Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 27 June

In today's Brief: The US Senate, in an historic vote, approved comprehensive immigration reform; President Obama made news on his Africa trip; Burma awarded a major telecommunications licence; Libya turned people away from their homes; and New York City's legislature overruled Mayor Bloomberg... Scene outside Senate building minutes before historic vote... The landmark immigration reform bill grants legal status to millions of people and reduces their vulnerability to human rights abuses passed an important hurdle... Turning to Africa, President Barack Obama endorsed Senegal’s efforts to bring to book the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré, a recognition of the case’s importance for African justice... The world seems not to notice the catastrophic situation in the Central African Republic... In Libya another forgotten community is being denied access to their homes... Burma, with one of the world's lowest internet penetration rates, awarded a major telecommunications licence today... Burma’s long record of rights abuses should give pause to the two license winners about government censorship, illegal surveillance, and even network shutdowns... And in New York City, the city council overrode Mayor Bloomberg's veto to guarantee paid sick leave for workers...