Iran Attack; US Leaks; Mosul Mayhem: HRW Daily Brief

Twin attack in Iran; civilian casualties mount in Mosul; debate over human rights laws in wake of London attack; new bid to ban import of goods from Israeli settlements; chair of Amnesty Turkey is detained; women locked out of Afghan peace talks; & alleged NSA leaker arrested in the US.

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Tomorrow, ousted United States FBI Director James Comey is set to testify in front of the US Senate on his interactions with President Trump. With controversy swirling around the FBI's investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 US election, it is important that US officials, including President Trump, refrain from interfering with the FBI's role in independently upholding the rule of law.
Meanwhile, Trump today announced his pick for the next FBI director.
Last month, President Trump announced a $110 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, doubling down on US support for a Saudi-led coalition military campaign in Yemen that has resulted in numerous violations of the laws of war. But the United States shouldn’t be rewarding Saudi war crimes with more weapons. As the Senate prepares to vote on the deal, tell US representatives to vote no.
A new law in the United Arab Emirates could offer new protections for domestic workers. With at least 146,000 female domestic workers threatened by abuse in the UAE, this is welcomed news.
UN budget negotiations are heating up – and not only because the Trump administration wants to cut US$570 million from UN peacekeeping budgets. Behind closed doors, China is pushing to defund UN human rights officers at UN missions.
From earlier today: Gunmen and suicide bombers have carried out apparently coordinated attacks on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of revolutionary founder Ruhollah Khomeini in the capital Tehran, killing several people. There are unconfirmed reports that gunmen may still be holding hostages inside the parliament building.
Civilian casualties are mounting in West Mosul, where Iraqi government forces are battling to oust Islamic State (ISIS) forces from the city. And the growing civilian death toll from a series of apparent Iraqi Security Force or US-led coalition attacks between February and April this year suggests that the forces took inadequate precautions to avoid civilian casualties and that further investigation is needed, HRW said today.

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