Burundi's Electoral Campaign Begins Amid Crackdown: Daily Brief
Burundi's electoral campaign begins amid crackdown; court hearing for LGBT detainees in Uganda; protect voting rights amidst Covid-19; police brutality in the Philippines; 1999 mass killings in Kosovo; Chad's ex-dictator's victims await reparations; not everyone can socially distance; and solidarity in times of Coronavirus.
Campaigning for Burundi's May 20 election opens today, with widespread impunity for local authorities, security forces, and members of the ruling party’s youth league. Ahead of the elections, they have used fear and repression against the political opposition and the last remaining independent organizations and media.
Ugandan police arrested 23 people living at an LGBT shelter in Kampala on March 29, with homophobia being at the root of the arrests. Tomorrow, 19 of the detainees will finally have a court hearing.
Protecting voting rights is crucial in the wake of Covid-19. Many things are at stake as the United States battles Covid-19, and the right to vote is one of the central long-term concerns.
The Philippines government should immediately rein in out of control law enforcers and public officials committing rights abuses while they enforce Covid-19 quarantine and lockdown regulations.
On this day back in 1999, one of the biggest mass killings in Kosovo took place in the small village of Meja, a few miles northwest of Djakovica, and Korenica. None of those allegedly involved in the massacres have been prosecuted yet.
The victims of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré are still awaiting reparations following his trial and that of his accomplices.
Staying at home and social distancing isn't possible for many people around the world.
And here's an image of solidarity amid the pandemic. A union of street vendors in Barcelona has joined forces with a local clothing company to sew masks and aprons for health workers whose supplies are running low.