There’s not a huge number of people indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), so it’s pretty easy to avoid them in your day-to-day life. In fact, there are, according to the ICC, only 16 ICC fugitives at large in a world of some eight billion people, so you really have to try hard to meet one.

But one diplomat “put in the extra effort” last week. Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s representative for children and armed conflict, met with Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights commissioner and one of those 16 most wanted people in the world.

Readers of the Daily Brief will recall the ICC indicted Lvova-Belova along with Russian president Vladimir Putin in March for the mass abduction of children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. The forced transfer of populations from occupied territory is a war crime.

Why would the UN’s Gamba meet with ICC fugitive Lvova-Belova? It seems ill-judged at the very least.

The UN Secretary-General actually has guidelines on contacts with ICC suspects to try to avoid undermining the Court’s authority and the force of its warrants. And the relationship agreement between the UN and the ICC places a general obligation on the UN to “refrain from any action that would frustrate the activities of the Court and its various organs…”

Many diplomats complained and tried to stop the meeting when they heard about it. But despite numerous objections, the UN Secretary-General was not swayed. The meeting went ahead.

The UN’s top leadership thus handed a propaganda coup to the Kremlin. Lvova-Belova wasted no time advertising the meeting with Gamba both over Telegram and on her official government webpage.

Looking ahead, this episode does not bode well for what’s likely the next diplomatic drama involving the world’s “most wanted 16.” In August, South Africa will host the BRICS summit, and fugitive Putin himself may try to attend.

As a member of the ICC, South Africa has an obligation to arrest him. But will they roll out the red carpet instead?

Uzbekistan’s government keeps promising to reform its authoritarian ways – and keeps failing to do so properly.

The latest issue concerns blocks on religious freedom. The authorities have pledged to lift restrictions on Muslims, but they still treat legitimate expressions of belief as “extremism.” And peaceful religious folks are paying the price.

To its credit, the government of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put an end to the routine mass arrests of Muslims, which was common under the late President Islam Karimov. He also released hundreds of people imprisoned for peaceful religious activities.

Yet, the fundamental issue – a mindset that sees religion as a threat – remains, and it leads to abusive policies.

Suspicious of anything outside their control, state officials try to dominate religious practice through two institutions: the Muftiyat, the Muslim spiritual board, and the State Committee on Religious Affairs, a government body that oversees religious practice in Uzbekistan.

If your beliefs fall outside the state’s “official Islam,” the authorities will limit you unfairly. They’ll block registration of your religious community, for example. Or they may even prosecute you for “extremism.” And if you then complain of torture in custody, as we’ve documented time and time again, they’ll ignore your claims.

The Uzbek authorities still have a long way to go to fulfil their promises of reform. They need to fully end their persecution of people for peaceful religious beliefs.

(written by Aiza Rodrigues Akhtar)

Many of you may remember the viral video of celebrity chef Salt Bae, who spread salt over a very expensive steak. He has a counterpart in Vietnam, who spread green onions in noodle soup.  

Bui Tuan Lam – aka Green Onion Bae – is a rights activist who has publicly and virtually criticized the Vietnamese government many times.  

His “ideology and passion” to “advocate for freedom, democracy and human rights” led him to participate in political and environmental protests, and humanitarian groups over the years.  

However, since 2014, Bui Tuan Lam hasn’t been allowed to leave the country, after he participated in a civil society campaign for human rights in Geneva.  

He has been harassed and threatened by authorities, who even caused him to lose his job and prevented Bui Tuan Lam from being represented by a lawyer when he was charged for distorting the government’s policies in 2013.  

But unlike the celebrity chef, Bui Tuan Lam didn’t become a global meme. He’s scheduled to go on trial tomorrow and faces up to 12 years in prison.   

(compiled by Lisa Maier)

• 50 million people trapped in 'modern slavery' according to Global Slavery Index (DW) 
• German police carry out raids targeting climate activists (Le Monde, English) 
• Malawi: hundreds of refugees rounded up and sent to camps (The Guardian) 
• Vietnam: activist charged with “propaganda” (HRW)