Best of Dispatches: Top News Posts This Week

In run up to elections, Turkey blocks Twitter; the death of jailed defender Cao Shunli; and President Obama reviews US deportation policy - these were among the most popular posts to Dispatches, our daily forum for breaking human rights news and commentary. You can find all our Dispatches here.

Dispatches: Turkey Shuts Down Twitter

Emma Sinclair-Webb
In the run up to the March 30 municipal elections, the government of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has closed down Twitter in the country...

Dispatches: The Death of a Defender in China

Sophie Richardson
Cao Shunli died today.  She was 52 and was last publicly seen in September 2013, when she was detained by police at the Beijing airport attempting to board a flight to Geneva...

Dispatches: Obama's Belated US Immigration Shift

Grace Meng
By the time he leaves office, President Barack Obama will have deported more immigrants than any other US president; his administration is already close to having removed some two million people from the US, as many as George W. Bush did in two full terms...

Dispatches: Silencing Sri Lanka's Rights Advocates

Meenakshi Ganguly
Unlike many activists who are ground down by the challenges of taking on a powerful state, Ruki Fernando has never lost the ability to laugh out loud at the sheer absurdity of the Sri Lankan government’s graceless efforts to dodge accountability for abuses...

Dispatches: Thirsting for Justice on World Water Day

Jane Cohen & Amanda Klasing
If you are reading this, it’s not likely you will be one of the 2.5 billion people looking for a place to defecate outdoors...