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School Teacher Becomes Target of Political Prosecution in Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hong Kong netizens have launched a White House petition calling for international attention for a recent case of political persecution of a primary school teacher that many fear is the beginning of massive persecution of political dissents similar to the nature of the Cultural Revolution in mainland China.
In the middle of July, a five-minute video showing primary school teacher Lam Wai-sze swearing at some police officers in the Mongkok district started circulating online. Initially, a majority of netizens praised the police's professional attitude in dealing with the “unreasonable” and “hysterical” teacher. Later, some users revealed Lam's identity and school contact, calling on the public to file complaints against Lam's behavior in the public.
Lam Wai-sze criticized police inaction towards the bullying of FLG by HKYCA on July 15. Photo from inmediahk.net.
But soon a number of online media outlets stepped in and explained the context [zh] of the dispute. The incident happened on July 15 when the Hong Kong Youth Care Association (HKYCA), a branch of the China Anti-Cult Association, harassed a Falun Gong (FLG) street exhibition of the Chinese Communist Party's organ harvesting of dissendents and criminals by covering their stall with a huge banner. Instead of separating the HKYCA and the Falun Gong protest, the police officers set up a blockade and stopped pedestrians from entering the Falun Gong's stall.
Lam argued with the police, asking them why they did not protect the FLG's freedom of expression and allow the youth association to bully them. The police officers did not give any explanation and threatened the teacher that they would take her to the police station if she did not leave the blockade area. Lam, losing her cool, began to curse at the police. The entire eight-minute video below shows the conflict between HYCA and the Falun Gong on July 15. Many passers-by were discontent with the police:
http://youtu.be/oQlCqrzxt1A
With the context of Lam Wai-sze's emotional response unveiled, many opinion leaders start backing her up. Tse Nin-chung, a local lawyer, explained from the legal perspective about police negligence in handling the incident:
青關會和法輪功之間的事，涉及政府保衛公民權的責任，簡單而言便是「執法」。即使青關會有公民權，政府也要令青關會以和平方式行使，若青關會手法和平，法輪功行使公民權便不受阻礙 […] 警隊的角色不可只做一個「旁觀者」(onlooker)，因為「旁觀者」無異於路人甲，只觀看但沒執行任務，而法庭說，警隊的責任是「明確的責任」，英文是 positive duty[…] 難於接受的，是法輪功受青關會欺壓報警求助，警察到場，見青關會包圍和指斥法輪功，對「不和平手法」袖手旁觀，令法輪功繼續遭壓迫，做個「旁觀者」，這等一如有人被打報警求助，警察到場，見匪徒毆打報警者，警察仍做個「旁觀者」，道理是一樣的。警察沒有履行「明確的責任」，清晰不過。
Regarding the conflict between HKYCA and FLG, the government has to take responsibility to protect citizens’ civil rights. Which means the police have to enforce the law. While HKYCA has the right to protest against FLG, the government has to make sure that it is peaceful so that their action will not obstruct FLG's rights. […] Police cannot act as an “onlooker” which means they are not enforcing the law. The court is very specific on the police's responsibility, in English terms it is “positive duty” […] What is unacceptable in the [July 15] incident is that when FLG was bullied by HYCA, they called the police for help. When the police officers arrived, even though they witnessed HKYCA surrounding and yelling at FLG, they did nothing to stop HKYCA's uncivilized actions. They stood there as onlookers. This is equal to the scenario of someone being beaten by others, and he or she calls the police for help. Police officers arrive and do nothing to stop the beating. They turn into onlookers and do not fulfill their “positive duty”. This is very clear.
Lau Kwai-bill, a writer at citizen media portal inmediahk.net, explained why so many people support Lam:
我們不是要撐她粗言罵警，而是撐她仗義執言，因為她為公義與警方理論的出發點是對的。法輪功學員在街頭擺攤位表達意見，是他們的權利，只要依法申請，並無問題。然而，青關會對他們諸多阻撓，這已非首次，警方都沒處理好；今次旺角街頭的情況一樣，故此林老師為法輪功發聲，是公義行為，這是她的目的，而並非一些人所謂「辱警」。
We support her not because she insulted the police with dirty words. We support her because she spoke for justice. Her intentions in arguing with the police are right. FLG has the right to express their opinion in the streets. They have applied for a permit from the government for their stall. This is not the first time that HKYCA obstructed their rights and the police haven't handled the matter professionally. What happened in Mongkok is the same, and teacher Lam speaking up for FLG is an act of justice. This is her sole intention, not insulting the police.
Huge banners were hung outside Lam Wai-sze's school to pressure the school to sack Lam. Photo by Passion Times.
Enough though Lam's behavior was well-intentioned, she still issued a letter of apology regarding her outburst to protect her school from public pressure. But pro-Beijing newspapers continue to attack her stating that her manner has disqualified her for being a primary school teacher. Pro-Beijing groups even put up huge banners outside Lam's school saying that she sets a bad example and is poisonous to school kids. Such personal public insults highly resemble the political prosecution of teachers during the Cultural Revolution in mainland China, as online publication Passion Times pointed out [zh] in their Facebook action call:
土共出動文革式批鬥，繼續攻擊仗義執言的林慧思老師。網民於零晨時分發現，林慧思任教的寶血培靈學校門外，到處掛上譴責性標語，要求辭退林老師。手法有如黑幫追數，對全校師生造成嚴重滋擾！
The Hong Kong communists now use the political tactics of the Cultural Revolution, attacking teacher Lam Wai-sze in public. Some netizens saw many huge banners were hung outside Lam Wai-sze's school, demanding the school sack Lam. Such kind of threat is also similar to mafia bullying of their targets. Their act has certainly harassed the teachers and the students of the school.
In addition to the anonymous public attack, the Junior Police Officer Association (JPOA) and the Police Inspectors’ Association (HKPIA) jointly issued a statement at the end of July condemning Lam for insulting the police. Then on August 4, two pro-Beijing organizations, the Parent's Association of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Actions, an organization formed by retired police officers, held an assembly in Mongkok to show support for the police and admonish Lam Wai-sze.
Lam's supporters reacted by gathering at the same spot, shouting the same four letter words that got the teacher in trouble to the pro-Beijing assembly organizers.
As if the issue wasn't hot enough, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong C.Y Leung added fuel to the fire on August 11 by urging the Education Bureau to hand in an official report on Lam's case and the regional crime squad of the police, a police unit for serious criminal offenses, also received order to investigate into Lam's case for “obstruction of police officer in the execution of duty”.
The public statement issued by Association for the Advancement of Feminism explained the political nature of the chief executive's speech:
梁以上的言論營造了行使言論自由去批評政府的市民是要承受後果的影響，借指責該市民挑戰警權及警方執法，便會面對可能失去工作﹑被審查 […] 高調要求教育局局長就一名老師在非工作時間對警員講粗口一事遞交報告，是製造白色恐怖，意圖監控及侵犯專業教師的言論自由。梁這些偏頗的言論及行為， 證明他完全沒有關注市民大眾所關注的事，也沒有把香港的利益放在首位。 梁在八月十一日發表言論後市民及社會輿論一致表示不滿，但政府仍然一意孤行發出聲明表示要就林老師事件遞交報告，而警方更不分輕重把講粗口這行為列作重案組處理範圍內，怎能不令市民對政府管治、警方中立性，以及香港的前途信心大失！
Leung's speech told the public that they would bear the consequences for exercising their freedom of speech if they criticize the government. He condemned the citizen for challenging police authority and suggested that such action will make her lose her job and subjected to an investigation […] His high-sounding request that the chief of the Education Bureau should hand in the report regarding a teacher argument with police during non-working hours is a kind of white terror. The intention is to monitor and infringe teachers’ freedom of speech. His actions and his speech show that he pays no attention to public concerns and the interests of Hong Kong. People and public opinion found his speech on August 11 outrageous, but he still issued an official statement demanding the report on Lam's behavior from the Education Bureau. In addition, the police decided to go after [the incident] through the regional crime unit. How can people not be losing confidence in the government, the neutrality of the police, and the future of Hong Kong?

author: Oiwan Lam


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Spanish Government’s Complaint Box Causes Boomerang Effect · Global Voices
Elena Arrontes

The Spanish Minister of Employment and Social Security, Fátima Bañez, has launched [es] a “complaint box” to combat workplace fraud. The government is encouraging citizens to anonymously report cases of fraud committed by companies and individual workers for further investigation by the Office of Labor Inspection.
Cartoon by J.R Mora. Used with permission.
The “box” is a publicly accessible online form [es] on the Ministry's website.
The move has sparked controversy in the blogosphere and on social networks, and created a boomerang effect against the Spanish government: the first complaints received through the new system were directed at the government itself and members of the political sphere, not at ordinary citizens as intended. Once again, the people have demonstrated their wit and humor while responding to government action.
The main criticism of the complaint box is that with it the government aims to make citizens into “snitches,” creating an accusatory climate that is more like an authoritarian system than a democracy. Critics also say that its real goal is to persecute the most vulnerable people in society instead of going after the country's wealthiest citizens tax evasion or alleviating unemployment.
The contradiction has not gone unnoticed: that those claiming to combat fraud are part of a government overwhelmed by massive corruption scandals and suspected of illegal financing of its party, the ruling People's Party (PP).
Journalist Antonio Maestre wrote a complaint, using the new box, against the Secretary-General of the PP, María Dolores de Cospedal, and on Twitter he invited followers to follow in his footsteps:
El link al buzón de empleo para que hagáis una denuncia anónima como la mía. O a vuestro ingenio. http://t.co/LjY0rSgP8q
— Antonio Maestre (@AntonioMaestre) August 6, 2013
The link to the employment box so you can make an anonymous complaint like mine. Or one of your own invention. http://t.co/LjY0rSgP8q
— Antonio Maestre (@AntonioMaestre) August 6, 2013
Screenshot of complaint submitted by Antonio Maestre
Economist Ignacio Trillo also published images of the complaints that he submitted on the Ministry's site against senior People's Party officials and he displayed them on his blog with the following comment:
No hay que ser meridianamente inteligente para interpretar que esta iniciativa de Báñez, que cada vez cuenta en su Departamento con menos inspectores de Trabajo para estas tareas de inspección y control del fraude laboral, en contra de lo que se presume, no va destinada prioritariamente a descubrir y penalizar al malvado empresario explotador que mantiene a su plantilla de personal sin seguros sociales o pagándole en negro (…).Por el contrario, se trata de enfrentar, entre ellos, a las principales víctimas principales de la crisis, trabajadores y también entre pequeños autónomos, mientras más se encuentren en la escala inferior, mejor, como los que cobran ridículas prestaciones como los 420 euros al mes como único ingreso del Plan Prepara de su Ministerio, destinado a desempleados de larga duración que han finalizado la cobertura del desempleo y a los que la derecha, para más deshonra de los afectados, considera unos vagos por no encontrar o querer, como dicen, un puesto de trabajo.
One doesn't have to be overly intelligent to understand that this initiative of Báñez's, who has fewer and fewer labor inspectors in her Department doing this kind of workplace inspection and fraud monitoring, in contrast to what has been claimed, is not primarily aimed at discovering and penalizing the wicked exploitative businessman who doesn't provide his staff with social security or pays them under the table… On the contrary, it will affect, among others, the main and primary victims of the crisis, workers and the self-employed, the lower on the scale the better, like those who receive ludicrous benefits, like the 420 euros per month from her Ministry's PREPARA Plan, as the only income going to the long-term unemployed who have run out of unemployment benefits, and those that the right, to disrespect the affected even more, call lazy for not finding or wanting, in their words, a job.
Meanwhile, others have questioned the legality of this tool. Blogger Myriam Sánchez Nocea, a legal professional, gave an overview of the Spanish law on her blog Recursos Humanos y Derechos [es]:
Denunciar a alguien ; no sólo porque puede dar lugar a venganzas, revanchas,….; sobre todo es peligroso porque:
¿Pero tenemos tod@s la formación jurídica necesaria para ello?. Me podrán decir que sólo se pide al ciudadano que señale que  “hay algo que no le cuadra”.
Vale, es verdad. Pero ¿y si la denuncia conllevara la suspensión cautelar de la prestación hasta que el organismo administrativo correspondiente termine la investigación?.
-  en empleado público. ¿Acabaremos en una sociedad de espías y espiados?. ¿Trabajaremos gratis para el poder?.
Complaining against someone gives the whistle-blower a very dangerous power; not only because it can lead to revenge, retribution…; above all it's dangerous because:
-it gives the average citizen the power to interpret the laws. But do we all have the legal training for that? I would say that it asks the citizen to point out only that “something doesn't sit right.”
Okay, it's true. But what if the complaint leads to the cautionary suspension of a benefit until the relevant authority finishes its investigation?
- It turns the citizen into a “law enforcement officer,” in the public employ. Will it lead to a society of spies and those spied upon? Will we work for free in the service of power?
In a recent article, online newspaper El Diario.es [es] pointed out that even the law of Management of Labor Inspection specifies that “No anonymous complaints will be taken into consideration.” The government has defended itself, saying that the new measure deals with notifications more than complaints.
The blog Los Rábanos por las hojas [es] used irony to register its disapproval:
Para la ministra de Empleo, Fatima Bañez “el Estado de bienestar español y las conquistas sociales alcanzadas” están en peligro. Y no, la crisis no tiene la culpa. La gran amenaza se llama fraude laboral y, ante tamaño desafío, la ministra ha recurrido a un arma inesperada: el chivatazo ciudadano.
For employment minister Fatima Bañez “the Spanish welfare state and its social achievements” are in danger. And no, the crisis is not to blame. The major threat is labor fraud and, facing such a challenge, the minister has resorted to an unexpected weapon: the citizen snitch.
While at first reactions on the net mainly made fun of this new approach against workplace irregularities, efforts are now focusing on complaining about the controversial box and demanding its shutdown [es].

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Elena Arrontes


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VIDEO: Caracas’ Tower of David, the World’s Tallest Slum · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

VocativVideo has produced a video about Venezuela's ‘Tower of David’, an unfinished 45-story building taken over by squatters in the 1990s:
The tower was originally intended to be a symbol of Caracas’ bright financial future, complete with a rooftop helipad, but construction stopped because of a banking crisis and the sudden death of the tower's namesake, David Brillembourg.
Today, as the government is grappling with a citywide housing shortage, the tower is a stark monument to what could have been in the country's crime-plagued capital. The tower is dogged by accusations of being a hotbed of crime, drugs and corruption. But to residents, many of whom have spent their entire lives there, it's just home.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Amina Leaves Femen Because of “Islamophobia” · Global Voices
Marie Bohner

Amina, the Tunisian activist released from jail early August, left the Femen movement. She accused Femen of “Islamophobia”.  Femen confirmed online that:
FEMEN confirms its break with the Tunisian activist Amina Tyler because of differences of opinion on tactics in the Islamic countries (…) FEMEN calls for new heroines who are able to fight for their courage to shake the rotten foundation of Islamist world. Freedom for women of the East!”
Amina Sboui posted this picture online on the Femen website. Credit Creative Common License Manolofreira
Amina published another topless picture on the Femen's website on August 15th, before expressing her decision to leave the movement. All this turmoil does not really help a clearer reading of Femen's objectives.

author: Marie Bohner


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Assad Accused of Dropping Chemical Bombs on Damascus Suburb Al Ghouta · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian opposition activists accuse Bashar Al Assad's forces of killing hundreds of people, mostly children and women, reportedly with nerve gas, in the Ghouta region, east of Damascus, Syria, on the morning of August, 21, 2013.
Horrible footage of dying (and dead) children are plastered across social media, calling for the world to break its silence on the atrocities being committed against civilians in Syria.
On Greater Syria, Enas, a Syrian in Amman, Jordan, writes:
At around 3:00 a.m. in the morning, regime’s forces fired rockets with chemical heads on Zamallaka and on Al Zainia area in Ein Turma. Jobar district was slightly affected by as the gases were driven to it by the wind. A big number of civilians were consequently subjected to the gases, leading to the martyrdom of tens of them. Up until now, primary reports from makeshift hospital of Arbeen (where victims were taken) report 41 martyrs fell (22 children, 11 women, 8 men), 5 other martyrs were taken to Douma, 40 martyrs documented by videos in Saqba, and at least 20 martyrs inside Ein Turma itself. Most activists report that death toll amounts to more than a 100 up until now. Many of the martyrs are children, seen in videos below suffocating to death.
Enas's post provides links to photographs and videos [Warning: Graphic] showing the unfolding tragedy.
Enas adds:
Symptoms of the patients include nausea, hallucinations, suffocation, hard coughing, high blood pressure, seizures, during affection and post-death gargle, etc. Still, no clue of the chemical weapon/toxic gas that was used by the regime’s forces to target the innocent civilians.
Families are fleeing the targeted areas to Saqba and several other nearby areas as reported by activists there as they are utterly horrified. Activists also report the lack of Atropine that is usually used to treat civilians during chemical attacks by the regime; oxygen tanks are not available too. Medics are only using vinegar to the mouth and nose and are washing the bodies of the victims by water.
The number of those killed has been on the rise since. Hala Droubi offers another toll:
Actvsts in #EastGhouta #Damascus #suburbs say at least 400 were killed during morning #chemicalagent attacks, includn kids. #Syria.
— hala droubi (@haleloola) August 21, 2013
And others put the toll at over 635 so far:
#BREAKING | NOW over 635 killed by Chemical Gas Attack on #Damascus Suburbs, mostly woman/children. The world's silence is killing Syria..
— TheNewSyria (@The_New_Syria) August 21, 2013
Mohannad shares a photograph from a field hospital in Daraya, where he says there isn't room to treat more of those injured:
Field hospital in Daraya doesn't even have enough room to treat the injured. #CWMassacre pic.twitter.com/PMlUKAaAVb
— MohaNNad أبو مازن (@TheMoeDee) August 21, 2013
And he challenges the media to break the wall of silence on atrocities being committed in Syria:
If the media doesn't want to speak up then we will. We will never be silent.
— MohaNNad أبو مازن (@TheMoeDee) August 21, 2013
Enas shares her pain:
I haven't slept as I sit down & watch the videos & cry my heart out.I can't do anything as I'm far.Forgive me,my families.#CWMassacre #SYRIA
— Enas (@itsEnas) August 21, 2013
She adds that the bombing followed the victims, taken to nearby Erbin, for treatment:
BREAKING:#Assad shelling Arbin where sm victims of CW were taken- #DamascusSuburbs http://t.co/W1ahfEVMBM #CWMassacre #AnewMassacreinSyria
— Enas (@itsEnas) August 21, 2013
Assad's official Syrian news agency said the allegations were designed to derail an ongoing United Nations (UN) inquiry. This week, an UN inspection team arrived in Syria to start an investigation into charges of chemical weapons, which each side has accused the other of numerous times in the two-year conflict.
For more on the tragedy, follow the hashtag #CWMassacre on Twitter.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bicycles in Vietnam · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Karen Hewell and Marc Forster-Pert featured some of the common bicycles used in Vietnam such as the mountain bike, the Thong Nhat GN-03 model, 1930 Calla, Surly’s ‘Karate Monkey’, Mumar M-2 Sportbike, and the racer.

author: Mong Palatino


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Death Threats Follow Cartoonist Latuff’s Criticism of Brazil’s Military Police · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
A comment by cartoonist Carlos Latuff [en] on his Facebook about the recent case of the suspected murder of two military police officers by their own 13 -year-old son elicited immediate reactions on social networks, including death threats.
Known for [en] “defending human rights through his cartoons composed of simple strokes and acidic humor”, Latuff wrote on his Facebook profile on August 6, 2013:
Garoto mata seu pai, que era policial da ROTA…esse menino precisa de duas coisas: atendimento psicológico e uma medalha.
A boy kills his father, that was a ROTA cop… this boy needs two things: psychological treatment and a medal.
He mentions the primary suspect of the murder of four adult members of the same family from Vila Brasilandia in Sao Paulo is a 13-year-old boy who is thought to have committed suicide after the crime on August 5, 2013. The boy's father was the sergeant of the elite troop of Sao Paulo military police known as ROTA [en] (an acronym for Tobias de Aguiar's Ostensive Rounds, in Portuguese) with a reputation for killing indiscriminately, and his mother was a corporal of the military police. The maternal grandmother and aunt of the child were also found dead near the family home.
The Sao Paulo Department of Homicide and Protection of Civil Police Personnel is investigating the controversial case.
At a time when the debate about demilitarizing [en] Brazil's military police has deepened following massive protests [en] that overwhelmed the streets of the country in June 2013, Latuff's cartoons criticizing police action are frequent.
In a Facebook post on August 7, Latuff reacted to the threats he received:
Ao longo dos meus 23 anos de profissão como cartunista já fui detido três vezes por desenhar contra a truculência da polícia brasileira, e já recebi inúmeras ameaças, seja de judeus sionistas por conta de minhas charges em favor dos palestinos, seja de extremistas muçulmanos pelas minhas charges sobre a questão egípcia e síria. Portanto, ameaças fazem parte do meu trabalho.
During my 23 years of as a professional cartoonist I have been arrested three times for drawing against the brutality of the Brazilian police, and I have already received countless threats, whether from Zionist Jews because of my cartoons in favor of the Palestinians, or from Muslim extremists for my cartoons about the Egyptian and Syrian situation. Therefore, threats are a part of my work.
But now, military police and their followers have started to threaten the cartoonist with death on social networks and Latuff believes that he is in danger.
Screenshot of the profile of one of the military police officers that threatened Latuff on Facebook: “If I come across him, I put him down (…) the place for people like him is the ditch”.
Revista Fórum (Forum Magazine) lists a series of threatening comments made against Latuff in the Facebook page of ROTA, including:
Se vc apoia esse lixo é terrorista igual e se é terrorista, tem mais é que morrer, lixo.
The same magazine got a statement from the cartoonist in which he affirmed that the phrase was a “provocation”:
Esse tema é tabu. Não podemos tratar da violência policial no Brasil. Vivemos em um Estado policial, e nesse Estado você não pode ser crítico, senão é ameaçado.
This issue is taboo. We can't talk about police violence in Brazil. We live in a police state, and in this state you can't be a critic, or else be threatened.
“For significant rendered services.” Latuff's engaging artwork, denouncing the crimes of the military police and the elite police force ROTA. Cartoon by Carlos Latuff, free use.
On his Facebook, on August 6, he said he did not feel intimidated and reaffirmed:
Quem conhece meu trabalho sobre a violência policial, sabe bem o que penso sobre a atuação das polícias no Brasil e lá fora. Sou coerente com o que acredito.
Those who know my work about police violence know well what I think about the actions of the police in Brazil and abroad. I am consistent with what I believe.
Even so, the following day the cartoonist made known the actual danger that he is in, making the Brazilian state responsible for whatever may happen to him:
Dessa vez, com as redes sociais, estas ameaças são potencializadas, graças a comunidades relacionadas a organizações policiais, que reúnem não só membros ativos das forças de repressão, como também simpatizantes com perfil fascista, anti-comunista, anti-petista, machista e homofóbico. É sabido que dois desses perfis, Fardados e Armados e Rondas ostensivas tobias de aguiar “Rota” estão incitando seus membros a tomarem ações violentas contra mim. E é bem possível que isso aconteça, afinal de contas, a polícia mata! Não seria eu o primeiro, e muito menos o último. Essa é a característica de nossas polícias, de nosso estado. E se acontecer, que sejam responsabilizados os administradores destas comunidades e o estado brasileiro.
This time, with social networks, these threats are potent, due to the communities linked to police organizations, that bring together not only active members of the forces of repression, but also sympathizers with fascist, anti-communist, anti-Worker's Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores), chauvinist, and homophobic profiles. It is known that two of these profiles, Fardados e Armados  (Uniformed and Armed) e Rondas ostensivas tobias de aguiar “ROTA” are encouraging their members to take violent action against me. And it is very possible that it will happen, after everything, that the police will kill. I wouldn't be the first, and certainly not the last. This is characteristic of our police, of our state. And if this happens, those responsible will be the administrators of these communities and the Brazilian state.
“The Reaja (React) Campaign supports Carlos Latuff, directly from Bahia that bleeds from a police force that kills. For the end of the Military Police!” Campaign for the end of the Military Police, utilizing the threats made against cartoonist Carlos Latuff. Art about Latuff's cartoon, free use.
Various organizations have demonstrated their solidarity, such as the Movement of Homeless Workers (MTST, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto), Mothers of May (Mães de Maio) and the Unified Socialist Workers’ Party (PSTU, Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado), which also selected a series of threats posted on social networks against the cartoonist. Messages of support from individuals and social and political organizations, including [en] from abroad [sb], “filled the inbox” of the author.
The Diário Liberdade (Liberty Daily) republished the letter disseminated by Latuff and professed its support for the cartoonist. The Catarse communication collective declared Latuff “an artist and a person fundamental to the defense of human rights in Brazil, and also in the many other countries where his work has reached and influenced.”

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Chile’s Presidential Campaigns Mum on ‘Mapuche Conflict’  · Global Voices
Javiera Munoz

During the past months, Chile's social Web has buzzed as the country's competing political coalitions have vied to win the people's vote for president in the upcoming elections on November 17, 2013. Leading up to Chile's first government-run primary elections on June 30 for the country's two most important political coalitions – New Majority and Alliance for Chile – presidential nominees took on the issues of education, crime, unemployment and gay marriage during several debates in an effort to woo voters.
But notably absent from the debates was any discussion of the unresolved “Mapuche conflict”, the name given to the clashes between the Chilean state and the Mapuche indigenous communities, which have experienced an escalation of deadly violence recently.
The seeming total irrelevance of the conflict in the political scene and in presidential debates has become a source of concern for the public.
The Mapuche indigenous communities have been claiming a series of demands after the return to democracy in 1990, namely jurisdictional autonomy (territorial law) [es], ancestral land recovery and cultural identity. The fight for their ancestral land against  has at times devolved into physical struggles, marked by clashes with police forces.
Website Políticas Públicas (Public Politics) (@cppdi) [es] referred to the absence of the Mapuche issue in the presidential debates of the political coalitions:
Chile. “Mapuche”. Tema ausente en debates presidenciales Concertación y Derecha. (“Lo que no está en portada de los medios, no existe”)
— Políticas Públicas (@ceppdi) June 14, 2013
Chile. “Mapuche”. A missing topic in the presidential debates of the Concertación (Left) and Right. (“Whatever doesn't make it to front-page news doesn't exist”)
This situation became more notorious as the different candidates presented their concrete proposals.
The live-streamed politics show KenaDieCalle (@Kena dcDieCalle) [es] highlighted:
“Es importante que la lucha mapuche sea parte de las discusiones de lxs candidatxs presidenciales” dice #JorgeArrate en @KenaDieCalle
— KNC (@KenaDieCalle) August 15, 2013
“It is important to include the Mapuche struggle in the discussion among presidential candidates” says Jorge Arrate on @KenaDieCalle.
Políticas Públicas (@cppdi) [es] also published a picture of the Alliance's former candidate Pablo Longueira, who resigned [es] to his candidacy due to health issues, and questioned:
Temporada de elecciones: candidatos con manta mapuche http://t.co/F9eJQCR0rc ¿Y qué proponen para cumplir derechos p. indigenas?
— Políticas Públicas (@ceppdi) June 23, 2013
Elections season: candidates with Mapuche poncho http://t.co/F9eJQCR0rc And what are they proposing to fulfill the rights of the indigenous?
Furthermore, actress Blanca Lewin (@blancalewin) [es] quoted Longueira and referred to the law that “strengthens public order guardianship” [es] commonly known as “Hinzpeter Law“, a law that seeks harsher punishments for protesters.
“Longueira ofreció feriado por año nuevo mapuche http://t.co/upJVQnXUae” // por qué no dejan de aplicarles la ley hinzpeter mejor?
— Blanca Lewin (@blancalewin) June 22, 2013
Longueira offered a holiday to celebrate the Mapuche New Year http://t.co/upJVQnXUae // instead, why don't you refrain from enforcing the Hinzpeter Law?
Caco Saavedra (@Cacosaavedra) [es] shared some photos of the former Alliance candidates, the above-mentioned Pablo Longueira and Andrés Allamand:
Una típica de tiempo de elecciones: disfrazado de mapuche y con la guagua [bebé] al hombro. pic.twitter.com/uvScfoAMA2
— Caco Saavedra (@Cacosaavedra) June 23, 2013
Typical of elections season: dressed as a Mapuche and carrying a baby.
And the Mapuche Indigenous account (@MapucheNL) [es] defined “Politicking”:
Hacer Política es: Mentir al pueblo durante las elecciones, en especial en Chile en cuanto los Mapuche // #Mapuche #Chile
— Mapuche Indigenous (@mapucheNL) August 14, 2013
Politicking is: Lying to the people during the elections, especially when it comes to the Mapuche in Chile
Pedro Cayuqueo (@pcayuqueo) [es], a Mapuche journalist who is currently the director of the news outlets Azkintuwe [es] and Mapuche Times [es] and a columnist in several national and local media, has written constantly about the absence of indigenous issues during the presidential campaign.
In “This hut called Chile” [es], a chronicle published by the national newspaper The Clinic [es] and republished in Azkintuwe, Cayuqueo talks with disappointment about the little importance that's given to the Mapuche people:
Tal vez lo más destacado –y triste a la vez- es que una vez más comprobamos que el tema mapuche no existe en la política nacional. No sin nada quemándose, aclaro. O alguien.
Maybe the most outstanding thing – and the saddest too – is that we once more realize that the Mapuche agenda doesn't exist in national politics. Not unless something is burning, of course. Or someone.
Cayuqueo reasserts this idea through his Twitter account:
Pedro Cayuqueo: “La ausencia del tema indígena en las presidenciales ha sido una decepción absoluta” http://t.co/KpqNFZJsI1
— Pedro Cayuqueo (@pcayuqueo) July 24, 2013
Pedro Cayuqueo: “The absence of an indigenous agenda in the presidential campaign has been a complete disappointment” http://t.co/KpqNFZJsI1
A banner reads “The Mapuche resistance doesn't negotiate.” Photo by Carol Crisosto Cadiz on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The issue was further exacerbated after the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, Ben Emmerson, visited Chile.
At a press conference [es], Emmerson urged the Chilean state to implement a national strategy that addresses the “Mapuche conflict” and to do something about the impunity surrounding the deaths of Mapuche by the military. He also recommended to put an end to the endorsement of the anti-terrorist law because, in his own words: “Chile is not dealing with a significant terrorist threat to its territory”.
The Chilean anti-terrorist law was created during Augusto Pinochet's rule and was widely used during the 17 years of dictatorship. It allows military courts to judge civilians and until recently, it allowed the use of “protected” witnesses whose testimonies were heard and recorded anonymously.
Under the anti-terrorism law, for example, Mapuche activists have faced prison sentences of up to ten years for “arson” or “threats of arson” in land disputes. Human Rights Watch has declared that the “government's recourse to anti-terrorism statutes to deal with organized Mapuche communities has brought restrictions on due process rights that are not justified by the alleged offenses.”
According to Emmerson, the application of the anti-terrorist law “has turned into part of the problem and not the solution”.
The Mapuche Community of Temucuicui [es] from Tirúa county published a statement [es] where they thanked and agreed with Emmerson's vision. Here we underline points 2 and 3:
[…]
2. Lo anunciado por el Relator Especial concuerda con lo que la Comunidad Autónoma de Temucuicui ha venido señalando desde hace años: que el uso de la ley antiterrorista sólo pretende criminalizar las justas demandas políticas, culturales y territoriales del Pueblo Nación Mapuche y su aplicación obedece a una práctica de persecución política por parte del Estado Chileno…
3. Cabe señalar que en el territorio mapuche NO HAY TERRORISMO y que los hechos de violencia o delictuales que acusa el Estado de Chile respecto de personas mapuche tienen un trasfondo histórico que nada tiene que ver con temas judiciales. Es el propio estado chileno el que ha generado la violencia mediante la usurpación histórica del territorio mapuche y su reducción a lo que son actualmente las comunidades mapuche.
[…]
2. What the Special Rapporteur announced is aligned with what the Temucuicui Autonomous Community has been saying for years: that the enforcement of the anti-terrorist law only serves to criminalize the political, cultural and territorial demands of the Mapuche Nation and its application is actually political persecution by the Chilean State…
3. It is worth noting that there is NO TERRORISM in the Mapuche territory and that the violence and crimes that the State of Chile accuses Mapuches of have a historic background that has nothing to do with judicial affairs. It is the same Chilean state that has generated such violence with the historic encroachment of the Mapuche territory and its reduction to what are now know as Mapuche communities.

author: Javiera Munoz


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‘Dark Is Beautiful’ Campaign Questions India’s Skin Colour Prejudices · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

A movement in India promoting the beauty of all skin colours is pushing back against the country's obsession with fair skin.
‘Dark is Beautiful‘, founded by a group of women in 2009, has picked up steam in 2013 especially since award-winning actor-director Nandita Das has become the face of the campaign. Das, who has spoken out against the bias against dark skin in recent years, has been actively promoting the cause in interviews on social media and with mainstream media.
The desire in India for lighter skin is fueled by a widespread belief that dark-skin is ugly and inferior. Not only is fair skin perceived to be a key definer of beauty, but also seen to be an essential element of self-confidence, success, and happiness.
And brands have been quick to tap into this fervor, selling creams, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, and personal hygiene washes promising skin-bleaching. The so-called fairness industry brings in more than 400 million US dollars per year, more than the sale of Coca-Cola and tea in India, according to The Atlantic magazine. One Facebook app promoting a skin-lightening product caused controversies a few years ago (See Global Voices report).
In fact, the Bengali community in India has come to finely grade the complexion scale, never mind that the rest of the world sees bulk of Indians as being brown-skinned. So, you could find mentions of ‘very fair’, ‘pale fair’, ‘doodhe-aalta’ (a peculiar Bangla term used to describe a rosy complexion, a pink obtained when a drop of red paint is added to milk), ‘wheatish complexion’, ‘bright and glowing fairness’, to dusky, ‘ujjwal shyambarna’ (again a peculiar term, referring to the dark skin with bluish-grey hue, generally seen in Vishnu/Krishna iconography) right down to ‘koochkooche kaalo’ or the coal-dark skin.
Recently however, calls to do away with the skin colour prejudices, move toward a more inclusive definition of beauty, and uncouple concepts such as confidence and success from skin colour have been growing. The campaign ‘Dark is Beautiful’, explains why a change is needed:
Dark is Beautiful is an awareness campaign that seeks to draw attention to the unjust effects of skin colour bias and also celebrates the beauty and diversity of all skin tones.
Launched in 2009 by Women of Worth, the campaign challenges the belief that the value and beauty of people (in India and worldwide), is determined by the fairness of their skin. This belief, shaped by societal attitudes and reinforced by media messages, is corroding the self-worth of countless people, young and old.
Indian Actor-Director Nandita Das has spoken up against skin colour bias in the Indian society. Image from the Facebook page of the “Dark Is Beautiful” Campaign
The campaign is being promoted actively across social media and has caught the eye of mainstream media.
On Twitter, their message was loud and clear:
Say NO to Stupidity and Colourism… http://t.co/NiWGttKykl
— Dark is Beautiful (@disbcampaign) August 10, 2013
As part of the campaign, a video was released on 15 August, 2013 calling on Indians to “celebrate Independence Day with 1.2 billion shades of beautiful”.
Here is a video uploaded by “Dark Is Beautiful” campaign celebrating the diversity of skin colours in India:
The campaign has generated a lot of discussion online. Tweets reflected some of the thoughts – ranging from debates about attitudes towards fairness and fairness products to hopes that the campaign will be able to change the way people view beauty for the better and start a conversation that will help alleviate prejudices related to skin colour.
From Kolkata, Sandip Roy (@sandipr), culture editor at Firstpost.com, wrote:
66 years after Independence India still craves Fair and Lovely, not Dark is Beautiful. David vs Goliath story http://t.co/QU1bCcWkP6 via @kalw
— Sandip Roy (@sandipr) August 14, 2013
Computer engineer, management consultant and global health professional Parul Batra (@parul_batra) reminded Twitter that fairness products are big money-makers:
Fairness cream market is $432M in India, larger than coca cola and tea. Let's get over this silly obsession. Support http://t.co/A4fZGZDK8h
— Parul Batra (@parul_batra) August 16, 2013
From Mumbai, film director Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) blamed advertisements too:
Are fairness creams just satisfying a demand? Y does their advertising then try n make u feel bad about ur skin color?They r creating demand
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) August 13, 2013
From Delhi, journalist and tech writer Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) tweeted:
Darkness creams involve fair criticism. Fairness creams are best handled with dark humour
— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) August 19, 2013
Cognitive Dissonance (@_HJ86) from Mumbai pointed to the hypocrisy of fairness cream ads:
We live in a world where fairness cream is marketed aggressively and expect people not to be racist about colour @madversity
— Cognitive Dissonance (@_HJ86) August 19, 2013
From Trivandrum, Lilly (@lillyvgp) has high hopes:
I sincerely hope Nandita Das’ ” Dark is beautiful. Stay unfair campaign” becomes a great success so at least my grandkids won't face racism.
— Lilly (@lillyvgp) August 15, 2013
Skin color bias is an issue in India. Image by Zippora Madhukar Photography. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
The Dark is Beautiful campaign is also actively trying to engage with marketers and brands of fairness products, calling upon them to take down ‘unfair’ advertisements that imply that fair skin is a precursor to success. An online petition has been launched calling upon cosmetics company Emami to withdraw their latest commercial for Fair & Handsome cream featuring Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, who is brand ambassador for the product. According to the campaign leaders:
This petition is the latest initiative of the Dark is Beautiful campaign. Since 2009, the campaign has been challenging women and girls to see “Beauty Beyond Colour”. Now, with this change.org petition, we are speaking up for men and boys, who are also targets of “unfair” advertising.
You can get more details about the petition here. Follow the blog, Twitter and Facebook page of the campaign.

author: Aparna Ray


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Demolition for Progress? Tanzania’s Historical Buildings and Monuments Could Face Ax · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Can a poor nation transform into a middle-class nation while maintaining its identity, history and architectural heritage? Apparently not. This is according to Tanzania's former Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism and current Minister for Water Jumanne Maghembe.
Maghembe made this observation following the Citizen newspaper's revelation of his revocation of the Antiquities Declaration of Conservation Areas Notice No. 2006 on February 20, 2007, paving the way for the demolition of historical buildings and monuments.
He is quoted by the Citizen as saying:
As you are aware, we are transforming from a poor country into a middle income nation, and this cannot be realised by keeping old buildings intact.
The newspaper went on to note that iconic landmarks such as Askari Monument, Old Post office and Karimjee Hall are no longer protected.
The Askari Monument in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Photo released into the Public Domain by Wikipedia user Moongateclimber.
The Askari Monument is a memorial to the soldiers who fought in the British Carrier Corps in World War I., and Karimjee Hall is Tanzanian's former house of parliament.
Others are a building on the popular Samora Avenue that housed the office in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, of Angola’s first president Agostinho Neto during the independence struggle, Tanzania Publishing House, which was formerly a meeting point for southern African liberation leaders such as Agostinho Neto and Mozambique’s Samora Machel.
Historical structures that have already been demolished include MC George Building at the junction of Samora Avenue and Mkwepu Street in 2008.
MC George Building, built in 1901, originally housed a police officers’ mess during German colonial rule. It later served as the Tanzania head office of a German pharmaceutical company before housing the legendary Salamander Restaurant.
Reacting to the Citizen's article on Facebook page comment thread, Khatidja Dhala said she has lost faith in the government of Tanzania:
And the drama of TZ continues … I've lost faith in those who are in “charge”. This is awful. We are going to be living in a concrete / glass / ugly jungle with horrible buildings that will probably fall down cause they're built so quickly and cheap.
Patrick Wachira wondered how a PhD holder like Maghembe can make such an argument:
If that's the reasoning a person with a Phd is using, what hope do we have for the rest of parliament?. We should learn from China. Not all that's shiny and new is good for your country.
An artistic sketch by Sarah Markes of one of five buildings on Samora Avenue in Dar Es Salaam that was demolished on August 10, 2013. Illustration used with permission from Sarah Markes of http://darsketches.wordpress.com/
Over 30 people died in March 2013 after a new 16-story building collapsed in Dar es Salaam. Referring to that tragedy, Ahmed Salim wrote:
But its totally ok for a new building to collapse.
Sarah Markes, the author and artist behind Dar Sketches blog and book, wrote:
RIP light corner and the rest. very very sad indeed
Dar Sketches is a project initiated by artist and illustrator Sarah Markes. It is a celebration of the cultural and architectural heritage of Dar es Salaam as well as an effort to raise awareness of the threats to this heritage posed by rapid and unplanned urban development.
Aristotle Mang'ombo was left speechless:
Am jus[t] speechless and can't believe a minister would come and say what he jus[t] said in this paper. What a pity!
On Street Level Facebook page, referring to recently demolished Light Corner Building in the corner of Mkwepu and Samora Avenue, Sala Lewis wrote on August 18, 2013:
We just drove past this evening. So sad to see that building go.
Jason Rubens complained:
cos Dar [es Salaam] soooooo needs another crappy high-rise … ugh.
Lisa Purvis was sorry to hear about the demolition:
So sorry to hear this. What a beautiful building.
On Crime Alert for Dar Es Salaam Facebook page, users were also shocked and dismayed at the demolition exercise.
Kishan Gohen complained that all the government want is to make money from foreign investors:
No history no tourist no income, all they want is to make money by allowing foreign investor to invest n they receive hefty grant n not forgetting Hela ya chai [money for tea].
Gallus B Masama noted:
Shame… In no time Dar es Salaam will have no story to tell future generations!
However, Pat Pablo disagreed, arguing that history will be taken down in books, so no need to preserve the actual structures:
As time goes, we need to move our steps ahead, no need of old buildings to show in the future, history will be written on books
Mamdali Siwji echoed similar sentiment:
Old buildings have no place now as new developments needed now
The historical buildings are not part of Tanzanian's culture, said Andy Dale:
You don't understand, these buildings were erected by the hated colonial oppressor and have hostile names like McGeorge therefore they are not a part of Tanzania's history and so they must be destroyed for the good of post colonial poetry!
Finally, Ed Gabriél asked:
why does it have to be in the CBD [Commercial Business District]? developed countries always develop the undeveloped areas, they should build these skycrapers out of city center to make other CBDz

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Egypt: Caught Between a Zombie and a Bloodsucker! · Global Voices
Rayna St.

The current situation in Egypt is a challenge for everyone: diplomats, citizens and commentators. The army has used excessive force to disperse sit-ins where Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers were camped to support former president Mohamed Morsi. Illustrating this complex situation, Egyptian artist Ganzeer depicts the army as a vampire and Mohamed Morsi (impersonating the Muslim Brotherhood) as a zombie, highlighting:
One will eat your brains.The other will suck you blood.
“Caught between a zombie and a bloodsucker”. Art by Ganzeer.
Image is also available in Arabic.

author: Rayna St.


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Jamaica: “Sketch in Stories”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean has not been as acutely aware of sequential art/cartoon/ comics as a creative practice.
ART:Jamaica interviews one illustrator who is exploring the genre.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Killing of Jamaican Transgender Teen: Not Just Another Murder  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Does Jamaica recognise its own homophobia?  That is the question being discussed by two of the country's most prominent bloggers, following last month's murder of transgender teen Dwayne Jones.
Active Voice‘s Annie Paul, who was invited to be part of a panel discussing the killing on the BBC's popular radio programme World Have Your Say, was a bit incredulous about the perspective of a local religious leader who was also on the panel:
Bishop Bailey seemed not to realize that this particular gender war is about the freedom of gays/homosexuals to be open about their sexuality in Jamaica. His comments suggested that much ado was being made about nothing and he even asked if he was living in the same Jamaica the rest of us were talking about. His contention was that there are many homosexuals living and working in Jamaica peacefully and that most of the murders of gay people were by fellow gays. When Jalna [a lesbian who was also part of the panel] talked of the fear she felt at having threats directed at her when she had to walk on the street he asked how people knew she was a lesbian (!). This suggests that the good Reverend is unaware that the debate is about gays in Jamaica being able to ‘come out’ (of the closet) without being threatened with bodily harm.  Conform to gender norms of dress and behaviour he seems to be saying, and every little thing’s gonna be alright.
For Dwayne Jones, this was not the case.  Carolyn Joy Cooper, who blogs at Jamaica Woman Tongue, took issue with people's interpretation of the Bible when it comes to issues like cross-dressing and homosexuality:
The diabolical mob that murdered Dwayne Jones must have been made up of men and women who believe that cross-dressing is sinful behaviour. Deuteronomy 22:5 declares: ‘The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.’
The problem with applying the abomination rule to fashion is the indisputable fact that there is no universal standard of male and female dress. Gendered dress styles vary across cultures. In some parts of the world, men wear kilts and sarongs. They may look like skirts. But they are not ‘female’ dress.
The word ‘abomination’ turns up a lot in the Bible. But it’s not only homosexuality and cross-dressing that are abominations. There are lots of other sins that self-righteous fanatics conveniently forget. Adultery is an abomination. But if we were to stone adulterers to death in Jamaica, there would hardly be any of us left.
That primitive mob outside ‘Gyal-tego’ Bay was clearly very selective about their abominations. Their feet swiftly ran to mischief, shedding Dwyane’s innocent blood.
The “Gyal-tego” Bay she refers to in her post is apparently “the new name for Montego Bay in the twisted vocabulary of super-sensitive Jamaican males”.  She went on to explain:
And Mandeville is now ‘Gyal-deville’. It’s not a joke. It’s a very serious matter. Sexually insecure men are so fearful of appearing to be homosexual that they cannot go into a ‘man’ town or city. Only gyal.
It’s the same ‘reason’ bad man don’t eat guinep. Dem don’t suck seed. And, despite all the bravado, they don’t succeed in hiding their weakness. If you have to go to such extremes to reassure yourself that you are a real-real man, something must be fundamentally wrong.
It’s the fear of being tainted by homosexuality that drives irrational males to commit acts of violence against so-called sexual deviants.
The post explored the spaces within Jamaica in which it is “acceptable” to cross-dress:
Take, for instance, the patrons at Caribbean Fashion Week. For the last several years, two male cross-dressers come to the event and no one would think of attacking them. In fact, I’ve seen other patrons taking pictures with them. They are part of the fashion scene.
Some Jamaicans may be uncomfortable with this kind of masquerade. But Trinidad and Tobago is the land of mas. On Carnival Monday, cross-dressing men use pillows to create big buttocks and breasts. They wear wigs and dresses. It’s all playful. It’s not about an identity crisis. Men play women and women play men. And they even play themselves.
We don’t have to go all the way to Trinidad and Tobago to appreciate the arts of role play. We have our own forms of traditional masquerade and cross-dressing. Just think about jonkunnu. There was a time when jonkunnu maquerades were seen as an abomination. They were vulgar and sinful. In 1841, the Mayor of Kingston banned the ‘John Canoe’ parade – as the word was then spelled. The current spelling acknowledges the African elements in the ritual. The banning of the parade caused a riot. Angry revellers clashed with the Militia and the Mayor had to run for cover. He was forced to retreat to a ship in Kingston Harbour.
It’s a real tragedy that Dwayne Jones wasn’t so lucky.
Active Voice, meanwhile, was concerned about the media's – and by extension, the public's – reaction to Jones’ killing, making a clear point that “lynchings are NOT just any other murder”:
Nationwide’s Emily Crooks [said] that the world didn’t realize that the lack of reaction to Dwayne Jones’s murder was not to be read as homophobia but as the sign of a population inured and calloused to murder in general…as if a lynching is equivalent to the random murders that take place daily. According to her, the lack of outrage at his death was hardly exceptional for a population accustomed to 2-3 murders a day and he wasn’t the only child who had been murdered recently either, she added.
Crooks claim[s], like many others, that there is simply no difference between Dwayne’s murder and all the other horrible murders that happen regularly in Jamaica. This view is also very widespread on social media and for that matter in traditional media.
Human rights campaigners tried to point out that Dwayne Jones’s murder qualified as a ‘hate crime’ but this didn’t help either.  Many Jamaicans on social media were adamant that Jones’s death merited no special concern or attention.
So what’s going on here? Surely even an imbecile can see that there’s a difference between an ordinary murder and a lynching.
She brought up the case of a “horrific attack by a mob on a man and his daughter in Trelawny, in which the father was chopped to death, his daughter left severely injured and their house burnt to the ground” on the premise that they were related to someone suspected of having sodomized two boys who had drowned in a nearby river. (The police later reported no signs of sodomy):
THAT was a good occasion to talk about homophobia but did we? NO. We shoved it under the carpet, pretended that all was normal in good old Jamdown, and moved right along.
Similarly we know far more about Dwayne Jones, the family he came from, the circumstances of his abandonment at their hands, who his friends were, the kind of person he was, from international media. None of the media houses here considered it worth their while to humanize him by letting us know these details about him.  Contrast this with the killing of Tashanique James…the Gleaner[‘s] front page story, Outspoken child becomes victim of gunman’s bullet, showed us the human face of the little girl who had been so brutally cut down and then did a follow up story on the gang warfare that had resulted in her death.
No such consideration for Dwayne Jones. Not even though he died in extraordinary circumstances which in themselves merited front page coverage. But oh no, how dare you say this lack of media attention was because we’re homophobic? It’s just that the media can’t keep up with all the murders that take place here everyday.
Paul also bashed the media for a “sensational posthumous scoop” which shows Jones dancing:
It’s a measure of the dysfunctionality of our main media houses, and the class and gender biases they suffer from, that it took them three weeks to realize they had this stunning footage. This is how Jamaican media should have covered this terrible killing from the beginning.
The two bloggers ended on similar notes, calling for sensitivity to the issue and the courage to discuss it constructively.  Jamaica Woman Tongue said:
A 17-year-old child was slaughtered because he was only trying to play himself. His murderers must be brought to justice.
A mob is made up of individuals who choose to suspend responsibility for their actions. As a society, we cannot afford to follow suit. In this season, as we celebrate Emancipation and Independence, we must liberate ourselves from those biblical ‘abominations’ that threaten to turn us all into truly abominable brutes.
Active Voice simply threw out this question:
Are we ever going to give up the fondly held myth that Jamaica is an English-speaking, heterosexual, devoutly Christian nation of polite people who run fast and make great music? Your guess is as good as mine.


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Mike Tyson Challenged China’s Urban Law Enforcement Officers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson asked in Sina Weibo, China's most popular social media platform, “Who is the best fighter in China?”. A follower said Cheng-guan, China's urban law enforcement officers, who are notorious for managing the street by beating up street vendors. More from Offbeat China.


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PHOTOS: Record High Floods in Philippine Capital · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tropical storm Maring (international name Trami) caused record high floods in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Philippines which left 8 people dead, 41 injured, and 4 missing.
According to a government report, 125,348 families (602,442 persons) were affected by the storm. As of August 20 in the evening, 40,837 persons are still sheltered in 198 evacuation centers. The flood made 65 major roads impassable. About 415 areas in 68 municipalities/cities recorded flood cases. A total of 162 flights (59 international and 103 domestic) have been cancelled due to the storm.
Filipinos used the hashtag #maringPH and #floodPH to monitor the flood situation in Manila and nearby regions. Below are some photos on Twitter and Facebook which show the extent of the flooding disaster.
Image from World Vision
A flooded village south of Manila. Photo by @erwinlouis
Flood in Marikina, east of Manila. Photo from Facebook page of Prospero De Vera
Photo by YouScooper Jefferson Levie, from Facebook page of GMA News
A flooded university in Manila. Photo by Salina Teo, from the Facebook page of TomasinoWeb!
Knee-deep flood in Manila. Photo by Jam Sisante
Flood near the country's main business district. Photo by @siao88
Flood near Manila City Hall. Photo by Manila Bulletin
Flood in Guagua, north of Manila. Photo from Facebook page of The College Mirror
Flood in the old downtown of Manila. Photo by Philippine Star
Flood in Makati, the country's central business district. Photo by Ryan Chua


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VIDEO: “Mermaids of Timor-Leste”  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

“The making of WAWATA TOPU #35 -
Walking the sea.” Photo by Nuno Da Silva.
A film about four generations of fisherwomen striving to make a living in the coastal village of Adara, in the small island of Ataúro, Timor-Leste is soon to be released – but you can already have a glimpse on what is coming at the Facebook page Wawata topu (Women Divers):
Their daily lives, their economic practices and their vital concerns, as well as the contradicting discourses and social barriers they face, are shown in this ethnographic portrait that makes visible their critical contribution to the household economies and the fishing community at large. Their underwater dancing takes place in a context of rapid social change, where the generalization of the formal education, the progressive consolidation of western moral values and the potential openness of more attractive livelihoods not linked to the sea, seem to be forging a social negotiation of the household economic strategies initiated by the oldest generation during the 50´s.
Have a look at the trailer of Wawata Topu, by David Palazón and Enrique Alonso:
The Facebook page gathers several photos and videos of the making of, including the screening of the work in progress at the Adara village on June 1, 2013.

author: Sara Moreira


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Zambia Arrests Dozens After Secessionist Movement Appoints Local Leader · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

More than 45 members of a group agitating for the secession of Zambia’s Western Province have been arrested a few days after one of the prominent members of the movement was declared by the group to be the administrator general of the region.
After Afumba Mombotwa was sworn in as the first Administrator General in an act that was captured on video and posted on YouTube by Barotse Post, two government ministers, Geoffrey Mwamba for Defence and Edgar Lungu for Internal Affairs, rushed to the Western Province which the activists call by its pre-colonial name, Barotseland. The two ministers led  members of the defence forces in conducting routine security checks in some parts of the province.
Mombotwa, whose actions are being described as treasonous, was not one of those detained. His whereabouts remain unknown.
A screenshot from a YouTube video showing Afumba Mombotwa taking oath of office as the first Administrator General of Barotseland.
Declaring the end of the union of Zambia and Barotseland, Mombotwa said in the nine-minute clip:
[…] For all these years what has been missing in Barotseland was statehood. And the moment that which is missing is put in place, then Barotseland ceases to be a stateless nation. I believe some may be confronted with the question, what is the state? […] Whereas a nation is organic, state is artificial. It is something that is formed. Nation develops naturally.
Although the Barotzish entered into the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 in good faith, the Zambians merely intended to circumvent the Barotzish in order to rob them of their sovereignty. However, Barotsish should now rejoice because the time for domination and subjugation is no more […]
Although brewing for over 20 years, the Barotseland issue boiled over in 2011 when activists from the Lozi people there demanding the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 fought running battles with government forces in January 2011, resulting in a couple of deaths.
The 1964 Barotse Agreement gave formal recognition of the authority of the Litunga, king of the Lozi, whose predecessors signed agreements with explorers and colonial governments. These agreements entitled the kingdom to royalties from minerals mined from faraway Copperbelt Province.
Lozi loyalists started clamouring for the restoration of the agreement around 1992, just after the defeat of Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president who signed the agreement a few months before independence with the reigning Litunga at the time and the British government, the departing colonial authority.
In December 2012, President Michael Sata ordered soldiers to go and kill members of a group calling itself the Barotse Liberation Army. When the soldiers went to Western Province, they did not find these fighters.
What is not clear, however, is whether the Lozi Litunga, Imwiko Lubosi, is supportive of moves by his subjects to secede from the rest of Zambia. Internal Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu was quoted by state-owned media that security was beefed up at the palace in the provincial capital Mongu. Said Lungu:
I want to state for the record here that we shall provide all the security the Litunga needs in order to ensure continued stability in Western Province and the Litunga in particular.
One of the members of the newly appointed government narrated to the Barotse Post how his house was raided by Zambian security services:
Yes my house was invaded by Zambian criminal and lawless foreign security forces. I hear that they were hoping to find His Excellency Rt. Hon. Afumba Mombotwa in my house. However, I was away in Mongu at the time, as you may be aware that the raid happened the day after Rt. Hon. Afumba Mombotwa named our inaugural transitional government.
Commenting on YouTube to the swearing in ceremony of Mombotwa, Kabaso Nkandu simply wrote:
drama in my beloved nation
Sizyongo Munenge asked:
Whats the currency for Barotseland?

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Bradley Manning’s Sentence Could Chill Investigate Journalism · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement after Army Private First Class Bradley Manning's sentence was handed down on August 21, saying that the harsh treatment Manning endured since he was accused of violating the Espionage Act sent a disturbing message to anyone thinking about becoming a whistleblower. Manning was sentenced to 35 years of prison for leaking information that revealed that the U.S. military violated the Geneva Convention and that there was a much higher civilian death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan than previously disclosed to the press. Says Joel Simon, executive director of the CPJ:
Military prosecutors who pursued Manning aggressively sought a harsh sentence because of the message it sends to would-be leakers. As an organization dedicated to the defense of journalists and press freedom, we take a different view. This Manning prosecution combined with the Obama administration's overzealous pursuit of leakers sends an unequivocal chilling message to journalists and their sources, particularly on issues of national security that are of vital importance to the public.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Caribbean: Tumbling Into Art  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

ARC has a list of 21 Caribbean artists you should be following on Tumblr.


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East Port of Spain: A Pawn in Trinidad & Tobago’s Politics?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Stealing the headlines in Trinidad and Tobago of late has been a spate of murders in the eastern portion of the capital, Port of Spain, and a subsequent police raid on the area  that is leaving bloggers questioning what – if anything – was accomplished.
The Eternal Pantomime began this post by knocking the media for perpetuating criminal stereotypes:
After nearly a month of killings – Trinidad and Tobago began to notice that east of George Street was heating up again: Duncan and Nelson were at war and you could bank on hearing about at least two murders a day coming from that area.  The news media, getting their information from the police, never ventured beyond the formulaic description of ‘gang-related’ killing. We didn’t know what were the names of the gangs, or if the gangs were even from East Port of Spain…but you see, that doesn’t matter. This is Trinidad, where the myth is that all criminals are black and all black people are criminals. So the details don’t matter, just the big picture.
And it was the big picture the Police service was interested in on Sunday. Radio and Internet news headlines blared it out 90 Arrested in East Port of Spain Raid! Yuh see, they finally get their act together and doing something! Twelve arrested during the week and now, look, a whole 90 in one Sunday morning!
She maintained that the raid turned out to be useless, and compared it to the country's state of emergency in 2011:
The 300 (officers) literally descended onto Nelson and Duncan, and according to residents, few saw a search warrant. They simply looked on while doors were kicked down, possessions were strewn about and their loveds ones were carted away. Many on just suspicion…no evidence. Which is why today, just two days after the raid, 59 of the 90 arrested are back out on the streets. And all 12 men held for the murders last week are back home as well.
These past 2 days have been like SoE 2011 deja vu for anyone who happens to be black, from an urban community, and possibly from a single parent home…worse yet if you have dread locks. It is the second time in two years we have had a spike in the murder  toll lead to either a full fledged State of Emergency, or similar conditions.
This time around there was no official announcement of emergency conditions, no Kamla on tv nervously announcing from her kitchen that we under a limited state of nonsense, but the features were all there.
The blogger, Rhoda Bharath, then quipped:
Aware that several arms of the state – Police and Govt – now looking patently bad, there are rumblings from the police that they may re-arrest some of the released persons. Almost as if Sunday was a dry-run and later this week will be the real deal. Let’s hope they have evidence this time and not a ‘feeling’.
A Sterling Perspective, meanwhile, focused on the purpose behind a recent meeting that the government hosted in the affected area:
Coming out of the meeting Prime MInister Kamla Persad Bissesssar said she would reserve her response to the people but say that their most pressing concerns were a need for housing and jobs. As many times as I turn it over in my head I end up perplexed. Im like really? You have two dead teenagers and not one person in that community could have said what actually lead to their deaths, what they want is jobs and houses? Isn't there a bigger problem at hand here?
I wouldn't go so far as to say that low cost government housing schemes have failed but they do remain among this most violent communities in the country outside of the hot spots that border the capital. We have some housing projects, among the first built in the Capital by the State, two teenagers are gunned down within their walls in essence and what comes out of a meeting stemming from that is a call for houses and jobs – a bloody red herring if you ask me.
The blogger, Sterling Henderson, agreed with The Eternal Pantomime's take on the whole affair as “a pappy show”:
To compound that description there was a supposed media black out of the meeting, yet Government Information Services Limited had full access to the whole thing! So now it might be that the goings ons would be edited and packaged and presented by himself when the commentary was on himself, you get me?
In that vein, Bharath noted:
The Prime Minister is returning to East Port of Spain on Wednesday. She may dissolve into tears again. Following her loss in popularity, coupled with this spike in crime, she must feel the need to do some serious PR and cajoling.
Henderson continued his examination of the meeting:
Its (sic) like we're all acting without fear of impunity – criminals, politicians, citizens and media. It was so glaring a side step of the real issue that lead to the meeting that the prime minister was proud to say that Housing Development Corporation officials were on hand to address the concerns of the residents who called for housing assistance…the more I think about it the more vexing it all becomes.
The irony of the whole situation was not lost on The Eternal Pantomime:
…Every one is patently aware of why East Port of Spain is this way…a combination of neglect and total disrespect from regime after regime. But many of us don’t care. Once the crime not affecting us, is ok.
But briefly pandering to and then largely ignoring these areas has become a game…and if you were keeping score…you’d realise that everyone is tied at a big fat zero…except the ones that were murdered.


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Kyrgyz Press: Shocking Titles, Latest Tattle · Global Voices
Shakhnoza Isakova

In Kyrgyzstan, a small country of roughly five million people, rumors play a significant role in forming opinions and forecasting the future. Although Kyrgyzstan's Russian language media is often viewed as being more objective, the editors of the Kyrgyz language press have formidable networks, giving them plenty of opportunity to spill the gossip on whichever local politicians they have it in for.
Newspapers in the country's state language teem with mudslinging interviews, contrarian opinion pieces and reports on the latest movements in Kyrgyzstan's political underbelly. This month, for instance, a former Prime Minister was reported as having a young foal slaughtered in honor of a dinner guest famous for leading political uprisings, an event that occurred less than two months after the country's Attorney General allegedly spent five hours in a beauty salon as riots over a gold mine threw the country into chaos [GV]. Thanks to Gezitter.org – a blog that has been translating over 21 different Kyrgyz language newspapers into Russian since 2010 – there is now an online archive of political scandal for non-Kyrgyz speakers to trawl.
Disclaimer: Although some of the stories ending up on Gezitter.org may be nothing more than mere speculation, the Kyrgyz have a poignant proverb of the “no smoke without fire” kind: Жел болбой, чөптүн башы кыймылдабайт, meaning “if there is no wind, the grass will not sway.”
Gezitter.org translates the rumour mill into Russian (scan of Kyrgyz language newspapers taken from Gezitter.org)
A rather political dinner
Recently, much media attention has been focused on Kyrgyzstan's ex-Prime Minister, the founder of the Respublika party, Omurbek Babanov. Babanov has been quiet since being forced from his position as head of government following accusations that he accepted a racehorse as a bribe from a Turkish company last year. In mid-August, Kyrgyz-language newspapers such as Arena and Planeta began reporting [ru] that Babanov had treated Azimbek Beknazarov, the so-called “‘bulldozer of revolutions” in 2005 and 2010, to a friendly dinner in Kyrgyzstan's picturesque countryside.
The nomadic meal – horse meat boiled in milk – has been interpreted as a sign that Babanov may be ready to form an alliance with his rabble-rousing co-diner. Kyrgyz netizens, rarely indifferent to politics, weighed in with cynical comments:
Talas (Талас) wrote [ru] :
Два БАРАНА съели лошадку!
Two SHEEP [carrying a derogatory meaning equating to “numskulls”] ate a horse!
Ombre (Омбре) noted [ru]:
Думал, что Бабанов, хоть и грязный, но грамотный чувак. А теперь связался с Бекназаровым. Так низко опускаться не стоило…
I thought that Babanov, although dirty, was a competent man. And now he has contacted Beknazarov. He shouldn't have stooped so low.
Bish (Биш) recalled the equine bribe Babanov was accused of taking as Prime Minister [ru]:
Не тали лошадка из-за которого Бабуина выгнали из правительства?
Was it the same horse that Babanov was kicked out of government for?
While Bolot (Болот) tired of the gossip, emphasizing the human right to privacy [kyr]:
Ушакчы мушакчы болуп буттук, эмне барышты бир жерде конок болушту чайлашты экоосу тен оор салмактагы саясатчылар эмне алар олтурса же эс алса болбойбу? Баарыбыз ичебиз эт жейбиз, анын эмнеси бар мен тушунгон жокмун туалетке дагы ким ким менен барды жазайлы? болбойт адамдын жеке жашоосу сакталыш керек да […]
We are mired in gossip. So they went somewhere, had some food… they are both heavyweight politicians, don't they have a right to sit and have a rest? We all drink and eat meat, I don't understand what is special here? Let us then write about who went with whom to the toilet. The human right to privacy should be respected […]
Revolutionary beauty
When “Azattyk” [Kyrgyz language offshoot of RFE/RL] reporter Janar Akaev posted a photo of Attorney General Aida Salyanova‘s official car parked near a beauty salon during a political crisis in the country, the Kyrgyz language media kept the story spinning for weeks. Akaev originally wrote [kyr]:
[…] Менде эки суроо бар. 1) Өлкөдө, Жалал-Абад, Жети-Өгүздө кырдаал курчуп турган учурда өлкөнүн Башкы прокурору 5 (беш) сааттап салондо отурганы. 2) Бүгүн дүйшөмбү, кадыресе жумушчу күн. Башкы прокурор ошондо түштөн кийин жумушка 5 саат барган жок. Муну кандай түшүнсө болот?
I have two questions. 1) Why does the Attorney General spend five hours in a beauty salon while the situation in Jalal-Abad and Jeti-Oguz is heating up [GV]?
2) Today is Monday, a working day. The Attorney General is absent from work for five hours. How to understand?
Salyanova was panned by several newspapers, including the ever-sensational Maidan tabloid, who suggested [ru] the beauty salon was a metaphor for Salyanova's cushy place in a nefarious political elite, and gathered the views of outspoken MP Bodosh Mamyrova on the salon visit in an exclusive interview. Mamyrova spilled [ru]:
В принципе, раз она женщина, такая вещь тоже нужна. Но я сильно удивилась этой девушке, как ее сердце выдержало и она безмятежно сидела в салоне красоты, когда в стране, в Джалал-Абаде, Джеты-Огузе ситуация обострилась. Находиться на столь ответственной должности и в такой тяжелой ситуации… я бы не то что пойти в салон красоты, но и 5 минут дома не усидела бы.
In principle, she is a woman, and these things are necessary. But I am very surprised that this girl had the gall to visit a beauty salon while the situation in Jeti-Oguz and Jalal-Abad was boiling over. Given her high ranking position of responsibility and the gravity of the situation, I wouldn't be sitting at home for 5 minutes, let alone sitting in a beauty salon.
But reader's comments again reflected gossip-weariness. NKVD (НКВД) wrote [ru] under the Gezitter.org translation of another article on the Salyanova salon visit:
Вот если бы генпрокурора запечатлел, тогда вопросов не было, а так машину и не факт, что это ее машина. Так можно любого оклеветать… Писуны творят что хотят. Захотел тень на плетень навести .
If the Attorney General herself was seen there, then there would be no questions. But it is not a fact that the car is hers. Anyone can be slandered like this. Shadow writers do whatever they want. They wanted to muddy the waters here, and succeeded in doing it.
Two wolves went hunting
Back in 2011, Arena.kg reported that Omurbek Tekebaev, the author of Kyrgyzstan's latest constitution and the leader of the Ata Meken parliamentary faction, went on a hunting trip with one of the most vociferous opponents of that constitution,  Kamchybek Tashiev. Tashiev had a bad-boy reputation long before October 2012 when he organized a riot and attempted to storm parliament, previously getting into physical fights in the legislature and accusing rivals of not being Kyrgyz enough [GV]. Supposedly, Tekebayev and Tashiyev snubbed a Day of Independence invite from Kyrgyzstan's president in order to go on the hunt. At the time, the meeting of the two politicians, then opposing ‘wolves’ in the republic's legislature, was seen as significant, although two years later they have still yet to form an alliance.
A Gezitter reader, 555 blended [ru/kyr] Kyrgyz and Russian in his analysis of the situation:
Ташиев плюс Текебаев равно Таштеке(каменный козел) или, короче таштек, что в переводе означает емкость для отходов
Tashiev plus Tekebaev is Tashteke (kyr. ibex) or shorter tashtek which means waste container
While Altynai (алтынай) attempted [ru] to dispel the rumor:
Текебаев был в это время в Оше, поэтому не был на приеме у президента, тем более не был на охоте. Журналистам надо задницы оторвать от кресел и бегать искать новости среди людей, а не высасывать из…всякую чушь.
Tekebaev was in Osh at that time, thus he neither participated at the meeting with the president, nor went hunting. Journalists need to tear their asses from the chair and run around looking for news, instead of churning out… nonsense.
Does this mean that grass sometimes sways without wind after all?

author: Shakhnoza Isakova


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Regional Elections Offer Russian Opposition No Escape from Internecine Conflict · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

As regional races heat up with less than a month to go before the September 8, 2013 election day, Russia's opposition parties are engaging in their usual, misguided tactics of attacking each other. This week, the manager of the RPR-PARNAS [en] campaign in Yaroslavl, Ilya Yashin, tweeted that his party came under attack from Vladimir Milov's Democratic Choice (DemVybor):
Партия Милова обратилась в ярославский избирком с жалобой, которая может привести к снятию РПР-ПАРНАС. Вова-стукачок стал спойлером едросов.
— Илья Яшин (@IlyaYashin) August 20, 2013
Milov's party filed a complaint with the Yaroslavl election committee that could lead to the removal of RPR-PARNAS from the race. Vova-the-tattler [i.e. Vladimir Milov] became a “spoiler candidate” for the [United Russia party].
Kirill Shulika, Milov's deputy and the curator of DemVybor's effort in Yaroslavl fired back [ru]:
Собственно, у меня есть информация, что РПР-ПАРНАС просто направлен в Ярославль спойлерствовать против нас.
Actually, I have information that RPR-PARNAS was sent to Yaroslavl to be a spoiler candidate against us.
Shulika later explained that DemVybor did indeed file a complaint against RPR-PARNAS [ru], for unauthorized use of the likeness of the imprisoned Yaroslavl mayor Evgeny Urlashov [Global Voices Report] in their campaign materials. Russian regulations require political campaigns to obtain authorization from persons whose images and quotes are used in campaign literature. Apparently, RPR-PARNAS did not get such permission from Urlashov, who is still under arrest. This is especially ironic, said Shulika [ru], considering that RPR-PARNAS never supported Urlashov when he was mayor because of his former association with the United Russia party. Shulika also made it clear [ru] that DemVybor's goal was not to take PARNAS out of competition through a court decision, but rather simply to get them to retract their exploitative use of Urlashov's name.
Pro-Kremlin journalist Pavel Danilin explained [ru] Urlashov's support for DemVybor (a small party with little chance of doing well in the elections):
Грешневиков и Воробьев растаскивают электорат Урлашова, при этом совершенно ничего не давая сидящему мэру, а только пользуя его. Ровно также поступает и Немцов, паразитируя на Урлашове. Шулика же и Милов хотя бы передачки ему носят […]
[Just Russia's] Greshnevikov and [the Communist's] Vorobyev are dismantling Urlashov's electorate, using him, but at the same time not giving anything back. [RPR-PARNAS's Vladimir] Nemtsov is also exploiting Urlashov. At the same time, Shulika and Milov at least send him care packages [ru] […]
Meanwhile, some have questioned DemVybor's status as a “genuine” opposition member for other reasons. Shortly before the conflict with PARNAS, Timofey Sheviakov, a spin-doctor and internet troll affiliated with the Kremlin, announced [ru] on his Facebook that DemVybor had hired him to manage their Yaroslavl campaign. He later elaborated [ru]:
нет, я не вступил в ДемВыбор. и не собираюсь вступать. […] партия, чья программа мне близка, сделала предложение и я согласился, потому что кампания в Ярославле реально очень интересная, с одной стороны. с другой, я уже изрядно занимаюсь региональными выборами […] да, я работаю за деньги. да, я веду еще ряд кампаний, помимо Ярославля.
no, I haven't joined DemVybor. and I'm not planning to. […] a party, whose program appeals to me, made me an offer and I accepted, because on the one hand the Yaroslavl campaign is very interesting. on the other hand, I am already very involved with regional elections […] yes, I work for money. yes, I am managing several other campaigns, besides Yaroslavl.
A reader of Sheviakov's blog reacted [ru], somewhat sarcastically:
тихо паникую… такой понятный черно-белый мир в одну секунду начинает становиться непонятным
I'm quietly panicking… such a simple black-and-white world is suddenly beginning to seem complicated
Sheviakov, a.k.a. “tarlith”, is a contentious figure on the RuNet. He has been associated with such disparate groups as the Red Blitzkrieg (of the tomato terrorism [Global Voices Report] fame), Gleb Pavlovsky's Foundation for Effective Politics [en], and a group of internet trolls led by the notorious hacker Hell [Global Voices Report]. Sheviakov also invented the popular meme “sad shit,” [ru] was once arrested for owning a hand-gun [ru], and had charges pressed against him [ru] by a Duma deputy for online insults (Sheviakov called him a “star-carrying asshole” and “Baltic scum”).
The Ricky Gervais Show, Yaroslavl edition. (From left to right: Timofey Sheviakin as Steven Merchant, Kirill Shulika as Ricky Gervais, and Ilya Yashin as Karl Pilkington). Image remixed by author using YouTube screenshot.
Needless to say, some people were incensed, rising to what Shulika called [ru] “hysterics.” The journalist Yelena Tokareva commented [ru] on Shulika's LiveJournal, saying:
Тимофей Шевяков – это сурковская гнида. Пидарас. Какой, к е-моей матери демвыбор? Турьма – его дом.
Timofey Sheviakov is a Surkovian louse. A f*ggot. What motherf*cking DemVybor? He should be in prison.
Andrey Malgin, who has been hacked by Hell several times, also commented [ru], bringing up Sheviakov's dubious past with nationalism, as well as his long-time anti-opposition credentials:
Не может быть. Не верю. Шевяков? Начинал в Конгрессе русских общин, где боролся с сионистами, потом состоял в сталинистском “Красном блицкриге”, затем несколько лет работал в ФЭПе у Павловского по линии борьбы с оранжизмом
It can't be. I don't believe it. Sheviakov? He started in the Congress of Russian Communities, where he fought Zionists, then he was in the stalinist Red Blitzkrieg, then for several years he worked at Pavlovsky's FEP fighting the [orange revolutionaries]
When a blogger, Anton Berezutskiy, asked Vladimir Milov whether he is disturbed by Shevyakin's reputation, Milov responded [ru], saying that he wasn't:
Тимофей Шевяков не член нашей партии, и выполняет для нас на финансовой основе те задачи, которые мы ему ставим. Выполняет очень хорошо. Тот факт, что мы привлекли технолога, связанного с противоположной политической группировкой – доказательство того, что в подборе кадров мы руководствуемся принципами профессионализма, а не клановости и политическими пристрастиями.
Timofey Sheviakov is not a party member, he performs the tasks we set before him in return for financial remuneration. He performs them very well. The fact that we have attracted a political PR expert that has ties with a rival political group, is proof that in picking our staff we are guided by principles of professionalism, not cronyism and political preference.
Another journalist, Dmitriy Bavyrin, also thought [ru] that DemVybor's new hire was a positive development, but for slightly different reasons:
если бы [Шевяков] возглавил штаб Навального, было бы еще лучше. […] Это стало бы историческим, эпохальным событием. […] Потому что в этот день рашн твиттер утонул бы в говне. И хипстерпиздобратия в последний раз сказала бы “буль”.
if [Sheviakov] became head of Navalny's campaign staff, it would be even better. […] It would be a historic, epochal event. […] Because on that day Russian twitter would drown in a pile of sh*t. And the f*cking hipster brotherhood would have its last “gurgle.”

author: Andrey Tselikov


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The Walls Can Talk in Puerto Rico and New York City · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The alternative music venue La Respuesta, in Santurce, Puerto Rico, presents “Los Muros Hablan NYC” (The Walls Talk NYC), the New York edition of the urban art festival that has put the zone of Santurce on the map of graffiti artists worldwide. The artistic project aims to strengthen bonds between Santurce and El Barrio, an important Puerto Rican enclave in New York City during decades.
Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito District 8 Manhattan/Bronx commented:
We are excited to have such a tremendously talented group of artists bring more of our empty walls to life. The murals will serve as a testament to El Barrio’s long-standing artistic tradition and strong relationship with Puerto Rico. From the moment I learned about Los Muros Hablan in Puerto Rico. I knew that we had to bring this unique and dynamic event to El Barrio. This event is the first step in a true long – term partnership from which our community will benefit for years to come […]
Participating artists include Axel Void (Spain), Betsy Casañas (Philadelphia), Celso González (Puerto Rico), Don Rim X (Puerto Rico) , Elian & Pastel (Argentina) , Jufe (La Pandilla) (Puerto Rico), L NY (Ecuador), Manny Vega (New York City), and Viajero (New York City ).
Here are some photos of the murals in process (all used with permission):
Los Muros Hablan NYC. Photo José Jiménez Tirado.
Los Muros Hablan NYC. Photo JP Eaglin.
Los Muros Hablan NYC. Photo Axel Void.
Video of the project by José Jiménez Tirado:

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Which Flavor of China’s Wildly Popular WeChat Will You Get?  · Global Voices
Tea Leaf Nation

Copyright Tea Leaf Media
This article by Jing Gao originally appeared on Tea Leaf Nation on August 19, 2013 and is republished as part of a content sharing agreement.
To Western mobile users who have grown too accustomed to Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, WeChat may not ring any bells as a cool social-networking and instant-messaging tool. But according to Global Web Index data, WeChat comes in fifth among the most frequently used smartphone apps, only after Google Maps, Facebook, YouTube and Google+:
WeChat is not just popular in China. Most of its more than 300 million users are Chinese, but 70 million live outside the country. Indonesia and Malaysia are its top overseas markets. With Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer demigod, as its latest endorser, WeChat is clearly hoping for rapid growth in Latin America and Europe.
But whenever China’s closely-monitored “Innernet” is plugged into the global computer network, the question of censorship rears its ugly head. While it harbors world-domination ambitions for WeChat, Tencent, the Chinese tech giant behind WeChat, has appeared to enact censorship measures to placate the Chinese authorities, who have a knee-jerk aversion to any information not under their control and therefore built the notorious Great Fire Wall, a sophisticated state apparatus that filters out unwanted “noises” and blocks “vermin websites.”
In fact, at home, WeChat has toed the party line. And it is far more intrusive than banning the use of a few sensitive words.
Hu Jia, a Chinese dissident and human rights advocate, reported in January that his WeChat account was clearly tapped, as agents from the National Security Bureau were able to cite many of his conversations with friends as evidence of subversion. In May, Hu’s contacts on WeChat were also deleted, probably because he and his friends often exchanged ideas about freedom and citizen rights in the chat groups.
Luo Changping, an investigative journalist whose revelations led to the downfall of a corrupt Chinese senior official, saw his WeChat public account discontinued, a move believed to stop whistleblowers from airing the Communist Party’s dirty linen.
Soccer megastar Lionel Messi has endorsed WeChat. But inside China, users experience a different reality. Screen Capture from WeChat Ads via Jing Gao.
Zhang Lifan, a famous historian critical of Chinese authorities, said his WeChat use is uninterrupted, as he does not post political content on WeChat. But last week, a journalist friend of his shared on WeChat a message that called on people to rally in support of Bo Xilai, a former senior Communist official ousted in the midst of the biggest political scandal in decades. Soon afterwards, the local police appeared at his doorsteps and questioned him.
“I am not surprised,” said Zhang Lifan. “Tencent definitely doesn’t want to get into any political trouble because of its users.”
In a day and age when Google and Microsoft regularly turn over user data to the U.S. government, Tencent’s apparent compliance with Chinese government’s request for private user data is certainly par for the course. However, if WeChat wants to break into foreign markets, it must please overseas users, who might find hard to stomach that fact that it is the Chinese government doing the snooping.
In January, news sites TechInAsia and NextWeb found through multiple tests that WeChat had been blocking users across the globe from sending messages that contain ‘sensitive words,’  such as “Southern Weekend,” a liberal publication constantly subjected to censorship, and “Falun Gong,” a spiritual movement that turned hostile toward Communist rule after being labeled as a cult and banned in China.
It was a public relations crisis for WeChat. Tencent’s explanation? “Technological glitches.”
Then Tencent came up with a pretty smart solution. It’s offering two versions for the app: a “sanitized” version for the mainland, and another, uncensored version for international download.
WenXue City is apparently not in WeChat’s good graces. (Image via Jing Gao)
Such a discrimination could work perfectly only if all communication stops at the Chinese borders. Last week, ChinaGate (also known as Wenxuecity) the largest Chinese-language web portal outside China, launched its WeChat public account in the U.S. But it lasted only two days before it was suspended. Now, anyone that tries to follow ChinaGate gets this error message: “This account has violated WeChat Admin Platform policies and has been forbidden from using all official account features.”
When reached for comment, the website replied in an email, “We don’t know why we were banned. Probably it was merely our name.” Wenxuecity.com has been blocked in China for more than a decade.
“We attracted over 5,000 followers in days, many of whom are based in China and wished they no longer had to ‘climb the wall’ to get news from us. We don’t know what to say to these people now that we are banned all of a sudden.”
Fearing that they will be easily on Chinese authorities’ radar just like their mainland cousins, smartphone users in Taiwan have shown resistance to the app. “If the majority of people in Taiwan start to use WeChat, the Chinese government will be able to understand and monitor public opinion in Taiwan through WeChat,” warned a post on Thinking Taiwan, a popular intellectual blog.
That’s why many Taiwanese would rather use LINE, a similar IM app developed by a Japanese company.

author: Tea Leaf Nation


text:
Women Barred From Voting in By-elections in Some Parts of Pakistan · Global Voices
Salman Latif

Reports are trickling in that female voters are being barred in several areas from casting their vote in the ongoing Pakistan by-elections for 41 national and provincial assembly seats in four provinces and Islamabad.
During the Pakistan general elections back in May, the overwhelming voter turnout was a truly heartening sight. It reaffirmed the faith of the masses in the democratic process. However, the overall turnout of the women was rather abysmal, thanks to the political parties in different areas who colluded to keep the female vote out of the ballot.
The same trend can be discerned during the ongoing special elections. According to Indian news portal Niticentral, the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had warned that it would kidnap or kill women of Hangu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa who took part in the poll. Online news portal News Pakistan reported that political and religious parties barred women in parts of Nowshehra district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Phalia in Punjab today during the vote.
A man is casting his vote in Islamabad during by-elections. Image by Shiraz Hassan. Copyright Demotix (22/8/2013)
PakVotes, a project monitoring the fairness of by-elections, tweeted on August 22, 2013:
Bannu PK-70: There are rumours of an agreement between contesting candidates in Mardan on not allowing women to come out and vote. #PakVotes
— PakVotes (@PakVotes) August 22, 2013
Marvi Sirmed, a well-known civil society activist, cited many areas where females were being barred from polling stations:
Women barred from voting in #Hafizabad #Mardan #Hangu #Noashera #Mianwali #MandiBahauddin #Phalia #LakkiMarwat As of 3:40 pm Aug 22
— Marvi Sirmed (@marvisirmed) August 22, 2013
She further observed:
All the constituencies where women have been barred from voting are in either #Punjab or #KhyberPakhtunkhwa
— Marvi Sirmed (@marvisirmed) August 22, 2013
Sanam Jung, a notable VJ, specifically cited the NA-254 constituency, Karachi and the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) political party there:
There is no Diif btw Taliban & Mqm (Altaf group) in NA 254 Karachi women are not been allowed to vote …#MQM stopping women
— Sanam Jung (@VJ_Sanam) August 22, 2013
A field monitor of Pak Votes was able to obtain a joint agreement between agents at a specific polling station in Mardan. The agreement stated that women wouldn't be allowed to cast their votes in the said polling station. An image of the agreement is posted below:
Image Courtesy: PakVotes
The document translates as follows: “All three agents in Government Primary School, Shah Butt Khel, Umarabad, have reached the joint decision that women wouldn't be allowed to cast their votes and that no one will take any legal action over this.”
The paper is then signed by presiding officer Bashir Ahmed on August 22, 2013.
Urban areas in Pakistan were somewhat of a contrast where many women cast their vote for the first time during by-elections, as was also witnessed during the general elections.
Asma Shirazi, an anchorperson for a leading TV channel, revealed:
I have polled my vote for the first time in my life:)
— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) August 22, 2013
A woman is casting her vote during by-elections in Islamabad. Image by Shiraz Hassan. Copyright Demotix (22/8/2013)
Although the female voter turnout in many areas was far better than the last time during general elections and the overall female turnout registered a spike, the trend of barring female voters from casting vote in many regions of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues. This is especially true of such regions where religious conservatives have a heavy influence.
The authorities did not acknowledge many such anomalies during general elections but thankfully, ECP has taken notice of such instances this time, announcing re-polling in certain constituencies where female voters have been barred from casting their vote.

author: Salman Latif