Stories about LANGUAGES from October, 2019
Pakistan shuts art installation depicting extrajudicial killings
"The closure is both an attack on free expression and an attempt to sweep under the rug a longstanding human rights problem."
The Hong Kong protests are becoming more violent because justice is not being served
"I am not asking you to tolerate violence, I am asking you to understand it."
Taiwanese court rules no jurisdiction in Vietnamese marine disaster case, victims to appeal
Taipei District Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by nearly 8,000 Vietnamese fishers against Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) over the marine disaster in Vietnam in 2016 out of jurisdiction concern.
Australians respond to media campaign that calls out “creeping culture of secrecy”
Mixed reactions to the Australian media's #righttoknow campaign range from broad community support to denial by government ministers and senior public servants, plus some predictable cynicism on social media.
DreamWorks’ ‘Abominable’ film banned in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines for showing China’s claim over disputed seas
"We have to engage with them, and they are sensible people...They are just being misled."
From camps to prisons: Xinjiang’s next great human rights catastrophe
While most of the world’s attention has been focused on the region’s “re-education” camps, an incredible number of those detained in 2017 and 2018 are now being given lengthy prison sentences.
One of the few certainties of the Chilean crisis is the shadow of the past
In the midst of the turmoil in Chile, there's one point on which both the radical right and radical left concur: that this moment has overtones of the 1973 coup d'etat.
Yugoslavia wasn't a Soviet ally—so why does that misconception persist in Western media?
The Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia's independence from both the Eastern and the Western blocs was a key feature of its national identity.
Cry of ‘Free the [bleeping] weed!’ leads to arrest of Trinidadian cannabis advocate
"To those who say the war is over, Rowley has promised to decriminalise, tell that to the citizens of this country who are packed 15 man to one stinking cell."
The struggle of the Bolivian feminist chola is now online
Yolanda Mamani, a feminist chola who started fighting for her rights as a child domestic worker, now take her talkative style to her radio show, blog and YouTube channel.
A mud volcano might explode in Trinidad: Are villagers prepared?
When the volcano last erupted in 1997, the village of Piparo was unprepared; if it happens again, residents are doing everything they can to ensure the response will be different.
Soon Bangladesh's capital may have two more reasons to complain about the traffic
"People are suffering a lot for the traffic jams, the people want respite, please finish the first Metrorail project."
Kanye West's use of Jamaican symbols sparks national dialogue on ‘branding’
"Successive political administrations have never fully appreciated the economic value of the brand ‘Jamaica’ nor the symbols that [represent] that brand including its flag and its coat of arms..."
Albanians angry at EU's failure to open accession talks–but for PM sun ‘still shining’
"This is the biggest mistake that the EU has made over these years, Albania is a reforming country who more than ever needed this decision to be positive."
Mexican feminist groups fight for the right to stay safe online
After falling victim to the dissemination of intimate images without her consent, Olimpia Coral Melo Cruz, together with feminist organizations, fights for the adoption of laws to make this behavior a crime.
Nigerian journalist under threat of arrest for exposé of police and prison corruption
The intimidation of journalist 'Fisayo Soyombo exemplifies the precarious state of press freedom and free speech in Nigeria.
Australian newspapers ‘censor’ their front pages in protest against government secrecy laws
"Journalists and whistleblowers in Australia live in fear of criminal charges, police raids and damaging court battles that threaten their professional careers and personal freedom."
Remains of Trinidad and Tobago's First Peoples returned to resting place
The remains of 60 indigenous ancestors were reinterred in a ceremony to properly honour the dead and recognise the importance of the local First Peoples community.
Hong Kong political scientist likens Hongkongers to a stateless nation
'... to balance the interests of China, the US and HK people, the city needs a truly democratic self-government that can represent HK people's interests and understand the complexity of geopolitics.'
Twitter users from North Macedonia fight disappointment with EU non-decision with humor
The date for the long-anticipated start of negotiations for Albania and North Macedonia's membership in the EU didn't materialize, due in large part to a lack of support by France.
First Thai female Theravada monk named one of BBC’s 100 most influential women
Dhammananda’s efforts to re-establish the Theravada bhikkhuni (female monastic) lineage in Thailand have been met with resistance from both the laity and monks who are against ordaining women.
