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Democracy & Human Rights
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,...
Archive
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Archive
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...
Albania
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...
Albania
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...
Afghanistan
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...
Analysis
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...
Asia & Pacific
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...
Analysis
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...
Democracy & Human Rights
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...
Archive
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...
Belgium
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...
Archive
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...
Archive
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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