I accidentally discovered UN-aligned through a post on Facebook and then joined the community as I found it quite interesting and inspiring. I also thought that reading articles of interest, such as those relating to climate change, could help me improve my English.

Bhante Ashin Wirathu, I am writing to you on behalf of UN-aligned, an international organisation that focusses on the need to replace the United Nations with a more effective and principled organisation, although we also work to promote human and animal rights, as well as the welfare of the planet. Institutionalised religion has had a sad history in a number of countries around the world owing to its bigotry and abuse of power.

A cathedral first, then a mosque, and later a museum. Last week, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia became a mosque once again; an insular act for Turkey’s Erdogan to flex his political mussels and to fuel his posture of indignation and grievance.

In 1992, two years before the war between the neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan ended, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), met in Helsinki and decided to chair negotiations towards a peaceful political settlement for the crisis. The body, also known as the Minsk group, is led and co-chaired by the US, Russia and France with Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan as participating member states. During the last OSCE Minsk group summit in 2017, talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan were described as “constructive”.

A Grim Trend July seems to have accelerated the grim trend that has been eroding civility and security over the last few years. The month dawned with Hong Kong finding itself stripped of many of its civil liberties.

AFRICA 01.07.20: Mali. Over 30 farmers were slaughtered by armed jihadists on motorcycles while they were returning home from their fields in villages in the Mopti region.

In this month's Gordian we talk about the Russian referendum and why Putin’s victory is a threat to us all. We also take a closer look at the Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and offer possible solutions to this century-long problem. This issue contains more exclusive reports by Katha Strophe and Jonna Lappalainen.

All articles in the UN-aligned manifesto are important, but it is only natural that we will feel more attached to some rather than to others. If you are particularly passionate about one of the articles in the manifesto, we would like you to consider becoming a voluntary Ambassador for that specific article.

On Tuesday morning, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary confirmed the death sentence of three young men who were participants in the nationwide unrest that swept across the country in November 2019. The “November protests” started with anger over the government’s decision to increase diesel prices, and soon developed into violent clashes between police and protestors, with many chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic. Protests also echoed concerns over an increasing assault on individual liberties by the Iranian establishment, massive corruption scandals and a dying economy in which many struggle to make ends meet.

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue Did you ever catch yourself feeling really moved by something quite trivial when reading the news, as you skimmed past some tragedy in Yemen or Syria without even paying the slightest bit of attention? Or are you prone to add a like or comment to a Facebook GIF about a silly animal situation, for instance, while ignoring a poignant post about social injustice or an environmental emergency? If your answer is “yes”, you are not alone. In fact, you fit nicely into the norm: a host of well-meaning people suffering from “compassion fatigue”.

We have come a long way since World War I and World War II, yet we still see police forces using dangerous chemical weapons, such as tear gas, against their own civilians. How dangerous are these chemical substances and should local police be permitted to use such weapons against people? How were these weapons used in WWI and WWII? The following article aims to answer a few of these questions.

When is it OK to hit a protestor? Is protesting during a global pandemic a good idea? There has rarely been any positive social changes without some form of protest. Too often the establishment is seen grappling on to power by fostering a dominant discourse from which dissident and minority views are excluded.

UN-aligned is proud to announce the launch of a series of campaigns in line with its manifesto. UN-aligned campaigns will cover a range of issues concerning human rights, the environment and United Nations reform, and we will be reporting on them in The Gordian, as well as on our website.

https://youtu.be/VhGGrppQsg4 AFRICA O4.05.20: Burundi. President Pierre Nkurunzizahas, who had been in power for 15 years, died aged 55 following a heart attack.

When is it ok to hit a protestor? Is protesting during a global pandemic a good idea? Is it time we stopped using tear gas? In this new issue of the Human Rights series we answer all of the above questions and much more. We also introduce you to the new UN-aligned Campaigns. This issue contains exclusive reports by Jonna Lappalainen, Nayry Ignarkea and Anahita Ahmadi.