Protesters Defy Myanmar Military Junta: Daily Brief
Myanmar's unjustly jailed anti-coup protesters must be released; love is stronger than fear in Russia; news updates from the fight for rights in Saudi Arabia; end abuses in Sahel counterterrorism operations; Mexico Senate should protect women with disabilities; and the International Criminal Court has a new prosecutor.
The military junta in Myanmar should immediately drop all charges and unconditionally release all those arbitrarily arrested since the military seized power on February 1. It should also scrap a draconian bill that would give it sweeping powers to access user data, block websites, order internet shutdowns, and imprison critics and officials at noncomplying companies.
People inside and outside Russia showed that love is stronger than fear during Valentine's Day protests for democracy and against political repression on Sunday, angering the authorities.
Some good news from Saudi Arabia, as the country seems to be serious about purging its school religion textbooks of hateful and intolerant language. And women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is finally reunited with her family. She is far from really free though, and many other human rights defenders remain unjustly jailed.
Heads of state gathering in Chad today and tomorrow should commit to protecting the rights of civilians and detainees and investigating alleged abuses during counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region.
The Senate in Mexico should ensure protection for women with disabilities who are victims of violence, a coalition of human rights groups said today.
And the International Criminal Court’s member countries have elected Karim Khan as prosecutor after an unprecedented vote.