ICYMI | #135

Our weekly roundup of stories you may have missed.

Could there be a second expropriation referendum in Berlin?

Two years have passed since Berliners voted in favour of expropriating apartments from the city’s mega landlords, but we’re still waiting for the government to layout a feasible pathway to implementing the results. Campaigners from Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen are calling for a potential second referendum, and this time a new draft law would be put to vote. They’re looking to raise €80,000 to pay the cost of drafting the new law – donate now.

Artsakh update

The number of Armenians who have fled the Republic of Artsakh in recent weeks is now estimated to be over 100,000, up to 85% of the region’s Armenian population. Two weeks ago Azerbaijan launched a rapid military offensive in the region, whose population has been suffering under a blockade since December 2022. Several legal experts have said that the exodus, driven by fears of possible violent persecution and ethnic cleansing by Azeri forces, could amount to a war crime. 

Humanitarians sent back to Greek court

There’s been another twist in the trial of Sara Mardini, Seán Binder and others who were arrested back in 2018 for search and rescue activities on Lesvos. Nassos Karakitsos and 15 other defendants have been called back to court to face trial for misdemeanours, after the charges were initially dropped. A date has still not been set for the felony trial.

Lawyers say that both trials together will cost up to €100,000. Donate now to support those unfairly criminalised for saving lives at sea.

Tunisia gets German gear for human rights violations

According to the Interior Ministry, Germany is providing boats, engines and training to the Tunisian coastguard, an organisation with a well-documented recent history of human rights violations. Tunisia has been cracking down on people from sub-Saharan Africa in recent months, forcibly deporting hundreds from cities to the desert and leaving migrants to drown in the Mediterranean, all while receiving support, equipment and funding from Germany and the EU.

Another climate activist is sentenced to prison in Vietnam

Leading Vietnamese climate activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong has been sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion. Vietnam’s authoritarian government have stepped up their assault on activism in the country, and Hong is the fifth environmental campaigner to be jailed on similar charges in two years. Human rights campaigner Ben Swanton called the sentence “a total fraud” and “yet another example of the law being weaponised to persecute climate activists who are fighting to save the planet.”

Expanded Listening takeover this Saturday

Expanded Listening is a long-term research project that, in this edition, explores the intersection of alternative radio stations and the performing arts.  

Join us at the Refuge Worldwide studio or tune in live on 7 October for ‘Lab On Air’. The lab will demonstrate how radio, as a tool for political communication, broadcasting alternative voices, and as a place of audio assembly, can offer a space to present and archive cultures. 

Dancers, choreographers, musicians & storytellers who practice Afro-diasporic dance in Berlin or consider themselves as part of the city’s Black dance culture are invited to share their personal backgrounds, practices and perspectives. If you want to get involved, contact Oscar, Sarah and Sarah at sonicmovementlabs@gmail.com. No prior radio experience is required and participation will be remunerated.

Corsica party

Our European tour continues this weekend with a workshop and a party at London’s Corsica Studios. We’re teaming up with Rhythm Section for this one – London people come down for sets from Tikiman & Richard Akingbehin, Bradley Zero, Stella Zekri, LAANI, MLE and Mali-I with MCs Natty Wylah & C. ROOTS.