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1 week ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Arzu Geybulla
June 15 marked the 200th day of protests in Georgia, ignited by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party's November 2024 decision to suspend talks on the country's European Union accession. The milestone was observed with further demonstrations across the country, as crowds gathered in main squares to demand the release of all arrested protesters, a re-run of the October 2024 parliamentary election, and the resignation of the current government.
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1 week ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Jean de Dieu SOVON |Vivian Wu |Arzu Geybulla
The initiative by Azerbaijan's state tourism agency launched earlier this year is not surprising, given the government's long history of footing hefty bills for image boosts. Whether hosting the Eurovision song contest, Formula 1 races, the European Games, or COP29 – just to name a few – the country has long been eager to demonstrate its wealth to outsiders.
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3 weeks ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Emma Lewis |Rebecca Cluett |Sydney Smith |Arzu Geybulla
The most recent reported non-combat death of a serviceman in Azerbaijan's military occurred on May 26, when soldier Fariz Isayev allegedly succumbed to sudden shock after receiving an antibiotic injection for a high fever.
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3 weeks ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |María Alvarez Malvido |Georgia Popplewell |Arzu Geybulla
The detention of opposition politician Nika Melia on May 29, coupled with a wave of arbitrary entry bans and expulsions targeting activists, journalists, and even diplomats, paints a grim picture of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) government's intent to silence dissent and consolidate power. The country's sinking ranking on international freedom indexes underscores how the ruling government is drifting away from its former European aspirations.
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1 month ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Arzu Geybulla
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva. Created using Canva Pro. In December 2024, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) began a multi-pronged assault on the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) members and its democratically elected mayors. Chief among the targets was Ekrem İmamoğlu, the thrice-elected mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).
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1 month ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Brian Hioe |Arzu Geybulla
Ulviyya Guliyeva, or Ulviyya Ali as she is known among her friends, is the 25th journalist to have been sent behind bars in Azerbaijan in a vicious assault on independent and opposition-aligned media that started in November 2023. The journalist, who reported for Voice of America until February this year, and is known for her coverage of rights violations, freedom of expression, and social injustice stories, anticipated her arrest.
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1 month ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Arzu Geybulla
Following the 12th congress held between May 5–7, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU, announced its imminent disarmament and dissolution in a statement on May 12, 2025.
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1 month ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Arzu Geybulla
Nearly half a year since the fatal Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near the city of Aqtau in Kazakhstan, authorities in Baku say Russia is dragging its feet in sharing the results of an investigation that the Russian authorities promised to carry out. The plane was downed on December 25, 2024, after being struck by “external objects,” which video footage and eyewitness testimony attribute to a Russian missile.
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1 month ago | 
es.globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Mariela Arnst |Julissa Álvarez Coroa |Sinan Ciddi
En Turquía, luego de un fenómeno que causó una reacción masiva del público, el país debate una pregunta: “¿Qué es lo normal?”. Esto surgió como respuesta a miembros de un grupo de fútbol masculino de Sivas, que al inicio del partido desplegaron un cartel que decía Doğal olan normal doğum (Lo natural es el parto normal), en referencia a que el parto por cesárea no es «normal» o menos normal que el parto vaginal.
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1 month ago | 
globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Nurbek Bekmurzaev |Luís Gustavo Carmo |Fernanda Canofre |Arzu Geybulla
While there is no comprehensive data on the number of journalists and newsrooms currently operating in exile, the Thomson Reuters Foundation notes that “thousands of journalists worldwide are forced to work from exile due to political repression and restrictions in their home countries.” From Russia and Turkey to Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico, Belarus, and beyond, stories of entire newsrooms and independent reporters being driven into exile have echoed across international media.
