Germany stops arming Saudi Arabia; Trump is hysterical, shortsighted & wrong on asylum seekers; transgender people under attack in United States; worldwide 'war on drugs' is a spectacular failure; 'virginity testing' is still part of recruitment for policewomen in Indonesia; jailed British academic denied rights in United Arab Emirates; and good news from Sri Lanka.

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Better late than never: Germany has announced it won't sell weapons to Saudi Arabia as long as questions remain unanswered around the murder of reporter Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. 

The United States President is also hysterical, shortsighted, and wrong about asylum seekers.

Transgender people in the US are also in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.

There's 'war on drugs' news...

And women who want to become police officers in Indonesia are still forced to undergo 'virginity tests', according to news reports. "Medical associations should put Indonesia’s armed forces and police on notice that ‘virginity tests’ are a form of violence against women, not a credible medical practice,” comments HRW's Nisha Varia. Also watch this 2014 video on-topic, still relevant as ever.

Security forces in the United Arab Emirates have detained British academic Matthew Hedges for over five months in an undisclosed location without access to a lawyer. Now he is being charged with "spying for a foreign state"

There is good news from Sri Lanka, where a draft counterterrorism law significantly improves upon the current, abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act. At the same time the new law needs further safeguards against rights violations, HRW said in a commentary released today.

And kindly spread the word on a Facebook live about albinism and human rights that HRW is organizing on Tuesday!