Albert Ho, a prominent pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong, has once again been arrested. He is already facing up to a decade in prison for other charges under the national security law.

On Wednesday, the Florida Board of Education banned the teaching of gender identity and sexuality throughout all grades in public schools, expanding a nearly year-old legislative ban on such lessons for younger children. The rule change is championed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who once said that "Florida is where woke goes to die".

Editor-in-Chief Oscar Martinez combats violence and corruption in El Salvador with investigative journalism. Deutsche Welle has awarded him the Freedom of Speech Award 2023.

The Civic Party, one of the main democratic groups in the Chinese territory, said its members had agreed to wind up their activities. Almost three years ago, Beijing introduced a security law limiting their activities.

June 4 marks the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. Usually, Hong Kongers take the lead in commemorating this event with massive candle light vigils. But, since China imposed its national security law in 2020, public criticism of the regime in Beijing has become dangerous.

Choy had been accused of making false statements to access vehicle registration records for a documentary. The film covered the 2019 attack on pro-democracy protesters.

Africa's shrinking space for press freedom and a growing mistrust in state institutions are pushing some journalists into activism.

Three years ago, Beijing imposed a set of new laws on Hong Kong that dissolved many civil liberties. "We've lost our freedom and all forms of protests are now criminalized," a former Hong Kong legislator told DW.

Coco Lee, who was the first Chinese-descent singer to grace the Oscar stage in 2001, had been suffering from depression for a few years. She had fans around the world.

Cheng Wing-chun is accused of replacing China's national anthem with a popular Hong Kong protest song in a YouTube video. A 2020 law in Hong Kong makes insulting the Chinese national anthem illegal.

A top court in the semi-autonomous territory has turned down an effort to ban the protest song "Glory to Hong Kong." The anthem emerged from the city's widespread pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Hong Kong police have been cracking down on pro-democracy activists and civil liberties since China imposed a sweeping national security law.