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Russia: Who is “Maria Ivanova”?

Veronica Khokhlova · 20:31 · Eastern & Central Europe

On March 11, the Sunday Times ran a piece by Sarah Baxter and Anna Voutsen on the recent attacks against critics of Vladimir Putin's regime. It opened with the story of a Russian journalist who has allegedly received political asylum in the United States following several attempts on her life, including two cases of severe poisoning. She is described as “the award-winning journalist, an expert on the Caucasus region” and is assigned a fictitious name in the piece, Maria Ivanova:

Ivanova is not the journalist’s real name. Until she leaves Russia she will not feel safe enough to be identified. “I live in fear,” she said in her first interview about her illness. “I feel trapped and constantly threatened by the security services.”

Needless to say, the Russian media and a number of Russian bloggers became eager to find out who was being concealed behind the pseudonym, and this, unfortunately, seems to have hurt an innocent person.

Timur Aliev - LJ user timur_aliev, editor-in-chief of The Chechen Society newspaper, the Chechnya editor of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) - has devoted four posts (RUS) to this issue:

March 11, 2007

I'm looking through [what my LJ friends are writing]. Many are feverish to learn who this mysterious Maria Ivanova is.

[…]

Everyone's guessing whether it's [journalist Yulia Latynina], or [Marina Litvinovich, LJ user abstract2001, editor-in-chief of the Truth of Beslan - PravdaBeslana.ru - website], or some other person. All assume this must be someone from Moscow. And I think this is very typical and says a lot on how little people in Russia know about the Caucasus. No, of course, there is Chechnya and Kadyrov, there's the tragedy of Beslan and the siege of Nalchik - everyone knows about these topics. But even our journalistic colleagues in Moscow do not know about the problems their colleagues in the Caucasus are facing.

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Bachelet's First year as President of Chile

Rosario Lizana · 12:04 · Americas

lingua → fr · zht · zhs

The first woman to be elected president in Chile, Michelle Bachelet, has made it through her first year as head of state. General opinion said that several situations made it not easy, including the education strike and delay in implementing the new transportation system that is still receiving mixed reaction from the population.

El Chere of EquinoXio [ES] gives an overview in numbers:

¿Qué sugiere cuando una Presidenta tiene uno de los niveles de popularidad más bajos de la región (cerca del 38%), uno de los promedios más mediocres desde la vuelta de Chile a la democracia (3,8 en escala del 1 al 7) y ha debido hacer frente a constantes crisis tanto políticas (con su coalición) como estructurales y sociales?

What does it imply when a President has one of the lowest levels of popularity in the region (near 38%), one of the most mediocre since the return of democracy in Chile (3.8 from a 1 to 7 scale) and has had to confront constant political (from her own party), structural, and social crises.

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Malawi: Is homosexuality anti-Malawi?, Voices against former President, and Malawian blogger visits Yahoo!

Victor Kaonga · 09:48 · Sub-Saharan Africa

Homosexuality is one the most controversial topics and illegal to practise in Malawi. However, many Malawians in the diaspora are faced with the reality of gay or lesbian relationships. A regular Malawian blogger on MMalawikutheba is shocked at the behaviour of some Malawians who are gay and practise it in the diaspora. Writing in Chichewa, he asks Malawians not be taken up by Western lifestyles where homosexuality is allowed. He calls upon such people to go home and show their parents that they are marrying a fellow man or fellow woman and expect to be accepted. He deplores the lifestyle and says it is anti-Malawi:

Nanga kungoti tiri kunja ndiye kumangotengera makhalidwe alionse, mpakana kufika poti a malawi ayamba kugonana ndi amuna anzawo (akuti za u gay) Zonyasa! Makhalidwe oyipa ngati amenewa ndakayika ngati angapange athakhala ku mudzi kuja, tapitani nawotu anzungu anuwo ku Malawi mukawaonetse makolo kuti mwapeza banja, a malawi anzanga mwamuna mzako ungamugwire pati? kumvetsa chisoni kwabasi, akuti kunja kuno kuli ufulu! Khalidwe limeneli sila chimalawi, ndi lonyasa!

Just because one is outside Malawi then you think you are licensed to copy any lifestyle even to a point when Malawians have started gay sexual relationships! Disgusting! I don't think you would do this in the village. Go with your European friends to Malawi and show them to your parents that you are marrying a fellow man or woman. Eh, men, what would you do with a fellow man? Very sad indeed. What kind of freedom is this? This disgusting behaviour is anti-Malawi.

Voices against Muluzi

The announcement by former Malawi's president, Bakili Muluzi, that he wants to stand in the 2009 elections continues to generate political in discussions by Malawians at home and abroad. Bakili Muluzi served his two year-term between 1994 to 2004. Debate over the legality of his intention is equally strong. But the former president seems set, a situation that makes Bright Molande who writes at Anti-Bakili Muluzi blog look at Dr Muluzi's “Backward flight” comparing his presidency with Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda and the incumbent Dr Bingu wa Mutharika:

Muluzi’s 10 years are pitied between two visionaries and great statesmen. He had a mandate which was accomplished. It was short and transitionary. Muluzi’s mandate was to take Malawi from where Kamuzu Banda had left off particularly in 1964. Our societies had forms of democracy even before the coming of colonialists. … What Muluzi should have known is that after his mandate of restoring democracy, Malawi needs leaders with a vision to take over. There may be some within UDF. But now all sane Malawians of goodwill know that Muluzi was not gifted with a vision or commitment for development beyond his mandate. This is why it is extremely dangerous for Muluzi to come back.

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Links for Sat, 2007-03

East Asia

Mong Palatino is worried about the army visiting campuses and warning students not to join progressive youth groups. “These ‘peacekeeping missions’ of the military are unnecessary, illegal and dangerous. These create a chilling effect in campuses. The military aims to frighten students who are contemplating of joining groups which are critical of government policies. “

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ask This Blackwoman comments on the report that P Sub-Saharan Africa

Black Looks writes about Busi, the writer of My Realities blog, who passed away this week, “

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kubatana's post shows cruelty by the goverment of Zimbabwe, “Spare a thought for the families of Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinjeh whose injuries were severe enough to warrant them being medivac’d to South Africa on March 17. To prepare for the evacuation they got the necessary clearance from the President’s Office, Immigration, Customs, airport security - only to be stopped on the tarmac by… a policeman with a brand new, never before heard of requirement. The officer commanding the Law and Order Section of the police had arbitrarily decided they now had to get clearance from the Ministry of Health.”

Middle East & North Africa

According to Madeh 19[Fa],judiciary authorities have given permission to three banned journals such as reformist Shargh to be published again.

Middle East & North Africa

Iranian president,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a new message in his blog.He says he got a letter from an American woman whose son was sent to Iraq.He writes I am sorry to say that the American people are kept in an absolute censorship concerning the outside world by their government.I am certain if the American people know where and on what, their tax money are spent, even the strong supporters of the government would not stand it and rush to the street to show their opposition in regard to that issue.

Middle East & North Africa

Mohammad Ali Abtahi,reformist politician, talks about women in politics.He writes When no reformist or conservative politicians provide the chance for serious development of women at high levels, it is natural that ladies start their own activities in political arena to defend themselves.The solidarity and social and political cooperation of ladies despite all their differences has been unbelievable, though due to having many leaders their real wishes have not been analyzed yet.

Middle East & North Africa

Palestinian blogger Maytha, who is based in the US, predicts that the Kuffiyeh (Palestinian head gear) is making a comeback on the West Coast. “(M)aybe it's LA fashionistas sheer dedication to innovative and cutting edge fashion trends…or maybe it's just the complete ignorance surrounding the socio-cultural history of the kuffiyeh and the politically charged controversy it is eneveloped in,” writes the blogger.