Human Rights | WPN World People News

The trials of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm director Zhou Shifeng and activists Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin, and Gou Hongguo, which are being held this week at Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, are a miscarriage of justice, Human Rights Watch said on Aug 3. Chinese authorities should immediately drop all charges against the lawyers, legal assistants, and rights activists detained in connection with the sweep of July 9, 2015. The trials, held between August 2 and 5, have not been open and public as claimed by Chinese authorities.

Yazidi refugees, including several children, go about their lives in Nawrouz refugee camp, approximately 40 kilometres from the Syrian border with Iraq.

UNICEF on 3 August launches a global sports initiative to engage people in its work for children. Sports enthusiasts worldwide can get involved in the Olympic and Paralympic action for free by signing up to Team UNICEF Get Active for Children, a scheme that unlocks a R$5 corporate donation every time participants complete 5km by foot or wheelchair.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović at the conference on shaping policies to advance media freedom on the Internet, Vienna, 14 February 2013. (Colin Peters)

Malaysia’s new National Security Council (NSC) Act, which came into force on August 1, 2016, is a tool for repression that should be immediately repealed, Human Rights Watch said on Aug 1. The government should instead revise its laws to incorporate international human rights standards into the effort to counter terrorism.

Morocco’s new law regulating work for domestic workers could help protect thousands of women and girls from exploitation and abuse, Human Rights Watch said on Aug 1. The new law was adopted by the House of Representatives on July 26, 2016, and will go into effect one year after publication in the official gazette.

The Afghan government should prosecute militia members responsible for killings and other abuses against civilians in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province in late June, 2016, Human Rights Watch said on Jul 31. Human Rights Watch interviewed villagers in the aftermath of the attack.

Sri Lankan authorities have not brought to justice those responsible for the execution-style slaying of 17 aid workers a decade ago this week, Human Right Watch said on JUl 31. On August 4, 2006, gunmen murdered local staff members from the Paris-based Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger, ACF) at their compound in the town of Muttur, in eastern Trincomalee district.

Save the Children has been working with their partner in the region around the clock to keep the bombed maternity hospital in Idlib open. It’s currently operating at a reduced level and only able to support emergency cases and non-surgical deliveries. C-section deliveries cannot be performed because some of the equipment and generators were damaged in the attacks. Repair work is underway.