Russia: Strongest repression since the Soviet Union?

 Russia's crackdown on opponents of the war in Ukraine has been well documented. But lately, the Kremlin has stepped up its efforts to stifle criticism, leading to what some are calling the widest campaign of repression since the Soviet Union.

Domestic dissent: The new front in Russia’s information war

 

In Russia’s war on Ukraine, chaos on the battlefield, confusion in internal messaging. Plus, contested historical narratives that underpin the war.

Inside Russia, the narrative around the “war” is changing.

The pro-war Putin-faithful are grappling with defeats they never expected and generals are taking the flak from public figures, loyalists on state TV channels, and even military bloggers.

The case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah and Egypt’s crushing of dissent

 

The story of an imprisoned activist exposes the grim climate for speech in Egypt. Plus, what might Chile’s new constitution portend for the media there?

As Egypt’s President el-Sisi kicks off a “National Dialogue” on human rights, the precarious fate of jailed writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah exposes the grave climate for free speech in the country.

Why China is crushing Hong Kong dissent

 

Hong Kong was rocked by mass violent anti-government protests in 2019 Now, the city is transformed - and not in the way protesters have hoped. The Chinese government has clamped down hard, putting in place restrictive rules and arresting scores of activists and opposition politicians.

Alexei Navalny and Russia's history of poisoned dissidents

Russian doctors refused permission to move opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Friday, saying he is is too ill to allow him to board an emergency flight to Germany. A German human rights group had hoped to bring Navalny to Berlin for treatment after a suspected poisoning left him comatose.

This Is What Happens When You Oppose Donnie The Dictator

Is China cracking down on dissent?

That headline from Al Jazeera is  disingenuous.  Using a question mark as a rhetorical device in this case is unacceptable. As the Chinese government is clearly cracking down on dissent.  

Chinese lawyer who exposed baby milk scandal jailed for subversion

Zhou Shifeng, director of Beijing’s Fengrui law firm, jailed for more than seven years in latest crackdown on activists

'I want to rescue my dad': children's heartbreak for the lawyers China has taken away

Li Heping’s six-year-old daughter Li Jiamei dresses as a superhero, hoping to free her human rights lawyer father from prison

For all her gallantry, it is a battle the six-year-old is unlikely to win.

Li Jiamei is the daughter of Li Heping, a top Chinese human rights lawyer who has not been heard of since he disappeared into the custody of China’s security services in July 2015.

My friend Li Heping, a man China thinks is 'more dangerous than Bin Laden'

Li is a top human rights lawyer who nearly a year ago slipped into a netherworld of the disappeared after a political crackdown

On 10 July last year, just days after we had met for lunch in an upscale Beijing shopping mall, my friend Li Heping vanished.