Global Voices » Sweden

Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars

Filip Stojanovski — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:54:28 +0000

Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control information through overbearing legislation related to copyright and freedom of expression:

The religious wars were never about religion as such. They were about who held the power of interpretation, about who controlled the knowledge and culture available to the masses. It was a war of gatekeepers of information.

Singapore: Charity Group Targets Poor Children in Laos and Vietnam

Ika Forssell — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:12:09 +0000

A group of seven professional Swedish women in Singapore have formed the charity organization Together for Charity. As expat wives, they realized that their life situation in affluent Singapore is extremely privileged compared to that of most people in the neighboring countries, and they want to make a difference where they can.

I got a chance to talk to two of the founders of Together for Charity, Stina Hotine and Elisabeth Lewenhaupt, and they told me, with great passion and energy, how their one-year old charity organization has already made a huge impact in the lives of others.

The group has a simple but noble objective:

We wanted to change the lives of children who are less fortunate, by changing our own behaviors in our daily lives. We also wanted to show others how fun and easy it can be to give a little or a lot to those with less. We wanted to find simple ways to contribute and then make them a part of our and many other people’s lives.

Gift card to present a donation to a party host or friend

“People want to know what their donations do and how effective they are”, says Elisabeth, and shows me the printed gift card where the donor can specify what the amount they donate will achieve for the needy children.

At the moment the organization concentrates their aid to two different projects. One is Deak Kum Pa Orphanage in Luang Prabang, Laos, and the other is The English School of Mui Ne in Vietnam.

Children at the Deak Kum Pa Orphanage

Deak Kum Pa Orphanage is run by the Lao government, and to a great extent managed by Australian Andrew Brown. Andrew relies on donations and makes singlehandedly sure that every penny that is directed towards the children is put to the best use.

Children are rescued from the streets and a life in severe poverty. They are given a chance to go to school and live their lives in a safe and relatively comfortable way. More information about the orphanage:

Deak Kum Pa is now home to over 500 children and this number is increasing.

The orphanage also operates as a school; positioned on the edge of the town, the very basic brick and concrete dormitories and school classrooms are set in grounds reached by dirt road and a wooden bridge.

With the inclusion of the very basic school services at Deak Kum Pa, these children can in some small way be considered fortunate; however the school is severely in need of additional staffing, resources and equipment.

Through the efforts of the charity group, the orphanage was able to enroll more children in the facility:

Nutrition was one of the first concerns for the orphanage, with only one meal a day with rice and soup the children had limited ability to grow and learn. Today the children enjoy meat, fruit, egg and bread on a regular basis.

Together for charity has through its generous donors raised enough money to provide for 30 additional children to come to the orphanage during 2012.

The English School of Mui Ne in Vietnam has come a step further in the development. They are inviting children among the poorest in the village to learn English in order to be able to make a living in the future in the growing tourism industry. As they expect these children to be able to support their poor families in the future, they carefully choose the neediest candidates to admit – and always just one sibling from each family.

At the school, which is in addition to the regular school during the weeks, the kids are not only taught English, but also valuable lessons of friendship and sharing as well as computer skills. Many students have through their interaction over the internet discovered possibilities for themselves for the future and have dreams that they could never have imagined before.

Five of the school’s students have posted a video on Youtube speaking in English about the opportunities that have opened up for them:

The English school reports important events and activities on their Facebook page. From the group's status page on September 4 this year:

…is proud to announce that we recently have taken a big step forward in our development, as we are now able to support our students through higher education. Thanks to our generous donors and hard work from everyone involved in the organization, English School of Mui Ne now has a second location, a student home in Phan Thiet (a city next to Mui Ne Village).

As the result of rigorous work and many hours of preparation, the 31 students who took their entrance examination earlier this summer all got accepted and started their semester of High School a few weeks ago.

As a response to continued support from their sponsors, they write:

“A warm thank you to our sponsors for making it possible for us to start this new chapter in our development as an organization in order to help our students continue their education.”

The English School of Mui Ne sends a warm THANK YOU to Together for Charity for all the books they sent! All the students are busy reading and filling up the library with new literature on varies topics.

Elisabeth and Stina make sure to emphasize that Together for Charity is a lifelong project that they have taken on. They keep it very simple and personal, focusing on only two projects at the moment. They keep close contact with the two entities and target 100% of the funds they collect towards them.

France: Unexpected Parallel Between Assange and Strauss-Kahn

Suzanne Lehn — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:24:12 +0000

The blog de Casimira highlights some similarities [fr] between the timing of the charges and the ensuing judicial battles facing J. Assange and D. Strauss-Kahn. She also clarifies the peculiarities of the charge, ”sex by surprise” [fr], for which the founder of WikilLeaks is being sued. This charge, which applies when the person refuses to wear a condom, is allegedly specific to Sweden and is punishable by a fine.

Palestine: Swedish Ship Attempting to Break the Blockade Sails to Gaza

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:50:28 +0000

Scandinavian ship SV Estella will attempt to sail to Gaza in an attempt to break the blockade on the Palestinian enclave. The ship sailed from Oslo on August 7, 2012, and is backed by mostly Swedish and Norwegian groups. Organizers hope that other ships will join them before they reach Gaza in October. for updates, follow the mission's Twitter account @ShiptoGazaSE.

Yemen: Yemen Through Our Lenses Exhibition

Mohammed Alamer — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:24:28 +0000

Yemeni journalist and blogger Afrah Nasser is using social media to raise funds to stage a photography exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden.

Her plan is to purchase high quality photographs from Yemeni photographers, whose work has captured important moments in Yemen's contemporary history, rent an exhibition hall in Stockholm, and feature those pictures.

Afrah wrote on her Facebook page about the exhibition, which she has entitled: “Yemen Through Our Lenses.”

On her fund-raising effort, she writes:

“This is a project I'm working on for Yemen's photography art. It's a photography exhibition about Yemen by Yemeni photographers here in Stockholm. I'm using a crowd-funding website to collect the funds. Basically, it's YOU who can make this happen. No small donation is overlooked. 5 euros can make a big difference. Please support the exhibition and Yemeni photographers.”

Take a look at this video made by the brave blogger and her donation project file at Ulule.

The idea is to raise funds to stage an exhibition to raise awareness about Yemen and support emerging Yemeni photographers. Afrah calls on viewers to help her make this exhibition a reality.

Afrah continues:

I think this project is so important because it would highlight aspects on Yemen by Yemeni photographers who usually don't get the chance to spread their message internationally as they wish like to do. Plus, since Yemen is going through tough times, this could be one of the ways to support it.

Ukraine: Now That Euro 2012 is Over

Tetyana Bohdanova — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:52:30 +0000

When Ukraine was awarded Euro 2012 together with Poland, many saw this as a chance to promote Ukraine’s image as a European country. This, however, has not been easy.

The preparations for the tournament were overshadowed by economic difficulties, strained international relations due to the imprisonment of the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko (see the GV post here), and a number of other controversies, the most damaging, perhaps, being the allegations of anticipated racism at the tournament coming from the UK media (see GV post here). The negative image stuck so quickly that some entrepreneurs even decided to capitalize on the perception of Ukraine as a dangerous place.

In reaction to bad media as well as the perceived shortcomings in preparations on the ground, Ukrainians in the Euro 2012 host cities organized several grassroots initiatives aimed at presenting the country as a welcoming, modern and comfortable place, offering free accommodation, English-language assistance, free tours around Kiev, and help to foreign journalists covering the tournament (see this GV update for details).

As the championship culminated in a spectacular Italy vs. Spain match hosted by Kyiv, Facebook users and bloggers gathered and shared impressions of the Euro 2012 experience in Ukraine.

Thus, Facebook user Oleg Palchik (Олег Пальчик) posted a photo of a grateful football fan from Kharkiv:

A football fan in the host city Kharkiv with a sign that reads, “Kharkiv, thank you!” in both Russian and Ukrainian. Photo by Oleg Palchyk, used with permission.

Tom Garry, an England fan, shared some of his experiences of the Euro 2012 in Ukraine on Redbrickpaper.co.uk:

…The Ukrainian capital and the venue for July’s final, Kiev has been a joy to visit and its people have truly embraced Euro 2012 in every possible way. The daily carnival atmosphere in the city’s huge Fan Zone has epitomised everything that is good about football, bringing people of different nationalities together to enjoy the beautiful game without a hint of abuse. Significantly, we have seen no reason for any of the concerns regarding racism expressed by the British media prior to the tournament. Having seen first-hand the kindness of the locals, their love for football and the excitement that the Euros has brought to their every-day lives, I have drawn the conclusion that everything was blown out of proportion by the press.

A blogger and Facebook user Hanna Hrabarska shared a photo of her apartment where she and her flatmate hosted football fans. She wrote [ru, en]:

This is how our apartment looked in the morning)
We are friendly girls from friendly Ukraine)

A photo of football fans hosted by blogger Hanna Hrabarska and her flatmate. Photo by Hanna Hrabarska, used with permission.

Many Facebook users and bloggers also shared videos of the Dutch fans singing the Ukrainian anthem in the host city of Kharkiv:

Administrators of I Can Help U (speak English in UA) shared a photo of the volunteers of the grassroots initiative “Friendly Ukraine” playing a friendly football game with a team of international fans.

A football game between the international team of footbal fans vs. volunteers of Friendly Ukraine. Photo by Roman Danylyshyn, used with permission.

As the championship neared the end, it became clear that the experience of most fans has been rather positive and racism-free, so that some in the British media even began to call for an apology to Ukraine.

And although the latest survey data [ru] shows that the image of Ukraine has not improved with the help of Euro 2012, the grassroots initiatives have certainly contributed to improving the experiences of foreign visitors and left positive memories for many.

I Can Help U initiative sums it up [ru] by sharing the photo below:

This is what it was all for)) !

Grateful Swedish football fans in Kyiv. Photo by TheVillageEuro2012 Facebook page, used with permission.

Russia: NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship

Donna Welles — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:31:46 +0000

Undefeated after seven games, and boasting an All-Star lineup of Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, and Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian national team will face Norway in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship, tomorrow on May 17.

The 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship is being held in Stockholm and Helsinki. Both cities hosted tournaments during the preliminary round, where eight teams competed for the four slots advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals. Helsinki's group consisted of: Belarus, Canada, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the U.S., while Stockholm's had: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

Russia started the tournament on Saturday, May 5, with a 5-2 victory over Latvia, before going on to beat Norway 4-2 on Sunday, Germany 2-0 on Tuesday, and Denmark 3-1 on Thursday.

Russia's Emotional 7-3 Victory Over Sweden

Dmitry Mikhaylov announced in his bilinguial blog how the Russian team came from behind to beat the host country on Friday, May 11.

STOCKHOLM – In a highly anticipated match-up, Russia and Sweden met tonight at the Globe Arena in an emotional battle of undefeated teams at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Down 3-1, Russia scored six unanswered goals to win 7-3.

In response to this highly emotional victory, both the mainstream and citizen media outlets of the Russian Internet devoted dramatically increased coverage to the tournament.

Bloggers Respond to Russia's 2-0 Victory Over the Czech Republic

Planet's Sporting World discussed [ru] how, although Russia scored after only 24 seconds of play, the Czech Republic dominated much of the game, but could not capitalize. NHL Pittsburgh Penguins player Evgeni Malkin scored for Russia in the third period, before he and two of his teammates — Pavel Datsyuk and Milan Mikhalek — were charged with minor penalties.

As is often the case when mainstream outlets build attention on an event, many Russian bloggers quoted their reportage, as a way of spreading popular analyses. Ruslan's News reposted [ru] a quote from Evgeni Malkin, taken from a Vesti article:

Тяжело всё выполнить. Но, конечно, здорово сыграли. И в обороне пять минут выстояли в третьем периоде. Это, наверное, дало всплеск эмоций, и после этого мы забили быстрый гол.

It's difficult to accomplish everything. But, of course, we played great. And our defense held out for five minutes in the third period. This, probably, generated a lot of emotion, and afterwards we scored a quick goal.

News Spreads of the Return of Alexander Ovechkin & Alexander Semin

Similarly, news of the return of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin from the NHL, following the Washington Capitals’ 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers, spread rapidly in both mainstream and citizen media outlets. (Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk's Detriot Red Wings were eliminated even earlier, in the previous round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.)

Alexander Semin scores the first goal in the World Ice Hockey Championship final, 18 May 2008, photo by Alexey Chernyadyev, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.

Most bloggers framed the story as a homecoming for Ovechkin and Semin, while some Twitter users indicated their familiarity with mainstream journalism, such as Sport.rbc and Lenta.ru.

Lisbeth Armel:

Прочитала, что овечкин любит хип-хоп и r'n'b. представила. 5 минут сидела с фейспалмом.

I read that Ovechkin likes Hip Hop and R&B. I sat down and thought about it. For five minutes I just facepalmed.

Sanya Belovka:

Овечкина и Семина Ждем с нетерпением….В россии….2-1 Вашингтон домои)!!!А Овечкин В ШВЕЦИЮ!!!!

We're anxiously waiting for Ovechkin and Semin….[to be] in Russia [again]…..[He lost] 2-1 to Washington, and now he's homeward-bound.) !!! But [it turns out] Ovechkin is headed for Sweden!!!!

Ilgiz Taipov:

Приезд Овечкина и Семина по разному комментируют, кто то вспоминает его прошлогоднюю игру за сборную, и пишут типа зачем он нужен и т.п.. Надо уметь использовать потенциал этого игрока, а мы то знаем что он может играть, что потенциал у него огромный. Семин тоже хороший игрок, то что с Вашингтонгом Кэпиталз случилось это чисто тренерский просчет.

People are saying different things about the arrival of Ovechkin and Semin. Some recall how [Ovechkin] played [poorly] for last year's national team, and wonder why we need him, etcetera. We have to be able to use this player's potential, and we know that he can play — that he has enormous potential. Semin is also a good player, and what happened with the Washington Capitals was purely an issue with the coach.

Sweden: Culture Minister in ‘Racist Cake’ Art Controversy

Julie Owono — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:47:23 +0000

News website grioo.com reports that on April 15, 2012, Swedish Culture Minister, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, attended a exhibition preview at Museum of Modern Art of Stockholm to celebrate ‘World Art Day'.

The highlight of the show seems to have been the tasting of the ‘Painful Cake’ representing the body of an African woman, as the following video uploaded by Pontus Raud on YouTube shows:

The showpiece is the Work of Makode Linde. The author posted a picture of the event on his Facebook profile, and explains:

Documentation from my female genital mutilation cake performance earlier today at stockholm moma. This is After getting my vagaga [vagina] mutilated by the minister of culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth. Before cutting me up she whispered “Your life will be better after this”

Art Installation – Makode Linde's Facebook page

According to ‘The Local‘, an online news portal, the video caused outrage among Swedish citizens, including that of Kitimbwa Sabuni, spokesperson for the National Afro-Swedish Association who pleaded for the resignation of the Minister.

On Facebook, user Lyly Souris [fr] wonders:

Pardon, quel est le nom de l'artiste car j'aimerais comprendre sa démarche?
Cette recherche de compréhension n'annule pas mon sentiment d'indignation. Je ne veux pas me réfugier derrière l'idée qu'au nom de l'art on aurait le droit de tout faire. Je ne pense pas que c'est une polémique inutile qui est en train de se créer mais juste faire prendre conscient à cet artiste, à cette ministre de la culture et à tous les autres, qu'il est fini le temps où on laissait faire pour ne pas se faire remarquer et pour être accepté dans la société. Aujourd'hui nous sommes plutôt dans un mouvement : respectons nous!

Sorry, what is the name of the artist because I want to understand his approach?
This search for understanding does not negate my outrage. I do not want to hide behind the idea that in the name of art we have the right to do anything. I do not think this is an unnecessary controversy that is being created but just raise awareness of this artist, this Minister of Culture and all others. Time is gone when we didn't say anything to not get noticed and to be accepted in society. Today we are rather in a movement: Let us respect ourselves!

theddyralf comments on YouTube [fr]:

Des blancs bouffant du negre a Stockholm. Jusqu ou les leucodermes vont-ils pousser leur haine contre le negre et la chosification du negre. Le comble est qu il y a toujours les negres de services qui se prettent a se jeu, en mettant leurs …service a la disposition de ces sales besognes.

White people eating a piece of black person in Stockholm. How far will white-skinned people push their hatred against black people, and commodify them? The irony is that there are always black people who play this game, putting their…services at the disposal of this dirty work.

Linde also received public messages on one of his Facebook profiles, like Damone Moore who encourages the artist:

I love your last work. It makes people think and talk about what happened to slaves in a VERY LITERAL sense….

A 2009 article published on UrbanLife.se, a website on Afro-Caribbean culture, evoked the provocative aspect of Linde's work:

With deceptive ease and humour, Makode Linde's work shows western conceptions of the good man and the good life in junction with the perception of the Other. A whole army of small mutations are formed that demonstrates a totally romanticized vision of the part of western history that is characterized by violence, slavery and racism.

For Maxette Olson [fr], a Guadeloupian based in Sweden, such justification does not clear the artist:

Makode est un jeune homme noir. Il n´a peut-être rien contre les noirs mais est un noir suédois qui se croit immunisé contre le racisme comme beaucoup de noirs ici.

Makode is a young black man. He maybe has nothing against black people, but he is a Swedish black who thinks he is immunised against racism, like many other blacks here.

Sweden: Visiting Rinkeby, Stockholm's Immigrant Ghetto

Mohammed Alamer — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:17:06 +0000

The Rinkeby district of Stockholm, Sweden is famous for its high concentration of immigrants. Curious outsiders have documented their visits.

Yemeni journalist and blogger Afrah Nasser lives in Stockholm. She wrote about visiting Rinkeby for the first time in a blog post on April 6, 2012.

Afrah says:

I've always heard from people in Stockholm that there is an area called Rinkeby that is so full of immigrants and you can even hardly see Swedes there. So, I decided to go there, yesterday. I wanted to go and discover this mini-Non-Swedish area.

A street sign in Rinkeby. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Afrah noticed a difference upon arrival at the Rinkeby metro station which was shabbier than most central Stockholm metro stations like, T-Centralen. She compared photos of both stations:

My first impression when I arrived at the metro underground was, “OMG, Why the metro underground looks horrible! why there is no decoration at the metro !! Like how it is in , for example, Karlaplan (Where Swedes dress/walk like there is some kind of a fashion show)! No ads, no pretty pics on the walls like how it's the case at the average metro’ walls in the city.

T-Centralen Station. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Rinkeby Station. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Many people living in Rinkeby can't find a good job outside the community because they don't have the minimum Swedish language skills. According to Tricia Wang, an American blogger and cultural sociologist who visited Rinkeby in 2008, the woman in the next photo fears her children won't have good work opportunities because of the level of English and Swedish spoken in their school.

Bakery in Rinkeby. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Vegetable market in Rinkeby. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

At the end of her visit, Afrah said:

I said goodbye to Rinkeby with a feeling that Stockholm is segregated. Sana'a, my hometown, has been always segregated as well. The rich lived at one side and the poor at the other side. The Yemenis lived in one side and the immigrants lived at the other side. So, I know what social segregation means. There is an area in Sana'a called Safia that's heavily inhibited by Somalis. We used to call is Maqadishu. I bet Rinkeby is Stockholm's Safia. This is not new for me but it was interesting to discover this side of Stockholm.

Poster in Rinkeby advertising international money transfers to Africa. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Europe: Will ACTA Treaty Pass After Protests?

Danielle Martineau — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:09:08 +0000

[All links forward to French articles unless stated otherwise.]

As of the end of the month of February 2012, the mobilization efforts of Internet users against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) [en] were still going strong. In fact, they may have begun to bear fruit.

By including infringements against the author's rights in its scope, this international treaty, which addresses intellectual property rights, also affects Internet content.

The ratification debates which were placed on the European Parliament's agenda on February 29, were put on hold in expectation of the opinion of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The issue of the treaty's conformity with European Community law was brought before the court on 22 February by the European Commission.

No ACTA – Strasbourg. Photo by Christophe Kaiser on Flickr, CC-license-BY

Taurillon, the “magazine of young Europeans -France” describes “Europe's about-face on ACTA“:

Si l’avis est négatif, l’ACTA n’a plus aucune chance en Europe. Mais en cas d’avis positif, le recours à la CJUE représente le double avantage de redonner au traité une certaine crédibilité, et de repousser son adoption à une époque suffisamment lointaine pour que la polémique se soit tassée et que l’opinion publique regarde ailleurs.

If the opinion is negative, ACTA no longer stands a chance in Europe. However, if there is a positive opinion, appealing to the ECJ would mean a double advantage by giving the treaty a certain credibility, and also pushing back implementation to a time that is far enough away when public debate has settled down and the public's attention is focused elsewhere.

Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson for la Quadrature du Net urges on the European deputies:

Les eurodéputés doivent résister à la stratégie de la Commission européenne, qui cherche à gagner du temps et à transformer le débat en une simple discussion juridique, et pour cela continuer à travailler au rejet d’ACTA. ACTA vise à imposer une tendance pour une politique globale du droit d’auteur qui est toxique pour l’Internet libre et pour les libertés. Le Parlement européen est le dernier rempart : il doit agir et adopter une position claire et forte, faute de quoi il laissera le champ libre à la Commission pour imposer une répression inacceptable.

The Eurodeputies must resist the European Commission's strategy of attempting to gain time and turning the debate into a simple legal discussion, thereby continuing to work towards ACTA's rejection. ACTA aims to impose a tendency for a global policy of author's rights that is toxic for the free Internet and for freedom. The European Parliament is the last line of defense: it must act and adopt a firm and clear position, otherwise it will leave the field wide open for the commission to impose an unacceptable repression.

For trucbuntu, there is no question of remaining passive while waiting for the Court to adjudicate:

Les citoyens de toute l’Europe peuvent contacter leurs représentants dans les commissions Commerce International (INTA) et Industrie (ITRE), qui se réunissent cette semaine pour discuter d’ACTA, et leur demander de continuer à travailler au sein de leur commission pour le rejet d’ACTA.

Citizens of all of Europe were able to contact their representatives in the International Trade (INTA) and Industry (ITRE) Committees, who met on February 29 to discuss ACTA. Many citizens requested their representatives to reject the proposal.

The website of the European Parliament explains the procedure and the issues of the treaty [en] that are under scrutiny, and has published ‘What you should know about ACTA‘ [en], a page of questions and answers. The ACTA workshop of the European Parliament has been the object of a storify [en] made by the Parliamentary services (link via Global Voices contributor Asteris Masouras [en]).

The organization AVAAZ submitted a petition to the European Parliament on 29 February with 2.4 million signatures against ACTA. The petition is still open:

Nous sommes vraiment proches de la victoire — notre pétition forte de 2,4 millions de signatures a ébranlé les responsables politiques partout en Europe et stoppé les censeurs. La Commission européenne est à présent en position de faiblesse et espère que la Cour de justice donnera son feu vert au traité ACTA en lui soumettant une question juridique très limitée qui recevra certainement une réponse positive.Mais si nous faisons résonner nos voix aujourd'hui, nous pouvons faire en sorte que la Cour examine tous les impacts légaux du traité ACTA et publie un avis qui fera toute la lumière sur cette attaque contre nos droits qu'est ACTA.

We are really close to victory — our petition, with 2.4 million signatures has shaken up those politicians in charge throughout Europe and stopped their censors. The European Commission is currently in a position of weakness and is hoping the Court of justice will green light the ACTA treaty by bringing before the court a very limited legal question, that will without doubt receive a positive response. But if we make our voices heard today, we will be able to get the court to examine all the legal implications of ACTA and publish an opinion that will bring to light the real attack against our rights that is ACTA.

No ACTA – Strasbourg. Photo Christophe Kaiser on Flickr, CC-license-BY

Anti-ACTA parties continue to strengthen their resources. New protests were set for 10 March, and torrentnews gives a list, with this appeal:

La liste n’est pas exhaustive, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter pour la compléter ;)

si certains se sentent l’âme d’un reporter- photographe en herbe, nous recherchons également des personnes pour faire un petit article photo du déroulement de la manif, rien de bien compliqué, comme fait ici pour Nice, Marseille,Bordeaux et Strasbourg.

The list is not exhaustive, do not hesitate to contact us to complete it ;)

If any individuals see themselves as budding photojournalists we are also looking for people to do a small photo story on how the protest unfolds, nothing too complicated, as it happens in Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg.

For details on the elements of the debate, see also these linked articles from the Tribune on February 29, and Myeurop, on March 3. On Global Voices, see the laws SOPA/PIPA that set a precedent in the USA, here [en] and here [en]. Since the beginning of the protests, ACTA seems to have lost a lot of political momentum.

The title of this post is inspired by the end of the article “La liberté sur Internet : le filtrage de la discorde” which was published by the Institute of Research and Legal and Information studies and Communication (I.R.E.D.I.C.). It puts into perspective Internet blocking and debates the adoption of ACTA.

The original article in French was published on March 4. For background on the ACTA proposal, more articles can be found here [en].

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

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

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

Middle East North Africa:

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

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

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

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

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

As blogger @Afrahnasser, proposed on Twitter:

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

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

Sub-Saharan Africa:

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

Western Europe:

Spain: Fighting for the Right to a Home

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

Eastern and Central Europe:

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

East Asia:

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

Latin America:

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

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

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

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Handed 11-Year Prison Sentence

Sven Hultberg Carlsson — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:07:53 +0000

An Ethiopian court handed prison sentences of 11 years on Tuesday 27 December, 2011 to Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, two Swedish journalists on trial for supporting rebel forces in the country. The sentences are shorter than the minimum of 15 years the judge Shemsu Sirgaga had previously called for on 21 December.

No relatives were present in the courtroom when the sentences were handed down. The announcement caused a small crowd of protesters to gather outside the Ethiopian embassy in Stockholm [sv].

Neither the Swedish prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, nor the foreign minister, Carl Bildt, commented the sentence on Tuesday, but many others spoke out on Twitter.

Jonas Nordling, chair of the Swedish Union of Journalists, commented:

@jonasnordling: The Swedish government now has something to prove. Will they stand up for journalism today? #EthiopiaSwedes

Josefin Hammarstedt demanded a ministerial statement:

@Klockarbarbro: Sorry. But are the prime minister and the foreign minister are declining to comment the sentence? DECLINING? Why? #EthiopiaSwedes

Anders Jorle, spokesman for the Swedish foreign ministry, commented:

[The sentence] is regrettable in light of their journalistic assignment. The Swedish government's view is known, among other things through the prime minister's statement last week.

Schibbye and Persson's defence team, which consists of one Swedish and two Ethiopian lawyers, now has until 10 January to appeal the decision. An alternate route is to plead for clemency with the Ethiopian state.

Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights who specializes in Ethiopia, told [sv] Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter about the journalists’ chances of pleading for clemency:

A clemency process is an informal political negotiation once the verdict has been handed down. That would be the easy way out.

It is relatively unthinkable that the Supreme Court, which is even closer to the government and more political in its judgements, would acquit Schibbye and Persson.

A plea for clemency would mean Schibbye and Persson recognize their guilt in supporting terrorism, a charge they denied during the trial.

Schibbye and Persson were found guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally and of supporting terrorism in the country. The pair had entered Ethiopia from Somalia embedded with Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) forces on 1 July. The Ogaden province has long been the scene of a bloody conflict between the ONLF and the Ethiopian government.

The Ethiopian government, headed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has been criticized for of its recently-adopted “deeply flawed anti-terorrism act”. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have claimed the law is used for “stifling peaceful dissent”.

Over 100 journalists and opposition leaders are currently awaiting trial under the new law. Among them are Reeyot Alemu and Woubshet Taye, who were detained six months ago.

Karin Schibbye, the mother of Martin, told Swedish public television SVT [sv] that it is now down to the Swedish and Ethiopian governments to find common ground in the case of Schibbye and Persson:

The government has the solution. A negotiation process has to start. I think that the issue Johan and Martin have been caught in is much larger than just them, that it's a game being played by our two governments. How the government acts going forward will be decisive in the outcome of this issue.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Ethiopia trails only Eritrea among Africa's worst jailers of journalists.

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Found Guilty of Terrorism Charges

Sven Hultberg Carlsson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:57:56 +0000

Two Swedish journalists, Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, were found guilty on Wednesday 21 December, 2011, of supporting terrorism in Ethiopia and entering the country illegally.

The pair entered Ethiopia embedded with forces of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) on 1 July this year and were detained by the Ethiopian military shortly afterwards. Schibbye and Persson had traveled as freelance journalists aiming to report from the Ogaden province, the scene of a brutal conflict between Ethiopian armed forces and the ONLF.

Jesper Bengtsson, chair of the Swedish section of Reporters Without Borders, commented on the verdict on Swedish Public Radio:

I had hoped, and I think everyone had hoped, that the Ethiopian authorities had already made an example of Persson and Schibbye by starting the trial process and jailing them for six months. Obviously that wasn't enough of an example.

Early on Wednesday morning, Judge Shemsu Sirgaga denied the defense's main argument, which held that Schibbye and Persson travelled professionally and had a journalistic duty to report on the conflict from the side of the rebel forces as well as that of Ethiopia's military, and sided with the prosecution.

Sirgaga commented that the Swedes had “used their profession as a cover for terrorist activities” and called for an 18-year prison sentence to be handed down on 27 December, despite Schibbye and Persson's background in reporting from dangerous parts of the world and the testimony by two of Schibbye's and Persson's colleagues, freelance journalists Adrian Blomfield and Phillip Ittner, who had been flown into the capital Addis Ababa to take part in the court proceedings.

The video below shows Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, filmed by Ethiopian authorities after being detained, uploaded to YouTube by user rug571 on December 16.

During the trial, Schibbye and Persson admitted to entering Ethiopia illegally embedded with the rebels, but denied any charges of supporting terrorism. In November, the pair were acquitted of the third charge against them, of being “members of a terrorist group”.

“Political prisoners”

Mattias Göransson, the editor-in-chief of Filter magazine – the only client of Schibbye and Persson's to publicly acknowledge it had been in touch with the pair before their African trip – was called as a witness during the trial, and expressed disappointment with the verdict when interviewed by Reuters in Sweden:

When the judge read out the grounds it sounded positive, he had virtually nothing against them. Everything he said was speaking for an acquittal, and then he found them guilty anyway. This indicates they are political prisoners and nothing else.

The case against Schibbye and Persson has brought further attention to Ethiopia's vague anti-terrorist legislation, under which over 100 opposition leaders and journalists have been jailed up to 20 years. Three Ethiopian journalists are currently on trial for terrorism charges.

The Swedish section of Amnesty International said it is critical of Ethiopia's arbitrary interpretation of the anti-terror legislation. Lise Bergh, the General Secretary, said she is convinced of Schibbye and Persson's innocence [sv]:

Amnesty International does not believe there is any evidence of the men supporting the ONLF or its operations, nor that they are guilty of any criminal act. We regard Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye as prisoners of conscience, as they have been prosecuted due to their legitimate work as journalists.

Until the day of the verdict's announcement, the Swedish government had been fairly silent on the case. Carl Bildt, the foreign minister, had referred to methods of quiet diplomacy when asked about how the Swedish Foreign Ministry were working for the release of the journalists.

The situation has been further complicated by Bildt's personal history. Until 2006, when Bildt was appointed foreign minister, he served as a board member of Lundin Petroleum, the Swedish oil company whose activities Schibbye and Persson were intending to investigate in the Ogaden province.

After the verdict was announced, Bildt commented on the case on Twitter:

@carlbildt: Sweden expresses grave concern over hard sentence against Swedish journalists in Ethiopia. We will continue to work to set them free.

Bildt's comment was followed by a statement from Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister:

Our position is and continues to be that they were in the country on a journalistic assignment. They must be released as soon as possible in order to be reunited with their families in Sweden.

At an afternoon press conference [sv], Bildt stated that high-level diplomacy was now the prioritized course of action:

We are now making sure that the prime minister's strong message gets through to the Ethiopian government. We will then reason with the parties involved over the formal steps to be taken in this process.

A mellow reception awaited the official statements in social media. Under the hashtag #EthiopiaSwedes, tweets were sent out blaming the Swedish authorities for what is perceived as several months of perceived inertia regarding the case. Twitter user @tommyskot asked:

@tommyskot: When will @sweden and @carlbildt do something to get our journalists home? #EthiopiaSwedes

Below is a sample of reactions from Twitter:

@annalindberg: Now we begin to understand what conditions African journalists are working under. #ethiopiaswedes

@sweden: I'm shocked and appalled by the verdict against #ethiopiaswedes

@hurriya: spread this initiative to build solidarity for #ethiopiaswedes http://www.facebook.com/freejohanandmartin #svpol

Seleshi Ketsela, one of Schibbye and Persson's lawyers, said that his clients would now consider whether to appeal. An alternative route may be to seek a pardon from the Ethiopian state.

Ethiopia: Netizens Shine Spotlight on Trial of Swedish Journalists

Endalk — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:18:39 +0000

The trial of two Swedish journalists accused of terrorism in Ethiopia after being detained during a battle between government troops and rebels started on Tuesday 18 October, 2011. The story has become a hot topic of discussion in both traditional media and online communities worldwide.

According to the ‘Free the Swedish Journalists Johan Persson & Martin Schibbye’ Facebook page:

The two Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye were arrested by Ethiopian forces on July 1, 2011 when entering the Ogaden region in Ethiopia as embedded journalists with the ONLF guerrilla. This region is closed for journalists and aid organizations, but Johan and Martin wanted access in order to interview the local population about alleged violation of human rights in the area on a… daily basis. Travelling with the guerrilla was the only way to enter.

In his weekly Amharic feature article titled “Ethiopia – a country that permits public demonstration for animal rights but not for human rights”, Dawit Kebede, managing editor of Awramba Times (one of the few remaining private Amharic weeklies) satirizes the latest interview of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi with Aftenposten as a buy and sell business, since Awramba Times imported the interview and translated it for Amharic readers like an Ethiopian import of a foreign currency.

The two Swedish journalists who are facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia.

With this claim he showed how journalists from the private press have been methodically barred from meeting or interviewing Prime Minster Meles Zenawi for his entire time in power.

In its weekend editorial, Awramba Times appealed for comparable opportunity with state media journalists regarding access to information of government activities. Along with Prime Minster Meles Zenawi’s interview with Aftenposten, Awramba Times has translated an article written by Caelainn Barr and tried to draw attention to current status of journalists and press freedom in Ethiopia with specific reference to the Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye case.

More than 100 opposition activists, journalists and others have been detained under Ethiopia’s broad anti-terror law that can punish someone up to 20 years in prison for simply publishing statements that could indirectly encourage terrorism. The Columbia Journalism Review has reviewed the coverage of Swedish media:

The Swedish press later revealed that Persson and Schibbye were specifically reporting on potential human rights violations committed by Lundin Petroleum, a Swedish-owned energy company with natural-gas operations in Ogaden

BAOBAB has highlighted the status of press freedom in Ethiopia by epitomizing the case of Eskinder Nega, another prominent Ethiopian journalist who has been imprisoned on similar accusations for his criticism of the government following the Arab uprisings.

But this did not go down well with Ethiopian blogger Daniel Berhane:

Criticizing Press Freedom in Ethiopia is a good thing. Promoting Eskinder Nega is a disgrace on the Economist. Let quote from my recent article: ‘Terrifying the Press signals Defeatism’

ZenaEthiopia.com reported that Ethiopia does not want the Swedish journalists involved in a sensitive trial and pointed out that Swedish journalists were denied visas to Ethiopia to cover the trial of imprisoned colleagues.

Lawyers representing the Swedish journalists outside the court in Addis Ababa. Photo taken by Endalk.

Mohammed Keita of The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that several members of the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns about Ethiopia's detention of journalists:

The government's high-profile imprisonment of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, two Swedish journalists arrested in eastern Ethiopia while covering the activities of the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front, which the government designated as a terrorist group, drew a lot of questions, particularly from committee member Krister Thelin. After being repeatedly pressed about the fate of the journalists and details of the legal procedures following their arrests, a flustered Ambassador Fisseha Yimer Aboye, head of the Ethiopian delegation, told the committee that no further information would be provided. Rodley pressed the delegation to explain the legal procedures surrounding the arrests of two other journalists, Woubshet Taye and Reeyot Alemu, on suspicions of terrorism.

A Facebook page dedicated to raising awareness and funds for legal support has received more than 2,775 likes. Many participants of the page are focusing on their solidarity with Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson as the government attempts influence the trail process.

On a Facebook page created by Swedish European Member of Parliament, Cecilia Wikström, she has voiced concern that:

Cecilia Wikstrom asked yesterday two written questions to the EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton on how the EU can ensure that John and Martin's trial is true, and follows international standards and what it does to protect journalists from being accused of crimes while carrying out their job. We hope that this can be of any help and send our thoughts to John and Martin families.

An online petition has also been created with over 2,741 signatures. Most people on the page demanded the government of Ethiopia to release the journalists quickly. Lotta Westerberg, a supporter of the cause, is more vocal of all. She urged the online community to sign on the page:

Please sign the petition. Part of the story is that the journalists were investigating Lundin Petroleum, charged with being involved with war crimes in Sudan. Mr. Carl Bildt, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is a former board member

Endalk looked at how the local press in Ethiopia has been covering the issues just before the beginning of the trial:

A week before the commencement of the trial of the two Swedish journalists- Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye- charged with terrorism much of the global press was already reporting the case following Prime Minster Meles Zenawi’s interview with the Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten. Now, primer’s public allegations against two imprisoned journalists have become a dominant theme on pro-government media of Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, Walta Information Center, a pro-government private news and information service, that had been reporting about the Swedish-Eritrean journalist, Dawit Isaak and its subsequent concern of the Swedish authorities as Dawit remains jailed in the neighboring, Eretria kept shtoom about Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye

The trial of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye will continue on November 1, 2011.

Baltics-Sweden: Twenty Years of Independence

Vilhelm Konnander — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:13:11 +0000

Albatros of Litauen blog reports about [ger] Swedish celebrations of 20 years of independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and how Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, apologised to his Baltic colleagues for recognizing soviet annexation during World War II.