Bahrain’s court of cassation on Monday confirmed a two-year jail sentence against prominent activist Nabeel Rajab, convicted for press statements critical of his government, a judicial source said. In July, the high-profile activist was found guilty of “disseminating rumours and false information” and sentenced to two years in prison over television interviews critical of the […]
Political Dissidents articles on Democracy Chronicles
In this political dissidents section, DC highlights people who actively challenge established dictatorships, putting their lives on the line for democracy. Also see our entire section on the Political Dissidents who fight dictators around the world or our main section on World Democracy.
Wife of Saudi blogger Badawi told he could be pardoned
The wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi is allowing herself to dream: might the modernising new crown prince in her ultra-conservative homeland be about to free her husband? Ensaf Haidar, mother to the couple’s three children and wife of 16 years, recently heard from a delegation of European parliamentarians who visited Riyadh in late […]
What is behind the mass release of Ethiopian political prisoners?
Earlier this month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced plans to release political prisoners in a surprise move the government says aims to “foster national reconciliation”. The prime minister also declared that the government would close the Maekelawi detention facility in Addis Ababa, which has been considered “one of the country’s most notorious police stations” […]
Is Nigeria behind Cameroon Anglophone separatist arrests?
Anglophones have decried the fact that the more than 50 years old regime of Yaounde exploited their vulnerability resulting from their being expended by Britain. Yaounde has gone on to treat them as second-class citizens.
Founders of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement in court
Founders of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement that sparked mass rallies in 2014 appeared in court Tuesday in the latest case brought against activists. The nine defendants face public nuisance charges related to the Umbrella Movement demonstrations, which shut down several major roads in the semi-autonomous Chinese city for 79 days. Hong Kong’s government has brought […]
Fears for ’90 university students’ held in Iran crackdown
As Iran’s state TV continues to show pro-regime rallies, fears are growing for those arrested in a crackdown on anti-government protests. More than a week of unrest that started last month saw some 22 people die, with over 1,000 detained, according to Iranian officals. Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as […]
How Chinese Democracy Advocates View the Iranian Protests
The protests in Iran are resonating with democracy advocates in and outside of China, many of whom have expressed hope that a similar uprising could come to the tightly ruled country and put an end to tight controls on civil rights and freedoms. At the same time, Chinese authorities have moved quickly to tighten censorship […]
Russia supreme court rules Kremlin critic cannot run for president
Russia’s supreme court has upheld a ban on the government critic Alexei Navalny from running for president
Chinese activist jailed for 8 years as major crackdown underway
China sentenced an activist known by the online pseudonym “Super Vulgar Butcher” to eight years in prison
Artist ‘released’ in China after Liu Xiaobo tribute
An artist that could not be reached for more than a week after he painted a politically charged mural in southern China wrote on Twitter Monday that he has been “released”. “I was released a few days ago and we are in my hometown now,” the Twitter account of painter Hu Jiamin read days after […]