in Trujillo, image from Twitpic user @YoDash
Meanwhile, on Facebook the Water March's page reports [es] that in Trujillo defamatory flyers [es] were distributed, attempting to link the March and its organisers with terrorist movements. In spite of this, the protest continued in the Plaza de Armas until night time with various musical numbers, some of them related to the march and surrounding circumstances, as can be seen in this video posted on YouTube by user Fuzzerjoga:
In the Observation Mission's daily report [es] they note some incidents during a strike carried out in Huarmey:
La Comisión Nacional Organizadora de la Gran Marcha Nacional del Agua ha reportado y denuncia una acción represiva por parte de efectivos policiales. El jueves en la noche, en Huarmey, uno de los puntos de concentración previstos en la Marcha, se produjeron enfrentamientos entre la policía y la población en el marco de un paro de 48 horas contra la minera Antamina, a la que acusan de contaminar el acuífero que les provee de agua potable.
On the fourth day of the march, Saturday 4, the protesters stayed in Trujillo to rest, but they also continued holding discussions and making contact with the local population. On Sunday 5, the fifth day of the march, the group left [es] for the city of Chimbote. The Water March's Facebook page uploaded a video [es] of their arrival in the village of Santa, just before Chimbote. Once in the city they met [es] with the Fisherman's Union, and then left for the city of Casma, following the route South towards Lima.
Meanwhile the Observation Mission's fourth report [es] stresses the government's attitude towards the problem of mining companies and water, bringing together various statements and declarations, including:
- El pronunciamiento del Colegio de Ingenieros del Perú, señalando que: “El Gobierno Peruano, desde la época republicana y hasta la fecha, no tiene una visión de desarrollo sostenido, ya que ha cimentado gran parte de su crecimiento en la explotación minera”.
- El presidente Ollanta Humala señaló que “ningún proyecto se paralizará por la consulta previa, y que esto no es un pretexto para que se detenga la inversión”, en referencia a la falta de la reglamentación de la ley que debía estar lista en diciembre pasado. En agosto del año pasado, sin embargo, el propio presidente escribía en twitter: “El derecho a la consulta previa sobre del desarrollo de los pueblos indígenas es un signo más de inclusión social. Forjamos un Perú para todos”
En este contexto, parecen razonables las palabras de Emma Gómez, de Cooperacción: “hay una lectura equivocada del presidente Humala sobre la Consulta Previa, la cual está siendo considerada como un obstáculo para la inversión privada más que un imperativo para que las empresas extractivas cumplan con los estándares ambientales y sociales de una inversión seria y que respeten los derechos de las poblaciones en las zonas de influencia”.
- The statement from the Engineering Association of Peru, indicating that: “The Peruvian Government, from the first Republican era until today, has never had a vision of sustained development, given that a large part of its growth has been based on mining.”
- President Ollanta Humala indicated that “no project will be paralised by prior consultation, and that it is not a pretext to halt investment”, in reference to the lack of regulations governing the implementation of the law, that should have been ready last December. In August last year, however, the President himself wrote on Twitter: “The right to prior consultation on the development of indigenous communities is a sign of greater social inclusion. Let's create a Peru for everyone”
In this context, the words of Emma Gómez from Cooperacción seem reasonable: “President Humala is misreading Prior Consultation, which is being considered as an obstacle to private investment rather than an imperative for extractive companies to meet the environmental and social standards of serious investment and to respect the rights of the people in affected areas.”

author: Juan Arellano


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Peru’s President Ollanta Humala: A ‘Chávez’ or a Washington Ally? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In a post for Foreign Policy in Focus, W. Alex Sanchez wonders about Peru's president Ollanta Humala: “Humala: Chavez Clone or Washington Partner?”


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Spain: A Letter From Syria · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Take the Square publishes a letter from Khaled Khalifa from Syria: “I would like to inform you that my people is being subjected to a genocide.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Swaziland: The Hypocrisy of King Mswati III · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Richard Rooney discusses the hypocrisy of King Mswati III of Swaziland: “King Mswati III of Swaziland is being hypocritical when he expresses disappointment at individuals who continue to plunder state resources for personal benefit. That’s because he is the biggest plunderer of state resources and he has bled his subjects dry for his own personal gain.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Must-Haves  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Travel blogger Rishi Sankar lists nine items every man should have for Trinidad Carnival.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Children’s Rights · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

West Indian Mother thinks that “it's high time we start acting in defense of our children and treat them with the respect that is the right of every human being. ”


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Ukraine: Netizens React to Popular File-Sharing Website’s Shutdown · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

On January 31, 2012, Ukrainian Internet users learned that the country’s biggest file-sharing site, Ex.ua [ru], was shut down due to repeated copyright violations. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, among the companies that filed a lawsuit [uk] against Ex.ua were Microsoft, Adobe, Graphisoft and others.
Ex.ua was one of the most popular websites in the country and accounted for 15-25% [uk] of Ukraine’s in-country traffic. It required no paid subscription and attracted millions of users who freely shared pirated video and audio files, games and software.
The news of the site's shutdown caused quite a stir online, with many netizens criticizing the government for going after Ex.ua and calling for its restoration.
Christina Vinovska (@chris_vinovska) tweeted a common appeal:
return #exua immediately!
People are protesting against the shutdown of Ex.ua outside the Interior Ministry in Kyiv. Photo by Sergei Svetlitsky, copyright © Demotix (1/02/12).
While many echoed her plea, others decided to take action both offline (photos of the Feb. 1 protest in Kyiv are here) and online.
Thus, following the release of the online statement about Ex.ua's shutdown by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry's website went down and remained periodically inaccessible due to “an increased number of visitors and possible DDoS attacks” [uk].
By that time many Twitter, Vkontakte and Facebook users were actively sharing detailed instructions [ru] on how to overload the servers of selected websites. The target list included websites of Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovych, the pro-presidential Party of Regions, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Parliament, and others.
What seemed to begin as a number of decentralized attempts, quickly turned into a mass organized effort, with Ex.ua supporters forming a “Free Ex.Ua” [ru] group on a popular social network Vkontakte [ru], which gathered over 6,000 members during the first hours of its existence (currently, there are over 41,000 members).
By February 1, the Presidential website was completely down [uk] and the Ministry of the Interior had to announce [uk] that it was going to use its two Facebook accounts until its official website was restored. By mid-day of February 1, Ex.ua had to appeal [ru] to users to stop the attack that succeeded in disrupting the work of nearly all major governmental websites:
Dear users,
Administrators of Ex.ua call on you to stop all illegal activity against governmental websites. […]
At the same time, a heated discussion of Ex.ua’s supposed illegal activity was taking place online.
Facebook user Sergei Sidorenko wrote [ru]:
In response to the mass mourning of the Ex.ua’s untimely death, I would tell you something different from what half of the Internet has been yelling about:
I do not have a single piece of licensed non-free software on my computer
I watch only pirated films
I jailbroke my Apple iPod soon after the purchase
Even the licensed Windows installed on my laptop I soon [removed] and installed a pirated one, because it was more convenient for me
But I have to admit that shutting down Ex.ua was the RIGHT THING. And I don’t understand those who now yell, “Yes, they were pirates, but was that a reason to close them?” […]
Guys, if we want to live a civilized [life], let’s at least not condemn the obvious attempts to establish legality.
In defense of Ex.ua, Yaroslav Fedorak of Blogosphere.com.ua wrote [uk]:
Yes, I really do believe that according to today’s legal framework, file-sharing website Ex.ua was conducting an illegal activity and sooner or later would have been closed. But don’t be too quick to throw stones at me! The problem here lies in the legal framework itself, which is hopelessly outdated and no longer meets the needs of the current super-dynamic and hyper-volatile environment.
Amidst such discussions, it was not long before Ukrainian Internet users began to question whether the authorities themselves were following the letter of the law. Giving in to increased media attention, the Ministry of the Interior had to admit [uk] that it was also using pirated software, while holding negotiations with Microsoft to end this practice. Netizens were outraged.
Yurko Chervony (@skinik) tweeted [uk]:
They should first shut themselves down, and not #ex.ua “[The Ministry of the Interior] admitted that half of the software [they're using] is illegal” tinyurl.com/7tjq7c8
Many netizens shared an online comment [uk] by Oleksandr Severyn of Maidan.org.ua:
When marauders fight with pirates, pirates become national heroes
Other netizens, however, believed that the government's action against Ex.ua was motivated not so much by the copyright violations, but by the website hosting [ru] an extremely popular parody video [uk] mocking the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.
Pavlo Rizanenko (@rizanenko) tweeted [uk]:
Our authorities closed #exua because they did not want to have an uncontrollable information resource on #UaNet [Ukrainian Internet – GV]. Piracy was just an excuse rizanenko.livejournal.com/983.html
Whatever the actual causes of its shutdown, following the unexpected mass reaction of Ukrainian netizens, Ex.ua was back online [ru] as early as February 3, when the investigators concluded [ru] that piracy allegations did not have to result in blocking of the site's domain name.
Many netisens viewed it as a positive case of online consolidation and organization of Ukrainians.
Serge Lavrinchuck (@Lavrinchuck) tweeted [uk]:
The #EXua story, of course, has its positive sides. When else the Ukrainian people would have united like this to attack government websites?
Numerous observers referred to the attacks as the “online revolution” [ru]. Maksym Savanevsky, editor of the Internet business and SMM website Watcher.com.ua, wrote [uk]:
What has changed in the society in the past 60 hours.
Most important: the citizens have had a taste of their victory. They have felt that “together they are many, and they cannot be defeated”. It is difficult to recall similar events since 2004 [Orange Revolution – GV].
Yes, the scope was not the same. Yes, everything happened online, inside warm apartments. But it has been a while since the authorities looked so helpless in the face of the people’s simple desire to get something they thought they deserved.
Still, others were critical of the society mobilizing in defense of a pirate website. Jouranlist Serhiy Shcherbyna wrote [ru]:
Where are you, the renowned [citizens], when honest, normal businesses are being bluntly taken from ordinary mid-level entrepreneurs? […] Why nobody touches the Tax Inspection's website for their regular [pressure] on business?
Why would you not [disable] the Interior Ministry's website when people are being killed at [local police stations]? Why would you not [disable] the Kyiv City Administration's website for [icy] roads on which people are breaking arms and legs every day?
Why are Ukrainians able to protest only when their social benefits and [free stuff] are taken away? Freedom of speech, the lawlessness of the authorities, politically-motivated [imprisonments], a half-dead economy and, most of all, a country that is nearing a collapse, all this is not causing such an outrage.
While the online polemics continue and the future fate of Ex.ua remains unclear, as of February 6, the website is operational and works on restoring its full capacity.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Armenia: Eurovision Hopefuls · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts the video and lyrics of a song by Armenian rock band Dorians. One of the three most likely contenders to enter this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the blog says that the group is also his favorite to represent Armenia in the international music competition.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Barbados: Take The Prisoner  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An interesting development in the case of the Cuban prisoner being held past his sentence in Barbados, is here.


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Bolivia: Blogger Interviews Indigenous Leaders on TIPNIS Conflict · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Dario Kenner from Bolivia Diary interviewed indigenous leaders who are against and in favor of building a road through the  Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécuro (TIPNIS).


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Brazil: Comments On A New Wave of Privatization As Airports Are Sold · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Blogger Mauricio Caleiro comments [pt] on a new wave of privatization – “masked” as “concessions” – led by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff who, during the electoral campaign, said she was against this instrument. So far three of the biggest Brazilian airports were sold to private companies.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: New Minister Denounces Torture Against Her Daughter · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Blogger and writer Antônio Mello reproduces a denouncement [pt] by the new Minister of the Special Secretariat for Women, Eleonora Menicucci, in which she says that her 1 year old daughter was tortured during the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985)  in 1972, in front of her.


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Bulgaria: Human Rights Organizations Against a Neo-Nazi March · Global Voices
Ruslan Trad

The civic initiative “People Against Racism” is appealing [en] to the Municipality of Sofia and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria with the request to ban an international neo-Nazi racist conference scheduled for Feb. 17 and a neo-Nazi torchlight procession known as the “Lukov March” on Feb. 18. Every year since 2005, Bulgaria's far-right, neo-Nazi, and ultra-nationalist groups have commemorated the death of Gen. Hristo Lukov, who supported Nazi Germany during WWII. Lukov March 2011 drew protests from many civic groups and human rights organizations, including the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the Jewish organization B'nai B'rith, and People Against Racism. (More about Lukov March; a 2010 video.)

author: Ruslan Trad


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China: Cats found in RMB100 Banknote · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky Huang from ChinaHush translated a local story from Beijing News about the new discovery by netizen of the printing of a “worshipping cats” totem on the RMB100 Banknote. The cats’ image is very comical, but experts said it was from Ancient China's the Warring States period (5th-3rd cent. BCE).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China needs less division, more action · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China media project has translated journalism professor Zhan Jiang's article on the division between the “rightists” and the “leftists” in addressing the current political situation in China.


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China: New Registrations for Sina Weibo have Fallen  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Bishop from Digicha follows up Sina Weibo's new user registration growth after the implementation of real name registration and the blogger provides three possible explanation on the falling trend.


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China, North Korea: Spreading Meth Across the Border · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jende Huang from Sino-NK has written an investigative report on the spreading of meth across the China and North Korea border.


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Cuba: Bloggers Say Pope Should Postpone Trip  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers have been making their feelings known about the impending papal visit to Cuba, their main concern being that the Vatican is putting its stamp of approval on the Castro regime despite regular reports of human rights violations coming out of the island.
In light of new reports of state-sanctioned actions against members of Las Damas de Blanco Last weekend, diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense suggested that:
Pope Benedict XVI should postpone his planned visit in late March to Cuba. The visit was part of a quid pro quo between the regime and the church, but continued repression of women trying to go to Mass should not have been part of the deal.
The blogger also posted a link to an e-Petition soliciting signatures from people who agreed with the postponement of the pontiff's visit “until human rights conditions improve in Cuba”.
Pedazos de la Isla echoed this concern, as he reported on “another Sunday of repression”:
Just weeks before Pope Benedict’s visit to Cuba in March, another Sunday on the island- February 5th 2012-  was marked by an excessive level of violence on behalf of the dictatorship against the peaceful Resistance, for simply trying to attend church.
In the city of Holguin, 5 Ladies in White were brutally arrested around 9 in the morning as they tried to reach the Jesus Christ Redeemer of Men Church.
The post went on to detail the kind of violence some of the women testified about:
In Guantanamo, 11 Ladies in White were able to make it to church, despite a constant vigilance.  Another 20 Ladies in White assisted mass in the Santuary of El Cobre in Santiago de Cuba.  16 women were arrested as they tried to get to that mass, however, according to the Twitter account of Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia (@jdanielferrer).  Among those arrested, according to his Twitter, were Oria Casanova who was “violently arrested, dragged, and beaten by 4 oppressive agents” and Liudmilla Cedeno who was victim of “sexual harassment in the cell where she was being held”.  Ferrer Garcia denounced, also through his Twitter, “that is how the henchmen who sustain the Castro brothers are- they beat, sexually assault, and harass defensless women in Cuba”.
The blogger ended by saying:
In Cuba, the Ladies in White and other pro-democracy activists will continue marching, whether Pope Benedict publicly speaks out for them or not.
Speaking out for the Ladies in White is one issue, speaking with them is another.  Capitol Hill Cubans reported that:
Last week, the Vatican confirmed meetings with Cuban dictators Raul and Fidel Castro during Pope Benedict XVI's March visit to the island.
Meanwhile, Cuba's courageous Ladies in White have been told to stand idly by as the Pope's agenda is “very heavy” (apparently from meeting with dictators).
How has the Castro regime received this news?
With impunity, of course.
babalu also commented:
Apparently, the Vatican has set aside time during the Pope's visit to Cuba in late March to have the pontiff meet with dictators Fidel and Raul Castro. However, they are not sure if the Pope will have time to meet with the Ladies in White, devout Catholics who are suffering repression, intimidation, beatings, humiliating sexual assaults, and death at the hands of the Castro dictatorship for trying to attend mass every Sunday.
Is it me, or do the Vatican's priorities appear to be backwards?
Iván García, meanwhile, wrote a thoughtful post on “the flirtations of Castro with the Vatican”:
It has been a formidable spin. Pure political juggling. A future strategy.
After a stormy and hostile period against the priests, Catholics and of other religions, where not a few went to jail or were imprisoned in labor camps, Fidel Castro changed his policy of confrontation. It was because of the rise to power by popular and democratic vote of  Salvador Allende in Chile in 1971, that Castro was restated his strategy of gunfire toward the Vatican.
Latin America was and is the region with the greatest number of Catholics worldwide. The bearded commander realized at once that any revolution, whether through elections or armed uprising, should begin by acknowledging the role played by priests, bishops and cardinals in a new proposal for social change and advocacy of the always excluded in the hemisphere.
And he began to design a new ideological castling. The Fourth Congress of the Communist Party in 1991, he accepted as members believers of any denomination.
He realized that to subvert, ideas were more important than bullets. And if these ideas were proclaimed from the pulpit…so much the better.
The post continued recounting the chain of events that will culminate in next month's papal visit:
After Castro was on the threshold of death in 2006, his brother, General Raul Castro, took the reins of power and further paved the way to Rome.
When the a political prisoner Orlando Zapata died on February 23, 2010, as a result of a prolonged hunger strike, and the civilized world launched a major campaign against the regime in Havana, due to excessive repression against opponents and the Ladies in White, Castro II knew immediately who to call.
And he called Cardinal Jaime Ortega…The Cardinal would become key political chess piece for the Castro brothers. He was the partner par excellence between government, the militant Ladies in White and the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. The talks allowed the release of dissidents who had remained behind bars since the crackdown of March 2003.  Someday we will know if Ortega is driven by the hope that the situation in Cuba will lead to a democracy, or other pressures have led him to play a role that some exiled opponents see as cowardly.
What intrigues local observers is whether the conspiracy with the Cuban Catholic Church and the Vatican could lead to a democratic state of law. Or is just a ploy to gain time and give a wider social space to Catholicism in education and health, sectors facing hardships due to the widespread economic crisis in the nation.
Church and state, at least from the Cuban blogosphere's perspective, seem to be irrevocably intertwined.


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Cuba: Cell Phone Power  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Cell phones have changed our lives,” writes Generation Y, adding: “If, in March of 2008, Raul Castro had imagined the role cell phones would play in Cuba’s incipient civil society, he probably never would have authorized their use.”


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France: The first Muslim public cemetery  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Hanan Ben Rhouma of Saphir News reports [fr] that: “The first Muslim public cemetery in France was open in Strasbourg on Monday, February 6. In a sense, it is a unique cemetery of that kind because it is the first to be managed by local public authorities based on the  Alsace-Moselle Accord of 1801 [fr], which does not exist anywhere else in France.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Georgia: Independent Media Gone Mobile · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following the removal of traditional newspaper booths in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, and out of concern that the independent media will suffer as a result, Democracy and Freedom Watch reports that newspapers are now being sold via mobile newsstands including those attached to bicycles. A video report [GE] is also available here.


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Hong Kong, China: Netizens Mock the University of Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The University of Hong Kong has finished a review report on the arrangement of China's Vice Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the university last year for its centennial celebration, or the so-called Hong Kong 818 incident.
During the ceremony, the campus was sealed off by heavy police forces stationed among students and alumni present, and the scene of a student brutally held down by a group of police officers when he tried to join other protesters quickly stirred up public outrage.
The newly-released report now reveals that the ceremony was scheduled to coincide with the vice premier's visit, proving true much public speculation that the ceremony was carefully designed as a political “show” aimed at pleasing the Beijing government.
The comic below is a recreation of the university's logo which has been widely circulated on Facebook this week. Replacing the symbol of the dragon-lion with the flag of China and the school motto, “Sapientia Et Virtus”, with “loyalty to the Party and to the State – the First People's University of Hong Kong City, Guangdong province” (忠黨愛國﹣廣東省香港市第一人民大學), the comic is a mocking reference to the downgrading of a what is currently an international university to that of a third-grade (city level) university in China. (I have shared the picture in my own Facebook Wall).
A satirical comic widely circulated online about the Hong Kong 818 incident


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Hong Kong: Oldest English Newspaper Turning Red? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Asia Sentinel has a news story about the latest development of the oldest English newspaper, South China Morning Post, in Hong Kong. The writer believes that the appointment of the newspaper's new Chief editor, former China's Daily's reporter and a CPPCC member Wang Xiangwei is part of the trend of the China Communist Party's move in media takeovers in Hong Kong.


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Hungary: Goodbye, Malév! · Global Voices
Marietta Le

Malév, Hungary's state airline since 1946, ceased operation on February 3, 2012, due to bankruptcy. According to news reports [hu], even the airline's employees were informed about the shutdown just an hour or so in advance. Some passengers learned the news when they tried to check in at the Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport.
Hungarian citizens were shocked by the news, because even though the national carrier’s bad financial situation was well-known, Malév's rescue plans were being negotiated during the past few weeks. Many claimed the cause of the company's ill fate was bad financial management. In January, even the 2007-2010 state financial aid to the airline was deemed illegal by the European Commission. Eventually, business partners lost their trust in the company, and this tipped the balance on Friday when Dublin and Tel Aviv airports refused to give take-off permissions to Malév flights.
A Malév commercial, music composed by Gábor Presser
According to A REPÜLÉS Szakmai blog (THE AVIATION Professional blog) [hu], the last Malév flight landed in Budapest on Friday at 08:46 UTC (09:46 AM in Hungary), arriving from Helsinki. The words that the pilot said to the air traffic controllers have been shared by Hungarian netizens on many sound- and video-sharing sites:
Pilot: On behalf of the last Malév flight’s crew, we would like to thank you for the good, several-decade-long cooperation. See you.
Air Traffic Controller: We also thank you and wish you a good rest, I hope we will meet.
Pilot: Hope so, under some different name.
According to AIRportal.hu [hu], on Friday evening 14 Malév planes were returned to their lessor ILFC at an airport in Ireland. (See here for Malcolm Nason's photos of the Malév planes at Shannon Airport in Ireland.)
Csaba Demeter, a pilot who was among those flying the planes back, shared his story on Facebook [hu]:
[…] Around midnight we arrived to EINN [airport code for Shannon Airport, Ireland], landed one after another and rolled nicely, to salute in this way the past period. We stopped one after another, on rolling-roads, on parking spaces, we stopped them, unpacked and turned off the lights, our planes were in the darkness. It was an awful feeling, WE HAD TO LEAVE THEM THERE. We were hoping for a call [saying] COME HOME WITH THE PLANES this was just a dream or a bad joke. But nothing like that came. THEY STAYED THERE. All of them. :-( […]
People shared their thoughts on the sad fate of the national carrier. Csaba’s memories on Fékszárny blog [hu] tell the best what Malév meant for the citizens of this small Central European country:
I flew a lot with them, I have many good and many bad experiences as well. I wouldn’t tell about those because there is nothing special among them. Why I very much loved to fly with Malév and it always enjoyed priority in contrast to the others is that they were OURS. After being away from home for a long time they were the first signs of coming home. The mentioned white-blue painting with the Hungarian tricolor, the greeting at the door and the Hungarian newspapers. I usually spent 2-3 weeks abroad and not in cities and comfortable hotels, but in deserts and other great places. So coming home was always a big joy and its first messenger was the crew of the Malév flight. After a long, stressful trip even my eyes filled with tears when landing at the Ferihegy [airport]. It was a very bad [feeling] to look at the pictures and read the news on the internet. Let’s hope not all is lost, it would be good to see the red-white-green planes again.
Csaba
According to Véleményvezér blog [hu], the national carrier “got into the perfect storm” of Hungary's economic dynamics:
[…] Malév got into the perfect storm from this perspective: it should have survived almost a decade of economic stagnation and almost a decade of mismanagement; whilst the two phenomena amplified each other. It did not survive and this is yet another nail in the coffin of our dreams and illusions about the leading position of Budapest and Hungary in the region.
Until a new Hungarian carrier is founded, Origo news site reports [hu] the pilots of the “Malév Hungarian Airlines Virtual” will keep on “flying” with the Malév call signs.

author: Marietta Le


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Italy: Volunia, a Serendipity-based Search Engine  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On the blog Presse-citron, Jean-Marie Le Ray wites about”Volunia” [fr], the new search engine in 12 languages invented by Professor Massimo Marchiori of the University of Padua (Italy) : “this is a new concept of navigation of our times I think a test, a laboratory of ideas , also with a prospective vision of the Semantic Web, which relies heavily on “voluntary and spontaneous”  interaction with the user. In a sense, it is a participatory search engine trying to put the future in perspective in order to  adapt the current search process better [fr]. “


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Morocco: Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

On February 7, 2012, Walid Bahomane appeared before a court in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 18-year-old is accused of “defaming Morocco's sacred values” by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking king Mohammed VI of Morocco.
This isn't the first time a Moroccan Internet user has faced such charges. In 2008, Fouad Mourtada, a young engineer, was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating the king’s brother on Facebook. An international outcry and a campaign of support forced the authorities to release Mr Mourtada a month after his arrest.
Walid Bahomane's arrest is the first since a constitutional reform last summer (theoretically) revoked the “sacred” character of the monarch. The king is still, however, the focus of a great deal of devotion in the country.
A copy of the police report filed against Mr Bahomane emerged on the Internet, revealing a first: according to the document, items seized by the police are “two Facebook pages (sic) containing phrases and images insulting the sacred values, and an IBM computer.”
Copy of the police report filed against Mr. Walid Bahomane as posted on Facebook.
Despite calls for his release the judge decided to send Walid to a juvenile detention facility near the capital pending his trial. A group of netizens have reacted to the arrest of Mr Bahomane by creating a support group on Facebook called “Mohammed VI, my freedom is more sacred than you!”, where members are invited to publish and share cartoons of the king.
Cartoon representing King Mohammed VI posted on Facebook
The group's preamble reads [ar]:
Zineb El Ghazoui, a co-creator of the group, writes  on her blog [fr]:
[cette arrestation bat] en brèche la propagande de l'Etat marocain autour du changement et des prétendues avancées démocratiques.
On Twitter, some are timidly following suit. Musique Arabe tweets [fr]:
@MusiqueArabe Opération soutien à Walid Bahomane – publions tous sur nos profils la caricature de notre choix.
Despite the recent constitutional reforms in Morocco the regime does not seem prepared to tolerate any violation of its red lines. In July 2011, a few days after the adoption of the new constitution, a French newspaper, Le Courrier International, was censored [fr] in Morocco because it contained an irreverent caricature of the king.
The independent press has often suffered the wrath of the regime when it dared tackle the sensitive subject of the monarchy. So much so that the Internet seems today the last frontier where most Moroccans can still exercise their right to free expression.
Something Moroccan netizens seem to be fully aware of, inspired by the Arab spring, they seem determined to close ranks and show solidarity with Mr Bahomane.
As a result, exercising censorship will be even more difficult for the regime.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Peru: A blogger’s proposition · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

Peruvian blogger Cyrano makes a proposition on his blog [es]: “today February 7, 2012, without fail (or whenever you read this), let's make a call to someone we don't talk to for a while and let's simply tell them: ‘I care a lot about you'”.

author: Gabriela García Calderón


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Russia: New .Ru Domain Registration Rules Allow Easy Domain Seizure · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Andrey Rylkov Foundation writes about the first case of enforcement of the domain seizure rules in the “.ru” and “.рф” domain zones. The rules [ru] (Article 5, point 5.5) , updated on November 11, 2011 allow any law enforcement agency (like police, Federal Security Service, Prosecutor's office or Federal Drug Control Services (FDCS)) to request domain seizure without a court order. On February 3, 2012 FDCS successfully seized the domain of rylkov-fond.ru, a website of Rylkov Foundation that had severely criticized situation with drug trafficking.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: The Anonymous Hacks and Publishes E-mails of Pro-Kremlin Youth Group · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Read The Guardian's take on the so-called “Potupchik-gate,” a series of scandals surfaced as a result of hacking and publishing of private inbox of Kristina Potupchik [ru], press-secretary of Nashi, notorious pro-Kremlin youth group. All hacks were published by twitter-user @OP_Russia who uses Anonymous symbolics. Representatives of Anonymous, previously never seen involved in Russian online politics, had also issued an Russian/English statement on the issue.


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Slovakia: Stop ACTA Protest · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

An anti-ACTA rally took place in Bratislava on Feb. 4. On the protest's Facebook page [sk], nearly 7,500 people wrote they would attend, and over 3,800 wrote they'd “maybe” attend. The weather was cold and windy; the recent news from Poland, which has postponed the ratification of ACTA, was good; and it's unlikely that anything will be approved before the Slovak early elections in March. As a result, only 500 people or so showed up for the rally [sk; photos; video]. This week, a number of Slovak and Czech politicians announced they were in favor of postponing the ratification of the controversial treaty.

author: Tibor Blazko


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Spanish-Language Digital Magazine on Using ICTs in Human Rights · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Digital magazine Revista Calle Sol 28 [es] looks at how human rights activists can use information and communication technologies (ICTs). The issue includes the article “The Right to the Internet” by Venezuelan journalist and Global Voices author Luis Carlos Díaz on the use and impact of blogs and social networks.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Tunisia: Reports About a Court to Decide on “Interim” President’s Title Refuted · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
In a statement published on its Facebook page, the office of the presidency denied that President Moncef Marzouki, filed a lawsuit against state owned media for referring to him as ”Interim President”.
The statement came in reaction to an article published by Al-Sabah newspaper, claiming that on February 13, a court in Tunisia will issue a verdict about the use of the term “interim” by the state media when referring to the current President Moncef Marzouki and his government.
According to the same source, a lawyer lodged a complaint to the court of first instance of Tunisia, claiming that the use of such a term does not have “a legal basis”.
This is not the first time that the use of term “interim” sparks a debate in Tunisia. Back in January, the Minister of Provisional Justice, and spokesperson of the government, criticized Tunisian media for the use of the word “interim”, claiming that it does not adapt to the current situation”.
In reaction to the complaint a photo with the term "interim" in different languages was created. Image posted to Facebook.
Here are some reactions from the Tunisian Twittersphere, when the news (which then turned out to be rumors) about the President's lawsuit first emerged.
@Tanbirat: Au fait monsieur @Moncef_Marzouki je voulais juste vous dire que vous êtes notre président PROVISOIRE de la république !
@Emnabenjemaa: #Dilou ministre provisoire dans un gouvernement provisoire avec #Marzouki président provisoire
@ahmedchaabane: عجبا في حكومة مؤقتة تقلقها كلمة “مؤقت” أكثر مما يقلقها المليون بطال… #tunisie #tngov #marzouki
@funnypurp: @Moncef_Marzouki et moi je vais porter plainte pour publicité mensongère après avoir voté CPR…
Indeed, those who do not feel at ease with the term “interim”, believe that this government is not interim because it was formed following free and fair elections. On the other hand, the opposition in Tunisia has fears that the current government might stay in power too long – although Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has recently declared that Tunisia will hold parliamentary and presidential elections within 18 months.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Tunisia: Decision to Expel Syrian Ambassador Sparks Heated Debate · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
On February 1, 2012, Tunisia, the birthplace of the so-called Arab Spring, has started procedures to expel the Syrian Ambassador in Tunis, and to withdraw recognition of the Syrian regime. That move followed the deadly assault launched on the city of Homs on Friday night, and which resulted in hundreds of deaths according to the Syrian National Council.
The Presidency of the Republic of Tunisia, said in an official statement published on its Facebook page [ar]:
Thank you Tunisia
"Hafedh (father of Bashar Al Assad): May your soul be cursed", written on the door of the Syrian embassy in Tunis. Photograph shared by Facebook page "Union Des Admins Des Pages Tunisiennes"
Netizens from the Arab world, welcomed the step taken by Tunisia, and considered the move as “revolutionary.” Here are some reactions of Arab netizens on the micro blogging website Twitter.
From Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Ahlam Safi writes [ar]:
@iAhlamSafi: ولتونس علينا حقا.. أرض السابقين الأولين في الثورة.. أول دولة تسقط شرعية بشار وترفض الاعتراف بنظامه #ArabSpring #Tunisia #Syria #pray4syria
Algerian Melissa Rahmouni adds [fr]:
@MelissaRahmouni: Je suis heureuse du soutien de la #Tunisie au combat des syriens pour la #liberté. #syrie
From Kuwait, writer Saadiah Mufarreh tweets [ar]:
And Syrian citizen Geo thanks Tunisia on behalf of the Syrian people:
@CitizenGeo: From #Syria to #Tunisia Thanks for your humanity
Decision divides netizens
Back in Tunisia, the President's decision to break all ties with the Syrian regime, has divided netizens. Those who did not welcome the decision are worried about the safety of Tunisian expatriates in Syria.
@ElyssaDidon tweets [fr]:
@ElyssaDidon: La #tunisie aurait du rapatrier ses siens avant d'expulser l'ambassadeur syrien! #Syrie
@ElyssaDidon: Tunisia should have repatriated its expats before expelling the Syrian ambassador
She adds, in another tweet, defending her opinion:
@ElyssaDidon: J'appuie la decision d'expulser l'ambsdr 2 la #Syrie en #Tunisie msj'aurais préféré la prse 2mesures pr prtger les tunisiens sur plce d'abrd
Blogger and journalist Haythem El Mekki described the decision as “very brave, and very risky”. On his blog, he writes [ar]:
بشار الأسد (و ماهر خوه خاصة) سفاح دموي و يجب خلعه، لا شك في ذلك. حزب البعث نظام وحشي ظالم و يجب اسقاطه، هذا أكيد. الثورة السورية بدأها الشعب السوري الطامح إلى الحرية و القضاء على الإستبداد، و يجب مساندته في مطالبه، هذا واجب.
لكن في المقابل، يبدو جليا لكل مراقب يقظ أن ما يحصل الآن في سوريا من نزاعات مسلحة و التغطية الإعلامية الحافلة بالتهويل و الفبركة لقناتي الجزيرة و العربية (يعني قطر و السعودية) مع إحتضان تركيا و قطر (حلفاء أمريكا الإستراتيجيين في المنطقة، حاضنو قواعدها العسكرية) للمعارضة السورية، كل هذا يبرز أن سيناريو ليبيا بصدد التكرار، و أن الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية تواصل تشكيل خارطة الشرق الأوسط الجديد… يأتي قرار الحكومة التونسية المؤقتة بطرد السفير السوري في تونس و سحب الإعتراف بنظام بشار الأسد. قرار في غاية الجرأة و الخطورة، و يعكس موقفا شديد الوضوح في التموقع الجلي إلى جوار أحد أطراف الصراع ضد الطرف الآخر بصفة جذرية و نهائية، خاصة و أننا نكون بهذا أول بلاد في العالم تقوم بذلك.
Bashar Al Assad (and especially his brother Maher), is a bloody butcher and he should be ousted. There is no doubt about it. Al-Baath party, is a monstrous, and unjust system that should be taken down. This is certain. The Syrian revolution was launched by the Syrian people looking forward to freedom and an end to oppression. It is a duty to support Syrians in their demands.
But, on the other hand, it is obvious to every watchful observer that what is happening now in Syria from armed conflicts, and the over exaggerated, and fabricated media coverage of Al Jazeera, and Al Arabiya channels (in other words Qatar and Saudi Arabia), with Turkey and Qatar (two strategic allies for the US which has military bases in these two countries), embracing the Syrian opposition, proves that the Libyan scenario is about to be repeated, and that the US continues forming the map of the new Middle East…The decision of the interim Tunisian government to expel the Syrian ambassador, and to withdraw recognition of Bashar Al Assad's regime, is a very brave and very risky decision, which reflects a very clear position in standing by the side of one part of the conflict, against the other part, in an extreme, and ultimate way, especially that we are the first country in the world to take such a step.
Linda Ben Osman believes that not only the Syrian ambassador, but all ambassadors whose countries committed massacres, and human rights violations need to be expelled. She says [fr]:
Si l'on vire l'ambassadeur syrien pour massacres commis par son pays, il me semble logique que l'on en vire d'autres, à commencer par ceux de tous les pays arabes, et plus spécialement le Qatar et l'Arabie Saoudite, non seulement pour abus commis par leurs pays à l'encontre de leurs peuples et des chiites plus spécifiquement, mais aussi à l'encontre des Bahreïnis aujourd'hui colonisés.
Que l'on vire, l'ambassadeur chinois, pour massacre des tibétains et l'ambassadeur américain, pour massacre des palestiniens, irakiens et afghans pour ne citer qu'eux, et pour torture et abus de pouvoir, et pour maltraitance et violences policières envers les manifestant d'Occupy, pour Guantanamo, et, et, et…
Virons l'ambassadeur français, pays dont le Ministre de l'Intérieur considère que toutes le civilisations ne se valent pas, et qui traite les immigrés illégaux comme des moins que rien.
Virons aussi l'ambassadeur russe pour massacre des tchétchènes…
If we expel the Syrian ambassador, because his country committed massacres, I think it is logical to expel others, starting from ambassadors of all the Arab countries, and more specifically Qatar, and Saudi Arabia,for committing abuses not only in their own countries, and against their own people, (more specifically) , Shiites, but also for abuses committed against Bahrainis, who are now colonized.
Let's expel the Chinese ambassador for massacring Tibetans, and the American ambassador for massacring Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghanis, for torture, abuse of power, and for mistreating Occupy protesters, and for Guantanamo…
Let's also fire the Russian ambassador for massacring Chechnyans…
She adds:
nous, tunisiens révolutionnaires, voulons soutenir tous les peuples lésés par leurs gouverneurs, et si virer les ambassadeurs est la solution adéquate pour montrer notre solidarité , alors soit, virons-les tous!
On Twitter, @tounsiahourra strongly supports the President's decision. She tweets [ar]:
She adds in another tweet [ar]:
And @The_Fan concludes [fr]:
@The_Fan: Je ne comprends pas l'attaque sur la decision diplomatique de la #tunisie, on est quand meme avec la revolution syrienne #syrie non ?
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.


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Yemen: Yemen S-Election! · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Yemen's Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was unanimously nominated by parliament as the only presidential candidate for Yemen's February 21 elections, has kicked off his campaign. Ironically, its motto is ‘Together to Build the New Yemen’ when many Yemenis were excluded from the US/United Nations-backed power transition deal brokered by neighboring Gulf countries.
Those who welcomed the election believe that voting is a step in the right direction for Yemen, to start a “new page” and “avoid getting into war”, albeit under the same regime and using a line that was overused throughout the year of revolution in Yemen.
Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's campaign poster
The election supporters want Hadi to gain more than 4 million votes because that's what outgoing President Saleh got in the previous election, believing that would give Hadi “more legitimacy”, although he would be president regardless of the vote as per the the GCC brokered deal implementation mechanism, since he was already handed the executive powers.
Tom Finn, a freelance journalist based in Yemen, tweeted:
@tomfinn2: Though there's only 1 candidate most Yemenis I know are pretty positive about the elections, lots of talk of ‘turning a new page’.
He then added:
@gregorydjohnsen @adammbaron A large majority won't vote but I still think there'll be a bigger turn-out than expected..
He estimated the vote turnout to be as low as 15 per cent.
This video which is part of a series posted by YeElection on behalf of the Supreme Committee for Election and Referendum to promote the electoral campaign indicates that every voter has one vote and encourages people to cast their vote, yet it fails to mention that there is also only ONE candidate.
Many neitzens have questioned the point of the election, and thought it ought to be called an appointment or selection instead – since he is the vice president anyway and it is natural for him to rule during the transitional period. They also have argued that there was no need to waste funds on the election campaign and monitors, which are pointless since the result is known beforehand.
Whether Hadi gets one vote or five million, it will not change the outcome, especially when the necessary funds could have been allocated for the relief of other more pressing issues in Yemen. They could have gone to organizations which combat hunger in Yemen and some even suggested that part of of it could have gone to the families of the martyrs and treating the injured.
Facebook pages in Arabic and English were set up by activists to reject and boycott the elections.
Journalist Brian Whitaker tweeted:
@Brian_Whit: An “election” that allows only one candidate is not a real election bit.ly/AflZtW #yemen
He points in his blog:
The “election” itself is illegal and invalid because the Yemeni constitution states very clearly that there must be more than one candidate. Even Saleh accepted that principle in two previous presidential elections (while of course ensuring that opposition candidates never stood a chance of winning).
Here are some of tweets over this very controversial subject.
@The_Wadi tweeted an article that represented both views:
What do Yemenis think of the election? “We'll vote to avoid war.” “Why are there elections if there's no competition?” bit.ly/w2r1PC
@ginnyUK, associate fellow at Chatham House, who runs Yemen Forum, tweeted a genuine concern that many have:
lack of detailed planning for post-Feb 21 military restructuring, national dialogue, constitutional reform gives pause for thought #Yemen
Yemeni @SummerNasser added:
I guess it's up to citizen journalists to write up on the ‘selection’ (election) in #Yemen..
And Gregory Johnsen, a PHD candidate in Near Eastern studies and close observer of Yemen, tweeted:
@Gregorydjohnsen: Yemen's one-man presidential campaign brought to you by the US and the GCC.
He replied to a tweet teasingly:
Early polls suggest Hadi the favorite RT @Yemen411 Countdown for elections in #Yemen: 15 days & 18 Hours
And replying why there weren't other candidates, he responded:
@abuaardvark Others couldn't get parliamentary support to get on ballot – GCC deal has Hadi taking over, begs the question: why an election?
Adam Baron, @adammbaron, a freelance journalist currently in Yemen, noted:
@abuaardvark @gregorydjohnsen id say b/c elex mean sharia dostooria [translation: constitutional legitamcy], but a 1 man election is actually in violation of #Yemen's constitution
And Iona Craig, @ionacraig, the Times correspondent in Yemen mockingly tweeted:
Remind me. What's the point in having an election campaign when you're the sole candidate and there's no minimum turnout requirement?
@alruwaishan added:
You can argue a lot of things, but one man running against himself being an election is not one of them. #Yemen's “election” is ridiculous.
@al_masani replied:
@alruwaishan when ali saleh was prez AT LEAST he had a candidate running against him. things went from bad to worse 1 candidate? #yemen
@Brian_Whit wondered if Saleh was planning a comeback:
Could Saleh do Putin's trick? RT @ginnyUK: who will replace Hadi as VP when Hadi becomes president? #Yemen
And @SummerNasser concluded with a very likely scenario which many Yemeni would definitely reject:
Let me just give you all a heads up. Hadi will be in place, then in the future Ahmed (Saleh's son) will take over. Mark my words. #BFEY #Yemen
Many Yemenis believe that taking part in this election is pointless since the election results are pre-determined, as was the imposed GCC deal and the immunity it granted Saleh. They doubt that it will bring about any real change in Yemen in the foreseeable future with Hadi, another military man replacing Saleh, and thus that there is no prospect of the civil state which the revolution demanded, especially with Saleh's family still controlling the military apparatus and his regime still intact.
And as @abubakrabdullah  points in his post in the Guardian's live blog:
Either way, an end to clashes and the provision of regular electricity, gas and water are more eagerly anticipated in Yemen than an election right now.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

author: Noon Arabia


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Argentina: Musician Luis Alberto Spinetta Dies · Global Voices
Natán Calzolari

Luis Alberto Spinetta, “El Flaco“, one of the most influential rock musicians in Argentina, died on February 8, 2012, as a result of illness; Spinetta had lung cancer, diagnosed in July, 2011. His condition became public when, towards the end of the year, he addressed his fans with an emotional letter [es] that began like this:
Buenos Aires. Diciembre 23, 2011. Mi nombre es Luis Alberto Spinetta. Tengo 61 años y soy músico. Desde el mes de julio sé que tengo cáncer de pulmón. Estoy muy cuidado por una familia amorosa, por los amigos del alma, y por los mejores médicos que tenemos en el país. Ante el aluvión de información inexacta, quiero aclarar públicamente las condiciones de mi estado de salud. Me encuentro muy bien, en pleno tratamiento hacia una curación definitiva. […]
Luis Alberto Spinetta, by Facundo M. Nívolo. Image licensed by Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
In January, Spinetta was admitted to the Cemic Institute to undergo surgery for intestinal perforation due to diverticulitis, a diagnosis unrelated to his cancer. On January 30, after 25 days in hospital, he was discharged  and was able to go home.
On February 8, just over a week later, “El Flaco” died at home, surrounded by his children: Dante, Catarina, Valentino and Vera,  according to [es] the Argentine newspaper Telám. And it was his children themselves who started a wave [es] of messages full of melancholy, sadness and pain, expressed on the social network Twitter. [translator's note: all Twitter links are in Spanish]
Dante (@dantespinetta), in a brief but very profound tweet said [es]:
Te amo por siempre Papá.
While Valentino (@Leeva_) posted [es] on his account:
T amo papá, siempre vas a estar en mi alma y mi corazón.
Quoting a line from her father, Catarina (@Cataspinetta) also tweeted [es]:
‘No habrá un destino incierto, ni habrá distancia que pueda alejarme de ti…’ Amor eterno a mi Padre♥
Reactions on social networks
The hashtag #chauflaco [goodbye Flaco] quickly became a trending topic, gathering the tweets of those users wanting to express their emotions with the news of the death of a musician with one of the longest careers in Argentine rock:
User Paula Castro (@_paucastro) reflected:
La tristeza de decir #chauflaco .. Gracias x tanta poesia!
Technology writer Federico Wiemeyer (@wiemeyer) recalled a verse by Spinetta:
“Si no canto lo que siento me voy a morir por dentro” #ChauFlaco
Pablo Ferreyra (@PabloRFerreyra) mourned:
Murió el mejor músico argentino. El que más voy a extrañar. Barro tal vez, flaco. #ChauFlaco
User Bruno Vaccotti (@peztresojos) quoted Spinetta to explain popular sentiment:
“La gente está incluida en el alma. Yo soy toda la gente” #elflaco dixit. Por eso hoy, todos morimos un poco. #chauflaco
Paula Zuviría (@pau_apichela) related an anecdote:
Mama entra llorando a mi cuarto y me dice: Porque no me contaste que murió Spinetta ? #chauflaco
User Cecilia Ann Tosh (@_CeciliaAnn) reflected:
Por qué se puede estar acongojado por la muerte de alguien que no conociste? Porque su obra enriqueció tu ser. #ChauFlaco
Messages from Twitter netizens are flowing [es] in at a rate that probably won't slow down in the coming days or weeks, which is understandable since Luis Alberto Spinetta is considered by many the greatest exponent of music in Argentina. And while such a statement is completely subjective, it is undeniable that his work has greatly influenced the work of many musicians, and his legacy will always be part of the heart of Argentina and Latin American culture.
“And this is always true, whether you are staying or you are going.”

author: Natán Calzolari


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Brazil: Is the Weather Wacky? · Global Voices
Fernando Sapelli

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.]
Talking about the weather may be mere elevator chit-chat but, come rain or shine, there is no honest conversation that does not make some reference to the weather. With the recent droughts in the southern region, floods in the southeast region and atypical weather in the Northeast, terms like El Nino, La Nina and convergence zone have made their way into our everyday vocabulary and become the topic of many conversations.
Obviously the online community could not remain silent on the issue. Especially not in the face of Brazil's readying for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.
But what do Internet users actually think about these recurring ecological disasters and atypical climate changes? Is the conversation a mere reflection of the fact that we now have access to weather occurrences throughout the world and are aware of disasters occurring at micro- and macro-regional levels, or are we indeed in the midst of a worldwide climate change with disastrous consequences?
Storm approaching in Marau, Rio Grande do Sul, 2009. Photo by Mateus Waechter on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
As reported in an article [en] published on Global Voices in 2009 concerning the effects of heavy rains in Salvador that were mitigated on account of information circulated among the online community, while some claimed that the heavier rains were due to climate changes, João Miguel Lima left a comment claiming that:
Para os climatólogos, ainda não quer dizer que o volume de chuvas seja mudança climática. Seria necessário um intervalo de tempo maior para se perceber um padrão novo para afirmar isso; até agora é uma instabilidade do clima.
Now that three years have passed, has it been long enough for us to draw more solid conclusions? Some Internet users believe so.
“Is the weather in your city wacky?“
The question was posed on a Yahoo! Answers forum by a user who triggered an online version of the ever prosaic elevator conversation:
Eu moro em Guarulhos-SP [São Paulo] e o tempo aqui cada vez está mais estranho, uma hora faz calor, outra o tempo fica nublado e friento, e outra chove e depois para de chover e faz bastante calor e depois frio. Tá uma doideira o tempo em Guarulhos, e na sua cidade?
The same question has reverberated in many online discussions; and there are few answers to the many questions raised. According to some specialists, climate change is real. A study published by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE according to its Brazilian acronym) in June 2010, for example, points out that floods are occurring with more frequency in the city of São Paulo.
As mudanças no clima (…) indicam aumento de dias com chuvas intensas e mais freqüentes e as projeções de crescimento da população na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, que deverá dobrar de tamanho nos próximos 20 anos, especialmente nas periferias.
Climate changes, combined with urban growth and rural development lacking adequate planning to ensure protection, lead to even greater social and economic consequences in both cities and suburbs.
The site Climate Changes is entirely dedicated to encouraging understanding and information-sharing regarding this phenomenon. In an article published on the site in 2009, the head of the Climate Change and Energy Program for the WWF-Brazil, Carlos Ritti, states that “climate change is the greatest environmental and development challenge of the 21st century.”
Uma série de eventos climáticos muito intensos ocorridos nesta última década já indicava que o clima do planeta está passando por uma transformação significativa.
Nonetheless, between clouds and torrential rains, many people end up not knowing the difference between climate and weather, and they end up not understanding the true dimensions of this phenomenon. According to Gabriel Cabral, in an article written for the site Education World:
O tempo refere-se ao estado momentâneo que ocorre em um determinado local a partir do ar atmosférico que pode ocorrer de maneira lenta ou rápida. Em diferença, o clima refere-se ao conjunto de condições atmosféricas que ocorrem em determinados locais de forma marcante.
Rio+20 for change?
Rio+20, the United National Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years after the city also hosted the Earth Summit [en], where the concept of sustainable development was first endorsed, has already included climate change and the worldwide effects of climate change in its agenda. The UN itself already has a Convention on Climate Change [en], most recently held in Durban in November and December 2011.
According to the organization, “the Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.  It recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.”
Smog in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Pierre-Yves Dansereau on Flickr. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Despite the objectives of Rio+20 including:
um comprometimento político renovado com o desenvolvimento sustentável, avaliar o progresso feito até o momento e as lacunas que ainda existem na implementação dos resultados dos principais encontros sobre desenvolvimento sustentável, além de abordar os novos desafios emergentes,
some specialists have noted that the conference does not have a clear and specific agenda. Marina Silva, the former presidential candidate, stated in an interview granted to the newspaper Folha de São Paulo and published on the site The Echo that the draft published by the organization, containing the zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document:
é insuficiente. Genérico, não faz uma crítica ao modelo de desenvolvimento atual e dos padrões de produção e consumo. (…) Tudo parece apontar para aquele conhecido roteiro: decepção e paralisia dos governos, enquanto a crise socioambiental só se agrava -foi assim na COP 15, 16, 17…
One need not be a specialist to realize that something is changing and that the repercussions go beyond the confines of the elevator. This is no longer an isolated fact affecting merely one city, but rather a combination of various elements that bring to light the impact of these climate changes. Instead of questions, however, we need to focus on the answers.

author: Fernando Sapelli


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Cambodia: Demolition of Houses in Borei Keila · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

The problem of forced evictions is turning for the worse in Cambodia while citizen dissatisfaction over existing resettlement schemes is also rising. While land grabbing is a nationwide problem, it's most evident in the urban areas. In fact, residents of Monivong Hospital, Sombok Chap, Dey Kraham, Group 78, Borei Keila, and Boeung Kak have been evicted already from their homes.
The recent record of forced eviction, which grabbed global attention, happened in Borei Keila, located opposite Bak Tuok High School in central Phnom Penh. This community is home to roughly 1,776 families, including 86 families with members who are HIV positive.
A press statement issued by human rights organization Licadho gives a brief history of the struggle of the residents of the community to assert their land and housing rights:
Demolition in Borei Keila. Photo from blog of Faine Greenwood
Villagers first settled on the land, which was the site of a police training facility, in 1992.
In early 2003, a “land-sharing” arrangement was proposed for Borei Keila, which allowed a private company to develop part of the area for commercial purposes while providing alternative housing to the residents on the remaining land. The idea was hailed because rather than being evicted, villagers would receive compensation for their land in the form of apartments in newly-constructed buildings.
In June 2003, Prime Minister Hun Sen authorized a social land concession for approximately 4.6 hectares of Borei Keila (30% of the total 14.12 hectares of land). Construction giant Phanimex company was contracted by the government to construct 10 apartment buildings on 2 hectares of land for the villagers, in return for obtaining ownership of an additional 2.6 hectares for commercial development.
By May 2007, the Phnom Penh municipality had allocated apartments to only 335 families, including 14 HIV/AIDS-affected families. More than 100 other families, their houses demolished to clear space for new apartment buildings, were left living under tarpaulins in squalid conditions.
In June 2009, 20 HIV affected families in the community were forced to leave their homes and were relocated to Tuol Sambo village of Khan Dangkor, about 20 kilometers outside of the capital. This was strongly condemned by both local and international rights groups as the relocation site was not suitable for human habitation. Moreover, those with HIV were isolated in a remote part of the area which made them more vulnerable to discrimination and social stigmatization.
This case was amply documented in a human rights portal, Sithi.
Phan Imex, the company whose contract with the government was to build ten apartments for villagers, managed to build only eight buildings leaving roughly 300 Borei Keila families excluded from the original agreement. Last month, the company demolished the houses of these ‘excluded’ residents with the help from the armed forces. The demolition and dispersal became violent.
Immediately after the incident, a joint statement was issued by several civil society organizations which strongly condemned the violent destruction of the homes:
The destruction of these homes marks yet another sad turn for a development that was once promoted as a model alternative to the eviction and off-site relocation of the Phnom Penh's urban poor.
The statement accused the police of doing nothing to stop the violent demolition of homes:
The demolition was carried out by Phanimex employees and paid workers alongside an excavator, which crushed houses before residents had the opportunity to clear out their belongings. The process was overseen by over 100 mixed police forces who arrested and detained eight community representatives, including one minor who were taken to the main police commissioner and three bodyguards who were taken to an unknown location. Police also fired tear gas and live ammunition on the residents of Borey Keila.
Human rights monitors on site witnessed workers using a jackhammer to break up a large rock surrounding a group of police officers, who then took the stones and threw those at residents. Some also attacked residents with sticks. At least 12 people were injured including one policeman, some seriously.
Human Rights Watch reported that more than 64 people were injured and eight residents were detained:
“State security forces that were present used tear gas and rubber bullets against the residents, and both sides threw rocks, sticks, and bottles. More than 64 people were reportedly injured. The authorities arrested at least eight of the residents, one of whom was released on bail on January 18 while seven remain in detention. These eight residents, including two children, have all been charged under both article 218 (“intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances”) and article 504 (“obstruction of public officials with aggravating circumstances”) of the Cambodian penal code.
After the dispersal, there have been a series of peaceful protests by the community demanding the intervention of national government officials. They want the government to halt the demolitions and to release the detained protesters. A letter was also sent to to the Cambodian Prime Minister urging the leader to resolve the Borei Keila issue.
Early this month, about 100 residents from Borei Keila and 50 from Beoung Kak who were marching on Monivong Boulevard were blocked by more than 100 riot police personnel and a violent clash took place. Witnesses saw the police pushing six women into a police van, according to an article reported by the Cambodia Daily.
The arrested six female protesters were released after an overnight detention. City Hall then defended its action to arrest the female protesters
Phnom Penh Capital Hall has no other choice but to take an appropriate counter measure in order to maintain public security, safety and order for people in Phnom Penh so that laws can be effectively enforced as a principle of the rule of law can be applied.
Land grabbing has also spurred the rise of activism in many rural and urban communities. In one instance, land rights activists organized an ‘Avatar’ rally to oppose the planned destruction of a forested area. The issue also prompted several groups to highlight the suffering of women and children during evictions
It gave the women a platform where they could tell the world about the suffering involved in forced evictions and sent a clear call to government officials to take immediate action on the ongoing scandal of forced evictions and land grabbing in the country.

author: Sopheap Chak


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China: Another Grassroots Uprising in the North · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Follow Wukan Uprising, Panhe Village in Zhejiang province is also revolting against local government and developer who are colluded to grab away villagers’ land. David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation has the story.


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Cuba: Collapsing Capital? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“For Rogelio, 49, the need for housing is stronger than his fear of losing his life due to a collapse”: Iván's File Cabinet discusses the conundrum many inhabitants of Havana face.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Pollan’s Family Owed Apology  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Iván García writes about the late leader of Las Damas de Blanco, Laura Pollan, recounting a violent assault on the group days before her death and saying: “If they have anything left of humanism and dignity, her assaulters owe a public apology to the family of Laura Pollan Toledo.”  Pedazos de la Isla, meanwhile, notes here and here that the violence and intimidation continue.


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El Salvador: The Family Agriculture Plan · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Colleen O'Brien from the blog Locavore del Mundo writes about The Family Agriculture Plan (PAF) in El Salvador, “a new act that was implemented in 2011 by the Ministry of Agriculture that aims to reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural production in order to revitalize the economy in the countryside.”


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Macedonia: Pondering Future Consequences of ACTA · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

While the authorities in Macedonia remain silent on the country's stance on the ACTA, bloggers, such as Airborne, emphasize the need to gain more knowledge [mk], as the traditional media mostly ignore the issue: “Maybe, one of these days, we'll just simply wake up in the ACTA-ruled world.” The new media attempting to fill this gap in local languages include Metamorphosis and IT.com.mk. Endek blog advocates [mk] standing up for Internet freedom by joining international protest movements.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Macedonia: Problems With Transparent Online Reporting of Air Pollution in Skopje · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

According to the blog of GreenBox NGO, Skopje's city government is not interested in providing funds for the online system that informs citizens about the current levels of air pollution.
The automatic system for measuring pollution, located in the center of Skopje, caused quite a stir when it reported alarming levels of air pollution last year.
Some observers related the presence of the cancerous PM10 dust particles to the government-funded construction boom in the Center municipality, which had been turned into a giant construction site through the Skopje 2014 project. The surrounding area is also an epicenter of the activities of the so-called “urban mafia” that uses connections within the local government to change zoning laws and convert public parks, parking lots and small houses to huge and profitable apartment blocks, office spaces and shops.
The “Skopje Breathing” online system [mk], owned by the City of Skopje, stopped functioning at the beginning of January 2012 (1, 2; mk), after several media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4; mk) reported that the air quality was still poor. The webpage displayed this text: “Software upgrade is under way. The application will soon be available.”
Screen shot of Skopje Breething monitoring system, which is 'in construction' since early January 2012.
GreenBox blog posted [mk] the following:
Would you like to know about the quality of the air in the center of Skopje? Then you need to put on your snow shoes, parka, hat, scarf and gloves and trek to Macedonia Street to check the information by looking at the display near the Šmizla [equivalent of the Valley Girl or Barbie-girl stereotype] statue. The website “Skopje Breathing,” which published a live data feed until Christmas [old calendar = Jan 7], is still not working, and most likely will not work in the future.
Air pollution measuring station (right), Šmizla statue (left). Photo by GreenBox blog, republished with permission.
The environmental lab of the company Farmahem, which maintained the system for a year, confirmed that the issue at stake is more than a software upgrade. Their contract has expired, and the City of Skopje has not initiated a renewal. Farmahem allegedly wanted to upgrade the system with a public archive with the measured data, but now the citizens need to turn to the city government, which decides the destiny of this online transparency tool.
The City of Skopje representatives seem totally uninterested in ensuring that the publication of the air quality data online continues. The [City of Skopje's] spokesperson Nedelčo Krstevski says that the website appeared thanks to the initiative and goodwill of the company.
“The website was not ours. At the moment we cannot say whether it depends on us or on Farmahem. For us the important thing is that the measuring stations work and that the citizens can get air quality info from displays on the devices,” Krstevski said.
The City representatives admit that for the “Skopje Breathing” to continue working they would need to start a public procurement procedure, which, according to them, was very complicated and included a public tender. They do not know if that is going to happen.
“I cannot tell you anything now, neither that the site will exist, nor that it won't exist,” said Krstevski.
Through “Skopje Breathing” the citizens learned that the air pollution in the capital was up to 10 times higher than the maximum allowed by law. This resulted in recommendations not to go out at all. After the public pressure forced the city government and the Ministry of Environment to send inspections to the nearby industrial plants, the levels of pollution temporarily dropped. According to the research [mk] by the Institute for Public Health, Skopje could avoid 117 deaths and 420 cases of serious illnesses per year if the concentration of dust dropped by a third of the current levels.


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Malaysia: Organization Advocates for Human Rights Through Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

An interview in EngageMedia showcases KOMAS, an organization in Malaysia that since 1993 has been using video production as a tool to educate and advocate for human rights.
Anna Har is the director of Pusat KOMAS (Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat) Community Communication Centre, and she explains the role video has in their outreach programs where they produce resource materials, facilitate processes, organize communities and give media training on the topics of  non-discrimination, citizenship and voter education, as well as grassroots advocacy:
KOMAS is not a video production house nor do we specialise in producing films; rather, we see it as part of the strategic and creative use of media tools for the advocacy of human rights.
Freedom Film Fest by KOMAS
Between Love and Race is a short film focusing on racial discrimination, produced by KOMAS on 2006. In it, Angela and Rashid face backlash from friends and family because they've decided to date each other. Angela's parents object because they wanted her to date a Chinese boy,
Rashid's mother wishes he dated a nice Malaysian girl, as do Rashid's friends. Angela's friend Yati at least speaks Mandarin since she went to a Chinese school, so even among Yati's friends, Angela is singled out for not speaking her family's language.
Angela comes to discover that through labels, stereotypes, discrimination and expectations on race and love, what matters is how she and Rashid feel about each other.
In addition, KOMAS has also been running the human rights documentary festival FreedomFilmFest in Malaysia since 2003.  The festival includes a documentary film competition where a first-time filmmaker can pitch a proposal that they'll be able to make into a documentary if they win, video workshops and film screenings; and it has become a platform for showcasing human rights documentaries that may not have enough commercial backing or space in mainstream media to get otherwise exposed.  The 2012 FFF will be on the subject of Democracy, with the slogan of “Democracy – Who is the boss?”
The 2011 festival trailer gives us a perspective on the types of issues and topics the film festival promotes:
FFF2011 Films&Thematic Trailer from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.
One of the 2011 winners of the documentary competition include Afiq Deen, who directed Huruf J, a short documentary on the hardships and discrimination faced by divorcees in Malaysia. A society that sets them apart for their condition, debt, poverty and a legal system which is unable to enforce fathers’ financial obligations with their children are some of the hurdles these women have to face when trying to move on with their lives. The film includes some subtitles and audio in English.
Huruf J by Afiq Deen from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.
With the online premiere of the documentary, the FreedomFilmFestival is asking you to view and review the documentary so they can add the opinions on their site.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra