Freedom of the press
All topics-
Arundhati Roy: India's voice of conscience
Writing is activism
Frequently outspoken in her criticism of political developments in her home country India and around the world, Booker Prize-winning novelist and prolific essayist Arundhati Roy has proven that politics and fiction do go hand-in-hand. By Manasi Gopalakrishnan
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Dayton, Putin, the EU
Bosnia and Herzegovina's 30-year struggle
Separatists continue to threaten to destroy Bosnia & Herzegovina. A look back indicates the tiny western Balkan state is lacking democracy, the rule of law, prosperity and the prospect of being integrated into the EU soon. By Rudiger Rossig
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Sportswashing in Saudi Arabia
Formula 1, football, golf – Saudi Arabia makes a point of attracting major sporting events. The strategy is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "Vision 2030" and is meant to boost the country's image. By Andreas Sten-Ziemons
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Ukraine war and the Gulf
UAE – safe haven for sanction-dodging Russians
It's sunny and politically stable, there is little financial transparency and it's easy enough to invest in a business or property and get a residency visa in return, writes Cathrin Schaer
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Ukraine war coverage
Russia accuses Bangladesh media of "bias"
In an open letter, the Russian embassy in Dhaka has accused newspapers and broadcasters of "undermining" relations between Russia and Bangladesh
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Saudi Arabia's detainees
Speak your mind – face the consequences
Family and activists hope that Raif Badawi will be released soon. However, the well-known blogger is not the only activist behind bars for expressing dissenting views. By Kerstin Knipp
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America and the War on Terror
Guantanamo's "forever prisoners"
The notorious U.S. prison camp is 20 years old. Over the years, several plans to close it have been rejected. For the detainees, little has changed in the last two decades. Oliver Sallet reports from Guantanamo Bay
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Modi's India
Authoritation pseudo-democracy in the making?
India is generally considered to be the world’s largest democracy. As civic freedoms are being eroded, international experts now consider it seriously under threat. By Mira Mandal
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Tunisia's political future
Kais Saied's divisive online poll
Tunisia's first-ever digital survey on a new constitution is key to Tunisian President Kais Saied's path out of a political crisis. But as with Saied himself, reactions to the online innovation have been mixed. By Cathrin Schaer and Tarak Guizani
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Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy
"You have not yet been defeated"
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, arguably Egypt’s most prominent democracy activist, has just been handed another lengthy prison sentence. Despite this, a book of his writing has recently been published. It reveals the former Tahrir Square activist as a reflective, left-wing intellectual. Jannis Hagmann read the book
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Arab world
Arab youth: Aspirations for the New Year
Arab youth express their hopes and wishes for the New Year, spanning everything from civil and political rights, to education, to arts and culture. By Rafiah Al Talei
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Tunisia's ex-president Moncef Marzouki
The conscience of the Arab Spring
Moncef Marzouki was Tunisia's first democratically elected president after the fall of dictator Ben Ali. Today he is the most prominent critic of increasingly counter-revolutionary developments under President Kais Saied. Commentary by Ali Anouzla