Human Rights | WPN World People News

The Houthi-Saleh forces’ use of banned antipersonnel landmines in Yemen has caused numerous civilian casualties and hindered the safe return of civilians displaced by fighting, Human Rights Watch said on Apr 20. The Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh should immediately cease using these weapons and observe the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which Yemen ratified in 1998.

More apparel and footwear companies should join 17 leading apparel brands that have aligned with an important new transparency pledge, a coalition of unions and human rights and labor rights advocates said in a joint report issued on Apr 20. The pledge commits companies to publish information that will enable advocates, workers, and consumers to find out where their products are made.

The European Union foreign policy chief should speak out publicly and privately about the deteriorating human rights situation in China, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Apr 19.

Nepali authorities should immediately take effective steps to enforce the landmark Kavre district court murder verdict for the 2004 torture and killing of teenager Maina Sunuwar, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists said on Apr 19.

A UN team in the town of Tshimbulu in Kasai Central province, DRC, where 15 of the mass graves were found.

The Australian government should immediately halt military sales to Saudi Arabia following numerous unlawful Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Apr 18. Australia should also release details about military weapons and material it has sold to other members of the Saudi-led coalition carrying out the Yemen campaign and whether any Australian-made arms have been used in unlawful coalition attacks.

Chinese authorities should immediately release a longtime Taiwanese democracy activist who has been detained for a month on suspicion of endangering China’s national security, Human Rights Watch said on Apr 18. Chinese national security laws allow the authorities to deny Li Ming-Che, 42, access to his family and lawyers, leaving him at serious risk of mistreatment.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

Turkey’s government and president should reverse the decision to extend the state of emergency after winning the April 16, 2017 presidential referendum and end the wave of political repression unleashed in the months before the vote, Human Rights Watch said on Apr 17.

Chechen officials and clerics are threatening the newspaper that first exposed the campaign of police abuse against men in Chechnya perceived to be gay, Human Rights Watch said on Apr 17. Russian authorities should unequivocally condemn the threats, investigate them, and ensure that journalists are protected from harm.