How one man went from China’s Communist party golden child to enemy of the state

Xu Zhiyong’s dream is for China to become a democratic country that is “beautiful, free, fair and happy.” It is a simple wish, yet in the eyes of the authorities, his vision is dangerous and subversive. The 50-year-old human rights lawyer and champion of social equality was sentenced to 14 years in jail earlier this month, along with fellow… Read More How one man went from China’s Communist party golden child to enemy of the state

Ramachandra Guha: Why attack young Kashmiris for a crime committed by someone else? / This Student Helped Evacuate Hundreds Of Kashmiris After Pulwama

First posted February 20, 2019 NB: It has been a long-standing feature of communal politics to make innocent people pay for the crimes of a few. This noxious habit is now being pushed and encouraged by the political fronts of the RSS, which in effect means the Government of India. These people claim to hold a… Read More Ramachandra Guha: Why attack young Kashmiris for a crime committed by someone else? / This Student Helped Evacuate Hundreds Of Kashmiris After Pulwama

The courage of Vladimir Kara-Murza

“What is history for? … It makes us brave!” ADAM TOOZE I’ll never forget this response by my distinguished colleague Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith to one of the “theory and practice” questions with which we used to torture Cambridge undergraduates back in the 1990s and early 2000s. Riley-Smith’s answer resonated with me, precisely for its profound, almost archaic… Read More The courage of Vladimir Kara-Murza

Removing Black lawmakers is voter suppression – and the US has done it for centuries

Michael Harriot When Tennessee lawmakers expelled two Black legislators from the state’s Republican-dominated house of representatives, pundits described the decision as “stunning” and “historic”. Joe Biden called it “shocking, undemocratic and without precedent”. The New York Times characterized it as “an extraordinary act of political retribution”. Sorry, have you met America? This tragic comedy always has the… Read More Removing Black lawmakers is voter suppression – and the US has done it for centuries

Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers

American Civil Liberties Union Today, more than 76 percent of incarcerated workers surveyed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics say that they are required to work or face additional punishment such as solitary confinement, denial of opportunities to reduce their sentence, and loss of family visitation. They have no right to choose what type of… Read More Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers

Defiant Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza likens his case to Stalin’s show trials

Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who faces up to a quarter of a century in jail on treason charges, has told a Moscow court that he stood by all of his political statements and said his prosecution resembled one of Joseph Stalin’s show trials. Kara-Murza, 41, who holds Russian and British passports, has denied several… Read More Defiant Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza likens his case to Stalin’s show trials

Delhi Riots: New Charges, Multiple Bail Rejections Keep Gulfisha Fatima Lodged in Jail for 3 Years

Every time the student activist’s bail has been approved by a court, the police slapped new charges against her to prolong her imprisonment. Currently, her bail plea is pending before the Delhi high court. Tarushi Aswani “If you remain quiet despite injustices, you will survive. But if you criticise them (government), they will open the… Read More Delhi Riots: New Charges, Multiple Bail Rejections Keep Gulfisha Fatima Lodged in Jail for 3 Years

Twitter Faces a fine in Germany more than its net worth

Twitter’s journey through stormy seas continues, as the microblogging service may be subject to tens of billions of euros in fines in Germany for failing to remove tweets that contained hate speech. According to a Techcrunch report, German courts are currently hearing more than 600 cases involving hate speech on Twitter. Germany earlier this week… Read More Twitter Faces a fine in Germany more than its net worth

Chris Hedges: The Hypocrisy of the Christian Church. Talk at Princeton Theological Seminary

James Baldwin, who grew up in the church and was briefly a preacher, said he abandoned the pulpit to preach the Gospel. The Gospel, he knew, was not heard most Sundays in Christian houses of worship. And today with ministers wary of offending their aging and dwindling flocks — who are counted on to pay the clergy… Read More Chris Hedges: The Hypocrisy of the Christian Church. Talk at Princeton Theological Seminary