Rest in Power Dewa Mavhinga: Daily Brief

Human Rights Watch is heartbroken about the sudden death of Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa director at HRW and beloved colleague to many activists across the human rights movement. Mavhinga was known not just for his passion, commitment and leadership on human rights, but above all for his great heart, his kindness and solidarity with others. Many are joining us in remembering a good man.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been convicted to four years in prison by a court in Myanmar. The leader and Nobel Prize laureate, who later became infamous when she denied mass atrocity crimes by the Myanmar army in front of judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, has now been found guilty of 'incitement' during a closed-door court session. She's been behind bars since February, when the military seized full control of the country again.

Parliament in the United Kingdom is debating the Nationality and Borders Bill, which could pave the way for the offshore detention of asylum seekers – borrowing from Australia's rights-abusing model. HRW spoke to former detainees and personnel with experience of the Australian regime and asked them to share their story. Watch their statements here.

As the rights of refugees and migrants are being trampled on at the borders of Fortress Europe, pope Francis has shown once more what real leadership on this topic looks like, advocating for humane ways of dealing with this issue.

Member states of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, are holding their annual meeting this week. An ongoing review to strengthen the court's delivery of justice is top of the agenda. As the court seeks much-needed improvements, governments should focus on their key responsibility to provide practical and political support for justice. HRW is covering the meeting with a team, led by Liz Evenson. Make sure you also follow Richard Dicker, Esti Tambay & Alice Autin for updates via Twitter.

This weekend, Saudi Arabia hosted its first Formula 1 racing event, a perfect opportunity for athletes and human rights organizations to highlight the horrible human rights record of the host country. Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton condemned Saudi Arabia's ‘terrifying’ LGBTQ+ laws, and advocated equality in a very public way.

And more news on the intersection of sports and human rights: HRW and FairSquare have asked world football federation FIFA to publicly call on the authorities in Qatar to ensure a fair trial for Abdullah Ibhais, a detained former employee of Qatar’s 2022 football World Cup organizers.