Tag: Protest

Thousands march in Peru capital to demand president step down

by Carlos MANDUJANO / Luis Jaime CISNEROS Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Thousands of protesters began marching through Peru’s capital Thursday to demand the president’s resignation and fresh elections, following weeks of violent unrest that have left 44 people dead. Police said they were on “maximum alert” and have deployed 11,800 officers in Lima ahead of expected trouble from demonstrators demanding that President Dina Boluarte step down. Some small scuffles were already breaking out […]

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Peru closes tourist hub airport as nationwide protests persist

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Weeks-long protests that have left dozens dead across Peru continued on Thursday, with escalating tensions in Andean city Cusco prompting the government to preemptively close the tourist hub’s airport. Supporters of ousted president Pedro Castillo have marched and barricaded streets around the South American country demanding new elections and the removal of current leader Dina Boluarte. The demonstrations have at times turned violent, and clashes with security forces have left 42 […]

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Blame the voting machines: Brazil riots fit global pattern

by Anuj Chopra, with Luiza Queiroz in Sao Paulo and Rossen Bossev in Sofia Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Mobs of rioters who stormed Brazil’s seats of power raised conspiracy-laden slogans against voting machines, a prime target of disinformation campaigns seeking to undermine trust in electoral systems around the world. Far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters, who invaded the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in the capital Brasilia on Sunday, demanded access to […]

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Global stars call for release of jailed Iranian actor Alidoosti

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) Hundreds of high profile figures from the global cinema industry called Wednesday for Iran to release actor Taraneh Alidoosti, who was jailed over her support for the country’s three-month-old protest movement. Actors Emma Thompson, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen and directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh were among a host of luminaries to sign an open letter demanding the star of “The Salesman” be freed. “As members of the […]

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Iran to retry rapper reportedly on death row

Tehran, Iran (AFP) Iran’s supreme court has ordered the retrial of a Kurdish rapper who was reportedly sentenced to death over protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, the judiciary said Saturday. Protests have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s dress code for women. Iran this month executed two people in connection with the […]

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Iran publicly executes second man over protests, defying outcry

Paris, France (AFP) by Stuart WILLIAMS Iran on Monday executed a second man convicted in connection with protests that have shaken the regime for almost three months, defying an international outcry over its use of capital punishment against those involved in the movement. Majidreza Rahnavard had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces with a knife, and wounding four other people, the […]

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Outrage as Iran carries out first first hanging over protests

  Paris, France (AFP) by Stuart WILLIAMS and David VUJANOVIC in Nicosia Iran carried out its first known execution Thursday over the protests that have shaken the regime since September, sparking international condemnation and warnings from rights groups that more hangings are imminent. Mohsen Shekari, 23, had been convicted and sentenced to death for blocking a street and wounding a paramilitary during the early phase of the protests in mid-September, after a legal process denounced […]

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How not to retire: South Korean ex-president bedevilled by protests

by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France-Presse PYEONGSAN, South Korea (AFP) — After five years running South Korea, former president Moon Jae-in moved to a peaceful village far away from Seoul, in search of a quiet retirement. Then the protests began. Every day since his arrival in May, demonstrators in Pyeongsan village have used megaphones to shower him with vitriol over his efforts at engagement with North Korea, livestreaming their protests to hundreds of viewers. “Moon is […]

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China cities under heavy policing after protests

by Matthew WALSH with Ludovic EHRET in Beijing Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — China’s major cities of Beijing and Shanghai were blanketed with security on Tuesday in the wake of nationwide rallies calling for political freedoms and an end to Covid lockdowns. The country’s leadership is facing a wave of protest not seen in decades, fuelled by anger over the unrelenting lockdowns as well as deep-rooted frustrations over China’s political direction. A deadly fire […]

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China censors rare, nationwide protests

by Matthew Walsh, with Jing Xuan Teng in Beijing Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — China’s censors were working Monday to extinguish signs of rare, social media-driven protests that flared across major cities over the weekend calling for political freedoms and an end to Covid lockdowns. Sunday saw people take to the streets in several major cities across China to call for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms, in a wave of nationwide […]

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‘Long live the people!’ Beijingers gather for frigid anti-lockdown rally

Beijing, China (AFP) by Laurie CHEN One by one Beijingers braved the cold Sunday night after word of a rally spread on social media — a RALLYfor the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China’s harsh Covid-19 restrictions. Within hours, hundreds had gathered on the banks of Liangma river in near freezing temperatures, an AFP journalist at the scene saw, many holding blank white papers — a symbolic protest against […]

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China arrests BBC journalist covering Covid protests

London, United Kingdom (AFP) The BBC said on Sunday one of its journalists in China had been arrested and beaten by police while covering protests against the country’s zero-Covid policy. Hundreds of people took to the streets in China’s major cities on Sunday in a rare outpouring of public anger against the state. “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests […]

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