persecution

2 Posts

•

0 Followers

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s paralysed civil society

by Kamran Mahmudov

•5 min read

Over the past six years, Azerbaijan’s civil society has deteriorated on all fronts. As the government continues to interfere with the activities of NGOs, prosecuting human rights defenders and political activists alike, banning them from travelling abroad, and freezing their bank accounts, the sector has become paralysed. Akif Gurbanov has headed the Institute for Democratic Initiatives since its founding in 2013. The Baku-based group was created by a group of lawyers and other public fi

circassians

Russia’s war on Circassian national consciousness

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•5 min read

The Circassian national movement in the North Caucasus has for years been under pressure from the authorities. Facing detention, prosecution, or outright violence, Circassian activists, scholars, and young people all feel the pressure, but there is much disagreement as to why they are being targeted. Over the past few years, leaders of the Circassian national movement in Russia have been subjected to unprecedented pressure and harassment by local and central authorities. The latest inc