Russian Ethnic Round-Dance Flashmob in Siberia

In Novosibirsk:

- Do you recognise it?
- Of course. A legendary video.
- Cool! Let's do it again, but all throughout Siberia!
- Let's!

The flashmob took place from 3 to 12 June in 9 Siberian cities, including Novosibirsk, Omsk, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Abakan, Kyzyl, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk.

More than 3 thousand young people took part in the event.

The accompanying music is traditional Russian chant performed by a folk choir, but interpreted in a rock style. The dance includes ethnic elements (a Russian round-dance, "khorovod"), and elements of break-dance. Also, the traditional dance of Far East peoples was included (city of Abakan).

Operación Sofía

In continuation of my previous post which speaks of the Guatemalan right wing's feedback to Rios-Montt trial. The main idea of Guatemalan right is to reject the term of "genocide"  and replace it with the term "internal armed conflict" for the purposes of, as I see it, 1) changing the penalty for Rios Montt and his men for lighter term, and 2) presenting Guatemala in a more favourable light before the U.S. (or international community), because "genocide" sounds bad, but "internal conflict" is much more acceptable.

But going back to Guatemala's history provides enough information to prove that genocide took place. For example, we may look through the general timeline of events, and choose details of Victoria 82 and Sofia military operations which were run based on "frijoles and fusiles" policy, where civilians didn't receive any "frijol" as promised by military rhetorics, but just "fusiles".

Indigenous people being misplaced by the army. 

¿Hubo genocidio?

Estoy leyendo la prensa guatemalteca e internacional sobre el juicio contra Rios-Monnt.  Lo primero que me dió sorpresa fue la polarización entre guatemaltecos iniciada por el presidente del pais  y su slogan popular que “No hubo genocidio”.  Vista por fuera,  toda esa discusión o mejor decir, la campaña mediatica se revuelve alrededor del termino “genocidio” construido por expertas de ONU, segun dice Sr Presidente y sus seguidores, tales como historiador Carlos Sabino de la UFM  (de quien jamas sabiamos aqui en Rusia, pero lo conocimos através de una persona yacuto-rusa que lo anunció por medio de LiveJournal como “su amigo personal”).

Sin embargo, creemos que a esta discusion sobre los terminos juridicos, la desconocen miles de indigenas ya muertos o los que han sobrevivido matanzas y reclutamientos forzados a los PAC, igual que las muertes de sus familiares, violaciones y perdidas de su identidad cultural.  

El artìculo en The Wall Street Journal identificó el juicio contra Rios Montt como “absurdo”, porque, escribe,

 “ In the trial, the prosecution presented the testimony of numerous Indians who had been victims of the violence. But their stories could not prove genocide. (sic!)

Neither did the prosecution's "experts," mostly foreigners of the leftist persuasion who were not actually witnesses to any alleged acts of genocide. They were used to advance the prosecution's case that the army strategy "to exterminate" subversives was the same thing as an attempt to "exterminate" the Ixil people.