None of the violence has to do with the revelations of Christ or Mohammed. The violence has to do with greed. Man’s desire for control and dominate shrouded in a veil of theocracy to exploit the weak and illiterate.
Several people were wounded in a bomb blast in Maiduguri on Saturday, a city in remote northeastern Nigeria which has been plagued by almost daily attacks from a radical Islamist sect.
"Three soldiers have been injured in the Saturday evening bomb blast that occurred close to the Palace of the Shehu of Borno," Hassan Mohammed, an officer in the Joint Task Force (JTF) told Reuters.
The Shehu is a traditional ruler in Borno state, one of the poorest regions in Africa's most populous nation, close to borders with Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Witnesses at a local hospital said at least one body from the blast site had been brought to the mortuary.
Boko Haram, which wants sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria, has claimed responsibility for almost daily bombings and shootings in Borno, mostly targeting police, churches and drinking spots.
The JTF have been accused of using indiscriminate force in retaliation to the attacks, leading to the deaths of civilians and the destruction of homes. The government said there have been only isolated misdemeanors by soldiers.
The heightened clashes between the JTF and Boko Haram forced thousands to flee Maiduguri earlier this month. Violence has killed more than 150 people in the city this year.
Bomb blasts in the north have replaced militant attacks on oil facilities hundreds of kilometers (miles) away in the southern Niger Delta as the main security threat in Nigeria. The United States and European Union have condemned the violence.
Boko Haram strikes have spread farther afield in recent months, including a bomb in the car park of national police headquarters in the capital, Abuja, last month.
-----------------------------
“The car belonging to Goodluck Jonathan was stoned by mobs in Uganda,” said Fred Opolot, director of the government media center. “The security shot around the area, and one person was shot dead.”
It must be recalled that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Attahiru Jega declared Jonathan winner of controversial Nigeria April 16, polls. INEC documented that Jonathan polled more than 30. 2. Million votes, followed by distance CPC-candidate, Buhari with 10.3 Million of votes cast. Buhari draws majority of his support from Muslim Islamic States up North. Nigeria pre-polls and post elections were marred with rioters led by Islamic zealots in twelve Shariah Northern states. Reports say, more than 3,000 was killed culminating to the chaotic polls, with thousands currently displaced internally in Northern States of what is called Nigeria.
Meanwhile, between 3,000 to 5,000 Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) remain stranded in Bauchi alone, and other places, with many Corpers murdered in cold-blood by CPC-supporters and rioters. Curiously, the country appears divided by North and South. Coincidentally, Museveni’s victory in Uganda has been marred by massive protests by opposition groups who claimed the Uganda polls were rigged ruling party led by Museveni.
-----------------------
The violence in Nigeria cuts across 13 states, demonstrating the religious and ethnic tensions that divide Africa’s most populous nation.
Heavy gunfire echoes through the cities. Crowds burn buildings and tires and throw stones at security forces.
A nation endowed with vast resources is unable to evolve from barbarism = welcome to the 21st Century.
Social Justice: Current Affairs, Business, Politics, and all the reasons in the world to Thrive on Creative Discontent!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Iran: You overthrew the Shah because of human rights violations; and now???
Iran has executed an average of almost two people a day in the first six months of this year.
A disturbing video of the public execution of three men in Iran has sparked anger among human rights activists.
The graphic video, released by Amnesty International on Thursday, showed guards standing on top of buses draping ropes around necks of three convicts sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted. The men were later hanged from an overhead bridge after the vehicles drove away.
The executions, which took place on 19 July in the western city of Kermanshah, home to Iran's Kurd minority, attracted significant crowds, including children. Some of the crowds appear to be filming hangings by mobile phones. Many of the people in the crowds are forced to attend and cheer support or risk being ‘listed’ by internal security forces as anarchists. In all cases, family and friends of those hanged must cheer in support. If there is a show of sorrow or anger, then they too make the anarchist list.
The video, which was supplied to Amnesty by an Iranian human rights activist, Fazel Hawramy from kurdishblogger.com, highlights the use of public executions, in which officials publicly hang convicts from a large crane or a high place in front of crowds.
"What is so alarming about this video is the apparent normality of the event. Thousands of people are watching as if it were a football match. People are shouting and cheering. But what is most shocking is the participation of children in this barbaric 'spectacle'," Hawramy said.
The release of the video follows human rights groups' alarm over the sharp escalation in capital punishment in Iran.
WORLD....the victims of these mass executions are murdered twice, the second by the silence and anonymity surrounding their executions, which robbed them of a meaningful and acknowledged death.
These people did in fact exist. They deserve our oturage!
A disturbing video of the public execution of three men in Iran has sparked anger among human rights activists.
The graphic video, released by Amnesty International on Thursday, showed guards standing on top of buses draping ropes around necks of three convicts sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted. The men were later hanged from an overhead bridge after the vehicles drove away.
The executions, which took place on 19 July in the western city of Kermanshah, home to Iran's Kurd minority, attracted significant crowds, including children. Some of the crowds appear to be filming hangings by mobile phones. Many of the people in the crowds are forced to attend and cheer support or risk being ‘listed’ by internal security forces as anarchists. In all cases, family and friends of those hanged must cheer in support. If there is a show of sorrow or anger, then they too make the anarchist list.
The video, which was supplied to Amnesty by an Iranian human rights activist, Fazel Hawramy from kurdishblogger.com, highlights the use of public executions, in which officials publicly hang convicts from a large crane or a high place in front of crowds.
"What is so alarming about this video is the apparent normality of the event. Thousands of people are watching as if it were a football match. People are shouting and cheering. But what is most shocking is the participation of children in this barbaric 'spectacle'," Hawramy said.
The release of the video follows human rights groups' alarm over the sharp escalation in capital punishment in Iran.
WORLD....the victims of these mass executions are murdered twice, the second by the silence and anonymity surrounding their executions, which robbed them of a meaningful and acknowledged death.
These people did in fact exist. They deserve our oturage!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Cyber wars: Terms of Engagement
A day doesn’t go by when there isn’t a hi-level hacking. Seems to me its time for USA to launch the Dirty Harry of the Cyber World.
The FBI's arrest this week of 16 people who allegedly participated in high-profile cyber attacks is providing a treasure trove of information and will lead to further arrests, a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters on Thursday.
The crackdown -- on members of the group Anonymous -- was the biggest reaction so far by U.S. authorities to a string of cyber attacks, and was meant to serve as a deterrent to others who may be considering joining the cause.
The arrests spanned nine states and the District of Columbia. FBI agents also executed more than 35 search warrants, seizing computers and other records. Those arrested could try to strike plea agreements offering to provide information to win more lenient treatment.
Malware-tainted email used by hackers to invade network
* Target was high-level official with contractor
* Other contractors likely targeted over past 10 days
* Spear phishing campaign sent false emails from IARPA
BOSTON, July 21 (Reuters) - Hackers, likely working for foreign governments, are actively trying to steal classified U.S. government data by breaking into the computer networks of contractors that work for U.S. intelligence agencies.
Through a targeted "spear phishing" campaign, hackers are sending emails tainted with malicious software to contractors, according to two security firms, which heard about the attacks after an executive at one contractor sent them a copy of the email.
Researchers at the security firms would not identify the contractor on Thursday. Recent targets of cyber attacks have included defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and three publicly funded research laboratories.
In spear phishing attacks, hackers target a small number of victims with emails containing detailed information related to their lives in an effort to persuade them to let their guard down and click on infected links.
The researchers said these malicious emails falsely claimed to be from the U.S. government's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA.
So far, the researchers have identified only one victim, but they said early analysis of the code contained in that email links it to malware submitted by other security experts over the past 10 days.
"It appears to be from a persistent adversary that is trying multiple attempts to get in," said Anup Ghosh, the chief executive of Invincea, one of two firms that analyzed the tainted email.
He said the hackers were likely backed by a "foreign actor," based on the fact that they were targeting a government contractor.
The FBI's arrest this week of 16 people who allegedly participated in high-profile cyber attacks is providing a treasure trove of information and will lead to further arrests, a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters on Thursday.
The crackdown -- on members of the group Anonymous -- was the biggest reaction so far by U.S. authorities to a string of cyber attacks, and was meant to serve as a deterrent to others who may be considering joining the cause.
The arrests spanned nine states and the District of Columbia. FBI agents also executed more than 35 search warrants, seizing computers and other records. Those arrested could try to strike plea agreements offering to provide information to win more lenient treatment.
Malware-tainted email used by hackers to invade network
* Target was high-level official with contractor
* Other contractors likely targeted over past 10 days
* Spear phishing campaign sent false emails from IARPA
BOSTON, July 21 (Reuters) - Hackers, likely working for foreign governments, are actively trying to steal classified U.S. government data by breaking into the computer networks of contractors that work for U.S. intelligence agencies.
Through a targeted "spear phishing" campaign, hackers are sending emails tainted with malicious software to contractors, according to two security firms, which heard about the attacks after an executive at one contractor sent them a copy of the email.
Researchers at the security firms would not identify the contractor on Thursday. Recent targets of cyber attacks have included defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and three publicly funded research laboratories.
In spear phishing attacks, hackers target a small number of victims with emails containing detailed information related to their lives in an effort to persuade them to let their guard down and click on infected links.
The researchers said these malicious emails falsely claimed to be from the U.S. government's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA.
So far, the researchers have identified only one victim, but they said early analysis of the code contained in that email links it to malware submitted by other security experts over the past 10 days.
"It appears to be from a persistent adversary that is trying multiple attempts to get in," said Anup Ghosh, the chief executive of Invincea, one of two firms that analyzed the tainted email.
He said the hackers were likely backed by a "foreign actor," based on the fact that they were targeting a government contractor.
Final to initial fissile
China connected an experimental nuclear reactor that produces less radioactive waste than current designs to the electricity grid today, as the nation seeks safer atomic power after Japan’s Fukushima accident.
The 65-megawatt fast-neutron reactor near Beijing connected to the grid at 40 percent capacity, Xu Mi, chief engineer at the China Experiment Fast Reactor program, said by telephone. The program is run by the China Institute of Atomic Energy.
“The next step for us is to increase the generating capacity of the reactor to 100 percent while connected to grid,” Xu said. “After that, we can use the technology to build our own commercial fast reactors.”
About 20 Fast Neutron Reactors (FNR) have already been operating, some since the 1950s, and some supplying electricity commercially. About 400 reactor-years of operating experience have been accumulated to the end of 2010. Fast reactors more deliberately use the uranium-238 as well as the fissile U-235 isotope used in most reactors. If they are designed to produce more plutonium than they consume, they are called Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR). But many designs are net consumers of fissile material including plutonium. Fast neutron reactors also can burn long-lived actinides which are recovered from used fuel out of ordinary reactors
China plans to start construction of a 1-gigawatt fast reactor at Sanming city in 2018, Xu said. The facility will use the country’s so-called fourth generation nuclear technology, he said.
China National Nuclear Corp. the nation’s biggest operator of atomic plants, plans to start building two 800-megawatt fourth-generation reactors using Russian designs around 2013 or 2014, Xu said today. The reactors will also be at Sanming.
The 65-megawatt fast-neutron reactor near Beijing connected to the grid at 40 percent capacity, Xu Mi, chief engineer at the China Experiment Fast Reactor program, said by telephone. The program is run by the China Institute of Atomic Energy.
“The next step for us is to increase the generating capacity of the reactor to 100 percent while connected to grid,” Xu said. “After that, we can use the technology to build our own commercial fast reactors.”
About 20 Fast Neutron Reactors (FNR) have already been operating, some since the 1950s, and some supplying electricity commercially. About 400 reactor-years of operating experience have been accumulated to the end of 2010. Fast reactors more deliberately use the uranium-238 as well as the fissile U-235 isotope used in most reactors. If they are designed to produce more plutonium than they consume, they are called Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR). But many designs are net consumers of fissile material including plutonium. Fast neutron reactors also can burn long-lived actinides which are recovered from used fuel out of ordinary reactors
China plans to start construction of a 1-gigawatt fast reactor at Sanming city in 2018, Xu said. The facility will use the country’s so-called fourth generation nuclear technology, he said.
China National Nuclear Corp. the nation’s biggest operator of atomic plants, plans to start building two 800-megawatt fourth-generation reactors using Russian designs around 2013 or 2014, Xu said today. The reactors will also be at Sanming.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
From Russia with Love
Russia plans to revive a Soviet-era Arctic sea passage to service energy projects and provide a shorter supply route to Asia for carriers such as OAO Sovcomflot as the shipping line plans an initial share sale this year.
Opening the northern sea route may allow state-owned Sovcomflot to speed natural-gas deliveries to China and win cargos between Europe and Asia by offering a quicker alternative to the Suez Canal.
Sovcomflot, along with companies such as OAO Novatek, is sending test cargoes via the Arctic route, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has vowed to transform into a year-round passage. To make it work, Russia must revamp ports, install rescue systems and build icebreakers for as much as 30 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) each to provide safe passage for tankers.
The northern sea route dates to 1932, when the Soviet Union sent the first vessel from Arkhangelsk to the Bering Strait. The route, open from July to November, is about a third shorter than the almost 13,000-mile journey from Rotterdam to Yokohama via the Suez Canal, saving time and fuel.
It also may attract carriers seeking to avoid pirates in the waters of East Africa and “Arab Spring” revolutions in the region around the Egyptian waterway.
Russia hired Morgan Stanley (MS) on June 30 to manage the sale of a quarter of Moscow-based Sovcomflot. The deal may take place in October or November, Alexei Uvarov, head of the Economy Ministry’s property department, told reporters last month. Natural investors would either be Japanese or Korean shipbuilders.
Sovcomflot plans to expand its gas transportation business as energy producers gear up to bring Arctic projects on line later this decade. In 2010, it shipped 70,000 metric tons of gas condensate through the Arctic for Novatek, which plans to start producing liquefied natural gas for sale to European and Asian customers at a project on the Yamal peninsula in 2016.
“Demand for LNG has grown in the east over the past two to three years in China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore,” Babakhanov said. “As Asian demand rises, the northern sea route will become very important strategically.”
The OAO Gazprom-led Shtokman project in the Barents Sea, which may contain more than 3.9 trillion cubic meters (137.7 trillion cubic feet) of gas, may begin initial production in 2016. OAO Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil producer, is developing fields in the Kara Sea that may hold as much as 35.8 billion barrels of potential resources. The Moscow-based company may drill its first well in 2015.
Icebreakers in Demand
In all, Russia’s Arctic shelf may hold more than 100 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to the Natural Resources Ministry.
Even before tests are completed, demand for the northern sea route is rising. Atomflot, the state operator of nuclear icebreakers that charges commercial shippers for passage, said it has received 15 applications this year, about three times as many as in 2010.
“Northern sea shipping will become a more profitable route than the Suez Canal,” Leonid Mikhelson, Novatek’s CEO told reporters June 17. Russia’s second-largest gas producer may export seven condensate or light crude cargoes via the Arctic to Asia this year, he said.
Moscow-based Eurochem isn’t saving money by using the northern sea route because it’s paying about $50 per ton of cargo for shipping and passage, the same as it would for the Suez Canal, Nechaev said. Still, it halves the time to 25 days and avoids risks stemming from Middle East unrest and pirates.
Opening the northern sea route may allow state-owned Sovcomflot to speed natural-gas deliveries to China and win cargos between Europe and Asia by offering a quicker alternative to the Suez Canal.
Sovcomflot, along with companies such as OAO Novatek, is sending test cargoes via the Arctic route, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has vowed to transform into a year-round passage. To make it work, Russia must revamp ports, install rescue systems and build icebreakers for as much as 30 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) each to provide safe passage for tankers.
The northern sea route dates to 1932, when the Soviet Union sent the first vessel from Arkhangelsk to the Bering Strait. The route, open from July to November, is about a third shorter than the almost 13,000-mile journey from Rotterdam to Yokohama via the Suez Canal, saving time and fuel.
It also may attract carriers seeking to avoid pirates in the waters of East Africa and “Arab Spring” revolutions in the region around the Egyptian waterway.
Russia hired Morgan Stanley (MS) on June 30 to manage the sale of a quarter of Moscow-based Sovcomflot. The deal may take place in October or November, Alexei Uvarov, head of the Economy Ministry’s property department, told reporters last month. Natural investors would either be Japanese or Korean shipbuilders.
Sovcomflot plans to expand its gas transportation business as energy producers gear up to bring Arctic projects on line later this decade. In 2010, it shipped 70,000 metric tons of gas condensate through the Arctic for Novatek, which plans to start producing liquefied natural gas for sale to European and Asian customers at a project on the Yamal peninsula in 2016.
“Demand for LNG has grown in the east over the past two to three years in China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore,” Babakhanov said. “As Asian demand rises, the northern sea route will become very important strategically.”
The OAO Gazprom-led Shtokman project in the Barents Sea, which may contain more than 3.9 trillion cubic meters (137.7 trillion cubic feet) of gas, may begin initial production in 2016. OAO Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil producer, is developing fields in the Kara Sea that may hold as much as 35.8 billion barrels of potential resources. The Moscow-based company may drill its first well in 2015.
Icebreakers in Demand
In all, Russia’s Arctic shelf may hold more than 100 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to the Natural Resources Ministry.
Even before tests are completed, demand for the northern sea route is rising. Atomflot, the state operator of nuclear icebreakers that charges commercial shippers for passage, said it has received 15 applications this year, about three times as many as in 2010.
“Northern sea shipping will become a more profitable route than the Suez Canal,” Leonid Mikhelson, Novatek’s CEO told reporters June 17. Russia’s second-largest gas producer may export seven condensate or light crude cargoes via the Arctic to Asia this year, he said.
Moscow-based Eurochem isn’t saving money by using the northern sea route because it’s paying about $50 per ton of cargo for shipping and passage, the same as it would for the Suez Canal, Nechaev said. Still, it halves the time to 25 days and avoids risks stemming from Middle East unrest and pirates.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Delegitimizing Gadhafi regime...like we needed to!
The U.S. and more than 30 other nations including the Arab League on Friday formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government, giving the rebel movement a major boost.
The decision, which declared Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime no longer legitimate, gives his foes greater credibility and will potentially free up billions in cash that the rebels fighting Libyan forces urgently need.
Rebels, backed by NATO's air force bombings, control much of the country's east and pockets in the west.
Foreign ministers and other representatives of the organization known as the Contact Group on Libya said in a statement Friday that the "Gadhafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya." They said the Libyan strongman and certain members of his family must go.
"The Contact Group has sent an unequivocal message to Gadhafi: that he has no legitimacy and there is no future for Libya with him in power. He must go and go now," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
The nations said they would deal with Libya's main opposition group -- the National Transitional Council, or NTC -- as "the legitimate governing authority in Libya" until an interim authority is in place that will organize free and fair elections.
Contact Group representatives broke into spontaneous applause when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her nation's recognition of the NTC, according to U.S. officials.
Meanwhile, the council's oil minister said Libya could be exporting 1 million barrels of oil a day within three to four months of Gadhafi's departure. He said the opposition hopes to hold elections within a year and resume oil exports very soon, saying the damage to oil facilities has been minimal and repaired. Allied multinational oil and service companies will expedite repairs and increase capacity.
And another Dictator soon to bite the dust!!!
The decision, which declared Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime no longer legitimate, gives his foes greater credibility and will potentially free up billions in cash that the rebels fighting Libyan forces urgently need.
Rebels, backed by NATO's air force bombings, control much of the country's east and pockets in the west.
Foreign ministers and other representatives of the organization known as the Contact Group on Libya said in a statement Friday that the "Gadhafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya." They said the Libyan strongman and certain members of his family must go.
"The Contact Group has sent an unequivocal message to Gadhafi: that he has no legitimacy and there is no future for Libya with him in power. He must go and go now," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
The nations said they would deal with Libya's main opposition group -- the National Transitional Council, or NTC -- as "the legitimate governing authority in Libya" until an interim authority is in place that will organize free and fair elections.
Contact Group representatives broke into spontaneous applause when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her nation's recognition of the NTC, according to U.S. officials.
Meanwhile, the council's oil minister said Libya could be exporting 1 million barrels of oil a day within three to four months of Gadhafi's departure. He said the opposition hopes to hold elections within a year and resume oil exports very soon, saying the damage to oil facilities has been minimal and repaired. Allied multinational oil and service companies will expedite repairs and increase capacity.
And another Dictator soon to bite the dust!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
It’s all about the money and the status quo!
Students and faculty have come together to speak out against Vanderbilt University’s negotiations to partner with the government of Abu Dhabi, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, to create a new school of education.
“Abu Dhabi is notorious for workers’ rights violations”, sex trade, drug trafficking, money laundering, “its treatment of homosexuals and for spreading lies about the Holocaust. Why would Vanderbilt, one of them most prestigious universities in the world, want to do business with this country?” asked senior David Pasch, co-founder Students Against Vanderbilt in the Emirates (SAVE).
The first opposition to the proposed campus came in an op-ed published in Monday’s issue of The Hustler by Pasch and SAVE co-founder Theodore Samets. The op-ed highlighted human rights violations and concerns about academic freedom that exist within Abu Dhabi.
Emirati authorities arrested a professor at Sorbonne’s Abu Dhabi branch campus after he called for democratic reforms, according to Inside Higher Education. Unaware about the details of this case, McNamara would not comment and said that Vanderbilt has been assured the new school would have the same standards of academic freedom as Vanderbilt University.
The vast majority of faculty at Vanderbilt -Peabody are against the new school.
----------------------------------- more on the Guggenheim (Abu Dhabi) -------------------------
"This leading group of artists is making clear that they will not showcase their work in a museum built by abused workers, and that the steps taken to date by Guggenheim and TDIC are inadequate," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "If the Guggenheim and TDIC fail to address the artists' concerns, the museum may become better known for exhibiting labor violations than art."
------------------------------------more on blogger ------------------------------------------
The trial of Ahmed Mansoor, a blogger and human rights activist who has been held since April, is due to resume in Abu Dhabi on 18 July. Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities to drop the charges against this netizen and release him without delay.
More than 10 police officers took part in Mansoor’s arrest in April, seizing two laptops and several documents. His arrest, after signing a petition calling for democratic reforms in the United Arab Emirates, followed several weeks during which he was the target of intimidation attempts and a smear campaign, especially on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.
Mansoor was also pressured by his employer, a telecommunications company that suddenly decided to relocate to Pakistan in a move which, according to Mansoor’s blog, was motivated by political interests.
Four other pro-democracy activists are being tried with Mansoor. They are Farhad Salem, Nasser bin Ghaith, Hassan Ali Al-Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq. They are all charged with threatening state security, undermining public order and insulting the president, the vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
They pleaded not-guilty when the first hearing was held on 14 June, just hours after the judge scheduled to preside the case was replaced. During the hearing, a pro-government demonstration took place outside, with members of the crowd chanting death threats against the defendants.
The trial would be adjourned again at next week’s hearing as the prosecution wants to bring new “witnesses” whose identity has not yet been revealed to the defence. Reporters Without Borders has learned that Mansoor is meanwhile suffering from a severe allergy but has been denied access to a dermatologist, despite repeated requests.
He seems to be the collateral victim of the increase in security measures and repression that Arab governments have adopted up in recent months because of the spread of protests. More arrests are taking place, online filtering and surveillance of Internet users have been stepped up and the authorities are still trying to get access to the BlackBerry smartphone’s encrypted communications – all disturbing signs in this troubled region.
The United Arab Emirates is listed as a “country under surveillance” in the “Enemies of the Internet” report that Reporters Without Borders released on 12 March.
--------------------------------- descent into the Middle Ages ----------------------------------------
While other countries in the Gulf have expedited reforms to appease citizens demanding more freedom, the UAE – despite having long-attempted to present itself as a model of progress – has taken a different tack, silencing any individuals or organisations questioning the status quo.
The surreptitious crackdown has affected all spheres – professional associations, non-governmental organisations, think-tanks, the blogosphere and even art exhibitions.
Five Emirati bloggers and academics who were rounded up in April are currently on trial for "opposing the government", threatening state security and insulting the country's leaders. The arrests have shocked the desert nation. Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, one of the accused, is an academic at the Abu Dhabi branch of the Sorbonne University.
Since the arrests, authorities have cast their net wider, dissolving the boards of several non-governmental organisations such as the Jurists' Association, a group active in the defence of human rights, and replacing them with government appointees. The Teachers' Association has received similar treatment. Rights groups have described the move as a "hostile takeover of civil society".
"What we are seeing is a collapse in democratic rights," said one activist, who, like many, now declines to have his name published for fear of reprisals. "We have gone back 30 years. They are afraid the revolutions will come to the UAE so they are scaring people into keeping silent."
The targeting of respected academic institutions has raised eyebrows as they are hardly revolutionary hotbeds. Last month the Gulf Research Centre, one of the UAE's few political think-tanks, said it was being forced to leave the country after "objections by the Dubai government to various aspects of GRC's work." The head of the Dubai School of Government has also resigned.
Amid an ever-growing state of paranoia, the chief of the Arab world's biggest art show, the Sharjah Biennale, has also been sacked for not sufficiently censoring the exhibition.
The government's attack on the country's pro-reform voices began after 133 prominent Emiratis signed a petition in March requesting the right of all citizens to vote for members of the country's Federal National Council. Currently a government-appointed electorate votes for half the members of the council, which wields virtually no legislative authority, leaving power in the hands of the al-Nayhan royal family, headed by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed.
Signatories say they have since been threatened by security officials. "They come to us and say we will be the next in jail. They say we are trying to destroy our country," said one.
Before his arrest, Ahmed Mansoor, one of the five activists on trial and a prominent Dubai-based blogger who helped organise the petition, wrote a final dramatic blog post.
Entitled "They came to take me in at 3.50am", it described the moment his building's security guard knocked on his door to tell him three policemen outside wanted to speak to him about a problem with his car. "They make such tricks to and take you," Mr Mansoor wrote.
Mr Mansoor had long suspected that his blog would lead him into trouble with the authorities. "My family have mixed feelings; they think this might bring trouble not only for me, but for them too," he said in an interview with The Independent before his arrest. "On several occasions they've asked me not to talk about more sensitive topics."
There is concern that the trial, which resumes on 18 July, will result in heavy sentences. Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a politics lecturer at UAE University who knows several of the detainees, described the charges as "heavy and loaded."
While outwardly trying to maintain the façade of a progressive haven for Western business and expatriate workers, in reality it has been increasing its grip on power.
The country's divided interests are evident in its diplomacy. Abu Dhabi's F-16s and Mirage jets are supporting the Libyan rebels fighting against Gaddafi's brutal regime. But the UAE remains one of the most visible supporters of the region's other embattled leaders, with the President sending messages of solidarity with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, and the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, visiting in a gesture of fraternity. He paid a similar visit to Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak shortly before he was ousted.
It remains to be seen whether the recent crackdown will silence the dissent, or help to galvanise the reform movement. For one of the petition's signatories the latter seemed more likely. "Emiratis can't accept this treatment: the people are angry," he said.
Then there are the reported lay-offs of hundreds of expatriates in the public sector as the UAE leaders scramble to bring down 14 per cent unemployment. With those expatriates who have been asked to leave said to have been given just weeks to go, the leadership's urgency in pacifying the country's disaffected youth is evident.
“Abu Dhabi is notorious for workers’ rights violations”, sex trade, drug trafficking, money laundering, “its treatment of homosexuals and for spreading lies about the Holocaust. Why would Vanderbilt, one of them most prestigious universities in the world, want to do business with this country?” asked senior David Pasch, co-founder Students Against Vanderbilt in the Emirates (SAVE).
The first opposition to the proposed campus came in an op-ed published in Monday’s issue of The Hustler by Pasch and SAVE co-founder Theodore Samets. The op-ed highlighted human rights violations and concerns about academic freedom that exist within Abu Dhabi.
Emirati authorities arrested a professor at Sorbonne’s Abu Dhabi branch campus after he called for democratic reforms, according to Inside Higher Education. Unaware about the details of this case, McNamara would not comment and said that Vanderbilt has been assured the new school would have the same standards of academic freedom as Vanderbilt University.
The vast majority of faculty at Vanderbilt -Peabody are against the new school.
----------------------------------- more on the Guggenheim (Abu Dhabi) -------------------------
"This leading group of artists is making clear that they will not showcase their work in a museum built by abused workers, and that the steps taken to date by Guggenheim and TDIC are inadequate," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "If the Guggenheim and TDIC fail to address the artists' concerns, the museum may become better known for exhibiting labor violations than art."
------------------------------------more on blogger ------------------------------------------
The trial of Ahmed Mansoor, a blogger and human rights activist who has been held since April, is due to resume in Abu Dhabi on 18 July. Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities to drop the charges against this netizen and release him without delay.
More than 10 police officers took part in Mansoor’s arrest in April, seizing two laptops and several documents. His arrest, after signing a petition calling for democratic reforms in the United Arab Emirates, followed several weeks during which he was the target of intimidation attempts and a smear campaign, especially on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.
Mansoor was also pressured by his employer, a telecommunications company that suddenly decided to relocate to Pakistan in a move which, according to Mansoor’s blog, was motivated by political interests.
Four other pro-democracy activists are being tried with Mansoor. They are Farhad Salem, Nasser bin Ghaith, Hassan Ali Al-Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq. They are all charged with threatening state security, undermining public order and insulting the president, the vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
They pleaded not-guilty when the first hearing was held on 14 June, just hours after the judge scheduled to preside the case was replaced. During the hearing, a pro-government demonstration took place outside, with members of the crowd chanting death threats against the defendants.
The trial would be adjourned again at next week’s hearing as the prosecution wants to bring new “witnesses” whose identity has not yet been revealed to the defence. Reporters Without Borders has learned that Mansoor is meanwhile suffering from a severe allergy but has been denied access to a dermatologist, despite repeated requests.
He seems to be the collateral victim of the increase in security measures and repression that Arab governments have adopted up in recent months because of the spread of protests. More arrests are taking place, online filtering and surveillance of Internet users have been stepped up and the authorities are still trying to get access to the BlackBerry smartphone’s encrypted communications – all disturbing signs in this troubled region.
The United Arab Emirates is listed as a “country under surveillance” in the “Enemies of the Internet” report that Reporters Without Borders released on 12 March.
--------------------------------- descent into the Middle Ages ----------------------------------------
While other countries in the Gulf have expedited reforms to appease citizens demanding more freedom, the UAE – despite having long-attempted to present itself as a model of progress – has taken a different tack, silencing any individuals or organisations questioning the status quo.
The surreptitious crackdown has affected all spheres – professional associations, non-governmental organisations, think-tanks, the blogosphere and even art exhibitions.
Five Emirati bloggers and academics who were rounded up in April are currently on trial for "opposing the government", threatening state security and insulting the country's leaders. The arrests have shocked the desert nation. Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, one of the accused, is an academic at the Abu Dhabi branch of the Sorbonne University.
Since the arrests, authorities have cast their net wider, dissolving the boards of several non-governmental organisations such as the Jurists' Association, a group active in the defence of human rights, and replacing them with government appointees. The Teachers' Association has received similar treatment. Rights groups have described the move as a "hostile takeover of civil society".
"What we are seeing is a collapse in democratic rights," said one activist, who, like many, now declines to have his name published for fear of reprisals. "We have gone back 30 years. They are afraid the revolutions will come to the UAE so they are scaring people into keeping silent."
The targeting of respected academic institutions has raised eyebrows as they are hardly revolutionary hotbeds. Last month the Gulf Research Centre, one of the UAE's few political think-tanks, said it was being forced to leave the country after "objections by the Dubai government to various aspects of GRC's work." The head of the Dubai School of Government has also resigned.
Amid an ever-growing state of paranoia, the chief of the Arab world's biggest art show, the Sharjah Biennale, has also been sacked for not sufficiently censoring the exhibition.
The government's attack on the country's pro-reform voices began after 133 prominent Emiratis signed a petition in March requesting the right of all citizens to vote for members of the country's Federal National Council. Currently a government-appointed electorate votes for half the members of the council, which wields virtually no legislative authority, leaving power in the hands of the al-Nayhan royal family, headed by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed.
Signatories say they have since been threatened by security officials. "They come to us and say we will be the next in jail. They say we are trying to destroy our country," said one.
Before his arrest, Ahmed Mansoor, one of the five activists on trial and a prominent Dubai-based blogger who helped organise the petition, wrote a final dramatic blog post.
Entitled "They came to take me in at 3.50am", it described the moment his building's security guard knocked on his door to tell him three policemen outside wanted to speak to him about a problem with his car. "They make such tricks to and take you," Mr Mansoor wrote.
Mr Mansoor had long suspected that his blog would lead him into trouble with the authorities. "My family have mixed feelings; they think this might bring trouble not only for me, but for them too," he said in an interview with The Independent before his arrest. "On several occasions they've asked me not to talk about more sensitive topics."
There is concern that the trial, which resumes on 18 July, will result in heavy sentences. Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a politics lecturer at UAE University who knows several of the detainees, described the charges as "heavy and loaded."
While outwardly trying to maintain the façade of a progressive haven for Western business and expatriate workers, in reality it has been increasing its grip on power.
The country's divided interests are evident in its diplomacy. Abu Dhabi's F-16s and Mirage jets are supporting the Libyan rebels fighting against Gaddafi's brutal regime. But the UAE remains one of the most visible supporters of the region's other embattled leaders, with the President sending messages of solidarity with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, and the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, visiting in a gesture of fraternity. He paid a similar visit to Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak shortly before he was ousted.
It remains to be seen whether the recent crackdown will silence the dissent, or help to galvanise the reform movement. For one of the petition's signatories the latter seemed more likely. "Emiratis can't accept this treatment: the people are angry," he said.
Then there are the reported lay-offs of hundreds of expatriates in the public sector as the UAE leaders scramble to bring down 14 per cent unemployment. With those expatriates who have been asked to leave said to have been given just weeks to go, the leadership's urgency in pacifying the country's disaffected youth is evident.
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