The Asian Chronicle

Spotlight on Freedom -  July 21, 2016       President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Turkey: President Should Respect Rule of Law, Protect Democracy After last week’s failed coup, Turkey’s elected government continues to purge thousands of judges and civil servants. “Respect for due process and the rule of law are absolutely essential if Turkey is to avoid falling deeper into civil conflict,” said Freedom House President Mark P. Lagon. share on:     African Lives Matter Credit: Rory Mizen (Flickr/Creative Commons).   The recent epidemic police violence in several African countries underscores the urgent need for law enforcement reform, writes Donald Rukare, Freedom House Uganda Chief of Party. Read More share on:     Central Europe Could Be the Region Most Damaged by Brexit Viktor Orban. Credit: European Parliament (Flickr/Creative Commons). ...

 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 ...

 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 fi...

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 s...