text:
The Government is Unprepared as Peru’s Heavy Rains Unleash Lethal Landslides · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Vehicles caught in the avalanche in Chosica. Photo by Adrian Johemir Fernandez Yauri on Facebook.
As expected, the rainy season in the Peruvian highlands has been severe. Seven people have lost their lives in landslides caused by the rain in the town of Chosica, near Lima. The landslides resulted in extensive damage and shed light on the local and central government's lack of emergency response and planning in a known vulnerable disaster zone.
Chosica's Mayor, Luis Bueno, who has been in office for 20 years, was criticised for allowing houses to be built in disaster-prone areas, and for not taking the necessary measures to minimize damage caused by landslides, year after year.
The local Internet started reporting landslides in several populated areas of Chosica, 47 kilometres east of the capital Lima, on the afternoon of March 23:
Lamentable las victimas mortales el dia de hoy en #Chosica #Huayco. Lo que mas duele es que pudo evitarse. pic.twitter.com/pllEVrY2re
— Walter Meléndez (@amigoperu76) March 24, 2015
Lamentable the casualties today in Chosica. What hurts most is that it could have been avoided.
The next day there were more landslides and the collateral damage spread all the way to Lima, where prices of goods shot up:
Ojo, de nuevo cortan fluido eléctrico en #Chosica #Huayco. Las vías siguen obstruidas pic.twitter.com/ELYssTi90y
— Brau (@kayanga2) March 24, 2015
Be careful, electricity is cut off in Chosica. The roads are obstructed.
#MINEDU suspende clases en Chosica hasta fin de semana debido a huaicos >> http://t.co/Oum8EhwupZ
— DRELM (@drelm_lima) March 25, 2015
Suspended classes in Chosica until the weekend, due to landslides
Esta es la Carretera Central en estos momentos… completamente bloqueada. #huaycospic.twitter.com/u2NQDuSjTg
— Lucho Maguiña (@lvchomg) March 24, 2015
This is the Main Highway at this moment … completely blocked.
El bloqueo de la carretera central está aumentando el valor de algunos productos en los mercados de Lima…
— Luis Alejos (@Sr_Quest) March 24, 2015
The roadblock is increasing the value of some products in the markets of Lima…
The blog Info5News describes the situation in the affected areas:
Bastó tres horas de lluvias para que 13 quebradas a lo largo de la Carretera Central se activaran y, con ello, pesadas rocas, lodo y agua cayeran sobre los sectores ubicados en las faldas de los cerros […] Rayos del Sol (km. 35), [es] el punto más crítico. Al menos 500 metros de pista, en esta zona, ha quedado sepultada por enormes rocas y lodo, cuyo volumen alcanza hasta 10 metros de altura en algunos tramos.
It took only three hours of rain for the 13 streams along Central Highway to overflow causing heavy rocks, mud and water to fall on the areas located at the foot of the hills […] Rayos de Sol on km 35. [is] the most critical point. At least 500 meters of the road, in this area, has been buried by huge rocks and mud, the volume reaches up to 10 meters high in some areas.
The damage caused by the landslides would be less severe if there weren't houses in the areas prone to landslides:
@VeroLinaresC Existen muchas viviendas ubicados en las quebradas sin medir las consecuencias de un huaico, es lamentable. #Chosica
— Juan Mina (@Jnkrlos_Mina) March 24, 2015
Unfortunately, there are many houses located in the endangered zones without precautions for a landslide
asi como la empresa privada reubico a morococha , el estado debe reubicar a los que viven en zona de huayco en chosica @Ollanta_HumalaT
— Beto Luis (@Betoluis123) March 25, 2015
Just like the private company relocated Morococha, the state should relocate those living in the landslide zone in chosica
#Huayco es natural pero el desastre esta ligado al desarrollo urbano que ha ignorado peligro http://t.co/eWjE2h0dJi pic.twitter.com/UNgyINj8xt
— Rigoberto Choque (@Waynachoke) March 25, 2015
Landslide is a natural phenomenon but the disaster is caused by urban development that has ignored the danger
Chosica's Mayor, Luis Bueno, who has been re-elected six times in a row, was the focus of much criticism:
@Martin_Huancas @BryceArru @supermcalderon @piacostar Solo se construye con autorización de la muni Chosica, son mas votos para Bueno.
— Jorge Aspauza Razuri (@aspauzarazuri) March 24, 2015
The houses are built with the permission from the local government, meaning more votes for Bueno
Ahora puede verse de donde salieron los votos para mantener 20 años al alcalde de #chosica luis Bueno #lima #perú pic.twitter.com/dPuxOolF8N
— William (@aeropuertoTGI) March 25, 2015
Now you can see where the votes to maintain Chosica's Mayor Luis Bueno in office for 20 years came from
Lima’s Mayor, Luis Castañeda, who was travelling abroad, was also criticised by his political opponents.
Y Castañeda en una conferencia en Madrid! Huaicos en Chosica: se eleva a 8 el número de muertos http://t.co/Hoo2fSY8Dn
— Miguel Prialé Ugás (@miguelpriale) March 25, 2015
Students get trapped inside school because of landslide in Central Highway.
Y Castañeda dónde está? “Huayco en #Chosica: indican que la situación es grave a la altura del paradero Inca Kola pic.twitter.com/iRmCQ6o8ge“
— Eduardo Zegarra (@EZegarra3) March 23, 2015
Where is Casrañeda? “Landslides in #Chosica: the situation is critical at the Inca Kola zone.
@EZegarra3 Si castañeda es culpáble del Huayco!! entonces porque no fue culpable Villarán durante 4 años??
— Peru Poltica (@entodas01) March 23, 2015
If castañeda is guilty for the landslide !! Why was Villarán not blamed for 4 years ??
Teniente alcalde de Lima inspecciona zonas afectadas y supervisa trabajos de recuperación en Chosica. pic.twitter.com/mHXV9nQVwG
— Muni de Lima (@MuniLima) March 24, 2015
Lima's Deputy Mayor inspects affected areas and supervises the recovery effort in Chosica.
Even President Ollanta Humala was criticised for not going to Chosica quickly enough. At the time of the landslide, the President was in the north of the country.
Humala por San Martín inaugurando obras, alguien sabe si ya fue a Chosica?
— ｍａｒｉａ ａｌｅｍａｎ (@melizale) March 24, 2015
Humala in San Martín inaugurating public works, anyone know if he has been in Chosica?
@noticiAmerica humala no critiques saca al ejercito y ayuda a nuestros hermanos de chosica “ponte a trabajar”
— Pedro Martinez (@pjmartinez741) March 25, 2015
Humala get the army on the streets to help our brothers in need. Get to work!
Para qué piden la presencia de Humala en Chosica? Si no ha hecho nada para prevenir un desastre inminente. Que puede hacer ahora?
— Pietro Vidella (@FCOUnderground) March 25, 2015
Why ask for the presence of Humala in Chosica? If he hasn't done anything to prevent an impending disaster, what can he do now?
Ollanta Humala declara en emergencia Chosica y anuncia reubicación Diario Correo PROHIBAN LA CONSTRUCCIÓN D VIVIENDA EN LOS CAUSES DEL RIOS
— Petrus Mont (@Pemont) March 25, 2015
Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency in Chosica and announces relocation. The newspaper Correo: Ban the construction of houses in the river's flooding areas.
Beyond the political wrangling that takes advantage of moments like this to tarnish opponents, and the slow reaction from authorities, there are hundreds of affected families in great need. Apart from the help already being provided by several state institutions, people are also organizing themselves to assist people in Chosica.
Jeremiah Luis Saavedra has gathered a series of public and private events to help people affected by the landslides. He reflects:
Nuevamente EL HUAYCO se lo llevo todo, muertos y heridos, casas y bienes, muchos piden ayuda mientras otros buscan culpables, pero aún sigue el temor en la zona de que esto pueda volver a repetirse. En en transcurso de la historia de nuestro Perú, año tras año vemos en los medios de comunicación noticias que narran desastres naturales que sin duda afectan a miles de familias, pero ante tantas malas noticias diarias ¿Es el peruano una persona pasiva ante la desgracia ajena? ¿Es que ya no sentimos nada cuando vemos a personas perdiéndolo todo por situaciones extremas?
Again took everything, houses and property, caused death and damage. While many ask for help, others look for someone to blame, but everybody is afraid that this could happen again. Historically in Peru, year after year, we see in the media reports about natural disasters affecting thousands of families. With so many bad news we ask ourselves: Does the Peruvian have a passive attitude towards another person's misfortune ? Do we no longer feel sympathy when we see people losing everything in those extreme situations?
It is likely that the El Niño phenomenon which causes global changes in temperature and rainfall, will make the rain season even longer in Peru this year. And Chosica is not the only vulnerable disaster zone within Peruvian territory.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Yemen’s No Fly Zone: Thousands of Yemenis are Stranded Abroad  · Global Voices
Abir Ghattas

Sana'a airport. Photograph from yemenfox.net
As Saudi air strikes have entered their sixth day in Yemen, thousands of Yemenis are stranded at airports around the world, with no hope of returning home any time soon. Yemen's airspace has become a restricted area, a no-fly zone.
This no-fly zone, affected thousands of Yemenis outside Yemen, who are currently unable to go back to Yemen, or even leave the premises of the airports they are in for all kinds of reasons. While some have expired visas, others are shackled by financial restrictions, leaving them stranded at airports.
On March 26, Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against Yemen. Backed by its Gulf Arab allies, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia started an airstrike operation, dubbed Decisive Storm, against Houthi fighters who took control of Yemen in January.
Yemeni activists using the hashtag #StrandedYemenis and its Arabic equivalent #يمنيون_عالقون started tweeting about this humanitarian problem facing thousands of Yemenis abroad to raise awareness.
Khaled al-Hammadi, the head of Freedom Foundation for Media Freedom Rights in Yemen tweeted:
1000s of #Stranded_Yemenis across the region are in need for urgent help.. #GCC busy with war but forget humanitarian issue #يمنيون_عالقون
— Khaled al-Hammadi (@KhaledHammadi) March 29, 2015
Plz help to widespread the Hashtag of #Stranded_Yemenis to give them hand to end their miserable situation across the region since 25/3/2015
— Khaled al-Hammadi (@KhaledHammadi) March 29, 2015
Ahmad Ja'dan also tweeted:
مأساة حقيقية يعيشها اليمنيون في الخارج لا يستطيعون العودة الى اليمن بسبب الحظر الجوي #يمنيون_عالقون #Stranded_Yemenis — Ahmed Ja'dan (@ahmedjadan) March 29, 2015
A real tragedy for Yemenis abroad! Yhey can't go back to Yemen due to the No Fly Zone.
Activists also urged neighboring countries to issue 72 hours visas for all the stranded Yemenis. Noon_Nosa tweeted:
ندعو دول الجوار كالسعودية و عمان منح اليمنيين العالقين في مطارات العالم تأشيرة عبور مدتها 72ساعة من سفاراتهم لتسهيل عودتهم #Stranded_Yemenis
— بياض الثلج (@noon_nosa) March 30, 2015
We urge neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman to issue 72 hours visas to facilitate the return of all the stranded Yemenis abroad.
Noon Arabia, blogger and co-founder of Support Yemen, tweeted:
#يمنيون_عالقون غيرمشكلة انتهاء التأشيرة او قانون جديد يستوجبها لليمنيين هناك تكاليف الاقامه لمدة غير معروفه في ظروف لم تكن في الحسبان #اليمن
— نون عربية (@NoonArabia) March 30, 2015
Other than the expiring visa issue, stranded Yemenis have to face the uncalculated expenses they have to pay while waiting to go back to Yemen
She also added:
#يمنيون_عالقون في المطارات، مطاراتنا دمرت و أغلقت والدول أصبحت تطلب فيزا، نرجو من تلك الدول تسهيل عودتهم الى ارض الوطن. #اليمن #عاصفة_الحزم
— نون عربية (@NoonArabia) March 30, 2015
Yemenis are stranded in airports all over the world. Our airports are destroyed and closed, and now several countries started requiring an entry visa. We ask that those country facilitate their return
Al Jazeera published a report showing testimonies of stranded Yemenis in Djibouti.
This crisis also affected citizens of different nationalities such as Indians and Pakistanis in Yemen unsuccessfully seeking evacuation in order to return to their countries. On Sunday, and after Saudi agreed to cease its air strikes for two hours, a Pakistani airplane managed to leave Yemen with 500 Pakistani passengers on board.
A Pakistani family, evacuated from #Yemen, is greeted by relatives on their arrival in Jinnah Intl Airport in Karachi – via @FatimaAli52
Watch this space for more updates on Yemen.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Abir Ghattas


text:
Australia Takes Cricket World Cup in Tame Final Match With New Zealand · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

The battle for the World Cup of Cricket is in full swing
Courtesy Flickr user Percita (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Australia has triumphed in the final of the Cricket World Cup 2015. After bowling out tournament co-hosts New Zealand for 183, the Aussies reached the target in 33.1 overs for the loss of just three wickets. The game was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of crowd of 93,013.
Pakistan fan Ali captured the feelings of many cricket followers about the result:
“Australia won the World Cup.. & New Zealand have won our Hearts #AUSvsNZ #CWCFinal“
— AL工 (@Syed_Zaidier) March 29, 2015
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc was a popular winner as best player of the World Cup contest:
Player of the Tournament, Mitchell Starc, shows off his Winners #cwc15 medal! What a #TwitterMirror! #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/d25277IUYp
— ICC (@ICC) March 29, 2015
It was Michael Clarke’s last game as Australian captain of the One Day International team who compete in the 50 over competition. Fittingly, he was his side’s highest scorer with 74.
And Michael Clarke bids farewell to ODI cricket as a World champion! Congrats Australia! #CWC15 #CWCFinal #NZvAUS #5xWorldChamps
— Jyøthi$ Philip (@IamJyothis) March 29, 2015
Clarke dedicated the win to Philip Hughes, his teammate and friend who was killed in a cricket accident last year.
World Cup 2015: It's for little brother Phil Hughes, says Clarke http://t.co/GD7Ewd1Ecj
— Sports (@TheSports99) March 30, 2015
The Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum was hailed on Twitter for his leadership and contribution throughout the tournament.
What an inspiring player Brendon McCullum is, he spoke so well & should be proud of the @BLACKCAPS & their amazing tournament #CWCFinal
— suraj prakash (@surajp253) March 29, 2015
Cricket World Cup 2015 Final – Courtesy Flickr user Tourism Victoria (CC BY 2.0)
There were sour moments when Australia’s wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was criticised for sledging (insulting a player from the opposing team). Many tweets contrasted the sporting spirits of the two teams:
A picture speaks a thousands words #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/NXPXa6o1cy
— Momina Zahid (@monazzz38) March 29, 2015
Another concern centred around the blending of alcohol, advertising and sport:
#CWC2015 #Cricket World Cup: Alcohol-drenched culture needs to change #goodsports http://t.co/EPt1jgARDT
— Luciane Lauffer (@lulauffer) March 30, 2015
Controversial cricketing icon and commentator, former Australian spin bowler Shane Warne, copped criticism for his post-match call for drinks:
Drink anyone…. #AUSvNZ #CWC15 #pleaseshane #myshout #warnie pic.twitter.com/r8Ww0cxUdD
— Jenny Aldridge (@Jennisports) March 29, 2015
Warnie was not put off by his critics:
Do gooders get stuffed. Straya is the best place in the world, not politically correct, keep it real. Aussies celebrate properly ! #thirsty
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 29, 2015
Many were disappointed that the game was not closer and more exciting:
Such a shame that one of the dullest games is saved for the #CWC2015Final after such a great #CWC15
— Ian Pont (@Ponty100mph) March 29, 2015
But the social media verdict on the whole tournament was clear (complete with misspelling):
True #aus #CWC15Final #CWC15 #AUSvNZ @CAComms pic.twitter.com/Do94agWKKA
— Momin (@iamm0min) March 30, 2015

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Cherry Blossoms Help Japanese Town Shake Off Tsunami Sorrow · Global Voices
Shoko Baba

Image by Flickr user IZAYOI YUKARI (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Cherry blossom season has once again returned to Japan. While the arrival of the delicate pink flowers means social media is filling up with some incredibly beautiful photos, the bloom also is a chance to reflect, hope, dream, and come to terms with loss.
In Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, the Iwaki Manbon Sakura (which roughly translates as “10,000 Cherry Tress of Iwaki”) Project represents just this.
Iwaki lies just 50 km south of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex. The city was affected by the massive tsunami that struck Japan's Pacific coast following a massive earthquake in March 2011. Iwaki was also affected by the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant.
As part of the Iwaki Manbon Sakura Project, to mark the fourth anniversary of the massive disaster, the group hopes to plant 99,000 cherry trees on a hill overlooking the city (the “10,000” number in the group's name is a poetic, term that can sometimes mean “many” or “infinite).
Tadashige Shiga, whose company helps sponsor the project explains:
負の遺産を残してしまうことにすごい悲しさ、悔しさを今さらながら感じています。なんとかならないものなのでしょうか！春、桜の花が満開に咲いているのを見て、20年後、30年後の未来の子供達に、山一面の桜を見てもらえるようにしようと思いたちました。万が一いわきに住めなくなった時でさえ、いわきの土地を愛していた人達の気持ちが伝わるくらい、沢山の桜の木を植えたいと思っています。
The effects of the March 2011 disaster have left a pall of sadness here. So let's do something to fix that! Every year the cherry trees blossom. So let's give kids 20 years from now, 30 years from now something to look upon when they gaze up at the mountain slopes above Iwaki. Even if for some reason no one can live in Iwaki, we can still express the love we all feel for our city for all time, and we can do that by planting cherry trees.
The idea is that cherry trees and their spring blossoms will be able to soothe some of the memories of terror and sadness caused by the 2011 tragedy.
Japan's connections with cherry blossoms, or sakura, run deep. The short-lived blooms appear in the Man'yōshū, the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, written nearly 1,300 years ago during Japan's Nara period.
Throughout Japan's history cherry blossoms have represented new beginnings, hopes and dreams. The blossoms are beautiful enough to take one's breath away and then quickly disappear. Cherry blossoms stir a mixture of emotions and occupy a special place in the hearts of Japanese people.
Today the arrival of cherry blossoms each year in late March marks more than a change of season. Cherry blossoms also coincide with graduation and the end of the school year at the end of March, and the start of a new school year at the beginning of April.
This season, Japanese Twitter users have posted some stunning pictures of sakura in bloom:
今年の春に・・・ #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #写真撮ってる人と繋がりたい #写真好きな人と繋がりたい pic.twitter.com/9QKvXHqrok
— shara_photo@△ (@shara_photo) November 24, 2014
Spring has arrived.
スカイツリーの河津桜がそろそろ満開 pic.twitter.com/9urWao0Zvh
— すえきち (@suekichiii) March 10, 2015
The cherry trees beneath Tokyo Skytree are nearly in full bloom.
Twitter user @7D_ITACHI managed to capture a timeless image of Japan:
4年ぶりに故郷へ戻る事ができました。この場所はやっぱり落ち着くな〜 #夜桜 #高田城 #写真好きな人と繋がりたい pic.twitter.com/xNg8XVg9KL
— イタチ (@7D_ITACHI) April 16, 2014
Back home in Joetsu for the first time in four years. It's really peaceful here.
As the sakura bloom it's the season of new journeys:
春ってなんかわくわくして 桜とかが綺麗に咲いたりして 前までわ好きだったけど いろんな人達との別れが多いな～ 今わ春が嫌いだ
— みらい✡ (@3jsb24Giants) March 28, 2015
It's always wonderful in spring as the beautiful sakura are in bloom. While I have always loved springtime at the moment I'm hating it as I have to leave old friends behind.
As the cherry petals begin to fall in drifts, they begin to express a powerful sense of separation:
【桜の絨毯と吹雪】 →http://t.co/kO1MwAiPfq 境内を歩くとあちらこちらで桜吹雪が舞っています。（長野県中野市 谷厳寺の桜） #風景 #桜 pic.twitter.com/1tOgZE4ZKF
— pixpot photo (@pixpotjp) March 5, 2015
“A blizzard of cherry blossoms” > Cherry blossom lie in drifts in temple grounds. (Kokugon Temple, Nagano)
Cherry blossoms seem to have a profound effect on the human soul.
今年はじめて桜をみつけた！疲れてたけどもうちょっとがんばろうと思った pic.twitter.com/cot3GeJdir
— 大石蘭 (@wireless_RAN) March 26, 2015
I have spotted the first cherry trees of the season! Although I'm pretty tired, I think I can keep on going on for a little while longer.

author: Shoko Baba


text:
Debunking Media Myths About the Houthis in War-Torn Yemen · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

The logo of Ansar Allah commonly known as Houthis. Image taken from their official Twitter account, which includes the Quranic verse, ”O ye who believe! Be ye helpers of Allah (ansar allah).” The flag says, “God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
For more than 10 years, the Houthis have been grabbing headlines since they launched a mass uprising against Yemen's government. Since 2004, government forces have fought against the tribal militia from the north, who say they are defending themselves against oppression.
The decade-long conflict escalated in recent months when the Houthis didn't respect their part in an agreement called the ”Peace and National Partnership Agreement” and entered the country's capital, Sana'a, took over key buildings and institutions, and placed current President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi under house arrest.
Now, as Saudi Arabia carries out a military operation on Yemen to drive the Houthis out, even more media outlets are turning their attention to the situation.
But with Shia Muslim-majority Iran supporting the Houthis and Sunni Muslim-majority Saudi Arabia dropping bombs on them, the press has pushed a simplistic narrative that the conflict boils down to the religious divides between the two largest denominations of Islam. Even Al Jazeera's video channel AJ+ reported the Houthis to be Shia.
However, the reality is more complex than these 42 seconds make it seem.
Houthi was originally the name of a family or a clan in Yemen, not a sect or a religious group. Later, a movement of rebel fighters called Ansar Allah (meaning God Helpers or God Supporters) adopted it as their name, after their founder and main leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi was killed in 2004, which in a way sparked the so-called Houthis insurgency. There is a controversy over the current number of members and the people who are fighting with them.
Yemeni blogger Atiaf Al Wazir in a post entitled “It's not a Sunni-Shi’a Conflict, dummy” pointed out that not all people who belong to the Houthis are of the Zaidi sect, a school of Shia Islam, as has been reported:
While no statistics have been collected on the composition of Ansarullah, commonly known as Houthis; it is believed that many of their members are Zaydi but also come from various religious schools of thought in Shi’a and Sunni Islam, including Ismaili, Shafiʿi, and Ja’afari. Many Sunni tribesmen and soldiers have also joined the Houthis and fight along their side. In fact, prominent Shafi’i leaders like Saad Bin Aqeel, a Mufti of Ta’iz, are amongst Houthis’ leaders and in fact presented a Friday sermon at one of the sit-ins prior to their advance into the capital.
Badreddin al-Houthi belonged to the Zaidi sect. So does former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was in power when the Houthis originally rebelled in 2004.
Al Wazir also argues that “not all Zaidis are Houthis. Well-known Zaidi scholars and religious centers have been divided on their stance towards the Houthis.”
British-Yemeni journalist Abubakr al-Shamahi explains the Zaidi sect more in depth:
Zaydism (Zaydiyyah) is a school of thought within Shia Islam. It is named after Imam Zaydi Bin Ali, who was killed in an uprising against the Ummayyads. Although it was once found in places such as Iran and North Africa, Zaydis are now only found in significant numbers in Yemen. A Zaydi Imamate ruled many parts of northern Yemen for 1000 years, up until the last Imam was overthrown in 1962. Traditionally, places like Sana’a, Dhamar, Hajja and Amran are Zaydi, and the heartland is Sa’dah. A common saying referring to the Zaydis is that they are “the Sunnis of the Shia, and the Shia of the Sunnis”, indicating that there is not a huge difference doctrinally between Zaydis and Sunnis (or at least it has been perceived that way).
And Arab News Blog gives even more context, highlighting how close the Zaidi sect is to Sunnism:
While they are called “Fivers” because they accept the first four Imams recognized by Twelvers and Isma‘ilis (“Seveners”) and recognize Zayd ibn ‘Ali as the rightful successor to his father ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin while other groups recognize his brother Muhammad al-Baqir, they do not then insist that all rightful imams must descend from Zayd. In fact, the Zaydi doctrine of the Imamate differs enormously from other Shi‘a. The Zaydi legal school is very similar to that of Abu Hanifa in Sunnism, and some have listed Zaydi law as a “fifth school” of Sunnism, except for the doctrine of the Imamate.
Zaidis make up about one-third of the population of Yemen.
Mass demonstration in the province of Dali in the south of Yemen, calling for disengagement from the north on February 19, 2010. Photo by rashad1. Copyright Demotix
Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, against whom the Houthi rebel movement began, belongs to a tribe called Al Ahmar. The Al Ahmar tribe counts among its members Shia and Sunni Muslims. That said, both the late Houthi leader Badreddin al-Houthi and Saleh are technically Shia.
That means tribal divisions have just as much to do with the conflict. Michael Collins Dunn, editor of the Middle East Journal, explains on his blog:
President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Salih is himself a Zaydi, as is a considerable part of his power base. He comes from a small tribe in the larger Hashid tribal confederation. The Hashid and the other big Zaydi confederation, the Bakil, used to be referred to as the “wings of the Imamate” when Zaydi Imams still ruled in what was then North Yemen.
Al-Shamahi seems to agree with that opinion:
For one, the al-Ahmars are traditionally Zaydi, just like the Houthis. I can’t vouch for the religious identification of each individual Ahmar, but I’d say that many of their tribal fighters will still, at least loosely, identify as Zaydi. Ali Abdullah Saleh, who fought 6 wars against the Houthis, was also Zaydi. So is this Zaydi on Zaydi fighting? A Zaydi civil war?
And so as Al Wazir explains:
[…] if this was a sectarian issue, Saleh (who is technically Zaydi) would not have engaged in six wars with the Houthis from 2004 – 2010. It appears that today’s former enemies have formed a temporary alliance. This indicates that these conflicts are political in nature.
Al Wazir was referring to the fact that ex-President Saleh, who was ousted after more than three decades years in power, during the 2011 Yemen revolution, is alleged to be helping his former adversaries in their quest to topple the government.
It also happened to be that al-Houthi had personal connections with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has also added a sectarian angle to the Yemeni conflict.
Here's the takeaway. Part of the conflict in Yemen is between Houthis, a tribe and not a religious sect, and the Ahmar tribe. Both have Sunni and Shia members and allies. Two of the prominent leaders of these tribes are both Shia, with the difference being that one has close ties to Iran while the other has close ties to Saudi Arabia. Ideologically, Yemen's Shia are closer to Saudi Sunnism than to Iranian Shiism.
Now Saleh and the Houthis currently headed by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi seem to be singing the same song, making it look like tribes and sects are uniting for the time being. And for the time being, Yemeni blood, from all sects and tribes, will keep flowing.

author: Thalia Rahme


text:
Dust Storm Hits Saudi Arabia and its Smaller Neighbours  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Dust storm in Bahrain. Photograph shared on Twitter by Manama Voice
Some schools and universities will be closed in Saudi Arabia tomorrow as a major sandstorm hits the kingdom. The sandstorm is also affecting neighbouring Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, where visibility has dropped as gusts blow sand and dirt into the sky.
Online, netizens share photographs and videos from the storm – common in such arid and semi-arid regions.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran shares this photograph famous Saudi capital landmark, Kingdom Centre, obscured by dust:
Very low visibility in Riyadh pic.twitter.com/dzziFxiwts
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) April 1, 2015
Mohamed Al Saadoon, also from Riyadh, tweets:
Riyadh looks like some shit out of Silent Hill today pic.twitter.com/LEU32HS1ID
— Mohamed Al Saadoon (@burning_phoneix) April 1, 2015
Kuwait:
From Kuwait, Faisal Al Fadhle shares this video of the storm as it approached Kuwait:
تصويري الآن #غبار_الكويت #عاصفة_الكويت #عاصفة_رملية pic.twitter.com/lV89Gdu5U5
— فيصل الفضلي (@Faisalalfadhle) April 1, 2015
Bahrain:
Bu Isa shares those photographs on Twitter, taken at 9.00 pm local time:
مجال الرؤية الساعه 21:00 بس 100 متر مجال الرؤية الساعه 21:10 بس 50 متر #عاصفة_رملية #البحرين pic.twitter.com/xn5iRKBrxr
— بو عيسي (@amin_q2) April 1, 2015
Visibility at 9pm: 100 metres
Visibility at 9.10pm: Only 50 metres
Qatar:
And the Qatari Ministry of Interior issued the following warning on Twitter:
Most parts of the country is affected by strong dust storm. Please be extra cautious while driving and at home as well. #MoI_Qatar
— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) April 1, 2015
And Dr Almasri Ibrahim shares this video from Doha:
First time of its kind … strongest dust storm ever in doha city, #doha #Qatar #Qatar_weather pic.twitter.com/7MEe7VvBMa
— Dr.Almasri Ibrahim (@AlmasriDr) April 1, 2015
For long-time Qatar resident Michael Walker, this is the worst he has seen in nearly a decade:
Worst dust storm I have seen in Qatar in nearly a decade
— Michael J Walker (@mikeymikedoha) April 1, 2015

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Iran Releases British-Iranian Goncheh Ghavami After Arrested for Attending a Volleyball Match · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

26 year old British-Iranian Goncheh Ghavami was arrested in Iran on June 2014 for protesting for equal access for women during sporting events. She was arrested after she attempted to attend a men-only volleyball match at Azadi Indoor Stadium in Tehran. International petitions have been ongoing for her release, until her release on March 31, 2015. Her brother Iman Ghavami posted on petition.org, where many had signed for her release of the news:
Mar 31, 2015 — I have big news for you.
Today I can tell you that Ghoncheh is free! As we were celebrating Iranian New year, Iranian Government wiped out the rest of my sister's sentence. Ghoncheh will not have to spend another day, another hour in prison.
This is amazing news and I wanted you to hear from me directly. You stood by us during those difficult months. You gave my family courage and hope. The uncertainty of autumn and the dark clouds of winter have gone. And the sun once again is shining for my family. Spring is here.
My mum has finally become her old happy self and has found peace again. My mum and I will not forget your generous support and thank you sincerely. Together we brought Ghoncheh home. Ghoncheh also asked me to thank you all for your support.
This has been the best spring for my family. Hopefully this spring brings happiness and peace to all Iranians and all of you.
Iman

author: Mahsa Alimardani


text:
ISIS Burning US Food Aid for Syria  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Turkish journalist Mete Sohtaoğlu, who is based in Istanbul, reports that ISIS is burning US food aid destined for Syria “because it is not halal” – or Islamically permitted or lawful.
He tweets the following photographs to back up his report:
#ISIS burned " #US food support to #Syria " because its not 'halal' pic.twitter.com/P8ytLCqNvx
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) April 1, 2015


text:
Looking for Books on Islam, Feminism and Racialisation?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogger Royayah Chamseddin,  a Sydney based Lebanese-American journalist and commentator, shares a list of books on Islam, feminism and racialization  in this blog post on her blog Letters from The Underground.
The list, which will continue to be expanded, includes links to some books which are available for free download in PDF format.


text:
March 31: A Dark Day in Turkey’s History · Global Voices
Ece Basay

March 31, 2015 was an important day for Turkey. As a shock power cut left much of the country in darkness for the day, gunmen took hostage the prosecutor of a case concerning a boy killed during the 2013 Gezi protests and threatened to kill him if their demands for justice were not met. Following an intervention by the Turkish special forces, the hostage and two gunmen died.
Turkey today: #BuradaElektrikYok; armed group kidnaps, threatens to kill prosecutor; govt asks court to absolve all Sledgehammer defendants.
— David Lepeska (@dlepeska) March 31, 2015
Blame blackouts on cats
When it came to explanations for the nationwide power cut that trended on Twitter, Turkish citizens were left well and truly in the dark.
Taksim metro station, closed due to power cut on March 31. Photo taken from Demotix. ID: 7252045
According to the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEİAŞ), a nationwide blackout began at around 10.36 am due to transmission line problems along the Europe-Turkey power line.
The Minister of Energy Taner Yıldız argued that the power cut might have been caused by an outage at a private company in the major city of Izmir, which created a domino effect. The minister then explained that this was only one of several possibilities and that he had to confirm the facts.
The Chamber of Electrical Engineers stated that some private energy companies did not want to sell electricity because of the low prices imposed by the government, and the power cuts might be the result of this standoff.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Davutoglu refused to rule out terrorism as a cause for the outage. So far officials have been unable to deliver a coherent statement on why so much of the country went dark for so long.
The blackout affected transportation in major cities as the traffic lights went down and Istanbul's famous tramlines and subway stopped working. Schools, hospitals and factories ground to a halt.*
Bir ülke düşünün bütün şehirlerinde elektirik kesiliyor #BuradaElektrikYok — EMRE ÇAĞLAR (@emrecaglar) March 31, 2015
Think of a country, where electricity is cut off in every city. #BuradaElektrikYok
On Twitter, many people commented on the power cut under the hash tag #Buradaelektrikyok (There is no electricity here). While some tweets were critical, others speculated that it was sabotage by Istanbul's ubiquitous cats.
The cats meme referred to Taner Yıldız's explanation that a power cut last year was caused by cats entering a power distribution unit.
Trafoya giren kedilerin maaşlar yatmadı.. Bu yüzden sabotaj yapıyorlar bence. #BuradaElektrikYok — bir bölen Kürdüsev (@sucluyorum) March 31, 2015
The cats that entered the power distibution unit have not received their payments. I think they are commiting sabotage for this reason. #BuradaElektrikYok
Türkiye Kedi İstilası Altında Ve İlk Eylemleri Türkiye Genelinde Elektrikleri Kesmek Oldu #BuradaElektrikYok pic.twitter.com/33We8pQskE — Bay Kibirli (@BayKibirli) March 31, 2015
Turkey is under a cat invasion and their first act was a nationwide power cut. #BuradaElektrikYok (Picture reads: ‘First target: Power distribution units’)
While others mused that the disappearance of electricity had levelled the playing field between Turkey's rich and poor cities:
Ülke olarak ilk defa eşit şartlarda yaşıyoruz. #BuradaElektrikYok
— Torbacı™ (@Ersiyn) March 31, 2015
For the first time in history, the whole country lives under the same circumstances. #BuradaElektrikYok
The kidnap and murder of a prosecutor
But while the whole country was dealing with the inconvenience of the power cuts, a more serious piece of news broke.
Around 12:30, two men from the banned Revolutionary People's Party-Front (DHKP-C) — considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the US — took the prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz hostage at his place of work in an Istanbul courthouse.
Kiraz was prosecutor for the Berkin Elvan case. Elvan was a 15-year-old boy hit by a police gas canister fired during the anti-government Gezi protests in 2013. Elvan was going out to buy bread at the time he was hit, but became a symbol of Ankara's violent crackdown on the rallies, especially after then-Prime Minister Recep Erdogan suggested he was linked to a terrorist group.
March 31, Turkish riot police taking position as Turkish special forces in Istanbul arrive at the courthouse. Photo taken from Demotix, ID: 7257298
Following the publication of a shocking photo in which a DHKP-C member posed with a gun held to the prosecutor's head, the group released their demands online and allowed three hours for their realisation.
Among the demands listed was the demand that Elvan's murderers be publicly named. After eight hours of fruitless negotiation, at around 20:30, gun shots and bombing sounds were heard from inside the courthouse.
The government later confirmed that two DHKP-C members and the prosecutor died during an intervention by special forces.
During and the drama of the police raid on the courthouse, the media was locked down from broadcasting information about the kidnapping, a fact which led to the dissemination of confusing and inaccurate information via social networks.
Global Voices contributor Erkan Saka tried to cut through the confusion on his blog:
I was among many who did not appreciate such an action against the prosecutor…There are contradictory statements — as usual — and not much transparency but I believe the prosecutor was probably killed during the special-ops storming of the office. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the bullets that killed the prosecutor do belong to the security forces. During the evening, I was sure there would be an operation. Authoritarian governments like to show off. It is good election material. For us outsiders, on the other hand, it is so sad to see more citizens being killed today. …
On Twitter, people commented on the incident and how it was handled under the hash tags #BerkininKatilleriAcıklansın (Name Berkin's Killers) and #SavcıMehmetSelimKiraz (Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz). The following two tweets clearly capture the tensions between different parts of society and the differing perceptions of the incident:
#SavcıMehmetSelimKiraz‘ı öldüren devletin polisidir, nasıl ki serap eseri yakanlar mit'in adamlarıysa bu olay da öyledir.
— Ulaş Haberal (@Habeerall) April 1, 2015
The murderers of #SavcıMehmetSelimKiraz are the police of this state. Just as the people who burned Serap Eseri [18-year old victim of a fire bomb attack on an Istanbul city bus six years ago] were the members of MIT [the Intelligence Service].
Üzülüyorum teröristi savunduğunuz kadar #SavcıMehmetSelimKiraz ‘ı savunmadınız. Ne ADİ BİR TOPLUM OLDUK. Yazacak bir şey bulamıyorum..
— Sinan İLHAN (@ILHNSNN) April 1, 2015
I am very sad to see that people have not defended #SavcıMehmetSelimKiraz as much as they have defended the terrorist group. WE HAVE BECOME SUCH A MEAN SOCIETY. I can't find anything to write.
Amid a tense atmosphere, Berkin Elvan's parents constantly tried to calm the situation. Elvan's father explained that the family had tried hard to avoid any possible injury to the prosecutor, and that he was saddened by all that had happened.
The army is let off
Also on March 31, the country learned of the collapse of a long-winded case involving 236 military men who were convicted of plotting a coup against the country's religiously conservative government in 2012 before being released in 2014 pending retrial. The so-called ‘Sledgehammer’ coup case has dominated Turkish headlines for years.
* This Global Voices article was also an intermittent victim of the Turkish power cuts.

author: Ece Basay


text:
The Next Hotel You Stay At Might Be Run By Global Voices · Global Voices
Allen Smithee

Imagine this with a Global Voices logo on the front.
Photo by: Flickr user European Southern Observatory (CC BY 2.0)
After 10 years wandering the nonprofit wilderness in search of a business model, international citizen media network Global Voices announced yesterday that it has cracked the code that will ensure the organization’s future sustainability.
In a press conference delivered by Google Hangout from his Cambridge, Massachusetts home, Global Voices Executive Director Ivan Sigal said that in the third quarter of this year, Global Voices will begin rolling out a series of commercial enterprises that the organization’s business advisors predict will all turn a profit within two years.
According to Sigal, the idea came out of the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit, the biennial gathering for the Global Voices community and its wider network, held this past January in Cebu City, Philippines.
“We were sitting in a big room after eating yet another huge meal, engaged in yet another team-building exercise, when I looked across the room and saw this bored kid making a very impressive origami dragon. A few rows in front of me was a guy sketching a Leonardo da Vinci-grade schematic on the back of a manila envelope.
“In other corners of the room were a woman writing computer code, another tapping out complex polyphonic rhythms on her knee, and another person whittling a bone salvaged from the crispy pata we’d had for lunch into what looked like a fine precision instrument. And it occurred to me then and there: these people don’t want to talk about citizen media, they want to make things!”
Global Voices’ Executive Director Ivan Sigal at yesterday's press conference: “They didn't want to talk about citizen media: they wanted to make things.”
The next day, on Sigal’s urging, the Global Voices core staff jettisoned the Summit’s original program. They bought out the entire craft supplies section of the Ayala Center branch of National Bookstore and raided the produce markets and hardware emporia along Gorordo Avenue, one of Cebu’s main thoroughfares. And they converted the ballroom at Harolds Hotel into a giant hackerspace.
For the next 48 hours, the Global Voices community worked. “We barely slept or ate,” gushed one community member who says she survived for two whole days on a single ensaymada. “We were so busy innovating.”
The results of these efforts ranged from microfiber fabric made from mangosteen rind and a self-driving auto rickshaw, to a crypto-currency the average human can actually understand, a hedge fund made from an actual hedge, and a luxury yacht built entirely from matchsticks that a group of Global Voices authors sailed to Malapascua island after the Summit.
Several were solutions to nagging problems faced by community members, such as the alternative e-payments service co-developed by citizens of PayPal pariah states Lebanon and Nigeria, or the anti-hangover vaccine that one regional editor described as “a true collaborative effort.” Another biomedical innovation to emerge from the two-day session was a travel-friendly strain of marijuana that causes sniffer dogs to keel over and convulse in a distracting epileptic fit.
“To call it an explosion of creativity would be the understatement of the millennium,” said News Editor Lauren Finch. “Who knew there was such talent in this community? Some of these people can barely put together a credible news report, but they’re sure full of great ideas.”
One of the more dramatic creations was a neo-futurist skyscraper with a working elevator that, according to Managing Director Georgia Popplewell, “we had to pay a load of money to have demolished and are still trying to pry bits of out of the Harolds ballroom rug.”
“In retrospect, we should have reined in that individual from the moment she started mixing concrete,” Popplewell added.
A noticeably peeved Eddie Avila, who heads the Rising Voices section of the organization, lamented that the core staff hadn’t tapped into this rich vein of creativity earlier. “To think that we spent 10 years and five Summits thinking about digital inclusion and human rights,” said Avila, “when we could just have put them into a room with a few screws and bolts and a handful of pipe cleaners. Sheesh.”
Global Voices already covers a fraction of its costs with earnings from commissioned work, translation services and mentoring, but ED Sigal said those revenues will pale in comparison with the earnings from the new lines of business coming out of the Summit session. Sources close to the Pennsylvania-bred photojournalist report that he’s been overheard in various Cambridge bars griping about having to write grant proposals and kowtow to donors. (Sigal denies these claims).
Asked during the press conference if the whole plan seems somewhat pie in the sky, Sigal replied, “What’s wrong with pie? I actually find most pies quite delicious.”
It is nevertheless rumoured that Global Voices’ new plans have been attracting interest from several quarters, including high-profile venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, who withdrew their offer on learning of Global Voices’ near equal gender balance.
“Investors are seduced by the fact that we have people in nearly every country in the world, a ready-made workforce,” said Managing Editor Sahar Habib Ghazi.
Some Global Voices authors are reported to have abandoned their computers and taken to negotiating with commodities traders and real estate developers in their home jurisdictions. Others are boning up on lean manufacturing, nanotechnology, patent law, organic agriculture, fair trade certification, and at least one person is doing a course on how to run a sweatshop—“just in case it comes to that,” said Sigal.
From the sound of things, the new developments have mostly been welcomed with open arms.
“I’m having the time of my life,” said a translator who has been charged with visiting mines in his home country to source raw materials. “I’m getting lots of fresh air and the curvature in my spine from sitting hunched over a computer 18 hours a day is gradually straightening out. I’ve also had to learn to operate an assault rifle, as many of these mines are controlled by armed rebels.”
But there is still some concern among certain sectors of the community about how these commercial activities square with the organization's nonprofit status and citizen media ethos. “And we still haven’t heard anything about profit-sharing,” said the author who built the neo-futurist skyscraper.
“We're still working out those details,” said Sigal, “and should have everything sorted out by third quarter 2015 when we launch our first three companies.”
The first of these, according to the bearded Berkman Center Fellow, is Global Voices Play, a toy manufacturing line set to launch in time for Christmas. “Our first product is a series of action figures modelled on living dictators. An Assad doll is already in production and we're working on a equestrian Putin doll with real horsehair—on Putin, as well as on the horse.”
They'll also be “going big into hospitality” with Global Voices Stay, which, according to Sigal, will comprise several luxury resorts, a chain of boutique and pod hotels, “and a “short-stay” hotel we'll be doing in conjunction with our third company, Global Vices, a purveyor of ethical adult entertainment.”
For more information on Global Voices’ upcoming commercial activities, visit happyaprilfoolsday2015.globalvoices.org.

author: Allen Smithee


text:
Photos and Video of  Sierra Leone’s 3 Day Lock Down · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Michael Duff shares eyewitness accounts of Sierra Leone's 3 day lock down that was introduced to fight ebola:
Sierra Leoneans can breathe a sigh of relief today as citizens in the capital city and in the North of the country who were under a 3 day government mandated stay at home come can now move above freely.
While there was a clash between police and residents of Devil Hole the Freetown Western Rural area that led to the firing of tear gas, the lock down was quiet for most.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Prosecutor in Terrorism Case Shot Dead in Uganda · Global Voices
Prudence Nyamishana

Joan Kagezi. YouTube screen capture.
Ugandans were left in shock the evening of March 30, 2015, when Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Kagezi was shot dead in Kiwatule, a Kampala city suburb, while driving home from work with her children in the car. Kagezi was leading the prosecution against the perpetrators of the al-Shabab twin bombings, which took place in July 2010 during the World Cup finals, killing 74 people and injuring another 70. Kagezi was supposed to lead a witness in a testimony about how the explosives were assembled and brought to Kampala.
The news first broke on social media, where discussions about the shooting are using the hashtag #KiwatuleShooting. Raymond Qatahar, an investigative journalist, confirmed the identity of the deceased after he broke the news on Twitter:
New details coming in are that the woman shot was a prosecutor in the terror suspects case that's due to resume tommorow at the high court.
— Qatahar Raymond (@qataharraymond) March 30, 2015
BREAKING: Eye witness says there was a shooting in Najjera Kiwatule. A woman in a car was shot at point-blank range
— Qatahar Raymond (@qataharraymond) March 30, 2015
Eye Witness account: “Two men riding on a boda-boda pulled up to her car and one shot her over four times at point blank range”
— Qatahar Raymond (@qataharraymond) March 30, 2015
Concerned citizens immediately started to demand answers from the authorities:
Why a high profile profile State Attorney was travelling with no security at all is also disturbing.#KiwatuleShooting
— BUTTERFLY (@BeingEdna) March 31, 2015
The big question -> “@WALI_MART: Do we even have like a witness protection programme in Uganda? #KiwatuleShooting“
— Jo Heath (@joabyxnx) March 31, 2015
Qwenga, a Ugandan blogger, pointed out what he sees as a flaw in the country's national security infrastructure:
The problem is; Uganda's Security Personnel think that Terror Alerts are all about bomb blasts. #KiwatuleShooting
— Qwenga (@bkyeyune) March 31, 2015
Angelo Izama, Ugandan writer and blogger, wrote:
My analysis was that if public confidence is withdrawn from the institutions referee-ing conflict, justice wld go into the black market
— Angelo Izama (@Opiaiya) March 30, 2015
Where the rules of protection are different depending on one’s status in society- impunity will rise #Kiwatuleshooting
— Angelo Izama (@Opiaiya) March 30, 2015
Benjamin Rukwengye, another Twitter user, worried that too much was being made of a high-profile individual, while larger numbers of fatalities go unnoticed by the public:
Poorer pple die in tens, like that. We use them as stats&don't ask the hard questions. Reflections maybe? 2/2 @ssojo81 @Kalinaki @Natabaalo
— Benjamin Rukwengye (@BibiRukwengye) March 31, 2015
On Facebook, Nicholas Opio, a Ugandan lawyer who worked with Kagezi grieved:
I worked with her in the Kwoyelo trials. I have traveled the world with her for meetings. Rest in Peace Joan. This act of cowardice and criminality has no place in our society. These cowards must be sought after, arrested and should be held to account and must face the full extent of the law.
Richard Anguria Omongole worried that police investigations might not produce any results:
Terrible terrible what act of cowardice. My worry,like many cases before,the police will find nothing and begin looking at family wrangles. That's what makes all of us unsafe. RIP Joan
Kampala's estranged mayor, Erias Lukwago, expressed his sadness:
Am extremely saddened by the news of the gruesome murder of my colleague in the legal profession, JOAN KAGEZI, a Senior Principal State Attorney. My heart goes out to the traumatised children, who were at the scene of this heinous crime in Kiwatule. May her soul rest in eternal peace
Meanwhile, Ugandan Police Chief General Kale Kayihura issued a statement on Facebook:
This evening, Monday 30th March 2015, Ms. Joan Kagezi, Ag. Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, was shot dead at 7:15 pm, near her residence in Kiwatule a city suburb as she drove home with her children.
She had stopped at a fruit stall by the road side where she normally stopped to purchase fruits, when the criminals riding on a motorcycle of boxer type, red in color, stopped next to the parked vehicle and shot her twice in the neck and shoulder, through the widow on the driver’s side. She was driving the vehicle herself.
The Director of CIID, Assistant Inspector General of Police Grace Akullo who by coincidence was driving some distance behind her, was the first police officer on the scene.
She coordinated the evacuation of the deceased to Mulago hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her three children who were with her escaped unhurt.
Ms. Joan Kagezi was in charge of the International Crime Division handling international crimes such as terrorism, war crimes, and trafficking in persons.
At the time of her tragic death she was the lead prosecutor in the case of the 2010 terror suspects now before the High Court.
She was, also working with the Police in the prosecution of the suspects in the recent spate of murders, robberies and terrorism in Busoga region and Kampala. Her death is a big loss to the country.

author: Prudence Nyamishana


text:
Radio Ambulante Reimagines Latin America’s Most Beloved News Source—the Radio · Global Voices
NACLA

Daniel Alarcón. Published with NACLA's permission.
This interview written by María Ospina and translated by Constanza Ontaneda was originally published on NACLA's website. María Ospina is assistant professor of Romance Languages and Literature and Latin American Studies at Wesleyan University, specializing in war, violence, and memory in contemporary Latin American culture and film.
Radio Ambulante is an award-winning podcast and audio series co-founded by novelist Daniel Alarcón in 2012. Described by many commentators as a Spanish-language This American Life, Radio Ambulante publishes stories from “everywhere Spanish is spoken,” reaching as many as 60,000 listeners worldwide per episode. They feature “uniquely Latin American stories,” from a Mexican father’s battle to regain custody over his U.S.-born children, to a community in Colombia that provides full burials for anonymous corpses it pulls from its river’s shores, to the personal reflections of the late President Hugo Chávez’s interpreter. As the only Spanish-language program of its kind, Radio Ambulante won the Gabriel García Márquez Journalism Prize for innovation in September 2014.
Though currently run by a small and creative staff working around the clock with up-and-coming producers from around Latin America, Radio Ambulante was co-founded by Alarcón and executive director Carolina Guerrero. Alarcón is a writer across genres, themes, and borders, with work published in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Etiqueta Negra, and anthologized in “The Best American Non-Required Reading” in 2004 and 2005. He is author of “At Night We Walk in Circles” (Riverhead Books, 2013) and “Lost City Radio” (Harper’s, 2006). Alarcón was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program in spring 2013, and has served as writer-in-residence at Mills College and the California College of the Arts.
Last spring, María Ospina, professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Wesleyan University, specializing in contemporary Latin American culture and film, sat down with Daniel Alarcón on behalf of NACLA. They discussed Radio Ambulante’s journalistic lineage, the new immigrant reality, and stories that blow borders to bits.
María Ospina: In terms of the U.S. media landscape, Radio Ambulante is often compared to This American Life. You’ve also mentioned that it is a specifically Latin American project. What makes Radio Ambulante specifically Latin American?
Daniel Alarcón: Well, first of all, the language. For us it was a priority to create a space to celebrate language, Spanish, as a communicative tool. It is important for us to tell Latin American stories and Latino stories in their language of origin, from the inside, not like NPR, where westerners are looking at Latin America, salvaging stories and bringing them—no, we work from the inside, from the community, with local journalists. And we wanted to offer those journalists what we have, which is access to certain technologies, and influences from certain programs that are exceptional, such as This American Life, Radio Lab, American Radio Works, or Radio Diaries. These are programs that have taken journalism to a level that is close to art.
We have a crónica boom in Latin America that a lot of people have commented on and that many celebrate, and rightly so. I mean great cronistas from all of our countries, great magazines, these mediums that did not exist 15 years ago, from Mal Pensante to The Clinic in Chile, MX in Mexico, Anfibia in Argentina, Etiqueta Negra, and many more. But until now there hasn’t been this boom in radio, which is both interesting and surprising given that the radio is the most traditional and most loved medium in the whole continent. So I think we arrived at just the right time. It’s a way of looking at Latin America that hasn’t existed until now.
How do Radio Ambulante’s stories relate to the transnational language of media? I’m thinking in particular of commercial television, where what is highlighted is a language that favors speed and rapid sequences, and whose end goal is often advertisement.
Well, we begin from the vantage point of literature. I don’t come from radio, much less from commercial radio. I’m a novelist, and for me Radio Ambulante is a narrative experiment in how to tell and create stories that can reach a mass audience without losing quality, sophistication, investigative rigor, or depth. We wanted to create a style of radio that didn’t yet exist in Spanish elsewhere, but that was nuanced, understanding that all stories have contradictions, that the world is complex. I think about the work of Ryszard Kapuscinski—a buddy of the late Gabriel García Márquez—and how one can read him and not know if the work is literature, non-fiction, chronicle, testimony, or poetry. Our best stories will leave the listener with a feeling of having read a great novel, but with the added value that the stories are true, that these are people who have lived, are living, and are the protagonists of the stories they’re narrating.
You’ve talked about the figure of the ambulante, or street vendor, in other interviews. It brings up the idea of mobility, travel, the itinerant. The radio, ever since it emerged as a technology in Latin America in the 1920s, has served the idea of the consolidation of nation-state projects, in each nation differently. But obviously your project is a transnational and diasporic project that wants to map not only relationships between people in different countries, but also the movement of people. How do you see Radio Ambulante building a new version of territory, or a new idea of Latin America as a space, given that the stories produced are transnational in their nature?
Now more than ever there is a sense of regional identity. I’m not talking about the Bolivarian dream necessarily, but simply of a reality that comes from cultural and economic interchange, human interchange. I mean there is a huge community of Peruvians living in Chile, there is also a group of Colombians who have moved to the north of Chile and are wreaking havoc there with conflicts emerging between the two cultures. Argentines are everywhere, Colombians as well, and there’s the great route of Central Americans who pass through Mexico towards the United States. Not to mention, of course, the millions and millions of Latinos and children of Latinos who live in this country, in the United States, who are more connected than at any other point in history to their countries of origin. When I moved here with my family when I was three years old, it was impossible to know what was happening in Peru. That’s no longer the case. Now I can look at my Twitter and I know exactly what is happening in Lima and in the great capitals of other countries. I can call on Skype, on WhatsApp, and I can talk to people in the whole region. For my parents and their generation, that was impossible. We’re no longer talking about the kind of immigration that means closing a door and a chapter of your life and moving on to a new stage. Now we’re talking about something much more fluid, more subtle—a transition. I believe that we need to create media that represent that new reality of the immigrant.
At Radio Ambulante we tell stories from wherever Spanish is spoken. If someone proposes a story about the Nikkei, the Peruvians living in Japan, great, I’d love to produce it. We were researching a story about a group of a few dozen Colombian women living in Tehran, that finally we couldn’t produce, but the story is fascinating—about Colombian prostitutes who go to Dubai and Iranian men who go there, fall in love with the women, and take them back to Iran with them. It’s time to open the lens, it’s time to find those stories that complicate the idea of nationality, because those ideas of closed borders where what is happening in Ecuador has no relevance in Venezuela, and what is happening in Colombia has no relevance in Chile—that’s over.
There’s also a growing shared conscience among journalists, and here as well we have to mention the great teacher Gabo, because one of the perhaps most unexpected impacts of the great career and trajectory of García Márquez is the founding and creation of a shared culture between a generation of journalists. They all went to study with Gabo, with Kapuscinski, with John Lee Anderson, Alma Guillermo Prieto, and so on, and they all went back to their countries to create magazines. So now we have these mediums, which are, on top of everything else, publishing works from their friends in other countries. In a magazine like Etiqueta Negra they publish work by Argentines, Chileans, Colombians, Mexicans, Spaniards. And that’s very important, I belong to that. I worked at Etiqueta Negra, I studied with Julio Chang, and I think that he influenced me tremendously, taught me that regional gaze, something that I was more than ready to accept because I also had the same vision after being raised in the Untied States.
Tell us a little bit about the pedagogic project behind Radio Ambulante. You have an extremely comprehensive set of production guidelines on your website and you give regular trainings to aspiring radio journalists. You also accept stories from people who aren’t necessarily part of a community of established journalists. Up to what point are you also interested in democratizing the places where journalism is made?
Well, I’d say that the majority of the stories that we have produced in Radio Ambulante come from people who may have some experience in journalism, but have never produced radio before. You’re not going to teach a journalist of the caliber of Gaby Wiener how to write, but you can teach her how to record audio, you can teach her how to project her talent and her voice—so unique—into another genre, because radio is a little bit different than writing for a magazine.
We give talks in journalism schools in Latin America, by Skype mostly. We already have a first generation of people who have worked with us for the first and second season. And what’s more, there is more exchange than ever among Latinos, I mean gringos of Latino origin, who are going back to their countries, with their knowledge of radio, to produce. I started doing radio without knowing anything either and it can seem intimidating—the microphone, the machine, the whole ordeal—but it’s not. It’s something you can learn in one day. I mean, the basics: press play, record. It’s easy. What’s not easy is the narrative talent and knowing how to tell a story, knowing how to structure it.
From your perspective, what are the most important stories coming out of Latin America today that a progressive, U.S.-based publication like NACLA should be covering?
To begin with, the denationalization of Dominicans of Haitian origin in the Dominican Republic is terrible. It could potentially create a situation like South African apartheid or Israel-Palestine, taking a whole group and removing their rights suddenly.
Also Venezuela. The left here in the States has a really complicated relationship with Venezuela’s reality: On one side we applaud when someone like Chávez reveals and denounces things that we all know are true about the United States. On the other hand they are in a very heavy crisis, where the basics of life are going to shit, there is a lot of violence among civil society, terrible levels of murder, and it’s gotten worse since Maduro. It’s probably going to be Maduro’s own people who will bring him down.
The other thing that interests me a lot is Peru. I was born there, and it worries me—a lot has gone unnoticed in Peru because the economy has grown. Beneath the growth, right below our noses, there is a mini narco-state that is beginning to bloom. In a department called Ancash there’s now talk about a mafia that has usurped the state apparatus, using money from mining and drug trafficking. Basically a mini-state within Peru. And because the country is so centralized, in Lima they hadn’t realized that there was a mafia there that was killing journalists, silencing them, intimidating them, but now it’s finally blown up because they killed a journalist who had outside contacts.
Finally, with last year’s World Cup and the upcoming Olympics in Brazil, there is a great bet that Brazil will consolidate its status as a middle-class country. The growing economy in Brazil has also come with a certain cost and it’s not for nothing that there were those big protests last year, and I’m sure that next year there will be more protests. And well, among all the mafias of the world, there with the Vatican, is FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. Those are the biggest gangsters of all.
Where is your listenership now, and where are you working to expand it?
It’s exciting to see how the numbers have been growing in the last year and a half, exciting to see where we’re being listened to. If you put together all of the Americas, 65% of our listeners come from the States. I think that those communities that are listening are mostly immigrants, like me, like you. Also second generation immigrants. There are lots of people who prefer to talk in English but who understand Spanish perfectly because they speak it with their parents. The country that listens to us second-most is Brazil. Through our partner BBC Mundo, we have an audience that is probably more Latin American than the ones who come to our own webpage. But the way to create an audience that is more Latin American is also to reach those small stations, the university ones, the community ones, directly. We also know that there are many people who listen to Radio Ambulante in the States because they want to learn Spanish. A community of Spanish language learners in universities, high schools. We know this because they write to us and let us know they are using Radio Ambulante in the classroom. The fact that the percentage of online listeners is relatively lower in Latin America means that we have a lot of outreach to do. But the fact that we have a good U.S. audience makes me proud.

author: NACLA


text:
Beyond War and Death, See the World Through Syrian Eyes · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

“After more than thirty years, I feel myself as a mother all over again. My grandchildren remind me of my children that I took care of. I would like to celebrate all mothers for Mother’s Day, and hopefully next year will be more beautiful for us and for all the world.” – Mouna Abdelahad.
Photo taken by Antoine Entabi/Syrian Eyes of the World
“Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, what is shown about Syria isn’t always beautiful. It’s a sad reality, but in an effort not to forget the human beings behind the conflict, we decided to show the world other faces, other realities.” These are the first words chosen to describe the idea behind ‘Syrian Eyes of the World‘, an international photography project created by Youssef Shoufan and hosted by ‘La Maison de la Syrie‘.
The photography collective archives “this part of History that we are living in, the history of a mosaic nation that has lived in harmony for thousands of years, but that is now living difficult moments.” They are non-denominational and have no affiliations except “respectful, quality and aesthetic ones.”
Speaking to Global Voices Online, Youssef Shoufan described his own story leading to the Syrian Eyes project:
I'm an independent multimedia author born in Damascus and loosely based in Montreal. My passion for traveling, people, words and photography are united in this first collaborative project I created which is Syrian Eyes of the World. My curiosity led me to studies in journalism, and this academic background, combined with my passion for art, are two elements present with this photographic project: information that is presented in an aesthetic way, in our case with a social purpose.
“I feel like we have become numb, our emotions barely stirred by what goes on around us. But when I see a beautiful line or a powerful jump and when I know the effort and pain that went into that single move, I get chills; I ‘feel’ again. It’s very hard to make a significant difference in the world, but I think that if I can make at least one person ‘feel’ again, then I can be one step closer to making that difference.
So I dance.” -Yara Awad.
Photo taken by Nour Nouralla/Syrian Eyes of the World
While discussing with a photographer friend of his, Shoufan realized that he himself was prejudiced against the Arab World:
In October 2013, while discussing with my photographer friend Tamara Abdul Hadi, she made me realize something I wasn't really aware of: I myself had a lot of prejudice against the Arab World. So I bought plane tickets and found myself in Lebanon two months later, with the objective of changing the perspectives I had at that time. I knew these two weeks would change my life, but I didn't know how yet. On my first day in Beirut, I met Antoine Entabi with whom I connected right away. Meeting other Syrian photographers Madonna Adib and Zaki and Ziad Alasmar, we all knew we had to do something. When I went back to Montreal, I gathered all the ideas together and decided to create Syrian Eyes of the World. Right away, I got to meet Syrian photographers with great talent like Khaled AlWarea who joined our team for the launch of the project. I also got to meet all these great people who accepted to participate to our project, and helped me learn a lot and see things differently. We can say I am mostly inspired by people.
“The human being is an idea, which he lives and dies for.” – Musaab Balchi.
Photo taken by Nour Nouralla/Syrian Eyes of the World
So who are the subjects? What's their story?
Most of the people we photographed in our first year were people we knew, but there are also Syrians we got to meet through the project, or others that are simply anonymous. Some of them are in Syria, others are in different parts of the world, some who left recently or a long time ago. Despite what's happening in Syria, their stories are most of the time filled with wise words and hope, things we usually don't hear since the focus is most of the time on violence, death, religion and politics. We show peace, life and the many other layers of Syrians. Everyone has a story and interesting things to say. What fascinates me is how, with only a picture and a couple of words, deep emotions are transmitted and felt.
What inspires you?
“I am inspired by the idea that my lines might bring a bit of comfort to someone’s sadness, that there might be an optimism in my art that could spread and be helpful in these sad times.”-Kevork Mourad
Photo Taken by Nour Nouralla/Syrian Eyes of the World
I asked him to give us an example of a person that touched him:
An example is Um Ibrahim who I first met in 2013 while she was working for NGO Basmeh & Zeitooneh in Shatila, Lebanon. I knew she was a humble and hard working woman, but after my colleague Antoine Entabi took her portrait, I had even more respect for her. “I care for one thing only: how I’ll let my children reach the highest ranks, study and succeed, even at the expense of my labor. I haven’t seen a thing of my life, all my life is about work, and I try to be the father and the mother of my children.”
“I care for one thing only: how I’ll let my children reach the highest ranks, study and succeed, even at the expense of my labor. I haven’t seen a thing of my life, all my life is about work, and I try to be the father and the mother of my children.” – Um Ibrahim.
Photo taken by Antoine Entabi/Syrian Eyes of the World
If you wish to check out more of Syrian Eyes of the World, you can find them on their website, their Facebook Page and their Twitter Account.

author: Elia J. Ayoub


text:
Students Connect With Their Community Roots at Bolivia’s Aymara Indigenous University · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Citizen journalism workshops at Unibol. Photo courtesy of La Pública.
The Aymara Indigenous University of Bolivia “Túpac Katari” (Unibol) attracts students from across the Bolivian Altiplano, who are looking for a better future and a way to give back to their communities. Named after the 18th-century indigenous rebellion leader, the university was created in 2008 by the Bolivian government as a way to embrace traditional knowledge and to provide opportunities to study fields that can be of help in the development of the students’ rural communities. With an enrollment of approximately 950, students can choose from a number of fields of study including Altiplano agronomy, food engineering, textile engineering, and veterinary sciences.
Located in the community of Cuyahuani near Lake Titicaca, the university continues to experience growth with the construction of new classrooms and facilities for the students. Students live on campus on full scholarship, which includes tuition, room and board, and other related costs. However, competition is high, and prospective students must take an entrance exam. One of the requirements is that the student must speak the Aymara language because most of the classes are taught in that language. Many rural communities also provide their endorsement of the applying and accepted students, establishing this mutual commitment.
Mabel Franco, coordinator of the project La Pública, describes the average profile of the students and why this type of university is needed:
La historia de los estudiantes tiene mucho en común: hogares de pobreza extrema, años escolares cursados con gran sacrificio y frustración a la hora de buscar el ingreso a una universidad. Que el sistema de formación profesional tradicional deja al margen a muchos de estos bolivianos, atendidos apenas por una escuela ajena a la realidad rural, lo prueba el bajo nivel de aprobación del examen de admisión: sólo 11 de 260 obtuvieron la beca por esta vía (en cambio, el curso preuniversitario tuvo un 80% de aprobación).
The stories of the students have much in common: from homes living in extreme poverty, school years completed with great sacrifice, and frustration when it comes time to look for admission to a university. The traditional professional formation system leaves many of these Bolivians marginalized, attended only by schools outside of a rural reality. It is proven by the low rates of acceptance through admission exams: only 11 of 260 obtained the scholarship this way (in comparison to the pre-university courses which had an 80% success rate).
Members of the Jaqi Aru team. Photo courtesy of La Pública.
A new partnership between the Unibol, La Pública, and Jaqi Aru (a local organization that promotes the use of the Aymara language on the Internet) has launched a citizen journalism project to hear the voices of these students, who want to share their stories. Through hands-on workshops, the students are learning how to express themselves and publish their stories on the website of La Pública. While many students who speak Aymara are still hesitant to write in the language, some are attempting with the help of the Jaqi Aru team. Many of the blog posts are written in Spanish and then translated into Aymara. In future posts, we'll feature some of the blog posts that were first written in Aymara, and then translated into Spanish.
Here are some of the first blog posts from the Aymara Voices project, which seeks to collect “the social, environmental, socio-cultural, technological, educational experiences and express the daily lives of the students and of the communities.”
The road leading to the university has not always been easy, but for agronomy student Delia Mamani Callisaya, after some challenges she now feels at home. She describes the first informational meeting in 2010, where she along with 63 new classmates started to learn about the university and its opportunities. Originally from the community of Guaqui, she describes these feelings:
Me siento orgullosa de ser parte de esta institución que ha crecido como quizás pocos creíamos que iba a pasar. Mi universidad me parece muy diferente de las otras que hay en el país, sin desmerecer a ninguna. La amistad, por ejemplo, que une a los estudiantes es sincera: más que amistad es hermandad. Estamos juntos todos los días, conociéndonos y ayudándonos como una familia. Si un compañero se enferma o está mal en alguna materia, lo apoyamos para que no se desanime y siga con sus estudios.
La modalidad de internado nos permite mantener los valores que, creo, se van perdiendo entre los jóvenes.
I feel proud to be a part of this institution, which has grown more than many of us could have ever imagined. I believe that my university is different than other universities across the country, without disparaging other universities. For example, the friendship that unites the students is sincere, it is more than friendship, it is a brotherhood and sisterhood. We are together everyday, getting to know one another and helping one another like a family. If a classmate is ill or is struggling with a class, we support one another so that they do not get discouraged so that they can move forward with the studies. The on-campus living allows us to maintain the values that I think are being lost among the youth.
Abidan Triguero Calle's journey to the university was also long, but worth the effort. Originally from a community in the Altiplano, he started studying in La Paz. He looked at educational options in the city of Cochabamba, but the cost of the private university was prohibitive. He then heard about the opportunity at the Unibol and it was exactly what he was looking for. He is now studying food engineering, which will help his community. He writes about his first semester with the Unibol and how it changed his outlook towards his future:
Sinceramente vine a probar cómo era este lugar; pasó así el primer semestre y llevé materias como cosmovisión aymara y hoy puedo decir que me siento muy identificado con el lugar donde nací, con el hecho de que soy aymara nacido en la provincia Ingavi, municipio Jesús de Machaca, comunidad Lahuacollo. Esta universidad cambió mi manera de pensar, pues me siento muy comprometido con Bolivia.
Honestly, I just came to see what this place was like. I stayed for the first semester and took classes such as Aymara cosmovision and now I can say that I identify more with the place where I was born. I am Aymara born in the Ingavi province, Jesús de Machaca municipality, the community of Lahuacollo. This university changed my way of thinking, and now I feel very committed to Bolivia.
Stay tuned for more stories from the students from the Unibol, who write about the challenges and successes of their rural communities.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
Who to Follow on Twitter for Solid (and Sometimes Snarky) Coverage of #IranTalks · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Those reporting and following the nuclear negotiations in Lausanne have some good coverage on Twitter, sometimes even humorous.
Some say history is in the making. Some say its the biggest diplomatic circus to hit international affairs. Either way, these are the most in-depth talks with outpourings of hope, doubt, and criticism to have occurred between Iran and the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
As Iranian negotiators are entangled with the P5+1 (a group that comprises the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, and France, plus Germany) over the nature of its nuclear program and the lifting of international sanctions, the world is tweeting. As the coverage rages on, and the talks go beyond the March 31 deadline, here are some useful accounts to follow for good, and sometimes snarky coverage of what's happening from on the ground in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Amin Khosroshahi, a photojournalist for the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), has good photo coverage, often including great shots of the Iranian negotiating team in Lausanne. This tweet of photos states  “a working session for the Iranian delegation during the seventh day of negotiations.”
جلسه کاری هیات ایرانی در روز هفتم مذاکرات @araghchi @JZarif #IranTalks #IranDeal #IranTalksLausanne pic.twitter.com/mWZRQnDWGy
— Amin khosroshahi (@KhosroshahiAmin) April 1, 2015
Indira Lakshmanan is a Bloomberg news foreign policy reporter. She's a good source for minute-by-minute factual reports, and also some humorous quips.
Watching chimney of Beau Rivage in Lausanne for white smoke or black smoke. So far, just smoke & mirrors #IranTalks pic.twitter.com/8Pk49WyleM
— Indira Lakshmanan (@Indira_L) April 1, 2015
Our latest: #IranTalks Resume Today With Lavrov Saying Deal at Hand: Araghchi says need “framework” on UN #sanctions http://t.co/Zrknh0Wt6f — Indira Lakshmanan (@Indira_L) April 1, 2015
Arash Azizi, a Persian-language television reporter for the Iranian satellite channel Manoto, provides coverage in Persian and English. Some humorous banter is also included. Note Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Energy Secretary has a hotly discussed hair cut (read The Washington Post's “Ernest Moniz Has the Most Washington Hair in Washington.”)
Secretary Ernest Moniz just told us #IranTalks “are going” when we asked him how are they going. He didn't hear my hair challenge, I think. — Arash Azizi (@arash_tehran) March 31, 2015
Laura Rozen, a Middle East reporter for Al Monitor, has solidreports on what is happening during the negotiations on her Al Monitor “Back Channel“. Her tweets do a good job to illustrate what it's like to be in Lausanne:
Huddled in freezing cold luxury hotel room in Lausanne, thinking we may be stuck here in perpetuity
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 1, 2015
Sanam Shantyaei, a British-Iranian journalist reporting for France 24, tweets nice little snippets from the diplomats as they walk past her in Lausanne, like this “overheard in Lausanne” moment:
Asked minister Steinmeier whether he will b returning to Lausanne. Without hesitation, he responded: “ja”! #IranTalks pic.twitter.com/e4OKxcp1dO — Sanam Shantyaei (@sanamshantyaei) March 30, 2015
Alan Eyre is the Persian-language spokesperson for the State Department who is known to provide analysis of what's going on in Iranian media for the U.S. negotiation team. His Twitter stream is usually full of retweets of other people's coverage, but there is always the telling tweet, like this photo he posted in the early morning of March 31 (marking the sleepless nights many involved in the talks have experienced).
pic.twitter.com/wEIFcBZknb
— Alan Eyre (@AlanEyre1) March 31, 2015


text:
After 6 Months, Portugal’s Tiago Guerra Is Still in Jail, Awaiting Trial in Timor-Leste · Global Voices
Manuel Ribeiro

Tiago Guerra and his two sons. Photo via the Facebook group “Justice for Tiago Guerra”. Facebook.
Tiago Guerra, a Portuguese engineer, has remained in jail in Timor-Leste for about six months without being formally charged of anything, in violation of Section 30, Article 3 of the country's constitution, says his family.
According to his arrest warrant, Guerra was detained in October 2014 at Dili airport for his alleged involvement in a money-laundering scheme. His wife was detained with him, but she was later released on her own recognizance. Their children, still in Portugal, are in the care of their paternal grandparents.
Guerra is being held in Timor-Leste's Becora Prison, where conditions are quite poor. According to reports, the facility—the country's main detention center for men—lacks drinking water and beds.
Guerra's sister, Inês Lau, who lives in Brazil, told Global Voices:
O Tiago esteve gravemente doente e nem assistência médica teve. O médico do recinto prisional de Bécora estava ausente há pelo menos 10 dias e por mais que houvesse um médico de fora disposto a observar o Tiago, a ordem, por parte da prisão, foi de que nenhum médico externo entraria. O Tiago acabou por ser hospitalizado durante 1 dia apenas e depois foi novamente levado para a prisão com a promessa de que a mulher e/ou família seria avisada da necessidade de comprar os remédios receitados pelo médico com urgência.
Tiago has been seriously ill, but [prison officials] didn't even give him medical care. The doctor from the Bécora jail complex disappeared for at least 10 days and even though there was an external doctor willing to observe Tiago, the decision, on the part of the jail, was that no external doctor was allowed to enter the jail. In the end, Tiago ended up in the hospital for only one day and after that was again taken back to jail with the promise that his wife and/or his family would be told about the urgent need to buy the medicines prescribed by the doctor.
Lau adds that “nobody from the family was notified”. And when they finally came to know about her brother's health condition, “[H]is weight had already dropped 10 kilos [about 22 pounds] due to extreme dehydration and high temperatures”. His sister says “she cannot remain silent”, as she finds out about her brother's precarious conditions:
Nunca foi pedido que se atropelassem os processos judiciais legais, por menos céleres que sejam. O que se pede às pessoas é que tomem conhecimento da violação dos direitos humanos que está a acontecer e que nos ajudem a conseguir que seja feita uma investigação transparente no intuito de se apurar a verdade e ser feita justiça.
No one has ever demanded going outside the legal process, even if the courts are indeed very slow. The only grievance is that people seem to be unaware of the breaches of human rights taking place. We only ask for a guarantee that there will be a transparent investigation, so truth and justice may prevail.
The Dili District Court ordered Guerra's pretrial detention, saying he is a flight risk. He can be held in state custody like this for as long as 18 months. Guerra's family is appealing the decision.
Guerra's family says he hasn't yet been informed specifically of what he did that has brought the case against him. According to an article published in the Portuguese newspaper Expresso, he refused to sign the transcript of his interrogation, disagreeing with its contents. The newspaper says the transcript contained several “incomprehensible” passages.
Tiago Guerra is a 43-year-old telecommunication engineer and he holds a Master's degree in Business Administration. He is married with two children. He was a manager for Portugal Telecom in Macau, Brazil, and China, assistant to the Timorese government, and a consultant to the World Bank. He has lived in Timor-Leste for four years.
In 2010, he travelled to Timor-Leste on a contract with a multinational corporation that was trying to establish itself in Timor-Leste's mobile telecommunication market. The company lost the competition for a license to operate in Timor and ended up withdrawing from the country, though Guerra decided to stay behind to open an accounting-and-financial-consultancy firm in Dili, the nation's capital city. In February 2014, he became a consultant for the World Bank.
According to Diário de Noticias:
A investigação foi alertada por comunicações bancárias que notificaram a saída de somas avultadas de Timor através de contas de Tiago Guerra e da sua mulher, cidadã chinesa. No total, o alegado desvio de fundos timorenses terá chegado ao total de 900 mil dólares.
The investigation is connected to the withdrawal of huge sums of money from Timor through the bank accounts of Tiago Guerra and his wife, a Chinese citizen. Allegedly, the funds may have reached the amount of 900,000 dollars.
On Facebook, Guerra's family has tried to explain the money transfers, offering clarifications about what it says is misleading information published elsewhere:
(…) 3- O que se diz à comunicação social e onde vão buscar a informação para dizer esta e outras incorrectas afirmações, nós não sabemos. Mas fomos avisados de que é algo que acontece muito e para o qual deveríamos estar preparados. (…)
(…) 3 – What information is circulated online and where this and other misinformation are obtained, we don't know. But we have been warned that this is something that often happens and that we should be prepared. (…)
Guerra's sister says journalists have failed to do their jobs, when it comes to her brother:
Infelizmente a 1ª notícia publicada foi absolutamente caluniosa e longe da verdade… e descobrimos nós que as notícias seguintes foram um copy/paste desta notícia. E assim se condena um homem inocente, por incompetência e irresponsabilidade por parte de quem se comprometeu a publicitar a verdade e depois não o faz.
Unfortunately the first information published about this case was downright libelous and far from the truth…and we have realized that the [mainstream] news followed suit, copying and pasting from those first posts. And thus, an innocent man finds himself condemned, thanks to the incompetence and irresponsibility of those in charge of publicizing the truth, but end up not doing it.
In an interview with a TV news station, Guerra's father said the bank transactions were part of his son's plan to move to Macau (his wife's hometown in China), where he hoped to relocate his family. Police suspect Guerra of misappropriating some $900,000 through his company's Macau bank account. According to his father, Guerra never stole any money and was only “caught in an international scam.” Guerra's father told SIC television that changes in his son's financial records were preparations for his family's move to China, saying his son wouldn't have advertised the family's moving plans, if he'd hoped to leave Timor-Leste secretly:
o meu filho não estava a fugir de Timor até porque organizou várias festas de despedida, entregou a casa ao senhorio e matriculou os filhos na escola Portuguesa de Macau com bastante antecedência.
My son was not fleeing Timor, and the proof is that he organized several farewell parties, handed the house back to the landlord, and enrolled his sons in the Portuguese school in Macau, in advance..
The supposedly misappropriated $900,000 that went through Guerra's Macau-company-branch bank account. The funding, which originated in Norway, was subsequently transferred to the United States, by order of the lawyer Bobby Boye, a Nigerian naturalized US citizen, whom the Norwegian government sent to Timor-Leste as an oil expert. The lawyer assisted Timor-Leste officials in several million-dollar contracts with the oil companies, but was later arrested by the FBI when he returned home, on suspicion of embezzling roughly $3.5 million from the Timor-Leste state.
The family says that it is “tired” of waiting for Timorese justice, which is “still fragile”. After five months of silence and “trusting the justice system”, his relatives have decided to start an Facebook solidarity campaign to appeal to the world, demanding that Guerra be spared more time in jail before his trial begins. There's already a blog explaining his predicament and an online petition.
“Something must change”, says his sister:
Este homem tem que aguardar o decurso das investigações FORA da prisão. Já o disse inúmeras vezes e repito: Não se prende ninguém para se investigar! Investiga-se para prender!
This man must be given the right to await the outcome of the investigation OUTSIDE prison. I have said countless times and I say once again: It is not right to arrest someone prior to investigation! Investigate first and then arrest!
Guerra complains about a lack of diplomatic support from Portugal, though José Cesário, the foreign secretary for the Portuguese Communities, has told reporters that he “is following the situation”.
Stacey Addison, a US citizen who found herself “caught in the flawed Timorese legal system”, was detained around the same time as Guerra on the border between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The veterinarian, later freed and now back home in the United States, has written a letter of support to Guerra, where she says she believes that “international pressure had a vital role in her release from jail,” and urges people “to sign the petition” to get Guerra released.
Guerra's family is most afraid that his health will deteriorate over the next year, if he's forced to remain in prison. Absent formal charges, there's not even any guilt to contest, though his relatives have emphasized his wellbeing, not his innocence.
If Guerra's family hopes to make a difference, it might need to act soon. According to the Portuguese media, Guerra was transferred to a hospital on March 20, possibly because he's become ill with dengue fever.

author: Manuel Ribeiro