Philippine journalists took to the streets in support of a news website facing state-enforced closure
Asia articles on Democracy Chronicles
View news about the struggle for democracy on the continent of Asia where giants of China and India hover large. Asia represents a huge portion of the human race where both some of the best and worst governments coexist. Also see our World Democracy section!
New Zealand’s pregnant PM is a global milestone for women
News that Jacinda Ardern will juggle the prime ministership of New Zealand with starting a family was hailed Friday as another milestone for women in politics. Here are some of the others: – Women get the vote – New Zealand has a track record of being progressive on women’s issues — in 1893 it became […]
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong jailed for protest
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was jailed for three months Wednesday for obstructing clearance of a major encampment during mass pro-democracy protests in 2014, the second time he has been imprisoned over the rallies. Wong, 21, who had pleaded guilty to the contempt charge, was already on bail pending an appeal over a six- month […]
Senators Take Action to Block Feared North Korean Election Hack
Lawmakers are pushing forward a bipartisan bill introduced Tuesday calling for sanctions against countries found to be meddling in U.S. elections. Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio are working together on the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines act, or DETER, which Van Hollen says would send an […]
A failure of democracy in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan
Balochistan badly requires real leaders with a full mandate of the public, not hand-picked ones
Leading Hong Kong Democracy Activists Appeal Jail Sentences
Three young Hong Kong democracy activists returned to court Tuesday to appeal their convictions and jail sentences for leading massive protests in 2014. Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow initially received non-custodial sentences by a lower court in 2016 for storming a courtyard on the grounds of the government’s headquarters in September 2014, which […]
Teen jailed for insulting Indonesian president on Facebook
An Indonesian teenager was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for “insulting” President Joko Widodo on Facebook. The 18-year-old high school student from Medan on the island of Sumatra, identified by the initials MFB, was found guilty of violating the country’s internet law by making defamatory and slanderous comments online. Judges also ordered him […]
Vietnam Seeks to Stifle Dissent with Rules On Internet Services
Vietnam is adding pressure on foreign internet firms to keep data on local users and be more accessible to the country’s authorities as the country tightens control over online dissent. A bill that the Southeast Asian country’s Ministry of Public Security offered to legislators this month would require foreign internet services to open representative offices […]
International Pressure After Burma Prosecutes Journalists
As the trial of two Myanmar journalists begins in Yangon, the case has now passed from the sphere of Myanmar’s military, which retains full control of the police, to the sphere of the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, local reporters for global newswire Reuters, were arrested […]
Amnesty Seeks Release of 2 Detained Burmese Journalists
The human rights group Amnesty International called Tuesday on Myanmar to immediately release two Reuters journalists it has detained, contending the government was trying to thwart their investigation of its military actions against the minority Rohingyas. Amnesty International said the journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, “have done absolutely nothing but carry out their […]