Stories about Politics from June, 2020
Beijing's national security law to enter force in Hong Kong
July 1 is a day of destiny for a city that China is determined to bring under its full control.
Rift over Solomon Islands’ new ‘One China’ policy makes chaos of COVID-19 response
"I call on the government to stop dancing to Beijing’s tune and prioritise our people’s health and safety."
In the Czech Republic, controversy over a newly re-erected Catholic monument ends in flames
The reinstatement of a Catholic monument in the middle of Prague historical center brings back a passionate debate about Czech identity and opposing views on historical heroes and villains
What is it like to be a mainland Chinese living in Hong Kong and supporting the protests?
Pro-protest mainlanders get doxxed by hostile internet users at home and sometimes face discrimination in their adopted city.
Students arrested for demanding internet facilities in Balochistan
A number of students were manhandled, baton-charged and arrested in Quetta, Balochistan, for protesting against non-availability of internet after their classes shifted online due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Milada Horáková: 70 years after her sham trial and execution, Czechs reflect on their communist past
A creative visual campaign reopens old wounds as Czech society reflects on their communist past and the victims of Stalinist sham trials, including the feminist Milada Horáková.
June 2020, a month of #BLM in Japan
Black Lives Matter rallies and marches were held in cities across Japan throughout June, part of a global display of solidarity with demonstrators in the United States and other countries.
Kyrgyzstan's journalists fear yet another hurdle to freedom of speech
Kyrgyzstan's parliament has passed a law against "manipulating information." Given their recent experiences, it's no surprise that the country's journalists worry what it might mean for freedom of speech.
From prison to exile: An interview with Vietnamese activist Tran Thi Nga
A former prisoner of conscience talks about her experience after she was arrested and the impact her incarceration had on her family.
Nationalists in North Macedonia use border closures to sow confusion and mistrust
Local media and politicians have distorted reopening policies in neighbouring countries for political gain.
Thailand's ‘youthquake': Activism in the time of COVID-19
Pro-democracy flash mob protests rocked Thailand in January and February. COVID-19 has shifted acts of resistance to cyberspace.
WHO urges Pakistan to reimpose lockdown after surge in cases
Pakistan has implemented new lockdown restrictions after a letter from the WHO urged the country to improve testing and control outbreak numbers.
Afro-Czechs on visibility, racism and life in the Czech Republic (Part I)
The Czech society started discussing ethnic discrimination and diversity after the fall of Communism, which had erroneously claimed to have eradicated racism.
People with disabilities left stranded during national lockdown in Uganda
In Uganda, the needs of marginalized people — especially those of persons with disabilities — were conspicuously absent in President Yoweri Museveni’s COVID-19 directives.
In the wake of Black Lives Matter's protests, death of black 5-year-old becomes symbol of Brazil's racism and inequality
Miguel plunged from the ninth floor of a building while under the care of his mother’s white employer
New law forces Hungarian transgender people to choose exile
Transgender people told Global Voices that Brussels has failed to stand up to Budapest on the issue.
Sri Lanka prepares for twice-delayed poll amid militarized COVID-19 response
"The government will not hesitate to arrest opposition activists and voters for violating this or that anti-virus rule while giving a free pass to its own supporters."
Timor-Leste plans to restore criminal defamation law amid concerns about its free speech impact
"This draft law threatens everyone, particularly vulnerable people without political connections or financial resources. "
The Kano COVID-19 deaths: Forced relocations and disinformation creates widespread confusion (Part II)
Forced relocations of children contributed to the possible spread of COVID-19 and online disinformation along ethnoreligious lines added to the general confusion surrounding mass deaths in Kano State, Nigeria.
The Kano COVID-19 deaths: Stories untold (Part I)
Our research reconstructed the failure of authorities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Kano, which resulted in hundreds of deaths despite persistent mass media and social media documentation.
As election looms, Serbia's leading party wants to defend citizens from dinosaurs
"When you can't pay the rent, the only thing left for you to do is build a time machine, go back in time and vote."
