Death toll rises in ISIS massacres; grave abuses in Syria; protests in Kenya: HRW Daily Brief

A new report by Amnesty International reveals the scale of abductions, torture and summary killings taking place at the hand of opposition armed groups in Syria. All parties to the conflict should cease any attacks against civilians, and those responsible for grave violations should be held accountable. The death toll of the heinous attack in Baghdad on Saturday has risen to over 200. The Iraqi government should hold accountable those behind the attacks while preventing attacks of retribution, and reinforce its commitment to build a rights-respecting society. More reports of horrible killings emerge across the globe. Monday evening, three suicide bombings rocked Saudi Arabia, and this morning, another suicide bombing reportedly took place near a police station in Indonesia. Yesterday in Kenya, hundreds of protesters called for justice for the apparent police killings of a human rights lawyer, his client and a taxi driver. The killings are a chilling reminder that the hard-won right to seek justice for human rights violations is under renewed attack. Gold rush: another new report brings to light the illicit gold trade in DRC, documenting how a Chinese mining company paid armed groups for access to gold. Amid rising reports of xenophobic attacks in Britain, the government needs to take a clear and unambiguous stand to say that if you are an EU citizen and the UK is your home today, it will remain so, and those who shout “go home” are wrong.