Attacks on Civilians Increase in Mali: Daily Brief
Attacks on civilians increase in Mali; governments should commit to avoid using explosive weapons; #GoTransparent; elections in Cameroon; detention of Chinese Muslims likely to worsen under coronavirus outbreak; new African Union leadership should promote human rights; five urgent issues for Indonesia’s president; and #HRWeekend recap.
Armed groups in Mali have escalated their attacks on civilians, massacring people in their villages, and executing men pulled from public transportation vehicles based on their ethnicity. Our new report is based on witness accounts from dozens of attacks by armed groups.
Today, leaders are meeting in Geneva to discuss the use of explosive weapons. During this momentous opportunity, states should make a commitment to avoid using explosive weapons with wide-area effects in cities and towns.
Knowing where and by whom your clothes are being made isn't always easy. In reaction to this, River Island is the latest apparel brand to sign the Transparency pledge, affirming that going transparent and disclosing the supply chain is the first and necessary step to protect workers.
The elections in Cameroon yesterday came just days after a report by Amnesty International revealing a rise in killings by the military and subsequent cover-ups. Follow HRW researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi for updates and background on the matter.
The arbitrary, secretive detention of over a million Chinese Muslims is likely to worsen with the coronavirus response, writes HRW's Sophie Richardson. The government's adoption of an authoritarian approach to the outbreak, relying on a quarantine and press censorship, eerily mirrors the strategy used to detain Uighurs.
Yesterday the South-African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, was elected as the chairperson of the African Union for 2020. From this newly-acquired position, Ramaphosa has the authority to influence decisions and the opportunity to improve and protect human rights in the region.
Today the Indonesian President adresses Australia's parliament, and HRW has listed five key human rights issues that Australian leaders should raise. Among them the cruel discrimination and violence LGBT people face and the rising religious intolerance.
And the Human Rights Weekend has concluded in Amsterdam. Check out what human rights issues people were concerned about and our interview with Felipe Bustos Sierra, director of award-winning documentary "Nae Pasaran".