Foreign Digest Updates: Belarus, China, Iran, Russia, Malawi Suriname and Sudan

Belarus

            More candidates were excluded last week in the Belarusian presidential election and the authoritarian regime has arrested hundreds of protestors in the former Soviet republic.

China

            The United States is among the governments around the world imposing economic sanctions last week on Communist China for violating the promised autonomy and liberty of the former British territory of Hong Kong.  The bill was approved by Congress unanimously.

            Meanwhile, more governments around the world are phasing out the use of a Chinese-owned communications company that poses cybersecurity risks.

Iran

            After three Iranians were sentenced to death for participation in last year’s mass protests across the Islamic Republic of Iran, there was another protest last week.

Russia

            The United States, United Kingdom and Canada have accused China, Iran and Russia of attempting to steal research for a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has caused a pandemic.  The UK also accuses Russia of interference in the 2019 election by leaking information helpful to the far-left opposition leader.

Movement toward liberty and representative government in Malawi, Suriname and Sudan

            Despite the rising tide of authoritarianism around the world, there have been several examples of the victories for liberty and representative government.  The latest examples are Malawi, Suriname and Sudan:

            Malawi: The Presidential election results were overturned earlier this month by the government after allegations of irregularities.  After a do-over election, the opposition won.

            Suriname: The longtime strongman, who had been a dictator but later returned to power as a populist, was defeated for re-election earlier this month.

           Sudan: Islamist laws were overturned last week by the transitional military-civilian government that took power after the overthrow last year of the longtime Islamist tyrant.