Stories about Weblog from July, 2020
Zimbabwe governance crisis: Arrests over COVID-19 corruption and planned protests
The arrest of two prominent figures in Zimbabwe signal new levels of crisis in governance as the nation heads toward unprecedented economic decline and social unrest amid COVID-19 corruption.
Sri Lankan wildlife threatened by poaching during the pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, rising unemployment has been linked to the surge in illegal wildlife poaching.
Serbia protests point to crisis of legitimacy for Vučić government
Serbian authorities unleashed a wave of violence at recent protests in the capital, causing some to wonder whether the government is finally starting to lose its control over the narrative.
Yanomami mothers fight for the right to bury their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
Amazônia Real's report located the bodies of Yanomami babies who died with COVID-19. They had been buried without their families' knowledge. One baby remained for two months in a cold storage facility.
A never-ending cycle of doctors’ strikes and funding debacles leaves Nigerians at the mercy of the pandemic
Events such as doctors’ strikes and funding debacles are bound to recur until the root cause of the problem is exorcised from Nigeria's public health system.
Marielle Franco case remains under state police without federal interference, rules Brazil High Court
Marielle's family members and advocates have feared that moving the case to federal level would make it vulnerable to interference by President Jair Bolsonaro, whose family has links with the suspects in the crime.
Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Colombia denounce the assassination of human rights defenders
"The answer should not be force. The militarization of the territory generates more panic and anxiety."
Rooftop cultural events allow Venezuelan residents to momentarily escape COVID-19 through art
"We want to dream. We are the generation that fights and loves its community, despite the social conflicts and inequalities, we live in a constant learning process."
Out of work, out of options: Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand scrape by during COVID-19
"Since my workplace was closed, I don’t have much money left, I don’t know where to find work. I live in a construction camp with my 4-year-old son."
Chinese netizens rebrand Xi Jinping’s international relations strategy as ‘wolf warrior’ style diplomacy
"The Chinese Foreign Affair Ministry has turned into a branch of the propaganda department... and is now known as the Ministry of Making Foreign Enemies."
In Liberia, a new mobile phone tariff collides with digital rights
The cost-prohibitive surcharge will make it harder for everyday Liberians to get online, limiting digital access at the height of a pandemic when citizens need reliable information more than ever.
Students lead mass protest against dictatorship at Thailand's Democracy Monument
Protesters issued three demands related to democratic reforms and human rights protetion, and gave the government two weeks to respond.
Ecuador's transgender community decries lack of government aid during pandemic
"We aren't inherently vulnerable; it's the State that makes these populations vulnerable."
Female genital mutilation likely to rise in the Middle East amid COVID-19 pandemic
The pandemic disrupted FGM prevention measures in the Middle East, where the practice is widely underreported.
Black Lives Matter forces an IBM U-turn on facial recognition
Under pressure from Black Lives Matter movement activists, the company IBM has announced its withdrawal from the facial recognition software market
Tears and rage after Congress rejects franchise renewal of the Philippines’ biggest media network
"Our dreams and future, these are the things they took away from us. I’ve worked so hard for this. But it’s gone in an instant. You are inhumane!”
‘Invisible hands': How millions of domestic workers fare under COVID-19
"We are the invisible hands. Our work is not valued. We don’t exist for the families we serve nor do we exist for the state."
How does Rwanda’s genocide ideology law regulate speech online?
Rwanda’s genocide ideology law seriously limits freedom of speech online and creates a culture of fear and self-censorship among opposition and dissenting voices.
Since George Floyd's murder, black Barbadians are becoming more vocal about racism
Through their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, young activists are challenging the status quo.
Hong Kong protest supporters’ international lobby to ‘burn’ China for hurting the city
“Laam chau”, a term derived from a username on the Reddit-like forum LIHKG, means "mutually-assured destruction", and it has captured the imagination of Hongkongers — even those in the pro-establishment camp.
Could reform be on the cards for Jamaica's prison system?
Prime Minister Holness called the death of an inmate who had spent decades behind bars without trial "among the most dreadful inheritances of a system in urgent need of reform."