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The Weekly Brief

Just a quick update in case you missed it.




Released on 28.06.2024






France facing rise in all types of racism, human rights commission says


Anti-immigration ideas pushed by the far-right in France are contributing to a rise in racism across the country, a report from the nation’s human rights commission has found. Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October last year, the report found there has been a 284 per cent spike in antisemitic attacks, while tolerance is “declining towards all minorities”.


Read more: independent.co.uk



Kuwait: Authorities must end wave of repression against critics


The Kuwaiti authorities have been escalating the repression of critics throughout 2024, by prosecuting and imposing prison sentences on individuals solely based on their speeches or writings, and stripping people of their nationality, Amnesty International said today. Over the past six months, Kuwaiti authorities arbitrarily imprisoned at least seven people for publicly voicing their views and opinions, stripped Kuwaiti nationality from at least nine individuals, and prosecuted a parliamentary candidate for criticizing the system of government.


Read more: amnesty.org



Russia: Authorities punishing imprisoned anti-war critics and dissenters by denying family contact


Russia’s authorities are systematically denying arbitrarily imprisoned government critics contact with their families, Amnesty International revealed in a new report. Using several emblematic cases, the report documents how authorities have exploited legal loopholes and fabricated pretexts to further isolate dissidents, including those imprisoned for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


Read more: amnesty.org



Yemen: Houthis Disappear Dozens of UN, Civil Society Staff


Houthi security forces have, since May 31, 2024, arrested and forcibly disappeared dozens of people, including at least 13 United Nations staff and many employees of nongovernmental organizations operating in Houthi-controlled territories, Human Rights Watch said today. The arbitrary arrests appear to be based on the detainees’ present or past employment. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, carried out these arbitrary arrests while widespread hunger and thirst remain rampant across Yemen, including in areas they control, and during a recent, major cholera outbreak that the Houthis hid for several months, based on ongoing Human Rights Watch research.


Read more: hrw.org



UN rights envoy urges action to stop Myanmar’s access to weapons, funds


Financial institutions must do more to stop the Myanmar junta acquiring weapons, a U.N. human rights rapporteur said, singling out Thailand as the new main source of military supplies that Myanmar was getting through the international banking system. Thailand said it was studying the report from the special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, adding that its banking and financial institutions follow the banking protocols of any major financial hub.


Read more: rfa.org



UN Human Rights Office urges India to drop cases against Arundhati Roy


The top UN human rights official on Thursday voiced concern over the use of anti-terror law in India to silence critics and urged authorities to drop cases against author Arundhati Roy over comments on Kashmir. "#India: We are concerned by the use of #UAPA anti-terror law to silence critics. Repeat call for review of law & release of human rights defenders detained under it. Urge authorities to drop cases against Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain over comments on Kashmir, the UN Human Rights Office, led by High Commissioner Volker Turk, said in a post on X.


Read more: business-standard.com



Iraq: Unlawful Deportations of Syrians


Iraqi authorities in Baghdad and Erbil have arbitrarily detained and deported Syrians to Damascus and to parts of northeast Syria under the control of Kurdish-led forces, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraqi authorities have deported some Syrians even though they possessed official Iraqi documents, enabling them to stay and work in the country or were registered as asylum seekers with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).


Read more: hrw.org







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