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May 2002
CONTENTS
The June/July theme for the World Movement's special Web section "What's Being Done On..?" will be THE INTERNET AND OTHER MEDIA IN DEMOCRACY PROMOTION. Please see Item 18 below for more information.
NEWS and PUBLICATIONS
1. Appeal for Support of Kidnapped Colombians
2. Iranian Journalist Sentenced
3. Singapore Activists Arrested
4. Leading Liberian Human Rights Lawyer Detained
5. China Shuts Down 200 Internet Cafes
6. International Leaders Call for a Deepening of Democracy
7. Chinese Foundation for Democratic Education Honors Democracy Activists
8. Report: Campaign Financing in Ukraine
9. Report: Creating a Space for Dialogue in Liberia
10. Report: Corruption and Democracy in Latin America
11. Publication: VIRTUAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION HANDBOOK
12. Publication: KENYA URBAN BRIBERY INDEX
13. Publication: NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION TOOLKIT
14. Publication: TIBET OBSERVER
15. Publication: FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: GENDER POLICY BRIEFING KIT
16. Call for Papers: CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL
17. Call for Submissions: NGONews: NGOS AND YOUTH
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
18. Call for Items: The Internet and Other Media in Democracy Promotion
19. Democracy Collaborative Launches New Web Site
20. New Web Site on Civic Education in South Eastern Europe
21. Roundtable: Bulgarian Access to Information Act, Sofia, May 21, 2002
22. Conference: Global Voices for Gender Equity, November 15-17, 2002
23. Conference: World Civil Society Forum, Geneva, July 14-19, 2002
24. Course: Use of ICTs in Human Rights Work, June 3 - August 4, 2002
25. Fellowship: Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program
NEWS and PUBLICATIONS
1. Appeal for Support of Kidnapped Colombians
World Movement for Democracy participant, Ruben Fernandez of Corporacion Region in Medellin, Colombia, has alerted the World Movement to the case of Guillermo Gaviria. On April 21, members of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) kidnapped Gaviria, the Governor of the Colombian province of Antioquia. Gaviria had organized a non-violence movement and was kidnapped at the conclusion of a 120-mile march of 1,000 unarmed, peaceful civilians. His sister has issued an urgent appeal to World Movement participants asking them to condemn the kidnapping and demand the unconditional and immediate release of Gaviria and others held in captivity.
For more information on the case and the full text of the appeal, go to: www.wmd.org/democracyalert/may902.html
2. Iranian Journalist Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison
Prominent Iranian journalist, Siamak Pourzand, was sentenced by the Tehran press court to eight years in prison on May 3, 2002. After a four-month period of detention in which no clear charges were leveled, the 73-year old journalist who ran the Tehran Cultural Centre was put on trial in early March on charges of espionage and threatening national security. Freedom of expression in Iran has been sharply curtailed under Iran's conservative government. According to Reporters sans Frontieres, seven publications have been suspended since the beginning of the year and eleven journalists have been imprisoned.
For background information on Pourzand's case, go to the World Movement's Democracy Alert: http://www.wmd.org/democracyalert/apr402.html
3. Singapore Activists Arrested
On May 1 (Labor Day), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leaders Dr. Chee Soon Juan and Gandhi Ambalam were arrested by the police for planning to organize a rally for worker's rights without a government license. SDP's application for a license was rejected by the Public Entertainment Licensing Unit citing "law and order problems." The two activists were arrested when Chee refused to leave the premises after the police threatened to arrest them. Critics have recently been accusing Singapore's ruling People's Action Party of using judicial proceedings and limitations on public speech to suppress political opposition. SDP is a major opposition political party in Singapore, and opposition parties hold only two of the 84 elected seats in Parliament. Chee is a founding member of the Alliance for Democracy and Reform in Asia (ARDA), which organized an Asia regional workshop at the Second Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 2000.
For more information, go to: www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=1475
4. Leading Liberian Human Rights Lawyer Detained
A prominent Liberian human rights lawyer, Tiawan Gongloe, was arrested without charges and subjected to brutal treatment by the police on April 24, 2002. According to Human Rights Watch, Gongloe was arrested in connection with a speech he gave at the Mano River Union Civil Society Conference in March in Guinea, which is a civil society effort to build peace in the Mano River region (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea) by developing dialogue. In his speech, Gongloe condemned the use of violence as a means to gain state power and emphasized the importance of civil society's involvement in the peace process. A number of civil society groups in Liberia, including the Center for Democratic Empowerment, Liberia Women's Initiative, and the Press Union of Liberia, gathered together and organized a parade to condemn the arrest of Gongloe and to call for his release.
Go to: www.allafrica.com/stories/200204260625.html and www.hrw.org/press/2002/04/liberia0426.htm
5. China Shuts Down More Internet Cafes
Chinese authorities have closed nearly 200 Internet cafes that operated without licenses that require them to block web sites deemed subversive. The Chinese government requires Internet cafes to install software to block restricted Web sites and record user activities. The crackdown, which began April 26, emphasizes the Chinese government's desire to encourage the Internet as a commercial medium without creating a forum for political dissent since some targeted sites include those of democracy activists and foreign media outlets. As a result of Beijing's increasing attention to restricting the Internet, over 17,000 Internet cafes have been shut down and a number of dissidents have been jailed for their online activities.
Go to: http://www.dfn.org/focus/china/chinanetreport.htm and www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52330,00.html
For more information on the Internet and democracy, go to the World Movement's Democracy Information and Communication Technology Group: www.wmd.org/dict/index.html.
6. International Leaders Call for a Deepening of Democracy
An international group of political, civil society, and business leaders issued a joint statement coordinated by the Democracy Coalition Project, an initiative of the Open Society Institute, calling for a deepening of democracy both nationally and internationally. The statement expresses concern over fragile democracies vulnerable to potential democratic reversals. It also urges democracy activists to build national and international networks of cooperation and solidarity to strengthen their efforts and resist attempts by anti-democratic actors to impede their work.
For the full text of the statement, contact: dcp@sorosny.org
For information about the Democracy Coalition Project, go to: www.demcoalition.org
7. Chinese Foundation for Democratic Education Honors Democracy Activists
The San Francisco-based Chinese Foundation for Democratic Education announced the winners of this year's Distinguished Democracy Activist awards. The winners are: Jiang Qisheng, a member of the student team that engaged in dialogues with the Chinese government during the 1989 democracy movement; Gao Erpin (a.k.a. Xin Haonian), a history scholar and author of the book "Who Represents New China?"; and, BEIJING SPRING, a monthly Chinese language magazine founded in June 1993 that promotes democracy and human rights in China.
Contact: Grace Wong, President, Chinese Democracy Education Foundation, P.O. Box 210385, San Francisco, CA, 94121, Tel: +1-415-892-6959.
8. Report: Campaign Financing in Ukraine
"Freedom of Choice," a coalition of Ukrainian organizations, and Transparency International-Ukraine have published the final results of their study on campaign financing in Ukraine during the March 31, 2002 Parliamentary elections.
Go to: www.vybory.org.ua
9. Report: Creating a Space for Dialogue in Liberia
The Liberia Institute of Journalism, a Monrovia-based organization promoting independence of the media and freedom of expression, has issued a report from its January symposium, "Creating a Space for Dialogue Between and Amongst Journalists, Human Rights Advocates/Activists, Civil Society, Women's Groups, Youth Groups, Decision-makers, Traditional Leaders, and Politicians." The report is available for US$25.
Contact: lij@kabissa.org
Go to: www.lij.kabissa.org
10. Report: Corruption and Democracy in Latin America
Probidad, an anti-corruption organization based in El Salvador, has released a Spanish-language report on corrupt Latin American leaders. The Gallery of Corrupt Latin Americans (Galerķa de los corruptos latinoamericanos) lists those political leaders who left office or are facing prosecution on corruption charges. The Gallery links the crisis of democracy in Latin America to the level of corruption among political leaders and advocates for heightened attention to anti-corruption initiatives in the region.
Go to: probidad.org/regional/recursos/galleria
11. Publication: VIRTUAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION HANDBOOK
Article 19, an organization focusing on the right to free expression, has issued an upgrade of its VIRTUAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION HANDBOOK. It includes a database of freedom of expression-related cases from the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human Rights, and regional and national judicial bodies. The handbook also analyzes key documents on the Internet, broadcasting, defamation, and national security.
Go to: www.article19.org
12. Publication: KENYA URBAN BRIBERY INDEX
The KENYA URBAN BRIBERY INDEX is now available online from Transparency International - Kenya. The report reviews the prevalence and severity of urban bribery in Kenya and also discusses survey methodology.
Go to: www.tikenya.org
13. Publication: NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION TOOLKIT
The Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution (IIMCR) NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION TOOLKIT is now available to order. The Toolkit describes the basic tenets of negotiation and mediation and outlines tools to use for effective training. It also includes an appendix with practical information and materials such as negotiation preparation checklists, communication skills, mediation forms, and tools for students. The cost is US$20 per Toolkit plus postage. Submit order requests to: molly@iimcr.org, subject: Toolkit order.
14. Publication: TIBET OBSERVER
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has started a Chinese-language journal on Tibet called LIAOWANG XIZANG ("Tibet Observer", "Bhoethon Taship" in Tibetan), a quarterly journal that discusses the multifaceted nature of the Tibet issue and its implication for Tibet-China relations. Readers are encouraged to send the ICT their views and comments on Tibet.
Contact: Rinchen Tashi, Editor, Liaowang Xizang, rinchent@savetibet.org
15. Publication: FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: GENDER POLICY BRIEFING KIT
A joint project of the United Nations Development Program and the Women's Environment and Development Organization, FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT is now available online. The project collects reports and studies that discuss gender perspectives in development issues as well as in the structure of world financial institutions.
Go to: http://www.wedo.org/ffd/kit.htm
16. Call for Papers: CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL
The Central Asian Journal, a biannual academic journal of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP), seeks submissions of papers on fiscal decentralization and local governance problems in Kazakhstan. Deadline is June 1, 2002. Publication of this Annex is an integral part of the project on "Local Government Expenditure Assignments in Kazakhstan" implemented by the KIMEP Center for Research and Development and supported by Open Society Institute, Hungary. For the full announcement, contact the World Movement at world@ned.org
Submissions should be sent to: A. Hoodashtian at rscntr@kimep.kz or hoodash@kimep.kz
17. Call for Submissions: NGONews: NGOS AND YOUTH
NGONews, a quarterly publication of Freedom House-Budapest, is seeking contributions for its Spring/Summer issue focusing on youth involvement in government, NGOs, and policy making in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Submissions should not be academic articles, but descriptions of concrete examples of the successes and limitations of youth-oriented initiatives, advice on how to design and implement programs, and announcements of new program initiatives and activities.
Contact: Mercedes Sprouse, Editor, NGONews, sprouse@freedomhouse.hu
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
18. Call for Items: The Internet and Other Media in Democracy Promotion
The World Movement is now seeking items on the use of the Internet and other media in democracy promotion for the June/July edition of its Web section, "What's Being Done On..?". The Web site section highlights illustrative activities of organizations in different global regions, and provides links to resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Descriptions of successful projects, publications, and other activities that have made use of the Internet and other new media to help promote democracy are welcome.
Send items by May 24 to: world@ned.org
For the current "What's Being Done On Cross-Border Assistanct: Helping Democrats in Closed Societies?," go to: http://www.wmd.org/wbdo/apr-may02.html
19. Democracy Collaborative Launches New Web Site
The Democracy Collaborative, an organization based at the University of Maryland that brings together an international consortium of more than 20 of the world's leading academic centers and citizen engagement organizations, has launched its Web site. It has details of projects on civic engagement and community building, reports on recent and upcoming conferences and events, and links to partners around the world.
Go to: www.democracycollaborative.org
20. New Web Site on Civic Education in South Eastern Europe
Open Society Education Programs in South Eastern Europe (OSEP-SEE) has launched its new Web site reviewing education reforms and policy in the region. In addition to supporting education programs, OSEP-SEE offers training workshops periodically for students, teachers, and journalists. They also plan to develop a section of the Web site called "Good Practice and Innovation" that will report on successful strategies and projects in the region.
Go to: www.osepsee.net
21. Roundtable: Bulgarian Access to Information Act, Sofia, May 21, 2002
The Access to Information Program-Bulgaria (AIP) will organize a roundtable discussion on May 21, 2002, in Sofia on "Bulgarian Access to Public Information Act and the Council of Europe Recommendations." AIP will present the proposed amendments on the Access to Public Information Act and the Council of Europe Recommendation Rec(2002)2 on Access to Official Documents. The Forum will serve as a venue for discussion, dialogue, and cooperation among the Members of Parliament, NGOs, and the experts from the Council of Europe. The roundtable will help to clarify European standards in the Freedom of Information area and explain the necessity of Bulgarian legislative compliance as a necessary step on the way to Bulgaria's accession to the European Union.
Contact: Gergana Jouleva, AIP Executive Director, gergana@aip-bg.org
Go to: www.aip-bg.org
22. Conference: Global Voices for Gender Equity, Washington, D.C., November 15-17, 2002
The American Association of University Women Educational Foundation will host a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. to explore how women have addressed four global issues: literacy improvement; peace education and conflict resolution; governance; and education for people with disabilities. The conference's goals include exchanging information on women's political participation, identifying new research, policy, and program strategies, and strengthening the network of scholars who can coordinate research across national borders. The advance registration deadline is September 16, 2002.
Go to: www.aauw.org/7000/ef
23. Conference: World Civil Society Forum, Geneva, July 14-19, 2002
The registration process for the World Civil Society Forum has begun. The Forum aims to strengthen international cooperation among civil society organizations, as well as with the United Nations, including specialized agencies and other international organizations. The Forum will include information and discussion sessions, workshops and thematic working groups. Training sessions for journalists, a youth forum, and cultural activities will also be held before and during the Forum.
Go to: www.worldcivilsociety.org
24. Course: Use of ICTs in Human Rights Work, June 3 - August 4, 2002
Human Rights Education Associates offers a distance-learning course on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in human rights work. Participants will learn to design and implement listservs, Web sites, databases, or multi-media for advocacy campaigns, training, and information management. The course is intended for staff members of human rights and social justice organizations who are responsible for information and communication (i.e. information officers, webmasters/webweavers).
Go to: www.hrea.org/courses/3E.html
>25. Fellowships: Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. The program enables democracy practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change. Reagan-Fascell Fellows maintain residence at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, the research arm of the Endowment, in Washington, D.C., and choose between two tracks: a practitioner track (typically three to five months) to improve strategies and techniques for building democracy and to exchange information with counterparts in the United States; and a scholarly track (typically five to ten months) to conduct original research for publication.
Go to: www.ned.org
Please Note: Readers of DemocracyNews will often be referred to Web sites for further information. If you are interested in a particular item, but are unable to access the World Wide Web, please contact the or fax at (202) 378-9889, and we will try to provide the information to you by other means.
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