Russia Faces Toxic Allegations: Daily Brief

As world media attention focuses on Moscow's alleged nerve agent attack in the UK - which targeted Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, but could have possibly poisoned hundreds - it's worth recalling that Russia seems to regard chemical attacks as acceptable. It has used its UN Security Council veto on multiple occasions to shield its allies in Damascus from consequences for Assad's forces' chemical attacks, including the use of nerve agents. Events also remind us that, back at home, the Kremlin's crackdown continues unabated. Russia's presidential elections begin on Sunday. The result is clearly a foregone conclusion, but how did it become so? In a Facebook Live event tomorrow, we'll look back at the crackdown on fundamental freedoms that have brought Russia to this point. Burma/Myanmar's government is literally trying to bury the evidence of its ethnic cleansing. The victims deserve immediate international action to help future prosecutions. Singapore’s proposed public order law would further empower the government to repress freedom of assembly and speech, Human Rights Watch said today. A new report from Amnesty International says Spain's counter-terrorism law is being used to crush satire and creative expression online. Is Egypt facing its #MeToo moment?