Livelihoods in Cambodia Destroyed by China-Built Dam: Daily Brief
A China-built dam in Cambodia destroyed ecosystems and livelihoods; thousands flee Afghanistan’s north as Taliban advance; landmark trial of alleged Iranian war criminal in Sweden; armed groups target schools in Nigeria; witch-hunt against LGBT people in Ghana; call for release of Burundian human rights lawyer; and efforts to save the world's forests fall short of protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights.
A large-scale, Chinese-financed hydroelectric dam in northeastern Cambodia has undermined the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Indigenous and ethnic minority people who previously lived communally and mostly self-sufficiently from fishing, forest-gathering, and agriculture.
As Taliban militants make sweeping territorial gains in Afghanistan’s north tens of thousands of people flee their homes for the relative safety of the country’s capital Kabul. Nevertheless, six EU member states have warned against halting deportations of unsuccessful Afghan asylum seekers in a letter to the Commission.
A landmark trial of an Iranian citizen accused of participating in the mass execution of political prisoners opens in Sweden today.
Schools have become prime targets for armed groups in northern Nigeria. More than 1,000 students have been abducted this year alone, eclipsing the kidnapping of almost 300 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014.
A recently proposed bill on “sexual rights” and “family values” in Ghana is a case study in extreme cruelty, representing a witch-hunt against LGBT people.
Six international human rights groups are calling for the release of Burundian lawyer Tony Germain Nkina. His sentencing to five years in prison in June is a worrying reminder that those who used to be part of Burundi’s once vibrant human rights movement are still at risk.
And lastly: Efforts to save the world’s forests could soon get a boost from proposed laws in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States that would restrict the import of agricultural commodities linked to deforestation. But these laws would be more effective if they also protected the rights of Indigenous peoples.