Topic: Political Dissent

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6 famous dissidents in China

The surprising escape of a blind legal activist from house arrest is buoying China's embattled dissident community, even as the government cracks down on those who helped him.
10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.
3 new novels grapple with questions of mortality

Three new works of fiction address themes of mortality, including a ghost – in an Anne Tyler novel.
Greek bailout: 5 key conditions set by EU

European Union leaders agreed to a €130 billion ($172 billion) bailout deal for Greece early this morning after a long night of negotiations. Here are five key elements of the bailout deal.
Myanmar's about-face: 5 recent reforms

Since 1962, Myanmar's dictatorship has jailed the opposition, beat up monks, denied aid to disaster victims, and run scorched-earth campaigns against ethnic minorities. That may be changing, however. Here are five key changes the regime has made in just a matter of months.

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Chen Guangcheng comes to the US, but what about other dissidents?

Chen Guangcheng’s flight to New York Saturday marks a major step in difficult and delicate negotiations between Beijing and Washington. But it also spotlights the difficulty other activists face under a government regime and a system of local authority many view as repressive.
US sends troops to Yemen as Al Qaeda gains ground

Civil unrest in Yemen has enabled Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which perpetrated the foiled underwear bomb plot, to expand its reach. US troops are arriving to train Yemeni soldiers.
Activist Chen Guangcheng: China targets lawyers trying to help

Officials have confiscated the license of a lawyer who volunteered to defend blind activist Chen Guangcheng's nephew. The nephew has been charged with 'homicide with intent.'
Chen's victory an isolated case, say Chinese activists

If China allows activist Chen Guangcheng to leave with his family, it will be an individual victory unlikely to usher in better treatment for other dissidents.
Can China, US strike a new deal on blind dissident? (+video)

Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese activist, has upended an earlier agreement between China and the US, disrupting a visit to Beijing by Hillary Clinton.
Blind Chinese activist now wants to leave country

Chen Guangcheng left the US embassy after a tense negotiation with the Chinese government, but he now says he fears for his family's safety if he remains in China.
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng: What we know now

Activist lawyer Chen Guangcheng left the US Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday of his own volition, US and Chinese officials said, but reports quickly surfaced that he changed his mind.
Chinese activist pressured to leave US embassy, says friend (+video)

To protect his family, the blind legal activist agreed to leave the safety of the US embassy and stay in China, a trusted friend of Chen Guangcheng told the Monitor.
Chinese dissident – bad timing for Washington, Beijing

Chinese dissident Chen's escape is inopportune. President Obama is in a tough election battle. China faces a leadership change. Washington's angst over how to protect Chen without infuriating Beijing is matched by Beijing's desire to silence him without incurring world disdain.
Blind Chinese activist: The path from acupunture to legal eagle

Chen Guangcheng is a self-taught lawyer, who was supposed to be an acupuncturist, a traditional trade for the blind in China. But he started winning lawsuits, and won a popular following.
Occupy May Day: Can the protest movement spring back to life?

Occupy Wall Street has big plans for May Day, including marches and strikes, but faces big challenges: It is still largely decentralized, and has lost its hold on the hearts of cities and support of the public.
Blind Chinese activist makes dramatic escape from house arrest

Chen Guangcheng is now sheltering in the US embassy.
Can US contain flap over dissident, before Hillary Clinton gets to China? (+video)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a high-level entourage are set to arrive in Beijing Thursday for economic and security talks with China. The US custody of Chinese dissident Chen Guangchen jeopardizes that meeting, but some analysts say it's likely to proceed regardless.
6 famous dissidents in China

The surprising escape of a blind legal activist from house arrest is buoying China's embattled dissident community, even as the government cracks down on those who helped him.
Will China punish the family of blind Chinese activist?

The European Union tells China to use 'utmost restraint' in responding to the escape of blind dissident Chen Guangcheng. Top British diplomat urges China not to harass Chen Guangcheng's wife and daughter.
Escaped dissident ruffles US-China relations ahead of Clinton visit

The US rushes a top diplomat to Beijing to work out tensions over dissident Chen Guangcheng and a possible US arms sale to Taiwan.
Blind Chinese legal activist escapes house arrest (+video)

Chen Guangcheng's dramatic escape and his allegations of police beatings, detailed in his dramatic YouTube video plea to PM Wen Jiabao, pose a new challenge of China's leaders in a critical year.
Latin America Monitor
Has nothing changed in Cuba?

In a New York Times op-ed, a Cuban blogger writes that nothing has changed on the communist island, but guest blogger Melissa Fortner disagrees. Individual freedoms are expanding, she writes.
10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.
Israel dismisses 'flytilla' protest, pointing to human rights abuses in Syria, Iran

Israel denied entry and deported several dozen pro-Palestinian activists who flew into Tel Aviv's airport on Sunday, arguing they are missing the bigger regional issues.
3 new novels grapple with questions of mortality

Three new works of fiction address themes of mortality, including a ghost – in an Anne Tyler novel.
Remembering Fang Lizhi: 'hero of the people,' hated by China's regime

Fellow dissident Wei Jingsheng pays tribute to Fang Lizhi, who inspired pro-democracy students in China. Fang warned in 2010: 'Regardless of how widely China’s leaders have opened its market to the outside world, they have not retreated even half a step from their repressive political creed.'
Latin America Monitor
The pope in Cuba: a reporter's notebook

Beyond the frustrations of reporting in Havana lies the real story: Cuba, for all its romance and beauty, remains an authoritarian state, writes Girish Gupta.
Latin America Monitor
Pope in Cuba: Trip shows how church playing balancing act (+video)

The pope did not meet with dissidents. But his trip was about building on gains the church has won in Cuba, says guest blogger Anya Landau French.
Latin America Monitor
Pope in Cuba: Will he raise case of jailed American?

Many are watching to see if the pope mentions the case of imprisoned US aid worker Alan Gross. But the delicacy of his trip to Cuba makes it unlikely, writes guest blogger Girish Gupta.