Stories about Human Rights from February, 2019
Journalists, teachers, and activists targeted in attacks on free speech in the Philippines
"These are attempts by those in power to drown out the voice of the marginalized...displaying Duterte’s fear of committed journalism that seeks to inform, educate and guide the public."
How Saudi leaders are using religion to consolidate power and silence critical voices
''Oppression is a comprehensive system, and [in our country] it is enabled by religion.''
Singaporean activist sentenced to 16 days in jail after hosting video chat with HK youth leader Joshua Wong
"There’s no sentence that I’d consider fair, because he should never have been charged."
As Putin preaches ‘sovereignty’ and tech modernization, experts lament loss of online freedoms
As Vladimir Putin promises Russians a faster, more reliable internet, two reports by independent expert groups paint an unrelentingly bleak picture of more crackdowns on online freedom of speech.
A Tibetan-Canadian student was attacked online after winning student council elections. She thinks Beijing is to blame.
Chemi Lhamo faced a barrage of threatening comments on social media from overseas students who appeared to be from mainland China.
EU proposal pushes tech companies to tackle ‘terrorist content’ with AI, despite implications for war crimes evidence
AI tools can assess whether a video is violent or graphic. But can they determine the video’s intended purpose?
Venezuelans see the politics of humanitarian aid play out in online attacks
A unique and technically sophisticated attack this week targeted VoluntariosxVenezuela, an opposition-aligned humanitarian aid website.
Iranian environmentalists fear death penalty after a year behind bars
Public prosecutors built much of their case against the group from a forced confession made by one of the activists.
Bulgaria's parliament and an educational institute named top privacy violators in ‘Big Brother Awards’
The Bulgarian edition of the Big Brother Awards is back as a means of shaming the worst violators of citizens’ privacy.
With tensions rising ahead of 2019 presidential elections, Nigerians fear internet shutdown
The use of social media to call attention to the government's violations and illegal actions have led to fears that of online censorship in upcoming elections.