Cambodia has never been known as a haven for free speech and political dissent, but several recent developments in the country have observers even more concerned about the shrinking space for political expression. Last week, a Cambodian court found an outspoken opposition MP guilty of defamation for filing her own defamation suit against Prime Minister […]
We usually only post once a day here at the Human Rights Blog, which means we can only cover so many human rights stories. But to keep you informed, here are some of the other stories that came across my desk this past week. Niger: For the People, By the people . . . Niger’s […]
ct82hpgjq6 Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) has long been the institutional embodiment of Lee Family Power. Using the PAP, Lee family patriarch, Lee Kuan-Yew created a political monopoly, in the nation of 4.6 million people, that has lasted its entire 50 years of independence. This monopoly allowed the establishment of a dynasty with the ascension […]
Mexico’s midterm election for its Chamber of Deputies, six governors and mayors and local legislators in 11 states will be held next Sunday July 5. The governing National Action Party (PAN) has deployed an agressive campaign that attempts to turn the elections into a referendum on President Felipe Calderón’s war against the drug cartels: either […]
Today’s New York Times featured two contrasting views of how the US should fight the Afghan insurgency and prevent international terrorism from breeding in the region. Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, while asserting that defeating the Taliban threat is ‘not achievable’, argues for a steady military drawback from the conflict, […]