More Anti-Muslim Rhetoric from Myanmar: Daily Brief
Trump administration denies embassy requests to fly the Pride flag; more anti-Muslim rhetoric from Myanmar; UN experts call for investigation into Philippines' "war on drugs" killings; Greta Thunberg named Amnesty's Ambassador of Conscience 2019; robust response needed to Sudan violence; cancer screening saves lives in the US; Hong Kong extradition changes threaten civil society; still no justice for DR Congo massacre; and HRW mourns the loss of Herb Sandler.
The Trump administration is rejecting requests from United States embassies to fly the rainbow pride flag on embassy flagpoles during June, LGBT Pride Month. Embassies in Israel, Germany, Brazil and Latvia are among those that have requested permission to fly the pride flag and been denied, according to diplomats. It's the latest in a series of discriminatory moves by the Trump administration against the LGBT community.
From earlier today: On a rare trip to Europe, Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has found common ground with Europe's most anti-democratic and openly xenophobic leader, Viktor Orbán, with the pair both denouncing the supposed issue of "growing Muslim populations".
A group of 11 independent experts from the United Nations is calling for an international investigation into unlawful deaths and police killings in Philippines' "war on drugs".
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate change activist who began the #FridaysForFuture movement, has been awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019. Last summer, Greta Thunberg decided to miss school every Friday to protest lack of action on climate change, and her one-person demonstration has now grown into a powerful global movement.
Investigations and monitoring are needed in response to Sudan's June 3 attack, when security forces violently dispersed pro-democracy protesters who have been camped out in the capital since former President Omar al-Bashir’s ousting. The Sudanese Doctors Committee, which has reported on casualty figures for months, now estimates that 107 people have been killed and over 500 wounded.
In the US, cancer screening saves lives. And by expanding access to diagnostic services and screenings, the government can help ensure that more women do not die from cancers which are preventable and treatable.
The Hong Kong government should withdraw proposed revisions to two laws concerning extradition, which will irrevocably damage Hong Kong’s status as a safe harbor for people peacefully promoting human rights in China.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has failed to deliver justice for the killing of at least 30 civilians in Mutarule, South Kivu province, in June 2014. This sends a terrible message throughout Congo that massacres can be committed without any real consequence for those responsible.
And Human Rights Watch mourns the passing of the philanthropist Herbert M. Sandler, whose support was critical to building our organization into a global body to promote and protect human rights.