Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 18.10.2024 |  |
 | Iran: New Hijab Law Adds Restrictions and Punishments Iranian authorities have added new restrictions and imposed draconian new punishments for people violating the country’s compulsory dress laws, Human Rights Watch said today. The “Protection of the Family through Promoting the Culture of Hijab and Chastity” law, approved by parliament on September 20, 2023, was approved by the Guardian Council, the legal body that has final approval over Iran’s laws, in September 2024 and will soon come into force. Read more: hrw.org |
 | Philippines: Authorities increasingly using Facebook to stifle young activists’ right to freedom of expression and protest Philippines authorities are increasingly using Facebook in red-tagging campaigns targeting young activists, including those who investigate alleged human rights violations by the military, police and other government agencies, Amnesty International said today in a new report. The new report, “I turned my fear into courage”: Red-tagging and state violence against young human rights defenders in the Philippines, details how the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has increasingly weaponized digital tools, misinformation and vague anti-terror laws to harass, intimidate and repress young activists. Read more: amnesty.org |
 | N. Korea slams US envoy's remarks critical of N. Korean human rights situation North Korea on Monday denounced the U.S. human rights envoy for stressing that an inflow of outside information to North Korea is a key element of Washington's policy toward the North, claiming the U.S. aims to bring down the North's system. U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack visited South Korea last week and met with key government officials to discuss ways to improve North Korea's human rights situation. Read more: koreatimes.co.kr |
 | G.N. Saibaba’s death is an injustice Saibaba breathed his last at 8.36 pm on 12 October. His heart had stopped functioning and doctors were trying desperately to revive him. We all knew that it was not to be. He was on the ventilator for the last 24 hours. Vasantha, his wife, told me that his kidneys had stopped functioning. I did not know how to give her hope. She is a realist and must have known what was coming. It happened finally. Saibaba was 57 years old. He died due to complications arising after the removal of gallstones. Gallstones and surgery to remove them are common. Read more: frontline.thehindu.com |
 | UN Human Rights Office Condemns Worsening Violence According to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), two peacekeepers were injured on Friday after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower. This followed an incident on Thursday when an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Merkava tank fired at an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and injuring two additional personnel. Established by the UN Security Council, UNIFIL is tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities following the war between Israel and Hezbollah, confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and assisting the Lebanese government in restoring its authority in the area. Read more: scoop.co.nz |
 | Polish leader Tusk defends decision to suspend asylum law Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday defended a plan to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as human rights and and civil society organizations express concerns about the move. Poland has struggled since 2021 with migration pressures on its border with Belarus — which is also part of the European Union's external border. “It is our right and our duty to protect the Polish and European border,” Tusk said Monday on X. “Its security will not be negotiated.” Read more: yahoo.com |
 | Human Rights Committee Opens One Hundred and Forty-Second Session in Geneva The Human Rights Committee today opened its one hundred and forty-second session, during which it will examine the reports of Ecuador, France, Greece, Iceland, Pakistan and Türkiye on their implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In opening remarks, Dimiter Chalev, Chief, Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said he was pleased that all the annual sessions of the treaty bodies could take place this year despite the current liquidity situation facing the United Nations, including the Committee’s one-week working group on communications. Read more: ohchr.org |
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