All posts by CPNN Coordinator

About CPNN Coordinator

Dr David Adams is the coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network. He retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Chad: the provinces of Lac and Hadjer-Lamis come together for a sports cultural festival

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Al Wihda Info (translation by CPNN)

Focused on the culture of peace and living together, this festival brings together the provinces of Lake and Hadjar-Lamis. It will take place from December 15 to 17, 2022.

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Question related to this article:

 

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

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For the president of the organizing committee, Dénénodji Marylène, the festival aims to strengthen the bonds of fraternity through sport and culture in order to consolidate social peace and living together. It is organized by the province in partnership with the Project for the recovery and development of the Lac region (PROLAC) and financed by the World Bank,

The president stresses that it is an opportunity for citizens to celebrate unity towards the peaceful rebuilding of the Chadian nation.

Activities on the program include: folk dances, theatrical performances, exhibition of objects for sale and football.

(Click here for the French version of this article)

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

World Cup 2022: The beautiful image of Mbappe and Hakimi at the end of the match

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Africa Foot United (translation by CPNN)

Teammates on the French squad Paris Saint Germain, Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe exchanged a few words after Morocco’s defeat yesterday in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. The video in this image, which is a reminder that sport is just a game, has traveled around the world.


 (Photo by Manuel Reino Berengui/DeFodi Images) 

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Question for this article:

How can sports promote peace?

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There will be no first final for Africa in the World Cup. Morocco failed this Wednesday in the semi-finals against France. The Atlas Lions, weakened by numerous withdrawals, especially in defense with the absences of Romain Saïss (captain and touchdown in the first half), and Nayef Aguerd, were beaten by a French team that was realistic, but not very flamboyant.

The score at the end was 2-0 in favor of the Blues. At the end of this meeting, the two Parisians who played the match, Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe, met to exchange a few words. The two club partners put aside their rivalry of the day, the defeat of Morocco for Hakimi, in order to spread the spirit of sport which is the culture of peace.

After a few words exchanged and a small hug, they changed their jerseys. A classy gesture full of fair play from the two players who once again displayed all their good friendship in front of the world.

(Click here for the article in French.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Colombia: Nights of Peace planned for December in the neighborhoods of Cúcuta

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Caracol

Achieving peace has been for years the great dream of nations around the world, a collective utopia that includes the wisdom of the ancestors and the hope of the new generations. Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize such as the Dalai Lama, David Beasley of the World Food Program, and even the former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, have stated in their speeches that there are multiple paths to achieve peace: with access to food for all, with nonviolent actions that generate changes, with the disarmament of illegal groups, and a large number of etceteras that trace an imaginary path of peace and freedom.

With great or little rigor, some countries have been working on it. Some Colombian cities such as Cúcuta, historically affected by armed conflict, are undertaking strategies that benefit collectives, entrepreneurs, diverse population groups, provide individual services such as attention to the victims of the conflict. This leads to mass events such as the Nights of Peace that for the second consecutive year is planned for all the city’s neighborhoods during the month of December.

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Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

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“Recognizing the historical memory of our municipality and understanding the social context in which the different communes live, we decided to continue this year with the strategy called Peaceful Nights. It consists of visiting the neighborhoods of Cúcuta and adjoining rural area for 17 days, with different entertainments including theatrical presentation, puppet shows, musical acts and, of course, the prayer of the Novenas of Bonus. All these are framed under the message of the culture of peace and the promotion of the values of respect, forgiveness and reconciliation”, says Elisa Montoya, secretary of Post-Conflict and Culture of Peace of the Mayor’s Office of Cúcuta.

This year, the strategy began on December 1 and is already on day number 5, in which more than 1,200 people have participated, including children and adults. Juan Santos Omaña, coordinator of the initiative explains that: “So far we have visited neighborhoods that have historically had to face situations of armed conflict; We have reached places like Ciudad Rodeo, Motilones, Simón Bolívar, San Martín and Cuberos Niño, and the acceptance has been surprising. Every day there are more than 250 people who live with us the Nights of Peace”.

In the coming days, this strategy of the Municipal Mayor’s Office will reach the neighborhoods: Nuevo Horizonte, Aeropuerto, Guaimaral, El Bosque, Santa Clara, Pizarro, Manuela Beltrán, Santander, García Herreros, Prados del Este, El Llano, La Conquista and al corregimiento of Banco de Arena. Those interested in participating in this free event can learn about the daily schedule through the social networks of the Secretariat for Post-Conflict and Culture of Peace, which can be found as @secposconflictocucuta on Instagram and Facebook.

(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Brazil: Forum brings together advisors to discuss culture of peace in schools

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Acontece no RS

The XII Educational Guidance Forum, held at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB) was marked by a relaxed and participative and sharing of experiences. This year, the training addressed the theme “Educational Guidance for a Culture of Peace”.

The forum was also a tribute to the Educational Advisor’s Day, celebrated this Sunday (December 4). Held on Friday (December 2), the forum was attended by more than 700 public school tutors, who discussed good pedagogical practices.

“We want to strengthen the educational guidance network. Congratulations to all the mentors! The work they do to prevent violence and for a culture of peace in the daily lives of schools is valuable”, highlighted Iêdes Soares, the head of the Basic Education Articulating Management Unit of the State Department of Education (SEE),.

The XII Forum was promoted in partnership with Sebrae DF, through the Entrepreneurial Education Program. Entries for the Educator Transformer Award were also announced at the meeting, which aims to recognize transformative educational projects. Several practices shared with the teachers at the event can be entered in this competition.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese.)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

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Valuable materials for education

The event was also marked by the launch of a magazine which enables educational advisors to share their experiences in the school context and which reflects on the constant evolution of work with students. The reports of 50 advisors from the DF public network are pubished in the issue, Educational Guidance Magazine – “Pedagogical Letters and Other Writings: Our Praxis for the Culture of Peace!”

Érika Goulart, the Educational Guidance manager of SEE, highlighted that the forum was an important moment of reunion after two years limited to online event due to covid-19. According to Érika, sharing between supervisors is fundamental for the development of public education. “We need to record what you do at school. Ideas and work need to go down in history to be shared,” she summarized.

The e-book Educational guidance in the context of the covid-19 pandemic was also launched, with reports from education professionals.

The XII Educational Guidance Forum also brought the experiences of public school students from projects proposed with the support of educational guidance.

An inspiring and provocative moment was led by the writer and poet Allan Dias Castro during the lecture with the theme “Breath”. He invited the advisors to reflect on life and took contributions that favor the development of pedagogical actions and help in this process of going through personal dissatisfaction until dreams can be achieved.

The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on how personal self-criticism can become excessive; an invitation to overcome the fears that impact on people’s lives. “The dream comes after the fear. When the fear of making a mistake is greater than the will to fulfil the dream, an opportunity is lost”, declared Allan.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Honduras: This Sunday there will be a festival that seeks to contribute to a culture of peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo  (translation by CPNN)

This Sunday, December 11, at Cerro Juana Laínez, the first Inclusion Festival will take place from 9:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night. The festival is a free activity contributing to the construction of a culture of peace, which is a duty and right of all.

It will be a Sunday for family, friends and the public who will be entertained with folkloric dances, plays, forums, gastronomic walks; In addition, they may learn about the social products generated by the synergy of government institutions, academia and civil society for the construction of a democratic society.

(Click here for the Spanish original. . )

Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

The festival shows the commitment of Honduras to strengthen transparency and inclusion, with the participation of women, youth, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, people with disabilities, the LGBTIQ+ community and Honduran citizens in the processes of social oversight and participation politics.

As a contribution to building a culture of peace, this is an initiative led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that reaffirms its commitment to building a more transparent and inclusive Honduras.

About UNDP

It is the lead United Nations body dedicated to ending the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. With an extensive network of experts and partners in 170 countries, it helps nations build integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet.

UNDP has been present more than 45 years in Honduras, developing interventions together with partners from civil society, academia, the private sector and the State in the areas of: strengthening the rule of law; promote citizen security and violence prevention; promotion of productivity; environment and risk management.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Main Recommendations of the 6th Edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes targeting Local Governments

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from United Cities and Local Governments of Africa

The 6th edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes targeting Local Governments was held over 6 days, from November 28th to December 03rd, 2022 at the Training Center of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Ibn Zohr University in the city of Agadir, Morocco.
The theme chosen for this edition was: “The challenge of training and capacity building of Local Elected Officials and Local Government Staff in Africa in Climate Action”.

This important annual meeting of Territorial Managers, held just one week after COP27, was organized by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) through its African Local Government Academy (ALGA), in partnership and with the support of the European Commission, the Directorate General of Local Authorities of the Ministry of the Interior of Morocco, the Region of Souss-Massa, the Prefectural Council of Agadir Ida- Outanane, the Provincial Council of Tiznit, the Provincial Council of Taroudant, the Ibn Zohr University and the Training Center of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Agadir, the National Agency for the Development of Oasis and Argan Zones (ANDZOA), the National Associations of Local and Regional Governments of Morocco (namely ARM, AMPCPP and AMPCC), the Ecological Transition Agency ADEME of France, the 4C-Maroc Center, the Office of the United Nations Project on Governance, Directorate of Public Institutions and Digital Governance (DIPGD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNPOG/ DPIDG/ UN DESA), as well as the Ministry of Energy Transition, and Sustainable Development, and the Municipal Council of Agadir.

During the six days of proceedings, more than 300 participants attended the Forum from 40 countries, including 33 African countries. These delegations took part in and contributed to the work of:

– An official opening ceremony, under the chairmanship of the Honorable Mr. Karim ACHENGLI, President of the Souss-Massa Region Council and the Honorable Mrs. Jeannette NYIRAMASENGESHO, President of the Rwandan Association of Local Authorities (RALGA) of Rwanda , President of the Ngororero District Council of the Western Province, President of the Association of Local Governments of East Africa, having represented the Honorable Mrs. Fatimetou ABDEL MALICK, President of UCLG Africa, President of the Permanent Gender Committee of UCLG, President of the Region of Nouakchott, Mauritania;

– Four (4) Plenary Sessions on issues related to Climate Action;
– Eight (8) parallel workshops on climate challenges and capacity building challenges;
– Three (3) Master classes having focused on the concepts and approaches of Climate Action, Decentralized Cooperation and e-Learning;
– One (1) Training of Trainers Seminar on Climate Action for the benefit of 26 beneficiaries from different African countries, within the framework of the Partnership Agreement with ADEME;
– Three (3) field visits.
– South-South partnership and Decentralized Cooperation agreements, discussed and signed;
– A closing, recognition, and certification ceremony;
– A tree planting by the African Delegations.

The discussions held during the proceedings focused on the challenges related to climate change for local governments, in particular:

– How can we create an enabling environment for the Localization and Territorialization of Climate Action?
– What has COP27 generated for Local Governments?
– How to enable Local Governments to benefit from Climate Finance?
– What are the challenges in terms of education, training, and capacity building?
– How to promote decentralized multi-actor cooperation that can be at the service of climate action?…

The takeaway from these debates is that we find ourselves in a turbulent context as well as a deep world division generating crises; that only 10% of climate finance benefits to the local and territorial levels; that the challenges in terms of training and capacity building are enormous and that it is time to act to enable Local Elected Officials and their civil servants s to take ownership of Climate Action, and integrate it into their Governance and planning.

The proceedings and contributions led to the following 20 main recommendations:

1) Need to increase public funding in terms of volume and as a share of adaptation and resilience funding (Need to mobilize the 140 to 300 billion US dollars needed annually by 2030).

2) Need to strengthen and make more coherent the architecture of concessional climate finance, which includes the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility, the Climate Investment Funds, the Adaptation Fund as well as the concessional windows of the multilateral development banks, as well as the Global Infrastructure Fund.

3) Need to become aware of and know how to take advantage of the many opportunities for financing climate action.

4) Need to increase local climate finance for localized climate action, to better understand the role of the local and territorial dimension of climate action in Africa, if we are to thrive as a community of nations, with local governments as a driver of sustainable development.

5) Need to localize and territorialize NDCs, because everything is done in cities; concrete actions must be taken at this level.

6) Need to raise awareness and territorialize political actions related to climate change and involve women and young people in Climate Action.

7) Need to give more space and importance to cities in the context of the localization of the Climate Agenda and put in place mechanisms to facilitate access to international climate finance, because only 10 % of climate finance is found locally.

8) The diversification of energy sources (highlighted by COP27, starting from the importance of the mix of clean energies).

9) Need to take Africa to the next level and provide incentives that leverage innovations already underway in the region that will have greater impact (e.g. acting for the informal sector and encouraging youth participation).

10) Need to prioritize financial innovation (80% of climate finance in Africa comes from public resources) and therefore there is an urgent need to increase private sector finance in climate action.

11) A paradigm shift is needed in Africa’s climate narrative; the continent’s current narrative must shift from projecting responsibility and risk to projecting investment and opportunity.

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Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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12) Need to transform Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Commitments into clear investment plans with a clear return on investment in the different areas prioritized in the NDCs.

13) The urgency of harnessing empirical evidence on key gaps and opportunities to be filled to scale up these successes and create targeted incentives that will need to be applied to enable them to progress.

14) Need to increase support for holistic capacity development assessments at the national, subnational, and local levels.

15) Need to apply a multi-stakeholder approach by involving a wide range of actors and stakeholders, at all levels of governance (national, subnational, and local).

16) Develop long-term capacity building interventions.

17) Need to strengthen international, regional and national knowledge networks, platforms, communities of practice as well as peer-to-peer learning and support.

18) Developed countries should ensure that more climate finance is available for stand-alone capacity building programs at the national, subnational, and local levels and to increase coordination among entity capacity building service providers of developed and developing countries.

19) Need to invest in conflict prevention through a supportive and facilitating environment.

20) Capacity building for the promotion of the Culture of Peace and the art of negotiation.

“We attach importance within UCLG Africa to the efforts of our Academy: ALGA. We will try to follow up on the implementation of all the recommendations that will come out of this important meeting”, declared, through a video intervention, the President of UCLG Africa, the Honorable Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick.
The Forum also served as a framework for the holding of the meetings of three Professional Networks of UCLG Africa, namely:

– The meeting of the Network of Human Resources Directors (Africa Local RHNet);
– The African Network Meeting Permanent Secretaries/Executive Directors of National and Regional Associations of Local Governments;
– The meeting of the African Network of Territorial Directors in charge of Decentralized Cooperation and International Action of Territorial Governments (RAMCD).

Field visits were made to 3 cities in the Souss-Massa Region to inquire about transformational projects and cultural heritage as a vector of peace and development. The Delegations were divided into three groups:

– Group 1 visited the Province of Taroudant and was received by the Honorable President of the Provincial Council of Taroudant. The participants had the opportunity to discover the ancestral Walls of the City of Taroudant, as well as Cooperatives which promote and market local products, such as Argan Oil, Saffron, Honey, Olive Oil, etc.

– Group 2 visited the Province of Tiznit where the Delegations were welcomed by the Governor of the Province and the Honorable the President of the Provincial Council of Tiznit. Participants discovered part of the city’s cultural heritage, transformational projects linked to climate action, cooperatives promoting and marketing local products, as well as shops that market silver jewelry in addition to other reputable products from that Province;

– Group 3 visited the City of Agadir where the delegations were received by the Honorable Vice-President of the Municipal Council. They had the opportunity to visit two transformational projects in connection with Climate Action, namely the Chtouka -Aït Baha water desalination station intended for the drinking water supply of the Greater Agadir area, as well as the wastewater treatment plant.

To materialize their ecological commitment, the African Delegations present at FAMI6_2022 planted thirty (30) Argan trees, provided and offered by the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and the Argan Tree (ANDZOA) in the premises of the Ali Ben Chekroun High School and College in Agadir. The delegations also discovered the creative genius of the students of these two institutions, as well as their mastery of Moroccan, patriotic, and modern music and songs.

The closing ceremony was moderated by Dr. Najat ZARROUK , Director of Development and of the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa, member of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration of the United Nations, and President of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), representing Mr. Jean Pierre ELONG MBASSI, Secretary General of UCLG Africa who was during the same week attending another mission in Brazil to promote relations between Africa and this Latin American country.


This ceremony was marked by the presence of:

– The Honorable Madam Jeannette NYIRAMASENGESHO, President of the Rwandese Local Government Association (RALGA), President of the Ngororero District Council of the Western Province, President of the Association of Local Governments of East Africa, who said in her speech: “I would like to thank the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting us throughout this week. The theme of this Forum reflected the firm commitment of Local Authorities to the implementation of the Climate Agenda, but above all our commitment to support the roadmap for COP 28 scheduled to take place in Dubai in 2023”;


– Mr. Morris MBOLELA, Deputy Secretary General of UCLG Africa; The Vice-President of the Council of the Region of Souss-Massa, representing the Honorable Mr. Karim ACHENGLI , President of the Council of the Region of Souss-Massa,
The Honorable Mr. Lahcen AMROUCH, President of the Communal Council of Argana, Vice-President of the Provincial Council of Taroudant, and Vice-Treasurer of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils (AMPCC),
The Vice-President representing the Honorable President of the Prefectural Council of Agadir Ida-Outanane.

The participants in FAMI 6_2022, finally sent a Message of Gratitude and Thanks to the High Attention of His Majesty King MOHAMMED VI of the Kingdom of Morocco -May God Assist him- .

PJ: Photos of days :
1 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/196672214@N05/sets/72177720304050556/
2 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/196672214@N05/sets/72177720304095249/
3 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/196672214@N05/sets/72177720304161662/
4 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/196672214@N05/sets/72177720304251154/
5 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/196672214@N05/sets/72177720304258583/

Video of the Best of days:

1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwM1xm2fuHs

2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFicOVMrglA

3 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i21ctlwOhR8

4 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFX0Hzwnaxs

5 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnmlMw-HQ_Y

Report of the Forum:

For more information, please contact:
Gaelle Yomi: Phone: + 212 610 56 71 45
e-mail: gyomi@uclga.org; UCLG Africa website: www.uclga.org
ALGA website of UCLG Africa : www.uclgafrica-alga.org

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Colombia: In Caquetá social leaders, students and victims of the conflict graduate with a diploma course on transitional justice

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Unidad para las victimas (translation by CPNN)

With 45 graduates including university students, social leaders and victims of the armed conflict, the diploma “Transitional Justice: a contribution to the construction of territorial peace” culminated in Florencia (Caquetá). The course started last July for which ten accredited national and international organizations contributed their knowledge and experience.

The diploma was constituted in a commitment to inter-institutional articulation between the System of Attention and Comprehensive Reparation for Victims (SNARIV), the Comprehensive System for Peace (SIPAZ), the Peace Office and the legal office of the University of the Amazon ( UDLA), together with the German international cooperation organization (GIZ).

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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The participants learned basic knowledge about transitional justice, with a focus on Caquetá, where, in addition to understanding the processes of care and reparation for victims, land restitution, truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition, they acquired tools in the fields of human rights and international humanitarian law,.

Valentina Almario, future lawyer and leader of women victims of abuse, highlighted the issue of the implementation of the gender approach in transitional justice contexts, as well as the territorial mechanisms for the implementation of the public policy for victims.

“To this must be added the importance of understanding the need for truth as a public good, to contribute to the construction of a culture of territorial peace in Colombia,” she said.

The student José Luis Tinoco Rivera said in this regard that he was particularly struck by the contrast made between the negotiation processes based on DDR -Demobilization, Disarmament, Reinsertion- of the last century, compared to the negotiation processes of this century, which are part of the logic of transitional justice.

The course took place over five months and 160 hours, including face-to-face classes, practical exercises, and homework.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Meduza’s statement regarding the revocation of TV Rain’s Latvian broadcasting license

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Meduza

The Latvian National Electronic Media Council has revoked TV Rain’s license. The agency has banned the network from broadcasting on cable and also plans to block access within the country to its YouTube stream. According to the council’s chairman, Ivars Āboliņš, the decision was made “in connection with the threat to national security and public order.”

(Editor’s note: Regular readers of CPNN will know that Meduza and TV Dozhd – “TV rain” in Russian – were two of the independent Russian media that reported opposition to the war in Ukraine and were therefore banned in Russia and forced to move abroad in order to keep broadcasting.)


Logo of TV Rain

We are watching these developments very carefully and with concern.

In the eight years that Meduza has already spent in Latvia, the local authorities have never once attempted to interfere in our editorial policies. We are grateful for this hospitality. We have had no reason to doubt that Latvia, which has become a second home for many here at Meduza, is aware of the vital role that the independent media plays in democratic societies.

After February 24, Latvia welcomed journalists from Russia who risked many years in prison for doing their jobs and resisting the war Russia unleashed on Ukraine. We greatly appreciated the Latvian authorities’ decision, understanding how difficult it was, given the enduring pain this country’s people still experience from Soviet occupation.

At the same time, we recognized that a mass influx of journalists from Russia in wartime conditions would likely lead to conflicts. After all, the news media created by Russians is almost always focused on Russian problems, viewing the surrounding world through this same lens. This often confuses and sometimes enrages foreign audiences, especially during a war for which Russia bears full responsibility.

Unfortunately, the situation has developed very poorly. We believe that the decision by Latvia’s National Electronic Media Council to revoke TV Rain’s license is unfair, wrong, and disproportionate to the official violations flagged by the agency.

Arguments that these violations pose a “national security threat” are unconvincing. The network’s antiwar position is obvious, as is its critical stance towards the Putin regime. TV Rain’s significance in countering Russian state propaganda is colossal. Roaring about “national security” conceals what is actually a heavy blow to free speech and ultimately to European security, as well. There can be no democracy without the independent media, above all, and an undemocratic Russia will remain a threat to its neighbors and the entire world.

Even if it was reached completely legally, the National Electronic Media Council’s decision is also an incredible gift to the Russian authorities. By banning TV Rain, Latvian officials are helping the Kremlin with something it started: the complete destruction of the Russian independent media’s infrastructure. We believe the political situation in Russia will not change if the country’s inhabitants are abandoned to propaganda. (There’s also the risk that this propaganda becomes the only information source for Russian-speaking EU citizens.)

And it’s important to remember that TV Rain is one of the few truly independent media outlets that retains a large audience inside Russia. Viewers need TV Rain. The anti-war movement needs TV Rain. Watch any of its newscasts, and you’ll see the network’s position on this repulsive war and how it views those who illegally usurped power in Russia.

Were TV Rain’s journalists wrong? Was their wording inaccurate? Yes. But all media outlets, including the highest quality publications, make mistakes, even at critical moments. In times of war, forced emigration, and polarized public opinion, the likelihood of mistakes sadly only grows. Readers and viewers, as well as fellow colleagues, evaluate our reporting, too, and these assessments can be brutal.

Journalism knows no boundaries. Free speech is a universal value, but it’s nothing if we don’t defend it and fight for it, every day, wherever we are.

We stand in solidarity with the team at TV Rain. Dear colleagues, we hope you’ll persevere, and we’ll do our best to help you through this crisis.

Meduza invites other journalists and media outlets to support this statement. If you’d like to do so, please contact us here: requests@meduza.io.

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

(Continued from left column)

This statement has been signed by

the editors of Meduza
the editors of Novaya Gazeta Europe
Sabīne Sīle, editor-in-chief, Media Hub Riga
the editors of Bumaga
the editors of Provereno
the editors of Novaya Vkladka
Irina Malkova and Pyotr Mironenko, The Bell
the editors of Kit
the editors of Signal
the editors of Samizdatonline.org
the editors of Pskovskaya Gubernia
the editors of Sirena
the editors of Proekt
the editors of Dovod
the editors of DOXA
the media project Stradayuschee Srednevekovye
the editors of Mediazona
the editors of iStories
the editors of OVD-Info
the editors of Avtozak Live
Konstantin Sonin, economist
Nikolay Ovchinnikov, journalist; editor-in-chief, Volna | Latvia
vandrouki.ru, a travel company
the editors of Svobodnye Media
the Telegram channel Russian Refugees in Germany
Victor Shenderovich, writer
Stanislav Kucher, journalist
the editors of Rezonans, a Vladimir-based Internet publication
Valeriy Panyushkin, editor-in-chief, Spektr magazine
the Student Anti-War Movement project
Konstantin Gorozhanko, editor, Grazhdane Gdovskogo Kraya
the editors of Vot Tak
the editors of SOTA
Ilya Azar, journalist
the editors of Verstka
the editors of Republic
the podcast studio Libo/Libo
the editors of 7×7 — Horizontal Russia
the editors of Kholod
the editors of Astra
Ilya Krasilshchik, Alexander Polivanov, Igor Safonov, and other journalists at Sluzhba Podderzhki
the editors of Spektr
Mikhail Zygar, writer and journalist
Olga Churakova, journalist
Liza Surganova, journalist
Ilya Shepelin, journalist
the editors of Echo
the editors of RusNews
the editors of Pereulki Lissabona
the editors of Skat Media
Arkady Mayofis, founder of TV-2 (Israel)
Emil Khalikov, co-founder of Pogulyanka media (Lithuania)
the editors of Cherty
the Opyt Svobody project
Lev Ponomaryov, human rights advocate, and the Telegram channel World Progress and Human Rights
the editors of Perm 36.6
the editors of Perito
Mine gåter og spindelsinn, a Telegram channel
the editors of Khroniki.Media
the editors of Daptar
the editors of The Vyshka
the editors of Media Loft
the youth democratic movement Vesna
the editors of Groza
Mikhail Svetov and the editors of SVTV News
the editors of Pezduza
Talking Heads YouTube channel (Latvia)
the editors of Advocacy Street
the editors of Lyudi Baykala
the editors of Otkrytyi Gorod (Latvia)
the editors of February 24 Eyewitnesses
the editors of Govorit ne Moskva
the editors of It’s My City
the editors of The Guide to the Free World
the editors of The Insider and Roman Dobrokhotov, journalist
Yevgenia Albats, editor-in-chief, The New Times
the editors of The Moscow Times
Kirill Rogov, political scientist
Irina Shikhman and the YouTube channel A Pogovorit?
the editors of Re:Russia
Conflict Intelligence Team
the editors of Prodolzhenie Sleduet
the editors of Novaya Gazeta — Baltia
Ksenia Larina, journalist
the editors of The Village and Kirill Rukov, editor-in-chief
the editors of Fergana.ru
Maxim Katz, blogger and politician
the editors of Khronika Turkmenistana
Navalny LIVE YouTube channel
Jean-Michel Shcherbak, media activist
Ishchem Vykhod YouTube channel
Alexander Plyushchev, journalist
Tatyana Felgenhauer, journalist
Vitaly Mansky, film director
Natalia Manskaya, film producer
the editors of Poligon.Media
Khodorkovsky LIVE YouTube channel
Ilya Rozhdestvensky, journalist
Ivan Pavlov, lawyer
Ilya Zhegulev, journalist
the editors of Fourth Sector
Ilya Shumanov, director, Transparency International Russia
Andrei Loshak, journalist
Nataliya Gevorkyan, journalist
the editors of ROMB
the editors of Taiga.info
the editors of Popular Politics
Roskomsvoboda, an advocacy organization
Chulpan Khamatova, actress
Antero Mukka, editor-in-chief, and the editors of Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
the editors of Krautreporter (Germany)
Pervyi Otdel, an association of attorneys and rights activists
the editors of Agentura.ru
Masha Phillimore-Slonim, journalist
Kovcheg and Anastasia Burakova, founder
Andrey Pivovarov, political prisoner
the editors of NewArmenia.am and Garik Chilingarian, editor-in-chief
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
MR7.ru (St. Petersburg) and Elena Mikhina, editor-in-chief
Polina Shilina, journalist, Delfi (Russian edition, Latvia)
Clownstan Today
the editors of Discourse
the editors of Serditaya Chuvashiya
the editors of RSh and Maria Karlin, editor-in-chief (Switzerland)
the editors of Hromadska Pravda (Ukraine)
Russian Libertarian Party
OBC Transeuropa (Italy)
Kometa News (Moldova)
the editors of Telegi i Memasy Telegram channel
St. Petersburg Human Rights Center
the Moscow branch of Memorial, a center for human rights and historical education
Sergey Lukashevsky, director, Sakharov Center
Svetlana Gannushkina and Grazhdanskoe Sodeystvie, a non-profit foundation
the editors of Russians Against the War Telegram channel (Poland)
Russian Independent Media Archive
Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA)
Irina Kizilova, journalist, co-organizer of Memorial Israel
Artem Liss, former editor, BBC World Service
Dmitry Elagin, film critic, Snob
Kristina Lunina and Kak Poluchitsya media
Rimma Polyak, columnist, Republic
Alexey Durnovo, writer and journalist
Andrey Novichkov, editor-in-chief, Fronde TV and Nastuplenie na Nasledie
Efim Neizvestny, contributor, Panorama
Lidia Ageeva, journalist
Natalia Galkina, journalist
Oleg Ivanov, photo-journalist
Vadim Kondakov, journalist
Andrey Rebrov, journalist
Olga Leontyeva, journalist
the editors of Equality Telegram channel
Ivan Slobedenyuk, journalist, Belsat
Anastasia Sechina and Chetvyortyi Sektor media
Maria Latsinskaya, journalist
Oleg Basalin, journalist
Nikolay Kandyshev, journalist
Victor Yukechev, journalist
Boris Tukh, journalist and film critic
the editors of TJ ne umer! satirical news
Artem Androsov, news host, RTN (New York)
Afanasy Emelyanov, journalist
Alexander Gerasimov, journalist
Anton Chernin, journalist
Ivan Fedosov, blogger
Pyotr Kozlov, journalist
Vijai Maheshwari, journalist, Politico Europe
Mark Novikov, journalist
Denis Cherdov, journalist
Vasily Zakharko, journalist
Sofia Epifanova, journalist
Kirill Alexeyev, author, Analiteg Telegram channel
Semyon Zelenovich, journalist
Angela Kalsynova, YouTube blogger
Ilya Kozin, journalist
ZIMA Magazine (London)
the editors of Oni za Voynu
the editors of Pravda o Voyne
The Voice of Reason movement
Dmitry Tolstosheyev, journalist
Evgeny Galitsky, journalist
Nina Abrosimova, journalist
Elena Samoylova, journalist
Vera Vasilyeva, journalist
Ivan Makridin, journalist, podcaster
Lev Kadik, journalist
Ruslan Totrov, journalist
Apolitichnost Gubit, a social movement
the editors of Russky Kovcheg Telegram channel
the Vornadzor anti-corruption movement
Dima Zitser, teacher
the editors of Echo of Petersburg (banned in Russia) and Ischem Vykhod, a YouTube channel
Alex Dubas, journalist
Zygmunt Dzieciolowski, journalist (Poland)
Obyektiv YouTube channel
Warsaw Local Anti-War Committee Telegram channel
Dozor v Volgograde project
The Polycrates Foundation
Alexander Artemyev, human-rights advocate
Dmitry Bayandin, attorney
Arseny Lytar, member, Russian State Duma Committee on Science and Education
Ilya Furman
Maria Klementyeva
Polina Shubentseva, activist and volunteer, Memorial
Andrey Yakimovich
Dmitry Simanovsky
Linur Arslanov
Vadim Dmitriyev
Mikhail Biryukov, attorney
Dmitry Gerasimenko
Sergey Kovalchenko
Maria Kabysh, costume designer
Timofey Andropov and the Ochnis movement
Lena Pylaeva and FreeRussiaNL
Olga Chernykova, former faculty member, Moscow State University
Alina Gnatyshina and Rossiya Buduschego (Switzerland)
Sergey Losev
Alexey Shmelev
Sergey Galin
Ekaterina Komissarova
Nikolay Matrosov
Ilya Bobrik
Alisher Artykov
Zhanna Shchukina
Igor Naginer
Alexey Volkov and the Canadian Russian Association Telegram channel
Olya Kazimirchuk
Sonya Blade
Joseph Malkin
Shimon Glazshteyn
Protokolnaya Redaktsiya project
Ivan Romanov
Elena Kvasyuk
Georgy Sushilin
Olga Degtyareva
Paul Robertus
Elena Lukyanova, attorney
Timofey Ilyushin, human rights advocate
Nikolay Golikov, artist
Alexander Kabanov, professor, University of North Carolina
Kirill Povarov
Irina Karpova
Irina Sokolovskaya
Mila Zemtsova
Andrey Kotov
Julia Ioffe, journalist (United States)
Lolita Roze (Latvia)
Mihail Gokhman (United States)
Greg Dolgopolov (Latvia)
Juris Raudulis (Latvia)
Lev Mendelson (United States)
Michael Mamontov (United States)
Eleonora Scheerseu (Germany)
Artur Heidt (Germany)
Marks Lisnanskis (Latvia)
Dmitrijs Krupņikovs (Latvia)
Dmitri Gouzévitch, historian (France)
Herta Hansena
Konstantin Kabanov
Tatiana le Roy (Belgium)
Laure Thibonnier (France)
Gennadi Kreps (Germany)
Natalia Kuzmina (Germany)
Association for Solidarity with Civil Society and the Development of Democracy in Russia, Russia of the Future (Spain)
the editors of Lenizdat.ru
Penguin Travel YouTube channel
Aiza Dolmatova, rapper
Ruslan Sokolovsky, blogger
the Iskra media training team
the KermlinRussia project team
the Smorodina: for Democracy in Russia association (Norway)
Oleksandr Tsyba
Andrey Lukashevich
Vadik Sirekanyan
Oleg Ponomarev
Sofia Gribkova
Alex Zatsman (United States)
Mykola Shpylchin
Marina Polishuk
Vladimir Yurovsky, conductor (Germany)
Olga Deryabina
Dmitry Cherne
Natalia Telegina
Vitaly Bovar
Maria Gabisov
Sofia Pulver
Nikita Petrashen
Lyudmila Kasa (Latvia)
Vladimir Rayevsky, journalist and television host
Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich, artist and curator
and many other journalists and editors.

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Revealing He Too Had Manning Leaks, Ellsberg Dares DOJ to Prosecute Him Like Assange

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article by Jessica Corbett in Common Dreams

Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg on Tuesday dared U.S. prosecutors to come after him like they have Julian Assange by  revealing  in a BBC News interview that the WikiLeaks publisher sent him a backup of leaked materials from former military analyst Chelsea Manning.

“Let me tell you a secret. I had possession of all the Chelsea Manning information before it came out in the press,” Ellsberg said to BBC’s Stephen Sackur in the on-camera interview. “I’ve never said that publicly.”

Assange had sent him the materials—which include  evidence  of U.S. war crimes—in case “they caught him and they got everything,” the 91-year-old explained. “He could rely on me to find some way to get it out.”

Australian-born Assange is currently detained in London and  fighting  in British and European courts against his extradition to the United States, where he could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted under Espionage Act charges.

Inviting action by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Ellsberg said that “I am now as indictable as Julian Assange and as everyone who put that information out—the papers, everybody who handled it.”

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Question related to this article:
 
Is Internet freedom a basic human right?

Julian Assange, Is he a hero for the culture of peace?

Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

“Yes, I had copies of it and I did not give them to an authorized person. So, if they want to indict me for that, I will be interested to argue that one in the courts—whether that law is constitutional,” he continued, referring to the Espionage Act.

Highlighting that the highest U.S. court has never held that it is constitutional to use the Espionage Act as if it were a British Official Secrets Act, Ellsberg said that “I’d be happy to take that one to the Supreme Court.”

The Espionage Act, “used against whistleblowers, is unconstitutional,” he asserted. “It’s a clear violation of the First Amendment.”

Ellsberg’s public confession comes after editors and publishers at five major media outlets that collaborated with WikiLeaks in 2010 for articles based on diplomatic cables from Manning  released  a letter late last month arguing that “it is time for the U.S. government to end its prosecution of Julian Assange for publishing secrets.”

“This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press,” the letter states. “Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists. If that work is criminalized, our public discourse and our democracies are made significantly weaker.”

The new Ellsberg interview also follows the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) confirming earlier this month that 51-year-old Assange has asked the tribunal to block his extradition to the United States.

Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton  told  Reuters last week that “I would imagine the U.S. wants to avoid” a case going before the ECHR for “trying to extradite a publisher from Europe for publishing U.S. war revelations when the U.S. is asking Europe to make all sort of sacrifices for the war in Ukraine.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, HUMAN RIGHTS

Nicaraguan regime sanctions audiovisual recordings`

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Lorena Baires in Dialogo Americas (translation by CPNN)

The National Assembly of Nicaragua has approved a list of reforms to the Creative Law of the National Cinematheque and to the Law of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, to limit the “development, public exhibition and commercialization of cinematographic and audiovisual products, as well as the confiscation of these”. With them, lawyers and filmmakers warn, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo will control and censor audiovisual productions in the country.

Carlos Guadamuz, defense attorney for the Costa Rica-based NGO Human Rights Collective Nicaragua Nunca Más told Dialogo, “We are concerned about all the attributions of the National Cinematheque, because it places culture and the production of audiovisual material as an initiative of the State and not as an initiative of an individual or legal entity to promote thought. It is a Law that violates the Political Constitution and places freedom of expression and thought at serious risk and vulnerability; as well as the patrimony of all the people who wish to carry out activities in the field of filming and documentation”.

As of October 13, Nicaraguan cinematography will have supervision and control with an article that establishes that “any natural or legal person, national or foreign, who intends to develop audiovisual and cinematographic activities of any kind in the national territory, must comply with the registration requirements before the National Cinematheque and have the proper authorization for the execution of such activities”. The Cinematheque may issue insurance measures to guarantee that nationals or foreigners comply with the regulations “in the making and development of cinematographic or audiovisual products,” reported the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Click here for the Spanish original of this article.

Question related to this article:
 
Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

Can “culture of peace” be mis-used?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

Ricardo Zambrano, Nicaraguan filmmaker, director and producer in exile, told Diálogo; “This is what is worrying because, in a context like Nicaragua’s, where it is already known that one cannot publish things against the regime because there are consequences, now there is is a law that not only prevents and prohibits the display of the works, but also their production,” “The filmmakers will not be able to make documentaries or films that criticize the regime. If any person, producer, tiktoker or youtuber tells their stories with a camera in the street in a way that the Cinematheque, considers is not contributing to the peace and well-being of Nicaragua, their production will be boycotted and the material confiscated”.

The Nunca Más Nicaragua Collective emphasizes that these reforms bind and force the development of film or audiovisual activities and the production of documentaries on Nicaraguan television channel 6; a state television station that only reproduces the signal of television channel 4, the main broadcaster of the propaganda system of the Ortega-Murillo regime.

The lawyer Guadamuz added, “We are concerned that these records are carried out before authorities where the processes or guarantees of due process are not fulfilled, and there is no possibility of filing complaints or using judicial instances to ensure compliance with the freedoms and human rights of Nicaraguans” .

Nicaraguan sociologist and documentalist Leonor Zúñiga also highlighted the regime’s strategy of using ambiguous concepts, such as “Culture of Peace”, to justify actions against the freedoms of Nicaraguans.

“This concept has already been used in other post-2018 rebellion laws, to justify the censorship of everything that represents a criticism of power, and therefore threatens ‘peace’,'” Zúñiga posted on Twitter. “With this, they not only control producers that require the support of the State. This authorization to the Cinematheque can prohibit any individual with a camera (Yes, TikToker) to produce something if it does not align with the ‘Culture of Peace.’

Independent Nicaraguan filmmakers shared a press release on social networks, where they call on audiovisual producers and creators in Latin America and the world to “reflect on the importance of defending creative freedom and acting collectively to guarantee that the rights of freedom of expression are respected.” expression and cultural creation that have cost so much to conquer in Nicaragua and Central America”.

The National Cinematheque is in charge of the ex-daughter-in-law of Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Idania Castillo, who would become the new inspector not only of audiovisual products in Nicaragua but also of those who are dedicated to this activity, warned La Prensa

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America