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Human trafficking, forced labor and exploitation of migrants in Russia
The Memorial Human Rights Center, the NGO Russia Imprisoned that deals with the human right issues in Russian prisons, and the Safe House Foundation that works in the sphere of human trafficking prevention in Russia, have submitted a joint report to the Human Rights Council on the human trafficking and exploitation of prisoners in the country, as well as their being…
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How Vietnam’s state trolls are undermining free speech and democracy
Vietnam has deployed an army of online trolls and cyber troops who are spreading not just disinformation but also conducting vicious hate campaigns against human rights activists and suspected critics of the state. The extent of the operations of these trolls is detailed in a new report released by the human rights watchdog Viet Tan. Titled “#StopVNtrolls — Combatting…
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Georgians take to the streets as parliament considers new ‘foreign agent’ bill
Thousands of Georgians took to the streets on March 6, 7, and 8 to protest what civil society describes as Georgia’s very own “foreign agent” law. The parliament resumed the discussion over the two versions of the draft bill despite mounting criticism on March 6. After three days of mass protests, the ruling government of Georgian Dream announced…
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Women marched in Pakistan despite resistance from authorities and religious groups
The organizers of Aurat March (Women’s march) in Lahore, Karachi, and Multan, faced opposition from the district administration shortly before the planned International Women’s Day rallies across Pakistan this week. Despite encountering some obstacles, they were ultimately able to come out in large numbers on March 8, albeit with certain restrictions attached to their congregation. Journalist Veengas tweeted: #AuratMarch…
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Turkey rocked by a series of devastating earthquakes
Much of Turkey woke up to devastating news of an earthquake that hit the country’s southeastern provinces on February 6. At 4:17 am local time, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey’s Gaziantep province. Hours later, Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province was hit by a 7.5 magnitude quake. Some ten provinces in total have been affected. According to the latest numbers, the…
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Bollywood’s ‘Faraaz’ raises questions about trauma exploitation in art
The upcoming Indian thriller “Faraaz,” directed by Bollywood Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, is set to release on February 3, 2023. However, the movie trailer has already sparked controversy in Bangladesh before its release as it is based on a terrorist attack that took place in Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh in July 2016. When the night-long siege ended after a military…
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Lusophone African countries condemn attacks against democracy in Brazil
The recent storming of Brazil’s Three Powers Plaza in protest of the peaceful transfer of power sparked condemnation from many leaders in Lusophone Africa, but it also ignited a debate about these countries’ own democratic challenges. Jan. 8, 2023 will forever be marked as an infamous day in Brazilian democracy. The attack on the three powers (Judiciary, Executive and Legislative) was…
