Stories about Human Rights from November, 2021
Press Freedom and the Indian Judiciary
In India, journalists are being unfairly charged with defamation, sedition, and publishing fake news. Despite the constitutional guarantee of press freedom, threats to the press are rampant in the country.
‘Unfit for military service': How Azerbaijan stigmatizes LGBTQ+ military personnel
In Azerbaijan, though homosexuality is not legally considered a disease, when it comes to military service it is registered as either a neurological/psychological illness or a personality disorder.
Myanmar rappers express rage and resistance against the military regime
"Myanmar hip hop will never be silenced. We come together, not because we are the same but because we are united as one."
‘Bitcoin City’ in El Salvador seen through local memes
Most memes highlight the stark contrast between the government's over-the-top efforts to attract foreign investors and its limited investment in lowering crime rates.
The ignored, unwanted, and unforgiven
On November 8, the Victory Day celebration, new annual holiday that commemorates Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, a crowd in downtown Baku was filmed cheering as they burned Armenian...
Invisible scars result from patriarchal tolerance of gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Due to the deep-rooted patriarchal structure of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, domestic violence is often perceived as a corrective measure of the strong over the weak family members.
Once more, Jamaicans debate whether states of emergency are an effective crime-fighting tool or a band aid
The murder rate in some communities in Jamaica has increased between 16 and 57 per cent in 2021, with the country recording 1,240 murders so far this year.
Legislating repression: Libya’s new cybercrime law
"The timing of promulgation, with presidential elections just around the corner, has left many people wondering about the purpose behind such a move."
More leeway to the ship recycling industry from the environmental authorities in Bangladesh triggers criticism
Activists in Bangladesh are criticising the recent decision of the environmental authorities who downgraded the status of the ship recycling industry from red to orange.
When athletes get political: Support for the Uyghurs ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics
NBA player Enes Kanter called for fellow Muslim athletes to join him in condemning the atrocities that the Uyghurs have been suffering at the hand of the Chinese government.
Empty Chair Day highlights plight of imprisoned Ukrainian journalists
This year's campaign focuses on Vladyslav Yesypenko, an independent journalist illegally imprisoned for reporting on the realities of life in Russia-occupied Crimea.
Latino immigrants in the US: Has the situation really changed?
Stories about the "invisible" workforce in the United States: Even though poverty rates are declining, Latinos are still among the poorest and the least educated.
Nepal: Drowning in sorrow
Despite protests, defiant sand mining and quarry contractors have continued to leave large abandoned pits along Nepal’s rivers in which children drown by the dozens every year.
The legacy of killed Colombian indigenous reporter lives on
The death of Indigenous reporter Efigenia Vásquez reignited the Kokonuko community's fight to keep their reserve and collective property.
Democratization in South Korea and the legacy of the Gwangju Uprising
"Youth participation and engagement in politics are promising. ... I see that the South Korean political system is gradually developing and the general public are embracing institutionalized democratic practices."
More voices call for the release of Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist who could die in a mainland Chinese prison
For months, international human rights groups have been urging China to release the jailed citizen journalist Zhang Zhan. The US government recently joined the cause as Zhang’s health is deteriorating.
Poland reinforces border with Belarus as migrant crisis escalates
The EU had previously accused Belarus' Lukashenka of flying in migrants from the MENA region and South Asia and bringing them to the EU's borders to retaliate against sanctions.
Meet the Pacific Islanders fighting for climate action at COP26
"We are resilient people, but we recognise the need for other countries to build their resilience as well if we are to have a fighting chance!"
Indonesian court allows internet blocking amid social unrest
"We [are] worried the Indonesia government will implement more Internet restrictions based on this Constitutional Court decision that not follow or address human rights standards like their previous actions."
