COP27 draws attention to Egypt’s repressive regime
8/11/2022: The COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh has triggered a negative fallout for Egypt’s authoritarian regime which stands accused of human rights abuses. At least 151 detainees are currently being investigated by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, while hundreds more have faced shorter arrests and questioning.
Source: Inter Press Service
Global Rule of Law recession enters 5th year
26/10/2022: For the fifth year in a row, the rule of law has declined globally, according to the 2022 Rule of Law Index. Respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms is down in three-quarters of countries since 2015.
Source: World Justice Project
Xinjiang vote betrays core mission of UN Human Rights Council
6/10/2022: The UN Human Rights Council has decided not to debate the findings of its High Commissioner concerning crimes against humanity in China's Xinjiang region. The head of Amnesty International calls out this decision as a chronic dysfunction of the Council.
Source: Amnesty International
Uyghur rights report a litmus test for global governance
3/10/2022: The Chinese government is doing everything in its power to block a debate in the UN Human Rights Council on a recently released UN report alleging crimes against humanity in Xinjiang region. The Human Rights Council was conceived in 2006 as a representative body of states expected to uphold the highest standards.
Source: Inter Press Service
Myanmar human rights spiralling from bad to worse
21/9/2022: The independent human rights expert on Myanmar has appealed to UN Member States to change course in their collective response to the military coup. The death toll of innocent people is rising significantly and 130,000 Rohingya remain in de facto internment camps.
Source: UN News
Venezuela accused of crimes against humanity to crush dissent
20/9/2022: The UN says President Maduro of Venezuela is directing security agencies to arrest and torture political opponents. Abuses are also rife in the south, where gold mining profits have put a target on the backs of indigenous peoples.
Source: DW
China rallies support over Xinjiang report
14/9/2022: In a statement backed by 20 other countries, China has attacked a UN report on alleged abuses in Xinjiang. The current session of the Human Rights Council is mulling a possible historic motion against China.
Source: CNA
50 million people in modern slavery
12/9/2022: UN agencies report that 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, an increase of 10 million since 2016. More than half of all forced labour and a quarter of all forced marriages can be found in upper-middle income or high-income countries.
Source: UN News
UK government heads to court over refugee expulsion plan
8/9/2022: The UK government is appealing to the Royal Courts of Justice in London to rule that its controversial plan to expel potential refugees to Rwanda should be allowed to proceed. The UK advocacy director at Human Rights Watch is interviewed about the ramifications of the hearing.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UK Prime Minister Truss should end assault on rights
6/9/2022: Human Rights Watch calls on the UK's new Prime Minister to halt the systematic destruction of freedoms engineered by her predecessor. Boris Johnson’s government made Britain a less open, fair, and democratic society.
Source: Human Rights Watch