Global Voices » Refugees

Support Snowden Rally in Hong Kong

Oiwan Lam — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:19:02 +0000

HongWrong has collected a large number of media reports on the rally to support Edward Snowden in Hong Kong on 15 of June, 2013. Hundreds rallied in the rain demanding the U.S government to stop its spying activities and Hong Kong government to protect Snowden.

Syria: Old Homs Under Siege for a Year

Rami Alhames — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:44:24 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests

This month marks the first anniversary of the siege of the old city of Homs, often described as the capital of the Syrian Revolution. Homs, one of the first revolutionary Syrian cities to revolt against the tyranny of Bashar Al Assad, along with 14 neighborhoods and districts of the old city, including Baba Amr, Bab Sbaa, Khalidiya and Deir Balba, has been subjected to bombardment by the Syrian regime, shelling and raids for more than two years, making the daily survival even harder as food and medical supplies dwindle.

Homs…city under siege
by abdulrahman-romano

In November 2012, Global Voices Online ran a post entitled Homs, A Revolutionary Syrian City in Ruins. The “siege” of the 14 neighborhoods in Homs is a special case – and is not similar to other Syrian cities. It is a reminder of the siege of Gaza. However, in Homs there are no secret tunnels to smuggle basic supplies, medical aid and injured and sick people. In Homs, a few thousand people are trapped in an area where there were 400,000 people residing. jeydt23 reported on Storify:

What is being called the Siege of Homs is arguably the most intense war zone in all of Syria at the moment. The siege has been going on for months with the death tolls on both sides of the conflict adding up daily. Below are pictures, tweets, and videos of the people striving to survive.

In old Homs, there is no agricultural land to grow vegetables and fruit, resulting in shortages in food supplies. This video shows children picking leaves and complaining about the lack of food:

There is also no hospital or medical center, [Al Amal Hospital was fully destroyed on April 1, 2012]. Instead, some [warning: link to graphic video showing an injured person undergoing an operation without anesthesia] makeshift hospitals rely on trainees to serve patients.

The government has also cut services such as electricity, water or communications in the besieged neighbourhoods. Instead, the survival of the inhabitants depends on water from wells, electricity generators and the use of satellite communications. There are no schools, universities or educational institutions. Instead, hundreds of children are living daily bombings and continuous daily shelling by mortar, rocket launchers, long-range missiles, tanks and warplane raids.

Syrian activists posted this video on the Facebook page of Break the siege of Homs on June 6, 2013, revealing the destruction of the city.

The blog Greater Syria posted a heart-breaking story under the title Yasin and Maryam Sabbagh…End the Siege on Homs, which describes the murder of a brother and sister (Yassin and Maryam) who were killed by a mortar bomb, fired by the regime’s forces in pro-regime districts, while playing outside their home. A video of their martyrdom with an emotional comment said:

A short while ago, a piece of news stabbed my heart hard and petrified my eyes in disbelief. [.....] Maryam and Yassin Sabbagh drawing what their life has been limited to: mortars, shelling, darkness, fear, and destruction; deprived from education, from schools, from having friends and neighbours to play with, from enjoying the blessings of life like world’s children, from food and sanitary water, from electricity, from everything..

Break the siege of Homs. Source Facebook page

On his Facebook page, Yazan Homsi calls upon Syrians to support the revolution and not let the martyrs down. He posted a letter written by an activist who reminded all Syrian activists of their pledge to protect the revolution until it achieves its goals:

عتب شهيد على كل متخاذل ….
تاريخ الكتابة 9-6-2013 حمص – المنطقة المحاصرة
تاريخ الشهادة 10-6-2013 حمص – المنطقة المحاصرة

A reproach from a martyr for everyone not living up to his duty…
Written Date 09/06/2013 Homs – the besieged area
Martyrdom Date 10/06/2013 Homs – the besieged area

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests

Senegal's Democratic Tradition Takes Worrisome Turn

Anna Gueye — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:40:06 +0000

[All links forward to French-language webpages unless otherwise noted.]

Senegal has a solid tradition of democracy and protection of freedom of expression and human rights. But recent months have seen the West African nation's reputation as a stronghold for democracy in Africa seriously damaged with the evictions of a Chadian journalist and Gambian dissident, both opponents of the governments in their home countries.

Chadian [en] blogger and journalist Makaila Nguebla [en], an opponent of his country's President Idriss Déby [en] who has ruled Chad for more than two decades, was deported on May 8, 2013 to neighboring Guinea. Nguebala runs a highly critical blog about his country's regime.

Well-known Gambian [en] opponent Kukoi Samba Sanyang [en], who led the 1981 rebellion against the regime of former President Dawda Kaïraba Diawara, was expelled April 17, 2013 to Mali.

Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, author for the Senegalese weekly Le Témoin, detailed Senegal's democratic character, giving credit to the country's first President Leopold Sedar Senghor, a poet and intellectual who served from 1960 to 1980, in his post titled “Senegal, your excellent traditions are falling apart!“:

Le Sénégal n’a ni or (ou alors très peu, dans la région de Kédougou), ni diamants, encore moins du pétrole, du gaz ou de l’uranium … De plus, la pluviométrie n’y est pas abondante et la plupart de nos paysans ne travaillent que trois mois dans l’année … Malgré tout, notre pays tient une place honorable dans le concert des nations africaines. Et, à franchement parler, il a un niveau de développement que beaucoup de pays incroyablement gâtés par la nature nous envient. Cela est dû, bien sûr, à la qualité des ressources humaines du Sénégal produites par un système éducatif de qualité mis en place par le premier président de la République, le poète, agrégé de grammaire et académicien Léopold Sédar Senghor. Un système public d’éducation dont l’actuel Président est un pur produit, soit dit en passant. … Ce niveau de développement enviable, notre pays le doit aussi à sa stabilité politique légendaire qui a fait que, depuis l’indépendance en 1960, il n’a jamais connu de coup d’Etat militaire. En Afrique, notre pays est l’un des rares à avoir toujours été gouverné par un pouvoir civil. Et au moment où partout ailleurs, les pouvoirs militaires étaient la règle, le Sénégal a constitué une joyeuse exception, un îlot de démocratie dans un océan de dictatures … Bref, de quelque côté qu’on le prenne, le Sénégal a toujours fait figure d’exception en Afrique.

Senegal has neither gold (or very little, in the Kedougou region) nor diamonds, let alone oil, gas or uranium … In addition, rainfall is not abundant and most of our farmers only work three months per year … However, our country holds an honorable place among the African nations. And frankly speaking, Senegal has a level of development that many other countries with more natural blessings would envy. This is, of course, due to the quality of human resources in Senegal which is itself, a byproduct of the quality of the educational system established by the first President of the Republic of Senegal Leopold Sedar Senghor. Senghor was also a poet, a grammar scholar and the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. By the way the current president is a pure product of this same public educational system. … This enviable standard of development, our country also owes it to its legendary political stability; since its independence in 1960, it has never experienced a military coup. In Africa, our country is one of the few to have only been governed by civil authorities. And when everywhere else, military authorities were the rule, Senegal was a happy exception; an island of democracy in a sea of dictatorships … Anyway, whichever way you see, Senegal has always been an exception in Africa.

But some consider that Senegal has moved away from that legacy left by Sedar Senghor. Last year, former President Abdoulaye Wade [en], who was accused during his tenure corruption, nepotism and curtailing freedom of the press, was defeated in his highly criticized bid for a third term [en] in office.

With Wade’s regime at an end, some expected a return to those democratic roots. But these recent measures taken by the current government raise questions about its commitment to do so.

Even Wade, who was much criticized [en] during his regime, was always respectful of Senegal's tradition as a host country for freedom of speech activists. The failure of Wade's government was not about free speech activists, but was not regularizing the situation of refugees.

As deported Chadian blogger Nguebala told Global Voices :

“Under Abdoulaye Wade's regime, I was never arrested once by the police”

A coalition called “Right of Asylum and Freedom of Expression” was created to demand Nguebla’s return. In the following video, the coalition unpacks the context of the evicitions and the risks that the bloggers are facing:

Boly BAH, journalist for La Gazette (a Senegalese website) called for the sliding of Senegal's democracy to be stopped in his post “The Deviant Turn of a Democracy“:

Une dérive à stopper. Qui est le prochain sur la liste ? En moins de deux mois, le Sénégal a chassé deux opposants africains de Dakar. … C’est une concession grave à des régimes anti-démocratiques … Cette expulsion d’un défenseur des droits humains et leader d’opinion vers la Guinée, un pays « non sûr » et en proie à des tensions politiques, laisse apparaître un deal entre les autorités politiques sénégalaises et tchadiennes, en vue d’extrader Makaila Nguebla au Tchad où sa vie est menacée.
Le combat sera mené jusqu’au retour de Makaila et de Kukoi Samba Sanyang. …

Les pays n’ont pas d’ami mais des intérêts. En procédant aux expulsions de Kukoi Samba Sanyang, le Sénégal défend peut-être les relations de bon voisinage avec la Gambie. Et fait un clin d’œil à Yaya Jammeh, président gambien au cœur du règlement du conflit de la Casamance. La Gambie avait même facilité la libération des otages sénégalais, il y a quelques mois. C’est peut-être compréhensible de lui renvoyer la monnaie en expulsant son opposant-rebelle, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. Avec le Tchad, certes, il n’y a pas cette grande amitié, mais la nouvelle posture africaine de Idrisss Deby Itno vaut peut-être cette largesse.

Deby a le vent en poupe et avec sa forte colonie militaire dans le désert malien, le président tchadien est en pleine puissance sous-régionale. Le Tchad contribue aussi au financement du procès d’Habré. Maintenant, si le jugement d’Habré participe au renforcement de l’indépendance judiciaire africaine, l’expulsion de Makaïla reste plutôt suspecte. Le blogueur était un combattant de la démocratie. Un relais entre son peuple et l’extérieur. Il était la voix des sans voix tchadiennes, il informait des dérives de Deby parce que bénéficiant de cette liberté d’expression qui fait défaut à ses confrères restés au pays.

This drifting away from our legacy has to be stopped. Who is next on the list? In less than two months, Senegal deported two African political activists. … This is a serious concession to all anti-democratic regimes… This deportation of a human rights activist and opinion leader to Guinea, an “unsafe” country plagued by political tensions suggests a deal between Senegalese and Chadian political authorities. Next might be the extradition of Makaila Nguebla back to Chad where his life is under threat.

This struggle will continue until both Makaila and Kukoi Samba Sanyang return. …

Countries do not have friends, they have interests. In carrying out the evictions of Kukoi Samba Sanyang, Senegal may be maintaining good relations with the Gambia. He might also reach out to Yaya Jammeh, the Gambian President who is at the heart of the conflict in Casamance. Gambia has even facilitated the release of some Senegalese hostages in Gambia a few months ago. It is perhaps understandable to pay him back by expelling his rebellious opponent, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. With Chad, of course, there is no such great friendship, but Idriss Deby’s new african posture (his involvment in Mali) might be worth it.

Deby is on the rise and with his strong military forces in the desert of Mali, Chad's president is showing his full might in the region. Chad also contributes to the financing of [former leader of Chad Hissène] Habré’s trial. Now the Habré trial may help strengthen African judicial independence but on the other hand, Makaila’s deportation is rather dubious. The blogger was an advocate of democracy, a bridge between his people and the outside world. He was the voice of those Chadians without a voice; he informed the world about Deby’s excess because he enjoyed freedom of expression that his colleagues back home could not have.

Another recent issue is also symptomatic of the worrisome turn taken by Senegal on the protection of human rights.

Taking advantage of the media circus in Senegal caused by these two cases, a member of parliament of the presidential majority wants to file a bill for the return of death penalty. Senegal abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the last execution was held in 1967.

Even Fekke Maci Bolle, a political movement led Youssou N'Dour, the current Minister of Culture and Tourism, has come out against this bill. The movement published its stance on its Facebook page:

Celui ou celle qui affirme que l'on vit confortablement dans le couloir de la mort n'y a de toute évidence jamais mis les pieds … On voit rarement une personne riche ou aisée monter à la potence … La peine de mort est la négation absolue des droits humains. Il s’agit d'un meurtre commis par l'État, avec préméditation et de sang-froid. Ce châtiment cruel, inhumain et dégradant est infligé au nom de la justice.
Cette peine viole le droit à la vie inscrit dans la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme.
Amnesty International s'oppose à la peine de mort en toutes circonstances, quels que soient la nature du crime commis, les caractéristiques de son auteur ou la méthode utilisée par l'État pour l'exécuter.

Whoever says that one lives comfortably on death row has obviously never been there … You rarely see a rich or wealthy person being executed … Death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is a planned and cold-blooded murder committed by the State. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is inflicted in the name of justice.
It violates the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or how he committed the crime.

Australia: Security Storm Surrounds Convicted Egyptian Asylum Seeker

Kevin Rennie — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:38:42 +0000

Accusations of ‘jihadist terrorism’ against an Egyptian asylum seeker have fuelled political brawling in the lead up to Australia’s election on 14 September 2013. Sayed Abdellatif was kept in low security detention for nearly a year despite an Interpol red alert for convictions during the Mubarak regime in 1999.

The Opposition parties’ election promises include turning back refugee boats and increasing funding to the intelligence and security agencies. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has responded by setting up an internal inquiry into the apparent security failure.

Stories abound about alleged terrorist Sayed Ahmed Maksoud Abdellatif. Some involve accusations of involvement with al-Qaida funding.

Others present a more positive side. On 14 February 2012 IRIN a non-profit news service funded by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs painted a much more heroic portrait of the refugee. He was in Indonesia preparing to take a dangerous boat trip:

Egyptian asylum-seeker Sayed Ahmed Abdellatif, married with six children, says he is ready to risk everything to reach Australia – even his family.

…for 41-year-old Abdellatif, who faces possible extradition and a 15-year prison sentence of hard labour in Egypt for his religious affiliations, the risk is worth it.

Australia/Pacific Correspondent for Reuters Rob Taylor tweeted:

‏@ReutersTaylor: Egypt's Sayed Ahmed Abdellatif was so “dangerous” that his story was profiled by the UN as a hard luck story! http://www.irinnews.org/report/94852/i …

Ian Rintoul of the Refugee Action Coalition Sydney also disputes the case against Abdellatif:

A refugee advocate has called for the Opposition Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison to end his “terrorism” witch-hunt, and for the government to investigate the leaking of information by the Australian Federal Police.

Claims that ‘a convicted murderer’ has been held in low security immigration facilities are simply not true. This asylum seeker has never been convicted of murder or any specific terrorism charges.

Scott Morrison’s vendetta against ASIO and the Labor government is leading to a ‘trial by media’ of an Egyptian asylum seeker whose claims for protection have still not been considered by the Immigration Department.

On the other hand, Vietnam veteran Kev Gillett’s blog has an ex-soldier’s warning that we need to defend our borders:

Anyone with skin in the game or an interest in Australia’s security have been warning all and sundry that to let people into the country when they come via boats, having destroyed identity papers en route, is dangerous. These boat people are not all they make themselves out to be.

The Oz twitterverse has taken up the challenge. After reading Doubts about convictions of Egyptian asylum seeker at heart of political storm by the new Guardian Australia on 7 June, Andrew Watson accused the leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott and his Liberal Party:

‏@Andy_Downunda: #auspol It's reasonable to believe that Sayed Abdellatif is a Hosni Mubarak #patsy [victim]. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/07/conviction-egyptian-asylum-seeker?CMP=twt_gu … @TonyAbbottMHR #myliberal

Todd Kirby was unimpressed with this attack:

‏@toddkirby: oh my god why are all the lefties jizzing over this Guardian article about Sayed Abdellatif? http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/07/conviction-egyptian-asylum-seeker?CMP=twt_gu …

Meanwhile a no-win situation faces successful asylum seekers in Australia who do not get a security clearance from ASIO (the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation).

Amnesty International explained in 2012:

…they must pass an ASIO security assessment – but this process is problematic. ASIO is notoriously secretive about their findings, and refugees with a negative security assessment have no ability to challenge a negative assessment.

What happens to those not granted security clearance?

Quite simply, they are stuck in detention – possibly forever. The Australian government cannot return them home due to their refugee status, nor can they enter Australia.

As AI reported, there is now an independent review process but if that fails, refugees are held in security detention indefinitely.

Rally to support refugees
Photo: courtesy Indymedia CC BY-NC-SA licence

The inevitable lack of transparency that shrouds the work of intelligence and security agencies applies to the new review by a former Federal court judge. Takver joined the continuing criticism on Indymedia in April 2013:

55 asylum seekers have refugee status but are in immigration limbo as they have adverse security assessments from ASIO with no right of appeal or ability to question ASIO's sources.

Rwanda: NGO's Pursuit for Justice against Perpetrators of Genocide

Georgi McCarthy — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:12:24 +0000

Rwanda remembered the start of the genocide on April 7, as they have done every year since 1994. Commemorations are held in many countries, often spread out over a long period. In the 19 years following the genocide, the hunt for the perpetrators of crimes against humanity has never ceased. These searches are carried out not only in Rwanda but worldwide by associations of survivors, their families, their friends and all those who fight to ensure the perpetrators of such tragedies do not go unpunished.

In France, the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda (CPCR) is one of the organizations that fight against impunity. Its Chairman, Alain Gauthier, agreed to answer some of our questions.

Global Voices (GV): What are the reasons that have led French people like you to create the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda (CPCR), and who are its members?

Alain Gauthier (A.G.): The idea of creating the CPCR came to my wife and myself in 2001, at the end of the first trial held in Belgium. We participated in a large part of this process because it involved genocide in the region of Butare, Rwanda, which is where my wife was born. One of the victims was a friend. Some of the victims were family members. Furthermore, my brother-in-law was part of the small group, the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs, that ensured the trial would take place in Brussels. My wife, Dafroza, lost a large part of her family in Rwanda in 1994. There are so many reasons. In the spring of 2001, we decided upon our return to France to create the CPCR, the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda, with some friends. The original founding members were mostly Rwandans living in France. This first group gradually disintegrated but friends and other French people interested in Rwanda who were perturbed by the presence of genocide suspects in France joined us. There are now between 150 and 200 members.

Memorial: Eternal rest for the victims of human folly. Photo: abkodo2

GV: Do you maintain relationships with similar organisations in Rwanda and elsewhere?

A.G.: We have maintained ties with our friends in Belgium, although the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs who inspired us in Brussels is no longer really active. In France, we have collaborated with associations that filed complaints before the CPCR existed, but complaints that I would call “dormant”; that is to say that the judges in charge of the dossiers were not very active or that the complaints were lacking in evidence or witnesses. The associations are Survie, the International Federation for Human Rights and the Rwandan Community of France. The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) [fr] also collaborated with us as a civil party in a large number of cases.

In Rwanda, we have links with the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), but we work mostly with individuals rather than associations. In fact, to my knowledge, there are very few organisations in the world that are like ours.

GV: What are the activities that have been carried out so far?

Memorial for victims of genocide. Photo: abkodo2

A.G.: If at first our work was to “feed” the existing six complaints, we were very quickly alerted to the presence of many genocide suspects in France and our work has focused on the search for witnesses in Rwanda. We go to Rwanda whenever we can to collect statements from both victims and killers and we prepare records that we translate and give to our lawyers who are responsible for drafting the complaints before they are submitted. In 12 years we have been able to submit 19 new complaints which are all currently in the hands of the investigating judges of the new “crimes against humanity pole”, recently created by the Paris Court of First Instance. This collection of statements is essential to our work.

GV: On the CPCR's blog, the collective says civil cases (alone or with other non-governmental organisations) have been filed in a number of French cities. Could you specify the number and the results?

A.G.: Currently there are about 25 complaints in the hands of French judges, the last 19 of which were initiated by the CPCR. No trials have yet taken place, but recently the judges decided to bring the first Rwandan accused of genocide before a criminal court. The accused, Pascal Simbikangwa, is a former captain of the Rwandan army and is currently incarcerated at Fresnes prison. He was arrested in Mayotte three or four years ago and then transferred to Paris. This should be the first trial held in France. It will be an historical process.

Wanted for genocide. Source: commons wikimedia.org

Two other genocide suspects are also in prison and could well be the next to be held to account judicially. They are Octavien Ngenzi, who was also arrested after being found in Mayotte, and Tito Barahira, recently arrested in Toulouse, where he was also forced to come out of hiding.

GV: Have there already been trials held in other countries for those accused of participating in the genocide?

A.G.: Other countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Germany and the Scandinavian countries have organised trials. For a long time in France there have been political barriers. The genocide was committed at the time of the coalition and neither the left nor the right wanted to organise trials. The role of the French state in the genocide is still not very clear.

GV: Can you expand on that?

A.G.: President François Mitterrand and the French government of 1994 had supported the Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana before the genocide, they came to the president's rescue in 1990, they then supported the government in power during the genocide following the death of President Habyarimana, and they allowed perpetrators of the genocide to take refuge in Zaire during the French Opération Turquoise at the end of the genocide. So there were many reasons why nobody in France wanted to hold a trial at the risk of opening Pandora's box. A trial would not fail to mention the role of the French state.

In addition, the French justice system had not made it possible for genocide suspects to be taken to trial. It was not until the creation of the Crimes against Humanity office of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris (Paris Regional Court) that the French justice system moved up a gear. The three appointed full-time judges and the investigating police officers frequently address themselves to Rwanda in letters rogatory. It was about time… I must say that the genocide of the Tutsis and the prosecution of perpetrators of genocide are not topics that really interest our citizens.

GV: How are the alleged perpetrators identified?

Memorial: Eternal rest for victims of human folly. Photo: abkodo2

A.G.: We are virtually the only ones to track down the perpetrators on French soil. If the CPCR or other associations had not filed complaints, no suspected perpetrators of genocide would so far have been prosecuted. The Public Prosecutor has never himself decided to pursue genocide suspects. As a diplomat recently said to me, “The judges prefer to prosecute offenders causing problems for neighbourhood life rather than perpetrators of genocide who live in peace, without bothering anyone”. These comments are shocking but true.

Genocide suspects have gone back to square one in France: they help out with charitable organisations, they are good neighbours, good family men, good husbands, good doctors… It is difficult to assess their complicity, and especially difficult to prove anything. Some are, surprisingly, protected by the church in France. Some genocide suspects are former Rwandan soldiers. How did they get to France? Who helped them? Perhaps future trials will help us to see a little more clearly.

GV: Regarding reconciliation, apart from Gacaca courts, what has been done and what are the obstacles?

A.G.: Reconciliation is a difficult topic. The Gacaca courts are probably allowed to know what really happened on the hills or in the cities. They had the opportunity to apply for pardons. But for me, forgiveness is a personal matter. If a killer asks me for forgiveness, I can forgive him. But I can also refuse. In whose name or for what do I grant forgiveness? The victim is no longer here. Can I forgive in his name? Reconciliation should be a national issue.

Rwandans are condemned to live together, especially in the hills. Each person must realise what they can and cannot do to one another. If the request for pardon is a tactic to avoid living on the outskirts of society, if repentance is not sincere (and how can we know?), reconciliation will not happen. And yet to rebuild, to live in peace (and not just superficially), true reconciliation is essential. But it will take several generations to get there.

The trauma lives deep inside the victims. But it is also deep within the killers. How is it possible to go on living when we have committed such crimes? And how can we go on living when we are the victims of such crimes (massacres, rape, humiliation…)?

Syrian Creativity: Radio SouriaLi Broadcasts over the Internet

Neil Sadler — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:38:36 +0000

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

Because “necessity is the mother of invention”, as the Arab saying goes, Syrians continue to devise creative and innovative solutions to the daily obstacles they face, despite extreme repression. Radio SouriaLi, formed by a group of young Syrians from diverse backgrounds, is one of the many projects and initiatives emerging from the need for expression and the attempt to reach out to all Syrians, regardless of their ethnic, intellectual and religious backgrounds.

The name “SouriaLi” comes from a play on the words “sourialia” (surrealism) and “Souria lee” (which translates to My Syria from Arabic) to combine awareness of Syria's chaotic present, that has become surreal, and the need for all Syrians to get involved in the building of their own Syria.

Souriali started broadcasting in October 2012 as an internet-based radio, in an attempt to bypass censorship and reach out to the largest number of Syrians, both within and outside the country, despite their limited resources.
The fact that the project is internet-based has not prevented those running it from facing constant challenges in order to continue to broadcast. Syrian authorities have repeatedly blocked their website inside Syria, including SouriaLi keywords on search engines, which has forced their audience to use circumvention technology to access their content. Additionally, as most of the SouriaLi team is within Syria, constant disruptions to power supply and internet connections make their daily work increasingly difficult.

Radio Souriali

None of the obstacles have stopped them from broadcasting. In the words of one of the founders:

“We speak so that we can breathe. We speak to everybody and we listen to everybody. We try to stay positive until the day comes when we become what we want to be.”

He adds:

“We believe that our problem is that we don't listen to each other. Our message isn't aimed at any one group over others, rather we try to reach every Syrian heart and especially those of the so called “silent majority”.

The Souriali team tries to address all the different groups that form the fabric of Syrian society, and to draw attention to a diversity of issues – from art, culture and traditions to women's rights and the rights of minorities such as the Kurdish people.

SouriaLi is one of the many steps on Syria's path to its dream of a country respectful of justice, freedom, and fundamental human rights.

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

Leaving North Korea

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 31 May 2013 23:16:26 +0000

Concerns over insufficient protection of North Korean refugees have grown ever stronger as news came out that nine young North Korean defectors have been forced to return to North Korea after being captured in Laos. The Dreamer blog shares a story of a young North Korean defector which explains in detail the kind of life he fled from.

Syria Untold: Raqqa Lessons, From Freedom to Creativity in State Building

Mohamed ElGohary — Tue, 28 May 2013 20:58:31 +0000

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

For Syrians, demanding freedom has extended from struggling against dictatorship, facing murder, jail, detention and destruction of the infrastructure, to trying to establish a new foundation for the country that they long dreamed of. Is it really possible to build from within all this destruction?

If anyone can achieve the impossible, it is Syrians. They have turned the French students uprising´s slogans – “Be realistic, demand the impossible” – into “Be realistic and make the impossible.”

After the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Raqqa in March 2013, the city suffered a tremendous power vacuum, especially in public services. The streets were filled with garbage and remnants of the regime barricades.

A discussion was started by a group of 35 activists who had remained in the city, which led to the creation of a rally named “The youth of Raqqa”. One of these activists, surgeon Ayman al-Khalaf, has explained to Syria Untold:

The poster reads [ar]: To people who love freedom, know that the factory of heroes is in Syria. Source: Syria Untold

A week after liberation, we started discussing how to solve services problems resulting from the withdrawal of the regime and disabling its institutions. We decided to establish the rally as a civil institution without subordination to any political, religious or military affiliation.

The rally adopted the role of the municipality, cleaning the streets, taking the garbage away from the city center, and removing the regime barricades. In the words of Ayman:

“We have dreamt of living without this regime for so long. Now the dream has come true, so we have to be responsible and turn the city to a real icon of freedom”

Inspired by their newly achieved freedom, campaigns were organized, such as the “Our Streets Breathe Freedom” one. Activists distributed the revolution flag in all public utilities and streets, cleaned the city, neighborhood after neighborhood, covering the streets with creative drawings and graffiti.

Raqqa..:Lessons in state building

Activists also started the “Clean the National Hospital” campaign, which lasted until the city´s main hospital was cleaned from the debris of bombing and destruction; and the “I Will Not Leave my School” campaign aiming to rehabilitate schools so that children could continue their studies as soon as possible.

Activists at the I will not leave my school campaign

Activists did not forget Syrian refugees arriving from all over the country. A relief kitchen was set to provide about 500 meals a day to refugees, despite the lack of bread caused by the shortages. This led to the “Our Bread Campaign”, in which pieces of bread were distributed in small bags with a sign reading “my loaf is your loaf” and the saying of the Prophet Mohammad “None of you will have faith unless you wish for others what you wish for yourselves.”

The youth rally also focused on Syria's children, who are suffering a dire situation since the beginning of the struggle. Campaigns such as “Children´s right to live” aim to defend their rights and help them by engaging them in theatre workshops and other activities focusing on solidarity, cooperation and teamwork spirit, educating children on true values that promote a new sense belonging to the country.

Other campaigns focus on Syrian prisoners of conscience, such as the April 7 “Free Behind Bars” sit-ins.

The sign reads: Freedom for the prisoner we don't know

Solidarity with other Syrian towns has also emerged in Raqqa, through campaigns such as the “Euphrates Candles of Freedom”.

Through their work, the Raqqa youth are doing what the state institutions should be doing. In the words of Ayman, the young activist and doctor:

“We will stay strong, because Raqqa is the capital of liberation and we will continue to work to keep the city live up to its name regardless of the process of militarization.”

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

Global Hack for Good: Connecting Refugees with Lost Families

Solana Larsen — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:51:20 +0000

(more…)

Turkey: Syrian Refugees Targeted after Reyhanlı Blasts

Baran Mavzer — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:11:11 +0000

On May 11th, Reyhanlı [en] small Turkish town on Turkey-Syria border, was under terrorist attacks. This was the biggest terrorist attack [en] in country's 90 year-old republican history. After the explosions nine people were detained [en] by the security forces. Officials said [en], two vehicles were used in the bombings and more than 50 people were killed and at least 100 people were injured. But on social media, there were rumors that the real number of the victims is more than 100.

Twitter user shiny (@Idauk) tweets [Tr]:

@Idauk Simdi Antakya'dan arkadasimla konustum.Olu sayisi 100′un uzerinde diyor.Reyhanli'da fiili sokaga cikma yasagi varmis.Hastahaneler perisan.

I just talked with a friend from Antakya. As my friend said, the number of the people were killed is over 100. Also, there is a curfew. Hospitals are all miserable.

Just after the explosions, the Turkish government issued a media ban [en] on the Reyhanlı blasts. This ban received a big reaction on social media. Twitter user denizatam (@denizatam) writes:

@denizatam AKP çareyi buldu, Reyhanlı için yayın yasağı başladı! Ana akım medya yetmedi yerel basını sustur şimdi. http://haber.sol.org.tr/devlet-ve-siyaset/akp-careyi-buldu-reyhanli-icin-yayin-yasagi-basladi-haberi-72848 …

AKP (Justice and Development Party) found the solution. A media ban was initiated for the Reyhanli Blasts! Mainstream was not enough, now it is the time to silence local media.

Journalists protested [en] the media ban. On Türkmax, the media ban was protested in a more sarcastic way, on their comedy show “Heberler”. In the video, the anchorman is opening the program with Reyhanlı blasts. Due to media ban, he remains speechless. Here is the video [tr]:

A picture at bobiler.org on the blast media ban

A Turkish viral graphics and design website, bobiler.org, published a picture about media ban. User brewolve prepared a graphic about the Turkish media's reaction on Reyhanlı blasts, since the media was just following their normal program line and not mentioning Reyhanlı blasts. Graphic can be seen here.

Although the media ban was lifted by Turkish courts, on May 16, a video on YouTube claims that the ban has fulfilled its purpose. In the video [tr], a journalist interviews several people on the street asking them “what do you think about Reyhanlı?”. The answers are shocking; only one person recognized the blasts, and a few remembered where the town was, and rest had no idea where it was or what happened in Reyhanlı, even though the video was recorded only five days after the blasts. Here is the video:

There are also reports [tr] on racist attacks on Syrian refugees. Since the Syrian civil war, Syrian refugees and militants fled to Antakya [en], a Turkish city on Syrian-Turkey border, and Reyhanlı, a town of the same city. Since the refugees and militants moved [en] into Antakya, the tension between the locals and Syrians has been high. In the report it says:

“Suriyelilerin yaşadığı binalara topluca gidilmiş birçok ev yakılmaya çalışılmış, ele geçirilen kişiler darp edilmişlerdir. Aşırı milliyetçi/ulusalcı eğilimlere sahip partilere mensup fanatiklerinden olduğu söylenen ve her geçen gün sayıları artmakta olan bu gurup, yaşanan gelişmelerden Suriyelileri sorumlu tutmakta, Reyhanlı ilçe merkezinde devriye gezerek sıklıkla yol kesmekte, Suriyeli veya Suriye vatandaşı olduğunu zannettikleri kişileri linç etmeye çalışmaktadırlar”

A group of people went to the buildings that Syrians are living in, they beat the people they caught. As said, these people are the members of ultra nationalist parties and they increasing in numbers, they blame Syrians for the blasts, and they patrol the Reyhanli city center, where they are attacking Syrians or people who look like Syrian citizens.

Turks on social media gave mixed reactions on the attacks on Syrians in Reyhanli.

Twitter user T.C. Zehra Aydogan (@TurkKizi1919) is angry at Syrians in Antakya:

@TurkKizi1919 Turkiye'ye yerlestirilmeye calistiklari Suriyeli Multeci dedikleri terorsitlerdir.

The so called Syrian refugees that they want to settle in Turkey are, actually terrorists.

Another user, T.C.Devrim #ATATÜRK (@saadet_karakus), is angry at government for helping the refugees instead of the locals:

@saadet_karakus Suriyeli multeci icin milyar dolar harcayanlar,Reyhanlı esnafının vergi, sigorta borçlarını 1 yıl erteliyor.Silsene o borcu buyuk devlet!

The ones, who spend billions of dollars for Syrian refugees, are delaying Reyhanli store owners’ debts for one year. Write off those debts, you big government!

Twitter user Sami Pelitli (@SamiPelitli) says:

@SamiPelitli Reyhanli'da patlayan bomba yuzunden multecileri suclamak, onlara saldirmak nasil bir vicdansizliktir? Bir de irkci degiliz dersiniz.

What kind of remorselessness it is, to blame refugees for the blasts in Reyhanli, and to attack them? And you also say we are not racist.

Journalist Hayko Bağdat (@haykobagdat) tweets:

@haykobagdat ÖSO, cemaat, AKP'li filanlı olmaktan değil, tehcirin ne olduğunu bildiğimden Suriyeli mültecilere toz kondurmuyorum ben.

I am defending Syrian refugees, because I know the meaning of emigration, not because I am fan of FSA (Free Syrian Army), AKP (Justice and development Party), or congregation.

After the death of tens of people and a border town with tens of buildings collapsed [en], life still continues in Reyhanlı. Twitter user Bünyamin Salmanyan (@bunyms) remembers Mustafa Ayaz [tr], who was killed by the blasts in Reyhanlı:

@bunyms Reyhanlı'daki saldırıda hayatını kaybeden 25 yaşındaki Mustafa Ayaz'ın eşi bugün doğum yapmış, adını Mustafa koymuşlar..

Mustafa Ayaz, 25, was killed by the blasts; his wife gave a birth to his son today, and they named him Mustafa…

Australia Excuses Itself from Refugee Law

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:12:54 +0000

On 17 May 2013 Australian blogger and self-styled ‘global nomad’ More Atlitude posted a lengthy and detailed post in response to “Australia’s decision yesterday to excise its mainland from the migration zone” this week. He argues that it

essentially reinforces a horrible, horrible policy of enforced detention for legal (I stress, again and again and again, people, LEGAL, good grief do I need to paint it neon and string it with lights?) asylum-seekers.

Interfaith Groups: Stop Religious Violence in Myanmar

Thant Sin — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:19:06 +0000

Interfaith groups in Myanmar are actively working for peace, understanding and harmony amid rising cases of violence against the minority Muslims in the country.

A recent case of anti-Muslim violence instigated by Buddhist mobs broke out in Oakkan, a northern district of Myanmar's former capital city Yangon, on April 30. Around 77 houses were burned down, nine people injured and one killed. It was the latest attack in a series of violence which targeted Muslim houses and shops in the cities of Nattalin, Bago and central Myanmar. The riot that happened at the central town of Meikhtila on March 20 was the second major conflict after the sectarian violence in the Rakhine state which displaced 100,000 people last year.

Myanmar youth campaigners throw ‘Peace for Myanmar’ scarfs to a crowd. Photo by Thet Htoo, Copyright @Demotix (4/15/2013)

These riots and conflicts which challenge the efficiency of the civil government are occurring at a time when the country is undergoing a political transition to democracy.

Ko Thant Zin, a Muslim who participated in ‘Pray for Myanmar campaign’ organized by various religious leaders, said [my] in an interview:

Our primary objective is to obtain peace for Myanmar. We don't want the troubles and the conflicts. We want to stop the clashes that hinder our path to democracy, as soon as possible. As a follower of Islam, I am sad for all this. But as a Myanmar, we cannot accept this situation. Most of the people in my country want to live peacefully and don't want conflicts. That's why our movement will be successful nationwide. Whether in Buddhism, Islam or any religion, there are people who insult or vilify other religions. If we are to feel bad about this, there would be no end to this. These are the acts of destruction. They are not the truth. Those who made videos that insult Buddha or Jesus, regard these acts like a game. We are hurt by this. In our religion, we have no right to vilify others. Even though we feel sad deep inside, we just have to suppress it because all we want is peace.

Similar interfaith alliance prayers [my], discussion panel [my] and blood donation drive [my] were also done in cities like Pathein and Myeik.

On the other hand, religious extremists and racists continue to create division in different communities. Social media hate comments and propaganda also played a role in inciting violence on the eve of the conflicts. This is unfortunate since Myanmar has recently implemented some reforms to promote freedom of speech.

Mon Mon Myat wrote an investigative report in the Bangkok Post, speculating who are the people behind the religious and racial hate messages. (Myanmar version also available here [my]). His research focused on the content and style of the messages that the writers used. It is suggested that the propaganda might be state-sponsored. He also wrote:

In Meiktila, the spark that ignited the violence is widely believed to have been a dispute between the Muslim owner of a gold shop and two would-be customers, both Buddhists.

But what could, and probably should, have been nothing more than a minor spat rapidly escalated into mass murder and rioting. And all thanks to a group of anonymous online rabble-rousers, relentlessly banging the drum for intolerance and hatred via their blogs and websites.

He stressed the fact that government needs to handle the violence decisively:

Whether or not these atrocities were committed by military or paramilitary groups, the fact remains that the government did nothing to bring those responsible for the killings to justice.

Meanwhile, Mandalay citizens have formed a “Conflict Prevention” [my] committee in response to these hate messages. On May 3, an anonymous group were trying to provoke a riot in the city of Mandalay. Fortunately, security was able to control the situation and three people were arrested.

On Facebook, Ye Htut shared his thoughts [my] on the recent protests by radical Islamic groups in Indonesia, which warned to call for Jihad against Myanmar:

The claims that the foreign religious extremists want to wage Jihad against Myanmar may damage the image of the Muslim people who want to live peacefully in Myanmar. As these claims can create misunderstandings on Islam, they can also affect our movement for the peace and religious harmony and the trust-building between the different communities that we are trying to develop.

He urged domestic media to be more careful in reporting this matter:

For the media, they should be careful not to increase the fear and doubt among the Buddhists when reporting about such claims. It should be noted that respective governments do not accept such claims. It would be appropriate if the media can ask and present the opinions of the leaders of Islamic organizations in Myanmar regarding such terroristic ideologies.

Blogger Nay Phone Latt also shared [my] his opinion:

Actually, through government policies we can change the situation that is making us worried. We can resolve by using firm and effective laws that truly rule. I think government should impose laws and policies that forbid religious insults in society and protect the minority religion from being dominated by others. Even if we don't want to revolve the issue by using laws, at the society level we can start by casting aside our hatred and shaking hands with one another. By creating peaceful coexistence as our focus, we can find solutions. Otherwise, if we resort to using violence, the circle of killings will not stop and it will turn our country into a hideous battleground. To prevent this, both the government and the people are responsible.

‘Hope, Service, Passion': Meet Laura Boldrini, Italy's Likable Leader in Parliament

Mirella Biagi — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:45:42 +0000

[All links lead to Italian-language pages unless otherwise noted.]

Italy's most recent elections swept several non-career politicians into office. Among these new players on the Italian political scene is writer and human rights activist Laura Boldrini [en], whose popularity during her short time in office has skyrocketed thanks to a reputation for sincerity and compassion at a time when corruption is ever present in the country's politics.

On March 16th, 2013, Boldrini was elected as a member of parliament from the democratic socialist Left Ecology Freedom [en] party and won the seat of new president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies with an overwhelming 327 votes out of 345.

She is a blogger who writes for the Repubblica newspaper's blog Popoli in Fuga and for The Huffington Post Italia [en] – and has been awarded various prizes and titles for her social commitment, including that of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic [en], the highest ranking honour of the Republic.

From left to right: Laura Boldrini, Giorgio Napolitano (President of Italy) and Pietro Grasso (President of the Italian Senate). Photo by Jaqen on wikimedia.org

There are many comments in her favour on the Internet. The website fanpage.it presents her experience in international conflict zones as follows:

Chi è? Si tratta senza dubbio di un nome nuovo della politica: è stata eletta nelle fila di Sel (Sinistra ecologia e libertà) e prima di essere candidata è stata a lungo portavoce dell'Alto Commissariato delle Nazioni Unite per i Rifugiati. Prima ancora ha lavorato per la FAO, dove si occupava della produzione audio e video. Ha svolto numerose missioni in luoghi critici: dall'ex Jugoslavia all'Afghanistan, dall'Angola al Ruanda, passando per Iraq, Iran e Sudan. Si tratta con ogni evidenza di una personalità dall'altissimo valore….

Who is she? She is without a doubt a new name in politics: she was elected from the ranks of SEL (Left Ecology Freedom) and before being nominated she had been the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for many years. Earlier still she worked for FAO (UN's Food and Agriculture Organization), where she was in charge of audio and video production. She carried out many missions in critical locations: from the former Yugoslavia to Afghanistan, from Angola to Rwanda, through Iraq, Iran and Sudan. She is clearly a very worthy personality…

The President of the Chamber of Deputies’ commitment is not limited to sitting behind a desk. Photo by a-a.akamaihd.net, published on Laura Boldrini's Facebook page

A post published by Patrizio Gonnella on linkontro.info describes Laura Boldrini's commitment alongside civil society at the international level:

Ho conosciuto Laura Boldrini. E’ stata al fianco di tutte quelle organizzazioni non governative e sociali che si sono nel tempo opposte al pensiero prevalente intollerante e xenofobo. Con lei molti di noi hanno condiviso l’esperienza della campagna “Io non ho paura”.

Era il tempo in cui l’attuale neopresidente della regione Lombardia e allora ministro degli Interni Roberto Maroni voleva schedare tutti i rom, bimbi compresi. Non è accaduto un secolo fa soli ma quattro anni addietro. A quel tempo la destra ha inserito nel nostro ordinamento giuridico quell’obbrobrio che è il reato di clandestinità.

I met Laura Boldrini. She stands alongside all the non-governmental and social organisations that have, over time, opposed prevailing intolerant and xenophobic thoughts. Many of us have shared with her the experience of the “I am not afraid” campaign.

It was the period when the current newly-elected president of Lombardy and the then Minister of the Interior Roberto Maroni wanted to keep files on all the gypsies, including children. It did not happen a century ago but just four years ago. At that time the right-wing politicians had inserted into our laws the disgrace that is the crime of being an undocumented immigrant.

The Honourable Laura Boldrini in a class of Somali children who live in a refugee camp in Kenya. Photo taken from her Facebook page.

Her inaugural speech was very much appreciated, to the point of making her listeners forget some of the ideological conflicts at the heart of parliament. The blog polisblog.it reported that Pietro Ingrao, who had been President of the Chamber from 1976 to 1979, wrote to the newly-elected president defining her speech a “message of hope”:

Condivido il senso profondo delle tue parole, il richiamo ai valori fondanti della Repubblica nata dall’antifascismo, la difesa dei diritti di cittadinanza, l’impegno dalla parte degli ultimi. L’Italia è attesa a grandi sfide per le quali c’è bisogno della passione, della moralità e dell’intelligenza di persone come te.

I share the profound message of your words, the reference to the founding values of the Republic born from anti-fascism, the defence of the rights to citizenship and the commitment of the less privileged. There are great challenges ahead for Italy which require the passion, morality and intelligence of people like you.

The Huffington Post blog quoted some passages of her speech in which Boldrini explained her vision of what the Parliament should represent for every citizen and the reactions of the chamber:

La politica deve tornare ad essere speranza, servizio e passione”, dice voce che riesce a mantenere ferma nonostante l’emozione. E in aula convince anche chi non l’ha eletta: i 109 deputati del Movimento 5 stelle, per esempio, all’inizio spiazzati, ma poi in piedi ad applaudire. ….

Boldrini piace.

“Politics must go back to representing hope, service and passion”, says a voice that manages to stay steady in spite of the emotion. And in the chamber she also convinces those who did not elect her: for example, the 109 MPs of the 5 Star Movement were taken aback at first, but then stood to applaud her….

Boldrini is liked.

When discussing the role of Italy in European integration, of Europe at international level, the website byoblu.com quotes her inaugural speech:

”l'Italia fa parte del nucleo dei fondatori del processo di integrazione europea, e dovremo impegnarci ad avvicinare i cittadini italiani a questa sfida”, “perché l'Europa torni ad essere un grande sogno, un crocevia di popoli e di culture, un approdo certo per i diritti delle persone”, “un luogo della libertà, della paternità e della pace”.

“Italy is one of the core founders of the European integration process, and we must strive to bring Italian citizens closer to this challenge, so that Europe can go back to being a grand dream, a crossroads of peoples and cultures, a safe haven for human rights, a place of freedom, fraternity and peace”.

In the space of just a few days, Boldrini's Facebook page, where she writes about what she does, went from having 25,000 “friends” to almost 60,000. Every new post elicits numerous comments. There are many displays of sympathy and satisfaction:

Giovanni Guariento Auguri per il Suo nuovo incarico. Anche se non condivido le politiche troppo accoglienti e permissive, soprattutto nei confronti degli stranieri irregolari, mi sembra che Lei dia l'impressione di persona che ha a cuore le istituzioni.Buon lavoro.

Marco Zaniboni A me piace molto, è una donna, è in gamba, si è impegnata nel sociale, che altro si può pretendere? considerate che il predecessore era uno come fini….il che è tutto dire..

Giovanni Guariento Congratulations on your new role. Even if I do not agree with too lax and welcoming policies, especially with regards to illegal immigrants, you give me the impression that you have the institutions at heart. Good luck.

Marco Zaniboni I like her a lot: she's a woman, she is capable, she is committed to social issues. What else do you want? Considering that the predecessor was Fini… enough said.

However, some people found the speech too smarmy:

Gianluca Poddighe neanche il papa ha fatto un discorso cosi mieloso e schifosamente buonista, Cara boldirini cosa vuol fare ? far venire tutti i disperati del mondo in Europa e in Italia e dargli sussidi con i fondi delle tasse dei pochi ormai europei che lavorano? si vergogni!! e pensi alle pensionate ITALIANE che fruganno nell immondizia o ai nostri laureati loro si i veri “rifugiati” in terre straniere …..

Gianluca Poddighe Not even the pope made such a sickly sweet speech. Dear Boldrini, what do you want to do? Make all the wretches of the world come to Europe and Italy and give them benefits with money from the taxes of the now few Europeans who have a job? Shame on you! Think of the ITALIAN pensioners that rummage in the garbage or of our graduates – those are the true “refugees” in foreign lands…

The few negative comments like this one have caused replies full of mockery and anger by the almost 60,000 “friends” of the page, such as:

Santa Carla Papa Cara Boldrini , un attacco di questo genere equivale ad un applauso ! So per certo che Lei è attrezzata…siamo sulla strada Giusta !

Santa Carla Papa Dear Boldrini, an attack of this kind is like a round of applause! I know for certain that you are equipt…we are on the right path!

Every time that she establishes an official act, Boldrini writes a summary of it online: following her interview with journalist Lilli Gruber from private TV channel La7, there were at least 4,000 positive comments such as this one:

Claudio Federici Glielo auguro di vero cuore, per Lei e per tutti noi. Ho seguito la sua intervista dalla Gruber….mi ha fatto tornare la voglia di mettermi davanti alla TV a seguire trasmissioni in cui si parla di politica. Il problema e’ che appena l'ho fatto sono ripiombato nei consueti strilli tra sordi.

Claudio Federici I wish you luck for your sake and all of ours. I watched your interview with Gruber… It made me want to start watching TV programmes about politics again. The problem is that as soon as I did I was plunged back into the usual cries among deaf people.

Because of the many scandals that have affected almost all parties and the carelessness with which politicians are often accused of spending public money, waste of resources has become a salient issue. The Boldrini has not disappointed those who now expect concrete action from her: On 2 April, 2013 on her Facebook page, she explained that:

Dalla data del mio insediamento alla Camera dei Deputati sono stati tagliati 500.000 euro al giorno. I risparmi già decisi, infatti, ammontano complessivamente a 8 milioni e mezzo di euro.

Since I took my place in the Chamber of Deputies 500,000 euros of cuts have been made every day. In fact, the savings that have already been made amount to eight and a half million euros.

As proof that the words of her inaugural speech were not just hot air, the president has already undertaken many acts. Here are a few examples that she recounted on her Facebook page:

La mia presenza al pranzo di Pasqua della mensa di padre Guido, presso la parrocchia dei SS. Cosma e Damiano di Ancona, non è un evento straordinario: è nel solco del mio vissuto.
La qualità delle persone non si misura dal reddito ma dai valori che custodiscono ed in questo momento di crisi, che crea nuovi poveri, compito delle cariche istituzionali è stare vicino alle persone bisognose.

I was present at Father Guido's Easter lunch, at the Saint Cosma and Damiano from Ancona parish. It is not an extraordinary event: it follows on from my experience.
People's quality is not measured by their income but by their values and in this time of crisis, that creates new poor people, the task of those that hold institutional roles is to be close to the people in need.

She phoned Patrizia Moretti – mother of Federico Aldrovandi, an 18-year-old who died in 2005 during a “police search” – showing satisfaction for the solidarity shown after an unfortunate event: following the sentencing of the four policemen responsible to three years and six months in prison in 2009, some police officers who were members of the Organisation for the Trade Union Independence of the Police Force organised a solidarity sit-in for the four condemned policemen under the window of the town hall of Ferrara where the mother of the victim works.

Her report of this act on 27 March, 2013 gathered nearly 8,700 likes and 4,309 comments:

Ho telefonato a Patrizia Moretti per esprimerle affettuosa vicinanza. Le ho detto quanto ritengo intollerabile che, oltre al dolore ineguagliabile per la perdita di un figlio, lei debba subire l’offesa di una protesta così spietata e incivile.

I phoned Patrizia Moretti to express my sympathy. I told her that I think it intolerable that, in addition to the unparalleled pain of losing a son, she must also suffer the insult of such a ruthless and uncivilised protest.

After her election, the Rizzoli publishing house published her latest book, titled “Only the Mountains Never Meet.” This publishing house had already published her first book titled “Everyone Back,” in 2010. Part of her royalties for these books go to non-governmental organisations who deal with people in particularly disadvantaged situations.

By following this link it is possible to see a presentation of her first book in Italian.

Russian Conspiracy Theories About Boston Bombings Abound

Daniel Alan Kennedy — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:40:52 +0000

Conspiracy theories flourish in times of confusion and uncertainty. Claims that the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings were part of some sort of US government-led false flag operation were circulating on the English-speaking internet before the dust had literally settled, particularly on conspiracy forums and social media groups like the Citizens Action Network.

The news that the two bombing suspects were ethnic Chechens turned what had been a passing interest for the RuNet into the number one topic of conversation [GV]. Because the RuNet, just like the Internet at large, has always had a penchant for conspiracy theories, the events in Boston provided ample fodder for some its more paranoid denizens. For example, the pro-regime nationalist LiveJournal community vvv-ig [ru] was quick to place the blame on the American intelligence services, running an extremely graphic post [ru] from the blogger frallik [ru], outlining how the bombings had in fact been faked using actors. The post, mainly using materials and memes sourced from western sites, alleged, among other things, that a man who was in the epicenter of the explosion and lost both of his legs was in fact an Iraq war veteran and previous amputee named Nick Vogt.

Despite the fact that the vvv-ig commonly deals in anti-American conspiracies, the allegation that the bombings had been faked proved too bizarre for some contributors. Blogger proobman [ru] published a rebuttal [ru] in the same community, pointing out that the man who lost his legs was in fact named Jeff Bauman, who has a Facebook page and a fund set up to aid his recovery. Interestingly, proobman's issues with accusations of “staging” appears partially due their similarity to ones leveled at the Russian security services: that they were behind the bombings of several apartment buildings in 1999 [en] as a pretext for the Second Chechen War. proobman quipped:

Башни-близнецы взорвал Буш, Буйнакск и Волгодонск – Путин. Обама взорвал марафон. Продам шапочки из фольги, недорого.

Bush blew up the Twin Towers, Putin blew up [the towns of] Buinaksk and Volgodonsk. Obama blew up the marathon. Tin foil hats for sale, cheap.

The two suspects, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. FBI.gov, April 25, 2013

While many Russian bloggers were quick to accuse the FBI and CIA of carrying out or staging the bombings, one group in particular has almost entirely rejected the official version of events: the Chechens. The Tsarnaev family itself continues to profess their sons’ innocence. The belief that the Tsarnaev Brothers are innocent (or have at least been set up in some way) is common among groups and individuals ranging from Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, to his sworn enemies at KavkazCenter [ru], the online mouthpiece of the Caucasian Emirate. While the Tsarnaevs’ innocence may be one of the incredibly few things Chechens can agree on, radically different conclusions have been drawn about who is to blame. Kadyrov stated publicly [ru] that “what happened in Boston is the fault of the American security services”. Kavkaz Center pointed the finger [ru] squarely at Kadyrov himself, and claimed he was acting on orders from Putin.

Кадыров очень удобная фигура для выполнения «грязных дел». В случае необходимости его можно в любой момент ликвидировать, спрятав все концы, и никто этому не удивится. На нём кровь десятков тысяч чеченцев, да и моджахеды ведут на него постоянную охоту.

Kadyrov is a very useful figure for carrying out “dirty business”. If the situation required it, he could be liquidated at any moment, concealing all evidence, and no one would be surprised. He has the blood of tens of thousands of Chechens on his hands and the mujaheddin are constantly hunting him.

Chechen blogger Zulikhan [ru], whose views on the Boston bombing are discussed in detail here [GV], saw the hands of both the Russian and American security services at work in the bombings.

Путин и Обама, по инициативе российской стороны, договорились по телефону о координации усилий в борьбе с международным терроризмом. Считаю, что за событиями в Бостоне торчат уши российских спецслужб. По принципу “кому выгодно”. [...] Путину выгодно – чтобы Штаты не мешали России творить на Северном Кавказе все, что угодно, под видом борьбы с терроризмом.

Putin and Obama, at the initiative of the Russians, have come to an agreement about coordinating efforts in combating international terrorism. I think that the Russian special services are visible behind the events in Boston. Based on the “who profits” principle. [...] Putin profits — so that the States let Russia do what it wants in the North Caucasus under the guise of fighting terrorism.

Netizens have not confined themselves to speculation and counterfactuals. Some have set up an active defense of Tsarnaev. An April 21 petition on Avaaz.org entitled “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is innocent” [en] gained over 5,500 signatures in four days. Ethnic Chechens actively distributed links [ru[ to the petition on social media. A rolling tally at the side of the page showed the names and locations of the signatories, many of whom were located in Russia and many of whom had Chechen names. According to the author of the page, when enough signatures are collected the letter will be delivered to Barack Obama.

List of recent signatures to an online petition proclaiming Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's innocence. “Lom-Ali” and “Khamzat” are Chechen names. Screenshot. April 25, 2013

Chechnya and her people have suffered greatly throughout this century and the last. It seems in this case they are reluctant to suffer yet another indignity – that of having their people's name tied to a terrorist act half way around the world. Someone is to blame no doubt, but few in Chechenya want to believe it is the two young men whose family left their war-town country years ago.

RuNet: What Does Boston Mean for Chechen Cause?

Andrey Tselikov — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:21:09 +0000

In the days since the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechen and “Suspect #2″ in the Boston Marathon bombings, there has been surprisingly little cogent analysis of the situation from Chechen bloggers active on the RuNet. Of course, some have commented on the matter, but mostly to link to viral conspiracy theories (some of these were alluded to in RuNet Echo's original article [GV]; a more in-depth look is to follow).

This makes a recent post by one Chechen blogger particularly interesting. Like many others, Zulikhan [ru], “a Chechen, an Ichkerian [wiki], a Muslim, a wife, and a mother” who runs a popular blog on LiveJournal, subscribes to the theory that the Boston bombings were planned by Putin and Russian special forces, using the Tsarnaev brothers as pawns. In her first post on the bombings she wrote [ru] about the potential motivation for such a plot:

Ну вот, что-то уже прояснилось. Путин и Обама, по инициативе российской стороны, договорились по телефону о координации усилий в борьбе с международным терроризмом. Считаю, что за событиями в Бостоне торчат уши российских спецслужб. По принципу “кому выгодно”. [...] Путину выгодно – чтобы Штаты не мешали России творить на Северном Кавказе все, что угодно, под видом борьбы с терроризмом.

Well, some things are clearer now. Putin and Obama, at the initiative of the Russians, have come to an agreement about coordinating efforts in combating international terrorism. I think that the Russian special services are visible behind the events in Boston. Based on the “who profits” principle. [...] Putin profits — so that the States let Russia do what it wants in the North Caucasus under the guise of fighting terrorism.

Regardless of her suspicions (which are rather mild compared to those professed by some of the others), it is worth looking at Zulikhan's later analysis of what Boston means for the Chechen people, the cause of Chechen independence, and for the North Caucasus in general. Her opinions should be viewed through the prism of Chechen nationalism. She is no fan of Putin, and names Dzhokhar Dudayev, ex-Soviet military leader of Chechnya's bid for independence in the early 90s, (and likely the man Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was named for) as a personal hero. (As more conspiracy fodder for the aficionados, Dudayev was born on April 15, 1944, which means that the bombing took place on his birthday. [Update: there seems to be some controversy as to when Dudayev was actually born. Most Russian-language online media (including the Russian version [ru] of the Wikipedia article) cite February 15, however some sources do claim April 15 [ru], and even May 15 (the Chechen version of the Wikipedia article). The controversy can be traced to a 2004 Kavkaz Center forum thread [ru] where April 15 is claimed as the birth date. However, because it looks like the English-language Wikipedia article on Dudayev was edited from February 15 to April 15 following Tsarnaev's arrest, the motivation of the edit is questionable.]

Dzhokhar Dudayev addressing his Chechen troops. YouTube screenshot. April 24, 2013.

With that said, here are some excerpts from her most recent post [ru]. First, Zulikhan makes sure to note that the repercussions of the Boston bombings will be felt by all of North Caucasus, including Dagestan and Ingushetia where much of the separatist movement is concentrated at the moment:

Если бы несчастные Тамерлан и Джохар устроили мозговой штурм именно с этой целью – как сильнее навредить своему народу – вряд ли додумались бы до такого. [...] для Запада все кавказцы, которые что-то такое творят – чеченцы. Бренд работает. Как в том анекдоте про ингушей, которые позавидовали чеченцам, что весь мир их знает, решили переплюнуть их достижения и захватили Кремль. После чего все СМИ сообщили: “Группа чеченских террористов захватила Кремль. Непонятно почему они называют себя ингушами”.

If the hapless Tamerlan and Dzhokhar brainstormed with precisely this question in mind — how to greater harm their people — they would have hardly thought of this. [...] for the West everyone from the Caucasus that does something bad is a Chechen. The branding works. It's like that joke about the Ingush [a neighboring, rival culture of mountaineers similar to the Chechens], who became jealous of the Chechens because the whole world knows them, decided to one up them, and took over the Kremlin. After this mass media reported: “A group of Chechen terrorists hijacked the Kremlin. It's unclear why they keep calling themselves Ingush.”

She predicts, rather astutely, that the days of Chechens being unequivocally accepted as political refugees in the West are over:

Из-за этих двоих чеченцев – всего лишь двоих! – и в Штатах, и в Европе кавказцам перестанут давать убежище. Будут высылать чеченцев прямо в руки Путину и Кадырову – не только каких-нибудь грабителей, но и воинов, т1емлой. Тех, кто будет сидеть тихо-тихо, может, и не вышлют – просто будут мучить и унижать всевозможными проверками.

Because of these two Chechens — only two! — in the States and in Europe they'll stop accepting refugees from the Caucasus. They will extradite Chechens into the hands of Putin and Kadyrov — not just robbers, but warriors, “tlemloi”. Those who will sit there quietly, maybe wont be expelled, but will be tormented and humiliated with all sorts of checks.

She also talks about the difficultly of distinguishing an actual extremist from someone like her, who simply supports the idea of Chechen independence:

Какие-то американские сенаторы или конгрессмены уже возмущаются, почему ФБР не отреагировала должным образом, получив от российских спецслужб сведения, что Тамерлан Царнаев связан с террористами. Значит, теперь ФСБ сможет про любого беженца, любого эмигранта заявить, что он террорист, и ФБР отреагирует. “Доказательства” долго искать не придется – ведь все мы регулярно посещаем “сепаратистские” сайты и форумы. Значит, все связаны с террористами.

Some American Senators or Congressmen are already outraged that FBI did not react properly, having received notice from the Russian special services that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had ties to terrorists. So, now the FSB can say about any refugee, any emigrant, that he is a terrorist, and the FBI will react. It won't be that hard to find “proof” — we all regularly visit “separatist” websites and forums. So, we are all tied to the terrorists.

Finally, she predicts a general crackdown on Chechen organizing in the West:

Чеченцев в Европе и Штатах начнут преследовать за любую политическую и общественную активность. Станут невозможны мероприятия, подобные этому – когда чеченская молодежь из разных стран собралась в Эстонии под ичкерийским флагом для знакомства и обсуждения политических и культурных проблем.

Chechens in Europe and the States will be persecuted for any kind of political and social activity. Eventss like this — when Chechen youth from different countries came together in Estonia under the Ichkerian flag, to meet and discuss political and cultural problems — will become impossible.

According to Zulikhan, such meetings are important if exiled Chechen separatists are to ever organize into a structure that would be able to take over Chechnya once it finally gains its independence (of which she has no doubt).

Are some of her predictions over-the-top? Perhaps. However, even if one does not agree with the analysis in all of its particulars, one thing is certain — life has definitely gotten more difficult for Chechen emigrants.