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Russia: Aleksei Pichugin's Trial Blogger Nominated for the BOBs

Veronica Khokhlova · 23:57

For the second year in a row, LJ user sivilia-1 (Russian journalist Vera Vasilieva) is competing for Deutsche Welle's Best of the Blogs Awards (the BOBs). Last year, she was nominated in the Reporters Without Borders category; this year, she is shortlisted for the Best Weblog Russian.

Her blog (RUS) - http://sivilia-1.livejournal.com/ - is devoted to coverage of the case of Aleksei Pichugin, former security chief of former oil giant Yukos, sentenced to life in prison for involvement in at least three murders (not to be confused with Aleksandr Pichushkin, recently sentenced to life in prison for at least 48 murders). Pichugin's arrest in 2003 marked the beginning of the Kremlin's attack against Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

In the post translated from Russian below, sivilia-1 explains to her critics the choice of her blogging subject matter:

There's an ongoing discussion in the blogosphere of the 2007 Best of the Blogs competition, in which I am taking part. I've read comments of some of the readers who claim that I'm “on the payroll” and am not really voicing my opinion, because I simply do not have one. Like, the content of my web journal can be summarized in one phrase: “Putin is bad” (and some also add: “Berezovsky is good”). And they also claim that it's not surprising that I've made it into the final cut - after all, the competition is organized by a Western radio station.

It was very interesting to read the discussion of my blog. Criticism is great! But it's a pity that those commenting are guilty of what they are accusing me of - something that can be summarized in one phrase: “Vera Vasilieva is bad, she works for money rather than expressing her personal point of view!”

This ain't so. Apparently, those who write this have not familiarized themselves with my blog. Because I have explained more than once the reasons for my principal subject matter and why I've picked my blog as the medium for it.

Well, okay, I'll explain it once more - to those who are willing to listen.

You are free to disagree with my point of view - [that's up to you]. But to claim that I don't have one is totally wrong. As is the assertion that I'm doing it for the money I've been paid.

The main topic of my blog is the trial of Aleksei Pichugin, the former Yukos employee. I started blogging about it because this topic deeply affected me after my first visit to courtroom, and I couldn't find the objective coverage of the trial in the mass media. My intention has been to have the minimum of personal commentary, I've been placing the emphasis on what was taking place, on the facts, regardless of my personal attitude to them. And I was doing it all absolutely for free. I worked at an IT publication then. By the way, because of my blog reports on the trial, I was forced to leave this publication. Just as I had to leave another job, which I landed after the dismissal. Then I was invited to the Human Rights in Russia portal, where I've met wonderful people, friends who share my views.

Yes, this is where I work as a correspondent now, for a salary. But, dear readers, aren't you getting paid for the work you do?! I'm not selling my position, my views. I write about what I think and I'm earning my money honestly. You are free to hate my point of view. But do not distort the facts.

Thank you for your attention.

Here are some of the comments to this post:

red_andr:

Ignore them. When there are no arguments of substance, they start these attacks, claim that [you are] corrupt, on the CIA's payroll, and a spy for the Western intelligence in general.

ivansim:

Oy, they understand it all perfectly well :) But they'll never admit that they are writing all their “exposé” simply because this is their job and not because this is what they really mean :)

[…]

crazy_lusinoid

Your hobby is the same as your job - it doesn't happen often, but it does happen ;))) For example, astronomers often sell telescopes, booklovers sell books, and good cooks work in restaurants. ))) […]

[…]

alogic:

Vera, you are one of those rare journalists who are actually doing what their profession obliges them to do - you are uncovering the facts despite the unfavorable conditions. There was no one but you at the trial. An honest critic would agree with it, while the dishonest ones aren't worth paying attention to. Wishing you victory in the competition - and recognition.

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Jordan Remembers Amman Bombings

Naseem Tarawnah · 22:46

lingua → de · es

It's been two years since over 60 people were taken from their families. The Amman bombings of November 9th 2005, is a memory etched in the minds of all Jordanians. In a country that is perceived to be calm, safe and stable, the bombings were a disturbing reminder that no nation is immune to the evils of terrorism. Two years ago, Global Voices kept the world up to date in the minutes and hours following the bombings, even when media giants like CNN couldn't. Yesterday, Jordanian bloggers remembered, finding it difficult at times to find the right words.

Eman, who lives in Tunisia said: “Today is one of those days in which you find yourself speechless. Being away, remembering all those we watched get awfully killed from a distance, I can’t even imagine how others, who are in Amman, and even worse, those, who lost loved ones, are feeling right this moment!”

The blast that haunts most Jordanians today, was the one that targeted a wedding at the Radisson SAS. Over 30 people were killed including the fathers of both the bride and groom. Um Zaid attended a wedding, and it was a sudden reminder of how times have changed:

“So two years later, it is normal to enter a hotel in ‘Amman by going through the same security that you face at an American airport. It is normal to have your bag searched to go to the mall. To walk through a metal detector to get your groceries. I see more soldiers and police on the streets than I did 5 years ago…Two years ago, the smoke in the ballroom came from bulky bombs strapped around people’s bodies. Tonight, the smoke in the ballroom was from dry ice timed to release as a chubby smiling groom twirled his blushing bride in front of a nonchalant crowd.”

Photo Credit: Hareega

Yazan remembers being at a Spanish musical concert at the Le Meredian hotel at the time of the bombings:

“After the break [intermission] finished, we went back inside the hall, and the event started again. After a while, we noticed this high rank military officer entering and approaching princess Sumaya, who was a guest at the event, they went outside for a while, and she entered again with a frown face. After that, a number of people started getting phone calls and storming out of the room…I went to my apartment with my friends. We gathered mesmerized on the television screen watching what is happening. It was strange, as we never thought that something like this could happen in Amman.”

Kinzi was in Austria at the time, far from her family and home when the dreadful news broke. News was hard to come by and Jordanian bloggers tried to fill the void:

“Unable to sleep, I spent the next three hours on-line with Jordan Planet, in tears as I switched back and forth from Natasha, Lina, Roba, Nas trying to get more info. They had the news, not CNN. Soon other bloggers posted that they were ok. No one I knew was lost, at that point. But many other families were devastated, and that grieved my heart. Amman’s innocence was robbed.”

Lastly, Hend Fayez offers a poem of remembrance:

“When walls start raining blood
And grooms bury their dead,
Pretty brides blush no more
Their gowns are stained by flesh,
Too white for a black day.”

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Egypt: Nothing Moves People As Much As Religion

D B Shobrawy · 14:17

lingua → es

The late Naguib Mahfouz once said: “If you want to move people, you look for a point of sensitivity, and in Egypt nothing moves people as much as religion.” It continues to move the social and political mechanics of the people, the future of Egyptian politics and the consciousness of our nation's bloggers alike. These are the current issues of Egypt illustrated through their words.

Zeinobia-Egyptian Chronicles

I remember when I spoke about the Burmese Buddhist Monks protests and I wonder why we do not have religious men like them,the photo I posted about the Sheikh of Al-Azhar drew some criticism , well I am sorry I will have to post this photo again in this post because it is too relevant

First of all as man of religious knowledge I respect Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, the current Sheikh of Al-Azhar ,even before he was appointed in the position “Sheikh of Al-Azhar ” -”the head of Al-Azhar University” which is considered the highest religious position inscan0002 the Sunni world yet since being appointed in that position , the man seemed to be following the regime's orders in a way that sometimes contradict his role as a Shekih and his responsibility towards the Islam and Muslims from fighting injustice in land ,seeking equity ,freedom and fighting corruption with all its kinds .

As in most of the Arab world, faith and politics are very much intertwined in Egypt and the impact of the two stretch far outside the countries own borders encompassing those in the diaspora. The political concerns of Copts outside of Egypt are equally relevant and arguably significantly harder hitting than those of Copts inside of Egypt. Understanding that dynamism is paramount to understanding Egyptian religious relations.

Samuel Tadros-Liberal Wall

Many things were written about Copts that live outside of Egypt and many accusations were leveled against them from treason, collaborating with Zionists, calling for Aid to Egypt to be cut and generally being fanatic Christians that exaggerate about the situation in Egypt.

When I was invited to attend the Coptic Conference being organized by the Coptic Assembly of America in Chicago, I had mixed feelings about it and felt hesitant to accept. My own experience in meeting some of the Coptic Political leaders abroad had not been very encouraging and I knew that if I attended I was going to be automatically labeled with all sorts of terms.

I thought a lot about it and decided to attend. Part of that decision was based on my interest in meeting those people that are so much hated by the Egyptian media and forming my own opinion about them

It was religious sensitivities in a country often described as a powder keg waiting to explode, that sent Kareem Amer to jail for his controversial statements about Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Several rallies are being held today, November 9th, all around the world in protest of his imprisonment. Check FreeKareem.org for details of protests held in 15 cities around the world.

Kareem is not alone in being oppressed, in many ways he is lucky to be alive and presumably free from the constraints of torture due to his very public case. Many others have not been as fortunate as more police officers are arrested for torture and more of their victims die as a result of their heartless actions…

Zabinzo-Kalb Baladi

Just one day after two Egyptian policemen were convicted of torturing a man, another 22 year old man gets beaten to death by policemen in Giza.

If this happened in any slightly civilized country, governments would fall, ministers and top officials would be sacked and people would be demonstrating in the streets.

The issue of religion is not always a mixture of politics, more often than not its an obsession of people handed down to others in a sometimes unfriendly manner most apparent in the work place.

Isis-Egypt The Reality

New Office-girl started at the office today. She's not veiled. She seems really sweet. Especially with her tight jeans and belly&cleavage-revealing top. I asked her if she can make some tea and she said sure. Then I asked her what her name is and she told me it was Rana. She then asked me what my name is and I told her… Then came the very first question of my relationship with the office-girl:

“MUSLIM OR CHRISTIAN?”

My eyes went as wide as physically possible while I was trying to understand why the very first question in my relationship with the office-girl has to be concerning which God I believe in. Apparently my name made her believe I could be non-muslim. I jokingly answered:

“Haahaha… I'm still making up my mind”

Then she said with a lovely smile:

“It's okay honey we're all sisters and brothers.”

Then I told her:

“I'm Muslim”

Her response was:

“THANK GOD!!”

These issues are hardly new to the country and show no signs of change, they will continue to shape the minds of the people and the relationships of individuals. Naguib Mahfouz was a tolerant and reasonable man who put it best because he saw the country from an unblurred perspective. Till we meet again.

6 comments · »»

Uzbekistan: A Great Loss for the Nation

Tolkun · 06:36

lingua → bn · mg · es · zht · zhs

A great loss for the whole nation: such was the reaction of Central Asian - especially Uzbek - blogosphere to the assassination of Alisher Saipov, a prominent journalist from Osh, southern city in Kyrgyzstan that borders with Uzbekistan. As he was an ethnic Uzbek and lived in a border area, Alisher Saipov, 26, very often covered issues neglected not only by Kyrgyz media but also media in Uzbekistan that is heavily controlled by the government.

During his short but active life, Alisher Saipov collaborated with News Agency Ferghana.ru, Voice of America Uzbek Service, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Uznew.net. Moreover, Alisher Saipov had found the Siyosat [Politics] newspaper in Uzbek language that was published in Osh city and often smuggled into the territory of Uzbeksitan. The newspaper was devoted to cover mainly religious, human rights and political issues on both sides of the border. Alisher Saipov had also launched the online version of the newspaper which has not been updated after his death.

Libertad in neweursia was one of the first to report on the assassination of the journalist. Libertad believes that it is a great loss that such a great person was murdered.

He was well-know not only in Kyrgyzstan, but in whole Central Asia for his excellent work as a journalist. Alisher Saipov was a great journalist, a wonderful person and a cool chap, who was always happy to help people, especially friends, and who never gave up in the face of obstacles. He always stayed loyal to his principles. And his principles were truth, honesty, honor and courage.

(more…)

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Madagascar: Diaspora and Development.

Lova Rakotomalala · 04:00

lingua → mg · pt · es

The Malagasy blogosphere was abuzz with discussions regarding the role of the diaspora in the development of Madagascar. This is a recurrent theme in the Malagasy blogosphere and in African development think-tank in general.
Sipakv wrote (Fr) :

“Deja a l’epoque, le role de la diaspora se discutait ferme, et le contenu ne differait guere de ce qui se dit en ce moment, meme si les participants ont change. Il y a toujours les enthousiastes, les cyniques, les indifferents, les Malagasy restes au pays qui refusent carrement a la diaspora tout apport au developpement, au vu de leur absence au pays et de leur ignorance supposee quant aux conditions et aux besoins locaux. Et il y a aussi, ceux qui reprochent a la diaspora, a tort ou a raison, une approche arrogante.”

Back then, the role of the diaspora was intensively discussed and the content of what was said then did not differ much from what is being said now even though the participants have changed. There are always the enthusiastic ones, the cynical ones, the indifferent, the ones who stayed home and refuse to acknowledge any contribution from the Diaspora because of their absence and their supposed ignorance of the conditions and needs of the locals. There are also those who blame the diaspora, legitimately or not, for their arrogant approach.

village with internet
Many bloggers went to task when it came to concretely contribute to the development of ITC in Madagascar. The nonprofit organization Foko-madagascar created a monthly blog club meeting to promote citizen journalism in Madagascar and encourage people to share their stories on the web.
Other organizations such as namana serasera have had a long outstanding record for helping develop ITC in schools among other socially-driven actions. Their initiatives are strongly supported by Malagasy bloggers at home and abroad.
Similar type of collaborations between Malagasy continents apart have fueled the growth of Global Voices in Malagasy which has posted 178 posts in 2 ½ months and gained a substantial readership despite the hurdles of being one of the less spoken languages in the world.
Yet, the question remains, is the Malagasy diaspora doing enough for their homeland ?
Vaomiera’s take on the role of the diaspora (Fr):

“je pense que la diaspora a beaucoup plus de role à jouer en apportant sa competence (dans differents domaines) au sein d’entreprises existantes, en soutenant les nouvelles entreprises, en recherchant des financements, en financant des projets de developpement, […]
La force et la raison d’existence d’une diaspora sont resumées ainsi: “regard” tourné vers le pays”

I believe that the diaspora has a major role to play by adding its expertise ( in different domains ) to the existing companies, supporting the newly formed companies, seeking funds, funding development-based projects, helping local initiatives [..] The strength and the raison d’etre of a diaspora resides in the fact that its sight is turn towards its country of origin.

Thenonrequired relates a telling story of the hurdles that the diaspora sometimes faces when it comes to returning home and contributing (Fr):

“Première tentative pour rentrer à Schgeumland. Envoi de CVs. Réaction d’un des DG des entreprises ciblées: “Mais qu’est-ce-qu’il a à rentrer à Madagascar? Il n’y a pas de job ici pour ses compétences. Il ferait mieux de rester où il est…”.Deuxième tentative (4 ans plus tard) pour rentrer à Schgeumland. Envoi d’un CV. Réaction du recruiteur: “Mais il est surdiplômé ! Il est sur-qualifié ! Qu’est-ce-qu’il veut? Il n’y a pas de job pour lui ici.”

there was the 1st “back-to-Madagascar” try. I sent resumés. Here is the reaction from the CEO of one of my targeted companies” Why does he want to come back to Maldagascar ? There is no job here for his skill-level. He’d be better off staying where he is….2nd try ( 4 years later). Send resumés. Reaction of the recruiter: “He is overqualified. What does he want ? There is no work for him here…”

Rajiosy wonders why he feels like the obligation to give back is heavier on the African diaspora than on others (Fr):

“Il semblerait que l’obligation de “développer” son pays d’origine ne soit imposée qu’aux ressortissants d’Afrique […]J’aurai tendance à croire que tout malgache ayant fait le choix de vivre ailleurs, travaille en premier lieu à la richesse de son lieu de résidence/pays d’adoption. […]De là à dire qu’il contribue également à la richesse globale des malgaches (du monde entier) par lui-même, par ses enfants, par sa communauté bref par son histoire. C’est le pas que je franchis allègrement…”

“It seems as if the need to “develop” their country of origin is only incumbent upon Africans. […] I would tend to believe that any Malagasy that made the choice to live abroad is first and foremost contributing to the wealth of his place of adoption/residence. […] However, I gladly make the argument that he also contributes to the overall wealth of Malagasies everywhere by his actions, his children, his community and his history….

Whether through conversations or direct actions, it seems that the blogosphere is abounding with bloggers with a will to contribute to the development of their homeland or at least, a will to understand the need for giving back.
Harnessing this goodwill was the topic of conversation during a meeting with the founder of the Ubuntu Institute.
To encourage bloggers to continue the conversation online on various topics, a “Best of Malagasy blogs Awards” has been planned for launching in the coming weeks.

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