Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia Are Losing Their Forests to Palm Oil: Daily Brief
Indigenous peoples in Indonesia are losing their forests to palm oil; arrests in Egypt's protests; International Day of Sign Languages; Israeli Supreme Court will hear appeal by HRW's Israel and Palestine director on his deportation; European Union interior ministers discuss "automatic" system for the relocation of asylum seekers; and Indonesia's draft Criminal Code is disastrous for rights.
The Indonesian government is failing to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples who have lost their traditional forests and livelihoods to oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan and Jambi provinces.
In Egypt, demonstrations against President al-Sisi’s rule continue and, according to the Egyptian Centre for Economic & Social Rights, at least 274 arrests have been recorded since the demonstrations began last Friday.
More than 70 million deaf people use sign languages to communicate every day, but many still face barriers to basic interactions. Everyone should be able to use their own language and access information. On this International Day of Sign Languages, governments should ensure equal access to information and services for them.
Tomorrow morning, the Israeli Supreme Court will hear the appeal from Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine director, against the Israeli government's decision to deport him.
Five interior ministers from European Union countries are meeting today in Malta to try to work out an "automatic" system for the relocation of asylum seekers. They should ensure that the new rescue system is fair and predictable.
Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced on Friday he wanted parliament to delay its vote on the country’s proposed new criminal code. The pending bill contains dozens of articles that violate the rights of ultimately all Indonesians...