Solidarity With Victims of Rwandan Genocide 25 Years On: Daily Brief
Solidarity with victims of the Rwandan genocide 25 years on; US revokes visa to the International Criminal Court's prosecutor; Cambodian authorities should release opposition leader; EU leaders should press Chinese counterparts on the deteriorating human rights situation; Tunisia's Truth Commission outlines decades of abuse; video exposes beatings by Nigerian security forces; and our review on the state of freedom of association in Ethiopia during Abiy’s first year as prime minister.
It is more relevant than ever on the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda to understand the importance of international action to prevent large-scale atrocities and the need for justice in their aftermath. Human Rights Watch expresses its solidarity with the victims and survivors of the genocide, one of the most terrifying episodes of ethnic violence in modern history.
The US has revoked the entry visa of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda. This action comes only weeks after US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced that visa bans would apply to ICC personnel involved in the court’s potential investigation of US citizens and appears to have been spurred by a possible ICC investigation in Afghanistan that could examine conduct by US personnel.
Cambodian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release opposition party leader Kem Sokha from house arrest and drop the politically motivated criminal case against him.
European Union leaders should press their Chinese counterparts on the deteriorating human rights situation in the country during the upcoming EU-China Summit in Brussels next week.
Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission has made public a report analyzing and exposing the institutional networks that enabled human rights abuses over five decades. The commission outlined the role of former presidents and other top officials in the torture, arbitrary detention, and numerous other abuses of thousands of Tunisians.
Video footage circulating online appears to implicate Nigerian security forces engaged in abuse of a group of men. Authorities should demonstrate their genuine commitment to justice by ensuring prosecution of the military officials implicated in torture in fair and open trials.
One year ago this month, Dr. Abiy Ahmed was sworn in as prime minister of Ethiopia. Here is our analysis on the government’s performance on freedom of association, including limitations on civil society.