Protests Erupt at G20 Summit in Germany: HRW Daily Brief

As the G20 leaders gathered in Hamburg, thousands of demostrators took to the streets in what was dubbed the "Welcome to Hell" protest . Police clashed with some protestors Thursday night and injuries were reported. Demonstrations continued today. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir met briefly in person for the first time on the sidelines of today's summit. Trump's speech in Poland Thursday was full of praise for the country, but he failed to mention the many troubling ways in which Poland's government is undermining core values - including interfering with independent media, restricting freedom of assembly, and harassed nongovernmental organizations. A Human Rights Watch investigation into the police crackdown at two peaceful protests in Russia in June documented how police used excessive force, dragging, beating, kicking and punching some demostrators.."They looked like children to me, no different from my children": read our testimonies from protesters detained by police. World leaders attending the G20 Summit should press Chinese President Xi Jinping to immediately free the gravely ill Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo. HRW is also calling again on China to drop politically motivated charges against lawyers and activists still being held in custody two years after a nationwide crackdown that began on July 9, 2015. The 'March for Justice' in Turkey is approaching Istanbul with swelling numbers. On Sunday it is expected to reach the Maltepe prison, where Enis Berberoglu, an MP of the main opposition party CHP, is jailed. The march is a good reminder that the government's attacks on civil society must end. The Colombian Constitutional court has a chance to fix flawed transitional justice law and lay the groundwork for proper accountability both for senior army officers and FARC guerrillas who committed war crimes. Peru’s government should neither pardon former President Alberto Fujimori, incarcerated for human rights violations, nor afford him any special treatment. How does the Philippine National Police deal with personnel implicated in torture of criminal suspects? Reassignment and anger management training.