_______________________________________________Hello Everyone,
AffCom is disappointed by the recent allegations surrounding the Wikimedians of Slovakia (WMSVK) User Group, and the personal attacks against Manavpreet Kaur, a full-time contributor to the movement both professionally and personally.
While it is not our practice to comment on matters before the Conflict Intervention sub-committee, out of respect for the privacy of the parties, in the interests of transparency, we believe it is necessary to respond to the recent emails posted to this list. AffCom has been engaging with Michal Matúšov and the Wikimedians of Slovakia User Group since May 2020. The dispute in question arose from a section of the 2018 Wikimedians of Slovakia annual report.
In order to understand what happened and to determine the best course of action, AffCom met the User Group representatives and Michal Matúšov separately. After the meetings, AffCom reviewed the information and documentation to identify the issues and offer ways to remedy the questioned section in the 2018 report.
To reach a consensus with the parties, AffCom explored ways that the User Group could voluntarily remove the disputed material. The best option was for Michal Matúšov to provide receipts of the disputed section for the User Group to review, and consequently use as supporting evidence to facilitate the removal of the disputed section. AffCom took this route because it lacks the mandate and the ability to demand the removal of content from User Group reports.
Despite several requests, over several months, Michal Matúšov has been unable to provide the receipts. Instead, he requested AffCom to derecognize the Wikimedians of Slovakia User Group and to notify him in advance so that he could step in and save the group. Towards this demand, AffCom clarified, and still continues to clarify, that there are no specified bylaws or governance guidelines for User Group affiliates. This is because User Groups are the simplest affiliate model with no requirements for regional non-profit status, Board or bylaws. This structure allows groups to function as recognized bodies. Therefore, evaluating performance on unspecified standards would be unfair.
It is important to note that AffCom can review implementation of bylaws if they have been approved by the committee. In this case, as the bylaws are not a mandate, they were never reviewed or approved, and as a result, AffCom cannot undertake office action on the grounds of bylaw violation.
While we empathize with all the parties involved, we are highly concerned at the way this matter has been addressed in a public forum. This is especially so because we have clarified, to all parties, the formal route and redress options available. We are also extremely concerned by the extent of bullying that has occurred, across a number of forums. While we may have different views, we should strive to respect and treat one another with dignity and decency.
As we continue to explore ways on how best we can resolve this impasse, AffCom wishes to request all parties to assume good faith in these discussions (in public and private). Our next step will be to retry mediation to determine the best outcome.
Finally, Michal Matúšov has been the primary applicant for the User Group Esperanto to become a Thematic Organisation. As the conflict with WMSVK escalated through 2021, we made the decision mid-year to pause that application to try to keep Esperanto out of the WMSVK conflict. Affiliates involved in conflict mediation need to trust in confidentiality through the process. We notified Michal Matúšov, not the wider Esperanto community, because he was the primary applicant with whom we had been corresponding. We recognized that this was not fair on the Esperanto community and have since suggested that, until the conflict between WMSV and Michal Matúšov is resolved, another member of Esperanto User Group takes over the application to move it forward. Any further discussions on this matter will only be attended on official AffCom channels.
In the meantime, we would like to offer our sincerest apologies to Manavpreet Kaur, Matej Grochal and all of those affected or upset by these accusations and discussions.
Kindly,
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Mehman Ibragimov
Vice-Chair
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