Hong Kong journalists suspend human rights award
25/4/2022: Citing legal concerns, the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondent's Club has suspended the 26th edition of its human rights reporting award. Hong Kong's national security laws have stifled free press in the former bastion of democracy.
Source: DW
Myanmar: ASEAN’s Failed ‘5-Point Consensus’ a Year On
22/4/2022: Despite adopting a “five-point consensus” on the crisis a year ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has failed to fulfill its pledges or take meaningful steps toward pressing Myanmar’s abusive junta to end its human rights violations.
Source: Human Rights Watch
China ratifies international forced labor conventions
20/4/2022: China will ratify two different conventions on forced labor amid Western pressure and criticism over Beijing's treatment of minorities in the Xinjiang region. A European Union bilateral investment agreement fell through in 2020 due to human rights concerns.
Source: DW
Russia shuts down Human Rights Watch office
8/4/2022: Russia has cancelled the registration of Human Rights Watch, along with Amnesty International and 13 other offices of foreign NGOs. Russia has also adopted laws that criminalize independent war reporting, the latest in 10 years of repressive measures aimed to decimate civil society.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Human rights in Myanmar face profound crisis
21/3/2022: UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet has told the Human Rights Council that Myanmar's humanitarian crisis continues to expand, as systematic brutality by security forces has inflamed pre-existing armed conflicts in multiple ethnic states.
Source: UN News
Appalling violations in Myanmar demand international response
15/3/2022: Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 1,600 people and detained more than 12,500, since the military coup last year, the UN rights office has said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that serious rights abuses may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source: UN News
What does Russia leaving the Council of Europe mean?
17/3/2022: The Russian Federation's exit from Europe's top human rights watchdog has been condemned by human rights groups concerned about the impact on victims of the Kremlin's rights abuses. The Council of Europe was formed in 1949 and seeks to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law across Europe.
Source: DW
Bangladesh: stop flouting UN rights concerns
17/3/2022: The Bangladesh government should meaningfully respond to UN concerns regarding torture, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings in the country, Human Rights Watch has said. The US has already sanctioned the country’s Rapid Action Battalion for serious rights violations.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Cambodia: opposition politicians convicted in mass trial
17/3/2022: A Cambodian court has convicted 20 opposition politicians and activists, after an unfair trial in which no credible evidence was brought against the defendants, according to Human Rights Watch. Many activists have fled the country because they fear arbitrary arrest.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Mexico: Shelve regressive bill to curb civil society groups
11/3/2022: A bill being considered by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies would severely restrict the work of civil society groups in Mexico and violate Mexico’s international legal obligations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have said. The bill would prohibit non-profit organizations from trying to influence laws if they receive funding, directly or indirectly, from foreign governments or corporations.
Source: Amnesty International