Syria, Chad, Indonesia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Dec 05, 2022

Syria

A civilian and a policeman have been killed during a rare anti-government protest in Syria, according to an activist media outlet and a group that monitors the country’s war. Demonstrators, angry about rising prices and a growing economic crisis, stormed a provincial government office in the southern city of Sweida. They managed to get inside and tear down a poster of President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The unrest is relatively unusual because Sweida, a city mainly inhabited by members of the Druze minority, has been largely untouched by Syria’s grinding decade-long civil war. Though the war continues, Assad’s forces have regained control of most of the country with the help of Russian and Iranian forces.

Chad

More than 260 people have been thrown in jail in Chad for taking part in pro-democracy protests in October. A mass trial was held in a high-security prison in the desert, according to reports, and some 400 people were charged with offences including taking part in an unauthorised gathering and disturbing public order. Official figures say about 50 people, including 10 members of the security forces, were killed during the protests. Rights groups put the figure at more than 100.

Indonesia

Indonesia is set to ratify legislation that will penalise sex outside of marriage with up to one year in jail and ban cohabitation between unmarried couples, officials told the Reuters news agency. Indonesia is predominantly Muslim with large populations of Hindus and Christians. Though most Indonesian Muslims practice a moderate form of Islam, more conservative interpretations have been gaining ground politically.