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The Weekly Brief

Just a quick update in case you missed it.




Released on 12.07.2024






Kenyan court rules police acted out of line in killing of Pakistani journalist


A court in Kenya said Monday that police acted unlawfully in using lethal force against a Pakistani journalist killed near the capital in October 2022, ordering thousands of dollars in compensation for his widow. Arshad Sharif, 49, died when Kenyan police opened fire on his car at a roadblock outside Nairobi. Authorities said it was a case of mistaken identity.


Read more: voanews.com



Police in India book journalists after posts on alleged Muslim lynching


Media watchdogs in India have accused the police in Uttar Pradesh state of “grave overreach” for filing cases against journalists after they wrote about the alleged lynching of a Muslim man last week in social media posts. Police in the northern state’s Shamli district charged two journalists – Wasim Akram Tyagi and his cousin Zakir Ali Tyagi – for commenting on the killing of Firoz Qureshi in the district’s Jalalabad town.


Read more: aljazeera.com



Rights groups call on Thailand not to extradite Vietnamese activist


Two international rights groups have called on Thailand to abandon plans to extradite a Montagnard activist to Vietnam, raising concerns about "transnational repression" in the kindgdom, directed at foreigners seeking protection as refugees. Amnesty International said Y Quynh Bdap, an indigenous Ede, was likely to be tortured on his return.


Read more: rfa.org



UN adopts Philippine-led resolution to protect seafarers’ human rights


Foreign Affairs chief Enrique Manalo disclosed on Thursday that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) in Geneva unanimously adopted a Philippine-led resolution promoting and protecting the enjoyment of human rights by seafarers. In a statement, Manalo said the initiative was spearheaded by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was co-sponsored by 28 countries and was the “first-ever resolution on seafarers to be introduced and adopted in the UN HRC.”


Read more: voanews.com



More than 40 activists jailed for life in UAE for 'terror' offences


A court in the United Arab Emirates has handed life sentences to 43 activists after finding them guilty of terror offences. State media said the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal convicted the defendants of "creating a terrorist organisation". United Nations experts and human rights groups have severely criticised the mass trial. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said more than 80 human rights defenders and political dissidents - known as the "UAE 84" - were put on trial.


Read more: bbc.com



New UN rights rapporteur for Iran is a highly regarded expert


Mai Sato, a Japanese social scientist, who is to become the next UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran at the end of July, is a top-notch expert on criminal law with a high reputation among rights defenders. Ms. Sato was one of eleven candidates for the post, and the preferred choice out of a final shortlist of three presented to the Council. The President of the Human Rights Council, Morocco’s Omar Zniber, has now formally offered the post to Sato, who will take up the role on 1st August (barring the unlikely prospect that she will refuse the post).


Read more: iranintl.com



UK: New human rights ad campaign launched at London underground station


Giant Westminster station posters feature yellow-and-black hazard tape with ‘a lot needs fixing’ message. To-do list including an immediate suspension of arms to Israel, scrapping of Rwanda and Troubles Acts and a major overhaul of the asylum system. Amnesty International has launched a powerful new ad campaign on the London Underground at Westminster station targeting the new Government, proclaiming human rights as the answer to “fix” the many challenges faced by the country.


Read more: amnesty.org.uk







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