User:Khazar

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"They also serve who only sit and proofread."

Though lately I haven't been really living up to my motto, as I've also been creating and expanding articles on figures that Amnesty International considers to be prisoners of conscience: folks like Su Su Nway, Azimzhan Askarov, Nilar Thein, Bertrand Teyou, and Filep Karma. It's occasionally tricky to keep these articles NPOV in cases like Askarov's, where the English-language media openly derides his trial and conviction and provides few counterarguments from the Kyrgyz government. I thus try to keep things as tightly-sourced as possible, but I'm always glad to get help with this, especially if you speak a language like Burmese or Kyrgyz. I respect groups like Amnesty International tremendously, but their POV is one of many, and I want the articles on their chosen cases to reflect that.

I recently completed articles for redlinked Homo Homini Award winners and Gwangju Prize winners, and am most of the way through the CPJ International Press Freedom Awards. I've also signed on to WikiProject Countering systemic bias and WikiProject Human rights. On 25 January 2012, I finished writing articles for all currently-imprisoned prisoners of conscience that meet WP's notability guidelines, though of course all it'll take is another big crackdown by Cuba or Zimbabwe to put me behind again.

Other than that, a few times a week, I cruise Wikipedia with the AutoWikiBrowser hunting for typos; I'd estimate that I've corrected 40-50,000 at this point, though of course the software is doing most of that work for me. I also make a lot of redirects for non-English language names that can be variously transliterated, as it seems too common for an Arabic or Belarusian name to not be as linked up as it could.

I used to be very active at Did you know..., but gave up after the climate got too hostile; I'm unabashedly a fan of creating new articles to fill gaps in our coverage, and I'm always surprised at how many respected Wikipedians seem to get actively angry about new content. (There's only so many times that you can explain that Wikipedia will always need both new articles and expansions of existing articles.) The experience almost burnt me out on WP entirely, but after a recent diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome forced me to take leave from teaching for a while, I thought this would be a good way to keep contributing to planetary education.

Articles of interest

Here're some articles I've created or significantly re-written and am trying to help keep an eye on. It's here to give you a sense of my editing patterns, and me a quick index.

88 Generation Students Group - Acid (hip-hop) - Ahmad Taufik - Ales Bialatski - Ali Salem - Alice Nkom - Alisher Karamatov - Angkhana Neelaphaijit - Annakurban Amanklychev - Aung Pwint - Azam Farmonov - Azimzhan Askarov - Bakhtiyar Hajiyev - Bambang Harymurti - Beatrice Mtetwa - Bertrand Teyou - Bill Foley - Bobur Square - Byron Barrera - Cary Vaughan - Censorship in the Maldives - Charles Ntakirutinka - Charm Tong - Chernovik - Cruz Obiang Ebele - Dandeniya Gamage Jayanthi‎ - Daisy Li Yuet-Wah - Dhondup Wangchen - Doan Huy Chuong - Doan Van Dien - Doan Viet Hoat - Ebrima Manneh - Eduard Lobau - Emiliano Esono Michá - Filep Karma - For Di People - Fred M'membe - Freedom Neruda - Galima Bukharbaeva - Generation Wave - Gerardo Angüe Mangue - Gheorghe Briceag - Giles Muhame - Ginetta Sagan - Godeliève Mukasarasi‎ - Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino - Gwangju Prize for Human Rights - Htay Kywe - İnan Süver - Irom Chanu Sharmila - Ismail Khilath Rasheed - Ivonne Malleza Galano - Jabbar Savalan - Javier Valdez Cárdenas - Jean-Claude Kavumbagu - Jean-Claude Roger Mbede - Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández - Jigme Gyatso - Jigme Gyatso (Tibetan independence activist) - Juan Ecomo Ndong - Kartam Joga - Khin Ohmar - Khun Bedu - Khun Htun Oo - Ko Aye Aung - Kondengui Central Prison‎ - Mikalay Autukhovich - Korean Association of Bereaved Families for Democracy - Kouhyar Goudarzi‎ - Le Potentiel - Marcus Bensmann - Mie Mie - Min Ko Naing - Modeste Mutinga - Mohammad Davari - Mohammed al-Tajer - Mudawi Ibrahim Adam - Muhammad Al-Saqr - Muhammadu Buhari - Myo Min Zaw - Nadira Isayeva - Nasser Abul - Natalya Radina - Navidi Vakhsh - Nilar Thein - Norma Cruz - Ohn Than - Omar Belhouchet - Party for Communist Action - Paul Kamara - Prisoner of conscience - Ricardo Uceda - Ríodoce - Sapardurdy Khadzhiev - Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi - Sí (Peruvian magazine) - Siamak Pourzand - Sony Esteus - Su Su Nway - Tatyana Mitkova - Thepchai Yong - Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission - Tomy Winata - Tran Quoc Hien - Triveni Acharya - Tuhama Mahmoud Ma’rouf - Tuot Saron - U Gambira - UAE Five - Umar Cheema - United Workers-Farmers Organization - Viasna Human Rights Centre - Walid Yunis Ahmad - Wardah Hafidz - Wipas Raksakulthai - Yan Yan Chan - Yelena Masyuk - Yndamiro Restano - Zaw Htet Ko Ko - Zayar Thaw

I've also made five templates:

Did You Know...?

(From articles I created, co-created, or expanded x5)

... that journalist Sony Esteus had his arm broken by the Port-au-Prince police while covering a story?
... that following Galima Bukharbaeva's eyewitness account of the Andijan massacre, the Uzbek government charged her with providing "informational support to terrorism"?
... that journalist Yelena Masyuk was held hostage in Chechnya for 101 days?
... that the wife of Guatemalan journalist Byron Barrera was murdered in 1990 in an unsuccessful attempt on his life?
... that Thepchai Yong won an International Press Freedom Award for reporting on Thailand's Black May uprising despite military pressure to censor coverage?
... that anti-communist activist Gheorghe Briceag pledged to shave his well-known Solzhenitsyn beard if Moldova united with Romania?
... that Ales Bialatski earned a PhD in Belarusian literature before becoming the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights?
... that journalist Ahmad Taufik was acquitted after being taken to court by both the Suharto government and Tomy Winata, one of Indonesia's richest businessmen?
.. that Bill Foley's photograph "The Last Smile" shows Anwar Sadat only moments before his assassination?
... that Beatrice Mtetwa, "Zimbabwe's top human rights lawyer", has secured the release of reporters from The New York Times and The Sunday Telegraph?
... that Indonesian journalist Bambang Harymurti originally wanted to be an astronaut and qualified as a potential candidate?
... that the 2005 Gwangju Prize winner Wardah Hafidz was told to vacate her office after disclosing that numerous groups had used social security funds for "money politics"?
... that journalist Ricardo Uceda helped locate the mass grave of the La Cantuta massacre victims?
... that Burmese journalist Aung Pwint was imprisoned on charges of "sending news" and "illegal ownership of a fax machine"?
... that in 1993, the car of Algerian journalist Omar Belhouchet was machine-gunned while he was driving his children to school?
... that Russian journalist Nadira Isayeva called her 2010 trial "a test for the institution of press freedom" in Dagestan?
... that Muhammad Al-Saqr won an International Press Freedom Award for his work as a journalist before becoming chairman of the Arab Parliament?
... that Modeste Mutinga won an international prize for his journalism before being elected to the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
... that Civil Courage Prize laureate Ali Salem was ostracized by the Egyptian intellectual community following a 1994 book in which he promoted peace with Israel?
... that award-winning journalist Paul Kamara has also been a priest, a cabinet minister, and the manager of Sierra Leone's national football team?
... that Dandeniya Gamage Jayanthi founded the group "Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared" following the abduction, shooting, and burning of her fiancé?
... that Jigme Gyatso was re-arrested after his allegations of torture by Chinese security forces were re-played on Voice of America?
... that the American Repertory Theater and System of a Down's Serj Tankian dedicated their 2011 Prometheus Bound to jailed Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen?
... that adivasi activist Kartam Joga has been accused of joining the deadliest Naxalite attack in India's history?

... that the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is named for the only Holocaust survivor (pictured) ever to serve in the United States Congress?
... that the European Parliament issued a resolution condemning the drug arrest of Azerbaijani activist Jabbar Savalan?
... that Burmese democracy activist Ohn Than is serving a life sentence for holding up a poster in front of the US Embassy in Yangon?
... that in 2010, Wipas Raksakulthai became the first Thai man arrested for committing lèse majesté on Facebook?
... that Women's League of Burma activist Khin Ohmar evaded arrest during Burma's pro-democracy 8888 Uprising when a Japanese diplomat allowed her and other students to hide from police in his home?
... that Ugandan Rolling Stone editor Giles Muhame alleged that a gay rights group conspired with Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab in the July 2010 Kampala suicide bombings?
... that Khun Htun Oo, a former head of Burma's Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, is now serving a 93-year sentence for treason?
... that Zaw Htet Ko Ko, a photographer for the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students Group, is serving an 11-year prison sentence for his involvement in Burma's "Saffron Revolution"?
... that in 2008, Burmese 88 Generation democracy activist Mie Mie was sentenced to 65 years imprisonment for "illegally using electronic media" and "forming an illegal organization"?
... that Yan Yan Chan, whose band Acid released Burma's first hip hop album, spent nine months in prison for involvement in the pro-democracy group Generation Wave?
... that the journalism of Siamak Pourzand ranged from film criticism for Cahiers du cinéma to coverage of the "Chain Murders" of Iranian dissidents?
... that imprisoned Burmese singer Zayar Thaw's group Generation Wave distributed anti-government hip-hop and copies of banned movies, including Rambo IV?
... that Khun Bedu was sentenced to 37 years in prison for offenses including organizing Loikaw youth to release balloons and rafts in protest of the 2008 Burmese constitutional referendum?
... that in 2005, lobbyists attributed George W. Bush's increased "outspokenness" on Burmese human rights to a 50-minute meeting with Shan activist Charm Tong?
... that Bono personally lobbied for Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to investigate the treatment of imprisoned conscientious objector İnan Süver?
... that Sudanese human rights activist Mudawi Ibrahim Adam has been imprisoned four times for his work in Darfur?
... that Burmese democracy activist Aye Aung is serving a 59-year prison sentence for distributing leaflets and organizing protests in Yangon?
... that Gwangju Prize for Human Rights winner Angkhana Neelaphaijit has been investigating the forced disappearance of her husband for more than seven years?
... that Bertrand Teyou is serving two years in jail for attempting to read publicly from his book about Chantal Biya, the first lady of Cameroon?
... that democracy activist Htay Kywe was described as Burma's "most-wanted man" following his leadership role in the 2007 anti-government protests?
... that Buddhist monk U Gambira was sentenced to sixty-three years in prison for his leadership role in Burma's Saffron Revolution?
... that after the Rwandan Genocide, social worker and survivor Godeliève Mukasarasi founded a group to help widows and orphans further their socio-economic rights?
... that in 2007, the foundation headed by Guatemalan human rights activist Norma Cruz helped to convict over 30 individuals accused of murdering women?
... that US actor Martin Sheen has advocated on behalf of imprisoned Kyrgyzstani activist and journalist Azimzhan Askarov?
... that Burmese prisoner of conscience Nilar Thein once evaded police capture by rickshaw taxi?
... that Burundian Internet journalist Jean-Claude Kavumbagu was arrested and charged with treason after writing a blog post criticizing his country's security forces?
... that Filep Karma is serving a 15-year jail sentence for raising the flag of West Papua in Jayapura, Indonesia?

Awards

		The Human Rights Barnstar
		I've been admiring your exceptional work on creating new articles about notable human rights activists. Your well-referenced, balanced articles go a long way towards filling an important gap in the encyclopedia's coverage. You also seem to be unusually helpful and kind towards other Wikipedians, in particular in your reviews of other editors DYK submissions. And wow, 30 DYKs! CordeliaNaismith (talk) 04:00, 1 June 2011 (UTC)

		The Barnstar of Liberty
		To User:Khazar for his work on human rights. AshLin (talk) 03:05, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

		The 50 DYK Creation and Expansion Medal
		Nice work! Your articles on human rights issues and biographies cover all-too-often ignored topics and are a great asset to Wikipedia. Thank you! OCNative (talk) 01:37, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

Links for me

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To do

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