Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 20 February 2015

US President Barack Obama has made a landmark speech linking oppression and rights abuses to the rise of violent extremism - essentially the point that rights campaigners and human security experts have been making for years. Unfortunately, there's no sign the US will stop its support for repressive states around the world. The new Minsk agreement for eastern Ukraine calls for both sides to guarantee access to humanitarian assistance. This is desperately needed so civilians trapped in war zones in eastern Ukraine can get help. But can that guarantee hold up any better than the crumbling ceasefire? Venezuela's human rights crisis has deepened dramatically... Most people probably know that North Korea uses forced labor at home, but what may surprise some is that Pyongyang exports its forced labor as well. Somalia seems to have slipped off the international radar again. Unfortunately, the country's fundamental insecurity remains for civilians. Much the same can be said for the Darfur region of Sudan. Since the beginning of the year more than 50,000 people have fled Darfur due to a new wave of violence Today is Social Justice Day... Social justice however seems somewhat elusive in Zimbabwe, where president Robert Mugabe gets set for a lavish 91st birthday party with a "let them eat cake" attitude...