Archive for
July 3rd, 2009
Stories
Belarus: President Pardons Emanuel Zeltser
On June 30, a U.S. Congress delegation visited Minsk. The Congressmen had a meeting with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. During this meeting, members of the U.S. delegation asked the president to pardon Emanuel Zeltser, an American lawyer who, in August 2008, was “sentenced to three years in prison on charges of ‘attempted industrial espionage' and the use of fake documents.” Lukashenko said he could do it and signed the pardon later that day.
Adam Goodman of The Being Had Times re-posted a BelTA article about the U.S. delegation's visit on his blog and here is a quote from it:
[…] During the meeting members of the US delegation addressed the President of Belarus with a request to use powers of the head of state to free US citizen Emanuel Zeltser, who had been serving his sentence in Belarus for committing a criminal offence.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasised that the US citizen had violated Belarusian laws. “He was arrested in our country and sentenced in accordance with Belarusian laws. Even US Charge d’Affaires a.i. in Belarus Jonathan Moore does not deny it. I have never thought that this man could become an issue in relations between our countries. Yes, according to Belarusian laws, according to the Constitution I can grant a pardon to Emanuel Zeltser. You have asked this of me, right? If it is very important for America and our relations and contributes to normalising our relations, I will sign the pardon today,” said the head of state. […]
On Wednesday, at 5:30 a.m., Zeltser flew back to the United States.
Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (LJ user radio_svaboda) invited bloggers to ask Zeltser some questions via the by_politics LJ community [BEL]. Only a few bloggers have responded so far, and LJ user lipkovich was the first one to [RUS]. Below are three of the six questions that he asked:
1. Is it true that you were arrested right after the negotiations at the Presidential Administration?
[…]
3. Would you seek material compensation from our country?
[…]
6. As far as we know, you were released following a pardon decree. Does it mean that all charges against you have been removed? If yes, do you plan to continue working on inheritance cases in Belarus?
So far, Zeltser has not replied to LJ user lipkovich and a few other Belarusian bloggers who are attempting to interact with him via an LJ community focused on Belarusian politics.
DRC: Goma's Makeover for Independence Day
On June 30th, the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated the 49th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Belgium , as well as the country's first leaders: President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba.
Independence Day was celebrated all throughout the country, but it was in the eastern city of Goma (the capital of North Kivu province) that the official festivities took place with the participation of President Joseph Kabila, as well as the presidents of a number of other countries. Here are a few bloggers' reactions to this historic anniversary, celebrated in a city that not long ago was a war zone.
Photo by Patrick Butsapu
Colette Braeckman [FR], a Belgian journalist specializing in Central Africa, wrote about holding the celebrations in Goma:
Voici moins d’un an, qui aurait cru que l’indépendance du 30 juin, date mythique s’il en est, serait célébrée à Goma ? A l’époque, le chef rebelle Laurent Nkunda recevait toutes les télévisions du monde et devenait une star médiatique, entrant en concurrence avec les deux chefs d’Etat des pays concernés, le président Kabila et son homologue rwandais le président Kagame.
A l’époque, la peur régnait dans de vastes zones du Nord Kivu, à la merci d’attaques du CNDP […]
At that time fear reigned in vast stretches of North Kivu, at the mercy of the CNDP attacks[…]
For Dawn Hurley, an American expat in Goma who blogs at From Congo, the choice was risky:
It is not the most logical place to invite hot shots of all sorts to celebrate this grand holiday. It is an unruly city on the very edge the country. But it precisely this reputation as the Wild west (or rather Wild East) of Congo, that has led the President to choose to celebrate here.
For Colette Braeckman, celebrating the Independence in Goma has a strong significance:
Malgré les peurs des uns, les critiques des autres, il faut reconnaître que célébrer l’indépendance à Goma, hier terrorisée, assiégée et qui se sentait oubliée de Kinshasa, est un symbole fort. Le symbole d’un pays qui a entamé sa reconstruction et récupéré son contrôle sur toutes ses provinces, […] le symbole d’un géant convalescent, qui vacille encore un peu, mais qui, de manière décidée, s’est remis debout…
Dawn of From Congo also commented on the works happening around the city in preparation for the official festivities:
So for the past month Goma has been a giant dust bowl. The roads of Goma, which are perpetually in a ridiculous state of disrepair, have been dug up, marked off, and attacked with a variety of roadwork tools. Road workers have appeared out of nowhere and worked day and night over the past month, to turn Goma into a presentable city.
Boubol, the Goma correspondent for the popular Congoblog [FR], also wrote about Goma's makeover for the celebration (including some photos of the works):
« Je n’ai jamais vécu une telle situation à Goma, qui donne l’impression de se trouver dans une cité industrielle » s’exclame Mzee Paul, un sexagénaire, rencontré le long du boulevard Kanyamuhanga. Ce tronçon, sur lequel s’effectuera le défilé, revêt une nouvelle couche de bitume. C’est depuis la dernière éruption survenue en 2002 qu’il était dénué.
Nombreux sont le badauds qui passent leurs temps admirer les pylônes qui poussent depuis peu sur les routes de la capitale touristique. Au total, 600 réverbères éclaireront Goma d’ici le 30 juin, à en croire un des superviseurs des travaux: « La ville de Goma sera la ville la plus éclairée, après la ville de Kinshasa qui compte seulement 300 pylônes en bon état » a-t-il ajouté.
Many are the idle onlookers passing their time admiring the new street lights now mushrooming on the roads of this touristic capital. In total, 600 street lights will illuminate Goma until the 30th of June, according to one of the supervisors of the works: « The city of Goma will be the most brightly lit city, after the city of Kinshasa that only counts 300 street lights in a good state » he added.
Photo by Yvez Zihundula
However, Boboul wonders about the long-term permanence of the makeover:
S’ils se réjouissent en voyant ces travaux, les habitants de Goma ne se font pas d’illusion. Il faut attendre de voir s’il s’agit bien d’un élan de reconstruction ou si ce n’est qu’un embelissement temporaire, le temps de la fête.
Apparently the Independence festivities included some fireworks, which some people mistook for shooting as shown by this story at From Congo:
Argentine and Mapendo (two of the SHONA women) spent last night trying to decide where to hide. They heard shooting and assumed the town was being attacked. […]
In fact it was fireworks. Yesterday was Independence Day in Congo and a fireworks display ran for at least half an hour last night. I couldn't see the fireworks from my house, and apparently Argentine and Mapendo couldn't see them from their hiding spots. But we could all hear the explosions, and I have to say that it was as long and impressive sounding a display as I have ever heard.
I, for one, am not suprised the a fireworks display in a region which is still a war-zone, would scare the living daylights out of people. They announced it on the radio beforehand but many people, like Argentine and Mapendo, didn't hear the warnings and were left to assume the worst.
Goma-based journalist Yves Zihindula [FR], who also noted the impressive works happening in his city, offers a bit of a pessimistic reflection about the Congo after 49 years of indepence:
Ceux qui ont vécu les années après le 30 juin 1960, parlent des bonnes choses du Congo et disent par exemple qu’un zaïre (monnaie locale de l’époque) équivalait à plus d’un dollar américain. Normal qu’un jeune de mon âge ait difficile à les comprendre. Pas de système d’éducation fiable, pas d’eau potable, pas d’électricité, pas de routes dans la plupart des localités… voilà ce que nous vivons depuis notre enfance.
49 ans après l’indépendance, quel bilan faire ? Qu’est ce qu’il faut que je réponde ? Je n’ai rien vécu jusque là. J’attends vivre… et ferais un bilan le moment venu.
49 years after the independence, what assessment can we make? What can I say? I haven't lived anything until now. I'm waiting to live… and then I'll make my assessment when the moment comes.
In a similar vein, Espérance-Francois Bulayumi at Mbokamosika [FR] wonders:
Devrions-nous organiser ce mardi 30 juin 2009 une fête pompeuse pour célébrer la journée commémorative du 30 juin dans la situation où se trouve le pays actuellement?
John Passou offered this reflection at the blog Aujourd'hui c'est Aujourd'hui [FR]:
L’indépendance du Congo est à reconquérir. Corriger aujourd’hui les vices du régime Mobutu, ce n’est pas, comme d’aucuns s’imaginent, l’œuvre d’un jour. Ce doit être l’œuvre d’une politique de longue haleine, habile et circonspecte. La domination néocoloniale a plongé la société congolaise dans un pourrissement tel qu’il nous faudra des années pour la purifier.
Morocco: An Alternative to Iran?
A recent article by Anne Applebaum, published under two separate titles in the Washington Post (”Morocco, an Alternative to Iran) and Slate (”Morocco Makes Peace With Its Past”), has caused quite a stir amongst Moroccan bloggers, as well as on Twitter and in forums. The article, which suggests Morocco as a model for democracy coexisting with Islam to be used in Iran, has been criticized for going too easy on the Moroccan regime, as well as for projecting Western values onto both countries.
Moroccan author Laila Lalami blogged her frustration with the article, saying:
Her contention that protesters outside Parliament were “politely” waving signs is bizarre. If she had spent any kind of time, day after day, watching what happened to them, she wouldn’t be praising their politeness or the police’s restraint. The elections themselves are really nothing to write home about: turn-out was low and the results were, as usual, entirely unsurprising. If this is what she qualifies as “transformation from authoritarianism to democracy” then Lord help us all.
On the Morocco Board forums, where Applebaum's original article was posted, many readers took issue with the article. One reader, Adiloss, seemingly agrees with Lalami:
It seems the journalist tourist is misled by some appearances. It's true that demonstrators in front of the parliament are often not disturbed by the police. They have been there even for months for some of them, but nobody cares.
The journalist didn't happen to pass by in one of those hot violent days were police officers can break the head of anyone they can lay hands on, even non demonstrator passers can be subject to violence and degrading verbal insults by police forces.
Lalami also commented on Applebaum's contentious statement that in Morocco, “though there is clearly a fashion for long, flowing head scarves and blue jeans, many women would not look out of place in New York or Paris,” stating:
It almost never fails. When a Western reporter goes to Morocco to write about the process of democratization, the resulting article will inevitably mention sartorial choices and give them positive or negative values. Jeans = good. Jellabas = bad. At Slate, Anne Applebaum visits Morocco and finds that many women “would not look out of place in New York or Paris.”
Another statement by Applebaum with which readers took issue was: “One thinks wistfully of the shah of Iran and of what might have been.” One Morocco Board reader, who calls himself Moroccan Patriot, decried the statement, saying:
Nothing this woman wrote is accurate. She might as well be a reporter for FOX news.
Morocco has serious issues that do not need 100 years to solve. They need those who are currently in charge to simply decide that they want to ENFORCE the current laws on the books.
There is NO accountability and NO uniform enforcement of the laws currently on the books. This is not an accident, this is by design. While certain degrees of this exist in all societies, it is seldom as blatent and in your face as it is in Morocco.
When you say things like, “think whistfully of the shah of Iran and what might have been”, you become very clear about your stated goal, the demonizing of Iran.
Of course, there were also those for whom at least pieces of the article rang true. Maghreb Blog commented:
A flattering portrait of Morocco in today's Washington Post. Anne Applebaum sets the kingdom as a model for “slow but profound transformation from traditional monarchy to constitutional monarchy, acquiring along the way real political parties, a relatively free press, new political leaders — the mayor of Marrakesh is a 33-year-old woman — and a set of family laws that strive to be compatible both with sharia and international conventions on human rights.” As I opined elsewhere, it would be a stretch claiming that Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, as the monarch still holds vast executive, legislative and discretionary powers.
Mazagan, yet another Morocco Board commenter, on a piece I wrote in response to Applebaum's piece (”Poor Alternatives“), compares the two viewpoints and finds both lacking:
In one, Morocco is the picture perfect Oriental student in line with the West marching orders and the FMI directions, in the other it is simply the lackey of the Imperialism and the oppressor of peoples’ freedom.
Moroccos’ [sic] reality does not fit perfectly in either prism. The electoral process has suffered a major setback, being recuperated by the oligarchy. Still within the country, there is still very healthy civic and political debate taking place.
Only time will tell, as Morocco's new political officers settle into their positions and its bloggers continue to analyze their governance.
India: Court Ruling Decriminalizes Gay Sex
On Thursday, 2nd of July the Delhi High Court ruled that treating consensual gay sex as a crime was discriminatory and therefore a violation of fundamental rights protected by India's constitution. We hear the response of some Indian bloggers to the ruling in this post.
Amit Varma of India Uncut says:
July 2, 2009—mark this day. It’s a big day in the history of independent India because today the Delhi High Court effectively decriminalized homosexuality. As of today, it is no longer illegal to be gay in India. I’ve often written about how India gained its independence in 1947, but Indians weren’t free in some many different ways. Well, notch one up for individual freedom. […] This doesn’t mean, of course, that we have suddenly become an enlightened society. There will still be much homophobia, stereotypes of gay people will abound in popular culture[..]. But at least it isn’t illegal any more. How big is that?
The Rational Fool quotes from the ruling:
It's a victory for secular democracy in India. In a landmark judgement, the Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah of the Delhi High Court, along with Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, ruled in favor of the petitioner, Naz Foundation, and held that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in its current form was violative of the of the constitutional provisions of Article 21, Article 14, and Article 15, “insofar it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private”. The ruling brings cheers not only to the LGBT community, but also to anyone who believes that liberty and equality before law cannot be held hostage to irrational beliefs and values in perpetuity.
Suriya Subramanian leaves a comment at Blogbharti to say:
I’d like to draw attention to the part of the ruling, which I think is the most important, but no one is talking about. The court did not just decriminalize homosexuality, but they went way ahead and offered people protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Harini Calamur at POV says:
About time. The State has no business to peek into our bedroom. This is not just about decriminalizing homosexuality – it is about ensuring everyone’s right to privacy.
Blogger ??! writing at This is a Title asks:
You hear that? That's the sound a stupid law makes when it's finally overturned. […] Poor cops though, one less easy money-making scheme taken away from them.
And ??! reminds us that not all the responses to the ruling have been positive, suggesting readers look at the Rediff commentboard. Here is an example of the opinions stated there, by Puneet Gera:
First time in life, I despite being Indian, accept Pakistan is a better country than India, at least gay sex is not legalised there. They have maintained their cultural values. I salute you Pakistan for your good values.
Szerelem is thrilled:
My friend informs me, via her lawyer brother, that while the judgement was passed by the Delhi High Court it is applicable all over the country, till overturned by specific states. This (a) makes the verdict even more awesome and (b) makes me wonder if/ when/ where it will be overturned, though hopefully not at all, because the judgement was way too long coming. Also, &#@$ you to the mullahs, right wing hindutva types and general assholes who seem to populate discussion forums in this country and are decrying this.
However, Dilnavaz Bamboat at Ultra Violet believes there is plenty more to be fought for:
While the decriminalization of consensual gay sex is indeed a victory for those rooting for orientation-equality, constricted notions of propriety continue to be imposed on basic choices deemed even remotely threatening to social fabric. A case in point being denim. I kid you not. Jeans, according to the Uttar Pradesh Principals Association, may well be the root of degenerate teen behavior. Scrap the blue stuff and voila! We’ll have model citizens.
The two may be seemingly unrelated but they point to a constant struggle to assert our right to self-expression and fundamental choices. And remind us that it’s far from over. Self-determination, for the most part, is still sitting pretty in the latter half of a dictionary.
Guatemala: For Some Artists, Picasso was Wrong
Pablo Picasso, considered to be one of the finest artists of all time, said: “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers”. However, forty years after such statement, computers and the Internet are tools being used by Guatemalan painters and are hosting the galleries of the future.
Many of these artists are living and painting abroad. They use their blogs as a space to show others their work and stay in touch with their community.
Sebastián Sarti is Guatemalan, but was born in Costa Rica, where his Guatemalan father was exiled and married his Puerto Rican mother. He grew up in Nicaragua, lived for a while in Guatemala, and now he is dedicated to his paintings in Aix et à Marseille. He is sharing his works on his personal blog El Desorden de la Cabeza [es] (The Mess Inside My Head).
Le voleur d´animaux by Sebastian Sarti.
Based in Brooklyn, NYC, Juan Carlos from Historiando [es] has many talents to share with his readers. A painter and activist, he uses his works for exhibitions in galleries but also for demonstrations. He created a John Lennon poster using recycled tickets from the metro, to protest against the high fares of public transpot in New York. In this link, you can see some of his exhibitions.
Artwork by Juan Carlos
Elvira Méndez is a talented painter, based in Antigua, Guatemala and shares her work with the world. Her blog Pintura [es] (Paint) shows her collections of paintings, expressing herself with different shapes, colors, and textures.
Collage by Elvira Méndez
Alejandro Marré is a poet, a performer, but also a creative painter as his Arte Marré blog shows. Pop culture elements are remixed and retouched to have results, such as this:
Walking around by Alejandro Marré
Erick González is in Montmartre, the place any painter in the world dreams about. He is creating interesting pieces, expressing in images through recycled materials that contrasts the most complex topics in Guatemala, from violence against women to the increasing number of bodyguards and firearms. His blog [es] hosts critiques and pictures of his paintings.
Here is a sample:
I am a Product by Erick González
There are few galleries or public spaces for young artists in Guatemala to showcase their work. There are also little resources for invitations to exhibitions and the art critics rarely highlight little-known artists. For that reason, blogs are providing the opportunity to young artists to display their artwork, express themselves and share and interact with those who visit their sites to see their pieces of art.
All images used with permission or under a Creative Commons license.
The Uyghurs: Persecuted Muslim Minority in NorthWest China
Today we take a look at the situation faced by the Uyghur people, a Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region of China, where their culture is being obliterated by the central Chinese government, first because they were deemed separatists and now, after the September 11 attacks to the USA, also as terrorists.
Image by http://futureatlas.com
Facing many of the same problems Tibetans have due to their religious views such as religious restrictions, forced abortions, imprisonment and execution, the Uyghurs' (also spelled as Uygur, Uigur, Uighur) plight isn't as visible to westerners as the Buddhist's situation. In past Global Voices articles we've followed up on their situation including on how their online forums were closed by the Chinese government back in 2008, and also how the Chinese government pressures other countries to refuse asylum to those they deem criminals, much in the same way it happened with 17 Uyghur detainees in Guantanamo, who had been released but China pressured countries not to accept them.
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is also controversially known as Uyghurstan or East Turkistan, and this following video is brought to us by the Saving East Turkistan project where they point out that due to the religious persecution including forced abortions passed of as family planning and the many deaths due to nuclear testing it may be possible that the Uyghur culture will die off:
Now, the documentary video about the Uyghurs by the Stanley Foundation, where compounding the decreased numbers of Uyghurs, they have restrictions in how they can raise their children, making it virtually impossible for them to pass on their religious traditions to their offspring, creating what they call a cultural genocide:
Links for Fri, 2009-07
Rajan Rishyakaran has written an article critiquing the Malaysian university admissions process.
Mongkol visited the National Museum and was able to view the recently donated rare Angkorian gold and jewelry which have never been seen before in Cambodia.
Gazan blogger Lina says: “This is something I’ve been feeling so significantly the past week. It’s the feeling of being dehumanized or the feeling that life is not meant for us, the Palestinians.” She then lists all the things that have made her feel this way.
Gay Bahraini blogger Shams Al-Ma7aba congratulates India on decriminalising homosexuality [Ar].
Matt Holland at Feedbackward on Aokigahara, and Meaningful Suicide in Japan - “The ubiquitous and accessible nature of trains in Japan make them a logical and effective choice for those attempting suicide, but it is Aokigahara, the forest situated at the base of iconic Mount Fuji that hosts the most suicides of any location in Japan, and is second in the world only to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.”
Passu Diary discusses how the works of the hydro-electric power project at Punatshangchhu (Punakha) River in bhutan has made an impact on the local lives. There are no homes available for rent for the low income ordinary people and the blogger urges “we want our homes back. Please don’t buy away our living…”
Rajneesh Bhandari took an interview of the Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal, who said that “Maoist combatants will also be merged in new security organs and only some percentage of Maoist combatants will be integrated in the Nepal Army.”
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