Human rights

Digital Authoritarianism, China and COVID
Analyses
Digital Authoritarianism, China and COVID
The coronavirus has showcased China's cyber-powered social control capabilities, with implications for human rights worldwide.
Crew-change crisis risks supply chains – and lives
Crew-change crisis risks supply chains – and lives
Twenty-four crew members of the Al Messilah, a livestock carrier under Kuwaiti flag, tested positive last week for Covid-19 at Fremantle Port in Western Australia. They are among…
If Duterte likes his human rights record, he can let others look
If Duterte likes his human rights record, he can let others look
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines addressed the United Nations General Assembly last month, the first time he has done so since he assumed office in 2016…
Why Myanmar’s elections won’t be free, fair or safe
Why Myanmar’s elections won’t be free, fair or safe
We all desperately wanted Myanmar to be a democratic success story, myself included. In 2015, I witnessed the historical national election when the Aung San Suu Kyi’s political…
Duterte’s vaccine promise is a political placebo
Duterte’s vaccine promise is a political placebo
As early as April, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte set a P50 million (A$1.45 million) reward for anyone who comes up with a vaccine for Covid-19. Since then, Duterte has…
Colonialism and cultural erasure in Xinjiang
Colonialism and cultural erasure in Xinjiang
On 17 September, the Information of Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China released a White Paper, “Employment and Labour Rights in Xinjiang”, detailing the…
Francis Fukuyama in Minsk
Francis Fukuyama in Minsk
Thirty years ago, Francis Fukuyama sprang to international prominence by suggesting that history might be at an end. Ever since, lesser academic lights have queued up to tell…
Bangladesh: Fight the power or shut up?
Bangladesh: Fight the power or shut up?
Hip-hop artists have long used rap music to launch cultural protests about social injustice, police brutality, inequality and discrimination.  Songs such as Tupac Shakur’s …
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
What is the relationship between online and offline extremism? What types of data should be examined in order to understand this relationship? What is the full scope of violent…
The killings in the Philippines grow more brazen
The killings in the Philippines grow more brazen
Earlier this month, days after Manila went back into a hard lockdown due to a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, unidentified assailants slipped past the Philippine capital’s…