The excessive and disproportionate restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic have compounded the effects of decades of the North Korean government’s violations of the rights to food, health, and to an adequate standard of living; and to freedom of expression and movement, according to Human Rights Watch....
A new report from the Korean Institute for National Unification (KINU) provides eyewitness testimony that the Kim regime publicly executed violators of Pyongyang’s draconian COVID-19 quarantine measures.
Reports of shoot-to-kill orders for anyone attempting to cross the North Korean border during the pandemic were previously covered by NKNews in October 2020, but new testimony in the KINU report grants further credence to these dark realities.
Public executions have long been a feature of the Kim regime’s policies – ranging from public executions of Christians for being caught with a Bible to the purging of Pyongyang’s elites to tamp down on any semblance of revolutionary spirit. A 2019 report from the Transitional Justice Working Group put a finer point on the matter – of the 600 defectors interviewed, they documented “323 reports of sites of state-sanctioned killings”. According to the same report, 83 percent of North Koreans surveyed said they witnessed a public execution.
The girls – who were detained in shopping centres, classes and street markets – were accused of “spreading and encouraging others to wear a bad hijab” and wearing makeup....
This was only one incident, and hopefully it won’t be repeated elsewhere.
Such incidents happen often in Afghanistan, and mostly against women. The central government bans girls from education, just to name another example.
There is another article by CBS quoting representatives of the central government:
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban regime’s chief spokesperson, confirmed the arrests to CBS News on Monday, saying “a group of women who were involved in modeling to promote clothes were detained, advised in front of their family members […]
The person said that after several hours of searching [for a woman detained by the Taliban], the family found the woman at a local police station late Tuesday evening, where Taliban officials demanded money, along with her passport and other documentation, as a penalty and “to guarantee that she will not violate the dress code in the future.”
The family member said the authorities told the family they would “take her biometrics and photos, and if she violates the dress code in the future, she will be imprisoned for a longer period.”
Recent arrests of women in Kabul Afghanistan for ‘bad hijab’, confirmed by the Taliban, regrettably signified further restrictions on women’s freedom of expression and undermines other rights,” [United Nations special envoy for Afghanistan] Bennett said in a social media post.
Gangs are running profitable businesses inside the correctional facilities, and even have the keys to their own units. Recent rioting showed the extent of their power, posing a difficult challenge for the government of Daniel Noboa.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose real power derives from his position as the head of the ruling Communist Party, has placed more emphasis on quality over quantity. He has demanded absolute loyalty from party members, launched an ideology drive to shore up their faith, and unleashed a crackdown on internal dissent. Members are bound by more stringent rules – and millions of cadres have been investigated for violating them in the past nine years since Xi took control of the party.
Regarding the ‘1984 social credit system’ there are a lot of good resources which tell a story far diffrrent from yours. One recent example is tbe documentary ‘Total Trust’ by Chinese film maker Zhang Jialing. The film’s introduction says:
Total Trust is an eye-opening and deeply disturbing story of surveillance technology, abuse of power and (self-)censorship that confronts us with what can happen when our privacy is ignored. Through the haunting stories of people in China who have been monitored, intimidated and even tortured, the film tells of the dangers of technology in the hands of unbridled power.
Watch the film. There are many reviews about it (and other sources about surveillance in China). It’s really easy to find on the web.
I think this law has similar intentions.
Addition: <a href="">@megopie</a> it would be great if you could post a source of what you say. Thanks in advance.
In the midst of a surge in executions in Iran, four ethnic Kurds are on the brink of execution following 18 months of incognito detention since their arrest in July 2022....
After escaping the North, 139 North Koreans reached the South in the January-September 2023 period, sharply up from 42 from the same period 2022, according to Seoul’s unification ministry. In the third quarter, 40 defectors ― three men and 37 women ― came to the South....
A new, in-depth timeline of efforts to help Samer Abu Daqqa reveals that Israel was repeatedly pressed to allow for his rescue, but kept emergency crews at bay for hours.
Jailed Alexey Navalny told a Moscow court of “freezing” conditions inside his prison, as he appeared via video link to outline his case against the authorities at the Siberian penal colony in which he is being held....
Voters spurned Beijing’s repeated calls not to vote for Lai, delivering a comfortable victory for a man China’s ruling Communist Party sees as a dangerous separatist....
“The Saudi government uses its Public Investment Fund to expand its influence and fund lavish sporting events in an attempt to obscure how it systematically violates human rights,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch....
China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place Jan 23 in Geneva. The UPR is a mechanism of the Human Rights Council to assess the human rights record of every UN member state every four to five years....
Governments’ double standards in applying the human rights framework not only put countless lives at risk, but they chip away at trust in the institutions responsible for enforcing and protecting rights, Human Rights Watch said....
The Chinese economy is at a critical juncture. The collapse of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group serves as a stark reminder of the underlying fragility within the real estate sector and the broader economy.
In 2022, the last full year on record, remittances from migrants to their countries of origin amounted to $647 billion, according to the World Bank, which estimated $656 billion for 2023 last June. These figures showed no sign of abating during the pandemic and nor will they decrease in the coming years, according to the...
Taiwan holds elections on 13 January, pitting the pro-autonomy Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) against the more pro-Beijing KMT. The outcome of the vote has huge consequences for relations across the Taiwan Strait and for the future of an autonomous Taiwan, whose independence Beijing has vehemently opposed — and threatened...
Neighbours whose economic fortunes were supposed to be tied to the heft of the country’s rebound from the pandemic seem to be doing pretty well without it....
The story of a Kazakhi woman who lived in China provides chilling new details of how the Chinese state detained upwards of a million people in “re-education” camps from 2017 to 2020....
North Korean government in 2023 continued to use the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext to maintain “shoot on sight” orders on its northern border, rights group says (www.hrw.org)
The excessive and disproportionate restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic have compounded the effects of decades of the North Korean government’s violations of the rights to food, health, and to an adequate standard of living; and to freedom of expression and movement, according to Human Rights Watch....
Taiwan’s vote is a crack in the new axis of autocracy - (Opinion) (www.afr.com)
Unpaywalled link: web.archive.org/…/taiwan-s-vote-is-a-crack-in-the…...
Afghan girls as young as 16 arrested in shops, classes and markets in Kabul by the Taliban, who labelled them ‘infidels’ for wearing ‘bad hijab’ (www.theguardian.com)
The girls – who were detained in shopping centres, classes and street markets – were accused of “spreading and encouraging others to wear a bad hijab” and wearing makeup....
Armed gang storms Ecuador TV station as state of ‘internal armed conflict’ declared (www.theguardian.com)
China feels the country isn’t patriotic enough. A new law aims to change that. (edition.cnn.com)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/10848936...
Rights group calls for pressure of international community on Iranian regime to "halt imminent execution" of four ethnic Kurds (iranhumanrights.org)
In the midst of a surge in executions in Iran, four ethnic Kurds are on the brink of execution following 18 months of incognito detention since their arrest in July 2022....
Number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea more than triples in Jan.-Sept. 2023 period (m.koreatimes.co.kr)
After escaping the North, 139 North Koreans reached the South in the January-September 2023 period, sharply up from 42 from the same period 2022, according to Seoul’s unification ministry. In the third quarter, 40 defectors ― three men and 37 women ― came to the South....
Israel Bombed an Al Jazeera Cameraman — and Blocked Evacuation Efforts as He Bled to Death (theintercept.com)
A new, in-depth timeline of efforts to help Samer Abu Daqqa reveals that Israel was repeatedly pressed to allow for his rescue, but kept emergency crews at bay for hours.
China: No Letup in Xi Jinping’s Repressive Rule, Amid Economic Showdown, Mourning for Ex-Premier Shows Discontent - Beehaw (www.hrw.org)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/11086495...
“If you eat every day within 10 minutes, then this meal turns into a rather complex process:" Kremlin critic Navalny tells Russian court of ‘freezing’ conditions inside his Arctic prison (edition.cnn.com)
Jailed Alexey Navalny told a Moscow court of “freezing” conditions inside his prison, as he appeared via video link to outline his case against the authorities at the Siberian penal colony in which he is being held....
'Return to the right track' - Taiwan tells China to 'face reality' and respect election results (www.france24.com)
Voters spurned Beijing’s repeated calls not to vote for Lai, delivering a comfortable victory for a man China’s ruling Communist Party sees as a dangerous separatist....
Despite Image Campaign: Human Rights Watch Accuses Saudia Arabia of Mass Killings, Death Sentences, Unfair Trials And Abusive Detention Practices (www.hrw.org)
“The Saudi government uses its Public Investment Fund to expand its influence and fund lavish sporting events in an attempt to obscure how it systematically violates human rights,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch....
UN Must Include Strong Language on Tibet in China Review, exiled Tibetans say (tibet.net)
China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place Jan 23 in Geneva. The UPR is a mechanism of the Human Rights Council to assess the human rights record of every UN member state every four to five years....
Global Rights Crises Deepen as World Leaders Shy Away, Human Rights Watch Says In World Report 2024 (www.hrw.org)
Governments’ double standards in applying the human rights framework not only put countless lives at risk, but they chip away at trust in the institutions responsible for enforcing and protecting rights, Human Rights Watch said....
The Latest Bankruptcy Suggests the Worst Is Not Over in China’s Economy (investorplace.com)
The Chinese economy is at a critical juncture. The collapse of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group serves as a stark reminder of the underlying fragility within the real estate sector and the broader economy.
Taiwan voters face flood of pro-China disinformation (www.france24.com)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/10930832
Family of woman shot dead on Gaza ‘safe route’ calls for justice --- [video, 3 min] (www.aljazeera.com)
[Warning: video contains disturbing images.]...
The many faces behind remittances: ‘Every week I sent them money so that they could eat what we were not able to’ (english.elpais.com)
In 2022, the last full year on record, remittances from migrants to their countries of origin amounted to $647 billion, according to the World Bank, which estimated $656 billion for 2023 last June. These figures showed no sign of abating during the pandemic and nor will they decrease in the coming years, according to the...
Taiwan confronts China's disinformation behemoth ahead of vote (www.codastory.com)
Taiwan holds elections on 13 January, pitting the pro-autonomy Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) against the more pro-Beijing KMT. The outcome of the vote has huge consequences for relations across the Taiwan Strait and for the future of an autonomous Taiwan, whose independence Beijing has vehemently opposed — and threatened...
Trial of Jimmy Lai: ‘Dissenters Risk Similar Fate’ Warns Co-founder of UK Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (www.jurist.org)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/10896265...
The latest indignity for China’s flawed recovery (www.smh.com.au)
Neighbours whose economic fortunes were supposed to be tied to the heft of the country’s rebound from the pandemic seem to be doing pretty well without it....
‘We did it to our own people’: How China forced Kazakhs to implement its ethnic crackdown (www.telegraph.co.uk)
The story of a Kazakhi woman who lived in China provides chilling new details of how the Chinese state detained upwards of a million people in “re-education” camps from 2017 to 2020....
Hiring in China: Monkey King wanted, perks include warm cave – and plenty of bananas (edition.cnn.com)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/10824497
Lawyers for Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai appealed to the United Nations expert on torture over the treatment of a witness they believe was tortured before giving incriminating evidence (1ft.io)
Cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/10781442...