Pakistan needs more than elections to be a democracy
6/2/2024: Both former prime ministers of Pakistan, Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, have disregarded the Charter of Democracy, a 2006 pledge by Pakistani politicians to refrain from colluding with the security establishment to derail democratic processes. By doing that, they have undermined conditions necessary for a rights-respecting democracy.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Election delay in Senegal puts rights at risk
5/2/2024: Senegal’s President Macky Sall has announced that presidential elections, slated for February 25, will be delayed indefinitely. Senegal has long been considered a beacon of democracy in the inceasingly troubled region. This is now at risk.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Saudi Arabia must abide by UN Human Rights Council review
30/1/2024: Amnesty has called on Saudi Arabia to act on the UN's latest Universal Periodic Review of human rights which contains 354 recommendations including eliminating all forms of discrimination against women. Since its last review in 2018, Saudi Arabia has failed to implement many of the recommendations it had supported at the time.
Source: Amnesty International
China set to dodge accountability at UN human rights review
24/1/2024: The UN Human Rights Council is about to begin the process of China’s Fourth Cycle Universal Periodic Review, amid a deeply hostile environment for minorities in China and an increasingly desperate Hong Kong population. The Chinese government has already expressed its resistance to the concept of universality, preferring a ‘Chinese path of human rights development.'
Source: East Asia Forum
A human rights economy is key to sustainable development
17/1/2024: The UN Summit of the Future scheduled for September 2024 may be the final opportunity to stimulate real momentum to the Sustainable Development Goals. An alternative economic model that enables the realization of human rights within planetary boundaries has support from many development agencies.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Global rights crises deepen as world leaders shy away
11/1/2024: Global leaders have failed to take strong stands to protect human rights during 2023, a year of some of the worst crises and challenges in recent memory, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2024. Transactional diplomacy is undermining universal human rights principles.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: election with a foregone conclusion
12/1/2024: The general election held in Bangladesh on 7 January was preceded by a blatant campaign of intimidation by the ruling Awami League. The country’s civic space rating has been downgraded to "closed" by the CIVICUS Monitor, the collaborative research project that tracks the health of civic space in every country. This places Bangladesh among the world’s worst human rights offenders, including China, Iran and Russia.
Source: Inter Press Service
One-sided Bangladesh election raises fear of one-party rule
9/1/2024: Officials from several countries have expressed doubts over the credibility of the results of Bangladesh's January 7 election. 94% of the parliament seats will be filled by lawmakers who are members of incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League. A crackdown on opposition activists saw tens of thousands jailed in the run up to the election.
Source: VOA
US formally removes Uganda from Agoa
2/1/2024: Uganda has lost the concession to export certain commodities to the US duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. This results from President Museveni's assent to an anti-gay law which introduces serious repercussions, including life imprisonment or death, for same-sex relations.
Source: The East African
Taliban’s return to international norms is non-negotiable
20/12/2023: The head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has briefed the UN Security Council that lack of progress in resolving human rights issues continues to prevent the country obtaining a seat at the United Nations. Meanwhile, Afghanistan remains one of the countries with the highest levels of humanitarian needs, with more than 29 million people requiring assistance.
Source: UN News