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Trusted news agencies tracing tendencies of democratisation and autocratisation globally
Trusted news agencies tracing tendencies of democratisation and autocratisation globally
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Loading news articles...
On July 30, 2025, Macao police arrested former lawmaker and teacher Au Kam San for violating article 13 of the national security law, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence. He is is being held without bail pending the trial
Human rights activist Mahrang Baloch was sentenced to life by a Pakistani court, drawing criticism from UN experts who call it a "travesty of justice". She denounced xtrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests in Balochistan, her home province.
In Kazakhstan, a court ruling has handed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev a path to stay in power far longer than previously expected. The decision looks technical on paper - but it could prove pivotal for the country’s political future.
Joshua Wong, already jailed under Hong Kong’s national security law, faces sentencing in a separate case in September. The charge could bring years more in prison - even life. The hearing puts one of the city’s best-known dissidents back in the spotlight.
South Korea has launched a tough new law against false information online, with heavy penalties for offenders and new duties for digital platforms. Supporters call it overdue, while critics fear the fight against fake news could come at the expense of free speech.
The Philippine Senate has opened an unprecedented impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, putting one of the country’s most powerful political names under intense scrutiny. The case could reshape the balance of power well before the 2028 presidential race.
After months in detention, underground church founder Ezra Jin is free - and his release is said to follow talks between US President Donald Trump and China's strongman Xi Jinping. The case draws attention to China’s tightening pressure on unofficial churches.
China’s new ethnic unity law is drawing criticism from foreign lawmakers, the United Nations and rights groups over its impact on minorities. Beijing has now rejected the accusations, urging other countries to stop what it calls false claims and interference.
The death of Lam Wing-kee recalls a story that reached far beyond one bookshop. His life traced the fault lines between Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, and became closely bound up with questions of free expression, exile and political pressure.
In Western societies, a kiss on social media would barely raise eyebrows. In Indonesia’s Aceh province, it led to a young couple being publicly caned - a stark illustration of how little space there can be for certain individual freedoms under strict Sharia law.
China has enacted a new ethnic unity law aimed at strengthening a shared national identity under Communist Party rule. Critics warn it could further restrict minority rights at home and widen Beijing’s reach against dissent abroad.
China's ethnic minorities are at a risk of their culture being erased by China's new ethnic unity law, which they warn provides legal cover for pursuing long-existing policies of forced assimilation in the vast country.
A court has found it proven that Kim Keon Hee, as South Korea's former First Lady, accepted cash and luxury gifts worth several hundred thousand euros.
South Korean authorities have moved on a cult leader closely linked to disgraced former president Yoon. Lee Man Hee is accused of pressuring cult members to vote for the PPP which backed Yoon for the presidency. He is also accused of embezzlement.
