Global Voices

Global Voices Online

Global Voices is a borderless, largely volunteer community of more than 800 writers, analysts, online media experts and translators.

A child wears a face mask

Semi-quarantined: Living with the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong

"The park is half-empty, but we have decided to let our daughter enjoy a few hours of daily sunshine. We are determined not to let ourselves be overwhelmed by fear."

Semi-quarantined: Living with the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong
Russian proposal

In Russia, individuals can now be branded ‘foreign agents’

In Russia, individuals can now be branded ‘foreign agents’
A man stands outside next to a tent.

Videoblogging shaman walks to Moscow to ‘exorcise’ Putin

Videoblogging shaman walks to Moscow to ‘exorcise’ Putin
Two medical staff wear face masks at hospital.

DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to neighboring Uganda, activating rapid preparedness response

DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to neighboring Uganda, activating rapid preparedness response
Venezuela President Maduro in blue suit holds his hands out and speaks at news conference.

Venezuelans fear 'Fatherland Card' may be a new form of social control

Venezuelans fear 'Fatherland Card' may be a new form of social control
Three girls peer over the pew in church in China.

China's new anti-Christmas campaign leaves citizens celebrating in secret

Christmas is approaching but instead of feeling joyful, many in mainland China have expressed frustration over China's ideological campaign against Christmas as a Western festival.

China's new anti-Christmas campaign leaves citizens celebrating in secret
A woman walks past tombstones in the Alley of Martyrs memorial cemetery in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 8, 2012.

Azerbaijani mothers demand promised compensation for their fallen sons

The conflict over the disputed region erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed, and still simmers today. For two months now, approximately 100 mothers of soldiers who died during the Nagorno-Karabakh war have been going from one state institution to another, in search of compensation promised to them by the state.

Azerbaijani mothers demand promised compensation for their fallen sons
Twitter bird with Chinese flag colors in a cage.

Crackdown in Beijing: ‘Using Twitter is more dangerous than street demonstrations’

The Dec. 5 release of 42 testimonies collected by China Change, a Chinese human rights advocacy site, details the ordeals of hundreds of Twitter users who have been detained and interrogated by national security police officers since September 2018.

Crackdown in Beijing: ‘Using Twitter is more dangerous than street demonstrations’
A woman holds a sign in Russian that says "I'm against censorship."

New internet laws in Russia — and US tech giants’ acquiescence — spell trouble for dissenting voices

US tech giant Google has been accused of over-complying with censorship requests from the Russian government, such as removing YouTube videos posted by an opposition figure and a controversial rapper.

New internet laws in Russia — and US tech giants’ acquiescence — spell trouble for dissenting voices
A webcomic with two panels depicts a woman telling a story.

An Indonesian defamation law landed this teacher 6 months in jail for documenting her abuser

Indonesia's Supreme Court sentenced Baiq Nuril Makmun to 6 months in prison for documenting her abuser. But public outrage over the verdict has forced the office of the attorney general to temporarily suspend her imprisonment.

An Indonesian defamation law landed this teacher 6 months in jail for documenting her abuser
Sign at a guesthouse reads "there is space" in Swahili

Tanzania's stance on homosexuality points to an increasingly repressive political agenda

Tanzania’s stigmatization of sexual minorities along with repression of media and political space have caused its relationship with the world to deteriorate.

Tanzania's stance on homosexuality points to an increasingly repressive political agenda
Jair Bolsonaro pictured with his mouth.

Will fake news carry Brazil's favored far-right candidate to victory?

Jair Bolsonaro's campaign has spread deceitful and misleading news debunked by fact-checkers. Brazil's electoral courts planned to take measures to curb the spread of fake news, but they underestimated its impact, and the measures hardly came to fruition.

Will fake news carry Brazil's favored far-right candidate to victory?
A blurry image of a car chase overlaid with Japanese writing.

Japanese TV program turns migrant raids and deportations into entertainment

A Japanese "cop reality show" chasing foreigners who have overstayed their visas is not a welcome sign for the 500,000 new foreign workers who will arrive to help ease a chronic labor shortage.

Japanese TV program turns migrant raids and deportations into entertainment
Rhinoceros on field with gentle sunlight behind him

Can a controversial in-vitro fertilization process save the northern white rhino?

The process is estimated to cost $9 millions and some have questioned the practicality of pouring such heavy financial resources into saving a species that is already at the brink of extinction, rather than using the money to protect existing healthy rhino populations:

Can a controversial in-vitro fertilization process save the northern white rhino?
Lima Peru construction

This construction site in Peru has banned catcalling women

A group of construction workers in Lima wants women to know they'll be shown respect.

This construction site in Peru has banned catcalling women