Stories about Governance from October, 2020
Fighting disinformation and fact-checking the Myanmar election
Global Voices interviewed Thet Min, fact-checker for ‘Real or not’ fact-checking news website, about their efforts to expose and stop disinformation in Myanmar ahead of the November 8 elections.
Indian ad featuring Hindu-Muslim family pulled after rightwing backlash
The advert by jewellery brand Tanishq shows a Hindu woman being led by her Muslim mother-in-law to a traditional Hindu baby shower.
In Haiti, homophobic movements use anti-colonial rhetoric against LGBTQI+ communities
Attempts to increase visibility of the LGBTQI+ community in Haiti are being stifled
Russia's indigenous peoples are in the crosshairs of COVID-19
A raft of social and environmental issues makes indigenous peoples of Russia's Far North uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 — many of these, say activists, are linked to resource extraction.
In Belarus, tech workers fear for their industry’s future
Longtime Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka boasts that he has created a "paradise" for Belarusian IT. So why are young tech workers protesting against him — or even moving their businesses...
Ending police brutality in Nigeria: A festival of lights to honor the dead
Protesters from the #EndSARS movement agreed to hold a festival of lights on Friday night in honor of heroes who lost their lives due to police brutality.
For journalists in Kenya, ‘2020 is the worst year on record’
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in Kenya in March, more than 47 cases of arbitrary arrest, assault and harassment have been perpetrated against bloggers, online activists and human rights defenders.
Myanmar's election commission censors speeches of political parties in run-up to election
"This censorship seems like something the dictatorship did. They shouldn’t mess with the party’s tone. Shouldn’t there be freedom of expression?"
Undaunted by the October 16 crackdown, protestors once again take to Bangkok’s streets
"There is no more staying neutral, either you side with democracy or side with dictatorship that uses power unfairly."
#AnswerUsElonMusk: Russia's indigenous peoples campaign against Arctic pollution
An oil spill in May devastated large swathes of the tundra. Here's how indigenous rights activists joined forces to demand justice from the culprit — Russia's largest nickel producer.
The struggle to end Nigeria's brutal SARS police unit continues
The question of control over SARS has not been adequately answered. The constitution vested control of the police to the presidency under the police chief. But that chain-of-command has broken.
‘Lazy’ Nigerian youth mobilize #EndSARS protest from social media to the streets
Described as ‘lazy’ by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, with a significant number unemployed, stereotyped as ‘unserious’, these digitally savvy youth have proved critics wrong.
After three months of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, what’s at stake?
A prominent politician treated a public beach as his private property. Now, broad public demonstrations demanding the total overhaul of a corrupt political system.
Vietnamese activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang arrested for ‘anti-state propaganda’
"I don’t need freedom just for myself, that would be too easy. I want something much greater: freedom and democracy for all of Vietnam."
In rural Malawi, inadequate health care facilities is a matter of life or death
Malawi's new government under the Tonse Alliance was elected on a range of promises, including the delivery of essential health care in the country.
Historic homicide reduction in El Salvador continues to spur debate in the country
Journalists are under attack for questioning whether the government held secret negotiations with gangs.
Post-election protests spark another revolution in Kyrgyzstan
Opposition protesters enraged at electoral fraud have seized government buildings. The Prime Minister and other key figures have resigned. The electoral commission has annulled official results "to prevent tension".
Facebook denies accusations of fuelling hate speech and pro-BJP bias in India
On September 16, Facebook India’s chief issued a statement denying accusations that the social media giant is making profits by giving a platform to hate speech in India.
Trinh Ba Phuong: A video portrait of a Vietnamese land rights activist
"I’m essentially a farmer. I really don’t think of myself as an activist, because I don’t think I have enough ability or knowledge yet."
Policing the digital frontiers: Is India weaponizing technology to silence civil society?
In the world's largest democracy, the targeting of human rights defenders through spyware poses a threat to fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression and privacy.
