Stories about Politics from October, 2019
15 October 2019
Rwanda deports American evangelical pastor accused of hate speech and visa violations
Many Rwandans lauded the US evangelical preacher's deportation, decrying hate speech in Rwanda. But supporters see it as an attack on faith-based organizations by the Kagame administration.
Internet censorship in Sudan: Rethinking laws and tactics that served an authoritarian regime
Sudan's transitional authorities have taken small steps toward improving the climate for internet freedom in the country— but these remain inadequate.
14 October 2019
Was the Nobel Peace Prize for Ethiopia’s prime minister premature?
Abiy Ahmed Ali has undertaken unprecedented reforms since he took office last year. But will he end up like other African leaders who started well, but went rogue over time?
A Crimean Tatar journalist's defiant last words in court
"I am a citizen of Ukraine, a Crimean Tatar, a Muslim. I am a journalist, a father, a husband, and a son. With the grace of God, these will not...
Meet the civic activists documenting abuses in Crimea
Crimean Solidarity members livestream arrests, detentions, and court hearings on the occupied peninsula, and fundraise for detainees' legal fees. That's why Moscow has had enough of them.
Zimbabwe government continues to weaponize information online to control citizen engagement
As a former state security minister, president Mnangagwa appreciated the importance and value of disinformation in Zimbabwe’s political terrain.
Thai judge shoots himself in court after alleging political interference in courtroom decisions
"Return rulings to judges. Return justice to people....My statements might hold weight as light as a feather, but a judge’s heart must be as firm as a mountain."
12 October 2019
Young Jamaican senator makes ‘inappropriate’ comments in parliament about breast cancer
"How is [discussing] part of a woman's body either appropriate or relevant in a Parliamentary (or any other public/formal discourse)?"
Algerian government cracks down as demonstrators protest presidential elections
The Algerian government has tried to stop peaceful marches, but failed. Protesters stop at nothing to reach their stated goal of ending the post-independence political system.
Police raid on rehab centre in Trinidad reveals inhumane conditions
Scores of people were found caged and mistreated in a rehabilitation centre that at one time received millions of dollars in government assistance.
11 October 2019
Google removes Hong Kong protester role-playing game from its Play Store
The mobile game, entitled "The Revolution of Our Times", provides details on the political context leading up to the protests with a map on key protest sites in Hong Kong.
Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president
Rights groups see Omoyele Sowore's continued detention and the charges filed against him as merely a criminalisation of political dissent in Nigeria.
10 October 2019
Trinidad's First Peoples say the indigenous name of airport should not be changed
The Trinidad prime minister's announcement about a possible airport name change from Piarco International Airport to the Eric Williams Airport has left the public divided.
Bangladesh regulator blocks engineering university webpage containing reports of student abuse
The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission blocked an online page where over 175 complaints were anonymously made by current and former students of the top engineering university of the country.
Thai Twitter users face threats over comments on royal motorcade
The hashtag #royalmotorcade trended in Thailand after netizens reported traffic problems caused by a royal motorcade.
9 October 2019
US gaming company Blizzard bans Hong Kong e-sport player from tournament for shouting pro-democracy slogan
The e-sport player will be removed from the tournament without receiving any prize money and banned from Hearthstone contests until 2020. Chinese tech giant Tencent owns about 5% of Blizzard’s...
Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa: Global Voices represents at Addis Ababa digital rights conference
The forum represented a huge step forward for digital rights in Ethiopia, where, just five years ago, press freedom and digital rights were at an all-time low.
A burqa controversy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
The government needs to come out of the thinking covering women in an abaya or chadar will protect them from harassers.
8 October 2019
Trinidad and Tobago president's stance on unmarried partners faces backlash
Not legally married? Don't expect your partner to receive an invitation to an event at President's House — unless President Weekes reconsiders her "Victorian era" decision.
