France: Police use tear gas against protesters at demonstrations against new law

Tens of thousands took to the streets of France on 28 November to protest the new law which makes filming or photographing a police officer a criminal offence. Protestors were met with tear gas and violence from the police. What is the new law? Article 24 is an amendment to France’s global security legislation, proposed in October by President Macron’s ‘La République En Marche’ party and its ally, ‘Agir’. The … Read more →

‘Sham trial’ of 129 Cambodian dissidents begins

Cambodia’s Pnhom Penh municipal court has begun hearing the cases of 129 dissidents, activists, and opposition figures charged with treason for taking part in non-violent political activities, in what has been described as a “sham trial”. Most of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit treason and incitement to commit a felony, possibly facing up to 12 years in prison. Sam Sakong, one of the defence lawyers, expressed his … Read more →

Iran hostages: Kylie Moore-Gilbert arrives back in Australia after release from Iranian prison

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian-British academic, arrived back in Australia on 27 November after being released from prison in Iran earlier this week. She was imprisoned in October 2018 and kept behind bars for 804 days. Moore-Gilbert was arrested in September 2018 at Tehran Airport, due to leave the country after attending an academic conference. She worked as a lecturer and researcher at Melbourne University’s Asia Institute, and had published works … Read more →

Rojava hands over 30 children of ISIS-linked parents to Russian authorities

The Kurdish-led administration of Rojava has handed 30 children of ISIS-linked parents over to Russian authorities. This is the fourth repatriation by Moscow in the last few months. The children were between the ages of two and 14 and were previously in camps in north-east Syria. Out of the 70,000 people who live in the north-east Syrian camps al-Hol and Roj, 13,000 are non-Iraqi foreign nationals. In al-Hol, 94% of … Read more →