for the interest of people interested in this thread, Susanna replied on wiki: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2016/Nom...
I suggest continuing the discussion there, since it is related to the current elections, and some people may not be following the list closely.
copied for your convenience: Dear Andreas,Thank you very much for the important questions that you raise.Let me first point out that Wikimedia Armenia is financially independent from the Armenian government. Organizations which currently fund us are WMF and Gulbenkian Foundation, located in Portugal. The only support that we accepted from the Armenian government is our office space which is located in a state-owned property (but not governmental building).I can ascertain that we are well aware of the corruption risks in our country and how it can have an impact on the Wikimedia movement. In fact we have had some challenges in the past, especially with a past sponsor, those are issues that we keep Wikimedia Foundation, in particular its lawyers, Asaf Bartov, Jan Bart de Vreede, Liam Wyatt updated about.So we are very cautious when cooperating with government agencies, statespeople or sponsors, this doesn't however mean that we exclude any such cooperation. "One Armenian, one article" campaign is one example of such cooperation (where different statespeople (including opposition party members) and celebrities encouraged people to edit Wikipedia). We did not notice many of these statespeople actually editing Wikipedia, but the campaign overall contributed to improve awareness about Wikipedia.As for the Soviet Encyclopedia which is free-licensed and is used mainly by novice editors, we do encourage editors to leave out outdated or politically loaded topics that may include soviet-propaganda.Finally, about your concern that if I worked for state institutions in the past: those were only scientific and research institutions. Currently I am employed as leading researcher in the Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems which is part of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. As for Wikimedia Armenia, I always and only worked as a volunteer (although we have paid staff).Thank you and please let me know if you have any other concern points.--SusikMkr https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:SusikMkr (talk https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:SusikMkr) 14:39, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 1:54 AM, Peter Southwood < peter.southwood@telkomsa.net> wrote:
But is it avoidable? Peter
-----Original Message----- From: Wikimedia-l [mailto:wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Andreas Kolbe Sent: Thursday, 03 March 2016 2:37 AM To: Wikimedia Mailing List Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Armenia candidate for the board
Asaf,
I hear you. My apologies to Susanna and the list for anything I have said that cast aspersions on Susanna's character.
Nevertheless, I remain concerned. She is part of a state committee under the authority of the Armenian Minister of Education and Science, who along with other senior political figures has repeatedly been a featured speaker at Wikimedia Armenia events during her tenure as the President of Wikimedia Armenia.[1][2]
I do not consider that sort of government proximity healthy or advisable.
Andreas
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_Yerevan_2015/Schedule [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_Yerevan_2012/Schedule
On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 12:24 AM, Asaf Bartov abartov@wikimedia.org wrote:
I would like to add that I have been following Susanna's work in Armenia since 2011, and have had occasion to evaluate it as a grants
officer.
During these five years, Susanna has been an exemplary Wikimedian, building community around her, empowering other volunteers to do their best work, and building partnerships with cultural institutions as well as government in her country. I have had the pleasure of visiting Armenia last year and seeing up close one of Susanna's impressive projects -- the Wikicamp -- as well as attending and speaking at a conference at Matenadaran (the national archive) and meeting many Armenian Wikipedians.
Nothing I have seen leads me to be concerned about Susanna's commitment to movement values, *despite* working in a country struggling with corruption[1], ongoing military conflict, and relatively weak democratic discipline. Indeed, I have personally witnessed Susanna *resist* attempts at co-optation of Wikimedia
Armenia's work.
I encourage Andreas to retract his accusations ("clearly" etc.). Expressing a concern that there *might* be government interference was perhaps legitimate, but proceeding to besmirch Susanna and her work without evidence is unacceptable.
Asaf
[1] let us remember countries in the west struggle with tremendous corruption too, albeit manifested more financially than ideologically.
On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 4:10 PM, Cristian Consonni <kikkocristian@gmail.com
wrote:
2016-03-03 0:15 GMT+01:00 Andreas Kolbe jayen466@gmail.com:
I don't know Susanna, and in fact until yesterday had never heard of
her.
She may well be a delightful and charming person with a genuine
enthusiasm
for open knowledge. There are after all many encyclopedic topics that
have
no political sensitivity or relevance at all. But she is clearly part
of
a
government-sponsored effort to control the Armenian Wikipedia.
[...]
2016-03-03 0:26 GMT+01:00 Risker risker.wp@gmail.com:
Wow, Andreas. That's taking several major leaps of logic. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Any reason why you brought these rather extraordinary assumptions to this mailing list before Susanna had even
had
a chance to respond to your question at her nomination page?
[...]
2016-03-03 0:33 GMT+01:00 Nathan nawrich@gmail.com:
Is there any actual connection between Susanna and the high-level government interest or effort around the Armenian Wikipedia? What I'm asking is if there is anything here, other than supposition that
because
she is Armenian and the Armenian government is interested in Wikipedia
that
Susanna must be guilty of corruption and repression by association?
Andreas,
You are making very strong and, what's worse, completely unsubstantiated accusations towards a person while admitting of not knowing her, her history and her contributions to the movement.
The only person that thinks that "she [Susanna] is clearly part of a government-sponsored effort to control the Armenian Wikipedia" is
you.
As Risker already noted your reasoning contains majors leaps of logic and I find that your behavior is frankly appalling. As Nathan said you have no evidence to support anything of what you have said besides the fact that Susanna is Armenian.
The FDC reviewed in May 2015 the activities of Wikimedia Armenia in the APG 2014/2015 round 2 [1] and found all programs to be volunteer-led and well-aligned with the values and the mission of the Wikimedia movement. The FDC judged Wikimedia Armenia to be "a grassroots organization with a strong volunteer base. It is small, flexible, and able to engage with a wide range of volunteers through its projects."[2]. The evaluation of the FDC of Wikimedia Armenia was a praise (and a recommendation for full funding)[2]. Not in a single moment there was the least shred of doubt that the activities of Wikimedia Armenia could go against the values of the movement. Never there was even the remote suspicion of Wikimedia Armenia being part of the government-led "scheme" to oppress people that you are
suggesting.
In the occasion of the APG proposal (and besides that, at any time) there were and there are several avenues to criticize - also privately and anonymously, if one so needs or wishes - what the chapter does and what the people in the chapter do and there was not a single instance of any kind of accusation like the ones that you are making from nothing.
Your accusation are an insult to all the volunteers in Wikimedia Armenia, and I think you owe them an apology, especially to Susanna.
I want you to know that I find this behavior to be toxic and that in my opinion you are harming the people in the movement and its mission.
Cristian
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants_talk:APG/Proposals/2014-2015_ro und2/Wikimedia_Armenia/Proposal_form#Praise_and_one_question
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_recommendations/2014-20 15_round_2#Wikimedia_Armenia
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
-- Asaf Bartov Wikimedia Foundation http://www.wikimediafoundation.org
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality! https://donate.wikimedia.org _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2016.0.7442 / Virus Database: 4537/11734 - Release Date: 03/02/16
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe