Conflict

‘We are experiencing a taste of freedom’: Syrians react to President Bashar al-Assad’s downfall

Syria

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and, for the first time in two decades, Syrians say they are experiencing a taste of freedom. Assad brutally repressed a popular uprising, which started in 2011. His forces killed, tortured and imprisoned those who spoke out against the government. Some Syrians share about what his departure means to them.

The leader behind Syria’s rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham

Syria

US to send military contractors to Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukrainians watch closely as the US votes for a new president

Ukraine

‘Like living in a parallel universe’: Some fear the contested election in Georgia could lead to a political crisis 

Elections

Chileans grapple with legacy of 2019 protests 5 years later 

Protest

In October 2019, huge protests exploded across Chile. They began against increased public transportation fees, but they soon grew into the largest protest movement the country had seen since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Those in the streets dreamed of transforming the country, but five years later, reforms have yet to be made.

1 year since the start of Israel’s attacks in Gaza, life is dire 

Israel-Hamas war

Almost a year into Israel’s campaign to eradicate Hamas in Gaza, life there continues to be dire. Some 42,000 have been killed, according to health officials, and those who have survived lack basic necessities like shelter, food and clean water. Health care and humanitarian workers say they struggle to provide care in the face of daily Israeli bombardments and red tape.

Belarusian play starring Olympic basketball player sheds light on life under a repressive regime

Arts, Culture & Media

The Belarus Free Theatre has been banned by its country’s government, so the company is making plays in exile. The troupe’s newest production that opened this week in New York City tells the story of an Olympic basketball star from Belarus who becomes a dissident and comes out as gay. 

Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh still yearn for home

Conflict & Justice

A year ago, Azerbaijan’s military took control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Some 100,000 Armenians fled the enclave, a region within Azerbaijan made up largely of Armenian residents. Many families who fled Nagorno-Karabakh are still struggling to adjust to life in their new home. 

How the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still shaping the fraught relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Conflict & Justice

Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous enclave located in the South Caucasus. For decades, the territory has been the source of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, however, ethnic Armenians have been living in this territory for hundreds of years.