Free country, free university – students at Hungary’s University of Theatre and Film Arts protest against restricted academic freedom Background “Shall we occupy the university?” “Yes!” cheered a roomful of applauding students from Hungary’s University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE), surrounded by the sound of drums, over a week ago. They then proceeded to block the entrance with the red and white stripes that have since become the symbol of a resistance movement supporting the autonomy of the SZFE and standing up against a further attack by Viktor Orbán’s conservative, nationalist Government on the freedom of art, culture and education in Hungary. By Anna Frenyó
CEDAW in Tunisia: EnaZeda fights against sexual violence and discrimination Analysis Since September, Tunisians have been reporting experiences of sexual violence online under the hashtag EnaZeda, Tunisian Arabic for "me too". In the meantime, the protest has spread to the streets. By Rachel Doelker and Paul Scheicher
Parallel judiciary system in Hungary is to the Government's taste Analysis The Hungarian government is about to form a parallel judiciary system where politically sensitive cases could be moved. By Bernadette Somody
Hot winter in Hungary: Protests against the “slave law” Analysis During the winter of 2018-19, a demonstration wave spread across Hungary in response to a labour law amendment. These events turned around many trends in Hungarian politics. By Gábor Vágó
Why Armenians Call for a Velvet Revolution Interview For almost a week now, huge rallies have shaken the Armenian capital of Yerevan, where Nikol Pashinyan, one of the leaders of the movement, called for a “velvet revolution”. But will the protesters this time successfully press for democratic accountability? By Olya Azatyan and Dr. Sonja Katharina Schiffers
Protests, boycotts and resistance In many countries, people are resisting agrarian and trade policies that boost the power of the multinationals. Individual companies also come in for criticism. By Reinhild Benning
AfriqUPrising! Protest Movements in Africa Africa is uprising! In this dossier African activists picture the political protest in their countries, they share their visions for a better future and give an outlook on how they are expanding their movements.
Shrinking Civic Spaces in ASEAN Despite its diversity, ASEAN member states have one common trait: state repression. This is in contrast to ASEAN´s aspiration to be people-centered. How repression looks on the ground can illustrate the example of the Bersih movement for fair elections in Malaysia. By Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi
Azerbaijan – Closed Space? On 22 June 2017 international experts Gerald Knaus, Rebecca Vincent, and Berit Lindeman spoke with Anar Mammadli and other representatives of Azeri civil society about the critical human rights situation in the country, ways to potentially solve it, and European strategies. By Alexander Formozov
