On 6 December 2007, the Kurdish Parliament passed a censorship law that endangers freedom of speech. Independent journalists describe the edict as a major step backwards in creating a democratic society. The editor of the independent newspaper, Awena, said "This new law will send journalists to prison, ban newspapers and allow for outrageous fines under various pretexts."

For two weeks, I have been living in Ricaurte, in the southwestern province of Nariño. My teammate and I came to accompany an indigenous organization, CAMAWARI (Council of Elders of the Awa of Ricaurte)--Ricaurte being an expansive municipality that includes eleven Awa reservations. Ricaurte is also the name of the town that serves as "head" of the municipality, and this town is home for six weeks to our two-person CPT mobile team.

People are fleeing their homes in Sake and other towns in the Masisi district of North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because of fighting between the DRC armed forces and the army of Laurent Nkunda. Families leading children and carrying babies are streaming east along country roads with bundles of belongings and mattresses on their heads. They are heading to camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) that extend for miles through green banana groves and over volcanic rock.