Human Rights | WPN World People News

Vietnamese lawmakers have approved a new cybersecurity law that human rights activists say will stifle freedom of speech.

The law will require online content providers such as Google and Facebook to remove content deemed offensive by authorities within 24 hours, and store the personal data of its customers on servers based in Vietnam, and to open offices in the Communist-run country.

The Zimbabwe government’s failure to carry out legal and electoral reforms threatens the credibility of national elections scheduled for July 30, 2018. Despite President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s repeated promises that elections will be free and fair, the ability of voters to freely choose their leaders is in serious doubt.

The North Korean government should immediately undertake meaningful reforms that will end the dire human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Human Rights Watch and more than 300 nongovernmental organizations said on Jun 07 in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Angolan authorities should promptly investigate the apparent summary execution of a criminal suspect by police officers in Luanda that was captured on video and shared on social media. The killing is one of dozens of reported cases of killings of young men suspected of crimes by alleged police officers in Angola.

North Korea remains one of the world’s most repressive states despite recent diplomatic openings with South Korea, the United States, and other countries, Human Rights Watch said on Jun 05 in a mid-year update to its annual summary of the human rights situation in North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US president Donald Trump plan to meet in Singapore on June 12, 2018, to discuss nuclear non-proliferation and other security issues, but human rights are not on the agenda.

Moroccan police responded to March 2018 protests in the impoverished mining town of Jerada with weeks of repression, Human Rights Watch said. Security forces used excessive force against protesters, recklessly drove a police van into a 16-year-old boy, who was severely injured, and arrested protest leaders and reportedly mistreated them in detention.

Kenyan officials and police officers have been threatening activists trying to get justice for police killings and other serious abuses during the 2017 elections.

A revised draft bill published by the Hungarian government on May 29, 2018, would criminalize efforts to help migrants and asylum seekers and curb their access to protection, Human Rights Watch said on May 31, 2018.

The Chinese government should acknowledge and take responsibility for the massacre of pro-democracy protesters in June 1989, Human Rights Watch said on May 31, 2018. Authorities should immediately release activists held for commemorating the occasion, and cease censoring discussions of the bloody crackdown.

Canada has made significant progress on gender equality in the last few years, developing institutions, policies, tools and accountability structures that position it as a leader in an area increasingly seen as a cornerstone of inclusive growth, according to a new OECD Review.