Human Rights Watch

“Time and time again, Russian authorities have suppressed free speech and peaceful protest through police brutality, violence, and mass arrests. The authorities understand their obligations to respect fundamental human rights and choose not just to ignore them but to trample all over them.”

Eight youth activists in the Republic of Congo were detained and assaulted after taking part in a march – it’s a relief that charges of “sabotage and violence against state security guards” have been dismissed.

The opposition leader and anti-corruption activist was arrested on his return to Russia. A judge ordered that he be detained for thirty days pending a court hearing regarding his alleged breach of parole. If found guilty, Navalny could face three-and-a-half years in prison.

According to Human Rights Watch, authorities in Maldives cracked down on foreign workers protesting wage abuses that escalated during COVID-19 lockdowns.

HRW’s “World Report 2021” finds that government responses to the acute human rights challenges posed by COVID-19 across the region negatively affected the rights to health, media freedoms, and access to justice.

Government and law enforcement officials – most of whom are men – often seem to fundamentally misunderstand the severity of online gender-based violence, and see it as something minor that “only” happens online, perpetuating the outmoded notion of an online/offline dichotomy.

“Graphic political performances are symptoms of pent-up public frustrations. It would be smarter for the authorities to listen to people’s critical voices, especially the distressed ones, even when they are expressed through controversial performance.”

The inauguration of Alpha Condé for his controversial third term as president for Guinea is being held against the backdrop of a violent crackdown on opposition leaders and supporters.