USA: protests over police brutality
Protests in Memphis on 27 January blocked a major highway and small-scale demonstrations were held elsewhere when over an hour of video footage was released of police violently arresting Tyre Nicholas twenty days…
Bulgaria: protests calls for corrupt PM to resign
In response to protests which began on 9 July, Boyko Borisov proposed reforms to the constitution which have been decried by protesters as a means of keeping his government in power until the…
Belarus: winds of change?
Belarus is known as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’. After being elected on an anti-corruption platform President Lukashenko ruled for 26 years, betraying his mandate and the trust of his people. When citizens cast their…
Chile: inequality triggers protests
For decades political leaders have promised that free markets would lead to prosperity, which would take care of other problems. The promises came to nothing, and thousands of protesters are chanting, ‘Chile, wake…
Algeria: taking down a picture frame
82-year-old President Bouteflika has not spoken in public in years. At public ceremonies or meetings his handlers place a framed picture of him on an easel. The government has announced that Bouteflika, who…
Sudan: street protests since December
A parliamentary committee tasked with amending Sudan’s constitution to allow President Omar al-Bashir to run for another term said it would indefinitely postpone a meeting to draft these changes. The president, a former…
Iran: Street protests
On 24 June protesters forced two major shopping centres in Tehran to close after the Iranian rial dropped drastically, despite government attempts to control currency rates. On 25 June more protesters swarmed Tehran’s…
Armenia: urgent international appeal
On 21 April, 37 human rights organisations and NGOs made an urgent appeal to the UN Council of Europe on behalf of Armenia. The opening sentence was, ‘We, the undersigned civil society organisations,…