Bosnia's Poisoned Skies: Daily Brief

The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s have failed to tackle the country’s horrific air pollution, which kills thousands of people prematurely each year and is detrimental to the health of thousands more. The country’s reliance on coal and wood for heat and coal for electricity generation makes cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina some of the world’s most polluted during the winter months. The country has the fifth-highest mortality rate from air pollution. “An outdated reliance on coal in Bosnia and Herzegovina is killing thousands every year, while the authorities do little to prevent the problem or even to warn people of the risk to their health,” says Felix Horne, senior environment researcher at Human Rights Watch. “With air pollution season just a few months away, there is no time to waste to start making changes.”

After much prodding, the United States Defense Department for the first time in its history has created a comprehensive policy and process framework for preventing and responding to US military harm to civilians during armed conflict. “This time the Pentagon got it right on civilian protection,” says Sarah Yager, Washington director at HRW. “The plan is robust, with more staffing, process, and data collection. These are bureaucratic fixes we’ve been seeking to save civilian lives since the US military ramped up operations following the 9/11 attacks.”

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s plan to formalize and indefinitely extend military control of federal law enforcement tasks poses a serious threat to human rights and transparency. Last week, the government announced plans to send legislation to Congress that would formally transfer control of the National Guard—the main federal law enforcement agency charged with public security operations—from the Public Security Ministry to the Defense Ministry. He also said the president plans to introduce a bill amending the constitution to make the change permanent and to eliminate the prohibition on law enforcement by soldiers. 

Recently Tamara Taraciuk Broner, deputy director in HRW's Americas Division, tried a virtual reality experience by Venezuelan activists that recreated a cell in Helicoide, the notorious detention center in Caracas operated by local intelligence services. "You walk into a tiny, dark cell, listen to flies, and hear narrations of the abuses people suffered in there, in their own voices. It was a harsh reminder of the many accounts I’ve gathered over the years from victims of Venezuelan security agents’ arbitrary arrests and torture. Sadly, their experiences are far from virtual – and make no mistake, they continue today."

Authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq often tout the region’s prosperity and stability relative to other parts of Iraq. But the pre-emptive arrest of activists, opposition politicians, and journalists merely for organizing, attending, and covering peaceful political protests is nothing to be proud of.

And we're still waiting for the publication of a key United Nations report on human rights abuses by the Xi Jinping regime in China. Will UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, salvage her legacy before her term ends on Wednesday? She should release the report on abuses in Xinjiang immediately, speak out clearly about the scope and widespread and systematic nature of the Chinese government’s abuses, and call for the release of all those wrongfully detained.