January 20th, 2013
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies of University of Hargeisa invites applications for admission to its Postgraduate Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies for the 2013/2014 academic year.
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies was established at the University of Hargeisa in February, 2008 with short, medium and long-term aims of disseminating peace and conflict studies knowledge in Somaliland and wider Horn of Africa. To achieve this, the Institute partners with other local and international academic institutions and organizations. Including Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in the USA and the United Nations Mandated University for Peace (UPeace) in Costa Rica.
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) is a unique institute with a unique mandate for providing talented national and international students of all background the opportunity of exploring treasures embedded in indigenous knowledge, while complementing this local knowledge with modern conflict resolution methodologies. We pride ourselves on providing high quality postgraduate diploma program in peace and conflict studies that supplement theories to very practical cases. Today, the institute has graduated four batches of students with postgraduate diploma in peace and conflict studies and they are applying their skills, knowledge and experience in making a difference in the day-to-day life of their people.
Admission Requirements:
To be admitted into the Postgraduate Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies program, an applicant must fulfill the following requirements:
■Must be a holder of a bachelor’s degree of University of Hargeisa or a degree from institutions recognized by University of Hargeisa as comparable academic status.
■Must pass a written English language entrance examination.
■Statement of purpose (between 300 to 500 words that explain why you are applying this program and your expectations from the program).
Application Procedure:
■Application forms are obtained from the Registrar Office on payment of a non-refundable application fee of $ 20.
■The application fees must be paid to the University of Hargeisa Account Number (D1006) at Dahabshiil.
■The completed forms accompanied with copies of degree certificates, two passport size photos and academic transcripts are submitted to the Registrar Office of University of Hargeisa.
■Applicants are responsible for making sure that their application packages are complete and accurate.
■Incomplete application forms will not be reviewed.
■Application will be received from 15th January and the deadline for submission of application package is February 14, 2013.
■The date for the written English language admission exam will be on February 21, 2013.
For further information on the Institute and its Postgraduate Diploma Program, please contact the following:
Tell: +2522-440-1935
+2522-432-6400
Email: ipcs.2012@gmail.com
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Qormadii: 8aad - Xeer-dejin iyo Xukuumad is-xanbaar ah (Gorfaynta Xeerka Sir-doonka Qaranka: Xakamaynta Qawlka iyo Qalinka)
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| Muj. Boobe Yuusuf |
Xeerkani, werwerka iyo walaac ballaadhan ayuu ku abuuray bulshada Somaliland sida ay u dhan tahay iyo weliba beesha caalamka, gaar ahaan kuwii u ololeynayay Aqoonsiga Somaliland. Xeerkan dhiillada culus ee la xejin waayay ku noqday shacbiga reer Somaliland, sida aanu warar xog-ogaal ah ku haynno, bilowgiisii waxa soo qalin-daraaleeyay Hay’adda Sir-doonka Qaranka. Sida ay noo sheegeen looga-qaateenku, qabyadii Xeerkani waxay u soo gudubtay Madaxtooyada. Intaa ka dib ayaa loo soo gudbinayaa Golaha Wakiillada si uu waajibkiisa uga maro.
Inta badan diyaarinta qabyada qoraallada Xeerarka Golaha Wakiillada soo gala waxay ku soo horreeyaan Guddi-hoosaadyada, oo mid waliba Xeerka khuseeya ama loo igmado ayay ka soo shaqaysaa. Haddaba, Golaha Wakiilladu, Xeerkan lagu suntay ‘Sir-doonka Qaranka’ wuxu u wakiishay oo ka hawl-galay diyaarintiisa Guddi-hoosaadka Arrimaha Gudaha, Nabadgelyada iyo Difaaca ee Golaha Wakiillada. Caqliga fayoobi wuxu Ina siinayaa oo ay ahayd in Guddida-hoosaadka Dastuurka, Garsoorka, Caddaaladda iyo Xuquuqal-insaanka gacanta ku dhigaan oo ay xil-qaadaan soo-diyaarintiisa.
Bal se sida aanu ku hellay, xog sugan oo u dhuun-daloosha hawlaha Golaha Wakiillada, iyada oo la eegayo in hawlaha ammnigu ay hoos yimaaddaan Guddida-hoosaadka Arrimaha Gudaha, Nabadgelyada iyo Difaaca, ayaa Xeerkan Sir-doonka iyada loo xil-saaray.
Sidaas ayuu Xeerkani ku imanayaa Golaha Wakiillada oo lagu ansixinayaa iyada oo aan waqti badanba lagu qaadan. Xeerkani in uu si degdeg ah uga gudbo Golahan Wakiilladi ma ay ahayn wax sidaa u sii ridan, waayo waxay u muuqataa in ay ahayd arrin si laxaad leh looga hawl-galay.
Aroortii la keenayba, cabbaar ka dib Xeerkan goluhu wuu oggolaaday oo la iskumaba raagin, arrintaasina mid iska dhacday ma ay ahayn. Wararka aanu looga-qaateenka ka hellay waxay sheegayaan in aanay Qabyadii Xeerkani soo marin shanta La-taliye ee Golaha Wakiillada kala taliya xagga sharciga. Si kale haddii aan u dhigno Qabyadii Xeerkan ma-hadhada inagu noqday looma eegin ama laguma dhererin Dastuurka iyo Baaqa Caalamiga ah ee xuquuqda beni-aadamka.
Xeer-hoosaadka Golaha Wakiillada marka aad dhex qaaddo, ma kala saar-saarayo xilalka Guddi-hoosaadyada, hal mar ayaanu si qodobbaysan isugu qaadayaa. Bal hadda aad ugu fiirsada qaar ka mid ah waajibaadkooda:
Waxaa xubnaha Guddiyada xilka xulistooda iska leh Shir-gudoonka, iyagoo tixgelinaya aqoontooda cilmiyeed iyo waayo aragnimada ay xubnuh u leeyihiin hawlaha loo xilsaarayo,
Guddi-hoosaad kasta waxa ay ka koobnaanaysa ugu yaraan toddoba (7) xubnood marka laga reebo Guddida Joogtada ah oo ka kooban toddoba iyo toban 17 xubnood,
Halkani, waxay inooga baahan tahay in aynu yar dul joogsanno oo weliba cabbaar ku hakanno. Waxaynu ku qasban nahay in aynu is-barbar dhigno qaabkii loo hoggaamin jiray Golihii Wakiillada ee kan ka horreeyay iyo kan immika jira. Berigaa hore aad uma aynu maqli jirin Shir-guddoon bal se waxa hawlaha gadh-wadeen ka ahaa oo Golaha hoggaamin jiray: Guddoomiyaha, haddii uu maqan yahayna Guddoomiye-ku-xigeenka 1aad, haddii kaasi maqnaadana Guddoomiye-ku-xigeenka 2aad.
Marka aynu eegno Dastuurka Qaranka, Qodobka 52aad oo ka hadlaya shaqaalaha Golaha Wakiillada, wuxu dhigayaa:
Golaha Wakiilladu wuxu yeelanayaa Xoghayn uu madax ka yahay Xoghaye Guud oo aan ka tirsanayn Golaha Wakiillada, kana kaalmaynaya Shir-guddoonka Golaha hawlaha xafiiska, dhammaan arrimaha maaliyadda iyo maamulka, waxaanu yeelanayaa ku-xigeen,
Intaas ayuu Dastuurka Qaranku ka xusayaa Shir-guddoonkan hawlihii Golaha oo dhan dhex iyo minjaba ku martay. Tan iyo maalintii Golahan Wakiillada ee maanta jiraa hawl-galay, waxaynu ku dhego-barjownay Shir-guddoon saddexan ah oo wax walba iyagu maamula. Xataa mararka qaarkood ayay kuu la ekaanaysaa in aanu jirinba Guddoomiye xil-gudasho gaar ah ku leh Golahani.
Xaaladdani mid iska abuurantay ma aha ee waa mid ka dhalatay hannaankii lagu caaridayay xukuumaddii Daahir Ra’yaale Kaahin. Sidii ayay Hay’addaa Shir-guddoonku u shaqaysaa. Marka aad dhex-qaaddo Xeer-hoosaadka Golaha Wakiilla ee maanta jira, wax sidaa u sii ridan oo faah-faahsan lagama bixin Shir-guddoonkaa oo aan ahayn in awooddiisa lagu xusay Qodobka 17aad oo dhigaya:
Qodobka: 17aad)
Awoodda Shir-gudoonka
Awoodda Shir-gdoonka waxaa caddaynaya Dastuurka iyo Xeer-hoosaadka. Waxa kale oo ka mid ah awoodahooda.
(Faallo: Hadda Dastuurka Qaranku laba jeer oo keliya ayuu xusayaa ereyga Shir-guddoon, waxaanay ku qeexan yihiin Qodobka: 52aad, Faqradaha 1aad iyo 3aad oo keliya. Haddaad Dastuurka dhex qaaddo ma arkaysid meel uu Shir-guddoon awoodo Dastuuriya ku siinayo.)
Inay soo diyariyaan miisaaniyadda Golaha iyaga oo kala tashanaya Guddiga Dhaqaalaha ee Golaha Wakiilada.
2. Inay u xulaan saraakiisha gudan kara xilka jagooyinkan:-
b. Xog-haye guud,
t. Ku-xigeenka xog-hayaha guud iyo shaqaalaha kale ee Golaha,
j. La-taliyaha Sharciga,
x. Iyo la taliyeyaasha kale ee Dastuurku jideeyey.
In ay u magacabaan xubno ka tirsan Golaha Wakiilada hawlo dalka debediisa, ama gudihiisa ah marka loo baahdo. Shir-gudoonku wuxuu xidhiidh la yeelan karaa Shir-gudoonada dhigiisa ah ee ka jira dalalka shisheeyaha ah.'
Hawlaha ku saabsan xidhiidhka dalka debediisa iyo gudihiisaba waxaa hogaaminaya xubinta uu Shir-gudoonku u garto.
Soo diyaarinta anjandaha kal-fadhi kasta ee Golaha Wakiilada.
Xubnaha Shir-guddoonku kama wada maqnaan karaan fadhi-shaqo oo Goluhu leeyahay haddii aanay ku war-gelin Golaha fadhiga maalinta hore.
Awoodda Shir-gudoonka waxa ka mid ah dalacsiinta, darajo hoos u dhigga kala bedelka iyo shaqo ka joojinta shaqaalaha Golaha, markay sidaa ugu muuqato Shirgudoonka ama ay Xoghayaha Guud ka helaan soo jeedin.
Xeer-hoosaadka Golaha Wakiilladu awoodahaas ayuu siinayaa Shir-guddoonka. Bal hadda aynu ag dhigno awoodaha uu siinayo Guddoomiyaha Golaha Wakiillada:
Two Swiss artists have used GPS tracking and live webcam to follow the progress of a parcel intended to reach Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
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| The Zurich-based group Bitnik posted this x-ray scan of its package: "Dear embassy security, for your convenience please find the x-ray image of the parcel hereby attached." |
Bitnik, an artist collective based in Zurich, Switzerland, said that its parcel contains “a cell phone, camera and battery pack. Through [the] hole in the packet the camera takes pictures of the packet's surroundings and uploads them to our website.â€
The group has been live-tweeting the progress of the package since it was sent Wednesday by postal mail from another London location to the WikiLeaks founder. So far, the group knows that the package has arrived inside the embassy, but it has not been opened yet—WikiLeaks has confirmed it by Twitter as well.
Domajgoj Smoljo, a Swiss media artist who is part of the group, told Ars via Skype from London that the group sees the project as a “radical real-time†piece of performance art. “We see the camera as something which produces a performance stage, where [Assange] can interact with the public,†he said. “We think Assange knows how to deal with this situation. We are happy if he just holds it outside of his room and pretends it’s normal.â€
He said the group was inspired by other 4chan/Anonymous-style gags, which involved sending pizzas and taxis to the Ecuadorian Embassy on the day that Assange received asylum.
So we have this diplomatic crisis, with the UK government trying to arrest him as soon as he leaves,†Smoljo said. “We wanted to discuss this in an artistic way and feature this discussion inside, with our artistic impression. We’re not activists, we don’t have to claim a political position. We are artists. But, we can go inside and try to create a situation where things are possible.â€Domagoj Smoljo and Carmen Weisskopf have posted updates on the parcel's progress online.
At the time of writing, the parcel had reached the embassy and appeared to be being checked over by security.
For the past seven months Mr Assange has taken refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
He faces extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims, which he denies.
We wanted to visualise the invisible journey a parcel takes through the postal system”
The artists posted the parcel at a post office in east London on Wednesday at 12:43 GMT. Later, they emailed Mr Assange to explain the project.
"The parcel is a live mail art piece. It is intended as REAL_WORLD_PING, a SYSTEM_TEST inserted into a highly tense diplomatic crisis," the email read, making reference to program code functions.
"Since you took refuge there in June last year, the Ecuadorean embassy in London has been the spectacular staging of an intense clash between the international order and freedom of information activists.
"We want to see where the parcel will end. Which route it takes and whether it reaches you."
The artists requested that Mr Assange use the camera to "show us your view of the diplomatic crisis unfolding outside the embassy".
When finished, Mr Assange has been encouraged to send the camera on to another person of his choosing.
Prior to its arrival, the package broadcast pictures of its position within a Royal Mail sorting office - before being put into the back of a van and taken across the city.
Continue reading the main story
The GPS locator tracked the parcel as getting to Mr Assange via the South London Mail Centre Artist Ms Weisskopf told the BBC that they did not know what to expect when they sent the parcel.
"We were actually expecting everything, from the parcel not being accepted to it being taken out of the system and destroyed," she said.
Explaining the motivation behind the project, she added: "We like to experiment with technological systems and see how far we can take them. We wanted to visualise the invisible journey a parcel takes through the postal system."
Sorting office staff can be seen in some of the photographs taken. The Royal Mail told the BBC it had no comment on the project - or whether it would encourage similar tracking or broadcasting of parcels.
FBI says Oregon bomb suspect originally wanted to blow himself up
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| Mohamed Osman Mohamud |
Returning to the witness stand on the second day of testimony in the trial of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, an undercover agent identified in court only by his pseudonym, Youssef, recounted offering the defendant a number of chances to back out of the plot.
But Mohamud's determination to forge ahead with a plan to bomb a crowded outdoor Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on November 26, 2010, in Portland never seemed to waver, Youssef testified.
The prosecution also played for the jury a brief videotaped message by Mohamud, recorded by his undercover FBI handlers about four weeks before the planned attack, in which he grimly states: "A dark day is coming your way."
Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Oregon State University student who was 19 at the time, is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in an FBI sting operation criticized by defense lawyers as a blatant case of government entrapment.
If convicted, Mohamud, now 21, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
An FBI affidavit filed in the case says Mohamud was arrested after he tried to use a cellphone to detonate what he believed was a car bomb but was actually a harmless fake supplied by Youssef and a fellow FBI agent.
Youssef passed himself off as an al Qaeda recruiter, while his undercover FBI partner posed as an al Qaeda bomb expert named Hussein, according to testimony.
The fake bomb was planted in a van near a downtown square lined with shops and offices and crowded with thousands of people attending the holiday festivities, though authorities say the public was never in any real danger.
'YOUR PEOPLE WILL NOT REMAIN SAFE'
In opening statements as the trial got under way last week, defense attorney Stephen Sady argued that his client would never have tried to carry out a bombing on his own and that the FBI "created a crime that would have never happened without them."
But in FBI testimony and in secretly recorded video and audio tapes of his meetings with undercover agents, Mohamud was shown by the prosecution as an eager participant who originally wanted to "martyr" himself by driving a bomb-packed van into the outdoor plaza and blowing himself up with it.
Spectators and members of the media were ordered out of the courtroom and into a nearby chamber to watch the proceedings on closed-circuit television during testimony by Youssef, who remained off camera to protect his identity.
Under questioning by assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight, the agent said he and his colleague grew concerned at one point because they considered Mohamud to be "suicidal, and we don't want him to take matters into his own hands."
In a video clip of Mohamud and his FBI handlers sharing a meal in a hotel room, the two agents are heard convincing Mohamud that he could ultimately do more to help "the cause" by staying alive. "We want to keep you for awhile," Hussein says in the video. "We think there's some things you can do better than just one time."
They also discussed sending Mohamud off to a Muslim country after November 26 in a move Youssef testified was aimed at giving Mohamud something to look forward to beyond the planned bombing.
In a separate video the agents filmed of Mohamud in his Corvallis, Oregon, apartment on November 4, Mohamud stood before the camera wearing a camouflaged jacket over a white tunic, with a red-and-white checkered scarf wound atop his head to deliver a solemn goodbye message.
Speaking first in Arabic and then in English in a statement he addressed to the West he said: "A dark day is coming your way. ... Your people will not remain safe."
Addressing other Muslims residing among non-believers in the United States, he added: "Living here is a sin." To his parents, he declared, "Nothing you do will hold me back."
At another point, the agents showed Mohamud a purported Islamist militant training video, which actually was produced by the FBI, depicting men with scarf-covered faces shooting guns, and one setting off a bomb with a cellphone detonator. Youssef said Mohamud's response to the video was that "it was beautiful."
(Reporting by Teresa Carson; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Phil Berlowitz and Lisa Shumaker)
Hargeisa to Host 2013 Infrastructure Protection, Security and Diplomatic Show for Regional Academic Institutions
Ottawa, Canada, January 17, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Moto: Somaliland, an Indigenous approach to State Building, Asset Protection, Diplomatic and Security issues of 2013. Hargeisa, is the Backbone of Asset Protection & Trust Gateway.
KBI Empower Group, in collaboration with Canadian Eye on Africa, the Horn of Africa Institute of Infrastructure Protection and Regional Security and Admas University College (Hargeisa Campus) affiliates are pleased to announce the opening of the call for abstracts for its Annual Horn of Africa Infrastructure Protection & Security Trade Show which will take place at Mansour Hotel in Hargeisa, Somaliland on 22nd & 23rd of February, 2013.
The purpose of the Annual Horn of Africa Infrastructure Protection & Security Trade Show is to contribute to the enhancement of the field of regional security cooperation in the Horn of Africa's educational institutions by facilitating a common platform for fruitful exchange of academic views, best practices and discussions on existing challenges, as well as required priorities and possible opportunities to strengthen safeguards; using Somaliland’s stability as playing a key role in the region’s stability process.
Delegates: Regional security professionals, regional corporate business leaders, security consultants and government related officials are expected to attend the Region's High Level Security and Safety Trade Show.
Extension: Potential Delegate speakers should submit their presentations before 10th of February 2013
Join colleagues from around the world! Immerse yourself in two days of regional investment awareness & educational sessions and panel discussions (Networking events with President's Reception, lunches and Tea breaks).
Update yourself on the latest regional security services, investment opportunities and regional joint venture prospects in our enlarged Two Day Diplomatic Trade Show.
Register Now: Events – Please Download Registration Form here:
http://canadianeyeonafrica.ca/downloads/CEA_Hargeisa_2013_Registration_Form_Delegate_v5.3.pdf
For further information, including sponsorship, exhibition or media enquiries, please contact our Regional Offices: KBI Empower Group & Admas University College Affiliates Bureau
Tel: +011-2522 – 424 -8200
Fax: +011-2522 – 424 -8200
Email: han@geeskaafrika.com
www.canadianeyeonafrica.ca
The KBI, HIPS & Admas Affiliates Group is dedicated to the advancement of the Asset security awareness and the regional critical asset protection.
Hargeysa: Ciidanka Amaanka oo Xabsiga dhigay koox Macalimiin ka ah dugsiyada Quraanka
Hargeysa January, 14 2013 - Ciidanka amniga ee magaalada
Hargeysa, ayaa xalay xabsiga u taxaabay dhawr ka mid ah macaliimiinta
wax ka dhiga madaarista diiniga ah ee magaalada.
Inkastoo aanu jirin war rasmi ahaan dawladdu ka soosaartay xadhigaas, haddana siday ilo xogogaal ahi u sheegeen shabakadda Somalidiasporanews.com/Qurbejoog.com, hay’addaha amaanku waxay qabqabteen ilaa afar xubnood oo ka mid ah culimada magaalada, kuwaasoo xalay cawayskii laga dhigay dugsi Quraan ay wax ka dhigaan oo ku yaala degmada Maxamuud Haybe ee koonfurta caasimadda Hargeysa.
Warku wuxuu intaa ku daray, in macalimiintan lala xidhiidhiyay inay ku xidhan yihiin kooxaha qaska ka wada Koonfurta dalka Soomaaliya, inkastoo ay weli baadhisiti ku socoto. “Waxa la xidhay saddex macalin iyo wiil ka mid ah ardayda ay wax u dhigayeen, waxaana lagu kala xidhay laba saldhig oo kala duwan,” ayuu yidhi mid ka mid ah ehelada ragga la xidhay midkood.
Waxa uu sheegay in aanay garanaynin sababta loo xidhay, isla markaana ay hay’addaha amaanku hadda baadhis ku wadaan.
Sidoo kale, waxa uu sheegay in culimada la xidhay ay ka mid yihiin; Yuusuf Bacaluul, Muuse Haybe, Faysal-Garbo iyo wiil ardayda dugsigooda ka tirsan.
Ilaa hadda ma cadda sababta loo xidhay raggaas iyo inay jiraan shaqsiyaad kale oo tuhun la mid ah xadhigooda iyana loo qabqabtay.
Dhawr jeer oo hore, waxay ciidanka amnigu qabqabteen shaqsiyaad falal amni-darro lagu tuhmay ama lala xidhiidhiyay inay gacan-saar la leeyihiin kooxaha ka dagaalama Koonfurta Soomaaliya.
Inkastoo aanu jirin war rasmi ahaan dawladdu ka soosaartay xadhigaas, haddana siday ilo xogogaal ahi u sheegeen shabakadda Somalidiasporanews.com/Qurbejoog.com, hay’addaha amaanku waxay qabqabteen ilaa afar xubnood oo ka mid ah culimada magaalada, kuwaasoo xalay cawayskii laga dhigay dugsi Quraan ay wax ka dhigaan oo ku yaala degmada Maxamuud Haybe ee koonfurta caasimadda Hargeysa.
Warku wuxuu intaa ku daray, in macalimiintan lala xidhiidhiyay inay ku xidhan yihiin kooxaha qaska ka wada Koonfurta dalka Soomaaliya, inkastoo ay weli baadhisiti ku socoto. “Waxa la xidhay saddex macalin iyo wiil ka mid ah ardayda ay wax u dhigayeen, waxaana lagu kala xidhay laba saldhig oo kala duwan,” ayuu yidhi mid ka mid ah ehelada ragga la xidhay midkood.
Waxa uu sheegay in aanay garanaynin sababta loo xidhay, isla markaana ay hay’addaha amaanku hadda baadhis ku wadaan.
Sidoo kale, waxa uu sheegay in culimada la xidhay ay ka mid yihiin; Yuusuf Bacaluul, Muuse Haybe, Faysal-Garbo iyo wiil ardayda dugsigooda ka tirsan.
Ilaa hadda ma cadda sababta loo xidhay raggaas iyo inay jiraan shaqsiyaad kale oo tuhun la mid ah xadhigooda iyana loo qabqabtay.
Dhawr jeer oo hore, waxay ciidanka amnigu qabqabteen shaqsiyaad falal amni-darro lagu tuhmay ama lala xidhiidhiyay inay gacan-saar la leeyihiin kooxaha ka dagaalama Koonfurta Soomaaliya.
Veteran Russian rights advocate dies, another targetted
With the passing of a leading human rights advocate and
the persecution of another, Russia’s political regression appears to be
accelerating.
Yuri M. Schmidt, a veteran human rights lawyer who
represented dissidents and others charged with political crimes, including
jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, succumbed to cancer last weekend.
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| Yuri Markovich Schmidt |
He began representing prisoners charged with political
crimes in the late 1980s. His clients included jailed leaders of political
independence movements in the ethnic enclaves of Nagorno-Karabakh and South
Ossetia as well as a journalist charged with defaming President Islam Karimov
of Uzbekistan.
Mr. Schmidt often sought out clients: when a reformist
St. Petersburg lawmaker, Galina V. Starovoitova, was found shot to death in an
elevator in her apartment building in 1998, Mr. Schmidt found her sister at the
funeral, hugged her and told her he would represent the family. His efforts
helped lead to the conviction of a gunman and an accomplice in 2005.
Khodorkovsky said Mr. Schmidt had continued to visit him
at the prison, in a remote spot more than 700 miles from Moscow, “despite being
gravely ill.”
“This kind of work is never easy, it can be dangerous,
and it’s not very lucrative,” Mr. Khodorkovsky said. “But then, you never have
to make any compromises with your conscience.”
Members of the Moscow Helsinki Group have unanimously
voted to re-appoint Lyudmila Alexeyeva, the Soviet-era dissident and leading
rights activist, as the group’s head, despite her joint US-Russian citizenship.
In retaliation for the Magnitsky Law passed by the US Congress, the Kremlin
enacted a new legal provision authorizing the Ministry of Justice to suspend
the work of a non-governmental organization headed by a foreign citizen.
“There is no doubt that we will all unanimously vote for
Alexeyeva,” said Lev Ponomarev, the leader of For Human Rights. “And if they
start to implement the ‘Alexeyeva law’, I will go to the constitutional court.”
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| Russian rights activists Lev Ponomarev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva |
Alexeyeva has denounced the authorities’ refusal to let a
jailed member of the Pussy Riot punk band to defer a year of her prison
sentence to spend time with her 5-year-old son. “The authorities continue to
behave like beasts toward these women, because the people in power here are
inhuman,” she said:
Kremlin critics are also incensed by a law Putin signed
in December barring Americans from adopting Russian children, which critics say
has made vulnerable orphans pawns to politics, Reuters reports.
Some 40,000 people marched in Moscow on Sunday to protest
the ban, some denouncing Putin as a “child-killer”. He has promised that Russia
will take measures to improve the lives of orphans and other children in the
care of the state.
“When the authorities saw how angry people were about the
law, they said, ‘Oh, look, we will make the conditions here better for
children’,” said Alexeyeva. “But Alyokhina’s child is a child, too.”
The veteran rights defender is expected to be a contender
for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. She was also in the running for last year’s
prize, alongside several other Russian rights advocates, including Svetlana
Gannushkina and Memorial.
Alexeyeva criticized the decision to award the prize to
the European Union, rather than grass roots activists.
“To be honest, I don’t like this decision, because the
European Union is a huge, fairly bureaucratic organization, and it’s clear what
role the prize will play in its future policy — none, in my opinion,” she said.
“I would be very glad if this prize was given to
political prisoners in Iran or (Russian) human rights defenders, but not the
European Union, although I like the European Union,” she told the RIA Novosti
news agency.
She added that the Nobel committee’s “trend — giving it
to the president of a superpower one year, and to the European Union another
year — I think it’s a certain erosion of the idea that is the foundation of
this prize.”
The growing crackdown on Russian democracy and civil
society activists is highlighted in the latest Freedom in the World survey from
Freedom House, the US-based rights watchdog.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “heaped contempt on the
values of open societies” over the past year, says the report, citing curbs on
public demonstrations, attacks on foreign-funded NGOs, and restrictions on free
expression in print and online.
The Moscow Helsinki Group and For Human Rights are
supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, the Washington-based
democracy assistance group.
Washington’s foreign policy Mistake with Somalia appeared and may have serious consequences on its economic, security and political interest of Horn of African region and beyond!
US Government Move to Recognize the World Failed State
of Somalia including with the republic of Somaliland as one state would have
serious consequences economic, security and political interest of United State in
Horn of African region and beyond!
US Government Should Recognize the Republic Somaliland
We the Somaliland prodemocracy and human rights movements remind the US government when British Somaliland became an independent state on June 26, 1960, it was recognized by thirty-five states, including the United States and Israel.[1]
Somaliland deserves recognition if the Obama administration is truly sincere about promoting democracy in the wider Middle East. In sharp contrast to southern Somalia where instability and crisis have reigned and in fact intensified in the last twenty-one years, Somaliland has established a democratic polity that, if recognized, would make it the envy of democracy activists in the Muslim world. The essence of Somaliland’s successful democratization was captured by U.S.-based International Republican Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy in convening a September 2006 panel discussion on Somaliland. They wrote that “Somaliland’s embrace of democracy, its persistence in holding round after round of elections, both winners and losers abiding by the rules, the involvement of the grassroots, the positive role of traditional authorities, the culture of negotiation and conflict resolution, the temperance of ethnicity or clan affiliation and its deployment for constructive purposes, the adaptation of modern technology, the conservative use of limited resources, and the support of the diaspora and the professional and intellectual classes are some of the more outstanding features of Somaliland’s political culture that are often sorely lacking elsewhere.”
Somaliland also deserves recognition from a purely U.S.-centric national security perspective. The Somaliland government and population embody a moderate voice in the Muslim world that rejects radical interpretations of Islam. It would serve as a bulwark against the further expansion of radical ideologies in the Horn of Africa by offering a shining example (along with Mali and Senegal and other predominantly Muslim Sub-Saharan African democracies) of how Islam and democracy are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually reinforcing. Somaliland leaders are also eager to cooperate with the US administration in a variety of counter-terrorism measures, including working with AFRICOM and its arm called the Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) based in Djibouti. They are currently prohibited from doing so due to U.S. legislation that prevents cooperation with unrecognized Somaliland authorities.
Recognizing Somaliland would contribute to international security and stability by preserving the Republic of Somaliland’s bulwark against piracy and terrorism without encouraging either ethnic separatism or legitimization of al-Qaeda affiliates. On the other hand, non-recognition threatens the modicum of international security that Somaliland provides in the Horn of Africa. It does the international community no good to allow rump Somalia’s lawlessness to spread.
Somaliland is a state that merely lacks recognition. Recognition, however, is a political act and its validity turns on whether the creation of the state to be recognized satisfied norms of international law. Somaliland’s creation conforms to those norms: it satisfies the four Montevideo Convention criteria of statehood; it gained its independence through dissolution, a species of secession; and its secession conforms to the limiting principle of uti possidetis, requiring territorial adherence to colonial boundaries.
[1] Int’l Crisis Group, Somaliland: Democratization and its Discontents, ICG Afr. Report, No. 66, at 4 n.9
(2003) [hereinafter Democratization and its Discontents] (citing former U.S. Ambassador David Shinn).
US Government Should Recognize the Republic Somaliland
We the Somaliland prodemocracy and human rights movements remind the US government when British Somaliland became an independent state on June 26, 1960, it was recognized by thirty-five states, including the United States and Israel.[1]
Somaliland
deserves recognition if the Obama administration is truly sincere about
promoting democracy in the wider Middle East. In sharp contrast to
southern Somalia where instability and crisis have reigned and in fact
intensified in the last twenty-one years, Somaliland has established a
democratic polity that, if recognized, would make it the envy of democracy
activists in the Muslim world. The essence of Somaliland’s successful
democratization was captured by U.S.-based International Republican Institute
and the National Endowment for Democracy in convening a September 2006 panel
discussion on Somaliland. They wrote that “Somaliland’s embrace of
democracy, its persistence in holding round after round of elections, both
winners and losers abiding by the rules, the involvement of the grassroots, the
positive role of traditional authorities, the culture of negotiation and
conflict resolution, the temperance of ethnicity or clan affiliation and its
deployment for constructive purposes, the adaptation of modern technology, the
conservative use of limited resources, and the support of the diaspora and the
professional and intellectual classes are some of the more outstanding features
of Somaliland’s political culture that are often sorely lacking
elsewhere.”
Somaliland
also deserves recognition from a purely U.S.-centric national security
perspective. The Somaliland government and population embody a moderate
voice in the Muslim world that rejects radical interpretations of Islam.
It would serve as a bulwark against the further expansion of radical ideologies
in the Horn of Africa by offering a shining example (along with Mali and
Senegal and other predominantly Muslim Sub-Saharan African democracies) of how
Islam and democracy are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually
reinforcing. Somaliland leaders are also eager to cooperate with the US
administration in a variety of counter-terrorism measures, including working
with AFRICOM and its arm called the Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa
(CJTF-HOA) based in Djibouti. They are currently prohibited from doing so
due to U.S. legislation that prevents cooperation with unrecognized Somaliland
authorities.
Recognizing Somaliland would contribute to international security and stability by preserving the Republic of Somaliland’s bulwark against piracy and terrorism without encouraging either ethnic separatism or legitimization of al-Qaeda affiliates. On the other hand, non-recognition threatens the modicum of international security that Somaliland provides in the Horn of Africa. It does the international community no good to allow rump Somalia’s lawlessness to spread.
Somaliland
is a state that merely lacks recognition. Recognition, however, is a political
act and its validity turns on whether the creation of the state to be recognized
satisfied norms of international law. Somaliland’s creation conforms to those
norms: it satisfies the four Montevideo Convention criteria of statehood; it
gained its independence through dissolution, a species of secession; and its
secession conforms to the limiting principle of uti possidetis, requiring
territorial adherence to colonial boundaries.
[1] Int’l Crisis Group, Somaliland: Democratization
and its Discontents, ICG Afr. Report, No. 66, at 4 n.9
(2003)
[hereinafter Democratization and its Discontents] (citing former U.S.
Ambassador David Shinn).
Two Somali men accused of the attempted hijacking of a Japanese-operated tanker off the coast of Oman pleaded guilty in Japanese court
Two Somali men accused of the attempted hijacking of a
Japanese-operated tanker off the coast of Oman pleaded guilty in Japanese court
on Tuesday (January 15th), AFP reported.
The two were among four pirates who arrested in March
2011 by US Navy personnel when they allegedly attempted to seize the tanker
armed with submachine guns.
On trial are Mohamed Urgus Adeysey and Abdinur Hussein
Ali, who said they are from Somalia and are believed to be in their 20s or 30s,
but reportedly said they were not certain of their own dates of birth. They are
the first people to face trial under Japan's new anti-piracy law.
The men will hear the court's formal verdict on February
1st.
The two other suspects will go through a different trial
process because they are believed to be juveniles under Japanese law.
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