Stories from October, 2020
President Buhari’s contempt for Nigerian youth-led #EndSARS movement
President Buhari emphasized state power over the human rights demands of citizens. “As far as Buhari was concerned, the youths who were killed at Lekki did not count for anything.”
Myanmar 2020 election: ‘A critical moment in the consolidation of democratic transition’
"Transparency and frequent consultation with political parties, candidates and other stakeholders are crucial to the acceptance of the results."
Failing to portray protesters as violent, Thai government lifts severe state of emergency
The government failed to portray the protesters as aggressive and violent, causing a political backfire and pressuring authorities to step back.
As war in Nagorno-Karabakh rages, so does a pandemic
COVID-19 looms on an unrecognised state at war, nearly severed from its only ally, as winter approaches.
Pakistan lifts ban on TikTok with conditions
Pakistani social media users strongly reacted to the ban on TikTok and criticized the telecom regulator.
Dancehall star Buju Banton’s rejection of mask-wearing stymies Jamaican government’s efforts to stem ‘COVID-19 fatigue’
"Please do not listen to Buju Banton [...] in this case, he is 110% wrong. Wear your mask, wash your hands and socially distance."
Trinidad & Tobago team reports ‘minimal to no risk’ of an oil spill from stranded Venezuelan tanker
A group of experts from Trinidad and Tobago comprised “the first agency besides engineers of Venezuela” to set foot on the vessel, which carries approximately 1.3 million barrels of crude oil.
Official obfuscation trails the Lagos shooting of anti-police protesters
To cover their tracks after the gunning down of unarmed, peaceful protesters, some Nigerian state institutions are promoting false information and propaganda on social media.
Fighting disinformation and fact-checking the Myanmar election
Global Voices interviewed Thet Min, fact-checker for ‘Real or not’ fact-checking news website, about their efforts to expose and stop disinformation in Myanmar ahead of the November 8 elections.
Ali Banisadr and the art of ‘visual thinking’
Ali Banisadr's MATRIX 185 exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the Iranian-American artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the US.
Japan's ‘least attractive’ prefecture gets a little more love in 2020
After ranking last for seven consecutive years, Ibaraki jumped up five spots on an annual survey ranking Japan's prefectures by "attractiveness."
Indian ad featuring Hindu-Muslim family pulled after rightwing backlash
The advert by jewellery brand Tanishq shows a Hindu woman being led by her Muslim mother-in-law to a traditional Hindu baby shower.
In Haiti, homophobic movements use anti-colonial rhetoric against LGBTQI+ communities
Attempts to increase visibility of the LGBTQI+ community in Haiti are being stifled
Russia's indigenous peoples are in the crosshairs of COVID-19
A raft of social and environmental issues makes indigenous peoples of Russia's Far North uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 — many of these, say activists, are linked to resource extraction.
During the pandemic, El Salvador hopes to revive tourism with a folkloric art rebrand
"To recover the identity and pride of being Salvadorans, today we launch the destination brand El Salvador inspired by the work of Fernando Llort."
In Belarus, tech workers fear for their industry’s future
Longtime Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka boasts that he has created a "paradise" for Belarusian IT. So why are young tech workers protesting against him — or even moving their businesses overseas?
Who is selling Ukrainians’ personal data online and for what purposes?
A trove of Ukrainians'' personal data available online as a consequence of leaks or illegal sale creates ripe conditions for targeted dissemination of malicious content ahead of October 25 local elections.
Nigerian military opens fire on peaceful protesters in Lagos
Nigerian security officials opened fire on protesters in Lekki, Lagos, reportedly killing at least three people. Civil society groups say the government has "declared a war on the people."
#EndSARS protest movement at a crossroads as government evades the issue
The Nigerian government has shown zero commitment to protesters’ demands for police reform but wallows in self-deluding verbal platitudes that are as ineffectual as they are dishonest.
Ending police brutality in Nigeria: A festival of lights to honor the dead
Protesters from the #EndSARS movement agreed to hold a festival of lights on Friday night in honor of heroes who lost their lives due to police brutality.
For journalists in Kenya, ‘2020 is the worst year on record’
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in Kenya in March, more than 47 cases of arbitrary arrest, assault and harassment have been perpetrated against bloggers, online activists and human rights defenders.