New Crackdown on Dissent in Hong Kong: Daily Brief
Worries about a new crackdown against protest movement in Hong Kong; Egypt's bad coronavirus response; Mexico should deliver accurate COVID-19 information to its citizens; Rohingya refugees and homeless people at risk during pandemic; what we can learn from Congo's ebola fight; and 'Crip Camp' and the birth of the disability rights movement in the United States.
The arrest of a pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong for “seditious intent” heightens concerns of a renewed crackdown against the protest movement.
“Instead of providing essential information and addressing the concerns of the public about the COVID-19 pandemic, Egypt’s government is squelching free speech and stifling basic rights,” says Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
And there's more bad news from Egypt. This week HRW published a report on torture of detained children in Egyptian prisons.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico is putting people in grave danger with his reckless disregard for providing accurate information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bangladesh government’s internet blackout and phone restrictions at Rohingya refugee camps is obstructing humanitarian groups from addressing the COVID-19 threat, risking the lives of over a million people.
Homeless people are also among the vulnerable groups most at risk of getting COVID-19, as many have underlying medical and mental health conditions and have nowhere to go to protect themselves or even just to wash their hands.
With the world focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, few noticed a milestone in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s battle with Ebola – a full month with no new infections. Read what we can learn from Congo's ebola fight.
And in these times of confinement, make sure you watch 'Crip Camp', an inspiring documentary film that traces the birth of the United States disability rights movement, now streaming on Netflix.