New Evidence of Nerve-Agent Use in Syria: Daily Brief

New evidence details how Syrian government forces have used nerve agents on at least four occasions in recent months. These could be crimes against humanity. One attack last month left at least 92 people dead, including 30 children. Despite repeated attempts to investigate, shameful roadblocks created by Russia and others have so far denied justice to the victims of these attacks. The Trump administration’s proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) in the United States is again in the news after Congress initially passed up a vote on the bill earlier this year. If the bill eventually becomes law, millions of Americans would be affected by changes to their healthcare. But for people with disabilities, the outlook under Trump's plan appears even bleaker. Chechen authorities are waging a terrifying anti-gay purge. You can help put a stop to it. A new campaign is calling on Russia to stop Chechnya's purge. Join #Chechnya100 now. From earlier today: Armed groups fighting for control of a central province in the Central African Republic have targeted civilians in apparent reprisal killings over the past three months. The attacks have left at least 45 people dead and at least 11,000 displaced. Escalating violence in the area underlines the importance of getting the newly established Special Criminal Court (SCC) up and running. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners began a hunger strike on April 16, demanding more frequent and lengthy family visits, better prison conditions, and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention. Many Palestinian civil society groups have mobilized in support of the prisoner movement, with a level of participation unseen for a long time. The UN Human Rights Council will conduct its third review of India’s human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure on May 4. UN member countries should call on India to stop targeting NGOs and others who criticize the government or its policies. In South Korea, an alleged crackdown by the army on gay male service members is striking fear into gay soldiers and potential conscripts. Earlier this year, a video clip that appeared to show two military men having sex circulated on social media, sparking what seems to be a military witch hunt for gay conscripts.