Human Rights | WPN World People News

Protesters detained during demonstrations in Minsk, Belarus, are released from prison.

Russian authorities should stop broadcasting programs featuring images of and interviews with captured Ukrainian soldiers that expose them to public curiosity, Human Rights Watch said on April 28, 2022. Such treatment of prisoners of war, or POWs, violates protections under the Geneva Conventions intended to ensure dignified treatment of captured combatants on all sides.

A man washes clothes next to a road used by a bauxite mining consortium in Guinea, West Africa. Local community members said that the construction of mining roads blocked rivers and streams, diverting their course and reducing water levels in local wells.

The Pakistan government should amend provisions of the criminal law that treat murder and other serious offenses as private disputes, Human Rights Watch said on April 26, 2022. These legal provisions, called “blood money” laws, allow and at times compel victims of serious crimes or their families to “forgive” suspects and drop criminal charges, typically out of fear of retaliation or in exchange for financial compensation.

An Egyptian court sentenced two singers to a year in prison and fines on March 28, 2022, on charges that violate their right to freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said on April 27, 2022. The government should announce that it will not enforce the court judgment and will take steps to repeal the cybercrime law articles criminalizing free expression.

It is crucial for President Emmanuel Macron to make human rights a priority of both his domestic and his foreign policy in his second term, Human Rights Watch said on April 25, 2022.

Russian forces now occupying most of Ukraine’s southeastern port city of Mariupol should ensure that civilians remaining in the city can leave in safety to Ukraine-controlled territory if they choose, Human Rights Watch said on April 26, 2022. Older people, people with disabilities, and those who are sick or injured require special attention.

Israeli authorities should immediately release Mohammad al-Halabi, a humanitarian worker from Gaza detained for nearly six years both before and during his trial, Human Rights Watch said on April 25, 2022. The Israeli Supreme Court on February 17, 2022, renewed al-Halabi’s detention for 90 days: its 23rd such renewal.

The Sabah state government in Malaysia should immediately make public the terms and status of a land deal that would hand management of 4.9 million acres of tropical forest to a foreign company for up to 200 years, Human Rights Watch said on April 25, 2022. The Sabah government is obligated to respect and protect the rights of the communities and tens of thousands of Indigenous people who call the forest their home and derive their livelihoods from it, and to ensure that any deal reached with the company upholds these rights.