Stories about Governance from June, 2020
Has COVID-19 provoked a crisis of faith in Georgia's Orthodox church?
As the Georgian Orthodox Church continued to hold prayers during lockdown, its critics hint at a new crisis of faith in church-state relations.
Rift over Solomon Islands’ new ‘One China’ policy makes chaos of COVID-19 response
"I call on the government to stop dancing to Beijing’s tune and prioritise our people’s health and safety."
Mexican feminists and workers’ rights defenders faced wave of arrests in June
Various threats, arrests, and detentions happened in under 15 days.
From prison to exile: An interview with Vietnamese activist Tran Thi Nga
A former prisoner of conscience talks about her experience after she was arrested and the impact her incarceration had on her family.
Harrowing tales from African domestic workers in Lebanon
African domestic workers are essentially slaves in the Gulf and Arab countries, under the Kafala sponsorship system that allows this exploitation and abuse to continue.
Thailand's ‘youthquake': Activism in the time of COVID-19
Pro-democracy flash mob protests rocked Thailand in January and February. COVID-19 has shifted acts of resistance to cyberspace.
WHO urges Pakistan to reimpose lockdown after surge in cases
Pakistan has implemented new lockdown restrictions after a letter from the WHO urged the country to improve testing and control outbreak numbers.
People with disabilities left stranded during national lockdown in Uganda
In Uganda, the needs of marginalized people — especially those of persons with disabilities — were conspicuously absent in President Yoweri Museveni’s COVID-19 directives.
Remembering Amadou Diallo, a Guinean victim of police brutality in the USA
Amadou Diallo, a Guinean in the USA, was shot 41 times by NYC police. His family sued the city and settled for $3 million and created the Amadou Diallo Foundation in 2005.
Sri Lanka prepares for twice-delayed poll amid militarized COVID-19 response
"The government will not hesitate to arrest opposition activists and voters for violating this or that anti-virus rule while giving a free pass to its own supporters."
Timor-Leste plans to restore criminal defamation law amid concerns about its free speech impact
"This draft law threatens everyone, particularly vulnerable people without political connections or financial resources. "
Who are the ‘rioters’ facing jail time after the anti-China extradition protests in Hong Kong?
Around a third of the 612 rioters currently awaiting trial are younger than 20, while at least 14 are under 16-years-old.
Fish prices spike as Cameroon’s mangroves face total depletion
Cameroonians rely heavily on mangroves for fish and firewood, but exploiting its resources has pushed it to the brink. A spike in fish prices is largely blamed on mangrove depletion.
No medicine, no healing: Sudan’s pharmaceutical crisis
Since 2016, medicine prices in Sudan have risen exponentially. To make matters worse, the government’s central bank lacks the foreign currency necessary to import essential drugs from abroad.
Migrant workers face racism and rampant human rights violations across the Gulf
Migrant workers in the Gulf region are being subjected to a fierce campaign calling for their deportation that is riddled with racist speeches and hatred.
Impoverished youth in the Middle East turn to cheap — sometimes deadly — alcohol
When large-scale alcohol poisoning outbreaks occur, they make the news in the Middle East, but where is the political will to tackle this sensitive and controversial issue?
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
Part II: Roadblocks to health care for women during COVID-19 in East Africa
Under COVID-19 curfew in Kenya, transport providers have either been unable or unwilling to transport pregnant women in labor to health facilities for fear of harassment by security agencies.
Part I: Health care information access for women during COVID-19 in East Africa
In Kenya, pregnant women struggle to get uninterrupted access to sexual and reproductive health-related information and education during the pandemic — on and offline.
COVID-19 is rapidly exhausting Bangladesh healthcare system amidst alarming rise of infected people
As Bangladesh tries to figure out which lockdown measure is the answer, public healthcare systems are failing largely, resulting in no signs of the COVID-19 contraction curve plateauing.
Surprise in Papua New Guinea as Prime Minister rejects the renewal of license for major gold mine
Papua New Guinea's decision not to renew a major mining lease has ignited an intense discussion about its economic impact and the future of the country’s mining sector.
