Stories about Human Rights from October, 2021
Cats, crows and planet Earth: drawings by Belarusian political prisoners
Drawings sent to friends and family by Belarusian political prisoners, detained in a crackdown after the 2020 elections, provide an insight into their lives.
Bangladesh’s upcoming Data Protection Act may suppress, not protect, citizens rights
Analysts fear that a proposed data protection act in Bangladesh contains some loopholes including the indemnification of government agencies, which could be weaponized like the existing controversial Digital Security Act 2018.
Pakistan's proposed media development authority could further curb freedom of media
The representatives of different press clubs of the country have declared the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) “a media martial law” and rejected it outright.
Supporters demand freedom for Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah
His lawyer spoke of Abd El Fattah's declining mental health and quoted Abd El Fattah saying, “I can’t carry on.”
Global internet freedom is in decline, according to new report
While Georgia and Armenia were ranked "free" in this year's report, Turkey and Azerbaijan ranked "not free" as a result of the challenging atmosphere around digital rights and freedoms.
Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has returned. But other citizen journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in China are still missing. Among them Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Campaign to brand Russian journalists and media ‘foreign agents’ picks up pace after elections
The effects of Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ legislation against media and civil society have been direct and deeply troubling. They are now, in effect, deemed ‘enemies of the people’.
