The 18th International Anti-Corruption Conference brought together 1,800+ delegates from civil society, governments, multilateral agencies, and the private sector. They came from 144 countries to exchange ideas and experiences. Although there has been progress around the world, they are concerned that the foundations of democracy and the rule of law are under threat in many countries. Today, the world is witnessing erosion of good governance, sharp increases in human rights violations and violence. The role of civil society is also being impeded by repressive governments. The rise of authoritarianism, in the guise of populist regimes, threatens all who defend social justice regardless of the regions or continents. Stealing from their own people, colluding with criminals, and distorting laws and truth to serve their own interests result in extremist movements and harsh divisions.

Indonesia has ordered inspections on all its commercial Boeing 737-Max 8 planes, after one crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta, with 189 people on board, on 29 October. There are no known survivors. Searchers have recovered debris, bodies and personal items. The flight recorder (‘black box’) has now been located, which may shed light on the mystery of why it crashed, considering that it was almost brand-new. It seems that the pilot asked to return to Jakarta airport before losing contact with air traffic control. A log obtained by the BBC showed the plane had experienced technical problems on the previous day. Indonesia, a vast archipelago, is heavily reliant on air travel but many of its airlines have a poor safety record.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently published evidence suggesting that Egyptian security forces forcibly detained American taxi driver Khaled Hassan, an American-Egyptian dual citizen, and tortured him. Yet instead of supporting their call for the government to investigate, or even expressing concern, the state information service denied any wrongdoing and continues to undermine the work of HRW and similar groups. The National Security Agency seized Hassan in January and presented him to prosecutors in May. In the intervening months he was beaten, subjected to prolonged stress positions, tortured with electric shocks, and raped twice. Forensic experts reviewing photos of his wounds said they were consistent with torture. During his disappearance, Hassan’s family filed many complaints with the authorities but received no information on his whereabouts. Torture and enforced disappearance are crimes under international and Egyptian law.

It is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in horrific labour camps in North Korea. Hea Woo was held in one such camp. When she arrived, she saw a sign there saying, ‘Do not try to escape, you will be killed’. She said they mercilessly kicked her and beat her. ‘Death was a part of our daily life. The bodies were usually burned and the guards scattered the ashes on the path we walked down every day. I always thought, one day the other prisoners will be walking over me. God helped me to survive. He gave me a desire to evangelise among the other prisoners! He showed me whom I should approach. God used me to lead five people to faith. We met secretly, often in the toilet, because it was so disgusting that the guards never went there. I taught them Bible verses and songs. We sang noiselessly.’