"We Are on the Edge of Darkness": Daily Brief

Human Rights Watch has warned the world that, "We Are on the Edge of Darkness", as the global rise of populism threatens respect for fundamental freedoms. Claiming to speak for “the people”, a new generation of demagogues treats rights as an impediment to their conception of the majority will. Apparently keen to be first to prove our point, Hungary's government is planning a new crackdown on independent groups critical to its policies - justifying it by referring to the new era of Trump. Human Rights Watch & Amnesty International are calling on Iran to immediately halt the execution of 12 men convicted of drug offenses, scheduled for tomorrow. The EU is considering a "Turkey-style" deal with Libya on refugees - an appalling idea given the situation on the ground in Libya. Nearly two weeks after a major political agreement was reached in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are more questions than answers regarding how the deal will be implemented, whether there’s real political will on the part of President Joseph Kabila and other political leaders to implement the accord, and whether we’ll see a real reversal of the climate of repression. The Africa-France Summit, takes place Friday and Saturday in Bamako, Mali. It offers an important moment for African countries and France to stand with victims of grave international crimes by voicing their support for the International Criminal Court (ICC). Finally, Human Rights Watch launched its annual World Report yesterday - and it took the world media by storm. A selection of some of the English-language news stories...