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Norway: Discussing Latin America at the Oslo Freedom Forum

Marianna Breytman — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:24:09 +0000

Last week, the fourth gathering of the Oslo Freedom Forum took place, organized by the Human Rights Foundation in the Norwegian capital. Under the slogan “From darkness to light,” the forum brought together world figures that aim to tackle humanitarian crises and exchange ideas to mitigate their effects. Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices Online, was one of the main speakers during a session entitled “Voices in the dark.”

Among the topics that generated major interest throughout the forum was the current crisis in Syria and the political repression that some activists live with under Vladimir Putin's new government in Russia, as well as a review of the first year of the “Arab Spring.” Nevertheless, the event covered a series of topics that involved other world regions, among which was Latin America.

Humberto Prado, from Venezuela, was the first Latin American to speak before the forum about the reality of prisons in his country. Using horrific images of prisoners shooting into the air, which contrast one of a group of convicts playing in a symphony orchestra, Prado unveiled a terrifying statistic: 5,066 convicts have died since 1999, while 14,460 have been injured. He also asked the European Union to pay attention to Venezuelan penitentiaries.

Nicolás Perez, Director of Ecuadorian daily El Universo, exposed the iron fist of Rafael Correa's government, which left the newspaper with a million-dollar fine for publishing a letter to the editor where Correa's actions were criticized for allegedly ordering the army to open fire against a hospital during a police brawl, which led to a massive international condemnation against the lack of freedom of expression in the country.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Rodas, also from Ecuador and the founder of the Ethos Foundation, announced an innovative index that measures the poverty level in Latin America and has generated criticisms of Correa's government as well.

Lastly, Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, highlighted the problem of drug consumption prohibition, which points to indiscriminate imprisonment of minorities in the United States — primarily the Hispanic population.

In Oslo, we had the opportunity to sit down with Venezuelan native Marcel Granier, General Director of Radio Caracas Television, whose signal was removed from open transmission in his country in 2007. Granier, who also participated in the second meeting of said forum on assault against the Venezuelan press, highlighted the importance of bringing up human rights issues in Latin America at European events due to the “connection that exists between Latin Americans and European countries like Spain and Portugal.”

With regards to the forum, Granier affirmed that “every day there is a greater sense of consciousness” about the current situation in Venezuela, which “increases [incidentally] the level of consciousness on a global level,” and brought attention to the fact that respecting human rights in his country will be fundamental to guaranteeing the well-being of all Venezuelans, in addition to securing diaspora's return to their land.

On Twitter, some Oslo Freedom Forum participants, like Oslo Scholars Program (@OsloScholars), emphasized certain excerpts of the Latin American speeches:

There is no dignity in prison: what exists is social cleansing” - Humberto Prado. Such a powerful speech on prison conditions in Venezuela.

Likewise, Runrunes (@RunRunesWeb) [es] pointed out that Humberto Prado's speech was quite powerful:

#Runrunes ALTO:De alto impacto ponencia de Humberto Prado (Observatorio Vzlano de Prisiones) en el Oslo Freedom Forum- http://ow.ly/aOfcW

#Runrunes STOP: Extremely compelling speech by Humberto Prado (Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons) at the Oslo Freedom Forum - http://ow.ly/aOfcW

Venezuela journalist Nelson Bocaranda (@Desconvocara) [es] highlighted an important declaration from Mauricio Rodas during the event:

Mauricio Rodas,miembro de la Fundacion Ethos que hizo radiografía de pobreza latinoamericana anuncio en Oslo q buscara Presidencia Ecuador

Mauricios Rodas, a member of the Ethos Foundation, who took an X-ray of Latin American poverty, announced in Oslo that he will seek Ecuadorian presidency

The following are images from the Latin American presentations at the Oslo Freedom Forum, courtesy of MarieBW and the author of this post.

Reception at Oslo's City Hall.

Participants share ideas in the intermission between speeches.

The forum closed with the awarding of the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissidence.

Colombia: 5 Dead, 19 Injured After Bomb Blast in Bogotá

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:38:57 +0000

Netizens are reacting to the explosion of a bomb on a bus on Caracas Avenue and 74th street in Bogotá, Colombia's capital. The attack was allegedly directed at former Interior Minister Fernando Londoño. The latest reports [es] list 5 dead and 19 people injured. Related words and phrases like “74 con Caracas“, “Fernando Londoño“, “#noalterrorismo” (”no to terrorism), and “Bogotá” are currently trending on Twitter in Colombia.

South Korea: Monks Caught in Gambling, Smoking and Drinking Scandal

Lee Yoo Eun — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:14:26 +0000

In South Korea, six leaders of the nation's biggest Buddhist order were caught playing high-stakes poker, along with drinking and smoking. The case was disclosed through leaked video footage that shows high-profile monks gambling at a luxury lakeside hotel just days before a national holiday celebrating the birth of Buddha.

The stakes of the monk's gambling reportedly exceeded $US 875,000 (10 million Korean Won) and the gambling continued overnight for 13 hours straight. In South Korea, it is illegal to gamble outside designated casinos and horse racing spots and such an act by religious leaders is more than being frowned upon - it is unimaginable. South Korean online space erupted with various responses from sarcastic comments, harsh criticisms and bitter lament for the corrupted religion.

Twitter user @uxost01 tweeted [ko]:

어머니가 조계종 억대 도박 뉴스를 아시고서 충격과 비탄에 빠지셨다.

My mom was shocked and devastated by the news of Jogye monks' gambling with stakes of several tens of millions of Korean Won.

Twitter user @Arirang5886 pointed out [ko] that the money the monks staked was religions donations made by people:

조계종간부들의 도박, 음주, 흡연행위는 자정의 한계를 넘은 것입니다. 신도들은 피땀어린 시주하면서 절에 다니고, 승려는 그것으로 스릴있게 도 닦는 형국입니다. 부처는 신도의 마음에 있지 절간에 있는 것이 아니라는 것을 잘 나타내고 있는 사건입니다.

The Jogye order managerial level monks' gambling, drinking and smoking - these acts show that that they have lost the ability to control themselves. While the followers regularly pay visits to the temple to offer their hard-earned blood money, those monks use that money to enjoy a thrilling truth-seeking. It is an exemplary case that tells that the real Buddha is in each follower's heart, not in the temple.

Another Twitter user @Nabiwahighhill compared those monks [ko] to corrupted nobles:

2007 년 명지스님이 100억원 사찰재정을공개하며“수행자는 수행에전념하고,재정은 재가자에맡기자”했다.조계종 승려들이 시줏돈으로 밤샘 도박사건은 승가사회가 타락했음을보여준다.MB정권에서 종교인과 정치인 언론사주가 앙사앙레짐의 2%타락한 귀족이돼간다.

Back in 2007, Monk Myung-ji made public that the temples have about ten billion Korean Won worth of financial resources (around $US 8.75 million) and argued that they need to separate their truth-seeking and money-handling. Jogye order monks' overnight gambling shows that the Korean Buddhist community is corrupted. Religious leaders, politicians and media owners have become the corrupted nobles, the top 2 percent of the “ancien regime”.

Image of monks going down to their rooms after evening worship at Haeinsa temple which is one of the foremost Chogye Buddhist temples in South Korea (not necessarily related to the gambling case mentioned in the article) Image: joonghijung, Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

Jogye order has more than 10 million followers which comprises about a fifth of the entire South Korean population. The head of Jogye order made a public apology right after the gambling case made national headlines, vowing “self-repentance”. Although there were media speculations [ko] that the video leakage was carefully planned out by rival powers within the order, no reason or excuse was strong enough to calm disappointed Korean people.

Park Tae-su (@sjts200) tweeted [ko]:

조계종 자승 중은 도박사태 책임지고 사퇴하라.참회만으로 덮을려고?어림없는 소리[…]

Monk Ja-seong should take full responsibility for this gambling fiasco and resign. Do you really think you can cover up the case just by vowing self-repentance? Hell no.

Yun Hee-sung (@yunheesung) t weeted [ko]:

불교 조계종 도박파문이 조계종 내부간의 갈등 때문에 일어난 거라 억울하신가요? 그건 당신들 끼리의 다툼이고, 국민은 억대판돈을 놓고 도박하고 술. 담배를 먹고 피워도 되냐를 묻는 겁니다. 아직도 문제가 뭔지 모르세요?

Do you feel that all these (accusations) are unfair since the gambling scandal was all caused by internal power conflict? Whether you had internal power struggles or not, what concerns Korean people is whether it is justifiable for the monks to gamble tremendous amounts of money and smoke and drink. Can't you still see what is the real problem here?

South Korea used to be a highly religions country but as so many scandals broke out both in Christian and Buddhist communities [ko], frustrated, more and more Koreans are turning away from religions. Twitter user @tinypencil tweeted [ko]:

이제 불교에서도 개신교와 매를 같이 맞아주기로 한건가. 요즘 이미지 참 좋아지던 와중에 승려들의 불법도박이라니.

So Buddhism has decided to share the harsh criticisms with the Christian community? Public sentiment toward Buddhism used to be quite good. But now the monk's illegal gambling has ruined it.

and added [ko]:

조계종 승려들의 밤샘도박. 종교가 세상을.치유하는건지 세상이 종교의 뒤에 숨은 저런자들을 먹여살리는건지.

Monks from Jogye order pulled an all-nighter gambling. Is it the religion that cures the world OR the world that feeds these people who hide under the name of the religion?

Mexicans Condemn Massacre in Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon

Elizabeth Rivera — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:34:19 +0000

On May 13, 2012, Mexico woke up to see yet another result of the battle being fought as part of the current administration's war against organized crime. The facts occurred in the county of Cadereyta Jiménez, in the Nuevo León state in northern Mexico, just 400 kilometers away from the border with the United States.

The bodies of 49 people, mutilated, were found in the road that leads to Reynosa (Tamaulipas). Ignacio de los Reyes [es] from BBC World referred to the grim finding as follows:

Las escenas de cuerpos decapitados y mutilados en Nuevo León, donde 49 cuerpos fueron arrojados a la carretera este domingo, sacudieron a muchos por la extrema barbarie exhibida por los asesinos. Incluso en México, que después de cinco años de intensa guerra entre cárteles parecía haberlo visto todo.

Según el gobierno del estado de Nuevo León, a los cadáveres de Cadereyta se les había cortado la cabeza, los brazos y, en algunos casos, las piernas. Y de acuerdo al vocero del gobierno estatal, ninguno de ellos presentaba heridas de bala, por lo que podrían haber sido torturados y mutilados a sangre fría, mientras aún estaban vivos.

The scene of decapitated and mutilated bodies in Nuevo León, where 49 bodies were dumped on the road this Sunday, shocked many for the extreme barbarity displayed by the killers. Even in Mexico, where after five years of intense war among drug cartels it seemed like they had seen it all.

According to the Nuevo Leon state government, the bodies [found in] Cadereyta were beheaded, without arms, and in some cases, without legs. And according to the state spokesman, none of the bodies showed gunshot injuries, so [the victims] might have been tortured and mutilated in cold blood while still alive.

Journalist Carlos Puig [es] recalled that this is not an isolated case, and that these sort of violent events have happened in several occasions across the nation:

Se encadena la masacre con los colgados en Nuevo Laredo, o los aventados en Jalisco, o los asesinados en Tamaulipas…

Las bandas criminales siguen jugando su partido y el árbitro no tiene idea ni de las reglas ni de las estrategias de los jugadores. Se repiten las masacres en uno y otro estado porque la impunidad abarata el homicidio.

The massacre is linked to those hanged in Nuevo Laredo, those thrown in Jalisco, those assassinated in Tamaulipas…

The criminal gangs keep playing their game and the referee has no idea of the players' rules and strategies. The massacres repeat in one state and then another because impunity cheapens homicide.

Also, he related the issue with the current electoral process, arguing that this event would ideally encourage the presidential candidates to present concrete and realistic proposals to solve the problems of insecurity that trouble the country:

Ante lo sucedido el fin de semana en Nuevo León, resulta patético escuchar la falta de imaginación de los candidatos en su propuesta para enfrentar la violencia. Paralizados ante un fenómeno al que parecen temer.

After what happened last weekend in Nuevo León, it is pathetic to hear the lack of imagination in the candidates' proposals to face violence. Paralyzed in front of a phenomenon that they seem to fear.

"Stop the Violence". Illustration by Gerardo Obieta, @G_Obieta, under Creative Commons Licence 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

On Twitter, citizens from different profiles condemned the deed, and some questioned President Calderón, like Alessia Corcuera (@top_roping_ale) [es]:

49 cadáveres descuartizados en #Cadereyta.¿En serio crees que el país va bien @FelipeCalderon? ¿O vas a decir que es cuestión de percepción?

49 corpses quartered in #Cadereyta. Do you really think the country is OK with @FelipeCalderon? Or are you going to say it's a matter of perception?

Similarly, Alberto Esteva (@AlbertoEsteva) [es] made a declaration on the implications of the finding in relation to the security policies the current President has implemented:

Las 49 víctimas de Cadereyta evidencian el fracaso de la política de seguridad de Calderón., continuando su discurso de frases huecas

The 49 victims of Cadereyta make the failure of Calderon's security policy evident., continuing his speech of hollow phrases

User José Plata (@pepeplata) [es] qualified what happened in Cadereyta as a pity:

49 cuerpos mutilados en #Cadereyta: 6 mujeres y 43 hombres.. Sigue cerrada la carretera libre a Reynosa. Una lástima lo que ocurre en #NL

49 mutilated bodies in #Cadereyta: 6 women and 43 men… The highway to Reynosa is still closed. What happens in #NL [Nuevo León] is a pity

Analyst and former presidential aspirant, Jorge Castañeda (@JorgeGCastaneda) [es] expressed that the fact is a demonstration that the ‘war' continues in Mexico:

Los 49descuartizados d Cadereyta muestran q a 5meses d q termine el sexenio d Calderón su guerra no ha terminado ni seha ganado.Hasta cuándo

The 49 quartered of Cadereyta show us that 5 months before the end of Calderon's administration his war has not ended and hasn't been won. How much longer

Also, journalist Julio Hernández (@julioastillero) [es] pointed out Mexicans' perception when they come across these type of news:

49 o 68 asesinados (depende de la fuente) en Cadereyta y millones de mexicanos ya ven esas noticias como algo casi normal

49 or 68 killed (depends on the source) in Cadereyta and millions of Mexicans already see this news as something almost normal

The Cadereyta massacre is one of the most violent episodes that Mexicans have witnessed amidst the war against organized crime, which currently shows no signs of being close to an end.

South Korea: Continuing Mad Cow Controversy Over US Beef Imports

Lee Yoo Eun — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:35:10 +0000

Since last week, South Korea has seen continuing protests against importing beef from the United States after mad cow disease broke out in California. The Korean government dispatched its inspection team to the US to quell the public anger incited by the government's unkept promise to halt the beef imports immediately the disease was detected. However, the inspection team's lack of control over the investigation process and the biased member selection process further deepened South Korean's distrust of the government.

South Korea's Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sent a nine-person inspection team that checked infected cattle and meat packing facilities in the United States right after the disease was detected. They returned only to announce on May 11, 2012, there is no real human health threat posed by American beef and concluded that the country will maintain its quarantine inspections regime on the beef without halting imports, a solution that totally contradicts the government's promise made in 2008. The Korean public responded to this result with heated discussions and criticism online.

One of South Korea's prominent political bloggers IamPeter clarified [ko] the reason for public distrust of the government's version of the story:

원래 광우병 미국 현지 조사단은 정확한 실태 파악을 위해 발병 농장 방문, 사체의 조직 검사 등 모든 의혹을 밝힐 수 있는 조사를 하기로 되어 있었습니다. 그러나 지금 광우병 미국 현지 조사단은 미국 측이 허용하는 장소만 가서 구경만 하고 있습니다. 광우병 발병 현지 목장 방문은 아예 하지도 못했고, 광우병 소의 사체 조직 검사도 미국 측에 의해 좌절됐습니다. 도축장 방문도 수출용이 아닌 내수용 도축장에만 갔다 왔습니다. 결국 광우병 미국 현지 조사단이 했던 일은 아무것도 없습니다. 그저 미국이 보여주는 지정된 코스를 충실하게 견학만 하고 있습니다.

The inspection team was supposed to carry out a thorough inspection including visiting the farm where the disease was detected and having a biopsy on the dead cow in order to dispel every suspicion. However this inspection team merely toured around some places which the US side allowed them to visit. They never even made it close to the farm where the disease broke out and the biopsy was also turned down by the US. And the visit to meatpacking facilities was limited to the domestic facilities and not the one handling beef which will be exported internationally. In summary, the inspection team did nothing. They had a field trip to some spots and stayed on a travel route all planned out by the US.

A brochure of anti US beef import protest planned on May 12 (left). Image shared by twitter user @hudanchu

Sarcastic comments ridiculing the inspection team inundated blogs and the twittersphere. Lee Hyang-ah commented [ko] below a related news article:

세금으로 미국여행 잘하고왓지뭐…자기들이 미국가서 광우병조사한다고하면 아이고 오시느라고 고생많았습니다. 앉아서 커피나 먹으면서 같이 얘기해봅시다. 이럴줄알앗나?? 뭔 뜻으로 조사단을 보냇는지 모르겟다.

They had a quite a good trip to the US with the taxpayer's money. Did they really think the US would welcome them when they came over to inspect for mad cow disease? Did they really think the US would say, “What a trip you had. Come and take a seat over here and discuss this issue over a coffee”? Really? I don't see the reason for dispatching the inspection team.

A net user @555773 tweeted [ko]:

[…]농장에도 방문도 못하고 조사한 결과가 이상이 없다며 검역 강화에만 치중하면서 중단은 하지 않고 국민의 불안감만 안기고 있는 정부를 신뢰할수 없다

They (referring to the mad cow disease inspection team) did not even visit the farm (where the disease broke out). The government is trying so hard to persuade us that US beef is safe and want to focus on continuing the quarantine regime, instead of halting the imports. And this kind of behavior makes South Korean people more anxious and harder to trust the current government even more.

Baek Chan-hong (@mindgood) tweeted [ko]:

헛물만 켜다온 광우병 조사단 “미국산 쇠고기 안전” 결론…그럴거면 이메일로 조사하지.

The dispatched team's inspection was totally useless. And they concluded that US beef is safe. Is this all we can get? Then it could have been better to inspect the case via email.

Another Twitter user @korea486 tweeted [ko]:

광우병 조사단 귀국,미국 쇠고기 이상 없다고 발표했군요! 광우병 조사단? 관광단 유람단 아니였나? 이 이인간들 미국소 먹을까요? 안 먹을까요?

The mad cow disease inspection team returned from the US and announced there is nothing wrong with US beef. Did they just call themselves an inspection team? I thought they were a tour team. What do you think- will they eat US beef in the future?

Cho Neung-hee(@mbcpdcho), a producer at MBC who is also a former chief producer of investigative journalism show “PD Notebook” tweeted [ko]:

조사단장을 맡은 주이석 질병방역본부장은 지난 2008년 4월 미국쇠고기 졸속협상시 협상단 실무담당자였다. 2008년 6월에는 PD수첩 제작진을 형사처벌해달라며 대검찰청에 수사의뢰서를 제출하고 관련 진술을 한 사람으로 조사의 객관성과 공정성이 의심된다.

The leader of the inspection team Joo E-suk, also the head of the animal quarantine office, was actually the one who handled the administrative stuff during the US beef import negotiation process back on April 2008. On June 2008, he even requested an investigation of PD Notebook reporters (who covered the danger of the mad cow disease) by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office and indeed testified against us. I highly doubt this investigation's objectivity and fairness.

Some news reports revealed that scientists and scholars who are against the US beef imports were excluded from the team.

The government argues the most recent case in California is a very rare atypical case and the case is unlikely to have caused by animal feed. However, another tweet [ko] by Cho made references to some US officials from the Clinton and Obama administrations who said they cannot verify for the moment whether there is any possible connection between the disease and the animal feed and they can't confirm the origin of this atypical case. Cho added [ko]:

[…] 학자들의이 반론으로 미국정부도 그 원인을 모른다고 후퇴했는데.. 유독 한국 농식품부는 사료가 원인이 아니라고 ‘추정'된다며.. 그러니 안전하다며.. 국민을 설득하려는지 참으로 안타깝군요. 사전예방의 법칙! 어디갔어?

Due to scholars arguments, even the US government have stepped back and acknowledged that they don't know clear reasons for the disease outbreak. But South Korea's Food/Agriculture Department alone ‘assumes' that the animal feed is not the cause of the problem, so it is safe. It is so pathetic to see them trying hard to persuade Korean people. Where did the rule of “Prevention” (in health policy) go in this country ?

IamPeter added [ko] after his analysis:

“정형 광우병은 없어졌다”고 했는데, 세계동물보건기구(OIE)의 2011년 광우병 통계에는 총 광우병 29건 중 정형 26건, 비정형 3건으로 나와 있습니다. […] 광우병에 대한 과학적인 결론은 100% 진실이 없습니다. 아직 정확하게 규명되지 않은 일들이 많기 때문입니다. 그렇기에 더욱 위험합니다. 과학적으로 규명되지 않았기에 위험하지 않다는 주장은 ‘바다의 깊이를 현재 모른다'라고 말해놓고, ‘그러니 빠져도 괜찮다'라는 말과 다를 바가 없습니다.

The government said that the ‘typical' disease case has disappeared. But according to OIE's [note: OIE refers to International Office of Epizootics which still known by its French acronym Office International des Epizooties] statistics on mad cow disease in 2011, among the total 29 mad cow disease cases, 26 cases of were ‘typical' and three were ‘atypical' cases […] There is no 100 percent verified scientific truth in the mad cow disease controversy yet, since there are lots of parts that need to be proven. That is what makes this situation more dangerous. (The current South Korean government's) logic is, ‘It is not dangerous since the risk of the disease has not yet been scientifically proven'. To me it seems like saying, “We don't know the depth of the ocean yet, so it is okay to fall into it”.

Brazil: Homeless Movement in Belo Horizonte Surrounded by Police

Sara Moreira — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:21:26 +0000

“Ocupação Eliana Silva” [pt], a camping site of around 300 families in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which had been occupied mostly by homeless workers [pt] on April 21, in protest against lack of housing conditions, was sieged by the military police today, May 11. Journalist Adriano Ventura (@adrianoventura) is tweeting photos that illustrate the tension between the population and the police.

Madagascar: Teachers Strike over Stipends Repressed by Armed Forces

Lova Rakotomalala — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:50:53 +0000

The teachers association in Madagascar has been on strike for a week [fr] over disagreement regarding their monthly wages. The protests have been repressed by tear gas launched by the armed forces [fr]. Students have also joined in the protests [mg] (via Jentilisa's photoblog).

Thailand: Grandfather Jailed for Lese Majeste Dies

Mong Palatino — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:13:04 +0000

Amphon Tangnoppakul, the 62-year-old Thai jailed for Lese Majeste (royal insult), died in prison today. His 20-year jail sentence was criticized by human rights advocates who are also demanding an amendment of the controversial law.

France: Reactions to Presidential Election Results in Photos

Negarra Akili Kudumu — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:41:26 +0000

The 2012 French presidential election, the tenth presidential election of the Fifth Republic has delivered its verdict on May 6, 2012. Socialist candidate Francois Hollande collected 51.90% of the votes against 48.10% for incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy in this second round of voting. The presidential election will be followed by parliamentary elections on June 10 and 17.

Awaiting the Results

Nicolas Sarkozy's supporters in Paris gathered at La Mutualité before moving to the Place de la Concorde (a last minute change had canceled the appointment at Place de la Concorde). Here is a picture of the room at La Mutualité at 7 pm:

Room at the Mutualité at 7 pm by @fgerschel on Twitter

Supporters of Francois Hollande gathered at Solferino Street before joining at the Bastille in case of a victory.

Bastille at 7 pm by @Laurent_Berbon on Twitter

The city of Tulle where Francois Hollande used to be the mayor, waited anxiously for the results:

The central square in Tulle by @webarticulista

Announcing the Results

An embargo in France on sharing results until 8pm led internet users to use several tricks to discuss the forecasts published by foreign media. On Twitter, those using the hashtag #radiolondres, were unrivaled in ingenuity.

The Hash tag #radiolondres on Twitter

Joy and Sorrow

After the announcement of results, many activists celebrated:

Celebrations at Bastille @samschech

The disappointment was visible in the camp of outgoing President:

UMP (Sarkozy's party) activist in tears by @Alexsulzer

In front of La Mutualité, the mood was grim at the announcement of results:

In front of La Mutualité, activists learn the results by @eanizon

The end of campaign speeches for each candidate can be found on their respective websites: (François Hollande [fr] and Nicolas Sarkozy [fr]).

South Korea: Fearing Mad Cow Disease, New Protests Against US Beef

Lee Yoo Eun — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:13:27 +0000

Thousands of South Koreans held candlelight protests this week to demonstrate against continued beef imports from the United States after the detection of mad cow disease in California in April. Four years earlier in 2008, when several tens of thousands gathered for the candlelight vigils to protest a planned import, the government eventually made promises to halt imports immediately whenever the disease breaks out.

The unkept promise now reignites public anger and has revived the four-year old tradition of candlelight vigils.

Twitter Photo by user @notable1980

Twitter user @notable1980 tweeted [ko] with a photo of protest above:

[촛불시즌2][2012년5월2일7시청계광장][…]”작은 실천이 세상을 바꿉니다.”

[Season Two of Candle Light (Vigil)] [7 pm, May 2, 2012, the City Hall Choenggye Square] […] “Small actions change the world”

Twitter Photo by @opentree20

Another user @opentree20 tweeted [ko] the photo above and said:

2009년 광우병 촛불이 처음 밝혀진지 딱 4년만입니다. 4년 전 그날처럼 국민들이 같은 마음으로 한 자리에 모여 촛불을 높이 들고 있네요. 미국산 소 수입 즉각 중단하십시오!

It has been exactly four years since the candles were lit up in 2009 to protest against the mad cow disease (-tainted meat). With the same mindset of those days back in 2009, Korean people now sit together to hoist up their candles. Please immediately halt importing US beef!

Twitter photo by @hyojinlovelove.

Kim Hyo-jin (@hyojinlovelove) tweeted from a scene of protest that continued late into the night.

이 시간 청계광장. 미국산 광우병 소고기 수입 반대 집회. 어김없이 촛불을 들다. 시간이 지날수록 더 많은 사람들이 모이고 있어요.

Now at Cheonggye Square- a protest against mad cow disease infected US beef imports. We lifted up our candles. More people have gathered as time goes by.

Twitter photo by @sisyphus79

A tweet by user @sisyphus79 read [ko]:

촛불 4주년 광우병 쇠고기 반대 촛불집회 현장입니다. 4년 전 그때의 공기가 이곳에서 느껴집니다. http://twitpic.com/9gcd4i

This is the scene of candle light vigil against the mad cow disease tainted beef — just like what we had four years ago. I can feel the same air in this place.

Twitter Photo by @gree

Twitter user @gree tweeted [ko] the photo above and said:

다시 모이고, 다시 밝힌 촛불들이 외칩니다. “거짓말 정부 못 믿겠다. 광우병 쇠고기 수입 중단하라!”

The candle lights have once again came together and have been rekindled to shout out, “We can't trust this liar government any more. Stop importing the mad cow disease-tainted beef”.

Protesters waved candles and flags, sang songs and held banners that said “Protect the sovereignty of the people” and “Stop US beef imports” as can be seen in the pictures above. About 4,000 police officers were dispatched to the protest scene and some demonstraters have been arrested [ko].

Twitter Photo by @ytnmania

YTN Labor Union, for employees of a South Korean national cable news channel, (@ytnmania) tweeted a photo of police (above) blocking the protesters:

4년만에 다시 모인 청계광장 광우병 규탄 촛불집회에 앵그리 YTN 조합원들도 참석! 경찰 청계광장을 미리 점거해서 자리가 비좁네요!

It has been four years, and the protesters have come again to stage a candlelight vigil against the tainted (US beef) at Cheonggye Square. We, the ANGRY YTN members have attended, even though this place is so crowded as the police already occupied the Square.

Back in 2008 mass protests broke out and continued for over a month. Since the government lifted its ban on imports, South Korea is now the fourth-largest importer of US beef in the world.

@wjsfree posted a video explaining why people are so concerned about the import in a Storify story.

A mass protest which started on May 2, 2012 continued for another day and is likely to continue throughout the next week. Several thousands gathered on the first day of protest and about a thousand [ko] continued rallying throughout the next day.

South Korea’s influential one-man media, Media Mongu uploaded a photo of a young girl who participated in the protest with her mother and grandmother. They are holding banners that read “Halt Imports (two on the right)” and “Protect Our Sovereignty (on the left)”.

Twitter Photo by Media Mongu

@jhohmylaw tweeted [ko] about his reasons for protesting on the second day:

(내가 오늘도 청계광장을 가는 이유) 1.촛불시위는 이제 시작일 뿐이다 2. 어제는 국민의 힘을 제대로 보여 주지 못했다. 3. MB정부, 쇠고기 수입중단 안하고 있다 4.자식의 안전을 걱정해야 하는 아버지다 5. 그곳에 가면 기분이 좋다.

(Why I go to the Cheongye Square again today) 1. It is only the beginning of candle light vigils. 2. Yesterday's protest was not strong enough to show the people's power. 3. The MB government [President Lee Myung-bak's initials] has not halted the import yet. 4. I am a father of children who worries about my kids' health. 5. I just feel good being there.

Even the nation’s far right-wing newspapers which side with the government on almost every issue released a statistic [ko] showing 72.5 percent of Korean people want to halt the US beef imports. Meanwhile, a more progressive newspaper, Pressian, retrieved an image [ko] of a government advertisement from an old newspaper. The ad, paid for by the government's health department, said, “There is nothing more important than the public health. Count on us to protect you” and “If mad cow disease-contaminated beef were ever detected in the United States, we will immediately stop imports”.

The government's second promise was to run a thorough inspection on all imported beef and the origin of the disease breakout, which many Twitter users such as @yoji0802, thinks casts doubts [ko] on the accuracy of the results even before the inspection starts.

Pakistan: Public Reaction on PM's Contempt Verdict

Kumail Ahmed — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:03:19 +0000

The contempt case against Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has finally come to an end. The court's verdict gave the Prime Minister a symbolic punishment of 37 seconds, ending the three month long judicial process. Analysts say that the decision would not end the prevalent constitutional confusion, rather, only have increased it.

Furthermore, it has started a new public process in which people are divided either in support of the Prime Minister or against him. People came on the road in support of the democratic process in the country. On the other hand, some say that the supreme court has the right to elucidate the constitution.

Supporters of ruling Pakistan People Party shout in the protest. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix.

Many people have commented that the Supreme court has not played a democratic role in pursuing justice.

Nazar M. Chohan comments:

CJ and his Supreme Court judges loves polarising the society beyond repair…keep it up!!!

Imran calls this a redundant activity. The Supreme Court had always played a role in belittling democracy and always supported dictatorship. He comments:

Not surprised…. SC is just keeping up to its reputation.
1. Okayed Ayub’s martial law
2. Okayed Zia’s martial law
3. Hanged a prime minister
4. Dismissed Benazir’s government twice
5. Approved Musharraf’s martial law
6. Allowed Musharraf to amend constitution
7. Allowed Musharraf to run for president while serving in army

Yesmeen Ali tweets:

@yasmeen_9: You know the law.Civil Contempt does not disqualify the PM.

Ahsan Riaz Chaudhary tweets:

@chahsanriaz: My lord #CJ is all set for “adhocism” in his zeal to send PM #Gilani home! #SupremeCourt #Pakistan

Some people call this decision a triumph of justice. People say that PM Gilani should resign from his premiership and implement the order of the higher judiciary.

@hamza101: Gilani is not just in contempt of court, but now has committed high disloyalty with #Pakistan..!#PPPFail

@alihzinsaf: #Gilani has been convicted. A convict cannot be#PM. A #PM should have ethics and high moral ground and shd be a role model citizen of the state

@malikakissxkhan: #Gilani You integrity and self respect is 0. Your loyalty to Pakistan is 0. Your right to appeal is a joke. Im not laughing. Resign

The bias either in support of Prime Minister or against him can be easily observed. The opposition parties, PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz) and PTI (Pakistan Tahreek Insaf) are asking the Prime Minster to resign as soon as possible.

“Will the PM resign” is a million dollar question. The aftermath of this verdict are still premature, but the ruling party wants to complete its constitutional tenure.

Madagascar: Two Journalists in Jail on World Press Freedom Day

Lova Rakotomalala — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:57:55 +0000

Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy et Fidèle Razarapiera, two radio journalists of Free FM Radio in Madagascar are held at the police station [fr] of Betongolo, Antananarivo for libel and diffusing political news [fr] that do not conform with the original radio programming agreement. Blogger Teraka Randriatsoa explains the context of the conflict [fr] between Free FM Radio station, the CEO of Sodiat Group M. Ravatomanga and the ministry of communication.

Tunisia: TV Station Chief Sued for Broadcasting ‘Persepolis'

Salah Almhamdi — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:12:40 +0000

On May 3, 2012, Tunisian courts will announce the verdict in the trial of Nabil Karoui, owner of the private channel Nessma TV, who has been prosecuted for broadcasting the animated film Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

Scenes in the film depict God visiting in a dream and appearing in human form. The broadcast created a lot of anger, and a complaint was filed by 144 lawyers and others. The trial was delayed many times, but the verdict will be announced on May 3 - which is World Press Freedom Day. If convicted, Karoui faces up to three years in prison.

Persepolis was broadcast at around the same time that Ennahda won a majority of seats in parliament, and some saw it as a political statement associating Tunisia with Iran, and a warning for Tunisians to “stay moderate and vigilant”.

Nabil Karoui talking to journalists in front of the courthouse in Tunis. Photo by machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

In a blog post entitled “Nessma Trial: Luckily the Ridiculous Doesn't Kill” [fr], blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni commented on the trial proceedings:

Maître Raja Haj Mansour a été la première avocate de la partie civile à donner un plaidoyer comique dans lequel elle a expliqué que son fils a fait trois nuits blanches successives après avoir regardé le film “Persepolis” et que c'est lui qui lui a demandé de porter plainte contre Nabil Karoui. Par la suite d'autres avocats ont donné des plaidoyers dignes du Moyen-Age.

Raja Haj Mansour was the first lawyer for the plaintiff to give a comic plea in which she explained that her son had had three successive sleepless nights after watching the film “Persepolis”, and it was he who asked her to sue Nabil Karoui. Subsequently other lawyers provided arguments worthy of the Middle Ages.

Myriam Meziou joked:

@myriammeziou: le fils de Raja mansour a eu une crise car il a vu persepolis!!!! que va-t-il lui arriver qd il regardera son 1er Porno? #nessma

The son of Raja Mansour had an emotional crisis because he saw Persepolis!!!! What will happen to him when he watches his first porno? #nessma

Doctor and politician Zeineb Turki wrote:

@ZeinebTurki: Il est utile de rappeler qu'il ne s'agit pas du procès de #nessma ni de celui de #Persepolis mais celui de la liberté d'expression

It's useful to remember that this is not about the trial of #nessma nor that of #Persepolis but of the freedom of expression

From Paris, Anissa B. tweeted:

@beautifultango7: Verdict due today in #Persepolis trial. Key test of freedom of speech in #Tunisia. #NessmaTV

The following video from Nawaat features protests against the broadcast of Persepolis:

UPDATE: Nabil Karoui has been fined [fr] 2,400 dinars (1200 euros). His lawyer will appeal.

Some reactions:

@HouyemTN: Condamner le film #Persepolis en taxant Nabil Karoui, quelle décision honteuse. Vive la #liberteDexpression. #Nessma #Tunisie

Condemning the film Persepolis by fining Nabil Karoui, what a shameful decision. Long live freedom of expression.

@Artkore_: 2400 DT… C'est le prix de la Libérté d'expression ? Faites Des Réserves #Nessma #freepress

2400 dinars… This is the price of freedom of speech? Start saving.

@FelFel_: Bref, je pense que le verdict est “un joli” compromis. #NessmaTrial

Briefly, I think the verdict is a “pretty” compromise.

@Out__rage: Dans l'affaire #Nessma, tout le monde s'en sort. Sauf la liberté d'expression. C'est seulement le début de l'agonie chers compatriotes.

In the Nessma case, everyone comes out well. Except for freedom of expression. This is only the beginning of the agony, dear compatriots.

Egypt: Eyewitness Account of Abbassiya Clashes

Mohamed ElGohary — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:21:27 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Elections 2011/12.

Eleven people were killed and more than 160 injured near Egypt's Ministry of Defence (MOD) on May 2, 2012, after protesters demanding an end to military rule were attacked by armed men. The protestors had been conducting a sit-in over a period of days outside the MOD in the Abbassiya area of Cairo, and included many supporters of Salafi politician Hazem Salah Abu Ismail who were protesting his exclusion from the forthcoming presidential elections.

The following is an eye-witness account [ar] by blogger Bassem Zakaria El-Samragy, who was at the sit-in. Bassem writes:

امبارح بالليل طبعا زي معظم الناس معرفتش أنام وصحيت الصبح مقدرتش أعمل أي حاجة غير إني أروح على الاعتصام. نزلت محطة مترو كوبري القبة ومشيت الخليفة المأمون كله الدنيا أمان والمواصلات ماشية ومفيش أي حاجة لحد ما وصلت للاعتصام عند ميدان العباسية برضه الدنيا أمان والعدد قليل جدا في الاعتصام، وأنا ضعيف في تقدير الأعداد لكن ما أظنّش إنهم يعدّوا مئات .. وصحيح مشفتش ولا يافطة لحازم أبو إسماعيل لكن أغلب المعتصمين سلفيين وده طبعا مش معناه إنهم يُعتدى عليهم أو يُسلبوا حق من حقوقهم بأي شكل من الأشكال.

Last night, like most people, I wasn't able to sleep, and when I woke up I couldn't do anything apart from go to the sit-in. I took the metro to Kobry El-Qobba station, and walked along El-Khalifa El-Ma'moon St [intersecting with MOD]. Everything was fine and traffic was flowing normally. There was nothing until I reached the sit-in in Abbassiya Square; everything was still fine with very few people at the sit-in. I'm not that good at estimating numbers but I don't think they were more than a few hundred. I didn't see a single Hazem Abo Ismael banner but most of the protestors were Salafists. Of course this doesn't mean they deserve to be assaulted or their rights violated by any means.

Clashes between thugs and protesters, by Abbassiya metro station. Image by Twitter user @adamakary.

المهم، عديت الاعتصام ولاقيت ناس من ناحيتنا محتلة الكوبري مأمّناه (وأنا مش هاقول ثوار وبلطجية .. هاقول من ناحيتنا ومن ناحيتهم) وساحة المعركة الأساسية هي موقف أوتوبيس العباسية .. الملاحظة الأساسية هي إن الناس اللي من ناحيتنا والناس اللي من ناحيتهم شبه بعض، الفرق بس إن ناحيتنا في سلفيين كتير .. السلاح الأساسي في المعركة الطوب والمولوتوف، وشفت اتنين من الناحية التانية معاهم فِرَد خرطوش .. واللي بيحصل كالآتي: احنا محتلين ساحة موقف الأوتوبيسات كله تقريبا معظم الوقت وهم واخدين البيوت في ضهرهم والطوب والمولوتوف شغال، وفي كذا فرشة خضار اتحرقت في الموقف من المولوتوف بتاعنا، وكل شوية العيلين اللي معاهم خرطوش يضربوا علينا فنرجع لنص الموقف أو نرجع لحد ما نجيبهم عند الكوبري فالناس اللي واقفة فوق الكوبري تحدف عليهم من فوق فيرجعوا ونتقدم تاني .. وهكذا، يتقدموا فنرجع ونتقدم فيرجعوا، في معركة متكافئة لأقصى حد .. مشفتش إصابات عندهم لكن شفت عندنا إصابات أغلبها من الطوب

Anyway, I passed through the sit-in, and I found people from our side occupying and guarding the bridge (I won't say “revolutionaries” and “thugs”, I will say “from our side” and “from their side”). The main battlefield was the Abbassiya bus station. My chief remark is that people from both sides were very much alike; the only difference was more Salafists on our side. The main weapons were bricks and Molotov cocktails. I saw two people on the other side with shotguns. This is what was happening: we were occupying the bus station most of the time while the other side had the houses behind their backs as the bricks and molotovs were in the air. A vegetable stall was burnt in the bus station by one of our molotovs. Every so often one of the two guys with shotguns aimed at us so we retreated to the rear half of the station or to the bridge, until the people standing on the bridge threw bricks at them so we could move forward again. This attacking and retreating went on in a very equal battle. No injuries on their side, but I saw injuries on our side, mostly from bricks.

الناس اللي بيضربوا علينا قلت إنهم شبهنا، وفيهم حتى عيال صغيرة وناس تانية بتحدف طوب حتى بطريقة ماتدلّش على إنهم محترفين إجرام .. لكن في ناس منهم شكلهم فعلا محترفين إجرام، وفي ناس من عندنا شكلهم برضه محترفين إجرام والسلاح الوحيد اللي شفته من ناحيتنا واحد معاه مطواة كان عايز يدخل الناحية التانية يجيب واد كده كان بيحاول يستفزّنا .. (بالمناسبة، أرجوكم محدش يزايد عليا في حوار الناس اللي شكلهم محترفين إجرام ده، أنا ولا شاب برجوازي ولا طبقى وسطى ولا كل الكليشيهات دي)

I mentioned earlier that the attackers were similar to us; there were even small kids, and other people throwing bricks at us in a way that proved they were not professionals thugs. But there were also people among them who really looked like criminals, and there were some people on our side too who looked like criminals. The only weapon I saw on our side was a guy with a knife who wanted to go over to capture a guy who was trying to provoke us. (By the way, please don't start going on at me about people looking like criminals or not; I'm not bourgeois or middle class and have nothing to do with all those cliches.)

Wounded and bloodied being carried away from Abbassiya. Image by Twitter user @sharifkouddous.

في ميدان العباسية العربيات بتعدّي عادي .. وشفت حالتين مرة عربية تاكسي ومرة عربية سوزوكي صغيرة معدية والناس حدفت عليها طوب لسبب مش فاهمه في حالة السوزوكي لكن في حالة التاكسي على حسب ما فهمت إن الراجل كان بيزمّر لهم علشان يعدّي .. وشفت حالة تانية لواحد كان ماشي وبيقول كلام من نوعية خربتوا البلد فواحد من ناحيتنا قلع له الحزام وكان هيدبّ فيه لولا الناس حاشته .. سمعت من أكتر من حد كلام عن الإحباط وعن إنها شكلها كده مش هتخلص إلا لو جبنا سلاح .. أنا مشفتش سلاح بعيني لكن كان في ناس بتتكلم عن “رغبة” مش “نية” في إنهم يجيبوا سلاح وذخيرة
الخلاصة: أنا أول مرة أبقى متلخبط لأن اللي بيدبّوا من الناحيتين زي ما قلت شبه بعض .. شكلهم مدني وماستبعدش يكون في بلطجية في الناحيتين فالموقف الأخلاقي فعلا صعب

In Abbassiya Square the cars were passing by normally; in only two cases I saw people throwing bricks at a taxi and a small Suzuki car as they passed. I didn't understand why for the Suzuki, but with the taxi from what I understood the driver was honking hard in order to pass. In another case a passing pedestrian was shouting some words like “They destroyed the country”, so someone from our side took off his belt to attack that guy, but people stopped him. Several times I heard frustrated comments that it wouldn't end without weapons. I didn't see weapons but there were people talking about a desire, not just an intention, to bring arms and ammunition.
In short: for the first time ever I felt confused because the two sides really looked alike, as I said. They looked like civilians, but I'm not saying there weren't thugs on both sides. Morally speaking the situation is really complicated.

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Elections 2011/12.

Mali: 22 killed as Fighting Continues between Military Junta and Loyalists

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:51:31 +0000

In Bamako, Bruce Whitehouse's time-stamped diary reveals heavy gun fights between the military junta and loyalist soldiers on May 2. Reports confirm that administrative buildings were being evacuated because of the shooting. 22 were killed and a dozen injured (fr) (mostly soldiers but a few civilians as well) since the fighting started two days ago.