Stories about Feature from August, 2019
As Jamaica seeks the return of Taino artefacts from Britain, relics at home may not be safe
Through the National Commission on Reparations, the Jamaican government says it's working to have world-renowned wooden Taino artefacts returned — but do the museums first need to higher standards?
Kazakhstan pauses interception of encrypted traffic, but for how long?
This was the authorities’ third attempt to enforce the use of a “national security certificate.” Although the authorities have relented, there are signs that it won’t be the last.
Hong Kong police conducts massive and unprecedented arrest of leading anti-extradition activists
The Hong Kong government has shifted its crackdown tactics from detaining demonstrators on protest sites to arresting a wider network of pro-democracy activists and leaders.
Tanzania's first and only classic car club pays homage to Remmy Ongala, old school musical legend
Oldschool Rides Tanzania, a club devoted to restoring and celebrating vintage cars in Tanzania and the region, organized a classic car show to honor Tanzanian music legend Remmy Ongala.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum: The Congolese scientist behind the cure for Ebola
This African scientist discovered the cure for Ebola. Will his name be as widely shared as news about the disease itself?
‘Kingston Creative’ breathes new life into Jamaica’s downtown district
With the involvement of 100+ volunteers and more than 20 community groups, Kingston Creative is reinvigorating Jamaica's capital with its ongoing #PaintTheCity mural project.
A study of Bulgarian far-right proto-militias dismantles the theory of the lone-wolf extremist
Research shows that the members of far-right extremist groups don’t necessarily believe the narratives promoted by their networks about “migrant invasion” or “islamization,” but consider hate speech as useful weapon.
Indonesia sends in troops and cuts internet as West Papua protesters denounce racist treatment of students
"Blocking and restricting access to the internet in Papua and West Papua will make it harder for people living outside of the two provinces to verify facts."
An effect of rising deforestation in Brazil, Amazon fires turn into a global crisis
Besides Jair Bolsonaro's policies, experts point to deforestation, seasonal burnings, lack of funding and inspection as the main causes to a record-breaking year in number of wild fires.
Human rights advocates petition the UN and AU over the detention of Nigerian protest leader
"The unfounded charge of terrorism that was subsequently laid against him was clearly only created to serve the purpose of silencing Sowore."
Netizen Report: The shutdown in Kashmir continues
Kashmir's communications blackout continues, Russia goes after 'illegal' protest videos online, and Google re-opens its office in Egypt.
Reducing carbon footprint and waste generation is the need of the hour, says Indian environmentalist
Global Voices talked with lawyer and environmentalist Afroz Shah, prominently known for launching the world's largest beach clean-up drive in India's financial capital, Mumbai.
Remembering the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Over a third of young Czechs are unable to make a link between the date of August 21, 1968 and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
As a top government official is arrested in Trinidad & Tobago, the corruption debate rages
Why was McDonald fired and reappointed so many times? Does Trinidad and Tobago have a culture of enabling corruption? The minister's arrest has prompted a wider debate.
Twitter reveals China's information operations on Hong Kong protests
A network of 200,000 accounts operated in conjunction to undermine the legitimacy of the Hong Kong movement, Twitter said in a statement.
Tonga threatens to ban Facebook over anti-monarchy posts
"By trying to impose a ban the government will simply make itself look foolish or ineffective."
Vitriolic response to art exhibit tests the limits of freedom of speech in Japan
A controversial art exhibition at an arts festival in Japan has led to government criticism, threats, at least one arrest, protests by artists and questions about freedom of expression.
Indian government asks Twitter to remove accounts ‘spreading rumours’ about Kashmir
With the communication blackout inside Kashmir, netizens elsewhere resorted to Twitter to speak out against India's revocation of the region's autonomous status.
On activism and the self
"Behind the instagrammable image of the fierce-looking individual with a clenched fist is a person who is constantly rationalizing and reaffirming their fidelity to radical politics."
Beijing says Hong Kong anti-extradition protests show signs of ‘terrorism’
"The bloody crackdown is extending and you cannot see the border or a definitive sign in Hong Kong’s version of June 4..."
Withheld in Turkey: How the government exploits removal requests to silence critical and independent voices
For years, Turkey has been exploiting tools offered by social media platforms to restrict illegal content in a particular jurisdiction, to silence critical voices.