Small World News

Some of you are undoubtably wondering what happened to Alive in Baghdad, why we suddenly stopped producing videos after a slowing down of production/distribution starting at the beginning of 2009. We can now tell you that among several factors, our Bureau Chief Omar Abdullah, who was coordinating the project from his residence in Syria has been in hiding for the last months, a final straw that lead to the collapse of production.

Our previous translators each moved on to other positions just as Omar’s issues were coming to a head. Without translators we have been unable to continue producing regular content, as the footage is edited from our office in Philadelphia. We are still working on moving forward with Alive in Baghdad and are dedicated to continuing the project. We have recognized over the last months that the project needs to change, we need to be providing news and information in other ways, as well as our regular video series. If you haven’t seen Alive in Afghanistan or Alive in Gaza yet, please check them out, what we are working on will be something of a hybrid between these various projects.

Omar is getting settled into his new life in Sweden and should be back to work helping coordinate the project soon. We are working on integrating mapping tools, as well as preparing for the 2010 Iraqi elections coming up in January, hoping to implement similar tools as we utilized in Afghanistan’s recent election.

In other news two other Alive in Baghdad correspondents, Hayder and Basheer were resettled in the United States last Spring. Other correspondents are still in Baghdad, preparing to get back to work. We are pursuing some larger funding opportunities for Small World News, and would appreciate any input from our viewers on funding opportunities you might suggest.

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[Editor's Note: Our colleague Alex Strick will be collaborating with the new Small World News, providing support for our Afghanistan coverage leading up to the election and onward. This is his latest blog post.]

For outsiders, Kandahar was never really somewhere you could fall in love with.  You know the kind of thing I mean: places people went to honeymoon, places with a certain ineluctable quality to them… Back in the seventies, when Kandahar was a popular stopover city on the hippy trail to Kabul and India, one such traveller even described it as ‘a gentle oasis’.

These days, Kandahar is the city of nobody’s dreams.

Pace Farnaza Fassihi, living in Kandahar is like being under virtual house arrest.  Most days I stay at home, travel somewhere only when I have something specific to do there – a meeting, something I want to see – and am forced to enjoy Kandahar at a distance.  True, I’m lucky enough to have a great balcony view over the town and all the way down to where the desert starts.

This also isn’t to say I don’t get out at all.  Arghandab is a regular stop for a picnic or a swim on the weekends, and within the city most travel is more or less going to be ok.  Nevertheless, caution pays dividends (as stencilled letters on one taxi here informed me); the two big risks for foreigners in the city are kidnapping and being in the wrong place at the wrong time when a bomb goes off.

This happens increasingly often.  Those who follow my twitter postings – an easier way to get news out when there isn’t enough information to justify a full blog post – will have noticed the upward trend this past year in pictures of post-explosion clouds of debris, or holes in the ground where IEDs were laid.

Occasionally a troupe of journalists make their way into the city, but only for three or four days, and almost always working on a specific story; no more time to leisurely get to know Kandahar, no time for picnics…

When did it turn sour?  2006 was probably the turning point for the province, with all out battles in the districts and all sorts of mess within the city.  To the average observer abroad,  Kandahar must seem rather stable.  Reports from the city describing the atmosphere and downward spiral are scarce to be found, and generally it takes the death of a foreign soldier or at least a dozen Afghan casualties to qualify for a Kandahar dateline.

I compile a list of violent incidents in the greater Kandahar area from open source and local sources each day.  A year ago, that list would hardly ever exceed one page.  Nowadays, it’s not unusual to reach three pages: a list of bombs, murders, executions, attacks and threats.  It’s enough work keeping up with all of that, but then there’s all the personal stories of how people get through their days.

It’s nearly impossible to get a decent sense of what’s going on in the districts.  The international media stick exclusively (with some reason, albeit qualified) to embeds to get a sense of southern Afghanistan.  I heard rumours the other day that a well-known American journalist is thinking of repeating the success of a book that he wrote reporting in Baghdad: this time he’s doing one on Kandahar, though this time exclusively from time spent doing embeds…

Local journalism – despite the best efforts of a dedicated group – is reactive for the most part, responding to some bomb blast or assassination rather than actively generating content or a sense of what it means live in Kandahar.

In fact, the only way to get a sense of life in the districts is to step into the shoes – albeit briefly – of those that live there.  You want to find out how safe the roads are between the city and the districts: step into a taxi and run the gauntlet for yourself.  I’ll be writing more about my attempts to get a sense of what’s going on in the western district of Maiwand in the coming weeks, but this is the kind of thing that you have to submit yourself to if you really want to get an accurate handle on what is going on and how things are for people living there.

I’ve always advocated that journalists ought to be writing more about Kandahar, and writing more from outside military bases or press conferences.  Despite the danger, southern Afghanistan is an incredibly important locus of what’s going on in the country right now — with the elections, with the Taliban, with Pakistan, with the US military, with NATO forces — and it seems morally indefensible to my mind not to be paying close attention to all these causes and effects jumbling up against each other.

The population in the city and the outer villages brace themselves against all these manifestations of violence.  A common saying these days upon parting company is, ‘I’ll see you soon, if we’re still alive.’  Educated Kandaharis are scared; many leave for Kabul, or abroad if they are lucky (or rich) enough to have visas for foreign travel.

Tribal elders remain mute, or also depart for Kabul.  The elders or religious figures of authority (mullahs and so on) in the districts are forced to tread a firmly non-committal line, not annoying NATO, not annoying the Afghan government, not annoying the Taliban, not annoying the drug dealers…

Election gossip is all the rage these days, even in some of the worse-off districts.  The posters of provincial council candidates are all over town, and ‘the bazaar is warm’ (as the local saying goes) for the (illegal) purchase and exchange of voter cards.  As one prominent local figure put it to me yesterday: “The election has to happen, one way or another.  The foreigners have spent so much money in our country already.  They’re paying another $130 million for this round of elections.  What would they say if we couldn’t at least give them some elections?”

So the elections will take place.  It’s a good opportunity to shuffle the cards and jiggle the networks of power all over the country, but nobody — at least not anybody living here — has any illusion that these elections will be free or fair.

[Apologies for the tone of today's post, but it's difficult to be optimistic when the situation is so bad.]

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[Editor's Note: Small World News is currently undergoing an exciting transition. Soon correspondents from around the globe will be producing new stories on a regular basis. We are actively seeking new international correspondents, so please get in touch if you have suggestions or wish to join our team. What follows is the first column from our Nigerian correspondent, Rotimi Olawale. As we undergo this transition, any feedback will be appreciated.]

At face value, Mohammed Yusuf, the 39 year old leader of the boko Haram sect looked nothing like the average educated muslim scholar and cleric. From his picture, he looked like the neighbour next door, devoid of the characteristsics of an average scholar – a long white beard and a turban – Mohammed Yusuf trained, groomed and led more than 3000 young men across four states in Northen Nigeria to unleash terror, violence and killings which led to deaths totalling more than 800 in just 2 weeks.

Boko Haram, meaning “western education is a sin” in the hausa language, was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf with the objective ‘eradication of western education and the introduction of the Sharia law in all the 36 states of the Nigerian federation’.

According to newspaper reports, earlier in November 2008, Mohammed Yusuf and some of his followers were arrested by the police for public incitement through preaching and were dragged to abuja for trial. Two months later in January, they were granted bail after they were handed over to the police for prosecution.

The violence which started in Maiduguri, the Borno state Capital with an attack on the Borno state police command, religious centres and government building quickly spread to other Northern states of Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano.

Government responded by ordering a full frontal joint response from a combined team of military and police called Operation. The police, already bitter from the fact that the attack started right in their state headquarters left no stone unturned in smoking out the perpetrators.

At the end of the day, 800 lives were lost, mostly members of the islamic militant group and a score of innocent people including women and children who were caught in the cross fire.

However on July 30, Government announced the capture and later the death of Mohammed Yusuf, the sect’s leader, which has led many observers, including several international analysts to allege that he was killed extra-judicially. Many Nigerians don’t mind, extra-judicially or not, at least for the first time, the perpertrators of violence has been brought to justice, jungle justice or real justice, so they argued.

However, beyond the arguments of wether Mohammed was killed extra-judicially, there are still several questions that are left unanswered. For instance, how did the Boko Haram sect lay their hands on sophisiticated weapons? Could it have been bought from the militants in the Niger Delta? How did they plan, group and stock-pile arms without attracting Government’s intelligence system? Why was the group not placed under surveillance after they had been charged to court last year for public incitement in a region that is volatile and susceptible to such?

Beyond these questions also, is the need to find lasting solutions to ethnic and religious violence that at every interval springs up from the Northern region. The causative factors are easily identifiable. The northern region is the least educated region in the entire country, the poverty level is also higher and combined with the high unemployment rate in Nigeria, you have a region that has a pool of poor, uneducated and unemployed youth roaming the streets on a daily basis. How would these kids not be susceptible to brain-washing and incitements, especially when the person delivering the message can meet their basic human needs – food, clothing, shelter and cash.

The Boko Haram tragedy is likely going to repeat itself over and over again if the government of the 19 Northern states do not harmonise development strategies especially as regards education, tackling youth unemployment, dealing with religious crisis and gathering intelligence reports amongst others. If Nigeria would become the 20th largest economy by 2020; one of the fundamental things to eradicate is ethnic and religious crises. The time to act is now!

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[Editor's Note: As many of you have heard, the President of Honduras was overthrown by the military on 28th of June, 2009. Since then there have been a variety of reports coming out of Honduras, however by and large the information is very much under control. Due to this climate of repression, we are endeavoring to establish a project here, or at the very least provide tools for citizens in Honduras to report about what they are experiencing. What follows is the first email we have received. We will be endeavoring to get well-sourced material and firsthand accounts. If you know individuals in Honduras, please get in touch!]

<—Spanish Follows—>

Today has been a very tragic day for our country.  The army’s violent repression continues against the demonstrators protesting peacefully for the restoration of constitutional order and democracy in Honduras.

The outcome is as follows:
-At least two people dead.  One of those is a member of the Honduran Telecommunications Company union (Hondutel), who died after being crushed by a vehicle driven by military in the area surrounding one of this government entity’s buildings.  The second casualty a young person during the afternoon that was among the group of demonstrators supporting the people’s response to the coup.

-Various people illegally detained, having been taken to different police stations violently and by force.  Some of these people have not been returned to their families, in some cases bypassing Habeas Corpus or personal exhibition.

- Raiding of some homes of social leaders, media voices, and mayors of some of the country’s municipalities, who have been detained without judicial order and are being taken to military battalions (kidnapped).  Information is circulating about the supposed existence of a list composed of names of persons that make up farmers’ and workers’ groups, human rights organizations, and others who would be submitted to this type of violation of their most fundamental rights.  All of this for having expressed their position against the coup.

- The international press is being pressured to not broadcast the violent and repressive events that the Army and the Police are carrying out to reduce the people in favor of the restitution of President Zelaya.  In the afternoon journalists from the Telesur Channel — who were transmitting live images to the entire world from a building close to the Presidential House about the events in that which the demonstrators were being assaulted by the Army — were taken by force from the building, their equipment confiscated and taken  to the Migration and Immigration offices (we think with the goal of expelling them from the country).  This means that many few international media chains are giving wide coverage of the events occurring in the country.

-The suspension of constitutional guarantees continues: a curfew at night beginning at 9pm, the close of the communications media that had expressed a position critical towards the group usurping power, and the blocking of international news channels in cable television.  Additionally there are intimidation campaigns en the media allied with the new “government.”  Last night Mr. Billy Joya was invited to a debated and national opinion program, as an analyst concerning the situation that implies the supposed “constitutional transition.”  This man is ex-military, retired, that supposedly is indicated as one of the principal people responsible for the disappearance, death, and torture of hundreds of Hondurans in the 80s when terror was imposed as part of the national security policy.  You can imagine the psychological distress and what this means for many people to see on the screen a man like this, who is linked with the events of terror during the age of disappearances in the country.

- An environment of uncertainty and confusion is being promoted among the population, of which a good number can be found terrified and huddled in their homes.  The communications media that are functioning present interviews of the new government officials affirming that this is not about a coup, but rather a “democratic transition,” which is untrue under any light.

A government like this that already has the blood of at least 2 people on its hands and the kidnapping of so many other people CANNOT call itself a democratic government.  On the contrary the government of Mr. Roberto Micheletti has converted itself into an assassin, intimidating, and oppressive government.

Fortunately, there are people in the streets resisting despite all the tear gas, the bullets, and the rain.  Chains of solidarity have been created too attend to the demonstrators with food, water, and medicine, as well as the work to liberate them when they have been detained by the Police.

Thank you for the support and solidarity of the international community and the people sensitive to this problem that has violated the rights of an entire people.

We ask you once more to circulate this information that comes from our country, so that the world knows what is happening and so they do not forget us.

Regards,
Éver Guillén

——————————————-

Estimad@s:

El día de hoy ha sido muy trágico para nuestro país. Continúa la represión violenta por parte del ejército hacia las personas manifestantes que están protestando en forma pacífica para lograr la restitución del orden constitucional y la democracia en Honduras.

El saldo es el siguiente:

- Al menos dos personas muertas.  Una de ellas un miembro del sindicato de la Empresa Hondureña de Telecomunicaciones (Hondutel), quién murió luego de ser atropellado por un vehículo conducido por militares a las afueras de una de los edificios de esta ente gubernamental. El segundo muerto un joven que se encontraba en horas de la tarde entre el grupo de manifestantes que apoyan la respuesta popular al golpe.

- Varias personas detenidas ilegalmente; quienes han sido llevadas a diferentes estaciones policiales utilizando la violencia y la fuerza. Algunas de estas personas no han sido entregadas a sus familiares, eludiendo en ocasiones el recurso de hábeas corpus o exhibición personal.

- Allanamiento de algunas viviendas de líderes sociales, comunicadores sociales y alcaldes de algunos municipios del país; quienes han sido detenidos sin orden judicial y están siendo llevados a batallones militares (secuestrados).  Se circula información de la supuesta existencia de una lista compuesta por nombres de personas que integran grupos campesinos, obreros, organizaciones de derechos humanos y otros quienes serían sometidos a este tipo de violación a sus derechos más elementales; todo por haber expresado su posición en contra del golpe de Estado.

- La prensa internacional está siendo presionada para que no transmita los hechos violentos y represivos que el Ejército y la Policía están llevando a cabo para reducir a las personas que están a favor de la restitución del Presidente Zelaya.  En horas de la tarde periodistas del Canal Telesur, quienes estaban transmitiendo imágenes en vivo y a todo el mundo desde un edificio cercano a Casa Presidencial sobre los hechos en los que las personas manifestantes estaban siendo agredidas por el Ejército;  fueron sacados por la fuerza de este edificio, sus equipos decomisados y llevados a las oficinas de Migración y Extranjería (pensamos que con el fin de expulsarles del país).  Esto ha llevado a que muy pocas cadenas internacionales estén informando ampliamente sobre los hechos acaecidos en el país.

- Continúa la suspensión de garantías constitucionales, el toque de queda por las noches a partir de las 9 p.m., el cierre de medios de comunicación que habían expresado una posición crítica hacia el grupo usurpador del poder y el bloqueo de canales internacionales de noticias en la televisión por cable; además existen campañas de intimidación en los medios alineados con el nuevo “gobierno”. La noche de ayer fue invitado a un programa de debate y opinión nacional el Sr. Billy Joya,  como analista sobre la situación que implica la supuesta “transición constitucional”.  Este señor es un ex-militar retirado quien supuestamente está indiciado como uno de los principales responsables por la desaparición, muerte y tortura de cientos de hondureños y hondureñas en la década de los 80 cuando se impuso el terror como parte de la política de seguridad nacional. Ustedes imaginarán la presión psicológica y lo que significa para muchas personas ver en pantalla a un tipo como éste, quien está vinculado con los hechos del terror durante la época de las desapariciones en el país.

- Se incentiva el ambiente de incertidumbre y confusión entre la población, la cual en un buen número se encuentra atemorizada y agazapada en sus hogares. Los medios de comunicación que están funcionando presentan entrevistas de los nuevos funcionarios afirmando que no se trata de un golpe de Estado, sino de una “transición democrática”; lo cual es a todas luces falso.

Un gobierno como este que tiene ya la sangre de al menos 2 personas y el secuestro de otras tantas personas NO puede llamarse un gobierno democrático.

Por el contrario el gobierno del Sr. Roberto Micheletti se ha convertido en gobierno asesino, intimidatorio y represor.

Afortunadamente, hay gente en las calles resistiendo a pesar de los gases lacrimógenos, las balas y la lluvia.

Se han creado cadenas de solidaridad para atender a las personas manifestantes con alimentos, agua y medicamentos, así como la gestión para liberarlos cuando han sido detenidos por la Policía.

Gracias por el respaldo solidario de la comunidad internacional y de las personas sensibles a este problema que ha violentado los derechos de todo un pueblo. Se solicita de nuevo hacer circular toda información que llegue desde nuestro país para que el mundo sepa lo que está pasando y que no se olviden de nosotros.

Un saludo,

Éver Guillén

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Here is the transcript of our second update from Tehran, this is transcribed by a volunteer and you are welcome to help us if you think the transcript may have mistakes!

Transcript:

Hello I am reporting from Tehran, Iran and I’d like to share some news about the events happening here going on with the violence and the protests that are started at the last big election – the presidential election in Iran.

Uh, generally, uh, violence has been replaced by peaceful rallies and most of the protesters and Moussavi supporters are trying to uh, demand their requests in peace which usually is in Tehran and other big cities. Uh, yesterday a very big rally happened in Toopkhaneh square in the center of Tehran, uh, by Moussavi supporters in memory of the martyrs, uh, that were killed during the past days.

Moussavi [garbled] were there and [garbled] speech asked his supporters to stay calm and demand their requests in peace. Today hall line is open to have a Friday prayer and the Supreme Leader would have a – a speech but he is [garbled] the events that have happened here. Processors and Moussavi have decided to not [garbled] and there will be no officiall [garbled] of Moussavi and his supporters today but they planning to have a very huge rally tomorrow in Azadi Square on Saturday afternoon and one of the most important political parties in Iran have requested uh, to have legal ready uh, tomorrow.

Other than that, uh, people uh, go to the rooftops and shout “Allahu Akbar” and “Down with Dictator” each and every night. And, uh, I see that, uh, more and more people involved in these events and shout on their rooftops.

Uh, I think that things are moving toward peace and people are trying to use peaceful talks and negotiate with the government and regime to demand their requests. And I’m happy that less violence is happening here.

Thank you for your time and thank you for listening and thank you for support.

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