Human Rights | WPN World People News

The government of Myanmar should promptly provide redress for past illegal confiscations of land, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Jul 17, 2018. The government should also enact laws and regulations to safeguard the rights of farmers and other small landholders from future confiscations.

Pakistan’s interim government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of candidates and political party activists who are at risk of attack from the Taliban and other militant groups, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 17. Nationwide parliamentary elections in Pakistan are scheduled for July 25, 2018.

Turkish authorities in Istanbul and nine provinces on or near the Syrian border have stopped registering all but a handful of recently arrived Syrian asylum seekers. The suspension is leading to unlawful deportations, coerced returns to Syria, and the denial of health care and education.

The Thai government has failed to address widespread labor rights abuses in Thailand’s fishing fleets, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to senior European Union officials on Jul 15, 2018.

Egyptian authorities are increasingly using counterterrorism and state-of-emergency laws and courts to unjustly prosecute journalists, activists, and critics for their peaceful criticism, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 15, 2018.

Hong Kong authorities should immediately reverse a decision to place 10 children’s books with LGBT themes in the “closed stacks” of public libraries, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 10 in a letter to Hong Kong’s Home Affairs Bureau. One of the books, And Tango Makes Three, is a children’s book based on a true story about two male penguins who hatch an egg and raise a youngster.

High-level Nicaraguan officials bear responsibility for grave, pervasive abuses being committed on their watch, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 10, 2018. These officials have failed to take meaningful steps to prevent or punish human rights violations by their subordinates.

The US Congress should adopt legislation to enhance targeted sanctions against Burmese military commanders who are implicated in serious human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 09 in a letter to congressional leaders with 45 other nongovernmental and faith-based organizations.

NATO has failed to fully investigate alleged unlawful airstrikes in Afghanistan, which may contribute to rising civilian casualties, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 09, 2018. Member countries attending the NATO Summit in Brussels on July 10-11, 2018, should call for impartial NATO investigations into airstrikes causing civilian loss in order to minimize civilian harm in future attacks. NATO members should also press the Afghan government to hold its forces accountable for serious violations of the laws of war.

Prison officials and security forces have arbitrarily detained and tortured prisoners for years in the notorious regional prison known as Jail Ogaden. Ethiopia’s new prime minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, should urgently order investigations into the horrific situation, and the government should ensure regional security forces and officials are held accountable.