Exceptionality caused by the coronavirus health crisis has pushed the Ostana Prize —a reference for minority languages and literatures— to hold its 2020 edition in an unusual way. The festival, which traditionally takes place in the Occitan village of Ostana (Valadas Occitanas, Piedmont), is this year being held online. On 5 and 6 June, the Ostana Prize is broadcasting more than 20 activities, including live interviews, conferences, literary readings, and documentaries, for a total 15 hours. Keep reading

Citizens of Puerto Rico are called to vote for the sixth time on the relationship the island should have with the United States. It is unlikely that the referendum will immediately lead to a new status for Puerto Rico, as the vote is not binding and does not have the support of the US government. Keep reading

More than 200 people, including minors, were arrested during the latest demonstration demanding respect for Hong Kong autonomy and the enhancement of the democratic system there. The protests are regaining momentum in May after a forced halt due to restrictions imposed by the fight against coronavirus. Meanwhile, the governments of Hong Kong and China are announcing a firm hand to handle with the issue. Keep reading

Not even under the coronavirus the repression that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration is carrying out against the Kurdish political and social movement stops. To the dismissal in recent weeks of eight mayors of main Kurdish party HDP, a controversial law to alleviate prison pressure in the face of the advance of the virus that will keep opposition journalists and politicians in prison, and a growing hindrance to the struggle of the social movements, must be now added. Keep reading

They arrived there as refugees from a genocide almost one century ago, and they are about to disappear now from there, again in a violent way. The Assyrian community in the Khabour Valley, in Kurdish-controlled Rojava in northern Syria, is currently unable to recover from the forced flight of most of its members in 2015, when ISIS occupied their territory. A new report warns of the destruction of its tangible and intangible heritage, and says it will be difficult to rebuild the community if conditions are not created for people to be able to return. Keep reading