• Unprecedented call for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics; 
  • A year of devastation in Myanmar;  
  • Consequences of the coup in Burkina Faso; 
  • Setback for accountability for Syrian crimes; 
  • Protect civilians in Russia/Ukraine escalation.
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While the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will open just one week from now, 243 nongovernmental organizations have joined forces in a call to stop legitimizing the Chinese government's grave record of abuses. The organizations warned against Beijing’s crimes against humanity targeting ethnic Uyghurs, repression in Hong Kong and Tibet, and the risks athletes and journalists will face at the event. The stark reality of the Chinese government’s atrocity crimes and ongoing impunity should compel the IOC, sponsors, and others associated with the Olympics to stand with victims and survivors. Governments should join the diplomatic boycott; sponsors need to enforce their human rights due diligence; and sports fans have to get informed about crimes against humanity.

It's almost been a year since the military coup in Myanmar; and the people have not stopped fighting for democracy. They have been met with brutal force: since February 1, 2021, the Junta has detained, tortured, displaced, and shot people, leading to war crimes and crimes against humanity. What's more, by blocking aid from reaching millions at risk, the military has deepened a humanitarian catastrophe. How much longer will it take for the international community to halt the junta’s countrywide policy of suppressing the opposition, and for influential governments to impose sanctions on natural gas revenue to cut off the junta from its flow of money and arms?

The Burkina Faso coup adds yet another military takeover to those that have occurred in Africa in the past year in ChadGuineaMali, and Sudan. The reality of the country’s deteriorating human rights situation, weak democratic institutions, the brutal armed conflict in the region, and impunity for atrocities committed on all sides outlines a growing humanitarian crisis. The military shouldn't make a bad situation even worse.

January has delivered important progress in accountability for grave crimes committed in Syria, with the conviction of a former official for crimes against humanity and the opening of a second trial under the same principle of Universal Jurisdiction in Germany. In a sharp contrast, a French court’s decision that one of these prosecutions could not proceed raises fears that France could harbor perpetrators of similar crimes in Syria and elsewhere.

If you're interested in knowing what the military escalation around Ukraine means for the protection of civilians and human rights, listen to this Twitter Space conversation with Human Rights Watch's experts on the issue.