Mediaboss Marketing

They were convicted of unlawful assembly after they stormed government property in September 2014, leading to the 79-day sit-in of major roads in the heart of the city's financial district.

On Sunday, demonstrators walked from the district of Wan Chai to the Court of Final Appeal, where the three activists are expected to lodge an appeal against their sentences.

Police told CNN the number of protesters during the peak period Sunday was about 22,000. While the protest organizers did not provide their own count, activist Agnes Chow told CNN it was the biggest protest since the 2014 Occupy movement.

"We were surprised that there were so many people coming out," she told CNN Monday by phone. "Originally we predicted a few thousand (attendees) but there were a lot more."

She said she saw a lot of anger on the streets towards the Hong Kong government over the decision to jail the trio, and that Sunday's turnout was a powerful message rejecting the judicial ruling.

"Yesterday showed the government failed," she said.

In 2014, hundreds of thousands of people crammed city streets to demand a say in the election of Hong Kong's leadership, and greater autonomy from China.

The trio were sentenced to between six and eight months' prison on Thursday. All three were initially given, and completed, community service sentences, but Hong Kong's Department of Justice appealed, arguing that those sentences were insufficient.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Hong Kong government said the decision to appeal the original sentences was "in accordance with Hong Kong's effective legal system," and had "absolutely no political consideration involved."

Wong, 20, was sentenced to eight months in prison Thursday, reduced to six months on account of previous community service, while fellow defendants Nathan Law, 24, and Alex Chow, 26, were sentenced to 10 months, reduced to eight, and eight months, reduced to seven, respectively.

The government statement added that authorities were "aware that the community has different views on the judgment and notices that the relevant defendants have indicated to lodge appeals.

"The case should be handled in accordance with judicial procedures."

Immediately following the verdict, Wong said on Twitter that the government "can lock up our bodies, but not our minds!"

Chow, who is a standing committee member of Demosisto, the political party founded by Wong in the wake of the Occupy movement, says that as "a person advocating civil disobedience" she is "not afraid to go to jail."

"I would say if they want to stop ... Hong Kong people desire for democracy and participating in a democratic movement it's difficult to stop (them).

"The Hong Kong government and justice department use political ways to try to stop us but they would not succeed in stopping us."

In Hong Kong, people who have served sentences of more than three months are barred from holding political office for five years.

See the original post:
Tens of thousands protest jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders - CNN

By Dr. Ken Mulliken

All of human kind originated in Southern Africa, our tour guide, Richard Randall, announced as he greeted us in Johannesburg, so I want to welcome you home.

This reminder of our shared ancestry, as distant as it may be, set the theme for this years Democracy Project field experience in South Africa.

This month, 14 students from Southern Oregon University traveled to South Africa as part of SOUs Democracy Project. Involving students, faculty members and community partners, the Democracy Project (abbreviated here to DP) is a comprehensive international examination of democracy, organized by the SOU Honors College.

To solve shared challenges of the 21st century, emerging student leaders need a solid understanding of conflict resolution and how democracy is understood, implemented and promoted around the world. The DP is consistent with the mission and vision statements of Southern Oregon University and the Honors College, as it supports intellectual growth and responsible global citizenship.

Some of the issues studied through the DP include the historical evolution of democracy, sovereignty, freedom, nationalism, citizenship, immigration, patriotism, imperialism, colonialism, liberty, security, justice and equality. DP participants examine criteria in the Democracy Index and articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They compare and contrast the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights with national constitutions around the world, keeping in mind questions such as, what is the proper role of government? and, in a democracy, what is the appropriate balance between individual liberties and human rights?

Our educational experience in South Africa is the fourth field trip of the DP. Expanding from the first field trip to Washington, D.C., previous international DP field trips have studied India, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Through conversations with journalists, professors, university students and business leaders, these field trips have been organized to better understand how democracy is structured and practiced on various jurisdictional levels.

Building on these international experiences, the DP has hosted annual symposiums at SOU, which are facilitated and moderated by SOU Honors College scholars. These symposiums explore the threats and challenges to democracy in the 21st century, and the degree to which the promotion of sustainable democracy is valuable and viable.

The first symposium, called "Crisis in Kashmir: Negotiating a Democratic Solution," was hosted by the SOU Honors College in April 2016, and attended by 125 local high school students. SOU Honors College scholars hosted the second symposium, called "Seeking Refuge: The Syrian Crisis," in April 2017, with more than high-school students participating. The third symposium is planned for April 2018, and will focus on issues relating to African democracy.

Mark Twain is credited with two quotes that relate to the learning objectives of the DP. The first is, Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.

This observation is directly applicable to democracy and conflict resolution today. At different times in history, and in various locations around the world, peoples customs, language, cuisine and clothing have contrasted sharply. However, what makes history and international travel relevant to our lives today is the underlying commonality of humanity.

As our South African tour guide noted, our ancestors all originated in southern Africa, if you trace our linguistic and genetic origins back far enough. No matter when one is born, or where one is raised, we share several fundamental concerns. These concerns include love, marriage, family, employment, health, availability of food and fresh water, clothing, shelter and freedom of personal expression. International travel reveals that we are more similar than we are different.

The second relevant quote attributed to Mark Twain is, History doesnt repeat itself, but it rhymes. We see this as a recurring theme in our DP research.

In Germany, the societal divisions evident during the period of Nazi rule in the 1930s and 1940s have been replaced by recent concerns about massive immigration from war-torn Syria. In India and Pakistan, religious disagreements divide Hindus and Muslims, dating back to independence in 1947. In South Africa, more than 40 years of racial segregation under the system of apartheid have given way in recent decades to a period of truth and reconciliation, which has had mixed social results.

Twain was right, history doesnt repeat itself, but the fundamental core of human relationships is remarkably similar, irrespective of time or location. Our DP research indicates that the health of a nations democracy, and the likelihood of its long-term sustainability, rests on one ultimate and essential question do people see themselves more as a part of, or apart from others in society? This question seems overly simplistic on the surface, but the answer affects all subsequent decisions, both on an individual and collective basis.

At some level, domestic politics and international relations will always be arenas of competing interests, however, if we focus on goals in the Democracy Index and articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we can collectively accomplish more together than we can individually.

What issues and problems are most urgent in our community, region, state and nation? What bothers you and makes you frustrated or angry? What motivates you to take action? Is it homelessness, mental illness, child neglect, drugs, diseases, sex trafficking, water rights or animal abuse? How about pollution, loss of biodiversity, global warming, income inequality, legal injustice, infant mortality, high-school graduation rates, inadequate health care, high crime, lack of access to education, bigotry and prejudice or racism?

In addition to these, there are so many other issues that are crying out to be solved, and are worthy of our thought, attention and action. Ignorance of the issues, or belief that ones actions wont matter are insufficient excuses for apathy. A successful and sustainable democracy depends on all of us being informed and taking action. It requires seeing others as "a part of" rather than "apart from. Awareness, engagement and collaborative action are the goals for the Democracy Project at Southern Oregon University.

Dr. Ken Mulliken is executive director of the Honors College at Southern Oregon University.

Read the original post:
SOU's Democracy Project: Are we 'a part of or apart from'? - Ashland Daily Tidings

Broadcast and cable news reluctance to talk about gerrymandering, let alone address the outsized impact it has in state and federal elections, has allowed American democracy to quietly become less representative. As movements build behind redistricting reform, the question remains: Will TV news ever care about gerrymandering?

A yearlongMedia Mattersstudyfoundthat cable news shows brought up gerrymandering in only five segments between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017. During that same time period, broadcast morning news programs and nightly newscasts didnt discuss gerrymandering at all. And this isnt a new trend; for years, media have shown areluctance to discussgerrymandering and redistricting. Given the outsized influence partisan and racial gerrymandering has on American democracy, these issues deserve more coverage.

Partisan gerrymandering is not exactly new, butsince 2010, Republicans have takenit to a new level. The Associated Press (AP)foundthat in the 2016 election, gerrymandering helped create the conditions that led to four times as many states with Republican-skewed state House or Assembly districts than Democratic ones. Additionally, among the two dozen most populated states that determine the vast majority of Congress, there were nearly three times as many with Republican-tilted U.S. House districts. As University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stonewrotefor HuffPost, Although partisan gerrymandering has been with us from the beginning, it is now worse than ever, because computer modeling enables legislators to design districts that almost precisely maximize their political advantage.

Racial gerrymandering whichinvolvesspreading minorities across voting districts, leaving them too few in number in any given district to elect their preferred candidates, or concentrating the minority vote in certain districts has also helpedRepublicans hold on to their majority. AsThe Washington Posts Wonkblog explained, Since the minority electorate leans liberal, packing minorities has the same effect as packing Democrats, causing the district map to favor Republicans in the same way it favors whites.The New York Times editorial boarddescribedthe radical racial gerrymandering that resulted inunconstitutional districtsin North Carolina as the GOPs unscrupulous efforts to fence off black communities.

While Republicans have been attacking the heart of American democracy, media coverage has been lacking, to say the least. At the same time,activistsandpoliticians fromboth sides of the aislehave been calling for independent, nonpartisan groups to take the charge on redistricting in the near future. With momentum rising, the question remains: Will media, specifically broadcast and cable news, ever care about gerrymandering? So far, the answer appears to be no.

Read this article:
Gerrymandering is ruining our democracy. Will television news ever care? - Salon

Economic forces feeding on coercion and corruption are responsible for the assault on science and democracy in the country like never before, according to ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who headed an expert panel on the conservation of the Western Ghats. This attack was more intense than the one by religious fundamentalism.

Delivering a lecture on Science and democracy in contemporary India in memory of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad activist I.G. Bhaskara Panicker, he said the Kerala government should drop the Athirappilly hydroelectric project as it was unviable.

He alleged the governments in power at the Centre earlier too had assaulted science and democracy. Mr. Gadgil claimed that the previous Union government had tried to suppress the report of the Western Ghats panel terming it anti-development. The panel had termed projects such as the Athirappilly hydroelectric project unviable, citing available data.

Mr. Gadgil said the River Research Foundation had authentic data from the Central Water Commission on the amount of water flowing in the Chalakudy river and it also had data about the amount of electricity that could be produced as part of the project. The amount of water in the Chalakudy river was far less than what was mentioned in the project document prepared by the proponents of the project. The claim on power production too was highly exaggerated. The impact on tribespeople, irrigation and tourism too were analysed and found unfavourable. During a hearing on the project, the officials could not counter any of these objections, he said.

Mr. Gadgil said the Kasturirangan panel was appointed later to modify the recommendations of the panel headed by him. He said that the Kasturirangan panel had not consulted them while preparing the report, which was unethical. To justify their actions, they lied that they had used better quality satellite data, he said. Mr. Gadgil said he was ready for a debate on the recommendations prepared by both the panels to prove his point.

As far as the assault on democracy and science was concerned, he said there was not much of a difference between the situation in States ruled by BJP such as Maharashtra and Goa or non-BJP parties like Kerala and Karnataka.

Even a Left Front government was supporting capitalistic projects like special economic zones against peoples interests, he said, citing the example of the Indian Oil Corporation plant at Puthuvype.

See the rest here:
Science and democracy under threat, says Gadgil - The Hindu

Protest leader Joshua Wong leaves Hong Kongs high court in a prison van after his sentencing. Photograph: STRINGER/Reuters

For Hong Kongs embattled democracy movement the 20th anniversary of the UKs handover to China has been nothing short of an annus horribilis.

But on Thursday afternoon, just minutes after the former British colonys high court had transformed him into one of the citys first prisoners of conscience, Joshua Wong struck a decidedly an upbeat tone.

See you soon, the 20-year-old protest leader tweeted after he and two friends, Nathan Law and Alex Chow, were jailed for their role in launching 2014s umbrella movement, a historic 79-day occupation that drew hundreds of thousands of young people out on to the streets.

For Wong, who was sentenced to six months behind bars, the ruling is a particularly heavy blow. The student activist, who found fame as Hong Kongs teenage face of protest during the 2014 demonstrations, had hoped to run for political office after turning 21 in October. This weeks sentence has scuppered those dreams for at least five years.

It has also delivered a body blow to Hong Kongs wider democracy movement, already reeling from the disqualification of four its lawmakers from parliament and the growing sense that the international community has abandoned it for fear of upsetting Beijing.

Many supporters in the court were crying because we didnt want to accept this result, said Ray Chan, a pro-democracy politician and Hong Kongs first openly gay legislator, who was among those to turn out in support of Wong, Law and Chow.

The sentences constituted an attempt to intimidate young Hong Kongers who were considering taking to the streets to protest against Beijings refusal to grand them genuine democracy.

But for Chan, and many others within the pro-democracy camp, the message is: we will not be cowed.

It cannot make all of us keep quiet, Chan vowed. We still have hope because we have so many young people who are prepared to sacrifice their freedom to fight for democracy for our society.

I want to make it more positive - a few months is not too long a period, Chan said of his jailed friends. Never give up!

Benedict Rogers, a British human rights activist who knows all three of the campaigners, said he could also see a silver-lining to the storm clouds that have been gathering over Hong Kongs democracy movement.

Rogers decried the trios imprisonment as a travesty of justice. They are absolutely delightful, he said. All three of them are among the most intelligent, bright, thoughtful and fun people that I can think of and the idea that they are guilty of a criminal act is absurd.

[But] if anything is to galvanise the international community into realising that Hong Kongs basic freedoms and one country, two systems are now really on a knife edge if not already dead then it is the sentencing of three young men who have committed no crime apart from a political crime.

In a statement, Wongs party, Demosist, accused Chinas president, Xi Jinping, of eroding the civil and political freedoms that Hong Kong was promised after its return to Beijings control and lamented the immense humiliation the government had inflicted upon their struggle for change.

But Rogers said that by turning the three men into political prisoners, authorities were giving them even greater legitimacy and boosting the very cause they were trying to undermine. When you look throughout history at people who have become iconic figures, theyve often done so because of spending periods of time in prison, he said. One only has to think of Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela or Aung San Suu Kyi, and countless others.

Eddie Chu, a pro-democracy legislator, was another who refused to be downbeat. Chu accused the Communist party of attempting to wipe out a generation of potential candidates by having those who might seek election to oppose its rule thrown in jail.

But he insisted the tactic would fail: Hong Kong people will not be defeated.

View original post here:
Hong Kong jailings could lend democracy cause greater legitimacy - The Guardian