Bangladesh: Smoke in the hills. A story by Per Liljas, winner of MRG's Young Journalist Award

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Dipu and Riku Chakma lost their father in an attack by Bengali settlers two years ago
Per Liljas
Forty years after Bangladesh' liberation war, indigenous communities are still stuck in the same struggle.

Twelve-year-old Dipu Chakma was woken up by the crashing sound when the front door of his family’s hut was kicked in. Five men entered, their faces covered in cloth. Hurriedly, Dipu got up from his bed and ushered his little brother Riku to the back of the hut. Sneaking out through a window, Dipu heard the men shouting and caught a glimpse of them lunging for his and Riku's father, whilst their mother tried to intervene. Read more...

MRG blog

How to Skin a Porcupine

Daniel Openshaw

Daniel Openshaw, MRG’s Publications Intern, reports back from the Expert Seminar on Indigenous Peoples’ Languages and Cultures. Read part one and part two of his blog series.

Privatization of court interpreting hinders access to justice for non-English speakers in the UK

A UK Ministry of Justice’s decision on court interpreters has severe implications for minorities from non-English speaking backgrounds. Shahendra Suliman, MRG’s Conflict Prevention Programme intern, reports. Read more...

From the Minority Voices Newsroom

Inside Egypt's revolution

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The defining event of the Arab Uprising has been the revolutionary protests in Tahrir Square that brought down Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

One year after the protests began, MRG's Executive Director Mark Lattimer met with human rights defenders in Cairo to assess the impact of the revolution and prospects for cross-community cooperation. View a photo story from Lattimer's trip in the Minority Voices Newsroom.

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MRG condemns attacks against civilians by Syria's security forces and raises concerns for minorities

According to the United Nations, more than 7,500 people have died in the 11 months of protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Some of the most severe fighting and loss of life has taken place in the city of Homs, where the Syrian army has been conducting an intense bombardment of opposition positions and civilian areas for nearly a month.

MRG strongly condemns the systematic attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, calls on the government to immediately allow safe access for humanitarian aid workers to areas affected by the fighting, and to cease hostilities targeted against civilians and civilian objects.

MRG is extremely concerned about reports of violent attacks against Shi'a, and other minorities by elements of the opposition and draws attention to the plight of Syria’s Kurdish and Syriac minority. According to rights groups, Kurds have suffered abductions, killings and increased surveillance from the security forces over the last year, whilst prominent Syriac Christians have been arrested and subjected to torture.

Read the latest news from Syrian Kurdish organisation YASA e.V. and a press statement from the European Syriac Union on MRG's Minority Voices Newsroom.

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