Stories about Protest from September, 2024
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a symbol of resistance, must be released on time
Alaa Abdel Fattah’s plight is not an isolated case. Thousands of others remain behind bars in Egypt for crimes as trivial as expressing dissenting opinions on social media.
Ghanaians rally online demanding justice for citizens arrested in protests against illegal gold mining
"[I]llegal gold mining is destroying the environment, making people ill, adding to water scarcity and damaging farmlands and crops such as cocoa."
Iran’s new president must address repression of artists, dissidents at UN Assembly
"Forced confessions, work bans, and restrictions on mobility as lesser-known tactics of the Iranian regime, which nonetheless have powerful effects on victims."
Young Kenyans use technology to mobilize against Finance Bill amid disinformation surge
During the anti-finance bill protests, widespread false information distorted the movement’s message and sowed division among participants and the public.
GV webinar: The ABCs of digital repression in Venezuela
In this webinar, we explored the Venezuelan regime's "package" of digital repression instruments, how they have evolved, and analyze how they have been used after the last presidential.
‘Truth deserves to be seen’: Artists decry film censorship in the Philippines
Two Philippine films were given X-ratings, and therefore banned from airing in theaters, angering cinephiles and free-speech activists alike.
‘Power belongs to the people’: New wave of protests in Tunisia as elections approach
Demonstrators called for the return of democracy and an end to state repression and intimidation tactics used against candidates in the upcoming presidential elections.
Samoan journalists balk at planned restrictions during Commonwealth meeting
"Stifling the media is never a good thing and trying to control them is even worse."
Iran sees 80% spike in executions two years after protests
From October 2022 to September 2024, at least 1,452 people were executed, a significant rise from 779 in the two years prior to the 2022 protests.
Digital partisans: Dissecting Facebook sentiment towards Sri Lanka's main presidential candidates
Facebook’s approximately eight and a half million users in Sri Lanka post far more content and commentary at any time and on any issue or politician than other social media platforms.
Operation Knock Knock: On the hunt for dissident voices in Venezuela
Amidst Venezuela's highest repression peak, Operation Knock Knock is a doxxing campaign sponsored by the Venezuelan regime to threaten and persecute voters, journalists, activists and political and community leaders.
VenApp, the Chavista app co-opted for harassment in Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro's regime uses an app for doxxing to expose citizens and illegally detain them, violating the rights of Venezuelans who demand transparency in the results of the presidential election.
‘Crisis and revival of the Tatar national movement’: An interview with opposition media editor
Tatar publicist and editor-in-chief of the magazine Poistine, Ruslan Aysin is facing criminal charges in Russia for “rehabilitating Nazism.” This is retaliation for his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.
Why do girls and women keep dying in Turkey?
A confession by one of the detained village residents brought further horror to a story that is all too familiar in a country that withdrew from Istanbul Convention in 2021
‘Peringatan Darurat’: Youth-led protest against corruption and nepotism in Indonesia
"The Peringatan Darurat movement represents a significant moment in Indonesian politics, demonstrating the power of social media to rapidly mobilise mass protests."
Côte d'Ivoire: LGBTQ+ community is legally but not socially accepted
Although homosexuality isn't a criminal offense in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the LGBTQ+ community has no legal protections there. Given this legal uncertainty, queer individuals remain isolated from society.
Georgian lawmakers inch closer to final approval of anti-LGBTQ+ law
Critics have pointed out that laws like the one adopted by Russia in 2013 to “protect children from information advocating a denial of traditional family values” have also increased hate crimes.
Line of conflict shifts from the Donbas in Ukraine to Mali in the Sahel
Owing to the actors involved and the leading figures’ objectives, the July 27 attack in Tinzaouaten was a vivid reproduction of the Donbas in the Sahel.
Despite promises, Azerbaijani people continue to face water shortages
Meanwhile, as experts voice concerns over the state’s failure to address the country’s water shortage problem, it is the local population and village residents who are paying a heavy price.
