Stories about Human Rights from September, 2024
Seeking independence from Chinese exports, Brazil enters bid to explore rare earths
Rare earths are essential for the green energy transition, however, they are also difficult to mine and harmful to the environment, leading to the “rare earth paradox.”
‘Houses yes, shacks no': The housing project that came out of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
Influenced by collective housing projects, the process involved architects, social workers, and the general population. Among the mottos of the period was "Houses are for the people. Down with exploitation"
Japan-born Nepali children struggle to ‘be Nepali’
Japan has become a key destination for Nepali migrant families, but their children must adapt to Japanese education, facing difficulties transitioning back to Nepalese education upon returning home.
Censorship in the modern world
Communication expert from Bosnia and Herzegovina warns that "censorship through noise" blurs the distinction between fact-based reporting and completely fabricated information.
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a symbol of resistance, must be released on time
Alaa Abdel Fattah’s plight is not an isolated case. Thousands of others remain behind bars in Egypt for crimes as trivial as expressing dissenting opinions on social media.
Ghanaians rally online demanding justice for citizens arrested in protests against illegal gold mining
"[I]llegal gold mining is destroying the environment, making people ill, adding to water scarcity and damaging farmlands and crops such as cocoa."
Ex-editor of Hong Kong’s Stand News Chung Pui-kuen jailed for 21 months for sedition in landmark case
Kwok Wai-kin, the designated judge for national security trials said the defendants were not conducting genuine media work, but participating in the so-called resistance then.
Iran’s new president must address repression of artists, dissidents at UN Assembly
"Forced confessions, work bans, and restrictions on mobility as lesser-known tactics of the Iranian regime, which nonetheless have powerful effects on victims."
GV webinar: The ABCs of digital repression in Venezuela
In this webinar, we explored the Venezuelan regime's "package" of digital repression instruments, how they have evolved, and analyze how they have been used after the last presidential.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka’s presidential election and calls for snap parliamentary elections
Sri Lankans made history by electing Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president in the September 21 presidential election.
Indigenous People defend traditional farming in northern Thailand
"We make a living. We follow the system laid down by our ancestors. What rotational farming fields were like 300 years ago, the fields are the same as back then."
Ecuador: Two journalists who revealed corruption and drug trafficking forced into exile
Journalists of the digital media platform La Posta accuse the National Police and the Attorney General's Office of planning to "assassinate" them while they receive criticism concerning their journalistic ethics.
What is behind the Kremlin’s increasingly anti-immigration line?
Anti-immigration rhetoric is meant to introduce into the official nationalism the idea that “Russian civilization” must be protected not only from the West but also from the south.
Hong Kong Article 23: Three jailed over a seditious T-shirt, bus graffiti, social media posts in six months
At least 14 people have been arrested on suspicion of violating Article 23 since the law was enacted on 23 of March, 2024.
Women’s plight in the Sahel: A central issue in Djaïli Amadou Amal’s works
Women in Sahel countries face a daily onslaught of abuse that society refuses to address. Only through literature can we break taboos and open a discussion on this matter.
‘Truth deserves to be seen’: Artists decry film censorship in the Philippines
Two Philippine films were given X-ratings, and therefore banned from airing in theaters, angering cinephiles and free-speech activists alike.
Despite the enactment of a law granting women the right to share in family property, Nigerian women still face barriers to land-sharing
"The government doesn’t have the right to force us to give land to our daughters because the daughters will eventually get married ..."
Iran sees 80% spike in executions two years after protests
From October 2022 to September 2024, at least 1,452 people were executed, a significant rise from 779 in the two years prior to the 2022 protests.
‘The Goat Life’: The film that angered the Saudis
The film's portrayal of inhumane treatment under the kafala system ignites conversations about workers' rights and systemic exploitation in the Gulf.
Operation Knock Knock: On the hunt for dissident voices in Venezuela
Amidst Venezuela's highest repression peak, Operation Knock Knock is a doxxing campaign sponsored by the Venezuelan regime to threaten and persecute voters, journalists, activists and political and community leaders.
VenApp, the Chavista app co-opted for harassment in Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro's regime uses an app for doxxing to expose citizens and illegally detain them, violating the rights of Venezuelans who demand transparency in the results of the presidential election.
