Russian Activist’s Death Reignites Tensions Over Vigil For Slain Opposition Leader
While the precise cause of his death remains unclear, Ivan Skripnichenko’s passing — first revealed to the public by a fellow activist late on August 24 — has made him a tragic symbol of what Kremlin critics call a state-sanctioned campaign of violence and harassment against the caretakers of the Nemtsov memorial. …read...
Estcoin: Estonia’s Own Digital Currency?
Estonia might be the first country in the world to offer its own token through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO). ‘Estcoins’ would be managed by the Republic of Estonia, but accessed by anyone in the world through its e-Residency programme. They would be launched through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), which would enable companies to crowdfund...
Russian banks cut off from SWIFT for working in Crimea
The main Russian bank working in Russian-occupied Crimea and one other have been informed that the company providing their connection to the SWIFT network will terminate its services from 31 August.. This is a welcome move and one that can surely be used to put pressure on SWIFT to disconnect other Russian banks implicated in Russia’s...
Statement of Global Ukrainians expressing concern over unacceptable pressure on the Open Dialog Foundation in Poland
Members of the Global Ukrainians network are alarmed by recent allegations (utterly unproven) coming from certain state media outlets in Poland concerning alleged ODF’s links to Russian secret services, and by mass distortion of information in reports of Euromaidan events. Open Dialog’s activists (Poland) are engaged in public...
Watch List Findings: Aug. 26, 2017
What follows are the preliminary findings for issues identified in the daily Watch Lists this week. We are only sending findings that we regard as significant or potentially significant to keep this list manageable. We have findings for all the Watch List items. Should you be interested in findings not listed here, please contact us and we will...
August 22nd, 2017
CHINA Prominent Chinese Rights Activist Jiang Tianyong “Confesses” To Inciting Subversion Of State Power Catherine Lai, Hong Kong Free Press A prominent rights defence figure in China, Jiang Tianyong previously worked on numerous high-profile cases, including defending activist Cheng Guangcheng and lawyer Gao Zhisheng before he was disbarred in...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 22, 2017
Portugal is being bought up by elites from its former colony, Angola – with no questions asked about the sources of their wealth. (NYT) Cambridge University Press reversed its decision to block access to online articles following demands by Chinese authorities. “Xi’s crackdown on corruption has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent and...
The Militarization of Russian Policy
Photo credit: ID1974 / Shutterstock Over the past ten years, Russia has displayed an impressive degree of political-military integration in pursuit of its state objectives. Far from being improvised or opportunistic, the expansion of Russia’s military power is a coherent and purpose-driven activity designed to challenge Western dominance of...
Court quashes 13-year sentence, orders retrial of Brazilian for fighting with Russian-backed Donbas militants
The Kyiv Court of Appeal has revoked the conviction of Rafael Lusvarghi , a Brazilian national who played an active role in the Kremlin-backed fighting against Ukrainian soldiers in Donbas …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Detention of Kirill Serebrennikov is part of a campaign to stifle artistic freedom in Russia
PEN America has issued a statement condemning the arrest on August 22 of Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov and calls it part of a concerted campaign to silence dissenting voices in the arts in Russia …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
