Rights watch
A round-up of human rights stories from around the world.
Venezuela security forces swoop on activists as repression worsens
“They are entering my home arbitrarily. They are destroying the door,” a woman can be heard crying. It is the voice of María Oropeza, a campaign co-ordinator for opposition coalition Vente Venezuela, who is live streaming her detention on Instagram.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
Hasina, known as the iron lady of Bangladesh, resigns and flees the country after weeks of deadly protests.
Blindfolded, bound and beaten: Palestinians tell of Israeli jail abuse
Israel’s leading human rights organisation says conditions inside Israeli prisons holding Palestinian detainees amount to torture.
Rights groups slam Bulgaria for banning LGBTQ+ ‘propaganda’
The law mirrors similar legislation passed in Russia and Hungary in recent years.
Pakistan Imposes Severe Curbs in Balochistan to Quell Protests Against Human Rights Abuses
The government has reportedly been exerting pressure on the families of missing persons and of those people who participated in protests to speak out against the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
US lawmaker calls Chinese sanctions ‘badge of honor’
Representative Jim McGovern, the most recent U.S. lawmaker to be put under Chinese sanctions, says he will wear the sanctions “as a badge of honor,” calling on the Chinese government to end its oppressive actions in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong in a statement emailed to VOA from the representative’s media office Friday.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court Dissolves Progressive Move Forward Party
The ruling is part of a long war of attrition against the progressive opposition by conservative forces trying to maintain their grip on power.
As Instagram remains blocked in Turkey, Erdogan accuses social media companies of ‘digital fascism’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused social media platforms of “digital fascism” for allegedly censoring photographs of Palestinian “martyrs.”
Miss South Africa finalist faces xenophobic abuse over Nigerian heritage
Human Rights Watch says anti-immigrant rhetoric soared in South Africa ahead of this year’s election.