Kuwait gives tweeter two years in jail for ‘criticizing’ rulers
January 8, 2013A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a youth activist for allegedly defaming the country’s ruling emir on Twitter. The opposition tweeter is the second person to fall foul of a recent government crackdown on social networking sites in Kuwait.
The court claimed that although the offending tweets written by Ayyad al-Harbi last October did not explicitly mention the emir, it was understood they were meant to insult him. The court sentenced the opposition activist who has over 13,000 followers on Twitter to two years in prison for his supposed crimes.
Al-Harbi categorically denied that the tweets had anything to do with Kuwait’s ruling family. He tweeted on the eve of the court hearing that “tomorrow morning is my trial’s verdict on charges of slander against the emir, spreading of false news.”
The defendant’s lawyer, Mohammed al-Humidi commented on the ruling following the trial, saying that the judge’s decision had taken them by surprise.
“Kuwait has always been known internationally and in the Arab world as a democracy-loving country,” Humidi said in a phone call to Reuters. “People are used to democracy, but suddenly we see the constitution being undermined.”Just a day earlier another offending tweeter, Rashid Saleh al-Anzi, was also sentenced to two years behind bars for an incendiary tweet that allegedly “stabbed the rights and powers of the emir.”
Under Kuwaiti law, those who defame or criticize the ruling emir are committing a state security offense and as such are liable for a jail term of up to five years. Currently, a number of important opposition figures are awaiting trial on similar charges of insulting the country’s ruler.
The back-to-back rulings drew the attention of the US, which appealed to the Kuwaiti government to respect human rights and freedom of speech.
“You know how strongly we feel about locking people up for their use of Twitter,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. “We call on the government of Kuwait to adhere to its tradition of respect for freedom of assembly, association, and expression.”
Public malcontent over Kuwait’s ruling government has increased recently following the parliamentary elections in December. Activists claim that the country’s parliament is dominated by royalist-sympathizers and members of the ruling family.
In an effort to quell protest after the elections, lawmakers passed a bill that requires all public demonstrations to have written permission from the authorities.
The bill sparked protester ire as more than 1,000 anti-government activists took to the streets, disobeying the new decree. Riot police were deployed with teargas and stun grenades to disperse the angry crowd.
Women protesting Delhi’s epidemic of rapes. Found it on imgur; think the source is likely one of the Indian news agencies.
Russell C. Means, the charismatic Oglala Sioux who helped revive the warrior image of the American Indian in the 1970s with guerrilla-tactic protests that called attention to the nation’s history of injustices against its indigenous peoples, died on Monday at his ranch in Porcupine, S.D., on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was 72.
I made a tote, then Alithea made tshirts, then Olivia made necklaces, and mine (custom job) just came!
Classist justice
Far too often, I’ve heard radical queers and feminists, in their hipster garb, talking their academic jargon about checking one’s privilege and being accountable, and in the same breath mocking poor people. It’s not always explicit. Actually, in social justice circles, it hardly ever is. Many of you know not to say words like ghetto or white trash, or at least I hope you do, because of its classist and racist implications, but that seems to be where the anti-classist work stops. So, let me help you.
- Every time you push your vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian diet on people, remember that your diet is a privilege that doesn’t make you superior or more of an environmentalist, food justice champion, animal lover or good human. I know you know about food deserts. Well, you don’t have to live in one to not be able to afford to have a restrictive diet.
- Furthermore, poor folks went green along ass time ago. I don’t get why you feel so special about your mason jars and bicycles. Oh good for you for taking the bus when you could’ve driven. Do you want a vegan gluten-free cookie?
- Yes, Wal-Mart is evil. So, is Urban Outfitters. Get over yourself. The only reason why Wal-Mart is singled out is because poor people shop there and it is easier to distance yourself from the problem. So, stop judging poor consumers who are just trying to feed and clothe their families, and start working to dismantle capitalism, or at least organize for workers’ rights (preferably in a non savior complex kinda way).
- Your shitty college dorm room, apartment or shared house, does not make you poor, neither does shopping at Good Will.
- There is a difference between being broke and poor, much like the difference between acute and chronic pain. Learn the difference.
- For those of you who do work with poor folks, you are not special, and you are not a savior. Like I said before, drop the savior routine. It makes a big difference when you take the cues from the communities you are serving. And, just because someone isn’t a college educated career activist, doesn’t mean they don’t know what is best for them and their communities. So, don’t be a condescending ass when people don’t talk like you, and practice some real nonjudgmental allyship.
- Pro tip: classy, trashy, hood, ghetto, dangerous/sketchy/seedy (in reference to poor PoC neighborhoods), white trash, etc are all really classist terms and hella racist too. Think about it, why do we specify that the trash is white? Because all other trash must be brown, right? If you don’t have a claim to these words, don’t use them.
Anyway, the examples could go on, and if anyone wants to add onto this, please do. I just don’t understand how a community that prides itself on fighting body-shaming and slut-shaming, could be so unequivocally class-shaming. In your own words, you better check your privilege.
A tumblr campaign to bring necessary attention to the inconsistencies in wheelchair accessibility within the NYC MTA Subway System. This is an issue of corporate accountability. This is an issue of safety. If the MTA lists a station as “Wheelchair Accessible” then it needs to BE wheelchair accessible, but it’s not consistently so. I’ve personally experienced this too many times, which was not only scary but downright dangerous. When you file a complaint with the MTA, they give you the same answer : “thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We will pass this on to the appropriate supervisors.” and then nothing changes. It’s time to fight back. Whether you are in a wheelchair or not, please sign the petition and share this with everyone you know. The MTA should not be allowed to get away with this, and it is only because they are the only game in town, that they do. Thank you.
PETITION: https://www.change.org/petitions/mta-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer-make-the-wheelchair-accessible-subway-stations-consistently-accessible
TWITTER: mindthegapmta
How to Easily Promote the Reddit Petition on Facebook
If anybody is willing to send messages to their friends through a private message, I wrote a short and sweet text you could use!
Hello Friend!
Okay, yes, this is a generic, mass message, but for good reason!
I’m working on promoting a petition at Change.org, and would be really grateful if you took two seconds to check it out and sign. That’s it!
We’re trying to get the Reddit administration to take down some really sickening subbreddits, that are devoted to promoting things like sexually brutalizing and raping women.
Here’s the link to the petition: http://goo.gl/HjPsp
I hope you’ll sign!
xx
All you have to do is pass it along, and believe it or not, that could do a lot! :-)
U.S. Conference of Mayors Passes Pro-Choice Resolution
The resolution ”affirms the importance of women’s reproductive rights” and “urges Congress and the states to pursue a positive agenda that reaffirms fundamental rights and improves women’s access to safe and comprehensive reproductive-health care.”
Other resolutions support healthy eating, local farms and purchasing, and increased access to healthy food, especially in inner cities, increased funding for CDBG grants to provide quality, affordable housing, the reauthorization of VAWA including support for undocumented victims, eliminating the backlog of untested rape kits, reducing sex trafficking of minors, and empowering parents to ensure their child gets a good education and transform failing schools.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors sends representatives from cities with populations of 30,000 or more. They use their collective voice to influence national policy by distributing resolutions to the President and Congress.
Perhaps someday they’ll recognize that the health care issues they speak about affect everyone with the ability to get pregnant, not just cis women.
Nine-year-old stages a one-man anti-Westboro protest
Meet Josef Miles: While walking around the Washburn University campus with his mother, Josef noticed a group of protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church . After reading the group’s signs, Miles asked his mother if he could create his own sign. A sign featuring his thoughts on God’s worldview. With the approval of his mother, Patty , Josef wrote “God Hates No One” on a notepad, crossed the street, and proceeded to spend a few minutes staging a protest of his own. (Photo via Morris News Service) source
![villiljos:
fromonesurvivortoanother:
[image: Stokley Carmichael at a podium, saying: “In order for non-violence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.”]
“Dr. King’s policy was that non-violence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His main assumption was that if you were non-violent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That’s very good. He only made one fallacious assumption. In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.” -Stokley Carmichael
This is the most obvious thing in the world, but I never thought about it that way until now. Yet another reason for me to question non-violence in certain contexts…
Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. This is exactly why non-violence doesn’t always work, put into words perfectly.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2cyg8d03I1qetrgyo1_500.jpg)
[image: Stokley Carmichael at a podium, saying: “In order for non-violence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.”]
“Dr. King’s policy was that non-violence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His main assumption was that if you were non-violent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That’s very good. He only made one fallacious assumption. In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.” -Stokley Carmichael
This is the most obvious thing in the world, but I never thought about it that way until now. Yet another reason for me to question non-violence in certain contexts…
Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. This is exactly why non-violence doesn’t always work, put into words perfectly.
(Source: foreverinwonderland)
Reader Submission: Sweden’s New Gender-Neutral Pronoun: Hen
I just now saw this article. I’m not sure if you’ve already shared/seen this but I thought it was pretty cool. I have always been frustrated at the lack of gender-neutral words in English. Sweden seems like a place I would love to visit and experience as a supporter of gender equality and/or neutrality.
76 Arrested At Capitol Hill For Protesting Paul Ryan's Drastic Medicaid Cuts | ThinkProgress
76 people, including actor Noah Wyle, were arrested yesterday during a protest in the Cannon House Office Building. The protest, organized by the group Americans with Disabilities for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), was focused on Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, which makes deep cuts to federal Medicaid spending.
#FacesOfPolyamory
We want to create a world where everyone can be open about their relationship choices - without worrying about losing jobs and losing children. We want to show the world that polyamorous people are normal, stable, healthy, friendly, contributing members of society. And we’re cute too!
After presenting this idea at a poly potluck last night, many people volunteered to have their pictures taken and shared with a short statement about what polyamory means to them. We’ll be posting these regularly over the coming weeks.
We would love for as many people as possible to participate! Post a picture of yourself, along with a personal statement about what poly means to you and as much of your name as you feel comfortable sharing. Use the “FacesOfPolyamory” tag. We will re-blog and share across our network.
We need to give polyamory as many faces as possible.
