Gold medal for human rights in Rio?; #TurkeyPurge: HRW Daily Brief

As the Olympic Games begin this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Sport and Rights Alliance has called on the International Olympic Committee to urgently change its host-city contracts to place human rights at their heart. Human Rights Watch is among the organizations who are warning that Rio 2016 represents a “huge missed opportunity” to improve the lives of those in the city. The authorities also haven't met promises on improving public security. But there's also positive news, as for the first time a refugee team will compete in the Olympics. “Jailing judges without even the pretence of due process will cause profound damage to Turkey’s justice system for years to come,” says Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey director at Human Rights Watch. “Bypassing the rule of law is no way to protect it.” Stand with PEN America, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Committee to Protect Journalists and ask the Turkish government to end its attacks on free expression and release all those imprisoned for their words alone. Sign the petition now! For Roma parents in Hungary, providing their children with the best education continues to be a struggle. Roma are the largest ethnic minority in the country: 750,000 in a country of 9.8 million. Yet last year only 19 percent of Roma completed secondary school compared to 69 percent of the total population. The United States should help Jordan transfer an estimated 70,000 Syrians stuck in appalling conditions at its northeastern border to a safe location, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to United States President Barack Obama that was released today. Government forces in South Sudan were responsible for widespread killings and mass rapes after fighting broke out in the capital of the country last month, according to Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. Children, the most vulnerable people in South Sudan, are paying the highest price for the war, says Unicef.