Stories about Human Rights from July, 2018
A young Syrian widow from Eastern Ghouta on her forced displacement
"Remember my story. My name is Safa. I was born thirty years ago. Today, I'm forcibly displaced from my home with my three children. I'm now alone, sad and tired."
Barbados’ LGBT+ community is here, queer and making history with the country's first public Pride Parade
"‘I’m Coming Out’ played and down a side street comes Didi wearing a pride dress, hoisting a flag. She’s running hard in heels. The crowd explodes. It was our party."
Australian conference debates threats to human rights in the Asia-Pacific
The message from Australia's human rights law conference: We cannot just “support human rights until it gets hard”.
Netizen Report: Russia and Sudan join the ranks of countries looking to outlaw ‘fake news’
On the heels of recent legislation in Malaysia, Philippines, Brazil and France, the latest draft laws on “fake news” come from Sudan and Russia.
From state censorship to western stereotypes, an interview with Iranian artist Maryam Palizgir
Maryam Palzigir's experience fought against both state censorship of artistic expression in Iran and now Western stereotypes of Iranians in the U.S.
In India, police protects cows while lynching victim accused of cow smuggling is delayed care
"It’s sad to know that cow protection is more sacred than saving a human life...Are minorities in the country really being marginalized and treated as second-grade citizens?"
Southern Iraq rages over dire living conditions
With frequent power cuts intensifying the effects of a brutal heatwave, people have taken to the streets to demand better public services, jobs and an end to corruption.
Attack by municipal guards signals rising threats against journalists in Ukraine
Municipal Guards for the city of Odessa attacked a group of journalists with teargas and rubber batons.
Ghanaians challenge their government over a telco monitoring program, claiming privacy violations
Petitioners say the system will monitor more than just revenues, warning that it will allow for easy government snooping on calls and messages.
Social media users are trying to combat harassment in Pakistan — but will state institutions do their part?
Aimal Khan's arrest following public outcry on social media is a good sign. But will justice prevail?
A guide to Pakistan's 2018 general elections
A handy guide to the parties, the issues and what's at stake in Pakistan's upcoming general elections.
Media censorship rises as the general elections draw near in Pakistan
Election speeches have been banned with the objective of preventing broadcast media from airing "derogatory" and "defamatory" content.
Access denied: How Uganda’s social media tax is turning news and information into luxury goods
For Uganda’s poorest residents, the new tax raises internet connection costs by 10%.
Netizen Report: Israeli legislators look at new laws that would stifle speech and surveil the public
The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
What will it take to #savetheinternet in Europe? The view from Romania
Copyright proposals being pushed by European governance bodies must take into account the nature and potential uses of networked digital technology.
Michel Gonzalez Nuñez: “I imagine it is shocking to approve a ‘homosexual’ law in a ‘revolution’ so pumped with testosterone.”
"If only partially granting rights and liberties makes a society "revolutionary", then someone needs to explain to me what "revolutionary" means. To me, this is a contradiction."
‘If it isn’t recorded, it didn’t happen': Israel moves to restrict photo documentation of military activity
Israeli legislators are pushing two bills that would further restrict speech by activists and journalists critical of its policies in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
Bombings in Pakistan ahead of elections kill 170, thwarting hopes of a peaceful vote
One bombing alone, in Balochistan, killed 129 and injured dozens -- the deadliest attack in Pakistan since Taliban shooters killed 141 in an army-run school in Peshawar, in December 2014.
In India, regulators are deciding the fate of sensitive data behind closed doors
In 2017, the Supreme Court of India ruled that privacy of Indian citizens is a fundamental right -- how will that affect the country's national ID system?
Iranian authorities arrest ‘Instagram celebrities’, in effort to assert control over social media
Iranian authorities announce plans to filter Instagram because of the evils of "Instagram celebrities". A few days later, the state broadcaster reveals the arrest of several "Instagram celebrities."
What's happened to digital rights over the past seven years? 300 editions of the Netizen Report will tell you
This week, we're looking back at seven years of covering global digital rights news in celebration of our 300th edition!