Weekly update: 20 August- 27 August
The following media round up of international legal and foreign policy issues from around the world for the week of 20 August- 27 August 2019
The Guernica Group will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Nenad Vucijak for consideration.
Tanzania: 23 August 2019
Calls are made for journalist Joseph Gandye to be released from custody. Mr Gandye had been investigating allegations of serious human rights violations such as torture and other ill treatment and sexual abuse by the Tanzanian police. His arbitrary arrest is a travesty and a ploy to prevent him from exposing human rights violations.
Sudan: 23 August 2019
Sudan’s new transitional government should take concrete steps to ensure accountability for past human right\s abuses, including the attacks on protesters since the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 says Human Rights Watch.
Pakistan: 23 August 2019
In July 2016, 26-year-old Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death by her brother, who said he killed her because she “brought dishonour” to their family and tribe through her flamboyant online videos and statements.
Zimbabwe: 26 August 2019
In a statement released by Amnesty International the organization declares that during his first year as President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa has presided over a systematic and brutal crackdown on human rights, including the violent suppression of protests and a witch- hunt against anyone who dared challenge his government. Abductions and torture of human rights activists has continued in an attempt to silence them from freely expressing themselves.
ECHR: 27 August 2019
The European Court ruled on Tuesday that the Russian government violated several articles in the European Convention on Human Rights over the course of its 11-month pre-trial detention and posthumous criminal conviction of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian tax auditor and government corruption whistle-blower. He was found dead on the floor of his small jail cell in Northeastern Moscow ten years ago.
Myanmar: 27 August 2019
After years of discussion and debate, Myanmar has finally enacted a law to protect the rights of children. To be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the law defines a child as anyone younger than 18 and provides all children born in Myanmar to have the right to birth registration.
Myanmar: 29 August 2019
Filmmaker Min Htin Ko Gyi was sentenced to one year in prison in Myanmar for a Facebook post criticising the country’s military. The guilty verdict handed down is an appalling indictment of the state of freedom of expression in Myanmar and is especially cruel given that Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi suffers from serious health problems, including liver cancer, and needs specialist treatment.
Uzbekistan: 27 August 2019
The announcement that the notorious Jaslyk prison would be closed offers new hope that Uzbekistan is on the path to making serious improvements in its terrible record on human rights. Since it’s opening in 1999, Jaslyk has stood as a symbol of Uzbekistan’s terrible human rights record, a “house of torture” for thousands of religious prisoners, government critics and others.
International Criminal Court: 27 August 2019
The Angels of Liberty Institute has filed a request before the International Criminal Court to investigate Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his responsibility in the fires that are currently devouring the Amazon rainforest. According to the petition, the fires are a ‘reflection of the projects of Bolsonaro and his political group, that are only carried out through the genocide of local populations, including indigenous peoples.”
Iraq: 28 August 2019
Hundreds of internally displaced Iraqis, including women and children, have been forcibly returned from a northern camp, Hammam al-Alil, to their hometown in Hawija despite serious humanitarian and security concerns. Many of these people don’t have homes to go back to and will struggle to access essential services such as health care and schooling and may not afford access to water and electricity.
Guatemala: 28 August 2019
A few days before the exit of the International Commission against impunity in Guatemala from the country, an open letter has been published to the Attorney General of Guatemala calling on her to assume her responsibility to provide continuity to the efforts and achievements made in the fight against impunity.
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