Kazakhstan

[thekohser]

The presenter in that video is Jemma Woodman. She is currently Head of Fundraising and Communications for Cool Earth (T-H-L). Cool Earth's Wikipedia article was created by a single-purpose account, and then tended to mostly by two single-purposes accounts. She sued an earlier employer when she was passed over for a job opening. She has eaten armadillo feet and live grubs.

[Vigilant]

The presenter in that video is Jemma Woodman. She is currently Head of Fundraising and Communications for Cool Earth (T-H-L). Cool Earth's Wikipedia article was created by a single-purpose account, and then tended to mostly by two single-purposes accounts. She sued an earlier employer when she was passed over for a job opening. She has eaten armadillo feet and live grubs.

That's funny Cool Earth is written by a series of throwaway SPA accounts. They either have no other edits or the edits they do have are tightly related to Cool Earth management.

[dogbiscuit]

Weird! I watched that video and could not help thinking that the President is the epitome of Billy No Mates. If that was my birthday party, I would rather not be surrounded by a load of old biddies like that (virginal or otherwise). He was flown across Europe for that? No wonder he looks confused and bemused.

Ermm... President Nazerbayev wasn't in attendance at Camelot castle. At least, not that I could see. Just some ambassadorial attaches. That's what made it especially, deliciously weird.

I thought the bloke who appeared out of the helicopter looked suspiciously young and confused. I gave it the appropriate amount of attention it deserved is my excuse!

[Cla68]

Weird! I watched that video and could not help thinking that the President is the epitome of Billy No Mates. If that was my birthday party, I would rather not be surrounded by a load of old biddies like that (virginal or otherwise). He was flown across Europe for that? No wonder he looks confused and bemused.

Ermm... President Nazerbayev wasn't in attendance at Camelot castle. At least, not that I could see. Just some ambassadorial attaches. That's what made it especially, deliciously weird.

I thought the bloke who appeared out of the helicopter looked suspiciously young and confused. I gave it the appropriate amount of attention it deserved is my excuse!

They had a birthday party for a guy who didn't even attend, instead just sending a few low-ranking functionaries? I guess all involved should be admired for enduring that farce with some dignity.

[thekohser]

They had a birthday party for a guy who didn't even attend, instead just sending a few low-ranking functionaries? I guess all involved should be admired for enduring that farce with some dignity.

If you look real closely, there is one fellow at one point in the gathered crowd who sort of gives a "what the f*ck?" look.

[HRIP7]

Weird! I watched that video and could not help thinking that the President is the epitome of Billy No Mates. If that was my birthday party, I would rather not be surrounded by a load of old biddies like that (virginal or otherwise). He was flown across Europe for that? No wonder he looks confused and bemused.

Ermm... President Nazerbayev wasn't in attendance at Camelot castle. At least, not that I could see. Just some ambassadorial attaches. That's what made it especially, deliciously weird.

I thought the bloke who appeared out of the helicopter looked suspiciously young and confused. I gave it the appropriate amount of attention it deserved is my excuse!

They had a birthday party for a guy who didn't even attend, instead just sending a few low-ranking functionaries? I guess all involved should be admired for enduring that farce with some dignity.

Farcical or not, birthday parties like that are not unusual for "revered national leaders".

[thekohser]

Wikipedia says that Kazakhstan's GDP is soon anticipated to pass $6,000 (US dollars). Wow, they might be able to buy my used 2009 Hyundai Accent one day.

(I won't provide a link -- let the Wikipediots fix their own encyclopedia.)

[Poetlister]

Wikipedia says that Kazakhstan's GDP is soon anticipated to pass $6,000 (US dollars). Wow, they might be able to buy my used 2009 Hyundai Accent one day.

(I won't provide a link -- let the Wikipediots fix their own encyclopedia.)

Maybe that's GDP per head?

[thekohser]

Wikipedia says that Kazakhstan's GDP is soon anticipated to pass $6,000 (US dollars). Wow, they might be able to buy my used 2009 Hyundai Accent one day.

(I won't provide a link -- let the Wikipediots fix their own encyclopedia.)

Maybe that's GDP per head?

The Radio Free Europe source that is closest to the erroneous Wikipedia statement does indeed say it is "per capita". But, Wikipedia left out that important detail. Always improving! Wikipedia is clearly better than Radio Free Europe, because Wikipedia editors ensure that information is accurately transcribed.

[Poetlister]

The Radio Free Europe source that is closest to the erroneous Wikipedia statement does indeed say it is "per capita". But, Wikipedia left out that important detail. Always improving! Wikipedia is clearly better than Radio Free Europe, because Wikipedia editors ensure that information is accurately transcribed.

Fair enough. The other point is that GDP is amount of economic activity in the last year, so we don't know how large the country's reserves are; they could easily amount to $100,000 or more.

[HRIP7]

Freedomhouse.org, Kazakhstan (2013)

The government also continues to seek to control information online by way of propaganda and technology. The state-owned Kazakhtelecom and its subsidiaries have a monopoly on internet service provision, and they have helped the government block access to opposition websites. Authorities have been accused of doctoring Kazakhstan-related entries on Wikipedia. Moreover, the well-funded website Wikibilim.kz, billed as the Kazakh-language Wikipedia, has posted articles portraying Nazarbayev favorably and downplaying or ignoring the events in Zhanaozen.[30] Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales was criticized in 2012 for “cheerleading” when he described Wikibilim.kz as “not politicized.”[31] It is estimated that one-third of Kazakhstan’s population makes regular use of the internet.[32]

[thekohser]

Freedomhouse.org, Kazakhstan (2013)

The government also continues to seek to control information online by way of propaganda and technology. The state-owned Kazakhtelecom and its subsidiaries have a monopoly on internet service provision, and they have helped the government block access to opposition websites. Authorities have been accused of doctoring Kazakhstan-related entries on Wikipedia. Moreover, the well-funded website Wikibilim.kz, billed as the Kazakh-language Wikipedia, has posted articles portraying Nazarbayev favorably and downplaying or ignoring the events in Zhanaozen.[30] Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales was criticized in 2012 for “cheerleading” when he described Wikibilim.kz as “not politicized.”[31] It is estimated that one-third of Kazakhstan’s population makes regular use of the internet.[32]

Cheerleading? He helped finance it.

[thekohser]

See article in The Atlantic from January of this year:

...Similarly, an IP address with a link to Portland was the source of changes to the Wikipedia entries for BTA Bank and for Mukhtar Ablyazov, the former BTA chairman, who is accused of defrauding the bank of billions of dollars.

BTA bank and Ablyazov are currently locked in a legal battle playing out in a London court. The case is so complex that it could drag on until 2013 and there is no guarantee that BTA will be able to recover any money, despite $172 million being spent in 2011 on "legal proceedings and the overall recovery process." The Kazakhstani government, via its Samruk Kazyna sovereign wealth fund, controls over 80 percent of the Bank's shares.

Considering this recent news, we should get a firm understanding of how Mr. Ablyazov's Wikipedia article reads, especially on the Kazakh version that Jimmy Wales helped to personally finance (if he ever mailed that check). Right now, it looks like little more than a timeline of biographical milestones.

[Poetlister]

Right now, it looks like little more than a timeline of biographical milestones.

Looks like a good model for all BLPs. Of course, even if there were a rule that all BLPs had to look like that, people would still find ways to coatrack and make them POV.

[The Joy]

Did Jimbo ever make it to Kazakhstan?

[HRIP7]

Did Jimbo ever make it to Kazakhstan?

If he did, nobody reported it.

[thekohser]

Thanks to a tip on the WPO blog comments section, there is this BBC programme to listen to, about the Kazakh Wikipedia.

It's amusing how at 14:50 the Wikipedian of the Year deflects the accusation that all that WikiBilim is really doing is using the Kazakh Wikipedia to promote the official policy of the Kazakh government -- by saying that one Kazakh critic said that he suspected they were aligned with the CIA.

As if those two propositions are mutually exclusive!

[thekohser]

It looks like Jimbo might be persuaded to pay his promised visit to Kazakhstan in 2014, before all the lace panties get banned.

[SB_Johnny]

It looks like Jimbo might be persuaded to pay his promised visit to Kazakhstan in 2014, before all the lace panties get banned.

Well no, he'd probably be able to bring a suitcase full of Victoria's secrets after the ban to thoughtfully give to the brunettes after the ban. The rules are different for Jimmy, so I'm sure the secret police would let it slide.

[The Joy]

It looks like Jimbo might be persuaded to pay his promised visit to Kazakhstan in 2014, before all the lace panties get banned.

Well no, he'd probably be able to bring a suitcase full of Victoria's secrets after the ban to thoughtfully give to the brunettes after the ban. The rules are different for Jimmy, so I'm sure the secret police would let it slide.

I think it's allowed for people to go abroad and buy them as long as they don't sell them in Kazakhstan. Of course, illegally selling them in-county would result in police panty raids and other terrible jokes on the Internet.

Panties Information wants to be free!

[EricBarbour]

Whenever "panties" are mentioned, I think of crap like this (from the current series Space Dandy). Can't help it.

[HRIP7]

A recent paper titled "Blair's Kazakhstan network", by Casey Michel, notes:

There is one final link within Blair's remarkable Kazakhstan-linked nexus that is worth noting. Jimmy Wales, the Alabama-born founder of Wikipedia, has been close to Blair's inner circle for some time. He recently married Blair's former diary secretary, Kate Garvey,62 with Blair and his wife, Cherie – who later [Ed. note: this was in fact earlier, in 2011] helped Wales cut the cake to celebrate Wikipedia's 10th anniversary – sitting in the audience. Mandelson and Campbell, who performed on bagpipes, were also at the wedding.63 Additionally, Wales serves as an informal adviser on Blair's Faith Foundation, advising on Internet strategy.64 There is nothing, of course, inherently unethical about Wales' choice of hosting such individuals at his wedding, or of serving on such board. However, when examined in light with Kazakhstan's recent involvement with Wikipedia, such connections turn from placid to questionable. In 2011, Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, an “ex-government official,”65 formed a foundation called WikiBilim with the explicit aim of expanding the Kazakh-language capabilities on Wikipedia. Although nominally separate entities, Wikipedia allowed WikiBilim to use its trademark “for public campaigns in Kazakhstan” – de facto endorsement of Wikipedia’s brand. As it is, WikiBilim emerged remarkably successfully, with thousands of new entries published in but a matter of months, as well as obtaining affiliate status with the Creative Commons Headquarter, opening a summer internship program with Almaty's International IT University,66 and, according to Kenzhekhanuly, hiring 25 full-time staff.67 The creation was such a success that, in 2011, Wales honored Kenzhekhanuly with the inaugural “Wikipedian of the Year” award.68 Unfortunately, commensurate with the increased breadth of WikiBilim came increasing questions on the verisimilitude of the entries. Not only did multiple users point out the government line within multiple contentious topics – the article on Nazarbayev, for instance, contained no notable critiques of his decades-long rule, while Zhanaozen’s entry contains nothing on the massacre – but, as Kenzhekhanuly admitted,69 Samruk-Kazyna has sponsored multiple awards for top-performing editors and writers under the WikiBilim rubric.70 When confronted with such conflict, Wales somehow claimed that, “As far as I know, the WikiBilim organization is not politicized.” Unfortunately, following a concurrent announcement that he would be visiting Kazakhstan in 2013, Wales promptly closed the Wikipedia forum discussions on the revelations and questions. He later released a statement on the matter, noting that he would be “meeting with dissident bloggers and reporters,” and that he would “promise[…] to donate money to support the grassroots Wikipedia community in Kazakhstan.”71 Who and what comprised this “grassroots” movement, however, Wales would not say. He likewise failed to answer follow-up questions from the author, despite claiming he would respond to clarifications.72

Of course, it is entirely possible that Wales was unaware of the relations between Blair and Kazakhstan; or of Kenzhekhanuly's relationship with, and funding from, Samruk-Kazyna; or of the multiple Western public relations firms accused of white-washing Kazakhstan's record on Wikipedia. It's possible that Wales believed his presence and prior advocacy for speech and media freedoms would outweigh the fiscal and political threads wrought by Blair, Astana, and the assorted, underhanded methods with which Western individuals and public relations organizations attempted to craft Kazakhstan's image within the West.

Unfortunately, such claims seem unlikely – and, as evidenced by his willingness to bestow such accolade on Kenzhekhanuly and WikiBilim, Wales opted to lend his, and his organization's, reputation to a government-financed venture standing anathema to Wikipedia's core purpose of open-source information.

Such willingness to forgo stated and prior aims, indeed, parallels Blair's involvement in the country. Blair, perhaps best known as one of the leading voices backing the purportedly defensive and humanistic invasion of Iraq, has determined that his retirement is best spent tethered to a regime Amnesty International has deemed “disgraceful.” As The Guardian noted, “Blair's involvement with [Nazarbayev] … is a typical example of his approach on foreign affairs. This riles critics and leaves the former prime minister dismayed that his opponents do not accept he is a force for good.”73 Unfortunately, Blair's connectivities have resulted in a network, and a thesis, employed by Kazakhstan that allows it to not simply whitewash its image online, but to polish a finer face for a Western audience than it would have otherwise enjoyed. If the goal, as the former Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman noted, was for Blair to aid in presentation of the finest image, he has, in a sense, succeeded – and helped Kazakhstan manipulate Western audiences through Western firms. But, likewise, as we've seen through increased coverage from both media and human rights organizations, his presence has brought more scrutiny to Astana than it would have otherwise known. Blair and his Western compatriots may have helped thread a new narrative and new network for Kazakhstan post-Zhanaozen – but the attention drawn, and consequently publicized, have helped crater this false face of Astana.

The paper also mentions that

In Nov. 2013, Bloomberg confirmed that, “ince the spring of 2011, the Nazarbayev government has paid 8 million pounds ($12.9 million) a year to [Blair].” According to sources in Kazakh media, the figure could reach as much as $16 million annually.13 Blair, naturally, has denied such figure, saying that “remuneration for the team [in Kazakhstan] is obviously confidential.”14 He has added that he sees no personal profit from his venture in Kazakhstan, and that all funds are “instead [used] to fund his charities.”15

[Anthonyhcole]

A recent paper titled "Blair's Kazakhstan network", by Casey Michel, notes:

There is one final link within Blair's remarkable Kazakhstan-linked nexus that is worth noting. Jimmy Wales, the Alabama-born founder of Wikipedia, has been close to Blair's inner circle for some time. He recently married Blair's former diary secretary, Kate Garvey,62 with Blair and his wife, Cherie – who later helped Wales cut the cake to celebrate Wikipedia's 10th anniversary – sitting in the audience. Mandelson and Campbell, who performed on bagpipes, were also at the wedding.63 Additionally, Wales serves as an informal adviser on Blair's Faith Foundation, advising on Internet strategy.64 There is nothing, of course, inherently unethical about Wales' choice of hosting such individuals at his wedding, or of serving on such board. However, when examined in light with Kazakhstan's recent involvement with Wikipedia, such connections turn from placid to questionable. In 2011, Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, an “ex-government official,”65 formed a foundation called WikiBilim with the explicit aim of expanding the Kazakh-language capabilities on Wikipedia. Although nominally separate entities, Wikipedia allowed WikiBilim to use its trademark “for public campaigns in Kazakhstan” – de facto endorsement of Wikipedia‟s brand. As it is, WikiBilim emerged remarkably successfully, with thousands of new entries published in but a matter of months, as well as obtaining affiliate status with the Creative Commons Headquarter, opening a summer internship program with Almaty's International IT University,66 and, according to Kenzhekhanuly, hiring 25 full-time staff.67 The creation was such a success that, in 2011, Wales honored Kenzhekhanuly with the inaugural “Wikipedian of the Year” award.68 Unfortunately, commensurate with the increased breadth of WikiBilim came increasing questions on the verisimilitude of the entries. Not only did multiple users point out the government line within multiple contentious topics – the article on Nazarbayev, for instance, contained no notable critiques of his decades-long rule, while Zhanaozen‟s entry contains nothing on the massacre – but, as Kenzhekhanuly admitted,69 Samruk-Kazyna has sponsored multiple awards for top-performing editors and writers under the WikiBilim rubric.70 When confronted with such conflict, Wales somehow claimed that, “As far as I know, the WikiBilim organization is not politicized.” Unfortunately, following a concurrent announcement that he would be visiting Kazakhstan in 2013, Wales promptly closed the Wikipedia forum discussions on the revelations and questions. He later released a statement on the matter, noting that he would be “meeting with dissident bloggers and reporters,” and that he would “promise[…] to donate money to support the grassroots Wikipedia community in Kazakhstan.”71 Who and what comprised this “grassroots” movement, however, Wales would not say. He likewise failed to answer follow-up questions from the author, despite claiming he would respond to clarifications.72

Of course, it is entirely possible that Wales was unaware of the relations between Blair and Kazakhstan; or of Kenzhekhanuly's relationship with, and funding from, Samruk-Kazyna; or of the multiple Western public relations firms accused of white-washing Kazakhstan's record on Wikipedia. It's possible that Wales believed his presence and prior advocacy for speech and media freedoms would outweigh the fiscal and political threads wrought by Blair, Astana, and the assorted, underhanded methods with which Western individuals and public relations organizations attempted to craft Kazakhstan's image within the West.

Unfortunately, such claims seem unlikely – and, as evidenced by his willingness to bestow such accolade on Kenzhekhanuly and WikiBilim, Wales opted to lend his, and his organization's, reputation to a government-financed venture standing anathema to Wikipedia's core purpose of open-source information.

Such willingness to forgo stated and prior aims, indeed, parallels Blair's involvement in the country. Blair, perhaps best known as one of the leading voices backing the purportedly defensive and humanistic invasion of Iraq, has determined that his retirement is best spent tethered to a regime Amnesty International has deemed “disgraceful.” As The Guardian noted, “Blair's involvement with [Nazarbayev] … is a typical example of his approach on foreign affairs. This riles critics and leaves the former prime minister dismayed that his opponents do not accept he is a force for good.”73 Unfortunately, Blair's connectivities have resulted in a network, and a thesis, employed by Kazakhstan that allows it to not simply whitewash its image online, but to polish a finer face for a Western audience than it would have otherwise enjoyed. If the goal, as the former Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman noted, was for Blair to aid in presentation of the finest image, he has, in a sense, succeeded – and helped Kazakhstan manipulate Western audiences through Western firms. But, likewise, as we've seen through increased coverage from both media and human rights organizations, his presence has brought more scrutiny to Astana than it would have otherwise known. Blair and his Western compatriots may have helped thread a new narrative and new network for Kazakhstan post-Zhanaozen – but the attention drawn, and consequently publicized, have helped crater this false face of Astana.

The paper also mentions that

In Nov. 2013, Bloomberg confirmed that, “ince the spring of 2011, the Nazarbayev government has paid 8 million pounds ($12.9 million) a year to [Blair].” According to sources in Kazakh media, the figure could reach as much as $16 million annually.13 Blair, naturally, has denied such figure, saying that “remuneration for the team [in Kazakhstan] is obviously confidential.”14 He has added that he sees no personal profit from his venture in Kazakhstan, and that all funds are “instead [used] to fund his charities.”15

So, rather than give to established charities with a strong record of successful good works, Blair chooses to create his own charities ... like Jimmy creating a charity to funnel the UAE's money. Does he do whatever Tony tells him? Do we know the name of the full-time human rights adviser Jimmy has employed? (Do you have a list of press articles covering Jimmy's Kazakh dalliance, Andreas?)

[HRIP7]

Did you know ...

– that Graham T. Allison (T-H-L), the director of Harvard's Belfer Center, "wrote the introduction to President Nazarbayev's recent book, Epicenter of Peace" and received "a special medal of friendship from the President of Kazakhstan"? (Report is from 2003/2004.)

– that Graham T. Allison is the husband of Elizabeth Allison, the head of the Stanton Foundation, which gave the Wikimedia Foundation a record-breaking $3.6m grant in 2011?

– that the Stanton Foundation, the Belfer Center and the Wikimedia Foundation were involved in a paid editing scandal at Wikipedia?

– that Jimmy Wales, recently the delighted recipient of a $500k award from the human rights-violating UAE government, says he lent his name to a UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" because the Belfer Center's Joseph Nye asked him to?

– that the UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" in question contained a chapter named "The Impact of Technology on Anti-Corruption" authored by Lord Peter Mandelson (T-H-L), the Chairman of consultancy firm Global Counsel?

– that Lord Mandelson was a guest at Jimmy Wales' 2012 wedding to Kate Garvey, and was earlier that year reported to have "developed close links with the rulers of oil-rich Kazakhstan"?

___________________________________________________________


For context, see prior post here as well as the discussion thread on the UAE award and these reports:

By Wikipediocracy contributors:

By Andreas Kolbe: Jimmy Wales in: The Dictator and I: "Wikipedian of the Year" runs wiki organisation funded by an authoritarian regime (23 December 2012)
By Greg Kohs on Examiner: Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales denies Kazakhstan connection (23 December 2012)
By the Wikipediocracy team: Jimmy Wales, Kazakhstan, Tony Blair and Wikipedia: A Timeline (2 January 2013)
By Greg Kohs on Examiner: Broken promises of Jimmy Wales (26 December 2014)

Press reports:

Christopher Williams, The Telegraph, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales restricts discussion of Tony Blair friendship (24 December 2012)
Daily Mail: 'Don't mention my friendship with Tony Blair'! Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales bans discussion of former PM in new controversy over Kazakh links (24 December 2012; this is an archive copy of an article The Daily Mail was pressured to take down three days after publication)
Kevin Morris, The Daily Dot, Wikipedia's odd relationship with the Kazakh dictatorship (25 December 2012)
Steven Hermans, NetProphet, Critics question neutrality of Kazakh Wikipedia
Myles G. Smith, Eurasianet, Kazakhstan Wikipedia Controversy Raises Questions About the Crowd (27 December 2012)
Myles G. Smith, Registan, On Kazakh-language Wikipedia, Crowdsourcing Meets Crowd Mentality (27 December 2012)
Kevin Morris, The Daily Dot, Winners of Wikipedia's biggest award still haven't received prize money (26 April 2013)
Casey Michel, Blair's Kazakhstan Network (30 November 2013)
Rob Price, The Daily Dot, Jimmy Wales pledges $500k UAE award to human rights causes (15 December 2014)
Andrew Orlowski, The Register, What's Jimmy Wales going to do with $500k from the UAE? (22 December 2014)

[The Adversary]

Did you know ...

– that Graham T. Allison (T-H-L), the director of Harvard's Belfer Center, "wrote the introduction to President Nazarbayev's recent book, Epicenter of Peace" and received "a special medal of friendship from the President of Kazakhstan"? (Report is from 2003/2004.)

– that Graham T. Allison is the husband of Elizabeth Allison, the head of the Stanton Foundation, which gave the Wikimedia Foundation a record-breaking $3.6m grant in 2011?

– that the Stanton Foundation, the Belfer Center and the Wikimedia Foundation were involved in a paid editing scandal at Wikipedia?

– that Jimmy Wales, recently the delighted recipient of a $500k award from the human rights-violating UAE government, says he lent his name to a UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" because the Belfer Center's Joseph Nye asked him to?

– that the UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" in question contained a chapter named "The Impact of Technology on Anti-Corruption" authored by Lord Peter Mandelson (T-H-L), the Chairman of consultancy firm Global Counsel?

– that Lord Mandelson was a guest at Jimmy Wales' 2012 wedding to Kate Garvey, and was earlier that year reported to have "developed close links with the rulers of oil-rich Kazakhstan"?

just

But then

[EricBarbour]

Did you know ...

– that Graham T. Allison (T-H-L), the director of Harvard's Belfer Center, "wrote the introduction to President Nazarbayev's recent book, Epicenter of Peace" and received "a special medal of friendship from the President of Kazakhstan"? (Report is from 2003/2004.)

– that Graham T. Allison is the husband of Elizabeth Allison, the head of the Stanton Foundation, which gave the Wikimedia Foundation a record-breaking $3.6m grant in 2011?

– that the Stanton Foundation, the Belfer Center and the Wikimedia Foundation were involved in a paid editing scandal at Wikipedia?

– that Jimmy Wales, recently the delighted recipient of a $500k award from the human rights-violating UAE government, says he lent his name to a UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" because the Belfer Center's Joseph Nye asked him to?

– that the UAE-co-sponsored "Guide to Good Government" in question contained a chapter named "The Impact of Technology on Anti-Corruption" authored by Lord Peter Mandelson (T-H-L), the Chairman of consultancy firm Global Counsel?

– that Lord Mandelson was a guest at Jimmy Wales' 2012 wedding to Kate Garvey, and was earlier that year reported to have "developed close links with the rulers of oil-rich Kazakhstan"?

just

But then

Blog post.

[Zoloft]

Suggested title - Wikipedia, Wales, and Money: It's a small world, after all!

[lilburne]

Suggested title - Wikipedia, Wales, and Money: It's a small world, after all!

"Beggar's belief" or "Beggar's Banquet"

[Vigilant]

Jimmy Wales - every dictator's freedom beard.

[thekohser]

Sorry for cross-posting, but my Examiner article is also relevant here, too:

http://www.examiner.com/article/broken- ... immy-wales

[Zoloft]

Sorry for cross-posting, but my Examiner article is also relevant here, too: http://www.examiner.com/article/broken- ... immy-wales

Indeed:

Broken promises of Jimmy Wales

The salient paragraphs:

In December 2012, Jimmy Wales found himself caught in an international news storm, with journalists in Eurasia, the United Kingdom, and the United States pointing out how Wales had aligned the Kazakh-language Wikipedia with the autocratic government of Kazakhstan. Wales financially supported a program called WikiBilim that rewarded Kazakh editors who wrote glowing reviews of the Nazarbayev government, even while that government was restricting the free press in its country and considered requiring Internet cafe web users' activity to be monitored.

Wales and his Wikimedia Foundation have long been tied into the government of Kazakhstan. For example, Graham Allison, the director of Harvard's Belfer Center, wrote the introduction to President Nazarbayev's book, 'Epicenter of Peace'. Allison's wife then gave the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) a $3.6 million grant, which included money for the WMF to hire a paid editor to personally polish up Wikipedia content related to the Belfer Center. Additionally, former UK prime minister Tony Blair maintains multi-million-dollar business ties with Kazakhstan, while Wales married Blair's former diary secretary, with Blair attending their wedding.

[HRIP7]

James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International, Huffington Post, Nursultan Nazarbayev, 23 December 2008

In 2007, I wrote several blogs in the Huffpo on the topic of Nursultan Nazarbayev, "the brutal and corrupt dictator of Kazakhstan and friend of politicians in high places." One was "the well connected dictator," an article that linked to a timeline about Kazakhstan.

[...]

Will a Congressional committee be willing to explore the extent and manner that the Nazarbayev regime lobbies in the U.S.?

How co-oped is the US. with respect to this regime?

You might ask the Harvard KSG professor Graham Allison, who with former Senator Sam Nunn, wrote introductions to Nazarbayev's book, Epicenter Of Peace.

You might ask Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn, both of whom were awarded the Kazakhstan's prestigious Order of the Dostyk by President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

You might ask Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School, the $26 million consultant to the regime.

You might ask Senator Reid, who recently said that Kazakhstan is "the force of stability in the whole region." (Given the region, this is probably accurate).

You might ask Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, and Charlie Melancon a Democrat from Louisiana, two members of the US Congress that in July were spearheading an effort to nominate the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for a Nobel Peace Prize.

[thekohser]

I'll just mention here that Belfer Center professor Joseph Nye (who easily convinced Jimbo Wales to pen an introduction to the UAE-sponsored "Guide to Good Government") happens to be the "Sultan of Oman professor of international relations" at Harvard.

(Sultan of Oman is the man for whom Jimbo performed, before receiving his prize of the the 2014 edition of Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence.)

I know we're crossing many international political boundaries now in this thread about Kazakhstan, so you may wish to re-tweet my handy chart:

[HRIP7]

Great picture and caption in the Examiner article.

As for the graphic above, there shouldn't be an overlap between Tony Blair and the Belfer Center (the only obvious connection I can find is this, but that's really too minor to mention), nor for Kate Garvey and the Belfer Center. On the other hand, there should be an overlap between Garvey and Mandelson. I think it can be done, but it's a bit fiddly.

[SB_Johnny]

Looks like the Kazakh wiki isn't as friendly to the sexy-sexy.

Thank you. I find it very interesting, and as is well known I have a particular interest in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh Wikipedia. It is unlikely that I can personally be of much help in resolving this conflict due to the language barrier, particularly since judgment calls about how exactly to deal with obscenity are very specific. Normally, it is a perfectly valid topic for Wikipedia to cover such words, and to be objective and neutral and high quality in discussion of sexual matters.

[HRIP7]

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77053.html https://archive.today/u7yfj

Just as a postscript to the Belfer Center affair, regular readers will
remember that Russavia wrote in March 2014[1] that –

The Stanton Foundation has been a long-term donor to the Wikimedia
Foundation [...] Stanton has no website, and apart from several
high-profile grants to the Wikimedia Foundation, it has made grants to the
Council on Foreign Relations, MIT's Department of Political Science, the
Rand Corporation, and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in
addition to the Belfer Center. All of these organisations operate in the
arena of international relations.

The trustee of Stanton and contact point for the Wikimedia Foundation is
Elisabeth (Liz) K. Allison [...] From the outset, it should be noted that
Liz Allison (Stanton) is married to Graham Allison (Belfer).

In December 2014, the $500,000 award Jimmy Wales received from the UAE
government proved controversial among Wikipedians; see for example William
Beutler's summary titled "Jimmy Wales and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,
Very Bad Prize Money", published on his blog, "The Wikipedian"[2].

In the wake of the UAE award, it transpired that Wales had previously been
reported[3] on the World Economic Forum website to have contributed to a
"Guide to Good Government and Trust-Building" compiled "in cooperation and
with the support of the Government of the United Arab Emirates".

When Wales was pointed to the UAE government's human rights violations and
asked why he had lent his name to the effort, given the UAE government's
signal lack of credentials in this field, Wales said that he had been asked
to contribute by Prof. Nye of Harvard.[4] According to the Harvard website,
Prof. Nye, too, works at the Belfer Center.[5]

Some Wikipedians also raised Wales' 2011 "Wikipedian of the Year" award for
the Kazakh WikiBilim organisation in the discussion of the UAE award.[6][7]
William Beutler referred to this part of the discussion in his piece,
saying that the "Kazakh situation [had] always struck [him] like a misstep
on the part of the Wikimedia Foundation and Wales both—seemingly a
partnership entered into without a clear understanding of the situation".[2]

Jimmy Wales commented in a 2013 discussion, "As far as I know, the
Wikibilim organization is not politicized." This always struck me as
strange. Quite apart from WikiBilim's state financing, the Kazakh Prime
Minister's photograph appears on every page of WikiBilim's website, which
says that "In order to increase the attention of society and especially
young generation of internet users Wikibilim started to administrate Kazakh
Wikipedia."[7]

Just to put this in perspective: does it not seem inconceivable that Jimmy
Wales would give a "Wikipedian of the Year" award to a Russian Wikipedia
organisation that had Putin's or Medvedev's face on every page of its
website, where it claimed to "administrate" the Russian Wikipedia? How is
Kazakhstan different? I still do not understand it.

It came to my attention some weeks ago that Graham Allison, the Belfer
Center's director, is not just the husband of the Stanton Foundation's Liz
Allison, but also a past recipient of a special medal of friendship from
Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, for his "contribution to
strengthening friendship and cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United
States."[9]

Allison also authored the introduction to President Nazarbayev's book,
"Epicenter of Peace".[9]

Given the above past instances of Wikimedia Foundation leaders obliging
Belfer Center staff by acceding to their requests, do people think that
this reported friendship between the Belfer Center's Director and the
Kazakh government may in some way have influenced dealings between
Wikimedia Foundation board members and WikiBilim?

I would further recall here that in July 2012, Kazakh media reported that
Jimmy Wales had "thanked the Kazakh government for creating conditions for
significant achievements in the development of the Kazakh language
Wikipedia".[10] This was half a year after "A [Kazakh] law that took effect
in January 2012 required owners of internet cafés to obtain users’ names
and monitor and record their activity, and to share their information with
the security services if requested," as noted by Freedom House in its 2013
report on freedom of the press in Kazakhstan, among many other issues.[11]

If the quote in the Kazakh media report is accurate, wasn't this a strange
statement to make for a self-declared champion of free speech? How does it
fit with the movement's goals and values?

[1] https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 70665.html
[2] http://thewikipedian.net/2014/12/26/uae ... an-rights/
[3] http://www.weforum.org/news/global-agen ... t-building
[4] https://archive.today/Ui7PK
[5] http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/exp ... s_nye.html
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk ... atulations
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... _the_media
[8] http://wikibilim.kz/index.php/english/about-foundtion
[9] http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/pub ... hstan.html
[10] https://web.archive.org/web/20130114222 ... 72669.html
[11] https://www.freedomhouse.org/report/fre ... kazakhstan

[Zoloft]

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77053.html

So far, no hornet's nest has fallen to the ground.

[HRIP7]

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77053.html

So far, no hornet's nest has fallen to the ground.

Crickets rather than hornets.

[thekohser]

This could all be fixed up by the Wikimedia Foundation if they just took a serious moment to say that Jimmy Wales goofed in forming an alliance with WikiBilim, and that Sue Gardner goofed by forming an alliance with the Belfer Center.

Except that the Wikimedia Foundation is incapable of admitting that either of these two people could possibly have ever made a mistake related to the Wikimedia mission. And that is what makes rational people so suspicious of the WMF and derisive of even its plausibly good deeds.

[HRIP7]

I am still talking to myself on the Wikimedia mailing list.

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77177.html https://archive.today/2EXSe

On Sun, Mar 15, 2015 at 5:53 PM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki at gmail.com> wrote:


> What other unfortunate laws are
> happening elsewhere in the world and how do we track and maybe act on
> those?


I gave a very specific example in an earlier post this month:[1]

"A [Kazakh] law that took effect in January 2012 required owners of
internet cafés to obtain users’ names and monitor and record their
activity, and to share their information with the security services if
requested," as noted by Freedom House in its 2013 report on freedom of the
press in Kazakhstan, among many other issues.

In July 2012, Kazakh media reported that Jimmy Wales had "thanked the
Kazakh government for creating conditions for significant achievements in
the development of the Kazakh language Wikipedia".


> And how do we articulate our role as an open educational
> institution: recognizing, as Yann says, that education and openness
> can be -- often are -- political issues?
>

I don't have great answers to the above questions. But I think they're
> worth discussing
>

I do think this is an issue worth discussing, as is the fact that the
(currently locked) biography of the President of Azerbaijan in the Azeri
Wikipedia[2] is devoid of criticism, despite that same president being
named the most corrupt person of the year in 2012[3] and human rights
abuses under his regime repeatedly making headline news.[4][5]

Yet I see no such discussion happening.

Nor do I see the Wikimedia Foundation stepping up to the plate to issue,
say, consumer warnings when Wikipedias become co-opted by political
interests, as in the recent case of the Croatian Wikipedia, to give another
example.[6]

I think that is the least the Wikimedia Foundation could do. But rather
than flagging and discussing problems openly with the community and the
public, and devising solutions, the Foundation seems to be terminally
resistant to the idea of saying anything that might be perceived as
criticism of its own product.

A bit of honest self-reflection would go a long way. You'd be surprised how
much respect that would earn you.

[1] https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77053.html
[2] https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=
[3] http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4cc_1359101045
[4] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30888135
[5] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... liyev.html
[6] http://www.dailydot.com/politics/croati ... ight-wing/

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77178.html https://archive.today/9wn46

Here is a concrete suggestion:

Reach out to the most reputable human rights organisations.

Starting with the countries at the bottom of the press freedom league
table, have the human rights organisations form working groups to assess
the relevant Wikipedia language versions for their coverage of the human
rights situation in the countries they serve.

If a working group finds that a Wikipedia language version does not
accurately reflect the government's human rights record, issue a public
warning that – in the human rights organisations' opinion – the Wikipedia
in question appears to be subject to undue political manipulation.

Provide funding for this work. Ensure high visibility for the resulting
reports. Ideally, place a superprotected link to the report in the
Wikipedia itself.

This will increase the chances that the content will be accurate, while
relieving pressure on activists in the countries concerned.

Think of it as a "Wikipedia freedom index."

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77199.html https://archive.today/xm7xq

One more case to illustrate the need.

Human Rights Watch summarizes the situation in Uzbekistan[1] as follows:

---o0o---

Uzbekistan’s human rights record is atrocious. Torture is endemic in the
criminal justice system. Authorities intensified their crackdown on civil
society activists, opposition members, and journalists. Muslims and
Christians who practice their religion outside strict state controls are
persecuted, and freedom of expression is severely limited. The government
forces more than one million adults and children to harvest cotton under
abusive conditions. Authorities still deny justice for the 2005 Andijan
massacre, in which government forces shot and killed hundreds of
protesters, most of them unarmed. Despite this, the United States and
European Union continue to advance closer relations with Uzbekistan,
seeking cooperation with the war in Afghanistan.

---o0o---

Here is the biography of Uzbekistan's president in the Uzbek Wikipedia, as
translated by Google:

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

Even from this broken translation, it is quite evident that this is another
hagiography, devoid of any hint of criticism. Here are some samples:

---o0o---

... a well-thought-out program to build the country's economic foundation
...

Karimov initiative promoting global policy is always the best ideas in the
world, regardless of their point of view, it is known as a person who can
achieve the desired goal. He has been committed to peace and unity policy.

Karimov new residential construction, including a great step-by Jolanda
prosperity of our ancestors, plays an important role in the implementation
of the economic capacity to build large enterprises, cities, towns, and
above all, a radical transformation of the capital, Tashkent, supervises
the work.

Karimov to establish an independent state and a democratic civil society
based on the construction of the new century, the main directions of
development of the country has developed into a bright future in the way of
the people, it is the great goals.

---o0o---

The English Wikipedia biography of the president[2] mentions dissidents
being boiled alive.

Peter Hitchens wrote about this some years ago, in an article titled "Our
new best friends boil dissidents alive".[3]

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan were among the countries represented
at the "Turkic Wikimedia Conference 2012", which according to the
documentation on Meta[4] was coordinated by "Wikipedian of the Year"
winners Wikibilim, and financially supported by the Wikimedia Foundation.

[1] http://www.hrw.org/europecentral-asia/uzbekistan
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_Kar ... ss_freedom
[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/a ... alive.html
[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turkic_ ... rence_2012

Note: The Azeri Wikipedia effort by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies was previously covered here: Wikipedia – the new ministry of truth

[HRIP7]

Ah well, the mention of boiled dissidents was obviously graphic enough to trigger someone's response.

And what a marvel of Wikipedian logic it is:

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77200.html

I do not think that WMF's filing a suit against NSA should be a starting
point for demanding the WMF to cure all the evils of the World, political
or otherwise.

Even handling the recognized problems of some minor Wikipedias fall outside
the scope of the WMF.

Wikipedia is the Encyclopedia anyone can edit - except the WMF!
(if they want to uphold their status as service provider).

Regards,
Thyge

[Anthonyhcole]

This is a very big and difficult question - how to deal with Wikipedias in languages whose speakers mostly live under a repressive government. Thanks for raising it on Jimmy's talk page (until he banned you from his talk page for raising it), raising it on Wikimedia-l (where you're basically one hand clapping), and here. I like your suggestion about using superprotect to add a warning label.

[HRIP7]

This is a very big and difficult question - how to deal with Wikipedias in languages whose speakers mostly live under a repressive government. Thanks for raising it on Jimmy's talk page (until he banned you from his talk page for raising it), raising it on Wikimedia-l (where you're basically one hand clapping), and here. I like your suggestion about using superprotect to add a warning label.

Consider that Google's automatically compiled "Knowledge Vault", destined to become a tool used for ranking web pages according to their presumed "factualness", is to a significant extent based on Wikipedia.

I wonder whether that means that Uzbek/Azeri/Kazakh-language web pages, say, that disagree with the rosy picture painted on the Uzbek/Azeri/Kazakh Wikipedia will end up on page 10 of the search results returned by Google's corresponding language version ...

[DanMurphy]

I like your suggestion about using superprotect to add a warning label.

In the case of the Kazakh-government controlled Wikipedia, they'd simply fork and then block the Wikipedia domain.

[tarantino]

Here is a Wikimedia blog:

In his “State of the Wiki” address at the 2011 Wikimania, Jimmy Wales awarded the first ever “Wikipedian of the Year” award to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a Wikipedian from Kazakhstan. Included with the honor was travel expenses to bring Rauan to Wikimania 2012 in Washington, D.C., next week, where Rauan is looking forward to sharing his experiences with growing the Kazakh Wikipedia and learning more about others’ outreach programs.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
Rauan worked in civil service in Kazakhstan for several years before jumping at an opportunity to do a one-year fellowship at Harvard University in Boston. [...]

WikiBilim has had support from many organizations in Kazakhstan, including the printed Kazakh National Encyclopedia, which donated content to the Kazakh Wikipedia. Success of the project brought attention of Kazakh Government, in November 2011 Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Karim Masimov announced his patronage to WikiBilim’s projects. WikiBilim has also received support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and the Wikimedia Foundation in their efforts to improve the availability of information on the Kazakh Wikipedia. Rauan and the other WikiBilim volunteers have also presented their experiences to a number of other Wikimedians from the region at the Turkic Wikimedia Conference in Almaty in April 2012.

So the Wikimedia Foundation and the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna (T-H-L), run by the president's son-in-law, both support the same WikiBilim foundation tasked with developing the Kazakh encyclopedia, but nooooooooo ... there is no collaboration between WMF and the government of Kazakhstan.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is now deputy governor of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan.



His bio on the ruwiki also mentions his appointment.
Рауан Кенжеханулы

[DanMurphy]

Here is a Wikimedia blog:

In his “State of the Wiki” address at the 2011 Wikimania, Jimmy Wales awarded the first ever “Wikipedian of the Year” award to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a Wikipedian from Kazakhstan. Included with the honor was travel expenses to bring Rauan to Wikimania 2012 in Washington, D.C., next week, where Rauan is looking forward to sharing his experiences with growing the Kazakh Wikipedia and learning more about others’ outreach programs.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
Rauan worked in civil service in Kazakhstan for several years before jumping at an opportunity to do a one-year fellowship at Harvard University in Boston. [...]

WikiBilim has had support from many organizations in Kazakhstan, including the printed Kazakh National Encyclopedia, which donated content to the Kazakh Wikipedia. Success of the project brought attention of Kazakh Government, in November 2011 Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Karim Masimov announced his patronage to WikiBilim’s projects. WikiBilim has also received support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and the Wikimedia Foundation in their efforts to improve the availability of information on the Kazakh Wikipedia. Rauan and the other WikiBilim volunteers have also presented their experiences to a number of other Wikimedians from the region at the Turkic Wikimedia Conference in Almaty in April 2012.

So the Wikimedia Foundation and the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna (T-H-L), run by the president's son-in-law, both support the same WikiBilim foundation tasked with developing the Kazakh encyclopedia, but nooooooooo ... there is no collaboration between WMF and the government of Kazakhstan.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is now deputy governor of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan.



His bio on the ruwiki also mentions his appointment.
Рауан Кенжеханулы

Ruan "Jimmy Wales' Wikipedian of the Year" Kenzekhanuly's boss, Krymbek Kusherbayev, was the governor of Mangistau Oblast during the 2011 massacre of protesting oil workers there.

[Randy from Boise]

Here is a Wikimedia blog:

In his “State of the Wiki” address at the 2011 Wikimania, Jimmy Wales awarded the first ever “Wikipedian of the Year” award to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a Wikipedian from Kazakhstan. Included with the honor was travel expenses to bring Rauan to Wikimania 2012 in Washington, D.C., next week, where Rauan is looking forward to sharing his experiences with growing the Kazakh Wikipedia and learning more about others’ outreach programs.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
Rauan worked in civil service in Kazakhstan for several years before jumping at an opportunity to do a one-year fellowship at Harvard University in Boston. [...]

WikiBilim has had support from many organizations in Kazakhstan, including the printed Kazakh National Encyclopedia, which donated content to the Kazakh Wikipedia. Success of the project brought attention of Kazakh Government, in November 2011 Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Karim Masimov announced his patronage to WikiBilim’s projects. WikiBilim has also received support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and the Wikimedia Foundation in their efforts to improve the availability of information on the Kazakh Wikipedia. Rauan and the other WikiBilim volunteers have also presented their experiences to a number of other Wikimedians from the region at the Turkic Wikimedia Conference in Almaty in April 2012.

So the Wikimedia Foundation and the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna (T-H-L), run by the president's son-in-law, both support the same WikiBilim foundation tasked with developing the Kazakh encyclopedia, but nooooooooo ... there is no collaboration between WMF and the government of Kazakhstan.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is now deputy governor of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan.



His bio on the ruwiki also mentions his appointment.
Рауан Кенжеханулы

Ruan "Jimmy Wales' Wikipedian of the Year" Kenzekhanuly's boss, Krymbek Kusherbayev, was the governor of Mangistau Oblast during the 2011 massacre of protesting oil workers there.

I think the Signpost needs to cover this astounding story of Jimmy Wales's 2011 Wikimedian of the Year™ making good... See, we aren't all basement-dwelling Cheetos-eaters, some of us are rising fast up the table of ranks in the bureaucracies of authoritarian states!

RfB

[JCM]

Here is a Wikimedia blog:

In his “State of the Wiki” address at the 2011 Wikimania, Jimmy Wales awarded the first ever “Wikipedian of the Year” award to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a Wikipedian from Kazakhstan. Included with the honor was travel expenses to bring Rauan to Wikimania 2012 in Washington, D.C., next week, where Rauan is looking forward to sharing his experiences with growing the Kazakh Wikipedia and learning more about others’ outreach programs.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
Rauan worked in civil service in Kazakhstan for several years before jumping at an opportunity to do a one-year fellowship at Harvard University in Boston. [...]

WikiBilim has had support from many organizations in Kazakhstan, including the printed Kazakh National Encyclopedia, which donated content to the Kazakh Wikipedia. Success of the project brought attention of Kazakh Government, in November 2011 Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Karim Masimov announced his patronage to WikiBilim’s projects. WikiBilim has also received support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and the Wikimedia Foundation in their efforts to improve the availability of information on the Kazakh Wikipedia. Rauan and the other WikiBilim volunteers have also presented their experiences to a number of other Wikimedians from the region at the Turkic Wikimedia Conference in Almaty in April 2012.

So the Wikimedia Foundation and the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna (T-H-L), run by the president's son-in-law, both support the same WikiBilim foundation tasked with developing the Kazakh encyclopedia, but nooooooooo ... there is no collaboration between WMF and the government of Kazakhstan.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is now deputy governor of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan.



His bio on the ruwiki also mentions his appointment.
Рауан Кенжеханулы

Ruan "Jimmy Wales' Wikipedian of the Year" Kenzekhanuly's boss, Krymbek Kusherbayev, was the governor of Mangistau Oblast during the 2011 massacre of protesting oil workers there.

I think the Signpost needs to cover this astounding story of Jimmy Wales's 2011 Wikipedian of the Year™ making good... See, we aren't all basement-dwelling Cheetos-eaters, some of us are rising fast up the table of ranks in the bureaucracies of authoritarian states!

RfB

I kind of have to agree. Not all news is good news and all that sort of thing, and it wouldn't necessarily be in anyone's worst interests to know that the WMF and its entities can be used by governments and government officials for their own interests, whether anyone else wants them to do that or not.

[Vigilant]

Maybe he can use some of that $500K to really work on these human rights issues.

[HRIP7]

Here is a Wikimedia blog:

In his “State of the Wiki” address at the 2011 Wikimania, Jimmy Wales awarded the first ever “Wikipedian of the Year” award to Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a Wikipedian from Kazakhstan. Included with the honor was travel expenses to bring Rauan to Wikimania 2012 in Washington, D.C., next week, where Rauan is looking forward to sharing his experiences with growing the Kazakh Wikipedia and learning more about others’ outreach programs.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
Rauan worked in civil service in Kazakhstan for several years before jumping at an opportunity to do a one-year fellowship at Harvard University in Boston. [...]

WikiBilim has had support from many organizations in Kazakhstan, including the printed Kazakh National Encyclopedia, which donated content to the Kazakh Wikipedia. Success of the project brought attention of Kazakh Government, in November 2011 Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Karim Masimov announced his patronage to WikiBilim’s projects. WikiBilim has also received support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and the Wikimedia Foundation in their efforts to improve the availability of information on the Kazakh Wikipedia. Rauan and the other WikiBilim volunteers have also presented their experiences to a number of other Wikimedians from the region at the Turkic Wikimedia Conference in Almaty in April 2012.

So the Wikimedia Foundation and the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna (T-H-L), run by the president's son-in-law, both support the same WikiBilim foundation tasked with developing the Kazakh encyclopedia, but nooooooooo ... there is no collaboration between WMF and the government of Kazakhstan.

Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is now deputy governor of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan.

[url=https://archive.today/JEgy5]
His bio on the ruwiki also mentions his appointment.
Рауан Кенжеханулы

Ruan "Jimmy Wales' Wikipedian of the Year" Kenzekhanuly's boss, Krymbek Kusherbayev, was the governor of Mangistau Oblast during the 2011 massacre of protesting oil workers there.

Thank you, tarantino and Dan.

I have passed that information on to the list.

https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/w ... 77213.html https://archive.today/ivF5D

It may be of interest to note that Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, who won Jimmy
Wales' Wikipedian of the Year award in 2011[1], was recently appointed the
Deputy Governor of the Kyzylorda region in Kazakhstan.[2]

The Governor of the Kyzylorda region, and thus his superior, is the former
vice-PM of Kazakhstan, Krymbek Kusherbayev, who was in charge of Mangistau
province (oblast) at the time of the Zhanaozen massacre.[3]

Is everyone here comfortable with this?


[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVR82uP_f6Q&t=39m0s
[2] http://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2730173 https://archive.today/dJzT9
[3]
http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kr ... ast-16092/ https://archive.today/MKRpK