Die-hard dictators; "State of lawlessness" in Philippines; Refugees trapped: HRW Daily Brief
Die-hard dictators; "State of lawlessness" in Philippines; Refugees trapped.
Plus: Bahrain activist's trial resumes; freedom of expression in Somalia; offshoring refugees; and a call on China during the G20 meeting.
Get the Daily Brief by email.
Uzbekistan's authorities finally admitted late Friday what the rest of the world had known for a day or two: its long-time dictator, Islam Karimov, had died. They held his funeral the day after, Saturday, without allowing international media into the country to cover the event. What comes next for Uzbekistan, which has only ever know Karimov's extremely abusive rule, is unclear...
In Zimbabwe, 92-year-old Robert Mugabe, who has led his country since 1980, joked that he had died and was resurrected. But his rule is no laughing matter: in the face of increasing demonstrations across the country, the Zimbabwe authorities have invoked a draconian law to ban all public protests in Harare.
The Philippines' new president has declared a "state of lawlessness"...
Bahrain should immediately stop the prosecution of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who faces up to 15 years in prison solely for charges that violate his right to free expression - including criticism of Bahrain’s participation in abusive Saudi-led military operations in Yemen. Bahrain authorities have rejected repeated requests to release him on bail. Rajab’s trial resumes today.
The refugee crisis - that is, a crisis of international political will to help millions of desperate people fleeing war and oppression - drags on...
Killings, arrests, intimidation and the closure of critical media outlets... A new UN report on freedom of expression in Somalia describes Somali journalists' struggle.
Danish parliamentarians' very short visit to Nauru confirms that an offshore detention regime is no model for Europe.
The Group of Twenty heads of government is meeting in China - where there has been a relentless crackdown on activist groups.