The State We're In, 19 March 2011. Sometimes getting information out there becomes a life’s work. An Indonesian man explains how helping out tsunami survivors seven years ago turned him into a national figure. A Pakistani doctor recounts the funny and sometimes poignant tale behind getting a sex education book published in Pakistan. Also: a Pashtun-Pakistani journalist in exile explains how he was threatened for telling the truth about the targeted killings of the Pashtun minority in Karachi. And an ex-spy for the US forces describes how he gets information from prisoners, without resorting to torture. Photo - Indonesian gay activist Hartoyo.
 

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Here to help
When the tsunami hit Aceh, Indonesia seven years ago, Hartoyo went to help, but didn’t know how conservative Aceh was. He soon found out. A mob dragged Hartoyo and his male lover to the police station. But instead of finding refuge in police custody, the police actually assaulted them. Hartoyo took the police to court and is still fighting for justice. More on Hartoyo's story from The Jakarta Post.
 
"Longing for Acceptance, Homosexuals in Indonesia Find Hatred and Discrimination" - an opinion piece by Hartoyo in The Jakarta Globe.
 
It won’t kill you
Dr. Mobin Akhtar published a book about basic sex education 15 years ago in Pakistan. And it’s still controversial. But sexual myths and misinformation persist, and some patients have actually fallen into depression over their confusion over sexual matters. With habitual good humour, he tells host Jonathan Groubert why he believes sex education is totally consistent with Islamic teachings.
More on Dr. Akhtar from RNW's Love Matters website.
 
Aly’s story
"Aly" (not his real name) is a Pashtun journalist in Karachi, Pakistan. Or was. He had to flee because he was covering the harassment and targeted killings plaguing Pasthuns there. He'd been threatened and followed home several times, but ignored the warning signs. Until a fellow Pasthun journalist was assassinated. He tells Jonathan he doesn’t know what to do next: abandon his journalistic calling or return home and become a target again.
 
How to interrogate
Anthony Shaffer is the author of the hugely controversial Operation Dark Heart – a book the US military never wanted him to publish. He explains to Jonathan how he uses questions, and not torture, to get the information he needs from prisoners, and cites a real-life example from his tour of duty in Afghanistan. More on Anthony Shaffer from The State We're In.
 
Karen commander
Nerdah Mya is a commander in the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) fighting for Karen sovereignty against the Burmese government. He was recorded on the border between Thailand and Burma reflecting on what it means to lead his troops: he expressly forbids torturing captured Burmese soldiers and instead finds them jobs. Killing is part of the mission, he explains. But justice is the goal and so the struggle has to be just as well.
 
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