Tunisia's Court of Cassation upheld prison sentences of up to 45 years for opposition leaders, lawyers, and businessmen convicted on conspiracy charges. Critics say the ruling further entrenches authoritarianism under President Kais Saied.
Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces under Beijing's national security law, his second prosecution under the legislation. The 29-year-old, who rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, faces the prospect of many more years in prison and could potentially spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Russia's Supreme Court banned the liberal Yabloko party from participating in September's State Duma elections, just five days after the anti-war opposition party was approved for the ballot. The ruling came amid death threats against Yabloko candidates and a broader court decision stripping voters opposed to the war of their voting rights.
Hong Kong authorities raided two independent bookstores, Greenfield Book Store and at least one other shop, arresting five people on suspicion of selling and displaying allegedly seditious publications. The arrests come as two other independent bookstores, Elmbook and Luckwin, were barred from exhibiting at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair.
Five years after Cuba's largest nationwide demonstrations since the 1959 Revolution, commemorations are being held in Cuba and among Cuban Americans in Miami, while human rights groups report hundreds of protesters remain behind bars and the conditions that sparked the uprising have worsened.
