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.

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.

(Continued in right column)

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

Mexico: In San Juan del Río, Rotary promotes a positive culture of peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from El Sol de San Juan del Rio

In the municipality of San Juan del Río, various commitments were established by Rotary International to provide support to the San Juan community, among them; disease treatment, water, sanitation and hygiene, literacy and basic education, support for the environment, among others.


(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

How important is community development for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

The commitments contribute to “Building a Culture of Positive Peace”, an event held at the Tithing Portal, headed by the representative of the organization in the municipality, Rafael de Jesús Molina Lara. in coordination with other members of Rotary International District 4140 , a support plan for the population was designed.

The group is dedicated to providing support to the population with actions in different areas, making an alliance with some companies, civil associations and others to pay attention to issues such as maternal and child health, the economic development of the community as well as promoting peace and conflict prevention.

In this same event of strategy to support the San Juan community, the Sculpture of Peace was unveiled, which was designed at the request of Rotary International District 4140, by the Jalisco sculptor Camilo Ramírez, born on July 18, 1957, in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco.

“Rotary is a global network of neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem solvers who see a planet where people come together and take action to create lasting, positive change in communities around the world.”

He said that for more than 117 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy and intelligence to improve lives through service, “so in Rotary we are fully convinced that understanding, goodwill and peace among people is possible and achievable”.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mexico: Culture of Peace Day in Atlixco for first time

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Intolerancia (translation by CPNN)

With the aim of working on the reconstruction of the social fabric, the Atlixco city council in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior will hold the First Day of Culture of Peace on December 3, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the Plaza de Armas of the city.


Atlixco is a city in central Mexico, at the foot of the Popocatépetl volcano

Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

According to the municipal president of Atlixco, Ayala Camarillo, in addition to this First Day of Culture of Peace and Reconstruction of the social fabric, there will be a discussion with local actors, an event aimed at the general population.

The mayor thanked the authorities of the Ministry of the Interior for their support for undertaking actions focused on rebuilding the social fabric, thereby creating a better society.

The Dialogue or Conversation will generate a space for the exchange of knowledge, dialogue and learning for reconstruction of the social fabric and the construction of a Culture of Peace. The event will be divided into a magisterial presentation and dialogue tables led by various sectors of the population.

(Click here for the Spanish original. . )

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Burkina Faso: FESPACO will take place in February with the theme “African Cinemas and Culture of Peace”

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Libé (translation by CPNN)

The Director of Cabinet of the Burkinabe Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Atéridar Galip Somé, announced on Thursday the holding of the 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou “FESPACO” from February 25 to March 04, 2023.


“It seems appropriate to announce to you, officially and solemnly, the organization of the 28th edition of FESPACO to be held from February 25 to March 04, 2023”, declared Mr. Somé, according to the Agency of Information from Burkrina (AIB).

(continued in right column)

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

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

(continued from left column)

Adressing the national and international press, he indicated that “the decision has been taken by the president of the Transition, the captain Ibrahim Traoré, who observes significant progress in the preparations”, adds the same source, emphasizing that this 28th edition will take place under the theme: “African Cinemas and Culture of Peace”.

The Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, according to his chief of staff, invited “cinema and audiovisual professionals to take ownership of this theme and above all to make their cinematographic works a a factor of cohesion and integration for the construction of a stronger and more united Africa”.

The general delegate of FESPACO, Moussa Alex Ouédraogo, taking stock of the preparations, indicated that at the current stage, the delegation has recorded 1142 registered films, including 84 Burkinabe films.

According to him, Burkinabé films are classified in the categories feature film, documentary, short fiction, short documentary, school film, TV series and animation.

Unlike FESPACO, several other cultural events have been postponed, in particular the Ouagadougou International Crafts Fair (SIAO) and the National Culture Week (SNC-Bobo 2022) for difficulties related to the national context.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

The Gambia: WANEP stages youth leaders ‘bantaba’ on peace-building 

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Jankey Ceesay from The Point

West Africa Network for Peace Building-The Gambia (WANEP) recently convened a day’s ‘bantaba’ (group discussion) on youth participation in decision-making and peace-building processes at Metzy Residence in Kololi.

WANEP-The Gambia is a registered not-for-profit organization with a membership of 20 civil society organizations working towards strengthening the capacity of peace building practitioners, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and developing conflict prevention networks and mechanisms to promote the culture of peace.

(continued in right column)

Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

(continued from left column)

Addressing the gathering, Ms. Salama Njie, the National Network Coordinator West Africa Network for Peace Building-The Gambia (WANEP), reminded that youth are mostly used by politicians to win positions and neglect them afterwards.

“The vulnerability of young people to political exploitation and election related violence in an already fragmental society could with growing ethnic diversions and political party disputes cause concern for all of us and we are used by political leaders to gained their posts,” she pointed out. 

She explained that youth consist 64% of the country’s population, yet meaningful participation of young men and women in governance system, remains a challenge. 

She advised them to desist from being used by political leaders to disturb the country’s peace by attacking their opponent and inciting violence, rather they should be involved in politics, decision-making and promote peace ahead of the local election.

Tijan Bah, the assistant national early warning systems manager at WANEP, expressed optimism that the forum would produce a road map for young people to be involved in decision making levels and be agents for peace in their various communities.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Make peace, not war The Kremlin’s internal polling shows that more than half of Russians now favor negotiations with Ukraine

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Andrey Pertsev in Meduza (Translation by Anna Razumnaya)

Russia’s ongoing military defeats in Ukraine and the social burden of mobilization are rapidly cooling the public’s support for the war. Meduza has gained access to the results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Kremlin “for internal use only.” According to the study conducted by the Federal Protective Service (FSO), 55 percent of Russians favor peace talks with Ukraine, while only a quarter of the respondents still support continuing the war.


Internal polling data commissioned by the Kremlin

The FSO poll does not diverge all that much from the results of an October public-opinion study conducted by the Levada Center, Russia’s only large independent sociological institute. In the Levada study, 57 percent of respondents said that they supported, or would probably support, peace talks with Ukraine. Only 27 percent expressed the same range of support for continuing the war.

The FSO’s own polling indicates that Russians’ attitudes about the war have changed. As late as July 2022, only 30 percent of survey respondents favored ending the war by peace negotiations. Comparing the new results to those collected in the summer make the shift obvious:

Two sources close to the Putin administration told Meduza that the Kremlin now plans to limit the polling data that VTsIOM (the Russian Public Opinion Research Center) releases to the public. One source said, “You can get all kinds of results these days — better not to do it at all.” Also speaking to Meduza, a political consultant who works frequently with the Kremlin explained that it’s “best not to reveal the dynamics” of the Russians’ changing attitudes towards the war.

Denis Volkov, the director of the Levada Center, says the share of Russians likely to support peace talks with Ukraine began to grow rapidly following Putin’s September 21 mobilization decree:

(Continued in right column)

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

(Continued from left column)

This is sheer reluctance to take part in the war personally. They continue to support it, but they have very little desire to participate themselves. Besides, their support was, from the very start, something they declared with regard to what they perceived as having nothing to do with themselves: “Life goes on — it’s even getting better.” Now, the risks are greater, and people want to start the talks. Still, the majority of people leave this to the government: “We’d like it, but it’s up to them to decide.”

Sociologist Grigory Yudin also links rising public support for peace talks to Russia’s draft. This fall, he says, Russians came face-to-face with the “crumbling of their everyday lives and a sense of danger.” Their “loss of faith in the victory” and the “absence of a convincing account of how exactly Russia might win” also contribute to the shift in opinions, says Yudin. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Yudin added,

if this turned out to be mixed with an acute sense of danger to the country itself. In this sense, peace talks followed by legalizing the annexations should make the country safer.

Yudin says the public’s resentment for how the war is going is not far from outright “apathy.” Still, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of anti-war demonstrations in Russia:

Protests do not occur simply because people think something but because something makes protest possible. Russia’s protest potential is very high. When possibilities present themselves, there will be protests. Quite possibly, we won’t have to wait that long.

Kremlin insiders who spoke to Meduza, however, said there’s little concern in the administration about potential mass protests, though they acknowledged that “it’s best not to raise the temperature, and not to anger people if not necessary.” Russia’s state media and propaganda outlets, moreover, have already received instructions “not to dwell on the war.” According to Meduza’s sources, the mass media is now being told to focus instead on a “more positive agenda.”

Political scientist Vladimir Gelman says the dynamics of Russian public opinion are unlikely to pressure the Putin administration into honest negotiations with Ukraine. The Russian side, he argues, is “not ready to make concessions,” and the prospects of any peace talks depend largely on what happens in combat — not in opinion polls.

Last October, Meduza wrote about Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to abandon his claim on the Ukrainian regions he’s now annexed outright. The Kremlin’s recent hints at possible peace talks are likely a scheme to buy time to prepare a new offensive. Meduza’s sources close to the administration say the president still clings to his plans in Ukraine, and officials will reportedly resume Russia’s “partial” mobilization in the winter. Just how many more men the Kremlin hopes to draft remains unclear.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

English bulletin December 1, 2022

THE PEACE MOVEMENT: ALIVE AND WELL

As the war in Ukraine threatens to unleash a new world war, the peace movement is rising to the occasion to provide an alternative.

In this month’s CPNN, we carry articles from the peace movements in the United States, Italy, France, England and Germany, as well as information about the remnants of peace movements in Ukraine and Russia.

In the United States and Canada antiwar actions were held in more than 70 areas at the end of October.  The actions took place in answer to a call from the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), and were joined by a coalition of antiwar groups from Canada and also by some European countries. The actions filled a void during the pre-election campaigns in the United States because the Ukraine War was not debated by the candidates of either political party. The UNAC demands are “Stop Washington’s war moves toward Russia and China; Stop endless wars: Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Palestine, everywhere.”

In Rome, Italy, 30,000 people took part in a demonstration demanding negotiations for peace in the Ukraine. It was organized by the trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL, ARCI, ACLI, ANP, together with the community of Sant’Egidio, the association Libera, Emergency, Sbilanciamoci and the Aoi. Reduce military spending in favor of investments for poverty, ecological transition and decent work, guarantee shared security, which “does not come from weapons that only cause suffering to the populations”: these were some of the demands raised by the stage.

150 activists from 62 of the 101 departments in France were delegates to the congress of Mouvement de la Paix that met in November in the City Hall of Tours. The Congress was also attended by activists from 14 other countries and representatives of national organizations such as Arac, CGT, Free Thought, ACCA, Teachers for Peace, Pugwash, Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament (IDN), Afcdrp, International Feminist Initiative, Europ Ecology The Greens (EELV), Pcf, Pax Christi, Ccfd, Solidarity peoples, Acat, France Kurdistan, Christian migrants, peace educators, international handicap, family planning. An appeal from the Congress calls for national days of action on December 13-14, for a Christmas ceasefire in the Ukraine, and for a world mobilization against all wars on 24 February 2023.

In Germany, after a two-year break, the nationwide Peace Council 2022 will take place as a face-to-face event on December 10th and 11th. This meeting comes at a time when: the Ukraine war is escalating into an open proxy war between NATO and Russia; humanity is threatened by nuclear self-destruction; the EU economic war is leading to massive social protests; open debate is restricted on these topics; and there is a great need for discussion within the peace movement.

In England, the first ever trade union conference of the Stop the War movement will take place on 21 January. The call says “It’s vital that we connect the struggles of the anti-war and labour movements and make the call to ‘cut warfare not welfare’ at this crucial time. We stand alongside our teachers, nurses, firefighters, lecturers and all those who refuse to see their living standards eroded to pay for the misery of war.”

In the Ukraine, the small, but persistent, peace movement, from which we published an anti-war manifesto earlier this year, continues to send its message of peace to Western activists, including an eloquent letter that was read to the meeting of Mouvement de la Paix mentioned above.

As for a peace movement in Russia, the thousands, even millions, of voices that we published earlier this year in CPNN, have mostly been silenced by Russian authorities. However, some Russian anti-war activists have fled to other countries and continue to publish. A good example is Meduza which recently published an article describing the reactions of Russian mothers against the war in Ukraine. They were excluded from the meeting that Putin held with mothers of Russian soldiers.

Looking into the future, let’s support the call of Mouvement de la Paix for a Christmas ceasefire and world mobilization on February 2023. In the Ukraine, all sides of the war are suffering and need a ceasefire. And in the rest of the world where over 100 armed conflicts are continuing, the people long for peace.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Correze

France: Echoes of the national congress
of Mouvement de la Paix

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

AbuDhabi

Abu Dhabi opens the ninth edition
of the Peace Forum

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Lula

In COP27 Speech, Lula Vows to Make Amazon
Destruction ‘A Thing of the Past’

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Hiroshima

Mayors for Peace: The Hiroshima Appeal
  

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Iran

How the Islamic Revolution Gave Rise
to a Massive Women’s Movement in Iran

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Peace-Pals

Peace Pals International Art Exhibition
and Awards

HUMAN RIGHTS

syria

The Western Sanctions That Are ‘Choking’
Syria May Be Crimes Against Humanity

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Assange

Because ‘Publishing Is Not a Crime,’
Major Newspapers Push US to Drop Assange Charges
d-disarmament

USA: Statement from Faith Organizations and Leaders  Calling for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A petition from Code Pink

SIGN ON STATEMENT:

As people of faith and conscience, believing in the sanctity of all life on this planet, we call for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine. In the spirit of the truce that occurred in 1914 during the First World War, we urge our government to take a leadership role in bringing the war in Ukraine to an end through supporting calls for a ceasefire and negotiated settlement, before the conflict results in a nuclear war that could devastate the world’s ecosystems and annihilate all of God’s creation.  

Initiated by Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA, CODEPINK, and the National Council of Elders. 

Background and Context:

As the war in Ukraine rages on, the toll of death and destruction continues to mount and the potential for escalation and the use of nuclear weapons grows. The direct catastrophic impact the war has already had on the people of Ukraine is still unknown but countless thousands of civilians have already died and 14 million have been displaced. The war’s impact is multiplied outside of Ukraine’s borders as rising prices for wheat, fertilizer and fuel are creating growing crises in global hunger and poverty. 

Whether it’s Christians around the world preparing for Christmas or Jews awaiting the Festival of Lights holiday of Hanukkah all of the Abrahamic faiths embrace the prophetic voice of Isaiah who exhorted us to transform swords into plowshares. In this winter holiday season of peace, we ask our government’s leaders to recall another murderous conflict between nations that took place on the European continent over a century ago. In 1914, roughly 100,000 German and British soldiers along the Western Front in World War I declared an unofficial Christmas Truce and ceased hostilities for a short period. 

It was a moment so shocking to our usual expectations that it continues to reverberate in our collective imaginations over 100 years later. Another Christmas Truce could save lives and pave the way for critical peace talks. 

(Continued in right column)

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

(Continued from left column)

The way out of the war in Ukraine will not be a military solution. The path toward peace in Ukraine requires powers of a different sort: negotiation and imagination.

As leaders of a diverse group of faith communities, we sign onto the petition below and pray that our leaders have the courage and conscience to use those powers instead.

Initial signers include:

Bishop William J. Barber, President Repairers of the Breach
Dr. Cornel West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary
Reverend Jesse Jackson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Liz Theoharis, Poor People’s Campaign co-chair
Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler, FOR-USA Advisor, Racial and economic justice advocate
Dr. Zoharah Simmons, civil rights movement veteran, National Council of Elders
Reverend Dorsey, Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, National Council of Elders
Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary Emeritus, Reformed Church in America
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners
Rev. Janet Wolf,  National Council of Elders
Jim Wallis, Georgetown University
Bridget Moix, General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Rev. William Lamar, IV, Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC
Rev. Freeman Palmer, Conference Minister, Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC
Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake, Presiding Minister, The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, National Council of Elders
Imam Abu Nahidian, Manassas Mosque
Sư Cô Thích Nữ Chân Không, Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism
Thầy Thích Chân Pháp Ấn, Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism
Pastor Bob Roberts, Church in Keller, Texas
Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, Executive Minister & President, United Church of Christ
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, President, Unitarian Universalist Association
Nicholas Sooy, director of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship
Imam Mujahid Abdul Malik, President, Sound Vision Foundation
Rabbi Phyllis Berman, ALEPH Ordination Program’s Hashpa’ah Program
Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, Executive Director, Religions for Peace USA
Ariel Gold, Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Rev. Michael McBride, Pastor, The Way Christian Center; Director of Urban Strategies, Faith in Action
Dr. Daisy Khan, Executive Director & Founder, Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality & Equality
Rev. Terrence Moran, Director of Peace, Justice, & Ecological Integrity Office, Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth
Dr. James Zogby, President Arab American Institute, Professor, Author
Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, Metropolitan Bishop, Peace Cathedral

If you are not a lay or ordained faith leader, please take this to your faith community/congregation and ask them to sign on.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America