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Russia: E-Gov Blogger Discusses Technology and Transparency (Video) · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Yekaterina Aksyonova [ru], creator of gov-gov.ru, one of the most informative blogs about e-government in Russia, met with Global Voices at Central Asian BarCamp recently and answered several questions on the role of technology and transparency.
Aksyonova is a government contractor and the creator of number of  websites for the federal government. She describes her blog and her  vision of government transparency the following way:
В средневековом Нюрнберге существовал полезный обычай:  все члены городского совета должны были идти на очередное заседание  пешком, чтобы любой гражданин города мог лично подать прошение или  выразить свое мнение о решениях магистрата. Кроме того, традиция была  хорошим способом держать отцов города в тонусе.
На мой взгляд, государственные сайты должны стать своеобразным  возвращением к правилам вольного города Нюрнберга. Вряд ли в скором  времени депутаты и чиновники будут принимать обращения по дороге на  работу, но с тех пор, как власть вышла в интернет, она снова оказалась  на одной улице со своими гражданами. Хорошие государственные сайты  упрощают многие задачи, мгновенно выдают нужную информацию и даже  обеспечивают оформление разнообразных справок и бумажек. Плохие  государственные сайты, во всяком случае, раскрывают безжалостную правду о  своих ведомствах.
Medieval Nuremberg [a city in Bavaria, Germany] had a useful tradition: all members of the  city council were supposed go to the council meetings by foot, so that  any citizen could personally pass them an appeal or express an opinion  about the city council's decisions. Beside, this tradition was a good  way to keep city's officials in shape.
To my mind, government websites should be somewhat returned to the  rules of the free city of Nuremberg. I doubt whether the deputies and  officials would receive petitions while going to work, but since they're  on the Internet they are [virtually] on the same “street” as their  citizens. Good government websites make a lot of tasks easier, instantly  providing much-needed information and even facilitating the execution  of various papers. Bad government websites, at all events, disclose the  merciless truth about their institutions.
Russian government is extremely corrupt. According to the Corruption Perception Index 2010,  a comparative tool to rank countries according to perception of  corruption in the public sector, Russia ranks 154 out of 178, standing  between Papua New Guinea and Tajikistan.
Russian netizens have shown a great deal of effort through a number of ‘grass-roots’ online transparency initiatives. Recently Rospil.info, a Russian anti-corruption portal, received the 2011 Best of the Blogs (BOBs) award in the category “Best Use of Technology for Social Good.” On April 22, 2011, The Power of the Families, another project dedicated to nepotism and corruption in the Russian government was also launched.
Aksyonova's point is that not only the citizens can achieve better  transparency, the government can do it as well. Wherever such a belief  is naive or not, it is still worth listening to.
Below is a short interview with Yekaterina, in Russian with English  subtitles [for subtitles push the “CC” button under the video and choose  “English”].

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Singapore: Mainstream Media and elections · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

MARUAH monitors how mainstream media in Singapore is reporting the General Elections campaign.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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South Korea: Police Raids Google Korea Over Location Data Collection · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Google's Seoul office was raided on May 3 on suspicion that it had illegally collected location data without consent. Thom Craver summarized a series of conflicts Google had with Korean government in the Search Engine Watch blog.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Suriname: Street Art · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Srananart's Blog says that “Suriname has known a flourishing culture of street art, with  the painted buses and the colorful shave-ice carts as eye catchers that  make a lasting impression on people”, explaining how it “resulted in a  beautiful book…and with the book came a unique exhibition, taking street  art to another level, and bringing the street to the gallery…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Tanzania: Is Osama Bin Laden Really Dead? · Global Voices
J. Nambiza Tungaraza

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
The Tanzanian blogosphere has taken the news of death of the al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden with a pinch of salt.  While few voices welcomed  the news, a number of blog readers expressed doubts and came up with  a  number conspiracy theories.
Maggid Mjengwa lauded Obama’s timing, reflecting that Osama's death will boost President Obama domestically. He wrote [sw]:
… huu ni ushindi mkubwa kwa Barack Obama na bila shaka, akiutumia vema,  utamwongezea uhakika wa kushinda Urais kwenye Uchaguzi ujao na kuacha  historia nyuma yake. Maana, Barack Obama alipoingia madarakani, aliweka  bayana, kumtafuta na kumkmaata au kumwua Osama Bin Laden ni ajenda  nambari moja katika mapambano dhidi ya ugaidi wa kimataifa. Obama, chini  ya uongozi wake, amefanikisha kile ambacho kilidhaniwa hakiwezekani.
In the same post, an anonymous reader supported Maggid’s assertion:
Majid, There was always political capital to be gained  from the announcement, but you have to remember it is the intelligence  service and the military that have been doing this for years regardless  of the who is in the white house supported by the congress approving  their actions. Obama has continued to support the effort after Bush but  then any President would have done the same.
It's a bit cheesy Obama taking so much credit but I don't doubt a  Republican in the White House would have been doing the same. With  Obama's latest polls little wonder he is enjoying the moment. Bottom  line is Bin Laden is toast, so I am glad the people who lost their loved  ones to his actions can get some relief for the revenge but as many  pundits have already said it will not stop the Jihad … and another  leader will take his place.
Another reader believes that Osama died long ago:
Probably Osama Bin laden died sometime ago.They knew this  but they wanted to accomplish some dirty jobs before they announce  this.FAKE news my Friends!
Another one says:
10 years, 2 wars, 919,967 deaths, and $1,188,263,000,000 later; America has killed one man. lol
Predicting that many will doubt the news of his death, Simon Kitururu left a message in Malkiory Matiya’s blog [sw]:
Huyu jamaa kwa watu wengine wengi tu hawawezi kukubali  kuwa kafa! Na siku hizi na tekinolojia hizi zifanyavyo kazi-hata uweke  video ya anavyouawa kuna watakao dai ni mambo ya holiwudi hayo.
Nasubiri tu kwa kuwa nahisi si muda mrefu unaweza kusikia Osama katoa  tena video au tu sauti kudai kitu na wafuasi wake wakaamini ni kweli  yuko hai!
Many people will not believe that this bloke is dead! The  technology works these days – even if you show a video of how he was  killed there are people who will claim that it is just some kind of  Hollywood stuff.I am just waiting because I feel before too long you may hear that  Osama has released a video or audio to say something and his followers  will believe that he is still alive!
Again over at Maggid Mjengwa’s blog a reader expressed skepticism [sw] over the “unanswered questions” about the killing, including the site of his burial:
Uzoefu wangu unaniambia kwamba chochote kinachosemwa na  wamarekani na wachumba zake ukiangalie na kukitafakari sana kabla ya  kukiamini.
1. Obama anasema kwamba askari wa marekani waliukamata mwili wa Osama, na mwili umezikwa baharini. Mh!…
Sasa masaa machache baada ya Osama kuuliwa, huo mwili wake wamekabidhiwa  ndugu zake? rafiki zake? au umezikwa baharini na wamarekani?
Nina mashaka na hili. Ninahisi kwamba Osama amekufa kifo cha kawaida,  na wamarekani wameshahakikisha kwamba amekufa sasa wanataka kujichotea  misifa kwamba wamemuua.
[…]
Amid deniers, a reader in Michuzi Jr's blog wrote [sw]:
Nyie alkaida mmechanganyikiwa kweli mnakataa na kubisha  kila jambo hata kama linawachoma machoni Kwa jinsi hii mtajikuta  mmetumbukia kuzimu – motoni, Sijui na hapo mtabisha kuwa hmko kuzimu?
Osama Bin Laden's deadliest strike in Africa was the 1998 bombing of  the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that together killed 224  people.
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: J. Nambiza Tungaraza


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Bermuda: Cricket Historian Passes On  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Breezeblog mourns the passing of “lifelong cricket lover and historian of the local game…Tommy Aitchison”.


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Brazil: Interview to a 10 Year Old Blogger · Global Voices
Atilio Baroni Filho

The young brazilian blogger Aninha Zortea [Pt], only 10 years of age, was interviewed [Pt] by journalist Luiz Carlos Azenha after commenting on his blog Viomundo [Pt]. She created her blog after her father, Luigi Zortea, died on Air France's flight AF 447 that fell on the Atlantic ocean in 2009.

author: Atilio Baroni Filho


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China: Chengdu Zebra Music Festival · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Charlie from Chengdu Living posts some photos on the third annual Zebra Music Festival in Chengdu.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Opinion Poll on Bin Laden’s Death · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C Custer from ChinaGeek translates an opinion poll on Chinese netizens’ reaction to Bin Laden's death.


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Colombia: The Vallenato Legend Festival   · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Vallenato is one of the most popular and representative music genres in Colombia. Although it started in the coast, it is difficult to find a Colombian that does not feel identified with an accordion -a musical instrument- or with a sombrero vueltiao (a hat with laps, one of the most popular crafts in the country, which is linked to this music genre).
There is a whole culture around Vallenato, and the city of Valledupar is paralyzed by the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata (Vallenato Legend Festival), a festival that takes place during late April.
Guajiro with an accordion,  A wall at the Riohacha Airport, Colombia by Mon4ch0 in Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Fundacion Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata [es] (Vallenato Legend Festival Foundation) is the main group responsible for the organization of the celebration. The foundation was created in 1986, but the festival has been taking place for 40 years [es]:
Hace 40 años, tres                 personas pensaron que  era hora de hacer algo para que todo ese                 acervo cultural  y musical no desapareciera en las nebulosas del                 tiempo,  y decidieron crear el Festival de La Leyenda Vallenata                  para recrear toda la magia de una tierra donde los mitos, las                  costumbres, las propias vivencias y una riqueza lingüística                  y oral nutren día por día la literatura y el pentagrama                  donde se tejen las letras y las melodías del vallenato.
The festival lasts six days and this year it took place from April 25 to April 30. The schedule for those days included many activities, with a pilonera parade and contests for the best new Vallenato song, professional accordion player and amateur accordion player, among others. The most important award of the festival is “El Rey Vallenato” (The Vallenato King).
Mi Barrancas Blog shares details of the program [es], like the places of the events and the visit of Juan Manuel Santos, the President of Colombia, to the city.
Gente Élite provides a broader description of the four Vallenato “aires”: Paseo, Merengue, Puya and Son, which are some of the rhythm  variations [es] of this music genre that can be either slow or fast depending on the melodies. The site also shares the 2011 competition figures.
Hay 69 acordeoneros luchando por el título de  Acordeón  Profesional, 60 para Acordeón Aficionado, 77 para Acordeón  Juvenil, 64  para Acordeón Infantil y 50 para Piqueria.
The site also describes the rules to choose the 74 competing songs for the best new song award of this year:
Para hacer esta selección, el comité nombrado escuchó 212  canciones  durante tres días, del 13 al 15 de abril, para al final  escoger las 74  privilegiadas.
This year, the event immediately appeared on social networks, where netizens expressed their excitement about the opening of the Festival with the #FestivalVallenato hashtag, their opinion on the Doodle that Google Colombia dedicated to this event and the their motivation to participate in the different competitions of this Festival.
Alfredo Araujo (@AlfredoAra) wrote:
Empezó  la fiesta mas grande del vallenato, el festival,  donde los 4 aires se  mezclan con el frio que baja de la sierra y llena  el alma.
Mumo (@Mumismo) specified what these four rhythms are:
Son, Paseo, Merengue y Puya, los 4 aires vallenatos que sonarán desde mañana de Valledupar para el mundo  #FestivalVallenato
Regarding Google's Doodle, Blog Vallenato described the changes to the Google logo:
En esta ocasión Google remplazó su segunda letra o por  una caja de  percusión vallenata, a la cola de la segunda letra g le  adhirió un  acordeón estirado que entre sus arrugas deja ver el tricolor  nacional y a  la letra l le cuelga un sombrero vueltiao, icono de la  Costa Atlántica y  cada vez mas de la colombianidad en el exterior.
And María Paula Catolico (@mariapcatolico) stated:
me encanta entrar a GOOGLE hoy y ver un acordeon #festivalvallenato
@Mumiso shared a photo of the Google Doodle.
People also expressed their longing to participate in the activities of the festival, like Sibelys Barrios (@Sibe_Barrios) who wrote:
Como desearía estar en el valle en pleno inicio del #FestivalVallenato… Pero el deber y las obligaciones no ayudan….
I would love to be in the city in the opening of the #FestivalVallenato… but responsibilities and duties are keeping me from going…
Daniel Lacouture (@danilacouture) stated:
Ay ve.. Con en alma en una acordeón!! Ahora si con ganas de estar allá. #festivalvallenato
You see.. with my soul in an accordion! Now I long to be there. #festivalvallenato
Relating the Vallenato festival with the heavy rainfall the country is experiencing, Santiago Barba and Jorge Iván Rincón wrote the following:
Santiago Barba L (@SantiagobarbaL):
Entre tanta adversidad, un espacio de alegria no viene mal “Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata ” http://bit.ly/f8G6X8
Jorge Iván Rincón (@Eltotirincon):
que pesar…nosotros alegres por el comienzo del #festivalvallenato y en chia y la sabana de bogota con el agua hasta el techo
Notes of Interest:
-A local newspaper published an article [es] about the absence of students in schools due to the Vallenato Festival.
-The MiValledupar.Com (@MiValledupar) site uploaded a video of the pilanderas:
Así se bailará por las calles de @MiValledupar, el desfile de las piloneras http://fb.me/vxwUZC4x

author: Cati Restrepo


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Cote d’Ivoire: An Aid Worker Diary · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Oxfam aid worker, Charles Bambara, describes his journey through war-torn Côte d'Ivoire, visiting communities of displaced people. He says people are in urgent need of food and sanitation in overcrowded shelters.

author: Solana Larsen


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Cuba: About Those “Reasons”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Taking another look at ‘The Reasons of Cuba’, I reach the conclusion that Raul Castro is making way for the inevitable- the transition”: Cuban Voices from Exile explains.


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Cuba: Return Prohibited for U.S. Professor and Blogger · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Ted Henken, professor at Baruch College at the City University of New York (CUNY), a well-versed blogger in the Cuban blogosphere, has been informed by authorities from the Department of Security of the State of Cuba that he will not be returning to the island [es].
Over the course of his 12 day stay, Henken interviewed over 40 bloggers for an investigation about blogs and the Internet in Cuba, findings which circulated in real time through his blog, El Yuma [es].  Working out of pocket, prostitution and following the recently concluded VI Congress of the Cuban Communist Party were among the issues tackled in “El Yuma,” topics widely represented in the national and foreign press.
Ted Henken's blog "El Yuma."
Henken also met with bloggers of all political backgrounds and informal groups.  Bloggers Cuba, La Joven Cuba [es], Havana Times and Voces Cubanas [es] were among the digital communities that captured his attention.  Some of the bloggers talked about the meeting with the professor as well.  According to the authors of La Joven Cuba [es]:
[…] hubo diferencias de opiniones, diferencias ideológicas y de perspectiva, pero siempre en un ambiente de respeto y donde primó escuchar más que convencer al interlocutor […]
During his meeting with the officials in the José Martí Airport, Henken said that they questioned him on whether he had the authorization to conduct interviews in Cuba.  “All of the individuals with whom I spoke gave me their personal permission,” he responded to this author via personal communication.  Twitter and Facebook profiles, as well as the interviewees’ blogs, confirmed his answer.
State officials questioned him along with the completed interviews with anti-governmental blogs, known on the island as “mercenaries” and “counterrevolutionaries,” as well as his meeting with Yoani Sánchez [es].
Last March, Ted Henken organized a panel about blogs at the “Cuba Futures” Symposium, organized by the Bildner Center of the City University of New York.  Important academics and economic analysts residing on the island, including Carlos Alzugaray and Pavel Vidal, participated in the various commissions at this event.
Former U.S. President James Carter also attended during his three-day visit on the island on March 30 of last year, alongside representatives of the Cuban dissidence with government approval.
Thumbnail from website

author: Elaine Díaz


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Greece: Arab Cyberactivists To Speak About Networked Uprisings · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Global Voices authors Tarek Amr and Lina Ben Mhenni, as well as the administrator of Tunisian group blog Nawaat, Malek Khadraoui, will be speaking in Athens on May 7, 2011 about the Arab revolutions and online censorship, in an event [el] organized by Greek political zines re-public and konteiner. Nawaat is the winner of press freedom awards from Index on Censorship and Reporters without Borders. Lina's blog A Tunisian Girl was named “Best blog” by the BOBs in 2011.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Guatemala: Wildfires and Illegal Logging · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Sakis writes [es] about the effects of wildfires and illegal logging in Guatemala. He also posts pictures of a forest that has been cut down.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Haiti: Cholera as the Last Straw  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Toussaint on Haiti says that although he sees the merits of the United Nations, “in the case of Haiti, they are causing more harm than good. Whether it's in providing support in running elections or with earthquake reconstruction the UN comes across as a bloated, inefficient organization that's often out of touch with the needs of Haiti.”


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Haiti: Interview with Suki Guerrier · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

AfriClassical interviews Haitian-American pianist Suki Guerrier.


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Haiti, U.S.A.: Communication & Power  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Throwing Down the Water wonders about the meaning behind the fact that Osama bin Laden’s capture was tweeted, saying: “It is still a victor-led world. History is still being written by those in power.  The difference is that the victor knows it and so must…be ever so slightly more accountable to the fact that someone out there probably knows exactly what happened. And just might have the electricity, internet, and English, to let the world know.”


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Iran: 71 year old Bahai prisoner humiliated · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several blogs such as Khabarnavard reported Vajihollah Mirza Golpour, a 71-year old Bahai resident of Safar Abad Village outside Sari in the province of Mazandaran,was made to walk ankle-cuffed all around the town of Tonekabon. Read more here.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: Sanka, Legendary Gypsies Living in the Wild · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
Sometimes forgotten issues, people or stories come back from oblivion and awake something in the collective imagination. Sometimes too, the protagonists in those stories become part of a legend, whose historical origins are difficult to  track down.
This is more or less what happened to a group of people who are said to have lived in the remote mountains and plains of the Japanese archipelago until the 1970s. They are the Japanese gypsies or Sanka [ja], written as 山家 (people of the mountains) or 山窩 (mountains nomads).
What brought the existence of this group of people – seemingly never registered by any government – back to some people’s minds was a documentary by public broadcaster NHK  [ja] a few months ago.
Like some classical western literature which lingers on the myth of the ‘noble savage’, some bloggers speculated on the origins of these legendary nomads and on their ‘natural’ lifestyle.
Mount Iwate, Japan. Image by Flickr user Jasohill (CC BY-NC-SA).
Onoda explains what he has heard of the Sanka's livelihood and habits until their disappearance:
サンカ−−これは外国の話ではない。日本に住み、農家の箕と呼ばれる道具を
修繕する技術力を持ち、農家の家々を回って修繕して麦や米や調味料などをもらい、
また、河原や崖の穴に住処を作って川魚を狩猟して、河原で水浴びもしていた、
家族をひとまとまりとした漂流生活者であった。[…]
彼らは１９６０年代を最後に忽然と姿を消す。[…]
純粋に彼らが消えた理由は、生計の糧である箕を使う農家も農地も
減ったこと。自由に暮らせる森も草原も河原も開発の波で次々に
姿を消したこと。土地所有の権利者から立ち入りを許されることが
難しくなったことなど、時代を考えればそうなんだろうなと、
思うことしきり。
The story of Sanka is not something from another country. They lived in Japan and had the technical ability to mend tools such as the winnowing baskets used in agriculture. They went from farm to farm and received food such as wheat or rice in exchange for their mending work. They made their homes near river beds or in the caves of cliffs, fished in rivers, and washed themselves there also. They were drifters that lived in family units. […]
After the 1960s, they suddenly disappeared. […]
One of the reasons for their disappearance could be that tools like winnowing baskets and others that were used by cultivators and were their livelihood are no longer used. Also, forests, rivers and plains where they used to live freely had disappeared under the waves of development. They must have started having problems like landowners that wouldn't allow access to their property to strangers.
According to jiyodan, the Sanka were a free people that tried to resist assimilation by the Japanese central government which, during the 18th and 19th centuries, forced people like the Ainu people (in the northern regions of the country) and the Okinawa people (in the Ryukyu Islands) to abandon their culture and language and adopt those of the main island:
わが国には、古来から人別にも記載されない山窩（サンカ・サンガ）と呼ばれる山の民（非定住民・狩猟遊民）が居る。
明治維新以後に戸籍(壬申戸籍 /じんしんこせき)をつくるまで、山窩（サンカ・サンガ）は、治世の外に存在した自由民であった。
この山窩（サンカ・サンガ）は、九州から東北地方まで分布している所から、比較的後期の渡来系勢力に押されて、同化を拒み、山中に逃げ延びた「内地の原日本人系縄文人（原ポリネシア系）の一部ではないか」と考えられる。
つまり、先住民族の同化から取り残された残存の一部が、山窩（サンカ・サンガ）でないと、存在の理由が見当たらないのである。
勿論、山窩（サンカ・サンガ）にも渡来系勢力との接触はあるから、完全に文明から取り残された訳ではない。
山に篭った群れ、平地に降りて来て一郭に集団で居留したもの、その中間の存在もあった筈である。
そして彼ら山に篭った群れの純粋な山窩（サンカ・サンガ）の生活にも、文明や道具の一部は取り入れられたが、生活様式だけは頑なに守って独自の生活圏を山岳地帯につくり、言わば祭らわぬ人々（統治されざる人々）として存在し、それが明治維新の少し後まで無人別集団として存在して居たのである。
Nobody knows exactly why such people apparently ‘disappeared’ in the 1970s. Some believe because they were deprived of the lands where they could live free. The so-called economic miracle that made Japan the second largest economy in the world in the few decades after the war could not admit of the existence of such free-of-the-system people.
Image by Jetalone (CC CC BY-NC-SA).
According to kuronekobyakudhan [jp] who replied to questions on Sanka on Yahoo, they did not disappear all of a sudden. He believes that the phenomenon evolved and the poor got to become the new Sanka.
Some of them continued to be marginalised like many other Japanese minor social groups who because of  their humble origins, often going back to previous centuries, were discriminated against and could never become part of the main stream working society. It is a problem that exists still today even if on a different scale, and that local administrations still try to cope with:
山 窩族については徳川家康のブレーンのひとりであった林羅山などが記していますが、大正時代に三角寛が大衆紙に山窩を題材にした小説を発表するとちょっと した山窩ブームが起き、本来の山の民ではなく、社会をドロップアウトしてしまった人たち（世界恐慌もそれを後押しした）が山間部でのホームレス化してしま う社会現象が起きています。
そうした山窩族を含めた被差別民は各地に多く存在し、[…]山梨県内には調査資料では１９３５年にそうした被差別地区が２３区域１８１８人（１９９３年にはそれが６区域２９３人に縮小し た。）とあります。
Kuronekobyakudhan also said that, nowadays in every area, the government has set up an administration office just to deal with the problem of social discrimination, which the Sanka suffered, and which also means that although the problem may have been reduced, it is yet to be solved:
当然こうした仕事を担当する窓口の人は、その歴史的背景なども熟知していませんと親身な対応ができませんから、それなりの研修などを受講されています。
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kyrgyzstan: Osama Bin Laden Dies, Bloggers React · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001, the remote Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan proved itself a key ally in the United States-led war on terror. A US military installation with a fluid identity ( now Transit Center at Manas, formerly Manas Air Base and unofficially Ganci Air Base), has been a fixture on Kyrgyz soil since December 2001, providing a strategic refuelling and transshipment hub for the conflict in nearby Afghanistan.
But in Kyrgyz society, Washington's presence in the country has often been viewed ambiguously. 9/11 conspiracy theory organisations such as Zeitgeist, have won widespread acceptance among the mainstream population. “Truthers” emerge in the form of taxi drivers and night club security personnel, who seize on foreigners, at pains to explain the scientific limitations inherent in pancake theory and the Rockefeller dynasty's sordid role in the attacks.
Apathy and cynicism
It comes as no surprise then, that the reported death of Osama Bin Laden, the popularly assumed mastermind of the attacks themselves, was treated by many Kyrgyz bloggers – and some politicians – with a sense of apathy and even cynicism.
In an article on local citizen media outlet kloop.kg [ru], senior public figures in the country revealed their doubts over the actuality of the shooting, and even Bin Laden's prior existence as a bona fide human being.
Sheradyil Baktygulov, an independent political expert argued [ru] that “Perhaps the death of [Osama Bin Laden] actually took place, but more likely it's a conspiracy.” A member of parliament for the parliamentary faction Ata-Meken, Karganbek Samakov went further, expressing [ru] his opinion that Bin Laden was a “fictional character”.
But amidst the whirl of rumour and conjecture, more serious attempts have been made to place the event within the context of the Central Asian region's ever-deepening human rights morass.
In a post titled “I don't know anything about the death of bin-Laden but”, Kloop blogger Selbi describes [ru] some of the routine violations that have been permitted in the wake of the post-9/11 “anti-terror discourse”:
Many activists around the world fell under the definition of “terrorist” because they wanted change and wanted to speak about it peacefully and in an alternative way, many people fell under this definition because they were not born [in a certain place], because they have such a colour of skin or they don’t belong to such a religion, or simply have the suffix “stan” in their passport.
The blogger adds that worldwide customs and security checks in the age of terror have:
strengthened a hierarchy of admissions – who does and doesn't deserve to go to such and such a country, permitted [processes of] selection and discrimination within the citizen body and controlled access to various resources (economic, political, social, cultural).
“Terror fatigue”
“Terror fatigue” has become prominent in Central Asian societies as ruling elites habitually invoke the “T word” to justify human rights atrocities or drastic failures in governance. Islam Karimov's Uzbekistan, a former US ally in the war in Afghanistan, characterized victims of the Andijan massacre of 2005 as “extremists”. Kyrgyzstan, in turn, has had its own recent “spate” of  dubious terror attacks.
In response to an RFER/L article covering these “attacks”, one user of the service, Tim, summed up the prevailing attitude towards the current elite's tendency to talk up the terror threat.
Why does the headline say that “Ties between Islam, Extremism emerge”?
No ties have “emerged” in Kyrgyzstan, and none emerge in you story, except in government press-releases.
The government here has long tried to make this connection, off and on, for their own domestic and international political ends. At the moment it's politically favourable – so the stories go round again, and every violent crime is linked to “Islamic terrorism”.
There has been no “recent spate of explosions” and the “massive bombing” in November was in fact a very small explosion in a drain that injured no-one and damaged nothing more than a stretch of tarmac. Two police got sore ears. And they probably made that up as well.
Back in Washington D.C, however, “Islamic terrorism” had come to life again, ironically, through the death of its chief protagonist, Bin Laden. Kloop.kg President and blogger Bektour Iskender captured [ru] scenes of ecstasy at the White House in the American capital in a photo-post titled “I am just outside the White House where they are celebrating the murder of Bin Laden”.
One of several comments left by visitors to the blog read [ru] as follows:
Of course, it's a plus that they caught Osama. But the fact that he was being hunted for far too long, suggests that until this moment he was needed the Americans. Something in their interests. Now, he's not needed and.. the main thing, though. The [idea of ] ‘celebrating murder’. This is straight from the vocabulary of terrorism. (Egamberdiev Kabulov)
Note: Thanks to an atrocious piece of journalism, readers of the Kyrgyz news agency AkiPress [ru] may have come to the conclusion that there was photographic proof of Osama Bin Laden's death. In fact, the agency had re-posted a photo which originally appeared on an anti-Washington politics blog another world is possible in 2010.
The agency neither cited the source of the photo, nor, more critically, the date the photo was originally posted. Kloop co-founder Rinat Tuhvatshin rails against the agency's amateurism here [ru]. The photo has since been proven as a fake.
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Chris Rickleton


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Mexico Prepares for Massive National Protest on May 8 · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
Next Sunday May 8, 2011, Mexican citizens will march to demand the end to the “War on Drugs” and the removal of all government officials responsible for more than 35,000 deaths and the increase of insecurity and corruption.
Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, who became the leading voice of the discontent towards the government's method of tackling the drug trafficking problem after his son Juan Francisco was killed, is inviting all those who want ‘peace and justice’ to join the protests next Sunday.
Here is Javier Sicilia's message in English:
The protest will start on May 5 in Cuernavaca, a city close to the capital where Sicilia's son was killed, and will head all the way to the National University (UNAM) in Mexico City. Neftali Granados (@NeftaliGranados) [es] tweeted  the route to follow.
The itinerary for the protest in Mexico is available at the official site of Red Paz y Justicia [es] (Peace and Justice Network).   A Facebook page [es] has also been set up with the details. Furthermore, there is another official blog dedicated to the details of the different protests throughout the country [es].
Newspaper La Jornada is fully supporting the protest and publishing editorials frequently to get the goals of the May 8 protests across.  Professor John M. Ackerman, a strong and respected voice from Mexican civil society, writes [es]:
Para que la marcha del domingo tenga un impacto real y un  efecto detonador expansivo, los que participaremos en ella estamos  obligados a utilizar todos los medios a nuestro alcance para dejar en  claro que nuestro reclamo principal es hacia el total fracaso de la  clase gobernante, y de Calderón en particular, para asegurar condiciones  básicas de paz y seguridad.
Poster for the protest in Monterrey by @MariaMaria__
Subcomandante Marcos sent a letter to Javier Sicilia to express solidarity and inform that the indigenous people of Chiapas  will join the national protest.
Citizens from Jalisco already published their 6 demands [es] for next Sunday, which include creating an official database of victims of the war, stopping the mainstream media's practice of presenting detainees under presumption of guilt and providing human rights education for kids.
31 cites in Mexico, in nearly all states, have already scheduled protests. International cities like Berlin, London, Hamburg, Río de Janeiro, New York, Montreal and Barcelona are also participating. The protests scheduled for May 8 around the world can be tracked through Google maps.
In Paris participants will create a memorial [es] and hand out flyers explaining the situation in México. There is also an initiative called “Letters for Peace,” where participants are asked to recover the name of a victim of the war from a database and send an empty envelope with their names written [es] on it to President Felipe Calderón.   A gallery of the envelopes is available on Flickr.
Image by acción.sobre.vacío on Flickr (CC BY 3.0)
Oscar Mondragón (@Omondra) calls on those that are not able to attend the protests to put a white flag outside their house or car and wear white clothes in solidarity with the national protest.
You can join the this massive protest from your city on May 8 and keep an eye on the hashtags #marchanacional, #mayo8, #8mayo, #estamoshastalamadre, and #nomassangre, for updates on this movement that many hope will mark the beginning of something good.

author: Geraldine Juarez


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Puerto Rico, U.S.A.: Bin Laden Blunder · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Liza at Culture Kitchen examines the Geronimo mission “Situation Room photograph”, calling it “the ‘Uh-oh Moment'”.


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Russia: Bureaucracy and corruption · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sean's Russia Blog presents reflections on Russian bureaucracy and corruption from current and historical perspectives.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Africa: Osama’s Death: How the Letter O Helped Obama · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
Osama Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 by United States Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He was the founder of al-Qaeda, which was responsible for the September 11 attacks in the US. Here is reaction and analysis from the African blogosphere.
Clay Onyango says that there is one reason why Osama was killed during President Obama's administration:
Take time to analyse this two names..OSAMA and OBAMA.You might think these two are relatives, and both from western part of Kenya,where they are given names starting with letter O.
It is believed that most people from this part of Kenya are intelligent,Obama is very intelligent probably more than Osama, and of course Osama was not a fool,he too was intelligent. I mean to carry such a terror attack in September 11 was well thought. He knew he could not penetrate the US intelligence through their borders,and that’s why he chose the air attack.
President Bush could not capture Osama for almost 8 years and this is because his name does not start with letter O,probably if he would change it to OBUSH,it would work.
And Why do you think Oprah is intelligent? Her name starts with letter O,she has probably some Kenyan blood too.Are you expecting kids, give them names beginning with letter O.
Collins explains why Osama's death has much significance to Kenyans:
Interestingly it has taken Obama(whose father was a native Kenyan) to nail Osama ! The Kenyan Television stations are now running Al Jazeera and CNN live feeds in recognition that this event has much significance to the Kenyan people who have been on the receiving end of several Al Qaeda cordinated terrorist attacks including the initial 1998 US Embassy bombings in Nairobi.
In Kibera, Nairobi there was a rally to celebrate his death:
In Kibera,a sizable crowd joined the rest of the world in this moment at a peace rally in Katwekera.The rally which started at mid morning is still ongoing and has been dubbed a “public celebration for the death of Osama.” Hoisting the stars and stripes flag of USA,the Kenyan flag and a third flag of PEACE;Kibera crowd had no tears for Osama.
It was good riddance for these residents who made it a point to remind those who don't know that Bin Laden was a cold blooded killer responsible for the 1998 terrorists attack in Nairobi which left 222 people dead and thousands maimed.
Nwachukwu Egbunike wonders whether it is right to celebrate Osama’s death?:
Obviously the death of Osama is good news. A man who sent thousands to a premature embrace with their forefathers is certainly noting less than evil. No justification can stand to morph his heinous crimes into a palatable event. That said, the manner of US’s capture raises enough questions, I have no intention to go into that either. Besides, though Osama is gone, that does not necessarily translate into a ‘safer’ world. I stand to be corrected, but my guts tell me that soon more Osama’s will arise and they will have one single mission, to avenge his death.
Back to Martin Luther King’s quote [see quote below], is it right to celebrate Osama’s death? Something similar happened here in Naija, when General Abacha died, the whole nation erupted in wild jubilation. I was still an undergraduate and there was an instantaneous all night party on campus as soon as Abacha’s death was confirmed. This of course is a pointer, to those who inflict pain on others, forgetting that someday they will be equally pay retribution. Osama certainly deserved the death he got. Our planet also has been spared the stench of darkness. However, methinks we are gradually losing our humanity by gloating over the death of another man!
Martin Luther King's quote: “I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy (emphasis mine). Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Kumekucha considers Osama a “royal coward” just like Laurent Gbagbo:
The lesson is clear. Behind the tough talk from fugitives resides the soft underbelly that epitomizes superlative cowardice. Professor Laurent Gbagbo hid behind his wife Simone before capture and now Osama tried to use his wife as a human shield. He may have lived large and sounded tough but that bravado melted when the time of reckoning came.
Conspiracy theorists will be working overdrive flogging the tired lines of imperialism and Osama being the handiwork of US itself. But the bottom line for those Kenyans who have bored the raw brunt of his his murderous rage is he met his match. Live by the sword, die by the very blade.
Akwaaba Accra hates CNN because of Osama Bin Laden:
Right now, I’m sitting in an internet café in Accra. CNN is playing. I can’t think of the last time I was exposed to such terror and bloodthirsty rhetoric. The newscasters are worried about how Muslims in Africa and the Middle East will respond to this. This is in addition to their use of phrases like “Islam’s terrorism”. They seem to be painting a picture that the rest of the world disagrees with the idea that terrorism should be combated. That’s not the impression that I get from “the rest of the world”, and I’m there right now.
It’s infuriating. How can the popular media betray Americans like this? Why are they fueling paranoia and fear? It’s bizarre and not realistic at all. It’s understandable, if barbaric, that people are celebrating so much in the streets in DC. But why all this dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric from our “news” sources? If you’re watching CNN or any American news channel right now, please keep in mind their inexplicable and hazardous bias that only fuels violent sentiment. I don’t understand why they are intentionally so inflammatory. Are ratings worth the lies?
Diasporadical believes that justice has been done but “don’t come out of your basement bunker rejoicing just yet”:
Anyway, Osama did commit a lot of heinous atrocities and was a symbol of all things negative. Obama is not wrong in stating that ‘Justice has been done.‘
The world however better brace itself for a rocky aftermath and not begin to think sh*t just got better. Alas, there is a shockwave of potential retaliations and so many other things to be scared about so don’t come out of your basement bunker rejoicing just yet.
What if movie heroes killed Osama?:
2) Jack Bauer broke into his house against CTU instructions. He tied Osama onto a chair and asked him to confess he was Osama. When he refused to talk, he cut off his fingers, shot his family and then called Chloe to tell the president Osama was dead.
3) Arnold Schwarzenegger started at the border. He coloured his face, set up bombs everywhere, killed each soldier five times as the bombs blew up on by one, He then told Osama to surrender if he did not want him to kill his family and after some hesitation, Osama surrendered. To his horror, Arnold then killed his family so the shocked Osama asked him,”You said you wouldnt kill my family. Why did you lie?” To which Arnold replied, “Am a politician now …” then shot him in the head.
4) Bruce Lee came in and said, “You Killed My Master. And for that you have to die!” And Osama asked, “So you will beat me to death using Karate?” To which Bruce Lee said, “No dumbass. This is the 21st Century.” He then took out a pistol and shot him.
5) Jason Statham got into the house, and in a Heavy British accent told him, “I am the transporter. I am here to transport your soul to the other side.” Then he shot him. Thats when the wife rushed towards his body, and in a bid to resuscitate him, she opened up his robe to nurse the gunshot wounds. Jason Statham shook his head, then shot her too and said, “Rule number two. Never open the package”
Following the decision by the US government not to release the pictures proving the death of Osama Bin Laden, Jide warns:
So, any photos of Osama Bin Laden you find, and you see him dead with gun shot wounds; just know it is a photoshop stunt.
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Algeria: Rachad Movement Website No Longer Censored; Radio Kalima Still Is · Global Voices
Mohamed Benderouiche

Blocked by the Algerian government on January 1, 2010, without motive or prior notice, the website of the Rachad Movement rachad.org [fr] is once again accessible in Algeria. Now, only the Radio Kalima site kalimadz.com [fr] continues to be censored. The Rachad Movement filed a complaint on May 11, 2010, with the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Yahia Bounouar, director of Radio Kalima in Algeria wonders, “Why is Kalimadz the only blocked news site in Algeria? Who decided this censorship?” The country's private Internet providers such as SLC and Wimax, are owned by the sons of Algerian military generals.

author: Mohamed Benderouiche


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Azerbaijan: Clashes during hijab ban protest · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Tamada Tales comments on reports that a protest held to oppose a ban on the hijab in schools today ended in clashes with police. The blog notes the official line that the demonstration outside the country's Ministry of Education was dispersed in an orderly fashion by police is not borne out by video posted on YouTube.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Facebook activist sentenced · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Jabbar Savalan, a 20-year-old opposition youth activist arrested in Azerbaijan on 5 February, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison on drug possession charges. Amnesty International says that the case was politically motivated and was linked to Savalan's political activities which included making calls for post-MENA demonstrations in the country on Facebook.


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China: Income Tax and Housing Expense · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky Huang from ChinaHush translates a news story on the controversy of the China Statistics Bureau's account of average monthly housing expense per citizen.


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Cuba: Proper Care for HIV+ Mother  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pedazos de La Isla reports that the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Resistance Front has publicly requested – and since received – proper medical service and housing conditions for an HIV-positive mother and her young child.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Torture Tactic  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense blogs about how the authorities “have responded to Andy Frometa Cuenca, a political prisoner on hunger strike since April 16 to demand his release and that of all political prisoners in Cuba.”


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Ecuador: The 10 Questions Ecuadorians Will Vote On · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Just the Facts provides an English translation –and explanatory notes– of the 10 questions Ecuadorians will be voting on tomorrow, May 7: “Polls indicate that while awareness of the questions is low, all of them will be approved.”


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Egypt: All Causes Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Egyptian blogger Malek Mostafa has been wondering if we just choose to defend all good causes, or if we tend to prefer some causes over others [ar].
It all started during the Labour Day celebrations that took place in Tahrir Square, Cairo, on May 1, 2011; some people became upset with the fancy stage set up in the square to commemorate the occasion. Malek tries to find out why all this happened.
One of the protesters in Tahrir Square during the Labour Day celebrations, carrying one of the most famous quotes taken from The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Workers of The World, Unite! Photo by Maggie Osama used under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Malek writes:
Malek continues:
Malek then moves to his main question, as he tries to figure out why some causes grab more attention than others:
He adds more reasons:
.
And he summarizes how he sees the market driving people's choices for causes to defend:
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Finally, isn't it interesting how we choose to stand with some causes more than others. I don't know if it is ethical to do so or not?
Do you see it as using double standards or is it just human that each of one has his own preferences and priorities, supporting causes closer to them and their interests?

author: Tarek Amr


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Greece: Documentary Film “Debtocracy” Available in English · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Debtocracy, a documentary by Katerina Kitidi and Aris Hatzistefanou about the causes and possible solutions of the Greek debt crisis, can be viewed with the English subtitles beginning today. It's distributed under Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 license and allegedly has had over 1 million views so far. This “documentary produced by the audience” was filmed with only EUR 8,000 raised through small donations [gr] from individuals and trade unions. It contains comparisons with the cases of Argentina and Ecuador.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Guyana: Chanderpaul & the WICB  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

WICB Expose says that “Shivnarine Chanderpaul is just the latest in a long line of great West Indies cricketers to be mistreated by the West Indies Cricket Board” and links to an interview with the cricketer to support its claim.


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Japan: Manga artist’s Smiles · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Popular manga artist Takehiko Inoue has been publishing original portraits of Japanese people through his twitter account @inouetake with the hashtags #prayforjapan and #tsunami. The series is called Smile.


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Japan: Tarō Okamoto’s Mural Hijacked · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Displayed in Tokyo's Shibuya Station, the mural “Myth of Tomorrow” by Tarō Okamoto depicts the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Upowers2008 posted a video of the mural after it mysteriously “gained” an additional panel that references the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown, as 3yen explains. Police have taken down the panel since then.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Jordan: “Bring Raad Home” from Syria · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Momentum is building up online to pressure the Syrian authorities to release Jordanian Raad Kawar, who has been held since April 19. The 26-year-old was in Syria returning by car from vacation in Beirut to Fuheis, Jordan, where he lives (Ar), when he was arrested.
According to a website run by his family and friends:
Raad Kawar is a warm and loving 26 year-old Jordanian citizen. He went to Lebanon to visit some friends for a day and come back home. On Tuesday 19th of April at 1 a.m. that night, Raad sent a friend of his a text message saying that he is on the highway and on his way back from the Damascus borders, and should be arriving in a couple of hours. But that was the last his family or friends heard from him.
The website adds that Kawar was in no way politically involved.  Kawar's case was featured on Al-Jazeera's May 1st Live Feed for Syria (note 9:40 pm).
Raad Kawar
On the website bringraadhome.com, Alameer Kawar, Raad's brother, earlier wrote a letter to Syria, saying:
Dear Syria: Today is the 9th day that you’re holding my brother captive on your soil. I believe that is more than enough time for holding an innocent Jordanian citizen…We’re hoping and praying for today to be the day, the day we celebrate our brother’s return, the brother for so many and the friend for many more.
I <3 you Raad Kawar
Others tweeted a video that Raad had made and posted on Youtube, encouraging others to witness his vibrant personality:
Friends created a Facebook event with a recommended prayer for his return:
Raad Kawar is God's child. He will resist the devil. No weapon formed against him shall prosper.
And others exchanged suggestions for action to assist Raad at another Facebook group.  Still others shared happy stories of time spent with Raad at raadkawar.com.  Luma Spin wrote:
Raad was my first boss, although you couldn't really call him boss, he was more of a friend right from the start. One day while in a meeting with him, he suddenly got up on his desk and started dancing, and that's when I knew, this would be the best job ever
Others expressed hope for his quick return.  Salem al-Beiruiti tweeted:
#RaadKawar, Hang in there & don't let go of ur smile! I've never seen u BUT smiling, keep doing so! we're going 2 #BringRaadBack soon! :)
Wissam Chidiak wrote:
#BringRaadHome, precious, I know you're holding strong, I hear your words. We'll get you back free very soon.
Some, like Omar Biltaji, wanted to know how long it might before Raad is returned to Jordan and his family:
Can we understand the timeline in which Raad Kawar will be released and reunited with his family? #BringRaadHome #JO “Please ReTweet”
And others demanded updates from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and its Minister, Nasser Judeh.  Aseel al-Otaibi wrote:
@ForeignMinistry any news about #raad, isn't it time to #BringRaadHome !! 14 days are more than enough .. please update us
Foreign Minister Judeh responded from his own Twitter account:
Efforts being exerted at all levels. Not tweeting about it doesnt mean we are ALL not trying and concerned. Please. #BringRaadHome
Follow the hashtag #BringRaadHome on Twitter for more updates on Kawar.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Betsy Fisher


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Kuwait: In Love with Osama Bin Laden  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
Picture of Khulood Al-Khamis from her Twitter account
So what does it take to make a woman fall in love with someone like Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden? Apparently, a long beard, admits Kuwaiti female columnist Khulood Al-Khamis, who stunned readers with a love letter she wrote for the terror mastermind, who was killed by the US, in Abbottabad, Pakistan, this week.
In her letter, in her column in the Kuwaiti Arabic daily Al-Qabas, Al-Khamis described Bin Laden as the man of her dreams, describing how she would have loved going with him to his cave, washing his beard and becoming one of his wives. She ended her article promising to wait or him in heaven to continue her Scheherazade tales.
The columnist, who happens to be a short story writer, has an account on Twitter . Her article shocked many readers. On Twitter, Al-Khamis received a lot of sarcastic mentions, including from Ayman Zawahari, a parody account of the Al-Qaeda second man, who asked her a simple small question:
شدعوه خلود مالنا رب يعني؟
Saddam Hussein, another parody account, followed:
خاتون خلود خميس ، مو آني هم مجرم وچتلت بشر أكثر من أسامه .. ليش ماتفكرين بيا ؟!
Yahya Taleb Ali, a young Kuwaiti writer, wrote yet another sarcastic tweet saying:
ميخالف شباب، الأخت عبرت عن رأيها وإعجابها بأسامة بن لادن وتبي تمشط لحيته. هذا رأي والتعبير عنه حق مكفول. أنا عن نفسي أبي أمشط شنب نيتشه
Another Twitter user, who claims to be a president of Kuwait's upper class area Shuwaikh, wrote different tweets about Al-Khamis's article, including this one:
بعد مقالة خلود الخميس..ڤيكتوريا سيكريتس تطرح تصاميم جديدة بعنوان( آآآآه فجرني)عبارة عن لنجيري مفخخ بالديناميت للإغراء الإرهابي
Another Kuwaiti female Twitter user, Ghadory, did not hesitate to mock Al-Khamis, but this time in English:
#kholoudalkhamees (‘Cause Ur a freak, baby) U want it bad, bad romance With #OBL I got a whole new perspective on lady gaga song
Molten86 wrote with a serious tone:
#kholoudalkhamees تبي تشتهر ! بسرعة ! أمدح ظالم إرهابي .. مبروك انت نجم لامع الآن
Salman Al-Naqi has also dealt with Al-Khamis's article in a serious way saying:
أحذروا السلفية الجديدة التي تطل علينا برجال حليقي اللحية و نساء سافرات الوجه.. و لنا في الكاتبين بدر البحر و خلود الخميس خير برهان ! #kuwait
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Mona Kareem


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Lebanon: Perceptions on Lebanon’s recent protests · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese media outlet Hibr posted the results of a survey taken by 185 people online about the different perspectives that people in Lebanon have about the recent protests which took place in the country.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: Road Trip to Jezzine · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanon-based Dutch blogger Sietske shares her experience (with photos) of her trip with her family to the southern town Jezzine, Lebanon, in this post.


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Maldives: Evening Protests Paralyzing Male · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hassan Ziyau writes about the recent evening protests in Maldives capital Male which are erupting into violence and public property are being destroyed.

author: Rezwan


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Mexico: Day 1 of Peaceful Protest Against Drug War Violence · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
On Thursday May 5, 2011, a national protest (#marchanacional on Twitter) kicked off in Cuernavaca, Morelos, a city 80 kilometers (around 50 miles) away from Mexico City. The participants en route to the capital in a peaceful walk will be received on Sunday, May 8, with a massive peaceful demonstration against the violence generated by the War on Drugs.
On Wednesday night, hours before the march began, President Felipe Calderón appeared on national television  asking for the support and understanding from Mexican society towards his strategy in combating drug trafficking.
Your understanding and your support, support from the entire  society, is essential. Because some people, in good or bad faith, are  trying to stop the government's action.
There is no option to withdraw from the fight. On the contrary, we  must redouble our efforts, because if we stop fighting they will kidnap,  rob and kill all over the country.
During the official acts of  the Cinco de Mayo national holiday, the President declared [es]:
Ante este enemigo hay quienes, de buena o mala fe, quisieran ver a nuestras tropas retroceder, a las instituciones bajar la guardia y darle simple y llanamente el paso a gavillas de criminales. Yo les digo que eso no puede y no va a ocurrir, porque tenemos la razón, porque tenemos la ley, y porque tenemos la fuerza vamos a ganar.
Monero Hernández (@monerohernandez), a political cartoonist that organized the movement #nomassangre (#nomoreblood) published this cartoon criticizing the President for not listening to the protestor's demands.
"They are so freaking stubborn"  Image used with @monerohernandez's permission
Hundreds of people are already on their way to Mexico City. Excited, fearless and marching in silence, the participants demand a credible and smart strategy from the government, one that won't result in more violence and deaths.
#marchanacional in the highway Cuernavaca-Mexico DF  Image via @alconsumidor
@Mxhastalamadre is tweeting the whole development of #marchanacional, as well as other activists like Jesús Robles (@roblesmaloof) and Daniel Gershenson (@alconsumidor), who are posting pictures constantly. A lot of citizens are showing their support and solidarity on Twitter.
Javier Sicilia. Image via @alconsumidor
Samuel Espino (@Sarcle), a very active citizen that has been working really hard in the organization and promotion of this protest, was also featured today in Al Jazeera's “The Stream” to talk about #marchanacional.
Newspaper Milenio offers an interactive map [es] of the route and events related to #marchanacional. The group that left Cuernavaca on the morning of May 5 already covered the first 20 kilometers (around 12 miles). Here is a video of their arrival to Coajumulco, their first stop:
@patyaspe tweets:
La marcha retoma su camino. Son más de mil personas, entre víctimas, familiares, inconformes y reporteros… Ah, y policías #marchanacional
Also, a music video by Youth in Movement United for Peace from Chiapas is spreading around the web to support #marchanacional and demand: “No more Blood, No more Deaths Mr President!”
Jesús Robles Maloof also writes in his blog [es] about the first day of #marchanacional:
Nunca pensé que caminaría de Cuernavaca al DF, como nunca pensé que mi país se sumiera en una ola de violencia y que nuestros políticos solo acertarán a decir. “Si no estas conmigo, estás contra mi”. Sigue el debate de las propuestas de las ideas. ¿se debe cambiar la estrategia? ¿cuál es la opción? ¿marchar resuelve algo?
Today, May 6, the march will continue all the way to Topilejo on the southern outskirts of Mexico City and more people are expected to join to get to the main square, El Zócalo, in downtown Mexico City on May 8.
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.


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North Korea: Japanese Drug Dealers Face Trial · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Three Japanese nationals were caught for drug trafficking and counterfeiting money, North Korean state media revealed on April 4ne has already been expelled from the country while the others face trial. Robert Neff posted an analysis of foreigners’ drug dealing and counterfeiting cases in the North on the Marmot's Hole

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Palestine: Demonstrations Against Occupation, For Unity · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

In the last few years, West Bank Palestinian villages have seen their land claimed both by Jewish settlements in the West Bank and by the security wall erected by Israel.  In villages such as Nabi Saleh, Bi'lin and Ni'lin, village residents have responded by holding weekly non-violent protests.
Foreign Policy reports that these protests have proven to be a difficult challenge for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) who consistently attempt to break up the protests and arrest demonstrators.  The week after Hamas and Fatah inked their unity agreement was no exception.
Joseph Dana is a New York-born activist with Jewish roots who moved to Israel to pursue his Jewish heritage, and is now an activist regularly reporting on and joining protests in these West Bank villages.  Dana reported on the evening of May 5, 2011:
Raids took place in Nabi Saleh last night. Unarmed demonstrations will take place tomorrow. I will be live tweeting from the ground.
The demonstrations, though, never started, preempted by IDF troop deployment:
Most of the village is still in the mosque. Soldiers have taken two houses in nabi saleh
The March 15th Palestine account also reported:
Army enforcing undeclared curfew in #Nabi Saleh. Tear-gas clouds cover the village and shot directly into houses. Caused a fire & an injury
Joseph Dana posted pictures of the tear gas clouds:
Tear Gas in Nabi Saleh, Palestine.
Dana reported that the wife of detained activist Bassem Tamimi was also targeted:
The soldiers beat the wife of bassem tamimi who was filming for btselem. They hit her and tried to destroy her camera in nabi saleh
Hours later, Dana  indicated that soldiers were withdrawing:
Now it is finally over. With a hail of tear gas
Meanwhile, protests also ensued in the Palestinian villages of Bi'lin, Ni'lin and Masara.  The official IDF Twitter account reported:
~80 violent rioters in Bi'lin, ~40 in Ni'lin hurling rocks @ security forces responding w/riot dispersal means.
The PSCC (Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee) told it differently:
Soldiers arrested a 15 year-old during the demo in Bil'in. Still enforcing undeclared curfew in Nabi Saleh
And demonstrations also occured to Ni'lin:
Protesters banging on the metal gate in Ni'ilin demanding to access their lands. Soldiers shooting tear-gas
In Masara, protests ended with the arrest of the villages mayor.   B Sez tweeted:
Mahmoud Zwahre, Arrested At Weekly Protest Against The Wall At Al Masara http://www.imemc.org/article/61189 #Palestine #Israel
Demonstrators also gathered in the Manara Square of Ramallah to celebrate this week's unity deal between rival factions Hamas and Fatah.  The year after Hamas won elections in Gaza in 2006, it expelled Fatah from Gaza, and the two groups have had little interaction since.  Beginning March 15, protesters in both Gaza, controlled by Hamas, and in the West Bank, controlled by Fatah, began demonstrating to demand national unity.  Earlier in the week, Gaza celebrated the unity deal.  The May 6th Ramallah demonstration was a continuation of Palestinian celebrations of the success of the March 15th movement and Palestinian unity.
Jalal, who describes himself as a Palestinian living between Jerusalem and Ramullah, saw the beginning of the demonstrations, which began with pro-Hamas supporters, and was later joined by Fatah and March 15th movement demonstrators. He tweeted:
Couple hundred hamas supporters in #ramallah waiting to be joined by their Fatah brothers
Jalal continued live from Manara Square:
Green and yellow banners raised in Ramallah now, but most importantly Palestinian national flags all over Manara! #herak #mar15
Jalal posted numerous pictures of the March 15th demonstrators:
March 15th Movement Demonstrators in Ramallah.
Demonstrators were in Manara not just to celebrate, but also to press for transparent elections.  Ashira Ramadan tweeted:
In #Ramallah now for the unity celebration and to call for fair direct PNC elections #Palestine #mar15
Follow Global Voices for continuing coverage.


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Poland: Pre-war functionalism · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki discusses pre-World War II functionalistic architecture in Warzaw and posts pictures to illustrate.


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Russia: Individual political funding · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Vladimir Kara-Murza at World Affairs writes about the rise of individual citizen contributions to oppositional parties and organizations, and how the interests holding power in Russia relate and react to this.


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Russia: Problematic leniency towards corruption · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user SPbChel discusses [RU] governmental leniency towards corrupt officials as explanation of the failure of Russia's anti-corruption campaign.


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Sub-Saharan Africa: Surge in Use of Mobile Phones · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

André-Michel Essoungou writes the following on the site reseautelecom.com: “According to the ITU [International Telecommunication Union], investments in the African mobile phone sector, the prime mover of information and communication technologies, went from US$8.1 billion in 2005 to nearly US$70 billion today. These technologies are about to become the driving force for African growth.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Syria: Reports of Telecom Disruptions as Protests Rage  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Twitter users in Syria are reporting that mobile internet telecommunications have been disrupted today, as protests continued across the country.
Furious Syrian reports:
Mobile internet and 3G net coverage is down in #Syria. The two and only cellular operators are owned by Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf
Human rights activist Wissam Tarif notes:
Al-Assad Regime switches off communication in #Homs #Zabadani #Madaya Also in neighborhoods in #Hama #Eastern Gotta #Damascus Suburbs
And Razaniat adds:
3G USB modems cut off in Damascus, Aleppo and Banyas. #Syria #fb
Anonymous Syria confirms:
@Razaniyat A friend in #Aleppo has 3G modem, he has told me that both MTN & Syriatel don't work for him. #Syria
There are also reports that some landlines have been cut in some areas. Malath Aumran tweets:
Cutting the landline-phones and electricity in #Banyas, #syria
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Trinidad & Tobago: Time for Land Use Policy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Plain Talk calls for reason in the ongoing battle between local farmers and the Housing Development Corporation, saying, “I have called for a land use policy from this government and the last and I am not the only one. Farming for self sufficiency should be one of our front burner goals, but none of our goals should be achieved through lawlessness…”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Valley Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog reports that “former government minister and People’s National Movement (PNM) stalwart, Kenneth Valley died this morning.”


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Tunisia: Blog Declines Award Sponsored by Bahrain Government · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.
Nawaat says no to its Bahrain government-sponsored blog award.
Award-winning Tunisian blog Nawaat was awarded the Arab eContent Award of 2011, in the e-Inclusion and participation category. The Arab eContent is both organised and sponsored by the Bahraini government.
The team of Nawaat, a group blog which has been active is letting the world know about the Tunisian Uprising that toppled the dictatorship of Zain Al Abideen Ben Ali, has refused to attend the Bahrain IT Expo 2011 and receive the prize from Shaikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information Technology and Communications. The move comes in protest against the Bahraini government’s censorship practices, and the arrest of bloggers and human rights activists.
Nawaat issued the following statement, explaining why the team declined the award:
Since the eContent Award is officially sponsored by the Bahraini eGovernment Authority and since Nawaat’s position has always been to avoid any form of support from government organisations, we reject this award in protest against the Bahrain’s Internet filtering practices, the arrest of scores of bloggers and human rights activists and the arbitrary blocking of hundreds of websites and blogs that are critical of the Bahraini government and its ruling family.
Furthermore, the Bahraini eGovernment Authority is not in position to decide or accredit which website is eligible to win the Arab eContent Award 2011, especially under the e-Inclusion & Participation category. Bahrain’s internet freedom situation goes against the very principal of e-Inclusion & Participation.
The Tunileaks Project by Nawaat
In 2011, Nawaat was  awarded the Reporters Without Borders Netizen Prize 2011 for their coverage of the Tunisian popular revolt from its early beginnings.The blog was also awarded the Index On Censorship New Media Award 2011 for their Tunileaks project, which “revealed the extent of the corruption deeply entrenched in many aspects of Tunisian life”, according to Index on Censorship. The Tunileaks project was inspired by Wikileaks.
On Twitter, Nawaat's decision not to accept the award was welcomed.
Haythem Elmekki, a Tunisian blogger and journalist tweets [fr]:
Respect aux gars de @nawaat qui ont refusé le e-Content Arab Award, offert par le gouvernement meurtrier et despotique du Bahreïn.
Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov  adds:
Wow, I have so much respect for the @Nawaat team for rejecting this award!
Hasan Habib thanks the blog [ar]:
@nawaat من شعب البحرين… شكراً لكم شكراً لكم
And on Nawaat, the blog's announcement not to accept the award has attracted more than 300 comments so far.
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Tunisia: Police Brutality is Back  · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Protests continue in Tunisia, following the declarations of former Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi published on a Facebook page called “Skandali”in which he predicts that there would be a military coup, by loyalists of the ousted President, if the Islamist Party Al-Nahdha wins the elections on July 24. He also claimed that Rachid Ammar, Chief of Staff of the Tunisian Armed Forces, went to Qatar to meet with the former President Ben Ali, and that Tunisia continues to be run by a shadow government, headed by a friend of Ben Ali, Kamel Ltaief.
A Tunisian protestor beaten by a policeman in civilian clothes, May 6, 2011. Photo by Twitpic user @worldwideyes.
Pro democracy protestors gathered twice during the last 24 hours, on Thursday afternoon and on Friday morning, in Hbib Bourguiba Avenue, to call for the overthrow of the government. On the two occasions protestors were brutally dispersed by riot police using tear gas and batons.
Winston Smith, a blogger for Nawaat writes:
…اليوم5 ماي يتواصل القمع ضدّ المواطنين العزّل عبر إعتداء فرق التدخل و البوليس السياسي …على المتظاهرين المسالمين في شارع الحبيب بورقيبة بالعاصمة التونسية…
A youtube video, published on May 5, shows a small gathering of anti-government protestors, before the intervention of security forces.
On Friday, however, tension was higher and the police intervention was more violent.
Ben Karim tweets:
Happening right now in #Tunis: Peaceful Protestors beaten and shot with tear gas downtown by the police, #Tunisian police aggression is back
Haythem El Mekki says:
Les flics quand ils arrêtent un jeune se mettent tous a le battre de manière violente en même temps”
Escaping the Police Brutality photo on Yfrog
Nawaat tweets:
Avenue Bourguiba à Tunis : violence, tabassage arrestations arbitraires
Security forces also attacked bloggers and journalists.
Fatma Arabicca, tweets:
بسام بوقرة المدون يتعرض للاختطاف من قبل البوليس والضرب المبرح ثم يرمى في الشارع آلام حادة على مستوى اليد
Leena Ben Mhenni reacts on her Facebook page:
So sorry to know that my friend blogger Sam Bouguerra was kidnapped, beaten, and thrown in the middle of no where by the police. Shame on you!
An AFP photographer, a journalist for ShemsFM radio and another one from Aljazeera were attacked, while a correspondent for Radio Express FM was threatened and verbally humiliated by the police.
Nizou tweets:
Le journaliste de ShemsFm se fait tabasser en direct, la ligne est coupée, il n'est plus joignable
Amira Yahyaoui adds:
Un photographe de l'AFP qui couvrait les manifs de l'avenue bourguiba aujourd'hui a été agressé par les force de l'ordre #tunisie
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.


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Armenia: Childbirth  · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Motherhood, Repatriation and other fictions, a blog by an ethnic Armenian from the Diaspora turned activist in Armenia, comments on the quality of healthcare in the former Soviet republic. Although conditions are improving, the blog notes, petty corruption and the quality of nursing remain serious problems for expectant mothers.


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Equatorial Guinea: Online expression · Global Voices
Ana Lúcia Sá

On World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders shared a list of press freedom predators. The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, is on the list. In this country,  were there is a tight control of the press, Facebook is often used to share information and opinions on world events. For example, so far, the famous cartoonist, Nsé Ramón, is the only Equatoguinean to react online to Osama Bin Laden's death in an ironical text [es].

author: Ana Lúcia Sá


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France : demonstration at the Syrian Embassy · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

On Tuesday, 3 May 2011, World Press Freedom Day, representatives from Reporters Without Borders demonstrated in front of the Syrian Embassy in Paris. Video of the demonstration [in French and English].

author: Thalia Rahme


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Georgia: Armenian-Azeri coexistence · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Reader in Baku travels to villages and towns co-inhabited by ethnic Armenians and Azeris in Georgia. Despite the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the blogger finds that both ethnic minorities easily coexist together outside of the war zone.


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India: A Conspiracy Theory · Global Voices
Rezwan

Arunachal Diary speculates whether there was any conspiracy behind the death of Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, who died in a helicopter crash.


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India: E-Governance Initiative Using LED Screen Shows · Global Voices
Rezwan

Badhri Jagannathan at Think Change India informs that Gujarat government has launched an e-governance pilot initiative called ‘Gujarat Swarnim Gram E-Broadcast Project’ in the villages of Amreli which will disseminate information useful to rural livelihood by erecting large LED screens in public places.


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Iran: World Taekwondo Top Title · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran wins world Taekwondo title for the first time.Totefarangi praises Iranian team who stole for the first time the world title from South Korea in history and compares it to the poor performance of Iran's football teams.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: Anti-nuclear power demonstrations in Shibuya · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Several thousand protestors are gathered in Shibuya, Tokyo for an anti-nuclear power demonstration. This demo follows another held on April 10th (video). Hiruma Takashi posted photos of arrests. Twitter users are using the hashtag is #57nonukes.


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Laos: Mekong Tourism Forum · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A new media boot camp will be held later this month a day before the Mekong Tourism Forum in Pakse, Champasak, Laos. The event will gather travel bloggers who are expected to learn more about the tourism potential of the Mekong region.

author: Mong Palatino


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Malaysia: Cost of removing poverty in Sarawak · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Anilnetto links to an article published by Aliran about the amount needed to wipe out poverty in Sarawak, Malaysia.


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Maldives: Rocked by Protests Over Economy · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

For seven consecutive days, thousands of residents of Male, the capital of Maldives, have protested on busy streets and public spaces, expressing their dissatisfaction over soaring prices of consumer goods and economic mismanagement of the government. The protests are being organized by the opposition parties, even though they have labeled it as a youth-led protest.
While there is a genuine dissatisfaction over the government’s mismanagement of the economy, not all residents are joining the protests, because of the highly political nature of the protests and the extent of violence involved. A number of people, including police and journalists, have been hurt during the protests. According to reports more than 300 people have been arrested so far, a figure, which has been disputed by the government.
Protesting increase of commodity prices in Maldives. Image from Twitpic by Ahmed Nazim (@GraveBone).
The government has tried to play down the significance of the protests, blaming the opposition for trying to destabilize the first democratically elected government of the Maldives and trying to topple the government before the next presidential election scheduled for 2013. The government has not acknowledged that there has been a considerable increase of prices of goods following a recent devaluation of the local currency against US dollar.
The following video of the day 3 of the protests was uploaded to YouTube by sunmvlive. See more videos by the user.
Bloggers and tweeps react to the crisis in the Maldives:
Nina Ali reacts to a statement by the President that prices have not soared and one tin of powder milk is sufficient for two children for one month:
how big do they think one tin of powder milk is.. : ONE BARREL????
Sofwath tweets about the rising cost of living:
Those who don't have to pay everything they earn for rent would never understand. They can joke and laugh but the reality is very different.
Tweeps find it ironic the government is trying to restrict the protests while the current leaders staged a number of protests when they were in the opposition. Rizwee tweets:
Current Maldivian regime doesn’t have heart to see anti-government protests. They forgot how they protested in the past regime.
Epicloser makes fun of a pro-government protest held on Friday against the other protests:
Pro gov protests ended and prices went down instantly. Everythings solved. People are happy. xD
Epicloser also tweets about the violence involved in the protests:
The capital city of Maldives is on its way to fall into total anarchy. Now gangsters are mixed with protesters and setting fire on places.
Masood Ali tweets about the instability:
Happy to be a Maldivian, but happily cant walk in my country
Badruddeen believes violence is not the solution:
@sujauu totally agree with you on this. Everyone should avoid violence at any cost. Violence is not the way forward.
Not everyone is willing to take part in the protests even though they are not happy with how the government is handling the economy. Sofwath tweets:
@p3st yeap in Male’. Won't join any of these stupid protests this time. These people gone totally crazy. No one talking abt solutions.
Haifa Imad tweets:
@nunthu nope will NOT join the protest too many agendas. Turned into a political affair since day 1.Jus concerned abt our nation flag.
Gaanagaa pokes fun about the protests which has been labeled as youth-led but organized by opposition:
Elders protesting for youth's right for cheaper iPads and Thai food. Meanwhile, youth busy watching soccer on elder's TVs.
Badruddeen feels the protests are staged by the opposition to overthrow the government:
@epicloser lol revolution to reduce the price of bread or violent revolution to overthrow a legitimate government?
As the price increase began after the government devalued the local currency against the dollar, P3est tweets:
Dear Mr. Obama, Please send a shipment of Dollars to the Maldives before all hell breaks loose. Thanks. Your sincerely, @p3st
The protests have been going on mainly during the night and some residents are feeling the toll of sleepless nights. profEuLOGist tweets:
A request from a youth| can u politicians plan the protest sometime arnd mornin & finish it off arnd 4-5pm? PLEASE? I can donate suncream.
A pro-government protest organized by the ruling party. Image from Twitpic by I. M. Saeed (@epicloser).
Hassan Ziyau reacts to profEuLOGist’s tweet and elaborates the downside of the protests:
Freedom to protest through peaceful means is without question a given right by the constitution to its people. However in practicing one’s rights, the rights of the others should not be violated. Referring to the above mentioned tweet, I am in full agreement with its idea, that the protest if need to be held should be held during daylight and in a place which can accompany large amounts of people, such as the republic square rather than the small crowded streets and lanes of the capital.
Some mainstream media outlets and even some protesters have drawn parallels between the Arab revolutions and the current protests in the Maldives. However, the government officials point out that the government is democratically elected while the opposition’s roots are with the 30-year-old dictatorship that ended with the election of 2008.
Blogger Thakurubey summarizes the different perspectives on the protest:
the protest that has been going in the street of Male for 5 consecutive nights is viewed in differently. supporters of the government view it as a plot organized by the opposition to overthrow the government by means of protest. taking a model of recent protest that led to government change in most of the middle east nations. The ruling party vows to defend the government by all means. the opposition and its supporters say it is protest by the youth to highlight the impact the country is facing due to the dollar reference change made by the government to stabilize the economy.
Hassan Abdullah writes about the need for both the government and the opposition to act responsibly and put the nation first:
So I request those who are not happy with the current regime to criticize the government make them held accountable and voice out against them or even protest against them, but save your own account in-terms of truth and justice. And I request the government, especially president Nasheed, not to make false promises and to STOP showing illusion and to do whatever you can to save the nation from crisis.
My final request to my dear brothers and sisters as someone who do not have any knowledge like the rest; “please do not set your focus on today or tomorrow, set it far beyond that.”

author: Saffah Faroog


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Mexico: Citizens on Alert Over National Security Law Reform · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

On April 21, Mexican newspaper La Jornada [es] broke the news about an opaque negotiation in the Mexican Congress that purported to pass a reform of the National Security law [Full Text in Spanish]. According to human right groups, political analysts, lawyers and even some politicians, it would legalize the abuses of the army against civilians in the name of national security.
The original project is now on hold.  America’s Program reported:
Mexico’s House of Deputies has brought the country to the cusp of a police state. The reform to the National Security Law now before the lower house would grant sweeping military powers to the executive and limit congressional oversight of domestic military activity. It would grant President Felipe Calderón the ability to effectively declare states of exception without congressional approval and unilaterally use the military against any group he deems to be a “threat to internal security.”
PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) Senator Tomás Torres declared that [es] this law means a “coup d’etat with the law in hand”.
Twitter users rapidly started a mobilization against the bill, distributing information about the details of the initiative to alert as many people as possible.  @diegoegh quickly put a list with all the links [es] regarding the coverage of the #LSN (Ley de Seguridad Nacional; National Security Law) and @asesorpolitico published a Storify [es] post with relevant press and expert opinions about the #LSN.
A petition to the Congress [es] rejecting the reform quickly started circulating online for signatures.
Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos [es] published an open letter [PDF in Spanish] to the congressmen asking for a public discussion of the text, recalling the cost of the War on Drugs for Mexico:
Las quejas presentadas ante la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH) por violaciones de derechos humanos por parte de militares se han incrementado en un 1,000% entre 2006 y 2009 […] De diciembre de 2006 a finales de 2010, el propio Gobierno Federal contabilizó un número de 34 mil 612 ejecuciones en el contexto de la llamada “guerra contra la delincuencia organizada”.
Human Rights activist Jesús Robles Maloof [es] blogging at Nexos posted “Who are the obstacles in this country?” [es], where he explains how the proposed bill could consider peaceful protests and social movements an “obstacle” for national security and this will lead to criminalizing freedom of association, privacy rights and freedom of expression.
Red por la Paz y la Justicia [es] blogs:
No a la reforma de esta ley que legaliza la violación sistemática a nuestras libertades y garantías fundamentales.
Manuel García Estrada published [es] a letter which he sent to the Congress together with 500 email accounts of congressmen, asking people to demand that the government stop the #LSN.
Javier Briseño writes at Blog On the Go:
It's a law questioned by many because anything made on the rush will always be a bad idea, in this case, to try to turn our Army to function like cops it's plainly absurd just because there are some obstacles for the Army.
Javier Sicilia, a poet who leads a peaceful movement that demands the end of war and violence in Mexico named @estamoshastalamadre (we are fed up),  showed up on Wednesday April 27th in Congress [es] with other prominent activists to demand that the congressmen modify the reform.
Later that day he appeared on Milenio TV to talk about the #LSN to explain the opposition to the law, reminding people that a huge protest is planned for May 8th in Mexico and worldwide:
Lawyer Rafael Robles Scott blogs at Guru Político [es]:
Queda abierta la posibilidad de la creación de sistemas de informantes dentro de las mismas estructuras del crimen organizado, la de las negociaciones de sentencias o beneficios para delincuentes a cambio de información para el gobierno, lo que estás comprobado es una forma de corroer las estructuras democráticas de los sistemas de procuración de Justicia[..]
Amnesty International expressed their disappointment [es] about the #LSN.
The political party PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) voiced their strong support for the reform [es] and their main backer Alfonso Navarrete, tried to negotiate the reform before the legislation period ended on April 30. Josefina Vázquez Mota from the presidential party tweeted on Wednesday, April 27:
Hoy en la Cámara, los @diputadospan seguiremos buscando los consensos necesarios para la aprobación de la Ley de Seguridad Nacional.
News blog Animal Politico [es] published the names and statements of the different politicians that backed the #LSN.
Thanks to the pressure and massive opposition from  Mexican society to #LSN, the law was “frozen” temporarily.
Revista Emet [es] reports that now there is a deadline of 90 days to have a new wording of the #LSN  to be discussed with experts, civil society and organizations.
However, Mexican citizens remain on alert until the reform is discarded.

author: Geraldine Juarez


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Myanmar: Video journalists behind bars · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Independent media network The Democratic Voice of Burma reports that 17 of its video journalists are under detention in Myanmar. Some are serving sentences of 27 years for reporting about the real situation inside Myanmar.


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Nepal: Facebook Movement Demanding Constitution · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pradeep Kumar Singh informs that frustrated by the inability of the incumbent government to enact the new constitution of Nepal on time, some Nepali youth started a Facebook group to create a movement to pressurize the government.


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Pakistan: What Did ISI Know About Laden? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faheem Haider at Pakistan Foreign Policy Blog questions what the Pakistani Military and Intelligence Service knew about the top terror Osama Bin Laden, who was intercepted and killed in Abbottabad, near the Pakistan capital.


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Singapore: Museum website features interactive games · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The website of Singapore's National Art Gallery features interactive games and other educational resources to teach children and the general public about art.


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Thailand: Opium Museum · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The House of Opium in Thailand features the history of opium and its trade in The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. It also has a collection of materials which celebrate the culture of north Thailand.


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Afghanistan: So Osama’s dead. And? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Sekundar argues that the death of Bin Laden does not mean a lot for the war on terror, because many other iconic and key figures within al-Qaeda are “still drawing breath”. “The war stopped being about Osama a loooong time ago”, he adds.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: US National Archives releases new bin Laden files · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding writes that the US National Archives, which has just published a remarkably informative bin Laden file containing some fascinating documents, including the President's Daily Brief from 6 August 2001 warning “Bin Ladin determined to Strike in US”.


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Brazil: Homophobia, Religion and Politics · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Amidst an increasing wave of homophobic violence in Brazil, which puts the country among the world's worst in terms of crime against the LGBT community – as reported in the first article of this series dedicated to the LGBT scene  – federal deputy Jean Wyllys, the first openly homosexual member of the Brazilian parliament, has presented a Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.
Meanwhile, recent statements of hatred and prejudice by some parliamentarians, far right groups and religious representatives, who oppose this and other legislative advancements in LGBT issues, have raised a feeling of indignation in the blogosphere.
Image shared in the blog Wihhy's, public domain.
Preaching prejudice
"Caution! Religious freedom threatened – Gay Dictatorship in Brazil – Vote against – Say no!" from the blog Amigo de Cristo (Friend of Christ)
An article from Jornal Brasil, republished by O Evangelho (The Gospel) [pt], points out that several religious groups, namely evangelicals and catholics, have been opposing what they call the beginning of a “Gay Dictatorship“ [pt], which includes “homosexual “marriage”, the Ministry of Education's supposed primer against “homophobia” (known as the “Gay Kit”) and PLC 122/2006 (the gay gag law), a bill that intends to criminalize any criticism of or opposition to homosexual behavior or to the intentions of the gay lobby”. In addition, these groups favor the dissemination of ideals which are contrary to the advocacy of LGBT rights [pt].
On this matter, Paulo Cândido, writing for the blog Biscoito Fino e a Massa, criticizes [pt] the “lack of arguments” and the “empty rhetoric”  of the “religious right-wing”:
que mal esconde seu ódio e sua   intenção de impor a moral de uma religião à sociedade como um todo.
Robson Fernando, writing for the blog Acerto de Contas, adds [pt]:
Fora a visão utilitária, influenciada pela moral  cristã,  que os  anti-LGBT possuem da sexualidade – segundo os quais o sexo  teria  função  estritamente reprodutiva –, a homofobia e o alegado  “direito de  criticar  a homossexualidade” têm tudo em comum com a  intolerância  religiosa e o suposto  “direito” de alguém discordar que  as pessoas  possam seguir outras crenças.
The cases of homophobia, however, transcend the churches and temples, and have even reached the political realm. One  of the figures that bridges the two institutions is the evangelical preacher and federal deputy, Marco Feliciano. Feliciano  was involved in a controversy after using Twitter to make  several racist and homophobic statements, as journalist Paulo Lopes mentions [pt], quoting: “we love homosexuals, but we loathe their promiscuous practices”.
Homophobia with parliamentary representation
"I don't discuss promiscuity! Any son of mine is well educated and runs no risk of falling for black women or gays!"
Federal deputy Jair Bolsonaro, affiliated with the Progressive Party in Rio de Janeiro, recently became involved  in a controversy for defending the right of parents to hit their children  to prevent them from becoming gay.
Rede Brasil Atual (Current Brazil Network) summarizes [pt] Bolsonaro's most polemical statements in a recent interview on the comedy show CQC (the video can be viewed here [pt]):
(…) fez declarações homofóbicas em um vídeo exibido pelo programa CQC, da TV Bandeirantes, nesta segunda-feira (28). Para Bolsonaro, ele não    correria o risco de ter um um filho gay, pois seus filhos tiveram  “uma boa educação, com um pai presente”. Ele também afirmou que não participaria de um evento homosexual porque “eu não participo de promover os maus costumes (sic).
An advocate  for far right-wing policies and a former army captain, Bolsonaro has made a habit of insulting human rights defenders as well as defending torture, but has never been punished by his peers [pt].
Blogger José Márcio Dias de Alencar wrote [pt] an Open Letter to the Deputy:
O senhor, futuro ex-deputado Jair Bolsonaro, representa   tudo que o  Brasil hoje mais abomina. E todos os 120 mil eleitores que o   colocaram  em seu sexto mandato são totalmente responsáveis   por esse  grotesco show de horrores protagonizado em nossa recente   democracia.  Irônico um ex-militar que apóia e se diz saudosista da   ditadura  depender tanto da democracia pra viver,  não? São 120 mil   pessoas que  pregam o racismo, a homofobia e a misoginia.
Via  Twitter, the actress and singer Preta Gil, offended by the video of Bolsonaro shown on CQC, announced [pt] that she will sue Bolsonaro for his remarks,  to which he replied that he had been misinterpreted [pt]. Jair Bolsonaro defended [pt] himself on his website and denied that he had insulted the singer Preta Gil.
On  the night of March 29, a group of parliamentarians, among them Jean Wyllys,  Brizola Neto, Manuela D'Ávila and Ivan Valente, filed a complaint [pt] to the  House of Representatives asking them to take action against deputy Jair  Bolsonaro.
Neo-Nazis, Fascists and “Nationalists”
Image by the author of this post.
The  statements by Jair Bolsonaro caused the desired effect, and in his defense several right-wing groups staged a demonstration in Avenida  Paulista and have been organizing others [pt] against the PLC 122, and in defense  of the family and the right to hold prejudice.
Groups [pt] such as Ultra Defesa, União Nacionalista (Nationalist Union), RAC Kombat – Rock Against  Communism, Carecas do Subúrbio (Baldies from the Suburb), Integralists and Nazi Skinheads, gathered to defend the deputy and “the family” against the  “Gay Dictatorship” and the attempts to criminalize homophobia.
After  the protest, at least six people linked to extreme right-wing and hate  groups were arrested [pt], which led Eduardo Guimaraes, from the blog Cidadania (Citizenship)  to comment [pt]:
[os manifestantes acabaram se] deparando com uma  contramanifestação  de defensores dos direitos dos homossexuais, um ato  corajoso e insensato  porque, do outro lado, havia criminosos conhecidos  e procurados, o que  gerou uma dezena de prisões de bolsonaretes. Em nenhuma outra parte do país, neonazistas e skinheads, entre os  quais  devem estar os que vêm aterrorizando homossexuais na avenida  Paulista,  teriam coragem de sair assim tão abertamente à luz do sol.
A  protest, led by LGBT movements and activists from various segments of  the left, was organized on the same day and time as the Nazi-Fascist protest, requiring a huge police contingent to separate the two  groups.
Federal deputy Jean Wyllys, in a letter published on journalist Leandro Fortes’ blog Brasilia, eu vi (Brasilia, I saw) [pt], calls for the “defense of human dignity, (…)  a sovereign principle of the Constitution” and states:
(…) o limite da liberdade de expressão de   quem quer   que  seja é a dignidade da pessoa humana do outro. O que   fanáticos e  fundamentalistas religiosos mais têm feito nos últimos anos   é violar a  dignidade humana de homossexuais.
Despite this whole scenario, there is hope. The  PEC proposed by Jean Wyllys, and other initiatives on the  criminalization of homophobia promise not only to illuminate the discussion  over legalizing marriage for same-sex couples, but also to promote greater  equality between all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation.
The  discussions of and movement towards acceptance of LGBT, already taking place  both in parliament and in civil society, will be the focus of the next and  third article in the series LGBT Scene Under Discussion.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Cuba: A Controversial Encounter · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The bloggers from the collective student blog from Matanzas La Joven Cuba reflect [es] on their meeting with the US professor Ted Henken, who was informed by Cuban authorities that he could not return to the Island after conducting research on the Cuban blogosphere.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Georgia: Human rights precedent in the Caucasus · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that the first case against homophobia displayed by police in dealing with a LGBT activist in Georgia has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. Also the first such case from the Caucasus, the blog notes the important precedent it represents.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Guinea-Bissau/Sao Tome and Principe: A Collection of Visual Arts · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

A collection of projects and experiences on visual arts in Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea-Bissau, by the french illustrator and author Alain Corbel, including illustrations, paintings and photography, is featured on the blog Noticias do Quelele (News from Quelele) [en, fr, pt].

author: Sara Moreira