China's Police DNA Database Threatens Privacy: Daily Brief
China's police DNA database threatens privacy; journalists attacked in Kazakhstan and Mexico; Trump-Erdogan meeting; civilians prosecuted in Venezuela military courts; saving women raped in war; foreigners barred from Singapore gay pride; dozens of refugees die in Malaysia detention centers; state of emergency in Yemeni capital Sanaa.
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China’s police are collecting DNA from individuals for a nationally searchable database without oversight, transparency, or privacy protections. Some 40 million people, including migrant workers, dissidents, and minority Muslim Uyghurs, have had their their blood drawn and DNA taken so far.
Journalists are once again being targeted because of their work. In Kazakhstan, a prominent reporter and activist was stabbed before a scheduled meeting with foreign diplomats about activists and journalists imprisoned in the country. And in Mexico, a well-known reporter who wrote about drug trafficking was shot dead.
And today's meeting between the US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan could help normalize media repression worldwide. With some 150 journalists and media workers in jail, Turkey has all but silenced independent media in an effort to prevent scrutiny or criticism of its ruthless crackdown on perceived enemies.
Rape in conflict can have deadly consequences. In the Central African Republic, many rape victims resort to unsafe abortion, which is the leading cause of maternal death there, according to a new United Nations report. Prioritizing access to health services could start saving lives now.
At least 275 civilians have been prosecuted by military courts in Venezuela, with protesters being charged with “rebellion” and “treason” for alleged acts of violence during protests. Lawyers and family members referred cases of physical and other abuses that may in some cases amount to torture.
Organizers of a Singapore gay pride rally have been forced to bar foreigners from participating, after authorities tightened the rules on public gatherings. The discriminatory restriction violates the fundamental right to peaceful public assembly, as nationality shouldn't matter when it comes to being able to attend a rally.
UNHCR says at least two dozen refugees died in detention centers in Malaysia since 2015, in most cases because of disease, but also because of physical abuses. Asylum seekers are held in overcrowded cells, with very little access to food, water, and medical care.
Yemen's Health ministry has declared a state of emergency in the capital of Sanaa due to a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 100 people. Such a medical emergency is particularly troubling given the severe lack of medical infrastructure due to years of conflict as well as indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.