Freedom House

For the past five days, nearly 60,000 people have gathered in Chişinău’s National Square (Piaţa Marii Adunări Naţionale, or PMAN) to protest against pervasive corruption, demand the return of $1 billion in assets that were recently stolen from Moldova’s banking system, and call for the resignation of several senior officials, including President Nicolae Timofti.

“It is the height of hypocrisy for the court in Mauritania to reaffirm these sentences against anti-slavery activists the same week that the government strengthened its laws against slavery.”

Gao, 71, has been incarcerated since her apprehension in April 2014 for allegedly leaking an internal Chinese Communist Party document disparaging human rights. She suffers from chronic heart pain, high blood pressure, and other diseases.

The undersigned organizations denounce the continued attacks on and threats to journalists, media workers and human rights defenders, most recently the incidents in which human rights defender Pierre Claver Mbonimpa survived an attempt on his life, while journalist Esdras Ndikumana was the victim of a brutal attack by police and intelligence officials.

Over the past two years, the Chinese authorities have taken new steps to block Chinese citizens’ access to information from U.S. companies and media. These actions not only limit Chinese citizens’ access to news and entertainment, but they also harm U.S. businesses, media outlets, and innovators.

“There is horrible irony in having authorities use trumped up charges to go after a group whose mission is to strengthen Russian democracy and rule of law.”

Under the Law on Public Security, declining to identify oneself to the authorities, failing to obey orders to disperse, and disseminating unauthorized images of law enforcement personnel can carry penalties of up to €30,000.

The net neutrality debate that captured the attention of internet users in the U.S. and turned them into digital advocates has now reached the world’s largest democracy.