Country Report: Belarus August 2026
By Sophia Khan Belarus opposition supporters lay flowers near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester, died on Aug. 10, 2020, during a protest in Minsk. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images) Although Belarus was a founding republic of the Soviet Union, the 1988 discovery of mass grave sites from Stalin-era targeting prompted calls for independence. Belarus declared independence on August 25, 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet U
Genocide Watch
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India uses Tear Gas and Batons Against Youth Protests
By Reuters August 11, 2026 Students and unemployed youth in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorer states, launched the protests late last month over the alleged wrongdoing including recruitment test paper leaks. Police used water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest in Ranchi, India, on Monday. Credit: Rajesh Kumar and AFP via Getty Images in NBC BHUBANESWAR, India — Police in eastern India used tear gas, batons and water cannon to disperse thousands of youth proteste
NBC News
7 days ago
Securitization and Radicalization in France
Part Two: How Securitization Drives Radicalization By Vladimir Kovtun Genocide Watch The mother of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent who died in 2023 after being shot by a policeman, on top of a van during a demonstration in Nanterre (France). Photo by Bertrand Guay (AFP) Introduction France has a well-resourced approach to combat radicalism through educating students to value France's republican values, French secularism, and laïcité (in layman’s terms, freed
Indian Student Protesters Return after Police Crackdown
By Yashraj Sharma July 21, 2026 More than 100 students injured in police action against thousands of demonstrators during march on parliament. But students say they aren’t done – just like the cockroaches India’s chief justice compared them to. A protester falls during clashes with police as CJP supporters rally in New Delhi on July 20, 2026, demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over exam paper leaks. Credit: Al Jazeera, Anushree Fadnavis, Reuters New Delhi,
Al Jazeera
Jul 22
How Iranians Protest: 2025-2026 Anti-Government Protests
By Michał Jagielski Senior Middle East and Iran Analyst Genocide Watch The protests that took place in late December 2025 through early January 2026 were one of the most significant acts of social opposition to the Iranian religious leadership since the inception of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Their sheer scale, motivations, and, possibly most significantly, the government’s ruthless reaction highlight their importance and potential to drive change. Image: Luis Soto/SOPA Im
Genocide Watch
Jul 20
Kazakhstan’s New Constitution
By the Ukraine, Russia, and Post-Soviet Space Area Task Force Picture of Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev voting in Kazakhstan’s 2026 Constitutional Reform, from the Astana Times Photo credit: Akorda On April 15, 2026, Kazakhstan held a referendum on a new constitution. This constitution was promoted as a means for Kazakhstan to move away from its presidential model of governance, ostensibly giving greater powers to its parliament. These measures should have enab
Genocide Watch
Jul 17
Lithuania and Latvia warn Russia against attacks
Copyright AP Photo 15 July 2026 The warnings are the latest in a series of alarms from leaders along NATO's eastern flank who suggest Russia may be trying to test the alliance as the Ukraine war drags on after more than four years. Russia is planning attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic states or Poland, Lithuanian and Latvian presidents warned on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports. "We are talking about energy and transport infrastructure, facilities where da
Greta Ruffino | AFP
Jul 16
Explosions rock Damascus during French President's visit
By Omar Albam, Ghaith Alsayed, and Kareem Chehayeb 7 July, 2026 A cordoned-off area and a damaged structure in the aftermath of explosions near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. Photo by Yamam Al Shaar/REUTERS DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Explosions rocked Syria's capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France's president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from y
PBS News
Jul 16
Nine Killed in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir Clashes
By Tariq Maqbool July 14, 2026 People chant slogans as they walk during a protest and shutter-down strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an alliance of civil society groups, in Neelum Valley, Pakistani Kashmir, June 21, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Credit: Reuters, Naseer ud Din MUZAFFARABAD, July 14 (Reuters) - Clashes between security forces and supporters of a banned protest group in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed nine people
Reuters
Jul 14
Kenya protesters were tortured after arrests
By Alex Milan Durie and AFP Published On 27 Jun 2026 Six found and one missing, NGOs say, after arrests at memorial gatherings for protesters killed in 2024. "Kenyan police officers watch as activists place flowers on barbed-wire barrier during demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of the deadly June 2024 youth-led anti-Finance Bill protests, on June 25, 2026 [AFP]" Credit: Al Jazeera Six people who were found “abandoned by the roadside” in Kenya allege that they were
Al Jazeera
Jul 13
How Iranians Protest: The Women, Life, Freedom Movement
Genocide Watch The Women, Life, Freedom Movement emerged in Iran in 2022, in response to government crackdown on women refusing to wear a hijab in public. This movement arose largely as a result of the death of Mahsa/Zhina Amini, a Kurdish woman who was arrested and tortured in police custody for refusing to wear a hijab in public. This injustice propelled thousands of men and women alike to protest through the streets against governmental oppression of women. At least 551 pr
Genocide Watch
Jul 10
How Iranians Protest: The 2019 Gasoline Protests
By Michał Jagielski Senior Middle East and Iran Analyst Genocide Watch When the state announced gasoline rationing and increased petrol prices, on Nov. 15, 2019, the Iranian people took to the streets. The protests came to be known as Bloody Aban, or Bloody November, and they were, at the time, the largest and most violent display of opposition to the Islamic Republic. Iranian protesters rally against an increase in petrol prices, in the central city of Isfahan. [AFP] The new
Genocide Watch
Jul 7
