Human rights

Beatings and torture, long an issue of concern, have become commonplace in Belarus since people first rose up to protest the elections in August 2020. © Andrew Keymaster/Unsplash

Belarus: Police Violence Continues

Beatings and torture, long an issue of concern, have become commonplace since the August 2020 uprising.

22 Feb 22

Marin Pavlescu, 19, left his mandatory military service as he denounced that he was harassed because of his homosexuality, sparking a debate about the army and LGBT rights in Moldova. © Marin Pavlescu

Moldova: A Soldier’s Coming Out Sparks Debate

The case of 18-year-old gay recruit who refused to finish his mandatory military service due to harassment has set off a wider discussion about LGBT rights.

7 Feb 22

January 5, 2022 Kazak government declared a nationwide state of emergency after protests over a fuel price hike erupted into clashes and saw demonstrators storm government buildings. © ABDUAZIZ MADYAROV/AFP via Getty Images

Kazak Human Rights Activists Fear Crackdown

Experts predict further prosecutions and tightened censorship in the wake of unrest.

13 Jan 22

Kenyan security personnel seen in Nairobi. © Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Kenya: Security Forces Blamed for Rise in Forced Disappearances

Only around one in three of all those abducted return alive.

7 Jan 22

In the hope to cross into the European Union, refugees camp in freezing conditions along the barbed wire fence marking the border between Poland and Belarus. © Polish Ministry of Defense

Belarus: Refugee Crisis Not Yet Out of The Woods

While some asylum seekers have been moved to temporary accommodation, the underlying issues remain unresolved.

26 Nov 21

A school in the Gali region of Abkhazia, where the de-facto government recently made the decision to ban Georgian as the language of instruction, meaning that Georgian students there will now have to learn their native tongue as a foreign language. © IWPR

Abkhazia: Georgian Now Only Taught as a Foreign Language

All students have to learn in Russian, in a move condemned as “an obvious manifestation of racial discrimination”.

3 Nov 21

Armenian tanks leave Nagorny Karabakh following the end of the war with Azerbaijan on November 12, 2020. © Alex McBride/Getty Images

International Community Needs Access to Nagorny Karabakh

Europe’s leading human rights organisation calls on both sides to cooperate.

20 Oct 21

Belarus: Schools Teach Lessons in Patriotism

Educational reforms signal a fresh battlefront in regime crackdown.

28 Sep 21

Headquarters of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Kyrgyzstan: Demands for Public Enquiry Over State Wiretapping

Warnings that the covert surveillance amounted to a gross violation of the fundamental right to privacy.

27 Sep 21

A sign from a Belarusian pro-democracy rally from last year in Tbilisi.

Fears Over Georgia-Belarus Security Agreement

“The agreement is very dangerous for peaceful, non-violent citizens who are escaping torture.”

16 Sep 21

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