Step Forward for Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia: Daily Brief
Step forward for women's rights in Saudi Arabia; a glimpse into Kangaroo court in Equatorial Guinea; Hungary again caught starving people in custody; interview on the International Labour Organization's new treaty; polluted air's effect on children; lack of justice in Sri Lanka; and warring parties still targeting civilians in conflicts.
A bit of good news to end the week. Saudi Arabia has partially lifted travel restrictions on women, limiting the heavily criticized male guardianship system: the most significant impediment to realizing women’s rights in the country.
An Equatorial Guinea court’s conviction of 112 defendants on May 31, 2019, in a trial rife with due process violations, including confessions extracted through torture, represents a gross miscarriage of justice.
The European Commission took legal action against Hungary for starving detained people in transit zones, but the practice is still ongoing, as documented by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee.
In a massive leap forward for workers everywhere, the International Labour Organization adopted a new treaty protecting people from violence and harassment at work. Human Rights Watch spoke to Marie Clarke-Walker, spokesperson for the workers’ side in the treaty negotiations, about the achievements and the struggles along the way.
Almost 700,000 children under five die each year as a result of air pollution, according to the the World Health Organisation.
On August 4, 2006, alleged Sri Lankan security forces murdered 17 aid workers from the Paris-based Action Contre La Faim. 13 years on, Sri Lankan authorities have failed to bring to justice those responsible for the killings.
And just a reminder - because it still seems some warring parties haven't got the message - the targeting of civilians is a war crime.