The Asian Chronicle

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Washington  -   July 13, 2016   —      In advance of today’s planned stay-away protest in Zimbabwe, where citizens will protest government economic policies by staying away from their offices and schools, Freedom House issued the following statement: “The Zimbabwean government should respect citizens’ right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in Section 59 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, which states that ‘every person has the right to demonstrate and to present petitions ’ , ”  said Lynn Fredriksson, director for Southern African programs. “The government has an obligation to protect freedom of expression. Authorities should not respond to peaceful protests with arrests and repressive measures, as happened last week.” Background: Prior to today and  Thursday’s  planned "stay-away," protests have taken place in Harare and other cities as a result of the government’s failure to pay civil servants, a new ban on the import of basic

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Washington  -   July 13, 2016   —      In response to the introduction of the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, Freedom House issued the following statement: “Freedom House applauds Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Sires for their leadership to support democracy and human rights in Nicaragua,” said Mark P. Lagon, president.  “The government of President Ortega restricts the basic rights of its citizens, and limits the work of media and the political opposition. The NICA Act would provide leverage to bring about reform in Nicaragua, and I urge Congress to swiftly pass this bill.” Background: The Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality (NICA) Act (H.R. 5708) introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-27), Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ-08), and eight other members, directs the Administration to oppose loans for Nicaragua from international financial institutions until the Secretary of State

https://www.iranhumanrights. org/2016/07/comment-crackdown/ This commentary was originally published in the  World Politics Review . Commentary By Hadi Ghaemi There is a crackdown underway in Iran. But it is no longer just a crackdown on dissent. Rather it is an attempt to crush views or expressions that depart from the insular and rigid worldview of an increasingly small band of hard-liners.

 It is not opposition parties, secularists or even reformists that are the latest targets of repression, but longtime insiders and scions of the Islamic Republic; a conservative and clerically vetted president and his administration; and revered cultural figures whose music, art and writings have long been the pride of Iranians. 

 These are the new targets of repression, and they are indicative of a shifting domestic political context in Iran in which the base of the regime is shrinking, the range of permitted views is narrowing, and the gulf between the state and socie

Dear Friend, It is our Hon'ble Prime Minister's firm belief that Indian Railway has the potential to become the backbone of India's progress and economic development. This is the vision we all are working for at Indian Railways with you as our partner. 18 months ago, when I took over the reigns of this great organization called Indian Railways, I was faced with many challenges. I had the option of making small incremental changes or go beyond business as usual. I chose the latter. Bringing in systemic changes was the need of the hour. It was important to change the perception of Indian Railways from a slow moving behemoth to a responsive modern organization. It is satisfying for me to note that we have made some progress. A lot is still to be done. Our Prime Minister has asserted many times that our Government's priority is the commonest of common man of the country and it is with this in mind, we worked on improving the travel experienc