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NL Nikolai Statkevich: 'As a Belarusian, I am used to solitary confinement'
Military analyses from the penal camp Nikolai Statkevich is chairman of the Social Democratic Party 'Narodnaya Gromada' in Belarus. Under Alexander Lukashenko's regime, he had previously spent eight years in various prisons and camps because of his political activities. A few months before the 2020 presidential elections and subsequent mass protests, he was imprisoned in broad daylight [...]
A review of the "Building a Civic Platform" training with the SD Platform Armenia
From 25 to 27 November, the "Building a Civic Platform" training took place in Armenia with our partner SD Platform Armenia. Amidst an impressive mountainous setting, 15 participants were trained for three days on various political topics and skills. SD Platform Armenia The SD Platform has been doing important work for several years [...]
Demonstration for the release of Nobel laureate and all political prisoners in Belarus
Human rights defender Ales Bialiatski is one of three winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But since he has been imprisoned in Belarus since July 2021, others will have to receive his prize on his behalf. On 25 November, the day he was detained for 500 days, association of Belarusians in the Netherlands organised [...]
'A missed opportunity': MEP Lara Wolters on Qatar World Cup
View of Lusail stadium, one of the stages of the 2022 World Cup On the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, tempers are running high. The choice of Qatar as the host country is the target of mounting criticism, partly because of the degrading working conditions in which migrant workers built the World Cup stadiums. The FMS spoke to Labour Party MEP [...]
A faltering economy and political paralysis: Bulgaria in crisis
Photo: Election winner Boyko Borissov (GERB) in 2017 (Flickr) When the fourth elections in 18 months took place in Bulgaria on 2 October, confidence in a political turnaround in the country was already very low. The progressive Petkov government was voted out, and notorious former GERB party prime minister Boyko Borissov made his re-entry as the largest [...]
FMS and other civil society organisations present action plan against democratic decline
Thijs Berman (NIMD, left), Astrid Frey (Eduardo Frei Foundation, centre) and Richard Youngs (Carnegie Endowment, right) during a workshop organised by the FMS The Hague, 10 November 2022 On Thursday, 10 November, civil society organisations Foundation Max van der Stoel, PAX, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, More Democracy, Transparency International and others organised the conference [...] in The Hague.
How walls are still seen as a solution in 'Fortress Europe'
Today marks exactly 23 years since the Berlin Wall fell. For Europe, it seemed the impetus to blur borders and bet on unity and free mobilisation. Divisions caused by physical walls seemed to be a thing of the past. Today, however, walls are on the rise again Between Poland and [...]
Climate summit COP27 in Egypt: dubious endorsement of al-Sisi's democratic facade
Al-Sisi in 2015 at COP21 in Paris (source: Flickr) Next Sunday, politicians, policymakers, activists and journalists from around the world will travel to the Egyptian coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27. This year, for the first time since 2016, the international climate summit will take place in a (North) African city. The location is hopeful that climate priorities for the [...]
Palestinian human rights secondary to Dutch trade interests during Rutte visit
Mark Rutte visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories last week, on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 October. During his visit, the focus was on strengthening ties with Israel, Israeli business and the (relatively impotent) Palestinian Authority, while Palestinian human rights activists were skipped. A questionable programme in a [...]
AIV advice: Cabinet, make clear what is at stake in Ukraine
Photo: solidarity demonstration by Dutch people with Ukraine on Dam Square, February 2022 On 7 July, the House of Representatives asked the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) to write an urgent opinion on the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Today, 20 October, the AIV issued a number of urgent recommendations. The gist of the advice? The government [...]
