Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 22 January 2015

The media in Ethiopia is being "decimated" by the government's systematic repression of freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said in a new report today. Ahead of May 2015 general elections, journalists are being harassed and arrested, and ever growing numbers are fleeing into exile abroad. Violence in spiralling again in Ukraine. This morning at least nine civilians were killed when a shell or mortar hit a bus stop in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. All sides in the conflict should take greater care to avoid civilian casualties. Anti-government demonstrations across DR Congo are continuing today amid ongoing reports of police violence against protestors. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that police deliberately fired into crowds and says at least 20 people - possibly many more - have been killed so far. In his State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama vowed to "finish the job" of shutting down Guantanamo Bay. But he still faces significant obstacles in closing it down for good. The leader of the extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has warned he will launch more devastating attacks, as he justified his group's most recent massacre in Baga, Nigeria. The outlook for Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi, sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison, remains uncertain. Amid an international outcry his case has been referred by the country's king to the Supreme Court for review. But there are still fears his primeval punishment will be reinstated. What's the biggest killer in the developing world? HIV? Malaria? War? Think again.... The UN human rights chief has sharply criticized a prominent Burmese monk after he insulted a UN special rapporteur by calling her a "whore" and a "bitch".