Objections to the 2025 WMF Board election removals/Basque Wikimedians

Statement of the Basque Wikimedians User Group regarding the 2025 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Election

Euskara

Wikimedia mugimendua mundu osoko boluntarioek osatzen duten lankidetza sarea da. Wikimedia Fundazioak ongi finkatuak ditu bere gobernantza organoetan parte hartu ahal izateko mekanismo irekiak, Wikimedia mugimenduak haietara bidea libre eta gardena izan dezan. Aldiz, gure komunitateak harriduraz ezagutu du Ravan J Al-Taie eta Lane Rasberry Wikimediako kideak baztertuak izan direla WMFko Zuzendaritza Taldea hautatzeko prozesutik, bazterketa horretarako azalpen zehatzik gabe.

Bi hautagaiok bozketa hasi baino astebete lehenago baztertu zituzten. Bi hilabete lehenago, Wikimedia mugimenduko bozkatzaileek jada hautatu egin zituzten, beste hautagai batzuekin batera, aipatu Zuzendaritza Taldeko kide bihurtzeko prozesuan parte har zezaten. Prozesuko gertaeren segida guztia orri honetan aurki daiteke.

Abuztuaren 21ean, sei hautagaien berrikuspen prozesu bat iragarri zen, «segurtatzeko behin hautatuta inor ez zela baztertua izango». Bada, urriaren 1ean, bozketa hasi baino astebete lehenago, Ravan J Al-Taie eta Lane Rasberry prozesutik baztertuak izan ziren. Bi hautagaiok kanpaina publiko handi bat gertatzen ari zelarik baztertu zituzten, zehazki egungo Palestinako genozidioan Ravan palestinarren alde agertu zelako. Ravan J Al-Taie zen hautagaietako emakumezko bakarra. Bazterketa horren berri urriaren 3an jakin zen. Aho batez adierazten zen lau hautagaik soilik jarraituko zutela hautatuak izateko bidea.

Zuzendaritza Taldean, Wikimediako kide eta komunitateek sei eserleku dituzte, eta guztira hamasei eserleku ditu. Jakinarazpenean, hautagaien berrikuspen prozesuan haiek aztertzeko irizpideen artean mugimenduaren balioak aipatzen ziren, haietako bi izanik interes gatazka eta ikuspegi neutrala. Wikimedia Fundazioak ez du adierazpen zehatzik egin hautagaiak baztertzeko izan dituen arrazoi zehatzen gainean. Esteka eta eztabaida orri bat eskaini du bere erabakiaz galderak egiteko.

Bada, WMFk ez du gardentasunik agertu bere erabakiarekin. Gainera, ez dira dibertsitatea eta inklusioa hartu bere irizpideetan, Fundazioaren balio irmoak badirenak, erabiltzaile talde honek interes bereziz balioetsiak. Ondorioz, bat egin nahi dugu Wikimedia mugimenduko beste hainbat talderekin, erreklamatuz bertan behera utz dadila aurtengo bozketa prozesua, eta Wikimedia Fundazioak prozesuan hartutako erabakiez azalpenak eman ditzala.

English

The Wikimedia movement is a collaborative network participated by volunteers from all over the world. The Wikimedia Foundation has established open avenues to allow their participation in its governance bodies so that the Wikimedia movement can have a free and transparent access to them. On the other hand, our community has been surprised to learn that Ravan J Al-Taie and Lane Rasberry, members of the Wikimedia movement, have been excluded from the selection process to the next WMF Board of Trustees without any specific explanation for such a decision.

The two candidates were rejected a week before the start of the vote. Two months earlier, voters of the Wikimedia movement had already shortlisted them to participate in the process of joining the aforementioned Board of Trustees. The entire sequence of events in the process can be found on this page.

On 21 August, a review process of the six candidates was announced ahead of the election in order to «ensure that no one was excluded once elected». On 1 October, a week before the start of the vote, Ravan J Al-Taie and Lane Rasberry were excluded from the process. Both candidates were rejected in the course of a major public campaign highlighting Ravan's support for the Palestinians during the current genocide in Palestine. Ravan J Al-Taie was the only female candidate. This exclusion was reported on 3 October. It was unanimously declared that only four candidates would continue in the run-up to election.

In the Board of Trustees, Wikimedia working groups and affiliates have 6 seats, out of 16 in total. The above update cited among the criteria for the review of candidates the values of the movement, two of which were conflict of interest (COI) and neutral view (NPOV). However, the Wikimedia Foundation has not made any statement on the specific reasons leading to the exclusion of both candidates. It offered a link and discussion page to ask questions about the decision.

On balance, WMF has shown no transparency in its decision. Furthermore, diversity and inclusion have not been considered in its criteria, which are firm values of the Foundation, cherished particularly by this group of users. As a result, we should join other groups in the Wikimedia movement in demanding that this year's voting process be suspended and that the Wikimedia Foundation explain its decisions in the process.

Sinatzaileak / signatories

Affiliates

Basque Wikimedians User Group, Euskal Wikilarien Elkatearen izenean, (EWKE) Oraina (talk) 16:48, 14 October 2025 (UTC)reply

Euskara

English

Sinatzaileak / signatories

Affiliates

Individuals