Kazakhstan

[EricBarbour]

To me the most surprising bit of news in the timeline is that Jimmy Wales co-chaired a Middle-East conference attended by both Blair and Kazakh President Nazarbaev – I hadn't known Jimbo was in the habit of chairing political conferences like that – followed by the various times he has intervened in Wikipedia articles related to Blair, and his ties to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

It's all related to his being named a "Young Global Leader" in Davos five years ago. There is no need for him to have been wilfully corrupt with regard to the Kazakh Wikipedia: the point is that he is fully integrated in the political and social circles that are fostering image building collaborations with Kazakhstan.

That might make a good follow-up blog post, focusing on and summarizing these connections. The timeline is okay, but difficult to read.

[HRIP7]

To me the most surprising bit of news in the timeline is that Jimmy Wales co-chaired a Middle-East conference attended by both Blair and Kazakh President Nazarbaev – I hadn't known Jimbo was in the habit of chairing political conferences like that – followed by the various times he has intervened in Wikipedia articles related to Blair, and his ties to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

It's all related to his being named a "Young Global Leader" in Davos five years ago. There is no need for him to have been wilfully corrupt with regard to the Kazakh Wikipedia: the point is that he is fully integrated in the political and social circles that are fostering image building collaborations with Kazakhstan.

That might make a good follow-up blog post, focusing on and summarizing these connections. The timeline is okay, but difficult to read.

Well, there was also this and this, from Wikipedia's 10th birthday bash:



The first image is Jimmy Wales cutting the Wikipedia birthday cake with Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife. Lord Mandelson was there too; this picture was taken at Wikipedia's 10th anniversary celebration:



That's the same Lord Mandelson who was hired for speeches by Samruk-Kazyna the month before Wikipedia's birthday bash – the same Samruk-Kazyna that finances WikiBilim:

The former Business Secretary recently spoke at two events organised by Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund. One was in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, the other in London.

The fund is effectively run by President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, a close friend of Prince Andrew who bought the Prince’s marital home for £15 million three years ago – £3million over the asking price.

The Labour peer’s involvement with the fund will prompt concern that he is cashing in on the extensive contacts he built up working as Gordon Brown’s business secretary and as EU Trade Commissioner.

Lord Mandelson was paid by Samruk-Kazyna through Willbury Ltd, a company he set up to collect the proceeds from sales of his autobiography, The Third Man.

Last month his assistant Benjamin Wegg-Prosser set up a company called Global Counsel LLP, which will act as a vehicle for the peer’s future consultancy services.

Firstly, it is not at all clear what Mandelson and the Blairs are doing at a Wikipedia birthday bash, and secondly what stands out is that the press – from the far left to centre-left publications like The Guardian and centre-right ones like The Telegraph – have reacted with absolute alarm to Blair and his circle doing paid consultancy work for Samruk-Kazyna.

But in Wikipedia's case the community should feel it is fine to accept funding from Samruk-Kazyna? It does not make sense.

[culeaker]

Quite true. Apparently, history articles may be dodgy, but science should be excellent.

I wouldn't take that for granted. It is by no means unknown for totalitarian regimes to have their own unique brand of "science".

Trofim Lysenko (T-H-L)

[HRIP7]

I have posted the following on Quora in reply to Jimmy Wales:

Well, but you have to admit it looks odd. You have spent time with Tony Blair on Richard Branson's private island, as reported in the New York Times (Thinking Green While Sifting Through the Sand):



Tony Blair has been widely criticised for his involvement with the Kazakh regime, by publications across the entire political spectrum, from far-left socialists to conservatives (Labour Party figures, Tony Blair's moral decline and fall is now complete, Why is Tony Blair lending credibility to Kazakhstan's dictator? - Telegraph). I cannot find a single publication, other than Kazakh state media, that approves of the relationship.

Next I was stunned to find that Cherie Blair (Tony Blair's wife) got to cut Wikipedia's birthday cake with you in January 2011 (File:Cherie Blair with Jimmy Wales and cake Allan Warren.JPG):



Lord Mandelson attended the celebration as well. This image (File:Lord Mandelson Allan Warren.JPG) was also taken at Wikipedia's 10th birthday bash in London:



At the time, Mandelson had just been widely criticised for his ties to Kazakh state fund Samruk-Kazyna. The following article was published just one month prior to the birthday celebration:

---o0o---

Lord Mandelson is at the centre of fresh controversy over his relationship with the super-rich after being hired by a multi-billion-pound investment company accused of being used by Kazakhstan’s autocratic president to maintain power.

The former Business Secretary recently spoke at two events organised by Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund. One was in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, the other in London.

Read more: Mandelson's speeches for multi-billion fund run by Andrew's Kazakh friend

---o0o---

That is the same Samruk-Kazyna state fund that a few weeks later began to fund the Kazakh WikiBilim Foundation, described on the Creative Commons website (Kazakhstan and Rwanda: Two more CC Affiliates for 2011) as "a non-profit organisation which also operates as the local representative of Wikimedia. Wikibilim in turn is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov."

What were these people doing at the Wikipedia 10th birthday celebration? What link do they have to Wikipedia? Why does Tony Blair's wife of all people get to cut Wikipedia's birthday cake?

The Blairs and Mandelson also attended your recent wedding, as did Alastair Campbell, yet another PR consultant for the Kazakh regime (Wikipedia boss Jimmy Wales marries Kate Garvey., Wiki wedding: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales marries Tony Blair's former aide - Telegraph).

In addition, it turns out that you co-chaired a World Economic Forum conference attended by both President Nazarbaev and Tony Blair in 2008 (Eurovision News - ITEM 381356). You are also involved in the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, per time code 1:05:40 in the following video:
You may say that none of this has anything to do with your creating the Wikipedian of the Year title, and your bestowing it on the founder of the state-funded Kazakh WikiBilim Foundation, a fact that is widely publicised in Kazakh government media (examples: Kazakhstan's Wikibilim tagged Global Wikipedian-2011, Kazakh Wikipedia receives award at Wikimania conference, The National Education Development Program).

But you will please excuse onlookers when they note that you have given your seal of approval to the Kazakh government funding and controlling the expansion of the Kazakh Wikipedia, that you move in social circles in which it is apparently considered totally normal and unobjectionable to work for and aid the Kazakh government, and that the general public emphatically disagrees with the view that it is totally normal and unobjectionable to do so.

Can we at least agree on that? And can we agree that it is not a "smear campaign", but rather an exercise of transparency and freedom of information, to point these facts out? They are a matter of record, and this is the sort of thing freedom of speech is for.

And please note that several journalists and scholars are aware of this thread, and this post in particular. If it disappears, I assure you the public will hear about it.

[thekohser]

If Andreas is talking about this thread, it's interesting how for an unregistered Quora visitor, they will see the question in full, and Jimmy Wales' answer in full, but then every other answer is blurred out, unable to be read.

I am beginning to conclude that Quora is nothing more than Jimmy Wales' and Marc Bodnick's personal propaganda playground.

[HRIP7]

If Andreas is talking about this thread, it's interesting how for an unregistered Quora visitor, they will see the question in full, and Jimmy Wales' answer in full, but then every other answer is blurred out, unable to be read.

I am beginning to conclude that Quora is nothing more than Jimmy Wales' and Marc Bodnick's personal propaganda playground.

Sorry, forgot to add the link to the above post:

http://www.quora.com/Does-Jimmy-Wales-r ... nt/1600592

It's a comment on an answer to this question.

I agree that Quora not showing the other answers unless you register an account sucks a little.

[thekohser]

I agree that Quora not showing the other answers unless you register an account sucks a little.

I'm finding that this link works nicely, even if not signed in:

http://www.quora.com/Does-Jimmy-Wales-r ... nt/1589780

[HRIP7]

I agree that Quora not showing the other answers unless you register an account sucks a little.

I'm finding that this link works nicely, even if not signed in:

http://www.quora.com/Does-Jimmy-Wales-r ... nt/1589780

Thanks, Greg.

[EricBarbour]

It looks as if Quora is going down the same demented path that Facebook has been following -- constant software updates, plus increasingly complex Javascript and XSS arrangements, that break functionality and block users. More tracking cookies, more crap, week after week.

Every few days I try to log in to my Quora account (using Firefox with some plug-ins on OSX), and every time, something else is non-functional or screwed up. Right now I can log in only if I disable every possible script blocker, ad blocker, tracking cookie blocker, etc. etc. And even then, it doesn't open all the threads in that discussion anymore. I have to seriously wonder if Jimbo is screaming at Quora developers to make it more difficult for people to criticize him on Quora.

[Vigilant]

Most of the new style sites like quora, I won't access outside of a VBI running firefox.

You have no idea WTF is going on in their scripting messes.

[HRIP7]

Jimbo has replied.

It is a smear campaign and I'm sure most people who have read about it have a reaction similar to mine with this kind of bizarre "conspiracy theory" style drawing of connections that don't make sense to any rational person. I hope to persuade you to drop it, because I'm quite sure you're wasting your time.

Let's go through the list of connections one by one and analyze them thoughtfully.

1. I attended a summit on global warming at Necker Island back in 2008, as reported in the New York Times. This meeting included a couple of dozen people, including Larry Page of Google, Tony Blair, etc. This meeting had nothing to do with Kazakhstan nor freedom of speech nor Wikipedia. If the point of the story is to prove that I know Tony Blair, that's pretty silly - of course I know him.

I know lots of people. I've had dinner with the vice-minister of the State Council Information Office in China, and spent the dinner discussing the benefits of freedom of speech for China.

2. Tony Blair has been criticized - in 2012 - for his work advising Kazakhstan. Yes, he has. This has nothing at all to do with me. I have nothing to do with it, and know nothing about it beyond what I've read in the newspapers.

3. Cherie Blair posed for a photo-opp at the Wikipedia 10th Anniversary party. She was one of a great many prominent guests at the party, invited by my wife. The photographer asked us to pose for a photo, and we moved over to have the Wikipedia globe as a background and someone called out "Cut the cake". Everyone laughed, so we did it as a joke. I still get a chuckle out of it.

Perhaps surprisingly to the conspiracy theorists, this had nothing to do with Kazakhstan.

4. Lord Mandelson also came to the party. As did, in the joke of one Wikipedian friend who attended as well, "half of the House of Lords". That's a joke, but I suppose there were 10 members of the Lords in attendance. Why? Mostly because they are friends of my wife, who worked with them at Downing Street years ago.

Perhaps surprisingly, this had nothing to do with Kazakhstan.

5. In 2008, I co-chaired a WEF event in Egypt with Prince Andrew and others. You forgot to notice that one. Prince Andrew is "chums" with Goga Ashkenazi, who was born in Kazakhstan. Feel free to add that to the timeline. Although it's as irrelevant as all the rest of your nonsense, it does add some desperately needed sex appeal to the imaginary scandal.

Did Blair attend? Did the President of Kazakhstan attend? If you say so; I don't really know. WEF events have attendance figures in the thousands. I assume you've looked it up and it's true. I didn't meet with either of them there, nor did I have any meetings with anyone from Kazakhstan at the WEF event in Egypt in 2008.

At the event I criticized Egypt's record on freedom of speech and called for them to stop arresting bloggers.

I did go to a Kazakh reception with friends and there was a humorous incident involving me accidentally eating horse meat. A friend of mine wrote about it in his blog. I'm sorry to disappoint you here, but he's an Israeli peace activist and as far as I know has nothing at all to do with Kazakhstan.

6. Finally, you claim that I've given my "seal of approval" to the Kazakh government controlling the expansion of Kazakh-language Wikipedia. Well, it's no wonder you have to bury this claim in a mountain of irrelevant nonsense. Perhaps you're hoping that no one will notice that it simply isn't true.

I will always fight against government control of Wikipedia in all languages and all places all over the world. I have a very good track record on this, and one must suppose that the "gotcha" in the smear campaign is to try to make it look like I'm being soft on the Kazakh government due to... well a bunch of irrelevant stuff that has nothing to do with the matter.

But the problem is that it just isn't true. My position on freedom of speech in Kazakhstan is the same as my position on it in every country of the world. To the maximum extent possible, I will fight against government censorship in every jurisdiction.

I've been bemused by this and tempted to create my own alternate timeline "proving" all kinds of nefarious things about me based on conferences that I've attended, people I've met, and so on. It's just hilarious and stupid, so why not?

But if you're feverishly hoping that the media is going to latch onto this and act like it's a huge scandal, I'm afraid you are just wasting your time.

[HRIP7]

... and I've replied to him.

The scandal is very simple: the Kazakh state is funding WikiBilim's expansion of the Kazakh Wikipedia.

Creative Commons (you're on their board, too) describes WikiBilim as an organisation that operates as the Wikimedia representative in Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan and Rwanda: Two more CC Affiliates for 2011), and WikiBilim claims the right to use (and does use) Wikimedia trademarks.

Yet you stated to me and others there was "zero collaboration" with the Kazakh regime, and that WikiBilim was a "totally independent" organisation (User talk:Jimbo Wales: Difference between revisions).

You are usually vociferously opposed to paid editing. Yet you've made the head of WikiBilim, a state-funded organisation with 25 full-time workers (10 Questions with Rauan Kenzhekhanuly), the "Wikipedian of the Year", a fact that is widely advertised in the approved Kazakh media outlets. Kazakh media are quoting you as having expressed gratitude to the Kazakh government for having created the right conditions for the Kazakh Wikipedia to flourish (Kazakh Wikipedia receives award at Wikimania conference).

You'll have to leave it to the public to decide whether the fact that you are close friends with a lot of people who, like WikiBilim, are also "financed" by Samruk-Kazyna is relevant or not.

Meanwhile, press freedom in Kazakhstan has gone down the drain (Main opposition media silenced in space of a month). I hope you realise that if you go to visit Kazakhstan and have yourself photographed shaking hands with the President and Prime Minister, and various other dignitaries, this will be welcome propaganda fodder to officials there, creating an undeserved appearance of normality.

[EricBarbour]

At the event I criticized Egypt's record on freedom of speech and called for them to stop arresting bloggers.

Good for him. Now he can explain why he's not calling on Nazarbayev to stop arresting bloggers.

[HRIP7]

Funny that he mentions "half of the House of Lords" was there for the Wikipedia birthday bash (well, 10 members or so).

After all, he says his article watchlist is mostly composed of UK peers and other biographies that need monitoring.

He has often done laudable clean-up work on biographies. But there is a risk here of a system developing where you can have your biography cleaned up if you're chummy with Jimmy, and if you're not, well, then the ravens can (and will) have you.

[HRIP7]

At the event I criticized Egypt's record on freedom of speech and called for them to stop arresting bloggers.

Good for him. Now he can explain why he's not calling on Nazarbayev to stop arresting bloggers.

Indeed. That would be a good thing to do before he books his flight.

[thekohser]

He's protesting an awful lot. About as much as he protested when there were claims that Larry Sanger actually co-founded Wikipedia. Or about as much protest when there were claims that his affair with Rachel Marsden took place while he was still married.

We know both of those other claims were and still are factual, so I'm going to say "where there's smoke, there's probably fire" here, too.

You've done a good job, Andreas.

I would prepare for your Quora account to be blocked in the next 48 hours, though.

[HRIP7]

At the time I didn't really take note of the fact that the WikiBilim press release said Greg's Examiner article had been translated and published in some local media.

Also, Kazakhs seem to have a real problem with millions and thousands. We saw this in the online article that was corrected from "$204 million" to "$204 thousand", and in this press release too, they write "30000 million Tenge" when they mean "30 million" (it's the same in the Kazakh original).

There is a press release at wikibilim.kz.

Microsoft translator says,

An official press statement

21-22 December on the talk page (the talk page) online encyclopedia Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is actively discussed development of the Kazakh Wikipedia and Commons «WikiBilim». In comments certain participants in the discussion, it was stated that the Foundation "WikiBilim" received from JSC QMS 204 million tenge. Also it was said that the ROK Government is censoring edits and articles in Kazakh Wikipedia. Blogger has posted his article on Examiner.com, which has been translated and published in some local media.

Public fund "WikiBilim" is a non-profit organization whose purpose is the development of educational content in the Kazakh language. The Foundation has launched the project "Wikipedia" in Kazakh language in May 2011, with the aim to draw public attention to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and involve the active part of the public in the process of content creation in the Kazakh language. For less than 2 years project has been successfully implemented, having achieved all your goals. Wikipedia has articles on Kazakh National encyclopedia of Kazakhstan and other industry publications, donated by the Kazakh encyclopedia. The number of articles grew from 7 thousand in April 2011, until by the end of 2012, 200000. The number of editors has grown to 300 people, the depth of the articles has grown from 0 to 6, monthly page views in the kazahskoâzyčnom section of Wikipedia has grown to 8 million. pages per month.

In 2011, of NWF Samruk-Kazyna JSC provided sponsorship of "WikiBilim" on Wikipedia in Kazakh language in amount of 30000 million. tenge. In 2012, has allocated 20 million. tenge. Within the project of "WikiBilim" held over 100 seminars and training sessions for new members. It was organized a contest for active editors. Under the rules of the contest sponsor, who wrote more than 100 articles and laptop. Nokia company has donated 50 handsets for authors of featured articles and active editors. Featured articles are identified by community members.

In 2012, the PF "WikiBilim" launched and other projects. The Foundation presented the online library http://www.ikitap.kz, Audiohrestomatiâ project of Kazakh literature included in the school curriculum, built a generic online dictionary of the Kazakh language, published the book "free culture" by Lawrence Lessig in the Kazakh language. In December 2012, the Foundation together with "Agency" Khabar "started showing up world famous TED speeches on" Blìm ".

Public fund "WikiBilim" is an independent and non-profit organization operating in accordance with legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. PF "WikiBilim" projects are implemented under the patronage of the head of the presidential administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan k. Masimov. Partners and donors are the foundation of NWF QMS, Ministry of culture and information, Ministry of education and science, by Nokia, the company Beeline, charitable foundation "Altyn kyran insignia", the Wikimedia Foundation, the TED Foundation, the Creative Commons Europe, open society Fund, national book Chamber of Kazakhstan, the Union of writers of Kazakhstan, Khabar News Agency, Institute of Linguistics of a. Bajtursynuly, Institute of literature and art m. Auezova, plus more than 50 organizations and individuals.

[thekohser]

At the time I didn't really take note of the fact that the WikiBilim press release said Greg's Examiner article had been translated and published in some local media.

I had taken that to mean that the information found in the Examiner article was also cobbled into various reports by media like Daily Mail and Telegraph. Whatever the case, we can't fully rely on Microsoft Translator to properly deduce their meaning. "Local media" really should be Kazakh, though, it seems.

[The Joy]

From Registan:

http://registan.net/2012/12/27/on-kazak ... mentality/

Registan specializes in Central Asian news and politics. Maybe inviting Myles Smith and/or other Registan journalists here would be appropriate?

[EricBarbour]

FWIW, Kazakhstan is now considered one of the worst countries in the world to grow up in.

Three telling cases here are Angola, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, all of which scored much lower than I’d have expected. Both Angola and Kazakhstan are enjoying rapid economic growth from energy and mineral exports, and Ukraine is a middle-income democracy. But all three have severe and worsening problems with economic inequality, which in turn are fueling corruption and poor governance.

You’re worse off being born in any of these three countries, according to the data, than you are just about anywhere else, including Sri Lanka, a poor hotbed of ethnic violence, oppressive Vietnam, or even Syria. Pakistan places higher than Angola or Ukraine but just below Kazakhstan.

[HRIP7]

From Registan:

http://registan.net/2012/12/27/on-kazak ... mentality/

Registan specializes in Central Asian news and politics. Maybe inviting Myles Smith and/or other Registan journalists here would be appropriate?

I've dropped them a note.

[Peter Damian]

A question on the timeline. http://wikipediocracy.com/wiki/index.ph ... vents#2011 . We know that a new "Wikipedian of the year" award was created and was given by Jimmy to Wikbilim CEO to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, the head of WikiBilim, at a Wikimania conference 4-7 August 2011. When and where did the idea of creating this award come from? Who at WMF approved it?

[HRIP7]

A question on the timeline. http://wikipediocracy.com/wiki/index.ph ... vents#2011 . We know that a new "Wikipedian of the year" award was created and was given by Jimmy to Wikbilim CEO to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, the head of WikiBilim, at a Wikimania conference 4-7 August 2011. When and where did the idea of creating this award come from? Who at WMF approved it?

Good questions. The Signpost report merely said the following:

Jimmy also announced the creation of an annual award—Global Wikipedian of the Year. This was given to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly of Kazakh Wikipedia and consisted of a $5,000 award to Wikibilim, the chapter in Kazakhstan, to pay travel expenses to Wikimania next year. This would be presented to Kezhekhanuly at a ceremony in Kazakhstan with the country's prime minister Karim Massimov. The Kazakh Wikipedia has been a dramatic success: the number of active editors has increased from 15 to 231 and has passed the milestone of 25,000 articles. Kezhekhanuly mentioned in an article in June that the Kazakh Wikipedia is adding 500 new articles a day and is aiming to get to 200,000 articles by the end of the year. At the time of writing, it has 68,935 articles.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems very un-Wikipedia-like for a Wikipedia award to be given in the presence of a prime minister, let alone a prime minister of a country like Kazakhstan, that ranks in the bottom 20 of the world for democracy and freedom of speech.

So much for Wales' assertion that there had been "zero collaboration" with the Kazakh government:

The Wikimedia Foundation has zero collaboration with the government of Kazakhstan. Wikibilim is a totally independent organization. And it is absolutely wrong to say that I am "helping the Kazakh regime whitewash its image". I am a firm and strong critic. At the same time, I'm excited by the work of volunteers, and I believe - very strongly - that an open and independent Wikipedia will be the death knell for tyranny in places like Kazakhstan. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it is absolutely silly to suggest that I'm in any way actively supporting tyrants.--[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]] ([[User talk:Jimbo Wales#top|talk]]) 15:33, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

[dogbiscuit]

The Wikimedia Foundation has zero collaboration with the government of Kazakhstan. Wikibilim is a totally independent organization. And it is absolutely wrong to say that I am "helping the Kazakh regime whitewash its image". I am a firm and strong critic. At the same time, I'm excited by the work of volunteers, and I believe - very strongly - that an open and independent Wikipedia will be the death knell for tyranny in places like Kazakhstan. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it is absolutely silly to suggest that I'm in any way actively supporting tyrants.--[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]] ([[User talk:Jimbo Wales#top|talk]]) 15:33, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Jimbo has problems with grasping the difference between the words "active", "unwittingly" & "deliberately" as well as understanding the phrase "totally independent".

[HRIP7]

The Wikimedia Foundation has zero collaboration with the government of Kazakhstan. Wikibilim is a totally independent organization. And it is absolutely wrong to say that I am "helping the Kazakh regime whitewash its image". I am a firm and strong critic. At the same time, I'm excited by the work of volunteers, and I believe - very strongly - that an open and independent Wikipedia will be the death knell for tyranny in places like Kazakhstan. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it is absolutely silly to suggest that I'm in any way actively supporting tyrants.--[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]] ([[User talk:Jimbo Wales#top|talk]]) 15:33, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Jimbo has problems with grasping the difference between the words "active", "unwittingly" & "deliberately" as well as understanding the phrase "totally independent".

Especially given that the Wikimedia logo is proudly displayed on the WikiBilim home page, underneath the picture of Mr Massimov and the Samruk-Kazyna logo.

This is the Wikimedia logo as shown on the site:

[HRIP7]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair or the Kazakhstani government and maintains he works to ensure that Kazakh-language Wikipedia is neutral. When it comes to the question of neutrality in countries with limited freedom of speech, Wales acknowledges that there are a lot of difficult “middle ground” positions. “If, in order to have a chapter in Kazakhstan, we have to accept that the chapter, although independent, will have to deal with a very restrictive environment overall, and will not be able to approach political matters at all, but the chapter will be able to assist in getting scientists and academics and smart members of the general public to help contribute, then… well, that depends on a lot of complex variables.”

[thekohser]

A question on the timeline. http://wikipediocracy.com/wiki/index.ph ... vents#2011 . We know that a new "Wikipedian of the year" award was created and was given by Jimmy to Wikbilim CEO to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, the head of WikiBilim, at a Wikimania conference 4-7 August 2011. When and where did the idea of creating this award come from? Who at WMF approved it?

In all the many pages (over 700 pages, in fact) devoted to discussing and planning the Wikimania 2011 event, no mention is ever made of any "Wikipedian of the Year".

Rauan is only mentioned three times.

Kazakh is mentioned twice. And Kazakhstan gets a handful of mentions.

I think it would be worthwhile to ask Jimmy Wales on his Wikipedia Talk page, who conceived the idea of awarding a "Global Wikipedian of the Year" award at the Haifa Wikimania in 2011? And ask if it was ever publicly discussed. And ask if there was a selection committee to choose the winner.

[HRIP7]

I posted a comment on the site, which is awaiting moderation:

Jimmy Wales said to me and others on his talk page in the English Wikipedia (before he banned me from his talk page):

'The Wikimedia Foundation has zero collaboration with the government of Kazakhstan. Wikibilim is a totally independent organization. And it is absolutely wrong to say that I am "helping the Kazakh regime whitewash its image". I am a firm and strong critic. At the same time, I'm excited by the work of volunteers, and I believe - very strongly - that an open and independent Wikipedia will be the death knell for tyranny in places like Kazakhstan. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it is absolutely silly to suggest that I'm in any way actively supporting tyrants.--[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]] ([[User talk:Jimbo Wales#top|talk]]) 15:33, 21 December 2012 (UTC)'

But this is inconsistent with the facts.

The Creative Commons website (Wales is on the board of Creative Commons) describes WikiBilim as 'a non-profit organisation which also operates as the local representative of Wikimedia. Wikibilim in turn is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov.'

WikiBilim say they are licensed to use Wikimedia trademarks. The WikiBilim website displays the Wikimedia Foundation logo underneath a picture of Mr Massimov (the President's chief of staff and former prime minister), and the logo of state fund Samruk-Kazyna.

Wales created the Wikipedian of the Year award in 2011, saying it was to be presented to the founder of WikiBilim in a ceremony attended by the Kazakh Prime Minister. Whose idea was this? Who was on the committee selecting the award winner?

Kazakh media report that at the 2012 Wikimania conference in Washington, "Jimmy Wales thanked the Kazakh government for creating conditions for significant achievements in the development of the Kazakh language Wikipedia."

All of this is very hard to reconcile with Jimmy Wales' statement quoted above. Such mismatches are cause for concern.

And notwithstanding his statement above, in practice, Jimmy Wales' cheerleading for the Kazakh Wikipedia both in Western and Kazakh media has been an image boost for the Kazakh government, with the Wikipedian of the Year award mentioned prominently on government and Kazakh embassy websites, at a time when human rights organisations express profound concern over a crackdown on freedom of speech in Kazakhstan.

[thekohser]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

I left a comment, awaiting approval:

Steven Hermans has written a rather balanced assessment of what is going on with the Kazakh Wikipedia, the Kazakhstan government, and the Wikimedia Foundation. One thing that is unfortunately absent in this discussion is what is happening on Quora.com regarding this issue. Marc Bodnick is a business developer for Quora, and Jimmy Wales is an investor in Quora. Bodnick and Wales are friends. When people ask questions on Quora about Wales’ involvement with people and organizations being paid by the Kazakhstan regime, Wales has asked that the questions be removed, and Bodnick (or his staff) comply within hours to have those questions removed. Wales has also been caught privately e-mailing other Quora members, asking them to upvote his answers and downvote the “smear campaign” he believes is being waged against him regarding Kazakhstan. You can follow my link to read a detailed timeline that clearly establishes that Jimmy Wales is steeped in the social and political circles that are attempted to paint a rosy picture of the Kazakhstan government, even though that regime is quite oppressive when it comes to free speech and the opposition press. Apparently the tactic of shutting down opposition thought is also alive and well at Quora.

[Peter Damian]

Another problem. Jimbo is countering criticism by saying that he has spoken publicly against censorship in China, Saudi Arabia, and so on. “As I have done in China and elsewhere around the world, I am working hard both publicly and behind the scenes to push for greater openness and freedom of speech worldwide”.

OK, we understand. But if I am the president of an authoritarian regime, don't I get extra points for co-opting a campaigner who has spoken out against censorship, and is pushing hard 'both publicly and behind the scenes' to push for greater openness and freedom of speech worldwide? If I shake hands with that guy and have my picture taking with him smiling, what is the message I am giving? Do I even need a caption like 'the President greets Jimmy Wales, outspoken campaigner against censorship, who is pushing for greater openness and freedom of speech worldwide'? Doesn't the picture say it all?

[SB_Johnny]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair..."

There's going to be some uncomfortable moments at the next Davos if Jimmy doesn't take that foot out of his mouth...

[dogbiscuit]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair..."

There's going to be some uncomfortable moments at the next Davos if Jimmy doesn't take that foot out of his mouth...

He obviously isn't a fan of Jack Ryan movies: "Don't say he was a friend, say he was a close friend."

All this points to Jimbo knowing that he is up to no good, and feeling exposed. He's not as bright as he likes to think he is and he is mixing with the big boys now.

[HRIP7]

The disappeared journalist, Tokbergen Abiyev (T-H-L), has turned up again, and told a press conference that he staged his own disappearance.

See Statement from Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, Write-up by Committee to Protect Journalists.

[thekohser]

The disappeared journalist, Tokbergen Abiyev (T-H-L), has turned up again, and told a press conference that he staged his own disappearance.

See Statement from Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, Write-up by Committee to Protect Journalists.

What an utter disappointment by that individual. It should be removed from our timeline and blog, if present there. Or, the reappearance added. What do you think?

[HRIP7]

The disappeared journalist, Tokbergen Abiyev (T-H-L), has turned up again, and told a press conference that he staged his own disappearance.

See Statement from Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, Write-up by Committee to Protect Journalists.

What an utter disappointment by that individual. It should be removed from our timeline and blog, if present there. Or, the reappearance added. What do you think?

Yes, perhaps we should remove it; as it stands, it is potentially misleading.

At the January 4, 2013, press conference, Abiyev said he had rented the apartment so he could spend a month in hiding, news reports said. He said he had hoped his action would get him an audience with President Nursultan Nazarbayev so he could discuss ongoing government corruption in the country, the reports said. "I was planning that authorities--and the president, first of all--would pay attention to the problems of our Kazakh people, to the developments in Kazakhstan. With my action, I wanted to get through to the president so that he could meet me and listen to what I have to say," Abiyev said, according to Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Kazakhstan is strange. What kind of journalist would think that this sort of stunt would be a good idea? From Reporters Without Borders:

"This episode would be laughable if the situation of freedom of information in Kazakhstan were not so serious," Reporters Without Borders said. "The last thing the country's journalists needed at this critical juncture was to be discredited by an unacceptable hoax by a member of their own profession.

"While we hail the work of the police in this case, we are still awaiting convincing results in the investigations into Oralgaisha Omarshanova's real disappearance in 2007 and last year's attempted murders of Lukpan Akhmedyarov and Ularbek Baitailak."

Reporters Without Borders added: "Abiyev's ill-conceived stunt must not deflect attention from the current unprecedented crackdown on Kazakhstan's independent and opposition media. They have more need than ever of the international community's support."

[thekohser]

Yes, perhaps we should remove it; as it stands, it is potentially misleading.

I've removed the two entries from the wiki timeline.

[dogbiscuit]

The disappeared journalist, Tokbergen Abiyev (T-H-L), has turned up again, and told a press conference that he staged his own disappearance.

See Statement from Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, Write-up by Committee to Protect Journalists.

What an utter disappointment by that individual. It should be removed from our timeline and blog, if present there. Or, the reappearance added. What do you think?

Yes, perhaps we should remove it; as it stands, it is potentially misleading.

At the January 4, 2013, press conference, Abiyev said he had rented the apartment so he could spend a month in hiding, news reports said. He said he had hoped his action would get him an audience with President Nursultan Nazarbayev so he could discuss ongoing government corruption in the country, the reports said. "I was planning that authorities--and the president, first of all--would pay attention to the problems of our Kazakh people, to the developments in Kazakhstan. With my action, I wanted to get through to the president so that he could meet me and listen to what I have to say," Abiyev said, according to Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Kazakhstan is strange. What kind of journalist would think that this sort of stunt would be a good idea? From Reporters Without Borders:

"This episode would be laughable if the situation of freedom of information in Kazakhstan were not so serious," Reporters Without Borders said. "The last thing the country's journalists needed at this critical juncture was to be discredited by an unacceptable hoax by a member of their own profession.

"While we hail the work of the police in this case, we are still awaiting convincing results in the investigations into Oralgaisha Omarshanova's real disappearance in 2007 and last year's attempted murders of Lukpan Akhmedyarov and Ularbek Baitailak."

Reporters Without Borders added: "Abiyev's ill-conceived stunt must not deflect attention from the current unprecedented crackdown on Kazakhstan's independent and opposition media. They have more need than ever of the international community's support."

No, the correct thing is to keep it in the time line and make it clear that the journalist has stated it was a hoax. Add the revelation, and annotate the original disappearance.

If we just remove it, then we are shown to be only documenting stuff that suits us. It is still interesting that someone was daft enough to think that such a stunt was a good idea - and in the context of Kazakhstan it was plausible. And before you say it couldn't happen here, remember we had the council estate mum who thought it was a bright idea to hide her own child for some bizarre reason.

I think the incident also reminds us that just because someone is labelled a journalist, it does not give them superhuman abilities, in the same way as someone labelled a businessman should not be assumed to be more able to run the country than anyone else, and scientists are occasionally shown to be human beings too.

[thekohser]

No, the correct thing is to keep it in the time line and make it clear that the journalist has stated it was a hoax. Add the revelation, and annotate the original disappearance.

Back to the ol' wiki, then. I agree.

[Vigilant]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair..."

There's going to be some uncomfortable moments at the next Davos if Jimmy doesn't take that foot out of his mouth...

He obviously isn't a fan of Jack Ryan movies: "Don't say he was a friend, say he was a close friend."

All this points to Jimbo knowing that he is up to no good, and feeling exposed. He's not as bright as he likes to think he is and he is mixing with the big boys now.

Which has the added bonus of being potentially hilarious.
The saddest and most boring outcome would be if he just gets strung along as a useful idiot.

[SB_Johnny]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair..."

There's going to be some uncomfortable moments at the next Davos if Jimmy doesn't take that foot out of his mouth...

He obviously isn't a fan of Jack Ryan movies: "Don't say he was a friend, say he was a close friend."

All this points to Jimbo knowing that he is up to no good, and feeling exposed. He's not as bright as he likes to think he is and he is mixing with the big boys now.

Which has the added bonus of being potentially hilarious.
The saddest and most boring outcome would be if he just gets strung along as a useful idiot.

That wouldn't be a surprising outcome at all, really. Jimmy is just following his nose to the free tickets and champagne (he's getting a bit old for the skirt chasing), but at this rate he's going to find himself starting to lose the VIP status.

[The Devil's Advocate]

Netprophet: Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia

In his response to the criticism, Jimmy Wales denied being close to Tony Blair..."

There's going to be some uncomfortable moments at the next Davos if Jimmy doesn't take that foot out of his mouth...

I would love an exact quote on that. Personally, it would seem incredibly bizarre and stupid to me if he actually suggested that the two of them are not close.

[HRIP7]

Interesting Quora diff, with Jimmy deleting the following info from the "answer wiki" (an openly editable text field above the answers) for the Davos question:

WikiBilim uses Wikimedia trademarks on its website (Басты бет (links to: http://wikibilim.kz/)), and the official Creative Commons weblog (Kazakhstan and Rwanda: Two more CC Affiliates for 2011 (links to: http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/30928)) has described it as "a non-profit organisation which also operates as the local representative of Wikimedia. Wikibilim in turn is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov."

[HRIP7]

Mod. note: Tesco horse meat scandal now here.

[HRIP7]

I noticed the other day that The Astana Times, hosted on the Kazakh US embassy website, also had a prominent article on the Kazakh Wikipedia (page B5):

“We can not rely on the help of enthusiasts only. In Germany, for example, the government financially supports the editors and authors who write articles in German and develop the German segment of Wikipedia,” Abenov said. “Having created the Kazakh Wikipedia and, thus, told the world about ourselves, Kazakhstan now needs to address more serious problems.”

“We are now facing the issues of using and popularising licences of Creative Commons, use of free licenses and free software in education and science development, where authors and copyright holders can distribute their creative works more widely and freely, and consumers can use them more easily. To do that we need to adjust our legislation,” Abenov said.

Abenov said the Wikibilim foundation, created on a voluntary basis, was not intended to make a profit. It is important for the development of content in the Kazakh language. So far, only 9 percent of more than 60,000 sites registered today in Kazakhstan are using the state language. Assuming that 75 percent of young people use Kazakh as their native language and the language of instruction, experts believe this is a major problem making it difficult to overestimate the contribution of such encyclopedias.

The mention of Germany is a bit of sleight-of-hand. The German Wikipedia did have a government-subsidised Wikipedia project: improving Wikipedia coverage of renewable resources. I actually thought that project was problematic, but it is a completely different situation to having the entire national Wikipedia organisation funded by a country's government, as is the case with WikiBilim (but is not the case with Wikimedia Germany).

[HRIP7]

The Creative Commons blog post that had identified WikiBilim as the Wikimedia Foundation's representative in Kazakhstan has been corrected. However, the correction is explicitly noted on the page, which is good. The description now reads:

Led by Rauan Kenzhekhanuly and including Almas Nurbakytov, Nartay Ashim and Balashov Talgat, the Kazakhstan team is supported by Wikibilim, a non-profit organisation which is devoted to expanding the availability of free knowledge in the Kazakh language, focusing on forums such as the Kazakh Wikipedia. Wikibilim is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov.

The footnote reads:

Note – This article had previously incorrectly identified Wikibilim as the official representative of Wikimedia in Kazakhstan.

[DanMurphy]

The Creative Commons blog post that had identified WikiBilim as the Wikimedia Foundation's representative in Kazakhstan has been corrected. However, the correction is explicitly noted on the page, which is good. The description now reads:

Led by Rauan Kenzhekhanuly and including Almas Nurbakytov, Nartay Ashim and Balashov Talgat, the Kazakhstan team is supported by Wikibilim, a non-profit organisation which is devoted to expanding the availability of free knowledge in the Kazakh language, focusing on forums such as the Kazakh Wikipedia. Wikibilim is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov.

The footnote reads:

Note – This article had previously incorrectly identified Wikibilim as the official representative of Wikimedia in Kazakhstan.

To me, this is a distinction without a difference. Kazakhstan's "Wikipedian of the year" is a long-time government PR guy, draws salary from a government-financed group designed to run the Kazakh Wikipedia, and is the most powerful mover on the Kazakh Wikipedia. These are the salient facts, not whether or not there's some piece of letterhead calling the Wikibilim (the Kazakh-government financed Wikipedia thingy) the "official" rep. What about "we take no money from governments?"

[HRIP7]

The Creative Commons blog post that had identified WikiBilim as the Wikimedia Foundation's representative in Kazakhstan has been corrected. However, the correction is explicitly noted on the page, which is good. The description now reads:

Led by Rauan Kenzhekhanuly and including Almas Nurbakytov, Nartay Ashim and Balashov Talgat, the Kazakhstan team is supported by Wikibilim, a non-profit organisation which is devoted to expanding the availability of free knowledge in the Kazakh language, focusing on forums such as the Kazakh Wikipedia. Wikibilim is supported by the Government of Kazakhstan and personally by the Prime-Minister Mr. Karim Masimov.

The footnote reads:

Note – This article had previously incorrectly identified Wikibilim as the official representative of Wikimedia in Kazakhstan.

To me, this is a distinction without a difference. Kazakhstan's "Wikipedian of the year" is a long-time government PR guy, draws salary from a government-financed group designed to run the Kazakh Wikipedia, and is the most powerful mover on the Kazakh Wikipedia. These are the salient facts, not whether or not there's some piece of letterhead calling the Wikibilim (the Kazakh-government financed Wikipedia thingy) the "official" rep. What about "we take no money from governments?"

Jimmy Wales said to me in an e-mail the other day,

Not that the facts have slowed you down much, but do you know that the staff of Wikbilim don't edit Wikipedia?

I pointed out to him that the National Coordinator of WikiBilim was made a bureaucrat in the Kazakh Wikipedia (one of only two, the other having practically stopped editing prior to the recent rejuvenation of the Kaszakh Wikipedia through WikiBilim), and that he single-handedly wrote the Kazakh Wikipedia article on the 2011 Mangystau riots (T-H-L) for example, and had also edited the article on President Nazarbaev. Jimmy replied,

He edits on his own time. Lots of people do that.

I think as excuses go, this deserves some sort of prize for lameness. It's roughly equivalent to making a Bell Pottinger account manager one of only two bureaucrats in the English Wikipedia, with the right to appoint administrators, having him edit the articles on the people paying him, making his boss Wikipedian of the Year, and then saying that there is no conflict of interest because he does his Wikipedia editing after hours.

[DanMurphy]

So if I follow Wales said to you: "The Wikibilim people don't edit the Kazkh Wikipedia."

And you said to him: "In fact, Nartay Ashim, the national coordinator for Wikibilim, is a bureaucrat on the Kazakh Wikipedia and does in fact edit the Kazakh Wikipedia."

And then Wales said to you: "That doesn't count since he edits the Kazakh Wikipedia on his own time, not as a member of Wikibilim."

Do I have this right?

If so, forget lame. That's dishonest (I'm taking you at your word on Ashim; the Kazakh Wikipedia links would be good here if you have them handy).

[cyofee]

It looks like Jimbo doesn't let facts slow him down, either.

[TungstenCarbide]

If so, forget lame. That's dishonest...

Pathetic is what I had in mind.

I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Jimbo. He's lost most of the Wikipower he used to have. People openly diss him on Wikipedia and Commons. The recent copyright problems with his Commons uploads, and the way he dealt with it on his talk page, shows him to be out of touch, clueless in fact. And then there's his personal life.

Despite being the project's GodKing, on the board, privy to the functionary mailing list and all the other secret rooms of the castle, he still makes a fool of himself every time he talks to Andreas.