Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 13.09.2024 |  |
 | Poland’s ruling coalition divides over women’s rights AFLAT IN Warsaw will soon become Poland’s first abortion clinic. The interior, designed like a teenage girl’s bedroom, reflects the reality of abortions in a country where they are in effect illegal: most of them happen at home, the woman unassisted and alone. Abortion Dream Team, the charity behind the project, says that every day around 130 girls and women contact it for help in ending their pregnancies. The clinic, which will operate in a legal grey zone, will give them space to do so—with a comfy sofa and films to distract them while they take abortion pills. Read more: economist.com |
 | Human Rights Watch asks China to release Taiwanese political activist Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded that the Chinese government must immediately release and revoke the conviction of Yang Chih Yuan, a Taiwanese political activist. Reportedly, Yang had been convicted in China on August 26 for carrying out political activities in Taiwan. In China, Yang's trial took place behind closed doors, and the details of his sentence were not announced until September 6 this year. Furthermore, judicial authorities have still not released any documents or evidence from the trial. Read more: aninews.in |
 | Italy Detains MSF Sea Rescue Ship On August 23, I was aboard the Geo Barents, the rescue ship operated by the humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders or MSF), in the port of Salerno when the news arrived that the ship was to be detained by authorities for 60 days. Instead of witnessing lifesaving efforts in the Mediterranean Sea, I was witness to the Italian government’s callous obstruction. On September 4, Italian authorities detained another rescue vessel, the Sea Watch-5, marking the 24th time they have used a 2023 law that allows authorities to fine rescue shipmasters and detain or even seize ships on spurious grounds. Read more: hrw.org |
 | Sri Lanka must break from the past and chart a new course Sri Lanka stands at an important crossroads. The report of my Office outlines concerning trends over the past two years and highlights renewed threats to fundamental freedoms -- including regressive laws and the erosion of democratic checks and balances, as well as harassment and intimidation of civil society and journalists. It shines a spotlight on recurring patterns of past violations, including arbitrary detention and torture, and underlines real risks for the future in the absence of deeper reforms. Read more: ohchr.org |
 | Rich countries silencing climate protest while preaching about rights elsewhere, says study Wealthy, democratic countries in the global north are using harsh, vague and punitive measures to crack down on climate protests at the same time as criticising similar draconian tactics by authorities in the global south, according to a report. A Climate Rights International report exposes the increasingly heavy-handed treatment of climate activists in Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US. It found the crackdown in these countries – including lengthy prison sentences, preventive detention and harassment – was a violation of governments’ legal responsibility to protect basic rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. Read more: theguardian.com |
 | NYC Commission on Human Rights launches survey to address discrimination FLATBUSH — The NYC Commission on human rights is inviting new yorkers to participate in a citywide survey aimed at understanding their experiences with discrimination, according to Community Board 14. The “Understanding New Yorkers’ Experiences with Discrimination” survey, available in 10 languages, seeks to gather insights on where and why discrimination occurs, how people perceive it, and their willingness to report it. Read more: brooklyneagle.com |
 | Australia Commits to Protecting Children’s Privacy Online Today, the Australian government committed to developing the country’s first data protection law for children. The decision, which rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Australian academics, and many Australians have long called for, comes as part of a package of reforms to Australia’s privacy law. These reforms include creating the right to sue for serious invasions of privacy and the criminalization of doxing, or the malicious release of personal data. Read more: hrw.org |
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