Stories about Politics from December, 2020
WATCH: Belarus 2020: Still uploading?
In this edition of our Global Voices Insights series, media analyst Maryia Sadouvskaya-Komlach, artist Rufina Bezlova and scholar Gregory Asmolov revisit the events in Belarus following the August 2020 presidential elections.
North Macedonia court rejects lawsuit by journalists over 2017 Parliament attack
Journalists sued the Macedonian state for the violence they faced on that fateful April 27, 2017, when a mob stormed the Parliament. A court ruled they failed to prove the attack happened.
Trinidad & Tobago's procurement regulation bill passes, but corruption concerns linger
On the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, Trinidad and Tobago's Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed — by a single vote.
How will the war in Nagorno-Karabakh change Azerbaijan?
After Azerbaijan's victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, strongman President Ilham Aliyev enjoys huge popular support. But the new presence of Russian peacekeepers is causing unease, say researchers Sergey Rumyantsev and Sevil Huseynova.
Internet artist behind satirical Australia war crimes image hailed as a hero on Chinese social media
The satirical image of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child was shared by China’s Foreign Ministry's spokesman on Twitter, causing a row between the two countries.
Singaporean activist who staged a solo protest with a ‘smiley’ placard charged with illegal assembly
"I barely stayed in the area for more than several seconds. Yet, what I did has been deemed as a public protest by the State."
US in Syria: What to expect of the new administration?
Humanitarian considerations will be the main distinction between the two US administrations in Syria's war, where Washington vies to curb terrorist threats and Russia's influence in a vital region.
Australia-China relations hit rock bottom after provocative tweet by senior Communist Party official
"A Chinese diplomat's tweet re inquiry into war crimes is breathtakingly, gobsmackingly hypocritical. We are waiting for independent investigations into widespread systematic abuses by China in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong."
Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam sentenced to jail
Joshua Wong tweeted: "We’re now joining the battle in prison along with many brave protestors, less visible yet essential in the fight for democracy and freedom for Hong Kong."
Pressure mounts on Egypt to release prominent human rights defenders
Three senior members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), one of Egypt’s most prominent human rights groups, were arrested earlier this month on charges of terrorism.
Angolan police repressed anti-government protests on Independence Day
As well as holding local elections, the demonstrators demanded the 500,000 jobs promised by President João Lourenço during his election campaign in 2017.
Student protests in Philippine universities hit government for bungled Typhoon disaster response
"We halt our classes and academic work to amplify our call for justice and for the ouster of Duterte."
Controversy over Thanksgiving celebration in a Chinese university highlights a growing culture of political snitching
A dormitory supervisor at Harbin Institute of Technology wanted to give out chocolate treats to students on Thanksgiving Day. A student threatened to report her to the school's authorities.