Flight MH17 Trial Begins: Daily Brief
Flight MH17 trial begins; refugees in Greece under attack; communications shutdown in Ethiopia takes heavy toll; death sentences and torture in Bahrain; Dubai ruler’s captive daughters; women’s property rights limited in Kenya; and Judith Heumann's fearless advocacy of disability rights around the world.
Today, the trial opens of those accused of shooting down flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people. Human Rights Watch will monitor the session happening near Schiphol Airport.
"The situation in Greece's Moria Camp has been worsening, as NGOs are suspending their humanitarian operations because of threats, mob violence, and arson directed against them", HRW's Bill Frelick said in a new interview from the ground, where over 20,000 people have been crammed into a camp intended for less than 3,000.
In Ethiopia, both internet and phone communications have been shut down, creating a complete information blackout with grave consequences.
Bahrain’s authorities should overturn the death sentences following unfair trials against two men who say they were tortured, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said today.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should secure the freedom of two daughters of the ruler of Dubai, who a United Kingdom court found are being confined against their will.
In Kenya, land access and ownership is a key factor in restricting women's access to better standards of living and independence.
And Judith Heumann, who has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, has been named one of TIME magazine's "100 Women of the Year".