Who knew what in the UK about the use of torture on Guantanamo detainees? The question itself is very important. We tend to think that the power of the State
* Editor Nikos Konstandaras points to the State's double humiliation: it killed an innocent; it failed to contain street violence.
* Malcolm Brabant at the BBC describes the culture of
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09-12-2008
ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
openDemocracy promotes human rights and democracy through dialogue and debate. But a global debate without the female half of humanity is neither
The joint experts' statement on Iran
Despite recent glimmers of diplomacy, the United States and Iran remain locked in a cycle of threats and defiance that destabilises the middle
openDemocracy and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) are launching a major debate on the current state of democracy support in the world
The debate will be
One man's experience of the UK asylum system, as told to openDemocracy at Sheffield's City of Sanctuary, as part of Refugee Week 2008.
When I came
It is crucial for the interests of both Zimbabwe and Africa that the elections on 27 June 2008 are free and fair.
Zimbabweans fought for liberation in order to be
This morning I woke up to the sound of my cellphone beeping messages about what was happening in Harare. The day started to roller-coaster forwards from there, fuelled by adrenaline
After the French Revolution, the British state sought to protect itself against dangerous French subversives and introduced the Aliens Bill (1793) which remained in force until 1826.
From 1826, Britain
Asylum has a pedigree stretching back 4,000 years:
The word ‘asylum' comes from the Greek ‘asylos', that which may not be seized or violated. It referred to
Dear Mr President,
The world has witnessed an outbreak of protests across the Tibetan plateau, followed in most instances by a harsh, violent repression. In the majority of cases these
1 At present the one-sided propaganda of the official Chinese media is having the effect of stirring up inter-ethnic animosity and aggravating an already tense situation. This is extremely detrimental
