Stories about Human Rights from January, 2019
Netizen Report: How Venezuela’s political crisis is playing out online
As Venezuelans continue to face internet censorship, Turkmenistan is blocking Google Play, Lebanon is blocking Grindr and Brazil is chipping away at is FOI law.
Surveillance is a key concern for foreign journalists working in China, survey shows
Mobile phone surveillance and physical spying were top concerns for foreign correspondents in China in 2018.
Displaced farmers’ coalition reclaims their road to sustainable livelihoods 9 years after Haiti’s devastating earthquake
"We had nothing to fall back on, nothing to sell at the market. [...] What we suffered through the most was the loss of our dignity."
Sri Lankan tea estate workers take to the streets to demand fair wages
'Companies say they don't have profit, govt says it doesn't have money, ministers make so many promises[...] workers want only Rs. 1000 daily basic wage for the work they do'.
Old age, hate speech, press freedom: Critical issues in Nigeria's 2019 presidential elections
Amid the cacophony of Nigeria's electoral campaigns — both online and offline — here are the key issues that may get lost in the noise in this year's elections.
Local radio station in Russia cancels interview with LGBT activists after threats to editor
Homophobic abuse online didn't put the editor off, but anonymous calls threatening violence against her guests did.
Azerbaijani prosecutors drop controversial charges against political prisoner
Activists cheered the concession as a victory of people power.
Mayor of Odessa could face criminal charges after his security attacked a local reporter
This is only the most recent episode in which Trukhanov or his subordinates have attacked journalists.
Correspondence between Arundhati Roy and Shahidul Alam shares resilience and hope
"...the tide will turn, and the nameless, faceless people will rise. They will rise against the entire state machinery."
Under Peña Nieto, Mexican journalists endured threats, killings — and digital surveillance, say researchers
"If they killed Javier Valdez [the] most protected member in the field, what can the rest of us expect? It is as if we all have a target on our backs.""Si matan a Javier Valdez, [...] el más protegido del gremio: ¿qué puede esperar el resto? Es como si a todos nos hubieran puesto un blanco en el pecho."
Facing targeted attacks, Yemen's Christian minority struggles to survive
"Galileo" is a Yemeni who converted to Christianity three years ago. He's been arrested and tortured, and is now living in fear for his life.
Nigerien man stranded at Ethiopian airport for months
"I slept on the chairs, sometimes I slept in the mosque, I didn’t take shower for two months because [the] airport [has] no place for a shower."
Netizen Report: Zimbabwe’s internet goes dark amid protests, nationwide strike
The update from Zimbabwe, plus: China fines VPN users, Cuba is censoring SMS messages and Iranian officials plan to block Instagram.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon face brutal snow storms and inhumane conditions at camps
"People are sick. Everywhere there is water. We cannot sleep at night. All night we sit and watch the kids and we cannot do anything for them."
Before it was banned, this Facebook profile urged young people to join violent attack group in northern Mozambique
Since October 2017, an unknown armed group has been terrorizing the north of Mozambique with attacks that have left over 200 dead and many villages destroyed.
A community newspaper won't let Brazil forget its worst environmental disaster
The newspaper was born out of a workshop with a local photo agency, where survivors raised concerns about the way Brazil's mainstream media was telling their stories.
Chinese authorities go after citizens for using VPNs, skirting online censorship
The news of two men being fined for using VPNs may serve as a wake up call to Chinese netizens.
First transgender pride march hopes to shatter stereotypes in Pakistan
The first transgender pride march seeks to change stereotypes and demand rights.
Azerbaijanis pressure government to #FreeMehman after blogger endures 12 days on hunger strike
Young, popular and politicized, video blogger Mehman Huseynov is a classic target of the Azerbaijani government's crackdown on civil society.
Singled out for search at a Serbian supermarket, Roma opera superstar accuses the store of racism
Ms. Knežević was stopped and searched in public while onlookers heckled her. In her backpack, security only found sheet music, books, and a wallet.
‘Even by leaving us she gave us a lesson': Fearless rights defender's death shocks Tajikistan
"She was not silent when others buried their heads in the sand. She risked her life every day and knew the value of this risk."
