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Democracy & Human Rights
Democracy & Human Rights
Iran protesters mark anniversary of “Bloody Friday”
Residents in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan gathered by the thousands on September 30 to stage protests marking the first anniversary of...
Israel
US announces Israel’s acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program
Israeli citizens will be allowed visa-free entry into the United States by the end of November when Israel officially becomes the 41st member of...
Democracy & Human Rights
Europe’s lawmakers see opportunity for regime change a year after Iran’s latest uprising
On September 21, representatives of various political groups held a meeting in the European Parliament to discuss the situation in Iran one year after...
Analysis
What’s the end game for the military men seizing power in West Africa?
As socio-economic problems and the inefficiency of civilian governments in the region have made recent coups popular, coup makers are eventually going to become...
Democracy & Human Rights
Former UN judges, prominent jurists & politicians demand Iran’s leaders be held accountable for 1988 massacre
During an international conference on August 21, former UN Judges, renowned legal experts, and prominent politicians from the US, Europe, and Africa called on...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Cambodia’s Hun Manet is a puppet prime minister; his father will still pull the strings
The handing over of power by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to his son Hun Manet is an attempt to maintain the old regime,...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The Beleri case as bellwether for democracy in Albania
The standard definition of a political prisoner is: “One imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for...
Democracy & Human Rights
The Iranian opposition issues an urgent call to action to prevent a political prisoner’s execution
This morning, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, a judge at Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad, capital of the northeastern Razavi Khorasan Province, sentenced to death...
Democracy & Human Rights
Freedom of speech and expression require considered thought by lawmakers
The cornerstone of any functioning democracy is the ability to speak freely without fear or favour and be confident that our right to say...
Albania
Iranians hold rallies to protest police raid on opposition’s Albania-based HQ
Protests were held outside Albanian embassies and consulates in at least ten cities on June 20th and 21st following a raid by police on...
Democracy & Human Rights
EU parliamentarians, former world leaders demand policy changes, recognition of Iranian resistance
On May 24, dozens of members of the European Parliament held a meeting in Brussels to discuss prospective changes in policy toward the Iran....
Spain
Global Equality Fund: Spain becomes the 18th member country
On the occasion of Spain joining the Global Equality Fund, the Governments of Spain and the United States issued the following joint statement, dated...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Countering online extremism online: Can New Zealand’s Ardern make the Christchurch Call live up to its potential?
On May 15, 2019, two months after the horrendous Christchurch massacre, policymakers led by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel...
Azerbaijan
The Iranian regime is becoming ruthlessly paranoid about ethnic Azeri demands for civil rights guarantees
Complete disregard for the well-being of Iran’s Azeri minority has sparked a wave of intense anger within the community.
Asia & Pacific
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Armenia
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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,...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
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.
Democracy & Human Rights
The South Caucasus peace process should address war crimes issues
The EU must do more to ensure peace in the South Caucasus.
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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....
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Analysis
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...
Archive
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Archive
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...
Archive
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...
Afghanistan
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...
Afghanistan
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...
Afghanistan
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...
Analysis
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...
Afghanistan
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...
Analysis
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,...
Afghanistan
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,...
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