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The legacy of Bolivia's El Mallku: ‘Self-governance is fundamental’ for indigenous peoples
A screenshot of the video from the ‘Videos Bolivia’ tribute to Felipe Quispe on Youtube, remixed by Global Voices. The original photographer is unknown. In Bolivia, the slogan “Jiwaspachaw apnaqasjañasa” (“Self-governance is fundamental” in English) can often be heard in indigenous Aymara communities—in meetings, assemblies, city neighborhoods, conferences, in the media, and in conversations with the local people, especially young people. The saying was popularized by the late historian, politician and peasant leader, Felipe Quispe Huanca and it has become an important rallying call for Aymara...
Global Voices
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Thailand’s draft NGO law threatens to undermine the work of civil society groups
Civil society groups and environment advocates holding a protest action in Thailand. Photo from Facebook page of Prachatai, content partner of Global Voices. The Thai government has drafted a law on non-government organizations (NGO) which human rights groups have condemned as containing provisions that could be used to harass activists and leaders of civil society groups. The Office of the Council of State released the Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organizations in February, and conducted a public consultation on it between March 12 and 31. If passed into law, NGOs will be req...
Global Voices
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Nepali migrant worker goes home after spending 40 years in the Indian prison system
Durga Prasad Timsina with his mother. Screenshot from a video uploaded to YouTube by OnlineKhabar. Nepal's Durga Prasad Timsina, also known as Dipak Jaisi, was released from the Dum Dum Central Correctional Home in Kolkata, India, 40 years after he was put in jail. The 61-year-old spent four decades without trial in different prisons in India for a crime for which there was no solid proof and which he said he did not commit. He was freed on parole and reunited with his family in Lumbak, in the eastern region of Nepal on March 21. Timsina was 20 years old when he migrated to Darjeeling, India, ...
Global Voices
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Myanmar crackdown intensifies as air strikes lead to more killings and displacement
Anti-coup protesters hold a banner calling for the restoration of civilian rule in Myanmar. Photo by author. This article originally appeared on Medium and was written by a blogger who doesn't wish to be identified. An edited version is published here. Note: This article contains disturbing images of violence. Throughout March 2021, Myanmar’s military regime continued its brutal suppression of civilian movements that were calling for the restoration of democracy in the country since the military coup of February 1. Since February, protests across the country have been challenging the military ...
Global Voices
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Serbian freelancers protest new taxation law that threatens to push thousands into poverty
Protest of freelancers in Belgrade, April 8, 2021. Banners read “We refuse to relinquish our future!” and “Yes to Taxation ! No to Robbery!” Photo by Association of Internet Workers, used with permission. Around two thousand citizens of Serbia took to the streets of Belgrade on April 8 to protest a new tax scheme that would require digital workers – or those who work as freelancers over the internet- to pay exuberant retroactive taxes for the previous five years. They warn that if the government goes through with its plan, over 100,000 individuals now taxable will slip over the edge of poverty...
Global Voices
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Turkish university students ‘can't breathe’ under police brutality
Screenshot from Cumhuriyet TV video capturing the detentions and police intervention, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejuGDnQHZfc Protests at one of Turkey's most well-known institutions Boğaziçi University, continue well into the fourth month, triggered by the appointment of a new unelected rector Melih Bulu. Bulu, who took office on January 1, has ties to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, thanks to decree law from 2016 which authorized the president to directly appoint rectors to universities. Students at Boğaziçi University ...
Global Voices
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Fact-checking in Nepal in the time of pandemic
A screenshot from the South Asia Check Website. From exposing the misleading social media photos about the recent wildfires to discrediting COVID-19 hoaxes, the South Asia Check group has been actively challenging the spread of disinformation in Nepal. Officially launched on 9 September 2015, the group is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit initiative committed to battling the circulation of disinformation on social media and other online platforms. In an interview with Global Voices, South Asia Check editor Deepak Adhikari highlighted the importance of fact-checking: There's a tendency t...
Global Voices
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‘Aurat March’ organizers face intimidation and threats of prosecution in Pakistan
Aurat March 2021 in Islamabad. Image via Facebook group Aurat Azadi March, used with permission. The Aurat March (Women's March) in Pakistan has faced severe resistance since it was started in 2018. This year was no different as organizers faced tough opposition in the form of disinformation campaigns, accusations of blasphemy, and even threats from the banned terrorist outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. For the fourth consecutive year, the Hum Aurtein feminist collective organised marches across Pakistan on March 8, International Women’s Day, that included public art displays and presentatio...
Global Voices
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Artists ‘raise three fingers’ in support of Myanmar protesters
A collage of artworks featuring the three fingers icon for democracy. Photo from the Raise Three Fingers website. A campaign named “Raise Three Fingers” has been mobilizing artists around the world to show support for Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters. Myanmar’s armed forces grabbed power on February 1 but this is being fiercely resisted by citizens who want to pursue the country’s democratic transition. Cartoonists, poets, and other artists are among those who have braved the streets to defy the junta. Protesters have been using the three-finger salute as a symbol of resistance. This was taken f...
Global Voices
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The price of dissent: Women and political activism in Vietnam
From left to right: Activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang, activist and environmentalist Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, and activist and musician Mai Khoi This article was originally published on The 88 Project, an independent news site covering Vietnam, and an edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. On January 20 Dinh Thi Thu Thuy became the latest female activist to be handed a prison sentence in Vietnam. Thuy, an aquaculture engineer and environmentalist from the Mekong Delta, had criticized a range of government policies on Facebook and was arrested in ...
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