Another Beijing Winter Olympics Fail: Daily Brief

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has for the first time made public its human rights due diligence for its Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics products, and that is where the good news ends. “While there is increased transparency, the IOC did not provide credible assurance that it isn’t sourcing products linked to forced labor and human rights abuses in the Uyghur region of China and elsewhere,” says HRW's Minky Worden in new research published today by Human Rights Watch and the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region. An IOC statement describing the due diligence it conducted on suppliers ahead of Beijing 2022 was released on January 19 – just over two weeks before the Winter Olympics began. It contained significant gaps, including inadequate transparency of audit results and lack of analysis of suppliers’ responsible sourcing practices. The IOC also did not explain how it assesses whether suppliers are complicit in human rights abuses across their broader business, including for non-IOC products. Human Rights Watch and the Coalition wrote to the IOC on January 31 to request additional information. So far they did not receive a reply.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings beginning next week underline the critical importance of bringing justice for the Myanmar military’s abuses against ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch and the Global Justice Center said today. The groups have released a question-and-answer document outlining recent developments in the case, including the impact of the February 1, 2021 military coup in Myanmar, on the ICJ proceedings. The hearings (Feb 21-28 in The Hague, The Netherlands) are for the case brought by Gambia against Myanmar, alleging that the military’s atrocities in Rakhine State against Rohingya Muslims violate the Genocide Convention. “The International Court of Justice hearings are the next step in the landmark case to break the cycle of violence and impunity in Myanmar,” says Nushin Sarkarati, associate international justice director at HRW. “The case could build a pathway to justice, not only for the Rohingya, but for everyone in the country.”

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is eyeing a series of separate high-profile meetings as another opportunity to boost his tainted image, as he's visiting Brussels for a summit between the European Union and the African Union this week. Instead of giving al-Sisi a highly-undeserved red carpet treatment, European leaders should focus on highlighting the human rights crisis unfolding under his rule, and take long-overdue steps to address it. 

Headlines about the beheading of 17-year-old Ghazaleh (Mona) Heydari shook Iranian society on Saturday. The police have arrested the victim’s husband and brother-in-law and stated that the motive was a “family dispute.” Heydari, who lived in Khuzestan province, was reportedly married off to her cousin at the age of 12 and had a three-year-old child. A source close to the victim reported that Heydari had attempted to escape domestic abuse by fleeing to Turkey, but close relatives brought her back to Iran. Media and rights groups reported that a man believed to be her husband was filmed roaming the streets of Ahvaz city in Khuzestan province holding a knife and Heydari's head.

The Sri Lankan government’s statement after a human rights lawyer, Ambika Satkunanathan, spoke before the European Parliament about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka amounts to harassment and intimidation, eight human rights groups including HRW said today. 

On February 17, Russia’s parliament will consider new legislation aimed at punishing state officials who commit torture. The recent leak of multiple videos revealing horrific physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of inmates in prisons across the country highlighted the urgency of significant reform to end a culture of impunity. The draft law reclassifies torture by officials as an “especially grave crime” with a penalty of up to 12 years in prison. However, significant concerns remain over the potential impact of the legislation.

And today, on Valentine's Day, we take a look at Panama, and the fight for marriage equality in this country.