Stories about Politics from November, 2018
Former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos accused of corruption by his successor
João Lourenço said in a interview with a Portuguese newspaper that he found the state's coffers empty when he took office in 2017.
Syrian prisoners of conscience announce a hunger strike in Hama Central Prison, leaked footage reveals
"I had no political or partisan background. I just had a dream of a different Syria, so I joined my fellow Syrians who took to the streets in peaceful protests."
Russian rapper arrested and unexpectedly released after alleged Kremlin intervention
Husky is no liberal minstrel, but fellow rappers rushed to his support when he was arrested. Then a state TV executive bragged about the Kremlin's efforts to release him.
Crossing the Syrian-Turkish border: risks by the hour
"They sprinted over the 50-meter stretch between the asphalt road and the mountain... 30 minutes later, the guide stopped and told them that they had just crossed the danger zone."
Despite threats of arrest, rap song criticizing military rule goes viral in Thailand
As a response to the 40-million-view music video, the Thai government launched its own rap song celebrating innovation and progress (it flopped).
On contemporary art in the Balkans: An interview with Jon Blackwood
"When so many citizens have to focus so much of their effort on just survival, it’s little surprise that people have lost the habit of going to art galleries..."
After a bloody attack on an opposition leader, critics of the Serbian regime express fears of a descent into fascism
"We will fight to ensure that Serbia doesn't remain a country of bloody shirts, and a country where the blood of those who think differently from the regime is spilled."
Students rally for academic freedom on the eve of the final call for Central European University to stay in Hungary
Students of threatened academic institutions occupied the square in front of the Parliament to defend academic freedom in Hungary.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan sets the ‘war on terror’ record straight on Twitter
The "record needs to be put straight on Mr. Trump's tirade against Pakistan," said Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan in a Twitter spat with the U.S. president.
#QanoonSabKayLiye: A social media campaign promoting legal awareness in Pakistan
#QanoonSabKayLiye campaign is a series of Facebook and Twitter posts that explain the rights and obligations of the citizens under the Constitution of Pakistan.
Made-in-China fake news overwhelms Taiwan
Last year, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau revealed that a significant volume of disinformation that had circulated on Taiwan social media networks came from “content farms” with China's Communist Party.
Civil society organizations decry new legislation that reduces legal rights in Bulgaria
Many fear that changes to Bulgaria’s Administrative-Procedural Code (APC) are a threat to justice.
Welcome to the ‘New Turkey': Five years after Gezi park, protesters face new threats of arrest
What seemed like a spike in repression against civil society advocates and intellectuals may actually be the new normal.
Netizens reflect on 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia
Slovakia and the Czech Republic mark 100 years since the establishment of Czechoslovakia.
‘I am prepared to go to jail': Founder of Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement offers hope ahead of trial
"I am prepared to go to jail… So long as we are not crushed by the trial and the prison sentence...then we will come out stronger."
Former Macedonian strongman's escape to Hungary triggers a flood of disinformation
If the claims circulating in the Balkans media space are to be believed, Nikola Grueski escaped to Hungary on a flight operated by an airline that closed in 2012.
Dissident novelist’s close call casts a shadow on Hong Kong's once-vibrant cultural scene
Since the 1950s, Hong Kong has had a proud tradition of exile literature and art. Recent events suggest they're under threat.
From prime minister to escaped convict: Macedonia's ex-leader Nikola Gruevski flees to Hungary
"While Gruevski's escape was unprecedented in Macedonian history, his choice of destination wasn’t too surprising."
Who is Sérgio Moro, the Brazilian judge who sentenced former president Lula and will be Bolsonaro's ‘superminister'?
Moro is a controversial figure, seen by some as a symbol of the fight against corruption, but by others as having taken partisan actions in persecuting certain figures.
The Caribbean Court of Justice loses again — this time with voter apathy and distrust
"People do not trust the power institutions, the hierarchies in the region — and that's not going to change for a long time to come."
Mauritania keeps anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid in prison — and far away from parliament
Biram Dah Abeid, who is also an elected government official, is accused of slandering and threatening a journalist with close ties to the Mauritanian government.
