Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 6 February 2015

Today is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a brutal practice carried out on young girls in more than 27 countries. The present global turmoil has intensified the debate over whether pursuing justice in fragile and transitional countries leads to instability. Yet Yemen has been brought to the brink of collapse at least in part by a failure to pay heed to demands for justice. In early January, the European Commission approved the over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive ellaOne (ulipristal acetate). As a result, 120 million women in the European Union should now have access to ellaOne without the expense or delay of a medical appointment and prescription. Unfortunately, Hungary has decided its women should be left out. Sri Lanka’s new government is hoping to quash or defer the United Nations inquiry into war crimes committed during the country's civil war. It's not yet clear exactly what plans the new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has for Sri Lanka's own impartial investigation. Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who chairs the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta that staged a military coup in May 2014, is scheduled to travel to Japan next week. Rights groups hope he hears the right message. India’s Supreme Court last year finally recognized the rights of transgender people to vote, to get an education, or to find a job. Sadly, implementation has stalled. In Azerbaijan, leading investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova has begun her third month of detention "pending what will certainly be a sham trial", according to Reporters without Borders.