Bad News for Rights in Russia: Daily Brief
Putin's new plan for constitutional reform could mean more bad news for people in Russia; death of US citizen underscores Trump administration’s failed approach on Egypt; reporters and protesters assaulted in Lebanon; US attorney general's unlock request to Apple could endanger us all; Morocco should treat prisoners humanely; European Parliament calls for release of Burundi's unjustly jailed journalists; and more World Report 2020 coverage.
Vladimir Putin, Russia's President, has announced plans for constitutional reform that, among other things, seem to clear a path for him to remain in power – albeit not as president – after his term expires in 2024. But the reforms have implications beyond Putin’s political future.
The death this week of Mustafa Kassem, an Egyptian-American imprisoned in Egypt after an unfair trial, underscores the Trump administration’s failed approach on human rights in Egypt.
The riot police in Lebanon beat and violently arrested largely peaceful protesters and journalists during demonstrations this week.
William Barr, Attorney General in the US, says the government has asked Apple to unlock two encrypted iPhones belonging to the perpetrator of last month’s fatal shooting at a naval base in Florida. Barr's request could endanger us all: it would require companies to weaken the encryption that keeps our digital lives safe and secure.
Ten years after an unfair mass trial in Morocco, eight men remain in jail today, including at least one in apparently inhuman conditions. Let’s not forget their plight.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Burundi ahead of the May 2020 elections.
And for those who missed it: this week Human Rights Watch released its annual World Report with a focus on China, which received a lot of media coverage worldwide, also thanks to the Chinese government.