Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 18 May 2015

US military personnel who report sexual assault are 12 times as likely to experience retaliation than see their attacker actually convicted of a sex offense, shocking new research from Human Rights Watch suggests. In Asia's Andaman Sea, a tragic scandal is unfolding. Thousands of Rohingya asylum seekers who recently fled Burma by boat have been forced into a situation of immense peril: packed together, floating on the open sea and at risk of drowning, disease, and dehydration. Meanwhile, the migrant crisis in Europe's seas continues, with news today that the EU will approve a mission to destroy the boats used by smugglers to bring asylum seekers and migrants to Europe. But prioritizing the protection of Europe's borders over saving lives at sea is a huge oversight. Not satisfied with arresting prominent German journalists, Qatar has now upped its game by arresting a TV crew from BBC News who were trying to document the terrible plight of migrant workers there. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in Macedonia, calling for the resignation of the country's prime minister amid an astonishing scandal over secretly recorded phone conversations. Burundi remains in political turmoil as it tries to absorb last week's failed coup. President Nkurunziza is back in charge and remains intent on a contested third term in office, yet a virtual media blackout there means many Burundians still know little about what's really going on. Bangladesh's toxic leather tanneries continue to cause massive health problems. There are moves afoot to tackle this pressing issue, but unless important laws are actually enforced the affected communities will continue to suffer. The promotion of a Sri Lankan army chief whose division was implicated in serious human rights abuses casts doubt on the government's pledge to credibly investigate alleged war crimes.