Threats and Posing Are Not Leadership: Daily Brief

George Floyd’s killing in the US shows that the country's law enforcement system needs fundamental change. But instead of the necessary leadership to address justified public outrage, we see threats to escalate the use of force and violence against peaceful protesters to clear a path for the president's photo op. 

Protests against police brutality continue to grow and intensify across the US, with police using excessive force in many cities. Journalists and media workers have also been police targets during protests. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 125 press freedom violations have been reported over three days of protests.

The June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Massacre was precipitated by the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in April 1989, calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption. The government should now accept responsibility for the massacre of an untold number of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators.

In Nigeria, violence against women and girls is all too familiar, while prosecutions and convictions are not. Authorities should adopt and enforce laws to ensure women and girls can live in dignity. They should start with ensuring #JusticeForUwa.

Russia should publish data about Covid-19 infections in state institutions for older people and people with disabilities, since a lack of information could exacerbate its spread and death toll. 

Two recent incidents in which six people were killed show the Nepali government has systematically failed to confront entrenched caste – or descent – based discrimination against Dalits. 

And help support Ai Weiwei's Covid-19 art project to benefit humanitarian action.