Human Rights | WPN World People News

A young girl ties tobacco leaves onto sticks to prepare them for curing in East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Afghanistan’s government should urgently act to end wrongful imprisonment and humiliating, scientifically invalid “virginity exams” of women and girls, Human Rights Watch said on 25 May. Despite a pledge from President Ashraf Ghani in a February 2016 letter to Human Rights Watch to “prevent the imprisonment of women accused of running away from their family,” Afghan police and prosecutors continue to engage in the abusive practice.

The Indian authorities routinely use vaguely worded, overly broad laws as political tools to silence and harass critics, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released on 24 May. The government should repeal or amend laws that are used to criminalize peaceful expression.

Vietnamese authorities should immediately drop all charges related to unlawful departure against “boat people” returned from Australia, Human Rights Watch said on 24 May. Australia should immediately insist the cases be dropped, since Vietnam had promised there would be no retaliation against the Vietnamese migrants returned.

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, should raise human rights concerns when he visits Azerbaijan on May 24 and 25, 2016, Human Rights Watch said on 24 May. The Azerbaijani government’s crackdown on independent voices is inconsistent with the principles outlined in the bank’s charter and other requirements.

479 cases of Tibetan detainees, by activity.

Law enforcement officers aggressively broke up efforts to hold planned peaceful protests across Kazakhstan on May 21, 2016, detaining hundreds of people, sometimes using force, Human Rights Watch said on 22 May. Police also rounded up journalists and human rights activists who attempted to monitor and report on the unfolding events.

The Indonesian government should delay the exhumation of mass graves linked to the massacres of 1965-1966 until forensic experts are available to assist, Human Rights Watch said on 22 May. The government should also arrange security at known or suspected mass grave sites to prevent unauthorized exhumations.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović on May 21 criticized the recent mass detentions of members of the media in Kazakhstan.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 24-25, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Staff Attorney Kit Walsh and Senior Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz will participate in public roundtable discussions about the impact of U.S. copyright law on freedoms to investigate and improve the software embedded in everyday products, devices, and appliances.