Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 02.08.2024 |  |
 | North Korean escapees urge U.S. to promote human rights, information access A group of young, professional North Korean escapees has been pushing for a change in U.S. policy toward North Korea in meetings with officials and policy experts in Washington, D.C., and New York. Yesterday they met with Ambassador Robert Wood at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and with members of the South Korean U.N. Mission. Last week they briefed staff at the National Security Council and the State Department's Korea desk, as well as staffers from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's office. Read more: upi.com |
 | Central African Republic: Torture and abuse in overcrowded prisons Torture, mistreatment, illegal and arbitrary detentions are commonplace in the overcrowded prisons of the Central African Republic, reported a United Nations report, released just days after UNICEF raised concerns that over a decade of prolonged conflict and instability, "endangers every single child" in the Central African Republic. These two separate international reports not only revisit the severe socio-political issues in the country but also spotlight a painful reality for children. Even minors are directly affected by the UN's findings on the state of the prisons. Read more: vaticannews.va |
 | India: Repression Persists in Jammu and Kashmir The Indian government has not restored freedom of speech and association to Jammu and Kashmir five years after revoking the region’s special autonomous status on August 5, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. The Indian security forces continue to carry out repressive policies including arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, and other serious abuses. Indian authorities seek to justify abuses by contending that political violence in the region has declined considerably in the past five years, with fewer civilian and security personnel casualties. Read more: hrw.org |
 | Nigeria: Authorities must uphold human rights ahead of planned nationwide protests Ahead of planned nationwide protests in response to food shortages and cost of living crisis, Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, said: “The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party. Government officials must also refrain from issuing rhetoric to demonize protesters and stifle peaceful dissent. Read more: africa.com |
 | Tanzania forcibly relocating Indigenous Maasai: HRW Tanzania has been forcibly evicting Indigenous Maasai from their ancestral lands, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report says. The report, published on Wednesday, found that the Tanzanian government aims to relocate more than 82,000 people from lands it has earmarked for “conservation and tourism purposes”. The programme, launched in 2022, aims to move people living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), home to the Maasai for generations, to Msomera village, which is roughly 600km (370 miles) away. Amid the push, tension has erupted between the authorities and the nomadic community, at times resulting in deadly clashes. Read more: aljazeera.com |
 | UN Security Council meets over Middle East escalations Iran and Israel each appealed to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to strongly condemn the other for recent deadly attacks. The council called for calm in a region it fears is sliding toward a wider war. “The Security Council should take immediate steps to hold Israel accountable for this act of aggression,” Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told an emergency meeting of the council, which his government requested following the early-morning assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Read more: voanews.com |
 | Pakistan: Respect Rights in Response to Balochistan March Pakistani authorities should exercise restraint in responding to demonstrations in Balochistan province, release all detained for peaceful protest, and restore internet access, Human Rights Watch said today. Since July 28, 2024, Pakistani authorities have detained hundreds of people in response to the Baloch National Gathering, a march seeking to raise awareness of human rights concerns in Balochistan. Some protesters reportedly attacked security forces, killing one soldier and injuring others. Baloch activists have alleged that government security forces have used excessive force to prevent protesters from reaching the port city of Gwadar, the end point of the march. Read more: hrw.org |
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