Stories from June, 2021
Hong Kong digital news outlet Stand News removes articles and suspends subscriptions following Apple Daily closure
Pro-democracy digital news outlet Stand News has announced it will remove opinion articles it published before May and stop accepting donations to reduce risks under the national security law.
Myanmar journalists endure attacks for reporting the coup
"We're all just waiting for the knock on the door. Sometimes you hear footsteps on the stairs, it's like they're coming for you: you have this feeling all the time."
Amazon Prime TV series dangerously misrepresents Eelam Tamil narratives and histories
An Indian TV show, which launched its second season on Amazon Prime recently, landed deep in controversy for portraying the Lankan Tamils in a highly colourist and problematic manner.
Pride month marred by crackdown in Azerbaijan
As Pride month nears its end, one European country stands out for its dismal record when it comes to supporting the LGBTQI+ community.
UNESCO proposes listing World Heritage Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’
The fairness of the diplomatic process are irrelevant to the wider context of the reef’s 'in danger' listing. Australia risks being labelled an international climate change pariah.
How I awoke from the lasting Cuban deception
"My awakening to the realization of the injustice caused by totalitarianism was a long and painful process."
Confronting ‘vaccine hostility’ in Japan
"Municipalities all over Japan have reported receiving death threats when announcing vaccination programs, particularly for teens and adolescents."
Yemen stalemate deepening its long-ignored human rights crisis
All parties are hostile to human rights and “show no regard to international law or the lives, dignity and rights of the people of Yemen ... ”
In Turkey, Pride Picnic draws police violence
The Istanbul Pride Week Committee said one person was detained and several were battered during a violent police intervention.
Turkey: Pandemic restrictions out, new restrictions in
"Excuse me, but nobody has the right to disturb anyone at night," President Erdogan said recently about new restrictions concerning music, which drew immediate backlash.
Turkey moves to ban pro-Kurdish political party
The 843-page indictment was first filed by the chief prosecutor of Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals in March 2021, accusing the party of collaborating with the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party militant group.
Was Michael B. Jordan's ‘J'ouvert’ rum cultural appropriation or a missed opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago?
While Jordan may have intended to pay homage to the roots of struggle from which the joyous festival emerged, much seemed to have been lost in translation.
Security police interventions force closure of Apple Daily, Hong Kong's 26-year-old pro-democracy news outlet
In its inaugural editorial, Apple Daily had stated: "Are we not afraid of the changes 1997 could bring about? We are, but we are not willing to be daunted by fear."
Where are the voices of Central Asian and Russian Uyghurs?
Why are small communities of Uyghurs in Western countries more active in pursuing justice for their counterparts in China than the large populations of this Muslim minority in Central Asia?
An Emirati human rights defender's life has ended abruptly, but her legacy remains
Those who knew Alaa are saddened at the loss of a courageous human rights defender who addressed the injustices committed by the UAE against its law-abiding citizens and elsewhere.
Pashinyan claims landslide victory in a snap parliamentary vote in Armenia
Preliminary results suggested Pashinyan's Civil Contract party won with 58 percent of the vote.
Marmara Sea covered by “sea snot”, with possible dangers to environment
"Sea snot"—or "marine mucilage"—may cause biodiversity loss. It is triggered by global warming, waste pollution and rising water temperatures.
Pro-democracy Hongkongers vow to resist on the anniversary of anti-China extradition protests
Overseas Hongkongers rallied in 52 cities around the world advocate for the city's liberation while for those who choose to stay vow that they will continue to resist on June 12 2021.
To save its economy, can Tunisia reform its oversized public sector?
“These past 10 post-revolution years, romanticised by the West, have solidified for us as more misery and living with the failing of state’s institutions."
#NiUnaMenos six years on: triumphs and new demands of Argentina's feminist movement
Since the first protest in 2015 under the Ni Una Menos slogan, more than 200 feminist organisations have achieved major successes and put forward a new set of demands.
Portugal enters Euro football tournament with support from Angolan and Brazilian artists
The song officially belongs to Portuguese artist David Carreira, who alongside Ludmilla and Giulia Be (Brazil) and Preto Show (Angola), hopes for Portugal to win the Euro championship.
