A coalition of 15 human rights and civil society organizations on Jan. 25 published a joint statement protesting the United Arab Emirates’ new cybercrime law, saying it “severely threatens and unduly restricts the right to freedom of expression (both online and offline) and… Read moreUAE ‘cybercrime’ law restricts free speech: civil society
Six political prisoners began a hunger strike at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison Jan. 12, four days after poet and filmmaker Baktash Abtin died of COVID-19 at the facility. Abtin, who expired after being put into an induced coma during temporary… Read moreIran: political prisoners on hunger strike
Reports from opposition activists in Cuba indicate that trials are opening in several cities for some 60 who were arrested during last year’s protest wave that began July 11, now popularly known as “11J.” The defendants are said to include… Read moreCuba: prisoners on hunger strike as mass trials begin
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), one of Egypt’s last independent human rights organizations, officially closed Jan. 10. ANHRI made the announcement in a statement posted to its website, citing government pressure as the reason for its closure.The group… Read moreEgypt: rights group closes under regime pressure
In the latest escalation of its crackdown on opposition, Russia on Dec. 30 designated a disparate group of activists, satirists, and others as “foreign agents.” A statement released by the Ministry of Justice listed the high-profile figures as designated “foreign… Read moreRussia designates Pussy Riot members ‘foreign agents’
Exercising a form of injunction reserved for exceptionally serious cases, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has instructed Russia to halt efforts to shutter Memorial International and its subsidiary organization, the Court announced Dec. 29. The move follows two high-profile… Read moreEuropean rights court intervenes against Russia
Tunisia’s former president Moncef Marzouki was sentenced in absentia to four years in prison by the Tunis Court of First Instance on Dec. 21. Marzouki was convicted of “undermining the external security of the State,” according to Tunisia’s national press agency. Marzouki served… Read moreTunisia: political crisis deepens
The UN human rights office says a “profound change” is needed in how Colombia’s National Police force, run by the Defense Ministry, handles protests, after concluding that law enforcement agents were responsible for at least 28 deaths during anti-government demonstrations earlier this year…. Read moreUN urges reform of Colombia National Police
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim AA Khan announced that his office has filed applications for arrest warrants before the Pre-trial Chamber against two leading Taliban officials accused of committing crimes against humanity. Khan stated that his office collected solid evidence suggesting that the "supreme leader" of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the chief justice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," Abdul Hakim Haqqani, committed the crime of persecution on the basis of gender, violating Article 7 (1) (h) of the Rome Statute. He said that these Taliban officials have been persecuting Afghan women and girls, as well as any persons who don't follow their ideology, over the last four years. He said that the requested warrants are based on a wide range of evidence, including testimonies, official statements, and forensic reports gathered by a specialized investigation team. (Photo: VOA via Wikimedia Commons)
At least 94 people have been arbitrarily arrested in Cambodia since late July for expressing public criticism of the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement. The human rights organizations believe at least 59 of those arrested have been unlawfully detained by Cambodian authorities, and called for all charges in these cases to be immediately dropped. The Khmer Movement for Democracy states that the CLV-DTA would serve "as cover for further illegal deforestation, land evictions, and exploitation of resources for foreign gain." (Map: PCL)
In Episode 102 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg interviews Joanna Chiu, author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder, on the precipitous rise of the People’s Republic as a world power, and the dilemmas this poses for human rights… Read morePodcast: China Unbound with Joanna Chiu
Indonesian police Dec. 6 arrested eight Papuan university students on charges of treason for raising the banned “Morning Star” flag in a demonstration for the independence of the Papua region. The demonstration took place at a stadium in Jayapura, capital of Papua province…. Read moreIndonesia: ‘treason’ charges over West Papua flag
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