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Democracy & Human Rights

Cambodia’s current government is the face of tropical Fascism

There is no hope that the authoritarianism that the world sees in places like Russia, China and Cambodia can ever be interpreted as a peaceful and benign phenomenon, or that it should be accepted by an implicit racist or discriminatory assumption that some cultures just don’t have a democratic tradition and aren’t quite capable of ever developing one.

Opponents of ayatollahs vow Iranian women will transform the country into a democratic republic

Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi say a democratic revolution is unfolding in Iran. Rajavi was the keynote speaker of an international conference in Brussels on...

Iranian diaspora’s push for democracy: Rejects the past, advocates for the future

In recent rallies and conferences, including in Paris, Berlin, London, Belgium, Oslo, Rome, Washington, DC and Toronto, Iranian expatriates and associated organizations have called...

Thousands of Iranians hold pro-democracy rally in Paris

On a cold and wintry day in Paris, some 10,000 supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI, gathered to mark...

Turkey’s seismic shift

This breakthrough in normalization between Armenia and Turkey comes amid a much wider context, well beyond the simple validation of earthquake diplomacy to elevate crisis response over conflict retention. 

NE Global interviews Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

Iranians have tried every other possible way to work for change, for many years. Those who thought they could reform the regime have continually been disappointed. Now they know that they have no other solution.

Sudan is unlawfully prolonging ex-president Al-Bashir’s trial

The 1989 coup in Sudan, known in the country as the National Salvation Revolution, is still awaiting a final decision from the Sudanese judiciary,...

Iranian opposition leader marks Western New Year and 100 days of unrest in Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been rocked by more than 100 consecutive days of unrest, with residents of more than 300 cities and...

We are fighting for the freedom of all Iranians. Where does Europe stand?

Western governments should recognize the Iranian people’s right to defend themselves, and they should isolate the regime completely.

Musk plans to profit from Twitter, not create a town square for global democracy

As a privately owned company, Twitter will now only answer to Musk and his underlings, not to shareholders.

Ukraine and the establishment of a new European order

Once beholden to various empires throughout its history, Ukraine has morally discredited the notion of empire-building in Europe.

EU politicians slam Tehran’s sanctions targeting European supporters of Iran’s organized resistance

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s decision on October 26 to sanction several MEPs, as well as...

The Iranian people have committed to a revolution, so where is the West?

Huge changes have occurred in Iran's political landscape since the start of the protests two months ago. Western governments, however, need to unequivocally and immediately back the movement instead of playing lip-service to vague notions of solidarity and outrage.

Human rights abuses are becoming commonplace in Sudan

The Sudanese government has introduced some reforms but nothing to improve the existing legal base with regard to compliance with international human rights. 

The South Caucasus peace process should address war crimes issues

The EU must do more to ensure peace in the South Caucasus.

Ahead of EU ministerial meeting, lawmakers offer support for Iranian protesters’ right to resist

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 members sent a unanimous signal on October 12 after coming to an agreement on a plan to impose...

The genocide in Ukraine cannot become ordinary

Though Russia’s war against Ukraine is contained on Ukrainian soil, it would be naïve to interpret the framing of this war as a conflict...

My message from Hiroshima

On Saturday, August 6, I proudly stood with Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and the people of Hiroshima in memory of an unprecedented catastrophe.Seventy-seven years...

PACE launches motion for a resolution in support of constitutional reforms in Kazakhstan

In a motion for a resolution in support of constitutional reforms in Kazakhstan, an Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) group of deputies...

Why Russia needs to be isolated

Vladimir Putin does not want, nor can he conceive, of Ukraine as part of the European world order. Proof of this has not only...

EU wants Eurojust strengthened

The European Commission has proposed to amend the Eurojust Regulation to give the Agency the legal possibility to collect, preserve and share evidence on...

Europe’s information space at war: When do we start fighting back?

Alongside the conventional war in Ukraine, Russia is waging another one much closer to us. It appears on our computers, our phones and tablets....

As media independence backslides across the EU, will Brussels act?

In a move reflecting the anti-corruption agenda of Bulgaria’s new government, the parliament passed a bill that will abolish “golden passports” – a scheme...

The EU must address its own rule of law issues before reforming the Western Balkans

A damning recent report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) indicates that the EU has achieved next to nothing with the €700 million...

Let us celebrate democracy and let us make it stronger

The eyes of the world's leading foreign policy wonks were all on Washington, DC, after President Joe Biden met with fellow democratic leaders at...

Why Biden shouldn’t use the ‘Summit for Democracy’ to start more Cold Wars

On December 9 and 10, President Biden will host a virtual “Summit for Democracy.” The gathering will bring together leaders from 110 countries who...

Ukrainian president seeks total control over media

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has had two options since he was elected in 2019: either to improve the reality that he faced or to...

The power of investigative journalism

In February 2018, a young Slovak investigative journalist named Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, Martina Kusnirova, were brutally murdered in their home in Velka...

The EU and the hijab

Given my relentless, savage, repetitive and – if I may say so – eminently fair criticism of the European Union, I could easily forgive...

Will Central Asia serve as Europe’s bridge to Afghanistan?

Just over one month on from the fall of Kabul, Europe is still grasping for answers to the question of how to engage in...

On 9/11, it’s time for a reckoning and reflection of decades of failed US national security policy

A reckoning with America’s failed national security policy is long overdue.Our calamitous misadventures in the Middle East and the global financial collapse of 2008...

Enough of the Durban depravity

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the so-called “World Conference Against Racism”, otherwise known as Durban I. The 2001 conference was to be...

Under Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s LGBTQ community fears the worst

The recent election of Ebrahim Raisi as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has sent shockwaves through the country's LGBTQ community, with many...

A monster miracle from a cave

In the history of sport, there have been many unforgettable victories. True testaments of teams achieving the unthinkable. The 1980 Winter Olympics men’s hockey...

If Europe is serious about fighting antisemitism, it must skip Durban 20

Countries are lining up to declare they will not attend the20th anniversary of the UN’s notorious 2001 World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban,...

From Vienna to Tripoli, the Muslim Brotherhood’s impact is felt on both sides of the Mediterranean

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has recently undertaken a number of legislative initiatives that target Islamist groups and movements, which are active within the country,...

Fighting impunity in the 21st-century

In 2006, Thomas Lubanga was the first person to be convicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court.  For the first time...

Violence in the name of God

On July 5, Georgian far-right activists dispersed the planned Tbilisi Pride week by physically attacking more than 50 people, of which 53 were members...

A global model to tackle violence against women

As the world grapples unevenly with the effects of COVID-19, a parallel and equally horrific pandemic has threatened half the world’s population.  In the...

Washington zeroes in on corrupt Bulgarian officials

On June 2, the US Department of State announced the designation of four former Bulgarian public officials as well as one current official for involvement...

An appeal against violence and a pledge for respect

Nine months ago, Samuel Paty, a high school teacher in Paris, used profane caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class to illustrate to his...

Turkey: A state sponsor of terrorism?

Turkey functions like a state-sponsor of terrorism (SST), fueling Islamist extremism domestically and deploying jihadist mercenaries to Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. Listing Turkey as...

To protect free speech, Europe must answer the Christchurch Call

The 2019 Christchurch massacre was a ‘performance crime’ perpetrated by Brenton Tarrant. The Australian was first radicalised in a series of far-right online echo...

Michelle Bachelet should not go to Xinjiang on Chinese government terms

When Michelle Bachelet became the world's top human rights official in 2018, she expressed deep concern about the human rights catastrophe in the Xinjiang...

The significance of U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide

Like every U.S. leader before him, President Joseph Biden issued a commemorative statement on April 24 to mark the annual commemoration of the Armenian...

Scientology: A conflict between German judicial integrity and prejudiced administrative agencies

Certain segments of German politics and administrative agencies have a disreputable approach to freedom of religion that has been perpetuated for the last 30...

Europe’s top diplomat urges Turkey to respect ‘democratic obligations’ following HDP closure case

The bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell has voiced the European Union's concerns over Ankara's decision to close the country's largest opposition party, namely the Peoples’ Democratic...

No human rights without the right to know

Access to information legislation was first seen in Sweden in 1766, with parliamentary interest to access information held by King Adolf Frederick. Finland followed...

EU voices concerns over Turkey’s continuing pressure against HDP

The European Union has voiced its concerns over Ankara's increasing pressure against the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), urging the country to safeguard its democratic system."The European Union...

MEPs to investigate alleged human rights violations by Frontex

Fourteen MEPs are set to investigate the activities of the bloc's border guard agency after several reports emerged unveiling that Frontex was involved in illegal...

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