Two international human rights organizations accused six high-ranking members of the Belarusian security authorities of committing crimes against humanity in a criminal complaint filed in Germany Nov. 1. The complaint was filed with the German Public Prosecutor General by the… Read moreBelarus officials charged in ‘crimes against humanity’
The ending of Egypt’s nearly four-year state of emergency, announced by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Oct. 25, was hailed by international human rights groups as a positive step. But Sisi is now trying to make permanent a more recent,… Read moreState of emergency lifted in Egypt —charade?
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Oct. 19 declared six Palestinian human rights groups to be “terrorist organizations,” effectively outlawing their activities. The declaration was based on a military finding that they are “secretly linked” to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine… Read moreIsrael outlaws human rights organizations
A Hong Kong district court on Oct. 25 found delivery worker-turned-activist Ma Chun-man guilty of incitement to secession for his actions at over 20 protests and in several interviews last year. Famously dubbed “Captain America 2.0” by local news media for dressing… Read moreHong Kong: second conviction under national security law
Sudan’s interim prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and several senior government officials were arrested as the military seized full power in a coup d’etat and imposed a state of emergency Oct. 25. The two principal pro-democracy formations, the Forces for Freedom… Read moreCounter-revolutionary coup in Sudan
Five international rights groups are urging Algerian authorities to drop their effort to dissolve a prominent civil society group over alleged violation of the “law on associations.” The five groups—Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies,… Read moreAlgeria: protest dissolution of civil society group
Hundreds of residents in the southern Italian town of Riace took to the streets Oct. 1 to express support for their mayor, Domenico (Miimmo) Lucano, after he was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges related to his policy… Read moreItalian mayor imprisoned for sheltering immigrants
The first “patriots only” vote under Hong Kong’s new political system was held Sept. 19, to choose members for a 1,500-member Election Committee—although only some 360 of the seats were actually contested. Voting was restricted to some 5,000 individuals representing different professions and… Read moreHong Kong: ‘patriots’ in, democrats out
The Bombay High Court on Sept. 13 issued a notice to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), directing it to file a reply to the bail plea of Anand Teltumbde, a Goa-based professor and civil rights activist who faces charges under the… Read moreIndia: tribal rights activists accused as ‘Naxals’
Protests have repeatedly erupted in El Salvador over the past week as the country became the first to make Bitcoin legal tender. The US dollar also remains official currency, but the law pushed through by President Nayib Bukele mandates that… Read moreAnti-Bitcoin protests shake El Salvador
Four key members of the group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Massacre vigil were arrested Sept. 8. The arrests came the morning after the activists publicly refused a police demand for information as part of a “national security” probe into the… Read moreMembers of HK Tiananmen vigil group arrested
Indian-administered Kashmir was plunged back into internet darkness Sept. 2 as India’s central authorities enforced lockdowns and a news blackout following the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a prominent separatist leader. Geelani, 91, died at his home the day before. His body… Read moreKashmir under internet blackout —again
