text:
Australian Prime Minister Accused of Political Fear-Mongering After Warning of ‘African Gangs’ · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Screenshot of the trailer for ‘Constance on the Edge – What does it take to belong’, a documentary about one refugee family from South Sudan as they create a home in Australia. Click the image to watch.
The first week of the new year in Australia has been dominated by the issue of so-called African gangs.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a Sydneysider (as residents of the city of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, are called), kicked off a furore when he accused the government of Victoria state government of not addressing gang violence by African youths in the state's capital, Melbourne.
He was supported by the Immigration and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, from the state of Queensland, who claimed that Melburnians are scared to go to restaurants because of rising street crimes.
Both Turnbull and Dutton are members of the Liberal Party, while the Victoria state government is run by the Labor Party. The statements come ten months before elections in Victoria and at a time of rising nationalism across the country.
Allegations of fear-mongering and racism soon followed their remarks. Others, however, thought the prime minister was simply speaking plainly about an actual problem of crime.
The issue had first arisen in 2016 over the controversial Apex gang, which police declared a “non-entity” by April 2017. Later in the year, a string of recent crimes, from vandalism and assault, jumped into the national spotlight. The incidents were blamed on groups of African youths.
This perceived wave of “gang” violence fits with some people's perceptions:
Unbelievable how many people on here are trying to say that African youth gangs aren't a problem in Melbourne. My mother in law lives in the western suburbs and believe me, they're a huge problem.
— Jon (@Melbourne_Red) January 3, 2018
However, many disputed whether there are gangs as such. Pieces of the Puzzled @chris8875 claims to be from one of the hot spot suburbs:
Tarneit? I live, we live, in Tarneit. African “gangs”? Absolute hokum. Small numbers of bad eggs … Yes, but what group doesn't have that?
— Pieces of the Puzzled (@chris8875) January 3, 2018
The Victoria-based Police Accountability Project was one of those who questioned if a spate of street crime among African young people was truly happening, arguing that “coverage of ethnicity is selective”:
[…] for crimes involving caucasian people, the suspect’s ethnic background is not relevant to mention, but for the same crimes involving people of African background, we hear conjecture and discussion about the backgrounds, culture, community, and the ethnicity of those involved.
It also cited data that challenged the notion of an African youth crime crisis:
[…] Victoria does not have a youth crime wave – ethnic or not. […] Youth crime rates in Victoria have been slowly declining for more than a decade. Crime Statistics Agency research has shown that most youth crimes are by a small proportion of repeat offenders. Despite this, there’s been a jump in aggravated burglaries and some violent crime types that has got everyone’s attention.
[…] Evidence showed that migrant youth and newly arrived migrants are not involved in criminal activity with less than 10 per cent being overseas born offenders. The second-highest country, after Australia, of alleged offenders in Victoria is New Zealand (2.8 per cent of the total offenders), followed by Indian (1.5 per cent), Vietnamese and Sudanese (both 1.4 per cent).
Victorian Crime Statistics Agency clearly show that the vast majority of offenders in Victoria are Australian born and older than 25.
The Victorian government and police appeared to falter in their handling of the issue, at first denying the existence of gangs then explaining how they were dealing with them.
In a press conference, Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton contradicted what his deputy had asserted days earlier and said the “young thugs” in question weren't organised, but are “behaving like street gangs, so let's call them that — that's what they are”:
We have for a significant period of time said that there is an issue with overrepresentation by African youth in serious and violent offending as well as public disorder issues.
Footballer and community activist Nelly Yoa has been very public in arguing that “enough is enough”. In the interview below, he told SkyNews:
There is a gang. We have a problem. Let’s solve it. […] As Melburnians, we are sick and tired of having to live in fear for the last two years.
Nelly came to Australia as a refugee from South Sudan in 2003. Much of the debate has centred on youths of South Sudanese background.
.@NYoa88: We have a gang problem, let's solve it… Melburnians are ‘sick and tired of having to live in fear.’ MORE: https://t.co/vS5BXF0Kwh pic.twitter.com/ZOBTXU82bI
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) January 2, 2018
One South Sudanese community leader, Richard Deng, however, took issue with the “gang” characterization. Speaking with ABC news, he pointed out that the youth in question are Australian of African descent, not African.
He also argued that the “tiny number” involved are not members of a gang, but simply disengaged youth; the solution, he said, is reengaging them with employment and school, not further isolating them by labeling them.
Some commenters have taken the prime minister to task for opportunism, suggesting he is playing partisan politics in a Victorian state election year with his claims of an African gang crisis. The election is due in late November.
Sydney-based writer Osaman Faruqi maintained in an article on local news site Junkee that:
[…] if there’s one thing conservatives love doing in an election year it’s breaking the emergency glass and pushing the giant red button labelled “race”.
[…] The insidious thing about this kind of craven political campaigning is that the details and facts don’t matter. The conservatives think that as soon as the topic shifts to law and order, as opposed to things like health and education policy, they win.
Additionally, Turnbull and the politicians who have supported him have been accused of dog-whistling, with appeals to anti-immigration sentiments and racism. Wikipedia defines dog-whistling as “coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different, or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.”
John Wren presented a list of possibilities on Twitter:
Today @PeterDutton_MP said Melbournians are too scared of African gangs to go to restaurants. Is he;
a) lying;
b) dog-whistling;
c) a racist;
d) projecting his own irrational fears;
e) an idiot;
f) all of the above#auspol
— John Wren (@JohnWren1950) January 3, 2018
Social media has been dominated by humourous responses to perceived “fear-mongering”. Twitter hashtag #MelbourneBitesBack and “Peter Dutton” trended strongly throughout the week, even against the Sydney Ashes cricket test against England.
Activist group GetUp! joined the throng with this suggestion:
Melburnians – if you head out to a restaurant tonight, why not send @PeterDutton_MP a pic of your dinner? Let's show him we're not affected by his brand of fear-mongering.https://t.co/WMkwjAyfgQ
— GetUp! (@GetUp) January 3, 2018
Plenty of Twitter users were on the same track:
Hey @PeterDutton_MP I went out last night in beautiful Melbourne. Here's a quick photo of a packed restaurant. We don't have a gang violence problem & no one is afraid to go out for dinner. Please stop your politicised fearmongering and take your racism elsewhere. #auspol pic.twitter.com/FwWyBUghT7
— rosie scroggie (@rosieanice) January 4, 2018
As someone who eats in restaurants all the time because she can't actually cook, I'm more afraid of running into @PeterDutton_MP at a restaurant and losing all my stomach contents as a result.
— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) January 3, 2018
Chris Graham, editor of independent media outlet New Matilda, chipped in with “18 Of The Best Melbourne Eateries Where Gangs Of African Youths Probably Won’t Kill You” with his characteristic sarcasm:
African Youth Crime Gangs are out of control in Melbourne. People are being slaughtered. And then eaten alive, after they’ve been slaughtered. And then re-animated and slaughtered again. It’s that bad.
[…] New Matilda hit Melbourne town to find out the best places to eat where you won’t get stabbed or maimed or killed. Turns out the safest place to eat, amidst the chaos and panic, is at an African restaurant.
But not everyone agreed with this approach:
How pretentious, ignorant and naive of (eastern suburbs?!) #MelbourneBitesBack intelligentsia to flagrantly disregard the experience of ppl in the western suburbs. “Bite back” by helping the ‘African’ community address a real issue affecting them – and others https://t.co/Py6PhUSP6D
— Sally Davis (@DavisConcept) January 6, 2018
Journalist Jonathan Green, who likes to straddle old and new media, was highly critical of some of his colleagues:
The gang story is media and reactive politics at its worst: reducing complex social, economic, identity, justice, inequality and inclusion issues to a cynical play designed purely to provoke fear and political advantage. It’s a grotesque exercise. It betrays all of us.
— Jonathan Green (@GreenJ) January 5, 2018
However, football writer Michael Sapro’s reply confirms that it is an issue that won’t be going away soon.
Hos would you feel if you'd been beaten up and robbed by one of these gangs, only for someone like yourself to lie and pretend it didn't happen? The cops are looking for these thugs. Don't make their job any more difficult.
— Michael Safro (@safrossydney) January 6, 2018
The Victorian opposition has called for a recall of state parliament to debate the street crime issue.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Despite Threats of Censorship, Documentary Filmmakers Show Human Rights Violations in Western Sahara · Global Voices
Ivar Fersters

A Sahrawi crowd in Laayune, Western Sahara, is charged by Moroccan anti-riot police in plainclothes. It is not uncommon for police to outnumber the protesters. Screen capture from 3 Stolen Cameras.
Stories about life in Western Sahara — a disputed territory controlled by the Moroccan government — are rarely told by people who live there.
In a militarized environment with aggressive controls on media and citizen reporting, few stories of Western Sahara reach audiences beyond the immediate region. But a new documentary film that charts one independent media group’s struggle to document human rights violations in Western Sahara has the opportunity to change this.
The film, 3 Stolen Cameras, had its world premiere at the DOK Leipzig Documentary Film Festival in Germany last November, despite threats of censorship and funding challenges.
The 17-minute short film produced by the Western Sahara media group Equipe Media and the Sweden-based film production collective RåFilm, is both by and about Equipe Media. It features footage taken by Equipe Media in Western Sahara since 2009, but was edited and post-produced in Sweden.
The film gives audiences a close look at Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation through the lens of Equipe Media as they film protests and collect testimonies on human rights abuses, often while hiding or running from police.
The conflict in Western Sahara dates back to 1975 when the former colonial power Spain withdrew from the sparsely-populated territory and joint forces from neighbouring Mauritania and Morocco moved in to take control. While Mauritania eventually withdrew from Western Sahara, Moroccan forces to date still control what is sometimes referred to as ‘’Africa’s last colony’’. For 16 years, the rebel group known as the Polisario Front fought a guerilla war for independence against Morocco, before a UN brokered ceasefire came into effect in 1991. The UN recognizes the Polisario Front as a legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, a mixed ethnic group that lives mainly in Western Sahara and Mauritania.
3 Stolen Cameras – TRAILER from RåFILM on Vimeo.
3 Stolen Cameras found its way to film festival in Leipzig after several years of hard work across multiple countries, languages and legal hurdles.
Some years ago, RåFilm and Equipe Media became connected through a local Western Sahara solidarity network. Soon after the release of the Palestinian documentary film 5 Broken Cameras, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2013, the idea for 3 Stolen Cameras came about.
While the story in 5 Broken Cameras is structured around the destruction of the cameras of a Palestinian farmer and activist as he tries to document a protest-movement in his village against the confiscation of agricultural land by Israel, the Sahrawi film is structured around 3 cameras that were confiscated by Moroccan authorities from Equipe Media activists as they were filming protests in Western Sahara. Both films tell of struggles to document and shed light on violations committed under occupation.
As a production by an activist media group that challenges the Moroccan government’s narrative regarding the Western Sahara, the team behind 3 Stolen Cameras have at times found itself caught in a propaganda trap, where the underground journalism of Equipe Media and other counter-narratives are discarded as vested interests. Despite the fact that the dismissal of such a key counter-narrative only reinforces the one-sided Moroccan information blockade imposed in the name of neutrality, the film’s producers faced funding challenges.
Anna-Klara Åhrén, the Swedish co-director of 3 Stolen Cameras, described for us RåFilm’s experience with this when applying for sponsorship for 3 Stolen Cameras:
Sometimes it was like those funders requested that RåFilm would take it over completely, like they hoped that we would make something more artsy and less political from it. To me that would be such a weird thing to do with a powerful material like this.
She adds:
We participated with Equipe Media in a panel together with some Arab Spring journalists and it is striking how they are all really activists at the same time. But here in Sweden it’s like you can’t, it’s something frowned upon being an activist when you work with media. That’s actually really absurd when considering that we are supposed to be the democracy here!
In October 2017, the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) announced that they would host the world premiere of 3 Stolen Cameras. This was a great victory for the filmmakers, as 3 Stolen Cameras is intended for an Arab audience, with narration in a standard Arabic-speaker voice.
Soon however, the festival staff began to express concern that the film could be censored. According to the film's producers, BIFF staff dissuaded Equipe Media’s representatives from even attending the festival, for fear this might draw unwanted attention from authorities.
A pro-independence rally in Laayune, the capital of Western Sahara. Equipe Media camerapersons typically position themselves on rooftops in order to safely record and witness scenes on the streets.
Eventually, two days prior to the screening, the festival announced that 3 Stolen Cameras had not received approval from the Lebanese censor and would thus be cancelled. The filmmakers received this news not from the festival staff, but rather by happening upon with the following statement on the BIFF website:
We are saddened to announce that “3 Stolen Cameras” from the Rejection Front – Public Square selection has been censored and hence will not be shown.
The festival provided no further details as to the cause or the party behind this censorship decision.
The film’s producers say that the Moroccan government pressured Lebanese authorities to censor the film. Local media in Morocco reported that the Moroccan ambassador to Lebanon reached out to pressure six different departments of the Lebanese government to ban the screening. All six complied and demanded that the festival cancel the premiere.
Local news website le360.com described the film as “undermining” Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara and insinuated that the film was actually staged and recorded in Algeria (which supports the Polisario Front). The article made no mention of Equipe Media and RåFilm.
Commenting on Moroccan media coverage of the film and its censorship in Lebanon, Anna-Klara said:
In my mind censorship has a very negative connotation so if imagining myself in the role of the censoring power I assumed it’d be something you want to keep quiet. Interestingly, to Morocco that wasn’t the case at all, it was more like they were bragging and detailing how they went about it.
In our conversation, Anna-Klara suggested that the Moroccan government's response to 3 Stolen Cameras should be regarded as a proof of quality for their project.
The film's censorship in Lebanon only increased public intrigue around the film. Soon after the BIFF incident, 20 international film festivals signed a petition of protest against the censorship of 3 Stolen Cameras.
Soon after, the DOK Leipzig Documentary Film Festival became the official host for the world premiere of 3 Stolen Cameras. Although not this did not give the film the Arab audience it was made for, DOK Leipzig was nevertheless a prestigious alternative. 3 Stolen Cameras was received well by the audience and got nominated in competition for best short film. In due time, after the festivals have had their chance at exclusive premiership, the film will be released for online streaming and then finally available to local audiences in Western Sahara.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ivar Fersters


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‘If I Don’t Oppose Dictatorship, Am I Still a Man?’: Chinese Activist Gets Eight Years in Prison · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wu Gan via Apple Daily News. Licensed for non-commercial use.
“For those living under a dictatorship, being given the honorable label of one who ‘subverts state power’ is the highest form of affirmation for a citizen.”
Chinese human rights activist Wu Gan made this statement to a Tianjin court after receiving an eight-year prison sentence on December 26, 2017. In early January, he filed an appeal to the sentence.
Wu Gan, better known by his nickname “Super Vulgar Butcher”, has been active in Chinese human rights circles since 2008, when he began campaigning on behalf of Deng Yujiao, a waitress who was charged with murder after she stabbed and killed a government official when he attempted to rape her.
His earned his nickname after writing a blog post on “how to slay pigs” (a euphemism for bringing down corrupt officials) and thus established his reputation as a “butcher”. Speaking with the New York Times’ Sinosphere blog, Wu's lawyer, Ge Wenxiu, explained that the name is intended to mock state officials’ use of vulgarity with a sarcastic suggestion that he wants to “slay” for them their corruption and misconduct.
Wu was arrested in 2015 after a protest outside a court in Jiangxi province over a rape and murder case in which the defense was denied access to court documents. His arrest marked the beginning of a nationwide crackdown on human right lawyers and activists.
He was initially charged with “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” and defamation but upon his refusal to confess to his crime, the police changed the allegation to “subversion of state power.”
Wu explained in his statement (via China Change) that he had refused to trade a lighter sentence with public confession:
For those living under a dictatorship, being given the honorable label of one who “subverts state power” is the highest form of affirmation for a citizen. It’s proof that the citizen wasn’t an accomplice or a slave, and that at the very least he went out and defended, and fought for, human rights. Liang Qichao (梁启超, famous reformist at end of Qing dynasty) said that he and dictatorship were two forces inextricably opposed; I say: If I don’t oppose dictatorship, am I still a man?
They have attempted to have me plead guilty and cooperate with them to produce their propaganda in exchange for a light sentence — they even said that as long as I plead guilty, they’ll give me a three-year sentence suspended for three years. I rejected it all. My eight-year sentence doesn’t make me indignant or hopeless. This was what I chose for myself: when you oppose the dictatorship, it means you are already walking on the path to jail.
Wu Gan’s friends were disheartened upon hearing the news of his sentencing. On Twitter, Old Wine said:
看到朋友一个个陷入囹圄，除了愤怒，内心还是很纠结的，既希望他们像屠夫一样做个铁骨铮铮的汉子，又不想让他们受苦受非人的折磨，该妥协时也可以做些底线上的让步。前者我是敬重的，后者我是理解的。
新年伊始，每每想到冰冷铁窗里的他们，心如刀绞，恨己无能。
— 陈年老酒 (@old_wine) January 2, 2018
One after another, my friends were sentenced to jail. Apart from anger, I have complex feelings: I wish that my friends would stand up to their principle like Butcher. On the other hand, I don’t want them going through torture and wish that they could compromise. I respect Butcher and I understand those who make compromise. It is now the new year, whenever I think about those who are in jail, my heart hurts and I feel so helpless.
After Wu’s statement was widely circulated, another round of smear campaigning targeting him and other human rights lawyers has emerged. A number of Twitter bots spread posts (examples one, two, three and many others) accusing Wu Gan of garnering personal benefits through online activism backed by anti-China forces.
Knowing that the Chinese dissident community has been overwhelmed with pessimism, Wu Gan wrote a letter to the Chinese Twitter community, urging them to carry on defending conscience and freedom on December 31:
希望外面诸君不管环境再怎么恶劣，也不要悲观，也不要沉默，更不能做帮凶。我们可以懦弱、胆怯，但绝不能漠视残酷的现实，违背基本的常识，去说胡话，说鬼话，幻想明君，道德劝说，想不劳而获。我们要传播真相、捍卫良知、尊重常识、鼓励勇敢。每个人都多多少少有缺点和局限，包括我。我认为多接受各种思想，多点理解，少点功利，少计较个人得失，多付出，多去做实在的事，都会有回报的。至少我感受到了，你们的支持和关注就是最好的证明。
最后借用肖申克的救赎里一句话做结尾：有些鸟儿它永远关不住，它身上每片羽毛都散发着自由的光芒。
I wish that fellows outside [the Great Firewall] would not be silenced and overwhelmed by pessimism. No matter how bad the situation is, you can’t conspire with [the dictator]. We can be nervous and frightened, but we can’t be blind to the cruel reality and tell lies that are against our common sense, or imagine that an enlightened emperor can save us, or that the battle can be won without paying efforts. We have to spread the truth, defend conscience, respect knowledge, encourage bravery. Everyone has weaknesses, including me. But I believe that with openness to ideas, more understanding, and less calculation for personal gain, more contribution and acts will be rewarded. The fact that I can feel your support and attention is the best proof.
Lastly I want to borrow a sentence from The Shawshank Redemption: some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers carry the color of freedom. [The original quote from Stephen King is: some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice.]
In response to the letter, veteran Chinese activist Wu’er Kaixi from the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement wrote:
让我们在这一天一起郑重面对未来，我们并不活在一个美好的时代，但我们可以作一个美好的个人。我们可以被屠夫感染，而了解无惧是个有效选项，而我们的无惧，将令恐怖无法降临，这个时代也就可因此变美好一些。希望2018是这样的一个时节点。各位新年快乐！ pic.twitter.com/NnI49Pn83H
— 吾尔开希 Wu'er Kaixi (@wuerkaixi) December 31, 2017
Let’s face the future in a solemn manner today. We are not living in a good time, but we can be good people. We can be affected by Butcher and see fearlessness as an option. Our fearlessness will block terror and make our time better. I hope 2018 can be a starting point for this attitude. Happy New Year!
Wu Gan’s lawyer filed a written appeal to the court’s ruling on January 8 2018 (English version via China Change) defending citizens’ rights to free speech:
When rendering judgement on whether an individual’s conduct is criminal, it is vital to examine the character of their actions. The actions of the appellant — whether speech made via Weibo, WeChat, Twitter, his three “Guides,” interviews given to foreign media, or audio lectures — all fall under the rubric of legitimate exercise of freedom of speech. Similarly, the appellant’s participation in  12 noted cases — which involved ‘stand-and-watch’ protests, appealing in support of a cause, raising funds, or expressing himself via performance art — are also all exercises in freedom of expression, provided for in his civil rights of: the right to criticize and make suggestions; the right to lodge appeals and complaints; the right to report and expose malfeasance, and so on. These rights are innate, and are provided for in the constitution and law of the People’s Republic of China. The exercise of these rights has nothing at all to do with so-called subversion of state power.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
India’s Biometric ID System Is Leaking Personal Data — And State Agencies Won’t Fix the Problem · Global Voices
Rohith Jyothish

Taking fingerprints for Aadhaar, photo via Wikimedia Commons, by Kannanshanmugham. CC BY 3.0
India's national scheme holds the personal data of more than 1.13 billion citizens and residents of India within a unique ID system branded as Aadhaar, which means “foundation” in Hindi.
But as more and more evidence reveals that the government is not keeping this information private, the actual foundation of the system appears shaky at best.
On January 4, 2018, The Tribune of India, a news outlet based out of Chandigarh, created a firestorm when it reported on that people were selling access to Aadhaar data on WhatsApp, for alarmingly low prices.
#TRIBUNEINVESTIGATION — #SECURITYBREACH | by @RachnaKhaira
Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion #Aadhaar details https://t.co/3vlJhbP94t pic.twitter.com/PRMutzR75d
— The Tribune (@thetribunechd) January 3, 2018
The investigation followed a man named Bharat Bhushan Gupta, a village-level entrepreneur who was lured into buying access to the database by people who approached him on WhatsApp. Gupta later realized that he had access to much more information than he'd asked for
Concerned about what this might mean for ID holders, Gupta attempted to notify the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), the agency responsible for issuing Aadhaar numbers, about the problem, but was unable to confirm that UIDAI was aware of or addressing the problem. Gupta is one of 270,000 such village-level entrepreneurs who operate Common Service Centres responsible for various e-services between governments, businesses, and citizens.
He then approached Tribune journalist Rachna Khaira, who undertook the investigation.
Following the investigation, India Today conducted a ‘sting operation’ of their own to confirm the findings of the Tribune reporter.
Operation #AadhaarLeaks
Your Aadhaar details on sale for just Rs 2!
Watch this India Today special investigation.#NEWSROOM Live at https://t.co/4fqxBVUizL pic.twitter.com/aUFypsiOhG
— India Today (@IndiaToday) January 5, 2018
The UIDAI's response to the breach was to file a criminal complaint against Rachna Khaira who conducted the investigation into the breach of personal data and called it ‘misreporting’. When the Editors Guild condemned penalising the reporter, the UIDAI's response was to justify their action.
By the logic of this release investigative agencies should file cases against all journalists who do an expose. Sham defence. @UIDAI should withdraw FIR against journalist who broke #AadharLeaks Agency has track record of intimidating whistleblowers. Can’t browbeat civil society. pic.twitter.com/FIUOtvsR9D
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) January 7, 2018
The Information Technology Minister, Ravishankar Prasad made a statement:
Govt. is fully committed to freedom of Press as well as to maintaining security & sanctity of #Aadhaar for India's development. FIR is against unknown. I've suggested @UIDAI to request Tribune & it's journalist to give all assistance to police in investigating real offenders.
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) January 8, 2018
This is not the first time that the UIDAI has “shot the messenger,” so to speak. In early 2017, UIDAI filed a criminal complaint against CNN-News 18 journalist Debayan Ray for conducting an investigation in which he created two Aadhaar enrollment IDs using the same set of biometrics.
UIDAI filed a second complaint against entrepreneur Sameer Kochchar after he blogged about how Aadhaar can be hacked through a “biometric replay attack.” In all three cases, the UIDAI says that the claims made are “misleading.”
The Aadhaar unique identification number ties together several pieces of a person's demographic and biometric information, including their photograph, fingerprints, home address and other personal information. This information is all stored in a centralized database, which is then made accessible to a long list of government agencies who can access that information in administrating public services.
Although centralizing this information could increase efficiency, it also creates a highly vulnerable situation in which one simple breach could result in millions of India's residents’ data becoming exposed.
In June 2017, twiterrati warned of the dangers of giving database login credentials and e-Aadhaar download capabilities to state officials for this very reason:
.@databaazi warned us about existence of search access to UIDAI data in last year April. Now after 10 months @thetribunechd reports, more than 1 lakh people got illegal access. https://t.co/wJwFvdu5XE
UIDAI's response: deleting files related to DSDV & SRDH from its website
— Anivar Aravind (@anivar) January 4, 2018
[Editor's note: 1 lakh = 100,000]
The Annual Report 2015-16 of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology speaks of a facility called DBT Seeding Data Viewer (DSDV) that “permits the departments/agencies to view the demographic details of Aadhaar holder.”
According to @databaazi, DSDV logins allowed third parties to access Aadhaar data (without UID holder's consent) from a white-listed IP address. This meant that anyone with the right IP address could access the system.
Screenshots of DSDV (basic licence), which allows third parties (both public and private) to access Aadhaar data (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0Wi4s1EvVz
— india subsidy data (@databaazi) April 3, 2017
The UIDAI confirmed as much on Twitter:
Some persons have misused demographic search facility, given to designated officials to help residents who have lost Aadhaar/Enrollment slip to retrieve their details @thetribunechd @rsprasad @ceo_uidai @timesofindia @firstpost @IndiaToday @ZeeNews @htTweets @TheQuint
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 4, 2018
This design flaw puts personal details of millions of Aadhaar holders at risk of broad exposure, in clear violation of the Aadhaar Act.
The Aadhaar Act forbids the public display of Aadhaar numbers. Yet there is irrefutable evidence that both state and central government departments have exposed bank account and Aadhaar numbers of pensioners, minors, scholarship grantees and others.
In October 2017, @iam_anandv pointed out how even a simple Google search for the UIDAI's tagline reveals hundreds of Aadhaar details.
@UIDAI @ceo_uidai Searching your tagline in @Google shows a few hundred hits with Aadhaar details. Can you get them removed? pic.twitter.com/wpvVrvev9m
— Anand V (@iam_anandv) October 19, 2017
In November last year, it was proven that more than 200 government websites were showing Aadhaar details. The UIDAI admitted this, after they were compelled to release this information in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request.
UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey has repeatedly maintained that the exposure of Aadhaar numbers alone poses little risk as “Aadhaar numbers are like bank account numbers.” But this has been proven to leave people vulnerable to phishing, identity fraud, and corporate malfeasance, as seen in December 2017, when telecom giant Airtel opened three million payment accounts for customers without obtaining their informed consent.
Screenshot from the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) website displaying warning against sharing Aadhar Numbers publicly.
In spite of the furor, the leaks continue. The trend has not gone unnoticed among international technology privacy experts. Professor Graham Greenleaf recently identified it as one of the world's most “dangerous privacy developments”:
World's most dangerous privacy development? Tough call between India's Aadhaar and China's Social Credit System. But India still has its Supreme Court, Constitution and the Puttaswamy Case to provide hope – China has not. @abli @ICDPPCSec https://t.co/2YViL5dKad
— Graham Greenleaf (@grahamgreenleaf) January 9, 2018
While the UIDAI's actions offer little optimism, the last hope may be with the Supreme Court of India which will hear main Aadhaar petitions for the last time beginning on January 17, 2018.

author: Rohith Jyothish


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Netizen Report: Fearful of ‘Fake News’, Lawmakers in France and Brazil Want to Limit Free Speech Before Elections · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

Stencil art in Wisconsin, US. Photo by David Drexel via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
The specter of “fake news” is still looming large and the power of internet companies to control and capitalize on news distribution seems to grow greater by the day. This has democratic leaders around the world scrambling to rein in free speech laws and to distinguish between the motivations behind online news and information — whether they be political power, money, or the simple free exchange of ideas.
In early December 2017, Brazil's government established a council to monitor and possibly order the blocking of false news reports on social media ahead of the 2018 presidential elections. The news swiftly raised concerns about censorship among the public.
In its first meeting, the council proposed to create a tool through which users could file reports to the council of news that appeared suspicious.
The council has not explained how this system would interface with social media companies, which are the only entities capable of removing content or accounts propagating “fake news”. Members say they are negotiating support from social media companies, but it remains unclear where this will lead.
Previous attempts at such control have yielded mixed results. When Facebook introduced a “report fake news” feature in December 2016, many users reported fake content as part of an effort to discredit information or ideas with which they disagreed, even when those ideas were based on verified facts.
Across the Atlantic, French President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures targeting “fake news” that will mandate content deletion, censorship of websites that spread false news, and the closure of accounts of infringing users, following judicial orders.
In addition, a new bill before the French Congress that is intended to target sponsored content on social media platforms. If adopted it would require social media platforms to ‘’make public the identity of sponsors and of those who controls them,” and to impose limits on the amount of money paid to sponsor such content.
The law’s purpose is to “protect democratic life,” according to Macron.
In both France and Brazil, it remains unclear precisely how government actors will compel social media companies to identify and/or remove such content at this scale.
Colonel General Nguyen Trong Nghia, deputy chairman of the General Political Department of the People’s Army of Vietnam, announced at a December 25, 2017 meeting that the military has created a special force tasked with “combating wrongful information and anti-state propaganda.” The special force already has 10,000 workers.
China’s state-run Xinua news agency reported on January 8 that approximately 128,000 websites were censored in China in 2017 due to “harmful” content, including news from “unauthorized” sources, material said to threaten “social stability”, and pornography. Most recently, Cyberspace Administration officials penalized the popular Toutiao news aggregator app, which they said had illegally distributed news content without having obtained necessary permissions from the authorities.
A Beijing court agreed to hear a case addressing the media regulator’s censorship of LGBTQ content online. In June 2017, the China Netcasting Services Association sparked outrage when it issued new rules banning online content that depicts “abnormal sexual relations or behaviour,” including homosexuality. The lawsuit—filed by 30-year-old Fan Chunlin from Shanghai—challenges the media regulator to provide a legal basis for the description of homosexuality as “abnormal.” The court is expected to deliver a ruling within the next six months.
In Jiangsu province, a court agreed to hear a challenge by a consumer rights group against Baidu, one of China’s largest internet companies. The Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee charges that Baidu products, including its mobile app and web browser,are accessing users’ messages, phone calls, contacts and other data without their consent.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics has deployed a new program that is intended to enhance the process of blocking “negative” content on the internet by using artificial intelligence. Known as “Cyber Drone 9,” the program combines new technical tools (which do not actually include drones) with a team of staff who will monitor “negative” content identified by the software and decide whether it should be censored.
United States border agents reportedly searched 30,200 devices in 2017 for both inbound and outbound travelers, in comparison to 19,051 in 2016. The US agency of Customs and Border Protection issued new guidelines requiring devices be unlocked on request and authorizing agents to copy and save information that they obtain through travelers’ mobile phones, among other measures.
The Venezuelan news and commentary site El Estimulo published an in-depth report (in Spanish) on falling rates of internet and mobile phone connectivity in Venezuela. The article highlights International Telecommunication Union statistics showing that mobile phone penetration has dropped from 102% in 2012 (a number reflecting individuals with multiple mobile phones) to 87% in 2016, and also charts damage to subterranean internet infrastructure that the state has failed to repair. The article quotes Global Voices author Marianne Diaz:
The increasing deterioration of infrastructure is neither coincidental nor accidental. It is the result of decisions and policies implemented by power structures. The end result is that it is making citizens suffer the consequences of infrastructural decay and the state is not upholding its obligations to guarantee access to basic services…
The Tunisian government withdrew a proposed law on January 9 that would have imposed a national biometric identification scheme for all Tunisian citizens. The withdrawal was due in part to an influx of requests and amendments proposed by the parliamentary commission of rights and freedoms, many of which were drawn from citizen input.
Afef Abrougui, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Marianne Diaz, Oiwan Lam, James Losey, Karolle Rabarison, Elizabeth Rivera, Juke Carolina Rumuat, Nevin Thompson and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


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While Iran’s Former Head of Judiciary Receives Medical Treatment in Germany, Activists Urge his Prosecution for Crimes Against Humanity · Global Voices
Hamid Yazdan Panah

Coinciding with a new wave of arrests and repression within Iran, a coalition of Iranian human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have filed a criminal complaint with the German government accusing Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, a former head of Judiciary in Iran, of crimes against humanity. Shahroudi, a senior clerical figure with influential positions in bodies such as the Assembly of Experts, was receiving medical treatment at the International Neuroscience Institute in Hanover, Germany until January 11.
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi,. [Photo courtesy of the Center for Human Rights in Iran]
The coalition includes the Centre for Defenders of Human Rights, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre, Justice for Iran, the Siamak Pourzand Foundation and other human rights associations. Additional criminal complaints were filed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as well as the German Green Party member Volker Beck.
Payam Akhavan, one of the lead international human rights lawyers behind the submission, explains to Global Voices (GV):
That itself is highly valuable in exacting some kind of a cost for human rights abuses.The message has to be that those in power are accountable to the people, that they must rule with justice or face the consequences. Otherwise we will stumble from one dark political space to another.
Akhavan, a renowned international lawyer and professor at Mcgill University in Canada believes that Shahroudi’s record during his tenure as the Head of the Judiciary is sufficient to establish a criminal base for prosecution under international law:
Throughout his tenure as Head of the Judiciary, he presided over the arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, abuse, and execution, of numerous dissidents, whether human rights defenders or journalists or webloggers or political activists or religious minorities, ranging from the student protests in 1999 to the post-election protests in 2009 culminating in the horrible atrocities in Kahrizak and the show trials and other such violations.
If Germany brought a case against Shahroudi, it would require a “universal jurisdiction,” a complex legal theory that gives national courts jurisdiction to “prosecute individuals for serious crimes against international law.” This legal theory also supported the prosecution of Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet as well as individuals on trial for their involvement in Guatemala's genocide.

Akhavan notes a high threshold for providing evidence to obtain a warrant from German authorities under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, requiring proof that the crimes (including murder, rape, and torture) were “committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.”
Gathering credible evidence goes beyond allegations and common knowledge. Akhavan explains:
It may seem obvious to most people that these are the facts, but gathering detailed credible evidence is an enormous resource-intensive undertaking.
Shahroudi has gained notoriety both in and out of Iran for his repressive policies during his tenure as the head of Iran's Judiciary from 1999 until 2009, including his involvement in egregious human rights abuses such as upholding the death sentence of Reyhaneh Jabbari, a young Iranian woman sentenced to death for allegedly killing a former intelligence ministry employee who she claimed was attempting to sexually abused her. Amnesty International, an international human rights NGO, noted that Jabbari was sentenced in 1999 after a deeply flawed investigation.

The families of other victims have also spoken out, including the son of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who died while in Iranian custody nineteen days after her arrest in Iran.
The push for prosecution comes at a time of widespread protests rocked Iran over the past few weeks and culminated in thousands of arrests and reports of deaths in custody. Despite the wave of repression, dissidents have rallied outside of Evin prison in Tehran, Iran's capital, in a show of solidarity with imprisoned protesters.
As governmental repression continues, Akhavan argues that organized efforts to hold the regime accountable under international law can have a positive impact for dissidents inside the country, strengthening their resolve. Solidarity and support from the Iranian Diaspora and international community send a message that those who appear invincible today can end up a defendant in a courtroom tomorrow.
Akhavan also advocates for accountability of atrocities as an integral part of a democratic movement that prevents history from repeating itself:
“Now is the time to send a signal to the Iranian regime that its officials may be held accountable for their actions.”
Reuters cited sources claiming that Shahroudi left Germany for Iran midday on Thursday, January 11, after receiving medical treatment, despite urgent requests from Iranian human rights groups to detain him. The federal prosecutor's office in Berlin responded by reiterating its commitment to investigating the complaints. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office told Reuters:
We will continue to examine on a legal basis whether Mr. Shahroudi was guilty of crimes against humanity, regardless of where he is staying.
Shahroudi has apparently decided to stop the treatment in Hannover and flee back to Tehran after German federal prosecutor is examining if to investigate him for crimes against humanity. https://t.co/fDSJcpY3Rs pic.twitter.com/6GcoTZmmD5
— Björn Stritzel (@bjoernstritzel) January 11, 2018
Update: BILD reporter @j_h_dobers reports heavy presence of federal police at Hamburg airport as Ayatollah Sharoudi is about to flee Germany in a few minutes. Iran Air flight got a second gangway to secure Shahroudi entering the plane. https://t.co/fDSJcpY3Rs pic.twitter.com/F4foeGTXc1
— Björn Stritzel (@bjoernstritzel) January 11, 2018
Despite Shahroudi's departure from Germany, the organized effort to hold him accountable sends a powerful message to Iran's regime. Individuals like Shahroudi, with alleged crimes attached to their names, will not be able to travel to Europe and North America without pushback and possible prosecution.

author: Hamid Yazdan Panah


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With Age Limit Abolished, Ugandans Fear They Are ‘Stuck’ With President Museveni · Global Voices
Prudence Nyamishana

Ugandan members of parliament fighting. Screenshot from program shared by Wolokoso Mu Uganda official YouTube channel.
In early January 2018, a cloud of despair settled on Ugandan social media after the country's president signed a law that lifts the the upper age limit for the presidency even after a survey indicated that a majority of Ugandans oppose the change.
The amendment to Uganda's constitution means that President Yoweri Museveni, who is 73, can run for a sixth term in 2021 and possibly extend his 32-year rule, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in Africa.
The controversial law also extended the tenure of Ugandan lawmakers from five to seven years.
The changes come at a time when the space for civic engagement has narrowed and authorities are continually cracking down on dissenting voices.
Museveni last won elections in 2016, a vote during which the opposition had very little access to the media and journalists and members of civil society experienced intimidation. “Local observers said the elections were not free and fair,” reported Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2017:
Violations of freedom of association, expression, assembly, and the use of excessive force by security officials continued during campaigns and into the post-election period. Opposition presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was held in preventative detention at his home for over a month while trying to challenge election results.
The police used unlawful means including live ammunition to prevent peaceful opposition gatherings and protests, at times resulting in loss of life.
During the age limit debate, 25 of members of parliament, mostly from opposition parties, were suspended.
Ugandan political opposition groups had fought the bill before it got to the president for his signature — figuratively and literally. At various points, the situation came to blows in the parliament. In December, members voted 315 to 62 to allow for removal of the age limit.
Many Ugandans expressed anger when Museveni signed the bill into law on January 2. One Twitter user named Oma wrote:
32 yrs of inefficiency and we are now stuck with this incompetent, self serving individual whose government is characteristic of nepotism!
— Oma (@OliveMusigo) January 2, 2018
Musiime Alex Martin was worried that Museveni is setting a bad example in the region:
His greed for power will haunt him now that he has become totally aloof. Bad thing he is even spreading this to other leaders in the region.
— Musiime Alex Martin (@musiime_alex) January 2, 2018
A day before Museveni signed the bill, Parliament Watch, an initiative of the independent Uganda-based Centre for Policy Analysis, recalled the words of one member of parliament, Henry Maurice Kibalya, when speaking about the age limit article in question: “As the 10th parliament, we can succeed in amending Art 102 (b) but cannot succeed in amending the broken hearts of Ugandans out there”:
THE QUOTE #AgeLimitBill pic.twitter.com/1keBwbVval
— Parliament Watch (@pwatchug) January 1, 2018
It is at times like these that sarcasm comes in handy, as Kervy tweeted:
Millions of joyful and excited Ugandans take to the street to Celebrate the long awaited passing of the #AgeLimitBill
pic.twitter.com/jOgz6RKDP9
— Cave ? (@kevrx) December 21, 2017
Given recent history, however, it's no laughing matter for the political opposition or civil society. After parliament approved the age limit bill, NBS TV interviewed the spokesperson of the country's police who seemed to characterize opposition as “evil”:
This is not the first time opposition politicians and other activists call for people, rally support from members of the public…to engage in activities that are unlawful. Even during the debate of the constitutional amendment, they mobilized, they tried to march as they could. However, we were ahead of them and we countered all their evil plans that they wanted.

author: Prudence Nyamishana


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Yemeni Human Rights Blogger Hisham Al-Omeisy Has Been Missing for 150 Days · Global Voices
Gulf Center for Human Rights

Hisham al-Omeisy. Photo handed over by his family to the GCHR. Used with permission.
This post was written by Khalid Ibrahim, executive director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the Gulf region and its neighbouring countries.
It has been 150 days since Yemeni political analyst, rights activist and blogger Hisham Al-Omeisy was detained by Houthi forces.
At approximately 2:45 pm on 14 August 2017, a group of security officers from the Houthi-controlled National Security Bureau (NSB) arrested Hisham Al-Omeisy in the neighborhood of Jawlat al-Misbahi in the capital Sana’a.
According to a local journalist, Al-Omeisy was arrested for exchanging emails in English with US-based organizations. Although 150 days have passed since Al-Omeisy's arrest, he remains in an undisclosed location and has not been charged, a violation of Yemeni law and international law.
Since his arrest, he has been held incommunicado where he has no access to a lawyer nor his family. All this suggests that Al-Omeisy has become a victim of enforced disappearance, a practice many other Yemenis have been subjected to, either at the hands of Houthis or the Saudi-led coalition fighting against them.
His family members — including his wife and two young sons, Khaled and Saif — are concerned about his health and safety.
Nearly three years ago, the country plunged into an armed conflict, with Houthi forces fighting to seize power from the internationally-recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is supported by a Saudi-led coalition. Forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh (who was removed from power following street protests in 2011) had fought with the Houthis, until Saleh changed his position and called for dialogue with Saudi Arabia. On 04 December, 2017, the Houthis killed Saleh.
Yemen is still in the throes of a crippling civil war and and regional conflict that has resulted in a full-blown humanitarian and health crisis, with more than one million Yemenis having contracted cholera. Advocates have documented massive human rights violations committed by all parties fighting in the ongoing civil war.
Before his detention, Hisham Al-Omeisy was outspoken about the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
Through his Twitter account and his contributions to international media, he provided commentary and analysis on Yemen’s conflict and reported on daily events including airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
Saudi Co & #Yemen gov say Sana'a airport closed out of concern for safety of planes. That's codswallop, THEY ARE ONES BOMBING for 2+ years. pic.twitter.com/mPxt5XdLsI
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) August 11, 2017
He also denounced violations committed by the different warring parties and spoke out about the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
Was shown cholera cases tracker in #Yemen (figures in chart from last week – now 500K cases). Steady & steep increase is scary! pic.twitter.com/ec9yjJts6n
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) August 11, 2017
Prior to his 12 August arrest, he tweeted in both Arabic and English about “corrupt officials” confiscating real estate by force in the capital Sana'a, which is under Houthi control.
Armed goons backed by corrupt officials are forcefully taking real estate properties in Sana'a. They just showed up at my door. #Yemen
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) August 12, 2017
The arrest and detention of Hisham Al-Omeisy is another example of the harassment and targeting of human rights defenders and journalists in Yemen as they attempt to draw attention to the ongoing conflict and strive to promote and protect human rights.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses serious concern for the health and safety of Hisham Al-Omeisy, particularly as he is being held incommunicado in an undisclosed location. GCHR expresses further concern for the situation of all those in Yemen who are being targeted as a result of legitimately reporting on the conflict.

author: Gulf Center for Human Rights


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Africans ‘School’ US President on Good Governance After ‘Shithole’ Comment Sparks Global Outrage · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

African leaders at the 4th High-Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction. Photo by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
On Thursday, January 11, United States (US) president Donald Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and some African countries as a “shithole” during a bi-partisan meeting on immigration at the Oval Office in Washington D.C. (US). According to lawmakers at the meeting, Trump said:
Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?
The US president's undignified comment immediately sparked international condemnation, including surprisingly humorous reactions from African netizens who used Trump's ‘shithole’ remark as an opportunity to air grievances on the lack of good governance in many of their respective African countries.
Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights described the statement as “racist:”
These are shocking and shameful comments from the President of the United States. There is no other word one can use but ‘racist’… You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘shitholes’, whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome…It’s about opening the door to humanity’s worst side, about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia that will potentially disrupt and destroy lives of many people.
The Botswana government “summoned the US ambassador to Botswana to express its displeasure at the alleged utterances made by President of the US, Donald Trump:”
PRESS RELEASE |Botswana condemns remarks made by President Trump @VensonMoitoi @MIACBW @OfficialMasisi pic.twitter.com/16i7CUMR4x
— Botswana Government (@BWGovernment) January 12, 2018
Trump tried to reduce the impact of his comment by denying it, stating it was “made up by Dems [Democrats]”:
Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said “take them out.” Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings – unfortunately, no trust!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018
African netizens took no time reacting to Trump's comments. Although not justifying it, some assert that Trump's statement is an indictment against the governments of many African nations:
James Propa, Ugandan contributor to Global Voices said:
Why y'all bothered by @realDonaldTrump calling our countries #Shithole?
First of all we have failed to become fully autonomous. We rely on them for funds, so they disrespect us. We need to start thinking independently. Lets suffer with the little we have and build to be big.
— James Propa (@jamespropa) January 12, 2018
The same sentiments were expressed by Ugo Agbaji, a Nigerian:
Nigeria is a SHITHOLE country because of its leaders. I’ll have to agree with Trump who I mostly dislike. Dear Trump please remind Nigeria that they are a shit hole country whose leaders need to get their shit together.
— ugo agbaji (@ug4u2) January 12, 2018
Kenyan netizen Daniel Makaya lampooned corruption and inept leaders in Africa:
Africa, especially the Sub-Saharan region led by hypocrites such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya is a big shit-hole. Governments screw their own people and 75% of govt revenue goes to the pockets of connected politicians. Africa with its present leadership cannot compete
— #KisiiNational (@DanielMayaka) January 12, 2018
Nigerian Kelvin Odanz was blunt:
Nigerians who live in Nigeria know that Nigeria is a shot hole. They queue up at embassies every week begging to escape.
Nigerians who managed to escape and their Pan Africanist cohorts (living away from the shit hole) are the ones angry Donald Trump called Nigeria a shit hole.
— Kelvin Odanz (@KelvinOdanz) January 12, 2018
Fellow Nigerian Onye Nkuzi's tweet refers to the lack of justice in Nigeria for people murdered by herdsmen on New Years Day in Benue State:
Sorry we just buried 73 innocent young men, women and children in Benue State, Nigeria.
So we have more important issues to deal with than Trump's snide remarks.
And yes, Nigeria is a shit hole. As for the rest of Africa, I do not know – I don't know enough to comment. https://t.co/ikamc2D8X8
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) January 12, 2018
Steve Biko blamed Africa's tribal politics:
According to Trump, Africa is a shit-hole with poor amenities, hunger and poor leadership.
That's what we get when we Africans elect leaders based on our tribal lines. We end up with clowns who have no policies on how Africa can be independent on its own.
— Steve Biko (@Steve_Raheem) January 12, 2018
Ghanaian Seraphic Herbsman advised Africans to save their outrage and work toward “turning our situation around:”
Africa is a shit hole. Don't be outraged. Channel that energy into being patriotic and turning our situation around.
— seraphic herbsman X (@ProdigyDakem) January 12, 2018
However, some Africans were infuriated by Trump's comments. Ms. Nawande boldly states that “Trump is a shithole president:”
YES Africa & Its nations have it's problems..we don't dispute.. but name calling & outright disrespect by the very nation that has stripped off its resources for years is totally crossing it. TRUMP IS A ‘SHIT HOLE’ PRESIDENT. PERIOD.
— Ms. Nawande (@MsNawande) January 12, 2018
Nyaguthii wa Muriuki comments on American ignorance of Africa:
The US president is a typical rep of an American mind. Its 2018 and they still use a starving child's photo taken years ago a 0.00000000000000000000001% of the African population and teach America how Africa looks like * shit hole I guess ?
— nyaguthii wa muriuki (@nyagu_kanegene) January 12, 2018
And Didi Angela reminded the world once again that Africa is a continent, not a country:
This president called Africa a shit hole country? Someone tell him Africa is a continent, also African immigrants are one of the most educated groups in this country, this president is racist and ignorant AF
— DispersalOfKnowledge (@DidiAngela) January 12, 2018
Gege, a Nigerian based in the United Kingdom, schooled the United States president to uphold the dignity of his office:
Decency, humility & compassion. That's what great leadership is about.
It's true that Nigeria is hell for many. It is also incredibly rude for Trump to denigrate the living conditions of the poor in Africa.
The man is desecrating the US Presidency with his uncouth behaviour…
— Gege (@nigeriasbest) January 12, 2018

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Does Free Speech Mean Free to Preach Hate? An American Fundamentalist Pastor Tests Jamaica’s Limits · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Screenshot taken from the YouTube video “Pastor Steven Anderson Crazy Rants – Compilation”.
The pending visit of American fundamentalist pastor Steven Anderson to Jamaica on January 29 has sparked heated debate among Jamaicans over issues of tolerance, human rights and freedom of speech. The pastor is known for extreme homophobia and a volatile stance against homosexuality.
As founder of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona, US, Anderson has repeatedly called for homosexuals to be killed in sermons and YouTube videos. He drew public outrage when he applauded the shooting of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, US.
In Jamaica, where citizens still wrestle with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights and issues, some may be interested in Anderson's fundamentalism. Others argue that his extreme preaching may validate and stoke homophobic attitudes. Overall, citizens are divided in terms of whether or not they believe the Jamaican government should ban Anderson from visiting the country.
John Jay, an activist who started an online petition garnering nearly 6,500 signatures from various countries, urges the Jamaican government to block the pastor's entry. He makes a simple point:
Clearly the Pastor has no respect for humanity and his messages go against our democratic ideals and our motto, ‘Out of many, one people’
Anderson has already been banned from entering the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and Malawi on grounds of hate speech and incitement to violence.
Human Rights First, a US advocacy group, is urging the US Department of State to condemn Anderson's homophobic stance in light of his approaching visit to Jamaica. In a press release, the organisation quotes Anglican priest Father Sean Major-Campbell, rector of Christ Church in Vineyard Town, Jamaica:
‘Pastor Anderson’s previous statements targeting the LGBT community are shocking and extreme in nature and we have no interest in him bringing that brand of hate here to Jamaica. While Jamaica is not the society it used to be regarding violence against gay persons, there is still a high level of stigma and discrimination.’
Anderson has played down the nature of his visit in the media, insisting he will not preach against gay people but will simply be preaching the Gospel and screening his film.
However, he did post a 25-minute video of a sermon to a large group of students at the North Georgetown Secondary School in Guyana about “The Wrath of God.” On a Facebook event page, he noted:
We will be doing a missions trip to Jamaica from Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2018. The plan is to do one-on-one soul-winning, preaching in schools, and also enjoy some recreation. Check out our YouTube video describing the missions trip. This will be similar to work we have done in Guyana.
Anderson frequently broadcasts his beliefs on social media platforms. He believes literally in the King James Version of the Bible, and his church's doctrinal statement asserts:
We believe that homosexuality is a sin and an abomination which God punishes with the death penalty. We oppose worldliness, modernism, formalism, and liberalism.
Anderson denies accusations of racism, but in several online videos he refers to Jews as “Anti-Christ” and calls Islam a “disgusting religion”. He also asserts that adultery should be illegal. With regard to women's rights, he believes that “men shouldn't be under the tyranny of women”.
His statements following the 2016 attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, US are especially disturbing to LGBT rights activists. In the video, Anderson claims he does not advocate violence but believes that all the victims “should have been killed anyway” by the government, adding, “I'm not sad about it.”
If Jamaica were to ban Anderson from entering the country, it would not be the first nation to do so. In multiple cases, Anderson has been banned either due to anti-hate speech laws, or to concern that his preaching could incite violence against LGBT people, presenting a clear threat to public safety, which most governments have a duty to preserve.
South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba explained that the decision to ban Anderson was based on a constitutional imperative to “protect and jealously defend the rights of all people.” Gigaba also noted that the Immigration Act “prohibits the admission of foreigners likely to promote hate speech or advocate social violence.”
Unlike South Africa, Jamaica does not have laws that explicitly prohibit hate speech. But promoting violence against anyone — especially on the basis of identity traits, like sexuality — is a crime. The question here is whether Anderson's words cross the line from hate speech to inciting violence.
76Crimes, a blog that speaks out against anti-LGBT laws worldwide, quoted Jaevion Nelson, Acting Executive Director of Jamaica's LGBT lobby group (J-FLAG):
We hope that the relevant authorities will take the necessary steps to monitor [Anderson's] visit and ensure that messages which promote hate, disrespect and violence are not tolerated.
J-FLAG has not yet released an official statement on the matter.
Dr. Wayne West, chairman of the Christian lobby group Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, concedes that some of Anderson's teachings are “unsatisfactory,” but supports the pastor's visit on the basis of freedom of speech, suggesting that the repeal of buggery laws represented a greater threat.
Jamaican economist Damien King asserts that freedom of speech is an “all or nothing” issue:
https://t.co/fMlzAOyjRm This presents a real dilemma doesn't it? The man has odious views, but freedom of speech exists precisely to protect unpopular views. And you either believe in it or you don't. It's pointless if you believe in it only for the views you like.
— Damien King (@DamienWKing) January 8, 2018
Former Jamaican diplomat Aloun Assamba responded:
Freedom of speech doesn't mean everyone has to speak on my space. Don't allow him here.
— Aloun Assamba (@hcassamba) January 8, 2018
But some raise concern that this type of ban could set a precedent for future bans:
May I interject here? We used to ban books in this country ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ was one such…as were the writings of Walter Rodney…was this a good thing?
— Griot (@RealDuttyMan) January 9, 2018
In a letter to the editor of the Jamaica Gleaner, LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson wrote about hate speech as a public health threat:
Jamaica recorded one of its bloodiest years in 2017, and already over 40 murders have been reported since the start of 2018. Vulnerable individuals, including women and LGBT people, continue to bear the brunt of this savagery.
Every free and democratic society has a right and duty to protect its citizens from imminent harm, as the Constitution's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms has been used to justify the abrogation of some rights for the common good.
Speech must similarly be regulated when it threatens public harm. That is why incitement to murder is not protected free speech. But this incitement is exactly why an American preacher wants to come to our country.
Allowing this American pastor into Jamaica, and giving him platforms at schools to spread his lies would threaten the fundamental rights of Jamaican women, children, and LGBT people to life, protection from cruel and inhumane treatment, and a host of other rights. Anderson must not be allowed to soil our nation's shores with his bloody footprints.
Attorney Narda Graham tweeted about the limits to free speech:
Freedom of speech, like all rights, does have limits. E.g., the general limit set by the Constitution is “to the extent that those rights and freedoms do not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others” and except “as may be demonstrably justified in a democratic & free society”.
— Narda Graham (@NardaGraham) January 9, 2018
In the end, if Jamaican officials consider banning Anderson, they will need to determine whether, under Jamaican law, Anderson's message crosses the line from protected speech to incitement to violence.

author: Emma Lewis


text:
Jailed Paraguayan Activists Call Themselves Political Prisoners but the Government Disagrees · Global Voices
Kurtural

Before being imprisoned, Arnaldo Quintana worked the land with his mother and dreamed of being a football player. Foto: Santi Carneri. Used with permission.
There is a place in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital city, where 4,000 men live in a space designed for no more than 1,300. It is a place where damp pavilions hold men accused of assault, robbery, murder and drug trafficking alongside psychiatric patients and drug addicts. It is a place where shortages of food, water and electricity are commonplace. This place is the Tacumbú prison, where the fate of about 80 percent of its inmates is unknown because they have received neither trials nor sentences in Paraguay’s calcified justice system. However, in these walls, there are ten men who have received their sentence — the campesinos of Tacumbú. These men call themselves political prisoners and were condemned to the highest sentences prescribed by Paraguayan law, but the trials and the processes have been irregular and highly questioned.
Aside from their strict sentences, these campesinos (farmers) share many attributes: Their conduct is exemplary, they are widely respected by the rest of the prisoners, they all help teach the poorest prisoners, and they partake in daily tasks such as baking, cooking or carpentry. More importantly, however, they also share a common past: They were smallholder farmers in the rural departments of San Pedro, Canindeyú, and Caaguazú where they organized and led groups to defend land access and work for rural communities in the country with the least equitable distribution of land in the world — Paraguay.
Since the fall of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship in 1989, 115 rural community leaders have been killed in Paraguay and no one has been convicted for the murders. The country reached democracy but the power imbalances remained. The dictatorship years paved the way for today's inequality with policies that benefited the regime's machinery and their allies. As a result, the inequalities between peasants and landowners is abysmal (it is calculated that 2% of the population owns 85% of the land)
One famous example was the massacre of Curuguaty in early 2012, caused by a conflict over land rights in the department of Curuguaty. The case made a lasting impact in the country and even caused the impeachment of president Fernando Lugo. The details of the incident remain difficult to understand and the case drags in Paraguayan courts.
In the end, 11 peasants and 6 policemen were killed and the case became an emblematic example of the ways in which inequalities in land distribution and violence against peasants is spread in the country.
However, something else became evident: Curuguaty had seen a new form of repression coming to the fore. Land rights activists who aren't murdered outright are often silenced by Paraguay’s corrupt justice system. Between 2013 and 2015, 460 people were charged and 273 detained for land rights activism.
These cases are characterized by a disregard for the basic norms of due process such as preserving evidence and providing public defenders for the accused. The trials of the campesinos of Tacumbú were denounced by the European Parliament, the United Nations, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Paraguayan organizations such as the Council of Indigenous Women and Farmers (Conamuri) and the Catholic church.
Néstor Castro was shot in the jaw during the Curuguaty Massacre and condemned to 18 years in jail. His brother was killed during the shooting. Photo by Santi Carneri.
The definition of a political prisoner is nuanced and subject to dispute. According to the Council of Europe, a political prisoner is someone who has been detained for “political motives, [and whose] length of detention or its conditions are clearly out of proportion to the offense the person has been found guilty of or is suspected of…”
According to Amnesty International, prisoners of conscience are those who “without having used violence or promoted its use are jailed … because of their beliefs, their ethnicity, sex, color or language.” In cases where prisoners have committed violent acts, the organization demands fair trials.
In Tacumbú, Arístides Vera teaches Guarani classes. His trial was conducted entirely in Spanish, which is not his native language. Photo by Santi Carneri.
The lawyer and general secretary of the Paraguayan Council on Human Rights (CODEHUPY) Óscar Ayala Amarilla says that the sentence of several of the prisoners depended on the testimony of a single person who had made contradictory statements. “They are condemned on the basis of a single testimony, which is a minimal piece of evidence without other documentation,” he says. “It’s controversial because it doesn’t achieve the standard of evidence necessary to condemn anyone in a normal judicial process.”
In the case of Curuguaty, the prosecution did not demonstrate that the shots that killed police officers were fired by the accused or even that they carried the weapons. In addition, the deaths of the farmers killed during the massacre were never investigated.
Rubén Villalba, condemned to 35 years in jail for the massacre, maintains that there is no proof to convict the campesinos of Tacumbú and criticizes the lack of investigation into the deaths of the farmers. “It was the politics of the oligarchy, the transnational companies. They killed us.”
Some of the other imprisoned campesinos were convicted for the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas in 2006. The case made waves in the country, as Cubas was the daughter of the ex-president Raúl Cubas and the kidnapping was tied to the rebel group known as the Paraguayan People's Army (EPP in Spanish). However, according to those serving time in prison, their judicial process was unfair and very much connected to their political activities.
“I’m a farmer, a worker,” says Rubén Villalba. Before jail, he lived on tierras malhabidas, disputed property that should have been destined for land reform. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison in the Curuguaty case. Photo by Santi Carneri, used with permission.
Óscar Ayala, the human rights lawyer, agrees that the imprisoned farmers cannot be categorized as common prisoners. “We’re talking about people who have played and continue to play a key role related to rural activism and social justice, and this distinguishes them from any other prisoner.”
Margarita Durán Estragó, a historian, researcher and activist, missed only two sessions during the Curuguaty trial and document its flaws in a well-worn notebook. She believes the prosecution planted evidence and hid information to incriminate the farmers. “They accused the civilians and did not investigate the police. They even stopped the autopsies.”
For these prisoners in Tacumbú, the passing days slowly accumulate. They spend their time in the prison hallways, playing soccer and doing chores. As they wait for slow justice, they relive their past with activists and foreign journalists who visit to bear witness to their story.
After ten years behind bars, the six prisoners convicted for kidnapping Cecilia Cubas, published a group autobiography. In it, Aristídes Vera summarized his dream, a dream that sent him to jail just like the other campesinos of Tacumbú. “My origin is farming,” he wrote, “My dream of freedom is that the rural poor could have land, houses, health, education, and access to good roads to get their products to market. Liberty, for me, is that all men and women have the possibility to work and live with dignity. For this, I have fought all my life, and for this, I have been imprisoned. I am a political prisoner.”

author: Kurtural


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Post-Earthquake Tsunami Scare in the Caribbean Region Highlights a Shaky Range of Preparedness · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Screenshot of a graphic from a YouTube video, illustrating the areas affected by the M7.6 earthquake that struck parts of the Caribbean and Central America on January 9, 2018.
“Nature has warned us. We need to take heed,” said Jamaican radio talk show host Cliff Hughes on his morning programme less than twelve hours after a magnitude 7.6 undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras on January 9.
For approximately one hour, authorities issued a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, as well the coasts of Mexico and Central America, but was subsequently lifted.
The magnitude of the quake was stronger than the tremblor that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing around 200,000 people (which actually produced a tsunami).
News alerts went out from various regional entities on social media, but the earthquake hit at shortly before 10:00 p.m. local time, when many had already gone to bed:
According to the Pacific #Tsunami Warning Center, a 3 foot Tsunami is capable along the coasts of #Honduras, #Belize, #CaymanIslands, Southern #Cuba, and #Jamaica. @newnewspage pic.twitter.com/ml3EuJEay7
— Breaking News (@newnewspage) January 10, 2018
A small tsunami was recorded in the Cayman Islands. One Voice of America reporter tweeted continuously on the situation:
Small #tsunami observed at George Town, Cayman Islands. pic.twitter.com/DBoqz2gmPO
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 10, 2018
Kingston, Jamaica's capital city, is situated along the island's southern coastline, between the Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea. Kingston mayor Delroy Williams tweeted diligently:
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is 5 hours ahead of Jamaican Time. Therefore impact is predicted for 11:18pm. Please be pro active in the event predictions are accurate. https://t.co/jUyYkgBIq2
— Delroy Williams (@MayorWilliamsJA) January 10, 2018
Cliff Hughes, noting that Jamaican media houses lack the capacity for a “24/7″ newsroom, highlighted the usefulness of Twitter in this situation:
That quake late last night was an excellent lesson for our first responders. And especially for us in media. We were simply not prepared to quickly alert the country of the danger. We have work to do becuz it's not if but when. Twitter was very useful.
— Cliff Hughes (@cliffnationwide) January 10, 2018
Many Jamaican residents only heard about the earthquake when awoken by anxious messages from overseas:
Woke at 5 a.m to whatsapp message sent at 1:45 a.m our time from UK about the warning. Internet was down when I went to bed. Su
ppose it was real danger, how would I have been warned?
— CWS (@SomertonSteer) January 10, 2018
At least one Jamaican community of Old Harbour Bay does have a pilot tsunami warning in place with some residents evacuating:
Panic Old Habour Bay residents leaving community in droves because of possible Tsunami threat. @JamaicaConstab @odpem @AndrewHolnessJM
— Old Harbour News (@oldharbournews) January 10, 2018
In Puerto Rico, where authorities also briefly issued a tsunami warning, citizens were similarly caught off guard:
Wowowow I just woke up what is this #TsunamiPR THAT I HEAR ????
— BLACK HAIR YOONMIN (@usserles) January 10, 2018
Puerto Rico is still suffering from major infrastructural damage following Hurricane Maria last year, and its tsunami warning system was officially out of action:
AHORA en #PegaosEnLaMañana: Director de la Red Sísmica acepta “está en el piso” sistema de alerta de tsunamis y que arreglarlo puede tardar meses.@radioislatv
— Rafael Lenín López (@LeninPR) January 10, 2018
NOW on #PegaosEnLaMañana: Director of the Seismic Network accepts “out of commission” tsunami warning system and says that fixing it may take months. @Radioislatv
On the Caribbean coast of Belize, anxiety rose as the sea appeared to retreat. The Trinidad and Tobago Weather Centre tweeted:
12:30AM: The Ocean Continues to Recede in San Pedro. Belize as the tsunami threat continues for Belize and Honduras.
Stay away from coastal areas if you reside in Belize or Honduras’ Caribbean coasts!
Video: Breaking News Belize pic.twitter.com/ylI1a8sM5X
— TTWeatherCenter (@TTWeatherCenter) January 10, 2018
More images from San Pedro, Belize as the ocean has receded. Stay away from the coast!
Photos: Breaking News Belize pic.twitter.com/AorHHoQ0wp
— TTWeatherCenter (@TTWeatherCenter) January 10, 2018
One Belizean bravely traversed coastal areas, posting live videos online, noting that police were clearing affected areas.
Ironically, the earthquake took place on Earthquake Awareness Week in Jamaica and other islands. The disaster management agency in the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands tweeted:
Today, the DDME & the TCI Fire Department conducted an Earthquake Simulation Drill for the Government Offices and Private Businesses within the Town Center Mall, Providenciales. Over 70 persons participated using “drop, cover & hold” method followed by the building evacuation. pic.twitter.com/NUBBpZyAQB
— DDME.TCI (@DDMETCI) January 10, 2018
However, there were concerns raised about regional communications protocols when a tsunami warning is issued. In Haiti, at least, a system is in place:
Haitian internet company gives free access to govt. seismic unit. @Petchary https://t.co/4kqdTBCB59
— Jan Voordouw (@JanVoordouw) January 10, 2018
But in Jamaica, government agencies lacked a strong online presence:
It is so pathetic that social media pages of critical govt.agencies like @NWA_JA and @odpem are not updated on a regular basis – there was NO tsunami warnings on ODPEM's [Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management] twitter or website also NO updates nor map on NWA [National Works Agency] webpages/twitter of alternate route for Barbican road works
— denise demercado (@denjamdown) January 10, 2018
Despite the scare, there was still time for the usual Caribbean humour. One Puerto Rican tweeted:
Luego del susto de anoche, amanecí revisando detenidamente mi plan de emergencia familiar en caso de #tsunamiPR. Lo comparto para que se preparen y protejan sus vidas y las de sus seres queridos. pic.twitter.com/NpgPpYx7LY
— José E. Maldonado (@pollomaldonado) January 10, 2018
After the shock of last night, I woke up carefully checking my family emergency plan in case of a #tsunamiPR. I'm sharing it so that you can prepare and protect your own lives as well as those of your loved ones.
Marvia Lawes, a prominent Jamaican religious figure, tried hard to see the funny side but knew the situation was serious:
[…]Tsunami Warning and Jamaica in the same sentence…and it's suddenly not so funny anymore? […] I want to know, now what? How will these alerts be communicated to the citizenry that's not on Social Media, that lock off dem [their] radio at nights or [are] in other ways disconnected from the late-breaking news? Civil Defense Sirens in every town fi [will] wake up people? This is quite sobering I tell you.
As discussions continue in mainstream and social media, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), received suggestions to increase their online and social media presence:
Note to @JAODPEM – Suggesting that once there is a threat of disaster
– send urgent alerts to all media
– post alerts on every possible social media platform
– link @djmillerja @GiovanniRDennis @dennisbroox @AbkaFitzHenley @petchary, @dennisgjones , @marciaforbes and me to help.
— Jean Lowrie-Chin (@JLowrieChin) January 10, 2018
Kingston's Mayor Williams also reflected:
We must learn from this experience and work together on improving our disaster preparedness warning/alert systems. Natural disasters are often times unpredictable so vigilance and a proactive approach is always a merit. #EarthquakeAwareness #DisasterPreparedness
— Delroy Williams (@MayorWilliamsJA) January 10, 2018
In many Caribbean countries with a history of earthquakes, there were indeed lessons to be learned.


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‘We Have Entered the World of Adulthood, so We’ll Do Our Best!’ Japan Marks Coming of Age Day · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Hairstyles of Coming of Age Day. Screencap from Instagram.
Every year, the second Monday in January marks Coming of Age Day (成人の日, seijin no hi) in Japan, when young people in Japan celebrate officially reaching the age of maturity in Japan — 20 years old. There are class reunions, banquets and, often, drunken revelry.
At 20, Japanese people are eligible to vote, to legally consume alcohol, and to drive a car. As an important milestone in one's life, the day is also well documented on social media.
On Monday, January 8, 2018, more than a million people mark their 20th year and their new status as adults. Each municipality across Japan held an official ceremony to mark the day, and newly minted adults attend, usually wearing formal or traditional clothes.
One of the most well-known ceremonies takes place at Kamogawa Seaworld, an aquarium outside of Tokyo. Participants are invited to have their picture taken with Kanjkun, the resident sea lion.
A post shared by ☺ や ま ぐ ち さ な ☺ (@saaaaana.5_19) on
About 1.2 million people will turn in 2018, down from 2.46 million people in 1970. In Tokyo's 23 wards, one in eight new adults in 2018 are not Japanese. According to the Japan Times:
10,959 new non-Japanese adults live in central Tokyo, or 13 percent of the 83,764 new adults living in the city.
In one ward of Tokyo, according to the Japan Times, the number of non-Japanese new adults has tripled over the past five years. This increase in non-Japanese new adults is attributed to student and trainee worker programs that have aggressively recruited younger workers from other parts of Asia.
The tag “Coming of Age” (#成人式) results in thousands of images, such as class reunions and banquets that mark the day.
. 1.7 成人式と同窓会 . . あっという間に20歳㊗ . ほんまに楽しすぎる1日やった?✨✨ . #丸亀#丸亀南#成人式#同窓会 #写真送ってください
A post shared by  koki (@ky02kyupi) on
Coming of Age ceremony and class reunion. In the blink of an eye we're all 20 years old! What a fun day. #send_me_your_photos!
The hashtag furisode (#振り袖), or long-sleeved kimono, is also a good way to explore images of traditional kimono worn especially for Coming of Age Day.
. . 2018/01/03 新成人になりました✨ 大人の仲間入り☺ 頑張ります！ . #平成29年度  #成人式  #熊本 #人吉 #カルチャーパレス  #新成人 #振り袖 #袴 #成人式ヘア #生花 #成人式ネイル  #久しぶり #幼馴染み
A post shared by  なかむら  あすか (@ahinyan) on
We had our Coming of Age ceremony on January 3… we have entered the world of adulthood, so we'll do our best! #2018 #ComingOfAgeDay #Kumamoto
今週末は、成人式ですね♪晴れるといいな~ キモノハーツさんのがコーディネートした振袖を描きました(´∀｀*) 今はこんな振り袖のスタイリングがあるのね✨と毎年楽しみなイラストのお仕事です♪ ちなみに、私は20才の頃は、オーストラリアに居たので浴衣で迎え、日本に帰ってきてから振袖を着ました(´∀｀*) 二十歳おめでとう✨とお祝いの気持ちを込めて、振袖の絵を成人式まで毎日アップしていきます♪ #illustration #illustrator #ilustrasi #drawing#fashionillust  #style #fashionsnap #kimono#japanesekimono #megumimatsuda  #イラスト #イラストレーション #イラストレーター #ファッションイラスト #ファッション #ファッションスナップ #着物コーディネート #振袖ヘア #成人式ヘア  #着物 #和装 #和服 #きもの  #振袖 #きもの番長 #기모노#กิโมโน #иллюстрация #패션일러스트  #成人式
A post shared by  きもの番長 松田恵美 Megumi (@kimonobancho) on
The Coming of Age Ceremony will be this weekend. Hopefully it'll be sunny!
I've illustrated some ideas about how to coordinate (accessories and hairstyles) for women wearing the furisode [long-sleeved kimono] for the first time…  (´∀｀*)
Here are some contemporary styles. It's something I do every year. As a matter of fact, when I turned 20 I was away in Australia, so I wore a yukata (a light cotton summer kimono intended for high summer) instead, and I didn't get a chance to wear a furisode until I returned to Japan. (´∀｀*)
So, congratulations on turning 20! To help celebrate this experience, I'll be uploading illustrations every day [until January 8].
Men also pay attention to what they wear and how they look, especially hairstyles.
僕は成人式は当たり前にヘアメイクしてホストスーツで行きました?笑 今日からお店やってます✨ #成人式#成人式ヘア #ホスト#スーツ#職業イケメン#モデル#AIRGROUP#ミナミ#歌舞伎町#袴
A post shared by  成宮 鳴(なるみやめい) (@narumiyameimei) on
Everybody knows that on Coming of Age Day I'll be getting my hair styled and will be wearing a dark suit for my “host bar” cabaret job, lol.
Coming of Age Day is also known as the day when yancha, or misbehaved boys, finally become men, and can drive around in souped-up cars while wearing gaudy costumes. One new adult, dressed more conservatively in a dark suit, visited his more provocative classmates:
厚木の人間は何も変わらないな?
中学の時のまんまで中々楽しかった?同窓会も途中離脱で式もスーツ参加でごめんなさい??また機会あれば?！ pic.twitter.com/LoasN99Jaw
— えいちゃん (@kanagawa_1000) January 9, 2018
The people of Atsugi [in Kanagawa, to the southwest of Tokyo] never change. It's just like back in junior high school… really fun! Sorry for leaving the class reunion partway through… and for wearing a suit. Until next time! through
Flashy clothes and even flashier cars are a key part of Coming of Age Day for some new adults:
成人式最高だった?
写真とか動画ある人送って頼む??? pic.twitter.com/Rk4WZxWsi6
— 田島 勇輝 (@00529_yuki) January 9, 2018
The Coming of Age ceremony was the best.?
If anyone has any more photos or videos… Send ‘em my way! ???
While in past years rowdiness and public inebriation have dominated news coverage, this year the sudden closure of a kimono rental chain, leaving hundreds of women who had put down deposits for kimonos with nothing to wear for Coming of Age Day, made headlines and went viral in social media.
The situation was a nightmare for the women, who had all likely waited years to get dressed up to mark their coming of age.
As one Twitter user remarked:
2年前の今日〜とか言って私は浮かれてたけど、成人式に着物屋がトンズラして晴れ着が着れない子がたくさんいたんだね。中には預けた着物が返ってこないケースも。楽しみにしてた新成人やその家族が悲しい思いをしてると思うと…。20歳の今日は一度だけだというのにこの会社許せんな。 #はれのひ
— どっともちゃん (@mocomocodot333) January 8, 2018
I was celebrating this day two years ago, but there are a lot of gals who don't have anything to wear because of this fly-by-night outfit. There's even the situation where kimonos being stored at the shop aren't being returned. All those people and their families looking forward to Coming of Age Day must be so sad. There's only one day in your life you turn 20 years old, it's hard to forgive that company.
After the situation came into the spotlight, a kimono shop in a suburb of Tokyo offered to help at least six of the women affected by the closure dress up for their special day.
The other million or so newly minted adults enjoyed the day in a variety of ways that were captured on nightly newscasts:

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
In 2017, Samoa’s Parliament Made Libel a Crime. How Will This Affect Bloggers and Social Media? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Hand showing the international symbol for peace, decorated in the national colors of Samoa. Flickr page of Public Domain Photography (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
In 2013, Samoa withdrew libel from its criminal law as a media reform initiative. But the change didn't last long. At the end of 2017, the parliament of the Polynesian island nation unanimously voted to revive its criminal libel law after Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said it is needed “to fight ghostwriters and troublemakers.”
The Crimes Amendment Bill features a new part (9A), following Section 117, that proscribes “crimes against a person’s reputation.” A person found guilty of violating this law faces a three-month prison term.
Tuilaepa said the criminal libel law has roots in Christian teachings, and is intended to protect ordinary citizens against defamation:
This is a Christian move to protect the victims who are being defamed. This law is designed as a refuge to people whose names and reputations have been ruined.
But Tuilaepa added that the law will be used against anonymous bloggers and Facebook users who spread lies and misinformation.
He cited the blogger Ole Palemia, who has been writing posts accusing politicians of corruption, sexual assault, and abuse of power without providing evidence.
In November 2017, Tuilaepa suggested that someone should hire hackers to track down the person or people behind this anonymous blog.
Mata'afa Keni Lesa, the editor of local news outlet the Samoa Observer, called the new law a “stunt” that will not catch faceless bloggers.
The fact is the government’s recent “Criminal Libel” stunt will not catch these faceless bloggers. You cannot prosecute an unknown person.
The editor warned that the government’s real aim could be the “crippling of the media:”
This is yet another move designed to cripple the legitimate media who exist to be the watchdog and challenge (to) the establishment. Perhaps what Prime Minister Tuilaepa and members of his administration should do is get off Facebook and do some real work.
But Tuilaepa dismissed the charge that he wants to control the media:
There have been writings that accuse me of being a dictator (in relation to the Criminal Libel). But it is not my law. They (writers) are in favor of those doing the damage. What about those who are victims of defamation?
He stressed that journalists have nothing to fear if they write accurate stories:
If your sources give out the facts then there is nothing to worry about. But if it’s a lie, then there will be an issue here. The government’s concern is for people who are affected by the publication of inaccurate information.
Pacific Freedom Forum, a regional media watchdog, expressed concern about the impact of libel in undermining free speech in the country:
Concerns about anonymous bloggers should not override the right of citizens to speak freely, without fear of being jailed.
The group said that ethics complaints against journalists can be addressed by media outlets or the Samoa Media Council instead of filing libel charges.
Misa Victoria Lepou, head of the Media and Communications Department at the National University of Samoa, said the return of the libel law is unfortunate. But she urged that it should also motivate the media to improve the training of its reporters:
The right of an individual to protect his or her good name must be balanced against the public interest in freedom of speech which is also a fundamental right.
There should be newsroom procedures, code of conduct and every other procedure in place…to provide the best defence for professional communicators and protect sources that deserve confidentiality.
Misa wrote in Pacific Journalism Review that as of July 2016, Samoa has 18 media outlets with a total number of 43 reporters.

author: Mong Palatino