By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image TOR BAND musicians, former political prisoners, embrace their loved ones after arriving in Vilnius on September 16, 2026. © 2026 Human Rights Watch This week 25 former political prisoners arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania having been released from detention in Belarus.Their release was negotiated by the United States special envoy to Belarus John Coale with president Aliaksander Lukashenka. In exchange, the US lifted sanctions on two Belarusian companies.Among those released are journalist Andrei Aleksandrau and activist Iryna Zlobina, who married while in detention;…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Downtown Astana, Kazakhstan, February 28, 2023. © 2023 Olivier Douliery/AP Photo Satirist and political commentator Azamat Omarov, who had been in pre-trial detention in Kazakhstan since mid-April on “inciting discord” charges, struck a plea bargain with the prosecution, under the terms of which he pled guilty, and on September 15, was released.While Omarov avoided what could have been a long and unjustified prison sentence, he did not walk out of the courtroom a free man.He will serve a suspended three-and-a-half-year prison sentence. He is also banned from engaging…
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By Lucius Caviola, Assistant Professor in the Social Science of AI, Institute for Technology and Humanity, University of Cambridge
The debate about AI consciousness is growing, in academic articles, newspaper opinion pieces, and even among AI bots themselves. I doubt this is a passing wave of interest.
As AI systems become…
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By Simon Mabon, Professor of International Relations, Lancaster University
Yemen’s Houthis have launched a major offensive in recent days. They’ve rapidly swept down the Red Sea coast, seizing strategically important positions and giving the Iran-backed rebel group the potential to control traffic through this vital waterway.
This could cut off Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil – which was already seriously hampered by Iran’s attempts to control the Strait…
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By Simon J Smith, Associate Professor of Security and International Relations, Royal Danish Defence College
David J. Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology, University of Bath
Over the past few weeks, a striking theme has emerged in discussions surrounding Nato. Senior political figures and former Nato officials have raised the possibility of invoking article 5 in response to severe cyber-attacks.
Military leaders have warned that Russia may seek opportunities to test the alliance’s resolve. These developments…
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By Michael Hall, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Winchester
Having to move home and school can mean disrupting trusted adult relationships and the loss of access to established support.
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By Rebecca Hutcheon, Research Fellow at the Faculty of Business and Creative Industries, University of South Wales
From Hardy’s Wessex to Brontë country, literary tourists may be chasing places that never quite existed as they imagine them.
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By Diana Orcés, Adjunct Professor of Government, School of Public Affairs, American University
A public opinion researcher explains why this group’s declining faith goes beyond partisanship and reflects a fundamental question about its sense of belonging.
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By Sydney Giacalone, Postdoctoral Lecturer, University of Virginia
For farmers breaking away from conventional agriculture, the Kentucky farmer-poet was a powerful example of someone who combined faith with a commitment to the environment.
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By Jennifer Reich, Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Denver
Some parents in Colorado are uncertain about the safety and necessity of vaccines given to their children. They also question how the vaccines are timed.
I am a sociologist who has spent nearly two decades studying how parents make vaccine decisions for themselves and their families.
I have interviewed dozens of Colorado parents, as well as pediatricians, researchers and policymakers, and observed vaccine clinics, educational events for parents and providers, and meetings of groups…
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