Help Us Stop the War on Civil Society in Belarus: Daily Brief
Campaign to stop the crackdown on civil society in Belarus; why the UN Human Rights Council needs to continue investigating Burundi's rights situation; raids targeting critics and activists in India; world leaders should tackle rights abusers at upcoming UN General Assembly; political persecution of vigil organizers in Hong Kong; and exhibition in Paris raises awareness about abuses by Myanmar's junta.
On the first anniversary of the crackdown by Belarus authorities on one of the country’s leading human rights groups, the Viasna Human Rights Center, twenty-three international and Belarusian rights organisations have launched the #Free Viasna campaign, demanding the release of seven Viasna members and hundreds of other victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
According to a UN report and new Human Rights Watch research killings, disappearances, torture, and other grave abuses persist in Burundi. Contrary to promises made by President Evariste Ndayishimiye, no structural reform has been undertaken to durably improve the situation. All the more reason for the United Nations Human Rights Council, currently meeting in Geneva, to ensure that international investigations continue.
Since the beginning of September, the Indian government has been trying to silence dissent by raiding houses of human rights activists, journalists, and other government critics using politically motivated allegations of tax evasion and financial irregularities as pretext. Not only do these abuses weaken India’s core democratic institutions, they also undermine India's influence as a world leader promoting human rights.
World leaders who will gather for this year's United Nations General Assembly next week, should discuss and address the world’s major human rights crises. Along with holding abusive governments accountable, they need to champion UN actions on global threats, like Covid-19 and the climate crisis.
Sixty-one rights groups around the world, in a joint press release, call on the Hong Kong government to drop all charges against civil society leaders who were arrested for organizing a mass vigil remembering the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in China.
And lastly: A new exhibition, set in the center of Paris, shows powerful testimonies by Burmese artists who took to the streets after the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, using their art and creativity to peacefully call for a return to democratically elected civilian government. Will the French government hear the call and act boldly against the junta's repression?