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Isa Yusibov wrote that October 17, 2003, was a day of conflicting feelings for him: he wished it had never happened, but he was also proud of it. He was 14 years old at the time and said his family had considered him an adult since then. The day after the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, in which his father played an important role according to him, Yusibov claimed to be one of the first victims of the repression against the pro-Western opposition. He wrote that he was beaten, humiliated, and spat on in front of about 300 to 400 students. Afterwards, he received his school file and was informed that he was no longer welcome because his father was considered a state enemy. Yusibov said that on his way to the exit, he made eye contact with teachers who had treated him kindly before the elections. Several teachers reportedly gestured for him to leave quickly. He wrote that the experience made him proud of his father and convinced him that the dictatorship would continue. A month later, his family reportedly fled to the Netherlands. The event compelled him to focus on geopolitics. Yusibov argued that the power transition surrounding Aliyev was a consensus among the West, Putin, Erdogan, and Iran. According to him, the West, led by Bush, had betrayed the democrats in Azerbaijan in favor of authoritarian stability. He also wrote that great power interests dictated politics in the Caucasus and that this situation had not changed 23 years later. Yusibov stated that his experiences had taught him how difficult it was to stand up for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He wrote that he had seen the first signs of undermining democratic principles in the Netherlands as well, by parties that he believed targeted democracy. He referred to a previous interview with NRC and said he would not allow the Netherlands to become a country where the government disregarded fundamental rights. #Democratie #Mensenrechten #Geopolitiek (translated)

Mona Keijzer shared a statement from Nausicaa Marbe, who accused officials of exploiting the problems of home seekers to spread false information about the harmful effects of their failed migration policy. Keijzer then asked whether the human rights of Dutch citizens could also be discussed. https://t.co/FEQuW3QtbI #Woningcrisis #Mensenrechten #Migratiebeleid (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that, in his opinion, tax increases were too obvious in Belgium. He stated that academics, experts, and journalists often defended increases as difficult but inevitable and economically sensible, while political opponents were dismissed as enfant terrible. In Flanders, according to Vande Reyde, within less than two years, registration fees and costs for waste management had been increased, a road tax had been introduced, and various levies had risen, especially for entrepreneurs. The promised reduction of inheritance tax had also been scrapped. No party had announced these measures before the elections, he wrote. Vande Reyde added that, in the meantime, nothing was happening to reduce the state apparatus. According to him, cuts at the federal level were deemed impossible, while the removal of a small amount of Flemish subsidies was portrayed for weeks as an infringement of universal human rights. He also stated that the press regularly presented so-called spontaneous testimonials from people who almost always turned out to be PVDA activists, and that others viewed things differently. #Belastingverhogingen #Vlaanderen #Politiek (translated)

The Turkish authorities conducted a raid on the opposition-aligned TV channel Halk TV during a live broadcast and appointed an administrator, while the owner is accused of bribery and money laundering, which is viewed by human rights organizations and Turkish opposition leaders as a serious violation of press freedom. #Persvrijheid #Turkije #HalkTV (translated)

Sander Sassen wrote that, according to him, hundreds of millions of euros were spent on penalty payments for asylum seekers, while a man was imposed a penalty payment of 30,000 euros because he claimed he had no other choice but to live in a holiday park. He asked which politicians in the House of Representatives would take up the issue. https://t.co/etP1YEn5Ow #asielzoekers #politiek #mensenrechten (translated)

According to human rights organizations, dozens of people have died and hundreds have been injured in airstrikes on a gold mine in the Hala’ib triangle, a disputed area between Sudan and Egypt, with evidence suggesting that the attacks were carried out by Egyptian fighter jets. #Soedan #Goudmijn #Luchtaanvallen (translated)

In 2026, thirty people have already been executed in the U.S., with the first public execution since 1936 planned for Nidal Hasan, who will be executed by a firing squad, while the number of death sentences worldwide reached its highest peak in 2025 since 1981. #doodstraf #executie #mensenrechten (translated)

The Minister of the Interior, Bernard Quintin, defends his stance on a new law against radical organizations, despite criticism from the Federal Institute for Human Rights, and states that a previous law could have prevented Sharia for Belgium from recruiting young people for jihad in Syria. #radicalisation #libertésfondamentales #sécurité (translated)