Sameer Padania's Content

Service update to the Hub Community

Sameer Padania — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:25:49 -0800

Over the past few weeks, we've become aware of a problem on our servers that affects uploading and viewing some videos on the Hub. We want to take this opportunity to apologize to our community of users for any inconvenience this may cause you.

We can assure those of our users this has affected that we are working to resolve this issue and we will give you another update on this at the end of February. We also want to assure you that all video and other content contributed to the Hub is safe.

For most users, we hope that this will not interfere too much with your Hub experience. However, if you have video on the Hub that is affected, and you need it to be viewable for advocacy purposes during February, please send us an email stating your Hub username, what operating system you are using, what web browser you are using, and what the issue you are having is, along with the URL of the video.

If you¹re looking for alternative places to upload your video during this service interruption, we recommend you consider Archive.org or Blip.tv.

In the meantime, we invite you to look back at the last two years of the Hub, to learn more about WITNESS' new strategic direction, and to read more about video-for-change on the Hub blog.

Kenya: Landmark Ruling on Indigenous Land Rights [UPDATED]

Sameer Padania — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:55:48 -0800

In a landmark ruling on February 4th, the African Union has condemned the expulsion of the Endorois
people from their land in Kenya. The African Union's General Assembly adopted a May 2009 decision by African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), which found the Kenyan government guilty of violating the rights of the country’s indigenous Endorois community, by evicting them from their lands to make way for a wildlife reserve. This decision - which, with the African Union's endorsement, becomes legally-binding on the Kenyan government - is being heralded as a major victory for indigenous peoples across Africa, by creating a major legal precedent by recognizing, for the first time in Africa, indigenous peoples’ rights over traditionally-owned land and their right to development.

As part of the evidence package submitted to the ACHPR to support this campaign, WITNESS and our partner CEMIRIDE (Kenya) provided the evidentiary video below.

Learn more about how the video supported and strengthened the campaign. | Watch the full version of “Rightful Place: Endorois' Struggle for Justice”. | Read the press release from WITNESS and Human Rights Watch.

Haiti Earthquake - video and resources

Sameer Padania — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:01:00 -0800

We're not tracking the Haiti earthquake ourselves, but here are a few links to those who are...

- CitizenTube's rolling playlist of Haiti videos on YouTube

- The NYT's list of those tracking the earthquake on Twitter

- Reuters Alertnet's live blog

- Reuters' own live updates

- Washington Post's live blog

- Matisse mentions our friends at Global Voices Online

If you know of other great resources, especially sources of video, pelase add them in the comments.

Google unmuzzles itself in China

Sameer Padania — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:38:04 -0800

Google has received brickbats a-plenty for its stance in China, where, in order to be permitted to operate by the Chinese government, the search company agreed to censor particular "sensitive" search results - Tiananmen, Dalai Lama, democracy, human rights, and so on. Last night, Google announced, via a blog post from its senior vice-president of corporate development and chief legal officer, David Drummond, that in mid-December it had been the target of a sophisticated online attack originating in China aimed at perhaps as many as 20 companies, that resulted both in the theft of intellectual property, and in a largely unsuccessful attempt to compromise the GMail accounts of Chinese human rights activists (though it also appears that others working on human rights in China have had their accounts compromised through other means).

"These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered--combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web [NOTE - YouTube is also blocked in China] --have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China." David Drummond, Google

Aside from showing that no one is invulnerable, media, Twitter and blogs are abuzz with this news with many asking whether this is really about human rights and censorship, a graceful exit from a difficult market, or a strategic move in geopolitical terms.

"Difficult Problems In Cyberlaw" (a Harvard blog) rounds up some of the major early coverage here, but analysis continues to pour out... One blogger at Amnesty UK (which has campaigned against internet censorship for many years, releasing this key report in 2006), chooses to see this as a positive move, and one that brings the day nearer when Chinese netizens can read and debate Amnesty reports online freely. He, like Nart Villeneuve, hopes that this will influence other companies, notably Microsoft and Yahoo, to take a stand too. Evan Osnos of the New Yorker interviews China specialist James Mulvenon, director of the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, who thinks that Google has done this to "reclaim some of its soul and corporate culture." Siva Vaidhyanathan rejects the idea that this is about human rights and censorship, suggesting that Google is reacting to the attacks as a threat to its future strategy, which rely on security and integrity of cloud-based systems. Techcrunch's Sarah Lacy agrees, describing it as "a scorched earth move". Evgeny Morozov gives his "crude and cynical (Eastern European) reading of the situation", suggesting that it's not about cybersecurity, rather that Google.cn is a sacrifical "goat" to secure Google some positive PR at a time when it's under attack over its privacy practices in Europe. Seasoned China-watcher Rebecca MacKinnon lauds the move, for not dissimilar reasons... Giving users' perspectives, The Guardian and Global Voices spotlight the voices of analysts, bloggers and other netizens in China (the NYT mischievously interviewed a woman called Bing). One comment really stood out for me:

90后：今天我翻墙，看到一个国外网站叫Google的，妈的全是抄袭百度的。00后：翻墙是什么？ 10后：网站是什么？ 20后：国外是什么？

People born in 90s: Today I stepped out of the Great Firewall and saw a foreign website named Google. Shit, it is all but a copy of Baidu. Born in 00s: What do you mean by stepping out of Great Firewall? Born in 10s: What do you mean by website? Born in 20s: What is ‘foreign’?

Here's what I think, for what it's worth (leaving aside the cybersecurity angle, which others have covered in depth already, as noted above). First and foremost, Google probably underestimated the criticism it would receive of its perceived double standards in agreeing to the censorship, which it likely saw at the time as a necessary market constraint rather than a reinforcement of China's architecture of censorship and repression. That market is one in which, many analysts are suggesting today, it is too difficult to win significant market share against a government-supported Baidu. Second, many many individuals within Google itself are not just strong proponents of a culture of openness, but also strongly supportive of human rights as it is encoded within the company's own DNA - "Don't be evil". I don't doubt that there has been considerable pressure inside Google to live up to that motto. Third, this announcement builds on a number of recent moves by Google - from an increasing rhetorical and practical focus on openness, its participation in the Global Network Initiative, to the growing citizen journalism, non-profit and activist sections on YouTube, and this week's announcement of anti-censorship awards - using its reach, technology and influence to impact on and advance the cause of human rights across all of its practices, not just within specific products or technologies, or restricted to its philanthropic or non-profit activities. This doesn't mean that there aren't challenges, but in our experience, there is willingness to listen, learn and debate within both Google and other technology companies of similar stature. "Google's Gatekeepers", Jeffrey Rosen's piece on Google and censorship in the New York Times Magazine at the end of 2008, marked a milestone in this overall shift, and I strongly recommend it - the section that deals with trust in Google is particularly apposite to the China news. Finally, there has been a significant, modernising shift in the relationship between the technology sector and the political leadership of the US - from President Obama's openness agenda, and the "21st Century Statecraft" of Hillary Clinton's State Department, to the appointments of Aneesh Chopra and Vivek Kundra as CTO and CIO of the USA respectively (with Google's former Director of Global Public Policy, Andrew McLaughlin, appointed as Deputy to Chopra). Perhaps this has influenced and emboldened Google too...
Whatever the motivation, whatever the means, this move has to be welcomed, both for the return to core principles that it signals, and for the shockwaves it will send throughout the tech world. I and other WITNESS colleagues - and many other organisations - have spoken about how the technology landscape has shifted, and how this impacts on human rights - most recently, I was invited to give a Google Talk at Google Europe in London on this exact topic. The technology companies wield enormous power over how people see, experience and understand the world, and consequently how they feel empowered to work and network to change it, and this has special impact on a fragile area like human rights. We and others have advocated to the technology companies to protect users, and human rights defenders in particular, more actively, and to protect the growing amount of human rights content online, through both technological solutions and through better policies, and we look forward to a new and energised dialogue with all relevant parties towards that goal in the wake of this important announcement.

Twitter defeats newspaper gagging order

Sameer Padania — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:38:13 -0700

Here's a remarkable video showing a Twitter revolt in action:

It shows how the terms #trafigura, #carterruck, #dumping, #scandal and other Twitter hashtags gathered pace last night and this morning as news of a secret injunction gagging The Guardian newspaper emerged. The paper had intended to report the name of a Member of Parliament who asked a question in Parliament regarding the alleged dumping of toxic waste by oil company Trafigura - but (in a move weirdly reminiscent of the BBC drama State Of Play) The Guardian was banned from publishing the name, or indeed talking about what they were banned from publishing. The injunction was today withdrawn by Carter-Ruck solicitors, after the Twitter revolt you watched above - it's being heralded as yet another example of Twitter and other online spaces being used to outflank those who would suppress information and obstruct transparency, a phenomenon dubbed the Streisand Effect. The Guardian is now reporting that MP Paul Farrelly asked this question:

"To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made
of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and
(b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court
by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the
publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax
avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11
September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged
dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura."

Why is this question important, and why has Trafigura taken on other media that report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast (pdf)? Watch this edition of Al Jazeera's People & Power, in which Juliana Ruhfus confronts the scandal head-on:

(Thanks to @cleanyoungbob for tweeting this video. Here's a Q+A with Juliana about the series Corporations On Trial, of which this film is a part.)

Interview with Karim Chrobog, director of War Child

Sameer Padania — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:24:27 -0700

In this April 2009 interview, Karim Chrobog talks about his documentary, War Child. The film follows Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier in the Sudan now turned popular hip-hop artist. Karim discusses the importance of having an African speak about African issues, and talks about what viewers of War Child can do to support this cause.

Many thanks to Caitlin Clay, who edited and uploaded this video.

"War Crimes and The White House" - The 2001 Dasht-e-Leili Massacre

Sameer Padania — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:32:19 -0700

This explosive video comes hot off the press from Physicians for Human Rights, and accompanies James Risen's story in today's New York Times alleging that the Bush administration "impeded at least three federal investigations into an alleged massacre of as many as 2,000 prisoners in Afghanistan."

PHR has been investigating the 2001 Dasht-e-Leili massacre of "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Taliban prisoners of war by the forces of an American-backed warlord [General Dostum]" for nearly 8 years. The organisation has fought a tireless campaign to have the investigation into the massacre reopened.

Obama Administration officials stated Friday that there were no grounds for investigating further, but PHR's Deputy Director, Susannah Sirkin, said: "US military and intelligence personnel were operating jointly and accepted the surrender of the prisoners jointly with General Dostum’s
forces in northern Afghanistan. The Obama Administration has a legal obligation to determine what US officials knew, where US personnel were, what involvement they had, and the actions of US allies during and after the massacre. These questions, nearly eight years later, remain unanswered.”

Watch the video, and then read more and take action at AfghanMassGrave.org.

HRWIFF 2009 - Festival Round-up [UPDATED with new links]

Sameer Padania — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:57:53 -0700

WITNESS has a proud history of participating in, supporting and even awarding prizes at film festivals, but we've never tried to cover a film festival before here on the Hub. So it was with a little trepidation that we asked the good people over at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in New York City if they'd let us loose on their 20th anniversary festival... Here's John Biaggi on the idea behind the festival:

I'm really happy that they agreed, and with this first experiment (which we could not have carried out without a battalion of clear-eyed and committed interns) - I'm already looking forward to next year's edition. With a handful of posts yet to go up, we've already notched up perspectives on films in the festival, audience reactions, filmmakers interviews, and even an extended interview with the festival director - all shedding light on the relationship between moving images and change. As the nature of film creation, distribution and exhibition changes, we'll be tracking how major meeting-points like the HRWIFF evolve to meet the challenges of building public engagement, debate and participation in human rights in a new participatory landscape...

Here's the full list (I'll update these links once all the posts are in - including my own...):

Film reviews, reactions and filmmaker interviews:
- Youth Producing Change Program (+ audience reactions 1, 2, 3 and 4)
- Mrs Goundo's Daughter (+ filmmaker interview)
- Look Into My Eyes filmmaker interview
- Crude (interview with director Joe Berlinger to come)
- Good Fortune interview with director Landon Van Soest
- The Reckoning
- The Yes Men Fix The World

Interview:
John Biaggi, Festival Director (short version | full version)

In other coverage, TakePart.com has pieces on The Reckoning, Good Fortune, My Neighbour, My Killer, Snow, and Afghan Star. And writer/lawyer Deji Olukotun, who covered our panel in the PEN World Voices Festival earlier this year, wrote to let us know about the series of reviews he has written of many of the HRWIFF films mentioned above. If you've seen or written about the films in the festival too, please feel free to let us know via the comments box below - we'd love to hear a wide range of perspectives on the films... And don't forget you can also comment on the individual blog posts and video interview pages. Get stuck in!

Xinjiang: Protests continue into third day

Sameer Padania — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:01:11 -0700

Xinhua is reporting that more than 150 people have died in the clashes in Urumqi since 5th July, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

Riot police have been deployed to quell the protests, which began over the perceived mishandling by local authorities of a fight at a toy factory (listen to this overview from The Guardian's Jonathan Watts) - today they dispersed protests both by Uighur women demanding the release of young Uighur men, and by Han Chinese men wielding weapons. The Guardian's Dan Chung and Tania Branigan were on a media tour organised by the Chinese authorities when they came across the Uighur women's protest - click the image below to watch their video report.

Over the course of today, we'll point to key bits of analysis and footage coming out of Xinjiang (in addition to the sources I pointed to on Sunday - notably ESWN is compiling a lot of sources, and The Guardian's got a good round-up of web-based coverage). Here's a note of interest about China's information suppression strategy from the NYT today:

Internally, censors tightly controlled media coverage of the unrest and sought to disable the social networks that opponents might use to organize more demonstrations. Cellphone calls to Urumqi and nearby areas have largely been blocked. Twitter was shut down nationwide at midday Monday; a Chinese equivalent, Fanfou, was running, but Urumqi-related searches were blocked.

Chinese search engines no longer give replies for searches related to the violence. Results of a Google search on Monday for “Xinjiang rioting” turned up many links that had already been deleted on such well-trafficked Chinese Internet forums as Mop and Tianya.

BBC: Accounts of Xinjiang violence | Q+A on China and the Uighur minority | Images of today's protests

NYT: New protests in Western China after deadly clashes | Photo sildeshow | More about China's Uighur minority | Media tour goes very, very badly for the Chinese authorities

Protests outside Chinese embassies: Norway | Turkey | Germany | Netherlands

More soon...

Multimedia Reporting - Behind the scenes at a MediaStorm workshop

Sameer Padania — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:27:52 -0700

As part of our work at WITNESS we conduct trainings preparing advocates to be able to shoot, edit and distribute video for effective human rights advocacy (watch some participant interviews). We've also created a set of short videos that take you through the basics of creating video for human rights advocacy. Though this training doesn't yet formally include how to create multimedia packages for human rights advocacy, we're always on the look-out for good examples of multimedia advocacy and training that we can learn from and share (Chris is particularly watchful).

Of the recent pieces I've watched, this behind-the-scenes look at a recent training by MediaStorm, one of the world's most respected multimedia reporting outfits, was one of the best put-together, and works as a nice introduction to the process of multimedia reporting. [Click the image below to launch the video in a new window.]

[UPDATE paragraph] MediaStorm has been working on some very nifty pieces with the Council on Foreign Relations, notably a new series of multimedia launchpads into global governance issues, starting with nuclear nonproliferation (coinciding with President Obama's talks in Russia).

So where are we headed in this arena? Earlier this year, Tina Singleton attended the BAVC Producers' Institute, and which connects those used to doing more linear documentary work with multimedia methods of storytelling to create new kinds of layered, multi-platform work (BAVC's Wendy Levy kindly asked Tina and me to screen proposals for this year - a very interesting process). We'll be collaborating with them more deeply next year - more on this and other initiatives later. In the meantime, we'll keep highlighting important multimedia work that finds new ways to tell familiar human rights stories.

That's where you can help... Have you seen other great examples of multimedia reporting on human rights? Essential training videos explaining how to do multimedia reporting? Let us know via the comments box below.