censorship
Friday 12.3.2021 Ethiopia - Latest Developments -
Mass arrests of journalists and safety concerns raised as armed conflict breaks out in Tigray region
The political situation in Ethiopia deteriorated rapidly in the latter quarter of 2020 as the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been engaged in armed conflict with the leading party in the Tigray region. Several violations, including of free expression, have been reported. Read more
Friday 12.3.2021 United Arab Emirates - Latest Developments -
Extensive report reveals new details of the gross human rights violations suffered by Ahmed Mansoor
New report reveals new details regarding the UAE authorities’ persecution of high-profile human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor; Human Rights Watch criticised the decision of a United Arab Emirates court to sentence a Jordanian resident of the UAE, Ahmed Etoum, to ten years in prison followed by deportation; Read more
Friday 12.3.2021 Kuwait - Latest Developments -
Blogger Musaed Al-Musallam facing extradition after Bosnia & Herzegovina reject asylum request
On 31st January 2021, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) reported that Musaed Al-Musallam, a noted Kuwaiti blogger, was at risk of being deported after being arrested at his home in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in April 2020 at the request of the Kuwaiti authorities; human rights defender Hadeel Buqrais summoned by the Electronic and Cyber Crime Combatting Department (ECCCD) in Kuwait in relation to several of her tweets defending civil and human rights in Kuwait, especially those of the Bedoon community. Read more
Friday 12.3.2021 Bahrain - Latest Developments -
117 organisations call on the Danish Prime Minister to intervene in securing the release of Abdul-Ha
117 organisations signed an open letter to the Danish Prime Minister, appealing for her assistance in securing the release of prominent human rights defender and dual Danish-Bahraini citizen Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja from prison in Bahrain, where he is serving a life sentence for his peaceful political and human rights activities; Read more
Thursday 11.3.2021 Rwanda - Latest Developments -
Crackdown on critics continues
On 5th March 2021, YouTube activist Yvonne Idamange Iryamukwiza was arraigned in a court in Kigali. Idamange Iryamukwiza is facing six charges, including 'spreading rumours using technology', 'contempt for genocide memorials' and 'obstruction of the implementation of government policies' among other charges Read more
Wednesday 10.3.2021 Senegal - Latest Developments -
Protests and clashes after arrest opposition leader: several killed, arrested, TV stations suspended
Tension has been on the rise in Senegal since the leader of political opposition party PASTEF (Patriotes du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité) and member of parliament Ousmane Sonko was accused of sexual assault and death threats. Sonko denies the accusations and accuses authorities of a 'political complot'. Protests and clashes erupted and security forces, killing eight people, journalists have been subjected to threats and political supporters and activists have been arrested.
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| Read in French
Tuesday 9.3.2021 Myanmar - Latest Developments -
Deadly violence against protesters by security forces as crackdown escalates in Myanmar
Over the last month, protesters demanding an end to the military's rule were met with live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon by security forces as they attempted to disperse protests. Laws have been amended by the military to restrict civic space and there have been ongoing arrests of political leaders, government officials, civil servants, activists, student leaders and doctors, as well as anti-coup protesters. Read more
Thursday 4.3.2021 France - Latest Developments -
Worsening crackdown on civic space by Macron’s government to preserve ‘republican values’
French authorities have cracked down on civil society organisations (CSOs) accused of opposing the ‘Republican order’ and being ‘radical Islamists’. CSOs have also been under attack from extreme right and mainstream political forces, who have expressed stigmatising views towards Muslims and Muslim organisations. Following this, the French government led several initiatives which threatened civic space and the rule of law in France, which includes the draft Anti-Separatism law and the draft bill on Global Security. Objectors to the draft law on Global Security have maintained ongoing protests . The most controversial protest occurred in Paris, where organisers noted that police officers blocked access to the protest, refused to reveal their identification numbers and assaulted participants. There have been over 13,000 arrests in relation to these protests thus far.
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| Read in French
Monday 1.3.2021 Chad - Latest Developments -
Increasing civic space restrictions months ahead of presidential poll
On 4th February 2021, authorities issued a ban on protests across the country, citing fears of public disorder. The ban followed a call by a coalition of opposition parties, human rights organisations and civil society organisations to mobilise on 6th February 2021 to protest against president Idriss Déby running for a sixth term in the upcoming April 2021 elections. On 6th February 2021, more than 100 people were arrested throughout the country. Read more | Read in French
Thursday 25.2.2021 Turkey - Latest Developments -
Student protests calling for academic freedom met with excessive force, LGBTI students targeted
The Turkish parliament approved a controversial bill which is designed to combat financing of terrorism. However, the new measures will severely restrict civic space and stifle the activities of civil society organisations (CSOs). On 4th January 2021, thousands of students from Boğaziçi University protested against the appointment of a new trustee rector. The demonstrators argued that the new trustee presented a means for Erdogan to curtail academic freedom due to their previous relations and called for student elections to decide the rector. Protests have been met with excessive force and thus far over 500 students have been detained. In addition, LGBTI students have been targeted by the authorities. Turkey’s Information and Communications Technologies Authority imposed fines on online media giants for not complying with a new digital law. In response to contentions between social media giants and the Turkish authorities, YouTube, Facebook and other platforms appointed a local representative in Turkey- raising concerns for state censorship. Read more
