Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 23 March 2016

"They treated me like an animal." A new report shows that dozens of transgender women who have come to the United States seeking protection are locked in prison-like immigration detention centers, where they face sexual assault and ill-treatment. Many of those detained need medical and mental health care. Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed 70 charges against Dominic Ongwen. He is the first leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in custody at the court. The allegations against Ongwen include murder, rape, sexual slavery, torture, pillaging, and the conscription and use of children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities. In Iran, strict drug trafficking laws have disproportionately affected marginalized populations. In one village, all men were reportedly executed for drug offenses. Country-wide, the number was nearly 1,000 people in 2015 alone. Serious revisions are needed to stem abuses as governments around the world continue to try to end drug use. Egypt's growing crackdown on civil society continues, with the prosecution and harassment of human rights workers in recent weeks. Egyptian authorities, rather than silencing the last of Egypt's critics, should instead take into consideration their suggestions for reform and progress. From earlier today: Belgium has begun three days of national mourning after bomb attacks on Brussels' airport and metro system yesterday left 34 people dead and 250 wounded. As security services work to track down suspects and their accomplices, it's vital to protect human rights and the rule of law.