Stories about Governance from June, 2019
What will it take to combat digital authoritarianism in Southeast Asia?
"Applied to the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, digital authoritarianism refers to how the internet has been weaponized in aid of existing authoritarian regimes."
Turkey’s ‘Academics for Peace’ defend their beliefs from prison cells and exile
Turkish universities are being gutted of critical thinkers while academics serve time for showing solidarity with their fellow citizens.
Equal and more equal: Separatist Abkhazia's passport policy
"I love my country very much, but seeing this injustice, I just want to leave."
Parents, students threaten to sue Bhutanese employment agency after ‘learn and earn’ debacle in Japan
Many students became sick from physical and mental stress. There were also reports of forced labor, and passport theft and illegal wage deductions by employers in Japan.
For Albania and North Macedonia, are the European Union's doors half-open or half-closed?
Both Western Balkan countries were hopeful for a positive outcome from the EU foreign ministers' meeting on June 18.
Public pressure forces Trinidad & Tobago government to drop amendment to Freedom of Information Act
"...people should be very proud of a democracy that obviously is quite healthy—that civil society came together quickly and comprehensively as it did, and that government was sufficiently responsive."
‘Step down, Carrie Lam!': Two million rise up once more against Hong Kong extradition bill
Having flouted due process and ignored public criticism of an extradition bill amendment that could put Hongkongers at serious risk, Chief Executive Carrie Lam is paying the price.
Demolition of a 150-year-old building highlights government neglect of Bangladesh's heritage sites
"The building had such remarkable designs which were rare to find in other buildings in the old parts of Dhaka. So [it] needed to be saved."
Bhutan takes first steps toward decriminalizing homosexuality
The bill will be discussed in the National Council, the upper house of the parliament, during the upcoming winter session starting in November. Bhutanese activists eagerly await the results.
DRC Ebola outbreak spreads to neighboring Uganda, activating rapid preparedness response
Uganda has prepared for this moment: Three confirmed cases activate a strong Ebola response system of detection and prevention. Is this a "public health emergency of international concern"?
A decree by President Bolsonaro could threaten civil society group investigating deaths under Brazil’s military dictatorship
An order ending Brazil's civil society committees has raised alarms in the Perus Working Group, which investigates human remains found at a 1970s cemetery in the suburbs of São Paulo.
In Nigeria, tensions rise in Kano Kingdom as king faces finance corruption charges
King Sanusi II and all other suspects may be suspended, pending further investigation into financial fraud and misuse investigated by the anti-corruption commission.
Could the PetroCaribe scandal be the end of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse?
The corruption scandal surrounding PetroCaribe, a regional energy programme that supplied petroleum products to Haiti at preferential rates, was at the heart of the violent protests earlier this year.
Reactions to the presidential pardon of Sri Lankan rightwing religious leader
"Given Gnanasara’s past record of hateful speech, the Presidential pardon amounted to disrespect to all those who had suffered religious freedom violations in Sri Lanka."
