A Torture Supporter Back on Track to Head CIA: Daily Brief
A Torture Supporter on Track to Head CIA; Burundi bans the BBC and VOA; Ireland's cancer scandal; Protests surge in Russia as Putin - again - becomes president; an ill DRC activists needs to be freed; Saudi Arabia's detention practices, and a journalist freed in Uzbekistan
Nominated to head the US Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Haspel also oversaw torture in secret CIA-run prisons. Her Senate confirmation hearing is Wednesday. Tell your senators to #blockHaspel.
Burundi’s constitutional referendum campaign has been marred by violence as government security forces and ruling party members have intimidated, beaten, and killed perceived opponents. The government has also tried to keep news of these abuses from the outside world.
In Ireland, 208 women who later developed cervical cancer had smear tests incorrectly cleared as normal between 2008 and 2014. But even after a 2014 audit revealed this, at least 162 of the women were not told their earlier tests indicated they needed follow-up because there was no clear government policy about what to do when false negatives were found.
Vladimir Putin began his fourth term as president on Monday, overseeing a country in the midst of a sweeping crackdown on critics. Protests against his inauguration were staged across Russia and on Saturday more than 1600 demonstrators were detained.
Russia will soon host the FIFA World Cup, the most watched sporting event in the world. But as hundreds of thousands of supporters descend on Russian cities and hundreds of millions tune in on television, a major shadow risks hanging over the event.
Democratic Republic of Congo should release the pro-democracy activist Carbone Beni, who is in failing health.
Saudi Arabia is detaining thousands of people for more than six months, in some cases for over a decade, without referring them to courts for criminal proceedings.
The week after World Press Freedom Day, we have both bad and good news: Cambodia's free media suffered a serious blow, while Uzbekistan freed at least one journalist and blogger.