Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 2 August

Last week, in an act of high-stakes protest, nine young undocumented immigrants with a lot to lose delivered themselves into the hands of US immigration authorities at the US-Mexican border.They knew full well that they risked being shut out from the only lives they've ever known, in America. But they did it anyway, demanding demand comprehensive and humane immigration reform.  The Philippines proves yet again that it's a dangerous place for journalists.  When it comes to wearing a rainbow flag pin during the Sochi Olympics, Russia did an about face,  saying it will not enforce its anti-LGBT law at the Games. Although the International Olympic Committee said Russia had assured it this would be the case, only yesterday Russia’s sports minister said that athletes and guests must obey the country’s discriminatory law.   In Vietnam, the slim opportunities for free speech shrink even further.  And now for Human Rights Watch's Most Popular list.  Egypt is bracing for another Friday of violent unrest. Supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsy have ignored government threats to break up their sit-ins and are calling for a "million man march" today. There are fears of a repeat of last Friday's massacre, in which security forces killed at least 74 pro-Morsy protesters, with many shot in the head or chest. 
In Zimbabwe, post-election tensions are rising as people await the results. President Robert Mugabe's party is claiming victory, but Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called  the vote "a huge farce". The African Union has said the poll was, "free, honest and credible"; however, Human Rights Watch found serious flaws in the process. The Southern African Development Community's Election Observer Mission delivered its initial assessment just moments ago, and our Southern Africa Director gave a running commentary on their press briefing...