Human Rights

Myanmar: Mass Detention of Rohingya in Squalid Camps

Camp ‘Closures’ Entrench Confinement, Persecution

The Myanmar government should urgently end the arbitrary and indefinite detention of approximately 130,000 Rohingya Muslims in squalid and abusive camps in Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on October 08, 2020. Recent measures to ostensibly “close” the camps appear designed to make permanent the segregation and confinement of Rohingya and several thousand Kaman Muslims, whom authorities have interned in open-air detention camps since their displacement in a 2012 ethnic cleansing campaign.

More action needed for seafarers, ‘collateral victims’ of measures to curb COVID-19

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A containter ship sails near Hong Kong Island.

UN rights chief urges Iran to release jailed human rights defenders, citing COVID-19 risk

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A prison cell.

People with Mental Health Conditions Living in Chains

Worldwide Campaign to End Shackling, Shame

Hundreds of thousands of people with mental health conditions are shackled around the world, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on October 06, 2020. Men, women, and children, some as young as 10, are chained or locked in confined spaces for weeks, months, and even years, in about 60 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Egypt: Police Beat Man to Death, Family Says

Relatives, Witnesses, Journalists Detained

Egyptian authorities should conduct a credible investigation into the death of 26-year-old Islam al-Australi in police custody and make the results public, Human Rights Watch said on October 06, 2020. The police arrested neighbors and family members protesting the death and a journalist reporting about it.

Myanmar: Election Fundamentally Flawed

Rohingya Excluded, Unequal Media Access, Arrests of Critics

Myanmar’s electoral process is undermined by systemic problems and rights abuses that will deprive people of their right to fairly elect their government, Human Rights Watch said on October 05, 2020. Parliamentary, state, and local elections are scheduled for November 8, 2020.

Turkey: Politicians and Activists Detained

Government Uses 2014 Protests as Pretext for Political Crackdown

An Ankara court has ordered the detention of 17 current and former politicians and officials from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)and imposed judicial control conditions on three others released from custody, Human Rights Watch said on October 02, 2020.

Russia Expands Facial Recognition Despite Privacy Concerns

Lack of Accountability, Oversight, Data Protection

Russian authorities are planning to expand the use of CCTV cameras with facial recognition software, despite weighty concerns about the lack of regulation, oversight, and data protection, Human Rights Watch said on October 02, 2020.

Iraq urged to investigate attacks on women human rights defenders

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Humanitarian partners distribute emergency assistance in Ibrahim Khalil village in Iraq.

India: UN expert raises alarm over mass evictions of Delhi railway track dwellers

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Deserted streets in the Indian capital, Delhi, during the nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.