Stories from Quick Reads and Freedom of Speech
In Azerbaijan authorities remain silent over the murder of a trans woman
In general, for many LGBTQ+ individuals who face discrimination and violence, there is little recourse through the police or any official judicial channels in Azerbaijan.
Lotteries, dressed-up figures, and other peculiar entertainment at the Putin's sham elections
Current regime needs people to come to the polls in order to show the regime's legitimacy inside the country. Authorities find ways of 'entertainment' that would attract people to vote.
Palestinian writer Randa Jarrar dragged out of PEN America event for protesting
Palestinian American author Randa Jarrar was forcibly removed for disrupting ceasefire opponent Mayim Bialik by reading the names of Palestinian writers killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Presidential election in Azerbaijan show old habits die hard
This election was business as usual in Azerbaijan with manipulation and violations, including carousel voting, ballot stuffing, and aggressive behavior toward independent observers and journalists throughout the day.
The Baku Connection: Journalists across the world unite to support Azerbaijan's Abzas Media
Some 40 journalists from 15 media outlets have joined the project since its launch as Abzas Media team who started the investigations, await trial in Baku.
In Moldova, asylum was denied to five representatives of the LGBTQ+ community from Russia
In all five responses published this week, Moldovan imigration agency claims that 'some individuals have certain obligations to protect their country, and their avoidance of military service in Russia does not pose a risk of persecution.'
Belarusians returning home from immigration receive criminal charges
Human rights defenders say that despite the "agreements," criminal cases were initiated against people who believed the authorities and returned to Belarus.
Kyrgyzstan’s self-proclaimed ‘new God’ and former presidential candidate found dead in prison
Abdyldaev’s death is another incident of the alarming trend that has been unfolding under the rule of the current president Sadyr Japarov.
In Georgia, controversy over a Stalin icon makes headlines at home and abroad
Georgia was thrown into controversy when worshipers found a painting of Saint Matrona of Moscow, a 20th-century Russian Orthodox Church saint, with a man who appears to be Joseph Stalin.
Between four walls: The suppressed voices of peace in Azerbaijan
It’s a landscape where the very act of speaking out often comes at a steep cost, both in terms of personal sacrifice and the relentless pressure they face.
Head of Azerbaijan's Presidential Security Service implicated in corruption scandal
Baku's InterContinental hotel has a suspicious history. When the land around the hotel was put up for auction, the details of the land's address and size were purposefully blacked out.
Police immediately raids LGBTQ+ clubs in Moscow after Russia bans ‘International LGBTQ+ movement’
LGBTQ+ people in Russia say that they are afraid that anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ could now be announced as "extremist" and criminally punished.
Members of Belarusian band behind 2020 protest songs receive draconian sentences
"We are not cattle, cattle and cowards, we are a living people, we are Belarusians!" sang the Tor Band. Now their member are in prison with sentences up to nine years.
At a crucial time for global crises, X (formerly Twitter) dilutes its violent speech policy
X has softened its violent speech policy significantly, decreasing both the scope of its provision on violent speech as well as the consequences imposed when such speech is detected.
How Russians fought Putinism: A documentary
It is incorrect to say that the people in Russia did not resist the emergence of Putinism — they resisted, many times and in many ways, albeit unsuccessfully.
In Turkey, another festival is cancelled as censorship runs rampant
In recent years, countless cultural events and concerts have been canceled in Turkey due to the ruling government's censorship and increasingly conservative views.
Yakut movie ‘Aita’ was censored in Russia
The reason Roskomnadzor cited was that the movie attempted to break the 'principles of the unity of the peoples of Russia.'
If adopted, Tajikistan’s draft law on bloggers will do more harm than good
In the last few years, the country has recorded significant backsliding with regards to freedom of expression as well as overall political freedoms.
In Azerbaijan, couriers are facing intimidation and arrests at the hands of the state
The recent wave of arrests and persecution are linked to the changes adopted to Article 27 of the Law on Traffic in December 2022.
These women are fighting back on the continued destruction of Turkey's Akbelen forest
Some 300 organizations have rallied behind the residents' call to stop any mining activities and deforestation in the area in a statement issued on July 28.
Turkmenistan unveils its first ‘smart’ city, named after the former president
Arkadag’s future remains unclear given the government’s authoritarian and bizarre rules for its potential residents.