Remembering China's Tiananmen massacre; deadly crackdown in Sudan; abuses against civilians in South Sudan; Cameroon mounts pressure against opposition; Jordan targets political and anti-corruption activists; and the Netherlands address child labor. 

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China marked the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre by deploying security forces throughout the square, conducting ID checks and preventing reporters from taking photos. Chinese authorities have tried to erase any memory of the deadly crackdown on student demonstrators in 1989. The spirit of the movement, however, is alive despite continued repression of those fighting for a more just China.

Hopes for a peaceful transition to a civilian-led government in Sudan were dashed yesterday, when paramilitary forces opened fire on pro-democracy protesters, killing over 30 people. In response, Sudanese opposition groups cut all contact with the Transitional Military Council (TMC), which had taken power after the ouster of Sudan’s former president Omar al-Bashir. The TMC, for its part, scrapped all agreements with the opposition and called for snap elections.

Government soldiers carried out extensive abuses against civilians during counter-insurgency operations in South Sudan between December 2018 and March 2019, new Human Rights Watch research found. Civilians are being targeted, killed, and raped, as government operations try to root out rebels in Yei River state

Cameroon’s security forces carried out mass arrests of members and supporters of the country’s opposition party during a series of anti-government protests over the weekend. Nine human rights organisations have asked UN Security Council members to address the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Cameroon at its Central Africa briefing today. So far the Security Council has largely kept silent on the crisis.

Jordan is increasingly targeting political and anti-corruption activists on vague charges such as insulting the king or “undermining the political regime." A dozen people have been detained since mid-March.

And finally, good news from the Netherlands: Ahead of World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, the Dutch Senate has adopted a law requiring companies to check for and address child labour in their supply chains.

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