Category: by Henry Bunkall

• Repression and Resistance: Re-evaluating Protest in Highly Repressive Environments in the Middle East and North Africa

  15–22 minutes

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  February 1, 2026

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  by Henry Bunkall, Hilary 2026

  Henry Bunkall | Hilary Term 2026 Defining Highly Repressive Environments Davenport defines political repression as the state’s use of physical sanctions to deter ‘specific activities and/or beliefs perceived to be challenging to government personnel, practices or institutions.’[1] This helps distinguish highly repressive states from others. If we understand that political repression is an inherent feature of…