Authoritarianism
All topics-
Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder
Still no justice
Far from a pariah state after the assassination of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia features ever more prominently on the world stage. How do Saudi activists keep fighting when the world is looking away? By Cathrin Schaer
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Bashar al-Assad in China
Will Xi Jinping help to end Syria's isolation?
Largely isolated since Syria's civil war began in 2011, President Bashar Assad will return home from a trip to China with a new "strategic partnership" in the works. Fu Yue reports
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More corruption, death and destruction
Haftar's sons rise in Derna flood aftermath
Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya, has placed his six sons in positions of political and military power. The deadly floods in Derna have seen his youngest, Saddam, rise to head of disaster relief management and the top of his succession charts. For Libyans, it spells more bad news, writes Leela Jacinto
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Eklektik BerlinIstan meets Anatolian folk
DJ Ipek's space-time continuum in sound
Eklektik BerlinIstan's DJ Ipek – Ipek Ipekcioglu – is famous far beyond her home city of Berlin. Now the music producer has released her first album as part of the musical project "Karmaturji". Daniel Bax had a listen
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Is it India? Is it Bharat?
Modi government pushes for Sanskrit name
It began with a dinner invitation. How it ends could affect more than a billion people. State-issued invites sent to guests of this week's G20 meeting referred to India's president, Droupadi Murmu, as "President of Bharat". Is the country of more than 1.4 billion now to be called by its ancient Sanskrit name?
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Repression in Sisi's Egypt
Activists targeted in presidential election run-up
Egypt's clampdown on political dissent increasingly includes family members of activists living abroad. The Sisi regime has also admitted to leveraging the release of individual political prisoners for financial aid. Jennifer Holleis reports
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Jordan's new cybercrime law
Heading towards Internet censorship
Jordan's controversial new cybercrime law, now ratified by the king, could have serious consequences for freedom of expression, political participation and the digital economy. By Abdullah Jbour
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Transnational repression
Why a friendlier Middle East is more dangerous for activists
Authoritarian governments often harass and hinder their critics, even if those people are outside the country. As former enemies become friends in the Middle East, will they cooperate to shut down opposition voices? By Cathrin Schaer
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Music festivals in Turkey
Only "halal" festivals acceptable?
In Turkey, concerts and festivals by artists at odds with the government line are being cancelled with increasing frequency. Islamist and nationalist groups are often responsible. Elmas Topcu and Aynur Tekin report
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10 years after Egypt's Rabaa massacre
Still waiting for justice
The massacre of protesters in Cairo under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's watch was one of the worst in modern history – and one of the best documented. But 10 years on, no-one has been held accountable. By Cathrin Schaer
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi border guards killed hundreds of migrants, says HRW report
“They Fired on Us Like Rain”: between March 2022 and June 2023, Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross the border from Yemen
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Morocco
Mohammed VI turns 60: Diplomacy a priority as inequalities persist
Morocco's King Mohammed VI is set to celebrate his 60th birthday on 21 August away from the public eye, as challenges abound almost a quarter century after he ascended the throne