Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 24.05.2024 |  |
 | Egyptians disappearing ‘behind the sun’ At one o’clock in the morning, last 10 March, a large security force raided the home of Egyptian journalist, Yasser Abu Al-Ala (50 years old), located in the city of Badrshein (south of Cairo), without judicial authorisation, and seized his phone, personal computer and the phones of his family members. He then forcibly disappeared for about 50 days. In an unsuccessful attempt to find him, his wife, Naglaa Fathi (44 years old), submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor. The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate also submitted a second report stating the disappearance of Abu Al-Ala. Read more: middleeastmonitor.com |
 | Biden Should Oppose US Sanctions on ICC On May 20, 2024, the court’s prosecutor announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for three leaders of Hamas and two senior Israeli officials. Some members of the US Congress have threatened to retaliate against the ICC, including by imposing sanctions against court officers, if the court moves forward with arrest warrants against Israeli officials in its Palestine investigation. Although the United States is not a member of the ICC, Republican and Democratic administrations have supported the court in specific cases, and the US government has assisted with the arrest of suspects wanted by the court. Read more: hrw.org |
 | Immigration crisis: What crisis? There is no avoiding the fact that, in recent years, the number of migrants on the move has been on the increase. A combination of war, civil unrest and abject poverty have pushed many thousands to take enormous risks in the hope of finding a better life in another country. The problem is that, rather than being welcomed with open arms, most of these people are instead faced with hostility from their hosts. In many countries, they are treated like criminals, locked up in detention centers while the authorities examine each case. Suddenly, these people go from being members of society to mere statistics. Read more: arabnews.com |
 | Ecuador rights abuses under state of 'armed conflict': HRW Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa to reverse his declaration of a state of "internal armed conflict" in the gang-violence torn country, saying it had opened the door to rights abuses. Despite Noboa's efforts to reduce violence blamed on an escalating war between rival gangs, the security situation "continues to be dire," HRW Americas director Juanita Goebertus Estrada wrote in an open letter addressed to Noboa. Not only that, but there have been "multiple instances of serious human rights violations committed by security forces."Noboa declared a state of emergency in January after a dangerous narco boss -- Jose Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito" -- escaped from maximum security detention. Read more: timesofindia.indiatimes.com |
 | Yemen: One year on, Huthis must release Baha’is arbitrarily detained over their religion and end persecution of minorities The Huthi de facto authorities must immediately and unconditionally release five members of the Baha’i community who have been arbitrarily detained in Sana’a without charges for almost a year as part of the ongoing persecution of people of the Baha’i minority faith, Amnesty International said today, amid concerns that the men might be at risk of further violations, including torture and other ill-treatment. On 25 May 2023, Huthi armed forces stormed a peaceful gathering of the Baha’is in a private residence in Sana’a and arbitrarily detained 17 people, including five women. They forcibly disappeared them for around four months until their families learned they were being held at Huthi-run security and intelligence detention centres in Sana’a. Read more: ohchr.or |
 | Moldova: students and the government take action on gender equality and violence against women At the State University of Chisinau (USM) some 120 students learned about the role of the Council of Europe in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women. During his visit to the Republic of Moldova, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge engaged with the students, discussing the situation in the country and encouraging them to use their digital knowledge to combat the escalating issue of online violence against women. “We need your knowledge and expertise. Call out harmful behaviour and be the proactive agents for change that we all need.” Read more: coe.int |
 | Could Kenya be the next refugee rights champion? Hadija*, a Somali in her mid-40s, has been living in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp for more than two decades. She has been married to a Kenyan citizen for 18 years and the couple have four children together. Her children, who are registered as Kenyan citizens, can leave the confines of the camp to access school, healthcare, and to visit their father – something Hadija is unable to do, despite holding refugee status. She is not alone in this predicament. Kenya generously hosts more than 700,000 refugees who have moved from protracted crises in the Great Lakes, Somalia, Ethiopia, and other neighbouring countries. Read more: editorials.voa.gov |
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