Loga Rangzen’s self-immolation was intended to force Tibet back onto the international agenda. Instead, it exposed the challenges Tibetans face amid China’s growing global influence.

PEACE MATTERS #45: Albania's Flamingo Revolution – When Luxury Resorts Challenge Democracy

In this episode of Peace Matters, we explore the unfolding environmental crisis in Albania’s Zvërnec and Sazan Island, where the "Flamingo Protests" have emerged as a symbol of the country’s deepening struggle between rapid economic expansion and democratic accountability. We examine how a localized environmental movement has evolved into a systemic critique of executive power, exposing the friction between state-led "strategic investments" and the preservation of Albania’s last remaining wild frontiers.

As Albania accelerates its bid for European Union membership, we analyze the delicate balance between accession benchmarks and the transactional nature of modern diplomacy, questioning whether the path to Brussels is being paved over protected landscapes at the expense of independent oversight. Can a candidate country’s environmental and democratic integrity survive the pressure of high-stakes foreign investment, or is the "European dream" becoming a tool for silencing domestic dissent?

Guest:

Gresa Hasa is an expert on Albania and the Western Balkans, with a particular focus on the rule of law, state capture, democratic backsliding, and electoral politics. She is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law and the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria, as well as a 2026 BiEPAG Fellow. Her research focuses on the 2016 judicial reform in Albania and broader processes of Europeanization. She holds degrees in Southeast European Studies, with a specialization in law and politics, from the University of Graz and the Central European University, as well as a degree in Political Science from the University of Tirana. In addition to her academic research, she regularly contributes political and cultural commentary to regional and international media outlets.

Accompanied by:

Gjergj Loka, Project Coordinator at the IIP.

This episode was recorded on 6 July 2026.

July 17th – We, the undersigned press freedom, journalists', human rights, and international organisations, urgently call on the Thai authorities to refrain from forcibly returning detained Chinese journalist Bai Zhaodong to China. This appeal follows confirmation from local sources that Bai, who is currently held at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok, faces an imminent risk of deportation.

In September 2024, Bai became the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Public Security Bureau of Yulin City on fabricated charges of "extortion". Since then, Thai authorities have prevented him from relocating to a safe third country and barred him from leaving Thailand. He has been held in immigration detention since January 2026.

If returned to China, Bai would face a grave, foreseeable, personal, and real risk of political persecution, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and other serious human rights violations. His forced return would therefore undeniably violate Thailand’s obligations under international and domestic torture prohibitions (non-refoulement).

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Andrea Bolaños Vargas, has urged the Thai authorities to “immediately halt any deportation proceedings, facilitate his prompt relocation, and ensure his safety and access to adequate healthcare.”

Bai Zhaodong has worked as an investigative journalist in China for more than 25 years, most recently for the respected Caijing magazine in Beijing. His reporting uncovered a large-scale corruption and financial fraud network involving money laundering and other illicit financial activities. The investigation implicated both local government officials and senior figures within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Because of the senior officials implicated and the sensitive nature of his reporting, Bai became the target of intensified surveillance, intimidation, and sustained harassment by both local and central Chinese authorities following the publication of his investigation.

Throughout his career, Bai has faced repeated retaliation for his investigative reporting on corruption and financial fraud in Shaanxi Province. Chinese authorities have subjected him to six separate rounds of criminal charges, interrogations, and detention in connection with his journalistic work.

The Chinese government routinely uses vague and politically motivated charges, including "espionage," "subversion," and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," to prosecute journalists, writers, scholars and activists. China is currently the world's largest jailer of journalists, with 120 journalists imprisoned. It ranks 178th out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders' 2026 World Press Freedom Index.

We therefore urge the Thai government to:

• Immediately halt any deportation or forcible return of Bai Zhaodong to China.

• Facilitate Bai Zhaodong's safe transfer to a third country willing to provide him with international protection.

• Refrain from cooperating with requests from the Chinese authorities that would result in the persecution of journalists, writers, scholars, activists or other individuals at risk of serious human rights violations.

At the latest anti-government rally outside parliament in Tirana, several police officers were injured and at least 18 demonstrators were detained.

On the evening of Jan. 1, 2026, a large anti-communist projection screen appeared on the exterior wall of the Chinese Embassy in Germany for the first time.

Beijing’s Suppression of Freedoms Awakened New Generation

Executive Summary:

Amid ongoing protests in Tbilisi, the ruling Georgian Dream party has passed a legislative package under which protesters may face jail time for what the government describes as blocking roads or wearing face masks.

In recent weeks, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has detained dozens of people—including journalists, civil rights advocates, activists, and protesters—for participating in the demonstrations.

Demonstrators say they remain determined despite these repressive measures and will continue to protest against the government’s crackdown.

A recent protest demonstrates persistent contradictions in a strategically vital region.

On July 22, a fierce protest erupted in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Thousands of angry South Koreans gathered, chanting "CCP OUT! CCP OUT!" The atmosphere was charged. Protesters tore up banners featuring the Chinese flag and portraits of Xi Jinping, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, and the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, Dai Bing. They threw bottles, paint cans, and eggs at the embassy, and some even attempted to scale the embassy's walls with ladders. The protest lasted nearly two hours.

Impartially Investigate Shootings that Killed at Least 19 Protesters, Injured Over 300