Stories about Human Rights from August, 2019
Refugees in West Java, Indonesia have no access to education so they established their own school
Refugees can spend many years in Indonesia without possibility of permanent settlement.
On activism and the self
"Behind the instagrammable image of the fierce-looking individual with a clenched fist is a person who is constantly rationalizing and reaffirming their fidelity to radical politics."
Malaria has affected over 5 million people in Burundi so far this year
In Burundi, so far this year, malaria has affected 5,738,661 million people — that's about half its population. Yet, the government hesitates to declare an epidemic.
Withheld in Turkey: How the government exploits removal requests to silence critical and independent voices
For years, Turkey has been exploiting tools offered by social media platforms to restrict illegal content in a particular jurisdiction, to silence critical voices.
Nigerian activist arrested for calling for a nationwide #RevolutionNow protest movement
Omoyele Sowore was detained and charged under Nigeria's 2011 counter-terrorism law. He could face life imprisonment.
Netizen Report: Journalists are under fire from Cambodia to Cuba — and beyond
Across the globe, journalists are facin charges of everything from espionage to tax evasion.
UAE frees activist Osama al-Najjar after 5 years in detention
Despite serving his three-year sentence in March 2017, al-Najjar remained in arbitrary detention.
Kenyan MP and her baby ordered out of parliament: ‘What was I supposed to do? Miss my duties?’
"I had an emergency, so what was I supposed to do? Miss parliament and my duties — just because I have a baby?"
Tanzanian journalist faces trumped-up charges after abduction and detention
Freelance ournalist Erick Kabendera has written critically of Tanzanian President John Magufuli's increasingly repressive administration. Yesterday, authorities charged him with economic crimes, but critics say his only "crime" is journalism.
Mozambique criminalizes child marriage
According to one study, Mozambique is the 11th country in the world with the highest rate of child marriages.
Security forces in Guinea now have the right to use deadly force
Human rights and opposition groups fear the law could be used to grant impunity and target dissent ahead of 2020 elections when President Alpha Condé will seek a third term.
Witch-hunting still claims lives in rural India
Witch-hunting is a practice that still exists in some parts of India where people, mostly women, are branded witches and treated inhumanly often leading to mob-lynching.
Netflix's ‘The Great Hack’ highlights Cambridge Analytica's role in Trinidad & Tobago elections
Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie may visit Trinidad and Tobago to talk to a parliamentary Joint Select Committee about campaign election interference — and who hired and paid the company.
Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire make legal strides for women and children’s rights
In July 2019, Mozambique and Cote d'Ivoire were the latest countries in sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen marriage laws to empower girls and women. But implementation and enforcement remain a challenge.
Ugandan feminist Stella Nyanzi deploys nude protest to challenge free speech sentence
Feminist scholar Stella Nyanzi, known for "radical rudeness" as protest, flashed her breasts and shouted obscenities in protest in court after receiving 9 more months in prison for cyber harassment.
‘I am a Hongkonger’: Artist Ai Weiwei on why he supports the city’s protest movement
'Freedom of expression is the most important weapon to combat authoritarianism. Authoritarians simply have no imagination, and without that, they have no future.'
It's Emancipation Day in Trinidad & Tobago — but is the country free?
"This emancipation embrace the fullness and richness of who you are, where you came from, the blood and history that's in your veins."
Russia's LGBTQ+ community reels after murder of activist Yelena Grigoryeva
Police say Yelena Grigoryeva died in the course of a “domestic dispute” with her killer, but activists dispute that account; her name had recently appeared on a homophobic hit-list.
The Gambia's truth commission continues to confront abuses under past president's regime
"Between 1994 to 2016, under President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, Gambian citizens suffered numerous human rights violations. These included murder, extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, physical assaults..."
Election focuses spotlight on disability issues in Japan
Kimura Eiko and Funago Yasuhiko, who both rely on motorized wheelchairs and caregiver support in order to carry out daily tasks, were elected to the upper house of Japan's parliament.
Iran's invisible children
"Given the Islamic Republic’s history of discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, this lack of infrastructure, economic negligence and the depth of poverty appears intentional..."
