Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 10 November 2014

The world celebrated with Germany, marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the symbol of a divided Europe during the Cold War whose end signaled a key step toward democracy and respect for human rights for millions in central and eastern Europe. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has highlighted worrying developments in eastern Ukraine, as new columns of armor were seen in rebel-held territory and observers noted the heaviest shelling in a month. Both Kiev forces and Moscow-backed separatists have been accused of serious abuses in a conflict that has already killed thousands. Also, a new study has added further evidence showing that rebel forces shot down Malaysia Airlines flight 17 in July using a Buk missile system from Russia. In South Sudan, humanitarian organizations are bracing for the worst. With the end of the rainy season and roads drying up fast, fighting has already resumed between government forces and the opposition in a conflict that has seen horrific atrocities. The International Contact Group for the Central African Republic is due to meet tomorrow, but what will it do to help end the sectarian violence and bring justice? The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has said it will not award any events to Iran until Ghoncheh Ghavami is released from prison and a ban on women attending matches is lifted. Ghavami, a dual Iranian-British national, has been convicted for “propaganda against the state” after being arrested for protesting a ban on women attending volleyball matches. She began a hunger strike on 2 November to protest her detention. Amid deepening concern about the government's concentration of power and stated determination to abandoned liberal democracy, Hungary witnessed a major public protest calling for the resignation of the head of the tax office over corruption allegations.