War Crimes in Afghanistan & ICC: Daily Brief

International Criminal Court judges reject Afghanistan investigation; rise in xenophobic violence in South-Africa before elections; jail sentence against comedian harms freedom of expression in Brazil; #FreeWaleed / #StandWithSaudiHeroes; kids expelled from Burundi school for doodles of president; children still at risk in Nigeria, 5 years after Chibok school abduction; and a comment on the role of bigotry & war crimes in Israel elections.

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The decision by International Criminal Court judges not to open a formal investigation into alleged grave crimes in Afghanistan denies the country’s victims a path to justice. “The judges’ logic effectively allows member countries to opt out of cooperating with the court and sends a dangerous message to all governments that obstructionist tactics can put them beyond the court’s reach,” says HRW's Param-Preet Singh in a comment.

Authorities in South Africa should investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible for a spate of violence against foreign nationals in Durban from March 25 to April 2. Violence against foreign nationals appears to be on the rise amid political tensions in the lead-up to national elections scheduled for May 8.

Brazilian court’s decision to sentence a comedian to prison for offensive remarks about a congresswoman could have a chilling effect on free speech

Authorities in Saudi Arabia should immediately release the prominent human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was sentenced in 2014 to 15 years in prison solely for his peaceful human rights advocacy.

The release of six schoolgirls and one boy, arrested last month for doodling on the Burundian president’s photo and charged with “insulting the head of state”, is not the end of their woes.

The five-year anniversary of the Chibok school abduction is a reminder that schoolchildren remain vulnerable to attacks and abductions by Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria’s beleaguered northeast region.

And read this op-ed by HRW's Khulood Badawi, on the role of bigotry and war crimes in the elections that were held last week in Israel.