Hong Kong issued written notices to two organizations on Nov. 24 that the government has promulgated orders to prohibit their operation, citing "reasonable grounds" to believe that they aim to subvert state power. The organizations can make representations in their defense before the prohibitions take effect.

Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with Donald Trump followed the removal of his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the list of designated "terrorist organizations" both at the State Department and at the UN. It also coincided with raids against ISIS by his security forces, raising the prospect of his government being invited to join the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The Washington visit also came just a month after al-Sharaa's similar trip to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where a deal was brokered allowing Russia to keep its military bases in Syria. Amid all this, Syria continues to see forced disappearances and other abuses targetting Druze, Alawites and Kurds—pointing to the looming threat of an ethnic or sectarian internal war. The US troop presence in Syria is largely embedded among the Kurdish forces in the east. As al-Sharaa becomes a new "anti-terrorist" partner (or proxy) for the Great Powers, will these troops be withdrawn—providing a "green light" for the Damascus government to attack the Kurdish autonomous zone? In Episode 305 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg weighs the risks at this critical moment in Syria's transition process, nearly one year after the fall of the Assad dictatorship.

The politically volatile region of Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) has once again plunged into a crisis of civil unrest. In late September, a local protest over government plans to drop subsidies for wheat and electricity rapidly transformed into a broader movement demanding comprehensive reform and regional ecomic relief. The demonstrations have pressured the government into negotiations and legal concessions, after initial harsh repression only further fueled public dissent.

The recent political reversal in Bolivia raises the question of whether the advances of nearly 20 years of rule by the indigenist left will survive—including a constitution that refounded the state as a "plurinational" republic. In Episode 299 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg explores how the lessons of the Bolivian experience can be applied to Syria, where the new revolutionary government faces a challenge in Kurdish and Druze demands for regional autonomy.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sept. 28 warned that pending legislation in China may lead to escalated repression of ethnic minorities and extend "ideological control" beyond the country’s borders.

The new legislation imposes Mandarin language dominance in public life and education across all regions of the People's Republic. Article 15(3) of the law requires that "if it is necessary to issue documents in minority languages and scripts," the documents must be accompanied by Mandarin versions, with clear indication that "the national common language" is given "prominence." 

Amnesty International on Sept. 25 urged Indian authorities to promptly and independently investigate the use of live fire during protests in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh, one day after at least four people were reported killed and more than 50 injured.

Aakar Patel, chair of the board of Amnesty International India, called for de-escalation and respect for the right to peaceful protest, stating: "Any use of firearms in the context of an assembly must be an absolute last resort… The indiscriminate use of firearms against protesters is always unlawful."

Human Rights Watch on Sept. 23 urged Chinese authorities to release activist Zhang Yadi (张雅笛), also known as Tara, after she was arrested for creating a digital platform advocating for Tibetan rights in the Chinese language. Zhang, 22, is a member of the activist group Chinese Youth for Tibet, which aims "to foster a deeper understanding of Tibetan culture within Chinese-speaking communities, challenge and deconstruct Han chauvinism, and address ethnic conflicts and prejudice." She maintained the group's website from France, where she was studying. She was arrested on July 31 in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, after returning to China to visit family.

Fighting broke out Sept. 20 in the village of Um Tineh, in Deir Hafer district of Syria's Aleppo province, between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and forces aligned with the Damascus regime, leaving at least seven civilians dead. The SDF said the clashes began with a drone attack on the village, followed by artillery bombardment, damaging local homes. The statement blamed the assault on forces loyal to Turkey, implying they were fighters of the Syrian National Army (SNA), which has apparently not yet been thoroughly integrated into the central government's newly constituted Syrian Armed Forces.