Europe
UK mass surveillance bill becomes law
The UK's Investigatory Powers Bill was given royal assent and became law, providing intelligence agencies broad powers to monitor the online activity of all citizens.
Tag: police state
Europe
EU Parliament votes to freeze Turkey accession talks
The European Parliament voted to halt EU accession negotiations with Turkey due to the government's "disproportionate repressive measures" after a failed coup in July.
North America
Trump cabinet list bespeaks concentration camps
Joe Arpaio and Rudolph Giuliani, short-listed for Homeland Security secretary, both have extensive experience in running detainment camps for undocumented immigrants.
North America
UN: Dakota pipeline protesters face excessive force
US authorities are using excessive force against protesters in North Dakota who are trying to halt a proposed oil pipeline project, according to a UN human rights expert.
North America
Yes, Donald Trump is a fascist
The appointment of Stephen Bannon, head of “alt-right” Breitbart News, as Trump’s senior counselor removes any doubt about the new order that awaits the United States.
Greater Middle East
UN demands Turkey release international judge
The president of the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals demanded the release of a jurist seized by Turkish authorities in the sweeps following the coup attempt.
East Asia
China approves controversial cybersecurity law
China's government approved a new cybersecurity law—over the protests of international rights organizations, who say it enforces censorship and surveillance of online activities.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: Diyarbakir mayors detained on ‘terrorism’
The co-mayors of Diyarbakır were arrested in a supposed "anti-terrorism" investigation—part of the ongoing repression against the Kurdish opposition in Turkey's east.
North America
Sheriff Joe Arpaio charged with criminal contempt
A federal judge ordered Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio to be tried for criminal contempt over continuing his immigration patrols in defiance of court orders in a civil rights suit.
North America
Biggest prison strike in US history —amid media blackout
Amid a shameful paucity of media coverage, inmates at facilities in several states have organized work stoppages following a call for a nationwide prison strike.
North America
UN panel censures US for ‘racial terrorism’
The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent issued a report concluding that African Americans are owed reparations for historical and ongoing “racial terrorism.”
Southeast Asia
Thailand: ‘culture of torture’ under military regime
Amnesty International released a report detailing widespread rights abuses in Thailand, and asserting that the military government has instated a "culture of torture."