Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 27 September

Four days after a member of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot went on hunger strike, Russian prison officials moved her to the penal colony's medical unit. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova began the hunger strike to protest threats by staff and abusive work and living conditions that are threatening her physical and psychological wellbeing. Earlier this week, Tolokonnikova released a public letter alleging “intolerable” prison conditions followed by a death threat when she complained. Tolokonnikova, 23, is one of the three members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot convicted last year for “hate-motivated hooliganism” for a political stunt performed on February 21, 2012, in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. Tolokonnikova, and bandmate Maria Alekhina, should never have been charged with a hate crime and thrown behind bars, but they’ve been in prison for a year and a half. In Qatar, the abuse of migrant workers is so widespread that the Guardian calls it modern-day slavery, but the 2022 World Cup organizers seem to be taking the issue seriously. Will the new emir do the same? In June 2012, Human Rights Watch issued a damning report on human rights abuses, including forced labour, in Qatar's construction sector. This issue requires bold leadership right from the top. Sheikh Tamim, Qatar's new emir, has much to gain from taking a strong line on labor rights and ending forced labor in the country. In France, NGOs report that more than 12,000 Roma were evicted from informal settlements so far this year When he was a presidential candidate, Francois Hollande stressed that Romanians and Bulgarians, “whatever their origin,” are European citizens. Now, as President, Hollande must send out a clear message that Roma must be treated the same as everyone else. From this morning: