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Tunisia: Reports About a Court to Decide on “Interim” President's Title Refuted

Afef Abrougui — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:26:43 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

In a statement published on its Facebook page, the office of the presidency denied that President Moncef Marzouki, filed a lawsuit against state owned media for referring to him as ”Interim President”.

The statement came in reaction to an article published by Al-Sabah newspaper, claiming that on February 13, a court in Tunisia will issue a verdict about the use of the term “interim” by the state media when referring to the current President Moncef Marzouki and his government.
According to the same source, a lawyer lodged a complaint to the court of first instance of Tunisia, claiming that the use of such a term does not have “a legal basis”.

This is not the first time that the use of term “interim” sparks a debate in Tunisia. Back in January, the Minister of Provisional Justice, and spokesperson of the government, criticized Tunisian media for the use of the word “interim”, claiming that it does not adapt to the current situation”.

In reaction to the complaint a photo with the term "interim" in different languages was created. Image posted to Facebook.

Here are some reactions from the Tunisian Twittersphere, when the news (which then turned out to be rumors) about the President's lawsuit first emerged.

@Tanbirat: Au fait monsieur @Moncef_Marzouki je voulais juste vous dire que vous êtes notre président PROVISOIRE de la république !

@Tanbirat: In fact, Mr. @Moncef_Marzouki I just want te tell you, that you are our interim President!

@Emnabenjemaa: #Dilou ministre provisoire dans un gouvernement provisoire avec #Marzouki président provisoire

@Emnabenjemaa: #Dilou is an interim minister, in an interim government, with Marzouki an interim President

@ahmedchaabane: عجبا في حكومة مؤقتة تقلقها كلمة “مؤقت” أكثر مما يقلقها المليون بطال… #tunisie #tngov #marzouki

@ahmedchaabane: How strange, an interim government, more bothered by the term “interim” than one million unemployed people

@funnypurp: @Moncef_Marzouki et moi je vais porter plainte pour publicité mensongère après avoir voté CPR…

@funnypurp: @Moncef_Marzouki and I will lodge a complaint over false advertisement after voting for the CPR (CPR or Congress for the Republic, is the party that Moncef Marzouki used to preside before becoming a President

Indeed, those who do not feel at ease with the term “interim”, believe that this government is not interim because it was formed following free and fair elections. On the other hand, the opposition in Tunisia has fears that the current government might stay in power too long - although Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has recently declared that Tunisia will hold parliamentary and presidential elections within 18 months.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Morocco: Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:23:23 +0000

On February 7, 2012, Walid Bahomane appeared before a court in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 18-year-old is accused of “defaming Morocco's sacred values” by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking king Mohammed VI of Morocco.

This isn't the first time a Moroccan Internet user has faced such charges. In 2008, Fouad Mourtada, a young engineer, was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating the king’s brother on Facebook. An international outcry and a campaign of support forced the authorities to release Mr Mourtada a month after his arrest.

Walid Bahomane's arrest is the first since a constitutional reform last summer (theoretically) revoked the “sacred” character of the monarch. The king is still, however, the focus of a great deal of devotion in the country.

A copy of the police report filed against Mr Bahomane emerged on the Internet, revealing a first: according to the document, items seized by the police are “two Facebook pages (sic) containing phrases and images insulting the sacred values, and an IBM computer.”

Copy of the police report filed against Mr. Walid Bahomane as posted on Facebook.

Despite calls for his release the judge decided to send Walid to a juvenile detention facility near the capital pending his trial. A group of netizens have reacted to the arrest of Mr Bahomane by creating a support group on Facebook called “Mohammed VI, my freedom is more sacred than you!”, where members are invited to publish and share cartoons of the king.

Cartoon representing King Mohammed VI posted on Facebook

The group's preamble reads [ar]:

هذه مجموعة تضامنية مع الشاب وليد بحمان، 18 سنة، معتقل بسجن الأحداث بسلا بتهمة إهانة قداسة محمد السادس على الفيسبوك. فلنثبت لمحمد السادس أن حريتنا أقدس منه

This is a solidarity group with the young Walid Bahoman, aged 18, detained in the juvenile detention facility of Salé for insulting His Majesty Mohammed VI on Facebook. Let us prove to Mohammed VI that our freedom is more sacred than him.

Zineb El Ghazoui, a co-creator of the group, writes on her blog [fr]:

[cette arrestation bat] en brèche la propagande de l'Etat marocain autour du changement et des prétendues avancées démocratiques.

This arrest flies in the face of the propaganda put out by the Moroccan state around the idea of change and the alleged democratic advances.

On Twitter, some are timidly following suit. Musique Arabe tweets [fr]:

@MusiqueArabe Opération soutien à Walid Bahomane - publions tous sur nos profils la caricature de notre choix.

@MusiqueArabe Operation support Walid Bahomane - publish a (king's) cartoon of you choice on your profile.

Despite the recent constitutional reforms in Morocco the regime does not seem prepared to tolerate any violation of its red lines. In July 2011, a few days after the adoption of the new constitution, a French newspaper, Le Courrier International, was censored [fr] in Morocco because it contained an irreverent caricature of the king.

The independent press has often suffered the wrath of the regime when it dared tackle the sensitive subject of the monarchy. So much so that the Internet seems today the last frontier where most Moroccans can still exercise their right to free expression.

Something Moroccan netizens seem to be fully aware of, inspired by the Arab spring, they seem determined to close ranks and show solidarity with Mr Bahomane.

As a result, exercising censorship will be even more difficult for the regime.

Tunisia: Decision to Expel Syrian Ambassador Sparks Heated Debate

Afef Abrougui — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:53:16 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

On February 1, 2012, Tunisia, the birthplace of the so-called Arab Spring, has started procedures to expel the Syrian Ambassador in Tunis, and to withdraw recognition of the Syrian regime. That move followed the deadly assault launched on the city of Homs on Friday night, and which resulted in hundreds of deaths according to the Syrian National Council.

The Presidency of the Republic of Tunisia, said in an official statement published on its Facebook page [ar]:

تونس التي تدين إدانة مطلقة كل الجرائم التي يرتكبها النظام السوري في حق الشعب السوري الشقيق منذ أزيد من تسعة أشهر،.. معتقدة أن هذه المأساة لن تعرف طريقها إلى الحل إلا بتنحي نظام بشار الأسد عن الحكم في دمشق وفسح المجال لانتقال ديمقراطي للسلطة يحقق للشعب السوري الشقيق … كما تعلن تونس عن الشروع في الإجراءات العملية والترتيبية لطرد السفير السوري من تونس وسحب أي اعتراف بالنظام الحاكم في دمشق.

Tunisia, which has been condemning the the crimes committed by the Syrian regime in the right of the brotherly people of Syria for over nine months…believes that this tragedy will not end unless Bashar Al Assad's regime gives up power to pave the way for a democratic transition that ensures security for the brotherly Syrian people…Besides, Tunisia announces the launch of procedures for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador in Tunisia and the withdrawal of all recognition of the regime in power in Damascus

Thank you Tunisia

"Hafedh (father of Bashar Al Assad): May your soul be cursed", written on the door of the Syrian embassy in Tunis. Photograph shared by Facebook page "Union Des Admins Des Pages Tunisiennes"

Netizens from the Arab world, welcomed the step taken by Tunisia, and considered the move as “revolutionary.” Here are some reactions of Arab netizens on the micro blogging website Twitter.

From Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Ahlam Safi writes [ar]:

@iAhlamSafi: ولتونس علينا حقا.. أرض السابقين الأولين في الثورة.. أول دولة تسقط شرعية بشار وترفض الاعتراف بنظامه #ArabSpring #Tunisia #Syria #pray4syria

@iAhlamSafi: Tunisia has a right over us..the land of pioneers in the revolution..first state that drops the legitimacy of Bashar, and refuses to recognize his regime #ArabSpring #Tunisia #Syria #pray4syria

Algerian Melissa Rahmouni adds [fr]:

@MelissaRahmouni: Je suis heureuse du soutien de la #Tunisie au combat des syriens pour la #liberté. #syrie

@MelissaRahmouni: So glad about Tunisia's support to the battle of Syrians for freedom

From Kuwait, writer Saadiah Mufarreh tweets [ar]:

@saadiahmufarreh: للمرة الألف نرددها وراء محمود درويش خلال عام كامل: كيف نشفى من حب تونس؟.. أنا شخصيا لا أريد أن أشفى

@saadiahmufarreh: For a thousand times in one year, we say what (the poet) Mahmoud Darwish said before: “How can we be cured from Tunisia's love?”..Personally I do not want to get any cure

And Syrian citizen Geo thanks Tunisia on behalf of the Syrian people:

@CitizenGeo: From #Syria to #Tunisia Thanks for your humanity

Decision divides netizens

Back in Tunisia, the President's decision to break all ties with the Syrian regime, has divided netizens. Those who did not welcome the decision are worried about the safety of Tunisian expatriates in Syria.

@ElyssaDidon tweets [fr]:

@ElyssaDidon: La #tunisie aurait du rapatrier ses siens avant d'expulser l'ambassadeur syrien! #Syrie

@ElyssaDidon: Tunisia should have repatriated its expats before expelling the Syrian ambassador

She adds, in another tweet, defending her opinion:

@ElyssaDidon: J'appuie la decision d'expulser l'ambsdr 2 la #Syrie en #Tunisie msj'aurais préféré la prse 2mesures pr prtger les tunisiens sur plce d'abrd

@ElyssaDidon: I support the decision to expel the ambassador of Syria, but I would have preferred to see measures taken to protect Tunisians there, first.

Blogger and journalist Haythem El Mekki described the decision as “very brave, and very risky”. On his blog, he writes [ar]:

بشار الأسد (و ماهر خوه خاصة) سفاح دموي و يجب خلعه، لا شك في ذلك. حزب البعث نظام وحشي ظالم و يجب اسقاطه، هذا أكيد. الثورة السورية بدأها الشعب السوري الطامح إلى الحرية و القضاء على الإستبداد، و يجب مساندته في مطالبه، هذا واجب.

لكن في المقابل، يبدو جليا لكل مراقب يقظ أن ما يحصل الآن في سوريا من نزاعات مسلحة و التغطية الإعلامية الحافلة بالتهويل و الفبركة لقناتي الجزيرة و العربية (يعني قطر و السعودية) مع إحتضان تركيا و قطر (حلفاء أمريكا الإستراتيجيين في المنطقة، حاضنو قواعدها العسكرية) للمعارضة السورية، كل هذا يبرز أن سيناريو ليبيا بصدد التكرار، و أن الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية تواصل تشكيل خارطة الشرق الأوسط الجديد… يأتي قرار الحكومة التونسية المؤقتة بطرد السفير السوري في تونس و سحب الإعتراف بنظام بشار الأسد. قرار في غاية الجرأة و الخطورة، و يعكس موقفا شديد الوضوح في التموقع الجلي إلى جوار أحد أطراف الصراع ضد الطرف الآخر بصفة جذرية و نهائية، خاصة و أننا نكون بهذا أول بلاد في العالم تقوم بذلك.

Bashar Al Assad (and especially his brother Maher), is a bloody butcher and he should be ousted. There is no doubt about it. Al-Baath party, is a monstrous, and unjust system that should be taken down. This is certain. The Syrian revolution was launched by the Syrian people looking forward to freedom and an end to oppression. It is a duty to support Syrians in their demands.

But, on the other hand, it is obvious to every watchful observer that what is happening now in Syria from armed conflicts, and the over exaggerated, and fabricated media coverage of Al Jazeera, and Al Arabiya channels (in other words Qatar and Saudi Arabia), with Turkey and Qatar (two strategic allies for the US which has military bases in these two countries), embracing the Syrian opposition, proves that the Libyan scenario is about to be repeated, and that the US continues forming the map of the new Middle East…The decision of the interim Tunisian government to expel the Syrian ambassador, and to withdraw recognition of Bashar Al Assad's regime, is a very brave and very risky decision, which reflects a very clear position in standing by the side of one part of the conflict, against the other part, in an extreme, and ultimate way, especially that we are the first country in the world to take such a step.

Linda Ben Osman believes that not only the Syrian ambassador, but all ambassadors whose countries committed massacres, and human rights violations need to be expelled. She says [fr]:

Si l'on vire l'ambassadeur syrien pour massacres commis par son pays, il me semble logique que l'on en vire d'autres, à commencer par ceux de tous les pays arabes, et plus spécialement le Qatar et l'Arabie Saoudite, non seulement pour abus commis par leurs pays à l'encontre de leurs peuples et des chiites plus spécifiquement, mais aussi à l'encontre des Bahreïnis aujourd'hui colonisés.

Que l'on vire, l'ambassadeur chinois, pour massacre des tibétains et l'ambassadeur américain, pour massacre des palestiniens, irakiens et afghans pour ne citer qu'eux, et pour torture et abus de pouvoir, et pour maltraitance et violences policières envers les manifestant d'Occupy, pour Guantanamo, et, et, et…

Virons l'ambassadeur français, pays dont le Ministre de l'Intérieur considère que toutes le civilisations ne se valent pas, et qui traite les immigrés illégaux comme des moins que rien.

Virons aussi l'ambassadeur russe pour massacre des tchétchènes…

If we expel the Syrian ambassador, because his country committed massacres, I think it is logical to expel others, starting from ambassadors of all the Arab countries, and more specifically Qatar, and Saudi Arabia,for committing abuses not only in their own countries, and against their own people, (more specifically) , Shiites, but also for abuses committed against Bahrainis, who are now colonized.

Let's expel the Chinese ambassador for massacring Tibetans, and the American ambassador for massacring Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghanis, for torture, abuse of power, and for mistreating Occupy protesters, and for Guantanamo…

Let's also fire the Russian ambassador for massacring Chechnyans…

She adds:

nous, tunisiens révolutionnaires, voulons soutenir tous les peuples lésés par leurs gouverneurs, et si virer les ambassadeurs est la solution adéquate pour montrer notre solidarité , alors soit, virons-les tous!

We, revolutionary Tunisians, would like to support people abandoned by their governors, and if firing ambassadors is an adequate solution to show our support, so let's fire them all

On Twitter, @tounsiahourra strongly supports the President's decision. She tweets [ar]:

@tounsiahourra: شكرا للمرزوقي ,,أقول لك شكرا كما تعودت أن أنتقدك ,صدقا موقفك مشرف لنا كتونسيين ; شكرا لانك لم تتنكر لنضالك في حقوق الانسان #SYRIA #MM

@tounsiahourra: Thank you Marzouki! I'm thanking you just as I used to criticize you, truly, your position is honorable for us as Tunisians, thank you because you did not forget about your struggle for human rights

She adds in another tweet [ar]:

@tounsiahourra: أن أنقد الاسلاميين المرزوقي والتحالفات التي لا نعرف إلى أين تصب هذا أمر ,وأن نقول كلمة حق في قرار شجاع ينتظره اخوتنا في سوريا هذا أمر آخر.

@tounsiahourra: Criticising the Islamists, Marzouki and the government coalitions that we do not know where it is going is one issue, and speaking a word of truth about a brave decision anticipated by our brothers in Syria is something else.

And @The_Fan concludes [fr]:

@The_Fan: Je ne comprends pas l'attaque sur la decision diplomatique de la #tunisie, on est quand meme avec la revolution syrienne #syrie non ?

@The_Fan: I don't understand the attacks on the diplomatic decision of Tunisia. We do support the Syrian revolution, don't we?

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syria: “Revolution + Blood - Oil = Veto”

Amira Al Hussaini — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:43:17 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Netizens are still enraged over Saturday's double veto by Beijing and Moscow of the United Nations Security Council draft resolution on ending 11 months of violence in Syria.

Iyad El Baghdadi tweets that this inaction by the UN completely erodes the organisation's legitimacy among Arabs:

@iyad_elbaghdadi: The veto also completely demolishes in the Arab mind the idea that the UNSC has any legitimacy or indeed is of any use. #Syria

Syrian Alexander Page notes:

@AlexanderPageSY: #China's Veto at UNSC means that thousands more of #Syria's innocent civilians will die #BoycottChina4Syria #BoycottChina

And Palestinian Dima Khatib compares the reaction to the massacres in Syria today to that in the Gaddafi-era Libya:

@Dima_Khatib: Libya + Revolution + Blood + Oil = NATO bombs. Syria + Revolution + Blood - Oil = Veto

Foreign Policy Editor Blake Hounshell comments:

@blakehounshell: In a way, the Russo-Chinese veto absolves the West of responsibility for #Syria. Little will to intervene.

Syrian Revolution notes:

@RevolutionSyria: The veto is just allowing Syria to kill more people

Syrian children condemn the veto. Photograph from Facebook group Syrian Days of Rage

And Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi concludes:

@RedRazan: Veto or not, Assad will be toppled by the great people of #Syria.

Meanwhile, online activists have started a campaign to boycott Chinese products in retaliation against the Chinese veto. On Twitter, the campaign is run under the hash tag #BoycottChina4Syria.

Lina Tibi writes [ar]:

من أجل سوريا وشعبها واطفالها الذين يقتلون قاطعوا حق الفيتو الذي اعلنته الصين.. قاطعوا المنتجات الصينية

@LinaTibi: For the sake of Syria and its people and children, who are being killed, please boycott China's veto…Boycott Chinese products.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Palestine: A Blogging Initiative for Jerusalem, the Praying City

Mohamed ElGohary — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:10:30 +0000

Palestinian bloggers joined hands to blog for their country, in a blogging initiative led by several Gaza bloggers under the theme: “For you, oh praying city, we blog.” In the following post, Abir Kopty, one of the prominent Palestinian bloggers, writes in Arabic about social media utilization in the Palestinian cause, and coordinating it with offline events on the ground.

She gives an introduction first:

انطلقت قبل أيام حملة “لأجلك يا مدينة الصلاة.. ندون” وهي حملة التدوين لأجل القدس التي بادرت إليها مدونات من غزة وانضم لها مدونون ومدونات فلسطينيون وعرب من جميع أنحاء العالم، سيقومون بالتدوين والتغريد على التويتر عن القدس حتى 31 كانون الثاني. هي ليست الحملة الأولى من نوعها التي يبادر لها فلسطينيون\ات في العالم الافتراضي. منذ اندلاع الثورات العربية وكثرة الحديث عن أهمية ودور الإعلام الاجتماعي، تشهد الساحة الفلسطينية تصاعدا كبيراً في استعمال الأدوات التي تتيحها وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي لإيصال رسالة الشعب الفلسطيني إلى العالم. مع العلم، أن في غزة بشكل خاص، كان استعمال هذه الأدوات قائماً وقوياً نظراً لحصار غزة والذي يحتم على الشباب إيجاد وسائل للتواصل مع العالم الخارجي من سجنهم.لقد شكلت وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي أداة هامة للتواصل بين الفلسطينيين في الوطن والمخيمات والشتات، رغم الحدود والحواجز والحصار. وأصبح التواصل بينهم شبه يومي، إذ يتحدث اللاجئ مع ابنة رام الله، والفلسطينية في الداخل مع ابن غزة، والمقدسية مع الفلسطيني الأمريكي.

A few days ago a blogging initiative started under the theme:”For you, oh praying city, we blog.” It is a blogging campaign for Jerusalem, started by bloggers from Gaza. Others followed from Palestine and Arabs from all over the world. The campaign goal was blogging and tweeting about Jerusalem till the 31st of January. This is not the first online campaign of its kind initiated by Palestinians. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring there were a lot of discussions about the important role of social media. The Palestinian arena is witnessing a strong tendency to use social media tools to deliver the Palestinian people's message to the world. Keep in mind that in Gaza specifically, using these tools was crucial in the fight against the Gaza siege that forced youth to utilize everything available to communicate with the rest of the world.

Social media tools are a very important media between Palestinians at home, in the refugee camps as well as in Palestinians in diaspora against all the boundaries, barriers and sieges. Communication has become nearly daily. A camp resident can communicate with someone in Ramallah, with a Gazan, and even between someone from Jerusalem and a American Palestinian.

Then she describes the utilization of social media among Palestinians:

مثلاً، أصدر المدونون الفلسطينيون في الفترة الأخيرة عدة بيانات مشتركة، قام بنشرها كل مدون فلسطيني يوافق عليها على مدونته الخاصة، منها البيان الرافض لإعلان الإخوان المسلمين في مصر تنظيم جمعة “إنقاذ الأقصى” في أحد أيام الجمعة ملتفين على إعلانها من قبل ثوار التحرير جمعة لإسقاط حكم العسكر، وذلك في ظل القمع الوحشي الذي تعرضوا له من قبل الجيش. كتب المدونون في بيانهم “نحن، مجموعة من الشباب الفلسطيني، نرفض أن يتم الزج بالأقصى وبفلسطين لضرب الثورة المصرية العظيمة”، وختموا بيانهم ب “فلسطين أقوى بمصر حرة وكريمة”. وقد لاقى هذا البيان رواجا كبيرا وتناقلته العديد من وسائل الإعلام المصرية. كما وأصدر المدونون بياناً متضامناً مع المدونة السورية المعروفة رزان الغزاوي والتي تشهد لها مواقفها في التضامن مع فلسطين وقضيتها العادلة. وقد طالب البيان بإطلاق سراح الغزاوي وكافة معتقلي الثورة السورية.وفي الذكرى الرابعة والعشرين للانتفاضة الأولى أطلق المدونون الفلسطينيون دعوة عبر مدوناتهم لكافة المدونين الفلسطينيين بتخصيص مدوناتهم يوم التاسع من كانون الأول لنشر قصص أو مقابلات مع شخصيات عايشت الانتفاضة الأولى أو نشر مقالات أو صور وأشرطة ذات صلة. وأكد المدونون والمدونات في بيانهم بأن هذه الذكرى تشكل مناسبة لتأكيد “إيماننا بالمقاومة الفلسطينية الشعبية كجزء أساسي في نضالنا من أجل الحرية وتحصيل حقوق الشعب الفلسطيني، غير القابلة للتصرف أو المساومة أو التفريط، وبمواصلة النضال حتى تحقيق الحرية والعودة.”كما وقام الناشطون في العالم الافتراضي بحملات مختلفة ترَكَّزت في فترة معينة، هدفت إلى رفع الوعي والمعرفة لدى المتابعين حول ممارسات الاحتلال. خلال أيام إضراب الاسرى عن الطعام نشط الشباب على شبكات الفيسبوك والمدونات والتويتر في دعمهم للإضراب، وأطلقوا دعوة عامة للإضراب عن الطعام يوما واحداً تضامنا ودعما لإضراب الاسرى، وطلب من كل مضرب أن يعلن هذا في شبكات التواصل “أسمي كذا وكذا، يوم 12.10.11 أنا مضرب\ة عن الطعام دعماً للأسرى الفلسطينيين”. وبالفعل قام الآلاف من العرب والأجانب بالاستجابة لهذه الدعوة. وبعد استشهاد مصطفى التميمي خلال المظاهرة الأسبوعية في قرية النبي صالح، بعدما أطلق جندي إسرائيلي قنبلة غاز مسيل للدموع على وجهه عن بعد أمتار قليلة، قام الناشطون بحملة على شبكات التواصل حيث كتبوا النصوص في المدونات، وقاموا بحملة مركزة على التويتر كان وسمها #Israelkills، لإلقاء الضوء على جرائم الاحتلال بحق الفلسطينيين.يرى الكثير من هؤلاء الشباب أن النشاط في العالم الافتراضي ليس بديلا عن النشاط على الأرض، بل مكملا له، حيث يشارك البعض في المقاومة الشعبية في القرى الفلسطينية مثل النبي صالح والولجة والخليل وغيرها. ويقوم البعض بتنظيم أيام تطوعية، ويبادر لمسيرات ونشاطات مختلفة.

For example, recently, Palestinian bloggers announced several joint statements, shared by every approving Palestinian in their own blog. One of them is about refusing the Muslim Brotherhood announcement to organize the “Saving Aqsa” Friday, while backing the Tahrir revolutionaries [in Egypt] to name it as a Friday to take down the military rule, after the brutal repression that they faced at the hands of the army. The bloggers wrote in their statement: “We, a group of Palestinian youth, refuse to have Aqsa and Palestine's names used against the great Egyptian revolution.” They ended the statement saying: “Palestine is stronger with Egypt freedom and nobility.” The statement became very popular between bloggers and was also picked up by Egyptian media. They also issued a statement in solidarity with the Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi and all the Syrian revolution detainees.

To mark the 24th anniversary of the first Intifada, bloggers launched a campaign inviting all Palestinian bloggers to dedicate a post in the 19th of January about stories or interviews with people who witnessed the first Intifada, or publishing related articles, photos or videos. The bloggers assured in their statement that the Intifada memory is a suitable moment to reassure “our faith in the Palestinian resistance as a basic part of our struggle for freedom and to earn the non-negotiable rights of the Palestinian people, and to continue struggling till the realization of freedom and the right of return.”

Many online activists organized campaigns that are focusing on a certain period, aiming at raising awareness and knowledge to those who follow the occupation practices. During the detainees' hunger strike, young activists shared their solidarity on blogs, Facebook and Twitter. They also announced a one-day hunger strike in their support. Everyone participating was asked to announce that on social networks in the following format: “My name is …., today 12.10.11 I'm on hunger strike supporting the Palestinian detainees.” Following that, many Arabs and foreigners supported the idea and joined in. After the martyrdom of Mostafa ElTamimi during the weekly demonstration in ElNaby Saleh village, after an Israeli soldier shot a tear gas bomb in his face from just a few meters, social media activists organized a campaign where they blogged and tweeted under the hashtag #Israelkills to spotlight occupation crimes against Palestinians.

A lot from those youth see that activism online is not a substitute of activism offline, but compliments it since some are involved in civil resistance in the Palestinian villages like Al-Walaja, Al-Khalil, and others. Some people also arrange volunteering days for marches and different activities.

Kopty then talks about coordination between the online and offline worlds:

كما أن حماس الشباب على هذه الشبكات لا يقل عن حماس الشباب على الأرض، فقد شهد العام الأخير نشاطات وتحركات شبابية فلسطينية تعيد الاعتبار للمقاومة الشعبية السلمية، بطرق مبدعة ومختلفة عما عهدنا سابقاً، فنرى نشاط أمواج الحرية وركّاب الحرية، نرى مسيرة السيارات التي أرادت السير في شوارع المستوطنات احتجاجا على نظام الأبارتهايد وقام جيش الاحتلال بمنعها، وكذلك حملة “أهلا وسهلا في فلسطين” يعلن من خلالها القادمون عبر مطار بن غوريون بأنهم قادمون إلى فلسطين، ومسيرات العودة في ذكرى النكبة والنكسة وأيام تطوعية ونشاطات فن الشوارع، فمنذ أسبوعين لوحظ نشاط مميز لمجموعة مجهولة من الناشطين يقومون بكتابة الشعارات السياسية على جدران في القدس، وخاصة في الأحياء التي تم تهويدها بالكامل منذ 48. وقد قالت هذه المجموعة في بيانها بأن “هذه رسالتنا لمحتلينا ولأبناء شعبنا في فلسطين كاملة وفي الشتات لنقول إننا هنا وإن صوتنا ما زال هدّارا وبأننا سنستمر في المقاومة.”إن هذه النشاطات تساهم في بعث فلسطين من جديد. فالعديد منها يصوَّر وينقَل لحظة بلحظة إلى العالم، إما من خلال تقنية البث المباشر أو من خلال التدوين أو من خلال الفيسبوك والتويتر وغيرها. وفي هذه المعركة يجد الاحتلال نفسه خاسراً، فمن يتابع شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي يرى بأن ماكينة الدعاية الإسرائيلية لا زالت غير قادرة على محاصرة، أو محاربة “جنود” الإعلام الاجتماعي المناصرين للقضية الفلسطينية.يساهم النشاط الفلسطيني على شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي من خلال إطلاع العالم حول ممارسات إسرائيل ضد الشعب الفلسطيني، في تعزيز الحملة الدولية لمقاطعة إسرائيل، كابوسها الأكبر. هذا بالإضافة إلى أن التواصل اليومي بين الفلسطينيين في كافة أماكن تواجدهم، يساهم في توحيد بعض الجهود على هذه الشبكات والتنسيق لحملات وأنشطة مشتركة على الأرض.

Considering the fact the youth enthusiasm online is no less than their colleagues offline, the past year witnessed many events and youth initiatives raising the peaceful resistance value. All this was done in ways which were creative and different than before. So we see the freedom waves and freedom riders, we see a march of cars that wanted to drive through the settlement streets protesting the apartheid regime. The march was stopped by the occupation army. Not to mention the “Welcome in Palestine” campaign in Ben Gurion Airport telling visitors they have reached Palestine. They also organized the return marches commemorating the Nakba and the Six-Day War, along with volunteering days and street art activities. Two weeks ago, some special activity for an anonymous group was noticed, writing political slogans on Jerusalem walls, especially in Jewish dominated neighborhoods since 1948. This group mentioned in their statement that “This is our message to our occupiers and to our people in Palestine and in diaspora, we are telling them that we are here, our voice is still loud and we will continue to resist.”

These activities contribute to reviving Palestine. Many are engaged in photographing what is happening in real time, by live steaming or live blogging or via Facebook and Twitter, etc. This way the occupation is in a losing battle. Those who follow social networks know that the Israeli propaganda is not yet able to neutralize or fight the social media “army” who support the Palestinian cause.

Palestinian social media activity contributes to telling the world the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people, thus supporting BDS as well as the daily communication between Palestinians wherever they are, integrating their efforts on their networks and coordinating their campaigns and joint activities offline.

And finally, she concludes:

هؤلاء الشباب لا يرضون بالفتات ولا يرضون بحالة الإحباط التي تصيب شعبهم. يبدعون كل يوم فكرة جديدة ومن الصعب كسر همتهم. هؤلاء يؤكدون أن المقاومة ليست بالسلاح فقط، وأن إسرائيل فشلت في مخطط إحباطهم.

These youth only agree to have big goals achieved, and they are not content with the frustration their people suffer from. Everyday they come up with a new idea and it is very difficult to break them. These youth prove edaily that resistance is not only via weapons, and that Israel didn't succeed in frustrating them.

Tunisia: Politicians and Deputies Opt for Open Governance Through Social Media

Ahmed Medien — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:50:54 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

The toppling of the Ben Ali regime last January paved the way for a growth in the use of social media across Tunisia. Today, politicians are using the same tools repressed by the state to get their messages across to the people.

Moncef Marzouki (@Moncef_Marzouki), elected interim president of the Tunisian republic, Khalil Zaouia (@KhelilEzzaouia), current minister of social affairs, and other deputies at the constituent assembly such as @LobnaJribi and @IyedDahmani have all joined the Twitterverse recently.

Politicians use Twitter and other social media for many reasons, including sharing greetings with the Tunisian people on a religious holiday as demonstrated by MP Dahmani [ar]:

مولد نبوي شريف مبارك عليكم جميعا، وكل عام وأنتم بخير

@iyeddahmani: Happy Mouled (Prophet Muhammed's birthday) to all of you. May you all be blessed.

Twitter is also the place where Tunisian politicians share their frustrations with the disorganization of their own parties or the slow processes of the current government.

Mabrouka Mbarek, elected deputy of the CPR party shared her disappointed vis a vis the vote of her party to another fellow Islamist deputy to chair the committee charged of drafting the new constitution. Such a worrisome tweet was retweeted several times other Tunisian Twitter users who shared similar concerns [fr]:

Des fois #jemeposelaquestion #jeudiconfession “@MoniaBH: qu'est ce que vous faites au CPR??? #TnAc”

@MabMbarek: Sometimes, I wonder too #JeudiConfession. “@MoniaBH: What is wrong with CPR?”

Iyed Dahmani, deputy and member of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party uses Twitter to criticize the work of the government. The language used is sometimes the Tunisian Arabic dialect and the aim is to reach out to more to Tunisians [ar]:

الحكومة تحولت إلى معارضة للأقلية وبدل أن تقوم بدورها صارت تقضي وقتها في نقد المعارضة،وبعد ذلك يقولوا لنا خليونا نخدموا.كاننا شادينلهم يديهم

@iyeddahmani: The government has become an opposition for the minority. Instead of doing its job, the government spends its time criticizing the opposition and then asking (the opposition) for time off to do its job, like if we're tying their hands

Other politicians also use their Twitter accounts to record their media appearances locally and internationally.

And since he became president, Marzouki uses his personal Twitter account to share the calendar of his activities with Twitter users. He also shares media files such as photos and videos.

Netizens have been instrumental in drawing politicians into social media. For instance, 7ell is a social media and citizen campaign that started last year to encourage politicians and political parties to share more information with citizens. 7ell has a Facebook page with more 8,000 likes and dozens of posts to promote open governance among Tunisian Facebook users.

The initiative is described as [ar]:

هي هبادرة مدنيّة تبنّاوها بعض الأعضاء من المجلس الوطني التأسيسي
المبادرة هاذي تحبّ تكرّس مبدأ الشّفافيّة في الدّستور التّونسي و تدخل آليات الحوكمة المفتوحة في إصلاح الإدارة. نطمحو إنّو الصّحافة و المواطنين التّوانسة ينجّمو يتبّعو عمل اللّجان في المجلس الوطني التّأسيسي و يتفاعلو معاه بطريقة مباشرة كيفما تفاعلو مع الثورة ولاّ الأحداث إلّي صارت في تونس عام 2011. من أهدافنا زادة نشر محاضر و تقارير اللّجان للنّاس الكلّ. التّونسي اليوم عندو الحقّ باش يعرف كيفاش النوّاب إلّي إنتخبهم قاعدين يكتبولو في دستورو و في مستقبلو و منظيّعوش حقّنا باش نبنيو تونس على قاعدة صحيحة

OpenGov is a citizen initiative adopted by some of the members of the constituent assembly. This initiative is about transparency in drafting the new constitution and the establishment of a new mechanism of open governance to end corruption. We aspire that Tunisia media experts and citizens will follow the work of the different commissions in the national constituent assembly and react to them directly just like it was during the revolution and the events that happened in 2011. Our aim is to make the reports and drafts issued by the committee available to everyone. Tunisians today have the right to know how members of Parliament they have elected are writing the new constitution. They have a say in their future and the right to see Tunisia being rebuilt on the right foundation.

OpenGov is also a hashtag frequently used during the sessions of the constituent assembly. Now, a good number of the 217 deputies use Twitter to share the discussions happening at the assembly sessions with a larger public.

You can also follow tweet feeds from OpenGov Tunisia on @OpenGovTN .

Nearly three months after the launch of 7ell campaign, the Tunisian Presidency has also opened new accounts on social media to interact with Tunisian internet users and get their feedback about the activity of the presidency and the president, Moncef Mazouki.

Their first post was a photograph asking the Tunisians for their opinion about the performance of Marzouki a month after his election.

The Tunisian Presidency Facebook page has a myriad of photos of president Marzouki to inform Tunisians of his visits, meetings and foreign travels. It is also a direct interface to share Press releases. The most recent entry was a Press release concerning the Homs massacre in Syria on the eve of February 4. The wall post received 646 Facebook shares, 674 likes and 1,726 comments in a few hours.

The Tunisian presidency has also created accounts on Twitter and on Youtube. The Youtube channel serves to broadcast official and governmental and non-governmental representatives that Marzouki meets at the Presidency Palace in Carthage.

Policy makers in Tunisia are becoming keen to interact with their constituents with more transparency. For now, social media seems to be the solution.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Bahrain: Celebration and Criticism Greet “Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012″

Ayesha Saldanha — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:24:19 +0000

On February 2, “Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012” (@ManamaCulture12) was officially launched. But as the celebration was taking place, opposition protests were broken up elsewhere in the capital.

The Capital of Arab Culture is an initiative of the Arab League under UNESCO's Cultural Capitals Programme. Many have criticised the awarding of the title to Manama this year, and have called for a boycott, because of the government's “repressive practices” against pro-democracy demonstrators, with writers and artists amongst them (some of whom have been forced into exile). Other Bahrainis have welcomed the beginning of the year of cultural events, and see it as a way to present a more positive image of Bahrain to the world.

As she watched the televised opening of Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012, Twitter user Rasha Yousif (@RshRsho) announced:

@RshRsho: Proud to be Bahraini ! #ManamaCapitalofArabCulture2012

Twitter user Fawaz Al Muhandis (@Fawazu) was impressed by the work of the Ministry of Culture:

@Fawazu: I think @MOC_BH is working towards the right direction into representing a good image of Bahrain #ManamaCapitalofArabCulture2012 thank you!

In a reference to the one-year anniversary of the start of the February 14 uprising, and the tension expected to accompany it, Twitter user @JulesALK said:

@JulesALK: #ManamaCapitalofArabCulture2012 Happy to see the beautiful celebrations today. We must enjoy feb. Good start #Bahrain

Khalid Al-Rowaie (@kalrowaie), a writer and theatre director who works for Bahrain's Ministry Of Culture, was at the opening ceremony, which included a musical performance called “The Path of Pearls” about Bahrain's traditional pearling industry. He posted this photo:

Musical performance during opening ceremony of Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012, called "The Path of Pearls". Image posted by Twitter user @kalrowaie.

A criticism often made of cultural events in Bahrain is that many of the artists involved are not Bahraini. Not all of those who watched the Capital of Arab Culture ceremony were impressed, feeling it wasn't representative of Bahraini culture. Twitter user @_MKAlKhalifa wrote:

@_MKAlKhalifa: Egyptian Bahraini Dance? :/ #Fail #ManamaCapitalofArabCulture2012 #Bahrain

@_MKAlKhalifa: #Bahrain has a very unique and a beautiful culture, yet the opening of #ManamaCapitalofArabCulture2012 doesn't represent it!

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Alkhalifa (@khalidalkhalifa) also attended the opening ceremony, and posted an image of the performance, writing [ar]:

@khalidalkhalifa: طريق اللؤلؤ ، ينطلق بالدانة .. معشوقة الغواص

The Path of Pearls starts with the Dana, the diver's beloved pearl

Musical performance during opening ceremony of Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012, called "The Path of Pearls". Image posted by Twitter user @khalidalkhalifa.

Journalist Hussain Mansoor (@Hu4mansoor) responded to the Foreign Minister's tweet with a reference to the destroyed Pearl Roundabout, focal point of pro-democracy protests, saying [ar]:

@Hu4mansoor: ليس طريقا للؤلؤ ذاك الذي لا يمر على دوار اللؤلؤة. #bahrain #14feb

It is not a Path of Pearls if it doesn't lead to the Pearl Roundabout.

Journalist Reem Khalifa (@Reem_Khalifa) commented [ar]:

@Reem_Khalifa:في عاصمة الثقافة العربية لا مكان لحرية الرأي والاستقلالية في القضاء وشفافية المعلومة بل قمع ثقافة الآخر واحتقار الإنسان الحر

In the Capital of Arab Culture there is no room for freedom of opinion, independence of the judiciary, and transparency of information, only for the suppression of others' culture and contempt for free humans

As the opening ceremony took place at the National Museum, protestors gathered in central Manama for a weekly rally known as the Manama March, which was broken up by riot police using tear gas (the heavy use of which in Bahrain has been condemned by human rights organisations).

Clouds of tear gas in central Manama as opposition march broken up. Image posted by Twitter user @sorr0w.

Twitter user @Intelligensia1 wrote [ar]:

@Intelligensia1:المنامة الآن تجمع النقيضين تماماً.. مثقفي السلطة في المتحف الوطني.. وشعب مثقف في أزقتها مخنوق بثقافة السلطة #Bahrain #14feb #Alwefaq

In Manama right now there are two complete opposites… The regime's intellectuals in the National Museum, and the educated people in the alleys suffocating from the regime's culture

Russia, Syria: Anti- and Pro-Assad Facebook Comment Attack

Veronica Khokhlova — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:25:25 +0000

Facebook pages of some Russian media outlets (e.g., Afisha, Bolshoi Gorod, Esquire Russia, Channel 1, MTV Russia) were deluged with copy-pasted comments [ru, ar] from users who appeared to be supporters of the Syrian opposition earlier today. An excerpt from a typical comment [ru, ar]: “Syria's regime is killing people with the Russian weapons. If it hadn't been for the Russian veto, the killing of the people in Syria would have been stopped a few months ago. […]” On President Medvedev's and PM Putin's Facebook pages there are comments [en, ru, ar] from both the opponents and supporters of the Syrian regime (e.g., here and here).

Saudi Arabia: A Family Living in a Cemetery

Haifa Alrasheed — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:52:30 +0000

Away from the political scene and on a more human level, a short movie shot by young Saudi filmmaker Bader AlHomoud named “Almagbarah,” which translates to cemetery in Arabic, has changed the life of a Saudi family. Bader describes the montage phase in his tweet [ar]:

#ma8barah اليوم أصبت باكتئاب وانا اعمل مونتاج لفلم سيصيبكم بالكابة سترونه قريبا

Today I got depressed while editing a movie that will make you all depressed too

The three-minute movie, posted below from YouTube, shows a Saudi family living in a cemetery. It has no script, nor a dialog. It features members of the family and their children playing around the cemetery and the abject poverty they live in.

Saudi tweeps were emotionally touched by the movie and below are some of their reactions under the hashtag #ma8barah.

@MarwanAlrouqi describes the logic behind the location [ar]:

عزيزي المواطن : من اجل رفاهيتك اخترنا لك سكن بعيد عن الازعاج وقريبً من الاخره ! #ma8barah

Dear Saudi citizen, for your convince we picked you a residence that is far away from the noise and close to your resting place!

A screen shot from the movie

@hayaalshatti asks [ar]:

هل أصبحت خيارات الحياة تقف عند أنني يجب أن أفضح ملامحي وأنشر فقري في فلم .. حتى أحصل على كرامة .. تباً لمن سلبهم كرامتهم ! #ma8barah #KSA

Did we reach the point in which I have to expose my life in order to get some dignity? Woe to those who robbed them of their dignity!

And in reaction to the video, which has been watched more than 148,000 times on YouTube, smartman7779 says [ar]:

شي محزن فبكت عيوني من هذا الحال احمد ربي ع حالتي

This is sad, I cried watching it! Thank God for my circumstances

Three hours after publishing the movie, Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, who is Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees and Head of the Executive Committee of the Al-Waleed bin Talal Foundations, announced on her Twitter [ar] account:

الحمد لله، ستقوم مؤسسة الوليد بن طلال الخيرية بتأمين سكن دائم لهذه العائلة وتم التواصل مع بدر الحمود وسنبدأ من الغد إن شاء الله #ma8barah

Al-Waleed bin Talal Charity Foundation will provide the family with a permanent residence, we are currently contacting Bader AlHomoud

@malsahli [ar] comments:

لو لم يقم شاب مبدع يدعى بدر الحمود بتسليط الضوء على عائله سعوديه تسكن مقبره..لماظهر المنقذون ولبقيت الأسره مهمشه خلف ناطحات السحاب #ma8barah

If the creative Bader did not shed light on this family they would have been still living behind the skyscrapers and forgotten!

and @essamz stresses on the power of the social media:

فيلم مدته 3 دقائق يؤدي لحل مشكلة عائلة خلال 3 ساعات من نشره. إنها قوة الإعلام الجديد. #ma8barah

A three minute movie solves a problem in three hours.. that is the power of the new media!

Two days later, @BaderAlHomoud announces:

#ma8barah الحمدلله حتى سيارة وصلت لأبو شريفة من فاعلة خير

The family received a car from an anonymous donor

Egypt: revolt's anniversary at Tahrir

Bernardo Parrella — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:55:55 +0000

Egyptian Twitter-sphere reports that jailed blogger #Maikel Nabil has just been released, while people are gathering for tomorrow's big rally at #Tahrir to celebrate the revolt's first anniversary: “feels chaotic and it's starting to rain” (#25jan).

Sudan: Sudanese Activist, Alim Boushi, Freed from Prison

SudaneseDrima — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:36:09 +0000

A case that Sudanese bloggers and tweeps have been highlighting in recent days, indicating the current repressive state of affairs in Sudan, is the arrest of the Sudanese political activist and engineer Mohamed Hassan Alim, nicknamed Boushi. Alim was released on January 17, 2011 after 24 days in jail. He was arrested after publicly and harshly criticizing Nafi Ali Nafi, a prominent Sudanese politician, for corruption.

Before his release, Sudanese blogger, Mimz wrote a passionate post expressing her anger and explaining what happened to Alim.

Over the past couple of years, the Sudanese government illegally detained many political activists, opposition party members, anti-NCP revolutionaries, students and journalists who spoke up against injustice. What happens to these detainees at national security prisons or “Ghost Houses” is incomprehensible and beyond any sane person’s mental capacity.

… In mid-December, Alim stood in front of a podium at the University of Khartoum and courageously confronted Nafie Ali Nafie for his crimes against the Sudanese people. He spoke up for you, me and the millions of Sudanese citizens who are struggling day to day to put bread on the table, find jobs and live a well-deserved respectful life. He voiced some of the frustrations we are facing because of the current government, and confronted Nafie and co for their corruption.

For three majestic minutes, Alim was the voice of every oppressed Sudanese person who ever endured a hardship in their life while watching the government privilege its own members and their families by generously offering them money, jobs, and perks earned with the blood and sweat of the average Sudanese people like they were theirs to give.

A few days after his speech, which was recorded and uploaded on YouTube, Alim was arrested from his home. The video now has over 240,000 views. Amnesty International took note of the events and released a statement about Alim's detention.

On 26 December 2011, Mohamed Hassan Alim was arrested from his house in Khartoum by seven men dressed in plain-clothes, believed to be NISS agents. He was beaten by the men in front of his mother and taken away in a car. He has been held incommunicado at an undisclosed location since his arrest. He faces serious risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Sudanese bloggers and tweeps worried about Alim's fate. Mimz was also concerned and railed against Alim's arrest:

Alim’s freedom is our demand, and his blood is not only in Nafie’s hands, it’s in ours as well if we don’t speak up and demand his protection and his immediate release.

In a world where chivalry is dead and cowardice is spread like a viral disease, Alim stands out and is labeled Sudan’s Bouazizi.

The issues Alim took up with Nafie relate to corruption and favoritism… does this earn him an abduction and justify why his mother has to suffer not knowing his whereabouts, what is being done to him and if he will ever be released?

On the other hand, Zol Sudani, shared his thoughts on the matter in a blog post in Arabic, with an excerpt translated below.

بوشي كشفنا كلنا، كشف السودانيين فرد فرد، كشفنا أمام أنفسنا.. .. كشف نافع علي نافع و أصحابه مدعي التدين، فأثبت أنهم أضعف من أن يردوا الحجة بالحجة.. كشف الأمن الوطني، فهم ليسوا جهاز لحفظ أمن البلاد و المواطنين كما أقسموا أمام الله و الشعب، فأثبت أنهم موجودون لحفظ النظام ولو على حساب مواطن أعزل

Boushi exposed us all. He exposed the Sudanese, one bye one. He exposed us to ourselves. He exposed Nafi Ali Nafi, and his companions who claim to be religious. He proved that they're weak and unable to respond to an argument with an argument. He exposed how the national security is not dedicated to protecting the country and its people as they swore in their oaths. He proved that they're there just to protect the regime, even if this is at the expense of a weak unarmed citizen.

Sudanese on Twitter, like @daloya, tweeted with the hashtag #FreeAlim asking where Alim was.

@daloya: Boshi's mother, “I was promised 2 see Boshi 2 weeks after his arrest, I still have not been allowed 2 see him”. #FreeBoshi #FreeAlim #Sudan

Upon his release, Alim himself, said to Bloomberg News, “I didn’t know if I was going to be killed, held in prison forever, or if was going to see my family again.”

On January 1, 2012 Sudanese celebrated their country's 56th Independence Day. But some like Sudanese blogger, D3a Bin Kar however questioned what has ultimately been gained through independence:

we thought with independence, we would gain true freedom, equality, human rights and a chance to realize all the dreams our forefathers dreamed for our beloved Sudan.

For 56 years ago, Sudan has gone through a civil war, turmoil, drought, famine and recently a secession.

Millions have died unnecessarily, millions displaced, millions go to bed hungry every night. These are just not numbers but there are millions of individuals who need not to have gone through all of this.

All could have been avoidable.

D3a Bin Kar continues his post with a round up of key events that happened in Sudan throughout 2011, and ends on a more optimistic note.

Perhaps, 2012, will mark our true independence.

Video Highlights: Activism, Freedom of Speech, Identity and Culture

Juliana Rincón Parra — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:57:18 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel or by clicking on the regional header links.

Middle East North Africa:

Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa
From Yemen we have the amazing story of the historic 264km Life March, which is the longest since Mahatma Gandhi's 390km long Salt March in 1930. During the Life March, villages and towns came together to give food and drink to the thousands of people who marched for four days straight through winding mountain passes protesting the immunity that outgoing President Saleh asked for himself and his aides and family for the killing of protesters in the Yemen uprisings.

However, the march didn't seem to sway the newly formed cabinet members who approved the bill: it will now go on to parliament for it to become a law.
Yemen: Saleh Gets Away With Murder…He Gets Immunity

It is those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rest of Yemen to live a life of freedom and democracy, whom Yemenis feel they must never be forgotten nor should their blood go in vain.

This next video is a silent remembrance for those who died during the peaceful uprising:

Some online activists are also promoting an online campaign against a stimulating herb chewed by many Yemeni men and women for hours on end, sometimes daily. The campaign is for a day without using the leafy green plant, Qat:
Yemen: January 12, a Day Without Qat

As blogger @Afrahnasser, proposed on Twitter:

An average citizen in Yemen wastes 8 hrs in searching money for qat, another 8 hrs in chewing qat & the rest 8 hrs in sleeping @NoonArabia

The idea of the campaign is to turn those hours spent on qat into active endeavors which build up Yemen.

Sub-Saharan Africa:

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Found Guilty of Terrorism Charges
Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson crossed from Somalia to Ethiopia illegally which caused the Ethiopian authorities to detain and put them on trial for supporting terrorist activities and crossing illegally into the territory, although the defense claims that they were performing their duty as journalists to report both sides of the conflict. This next video was used as evidence during the trial, where the journalists are seen planning their journey as journalists

Western Europe:

Spain: Fighting for the Right to a Home

Families who got into debt to buy a home and ended without jobs or income to pay for them are being helped by an organization aiming to stop families from being evicted and to give them temporary homes in foreclosed and empty houses when they aren't able to stop the banks. The video on this post shows their success in avoiding an eviction and keeping a man and his 13 year old son off the streets.

Eastern and Central Europe:

Hungary: Memories of Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp
Growing up Roma in Europe can make children feel stigmatized and rejected by their peers, causing them to hide their origins and feel ashamed of their heritage. The Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp aimed to give Roma youth a chance to discover their roots by learning the language, history and cuisine of the Roma people.

East Asia:

Hong Kong: Protest Against Luxury Brand to Defend Local Identity
A luxury brand which doesn't allow for photographs to be taken of its store is not news, but when they stated that the rule only applied for local residents of Hong Kong and not tourists from Mainland China, the people of Hong Kong made their anger known through a flashmob outside the store.

Latin America:

Chile: Wildfire in Torres del Paine Shocks Netizens
The wildfire in one of Chile's top touristic spots, National Park Torres del Paine had netizens blogging and tweeting about the fire, both as experienced by those inside the park at the time of the evacuation and recorded it on video as well as from concerned people following the news and updates.

Central America: LibreBus Project Presents its Documentary
The documentary follows the activists who climbed on board a bus driving through 5 different Central American countries to spread the message of free software, the defense of freedom of speech and content sharing.

Colombia: Salsa Song Criticizes Bus Rapid Transport System
Public transportation makes it easier for people to get from one location to another without having to use their own vehicle, however, when that public transportation system is overcrowded, it can become a torture instead of a relief. The salsa song (with translated captions) shows what it is like for people to use the popular Transmilenio System in the capital city of Bogota.

Yemen: January 12, a Day Without Qat

Noon Arabia — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:19:22 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

Qat is a green leafy plant containing an amphetamine-like stimulant, classified by the World Health Organization as a drug of abuse. It is chewed by the majority of Yemeni men and women for hours, almost daily. Sadly sometimes even children chew it. It is an addictive social habit and a rather expensive one considering that 45 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

As I point out in my blog:

Qat has become an epidemic in every Yemeni household and has detrimental effects on Yemen's agriculture, economy, health and society. Massive time and resources are wasted to chewing this cursed plant, paralyzing Yemenis to think or work towards building Yemen.

This video posted on YouTube by FeatureStoryNews1 shows the role of Qat in Yemeni lives and it's damaging impact:

The revolution of change which has been raging for 11 months against the 33 year political rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh and his regime, spreading to fight corruption in the governmental and public institutions, has now also spread to society in an attempt to fight Qat.

A social media campaign on Facebook and on Twitter, which was started by Hind Aleryani, a Yemeni activist who lives in Lebanon, aims to make January 12, 2012, a day without Qat in Yemen. The initiative was widely welcomed worldwide and in Yemen by many Yemenis on Twitter and Facebook, who joined and promoted the campaign, including Noble Peace Prize Laureate and Yemen's leading activist, Tawakkol Karman who used the campaign logo as her personal profile photo on Facebook and tweeted a link to her Facebook page supporting the campaign.

@Dilmunite posted a well written and researched article about Qat on Bikya Misr.

The campaign was immediately endorsed by Yemeni activists, bloggers, journalists, other Yemeni Facebook pages, including this Facebook page called “Yemen without Qat,” [ar] which had been set up since June calling for an end to Qat consumption. Yemeni TV news channel Suhail, online news source Almasdaronline, as well many in Yemen, including the youth in Freedom Square in Taiz and Change Square in Sanaa, also supported the campaign.

Activist SadekMaktary, who is based in Taiz, and one of the campaign organizers, along with Ammar Mojalli, uploaded on his YouTube channel a video he made documenting people's testimonies in support of the campaign:

This photo taken and posted on Facebook by Jalal al-Samei shows the youth in Change Square carrying posters printed and distributed by CCYRC (Coordinating Council of the Youth Revolution of Change), who also endorsed the campaign:

Youth in Sanaa's change square endorse the #NoQatJan12 campaign

@brrhom, who lives in Sanaa, noticed the willingness for people to change after the revolution and tweeted saying:

Yemenis willingly incredibly interact with #NoQatJan12 campaign. Indeed, everything changed since the revolution started

And this is a Storify collection I made of Twitter reactions to Qat and to the event.

Journalist @nelsherif wrote describing some of the activities planned for today:

Yemenis organize “a day without khat” to fight corruption “>http://bit.ly/w6rPEb #in #noqatjan12 #yemen

@WigdanGuneid, who lives in the US, designed the logo of the campaign:

This is her poster, which reads [ar]: “I am a Yemeni, who wants change and will not chew Qat on January 12″:

#NoQatJan12 campaign logo

Her proud father and prominent activist @alguneid tweeted:

Our arts album by @WigdanGuneid 4 #NoQat12Jan is building up p.twimg.com/Aicpf56CAAAmdq… p.twimg.com/AiWelVVCMAAHmn…

@FozYaya designed another poster which he tweeted:

#NOQatJan12 pic.twitter.com/zYM5CbOX

This is his poster:

Say No to Qat by Fawzi Yahya

@FozYaya also made a video which he posted on his YouTube channel showing how Yemenis were capable of change and calling on them to stop chewing for one day, the 12th of January:

@ameerah1yemenia, who lives in the US, tweeted her support:

#SupportYemen #NoQatJan12 #No2Corruption #Yemen

Doctor and activist @ichamza sarcastically tweeted:

Dont chew qat for one day! the mouth & Throat cancers can wait! #Yemen #NoQatJan12

He added:

I dont think Qat is the worst issue in #Yemen! but believe it is not making anything any better! & wastes resources #NoQat12Jan

@Afrahnasser, Yemen's leading blogger, currently residing in Sweden tweeted how time was wasted by Qat:

An average citizen in Yemen wastes 8 hrs in searching money for qat, another 8 hrs in chewing qat & the rest 8 hrs in sleeping @NoonArabia

She pointed also how it is a hindrance to development:

People of #Yemen have the greatest potential to become one of the most developed countries but qat is 1 of the obstacles :( #NoQatJan12

@Samwaddah, an activist living in Canada, also made a video which he posted on his YouTube channel highlighting a very dangerous issue, the habit of Qat being passed to children, which many parents in Yemen seemingly ignore or are unaware of. This is the video:

The campaign was a collaborative effort of many people tapping on keyboards, behind screens, on who deeply care about Yemen's well being, transcending to people in the streets of Yemen who made it a reality. It is also one amongst many steps in a challenging mission to eliminate Qat in Yemen.

As @Ghanem_M tweeted:

#noqatjan12 campaign is a first step to cure a nation from a bad addiction #yemen

@ArabsUnited, who lives in the UK, added:

#NoQatJan12 is about educating & opening the road to eliminating a destructive habit which is also a waste of resources - Slowly but surely..

And @SummerNasser a young Yemeni activist based in the US, noted:

We must find an alternative in #Yemen for those who chew and/or sell the plant. This campaign is to basically “test the water” #NoQatJan12

Ultimately, it is the people in Yemen and what they choose to day on this day, and onwards, which will determine the success of this campaign.

And as I concluded in my blog:

Hopefully the determined people of Yemen, the second most armed nation in the world, who amazed everyone with their peaceful Revolution, went on foot on an amazingly long 264 km Life March, and who are currently widely uprising against corruption, will make the right choices and take the gradual and necessary steps to eliminate this epidemic form Yemeni society.

George Bernard Shaw said “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

Thumbnail and featured image shows Qat seller in a market in Yemen. Image by Saleh Maglam, copyright Demotix (29/11/2011).

Syria: Netizens Angered by Assad's Speech

Amira Al Hussaini — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:21:57 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad gave a long rambling speech today, which further angered Syrians protesting against his dictatorship.

He spoke about a foreign conspiracy, or several of them, the meddling of the Arab League in his country's affairs and how much Syrians were supportive of his regime. In his speech, he promised both reform, just as he did in past speeches, and also revenge against protesters - more than 5,000 of whom have been killed since protests started in Syria in March.

When Arab leaders speak, netizens take to their keyboards and engage in taking a stab at heads of states who put themselves in such a position. Here is a round up of reactions from Twitter as Al Assad addressed his people - the same people being killed for protesting for democratic rights.

Mohammed Al Dahshan, from Egypt, tweets [ar]:

‏ واضح أن بيبو الأسد مش فاهم معنى كلمة معارضة إيه أساسا. بجد مش معقول إعادة التعريف الللغوي اللي بيعمله حكام العرب

@eldahshan: It is clear that Assad does not understand the basic meaning of opposition. Seriously, the way Arab leaders are reinterpreting the Arabic language is impossible to comprehend.

And he comments on the theatrics which usually accompany Assad's speeches, which are interrupted with applauses, saying:

@eldahshan: So you think the applause is prerecorded, like sitcoms keda? :) #assadspeech RT @maimoghli @eldahshan I dont think there is audience anyway!

As Assad continued to speak, so did the confusion of netizens.

Syrian Muhammed Basheer asks [ar]:

قبل شوي قال مافي معارضة قبل الانتخابات ولازم يكون في معارضة لها قاعدة شعبية! هلأ قال بعض قوى المعارضة حاورت! شو يعني؟ ‎#Syria‏

@MBAA: A few minutes ago he said there was no opposition before the elections and that there had to be opposition with a popular base! Now he is saying that the opposition is engaged in a dialogue. What is he saying?

Lebanese Antoun Issa comments:

@antissa: #AssadSpeech exceedingly confident in his speech. Doesn't appear conciliatory by any means.

While LibyanStateTV quips:

@LibyanStateTV: Bashar should have asked himself “What would Gaddafi Do?”, and perhaps this would have produced a better speech #AssadSpeech

Jordanian Nadine Toukan tweets:

@nadinetoukan: Assad is clearly convinced he lives in fiction. #Syria

And Syrian Wissam Tarif adds:

@wissamtarif: Al Assad is talking as if he will be in power for ever #Syria

Many Twitter users translated and posted quotes from Assad's speech online as he spoke. Among them is Sultan Al Qasseemi, from the UAE, who had enough. He states:

@SultanAlQassemi: I can't watch this crazy person any longer. Switching TV off.

And to cap it all, Saudi Ahmed Al Omran, a production assistant for NPR, just tweeted:

@ahmed: On the same day of Bashar al-Assad's speech, at least 28 people killed in Syria according to the latest death toll provided by LCC.

The LCC is the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.

In a follow up tweet, he writes:

@ahmed: Can I get a T-shirt that says “I survived a whole speech by Bashar al-Assad”?

Stay tuned for more coverage from Syria.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Libya: A Letter from a Woman in Benghazi

Mohamed ElGohary — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:53:24 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

A Libyan woman from Benghazi has criticized her countrymen for marrying non-Libyans after the revolution. She states that Libyan women are not getting rights equal to those granted to men. She writes the following open letter, entitled “A long letter from one of the sisters in Benghazi” on Facebook [ar]:

رسالة طويلة من احدى الأخوات من بنغازي

بصراحة الموضوع لازم نحكي فيه لانه يالي سمعته تبليه وضع النقاط علي الحروف

1- زواج رجالة بنغازي من السوريات يعني فضت في ليبيا وملقيتوش الا السوريات _مع احترامي لسوريات بس عيالنا علي قولت زيف الاسلام خط حمر وعريض _ في المرة الاولة لما شبابنا دبت فيهم النخوة وخذو من اليبيات يالي اهاليهن جو لبنغازي وهنا نحكي علي بنات اجدابيا وقلنا عادي برغم من وجود غصة لكن في الاخير بنت بلادي ومشينا الموضوع وتوا توصل بيكم تاخذو من النازحين من سورريا لليبيا ولا 40 شخص يعني العدد مش طشه الناس مليهمش اقل من شهر عندنا شوفو البنت ادرسوها كويس هل تنسبكم والا لا لكن طب لزق وتزوجو دغري هذه فأل شين ويستر ربي من الايام والعداد الجايا .

2-لا شكرا للمجلس الانتقالي علي فتح الابواب لكل ووحدة شقراء سمحة علي قولت عزايزنا نبيها ثلاجة توا المجلس كل ماله يدير في مشكلة في جرت مشكلة المرة الاولة تعدد الزوجات وتوا نزوح العرب الي ليبيا — نبي نوقف طشة علي موضوع هذا طبعا الدولة لما تكون فيها حرب فطبيعي انه الناس تهرب من هذه الدولة لانه الاوضاع فيها غير مستقرة نبي نفهم توا النزحين من سوريا واكرر مع احترامي لنازحين هل من الحكمة استقبالهم رغم اننا دولة غير مستقرة هل نفسية الموطنين اليبين تتحمل ضغط جديد عليهم هل المجلس مأخذش الابعاد من جلبهم يعني توا المجلس سبب في عنوسة 40 بنت ليبية متقولش ربي محلل بربعة ربي قال فعدلو انت وحدة ويادوبك تبي تأخذ اربعة ..

3- ياسيدي مش عاجبتك بنت بنغازي امشي لطرابلس الزاوية طبعا مصراته وجبل نفوسة تحلمو بيهن بناتهم ..ياسيدي بنات الجنوب باهي اذا يأست بنات بني وليد سرت تورغاء طبعا كلامي هذا مش لرجالة بنغازي بل رجالة المنطقة الشرقية خففو شويا علي ما وصوكم راكم كثرتو.

4- قضية زواج اليبيات من غير اليبين قضية كبيرة ولها ابعاد واجدة اليوم كانت في مسيرة لامهات ليبيات متزوجات بغير ابن جلدتها يعني باليبي مش ولد بلادها يطالبن بحقوقهن كموطنات ليبيات وهو تسجيل ابنائهن بجنسيتهن …. هذا تبيلها وقفة ياخواتي اي نعم انا معاكي في بعض المتطلبات لكن اني نزوج غير ليبي ونعطي جنسيتي لابني هذا انا مش معاها ياختي الجنسية لابد من ان تكون من صلب الرجل ..اي نعم انا معاك في انه ابنك يدرس مجانا ويعامل معاملة اليبي ويعمل ويعين في ليبيا وان تأخذي جميع حقوقك كموطن ليبي حيث ان ليبيا لا تورث ليبيا لكل اليبين فلا يجوز ان يعطي الشباب امتيزات عن الفتاة زيي زي الشاب وهذا لازم ينحط في دستور .

5- طبعا بحكم عددنا كاليبيات اكثر من عدد الرجال فالمفروض اي قرار يتخذ يكون فيه بعد لقدام وبحكم اننا سندنا الثورة وسندنا ثورانا وسندنا بلادنا ودرنا يالي قدرنا عليه بعزم من ربي فكلام هنا ينراد لنقطة رقم واحد يعني هذا كله وماملش عينكم طيح الله سعدكم مصيركم بعد سنتين بعد مايطفشن منكم وياخذن العيال معاهن مرردكم لبنات بلادكم لانه اطبعاكم مايقدر عليهن الابنات بلادكم بس هذا اذا لقيتونا مش لكم فترة تعيطو تبو تطبيق الشريعة الاسلامية في نقطة هذه انا معاكم …ربي قال من ترضون دينه مقالش ياليبيه خوذي ليبي راهو تحسبو رواحكم بس يالي مركزين عليهم .

6- رسال جدية …. الي الاستاذ حزب … اذا كنت تريد ان تضمن صوت المرأة وانضمامها الي حزبك فأهتم بحقوقها التي نصها الله اولا وحقوقها كموطنة ليبية …
واخير انشالله يوفقنا الله في نشر ديننا الوسطي وخدمة وطننا وإنسانيتنا

A long letter from one of the sisters in Benghazi

Frankly, we should discuss this subject so we that we make things clear.

The issue of Benghazi men marrying Syrians: so you men didn't find any suitable Libyan to marry a Syrian? With all my respect to Syrian women, but our children are a thick red line like Saif el Islam said. Firstly, when our youth believed in chivalry and went to Benghazi women, we are talking here about Ajdabiya girls. This was considered OK because they married girls from within our country in spite of the bitter feelings. But when you consider marrying Syrian emigrants to Libya, 40 of them, who have been here for less than a month, this is not normal. You guys should take your time to see if the girl is suitable or not, and not marry after at first sight. This is a bad luck and may God save our coming days.

No thanks for the National Transition Council (NTC) for opening the doors to every blond, like our loved ones say: do we want the NTC buried in a fridge of problems? Firstly was polygamy and now Arabs emigrating to Libya? We want to stop this. Of course, we are in a state of war so it is natural for people to run away from this unstable country. But we need to understand Syrians coming here with all my respect, is it wise to receive them although we are an unstable country? Can we, as Libyan citizens, stand more psychological pressure? Did the NTC take into consideration such consequences? The NTC is directly responsible for 40 Libyan girls being a spinsters. Please don't say Allah permits marrying four, but please say that my God ordered if you want to be just then only one. You still want to have four wives?

3- So sir, if you didn't like Benghazi women, you can go to Tripoli, Az Zawiyah, and of course Misrata and Nafusa Mountains have women you can only dream of. Sir, you can also check out the southerners. If you are really desperate you can go to Bani Walid, Sirte and Tawergha. I'm not talking here to Benghazi's men, but to those living in the eastern side of Libya, you are becoming more and more by the day, you should take care.

Libyan men marrying non-Libyan women is a big issue with important consequences. Today there was a march for Libyan mothers who are married to non-Libyans demanding Libyan citizenship for their children. Ok, I support some of the Libyan women demands in marrying non-Libyans but I don't understand giving their children citizenship. Citizenship should be from the Libyan man. Ok I support free education for your son and same treatment that a Libyan gets for work, living and all other rights. But when Libya is not for all Libyans then we should give Libyan men what the women don't have, and this should be mentioned in the constitution.

Based on the fact that Libyan women number more than men, it is supposed that any decision with long range consequences should be considered. And also based on the fact that we, Libyan women, supported the revolution and the country with all our efforts, and all of that wasn't enough? After two years those you married will run away with your children because no woman can stand your manners, and then we won't accept you, if you found us in the first place. You are desperate for applying Islamic ruling, OK I'm with you in this. Islam said you marry a religious man, not necessarily a Libyan man. God said you should marry good religious men not just the men you desire.

6- A serious message, to Mr Party, if you want to secure women's votes and women joining your party, you must recognize and give much care to her rights, which are dictated by God Himself, and her rights as a Libyan citizen.

And finally may God help us spread our religion and help us service our nation and our humanity.

The letter has attracted so many comments so far, more than 350 and counting, opening the debate on women's rights, Islamic law and what is acceptable for Libyan women and what is not.

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.