Month in Review

May - Month in Review

Here's everything you need to know that happened in May, all in one place.

Armenia

Armenians take to the streets calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister after border agreements to concede 4 villages to Azerbaijan were finalised.

Georgia

Georgia’s parliament overturns President Zourabichvili’s veto of the ‘foreign agent’ bill that has been accused of stripping the public of their civil liberties, hindering freedom of speech and of the press.

Iran

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has been killed in a helicopter crash, alongside the Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian and six others. Many Iranians have been ‘celebrating’ his death, owing to his participation in nationwide corruption, economic mismanagement, and the suppression of political dissent.

Jordan

Jordan obstructs a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle arms into the country for Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, who are linked to Palestinian Hamas.

Kyrgyzstan

Mob attacks targeted South Asians in student hostels, leaving over 40 injured and leading many South Asian students to flee the country. The attacks were rooted in protests towards illegal immigration, but the brunt of the violence was felt by legally residing students. Pakistani authorities have aided in removing their students from Kyrgyzstan.

Lebanon

Lebanon cracks down on Syrian refugees as anti-refugee sentiment grows in the country. A report by Amnesty International compels those nations that fund the support of refugees in Lebanon to ‘ensure any funds…do not contribute to human rights abuses’, and warn that ‘Syria is [not] safe for refugee returns’.