Tuesday, January 14, 2020
In 2020 you should be watching for… who’s trying to shut down the Internet. From Caracas to Khartoum, protesters are leveraging the internet to organize online and stand up for their rights offline. In response, in the past year governments in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar and Zimbabwe shut down the internet in all or some parts of their countries—perhaps with the hope that doing so would shut off their problems. Governments are increasingly resorting to shutdowns in times of crisis, arguing they are necessary for public safety…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Samantha Deshommes Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division Office of Policy and Strategy US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20529-2140 Re: Comments in Response to Eligibility for Employment Authorization Based on a Pending Asylum Application, DHS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0011 To whom it may concern, Human Rights Watch respectfully submits this comment to the Department of Homeland Security’s proposal in Docket No. USCIS-2019-0011, to extend the waiting period for asylum applicants to apply for an employment authorization…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Expand ABC's editorial director Craig McMurtrie speaks to the media as Australian police raided the headquarters of public broadcaster in Sydney on June 5, 2019. © Peter Parks / AFP (Sydney) – Australia’s sweeping national security laws and police actions against journalists and whistleblowers are having a chilling effect on freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020. Refugee rights, indigenous rights, and aged care are, among other issues, raising concerns. Australia has demonstrated some progress in its performance at the United Nations Human Rights Council…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Expand Rohingya refugees watch ICJ proceedings at a restaurant in a refugee camp on December 12, 2019 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. © 2019 Allison Joyce/Getty Images (Bangkok) – The Myanmar government faced increasing pressure during 2019 for international justice for its human rights violations against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020. Respect for free expression and assembly also declined sharply during the year as the authorities escalated their use of repressive criminal laws. “Myanmar’s failure to hold its military accountable…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Expand Protesters hold placards during a protest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, April 14, 2018. © 2018 AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf (Bangkok) – Malaysia’s promised human rights reforms stalled in 2019 as the government either backed away from or delayed action on its campaign commitments, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020. “Malaysia’s reform process is failing because the ruling coalition’s leaders have lacked the political will to stand up for principles in the face of political opposition,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. “The government needs to make a renewed…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Expand Protesters march on a street during a rally against the extradition law proposal on June 9, 2019 in Hong Kong. © 2019 Anthony Kwan/Getty Images (New York) – The Chinese government’s heightened repression faced unprecedented resistance from Hong Kong people and growing criticisms from concerned governments, as the Chinese Communist Party marked the 70th anniversary of its rule, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020. This backlash was evident in months of demonstrations opposing Beijing’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s freedoms and public statements by countries critical…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Expand Migrants seeking asylum wait in line with their case paperwork on October 5, 2019, during a weekly trip by volunteers, lawyers, paralegals and interpreters to the migrant campsite outside El Puente Nuevo in Matamoros, Mexico. © 2019 Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP (Washington, DC, January 15, 2020) – The Trump administration is cruelly punishing migrants and eviscerating the right to seek asylum in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2020. Many state and local governments have stepped up policing in impoverished communities…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
In 2020 you should be watching for… more people going hungry and relying on aid to feed their families in the world’s wealthiest countries. The United Kingdom offers a stark example, as Human Rights Watch has documented. Since cuts in public spending on welfare for the poorest families began in 2010, use of the country’s largest network of food banks—making up an estimated two-thirds of the country’s food aid distribution—has skyrocketed 50-fold, to 1.6 million three-day emergency packages handed out last year. Smaller independent food aid providers have gone from a handful countrywide a decade…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
In 2020 you should be watching out for… workplace changes that pick up the baton of the #MeToo movement. It’s been over two years since the #MeToo movement erupted, exposing—amid shared stories of abuse from women of all ages, nationalities, and social and economic backgrounds—endemic workplace harassment and abuse. It also revealed the systemic failure to stop it. For 2020 and beyond, we have a new standard to which we can hold governments and employers around the world accountable for sexual harassment and violence against workers. Fueled by the outpouring of experiences that women articulated…
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
This submission relates to the review of Guinea under the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It focuses on the human rights implications of largescale mining and hydroelectric dams, forced relocation from land in Conakry, and the Safe Schools Declaration. Natural Resources (Articles 11, 12, 25) Guinea possesses the world’s largest bauxite reserves, as well as large amounts of iron ore, gold, and diamonds.[1] Guinea’s bauxite sector has grown rapidly since 2015, with Guinea being the largest supplier of bauxite to China, the world’s largest aluminum producer.[2] While…
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