China Should Allow UN Rights Experts into Tibet: Daily Brief
China should allow UN rights experts into Tibet; German judge stands against xenophobic violence; On UK Mother's Day, ask what's #BehindTheBling; US should lead on saving the Rohingya; FIFA fails women in Iran; Philippine government puts activists at risk; Europe no longer safe for journalists; Mass rape in CAR.
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China should allow UN human rights experts into Tibet to investigate the ongoing abusive detentions and sentences against Tibetan dissidents. Right now it is difficult to assess how many Tibetans are imprisoned because information is tightly restricted, and people who report detentions and prosecutions abroad are themselves at risk of arrest.
A German judge has taken a strong stand against xenophobic violence. He has officially found members of the right-wing extremist 'Freital group' guilty of terrorism and attempted murder. The group had violently attacked asylum seekers, migrants, and local German politicians in the town of Freital, at the height of Europe’s refugee crisis in mid-2015.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day in the UK and, just like on Valentine's Day, many people will buy a piece of jewelry for their mum. Before doing so, make sure the jewellers come clean about what is #BehindtheBling. The hidden cost of jewelry can be extremely high, like for Amina, a Nigerian mother who lost 3 of her children due to lead poisoning during small-scale gold mining.
In a poignant article for the New York Times, Angelina Jolie and Senator John McCain have called on the US government to take the lead in saving the Rohingya. Since late August 2017, more than 688,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Burma’s Rakhine State to escape the military’s large-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing.
With the World Cup in Russia less than 100 days away now, excitement is growing among fans all around the world. But women in Iran wont be allowed to watch matches in stadiums and risk being detained by police if they try. Sports bodies like FIFA have important leverage and should put pressure on Iran to end this discriminatory ban and play by the rules.
The Philippine government has put UN experts and activists at grave risk by labeling them as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing. There's a long history in the Philippines of the state security forces and pro-government militias assassinating people labeled as NPA members or supporters.
The risk of physical attacks on journalists in Europe can no longer be dismissed after the shooting of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, and the murder of Maltese reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.
A large group of women were attacked, kidnapped and raped in the Central African Republic last month, according to a report by Médecins Sans Frontières. The attack follows a new wave of violence that broke out at the end of 2016 and continues without without consequences.