Stories about Human Rights from February, 2022
#AfricansInUkraine: We are students, we don’t have guns
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused displacement of thousands of people. Among them also an African diaspora which had to mobilise informally while also dealing with racial discrimination on the ground.
Films on human rights abuses and courageous opposition in Myanmar
EngageMedia has curated a playlist of films that shows the extent of rights abuses in the country, as well as courageous forms of resistance against the continuing infringement on rights.
Fleeing Kyiv: How we escaped the Ukrainian capital as war broke out
Tetiana Bezruk chronicles how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced friends and families to leave their homes in Kyiv for the second time, eight years after they escaped the Donbas conflict.
Ukrainian refugees gather at the borders with Moldova, Slovakia, Poland
"At five in the morning, friends called us to tell us this is war. We packed what we had and took to the road."
Azerbaijani journalist and queer activist murdered
Hafizli's sparked a public outcry on social media platforms, with many activists criticizing Azerbaijan's history of inaction when addressing hate crimes, specifically those targeting marginalized groups in the country.
Undertones: How extremist Hindu nationalists use Instagram
See these examples of memes, photos, and videos on Instagram promoting electoral propaganda and violence as a means to create a Hindu state.
‘We got used to the war': life for a frontline family in Ukraine
A resident of Avdiivka, an eastern Ukrainian town only a few kilometres from occupied Donetsk, discusses living with the Donbas war on the doorstep, and the threat of further fighting.
Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza faces police probe and two charges for satirical posters
"Gov leaders must learn to take public criticism and dissent in stride and stop going after critics like #FahmiReza for poking fun at them."
The Beijing Winter Olympics: A wedding adjacent to a funeral
Are IOC leaders that naïve, or do they lack the vision to understand the concept of genocide and what it is like to be voiceless in a one-party regime?
Court in Russia-occupied Crimea sentences freelance journalist to six years in prison
Vladyslav Yesypenko was detained in Crimea in March 2021 on suspicion of collecting information for Ukrainian intelligence, charges the journalist has denied. While in detention, has reportedly endured torture.
In Tajikistan's mountainous region of GBAO, the power struggle with the capital extends to internet shutdowns
A long-standing conflict between the Pamiri population and the central government of Tajikistan has suffocated both opposition and local politics. leading to further isolation of the region with internet shutdowns.
The police officer who allegedly cut a young Jamaican's dreadlocks faces no criminal charges, and nobody bats an eye
"It is a worrying trend, as victims are blamed for their own trauma."
Hijab ban stirs protests in the Indian state of Karnataka
Protests have broken out in the southern state of Karnataka in India over the past months, after colleges in the state banned women students wearing hijabs from attending classes.
Navalny documentary sweeps up awards at Sundance Film Festival
The film tells the story of how Navalny survived the August 2020 poisoning and then worked with his allies and Bellingcat investigators to piece together who was behind the attack.
Will Taiwanese academics be targeted by the Hong Kong National Security Law?
Wu was targeted for publishing the article “For an Unfinished Revolution” which discussed activists' work during the 2019 anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong.
Death of a Venezuelan infant during sea crossing exposes shortcomings in Trinidad and Tobago's refugee policy
"This incident highlights the plight faced by people on the move during desperate and dangerous journeys to safety."
India's Mising tribe lives in traditional flood-resilient homes to adapt to climate change
The Mising community in the Indian state of Assam manage to survive in their unique and traditional flood-resilient housing system called chang ghar, perched above the ground on bamboo stilts.
Does the state's failure to act enable online sexual violence in North Macedonia?
The absence of a separate crime in the Criminal Code is just an excuse for the authorities not to act effectively in cases of online sexual harassment, activists say.
Private abuse in Telegram’s ‘Public Rooms': Can North Macedonia fight online sexual harassment?
In February 2021, hundreds of feminists and other supporters took to the streets of Skopje in protest of the Macedonian institutions’ inaction and impunity for the perpetrators of online sexual violence.
Concerted attacks against Bangladeshi activists on Facebook
In a recent collaborative attack by unknown perpetrators, the Facebook profiles of several celebrities, journalists, media personalities and activists from Bangladesh were mysteriously turned into tribute profiles.
Diaspora Diary: The account of a Nepali migrant worker in Qatar
"That is our reality. They want the quiet ones. The ones who can be silenced." An account by a Nepali migrant worker who returned home after spending 3 months in Qatar.
