Repression increased in Asia in 2023, human rights watch says

FILE - Thai prominent human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa talks to the media on the arrival at the Criminal court to hear his first verdict in his trial, Sept. 26, 2023. He was convicted of insulting the monarchy and sentenced to four years in prison/AP

Governments across Asia grew more repressive last year, emboldened by Western countries eager to curry favor with allies that might help check China’s rise and taking increasingly brazen steps to silence their critics abroad, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.