(Russia) Russian media director hospitalized after brutal attack

Vadim Rogozhin, managing director of the independent media holding company Vzglyad in the southern city of Saratov, was hospitalized in serious condition March 10, 2009, after surviving a brutal attack the week before.

Two unidentified assailants attacked Rogozhin, 38, as he was leaving an elevator at his apartment building around 6 p.m., repeatedly striking him in the head with heavy objects, Vzglyad said. The assailants left the journalist barely conscious by his door, but did not rob him. After crawling into his apartment and calling an ambulance, Rogozhin was hospitalized with a fractured skull and multiple head lacerations, the business daily Kommersant said. The journalist has been unconscious since undergoing several operations, the independent news Web site Newsru said.

Over the past several years, Rogozhin worked as a journalist for a number of local and national media outlets. Prior to his promotion in January to managing director of Vzglyad, Rogozhin edited and reported for Saratovsky Vzglyad on corruption in the regional government, police, judiciary, and security services.. After Rogozhin assumed his managerial position two months ago, he continued to influence Vzglyad's editorial content, his colleagues told CPJ. "It is obvious that this attack was related to his professional activity," said Vzglyad-Info Editor-in-Chief Nikolai Lykov.

As said in a March 10 CJP report, Saratov police opened an investigation into the attack and took Rogozhin's computer to check for possible leads. Local reports said that Rogozhin's journalism is among the motives that investigators were checking, but officials have made no statements on the case.

- Jessica Smith (Team Russia)

(Russia) Another Russian journalist beaten in Moscow Region

According to an article by CPJ, Russian authorities should thoroughly investigate the March 12 beating of Maksim Zolotarev, an editor at the independent newspaper Molva Yuzhnoye Podmoskovye in the town of Serpukhov, Moscow Region, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Zolotarev told Radio Svoboda--the Russian Service of the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty--that three unidentified men in hooded jackets first attacked him with pepper spray, then beat him with clubs when he was leaving his apartment building for work at around 12:30 p.m. He said the assailants fled the scene in their Mitsubishi sedan, parked in front of Zolotarev's building. The journalist is now recovering at home from bruises on his left arm, spine, and thigh, Radio Svoboda reported.

Zolotarev said he considers the attack retaliation for the paper's reporting on corruption. He told Radio Svoboda he is resigning from the paper as a result. "They tried to intimidate me and they've succeeded," Zolotarev told the radio.

Zolotarev's lawyer, Igor Ogorodnikov, told Radio Svoboda that regional police have not yet opened an investigation. He said investigators are taking witnesses' statements, but that he felt they were not taking Zolotarev's statement seriously, Radio Svoboda reported. The lawyer said the police refused to open a requested probe or conduct a forensic medical exam.

- Jessica Smith (Team Russia)

China: Canadian Mooses Spreading "Lies" About China Internet Spying

A report on a China-based computer spy-ring was dismissed by a Chinese spokesperson as "lies" and symptoms of "a Cold War virus".

The Canadian group Information Warfare Monitor said in its report that a network, based mainly in China, hacked into classified documents from government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of the Dalai Lama and his exiled Tibetan government.

Taking a leaf from the North Korea Public Relations handbook, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang refused to directly address the allegations and instead chose to turn the tables on these so-called "researchers".

"Some people outside China now are bent on fabricating lies about so-called Chinese computer spies." Qin said. "Their attempt to tarnish China with such lies is doomed to failure."

"You asked if we will investigate or track down these criminals. I think it is high time to track down those people who've been attacked by the (Cold War) virus I talked about." Qin added.

Anyone majoring in PR should take a semester abroad in China and study at the feet of the master, Qin Gang.

In other news, a Tibetan monk was beaten to death by police in southwest China after calling for protests. As there is no independent verification of this report, we can safely assume that this AP report is nothing more than vicious lies perpetrated by Canadian polar bears.

-Steve Kwan

All Blame on the "Tibetan Government in Exile"

Last week, Tibetan exiled groups voiced outrage at a video that has surface on youtube recently that shows Chinese militarized policemen beating detained Tibetans during an ethnic unrest a year ago in China. At a March 26 briefing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Qin Gang, was dismissive of the video.

"I have also seen the video. The contents are obviously edited and doctored. Maybe the Dalai clique got some tips of image-editing from certain western media. What I want to point out is that the March 14 incident is a grievous violent crime involving beating, smashing, looting and burning premeditated, organized and instigated by the Dalai clique, and perpetrated by the separatist forces for "Tibetan Independence" both in and outside China acting in collusion," Qin said, adding that during the riot "armed police force had all along maintained the utmost restraint and performed their duties according to law and in a civilized manner."

Within a day after the briefing, the Chinese government had decided to block access to youtube from within China. According to Tim Johnson's article "as of today, YouTube once again appears available in China. But if you try to see the video, you get a banner that says, 'This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.'"

-Van Hoang
Group China

Burma commences fence construction on Bangladesh border

Mizzima.com


by Siddique Islam

On Tuesday, Burma started constructing a wall along the border of Bangladesh in order to slow down smuggling into the country. They already have 40 miles of fencing along the Bangladesh border in order to divide the two countries. The fence will range to no man’s land from 50 yds-1000 yards. This is an agreement arranged by both countries. It is not to be malicious or for defense purposes; instead, it is being put up solely for the illegal smuggling of drugs and illegal trafficking into both countries. “This is for the mutual benefit of the two close neighbors,” said Phae Thon Oo, ambassador to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh doesn’t have a problem with this fence as long as it “is erected 100 meters from the zero point.” However, on Monday there was some confusion about where the fence was going to lie and Bangladesh is asking for explanation from Burma. Burma has not issued a formal explanation yet, but they are discussing where their position truly is.
“Bangladesh and Burma share 190 miles of common border. Burmese authorities are constructing a fence along an approximately 40-mile stretch of the boundary.”

BURMA
-Sarah Greenert

Iran cracks down on lifestyle magazine

An article from March 2008 from the committee to protect journalists condemns the Iranian government who recently banned nine lifestyle and cinema magazines because of their foreign content of film stars and their promotion of "superstitions."  

There were corrupt photos of foreign film stars and their fabulous lives.  There was advertising found in these magazines that were for forbidden medicines and articles contrary to the morality and advertisements that were offensive to the ethnic minorities.  The war on freedom of expression in Iran has reached absurd heights.  CJP director Joel Simon said, "The iranian state is party to the international covenant in civil and political rights, which enshrines freedom of expression and the free flow of information.  We call on the government to immediately rescind their ban on these lifestyle magazines."  

The press supervisory board now warned 13 other publications about the consequences if they did not abide by the press law. According to CPJ, a women's magazine was banned with no form of evidence to support the reason for the ban after being published for more than 16 years in print.  

-Amanda Reinstein

Thai Univeristies Hold Lèse Majesté Seminars

Activists met at Thammasat and Mahidol universities last week to discuss their increasing fears about the abuse of the lèse majesté laws. Several activists spoke at the seminars, explaining how the abuse of the laws led to them to be unfairly ostracized or imprisoned.

Labor activist Chitra Kochadet was accused by her employer of being a disloyal citizen and was thus fired from her job. Kochadet had recently begun protesting unfair layoffs at her company and says that her dismissal was a result of her protests, not because of anti-Thai behavior. She argues that her employer unfairly used lèse majesté laws as a way to stop her protests.

Suthachai Yimprasert spoke about how the laws were being used as a way to unfairly detain certain people. He witnessed firsthand the imprisonment of an aquaintence named Da Torpido. Torpido was repeatedly denied bail and remained in prison while others accused of the same crimes were set free.

Prachatai webmaster Chiranut Premchaiyaporn spoke about the lack of legally stated guidelines on what are considered anti-Thai remarks. She believes that the absence of these guidelines led to the unjustified shutdown of her website. The fact there are no guidelines allows the lèse majesté laws to be broadly interpreted, and Thai citizens are being punished for it.

The seminars also pushed for the maximum prison sentence for those accused of breaking lèse majesté laws be decreased from fifteen years to seven years.

-Jillian Knowles (Thailand)

Iran- The internet quick;y becoming only refuge

Monday, March 16, 2009
IRAN-Internet quickly becoming only refuge
From an article from 2007 we see that press freedom continues to deteriorate. There has become a widening and growing issue between the publics attempt to access information and the government's restrictions upon that information. The decline of information keeps going down as journalists and reformists are being spotted. The public has turned to the internet for freedom of expression. Efforts have continually been made to arrest bloggers over the internet and filter out information. In 2007 the Iran government began to target more internet based media. The public is still finding ways to gain information about their government and around the world, but the government keeps narrowing down the field of information that is available. Internet usage as increased. Satellite dishes are forbidden, but many Iranians have them allowing for many citizens to receive international news coverage. At the end of 2006," YouTube, the New York Times website, and the English version of Wikipedia were all blacklisted at the end of the year. Public use of high-speed Internet connections was banned" More and more bloggers were targeted as well as journalists and many were sent to prison. This epidemic is threatening Iranians self liberty and freedom expression to the harshest extent.

http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=498

-Amanda Reinstein (IRAN)
Posted by Amanda Reinstein at 10:09 AM 0 comments
Labels: bloggers, internet, journalists, prison

Iran: blogging against the regime and 'we are iran'

Monday, February 23, 2009
Iran: Blogging against the Regime and 'We are Iran'
Iran has become known as having the largest prison for journalists in the middle east, noted in 2006. Over the past 6 years, 41 newspapers in Iran have been banned which cancels out any forum for individual opinions and voices.
Iran was the first country to imprison a blogger and in April 2003, the first blogger Sina Motallebi blogged on rooznegar.com and was sent to jail. Iranians have been more polarized against the government, creating more political and personal bloggers at a faster growing pace.
Alavi created a book called 'we are Iran' to help outsiders understand the "monumental social changes" in Iran. The book emphasizes citizens rights and the struggle for a civil society.
The "blogosphere" is the only way for free speech, but free means of communication are being deprived in Iran. Literacy rates in Iran stand much higher than many European countries.

'We are Iran' helps shed light on views in Iran and people will find the freedom of expression they are searching for in cyberspace if it is allowed. Lolivashe writes in Alavi's book; "...I write so as not to be lost in my despair. I write a weblog so that I can shout, cry and laugh, and do the things that they have taken away from me in Iran today."
People are acting out and writing to get their point across and opinions heard.

http://www.alternet.org/story/30702/?page=1
Posted by Amanda Reinstein at 10:24 AM 0 comments
Labels: blogosphere, Iran, webblog
Sunday, February 8, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009
IRAN-Internet quickly becoming only refuge
From an article from 2007 we see that press freedom continues to deteriorate. There has become a widening and growing issue between the publics attempt to access information and the government's restrictions upon that information. The decline of information keeps going down as journalists and reformists are being spotted. The public has turned to the internet for freedom of expression. Efforts have continually been made to arrest bloggers over the internet and filter out information. In 2007 the Iran government began to target more internet based media. The public is still finding ways to gain information about their government and around the world, but the government keeps narrowing down the field of information that is available. Internet usage as increased. Satellite dishes are forbidden, but many Iranians have them allowing for many citizens to receive international news coverage. At the end of 2006," YouTube, the New York Times website, and the English version of Wikipedia were all blacklisted at the end of the year. Public use of high-speed Internet connections was banned" More and more bloggers were targeted as well as journalists and many were sent to prison. This epidemic is threatening Iranians self liberty and freedom expression to the harshest extent.

http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=498

-Amanda Reinstein (IRAN)
Posted by Amanda Reinstein at 10:09 AM 0 comments
Labels: bloggers, internet, journalists, prison
Monday, February 23, 2009
Iran: Blogging against the Regime and 'We are Iran'
Iran has become known as having the largest prison for journalists in the middle east, noted in 2006. Over the past 6 years, 41 newspapers in Iran have been banned which cancels out any forum for individual opinions and voices.
Iran was the first country to imprison a blogger and in April 2003, the first blogger Sina Motallebi blogged on rooznegar.com and was sent to jail. Iranians have been more polarized against the government, creating more political and personal bloggers at a faster growing pace.
Alavi created a book called 'we are Iran' to help outsiders understand the "monumental social changes" in Iran. The book emphasizes citizens rights and the struggle for a civil society.
The "blogosphere" is the only way for free speech, but free means of communication are being deprived in Iran. Literacy rates in Iran stand much higher than many European countries.

'We are Iran' helps shed light on views in Iran and people will find the freedom of expression they are searching for in cyberspace if it is allowed. Lolivashe writes in Alavi's book; "...I write so as not to be lost in my despair. I write a weblog so that I can shout, cry and laugh, and do the things that they have taken away from me in Iran today."
People are acting out and writing to get their point across and opinions heard.

http://www.alternet.org/story/30702/?page=1
Posted by Amanda Reinstein at 10:24 AM 0 comments
Labels: blogosphere, Iran, webblog
Sunday, February 8, 2009

Iran: building four satellites

Iran has launched a research and telecommunications satellite, called Omid, which means hope is persian, according to the latest news news.yahoo.com. This is the first domestically built satellite in Iran. The installation of these four satellites has worried western power because they fear Tehran is looking to build nuclear bombs and missiles.

The western's fear of Iran having alterior motives was rejected when Iran said that their nuclear work is only to generate electricity and the launch of the satellite was for peaceful purposes, not destructive ones. The U.S. feels that there is an alterior motive to this plan where missiles are being created undercover in Iran's space program, which could lead to the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile which would reach Europe and the United States. Telecommunications minister Mohammad soleimani was quoted, "following the launch of Omid, Iran will try to raise the weight and altitude of the satellites to be launched." They have not reported whent his will take place yet.

-Amanda Reinstein (IRAN)

Croatia: Slovenia OKs accession to NATO

On Friday, Slovenia “formally ratified Croatia’s accession to NATO,” allowing the country to join the alliance as scheduled next week. This is significant because, last week, a border dispute with Slovenia threatened to impede Croatia’s admittance. While the Slovenian government continue to maintain that it supported Croatia joining NATO, a nationalist group, the Party of the Slovenian Nation, strongly opposed. This group attempted to quickly gather the 40,000 signatures needed to “force a referendum on Croatia’s NATO bid,” but, by the Thursday deadline, ultimately fell short.

This is not Croatia’s first disagreement with Slovenia – in December, Slovenia vetoed Croatia’s European Union bid.

I found two articles describing these events: one from an English-language Ukrainian newspaper and one from the New York Times. I find it very interesting that the New York Times article is significantly shorter and less detailed…

-- Ellen Leto

Mexico City: little change under NAFTA

Fifteen years after the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, little positive change had been seen in Mexico City.
Mexico’s exports have exploded under Nafta, quintupling to $292 billion last year, but Mexico is still exporting people too, almost half a million each year, seeking opportunities in the United States that they do not have at home.
Economists here say much of the blame lies with Mexican leaders, but some also undeniably goes to consequences of Nafta, where in some cases, results were exactly the opposite of what was promised.
One of the many examples of these consequences is after Nafta, the new factories imported parts from their global suppliers leading to the demise of local companies that had sold printed circuit boards or assembled computers under tariff protection.
Even the success of Nafta’s exports is a problem because of the declining consumption of good in general in Mexico.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will arrive in Mexico on Wednesday and President Obama will visit next month. Both are expected to emphasize the successes of American-Mexican economic cooperation, but the effects of NAFTA will be hard to ignore.

Kaitlyn Lembo

Mexico: Journalist in exile, facing death threats

Jorge Luis Aguirre, a Mexican lawyer, journalist, and director of the online newspaper La Polaka, has been forced from his home in Mexico to seek safety in the US. His work as a reporter has made him a target of the drug cartels in Mexico, and government officials working in concert with the cartels have made several threats against his life. After fellow journalist Armando Rodriguez was murdered just outside Aguirre’s own home, Aguirre and his family fled to El Paso, Texas, and have been there since November 2008.

The picture Aguirre paints in the article is a grim one- he asserts that returning to Mexico would mean certain death for him, and he described the situation in Mexico as having “erased all authority and government from the map and replaced it with dictatorship of the crime underworld.” I think it’s hard, from an American perspective, to truly understand the dangers facing journalists and citizens in Mexico right now, but I this article goes a long way toward conveying the severity of the situation. The entire country has been ravaged by the violence, and it seems like the media system was one of the first casualties. What hope is there for free media when corrupted government has made reporting an offense punishable by death?

--Liz Hobson

Thai authorities arrest blacklisted Hmong refugee for deportation

A Hmong refugee who once guided a BBC TV team to Laos to document atrocities committed against the minority group, was allegedly arrested by Thai authorities. The article was reported on The Nation's website. The man's name is Joua Va Yang, a former guide for the BBC, Chicago-based Hmong Advocate Joe Davy said in a statement. In the article witnesses claimed Yang was beaten badly during the arrest.

Zach Dobbin
Thailand Group

Response to "Party Leaders Merge, Berlusconi's Position Strengthened" post

This blog entry is in response to the entry Andrew posted earlier this week. After searching BBC.com for news articles on Berlusconi I came across this article from 2007 . The article was written after Berlusconi originally announced his plans to create the new party. He described the Italian People's Party for Freedom as a "protagonist of freedom and democracy for decades," and told supporters that the party would unite Italians "against the old fogeys of politics." He hoped that his coalition partners would join the party despite tension between them at the time.
Although Gianfranco Fini, leader of the National Alliance, has merged with Berlusconi, he was originally critical of the idea saying that Berlusconi's center-right coallition would collapse unless he changed his strategy.
A year and a half later Berlusconi's plans came together and the National Alliance Party and the Forza Italia party have officially merged to form the People of Freedom party, and as Andrew mentioned Berlusconi's position has been strengthened yet again.

Jessica Perry
Italy

BURMA: U.S. Diplomat Meets With Junta

A senior U.S. diplomat made an unexpected visit to Burma, in the hopes of shaping a new policy America takes with the ruling military junta.

Stephen Blake, the State Department's director of the Office for Mainland Southeast Asia, was the first American diplomat to visit Naypyidaw, the government's new location. This visit came a month after the new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would be reviewing its policies toward the Burma, in hopes of making some headway in terms of human rights and to "more effectively help the Burmese people". Gordon Druguid, spokesman for the State Department, was careful to note that this does not indicate a change in policy towards the junta, but said, "While we have not yet finalized our approach, we remain committed to encouraging a genuine dialogue between the Burmese authorities and opposition that leads to a free and democratic Burma that respects the rights of its diverse citizens and is at peace with its neighbors."

Blake met with 3 different groups during his trip: the foreign minister, U Nyan Win; the opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD); and representatives of the minority group, which has recently been in the news for suffering human rights abuses.

The Burmese state-run newspaper, New Light of Myanmar, described the talks as "cordial discussions on issues of mutual interests and promotion of bilateral relations".

The State Department made note that visits like this have happened before with people of Blake's seniority, but the junta noted it was the first diplomat to do so. Blake's visit was part of a five nation tour in the region.

I believe that this visit is a good sign that Burma is not off the new administration's radar. The pointed words by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton show a commital to the mission of bringing democracy to Burma. She was reported saying, "Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn’t influenced the Burmese junta." This blunt language and proposed change in policy should be recognized and applauded. Ideally, the United States would also put pressure on nations in the ASEAN to speak up, and try to generate more of a response from the official international community.

Also, it's good to hear that after 18 years the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's detention is a violation of international and Myanmar law. Maybe in another 15 years we can get some action in Darfur.

--by Alex Hammer

Words of a Detained Blogger.

Omidreza Mirsayafi was a 28 year old blogger who we have talked about a couple times before in our blog; but recently Reporters Without Borders posted his last letter sent to the organization. Mirsayafi was a freelance journalist who had started blogging around the same time he started work; “The blog was intended above all to be artistic and cultural, but it sometimes included satirical entries”.
Mirsayafi goes on to explain how on the 22nd of April, the Tehran revolutionary court prosecutor's office arrested him, seized his belongings, computer, papers, and other documents and placed him in Evin prison without giving reason or detail to his arrest. The next day they charged him with activities against the country’s security because of what he posted on his blog. “While held in Evin prison, I was interrogated 20 times about these charges without being able to talk to a lawyer”, Mirsayafi writes. They had him repeat his confession on video, so if authorities deem it necessary they could air his confession on national television. He explains after 41 days of being held he could now post bail which was $100,000.
Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah (Mirsayafi’s lawyer) was not informed of the verdict before Mirsayafi’s case was sent to sentencing. Mirsayafi’s lawyer had 21 days to appeal the verdict but because he never received it he was unable to do so. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison…and ultimately his life.
“Mr. Dadkhah told me that, in his view, the court had deliberately refrained from notifying him of the verdict because of the likelihood that it would be revised on appeal and that the court was therefore trying to have the sentence implemented as quickly as possible. That is my story.”. Those were the last words written by Omidreza Mirsayafi to the organization.
Reporters without boarders called for an independent probe in to the arrest and death of Omidreza Mirsayafi. After his death his body was hastily incinerated, after his death it was then brought up that he was “depressive and suicidal”.
Craig Walker
Iran

BURMA: Thailand Supports Democratization, Talks With KNU Rebels

Thailand's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjaji, encourages ethnic rebels, Karen National Union, reconcile with Burma and contest with the upcoming 2010 elections in support of Burma's seven step road map to democracy.

“The issue depends on the Burmese regime and the UN to make the discussion operational. Thailand would help as a neighbouring country. However, the negotiation should be held to solve the problem because some ethnic group members migrated to live in Thailand,” Abhisit said.

However, Thai's PM has not confirmed that Thai's Foreign Minister is ready to hold talks with the ethnic group.

Personally, it seems like Thailand's government is doing a lot of talking and not a lot of acting.

"In addition, he added the position of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was clear. It wanted to see all parties take part in Burmese general elections in the coming year." (Mizzima News)

Seems like Thailand is just being influenced and used as a proxy tool from organizations with power such as the ASEAN and UN.

Although their outward perception to foreigners is as a service of good will, their lack of activity shows otherwise.

Simply put, Thailand's government seems like pushovers. One might argue it's okay, as long as they are supporting the general cause of democratizing Burma. However, what happens when a pushover country finds assets in other deals and means? What happens when it's no longer in Thailand's best interest to support democratization in Burma?

http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010/1891-thailand-supports-democratization-of-burma-abhisit.html

Kay Makishi

BURMA: Protestor Detained

As a follow up reaction to the previous blog about Burma, a lone protestor was arrested by police on Friday, March 27.

A private tutor, Aung Phe, stood outside the office of the National League for Democracy for over five hours from 6 a.m. - 11 a.m. and was arrested by Twante Township police.

Police did not comment nor did articles cover why Aung Phe was protesting. It is interesting to note that although a group protest was held in peace, one protestor was arrested for reasons unknown. Although the protestor was not shouting slogans or causing a ruckus, unidentified specifics of the incident could explain the arrest. Regardless, this suggests instability within the Burmese government rules and officials making arrests.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/1899-lone-protestor-detained.html

Kay Makishi

Three police officers and two protestors have been injured during rallies

Three police officers and two protestors were injured during rallies in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, which marked the 10th anniversary of NATO air raids on the former Yugoslavia.

Also a large group of people broke away from a 1,000-strong rally in downtown Belgrade late on Tuesday and clashed with riot police.
This riot was said to be similar to those that followed Kosovo's declaration of independence early last year.

Police arrested 24 people after a TV crew and a McDonald's restaurant were attacked.
NATO's 78-day bombing campaign, which started on March 24, 1999, paved the way for the secession of Kosovo, which until then had been a Serbian province with a majority ethnic Albanian population.

Serbian sources estimate the death toll as the result of NATO air raids at about 3,000 civilians and 1,000 military, while the number of wounded has been put at over 10,000. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has said that some 500 people died during the raids.

However, Belgrade regards Kosovo’s declaration of independence as an illegal act. Serbia has had strong alliances with Belgrade and does will not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

Russia was only one state that experienced the rally for Kosovo's independence, New York City also experienced some chaos in a rally for Kosovo's independence.

Check out the videos of the rally's that took place this year for Kosovo.

Rachel Baldino
Team Russia

Party Leaders Merge, Berlusconi's Position Strengthened

The National Alliance party, founded by the political heirs of Benito Mussolini, has united with Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party. This move comes as Gianfranco Fini, 57, the former of the NA party has tried to legitimize the former NA party and rid them of their fascist ties. Analysts also believe that Fini is putting himself in a position to try and succeed Berlusconi, who is 72.
There has said to be tension amongst Fini and Berlsuconi, as Fini has said he wants a strong voice in the party. He also hopes the unification will strengthen the country as a whole.
"Berlusconi knows that his strong and recognised leadership can in no way become a personality cult. We must guarantee that People of Freedom is not the party of one person, but of one country," said Fini.
As of this week Berlusconi has an approval rating in the country around 58%. The opposition party has fallen apart in the last month and pose no soon threat to Berlusconi's power.

Italy (Andrew Johnson)

Iran and America- Media Coverage Skewed on Both Sides

President Obama intended to begin an open dialogue with the Iran government after taking office, but like so many other things, that is proving to be much more difficult than he anticipated. Last week, President Obama attempted to open these relations by sending the Iranian government a video appeal for talks. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by setting strict parameters for any negotiations that may take place. However, the American media proceeded to report the supreme leader’s response as, "dismissive" or flat-out "rejection". This goes to prove that not only is Iran’s media largely anti-American, but our domestic media displays the same discrimination towards Iran. Without a change in how each country’s media portrays each other, it is highly unlikely that these two countries will ever be able to cooperate.

By Emily Franklin

(Group Iran)

Croatia: Friendly with France

Croatia has France's support as soon as it agrees to EU mediation under leadership of Martti Ahtisarri, says an article in Croatia's the Nacional.

However, it seems that military cooperation with France plays a key role as well.  Thales, France's military-industrial giant will be installing communication equipment in 126 Croatian AMV armored combat vehicles.  On August 7, 2008 Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polance signed a memorandum of agreement with Thales on its entry into the ownership structure of the PCE Split Company, a state-owned company, making this the largest joint venture contract.

According to this article, PCE Split Company will be able to make a huge technological jump forward and join the select companies of manufactures of top electronic technology for military use.  It will be able to manufacture radio and communication equipment for the Croatian Armed Forces and enter the global market.

Lindsey Nass

(Croatia Group)

Mexico: Mexico's most wanted

Two interesting things have happened this week. First, a police officer in charge of investigating kidnappings and extortion in the western state of Michoacan was killed by gunmen. Why am I not surprised that yet another killing has taken place due to drugs/extortion. It seems as though the violence will continue to rise if people continue to silence themselves. This police officier was taking a big risk in investigating this phenomenon and I'm sure that his death has spurred doubt within in the department as to whether or not to continue the investigation. My guess is that it will be called off and the debauchery will continue.
Second, The Associated Press reported Monday, "Mexico's Attorney General's Office on Monday published this list of most-wanted drug trafficking suspects and their top lieutenants, and offered rewards of up to $2.1 million for information leading to their capture.Rewards of $30 million pesos ($2.1 million) were offered for information leading to the arres of...." And the article continues to name some people. This actually scares me. If people start to try to find information, I believe that innocent lives may be taken.

Urja Dave (mexico)

Thailand’s PM is Trying to Help Unemployed Citizens in Tough Economy

In 1997, Thailand’s rate of unemployment rose to 1.4 million and with the looks of another bad economic downturn, prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva is taking action ahead of time, reports Aljazera. With an expected one million Thais to be unemployed by the end of the year the prime minister is implementing new training programs that will help the unemployed to learn to use computer and service industry skills.
Vejjajiva also announced further economic stimulus packages as well as borrowing money for infrastructure projects. Vejjajiva has made plans to obtain 2 billion in foreign loans, to fund transportation, education and healthcare projects.

By Lisa Schaffer

Tesco Toilet Thief

If you thought that we had some strange thefts in America, you should've been in Thailand this past week.

Clothes, belts, wallets, lipsticks and handbags were found in the room of Sombun Sawasdeelapa, 50, a week after he snatched a pair of trousers from a man who was using a public toilet.

"Mr Somsak said he was in the habit of removing his trousers and hanging them on the back of the door when using a toilet. He followed the routine that day and lost his wallet, mobile phone and belt in addition to the trousers."

Police found a number of other second hand clothes and other items as a part of Sombuns business. Sombun said he was a second-hand goods dealer and bought the clothes and accessories as part of his business.

Not quite breaking news to make a difference but to think that someone would stoop this low to steal clothes from people while using the bathroom is a little quite concerning. Economy might be low, but not that low.

Mary Baumer
(Thailand)

Burma-Quintana urges release of prisioners for upcoming eletion

The Burmese government has yet to release all of its political prisoners as promised. Last month Burmese military rulers released over 6,300 prisoners, but only 29 of those were political prisoners. United Nations human rights investigator, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is urging the Burmese government to release the political prisioners before the upcoming election in 2010 to "ensure the election and its aftermath comply with international standards of a democratic society." Along with releasing the prisoners, Quintana is insisting on immediate health care given to the prisoners. A reliable source also informed Quintana that these political prisoners did not receive a fair trial for their so-called crimes against them and that their lawyers were thrown in contempt of court. Hopefully in the coming weeks, a substanial number of prisoners will be released. It seems as though the Burmese government is releasing political prisoners little by little just to show that they are making SOME progress, which in reality is very little progress. "The most prominent of the remaining 2,100 political prisoners is opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 13 of the last 19 years."

Protests in Burma

Our semester-long project about the current level of press freedom in Burma is focused on a series of protests called the Saffron Revolution which happened in the fall of 2007. Thousands of citizens and reporters were arrested and some were even killed.

On Friday, March 20, at least 20 people in Twante Township in Rangoon protested against the cyclone reconstruction committee because they claimed that the reconstruction fees were not used appropriately within their village. They marched four miles to the committee's office demanding the reconstruction of their homes which were destroyed in Cyclone Nargis of 2008. The protesters reportedly dispersed around 5 PM on Friday after the committee claimed that it would look into their problems.

This news shows that the people of Burma are passionate about their rights. It is interesting to see that people refuse to be silenced by the military junta which is known for its brutal crackdown on the protesters of the Saffron Revolution. According to the Mizzima, there was no violence during the protests and the protesters returned to their homes.

- Sarah Popovich (Burma)

Italy: Canal Plus could be wrong about Berlusconi

Berlusconi is in trouble again. Corriere della Sera reports that there may have been miscommunication during a media conference of Italy-France summit with the President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Berlusconi. The press, Canal Plus reported that Prime Minister whispered in President Sarkozy “C’est moi che t’ai donné ta femme” (I gave you your wife), which could have been interpreted as “Tu sais que j’ai etudié à la Sorbonne” (You know that I studied at the Sorbonne). The Prime Minister’s office is trying to interpret the exact phrase to clear the misunderstanding with the President. Because French is not Berlusconi’s first language, he might have just said the incorrect phrase. But for now no one is taking back what they said, until they have clear and solid proof of the recording.

-Sun Kim (Italy)

National Alliance Merges with Berlusconi's Party

The National Alliance (AN) has agreed to fold their party into Berlusconi's 'People of Freedom.' The group consists of center-right conservatives. The National Alliance is the second largest force in the governing coalition.

The National Alliance has been an ally of the the Forza party (Berlusconi's) since the 1990s and ran with him under his winning election last year.

AN leader Gianfranco Fini has not always agreed with Berlusconi's views, however as for the merging of the parties, he seems agreeable as long as the AN continues to have their say in views. The AN consists of post-fascists which came together as the successor of the Italian Social Movement created by supporters of Mussolini after his death in 1945 and the fascist movement was outlawed.

-Jamie Bezozo
Italy

Croatia allies with Serbia, takes swipe at Slovenia

Croatia has made great strides in burying the hatchet with a former foe.  The country is willing to support Serbia's bid for EU integration despite past tension between the countries.  According to this article, Croatia has decided to take a different approach than its neighbor, Slovenia, which has been blocking Croatia's membership in the EU due to disputes following the collapse of Yugoslavia.  "Croatia will not be to Serbia what Slovenia is to us," Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters in Belgrade.  Sanader stressed that Croatia must remember the past but continue to live in the future.  While this may be seen as a direct shot at Slovenia in an attempt to change Croatia's fortunes, it is a progressive step in cooperation between nations that do not have the friendliest of histories.  Croatia has been a country in transition for the past several years, trying to establish strong democratic principles.  Hopefully, its intentions in supporting Serbia's quest to become an EU nation are more a sign of this progress than a shot at Slovenia.  Either way, the initiative to aid a country that is not really seen as an ally is better than blocking them in the way Slovenia has blocked Croatia.  Perhaps Slovenia will be influenced by this decision, allowing Croatia to pursue membership of its own while continuing to make progress in terms of political and social freedoms and protection.

Posted by:

Matt Orminski (Croatia)

Democracy is strong and alive, Abhisit tells London audience

Thailand's Democracy is no longer on a retreat says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. He can't say for sure how fast the Thai democracy will grow but he does say that it could take centuries if you look back at western history. The prime minister also acknowledged that Thai's previous political reform that resulted in the 1997 constitution, came to a stop when the political leaders abused the charter for their own power. However he promises now that "democracy in Thailand will no longer go backward. Thai people are now at the crossroads. Be assured that the people have taken the right path and will go ahead despite some obstacles." Abhisit Vejjajiva, stated that the abuse of power in pervious years was so the military could return to politics by staging the coup of September 2006.

The new government of Thailand is said to based off the principal of good goverance.

Ashley Hartz
Thailand

china's censorship 2.0

The video clip showed china’s censorship 2.0 how companies censor bloggers.
It is a very good video clip to understand Chinese internet censorship by Chinese Blog-hosting Companies.

Categories of Chinese Internet censorship

1. “Outside the great firewall”

• Filtering of websites outside of China

2. “Inside the great firewall”

• Deletion of content on domestic commercial websites
• Takedown of domestically hosted websites
• Shut-down of data centers

Also, the video clip explained detail examples.


Min-Suk Kim (China)

Russia Creates New Military Structure

The military strategies that have long defined Russia are now being completely retooled. The nation that was once almost untouchable because of it's sheer number of soldiers and surrounding advantageous demography has now decided to drastically cut back on troop numbers and focus on improving their military technology and strategies.
The Russia goverment is going to be putting an estimated $140 billion dollars into buying new arms for their military over the next two years. But why such drastic changes?
It seems Russia has two main motivating fears:1. NATO and 2. Islamic insurgents.
Russia has no real immediate fear of NATO, and in fact seems to be modeling it's new military system after NATO sanctioned militaries. Though Russia is suspicious of Ukraine's involvement with NATO, to some it looks like Russia may be making a push to in the future join NATO.
The immediate fear of the Russian army is fundamentalist Muslims. Muslims currently account for roughly 17% of the Russian population and are the only growing community in Russian society. Many feel the massive cutback in military forces was to push as many Muslims out as possible.
So what does this mean for journalists? It is too early to tell, but if Russia is putting itself in line to perhaps join NATO, it would go a long way in helping journalists have a fighting chance. The protection of democracy and individual liberty is a fundamental stance of NATO, and though it isn't iron clad, it could only help Russia in terms of loosening its grip on journalists.
If Russia instead decided to focus it's efforts on Mulsims. things might go down hill quickly. The United Nations is not going to stand by and let Russia commit genocide. If Russia turns on it's Islamic population you can bet they're going to be shutting down every media system in the country that isn't run by the government. It could be the end of any chance of journalistic freedom in Russia, at least for a good while.

Wes Culp
Team Russia
3/22/09

Kremlin Ousts Governor in Russia

In order to secure his party’s control after poor support in the past election, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev replaced the governor in Myrmansk, a northwestern region of Russia.
Many speculate that Medvedev’s move to overtake the Myrmansk governor was an attempt to hinder disloyalties to the new president and Kremlin forces. Moves like this can clearly be expected with the already known regional government discontent with the current financial crisis in Russia.
Yuri A. Yevdokimov, the governor removed by Medvedev, is a member of United Russia, the ruling party in Russia; however, he had been expressing discontent with the party leaders. To reaffirm his discontent with the party leaders, he supported an independent candidate in the last mayoral election in Myrmansk, who ended up winning against a United Russia candidate. This surprising turnout for the mayoral election caused tremors that reached all the way back to United Russia headquarters in Moscow.
Russian governors were once elected, but after Vladimir Putin was elected in 2004, governors were then appointed by the president. This was an attempt by Putin to centralize the control in the Kremlin. However, mayors continue to be elected; this tests the power of strength of the ruling party. In the city of Sochi (home of the 2014 winter Olympics), three well known candidates are campaign.
The Kremlin released a statement on the internet that outlined the dismissal of Yevdokimov, claiming that he voluntarily resigned as governor of Myrmansk. However, it seems evident that if he has not resigned, he would have been dismissed. Additionally, the article added that Medvedev had nominated Dmitri Dmitrienko to serve as the new governor of Myrmansk.

Julianne Kriner
Team Russia

Blogger dies in Iran's Evin prison

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP)called March 19 for an immediate investigation into the March 18 death of an Iranian blogger imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin prison‎.

Omidreza Mir Sayafi, 28, who we previously blogged about as the blogger of the Rooznegar website (which can no longer be accessed) that was not able to appeal against his convictions by Iranian authorities for “insulting” Islamic Republic’s and “publicity against the government”, was said to have committed suicide by Tehran’s Evin prison officials, as said by Sayafi’s lawyer, Muhammad Ali Dadkhan.

Dadkhan‎ said that before his death, Sayafi ‎had expressed concerns about his health, "‎but the doctors there didn't take this seriously and said he was faking it."

Sayafi began his prison term in February.

"We are alarmed by the sudden death of blogger Omidreza Mir Sayafi and demand an immediate, transparent investigation into what happened," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "We send our condolences to Sayafi's family and friends."

Tehran’s Evin prison; which is infamous for the numerous political prisoners, journalists, and bloggers being held there; has CJP suspicious about Sayafi’s death and worried about other prisoners being detained there.

"Sayafi's death greatly increases our concern for Roxana Saberi's well-being," Dayem said.

Iranian-American freelance journalist Roxana Saberi is currently being held in Evin prison. She has been detained since late January. Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan has also been detained since November 2008, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

By Eka Obaigbena
Group: Iran

Could Empty Wallets Break Europen Union In Half?

The current economic crisis has been creating problems all over the world and that most certainly includes the European Union. With everyone becoming more and more froogle in response to the economic collapse, several wealthier nations have refused to help poorer nations' economies to recover. Now the poorer nations are feeling hostile towards the wealthier nations, which could lead to a possible split of the EU into two blocs. According to an article in Nacional, Germany and France both believe they should obtain greater influence in how the EU should be run because they make the largest monetary contributions. In response the poorer nations aren't enthusiastic about giving up their control, yet they expect the larger nations to aid them in their recovery. The whole dispute generates a huge issue for Croatia, as it is trying to gain acceptance into the EU. It is being suggested that Croatia should reevaluate its long-term political goals if these disputes between the current members of the EU continue.

Kelly Witmer
Croatia Group

Human rights lawyer banned from leaving Iran

Iranian authorities prevented Nasser Zarfashan, a human rights lawyer and staunch defender of free expression, from boarding a flight to Brussels Monday, to participate in a seminar on environmental policy at the European Parliament’s invitation.

The authorities, who confiscated Zarfashan’s passport at Tehran’s Imam Khomeiny airport, told him he was forbidden to leave the country as a result of a decision by a Tehran revolutionary court dating back to May 2008.

Zarfashan, a member of the executive committee of the Iranian Writers’ Association, said he was “astonished” that the revolutionary court had not summoned him previously.

“This decision is just a pretext,” Zarfashan said. “My comments about environmental policy could be embarrassing for the Iranian authorities, who have been directly responsible for catastrophes.”

Outraged by Iranian authorities actions, Reporters Without Borders had this to say:

“We condemn the existence of a ‘black list’ of people who are banned from leaving the country and whose passports are to be confiscated,” Reporters Without Borders said. “After hounding journalists and cyber-feminists, the government is now going after human rights activists.”

Zarfashan represented the families of a number of Iranian intellectuals and journalists who were murdered in 1998. He was arrested on 7 August 2002 and was sentenced to five years in prison by a military court for saying the intelligence services had murdered five intellectuals. He was released in March 2007.

By Eka Obaigbena
Group: Iran

Mexico: Son of Cartel Leader Detained

According to the LA Times, son of Ismael Zambada, a prominent Mexican drug lord and head of the Sinaloa cartel, Vincente Zambada was arrested Wednesday. Authorities Zambada had become high-level operator of a powerful trafficking group in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. He was taken in during an operation by the army and federal agents. Authorities described the arrest as an important blow against the alliance of Sinaloa-based traffickers headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who is Mexico's most-wanted fugitive.

They claim that this arrest is an "important blow to the organizations ability to operate and move drugs." Vincente Zambada is the latest member of the family captured during President Felipe Calderon's 2- year crackdown on drug trafficking. The arrest proves to be a small yet, important step in the right direction for the governments stance on drug cartels.

-Ashley Mickelwaite(Mexico)

Iran: ATTACK OF THE SHOE!!!

On December 14, 2008, while attending a news conference in Baghdad, Muntazer al-Zaidi (Iraqi television journalist Muntadar) took off both of his shoes and launched them at US President George W. Bush. In Muslim eyes the throwing of a shoe is considered a deadly insult. Al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison for his acts, but viewed as a hero throughout the Middle East.
This triggered a shoe throwing epidemic all over the world…including most recently Iran. The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a shoe hurled at him March 9, 2009 as he drove through the city of Urumiye in an open topped vehicle. The story never made media headlines; presumably because the individual who threw the shoe was never caught. The story did find its way out on the Iranian blogosphere. The blogs also reported a hat was thrown at the president also before the vehicle was able to pull off.
Many “pro-Ahmadinejad” bloggers reported that it was all just a “rumor spread by monarchists and anti-revolutionaries”, common terms for members of Iranian opposition.
It is funny this should happen in Iran, for after Zaidi threw his shoes at Bush in Baghdad, the Iranian officials held a public shoe throwing competition where people had the chance to throw apparel at posters and caricatures of George W. Bush.

Craig Walker(Iran)