Democracy Digest
Democracy Digest
A bite-sized weekly wrap-up of developments
across the region through a human rights and democratic lens
Democracy Digest

April 25, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a landmark legal victory for gay soldiers in South Korea; an assault on education and an ethnic community in Afghanistan; the return of an independence leader in Timor-Leste; and ASEAN’s failed five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis.

South Korea
A Silver Lining
A rainbow of hope for gays in the military
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]T[/dropcap]he tide may finally be turning for gay soldiers in South Korea’s 620,000-strong, predominantly male, military. On April 21, the Supreme Court reversed the military conviction of two soldiers “who were indicted in 2017 under Article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act for having sex in 2016,” reports The Korea Times.

Punishing the two soldiers violated “their sexual autonomy” and “the constitutionally guaranteed right to equality and human dignity, as well as their right to pursue happiness,” the top court said on Thursday, reports the New York Times.

A military court had sentenced the two soldiers to three months and four months, respectively, in prison in 2017, says Amnesty International.

Gay soldiers in South Korea have been prosecuted for engaging in homosexual activity.

Amnesty International reports that in 2017, when the army cracked down on gay soldiers, more than 20 soldiers were charged under Article 92-6 of the country’s 1962 Military Criminal Act. The law punishes consensual sexual activity between men — whether on or off duty — with up to two years in prison.

Human rights groups have long called for the repeal of Article 92-6. It has fueled violence and stigmatization against gay soldiers, reports Reuters.

The groups hail the recent Supreme Court ruling as a groundbreaking decision. Amnesty International said the ruling “should pave the way for military personnel to freely live their lives without the threat of prosecution.” It called on the South Korean government to “swiftly repeal Article 92-6 of the military code as the next step towards ending the pervasive stigmatization faced by LGBTI people in the country.”

In an AP report, the Seoul-based Center for Military Human Rights said the decision could “set a new judicial precedent that could help tackle discrimination against sexual minorities in the military and strengthen protection of their privacy.”
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Afghanistan
‘No school should be deliberately targeted’
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]O[/dropcap]n April 19, bomb blasts rocked schools in predominantly Hazara Shiite communities in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. The horrific blasts killed at least six people and injured 11 others.

Schoolchildren were among those killed and injured, reports ABC News. The death toll is likely to rise, predicts BBC News.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack. In the past, the area has been targeted by Afghanistan’s deadly Islamic State affiliate, “which reviles Shiite Muslims as heretics,” reports Time magazine. Amnesty International has previously documented the targeted killing of ethnic Hazara community following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

Rights groups have condemned the deadly blasts. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the blasts are “just the latest assault on education in Afghanistan.” It noted that from 2015 to 2019, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack recorded more than 1,000 attacks on students, teachers, and schools in the country.

Save the Children in Afghanistan issued a statement “strongly condemning” the attack and saying “no school should be deliberately targeted, and no child should fear physical harm at or on the way to school.”

“Education is a crucial ingredient if Afghanistan is to achieve economic development and a brighter future,” says HRW. “These latest attacks make such hopes feel further away than ever.”
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Timor-Leste
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Hopes and fears as Ramos-Horta returns
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]T[/dropcap]imor-Leste gave José Ramos-Horta a second term in office last week. The political veteran and Nobel laureate scored a landslide victory over incumbent President Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres in the country’s recent election. Ramos-Horta served as president of Southeast Asia’s youngest democracy from 2007 to 2012.

Some observers are apprehensive that the president-elect would use his powers to dissolve parliament and call for early parliamentary elections, reports UCA News. Ramos-Horta allayed such fears on April 19, reports the publication.

He told reporters that his priority “is to restore the constitutional order of the country... This process does not necessarily mean the dissolution of the parliament, but it can be done through dialogue with each party.”

Michael Leach, a professor in politics and international relations at Swinburne University of Technology, opines that Ramos-Horta may prefer a less confrontational approach. He told ABC News that “Normally dissolution of parliament is something that occurs when a government can’t be formed or a budget can’t be passed. At the moment there is a majority government, so that would be constitutionally difficult.”

The new president faces formidable challenges, notably poverty. Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world. The World Bank says 42 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Regional
ASEAN on Myanmar: Dashed hopes, broken promises
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]A[/dropcap]year since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a “five-point consensus” on the crisis in Myanmar, what has the regional bloc achieved?

In the year since then, Min Aung Hlaing “has defied each point,” says Human Rights Watch. As of April 22, 1,782 people have been killed by the military junta, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a human rights group. An estimated 10,290 people are under detention, and 59 people — including 2 children — have been sentenced to death. In short, the consensus “has abjectly failed to stop the violence in the country,” says Amnesty International.

ASEAN adopted the five-point consensus on the crisis in Myanmar on April 24, 2021. The nine ASEAN leaders and Myanmar junta chief, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, agreed to five points: an immediate end to violence in the country; dialogue among all parties; the appointment of a special envoy; humanitarian assistance by ASEAN; and the special envoy’s visit to Myanmar to meet with all parties.

“Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing has totally failed to implement any of the Five Point Consensus,” rues the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights in an open letter. “Given this failure, it is time for ASEAN to move on to sanctioning him for the continued suffering he is inflicting on the people of Myanmar and his blatant disregard for his regional partners.”

Emerlynne Gil, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for research, urged ASEAN to immediately “call on the Myanmar military authorities to immediately stop all violence against peaceful protestors in line with the stalled Five-Point Consensus. It should do so now to prevent the Myanmar people from further suffering.”

Recently, the military regime in Myanmar added a new weapon to its arsenal of repressive tactics: citizenship, reports Al Jazeera. Since March, it has stripped the citizenship of 33 critics — including diplomats, members of the National Unity Government set up in opposition to last year’s coup, and activists.
April 25, 2022
April 25, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a landmark legal victory for gay soldiers in South Korea; an assault on education and an ethnic community in Afghanistan; the return of an independence leader in Timor-Leste; and ASEAN’s failed five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis.

April 18, 2022
April 18, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a landmark victory for Indonesian women; Hong Kong’s forgotten elderly; a proposed law that raises fears of a surveillance state in India; and the freedom that is at risk worldwide.

April 11, 2022
April 11, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the Filipina politician who is in the crosshairs of trolls and haters; Sri Lanka’s heavy-handed tactics; a horrifying new discovery about forced organ harvesting in China; and the major global problem of toxic air.

April 4, 2022
April 4, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: “delayed” justice for street sleepers in Hong Kong; a problematic draft law that could shut down Thailand’s vibrant civil society; India’s appalling apathy toward Rohingya refugees; and the “crucial weakness” in the governance of global health organizations.

March 28, 2022
March 28, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a watershed moment for lesbian and bisexual women everywhere; the other devastating pandemic; a victory for young voters in Taiwan; and Vietnam’s repressive Article 88.

March 21, 2022
March 21, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a baby step forward for women’s rights in Bangladesh; Singapore’s addiction to the death penalty; China’s unsafe food and how it threatens the ruling party; and the Qatari dream that has become the migrant workers’ nightmare.

March 14, 2022
March 14, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: South Korea’s “anti-feminist” president-elect; the tiny Southeast Asian country that is standing up to Russia; a call to end the Taliban’s crackdown on Afghan women’s rights; and the prescription for a full pandemic recovery.

March 7, 2022
March 7, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: ASEAN’s fence-sitting on the Ukraine crisis; the “shocking abuses” against indigenous Papuans; scant support for the backbone of Hong Kong’s economy; and lessons from an adaptation role model.

February 28, 2022
February 28, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the misleading marketing of formula milk to women worldwide; the guilty verdict that should be a watershed moment for Pakistan’s women; North Korea’s Supreme Leader’s focus on launching missiles over administering COVID-19 vaccines; and “a historic win” for grassroots activists.

February 21, 2022
February 21, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the pernicious practice of “red-tagging” in the Philippines; firewall fears in Hong Kong; a crackdown against journalists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir; and a harmful and unnecessary rite of passage for girls.

February 14, 2022
February 14, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a horrifying hijab ban in India; an alarming spate of custodial deaths in Malaysia; the bullies hiding behind keyboards in South Korea; and the high toll of Japan’s strict entry ban.

February 7, 2022
February 7, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the “burner phone Olympics” in Beijing; Myanmar’s annus horribilis; the steep price Sri Lankans are paying for botched schemes; and the mountain of pandemic-induced medical waste that threatens health and the environment.

January 31, 2022
January 31, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a report that shows how, across the globe, corruption and human rights violations go hand in hand; a “shamelessly scandalous” scheme that threatens media freedom in the Philippines; the living hell of the Afghan LGBT community under Taliban rule; and the “positive endings” Chinese censors impose on Hollywood movies and even a local show.

January 24, 2022
January 24, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: an anti-poor “no vaccination, no ride” policy in the Philippines; a “sportswashing opportunity” for China; the bogus charges against a Cambodian opposition leader; and two rays of hope for Pakistan’s women.

January 17, 2022
January 17, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a cautiously positive report from Human Rights Watch; the math of misogyny in Indonesia; India’s draconian anti-terror law; how Cambodia keeps a lid on dissent; and the fight for the rights of migrant workers in Taiwan.

January 10, 2022
January 10, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Cambodia’s strongman playing “rogue diplomat”; a welcome ban on child marriage in the Philippines; North Korea’s “boomerang defector”; and the weaponization of technology against Muslim women.

January 3, 2022
January 3, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a wave of hate speech and violence against India’s religious minorities; press freedom in tatters in Hong Kong; a horrifying Christmas massacre in Myanmar; and how the Taliban have revoked Afghan women’s hard-won rights.

December 27, 2021
December 27, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Myanmar’s blood gemstones; Hong Kong’s “selection”; the failed talks on killer bots; and the need for safe, legal migration options for workers.

December 20, 2021
December 20, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the seamy side of a Chinese ultra-fast fashion leader; the “silencing of a Laotian son”; Kim Jong Un’s decade of abusive rule; and calls for change in a country where sexual violence regularly goes unpunished

December 13, 2021
December 13, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the widespread condemnation following Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction; the Nagaland killings that have revived debate about a controversial decades-old law; the other global infection; and Pakistan’s deadly blasphemy laws.

December 6, 2021
December 6, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a high point for China’s struggling #MeToo movement; confusion over a perplexing court ruling in Indonesia; growing awareness of the rights of the hijra in Bangladesh; and the price Pakistan’s children pay for dirty needles.

November 29, 2021
November 29, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: three women journalists who have held those in power to account and have paid a high price; why Thailand is no Land of Smiles for refugees; the plight of the “marriage migrants” in Taiwan; and another victory for Mother Nature Cambodia.

November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Modi’s volte-face on India’s contentious farm laws; the wealthy country where hunger hides behind closed doors; Pakistan’s “living ghosts”; and the life-saving importance of the porcelain throne.

November 15, 2021
November 15, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: how China’s “gray zone” strategy seems to be backfiring in Taiwan; the Asian countries clinging to capital punishment; the lethal weapons still claiming thousands of victims, often long after hostilities have ceased; and the “unconstitutional” calls for royal reform in Thailand.

November 8, 2021
November 8, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the possible end of China’s relentless 996 work hours, the killing and chilling of journalists, the urgent need to stamp out child labor in Asian farms, and the Burmese military’s history of arson attacks.

November 1, 2021
November 1, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about a lifeline for Afghan female students, the end of an unconstitutional ban in the Philippines, the plight of North Korean defectors in the South, and India’s cool roofs.

October 25, 2021
October 25, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about China’s continuing crackdown on peaceful religious practice, a small step for LGBTI people in India, the closure of a human rights watchdog’s operations in Hong Kong, and how the Greater Mekong Subregion and India offer a glimmer of hope for malaria elimination.

October 18, 2021
October 18, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about a simple yet powerful tool that is beyond the reach of many, Asia’s starving millions, the urgent need to revise Japan’s regressive transgender law, and a low-cost, low-input, and climate-resilient type of farming in India.

October 11, 2021
October 11, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the early impact of an offshore data tsunami, why girl children deserve a better normal, the Asian gig workers fighting for their rights, and the rain harvesters in a Nepalese town.

October 4, 2021
October 4, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the right to information laws across the region, Malaysia’s youth power, Filipino advocates pushing back against a proposed road to ruin, and the Indian lawyer who won the “alternative Nobel Prize.”

September 27, 2021
September 27, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the resiliency of LQBTQ activists in South Korea and Taiwan, the gatecrashing Cambodian prime minister, the Malaysian mothers fighting for their children’s citizenship rights, and China’s shadowy solar industry.

September 20, 2021
September 20, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the urgent need for safe childbirth, the dangers of “kinetic impact projectiles,” the never-ending battle for democracy and human rights, and a game-changing procurement system.

September 13, 2021
September 13, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about “the anaconda in the chandelier,” a spyware scandal, a dangerous place to stand up for the environment, and how people power scored a win for a Malaysian forest.

September 6, 2021
September 6, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the other global health threat that cuts life expectancies in the Asian region, the forgotten Afghan refugees in Indonesia, period poverty, and a study that shows how better pay for truck drivers in South Korea made the drivers — and the general public — safer.

August 30, 2021
August 30, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the pursuit of justice for the forcibly disappeared in Asia, the Rohingya’s quest for safe havens, lawbreaking law enforcers, and a doctor-entrepreneur who is retelling the story of health in Pakistan.

August 23, 2021
August 23, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the South Asian countries where children face extreme risk from climate change, how arbitrary detentions have fueled COVID-19 surges in Myanmar and Thai jails, China’s problematic family planning policies, and the Afghan women fighting the return to the dark days of harsh limits on their freedoms.

August 16, 2021
August 16, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the trail of rights violations that follows China’s Belt and Road projects, the two South Asian countries that are failing their daughters, how the Rohingya risk being left behind in the global COVID-19 vaccination race, and the raft of repressive measures that are keeping journalists in the region from their doing their jobs.

August 10, 2021
August 10, 2021

As the Delta variant spreads like wildfire in parts of Asia, we highlight news about Afghanistan’s swift descent into catastrophe, ASEAN Special Envoy Erywan Yusof’s tough assignment in defusing the Myanmar crisis, the severe challenges faced by indigenous peoples, a rare legal victory for online freedom in Thailand, the refusal of Taiwanese Olympians to use a name that exists on no map, and the Asian women athletes who are changing the game.

August 3, 2021
August 3, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the slogan that landed a Hong Kong protester in jail, the attacks and arrests Myanmar’s doctors face amid the pandemic, the factory fire that spotlights child labor and safety lapses in Bangladesh, and the marginalized Indian girls who are fighting child marriage.

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