Category: Human rights

Human rights gone wrong?

     

In her book Evidence for Hope: Making Human Rights Work in the 21st Century (Princeton University Press, 2017), Kathryn Sikkink reminds us that one of the successes of the human rights movement… Read more »

Vietnam: time to realize John McCain’s unsecured legacy

     

Senator John McCain’s legacy is secure in terms of US-Vietnam reconciliation, but it falls to us to realize his commitment to realizing democracy in Vietnam, writes Dr. Cu Huy Ha Vu (right),… Read more »

Burundi activist’s conviction sends ‘chilling message’ to civil society

     

A Burundian activist has been jailed for five years accused of preparing reports on human rights abuses for a banned organisation, militant and legal sources said on Tuesday, AFP reports:… Read more »

Can Ethiopia be a ‘goad’ for democratic change in East Africa?

     

Ethiopia can be a goad to change, if its economic growth rate and its continuing democratic movement are both maintained, says Freedom House analyst Jon Temin. The April 2018 election… Read more »

As China’s Woes Mount, Xi Jinping Faces Rare Rebuke

     

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, seemed indomitable when lawmakers abolished a term limit on his power early this year. But nearly five months later, China has been ruffled by economic headwinds, a vaccine scandal… Read more »

Cuba’s new constitution preserves Communist monopoly on power

     

Lawmakers in Cuba have endorsed a draft of a new constitution for the communist island nation that could, among other things, allow for the legalization of same-sex marriage, CNN reports. But… Read more »

Autocrats’ sharp power fails to curb activists’ U.N. role

     

An alliance of authoritarian states lost a bid on Friday to weaken a U.N. resolution upholding civil society activists’ role in highlighting human rights violations, according to campaigners. The United… Read more »

IRGC takeover? Iran protests may change leadership, but not regime

     

Iran’s Supreme Leader demanded the judiciary punish those “who disrupt economic security” on Wednesday, following protests over the rial’s collapse and a tightening of U.S. sanctions pressure that has set… Read more »

Ethiopia’s reform moves from ‘symbolic gestures’ to ‘specific steps’?

     

On Saturday, June 23, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in the famous Meskel Square the heart of the capital city Addis Ababa, as citizen groups and human rights activists demonstrated support… Read more »