Putin, Trump and Rights Decline: Daily Brief

In 1975, the signature of the Helsinki Accords by 35 nations, including the nations of Europe, the Soviet Union, Canada and the United States, set a vital commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. This principles will be at stake at the Trump-Putin Summit taking place in Helsinki next Monday.

The UN Security Council cannot ignore the ongoing crimes in South Sudan. It's time to impose both individual sanctions and a long overdue arms embargo on the country to reduce risk of harm to civilians. 

On July 11, 2018, a court in Tajikistan convicted Khayrullo Mirsaidov, a well-known journalist, on bogus charges and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. His conviction came after he made corruption allegations against local government officials. Tajik authorities should aside this harsh conviction, which strikes a blow to free speech and the journalistic profession in the country.

Representatives of the Catholic church in Eastern Africa will meet in Addis Ababa later this week to discuss “vibrant diversity, equal dignity, and peaceful unity” in the region. A good place to start would be to ensure pregnant girls and teen moms are not discriminated and have access to education. 

The Serbian government committed in June that every child with disabilities would be able to attend school in the country. Following this positive step, the ministry of education should now ensure children and adults with disabilities go to schools in their communities and not to special schools where they end up isolated. 

A Thai court has acquitted 14 Burmese migrant workers of criminal defamation charges for filing a complaint against their employer. This constitutes an important verdict for the protection of labor rights and freedom of expression in Thailand and should serve as a wake-up call for the Thai government to take concrete measures to ensure fair treatment of workers. 

It's been one year since Chinese dissident and public intellectual Liu Xiaobo died in detention.