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Argentina: Government Accepts UN Mediation in Falklands Conflict · Global Voices
Natán Calzolari

Amidst a climate of rising tensions with the United Kingdom, the Argentinian government has decided to take the conflict over the sovereignty of the Falklands to the UN.
This year the debate on the subject has escalated, with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Prime Minister David Cameron exchanging ever more controversial statements on the subject, and it was the Argentinian government that first took drastic action, closing its ports to ships flying the Falkands flag. The message the President is sending in her speeches and these kinds of decisions is clear: “we will not stop fighting for the Falklands”.
Days later, two months before the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War, the Argentinian media reported [es] on the arrival of a British warship to the islands. The ship in question was the HMS Dauntless [es], a destroyer equipped with anti-aircraft missiles. However, despite what such news might suggest, the British government immediately released a statement to clarify why it had sent the vessel.
Timerman-Ban Ki Moon by MRECIC ARG on Flickr. Creative Commons Licence Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
The Argentinian newspaper Página/12 reported [es] on it:
El Ministerio de Defensa británico había dado a conocer la información del envío de la nave con un comunicado en el que afirmó que se trata de un “despliegue de rutina” para reemplazar “otro buque de patrulla” en la zona. El parte oficial sostuvo que “la Marina Real ha tenido una presencia continuada en el Atlántico Sur desde hace muchos años” y que “el despliegue del HMS Dauntless al Atlántico Sur estaba previsto desde hacía tiempo”
Even so, the Argentinian government did not believe their justification, and accused the United Kingdom of militarizing the conflict. Taking the matter a step further, the President announced [es] at a conference that they would condemn the United Kingdom in front of the UN Security Council. Argentinian newspaper La Nación commented on her statement:
“Vamos a plantear fuertemente esta militarización, que implica un grave riesgo para la seguridad global”, agregó Cristina Kirchner. Dirigiéndose directamente al primer ministro inglés, David Cameron, le advirtió: “Que nadie espere de nosotros gestos por fuera de la diplomacia. No nos atraen los juegos de las armas y la guerra”. Y, parafraseando a John Lennon, le pidió que le dé “una oportunidad a la paz” […]
UN mediation
Argentinian Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman took Argentina's concern about the “militarization of the South Atlantic” by the United Kingdom to the UN headquarters. The details of the complaint, which Timerman explained in a press conference, are available to hear in a video posted [es] on Senator Aníbal Fernández's blog [es].
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon expressed his own “concern about the increasingly strong exchanges” between the two governments, and added that the UN would be prepared to act as a mediator in the conflict, if both parties wished for it to do so.
Finally, on February 13, the Argentinian government made known its approval of this proposal in order to come to a peaceful solution to put an end to the dispute.
The news immediately spread across social networks, and some users expressed their thoughts and opinions about it.
Mauro Román (@maurooroman) said [es]:
Me pregunto muchas veces que pasará con las Islas Malvinas, si la ONU dice que devuelvan la soberanía y no lo hacen que esperan?otra guerra?
Oscar Hector Alva (@OscarHectorAlva) gave his opinion [es] on the stance of the United States:
Cuanto pesará EEUU sobre la ONU en la mediación sobre nuestras Malvinas? Ya dijeron que no hay militarización del Atlántico x parte inglesa!
With regards to the conflicts the UN is mediating, Angel Santamaría (@jang3l) noted [es]:
ONU: Malvinas, y Siria. Veamos qué hace en cada caso
And Selena Desprini (@seledesprini), criticizing the Argentinian government, thinks [es] that:
Hay que ser muy caradura para ir a plantear una denuncia formal a la ONU por las malvinas y no dar una misera pensión a los combatientes.
Ami Múgica (@amiimugica), from Rosario, Argentina, made a similar observation, saying that [es]:
En la ONU defienden la soberania de las islas malvinas. Dsp le dan la espalda a los ex combatientes.Los q cuentan son los caidos nomas? #HDP
What remains to be seen is how the United Kingdom will respond to the proposal – whether or not it will accept UN mediation in the same way that Argentina has done.

author: Natán Calzolari


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Bangladesh: Government Observation of Facebook Ignites Debate · Global Voices
অপর্ণা রায়

For a while now, the Bangladeshi authorities have been keeping an eye on the social media space and the country's Facebook users are increasingly finding themselves in the eye of the storm.
When a supposed coup to overthrow the government was scuttled in January this year, it was known that the plotters were using Facebook as one of the tools to mobilize and instigate their supporters. The government was shaken and became ultra-cautious, so much so, that now it seems that any even an off the cuff remark made against the government in a Facebook status update can get a person hauled up, arrested and/or prosecuted.
In one such instance, Bangladeshi citizen Ruhul Amin, a lecturer at the Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, was sentenced by the country's High Court to a 6 month jail term after he failed to appear in court to face trial regarding his Facebook status update, in which he had allegedly wished death to the Prime Minister. Mr. Amin, who is currently in Australia on a study leave, is now facing sedition charges for his action.
In another incident, a college student was arrested after posting some ‘derogatory comments’ about the Prime Minister and her late father, Bangladesh's founding leader – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. These aforementioned incidents and the resulting government crackdown have created a lot of heated debate, both online and offline.
Remix from Bryant Arnold
In the comment section of the news article on Ruhul Amin, which was posted on blog.bdnews [bn], Mukhosh Pora Sadhu wrote:
আমাদের দেশের রাজনীতেবিদের প্রতি সাধারণ মানুষের যে প্রচন্ড ক্ষোভ তারই বহি:প্রকাশ এটা। অনেকেই তা গণমাধ্যমে প্রকাশ করতে পারেন না । কিন্তু বর্তমানে “ফেইসবুক” অলিখিত অত্যন্ত শক্তিশালী গণমাধ্যমে পরিনত হচ্ছে। এর কারণ আমাদের সংবাদ পত্রের “হলুদ সাংবাদিকতা”
On Sonar Bangla blog, Hassan expressed his concern [bn]:
ফেসবুকে স্ট্যাটাসও দেওয়া যাবেনা- এ কোন সময়ে আমরা? কারাগারে বন্দী আজ মত প্রকাশের অধিকার…বর্তমান বিশ্বে সামাজিক যোগাযোগের পাশাপাশি মতামত প্রকাশ, জনমত গঠন ও গনতান্ত্রিক আন্দোলনের ক্ষেত্রেও ফেসবুকের ভূমিকা অনুস্বীকার্য। তার প্রমাণ সাম্প্রতিক মিশর ও মধ্যপ্রাচ্যের আন্দোলন। যতই দেয়ালে পিঠ ঠেকে যাক না কেন – মাননীয় প্রধানমন্ত্রীর বিষয়ে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের সম্মানিত শিক্ষকের স্ট্যাটাসটি এরকম না হলেই শোভন হত। তবে অশোভন বক্তব্য তো আমাদের জাতীয় দূর্বলতায় পরিনত হয়েছে। তবে একজন সরকারের বিরুদ্ধে কিছু বললেই তার বিরুদ্ধে লেগে যেতে হব এমন করাটাও ঠিক না।
On CUETblog, Ayan commented [bn]:
স্ট্যাটাস দিবেন ভেবে চিন্তে, নইলে পুলিশে ধরপে!
However, not everyone was supportive of the accused. Some of the bloggers were strongly critical of the nature of the status updates, especially since they were made by a responsible citizen – an university lecturer, in the case of Ruhul Amin.
On the blog.bdnews article mentioned above, Mosharof commented [bn]:
এইসব শিক্ষক দের কাছ থেকে ছাত্ররা কী শিখবে? এরা ছাত্র দের ঘুষ, দুর্নীতি, যাবতীয় খারাপ কাজ শিখায়।
Mahtab stated [bn]:
শেখ হাসিনাকে কেউ পছন্দ না ই করতে পারেন সেটা তার বাক্তিগত ব্যপার কিন্ত হাসিনা যে চেয়ার বা পদ এ বসে আছেন সেই পদের তো সন্মান আছে। এই সাধারণ বিষয় যিনি বুঝেন না তিনি তো প্রাইমারী স্কুল এর শিক্ষক হবার ই যোগ্যতা রাখেন না। তিনি কী করে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় এর শিক্ষক হন। স্টুপিড।
There appears to be some confusion among bloggers with respect to Ruhul Amin's 6month jail sentence. Bloggers like Meghbandhu understood the sentence to be punishment [bn] for his Facebook status and commented:
সত্যি অবাক লাগে এ কেমন দেশে বাস করি? যেখানে আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্ট বুশ'কে জুতা মেরে তেমন কোন সাজাই পায়নি ইরাকের সেই বিখ্যাত সাংবাদিক, সেখানে শুধুমাত্র ফেসবুক স্ট্যাটাস দেয়ার কারনে এই অবস্থা।!!!
However, others like Hassan Kalboishakhi were quick to correct them and clarify:
ওনার সাস্তি হয়েছে ফেসবুকে মৃত্যুকামনার জন্য নয়। মৃত্যুকামনা মামলায় উনি সরি বললেই মাফ পেয়ে যেতেন। আদালত কে অবজ্ঞা করার কারনে ওনার এই শাস্তি।
After the sentencing of Ruhul Amin for contempt of court, everyone is eagerly waiting to see what will be the court's final verdict in the actual Facebook status case. The trial is being seen as a very important roadmap for freedom of speech in Bangladesh. The current government had promised its citizens a Digital Bangladesh. However, many feel that this verdict stands to threaten both freedom of expression and the dream of a Digital Bangladesh. As for Ruhul Amin, he says that he is “too frightened to use Facebook anymore“.
In a related incident, the authorities recently foiled a mobilization attempt by a Facebook group Blue Band Call – a youth based group who wish to be “agents of change” in the country's political process. While authorities claimed that the group had not taken the requisite permissions to hold the public program, the group claimed otherwise.
Upal Bangladesh reported the incident in the Projanmo forum and commented [bn]:
সরকার মনে হয় আজকাল সবকিছুতেই “ভূত” দেখা শুরু করেছে
The government on it's part is taking no chances. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has announced the formation of a special cell to monitor cyber activities in the country, round the clock. It will be interesting to see how this latest move pans out in the coming days.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: অপর্ণা রায়


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Bangladesh: Liveblogging TEDxDhaka · Global Voices
Rezwan

Farzana Rahman Sadia provided live updates of the proceedings of TEDxDhaka 2012, which took place today in the capital of Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Bermuda: Media Shapes Public’s Political Views  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Respice Finem says that “two important aspects of the news media on our Island merit attention…first, almost all of the news is event driven with very little investigative journalism. The second…is that the media…have an unwritten code whereby they do not report on the private lives of public figures.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bolivia: Conflict Over Road Through TIPNIS National Park Continues · Global Voices
Pablo Andres Rivero

In October 2011, the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, signed off a law known as “Ley Corta” declaring the Indigenous Territory National Park Isiboro Sécure “untouchable”. The Bill came up after an indigenous march led by the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia (CIDOB in Spanish) covered more than 600 kilometres to the Seat of government in La Paz demanding to stop a road project attempting to cross through the middle of the National Park.
The indigenous organisations against the road gained notorious attention and support from civil society after the government repressed the march with excessive violence, as biologist and blogger Mauricio Pacheco Suárez commented on his blog [es]:
[…] el Gobierno contraataca y demuestra que no va a dar su brazo a torcer en sus intenciones desarrollistas. Ha montado una “Contramarcha” a favor de la carretera con las comunidades cocaleras asentadas en el área protegida, además de algunas comunidades indígenas (agrupadas en torno al CONISUR) que optaron voluntariamente por producir coca ilegal, y no pertenecer al Territorio Comunitario de Origen TCO-TIPNIS, y están buscando hasta debajo de las piedras, mecanismos que le permitirían a[l presidente] Evo [Morales] construir finalmente su carretera, con las desastrosas consecuencias ambientales previstas
Thus, the Ley Corta became a breaking point between the social-movement backed Evo Morales government and indigenous from lower lands, including some officialist indigenous MPs. The last word on this TIPNIS conflict, however, had not been said.
President Evo Morales meets indigenous groups over TIPNIS dispute. Photo by Wara Vargas Lara, copyright Demotix (01/02/12).
In early January 2012 a pro-road march organised by the newly-gathered Indigenous Council from the South (Conisur in Spanish) began its 500-kilometre-march from the Southern borders of the National Park to La Paz, calling for the road to be built. This action was strongly criticised, as blogger Carwil Bjork-James describes, by other indigenous organisations claiming that it was fully backed by the government as a political manoeuvre.
Members of Conisur and CIDOB, along with MPs and government officials, met together in La Paz in order to negotiate a way out. Negotiations did not reach a balanced result. A new law was signed off on February 11, 2012, through which a previous consultation will be held within 120 days only among the inhabitants of the National Park. Tsiname, Yuracaré and Mojeño-trinitario indigenous will decide whether the TIPNIS remains untouchable, and no road will be built, or, conversely, this category is suspended and the road, already under construction, carries on.
Meanwhile, the debate is reactivated on Social Media platforms. Marcelo N. Claure (@marceloncr2) comments on Twitter [es]:
[…] sin ser partidario del MAS, creo que la carretera puede ser beneficiosa para el país
Gabriel Espinoza Y. (@G_ESPINOZA) replies [es]:
tienes razón, puede ser beneficiosa, de hecho la gente del #TIPNIS esta de acuerdo con carretera, pero no por el medio del #TIPNIS
Both arguments are under debate. As La Paz-based blogger, Dario Kenner shares on his blog:
The focus in the last few days has been on the proposal by CONISUR along with the Presidents of the Senate and Congress (who are members of the governing MAS party led by President Evo Morales) to approve a law on prior consultation of indigenous peoples. Who should be consulted and how has generated plenty of debate.
In trying to understand the current conflict I spoke to indigenous leaders of both CONISUR and CIDOB (read both interviews).
CIDOB, Human Rights Assembly and other civil organisations have declared themselves against this new law, and claim that the road may be built only if it surrounds the National Park, unlike the original project designed right through the middle of the Natural Reserve, as illustrated in this infographic, which holds a very rich biodiversity.

author: Pablo Andres Rivero


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Brazil: LGBT AIDS Prevention Campaign Excluded From TV · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Marcelo Gerald, from the blog Eleições Hoje, comments [pt] on the alleged censorship by the Brazilian Ministry of Health of a recently launched campaign on AIDS prevention, focused on the LGBT public. He posts some of the videos that were excluded from the TV a few days after the campaign was launched.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Costa Rica: Videos from the Past · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

A video by geographer Homer Dávila is making nostalgia grow on Facebook as people are reminded of the light traffic that used to be the norm between the capital city of San José, Costa Rica and neighboring city of Alajuela.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Thinking about Racism · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Fernando Dámaso blogs about the complex issue racism in Cuba, here.


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Curacao, Haiti: Media Mandate?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In light of prime minister Schotte's recent welcome of Haitian president Michel Martelly “(who repeatedly suggested a pardon or amnesty of Duvalier) [and] who publicly is seen with…ex dictator Baby Doc Jean Claude Duvalier in Haiti like nothing happened like nobody got terrorized, killed under his regime”, TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA asks: “What happened to the omniscient Dutch media on this island?”


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France, Equitorial Guinea: The Search for “Ill-Gotten Gains” of an African Head of State · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

The blogger Menilmuche reports [fr] that a massive search began on February 14th at the home of Teoforo Obiang, the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea, in his Parisian mansion on Avenue Foch. The search is in response to complaints against some heads of African states in France for their “ill-gotten gains”.

author: Claire Ulrich


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Japan: Netizens Cast Doubt on Anti-Nuclear Power Poster · Global Voices
Izumi Mihashi

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
An antinuclear power poster designed by Makoto Wada, a Japanese illustrator, has triggered arguments on the multifaceted impact of visual art.
On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake in the history struck Japan, and the resulting tsunami irreversibly damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In the course of stabilizing the plant, a large amount of radioactive materials were spread over nearby areas.
The poster depicts a mother and a boy near a nuclear power plant (a high quality image of the poster can be seen on the official site). Yellow particles with creepy faces are falling from the dark sky, and the mother is hugging the boy tightly to protect him from the harm.
Earthquake and tsunami damaged-Fukushima Dai Ichi Power Plant, Japan by DigitalGlobe-Imagery, on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
It was originally drawn for Antinuclear Poster Exhibition [ja] held in Tokyo for 10 days in November 2011. Many creators took part in this project: 228 posters from Japan and 13 posters from overseas were displayed.
This particular poster attracted attention of Twitter users when kenaday uploaded the image to Twitpic. The overall tone of the comments on the Twitpic page is favorable.
Chiyuky expresses [ja] her gratitude:
「和田誠さんの反原発ポスター」素晴らしい。この１枚は私の背中をおしてくれた。ありがとうございます。
deepoperation testifies [ja] that the image portrays the feeling of people in Fukushima:
私は3/16まで原発45km地点に残ることを余儀なくされたが、続く水素爆発、がなる市の宣伝カー、降雨、フォールアウト、鳴り止まぬ電話、この絵は個人では如何とも対応し難い当時の心境を端的に物語ってくれる。
However, as the image started to circulate the web, netizens start to develop a feeling of discomfort. phoque thinks the motif is clichéd [ja]:
和田誠という人は日本を代表するグラフィックデザイナーで、生きるレジェンドみたいな偉人なんですが、であると同時に現役バリバリの第一線の人でもある。その人のポスター。
いい絵だと思いますよ。実際、自分の部屋に貼りたいくらい。もしこれが反原発のポスターでないのなら。降っているのが雪ならば。
だけど、これが反原発なり脱原発なりのプロパガンダとして描かれたものだとしたならば話は別です。あまりにも陳腐ではないですか、これ。
幼子を守る母の姿、っていうのは古今東西描き継がれたテーマですが、それは人間の根幹にかかわることなので、「使い古された」とか「手垢がついた」とかそういう意味で「陳腐」なのではありません。
反原発だか脱原発だかを描くのに「幼子を守る母の姿とそこへ降り注ぐ死の灰」っていうモチーフを持ってくるのは、正直な話、扇情的に過ぎるというか安直すぎるというか、和田センセ、なんかずいぶん手近なところに飛びついてやっつけで仕事しちゃったんじゃないか、みたいに感じたのです。そして、そういう扇情的で安直なモチーフを持ってきたというところに、和田センセの反原発というか脱原発に対する理解の浅さが、図らずも露呈しちゃったってことではないのかと。
Makoto Wada is one of Japan's most renowned graphic designers. He is a living legend, while still very active in the field. This is his poster.I think this is a good picture, really. I would even put it on the wall of my room, only if it were not an antinuclear poster and the objects falling down were snow.
However, if this was drawn as propaganda for ideologies such as antinuclear and denuclearization, that's a different story. This is too cliched, isn't it?
A mother protecting her child is a subject drawn by people of all ages and cultures, but I'm not saying that it's cliched in the sense that it's overused. The subject portrays the essence of humanity.
Using the motif of “the figure of a mother protecting a little child with dead ash falling down” for depicting something like antinuclear or denuclearization is, honestly, sort of too sensational or too easy. I felt like “You took up a subject nigh at hand and did a rush job, didn't you, Mr. Wada?”. I guess the fact he has chosen such a sensational and easy motif unwittingly reveals how shallow his understanding of something like antinuclear or denuclearization is.
yotayotaahiru suggests [ja] the symbol of a powerless mother may have a negative effect:
たった一人で我が子を抱いてうずくまる母の図はあまりにも無力だ。そして、この表現そのままの状況にある人もきっといらっしゃる。支援が必要なのは大前提なのだけど、「被害者の象徴」のようになってしまうと、当事者の内包する力を奪ってしまいかねない。
Kenichi Sakamoto is also concerned [ja] about the evocative nature of the poster:
和田誠の反原発ポスターを見た。原発周辺で放射能が母子に降りかかっている図柄で印象的。でも、この絵で福島のお母さん達はどれほど不必要に恐い思いをするんだろう。原発については科学的に議論すべきで、こういった叙情的手段での世論喚起は不要だろう。http://twitpic.com/8epyct
He then describes the reaction [ja] of an acquaintance in Fukushima:
福島の知り合いは小さなお子さんを持つお母さん。避難しなければならない区域ではありませんし、仕事を辞めて福島を離れるわけにはいきません。様々な情報が飛び交う中で不安を抱えて生活していましたが、それでも気丈に頑張っていました。その彼女から急に取り乱した声の電話が入りました（続く）
よくよく聞くと、あの絵を見てパニックを起こしてしまったとのこと。積もりに積もっていた不安が底知れない恐怖として一気に吹き出してしまったようです。見た方は分かると思いますが、あの絵「反原発の聖母子像」は傑作です。人の心を揺り動かさずにはおかないインパクトがある（続く）
This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Izumi Mihashi


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Libya: Celebrations Mark Revolution’s First Anniversary  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Celebrations are continuing in Libya, which marks the first anniversary of a revolution that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled the country for 42 years. Netizens share scenes of the celebration and their feelings on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Libyan Hamza Malek notes:
@IbnOmar2005: Real talk: thank you to all the non-libyans out there who supported the libyan fight for freedom. You were a part of this, too. #Libya
and adds in disbelief:
@IbnOmar2005: Today marks the anniversary of the very first protests in #Benghazi #Libya that eventually toppled #Gaddafi. I still cant believe it
Libyan Affairs thanks Shabab Libya (The Youth of Libya) for spreading information about the revolution, particularly in its early days.
@LibyanAffairs: @ShababLibya thankyou for good work during early days of #Feb17! You were an incredible source of information for us in the inside #Libya
Feb17Libya reminds us:
@Feb17Libya: When Gaddafi called us rats, we showed him real men – #Libya #Feb17
And CNN's reporter Jomana Karadsheh adds:
@JomanaCNN: Can't begin to describe the scene in #Tripoli .never seen the city like this.Fireworks, dancing on the streets..amazing night! #Libya
Libyan describes another scene from Tripoli:
@Tripolitanian: People throwing chocolates from their roof tops, what an atmosphere! #Tripoli #Libya #Feb17
Ali Tweel shares this video on YouTube of wishing lanterns flying over Tripoli's Martyr Square:
You can hear the commotion in the background, including the honking of car horns.
Also, Libyan Akram shares this photograph on flickr of fireworks lighting the skies of Tripoli in celebration.
Fireworks in the skies of Tripoli to mark the revolution anniversary. Photograph used with permission from flyingbirds on flickr
Meanwhile, NPR's senior strategist Andy Carvin, who played an instrumental role in amplifying the voices of Libyan netizens during the revolution, is in Benghazi, taking in the celebrations in person.
He tweets:
@acarvin: And there goes some celebratory gunfire in the distance. The sound of the cars doing donuts almost drowned it out. #benghazi
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Martinique, USA, France: Jesse Jackson’s message to Serge Letchimy  · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

B.World Connection posts a letter [En/Fr] with the heading of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition whose leader is Reverend Jesse Jackson: apparently, the Reverend would support the reaction of MP Serge Letchimy, discussed here, in the name of the Black Diaspora and all humanity.

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Mexico: Citizen Initiative to the Clear the Streets of Election Trash · Global Voices
Miguel Angel Guevara

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except]
Every three years, the streets of Mexico are plastered with a thick layer of unending advertisements sporting images of smiling candidates for a variety of elected positions, each promoting his/her image, name and recycled campaign slogans.
The elections are held, the campaigns draw to a close, and yet the advertisements remain for days, weeks and even months – forming part of the urban landscape.
This year, when the pre-election period in the Federal District (DF) ended and citizens began to pressure Mayor  Marcelo Ebrard to immediately remove the trash, he responded:
No puedo quitar todo en un día.
This year, citizens were not satisfied with his response but, instead of rhetorically pressuring the mayor, they decided to roll up their sleeves in the face of the challenge; and thus was born “Take Down an Election Ad; Adopt Your Street”, or #Quitaunanuncio [“TakeDownAnAd”] on Twitter.
On February 8, Thais Muñoz (@thaismunoz) tweeted:
NETA, adopten la cuadra donde viven y no va a importar tanto quien gane las malditas elecciones. Barre, #Quitaunanuncio y recoge la basura
Thais’ tweet reflects the frustration felt by a large part of the Mexican electorate, which sees the elections as a huge competition among members of a political class that is interested in votes only when necessary and then rewards voters with propaganda they never asked for.
Activist Jesús Robles Maloof drafted a guide for citizens in which he argues:
Con el año llegó el frenesí electoral. No es fácil escaparse….pero en ningún lugar es más evidente como en las calles de las ciudades, en especial las de esta capital. Por supuesto, es deseable que como ciudadanos participemos, debatamos y exijamos propuestas para mejorar la situación de nuestro país, por la misma razón, estos anuncios partidistas no aportan nada.
He then describes four steps to remove the advertisements and offers legal aid to those who may run into problems with the authorities for taking the signs down. He also updates his post with similar proposals:
Eugenia Callejas ha sugerido documentar la propaganda que contamina y subir fotos a twitter con el hastag #NoalaBasuraElectoral. Malú Flores consejera ciudadana en un distrito del IFE ha animado a la ciudadanía a denunciar estas infracciones ante las autoridades. En la página http://basurapolitica.net/ documentan por medio de fotografías. Un grupo de facebook #BasuraElectoral ha convocado una primera brigada de limpieza ciudadana para este domingo 19 de febrero. Colectivos como La Cuadra A.C. Somos Ciudad y Camina, Haz Ciudad se han sumado a #QuitaUnAnuncio. Aunque ya empezamos el retiro, en esta comunidad formaremos brigadas de acción para este sábado 18 de febrero a las 10 horas en un lugar por determinar. Jorge de la Vega ya tiene las camisetas listas.
The proposal to “Take Down An Ad” has been embraced by the Twitter community, which has actively contributed to public denouncement of the election signs and has published photos of their removal, one example being  Mariela Alatriste:
Mariela Alatriste (@maaariela) says: "If you can't fight 'em, take down their ads. #quitaunanuncio." Image reprinted with author's permission.
The initiative was publicized on February 15 on the front page of the newspaper La Reforma and has given more visibility to the proposal spurred by the Twitter community.
Finally, the blog Sopitas clarified:
Estas acciones no están en contra del proceso electoral ni de ejercer el derecho al voto; pero sí busca hacer evidente que estamos hartos de ese gasto excesivo que no aporta nada (sólo son plásticos con caritas sonrientes y frases ridículas) y que al final termina en la basura.

author: Miguel Angel Guevara


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Morocco: New Video Calls on Moroccans to “Wake Up” · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

As we approach the first anniversary of the start of the youth-based pro-democracy movement “February 20“, activists are calling for a nationwide demonstration. Anartiviste  posted this video on YouTube to convey the movement's message.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Peru: The Capture of Comrade Artemio · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
In the early morning hours of February 9, 2012, Shining Path leader Comrade Artemio [en] was injured during a confrontation in the San Martín region. Artemio has been a wanted man for some time, being one of the last bosses of the Maoist terrorist group Shining Path [en] to remain at large.
Initial reports did not specify the exact location of the clash with the police, and it was even rumored that he had be captured, which was subsequently denied. It was then said that the fighting had been internal, when a group of Shining Path members and police who had infiltrated the group tried to capture and turn Artemio in to collect the reward offered for him. During the evening of the same day, it emerged that despite the strong showing of force by police, Artemio had successfully escaped with his confidantes.
Nancy Zamora, mayor of the La Pólvora district, where this all occured, pleaded that the human rights of the common man in the face of such strong military and police force be respected. The daily newspaper El Comercio emphasized the seriousness of Artemio's injuries, according to various testimonies, and reported that there was an unidentified terrorist who had been captured.
Meanwhile RPP speculated that if Artemio was killed, Shining Path would not have an adequate successor with its other leaders already in custody. Generacción featured a poll about the possible defeat of terrorism.
After two more days of rumors, the Ministry of Defense confirmed on February 12, that Comrade Artemio had been captured alive, denying previous rumors about his escape and resulting death. According to their account, Artemio was discovered alone and wounded in a hut only a few kilometers away from the small village of Pizana, in Tocache [en], accompanied by two associates who escaped.
President Ollanta Humala later arrived at the Santa Lucía military base, in Tocache, where Artemio had been transferred to receive medical attention. From there he announced that Artemio would be taken to Lima, which he was that same afternoon. Various local politicians hurried to congratulate the government for this action.
President Ollanta Humala and Comrade Artemio. Image from Flickr user Presidencia Perú (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The investigative journalism website IDL Reporteros was one of the first to report on the details that lead to Artemio's capture. They published details on how the first leg of the operation ended with Artemio injured but on the run, and later detailed his capture. In December the website had interviewed Artemio, which they published in two parts. In this extract of the interview, Artemio explains his thoughts about the propagation of Shining Path:
Entonces el tipo de acciones que usted lleva a cabo ya no son acciones de una insurrección que busca la victoria sino acciones meramente defensivas. El objetivo político sigue siendo el mismo con que nos levantamos en armas, aunque en la práctica hoy día eso no es posible. Creo que eso es fácil de entender. En segundo lugar, mantenemos una fuerza armada en aras de garantizar la postura nuestra en relación de nuestros camaradas que están presos; y creo que eso es fácilmente comprensible. No tenemos la mínima intención de blandir las armas de la guerra, de la lucha armada. No. Con sinceridad queremos plantear que nosotros queremos una solución política; queremos que termine, pero a través de los métodos de una mesa de negociaciones.
The blog Dazibao Rojo, which refers to itself as the “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Blog”, refered with disdain to Artemio and his capture:
Sus constantes llamados “a una solución política a los problemas derivados de la guerra popular” fueron recogidos ampliamente por la prensa burguesa presentándolo como un autentico dirigente comunista para crear confusión cuando lo cierto es que Artemio y su “Comité Regional” desde hace años no pertenece al clandestino PCP.
But apart from the media and parties involved, some bloggers have viewed the capture of Artemio with a certain level of distrust, though without detracting from it, having suspicions about the timing of its announcement. Emilio Torres Meléndez of the blog Informativo Codeci-cn said:
Lo que jode del gobierno y su prensa servil es que piensen que el pueblo peruano por ser pobre es idiota como para no darse cuenta que la noticia de la captura del camarada Artemio busca desviar totalmente la atención del público sobre el tema de Conga. Por cierto, no nos sorprende que para paliar los reclamos de la población y capear el temporal, el gobierno este utilizando sin ningún pudor la condena sin pruebas a 30 años de cárcel de Abencia Meza y ahora la captura del camarada Artemio como un operativo psicosocial.
Equally, Efraín of the blog Cortinas de Humo speculated that although the capture of Artemio is important, it is not the key to ending narco-terrorism:
El terrorista Artemio era un asalariado del narcotráfico. Hablaba de la lucha popular porque el discurso ahuyentaba, y se enfrentaba –o mejor dicho su gente- contra el Ejército para dejar pase libre a la droga.  […] Artemio no es un peligro, pero su captura permite sí -y por eso lo querían vivo- obtener información sobre la organización desintegrada años atrás, y de paso, empujar la imagen de Humala como el militar que logró su captura en medio de serios cuestionamientos al nuevo gabinete, y de pasada congelar la estruendosa Marcha Nacional por el Agua.
Salvador Pariona of the blog Ya lo olvidaron made a similar deduction:
No olvidemos que un presidente con alta popularidad, con el respaldo de los grupos de poder y con una economía saludable puede hacer lo que quiera. […] Ahora con el probable incremento de popularidad y con el respaldo total de la Derecha que antes lo acusaba de terruco, Humala puede imponerse políticamente y remarcar su famosa frase “Conga va”. Si antes la tenían difícil, ahora los defensores del agua están en clara desventaja.
However, Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos tried to see what is going to pass in light of this capture and noted what to him seemed to be an error in the government's strategy of communication:
¿No deberían los medios haber accedido a declaraciones sea del Presidente o en todo caso del Primer Ministro? Ausencia total y oportunidad perdida. Contra eso, los medios sólo acogen la versión de analistas o de otros periodistas, como fue el caso de Gustavo Gorriti.
On another topic, a photocomposition that circulated a fair amount on Twitter shows three presidents of Peru in three moments in the fight against insurgency.
Three presidents of Peru in three moments in the fight against insurgency.
Javier Puente Valdivia posted as a guest on the blog Historia Global Online about his reflections on the images:
En estas tres imágenes, un tenor en común se encuentra en la estructura de todas ellas: la producción de una representación del líder triunfante sobre los enemigos de la nación abatidos. Los matices que se ofrecen a partir de esa línea compartida son los que resultan particularmente susceptibles de una lectura histórica. […]
And he arrived at a particular conclusion:
el mensaje subliminal parece obvio: se obtiene un triunfo militar dentro de un estado de derecho y con pleno respeto a los derechos humanos. Con ello, seguramente se va a pretender usar la instantánea a favor un discurso que deslegitima la vigencia y validez de estas organizaciones [defensoras de DDHH] en asuntos críticos como al ya mencionado eventual (al parecer inexorable) juicio del Estado ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.
Finally, President Humala announced that they would continue operations in the Apurímac and Ene River Valley (VRAE), where other remenents of Shining Path terrorism persists. Also it has emerged that Artemio will be transferred from the military hospital where he is, to the Dircote (the Counter-Terrorism Directorate of the National Police), and from there likely to the Naval Base penitentiary once he recovers from an operation. Also it was reported from the Attorney General's office that there might be sufficient evidence to try Artemio for narcotics trafficking. It is speculated that he might be sentenced to life in prison.
The first photo used in this post was from Flickr user Presidencia Perú under a Creative Commons Attribution licence: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

author: Juan Arellano


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Reports on North Korea Cell Phone Ban is Incorrect · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A Cario-based telecommunication company and the majority owner of North Korea’s cellular network., Orascom corrected recent media reports which claimed that North Koreans have been banned from using mobile phone during a mourning period for North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il. North Korea Tech has more details.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sao Tome and Principe: Series on Education, Genre, Arts & Culture in Video · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Brazilian journalist Dani Moura, from Jornal Futura, published on her Youtube channel a series of short pieces on Sao Tome and Principe: she reported on education and  children feeding in schools, on capoeira for social inclusion, and women entrepreneurship. She also  interviewed the artists Kwame Sousa and Tomé Coelho [all links in pt].

author: Sara Moreira


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Syria: Razan Ghazzawi Arrested … Again · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
UPDATE: Razan Ghazzawi was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. At the time of writing these lines Razan's male colleagues were still in custody.
Syrian security forces arrested Syrian blogger and freedom of speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi on Thursday 16 February, 2012, during a raid on the offices of the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus where the activist works. Ghazzawi was arrested along with 13 of her colleagues, including the Head of the Center, Mazen Darwish.
This is the second time Razan Ghazzawi is arrested by the Syrian authorities. She was first detained in December 2011 at the Syrian-Jordanian border while on her way to attend a conference on freedom of expression online. Her arrest sparked an online outcry and an international campaign called for her immediate release. Razan was eventually released after spending 15 days in jail.
One of the Free Razan posters shared by supporters after Razan Ghazzawi was arrested in December last year
Ghazzawi is a US-born Syrian blogger who has contributed to Global Voices Online and Global Voices Advocacy. She is one of the few courageous bloggers in Syria who writes under her real name, even after her first arrest.
The Syrian blog Nidalat [ar] was one of the first outlets to break the news. It posted the following statement:
إننا في المركز السوري للدراسات والأبحاث القانونية ندين هذا الاعتقال ونطالب السلطات السورية بإطلاق سراحهم فورا ونعتبر هذه الخطوة تجاه المدافعين عن حرية التعبير تؤكد موقف وسعي السلطات السورية لخنق أي صوت وحتى خنق الأصوات المدافعة عن حرية التعبير وزيف الادعاءات بالانفتاح والحوار وتعديل الدستور والسماح بالحقوق الأساسية للإنسان.
Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin laments:
@ASE: Yet another sad day for #Syria and #FreeSpeech
BSyria remembers his last conversation with Razan:
@BSyria: I chatted with Razan yesterday. I asked her: Are u being harassed? She said, “No, I told u I'm not that important.” #FreeRazan #syria
For more reactions on Ghazzawi's arrest, please check the hashtag #FreeRazan on Twitter. A Facebook page calling for her release is also up.
This post also appears in Global Voices Advocacy.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
On September 13, 2023, this article underwent an edit that involved the removal of a quote per the speaker's security request.


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Tajikistan: Tajik Voices Muted in Putin Video Debate · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

A song apparently dedicated [ru] to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has surpassed 1,000,000 hits on YouTube, becoming one of several politicized clips to gain ‘viral’ status on the RuNet ahead of the country's presidential vote in March.
That the voice of “V.V.P” (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Putin's full name and the title of the song) is from Tajikistan, has already been established. So has the singer's name: Tolibzhon Kurbankhanov. Other than this, a lack of information about the hit and its origins has powered online conspiracy theories and anti-migration tirades, discourses in which Tajik opinions have taken a back seat.
VVP – he saved the country/VVP – he protects us / VVP – raised up Russia/ And development just keeps on going,” croons [ru] Kurbankhanov in the song's catchy refrain, his Russian touched by faint Farsi flourishes.
Over at the Eurasianet blog Inside the Coccoon, Katya Kumkova notes the song “extols the virtues of Russia’s former, and, likely, future president, as no other before it.”
Yet a number of Russian commenters questioned whether the video could have come from Putin's PR department, reservations that seem to have more to do with Kurbankhanov's ethnicity than the Kremlin's ability to talk itself up.
A special relationship
While it is no secret that nationalism is on the rise in Russia – a tendency Central Asian migrants have generally born the brunt of – there seems to be a special disdain for guest workers from Tajikistan. Despite the fact that Uzbek labour migrants outnumber [ru] their Tajik counterparts two to one in most Russian cities, it was a pair of fictional Tajik handymen, Ravshan and  Jumshud, who were the subjects [ru] of repeated and brutal mockery on Nasha Russia, a popular comedy sketch show on T.V.*
With their status as “the other” endorsed by a frequently racist mainstream media, a Tajik national would indeed seem a strange choice to be the hero of a pro-Putin pop campaign. Hence the theory then, that the video is actually an ultra-nationalist attempt to discredit the Russian premier, as anti-immigrant voters lose faith in the V.V.P political brand (despite Putin's best efforts to appease [ru] them) in the runup to the March 4 ballot.
Certainly, the part of the electorate that may be tempted to vote for a different Vladimir on Russia's day of destiny bared their teeth in the comments section underneath the “VVP” clip:
What a great country we have. The ‘elite’ has its money in the west, its children in the west, palaces and football clubs…and we have guest workers and Tolibzhon Kurbankhanov,” vented [ru] Prohor1990
Bashing Putin via Kurbankhanov was a common theme:
In the best traditions of Central Asian despotism. The best proof that under V.V.P we are closer to becoming a Bukharan khanate than a European democracy,” said walery1963, [ru] a comment that earned 28 ‘likes’.
Another popular comment suggested Kurbankhanov had performed the song in exchange for his working papers:
What wouldn't you think up in order to get yourself registered?” asked [ru] OttoZiverT.
A presumed Tajik responded to these racist diatribes with a rueful account of his time in Russia as a migrant:
I came to Russia, with love and hope, but as time passed I developed a hatred and contempt for Russians, since the HATE subsided, only contempt remains,”  bejsimpatico [ru] posted.
Bejisimpatico was then told [ru] to put things in perspective by Contessa111:
Don't take it all so personally. Unfortunately it is just the law of group think. In California for instance, everyone hates on the Mexicans, who come to earn money. In Germany they hate on the Turkish guest workers…people are always glad to have someone to look down on from high,” the commenter [ru] advised.
Meanwhile, in Tajikistan…
In the discussion space under the “V.V.P” Youtube posting, comments in Tajik were conspicuous in their absence, migrants from the country being the subject of conversation rather than active participants. In their turn, news agencies and blogging platforms with the .tj domain code  seemed  bemused by the attention the video had attracted.
A report by Kloop.tj, who publish both in Russian and the country's official language, Tajik, moved to discount allegations by Russian media outlets that Tolibzhon was a “sufficiently well-known pop star in Tajikistan”. As an interview with the Chief of Staff at the Tajik Ministry of Culture revealed:
The name Tolibdzhon Kurbankhanov says nothing to me. Previously, we have not heard of him. This singer is not known to anybody, and he has not participated in Dushanbe in events and concerts. I think he’s an imposter,” said Abdughaffor Abduzhaborov.
An anonymous post on seb.tj, assessed the main message of the “V.V.P” Youtube commenters as “take Putin back to Tajikistan with you.” Beneath this subtitle, it chronicled a host of unflattering comments made about Tajiks by Russian visitors to the “V.V.P” clip.
On a blog “2shanbe.tj” (a play on words; “Dushanbe” is the capital of Tajikistan), a dispatch by the admin similarly listed a store of derogatory comments by Russian Youtube users under the following introduction:
The quality of [Kurbankhanov's] singing, rhyming and the music clip as a whole are, to put it mildly, poor. The majority of users that have viewed this clip showed nothing but irony and sarcasm towards the Tajik people.”
Yet these two posts generated little in the way of discussion, and popular Tajik blogs passed the “V.V.P” clip over, suggesting a general ambivalence among Tajikistan-based web users towards trending nationalist memes – all the more predictable around election time – on the Runet.
* It should be noted that the Nasha Russia sketches involving Ravshan and Jumshud are as much a parody of racism in Russian society and sterotyping of Central Asians as they are a parody of Tajik migrant workers themselves. Nevertheless, the depiction has proved a penetrating one, and has added an extra thorn in prickly diplmatic relations between the two nations. Also, although only 6.7% of Russia's migrants are Tajik, other non-Tajik Central Asian migrants are prone to being referenced as “Tajiks” by passers-by in Moscow. This was the experience of Aida Kasymalieva, who has a brilliant piece up on RFE/RL titled “First Person: Life In Russia As A Non-Russian Child.”
N.B  Despite having attained overnight stardom, Tolibzhon Kurbankhanov's genuine views on Putin and the political situation in Russia, ditto his permanent place of residence, remain unknown. In an interview uploaded by the same user who posted the original clip, Kurbankhanov is seen sports bag in hand, thanking his fans, apologizing for not being able to reply to all their fan mail and hinting at a follow up to “V.V.P”. All the while, Dushanbe international airport, Tajikistan, looms large in the background….

author: Chris Rickleton


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Trinidad & Tobago:  These Boots were made for Jumping  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian bloggers go to town over a photograph of the Prime Minister at a Carnival fete sporting expensive brand-name shoes: B.C. Pires says: “She’s bound to get flak for such a vulgar display, even at the height of the vulgarity of one of the world’s most vulgar displays, the modern Trinidad Carnival”, while The Eternal Pantomime adds: “The real story is not Das Boots…but what Das Boots represents.  These Louis Vs may well be the way we remember the PM’s reign in years to come: a garish, coskelle display of inappropriateness.”


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Tunisia: LGBT Outrage at Human Rights Minister’s Comments  · Global Voices
Ahmed Medien

“I am Human, Mr Minister of Human Rights” was the response of the LGBT community after the homophobic statements of the Tunisian Minister of Human Rights on a private Tunisian TV channel. The minister stated that freedom of expression has limits when it comes to Tunisian queers to express themselves. He also compared homosexuality to sexual perversion and mental illness.
The Tunisian LGBT Facebook pages now share the following photograph as their page display picture. The initiative was suggested by the Facebook page of Gayday Magazine.
The LGBT community in Tunisia was angry, following the minister's statements. Tarek wrote on Gayday Magazine [ar]:
نعم، أنا المثلي… أنا المثلية
أنا الرجل يحب رجلا.. المرأة تحب مرأة
لكني أنا الإبن قرة عيني أبي الحنون، أنا البنت ملجئي عطر حضن أمي الدافئ
أنا التلميذ، العامل، العاطل، الطويل القصير… أنا الإنسان
The LGBT community has received wide support since the minister's comment more than a week ago. Maybe the most prominent of these is the wide spread of the above photograph throughout Facebook and Twitter. However, such support is also challenged by some Facebook users who think that bringing up the subject on LGBT in Tunisia to solicit support will only bring about more homophobia.
On GayDay Magazine, for instance, you may find comments such as the following [fr]:
en critiquant Dilou pour ses pensées homophobes vous ne faites qu'augmenter sa côte auprès des tunisiens conservateurs qui lui donneront raison et le soutiendront encore plus!
Another Facebook user asked the “likers” of the page to admit their sexuality to earn the legitimacy to ask for more rights. The wall post was written in Tunisian Arabic dialect.
Nn+ama bech ki taleb bses droit ytaleb elhaja mawjouda w fardha wjoudha w 3andeha brcha rwad
The Twittersphere was rather impartial about the subject although the few articles that were released about it were shared a few hundred times.
@lebanesegringo: @abuhatem The Minister of Human Rights himself is the one making misguided statements. This debate is long overdue. #tunisia #lgbtme #lgbt
Meanwhile, LGBT Facebook pages are fed with photographs and videos to promote tolerance between the Tunisian people and to explain that homosexuality is in fact a natural phenomenon among humans daily.
This video, from YouTube, entitled ‘Open Your Heart to Gays’, has been viewed more than 60,000 times:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AJCHHy_PFak
The main Tunisian LGBT Facebook page – Tunisia Gays (Official Page) now has about 2,300 ‘likes’. It is active through its radio Tunisia Gays (Radio). Livestreams are daily and touch on many subjects such as the society's trends toward homosexuality, Gay celebrity news around the world and other news relating to Equality around the world.

author: Ahmed Medien


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Tunisia: Visit of an Egyptian Islamist Preacher Causes Uproar  · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

Wajdi Ghonim, an Egyptian Islamist preacher, has recently visited Tunisia, where he gave a series of religious lectures. His visit has been the centre of a heated debate on citizen media. Although, more than 10,000 people attended Ghonim's various lectures, it seems he was not that welcome in Tunisia.
Indeed, Ghonim's visit has angered many in Tunisia, because of his support for female genital mutilation (FGM). On several occasions, he described female circumcision as a mere “plastic surgery”. He also considers the principles of democracy as “forbidden in Islam”.
Female genital mutilation
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines FGM as all “procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. Such procedures have severe consequences, such as childbirth complications, infertility, and urinary tract infections. FGM is unpopular in Tunisia, but still the visit of Ghonim, a supporter of FGM, outraged netizens.
Lilith raises [fr] the following question:
Les Mutilations Génitales Féminines, bientôt en Tunisie ?
She writes:
Ces pratiques sont inexistantes en Tunisie et ne font partie d'aucune de nos traditions (…) Par ses incitations à l’excision, en accusant d’apostasie ceux qui s’y opposent, et par la banalisation de cette pratique, en la décrivant comme une simple opération esthétique qui honore la femme, Wagdi Ghoneim imprègne insidieusement les esprits de ses admirateurs…
Sophie-Alexandra Aiachi, states that Tunisian women need to learn more about FGM in order to protect their achievements. She writes [fr] for the collective blog Nawaat.org:
Le Code du Statut Personnel regroupant plusieurs lois progressistes tuinsiennes, promulgées le 13 aout 1956 mises en application sous Habib Bourguiba peu apres l’indépendance du pays, a permis de donner a la femme une place unique et privélégiée d’abord dans la société tunisienne puis dans le monde arabe. Différentes lois progressistes peuvent illustrer le CSP comme le fait d’abolir la polygamie ou de permettre le divorce.
Ainsi, la femme tunisienne doit savoir défendre ses acquis et pour cela, elle doit comprendre la signification, l’origine et enfin la manière dont cette pratique s’est ancrée dans les mentalités, afin de pouvoir la combattre.
The Code of Personal Status (CSP), regrouping Tunisian progressive laws put into effect on August, 13, 1956, right after independence, under the rule of Habib Bourguiba, has allowed women to have a unique, and privileged position, first in the Tunisian society, and then in the Arab region. The different progressive laws of the CSP, prohibits polygamy, and permits divorce.
Tunisian women have to learn how to defend their achievements, and that is why they need to understand the significance, the origins, and the manner of how this practice has taken root into the minds, in order to combat it.
She carries on defining FGM, stating the reasons behind it, and explaining its link to religion. You can read here the whole article in French.
Xander, wrote an article explaining how FGM is a “strange practice to Islam”. He says [fr]:
il faut souligner que l’excision féminine (khafd) n’a aucun fondement dans le Coran et aucun verset ne la cite explicitement ou implicitement(…)La pratique était répandue dans la Jahilia… Elle a aujourd’hui quasiment disparu partout dans le monde musulman sauf en Egypte (où elle est également réalisée par certains coptes) et dans certaines régions de l’Afrique subsaharienne (…)L’islam n’est pas cela, il est avant tout compréhension de l’essence du texte et guide. L’islam a aujourd’hui, un terrible besoin de réflexion, de contextualisation et de recul, loin des prêches de prédicateurs incultes et violents.
Riadh El Hammi had a different opinion. He tweeted [fr]:
Les “progressistes” préfèrent se focaliser sur l'excision… un détail futile qui n'est pas d'actualité en Tunisie. #Ghonim
Ghonim has the right to express himself
Others argue that the Tunisian law guarantees Ghonim the right to express himself, as long as he does not break the law.
Amira Yahyaoui tweeted [fr] on February 12:
Selon la loi tun la liberté d'association et de circulation sont garanties alors si #ghonim veut parler qu'il parle et s'il dérape plainte.
She adds [fr]:
Selon la loi tunisienne il est interdit de faire des meetings appelant à la violence ou à la haine, voilà. #ghonim
Karime Seliti addressed [ar] the following question to those who he described as “claiming to be modern and secular”:
ألستم من المنادين بحرية الفكر و التعبير و المعتقد، أوليس الشيخ وجدي غنيم يعبر عن رأي و يطرح أفكارا و يعتقد معتقدا يشاركه فيه جانب هام من مواطنيكم، لماذا ضقتم ضرعا بمحاضراته و أفكاره و رفعتم القضايا ضده لمجرد أفكاره، لماذا تحاولون تكميم الأفواه و طرد الشيخ من البلاد لمجرد القاء محاضرات الهزل و الضحك فيها أكثر من الجد، ألا يناقض هذا مع قيمكم الكونية وأخلاقياتكم العلمانية،. هل صار كل من يطرح فكرة تختلف عن أفكاركم تتهمونه بالدعوة للعنف والتطر
As long as Ghonim is still in Tunisia, the debate seems far from over. Amid all this uproar, Meriem tweeted [fr] the following, using the hash tag #bhema (which means idiocy in Tunisian dialect):
#TNAC ils nous ont bien eu ac cette histoire de #ghonim entre temps ils ont pas écrit un seul mot de la constitution #tunisie #bhema

author: Afef Abrougui


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Video Highlights: Video Advocacy and Recent Events · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel.
Advocacy through video
Several stories this month have focused on how video is enabling communities to get their message across to a wider audience.
Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People
Intercontinental Cry posted a list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues, some made by indigenous people from Brazil, Australia, Panama, USA, Northern Kenya, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Malaysia: Organization Advocates for Human Rights Through Video
KOMAS is an organization which hosts a yearly documentary video competition and festival in Malaysia. 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.
West Papua: A Different Side of the Independence Struggle through Video
A video letter from a woman in West Papua to an Indonesian soldier echoes the stories of many other women in the area. In this case, she asks the soldier, who was once based in her village, to please write and return to meet his daughter. It can be viewed with subtitles here.
Mongolia: The Mining Projects Leaving Herders Without Livelihoods
This short video  shows some of the environmental and social impact the Ukhaa Khudag coal mine in Mongolia's south Gobi desert is already having on the communities and the people who have lost their livelihoods due to the mines.
Vladlena Martsynkevych, Bankwatch's Central Asia Officer addressed this controversial topic and its social and economical cost:
The extractive industry can very well contribute to a country’s economic development and bring desired employment and revenues. At the same time mining is a highly disruptive activity with considerable negative impacts on the environment and the livelihoods of local communities. In countries with underdeveloped democratic structures, lack of institutional capacity or simply corruption, the damages can quickly overweigh. Benefits can then bypass the local level and end up enriching the involved companies and – not least – the technological progress and wealth in developed nations.
Recent News
Cuba: Cleaning Up for Papal Visit?
El Cafe Cubano reported that residents who live close to the Basilica of the Patron Saint of Cuba, a destination that is on Pope Benedict XVI's itinerary when he visits Cuba next month, are being evicted in en effort to “[cover] up the prevailing misery that the Cuban people are suffering in the island.”
Panama: The Indigenous Leader Who Took on the Government
The first female indigenous leader of the Ngobe Bugle people in Panama has become a media sensation after standing up to the government and demanding their rights to be respected.
In the midst of all of this crisis, one name has emerged as the standard bearer for the indigenous fight. The cacique [Taíno word meaning tribal leader or chief] Silvia Carrera who, after becoming the first woman to be elected to this position, has risen up in opposition to the current government's mining plans.
The following video by Orgun Wagua, uploaded to YouTube by laoruguitaecoloca [es] on February 4, shows the cacique spearheading attempts to start a dialog during the conflict:
Mozambique: All Aboard the Musical Marrabenta Train!
The fifth Marrabenta Festival has spread some cheer in Mozambique. One of the highlights seems to be the acoustic musical train trip to Marracuene, leading revelers for free to the all night outdoor concert that marks the Festival's finale. The following video takes us to this lively train full of song and music:


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Zambia: Neighbors Help Celebrate AFCON 2012 Victory · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambia’s victory over Ivory Coast in the finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2012), co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, has been celebrated by Zambians and neighboring Southern African nations alike. Zambia beat the star-studded Ivory Coast team by eight goals to seven in a match that went into penalties after a barren draw in extra time.
Most poignant was a satirical article on the Malawi's Nyasa Times website titled “Death Announcement An Elephant of I. Coast Killed By Copper Bullets.” The Zambia National Soccer Team is fondly known as Chipolopolo or bullet while the Ivory Coast team is known by the elephant moniker.
Matamando Manda wrote:
Image created to celebrate Zambia's victory. Image source: Zambian People's Parliament Facebook page.
A giant African Elephant was found dead in the village of Equatorial Guinea in the early hours of Monday, 13 Februray, 2012. Pathologist Pele who arrived at the scene of death immediately, suggest the elephant died of excessive bleeding from bruises and eight bullet wounds it sustained. In response, the Elephant shows to have managed seven kicks as per markings that were visible around the death spot.”
Commenting on the article, Blessings wrote:
This is great creative writing, well done! Point of correction though, the Elephant was found dead in Gabon and not Equatorial Guinea where Zambia played their group matches. The final was played in Libreville, Gabon. AMalawi, Zambia deserve our respect, they taught us football those years when AKinnah sikuluza kodabwitsa kuli Zambia (when Kinnah’s team used to lose terribly to Zambia) 6-1, 14-0, 5-0, 4-0, 7-0 until CAF (Confederation of African Football) had mercey on us, saved us from being in the same qualifying group all the time.
In another story coming from Namibia reproduced by Zambian Watchdog:
It was all-night jubilation, ululation and the unleashing of celebratory gunfire as ecstatic Katima Mulilo residents formed a convoy at the town and joined their neighbours across the Zambezi River to celebrate Zambia’s thrashing of Ivory Coast to lift the AFCON Cup.
Katima Mulilo residents and Zambian residents at Katima Mulilo jointly celebrated Zambia’s historic victory over its much-fancied rivals to clinch the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 edition.
One Namibian football administrator, according to the story, attributed the win to the Southern African Development Community (SADC):
Local soccer fan and soccer official, Ben Lumponjani, said, “I’m feeling very happy right now, like it’s Namibia which won, because these guys have made SADC proud. Other SADC countries in the competition like Botswana and Angola, exited the tournament, but Zambia stood firm.”
But Zambians themselves have continued celebrating the victory which also brought three of Zambia’s present and past presidents, the incumbent Michael Sata and two surviving past presidents Rupiah Banda who was defeated as sitting president in the 2011 elections and Zambia’s first president Kenneth Kaunda.
Rupiah Banda is reported to have danced to the now ruling PF’s campaign anthem, “Donchi Kubeba” during the celebrations at State House when the team arrived from their conquering mission.
Former Republican president, Rupiah Banda, could not resist the ‘magic charm’ of the ‘Donchi Kubeba’ fever when he joined in to dance to Dandy Crazy’s hit song at First Lady, Christine Kaseba’s luncheon held in honour of the triumphant Zambia national soccer team.
Mr Banda, who also raised his index finger to his lips in the ‘Donchi Kubeba’ style while on the dance floor, stood up to join President Michael Sata and First president, Kenneth Kaunda, among other guests who had already taken to the floor.
While the mood in the country was celebratory, others could not help but point out the shortcomings particularly with how the Chipolopolo team was received. Observed Chilufya Tayali on the 703 member Zambian Voice group on Facebook:
Wish to express my disappointment in the way the National Team was welcomed at the airport.
First of the crowd was well anticipated to the point that security wings would have done their best to control the people. People were just all over especially when the players landed. The players themselves could have been coached on how to respond to the welcoming crowd by atleast waving to the crowd as the each came out. Their dressing was also not befitting for the ocassion. I think a sports antire would have been better than an English business suite. A sports antire would have blended well with the crowd.
Then talk about ZNBC, mayooo (mother with emphasis as an expression of disappointment)…. it was bad for like of a better word. The camera people would have known exactly where the plane was going to stop and they would have positioned themselves well to take good images of each player. Owing to that long time of wait, one would expect professionals to do a far better job than what we saw. The samething happened during the swearing in ceremony of HMCS
I think we need to do some homework before we just fall in the motion of things on national events so that we can excute them well and inform the people properly.
On Twitter, tweets like the one below were not uncommon:
@fytzm: it is all sinking in now, #chipolopolo have really made us proud. memories are made of this, forever and a day… #afcon2012 #zambia
One tweep, probably comparing the star-studded Ivory Coast team in which most of the players ply their trade in the English Premier League with the Zambian whose professionals are not very well known on the world stage, wrote:
@Bradleychingobe: The #AFCON2012 player of the tournament, Chris Katongo, plys his trade in China. How bizzarre #chipolopolo #zambia

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Armenia: Homophobia as PR for the Yerevan Municipality · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on homophobic comments left on the Facebook page of the new Mayor of Yerevan, Taron Margaryan, in response to recent environmental protests in the city. Noting that the discriminatory remarks were made by municipal employees, including the person responsible for public relations, the blog says that such comments are unacceptable and those responsible should be dismissed from their positions.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Australia: Climate Skeptics in Denial Over Heartlandgate Controversy · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Allegations of the Heartland Institute funding an Australian scientist to promote climate skepticism have brought denials from fellow skeptics in response to a barrage of criticism.
dana1981 at Skeptical Science ‘Getting skeptical about climate science skepticism’ was quick to share “major exposé posts on DeSmogBlog” in Heartland Insider Exposes Institute's Budget and Strategy:
Heartland's policy positions, strategies and budget distinguish it clear as a lobby firm that is misrepresenting itself as a “think tank” – it budgets $4.1 million of its $6.4 million in projected expenditures for Editorial, Government Relations, Communications, Fundraising, and Publications, and the only activity it plans that could vaguely be considered policy development is the writing of a curriculum package for use in confusing high schoolers about climate change.
Jennifer Marohasy is a regular critic of climate change activists on her self-titled blog. She reposted Heartland’s denial and a statement by Bob Carter, the scientist  in question, with a clear message in Tiny Budget for Heartland Institute Trying to Counter Global Climate Madness and Scientific Fraud:
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems.
Response from Heartland Institute
In the war on climate change ….. Your Democracy’s John Richardson was concerned about the sources of Heartland’s funding:
But the cache raises an equal number of questions – such as the identify of an anonymous donor that has been a mainstay of Heartland. The unnamed donor, who contributed $4.6m in 2008, has since scaled back contributions. Even so, the donor's $979,000 contribution in 2011 accounted for 20% of Heartland's overall budget, the fundraising plan says.
In a detailed post at Australian Climate Madness, Simon accepted Heartland’s claims that documents had been “fabricated”. He was also keen to dismiss comparisons with the email controversy Climategate:
In terms of moral equivalence, what Heartland is doing is not surprising; seems to be no different than what other advocacy groups do.  The IPCC is a very different organization, and also the CRU/UEA, with explicit requirements for government accountability.  So in terms of a scandal, I would have to say that Heartlandgate is nowhere near Climategate.
Online media site Crikey has reported on the leaks and raised the role of an Australian think tank:
The Institute for Public Affairs has previously sponsored Heartland’s climate change conferences — where Carter has been a regular speaker — which almost exclusively feature experts and academics who disagree that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases through burning fossil fuels represent a significant risk.
Jennifer Marohasy, quoted above, worked for the IPA as a researcher for 5 years.
In a follow-up on the Crikey blog Rooted, Amber Jamieson speculated about the identity of the alleged donor in Who’s the Anonymous Donor keeping a climate sceptic think tank afloat?
Meanwhile Joanne Nova, of JoNova: Science, carbon, climate and tax – Tackling tribal groupthink, seemed upbeat about the controversy:
The believers of man-made-weather-disasters are wetting themselves with excitement. It painful to watch grown men drool.
She saw Heartland as a very efficient operation and took a swipe at climate change advocates on the public payroll:
And if Bob Carter receives an honorarium type amount of $1500 a month, the pull of those big dollars must be powerfully tempting for people like Tim Flannery who struggle along on about $1200 each day he works.
Climate researcher Tony Rafter’s tweet   seemed apt, given all the claims and counterclaims of hypocrisy:
@tonyrafter 12:26 AM – 16 Feb 12
“If you like your hypocrisy sandwiches served with a side order of double standards” check out the #Heartlandgate leaked docs! bit.ly/wBV2Kn
Issues related to funding of and by think tanks, and their independence and objectivity, are an ongoing source of online debate down under.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Cambodia: Support Network for Young Entrepreneurs · Global Voices
Kounila Keo

A group of young business minded Cambodians have set up the SmallWorld website which serves as an education, networking, and small business resource and support center for students and budding entrepreneurs.

author: Kounila Keo


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Chile: Aysen Region Social Movement Gains Strength · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

Last year, the Aysen Region was on the national spotlight due to the controversial dam project Hydroaysén; today people are once again paying attention to this region in the Chilean Patagonia after locals held a series of protests calling for better quality of life and lower living costs.
Iván Fuentes, President of the Social Movement for the Aysen Region explained [es]:
Parecemos una isla, porque no tenemos buena conectividad  y todo es más caro.
We are like an island because we don't have good connections and everything is more expensive.
Protests in Coyhaique. Photo taken by Flickr user cpatagon on February 17, 2012. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
The Mayor of Aysen, Marisol Martínez, summarized the dissatisfaction of the people from this region in an interview [es] aired by television network Canal 13 [Channel 13]:
Hay temas de larga data que se han ido acumulando, que no ha habido soluciones, los cuales no hemos sido atendidos como región, hemos sido postergados por mucho tiempo […] Sólo se acuerdan de nosotros para extraer nuestros recursos naturales, para instalar grandes represas, para sacar nuestras aguas, ahí aparecemos como interesantes […] Pero respecto a la calidad de vida de nuestra gente, a la calidad de los empleos, a la calidad de nuestros recursos naturales, no se acuerdan […] Nuestros recursos deben ser preservados y deben ser desarrollados, pero los primeros que deben ser beneficiados a través de su desarrollo económico, es la gente de Aysén y eso no ha ocurrido.
There are issues from a long time ago that have been piling up with no solutions. We haven't been taken into consideration as a region, we have been put aside for a long time […] They only remember us when they need to exploit our natural resources, to build dams, to take out our water, then we're interesting […] But when it comes to the quality of life of our people, the quality of employment, the quality of our natural resources, they don't remember […] Our resources should be preserved and developed, but the first people who should benefit from this economic development is the people of Aysen and that hasn't happened.
Since Tuesday, February 7, protesters of the Social Movement for Aysen Region, which is made up by 25 social organizations, unions and farmers [es], have blocked roads, occupying airfields [es] and docks, burning tires and setting up barricades in Coyhaique and other towns in the region demanding an open dialogue with the government. Many protests have ended in violent clashes with the police [es].
This is what Patagon Twitter user AysenReservaDeVida (@Ing_Laurita) [es] shared on February 14:
Esto está pasando en un sector de Aysén. Pescadores y carabineros en acción, lluvia de piedras y lacrimóg http://twitpic.com/8jt874 cc@lmrendon
This is what's happening in the Aysen sector. Fishermen and police in action, stones rain and tear gas http://twitpic.com/8jt874 cc@lmrendon
Their demands have been compiled in a petition list with 10 points [es] which basically ask for subsidies to balance food, water, electricity and fuel costs; quality health and education; employment equity and retirement pensions based on regional needs; greater citizen participation in the decisions that affect the region including natural resources exploitation; better access and infrastructure.
The leaders of this group said [es]:
Las organizaciones […] hemos iniciado un proceso de movilización general permanente y de largo aliento, con el fin de gatillar un cambio en el desarrollo regional, hasta ahora enfocado esencialmente al beneficio de intereses que no son realmente los de quienes vivimos en el territorio de Aysén.
The organizations […] have initiated a process of permanent and long-term demonstrations to trigger a change in the regional development that until now has focused essentially on the benefit of interests that do not belong to those who live in Aysén.
Economy Minister, Pablo Longueira, criticized [es] the barricades and street blockings and highlighted the high growth index of the region (according to the National Institute of Statistics [es], Aysen's economy grew 19.4% from 2010 to 2011). Additionally, on an interview for Radio ADN he added:
Es una región muy pujante, hay otras motivaciones, no es la forma. Es evidente que hay una coordinación que se observa desde Santiago de organizaciones que están detrás de esto
This is a very vigorous region, there are other motivations, this is not the way [to carry out this demonstration]. It's clear that there is coordination among organizations that are behind all these and we can see this from Santiago
His words caused outrage and concern among protesters like Iván Fuentes pointed out [es]:
Cada vez que aparecen las cifras, nos angustiamos porque esos buenos datos no nos han llegado y no reflejan lo que vivimos
Every time numbers come out, we feel anguish because this good data hasn't reached us and doesn't reflect our reality
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter stressed [es] that “these challenges should be dealt with talking, and in no case by blocking the roads or with violence” and tried to calm down the situation by sending undersecretary Rodrigo Ubilla a Aysén to speak with the regional leaders. The meeting that took place on February 16, which lasted several hours, only managed to put on the table two of the requests and no agreement was reached. Moreover, the meeting was interrupted by a power cut caused by the protesters who gave the national government an ultimatum to come up with an answer to their demands by next Monday. Meanwhile, the street blocks continue.
Blogger Manuel L. Rodríguez from La Oveja Negra de la Familia (“The Family's Black Sheep”) in his post “Despierta Aysén” (“Wake up Aysen”) [es] was pessimistic about the government's approach:
Probablemente, considerando los precedentes, el manejo gubernamental sea al menos errático, y como está sucediendo, termine por amplificar la controversia, y por dar margen a los excesivos celos represivos de Carabineros, al debe en lo que respecta al control del orden público y al uso de la fuerza.
Probably, considering the precedents, the government's management [of the situation] will be erratic, and as it is already happening, will end up stirring up the controversy and raising mistrust about police repression by allowing crackdowns.
Others, like Twitter user El Kato (@Katomagna) [es], doubt that the national outrage concerning the regional problem will last:
Lo más terrible es que la indignación por #Aysén durará hasta fin de mes…
The most terrible thing is that the outrage for #Aysen will last only until the end of the month…
AysénReservaDeVida (@Ing_Laurita) [es] concluded:
Para que les quede claro que este movimiento va más allá de partidos políticos, es un descontento general, todos unidos! #DespiertaAysen
Just to be clear, this movement is beyond political parties, it is a general discontent, everybody united! #WakeUpAysen
You can read more reactions and keep up with Aysen's social movement by following the hashtags #Aysen and #DespiertaAysen (“Wake up Aysen”) on Twitter.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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Colombia Issues Arrest Warrant for Former Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo · Global Voices
Lully

Colombia's Office of the Attorney General asked a judge to issue and arrest warrant and include an international Interpol red card for former peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo. Restrepo, who held said office for 7 years during the government of former president Álvaro Uribe, is now a fugitive and is charged with false demobilizations of groups outside the law. The issue is being discussed by Twitter users [es], citizen media [es] and in general [es] by various media outlets.

author: Lully


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Egypt: Contemplating religion after sectarian clashes · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund's Tumblr, Rena Effendi comments on her conversations with Christians in Egypt who suffered from recent sectarian violence. The acclaimed photojournalist from Azerbaijan, a secular Muslim country, says faith is a personal issue and more about “relief from suffering than a path to forgiveness.”


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Madagascar : Why Malagasies Cannot Use Paypal · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

The Malagasy blogger Sam bemoans on Reflexium the absence of an electronic payment system in Madagascar  [fr]: ” It is ludicrous that Malagasy people can open accounts on Paypal but cannot withdraw money from their accounts or credit it. Madagascar launched a few initiatives to have Paypal services in the country. Yet, the Malagasy banking system still hasn't showed enough willingness to collaborate with Paypal.”

author: Claire Ulrich


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Peru is Hit by Strong Rains · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Juan Arellano reports [es] that the rainy season in Peru has arrived with particular strength this year. He names some areas that have been affected by the rainfall in his blog Globalizado.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Senegal: Week Before Elections Police and Protesters Clash in Dakar  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Home of great African political leaders such as Cheikh Anta Diop and Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal used to be the beacon of Democracy in Africa.  Not anymore.
A week before the presidential elections, Senegal is mired in pre-electoral violence sparked by the candidacy of incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade's seeking a third term in office. Since Wade's candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council, the opposition has organized street protests against Wade's seeking another term,  which, according to them, is a clear violation of the country's constitution.
For the past six days protesters and police have been engaged in a face-off which culminated in violent clashes on  February 17. Amnesty International reports that many protesters have been intimidated and arrested. Cheikh Bamba Dièye, one of the presidential candidates, was arrested and detained briefly for participating in the protests [fr].
Photos of make-shift barricades. Image by momonad1
The violent clashes have been escalating for the past four days, and discussed and documented in photos and videos on social networks. The hashtags used by Twitter users to report on the clashes and the pre-electoral events in Senegal are #sunu2012 and #kebetu and #M23.
Ten people have been injured so far in the clashes. Here are some of the videos and photos of the scene in Dakar:
Injured man at protest in Dakar. Image by Basile Niane
This video of a policeman throwing a grenade into a mosque has outraged many Senegalese:
More violence around the mosque:
Man trying to avoid tear gas. Image by Alioune Diop
A video by  blogger Basile Niane at the protest at Place de l'indépendance:
Police in Dakar getting ready. Image by Mr Boombastic Pio

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Sri Lanka: Price Hike and Police Brutality in Enforcing Public Order  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sri Lanka is currently facing a turbulent economy with price hike and imposition of surcharges, which are provoking widespread protests. The police and the military are taking brutal measures on protesters and a number of people have been killed in the past few months.
Ratmale at Serendipity explains:
We are in for a difficult time in managing our personal finances as the spate of price increases does not have a limit or a time frame, as long as the threat of further devaluation of the Rupee remains. The pundits are now saying this was inevitable as the Government was living on borrowed time, but why were they so silent all this time? It was because the Government carried out a very successful campaign of misinformation, about the state of the Country’s finances.
A man shouts during a protest over rising costs in living. Image by Rohan Karunarathne. Copyright Demotix (14/12/2011)
Sayanthan, a student of IT and Business Strategy, shares his experience:
Last few days oil crisis has been biting all of us really hard. Monday when I stepped out to go to work I couldn't find a bus so had to find a three wheeler to get to office. Then the next day, when I gave 20 Rs for my journey from Bambalapitiya to Galle face the conductor said that's the revised price. I had no clue about the price revision so I assumed that it was right, then I found out that I had been cheated a few rupees.
In the fishing town of Chilaw thousands of fishermen joined in a protest march demanding a reduction in fuel prices. They clashed with police, who later opened fire at them. One person was dead and many were wounded.
Nigel V. Nugawela writes in Groundviews:
The government is, after all, quite fond of the “you’re either with us or against us” line of thinking, which has – over the last few years – translated into action on the streets and the old practice of vituperative verbal attacks against civil society activists.
So, is public security really a concern for this government? If public security is a concern, why are protesters killed on the streets by the military and police? Or is it about repression in order to impede the upstart of larger dissenting movements? If public order is a goal, is it not inevitable that the insidious killing of protesters by the police and military will increase the likelihood of violent confrontations in the future?
Nigel writes further:
It is precisely because of the precedent set with the failure to ensure proper conduct in the response of the security forces and police to civilian protests – in Navanthurai, Pottuvil, Kinniya, Puttalam, Katunayake and elsewhere – and to institute proper reforms following violations that we have to contend with brutal incidents such as the one in Chilaw. The government seems to have no qualms about the continued use of the military in enforcing public order despite the fact that its interventions have been an unmitigated disaster.

author: Rezwan


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Syria: Razan Ghazzawi and Female Colleagues Freed · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/2012.
Syrian Blogger and Freedom of Speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. The news came via Razan's sister, who tweeted earlier this evening:
@NadineGhazzawi: Sister is home :) but she can't leave the country anymore…they won't allow her.
Free Razan poster used by supporters to call for her released and that of her colleagues
At the time these lines are being written, Razan's male colleagues remain in prison, according to Free Razan page on Facebook:
Razan and all the females from the SCM are FREE , Razan is FREE !
Razan was arrested earlier this week along with 13 of her colleagues during a raid on the offices of the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/2012.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Africa: Colonial PR Films Provide a Window to Africa’s More Recent Past  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

African Urbanism discusses the UK's Colonial Film Catalogue, a database of more than 6000 films, which provides a window into British colonial period: “…these videos find their value in providing a fantastic trip through time into life in these places — showing people as they were (or, rather, how the government/companies would like you to see them), and life at the time (again, likely how we're supposed to see them).”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: Weaving the African Dream Through Social Innovations · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gamel identifies social innovations that weave the African dream: “Tech in Education: This project is the main motivation behind today’s post. Tech in Education is a 48hr gathering of ideas, people and digital tools aimed at creating novel web and mobile solutions to improve learning amongst primary and secondary school students in Nigeria.”


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China: Wukan Elections Continue and Inspire · Global Voices
Kelly Chung

Residents of the Guangdong village of Wukan, who led protests late last year against local authorities over farmland grabbing and corruption, took a key step toward democracy earlier this month with freely-held elections of their village leaders.
More than 6,000 Wukan residents cast votes in a February 11 election for new village representatives, the second of a three-part process which began February 1 with the election of an independent election oversight committee. Phase three, set for March 1, will see the election of a new village committee which will remain under the supervision of the 107 representatives elected in phase two, among whom is the daughter of the village's deceased former representative Xue Jinbo.
Xiong Wei, founder of the Beijing New Enlightenment Research Centre and a researcher at Peking University, explained the election on Sina Weibo:
乌坎11日将以村民会议的形式，以村民小组为单位一人一票选举村民代表，由村民代表组成村民代表会议，是乌坎村的权力机构。
乌坎，正在探索村民自治新路，建立权力互相制衡的村民自治新机制。村民代表会议是决策和监督机构，村委会是执行和小决策机构。
A new democratic generation in China
This grassroots-level election experiment has become an important symbol representing a new kind of democracy in China, called even by some as a new rural democracy movement. One observer of Wukan's election has recorded some thoughts on his blog from Lin Zulian, a local organizer and newly-elected village representative:
村民林边说，这次选举是四十年来第一次，过去乌坎从来就没有真正选举过，都是上级说了算，村民对选举很陌生，这回有关选举知识海报贴满了全村，就是要民众知道选举程序。
Prominent public intellectuals have also described the Wukan election process as good news for China. One well-known commentator, Yuan Weidong, has written:
今天终于传来好消息，村民们靠公正、透明的选举，选出了村选举委员会的11名成员，这个意义在中国的乡村、乃至在全中国来说是划时代的,因为选举的程序的公正、公平、透明，是选举的关键， 今天广东的乌坎村将政治变革再度改变中国。
Election problems in the past
Yuan also summarizes the three main problems which have been present in elections in China for several decades:
归其原因有三：一、“上级”越俎代庖，本是村民自己的事情，上级却要乱插手，违规安排自己的人；二、“上级”认为村民素质低，不适宜民主选举，岂不知民主本身是最简单的东西，它同仁的生命一样是与生俱来的；三、怕基层不听话，一些政策无法落实。
On Sina Weibo, user Zhen Puhong has asked whether the Wukan elections in fact hold as much significance as many believe.
【乌坎选举的实质意义有多大？】1、中国村级选举从村民组织法的角度看本来就是自主自治的，关键是被党机构（乡镇）党官（村支书）控制甚至用黑手把持候选人；2、村务实际上书记说了算，村长通常要么无权要么同流合污；3、乌坎选举中似依然是党支部决定并发布选举事宜见下图，选委会有多大作用？
From the comments on Zhen's post, other Weibo users have written:
为人民币服务GOV：回复@清心9901:没有其他意思，我觉得什么叫村民自治，就应该脱离党的控制，因为不是你选的。否则，即使村长选了，还是没有实权，最后权力架空，选举就没有意义。 (2月9日 15:19)
疯头总动员：//@新启蒙熊伟: 是的，我和林先生经常讨论的就是权力互相制问题。 //@博格郑甫弘:民主选举中程序正义至关重要。领袖很重要，但民主保障的关键是不能让个人超越体制程序。有林祖銮乌坎村民是幸运的，换了人呢？
Wukan’s effect on Zhejiang
Wukan, having been allowed to elect its own leaders, may already be having the effect of encouraging other southern villages to copy the Wukan model.
In Zhejiang province, residents in both the east and west ends of Panhe village in the city of Wenzhou have apparently been inspired by the Wukan uprising to become a second village to have evicted local authorities. Panhe's 5,000 villagers have been protesting against illegal land requisition since February 1 following years of the government's “legal” selling off, without any advance notice, of parcels of their land. Reportedly, all farmland sold off by Panhe's village representatives since 2006 has brought zero compensation to the rightful owner farmers and villagers.
From discussions of Panhe on Sina Weibo:
@城市农民70000：乌坎模式影响下，浙江苍南县泮河村的村民自治随之而来，这预示着一种国际大环境下的趋势在我国不可阻挡。
@金鹰03：广东烏坎村的问题刚解决，浙江又一个乌坎–泮河村又爆出问题，不少地方矛盾尖锐。
Many protests happen in China every day.
For some insight into the official perspective on these democratic developments, Niu Wenyuan of China's State Council, is quoted as having said in a seminar held in Guangzhou earlier this month that:
【国务院参事牛文元：中国去年日均发生五百起群体事件】 http://t.cn/zOZ7Hbh “去年，广东发生了乌坎事件。实际上，2011年，中国平均每天发生500起群体性事件，这意味着，现今社会容易失序，民众心理容易失调”国务院参事牛文元在给干部讲座时，直言不讳。

author: Kelly Chung


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Ecuador: Citizens React to Verdict Against Newspaper El Universo · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

On Thursday, February 16, the highest Ecuadorian court upheld a verdict in favour of President Rafael Correa in a libel case against newspaper El Universo, one of the major dailies in this South American country.
It's been less than a year since President Correa sued the newspaper, it's directors and the editor for slander against him for an opinion column [es] written by Emilio Palacio. The column refers to the alleged directive of the president to fire shots at civilians during a revolt on the September 30, 2011. Palacio [es], author of the column and former editor, is now seeking asylum in the United States; while journalist and former director Carlos Pérez is currently exiled in the Embassy of Panama in Quito [es] after the news broke and the sentence against the newspaper was confirmed.
Correa's lawsuit is the first action taken by the highest court of justice in Ecuador, the new National Court of Justice, which was initiated just three weeks ago. The sentence against El Universo demands $40 million U.S. dollars in damages and 3 years in prison for each offender. Ruptura [es], a political news source in Ecuador, compares the economic value of the sentence:
cuarenta millones equivalen a 40 veces el caso más importante de desaparición y crimen de Estado, como es el caso Restrepo; o son el equivalente de 600 años de sueldo presidencial.
President Rafael Correa and Carlos Pérez, ex-director of El Universo –Photo reproduced under authorisation of the newspaper El Comercio, Quito – Ecuador
Lawyer and blogger Silvana Tapia, who writes in the blog Lunas Azules [es] (Blue Moons), analysed the legal proceedings from which the sentence was arrived. Silvana believes that, “the law must correct concrete actions, not repercussions much less the characters of persons”, and outlines:
Del universo de conflictos que pueden aparecer en la vida de una persona, una mínima parte debería resolverse mediante la aplicación de la ley penal: conductas que vulneran bienes jurídicos esenciales como la vida y la integridad física y sexual. Por supuesto que el buen nombre y el honor son atributos de la personalidad, pero es el derecho civil, que se ocupa de los perjuicios que pueden causarse unos particulares a otros, el que está llamado a restablecer el equilibrio cuando se presentan polémicas como la generada por un artículo de opinión que utilizó con descuido e incuria, los adjetivos y los epítetos.
Despite efforts by organisations like the Human Rights Foundation and Human Rights Watch to eliminate the penalty for defamation in Ecuador [es], the National Court of Justice declared it would follow through with its decision. However, the Ecuadorian population remains unsure on whether this is a good judgement or a bad one, brought forward by the criticism and haste [es] with which the final decision was taken.
Manuel Ignacio López in the blog Today and now [es] believes, just as Fernando Balda [es], that Correa's government has a team of followers lined up in an organised system on social networks which allows results like the one from last Thursday in the National Court of Justice. But López points a finger at those who defend Correa's actions as agents of the government:
…Unos repiten su discurso de los sábados. Otros escriben cartas a los diarios y organizaciones diciendo que aquí no pasa nada. Otros lo acompañan a las audiencias, avalando el abuso con su presencia. Otros, que incluso fueron periodistas o editorialistas, prefieren ser cómplices con su silencio. No quieren perder sus privilegios. A ellos se suman periodistas de medios del Gobierno que defienden estos abusos que antes hubiesen rechazado a toda voz. Cambian su defensa de la libertad de expresión por la defensa de sus puestos.
While the Ecuadorian Association of Editors and Journalists (Aedep), the National Journalists Union (UNP), and Fundamedios (Andes Foundation for the Observation and Study of Media Arts) question the sentence [es] some Ecuadorean Twitter users [es], like Economics and Finance student Sebastián Lucero (@gamuzeins) [es], disagree:
Ser periodista no da carta libre para injuriar y lanzar epítetos sin fundamentos. La falta de ética y profesionalismo se paga.
On the other hand, lawyer and Twitter user Pablo Garzón (@pgarzon) published a series of tweets on the day of the sentence:
@pgarzon [es]: En tu casa, con tus amigos, déjales saber que lo de El Universo no fue un juicio justo, se violaron normas y procedimientos elementales.
@pgarzon [es]: Si no leías El Universo, si te cae mal Emilio Palacio, no importa. Ahora podrán cometer el mismo atropello a cualquier diario, entiéndelo!
Other Twitter users used #ElUniverso [es] and #LibertadDeExprexión [es] (“Freedom of speech”) when referring to the sentence. Byron Mayorga (@bmayorga) [es], editor general of the tech blog Bitscloud [es], wrote:
El tema #ElUniverso debió haberse resuelto bajo otras instancias: mediación, arbitraje.
To which Ivan Danilo (@monoarre) [es] responded:
@bmayorga Mediación cuando ambas partes quieren negociar, aqui no hubo tal.
At the root of the release of the news of this sentence, the comments in an article [es] in newspaper El Comercio have hinted at a national march being organised for the March 8 in rejection of the court's ruling. The management and staff of El Universo organised their own protest in Quito and Guayaquil [es]. On Twitter, journalists Roberto Villavicencio (@robvillavicencio) and Gabriela Fajardo (@GabyFajardo) (1, 2, 3) shared photos of the two hour protest in Quito during the night of February 16.
But not all Ecuadorians support these protests. From Guayaquil, Josue Castillo (@Azulito0) [es] writes:
Se los ve bonitos a los payasos que trabajan en el#Universo en lugar de trabajar están parados como todas las cosas.
From Quito, Victor Constante (@viconst) [es] says that the protests show that there is freedom of expression in the country:
Estos plantones confirman que en Ecuador sí hay libertad de expresión. Celebro la condena a los difamadores de EL Universo!
This conversation around freedom of expression in this Andean country will continue to be a heated topic of discussion in the upcoming days. However, Nila Velásquez, the new director of El Universo, has said that there will be no significant changes [es] at the newspaper.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Iran: Blogger suffered heart attack  · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Iranian imprisoned blogger Mehdi Khazali has suffered a heart attack after six weeks of hunger strike, due to opposition sources [fa]. His family has shown serious concerns on Mr. Khazali's health conditions, saying [fa] that authorities do not allow any doctor to visit him.

author: Hadi Nili


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Iran: Execution waits for web developer · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

The Iranian-Canadian web developer, Saeed Malekpour, is going to be executed ‘at any moment’, a blog updates by his family and supporters reports. Mr. Malekpour is accused of running pornography websites by Iranian judiciary and convicted to death. Now his verdict has been confirmed and going to be carried out. Iran's Revolutionary Guards has appreciated the death penalty in advance.


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Iran: Internet not just spying tool but spy itself · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran's intelligence Ministry says  Internet not just spying tool but spy itself.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Iranian rappers sing for people of Homs in Syria · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Here is an Iranian rappers's song for people in Homs in Syria.


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Iran: Security forces kidnapped Khazali from hospital · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several bloggers reported that security forces kidnapped Mehdi Khazali from hospital.Iranian imprisoned blogger Mehdi Khazali has suffered a heart attack after six weeks of hunger strike.His wife and daughter were released on bail.


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Jordan: Corporate Twitter Accounts are Stupid  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Corporate Twitter accounts are stupid, says Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi. Click here to learn why.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Morocco: Historic Telecom Operator Blocks Skype · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

“What a dreadful news today!” laments the blog Moroccan Geeks [fr], which reports that the Moroccan historic operator Maroc Telecom is now officially blocking all VoIP services, including Skype. The news sparked a heated debate on social media. Many netizens speculate the move is meant to bolster Maroc Telecom‘s paying telephony services.