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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from March, 2021
Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention
The convention pledges to eliminate domestic violence and promote gender equality.
Increasing restrictions by Morocco against activists of Western Sahara
After decades of peace between Sahrawis and Morocco, November clashes ended Polisario's commitment to the 1991 agreement and spurred Morocco's clampdown on the region, encouraged by Washington's recognition of Rabat's sovereignty.
The Laz people's mission to save their language from extinction
There could be anything between 30,000 to 200,000 speakers of Lazuri, the language of the modern Laz people. The majority of them still live in the historical region of Rize, in Turkey.
Taking the Laz language online, one project at a time: An interview with Eylem Bostanci
Global Voices spoke with Eylem Bostancı, a project coordinator at the Laz Institute, an Istanbul-based organization dedicated to promoting the Laz language and culture.
Jordanians protest a year under a defense law with no gains, as COVID-19 cases spiral
Repeated government failures, shaky political managements of crises, compounded with the worsening pandemic-hit economy and draconian emergency laws drove people to protest across the kingdom.
Women ‘don’t have to fit themselves into someone else's perception,’ says Turkish aerospace engineer
An interview Gökçin Çınar, a 30-year-old aerospace engineering researcher from Turkey working at Georgia Tech, in the United States.
Syrian humanitarian aid: It’s time to shift from assistance to long-term sustainable programs
The US and its allies refuse to engage in reconstruction that may end up benefiting the Bashar al-Assad regime.
What International Women's Day looked like around the world in 2021
"Although COVID-19 dampened participation in many countries, women still raised their voices on the streets on different continents, especially as the pandemic has worsened inequalities faced by women."
Egypt's 2011 revolt barely exists in school textbooks
Throughout the last decade, pages on Egypt's 2011 uprising in school syllabi have massively shrunk since 2012. Some blame lack of official documents. Others say it's purely political.
Online rape threats connect Lebanese activist to ‘thousands of other women’ facing abuse
Maya El-Ammar: "Thanks to our experiences with gender-based violence in the offline world, we have rationalized the reality that our virtual world would naturally mirror our off-screen existence."
Baloch protests in Iran underscore repression against the ethnic minority
Sandwiched between borders of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Baloch population is a disenfranchised minority relegated to the fringes of society, provided little economic opportunity, and systematically targeted by state violence.
Oman detains activists over online posts criticizing projects that could destroy Dhofar Plain
Activists and environmentalists took to social media platforms to criticize Omani government's decision to allow construction of housing units over Dhofar Plain, which threatens camel grazers' livelihoods and centuries-old traditions.
Iran's oppression of its Christians tears daughter from convert parents
The court ruling denying Sam Khosravi and his wife custody of their adopted daughter after converting to Christianity is one way the state's utilizes the judiciary to clampdown on minorities.
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