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Controversial Jamaican pastor dies in car crash on the way to being charged for ‘cult’ deaths · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Kevin Smith, leader of Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in Jamaica, where two congregants were murdered on October 17. Smith was killed in a car crash on his way to being charged for the deaths. Screenshot taken from the YouTube video ‘A Profile on Alleged Cult Leader Dr. Kevin O. Smith,’ via the RahTid TV channel.
Road fatalities are not uncommon in Jamaica, but the car crash that took place on the morning of October 25 at Linstead Bypass, a busy main road in the parish of St. Catherine, was no ordinary collision. The occupants of the unmarked police car, which was following a police service vehicle with siren blaring, were three police officers and suspect Kevin Smith, leader of a cult-like church in Montego Bay on the island's north coast. Smith was being transferred to the capital, where charges were to be laid against him for an attack on two of his followers, who died after having their throats slashed by other congregants as a “human sacrifice.”
Another suspect, Andre Ruddock, was being transported in the police car in front, which turned back once the smash happened. Ruddock had been charged with one count of murder and one of wounding with intent. Police soon confirmed that Smith was killed in the collision, along with a young police officer who was sitting at the back with him. The two officers in front were critically injured and remain hospitalised. Although there were several eyewitnesses, the exact details of the crash remain unclear.
Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn confirmed that Smith and his co-accused were being transferred to Kingston because they would not have been given a fair trial in Montego Bay.
This was a sensational ending to a lurid, almost incredible saga that had been making headlines for just over a week, with Jamaican social media users on tenterhooks as the story unfolded. The incident that led to the arrests took place on the evening of October 17. Montego Bay police were summoned to a property owned by Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries, after a man and a woman died as a result of a knife attack, but some suspect its genesis was linked to Smith, the self-styled “excellency” of the outfit, referring to the COVID-19 vaccine as “the mark of the beast.”
One Twitter user made a correlation between his followers’ blind obedience and the bigger issue of Jamaicans’ vaccine hesitancy. Smith, an anti-vaxxer, had told congregants that only those of “pure blood”—that is, unvaccinated followers—would be allowed to enter the “ark,” allegedly prompting the murders that followed:
Evil Cult pastor Kevin Smith who does not know “file” different from “FOIL”. Making human sacrifices and look at his lavish lifestyle. Is when Jamaicans became so gullible? To believe this satanic demon but not trained scientists? Then a sp we in JA?? fool fool? Sasscrise! pic.twitter.com/TLmi714JxN
— cmac (@swankycamille) October 18, 2021
The vaccinated congregant who called the police had herself been injured. On arrival, officers were reportedly attacked by a Pathways member, whom they shot dead. They detained 42 others, mostly women—among them a policewoman—for questioning, while the 14 children present have been placed in state care.
The following morning, National Security Minister Horace Chang, who is also the area's parliamentary representative, visited the scene with Police Commissioner Antony Anderson. Other YouTube videos soon began to circulate, including first-hand accounts and revelations by current and past congregation members, who claimed that Smith had summoned as many as 144 congregants that evening, as “a flood was coming.” Attendees had been told to wear white, to leave their cell phones at home wrapped in tin foil, and to prepare to enter the “ark.” Smith had recently appeared in YouTube videos sitting on a throne-like chair behind a large desk, from which he ranted. Three years earlier, he had been escorted through the streets of Montego Bay in a stretch limousine for an “enthronement” ceremony on his birthday.
Another concerning video, which was anonymously leaked to social media, purportedly showed Smith sitting in the police station—barefoot, uncuffed and not behind bars—preaching his religious theories, while laughter was heard in the background. Police have since said they are investigating the video, which raised many questions and concerns, including how easy it appears for predators to profit off of people under the guise of religion:
Video featuring Kevin Smith at police station now subject of a probe https://t.co/0IJadomPFf pic.twitter.com/p4NeDkNvNa
— Loop Jamaica (@LoopJamaica) October 24, 2021
One Twitter user wondered what kind of hold Smith, who owned three homes, had over his congregants, from whom he made many financial demands, including fines for arriving late:
Sometimes we are just not paying attention. Who really is this man His Excellency Bishop Kevin Smith? pic.twitter.com/gKFoQxiqmu
— Carlene Sinclair (@iamcarlenes) October 18, 2021
With typical wicked humour, many comments centred around Smith's acquisition of tremendous wealth, with one netizen imagining him charging an entrance fee to enter hell.
Still, many serious questions remain:
Deceased cult leader Kevin Smith’s family has now hired his attorney to settle his estate.
How many members of his flock has him as beneficiary for life insurance? The woman whose throat was slashed at his behest had attempted to put him on her policy a yr ago.#MobayCult
— Sound Chat Radio (@IrishandChin) October 26, 2021
Valerie Neita Roberston, the attorney representing Smith, told the media that police had not kept her informed of her client's whereabouts, so she had no idea he was being transferred to Kingston. She also said that church members were being ostracised by the wider community, claiming, “This is a threat against churches. It is reminiscent of the ancient days in which the Church was persecuted.”
She continued, “[T]his frenzy which is driving members of the Church to be ostracised and their constitutional rights breached is dangerous not only to them but to all Jamaicans and besmirches the good name of our country, as it has gone viral.” Her comments only heightened Jamaicans’ sense of unreality, with one tweeting:
Jamaica: The Kevin Smith story https://t.co/Ndqt14TyiB
— Carina ✊??? (@_CarinaWh) October 25, 2021
Just like a movie, it appears there may be many twists and turns to come. Questions linger—and rumours circulate—over the actions of the police; what was really happening inside Pathways and other possible cult-like organisations; how did the fatal collision happen, and the pressures that COVID-19 have brought on Jamaican society.
With these events leaving five people dead and several more injured, it is, perhaps, less of a drama and more of a tragedy that has many Jamaicans wondering about the psyche of its people.


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“Hong Kong, add oil” is censored as Pro-Beijingers associate the expression with sedition · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Image from the Stand News. Used with permission.
A common expression, “Hong Kong, Add Oil,” has become a politically sensitive term subject to censorship in Hong Kong.
“Add oil” (加油) is an expression of encouragement and support to a person. It is commonly used in Chinese-speaking regions, particularly at sports games when audiences want to express their support for players. For example, the expression, “Hong Kong, Add Oil” was used by Chinese leaders during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as noted by New York Times reporter, Austin Ramzy on Twitter:
Worth stressing how generic the slogan 香港加油 is. It's basically just “Go Hong Kong!” and has been used by everyone. Here it is attributed to then-CE Donald Tsang during the Beijing Olympics and then vice premier Xi Jinping on an inspection tour ahead of those games https://t.co/O5o9W0wNM4 pic.twitter.com/UjXLlgRoET
— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy) October 24, 2021
However, in a recent Hong Kong court case, the expression was labeled as seditious and banned from appearing in the annual city Marathon on October 24, 2021, simply because it was chanted by protesters during the 2019 anti-China extradition protests.
The Hong Kong Marathon is the largest sporting event in the city. The race which was first launched in 1997 with sponsorship from the Standard Chartered Bank, attracts 74,000 local and international runners annually. It has been praised as a major image promotion activity for the city.
After being canceled for two years due to the pandemic, the race was resumed to help “rebrand” or more officially “relaunch” Hong Kong. As the city is still under semi-lock down thanks to the “zero COVID policy,” only about 18,000 runners — mostly local residents — had registered for the event.
Then the heavy presence of police officers on October 24, the racing day, at the registration spot had attracted the attention of the press. Police officers were checking the runners’ outfits. Some runners were stopped for a body search in the security booth and asked to change their outfits, a few were forced to quit the race as they did not bring extra outfits or they refused to comply with the rules against “political attire.” The Hong Kong-based online news outlet Citizen News interviewed a runner who was stopped by the police officers:
穿着「香港加油」黑色短褲參與半馬二組的王女士，在起跑區的保安檢查中被拒入場，警員解釋指，因她「穿著政治衣服」，要求她更換該條短褲，隨即將她帶離跑手通道。
王女士指日前從新聞中得知，「香港加油」是無問題的，直言感到非常無奈。
「明明睇新聞佢話冇問題，政府真係一時一樣，玩嘢咩？」 pic.twitter.com/Jwmoq0HDej
— 眾新聞 CitizenNews (@hkcnews_com) October 24, 2021
Miss Wong who participated in the second group of  Half Marathon was stopped at the security check point. The police officers said that she was “wearing political outfit”, which refers to her shorts printed with “Hong Kong, add oil”. She was asked to change her shorts and was taken away from the running lane.
Wong said that according to the news, “Hong Kong, add oil” should be OK. She was upset to be stopped like this. “The news said this is OK, the Hong Kong authorities kept changing the line, isn't this a trick?”
The specific printing of “Hong Kong, Add Oil” that Miss Wong wore was created by a Taiwanese production house around mid-June 2019 to express their support for Hongkongers. The two Chinese characters “Hong Kong” can be decoded as “Add oil” if the words are read horizontally, as shown in the tweet below:
#香港加油 pic.twitter.com/UipJ6ElZCi
— W ?? (@www_1841er) October 24, 2021
This is not the first time the expression, “Hong Kong, add oil”, was censored. Last year, the Home Affairs Department banned a district council’s proposal to use “Hong Kong, Add Oil” on festival decoration for the new year. The government authorities claimed that the expression would “stir misunderstanding and affect social harmony.”
Then on October 18, Lingnan University Associate Vice President Lau Chi-pang testified for the prosecutor against an activist and told the district court that expressions including “Hong Kong, add oil” could be seditious depending on the circumstances. The activist, Tam Tak-Chi is facing 14 charges and eight of them are speech-related.
The annual Marathon is clearly a non-political circumstance and the Chair of the organizing committee William Ko told the press that outfits carrying the expression “Hong Kong, add oil” were not problematic. Although Ko did suggest tweaking the expression into “Runners, add oil”, the pro-Beijingers were not happy.
Under pressure, the Marathon host, government-funded Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates, issued a statement on October 19, stressing that “political elements should not be injected into sport” and warned that if they discover illegal behavior or runners who violate the principle, they would invite the police to step in.
A commentary published on October 20 from China state-affiliated Ta Kung Pao explained the rationale of the pro-Beijingers:
如果，18500個參加者中，有5000人在身上展示了黑暴或「港獨」相關的服飾或裝飾，那麼，這就不是一場馬拉松，而是一場政治騷、一場讓西方輿論「執到寶」的政治騷。[…]主事人愈想左右逢源，作亂者愈會膽大包天。歷史已經證明，你模糊，他們就進取；你退讓，他們就踩到你臉上。只有約法三章、先旨聲明，才能阻止一切試探。
If among the 18,500 participants, 5,000 of them wore pro-Hong Kong independence or black riot outfits, this wouldn’t be a Marathon, but a political show, which western media outlets would take it as a treasure […] If the host is trying to please everyone, the trouble makers would cross the line. History has proven, if you are ambivalent, they would take advantage; if you retreat, they would step on your face. Only when rules are written in black and white, attempts would be stopped.
Following the pro-Beijingers’ instruction, the host wrote clearly shared the rules around political attire before the race:
The Standard Chartered HK Marathon tomorrow is shaping up to be a politically sensitive event. pic.twitter.com/UByZFDkkR6
— Ben (@benjaminqiu) October 23, 2021
One Twitter user Meow Star was outraged at the arrangement. The Twitterer posted a local news report about the police action along with a screenshot of China state-run People’s Daily’s propaganda slogan, “Hong Kong, add oil,” against anti-extradition protests in 2019 and slammed the arrangement:
人民日報説甚麽請問❓面盲仆街看不見??這不是香港人的馬拉松‼遮紋身先可跑簡直是對人身的悔辱‼有尊嚴的人‼都唔應該參加‼ pic.twitter.com/dhRLNYhF9E
— Meow Star (@XlnYqVhV8sXTbiK) October 24, 2021
Can’t you read what the People’s Daily had said? This is not a Hongkongers’ Marathon, such an insult to ask a runner to hide his tattoo. Anyone with a sense of self-dignity should not join this.
Others mocked the censorship measures as a political farce, with one user @meemeegu calling the regime paranoia on Twitter:
Fear not, folks, for such a regime. This paranoia says nothing but weakness. Changing shirts and covering up tattoos are easy things to do. Changing hears and minds? Forget about it. #CCP and their cronies already lost this #marathon. 香港加油 https://t.co/gcdoVBFDEI pic.twitter.com/cAGMLO4OV7
— meemee ?❤?? (@meemeegu) October 24, 2021
One citizen @Bernard To posted political cartoonist Baiduicao’s artwork to mock the incident:
This politicalized sport farce has just reminded all of us those gestapos are the one who have final say in #HongKong nowadays.#香港加油#HongKongAddOil pic.twitter.com/u2xbfQj4OS
— Bernard To (@BernardToHK) October 24, 2021
The effort to “relaunch” Hong Kong has now turned into more evidence that the city is no longer free.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
In Georgia, there is still hope for rainbow colors · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

“Rainbow Flag in Castro” by nan Palmero is licensed under CC BY 2.0
This summer, Georgia's capital Tbilisi witnessed its worst homophobic attack to date.
The March of Dignity, scheduled for July 5 as part of Pride week, was canceled amid violent attacks by anti-LGBTQ protestors. At least 50 journalists were battered and a violent mob stormed and ransacked the offices of the march's organizers — Tbilisi Pride and the Shame Movement, two liberal activists groups. In the following days, another mass demonstration outside the parliament building was met with violence by far-right groups.
March organizers described the violence on July 5 as a “war declared against civil society and democratic values and the European course of the country.” The political turmoil in the country since this summer adds weight to the July statement. Global Voices spoke with Giorgi Tabagari, 35, founder of Tbilisi Pride on recent anti-LGBTQ+ developments and the plight of the country's queer community.
Global Voices: Let's start with the most recent police violence that was reported in Tbilisi at the re-opening of a gay bar earlier this month. What happened that night?
Giorgi Tabagari: It is actually an old bar that is located on a queer street in Tbilisi. Because of the pandemic it was closed. Naturally everybody was excited to come to the opening. Especially after this summer, it was important to see people back, having fun. In Georgia, due to pandemic, all public spaces close at 11 pm. So after closing down, just a few minutes later, police showed up, and started asking questions. The next thing I see is a colleague of mine dragged by the police. So when I started asking questions, police took me too. I was locked up in the police car for several hours. I felt so angry about the way police treated us. They treated us as criminals while the real criminals are out on the streets.
Police have made several arrests including Tbilisi Pride cofounder Giorgi Tabagari at the reopening of Success, a gay bar in Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry has not yet commented however the incident took place after 23:00, when venues must close due to COVID-19.
?: @HamidaGiyas pic.twitter.com/sIwQTE4Fyx
— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) October 15, 2021
Tabagari was eventually let go, as were his friends.
All three people who were arrested have been released, according to @TbilisiPride. The group said they were ‘outraged’ by the actions of the police and that the incident was ‘part of a broader process aimed at repressing LGBTQ activists and civil society as a whole.’
— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) October 15, 2021
GV: Going back to the summer protest. Why do you think there was so much violence on the streets of Tbilisi? What has changed?
GT: There are several reasons. The first reason is the current government. The current Prime Minister [Irakli Garibashvili] has the lowest human rights track record. He has been very controversial in his statements and policies. Shortly after the march over the summer, the current PM said that 95 percent of the Georgian population were against the Pride March so the LGBTQ+ community must obey. This is unacceptable for a democratic leader who at the same time strives for the European integration.
The second reason, are the right-wing and anti-liberal forces who have gained popularity and following in recent years. They are organized, well funded, and almost militaristic in their operations. During the protests this summer, they knew all of our locations. I remember changing locations at least seven times in one day and these groups were always at the locations even before the police. We suspect they also have connections to the secret service. They also use social media platforms to mobilize people and spread their message. And finally there is the Georgian Orthodox Church — the ultimate anti-liberal institution.
It is a triangle of cooperation between the church, radical forces, and the government which willingly cooperates with them. This is how they operated. In their rhetoric, Alt-Info people are vocal of their support for Trump, [Matteo] Salvini in Italy, Orban, the Polish government, they are well networked, and like to brag that there is an alternate Europe now, that there is no longer “GayRopa” or Europe that supports human rights and other values. So it has a lot of international dimensions as well.
Tabagari has spent the last three years, working with social media platforms to take down some of the content and pages set up by right-wing groups such as Alt-Info, with partners such as the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. Although the group has succeeded in removing most of the content, it has been hard to keep up.
According to DFR Lab: “In October 2020, Facebook removed around 130 assets linked to Alt-Info, which engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior and used the platform to distribute hyper-partisan and anti-liberal content. In November 2020, Alt-Info created a channel on Telegram, as well as groups in WhatsApp and Viber, and asked its followers to continue watching Alt-Info videos on these platforms. It also created the ‘Alt-Info’ app, which can be used to watch Alt-Info videos and read articles from its website. This move seems to be motivated by the fact that, unlike the mainstream social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter, in particular), encrypted messaging apps have greater challenges when it comes to content moderation policies, and are thus increasingly a safe haven for fringe groups across the political spectrum.”
Groups like Alt-Info not only spread hate but also misinformation. When crowds gathered to mark the death of a journalist, Lekso Lashkarava, who died as a result of a mob attack on July 5, Alt-Info YouTube host Irakli Martinenko claimed Lashkarava was sacrificed by liberals. Other ultra-nationalists have jumped on the bandwagon.
GV: What has been the response from Brussels? Is there room for dialogue?
GT: EU officials have stopped all their official visits. I don't think there is any room for dialogue. After the protests I have no room for hope left in me that this government will change human rights situation to the better. The only way the change can happen is with the government changing, and shifting away from single party rule. Unfortunately the opposition lost the most recent election.
Georgia held a local election on October 2 in what was widely seen as a crucial test for the ruling Georgian Dream party. As 3.5 million eligible voters headed to the polls, the Georgian Dream party secured 47.6 percent of the vote while its rival, the main opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), came second, securing 27.1 percent of the vote.
But it is not all bleak. On July 6, thousands gathered to protest the anti-LGBTQ+ violence and mobs — a sign of social change explains Tabagari. “Three years ago, when I arrived in Tbilisi, things were different. There was so much prejudice against LGBTQ+ rights. This year, we have had celebrities, TV hosts, the entire media spectrum were on our side. We had co-organizers and sponsors — civil society organizations, businesses. Tbilisi Pride is becoming a trendy brand. People like to wear our face masks and we did have a great festival during the Pride week after all.”
“Our main goal is to keep growing our community of supporters, and public support. This gives us a sense that we are on the right track. We have been present in the media and we plan to stay visible. This is the only way. When the government fails to educate the public, it is up to us to educate, and change opinions.”

author: Arzu Geybullayeva


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Pandora Papers revelations across Lusophone countries · Global Voices
Global Voices Lusofonia

Pandora Papers — a screenshot from the ICIJ YouTube channel, October 15, 2021
In early October 2021, a collaborative project by a network of international journalists published the most extensive revelations on international tax evasion to date.
The report, consisting of around 12 million documents, is known as the Pandora Papers and reveals a network of opaque financial dealings by various high-profile figures, including politicians in Lusophone countries such as Mozambique, Angola, Portugal, and Brazil.
The report is the result of a collaborative investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which uncovered that many politicians, religious figures, public figures, and monarchs — including 300 civil servants, 35 heads of state, and 130 billionaires — had created bank accounts in tax haven countries in order to obscure their wealth and financial practices.
These reports include updates on previous investigations, including the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers from 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The first refers to the leak of more than 11 million confidential documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which detailed information about more than 214,000 offshore companies and the names of their shareholders. The second contained more than 13 million documents on the same topic.
Numerous politicians were implicated in Angola, Mozambique, and Portugal. Before that, their names had never been attached to offshore scandals. The report also revealed a shady financial network connecting Portugal and Mozambique:
Nuno Morais Sarmento, vice-presidente de @RuiRioPSD (o homem que vinha dar um banho de ética à política portuguesa), foi apanhado nos Pandora Papers. O ex-ministro da Justiça do PSD usou uma empresa offshore sediada nas Ilhas Virgens Britânicas para fazer negócios em Moçambique.
— Fabian Figueiredo (@ffigueiredo14) October 3, 2021
Nuno Morais Sarmento, vice-president of @RuiRioPSD (the man who came to give an ethics-wash to Portuguese politics), has been caught in the Pandora Papers. The former PSD Justice Minister used an offshore company based in the British Virgin Islands to do business in Mozambique.
According to the documents, Nuno Morais Sarmento reportedly used offshore money to purchase a diving school and a hotel in Mozambique in 2006. Offshore companies made it possible to bypass the restrictions around foreigners owning companies or properties in Mozambique. However, the politician denied any wrongdoings in the case. Besides Nuno Morais, the politicians Vitalino Canas and Manuel Pinho were also implicated.
It should be noted, though, that tax havens and offshore companies are not illegal. In other words, to be considered legal, they must declare their earnings to the country that the company is registered in. From that point, they can engage in international business.
In Mozambique, a local newspaper reported that the former prime minister, Aires Ali, was connected to more than 11 million Pandora Papers files:
Aires Ali denunciado nos #PandoraLeaks: ele tem riqueza oculta registada nas Seychelles https://t.co/X1ZJTw3EVJ
e há uma ligação a #Portugal:
“Em 2013, ele e a sua filha.. autorizaram a empresa a abrir uma conta bancária numa empresa de gestão de património com sede em Lisboa.”
— Michael Hagedorn (@mich_hagedorn) October 4, 2021
Aires Ali implicated in #PandoraLeaks: he has hidden wealth registered in the Seychelles https://t.co/X1ZJTw3EVJ
and there is a link to #Portugal:
“In 2013, he and his daughter… authorized the company to open a bank account at a wealth management company based in Lisbon.”
Aires Ali has had a long career in Mozambican politics. He was prime minister for two years, from 2010–2012, until he was dismissed in a cabinet reshuffle. He served as the country's Education Minister from 2005–2010 and was a provincial governor twice. He also served as ambassador to China from 2016–2017. So far he has not publically reacted to the allegations.
Meanwhile, no specific names have been revealed in Angola yet, but the information available indicates that at least nine Angolan politicians were implicated in the Pandora Papers. It should be noted that the ICIJ's most recent investigation was about corruption originating in Luanda (Angola) in early 2020 and became known as the Luanda Leaks. The Luanda Leaks accuse Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, of embezzling money through various state dealings.
The Brazilian reporters involved in ICIJ's investigation found about 2,000 Brazilians registered in tax havens. In Brazil, having offshore companies is not illegal, as long as they are declared to the federal revenue service and, when their assets exceed 1 million dollars, to the Central Bank.
Among the names are the two most important figures to Brazil's economic policy, Finance Minister Paulo Guedes and Central Bank president Roberto Campos Neto.  Numerous prominent business people who support Bolsonaro's government were also listed, including Luciano Hang and Otávio Fakhoury.
Both Hang and Fakhoury are under investigation by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Supreme Court for financing fake news campaigns. Guedes and Campos Neto were summoned to provide explanations to the Senate's Economic Affairs Commission (CAE). So far, they have denied any illegality.
However, Article 5 of the Code of Conduct for the Senior Federal Administration prohibits high-ranking officials from holding financial interests in Brazil or abroad that could be affected by government policies. Since joining Bolsonaro's government in 2019, Guedes has increased his offshore assets by 14 million Brazillian reals (2.55 million US dollars).
Public reaction to the report has varied by country, largely depending on what information was revealed and how the media covered it. In Mozambique, one internet user observed that the affair went almost unnoticed, an example of how politicians dominate the nation's media:
Portanto, o jornalismo ainda é um instrumento político ao uso dos políticos de quem os mídia “gostam”.
Impressionante como nenhum jornal Moçambicano reportou a questão do Aires Ali aparecer no Pandora Papers. @soicotelevisao @opaisonline @CIPMoz
— Valter Micas (@tumbeleluane) October 4, 2021
So, journalism is still a political tool for use by politicians that the media “like”.
Impressive how no Mozambican newspaper reported the issue of Aires Ali appearing in the Pandora Papers
The same cannot be said for Portugal, where the case was widely discussed.
Pandora Papers ?
Três políticos portugueses apanhados pela super investigação jornalística internacional ??
?? Vitalino Canas (PS)
?? Manuel Pinho (PS)
?? Nuno Morais Sarmento (PSD) pic.twitter.com/p0rrBVMEcz
— Política24 (@Politica24PT) October 4, 2021
Pandora Papers ?
Three Portuguese politicians caught up in the international journalistic super investigation ??
?? Vitalino Canas (PS)
?? Manuel Pinho (PS)
?? Nuno Morais Sarmento (PSD)
João Paulo Batalha, ativista contra fenómenos de corrupção, confessa que já esperava que o nome de Manuel Pinho estivesse envolvido nos Pandora Papers, mas confessa que foi surpreendido pelos nomes de Nuno Morais Sarmento e Vitalino Canas https://t.co/V7jM53bN5n
— TVI (@tvi) October 4, 2021
João Paulo Batalha, an anti-corruption activist, says he expected Manuel Pinho's name to be involved in the Pandora Papers, but admits he was surprised by the names of Nuno Morais Sarmento and Vitalino Canas

author: Global Voices Lusofonia


text:
Paulina Chiziane, Mozambican writer, wins the Camões Award of 2021 · Global Voices
Global Voices Lusofonia

Paulina Chiziane | Photofestival Latinidades 2014 | Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
The most important literary prize in Portuguese-speaking countries will be awarded to Paulina Chiziane, a writer from Mozambique.
The Prémio Camões prize was created in 1988, with the aim of consecrating a Portuguese-speaking author who, through their body of work, has contributed to the enrichment of the literary and cultural heritage of the language that is spoken by approximately 280 million people — making it the fifth most spoken language in the world.
The prize is awarded to authors from the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) by an attribution committee made up of representatives of Portuguese-speaking countries.
This year, the award was given to writer Paulina Chiziane, an icon in Mozambican literature. As a note from the jury committee explains, the decision was unanimous:
O júri decidiu por unanimidade atribuir o Prémio à escritora moçambicana Paulina Chiziane, destacando a sua vasta produção e receção crítica, bem como o reconhecimento académico e institucional da sua obra.
O júri referiu também a importância que dedica nos seus livros aos problemas da mulher moçambicana e africana. O júri sublinhou o seu trabalho recente de aproximação aos jovens, nomeadamente na construção de pontes entre a literatura e outras artes.
Paulina Chiziane está traduzida em muitos países, e é hoje uma das vozes da ficção africana mais conhecidas internacionalmente, tendo já recebido vários prémios e condecorações.
The jury unanimously decided to award the Prize to the Mozambican writer Paulina Chiziane, highlighting her vast production and critical reception, as well as the academic and institutional recognition of her work.
The jury also referred to the importance it dedicates in its books to the problems of Mozambican and African women. The jury highlighted his recent work in bringing young people closer, namely in building bridges between literature and other arts.
Paulina Chiziane is translated in many countries, and is today one of the best known voices of African fiction internationally, having already received several awards and decorations.
In 33 years, this is the third time that the prize has been awarded to a Mozambican author, with José Craveirinha and Mia Couto winning in 1991 and 2013 respectively.
The congratulations came from all over, especially from Mozambican citizens. Even the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, published a note of recognition.
Hoje é dia de festa para a Literatura Moçambicana. A nossa compatriota Paulina Chiziane venceu o prestigiado Prémio Camões 2021. É um merecido reconhecimento à obra desta escritora que com grande mestria tem sabido retratar o país.
Que este prémio atribuído por unanimidade pelo júri nos inspire a todos nós em tudo o que fazemos a dar o nosso melhor, sobretudo as novas gerações de autores.
Parabéns, Paulina Chiziane!
Today is a day of celebration for Mozambican Literature. Our compatriot Paulina Chiziane won the prestigious Camões 2021 Prize.
May this award awarded unanimously by the jury inspire all of us in everything we do to give our best, especially the new generations of authors.
Congratulations, Paulina Chiziane!
Other citizens spread similar congratulations, as is the case with journalist Rafael Machalela:
PAULINA CHIZIANE VENCE PRÉMIO CAMÕES
Muitos parabéns Paulina Chiziane, um reconhecimento mais do que merecido.
Estou feliz e orgulhosos de ti! ✌???
— RAFAEL MACHALELA ?? (@rafaelmachalela) October 21, 2021
PAULINA CHIZIANE WINS THE CAMÕES AWARD
Many congratulations Paulina Chiziane, a recognition more than deserved.
I'm happy and proud of you! ✌?
— RAFAEL MACHALELA (@rafaelmachalela) October 21, 2021
However, it is noteworthy that the writer expressed sadness that her work has historically been more relevant and accepted internationally than in her country of origin, Mozambique:
“A minha tristeza é ser reconhecida fora e no meu país ser desprezada”, afirmou Paulina Chiziane após o anúncio do reconhecimento #Camõeshttps://t.co/LCWcKe6tbw pic.twitter.com/DmOsiBELme
— Verdade Democracia (@DemocraciaMZ) October 21, 2021
“My sadness is to be recognized abroad and to be despised in my country”, said Paulina Chiziane after the #Camões https://t.co/LCWcKe6tbw pic.twitter.com/DmOsiBELme recognition announcement
— Truth Democracy (@DemocraciaMZ) October 21, 2021
On the other hand, she acknowledged that she hardly could have imagined that she would one day be awarded with this prize:
Este prémio #Camões para #PaulinaChiziane “representa uma força de afirmação que eu não sabia que podia acontecer através de mim”, disse a escritora moçambicana pic.twitter.com/g1lZCHcWu1
— VOAPortuguês (@VOAPortugues) October 20, 2021
This #Camões award for #PaulinaChiziane “represents a force of affirmation that I didn't know could happen through me,” said Mozambican writer
— VOAPortuguês (@VOAPortugues) October 20, 2021
Paulina Chiziane, 66, was born in Manjacaze, Mozambique and studied Linguistics in Maputo. A lifetime storyteller, she has published several short stories.
She published her first novel “Balada de Amor ao Vento” after the country gained independence in 1990. It was the first novel published by a Mozambican woman. “Ventos do Apocalypse,” completed in 1991, was released in Maputo in 1995 as the author's edition and was published by Caminho in 1999.
In her books, Chiziane discusses women's experiences, their sufferings, and their ability to overcome difficulties in the face of a society that does little for the emancipation of women. She refuses to be called a novelist, preferring the title “storyteller.”
In her youth, she was active in the Frelimo political party — Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, but she would eventually disassociate herself due to disagreements about the direction of the party and its policies in the post-independence period. After this, she ceased active party organization and began to dedicate herself exclusively to literature.
Having published consistently until a few years ago — she announced her retirement in 2016 — Paulina Chiziane was awarded the degree of Grand Officer of the Order Infante D. Henrique by the Portuguese State in 2014.


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The Uyghur issue, China’s greatest fear, is looming in Afghanistan · Global Voices
Kok Bayraq

The desert outside Kashgar, the largest settlement in Xinjiang near the China-Afghanistan border. Photo by Marc van der Chijs (CC BY-ND 2.0).
As the Taliban removed ethnic Uyghur militants from the border zone between Afghanistan and China, observers said there could be a revived policy coordination between the new leadership in Kabul and the Communist Party in Beijing.
According to a UN report, there are 500 Uyghur militants among the Taliban. If that is true, that means that the Taliban has firsthand information about the Uyghur tragedy.
News reports have unveiled that Uyghurs living in Afghanistan, including soldiers, now fear deportation to China. A New York Times source said that the community of Uyghurs in Afghanistan is “extremely worried and nervous.”
In an interview with VOA, Uyghur activist Abdugheni Sabit said that the Taliban will have to balance its official voice.
If the Taliban speaks up for Uyghur Muslims in China, it might increase its reputation [globally]. But at the same time, the group is wary of losing China's support.
Earlier in September, the Taliban voiced their support for the Uyghur cause, a move that could have strained diplomatic ties between the new rulers of Afghanistan and China, which has strived for years to keep its western Xinjiang region, where most Uyghurs live, under control.
Yet, a few days earlier, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that its government would primarily rely on financing from China. Speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Mujahid said the Taliban government would take part in “the revival of the ancient Silk Road project,” through a partnership with China.
Afghanistan holds “rich copper mines in the country, which, thanks to the Chinese, can be put back into operation and modernized.”
“China is our pass to markets all over the world,” Mujahid concluded.
Days later, in what seemed like a U-turn, Suheyil Shaheed, another spokesperson for the Taliban, told Japanese station TBS TV that his movement stands for justice.
I hope that when we visit China, we will […] talk about the safety and equality of the Uyghurs. The Uyghurs are Chinese citizens, and all citizens should have equal rights, and so should the Uyghurs.
This was the first time that the Taliban had referred to the Uyghur Muslims in public and demonstrated sympathy for their cause.
The Taliban spokesperson appeared to be cautious, however, adding, “We certainly hope to continue our economic cooperation with China, which is certainly good for China as well.”
For China, Xinjiang is a top priority, not only from the perspective of its natural resources, but also in terms of the Communist Party's strategic interests. China will likely tie any of its planned aid and investment to a general acquiescence towards the Uyghur issue.
In fact, during a high-profile meeting between Taliban and Chinese officials in the north-eastern city of Tianjin, China demanded that the Taliban make a clear break from the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist group that aims to create an independent state for the Uyghurs.
China prefers to keep the issue quiet, while at least one million Uyghurs are being held in 380 concentration camps in the Xinjiang region.
Uyghur leader Rabiye Kadeer said the undisclosed causalities of the Uyghur genocide will be exposed in the coming years.
Even if three million people are imprisoned in a five-star hotel, not in a camp or prison, it will lead to illness, and if it lasts for four years, it will lead to death.
China has urged the Taliban to make a clean break with the ETIM and asked the US government to re-insert it in the blacklist of terrorist movements. Realistically, China’s fear regarding Afghanistan does not stem from the ETIM but rather from the Taliban’s stance on the Uyghur case.
In a hostile move towards religion, China has openly called Islam a mental illness.
Being ‘infected’ by religious extremism and violent terrorist ideology but not receiving immediate ‘re-education’ is similar to contracting an illness but not seeking a cure, or becoming a drug addict but refusing treatment.
Yet, Muslim countries that want to maintain a good trade relationship with China have chosen to either minimize the Uyghur issue or to openly follow Beijing's rhetoric.
Thus, the Taliban face a faith test with the Uyghur case: either stay with the oppressed or secure financial support.
Note: for security purposes the author writes under a pseudonym.

author: Kok Bayraq


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Billboard satire blasts Australian government’s tepid climate change stance for Glasgow COP26 · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Coal-o-Phile Dundee. A Screenshot of the Guardian's video October 15, 2021
An Australian comedian and satirist is using giant electronic billboards to raise concerns about his government's plans to tackle the climate crisis. Dan Ilic is bringing the message to the streets before and during the Glasgow COP26 conference, which will run from October  31–November 12, 2021. The conference is the largest annual international gathering on environmental issues.
Dan explained his intention in this video:
The crowd-funded campaign kicked off in New York's Times Square on October 15. Clean energy news and analysis website, Renew Energy, reported:
The Morrison government’s lacklustre climate policies have been advertised to the world, in perhaps the most prominent location in the world, with billboards labelling Scott Morrison “Coal-o-phile Dundee” playing in New York City’s Times Square.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had received months of criticism, both in Australia and abroad, for his failure to produce an ambitious carbon emissions reduction plan. Recently, he had also been reluctant to commit to attending Glasgow. He was conducting negotiations with his junior coalition partner, the Nationals, over a net-zero emissions target for 2050. He has since confirmed his attendance and reached a backroom deal on the target. The plan was announced just a few days before the conference.
The plan relies heavily on new and emerging technologies such as green hydrogen, low-cost solar, energy storage, and industries such as low emissions steel and aluminum. The existing target of 26–28 percent reductions from 2005–2030 has not been increased. However, the government projects reductions should be 30–35 percent. There will also be incentives and offsets to help reach net zero emissions by 2050.
However, the coalition LNP (Liberal National parties) plan may not be that popular at Glasgow or at home:
Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you #ScottyFromMarketing and the LNP response to the greatest threat to the planet of our time. A brochure.
Please be upstanding #auspol pic.twitter.com/mdkuzzOyZf
— Revardin (@revardin) October 26, 2021
Our PM is an absolute con-artist. ?
Australia commits to 2050 net zero emissions plan but with no detail and no modelling https://t.co/8UHdpbMpJl
— Fully-Pfized (@StaceyCeeJay) October 26, 2021
Over 200,000 Australian dollars (150,000 US dollars) has been raised for Dan's #JokeKeeper fund to help sponsor the billboards. The fund is a play on words mocking the Australian government's COVID-19 JobKeeper payments to businesses.
Broadcaster Nick Bryant, a former BBC journalist and now a resident of Australia, tweeted one view from the international media. The comment thread echoes its sentiments:
“Australia will be the rich world’s weakest link at COP26” #COP26 pic.twitter.com/JFjtw6AvK7
— Nick Bryant (@NickBryantNY) October 27, 2021
The Times Square ads were very popular with online audiences:
They are laughing at us in Times Square, as they should be: our response to climate change is the biggest joke on earth. pic.twitter.com/eUs6hopgSz
— Belinda Barnet (@manjusrii) October 15, 2021
Actor Russell Crowe was impressed with by billboards:
They seek him there they seek him here @danilic @ARationalFear strike again !
Times Square NYC
* don’t know the fella in the video but kudos to him for capturing the footage. pic.twitter.com/jeVzLGLeWk
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) October 15, 2021
On top of this endorsement, Crowe contacted Jake Tapper at CNN to help arrange this interview:
Worth watching. @danilic hittin’ ‘em out of the park on CNN. https://t.co/VdhCsh9pPB
— ? Peter FitzSimons? (@Peter_Fitz) October 16, 2021
Dan has been experimenting with possible billboard renditions he will install on the route to and from the Glasgow airport:
Australia Net Zero – image with permission from @DanIlic
Apparently, there has already been some censorship of the billboards:
Uh oh one of our Glasgow Billboards has been banned — this one designed by a major #JokeKeepr donor. pic.twitter.com/MJHCl2yHKF
— Dan Ilic ? (@danilic) October 25, 2021
Dan's flagship podcast is A Rational Fear, where you can follow the billboard project and his continuing coverage of the climate crisis debate down under.

author: Kevin Rennie


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How children became the worst sufferers of COVID-19 induced lockdowns in India · Global Voices
VideoVolunteers

Bijoy Mal, a secondary school student from West Bengal's Nadia district at his house. Image via VideoVolunteers. Used with permission.
This post by Ankush Sharma originally appeared on Video Volunteers, an award-winning international community media organisation based in India. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement.
As soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown on the eve of March 24, 2020, many businesses and sectors (both organised and unorganised) came to a complete standstill. As the lockdown kept getting extended, we saw images of daily wage labourers, who had migrated from their small towns and villages, going back to their homes as they were unable to earn enough to feed themselves, let alone pay rent to upkeep their urban accommodation.
While every sector limped back to normalcy with every new wave of ‘unlock,’ one sector continued to function online: education. And though the lockdown has been challenging for every social class and country, it has had devastating consequences for primary education in rural schools in India. The authorities have tried their best to innovate. Teachers were trained overnight on online presentation platforms and children adapted to the ‘new normal’ of attending classes on the internet. Even exams were conducted virtually. More than 60 percent of the Indian population still lives in villages, and, though a whole lot of Indians are getting on the internet at a rapid pace, there is a long way to go, especially when it comes to online education.
The authorities announced moving classes to the virtual world — but never checked if the infrastructure to access that education is in place. Video Volunteers Community Correspondents (CCs), who come from some of the most underprivileged and marginalized communities in India, report that a large number of households do not have a smartphone to attend the scheduled online classes.
In many households of India's rural population, there is no smartphone or only one smartphone per family, which makes it impossible for children to attend online classes. Image via VideoVolunteers. Used with permission
“I find it difficult to study these days as the schools are closed for more than a year now and I don’t have a smartphone to attend classes,” said Bijoy Mal, one of the secondary school students from West Bengal’s Nadia district that our community correspondent Dibyojyoti Karmakar spoke to. In some of the other cases, one smartphone is present per family, averaging two adults and two or three children. Their classes often clash with each other and they end up being irregular. If the smartphone is carried away to work by the man of the house, no child attends any classes.
In a rather unsettling case reported by CC Kalpana Jawade, Sunil Tungar, a former student from the Kalgaon village of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, is forced to work as a labourer on farms as he is unable to continue his education. The other big dilemma folks of Kalgaon face is whether to use their daily wages to buy food and essentials or use the money to recharge their smartphones and get internet access.
In the experience of the child of one of our CCs, Goretti Kujur from Jharkhand, the teacher is not able to fully communicate with the students due to poor network connectivity. Children, especially young ones, are still adapting to this new form of education and are not able to fully grasp the lectures.
In another case from Puri district in Odisha, our CC Sumitra Barik reports about a bright student who is unable to continue her studies due to lack of resources.
Usha Patel, our CC from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, spoke to the principal of one of the schools in her community to find out their perspective on this new form of online learning. Ram Kumar Mali, the headmaster of primary school at Sarangdih said:
The first layer is obviously of those who have an Android smartphone and can attend live classes on Google Meet. If they aren’t able to attend, we share notes through WhatsApp for them to access later if they weren’t present during the class. If the family doesn’t have a smartphone, we ask them to listen to lectures on regional television channels or the local radio station where the government produces episodes of classes.
However, the reality is there are many families with no radio or television set either, who live in a virtual information blackhole. The Uttar Pradesh government, under the previous regime, did distribute free laptops to students of secondary schools. However, that initiative was limited to urban areas and never reached the interiors of the state.
Pramila Kumari, a student in fifth grade at one of the primary schools in Mahalidih in Jharkhand’s Gola block says she hasn’t gone to school for more than nine months now. What is alarming to note is that several young children across rural India’s towns and districts are unlearning the habit of going to school and attending classes, which will have long term effects on the skills that this generation acquires, which will reflect on the nation’s overall capabilities.
Several bright students like Pramila Kumari haven't gone to school for nine months and are forced to study by themselves. Image via VideoVolunteers. Used with permission
Many students, who were sent to school by their parents because they would get free meals, are now receiving dry rations (subsidised food). But the quantities are meagre compared to the average diet of a school going child. “We receive one kg of wheat and one kg of rice, but that isn’t enough. Earlier, my child used to go to school and eat his lunch there,” said Asha ben from Surat, Gujarat while speaking to our CC Mumtaz Pathan.
In such a bleak scenario, social activists and those who work for the community have taken it upon themselves to continue the education of rural children. CC Chetan Salve from Nandurbar, Maharashtra, along with the Narmada Bachao Andolan, created Nirman Shala, a community-run initiative where adults who have passed secondary school or are graduates teach more than 300 students from the local villages. At 7:30 am the school starts, with regular classes including period bells and break times.
The Nirman Shala team from Maharashtra ensured that classes resume with their usual schedule while maintaining physical distancing at all times. Image via VideoVolunteers. Used with permission
In another case of continuing education, while maintaining physical distancing, the gram panchayat of Madhota in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district has invested money in installing loudspeakers and amplifiers in at least 12 mohallas (wards) of the village so that children can continue their education. At present, this initiative is limited to children between the first and fifth grades.
More such community-led initiatives are the need of the hour so that young children do not forget the values imparted to them through education and continue their journey towards being independent and resourceful citizens of the country.

author: VideoVolunteers


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Publishing house removes section on transgender individuals from Russian translation of teen health book · Global Voices
RuNet Echo

The blank censored pages of the “Welcome to your period!” book. Photo by Andrey Konyaev on Twitter.
Russian publishing house Belaya Vorona has removed the contents of two pages devoted to transgender people from the Russian-language edition of a popular health guide aimed at teenage girls.
“Welcome to your period!” is a book written by Australian journalist Yumi Stynes and practicing medical doctor Melissa Kang that aims to provide inclusive, body-positive information about menstruation and periods for 10-14 year old girls.
The censorship of the Russian edition was first reported by the independent news website Podyom. The publishing house's co-founder Tatiana Kormer told Podyom that the decision to pull the two pages was made after the publisher received legal counsel warning they could potentially face legal problems.
Знаете, как юристы всегда говорят? Существует правоприменительная практика, существует закон…  А потом нам радостно сказали: если вы опубликуете в таком виде, то мы бесплатно будем осуществлять вашу защиту. Мы подумали и решили, что очень тронуты такой заботой, но мы предпочитаем перестраховаться.
You know what lawyers always say? There is enforcing the law in practice, and then there is the law… And then they told us cheerfully: if you do publish it as is, we'll provide you with legal defense pro bono. So we gave it some thought and decided that while we appreciate the gesture, we'd rather be on the safe side.
As a result of the censorship decision, the book was published with two blank pages in place of the section on transgender people. The top of one page now reads:
Издательство вынуждено отказаться от публикации текста, размещенного на стр. 106-107 оригинала, чтобы избежать обвинений в нарушении российского законодательства.
The publishing house has had to forego publishing the text located on pp. 106-107 of the original so as to avoid accusations of violating Russian legislation.
According to a photo-post by Podyom reporters on Twitter, in the Ukrainian-language edition of “Welcome to your period!” the pages in questions have been preserved in their original form.
Из книги для подростков «Привет, месячные» вырезали две страницы. В них рассказывалось о трансгендерных людях https://t.co/bzaFk3UlHP pic.twitter.com/ET9l1K0uJZ
— Подъём (@pdmnewsru) October 24, 2021
[translated tweet]: Two pages have been deleted from the teen book “Welcome to your period”. The pages discussed transgender people
Another way to avoid blank pages would have been to mark the book as “16+” (i.e., suitable for readers over 16 years old), but Kormer posited that imparting this information to children over 16 was “too late.” According to Kormer, making the book available to teenagers was more important that “preserving the deleted information”.
It's not clear what specific legislative acts Kormer and her lawyers referred to when justifying the censorship decision. Transgender individuals have long faced discrimination in Russia, including by being classified as mentally ill and banned from driving. In 2020, Russian lawmakers drafted a bill banning transgender people from legally changing their gender, but pulled it after widespread pushback from activists and human rights organisations. The bill was co-authored by Senator Yelena Mizulina, who also spearheaded Russia's notorious 2013 law banning “propaganda of homosexuality”.
The latest act of censorship is part of an ongoing history of repressions against LGBT communities in Russia, such as the case of Yulia Tsvetkova, a feminist LGBT activist facing criminal prosecution for posting body-positive artwork on her social media pages.
Human rights activists have accused the authorities of further marginalizing Russia’s LGBT community with laws aiming to enshrine a traditional understanding of family and framing LGBT diversity as a threat to minors. Such appeals to conservative values likely aim to strengthen support for President Vladimir Putin after two decades in power.
Putin himself railed against “monstrous” Western liberal values in a recent speech at the Valdai Club, juxtaposing them with Russia's “reasonable conservatism” and calling out acceptance of transgender individuals specifically:
People who dare to say that men and women still exist as a biological fact are almost ostracized… Not to mention the simply monstrous fact that children today are taught from a young age that a boy can easily become a girl and vice versa.
An October 2021 report by the Council of Europe found that Russia has ignored recommendations by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and decisions by the European Court of Human Rights with regard to abolishing the legal ban on the provision of information about homosexuality to minors. According to CoE, the Russian authorities indicated that the Russian Constitution provides for the “support, strengthening and protection of the family, [and] preservation of traditional family values” as one of the tasks of the government, but that such “traditional family values” do not include “promotion of homosexuality among minors”.

author: RuNet Echo


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The Pandora Papers unveil offshore companies linked to the family of Turkmenistan’s President · Global Voices
Paolo Sorbello

A ship moored to the loading terminal of the urea plant in Garabogaz, Balkan Province, Turkmenistan. Photo credit: Allan Mustard licensed under (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Pandora Papers leak, showcased this month at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and several other partner outlets, further exposed the practice of using companies registered in Europe and the US as offshore fronts for politically-exposed persons (PEPs). Out of several news articles published using the trove of data leaked to investigative journalists, one focused on the nephews of Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, secretly tied to foreign-registered companies, profiting from the export of petrochemicals and fertilizers.
Turkmenistan is home to Central Asia's most secluded authoritarian government. Berdymukhamedov has ruled virtually unopposed since the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the country's first iron-fist leader, who ruled from 1991 to 2006.
The OCCRP report highlights how documents retrieved in the Pandora Papers leak tie sales of mineral fertilizers to Berdymukhamedov's nephews, Hajymurat and Shamyrat Rejepov, a scheme that could have earned them dozens of millions of dollars in government contracts.
In September 2018, Turkmenistan unveiled a new, export-oriented US$ 1.5 billion chemical factory specialized in the production of urea, a mineral fertilizer. The plant uses natural gas, of which Turkmenistan has rich deposits, to produce 2,000 tons of ammonia a day, which is then refined into urea.
International companies, such as Turkey's Gap Isaat and Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation, were involved in the construction, funded by a loan from Japanese Bank for International Cooperation.
The construction of the factory also had an effect on the landscape of the town of Garabogaz, on the Caspian Sea coast, where the port was rebuilt to host facilities to export the fertilizers.
Surprisingly, the principal destination country for the factory's exports was Scotland. More precisely, an obscure Scottish Limited Partnerships (SLP) became the largest traders of Turkmenistan's urea.
The ultimate beneficiary of this company was Hajymyrat Rejepov, OCCRP found. Before this was exposed through leaked documents, Caran Holdings was headed in open registries by “nominees,” or intermediary officers whose role is to mask any link with PEPs. Caran Holdings is registered in an office space in Edinburgh, just steps away from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The secretive characteristics of SLPs have raised concerns in Scotland, where transparency advocates have voiced their suspicion that these types of companies might shield opaque dealings.
Another revelation from the Pandora Papers showed that Hajymyrat's brother Shamyrat was granted power of attorney in 2020 at Delanore Group, a petroleum and chemical products trader based in Turkey and tied to construction projects in Turkmenistan since the early 2000s.
While the extent of the wealth that the Rejepov brothers could have accumulated through their behind-the-scenes involvement with these companies, leaked real estate ownership in Dubai shows that they own 16 apartments in some of the city's most expensive high rises, an estimated collective worth of US$5.5 million, according to OCCRP.
Turkmenistan remains a secretive country, where information is carefully filtered. Besides Turkmen.news and Gundogar.org, which partnered with OCCRP, only Turkmenistan Chronicles, another opposition-in-exile news outlet, reported on the investigation.
Earlier in May, OCCRP and its partners unveiled in another report that Hajymyrat Rejepov benefited from a food import scheme, a subsidized contract between foreign suppliers and state agencies. Greatcom Trade, Rejepov's company, registered in Britain, was owned by two offshore companies he controlled. In 2016, the government awarded Greatcom a US$ 25.7 million contract. “It likely wasn’t a one-time deal,” the report argued.
In 2006, anticorruption watchdog Global Witness published a report on Niyazov's handling of the country's gas wealth. It unveiled links with Germany's Deutsche Bank, which allegedly held around US$ 2 billion of Turkmenistan's proceeds from the sale of natural gas. However, the report argued that “it seems that no money from the sale of Turkmen gas even makes it into the national budget,” and was instead managed personally by Niyazov.
In Kazakhstan, Hola News, a popular news site, was blocked for 10 days after it published an article highlighting an OCCRP report based on the Pandora Papers. The article alleged the potential exposure of the country's former president in an offshore scheme. After taking down the article from the website, Hola News's founders and editor resigned in protest, citing their unwillingness to work under pressure from the authorities.
Together with previous leaks, the Pandora Papers have allowed the public to have a peek into the global financial schemes that have channeled capital out of the reach of governments and into the pockets of PEPs.

author: Paolo Sorbello


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Turkish President declares 10 diplomats persona non grata · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

A screenshot from video by Medyascope, March 10, 2020.
Turkey saw another weekend rocked with crisis after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said he has taken steps to expel 10 diplomats — including seven of Turkey's NATO allies and major trading partners. The decision follows a statement issued on October 18, 2021, by the embassies of 10 countries on the ongoing detention of philanthropist Osman Kavala. Kavala was arrested in 2017 on questionable charges and has remained behind bars. He has yet to receive a fair trial or a guilty court ruling.
The ambassadors’ statement read:
Today marks four years since the ongoing detention of Osman Kavala began. The continuing delays in his trial, including by merging different cases and creating new ones after a previous acquittal, cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary system.
Together, the embassies of Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States of America believe a just and speedy resolution to his case must be in line with Turkey’s international obligations and domestic laws. Noting the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on the matter, we call for Turkey to secure his urgent release.
On Monday, October 25, the crisis was averted. All ten signatories said they maintained compliance with article 41 of the Vienna Convention. Tweeting from their official account, the US Embassy said, “In response to questions regarding the Statement of October 18, the United States notes that it maintains compliance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
The statement was welcomed by President Erdoğan.
“These people will recognize, understand and know Turkey. The day they don't know or understand Turkey, they will leave,” President Erdoğan said at a rally on October 23 in a Turkish province of Eskişehir. The President described the statement as “impudence” declaring the diplomats “persona non grata.”
“I gave the instruction to our foreign minister and said ‘You will immediately handle the persona non grata declaration of these 10 ambassadors,'” explained President Erdoğan. A day after the statement was issued, the ten ambassadors were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accused of “politicizing the Kavala case,” according to DW.
In response to Erdoğan's decision to expel the diplomats, the President of the European Parliament, Davis Sassoli tweeted:
The expulsion of ten ambassadors is a sign of the authoritarian drift of the Turkish government. We will not be intimidated.
Freedom for Osman Kavala.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) October 23, 2021
“We will continue to call on Turkey to comply with democratic standards and the rule of law to which the country committed itself under the European Human Rights Convention,” the Norwegian foreign ministry's head of communications, Trude Maaseide, said in a statement.
On Monday, October 25, the crisis ended with all ten signatories who had signed the October 18 statement reiterating their commitment to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Screen shot, Vienna Convention.
Kavala, a successful Turkish businessman who has supported numerous civil society initiatives in Turkey over the years, including the Open Society Foundation Turkey branch, was taken into custody on October 18, 2017. Two weeks later he was arrested on charges of “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order” and “attempting to overthrow the government” over his alleged financing of Gezi Protests in 2013. He has been in a maximum-security prison since November 2017.
In February 2020, Kavala was acquitted however, hours later, he was accused of involvement in the 2016 coup attempt. Although he was cleared one month after this accusation, Kavala was kept in remand detention on the charge of “political or military espionage.” Then in January 2021, his acquittal in the Gezi Park trial was reversed and during the trial held in February 2021, the court ruled to combine charges leveled against Kavala in the Gezi Park trial with the 2016 coup, ruling to continue his detention. Kavala's lawyers have said, the indictment is a presumptive fiction lacking any evidence. International human rights organizations and civil society groups in Turkey have said the arrest of Kavala is politically motivated.
.@RTErdogan’s move to push 10 Ambassadors out is just making the world know more about the injustice faced by Osman Kavala & others in arbitrary detention in #Turkey
So meet Osman, read why he should be released & join the calls to #FreeOsmanKavala ??https://t.co/LsY4sQBbLW pic.twitter.com/IRLxZMmfYA
— Philippe Dam (@philippe_dam) October 25, 2021
The embassies’ statement was issued on the four-year anniversary of Kavala's arrest, calling on the authorities to release Kavala in line with a December 2019 European Court of Human Rights ruling, which favored Kavala and called on Turkey to release him. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe said on September 17, 2021, it will start infringement proceedings against Turkey at the end of November if Kavala is not released.
Kavala's next hearing is scheduled to take place on November 26 but the businessman said he won't take part in the upcoming hearing. On October 22, Kavala said, “because a just trial is not possible, I believe that from now on my attendance in hearings and my making a defense would be meaningless.”
In an interview with the AFP on the eve of his four-year imprisonment anniversary, Kavala said he is not expecting a release any time soon.
I think the real reason behind my continued detention is that it addresses the need of the government to keep alive the fiction that the Gezi Protests were the result of a foreign conspiracy. Since I am accused of being a part of this conspiracy allegedly organized by foreign powers, my release would weaken the fiction in question and this is not something that the government would like.
President Erdoğan asserts that the Gezi Protests were meant to topple him and his ruling government. Hence, calls for Kavala's release are perceived as a direct attack against him wrote journalist with BBC Turkish, Ece Göksedef.
Turkey's relations with the West — particularly the US — soured in recent years especially as the country moved closer to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Local experts argued that the current diplomatic rift may further alienate Turkey, a NATO member, from its Western allies. Should the expulsions take place, it would open the deepest rift with the West in Erdoğan's 19 years in power.
Turkish Erdogan’s decision to expel 10 ambassadors would also mean alienating:
• 10 OECD members
• 7 NATO allies
• 6 EU counterparts
• 5 key trading partners
• 4 G-7 powers
• 2 UNSC veto-power states
• 1 paramount defense ally ??
— Soner Cagaptay (@SonerCagaptay) October 23, 2021
Some experts believed the decision to expel diplomats declaring them persona non grata was an attempt to distract from domestic politics. Marred by a financial crisis, Turkey is going through its worst economic decline in years. The depreciation of the Turkish lira against foreign currencies and the country being greylisted by the financial arm of G7 last week has placed the ruling Justice and Development Party under the spotlight.
In an interview with The New York Times, Soner Cağaptay, director of the Turkish research program at the Washington Institute said, “[Erdoğan] is realizing he won’t be able to turn the economy around so he will blame the West. It is a recognition that the economy is beyond repair.”


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Brandy Rodriguez, ‘fearless’ advocate for Trinidad and Tobago’s LGBTQ+ community, dies · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Screenshot of Trinbagonian LGBTQ+ activist Brandy Rodriguez taken from a YouTube video profile of her for International Women's Day, via Soyini Nneka's channel.
Brandy Rodriguez, one of Trinidad and Tobago's most outspoken transgender and LGBTQ+ activists, has died. Friends described her passing on the morning of October 28 as “sudden,” prompting a flood of condolences on social media channels.
Many remembered Rodriguez as a staunch human rights defender and trans rights advocate, with the Trinidad and Tobago Transgender Coalition (of which she was president) posting photos of its “fearless leader” being presented with the 180th Commonwealth Points of Light Certificate. The award recognised her service to vulnerable local trans and LGBTQ+ communities, who are often marginalised and find themselves trying to survive on the fringes of society. It was an honour that many felt was “incredible and well-deserved,” as it celebrates inspirational acts of volunteerism across the Commonwealth, with regard to pressing social challenges.
Harriet Cross, the British High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, who presented Rodriguez with the award, was saddened to learn of her passing:
I am incredibly sad to hear from @trinijayjay that Brandy Rodriguez has died. HM The Queen recognised Brandy’s exceptional service supporting the trans community and LGBT+ rights, with a Commonwealth Points of Light award. Brandy was ?? royalty and I’m proud to have known her. pic.twitter.com/ylMFUnOjFC
— Harriet Cross (@harryvx) October 28, 2021
Rodriguez’ death is a huge loss for the local LGBTQ+ community, in part because of the large grassroots reach of her work. For more than 20 years, she helped create safe spaces and economic opportunties for trans women, many of whom may have turned to prostitution because of a lack of alternatives. She also did a lot of work with people who were HIV-positive, leading an initiative to ensure that they could get any medication they needed, as well as advocating for an end to stigmatisation of the disease.
When she received the Points of Light award earlier this year, Rodriguez told the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday that it only gave her more of an impetus to continue her work:
This award […] will allow me to continue shedding light on the importance of including all people, particularly the transgender community. I will also use it to shine a spotlight on the importance of sexual and reproductive health rights. I know that, together, we will all be able to create a [Trinidad and Tobago] where everyone is comfortable and free to be themselves.
Trinidad and Tobago marked its 2020 International Women's Day celebrations by highlighting Rodriguez’ consultancy work for the Trinidad and Tobago Sex Workers Coalition, as well as her tireless leadership of the Trinidad and Tobago Transgender Coalition, which she headed from 2017 until her death:
She has led efforts for intervention with NGOs, Governments, and key populations through community empowerment, and has been an instrumental agent in the advancement of Trans rights in Trinidad and Tobago. Her work has assisted with the reduction of exclusion, discrimination, and violence of marginalized groups – especially Trans-Women.
Brandy is phenomenal because of her bravery, her humility, her selflessness, and the fact that she is committed to empowering lives of those whose voices go unheard.
Rodriguez’ life was dedicated to ending discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and ensuring that its members had equal and proper access to health services and economic opportunities. In the words of Jason Jones, who successfully dismantled long outdated laws against homosexuality in Trinidad and Tobago in a 2018 court victory that declared those laws unconstitutional:
Brandy has been a pillar of our community for decades & made huge strides in the fight for equality and freedom for LGBTQ+ citizens. Her fight for Trans rights and her indomitable spirit will never be forgotten nor replaced. She truly was one of a kind. Rest in peace Brandy. ???⚧???✊?????

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Chaotic attempt to remove Trinidad & Tobago’s president demonstrates how ‘the country was the real loser’ · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

The screenshot of the Extraordinary Sitting of Trinidad and Tobago's House of Representatives on October 21, 2021, is taken from a YouTube video posted on the ParlView channel.
The polarised political tenor of Trinidad and Tobago has been playing out in various ways over the past few months, culminating in a parliamentary session on October 21, in which opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar brought a motion to remove the country’s sitting president, Paula-Mae Weekes, from office.
Political allegiances in the country have long been largely based on race, with the opposition United National Congress attracting a primarily Indo-Trinbagonian voter base, and the People's National Movement, currently in government, appealing to Afro-Trinbagonian balloters, each respectively comprising the nation's two largest ethnic groups.
The lead-up to the motion to remove the president from office, however, can be traced back to August, when allegations of corruption in the police service, specifically with regard to the process of issuing firearms users’ licenses, hit the press. Like some sort of parallel pandemic, the virus soon spread, infecting the manner in which the appointment of the country’s police commissioner was being handled, with the body count increasing at every turn—from incumbent commissioner Gary Griffith insisting his suspension from the post was illegal and taking to social media at every opportunity to express his displeasure, to acting commissioner Mc Donald Jacob suggesting that the parameters within which he was expected to operate gave him no substantial authority.
Bliss Seepersad, chair of the Police Service Commission (PSC), the autonomous body charged with—among other things—appointing, appraising and disciplining commissioners, appeared to be bungling her job, initially submitting to the country’s president, as is required, a list of candidates for the position of police commissioner, then withdrawing it. Even as President Weekes expressed bewilderment, members of the PSC began to resign, one by one, until there was no commission to speak of and the chair herself stepped down amid rumours that a high-level official had “interfered” in the process. This, according to one senior counsel, signalled possible constitutional breaches and the potential implication of the president.
It soon came to light that the official under the microscope was Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who addressed the issue in an October 16 press conference, during which he categorically denied the alleged interference, and harshly criticised Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s intention to pursue the motion to have the president removed from office, in a dressing down that included inflammatory, gender-focused language.
While the motion was ultimately unsuccessful, many social media users, as well as journalists in attendance, expressed the view that it was not the only thing that failed. On one public thread, Facebook user Razia Ali said:
I think the country was the real loser. The ranks of the non-aligned would have increased today by those looking for the kind of leadership that can heal this broken country and bring everyone together. Not a good showing by any of the principals!!!!
Throughout the parliamentary session, Speaker of the House Bridgid Annisette-George found herself faced with a barrage of interruptions from the opposition bench, despite the clear constitutional parameters governing the motion.
At odds with Section 36 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Constitution, which entails four procedural steps regarding removal from office—proposal of the motion, adoption of the motion, investigation by a tribunal, and finally, consideration of the tribunal’s report by members of both houses of parliament—the opposition wanted a debate. During the Speaker’s announcements portion of the agenda, there were several interruptions, as well as opposition members speaking out of turn, banging on tables, complaining of microphones being shut off, and accusing her of “attempts to silence the free flow of information.”
The Speaker suspended the session, but when it resumed 15 minutes later, there was more of the same. “Surely, the honourable leader of the opposition is not suggesting that the speaker of the house insert words into the constitution that are not there,” Annisette-George said, adding:
I cannot and will not assume upon myself the power to construe the words of the constitution in a way which is inconsistent with its clear intention simply to appease the competing interests of those involved and I so rule.
Nevertheless, the session dragged on for more than two hours, during which the concerning degree of the country’s political tribalism became clear to many social media users:
The Opposition couldn’t effectively debate the National Budget and abstained from voting but are stridently vocal, disrespectful of the Speaker and avidly voted on a Motion that was bound to fail. Party interest supersedes National interest. We need a working Opposition.
— Maria Rivas-McMillan (@Panyol) October 21, 2021
Fellow Twitter user @MauriceVET concurred:
“The PM did…but the OL did this…”
“The OL did…but the PM did this…”
And so it goes as we play musical chairs…..with the accountability and standards dropping further.
— Boo Radley Disorder (@MauriceVET) October 22, 2021
Netizens addressed the comportment of parliamentarians, as in this tweet from journalist Asha Javeed:
At minimum, there should never be shouting in Parliament. By anyone.
— Asha Javeed (@AJaveed) October 21, 2021
There was also concern about parliamentarians’ apparent ignorance of the country's Constitution:
Sigh. I find it unsettling that “leaders” don't understand the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and hold a Senior Counsel.
— Boo Radley Disorder (@MauriceVET) October 21, 2021
The issue of gender also came into play. As Persad-Bissessar accused Prime Minister Rowley of using women like the Speaker of the House “as shields to protect his government,” Twitter user Samantha Maria commented:
Actually hunny you are the last woman should be talking about woman. YOU had a woman come to parliament with a photograph on bristol board indicating the current PM is a product of rape. Please just shut up and plan your retirement. https://t.co/jUCCngNxdI
— Samantha Maria ? (@MissSamShine17) October 21, 2021
In the lead-up to Trinidad and Tobago's 2015 general elections, Rowley, who was then in opposition, was called a “product of rape” in parliament by his political foes. At the time, the statement was considered a new low for political mudslinging.
Another Twitter user observed:
Damn. Something kinda wild about watching the first woman Prime Minister try to take down the first woman President.
— Moderately Influential Warlord (@ChuntelDali) October 21, 2021
Since October 21, however, the leader of the opposition, who is also a senior counsel, has doubled down, promising to bring legal action against Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George over the “illegal guidelines” she adhered to in parliament, as well as to file a motion of no confidence against the prime minister himself. She has also accused independent senators, who are appointed by the president, of “singing for their suppers.”

author: Flora Thomas


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Deaths of three Kenyan athletes puts focus on mental health and gender-based violence · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

The late 25-year-old Agnes Jebet Tirop, a 10K world-record holder who died from suspected homicide. This image by marcoverch is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Content notice: This article contains mention of suicide and domestic violence, which might be disturbing to some readers.
In October 2021, Kenya lost three of its top track athletes to suicide and homicide. This tragedy exposed the dark underbelly of the sport in a country where the plight of athletes grappling with mental health, gender-based violence, and economic disempowerment are adding to already growing violence rates.
On Saturday, October 9, triple cross-country winner Hosea Macharinyang, 35, was found dead in his home in West Pokot, Kenya, in a case of suspected suicide. Macharinyang hailed from the Rift Valley region of Kenya, famous for producing most of Kenya's top athletes. Four days later, on October 1, 25-year-old Agnes Tirop, a 10-kilometer world record holder from the same area, was found dead in her house in a suspected homicide. Less than two days later, another female athlete Edith Muthoni was killed in a case of domestic violence in Embu, Central Kenya.
The late Agnes Tirop had recently broken the world record for the women's only 10km race. She started out as a cross-country runner and became the second-youngest winner (after South Africa's Zola Budd) of the World Athletes Cross-Country championships in 2015 and 2016. She represented Kenya in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games, barely missing out on the medal bracket after finishing fourth in the 5,000m women's race.
On Twitter, tributes for Agnes Tirop poured in as many expressed shock and sadness at her sudden demise, using the hashtag #RIPAgnesTirop.
The World Athletics body shared a message of condolences with family and friends on its Twitter page:
World Athletics is deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely death of Kenya’s Agnes Tirop at the age of 25.
The 2015 world cross-country champion and two-time world medallist had broken the women-only world record for 10km last month ?
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) October 13, 2021
Athletics Kenya (AK), the national federation for athletics in Kenya, expressed condolences through its Twitter account on October 13:
We are this afternoon distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Jebet Tirop. pic.twitter.com/eJ02x4YRR2
— Athletics Kenya (@athletics_kenya) October 13, 2021
In the wake of Agnes Tirop and Edith Muthoni's deaths, many emphasized the need to address gender-based violence, which has increased sharply since last year. Citizens have been using the hashtags #FeministConversationsKe and #StopGBVKenya to raise awareness and express outrage about gender-based violence in the nation.
Her name is….Edith Muthoni. 27. A marathoner. Shot in the head by boyfriend. Id her death only her family's business? No. we are not safe!! #FeministConversationsKe #StopGBVKenya https://t.co/JchVXnLVNM
— Akoth Ruzuna (@Azuh_Ruzuh) October 25, 2021
Human Rights Watch released a report on gender-based violence in September 2021, showing a staggering 301 percent increase in reported violence against women and girls in Kenya in just the first two weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown between March and April 2020.
According to the report, many of the abuses happened “in the home,” and those involved were usually “close family members including husbands, but other abuses happened in the communities perpetuated by neighbours.”
In the report, the HRW accused the Kenyan government of negligence as their policies were “inadequate to respond effectively to violence against women and girls.” They also noted the link between health emergencies and increased violence, saying the government should have “expected and planned for a similar uptick during the COVID-19 health emergency.” They called on the government to “prevent, tackle, and redress” violence against women and girls, including during times of crisis, as has been the case with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kenyan Long Distance Runners during the 2016 July Gold Coast Marathon by Angel Lite Photography is licensed under CC PDM 1.0
In addition to GBV, mental health and depression were brought back to the fore in the Kenyan sports scene last week. Mental health is often sidelined in sports as athletes are expected to excel despite injury or personal situations — and often face extreme pressure if they don't.
The careers and subsequent deaths of these three young athletes are believed to have been exacerbated by the reeling effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sports have been halted in Kenya for over one year, leaving athletes who wholly rely on running in a very precarious position both financially and mentally.
Addressing Kenyan media in April this year, Athletics Kenya Executive member Barnabas Korir revealed that Kenya had lost close to 5 billion Kenyan shillings (nearly 45 million US dollars) in revenue since March 2020 due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19.
Athletes and sports personalities have openly struggled as they face stalling careers plus typical socio-economic issues like marital woes, parenting challenges, and bereavement.
Barnabas Korir, a former athlete and Athletics Kenya official from Nairobi, indicated that athletes can't perform well when they are not in the right state of mind. Some athletes eventually sink into depression and even turn to alcohol and illegal drug use after retirement due to idleness after many years characterized by busy schedules and demands, he continued.
October 10 was World Mental Health Day. This year's theme was “Mental Health in an Unequal World,” focusing on the widening health, economic, and social inequalities in the world.
Mental health has become a grave concern in Kenya. The World Health Organization notes the country has the fourth-highest number of depressed people in Africa, with at least 1.9 million people struggling with some form of depression. Just between March and June 2021, Kenya has reported 411 suicide, compared to 196 cases in 2019.
In light of these deaths, Athletics Kenya postponed its activities scheduled for October 16 and 23 in honor of the departed athletes. In a press statement, the athletics body said:
We cannot hide our heads in the sand anymore; these unfortunate incidents are products of mental anguish afflicting various sports persons. A number of athletes are suffering immensely in their personal spaces but have chosen not to seek help for fear of stigma by society
The national athletics body called for more attention to the sports industry to reach out and help sportspersons. Athletics Kenya is planning a workshop in December to identify causes of mental health and create a multi-pronged approach to solutions with the Sports Ministry Taskforce on Mental Health.
In light of the demise of the three athletes, Kenya's sports governing body Athletics Kenya this week announced plans for a workshop in early December to identify the causes of mental health issues among athletes and how to resolve them. Jack Tuwei, AK president, said:
Athletes will be invited for candid sessions to identify these issues affecting them with a view to formulating solutions to the same. Considering that these challenges are unique to female and male athletes, there will be separate sessions for the two genders.

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Facebook’s ‘Dangerous Individuals and Organizations’ list concerns Oromo users in Ethiopia · Global Voices
Robera Hamda

“Facebook” by stockcatalog is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Facebook's secret blacklist of Dangerous Individuals and Organizations (DIO) was leaked on October 12, 2021. Among the list of 4,000 banned entities which includes hate groups, criminals, and terrorist organizations, is the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) which Facebook categorized as a “violent Non-state actor.”
Many Oromo Facebook users claim that Facebook is also censoring and silencing Oromo activists who are not members of the OLA. Some say that they cannot even mention the group's name on the platform. Facebook's categorization of the OLA as a dangerous group has made many Ethiopian Oromo Facebook users feel marginalized.
Ethiopia is composed of several ethnolinguistic communities and the Oromo are the largest. According to research, the Oromos have long considered themselves a marginalized group, sidelined from politics and the economy despite their numerical majority.
The OLA is a militant splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighting the Ethiopian government. The group has been accused of human rights violations and massacres targeting Amhara in Oromia. The group denied the accusations and welcomed an independent investigation into the atrocities they were blamed for.
Facebook is the world's biggest social network platform, with roughly 2.89 billion monthly active users as of 2021. There were 7.4 million Facebook users in Ethiopia in September 2021, which is around 6.3 percent of its entire population.
The DIO policy is a recent addition to Facebook's Community Standards which officially outlines the types of posts allowed and not allowed on Facebook. The DIO policy prohibits praising, supporting, or representing individuals and organizations that Facebook considers dangerous. In its explanation about the DIO, Facebook said the policy is “an effort to prevent and disrupt real-world harm” and stated that it will not “allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on Facebook.”
Facebook also indicates that the entities will be assessed based on their online and offline behavior, including their ties to violence. According to the policy, the organization classification will be divided into three tiers. Facebook stated that Tier 1 will have the most extensive enforcement since Facebook believes the entities have the most direct ties to offline harm.
There is a common undertaking among civic organizations to moderate and monitor harmful Facebook activity. One example is the Oversight Board, a quasi-judicial body that oversees Facebook's content moderation, and calls for just and transparent moderation policies from Facebook.
Critics suggest that Facebook's policy is overly broad and opaque and, due to a lack of accountability and clear guidelines, discriminates against marginalized groups.
According to experts, with the advent of traditional media and then social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, there is a worldwide correlation between violent and hateful content online and offline violence.
A short glimpse of the publicly available reports by social networking platforms could give us a global overview of this phenomenon, and show that it is becoming increasingly common. Hence, social networking platforms are devising policies and developing tools to reduce hateful and violent content from their platform.
One of the recent developments in this regard is Facebook's Dangerous Individuals and Organizations (DIO) policy. One of the most famous applications of this policy was on former US President, Donald Trump, in January 2021 after he was accused of inciting violence. The controversial choice to ban the former president has been the subject of much discussion among interested parties.
In August 2021, the media was flooded with news that social media giant Facebook was removing accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban. It will also prohibit praise, support, or representation of the Taliban. The policy has been criticized for being opaque, overbroad, and targeting political speech by Muslim users. The oversight board also expressed concerns about the clarity of policy.
Regarding Facebook's decision to designate the OLA as a dangerous organization, OLA International Spokesperson, on August 23, 2021, Odaa Tarbii, tweeted the following in the Afaan Oromo (Oromo language) with a caption that can be translated into English as:
A lot of people asked me why OLA does not have a proper Facebook page. The reason is that Facebook has designated OLA as dangerous individuals and organizations’.
In the same tweet, he states that Facebook will prohibit praise, support, and representation of the OLA.
“Maaliif WBOn fuula Feesbuikii sirnaawaa hin qabu?” jedhanii namoonni gaafatan danuudha. Sababaan isaa Feesbuukiin WBO toora “Namootaa fi Jaarmayoota bala’amoo,” jedhuutti sirnaan farrajee waan jiruufi.
Issa armaan gadii dubbisaa. pic.twitter.com/RVBe6v5Mjo
— Odaa Tarbii (@OdaaTarbiiWBO) August 23, 2021
Though there have been no independent investigations undertaken regarding the violent incidents that the OLA has been blamed for, Facebook believes the OLA poses a more threat to real-world harm than any other armed political actors in Ethiopia.
Many Oromo citizens objected to the censorship of Oromo Facebook users. An example of such complaints is a Facebook post by Henok G.Gabisa, an Oromo activist with over 203,000 followers on Facebook, in which he expressed his concern about the knowledge and cultural gap between the Oromo users and Facebook.
An Oromo advocacy group, the Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association, recently claimed that Oromo activists are being targeted for making comments against Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Prime Minister. The group also claims that Facebook is silencing Oromo activists while allowing government-sponsored misinformation to spread.
As the critics say, the DIO policy brings more questions than answers and has led to uneven application of the policies against various ethnicities. Critics call for increased explanation and transparency about the application of the policy. This includes explaining how the targeted group poses a greater threat than other armed political actors in the country.
As an illustration, the allegation and evidence of atrocities against the warring parties in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict are more serious and substantiated than allegations and evidence against OLA. The Tigray conflict has been declared a situation that “threatens the peace, security, and stability of Ethiopia and the greater Horn of Africa” by the United States, Facebook's official home state. The parties to the conflict have been also accused of widespread violence, atrocities, and of using rape as a weapon of war, and other serious human rights violations by international organizations and the media.
The question as to why Facebook chose to apply its DIO policy solely to the OLA and not other armed political actors in Ethiopia remains unanswered. Many Ethiopians online are now questioning whether the policy is really aimed at preventing real-world harm. Also, does the OLA pose more threat for real-world harm in Ethiopia than entities who are already involved in the disastrous Tigray conflict?

author: Robera Hamda