Protesters Demand Their Rights in Sudan: Daily Brief
Protesters demand their rights in Sudan; Omar al-Bashir should be surrendered to the International Criminal Court; Assange's possible extradition threatens journalism; UK and France should join German Saudi arms embargo; jailed journalist stuck in abusive solitary confinement in Morocco; Chile's supreme court hears massive air pollution case; Connecticut poised to provide free calls to prisoners; and new DR Congo president should make rights a priority.
Yesterday, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir’s was ousted by the military, which announced that a military council would now govern the country for two years. Protesters, who have been peacefully demonstrating and calling for “freedom, peace, and justice” for months, have stayed in the streets of Sudan's capital throughout the night, ignoring a curfew declared by the military and rightly demanding real democracy. Authorities should listen and introduce reforms to help end decades of abuse.
Al-Bashir should now be surrendered to the International Criminal Court, which has issued two arrest warrants against him related to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.
The extradition of Julian Assange from the United Kingdom to the United States for alleged computer-related crimes could have dangerous implications for journalists in the digital age.
Germany's decision last month to extend its arms embargo on Saudi Arabia by six months was an important - though imperfect - step. France and the UK, which still supply weapons to the Saudi-led coalition, risk complicity in committing grave violations of the laws of war.
Moroccan authorities have held an imprisoned journalist in a form of abusive solitary confinement for more than a year. Taoufik Bouachrine, publisher of Akhbar el-Youm, one of the country’s last opposition newspapers, was detained in Casablanca’s Ain El Borja prison in February 2018, and ever since, authorities have not allowed him to meet with other prisoners or converse with staff; a cruel and inhuman treatment under United Nations Rules.
In August and September 2018, two toxic air pollution incidents in Chile’s coastal region, in Quintero and Puchuncaví, caused a public health crisis in which more than 300 people received medical assistance for symptoms of harm from toxic substances. Chile’s Supreme Court should consider international law and standards protecting human rights and the environment in its application of the right to a pollution-free environment - guaranteed in Chile’s national constitution.
Connecticut’s House Judiciary Committee voted this week to advance a bill that would provide free phone, video calls, and email, for the 14,000 people held in state custody, being the first US state to do so. This would provide inmates with a gateway to much-needed support during incarceration and could foster positive re-entry outcomes.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s new president, Felix Tshisekedi, should make protecting and promoting human rights a priority during his presidency.