Best of Dispatches: Top News Posts This Week

Giving voice to one of the thousands expelled from Saudi Arabia; Pussy riot detained at Sochi; and confronting the barriers to truth in South Sudan - 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: Meet 1 of the 12,000 Somalis Expelled from Saudia Arabia

Bill Frelick
Last week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that Saudi Arabia had rounded up 12,000 Somalis and expelled them to their war-torn and lawless homeland, without giving them any opportunity to ask for asylum...

Dispatches: Pussy Riot Detained (and Released) in Sochi

Tanya Lokshina
Now that the Sochi Olympics are in progress, I spend hours every day interviewing local activists who are being harassed and detained for their criticism of the Games...

Dispatches: Is the Truth Off-Limits in Juba, South Sudan?

Jehanne Henry
On a recent Sunday morning drive through one of Juba’s now-abandoned suburbs, I was accosted by an angry drunk soldier and nearly arrested by another group of soldiers...

Dispatches: Too High a Price for Olympic Glory

Ivan Kondratenko
Evgeny Vitishko’s troubles with Russia’s authorities began several years ago and continue today. The one constant has been the injustice and the political motivation behind it all as Russia marched towards the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games...

Dispatches: Not-So-Free Expression Online in Western Sahara

Eric Goldstein
Last week, Sahrawi human rights organizations notified authorities of a demonstration they wished to hold on February 15 at 5:30 p.m. Well before the appointed hour, more than 100 uniformed and plainclothes police fanned out in all directions from the designated intersection, blocking the way for anyone they suspected of intending to participate