The head of Human Rights Watch has accused the Chinese government of not only creating a high-tech surveillance state at home but using its growing economic clout to silence critics abroad.

The head of Human Rights Watch has accused the Chinese government of not only creating a high-tech surveillance state at home but using its growing economic clout to silence critics abroad. Kenneth Roth said on Tuesday that Chinese government depends on repression to stay in power, and to prevent global criticism of its tightening domestic crackdown, Beijing is increasingly undermining the international system for protecting human rights, putting everyone in greater jeopardy. He warned that if human rights weren’t defended, the world could face “a dystopian future in which no one is beyond the reach of Chinese censors”, with a global rights system so weakened that it can no longer serve as a check on government repression. Roth was speaking at the UN Correspondents Association in New York after being denied entry to Hong Kong, where he had been scheduled to release the rights group’s annual report. ''Through tools such as its trillion-dollar infrastructure and investment programme, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing is methodically building a network of cheerleaders across some seventy states that depend on its aid or business,'' he said. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said on Monday that: “It is China’s sovereignty to allow one’s entry or not.” He indicated that Human Rights Watch is among organisations that support and instigate “anti-China activists ... to engage in radical violent crimes, and incite separatist activities hyping Hong Kong independence.”

China's using its growing economic clout to silence critics abroad: Human Rights Watch

After the head of Human Rights Watch&nbsp;Kenneth Roth was denied entry to enter Hong Kong, China's foreign ministry said "allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kongs-strengths-as-global-financial-hub-intact-despite-protests-carrie-lam-273828">Also Read: Hong Kong's strengths as global financial hub intact despite protests, says Carrie Lam</a>

"Disappointed as I was to be blocked at the Hong Kong airport, it pales in comparison to the shredding of "one country, two systems" being done by pro-Beijing forces to the pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters," Kenneth Roth said in a Twitter post.

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Disappointed as I was to be blocked at the Hong Kong airport, it pales in comparison to the shredding of "one country, two systems" being done by pro-Beijing forces to the pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters. <a href="https://t.co/NFxvAVgZj0">https://t.co/NFxvAVgZj0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PatChappatte?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatChappatte</a> <a href="https://t.co/o2iETbjpSO">pic.twitter.com/o2iETbjpSO</a>
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1216562735632322560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Odd if you think about it: hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to defend democracy, and the authorities block me and the Human Rights Watch from holding a press conference. Beijing should be listening, not censoring," he added.

China, however, defended its position asserting that the "relevant NGO has through various means supported anti-China radicals".

"Plenty of facts and evidence show that the relevant NGO has through various means supported anti-China radicals, encouraged them to engage in extremist, violent and criminal activity, and incited Hong Kong independence separatist activities," China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/as-violence-flares-in-hong-kong-a-look-at-controversial-anti-mask-ban-253884">In Pics: As violence flares in Hong Kong, a look at controversial anti-mask ban</a>

"Allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, adding, "They bear major responsibility for the current chaos in Hong Kong. These organisations should be punished, and should pay the proper price."&nbsp;

Roth, however, slammed China, saying: "Beijing finally owns up to barring me from Hong Kong, not local authorities. It relies on the fiction that international groups sparked the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, not the people of Hong Kong themselves, which insults Hong Kong and is ludicrous."

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Beijing finally owns up to barring me from Hong Kong, not local authorities. It relies on the fiction that international groups sparked the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, not the people of Hong Kong themselves, which insults Hong Kong and is ludicrous. <a href="https://t.co/2UU0e7O8MB">https://t.co/2UU0e7O8MB</a>
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1216701970234380288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The New York-based Human Rights Watch was scheduled to release its 652-page World Report 2020 at the Foreign Correspondent Club in Hong Kong on January 15.

Roth said China was putting forward a "redefined version of "One Country, Two Systems", asserting that barring him from holding a Hong Kong press conference about China's assault on human rights was "just the latest example".

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Taiwan wouldn't have barred me from entering if I had planned to hold a <a href="https://twitter.com/hrw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HRW</a> press conference there, but Hong Kong does. I suppose that's a variation in the usual meaning of "one country, two systems." The people of Taiwan appreciate the difference. <a href="https://t.co/EtHeOfHOfV">https://t.co/EtHeOfHOfV</a>
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1216625981395472389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Taiwan wouldn't have barred me from entering if I had planned to hold a Human Rights Watch press conference there, but Hong Kong does. I suppose that's a variation in the usual meaning of "one country, two systems." The people of Taiwan appreciate the difference," he said.

After the head of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth was denied entry to enter Hong Kong, China's foreign ministry said "allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right.

After the head of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth was denied entry to enter Hong Kong, China's foreign ministry said "allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right." Also Read: Hong Kong's strengths as global financial hub intact despite protests, says Carrie Lam "Disappointed as I was to be blocked at the Hong Kong airport, it pales in comparison to the shredding of "one country, two systems" being done by pro-Beijing forces to the pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters," Kenneth Roth said in a Twitter post. Disappointed as I was to be blocked at the Hong Kong airport, it pales in comparison to the shredding of "one country, two systems" being done by pro-Beijing forces to the pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters. https://t.co/NFxvAVgZj0 @PatChappatte pic.twitter.com/o2iETbjpSO — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) January 13, 2020 × "Odd if you think about it: hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to defend democracy, and the authorities block me and the Human Rights Watch from holding a press conference. Beijing should be listening, not censoring," he added. China, however, defended its position asserting that the "relevant NGO has through various means supported anti-China radicals". "Plenty of facts and evidence show that the relevant NGO has through various means supported anti-China radicals, encouraged them to engage in extremist, violent and criminal activity, and incited Hong Kong independence separatist activities," China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. In Pics: As violence flares in Hong Kong, a look at controversial anti-mask ban "Allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, adding, "They bear major responsibility for the current chaos in Hong Kong. These organisations should be punished, and should pay the proper price." Roth, however, slammed China, saying: "Beijing finally owns up to barring me from Hong Kong, not local authorities. It relies on the fiction that international groups sparked the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, not the people of Hong Kong themselves, which insults Hong Kong and is ludicrous." Beijing finally owns up to barring me from Hong Kong, not local authorities. It relies on the fiction that international groups sparked the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, not the people of Hong Kong themselves, which insults Hong Kong and is ludicrous. https://t.co/2UU0e7O8MB — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) January 13, 2020 × The New York-based Human Rights Watch was scheduled to release its 652-page World Report 2020 at the Foreign Correspondent Club in Hong Kong on January 15. Roth said China was putting forward a "redefined version of "One Country, Two Systems", asserting that barring him from holding a Hong Kong press conference about China's assault on human rights was "just the latest example". Taiwan wouldn't have barred me from entering if I had planned to hold a @HRW press conference there, but Hong Kong does. I suppose that's a variation in the usual meaning of "one country, two systems." The people of Taiwan appreciate the difference. https://t.co/EtHeOfHOfV — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) January 13, 2020 × "Taiwan wouldn't have barred me from entering if I had planned to hold a Human Rights Watch press conference there, but Hong Kong does. I suppose that's a variation in the usual meaning of "one country, two systems." The people of Taiwan appreciate the difference," he said.

Human Rights Watch incited criminal activity, says China after denying Kenneth Roth entry into Hong Kong

Israel expelled the country director of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-threatens-united-states-with-countermeasures-over-hong-kong-human-rights-and-democracy-act-263353">Human Rights</a> Watch on Monday after a lengthy court battle, sparking criticism that it was seeking to crush dissent.

It accused American citizen Omar Shakir, the New York-based <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-seeks-to-parry-rights-criticism-after-mass-arrests-261743">rights</a> group's director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, of supporting a boycott of the Jewish state, claims he denies.

The 35-year-old arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon, where he was greeted by around 20 supporters.

"Today culminates a two-and-a-half-year effort to deport me over my human rights advocacy, an effort to muzzle Human Rights Watch," Shakir said at the airport.

"One day you will welcome me here, I hope, when it is a better day -– a day in which all people, Israeli and Palestinian, have their human rights respected."

He flew out on Monday evening.

Authorities said Shakir's expulsion was the first from inside Israel under its 2017 law allowing the deportation of foreigners who support a boycott.

The European Union, United Nations and others had called on Israel to reverse course, with the UN warning of a "shrinking space for human rights defenders to operate" in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

But the United States, Israel's closest ally, said only that it supported freedom of expression worldwide.

HRW said Shakir would continue in his position despite being expelled, working from neighbouring Jordan.

It said Israel was the first functioning democracy to expel one of its staff.

'Right to decide'

Israel refused to extend Shakir's work permit in May 2018 after parliament passed a law mandating the expulsion of foreign supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

BDS activists call for a wide-ranging embargo of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.

Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism.

Activists strongly deny this charge, comparing the embargo to the economic isolation that helped bring down apartheid in South Africa.

The Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which pushed to expel Shakir, said Monday that Israel, "like any sane country, has the right to decide who is given the freedom to enter and work within its borders".

It labelled him "an active BDS propagator who zealously promotes boycotts".

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi called the deportation an Israeli attempt to "conceal its war crimes".

"It is an alarming wake-up call to all those who seek peace and justice for both sides that Israel will resort to extreme measures to hide the truth," she said in a statement.

The case against Shakir was initially based on statements he had made supporting a boycott before joining HRW.

But the government also highlighted work he did with the rights groups, including criticising Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Shakir, who started in the HRW Israel post in 2017, appealed the deportation but Israel's supreme court backed the government earlier this month.

'US support'

More than 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, communities considered illegal under international law.

Israel disputes this, and the United States last week broke with decades of international consensus and announced it no longer considered the settlements illegal.

HRW's executive director Ken Roth said that US President Donald Trump's support for Israel's fellow right-wing government had emboldened it to crackdown on human rights groups.

"It is hard to imagine Omar's deportation going ahead if the US government hadn't given a kind of implicit green light," he told AFP. 
The American embassy said only that it had raised Shakir's case with Israel and that it supports "freedom of expression".

"At the same time, our strong opposition to boycotts and sanctions of the State of Israel is well known," it said.

The right-wing Jerusalem-based group NGO Monitor meanwhile charged that HRW focuses unfairly on Israel.

"It's the singling out we disagree with," said Gerald Steinberg, head of the organisation.

But Steinberg also admitted that Israel's move had created negative publicity that helps its critics.

"This is playing into their hands," he said.

Israel expelled the country director of Human Rights Watch on Monday after a lengthy court battle, sparking criticism that it was seeking to crush dissent. It accused American citizen Omar Shakir, the New York-based rights group's director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, of supporting a boycott of the Jewish state, claims he denies.

Israel expelled the country director of Human Rights Watch on Monday after a lengthy court battle, sparking criticism that it was seeking to crush dissent. It accused American citizen Omar Shakir, the New York-based rights group's director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, of supporting a boycott of the Jewish state, claims he denies. The 35-year-old arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon, where he was greeted by around 20 supporters. "Today culminates a two-and-a-half-year effort to deport me over my human rights advocacy, an effort to muzzle Human Rights Watch," Shakir said at the airport. "One day you will welcome me here, I hope, when it is a better day -– a day in which all people, Israeli and Palestinian, have their human rights respected." He flew out on Monday evening. Authorities said Shakir's expulsion was the first from inside Israel under its 2017 law allowing the deportation of foreigners who support a boycott. The European Union, United Nations and others had called on Israel to reverse course, with the UN warning of a "shrinking space for human rights defenders to operate" in Israel and the Palestinian territories. But the United States, Israel's closest ally, said only that it supported freedom of expression worldwide. HRW said Shakir would continue in his position despite being expelled, working from neighbouring Jordan. It said Israel was the first functioning democracy to expel one of its staff. 'Right to decide' Israel refused to extend Shakir's work permit in May 2018 after parliament passed a law mandating the expulsion of foreign supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS activists call for a wide-ranging embargo of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism. Activists strongly deny this charge, comparing the embargo to the economic isolation that helped bring down apartheid in South Africa. The Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which pushed to expel Shakir, said Monday that Israel, "like any sane country, has the right to decide who is given the freedom to enter and work within its borders". It labelled him "an active BDS propagator who zealously promotes boycotts". Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi called the deportation an Israeli attempt to "conceal its war crimes". "It is an alarming wake-up call to all those who seek peace and justice for both sides that Israel will resort to extreme measures to hide the truth," she said in a statement. The case against Shakir was initially based on statements he had made supporting a boycott before joining HRW. But the government also highlighted work he did with the rights groups, including criticising Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Shakir, who started in the HRW Israel post in 2017, appealed the deportation but Israel's supreme court backed the government earlier this month. 'US support' More than 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, communities considered illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, and the United States last week broke with decades of international consensus and announced it no longer considered the settlements illegal. HRW's executive director Ken Roth said that US President Donald Trump's support for Israel's fellow right-wing government had emboldened it to crackdown on human rights groups. "It is hard to imagine Omar's deportation going ahead if the US government hadn't given a kind of implicit green light," he told AFP. The American embassy said only that it had raised Shakir's case with Israel and that it supports "freedom of expression". "At the same time, our strong opposition to boycotts and sanctions of the State of Israel is well known," it said. The right-wing Jerusalem-based group NGO Monitor meanwhile charged that HRW focuses unfairly on Israel. "It's the singling out we disagree with," said Gerald Steinberg, head of the organisation. But Steinberg also admitted that Israel's move had created negative publicity that helps its critics. "This is playing into their hands," he said.

Israel draws flak for expelling Human Rights Watch country director Omar Shakir

Tanzania's opposition party says it will boycott local elections later this month, accusing the government of impeding its candidates from running and making a mockery of democratic processes.

Chadema, the main opposition outfit that has faced increasing hostility under President John Magufuli, made the announcement late Thursday following an extraordinary meeting of its leadership.

"Our party believes it is wiser not to support such electoral cheating. To continue to participate in elections of this kind is to legitimise illegality," said Chadema president Freeman Mbowe.

Selemani Jafo, the minister for local government, expressed surprise at the decision, adding there would be remedies for candidates who felt they had been wronged.

But Chadema accused electoral authorities of being complicit in scuttling their campaign efforts.&nbsp;

Mbowe said several Chadema candidates had been outright disqualified by electoral officials from running in the nationwide November 24 polls to choose local government leaders.

Others had found registration offices closed when they tried to apply or discovered their applications had been tampered with, he added.

Rights groups say the intimidation of political opponents has escalated sharply under Magufuli, a strongman elected in 2015 whose administration has wielded wide-ranging laws to silence government critics.

Police have broken up opposition gatherings and shut down Chadema meetings, the party says.&nbsp;

Their activists have been kidnapped and beaten, and at least one has blamed authorities for an attack in 2017 which saw him shot multiple times.

Several have disappeared and turned up murdered.

"Magufuli and his party are afraid. We are not going to participate in this charade," Mbowe said of the upcoming elections.

The victors in the local polls form the political backbone for campaigning ahead of general elections slated for 2020.&nbsp;

Magufuli, whose nickname "tingatinga" means "bulldozer" in Swahili, is expected to run for another five-year term.

His rule has been marked by a democratic backslide in Tanzania, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a report last month.

Free media has been cowed by draconian cybercrime laws, critical newspapers and bloggers have been silenced, and opposition activists harassed unlawfully, the report stated.

Tanzania's opposition party says it will boycott local elections later this month, accusing the government of impeding its candidates from running and making a mockery of democratic processes.

Tanzania's opposition party says it will boycott local elections later this month, accusing the government of impeding its candidates from running and making a mockery of democratic processes. Chadema, the main opposition outfit that has faced increasing hostility under President John Magufuli, made the announcement late Thursday following an extraordinary meeting of its leadership. "Our party believes it is wiser not to support such electoral cheating. To continue to participate in elections of this kind is to legitimise illegality," said Chadema president Freeman Mbowe. Selemani Jafo, the minister for local government, expressed surprise at the decision, adding there would be remedies for candidates who felt they had been wronged. But Chadema accused electoral authorities of being complicit in scuttling their campaign efforts. Mbowe said several Chadema candidates had been outright disqualified by electoral officials from running in the nationwide November 24 polls to choose local government leaders. Others had found registration offices closed when they tried to apply or discovered their applications had been tampered with, he added. Rights groups say the intimidation of political opponents has escalated sharply under Magufuli, a strongman elected in 2015 whose administration has wielded wide-ranging laws to silence government critics. Police have broken up opposition gatherings and shut down Chadema meetings, the party says. Their activists have been kidnapped and beaten, and at least one has blamed authorities for an attack in 2017 which saw him shot multiple times. Several have disappeared and turned up murdered. "Magufuli and his party are afraid. We are not going to participate in this charade," Mbowe said of the upcoming elections. The victors in the local polls form the political backbone for campaigning ahead of general elections slated for 2020. Magufuli, whose nickname "tingatinga" means "bulldozer" in Swahili, is expected to run for another five-year term. His rule has been marked by a democratic backslide in Tanzania, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a report last month. Free media has been cowed by draconian cybercrime laws, critical newspapers and bloggers have been silenced, and opposition activists harassed unlawfully, the report stated.

Tanzania's opposition to boycott elections over 'cheating'

US-backed Afghan paramilitary groups operating with impunity are summarily executing civilians during botched nighttime raids and are responsible for the disappearances of suspects, a rights group said Thursday.

The secretive militias, whose support from America's Central Intelligence Agency is originally rooted in the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s, have long hunted the Taliban across Afghanistan and have seen increasing activity as the war against the insurgents intensifies.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented 14 cases from late 2017 to mid-2019 in which it said CIA-backed "strike groups" committed serious abuses during night raids, such as one in the southeastern province of Paktia in which a paramilitary unit killed 11 men, including eight who were home for the Eid holidays.

In many cases, the raids, usually in Taliban-controlled areas, were accompanied by airstrikes that "indiscriminately or disproportionately" killed civilians, HRW said in a report.

Sometimes, troops detained men and didn't tell families where they were being held.

Night raids, where special forces troops blast doors and rush a building under the cover of darkness, are a popular tactic that combines surprise, overwhelming firepower and night-vision equipment to stun occupants.

"In ramping up <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/11-taliban-terrorists-killed-9-wounded-in-afghanistans-jawzjan-province-258383">operations against the Taliban</a>, the CIA has enabled abusive Afghan forces to commit atrocities including extrajudicial executions and disappearances," said Patricia Gossman, the report author and HRW's associate Asia director.

"In case after case, these forces have simply shot people in their custody and consigned entire communities to the terror of abusive night raids and indiscriminate airstrikes."

Afghan authorities and US forces have increased the use of paramilitary groups to combat a resurgent Taliban that has been hammering Afghanistan's beleaguered national security forces.

Part of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), paramilitary forces do not fall under normal command chains and therefore, have less oversight.

Speaking to HRW, one diplomat referred to them as "death squads."

Afghan militias have largely been recruited, trained, equipped, and overseen by the CIA, according to the rights watchdog.

Ties date back to the 1980s, when the CIA was funnelling money and equipment to Afghan rebels and mujahideen fighting Soviet troops.

After a lull during the Taliban regime in the 1990s, the CIA re-established ties with warlords and militias fighting the insurgency following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a US government watchdog, Afghan special forces conducted 2,531 ground operations from January–September this year, more than the total of 2,365 for all of 2018.

A<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/over-3000-afghan-civilians-killed-or-wounded-this-year-un-report-239373"> UN report </a>earlier this month found an unprecedented number of civilians was killed or wounded in Afghanistan from July to September this year.

The tally,1,174 deaths and 3,139 injured from July 1 until September 30, represents a 42 per cent increase over the same period last year.

US-backed Afghan paramilitary groups operating with impunity are summarily executing civilians during botched nighttime raids and are responsible for the disappearances of suspects, a rights group said Thursday.

US-backed Afghan paramilitary groups operating with impunity are summarily executing civilians during botched nighttime raids and are responsible for the disappearances of suspects, a rights group said Thursday. The secretive militias, whose support from America's Central Intelligence Agency is originally rooted in the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s, have long hunted the Taliban across Afghanistan and have seen increasing activity as the war against the insurgents intensifies. Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented 14 cases from late 2017 to mid-2019 in which it said CIA-backed "strike groups" committed serious abuses during night raids, such as one in the southeastern province of Paktia in which a paramilitary unit killed 11 men, including eight who were home for the Eid holidays. In many cases, the raids, usually in Taliban-controlled areas, were accompanied by airstrikes that "indiscriminately or disproportionately" killed civilians, HRW said in a report. Sometimes, troops detained men and didn't tell families where they were being held. Night raids, where special forces troops blast doors and rush a building under the cover of darkness, are a popular tactic that combines surprise, overwhelming firepower and night-vision equipment to stun occupants. "In ramping up operations against the Taliban, the CIA has enabled abusive Afghan forces to commit atrocities including extrajudicial executions and disappearances," said Patricia Gossman, the report author and HRW's associate Asia director. "In case after case, these forces have simply shot people in their custody and consigned entire communities to the terror of abusive night raids and indiscriminate airstrikes." Afghan authorities and US forces have increased the use of paramilitary groups to combat a resurgent Taliban that has been hammering Afghanistan's beleaguered national security forces. Part of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), paramilitary forces do not fall under normal command chains and therefore, have less oversight. Speaking to HRW, one diplomat referred to them as "death squads." Afghan militias have largely been recruited, trained, equipped, and overseen by the CIA, according to the rights watchdog. Ties date back to the 1980s, when the CIA was funnelling money and equipment to Afghan rebels and mujahideen fighting Soviet troops. After a lull during the Taliban regime in the 1990s, the CIA re-established ties with warlords and militias fighting the insurgency following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a US government watchdog, Afghan special forces conducted 2,531 ground operations from January–September this year, more than the total of 2,365 for all of 2018. A UN report earlier this month found an unprecedented number of civilians was killed or wounded in Afghanistan from July to September this year. The tally,1,174 deaths and 3,139 injured from July 1 until September 30, represents a 42 per cent increase over the same period last year.

Afghan militias killing civilians with impunity: Human Rights Watch

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

The authorities have also blocked or interrupted various internet services and websites, in a bid to stamp out any repetition of the open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shown by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/anti-sisi-protests-break-out-in-egypt-several-arrested-250950">protesters last weekend</a>, the watchdog said.

"Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," HRW said in a statement.

"The government also has deployed uniformed and plainclothes security officers in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities in and around main streets and squares, randomly stopping passersby, searching and questioning people, and forcing them to show the contents of their mobile phones and social media accounts", they added.

Last weekend's rare protests against what is widely seen as one of the most authoritarian governments in the Middle East were triggered by viral videos from exiled businessman Mohamed Aly.

He has called for a "million-man march" and a "people's revolution" to unseat Sisi, whom he accuses of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an International Monetary Fund loan programme totalling $12 billion.

HRW called on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nightmare-as-egypt-aided-china-to-detain-uighurs-243790">Egypt's Western allies</a> to suspend military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law".

"World leaders should recognise that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said its Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday. The authorities have also blocked or interrupted various internet services and websites, in a bid to stamp out any repetition of the open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shown by protesters last weekend, the watchdog said. "Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," HRW said in a statement. "The government also has deployed uniformed and plainclothes security officers in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities in and around main streets and squares, randomly stopping passersby, searching and questioning people, and forcing them to show the contents of their mobile phones and social media accounts", they added. Last weekend's rare protests against what is widely seen as one of the most authoritarian governments in the Middle East were triggered by viral videos from exiled businessman Mohamed Aly. He has called for a "million-man march" and a "people's revolution" to unseat Sisi, whom he accuses of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an International Monetary Fund loan programme totalling $12 billion. HRW called on Egypt's Western allies to suspend military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law". "World leaders should recognise that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said its Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

Nearly 2,000 arrests in Egypt crackdown: Human Rights Watch

Western donors must ensure that humanitarian aid and any future reconstruction assistance in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/facing-imminent-defeat-in-syria-and-iraq-isis-shifts-its-attention-to-south-asia-214681">Syria</a> do not fuel repression or benefit "cronies" of President Bashar al-Assad, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.&nbsp;

The Syrian government has kept tight controls on the aid flow into the country throughout its eight-year civil war, often depriving civilians in opposition areas of supplies while favouring loyalists, according to New York-based HRW.

Syrian authorities have denied using starvation tactics as a weapon of war or diverting aid to government-held areas.

In Pictures: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pictures-children-become-victims-of-chemical-attack-in-syria-220">Children become victims of 'chemical attack' in Syria</a>

But Human Rights Watch, in a report based on interviews with aid workers and experts, said that UN and other aid agencies had been forced into complicity in selective distributions in order to access some areas.

Donors must be in the "driver`s seat" now that Assad has all but won the war and millions of Syrian refugees consider returning to their homeland where one-third of the infrastructure has been destroyed, the report said.

The Syrian government has proven to be "a master of manipulation when it comes to aid", Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, told Reuters.

"This is an important moment...because it is a moment when the Syria government is also begging the West for billions (of dollars) of new funds for reconstruction aid. So the problems that we have seen are going to recur in spades if there is not a serious effort to address them."

The United States and European Union say they cannot provide aid for reconstruction in Syria without a political transition and end to a war that has killed hundreds of thousands.

The economies of Syria`s main allies Russia and Iran are hurting, Roth said. "So I don`t see other big sources of funds. They are going to be Western funds which gives the Western donors some leverage which we hope that they will exercise."

"Anybody proposing to provide humanitarian or reconstruction assistance in Syria has the responsibility to do basic due diligence to ensure that their funds are going to those in greatest need, that they are not underwriting ongoing repression, that they are not padding the bank accounts of government officials and cronies," he said.

Western donors must ensure that humanitarian aid and any future reconstruction assistance in Syria do not fuel repression or benefit "cronies" of President Bashar al-Assad, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.

Western donors must ensure that humanitarian aid and any future reconstruction assistance in Syria do not fuel repression or benefit "cronies" of President Bashar al-Assad, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. The Syrian government has kept tight controls on the aid flow into the country throughout its eight-year civil war, often depriving civilians in opposition areas of supplies while favouring loyalists, according to New York-based HRW. Syrian authorities have denied using starvation tactics as a weapon of war or diverting aid to government-held areas. In Pictures: Children become victims of 'chemical attack' in Syria But Human Rights Watch, in a report based on interviews with aid workers and experts, said that UN and other aid agencies had been forced into complicity in selective distributions in order to access some areas. Donors must be in the "driver`s seat" now that Assad has all but won the war and millions of Syrian refugees consider returning to their homeland where one-third of the infrastructure has been destroyed, the report said. The Syrian government has proven to be "a master of manipulation when it comes to aid", Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "This is an important moment...because it is a moment when the Syria government is also begging the West for billions (of dollars) of new funds for reconstruction aid. So the problems that we have seen are going to recur in spades if there is not a serious effort to address them." The United States and European Union say they cannot provide aid for reconstruction in Syria without a political transition and end to a war that has killed hundreds of thousands. The economies of Syria`s main allies Russia and Iran are hurting, Roth said. "So I don`t see other big sources of funds. They are going to be Western funds which gives the Western donors some leverage which we hope that they will exercise." "Anybody proposing to provide humanitarian or reconstruction assistance in Syria has the responsibility to do basic due diligence to ensure that their funds are going to those in greatest need, that they are not underwriting ongoing repression, that they are not padding the bank accounts of government officials and cronies," he said.

West must be in 'driver's seat' for Syria reconstruction: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/46-suspected-jihadists-killed-in-sinai-clashes-egypt-army-202636">Egyptian security forces and terrorist&nbsp;of committing "war crimes"</a> in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region.

"While Egyptian military and police forces were responsible for the majority of abuses documented in the report, extremist militants have also committed horrific crimes," the New York-based group said in a 134-page report.

"Some of the abuses carried out by government forces and the militants, which this report documents, are war crimes, and their widespread and systematic nature could amount to crimes against humanity."

HRW compiled the report over two years interviewing more than 50 residents of the Sinai Peninsula, in northeast Egypt, where independent media coverage is effectively banned and a state of emergency has been in force since 2013.

In late 2017, North Sinai was the scene of the deadliest attack in Egypt's modern history when militants killed more than 300 worshippers at a mosque, without any group claiming responsibility.

Islamist militants have kidnapped and tortured scores of residents and also attacked security forces.

Security forces have likewise targeted Sinai residents arresting thousands and forcibly "disappearing" dozens, according to the HRW report.

Children as young as 12 have been detained in routine sweeps eventually being jailed in secret prisons.

Alongside the report, a video was released showing footage of air strikes on residents' homes and extrajudicial killings of suspected jihadists by security forces.

"Why all of this? Should we carry weapons and work with the militants or work with the army or live like victims? Everyone is preying on us," said a North Sinai resident interviewed for the report.

HRW called on the United States to halt all military assistance to Egypt until gross violations are fully investigated.

Egypt has for years been fighting a hardened insurgency in North Sinai, which escalated following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Since then, hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in militant attacks.

In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against Islamic extremists, focused on the North Sinai.

Some 650 militants and around 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to separate statements by the armed forces.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both Egyptian security forces and terrorist of committing "war crimes" in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both Egyptian security forces and terrorist of committing "war crimes" in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region. "While Egyptian military and police forces were responsible for the majority of abuses documented in the report, extremist militants have also committed horrific crimes," the New York-based group said in a 134-page report. "Some of the abuses carried out by government forces and the militants, which this report documents, are war crimes, and their widespread and systematic nature could amount to crimes against humanity." HRW compiled the report over two years interviewing more than 50 residents of the Sinai Peninsula, in northeast Egypt, where independent media coverage is effectively banned and a state of emergency has been in force since 2013. In late 2017, North Sinai was the scene of the deadliest attack in Egypt's modern history when militants killed more than 300 worshippers at a mosque, without any group claiming responsibility. Islamist militants have kidnapped and tortured scores of residents and also attacked security forces. Security forces have likewise targeted Sinai residents arresting thousands and forcibly "disappearing" dozens, according to the HRW report. Children as young as 12 have been detained in routine sweeps eventually being jailed in secret prisons. Alongside the report, a video was released showing footage of air strikes on residents' homes and extrajudicial killings of suspected jihadists by security forces. "Why all of this? Should we carry weapons and work with the militants or work with the army or live like victims? Everyone is preying on us," said a North Sinai resident interviewed for the report. HRW called on the United States to halt all military assistance to Egypt until gross violations are fully investigated. Egypt has for years been fighting a hardened insurgency in North Sinai, which escalated following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Since then, hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in militant attacks. In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against Islamic extremists, focused on the North Sinai. Some 650 militants and around 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to separate statements by the armed forces.

Human Rights Watch accuses Egypt forces, militants of Sinai 'war crimes'

An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced three French citizens to death after they were found guilty of joining the Islamic State group, a court official said.

Captured in Syria by a US-backed force fighting the jihadists, they are the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq, where they were transferred for trial.

Named as Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou, they have 30 days to appeal.

Iraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists repatriated in recent months from neighbouring Syria, where they were caught by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces during the battle to destroy the IS "caliphate".

Iraqi courts have placed on trial hundreds of foreigners, condemning many to live in prison and others to death, although no foreign IS members have yet been executed.&nbsp;

Those sentenced on Sunday were among 12 French citizens who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February.

Rights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticised Iraq's anti-terror trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture.

The country remains in the top five "executioner" nations in the world, according to an Amnesty International report in April.

Analysts have also warned that prisons in Iraq have in the past acted as "academies" for future jihadists, including IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced three French citizens to death after they were found guilty of joining the Islamic State group, a court official said. Captured in Syria by a US-backed force fighting the jihadists, they are the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq, where they were transferred for trial.

An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced three French citizens to death after they were found guilty of joining the Islamic State group, a court official said. Captured in Syria by a US-backed force fighting the jihadists, they are the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq, where they were transferred for trial. Named as Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou, they have 30 days to appeal. Iraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists repatriated in recent months from neighbouring Syria, where they were caught by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces during the battle to destroy the IS "caliphate". Iraqi courts have placed on trial hundreds of foreigners, condemning many to live in prison and others to death, although no foreign IS members have yet been executed. Those sentenced on Sunday were among 12 French citizens who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticised Iraq's anti-terror trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture. The country remains in the top five "executioner" nations in the world, according to an Amnesty International report in April. Analysts have also warned that prisons in Iraq have in the past acted as "academies" for future jihadists, including IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Three French Islamic State members sentenced to death in Iraq

Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators marched in Khartoum Saturday, many reaching the army headquarters for the first time since deadly protests against President Omar al-Bashir erupted last year, witnesses said.

Chanting "One Army, One People," the protesters rallied in the capital's streets, following a call by organisers to march on the army headquarters.

Protests have rocked the east African country since December, with angry crowds accusing Bashir's government of mismanaging the economy that has led to soaring food prices and regular shortages of fuel and foreign currency.

On February 22, the veteran leader imposed a nationwide state of emergency to quell the protests after an initial crackdown failed to rein in protesters.

Since the emergency rule came into effect, protests have been largely confined to the capital and its twin city of Omdurman, but organisers had called for widespread rallies and a march on the army headquarters on Saturday.

April 6 was chosen for the nationwide rallies as it was the day of a 1985 uprising that toppled the then regime of president Jaafar Nimeiri.

Before the demonstrations began, security forces deployed in large numbers in key Khartoum squares and in Omdurman, across the Nile.

"There's a heavy security deployment where the protesters were to gather for the march, but they still came out and are chanting anti-government slogans," a witness told AFP without revealing his name for security reasons.

Witnesses said plainclothes security agents were preventing even passers-by from reaching downtown areas.

Shops and markets in downtown Khartoum were ordered shut before the march by security agents, according to onlookers.

"Those walking in groups were immediately detained or asked to return to their homes by security forces," another onlooker said.

In recent days, activists have been circulating leaflets urging residents to participate in Saturday's march, several residents said.

The protest movement was initially led by the Sudanese Professionals Association, but later several political parties including the main opposition National Umma Party threw their support behind it.

Analysts say the movement has emerged as the biggest challenge yet to Bashir's three-decade rule.

The veteran leader has remained defiant, however, and has introduced tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested.

Officials say 31 people have died in protest-related violence so far, but Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 51 including children and medics.

Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators marched in Khartoum Saturday, many reaching the army headquarters for the first time since deadly protests against President Omar al-Bashir erupted last year, witnesses said.

Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators marched in Khartoum Saturday, many reaching the army headquarters for the first time since deadly protests against President Omar al-Bashir erupted last year, witnesses said. Chanting "One Army, One People," the protesters rallied in the capital's streets, following a call by organisers to march on the army headquarters. Protests have rocked the east African country since December, with angry crowds accusing Bashir's government of mismanaging the economy that has led to soaring food prices and regular shortages of fuel and foreign currency. On February 22, the veteran leader imposed a nationwide state of emergency to quell the protests after an initial crackdown failed to rein in protesters. Since the emergency rule came into effect, protests have been largely confined to the capital and its twin city of Omdurman, but organisers had called for widespread rallies and a march on the army headquarters on Saturday. April 6 was chosen for the nationwide rallies as it was the day of a 1985 uprising that toppled the then regime of president Jaafar Nimeiri. Before the demonstrations began, security forces deployed in large numbers in key Khartoum squares and in Omdurman, across the Nile. "There's a heavy security deployment where the protesters were to gather for the march, but they still came out and are chanting anti-government slogans," a witness told AFP without revealing his name for security reasons. Witnesses said plainclothes security agents were preventing even passers-by from reaching downtown areas. Shops and markets in downtown Khartoum were ordered shut before the march by security agents, according to onlookers. "Those walking in groups were immediately detained or asked to return to their homes by security forces," another onlooker said. In recent days, activists have been circulating leaflets urging residents to participate in Saturday's march, several residents said. The protest movement was initially led by the Sudanese Professionals Association, but later several political parties including the main opposition National Umma Party threw their support behind it. Analysts say the movement has emerged as the biggest challenge yet to Bashir's three-decade rule. The veteran leader has remained defiant, however, and has introduced tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested. Officials say 31 people have died in protest-related violence so far, but Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 51 including children and medics.

Sudan protesters reach army headquarters for first time: Source

Rights groups denounced Saudi Arabia Saturday over its decision to put jailed women activists on trial after holding them for nearly a year without charge.

The public prosecution said Friday that the activists had been referred to court, as its investigation is complete.

Some of those detained have allegedly faced torture and sexual harassment during interrogation, following their arrest in May last year in a sweeping crackdown on campaigners.

"The Saudi authorities have done nothing to investigate serious allegations of torture," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

"Now, it's the women's rights activists, not any torturers, who face criminal charges and trials."

More than a dozen activists were arrested just a month before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on women drivers.

Most were accused of undermining security and aiding enemies of the state. Some were later released.

Amnesty International called Friday's announcement a "shocking sign of the kingdom's escalating crackdown on activists" and demanded "the immediate release of prisoners of conscience."

Trials in the ultra-conservative kingdom are often shrouded in secrecy.

The prosecutor did not specify the charges nor give a date for their trial.

But the announcement sparked speculation that the activists could be released under the cover of a judicial process after the crackdown prompted scathing criticism against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.&nbsp;

"There is a legal process moving forward and I think it will end well," Ali Shihabi, founder of pro-Saudi government think tank Arabia Foundation, said on Twitter.

"Let us see the end result and then judge, not jump to conclusions."&nbsp;

Those still detained include Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University.

Another is Loujain al-Hathloul, who was held for more than 70 days in 2014 for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia.

Following their arrest, state-backed newspapers published front-page pictures of some of the activists with the word "traitor" stamped across them in red.

Loujain was one of the activists who faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation, her family and rights groups said.

The Saudi government has rejected the allegation.

Rights groups denounced Saudi Arabia Saturday over its decision to put jailed women activists on trial after holding them for nearly a year without charge. The public prosecution said Friday that the activists had been referred to court, as its investigation is complete.

Rights groups denounced Saudi Arabia Saturday over its decision to put jailed women activists on trial after holding them for nearly a year without charge. The public prosecution said Friday that the activists had been referred to court, as its investigation is complete. Some of those detained have allegedly faced torture and sexual harassment during interrogation, following their arrest in May last year in a sweeping crackdown on campaigners. "The Saudi authorities have done nothing to investigate serious allegations of torture," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Now, it's the women's rights activists, not any torturers, who face criminal charges and trials." More than a dozen activists were arrested just a month before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on women drivers. Most were accused of undermining security and aiding enemies of the state. Some were later released. Amnesty International called Friday's announcement a "shocking sign of the kingdom's escalating crackdown on activists" and demanded "the immediate release of prisoners of conscience." Trials in the ultra-conservative kingdom are often shrouded in secrecy. The prosecutor did not specify the charges nor give a date for their trial. But the announcement sparked speculation that the activists could be released under the cover of a judicial process after the crackdown prompted scathing criticism against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "There is a legal process moving forward and I think it will end well," Ali Shihabi, founder of pro-Saudi government think tank Arabia Foundation, said on Twitter. "Let us see the end result and then judge, not jump to conclusions." Those still detained include Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University. Another is Loujain al-Hathloul, who was held for more than 70 days in 2014 for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia. Following their arrest, state-backed newspapers published front-page pictures of some of the activists with the word "traitor" stamped across them in red. Loujain was one of the activists who faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation, her family and rights groups said. The Saudi government has rejected the allegation.

Rights groups condemn Saudi Arabia over trial of women activists

A young <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-asylum-seeker-who-fled-her-family-arrives-in-canada-to-official-welcome-189901">Saudi woman's</a> flight from her family and country has stirred debate in Saudi Arabia about its requirement that women get permission from a male guardian to travel or marry, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report made available to EFE on Saturday.

Canada said Friday it would grant refugee status to 18-year-old Rahaf Alqunun, after a weeklong asylum bid that spurred some Saudis to question whether the male-guardianship system still has a place in a kingdom where social mores are quickly changing.

Saudi women can now drive, attend soccer matches with men and work in any field, but they can't travel freely without a guardian. Saudi women are treated as minors in many legal matters, including marriage and being released from prison, requiring authorisation from a male guardian - father, husband or even a son.&nbsp;

Legally nonbinding social customs often force women to demonstrate their guardian's consent to work, get health care and conduct transactions such as renting an apartment, according to a 2016 Human Rights Watch report.

"No one of sound mind can rationalise the idea of the guardianship system," said a Saudi named Bandar, in a video posted this week on Twitter. "It's what's making girls wishful to leave their country and live somewhere else from the country they were raised in."&nbsp;

The post was among thousands with hashtags related to Alqunun or the guardianship system that have trended on Twitter in Saudi Arabia since her case exploded into public view this week.

Alqunun fled on Saturday during a family trip to Kuwait, where she was able to board a flight to Thailand without a guardian's permission.

She was stopped by Thai authorities, but refused efforts to send her back to Saudi Arabia, saying she had renounced Islam and feared her family would harm her.

Alqunun said she had a visa for Australia and planned to seek asylum there, but on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had granted her refugee status.

A Saudi diplomatic official in Thailand told Saudi television that Alqunun's father said she wasn't a victim of violence.

Saudi guardianship laws are generally unpopular in more cosmopolitan Saudi cities such as Riyadh and the Red Sea port of Jeddah.&nbsp;

But they remain an important part of life in more conservative areas, and the government would face intense opposition if it moved to undo the guardianship system.&nbsp;

While some other Muslim countries have male-guardianship traditions, Saudi Arabia goes the furthest in enshrining these customs in law and carrying them out in practice, drawing on its ultraconservative interpretation of Islam.

"This change would overturn social life in the entire kingdom," said Cinzia Bianco, senior analyst in London for Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consulting firm.

Many people have come out in defense of the guardianship system this week, arguing that it promotes conservative morals and traditional Saudi values.

"If the guardianship is dropped, what more will happen? Go out and see the loose women on the streets with their loud voices," said Abdulhamid Alodeilh in a Twitter post.

Faisal J. Abbas, the editor in chief of the pro-government Saudi newspaper, Arab News, wrote in an op-ed on Thursday that there was little room for guardianship laws amid the social change sweeping Saudi Arabia.

"Male guardianship over women in Saudi Arabia - or anywhere in the world - is wrong and discriminatory, and all forms of this outdated practice should be abolished," he wrote in the essay, which got widespread attention.&nbsp;

He also said Alqunun shouldn't become a poster child for ending guardianship laws, citing her young age.

Until this week, the debate over the Saudi guardianship system had been muted, in part because the government has jailed a host of prominent womens-rights activists, Dow Jones added in a report made available to EFE.

Among the detained is Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor and a vocal advocate for scrapping male permissions for travel and other matters.

The arrests are part of a broad crackdown on Saudi civil society by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has also targeted business leaders and clerics in his bid to consolidate power and stifle dissent over his disruptive policies.

Without well-connected activists advocating for abolishing guardianship laws, it isn't clear how this week's calls for change could be sustained, said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "That clearly affects the room for an open debate," she said.

The Saudi government has accused the activists of terrorism and working with hostile foreign governments. No charges have been publicly leveled against them.

Some guardianship opponents had looked with hope to King Salman and his son, Prince Mohammed, when they came to power in 2015.

A movement called "I Am My Own Guardian" sprang up in 2016. Hundreds of women sent telegrams to King Salman that year, asking him to change guardianship laws.

In April 2017, the king made a gesture that was seen as a positive signal, clarifying that government agencies shouldn't require a guardian's permission unless specifically required to do so under the law.&nbsp;

Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old in line to succeed his father, spearheaded lifting of the ban on women driving and has pushed other popular reforms, such as disempowering a religious police force that often harassed and even jailed women for how they dressed.&nbsp;

But he has been noncommittal about ending guardianship laws, saying it was for Islamic scholars to study.

"Changing guardianship is harder than the driving ban," said Karen E. Young, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Some Saudis this week said the kingdom's laws weren't the real impediment to change, but that the rules come from biases against women ingrained deep in society.&nbsp;

Writing with a hashtag about lifting the "travel ban," a Twitter user named Nahawnd said Prince Mohammed would eventually overcome "this backward society and prevailing mind-set."

A young Saudi woman's flight from her family and country has stirred debate in Saudi Arabia about its requirement that women get permission from a male guardian to travel or marry, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report made available to EFE on Saturday.

A young Saudi woman's flight from her family and country has stirred debate in Saudi Arabia about its requirement that women get permission from a male guardian to travel or marry, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report made available to EFE on Saturday. Canada said Friday it would grant refugee status to 18-year-old Rahaf Alqunun, after a weeklong asylum bid that spurred some Saudis to question whether the male-guardianship system still has a place in a kingdom where social mores are quickly changing. Saudi women can now drive, attend soccer matches with men and work in any field, but they can't travel freely without a guardian. Saudi women are treated as minors in many legal matters, including marriage and being released from prison, requiring authorisation from a male guardian - father, husband or even a son. Legally nonbinding social customs often force women to demonstrate their guardian's consent to work, get health care and conduct transactions such as renting an apartment, according to a 2016 Human Rights Watch report. "No one of sound mind can rationalise the idea of the guardianship system," said a Saudi named Bandar, in a video posted this week on Twitter. "It's what's making girls wishful to leave their country and live somewhere else from the country they were raised in." The post was among thousands with hashtags related to Alqunun or the guardianship system that have trended on Twitter in Saudi Arabia since her case exploded into public view this week. Alqunun fled on Saturday during a family trip to Kuwait, where she was able to board a flight to Thailand without a guardian's permission. She was stopped by Thai authorities, but refused efforts to send her back to Saudi Arabia, saying she had renounced Islam and feared her family would harm her. Alqunun said she had a visa for Australia and planned to seek asylum there, but on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had granted her refugee status. A Saudi diplomatic official in Thailand told Saudi television that Alqunun's father said she wasn't a victim of violence. Saudi guardianship laws are generally unpopular in more cosmopolitan Saudi cities such as Riyadh and the Red Sea port of Jeddah. But they remain an important part of life in more conservative areas, and the government would face intense opposition if it moved to undo the guardianship system. While some other Muslim countries have male-guardianship traditions, Saudi Arabia goes the furthest in enshrining these customs in law and carrying them out in practice, drawing on its ultraconservative interpretation of Islam. "This change would overturn social life in the entire kingdom," said Cinzia Bianco, senior analyst in London for Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consulting firm. Many people have come out in defense of the guardianship system this week, arguing that it promotes conservative morals and traditional Saudi values. "If the guardianship is dropped, what more will happen? Go out and see the loose women on the streets with their loud voices," said Abdulhamid Alodeilh in a Twitter post. Faisal J. Abbas, the editor in chief of the pro-government Saudi newspaper, Arab News, wrote in an op-ed on Thursday that there was little room for guardianship laws amid the social change sweeping Saudi Arabia. "Male guardianship over women in Saudi Arabia - or anywhere in the world - is wrong and discriminatory, and all forms of this outdated practice should be abolished," he wrote in the essay, which got widespread attention. He also said Alqunun shouldn't become a poster child for ending guardianship laws, citing her young age. Until this week, the debate over the Saudi guardianship system had been muted, in part because the government has jailed a host of prominent womens-rights activists, Dow Jones added in a report made available to EFE. Among the detained is Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor and a vocal advocate for scrapping male permissions for travel and other matters. The arrests are part of a broad crackdown on Saudi civil society by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has also targeted business leaders and clerics in his bid to consolidate power and stifle dissent over his disruptive policies. Without well-connected activists advocating for abolishing guardianship laws, it isn't clear how this week's calls for change could be sustained, said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "That clearly affects the room for an open debate," she said. The Saudi government has accused the activists of terrorism and working with hostile foreign governments. No charges have been publicly leveled against them. Some guardianship opponents had looked with hope to King Salman and his son, Prince Mohammed, when they came to power in 2015. A movement called "I Am My Own Guardian" sprang up in 2016. Hundreds of women sent telegrams to King Salman that year, asking him to change guardianship laws. In April 2017, the king made a gesture that was seen as a positive signal, clarifying that government agencies shouldn't require a guardian's permission unless specifically required to do so under the law. Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old in line to succeed his father, spearheaded lifting of the ban on women driving and has pushed other popular reforms, such as disempowering a religious police force that often harassed and even jailed women for how they dressed. But he has been noncommittal about ending guardianship laws, saying it was for Islamic scholars to study. "Changing guardianship is harder than the driving ban," said Karen E. Young, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Some Saudis this week said the kingdom's laws weren't the real impediment to change, but that the rules come from biases against women ingrained deep in society. Writing with a hashtag about lifting the "travel ban," a Twitter user named Nahawnd said Prince Mohammed would eventually overcome "this backward society and prevailing mind-set."

Runaway teen's bid for asylum in Canada stirs women's rights debate in Saudi Arabia

China's foreign ministry said that would allow UN officials to visit Xinjiang "if they follow the proper procedures" amid reports of suppression of the local population in the area.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comments in Beijing.

Last year a United Nations human rights panel had said it had received credible reports that one million ethnic Uighurs in China were held in what resembled a "massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy."

China had said camps were&nbsp;"vocational training centres" to bolster economic growth in the region.

The Xinjiang region has been the focus of renewed attention amid reports of Bejing's "deradicalisation" plan in the mostly Muslim dominated Turkic Uighurs. In 2009, Xinjiang had experienced riots which was quelled by local authorities.

China maintains that Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers had called for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for alleged human rights abuses against in Xinjiang region.

Human Rights Watch had said that Uighur Muslims face arbitrary detentions, daily restrictions on religious practice and "forced political indoctrination".

The rights body&nbsp;accused China of forbidding Islamic greetings in the region and making Mandarin language mandatory which included singing propaganda songs.

Punishments for refusing to follow instructions in the camp could mean being denied food, being forced to stand for 24 hours or even solitary confinement, it had said in its report. China refuted the allegation.

Last week the US had issued a &nbsp;"Level 2" warning over extra security checks and increased police presence in the Xinjiang and Tibet Autonomous Regions.

China's foreign ministry said that would allow UN officials to visit Xinjiang "if they follow the proper procedures" amid reports of suppression of the local population in the area.

China's foreign ministry said that would allow UN officials to visit Xinjiang "if they follow the proper procedures" amid reports of suppression of the local population in the area. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comments in Beijing. Last year a United Nations human rights panel had said it had received credible reports that one million ethnic Uighurs in China were held in what resembled a "massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy." China had said camps were "vocational training centres" to bolster economic growth in the region. The Xinjiang region has been the focus of renewed attention amid reports of Bejing's "deradicalisation" plan in the mostly Muslim dominated Turkic Uighurs. In 2009, Xinjiang had experienced riots which was quelled by local authorities. China maintains that Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers had called for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for alleged human rights abuses against in Xinjiang region. Human Rights Watch had said that Uighur Muslims face arbitrary detentions, daily restrictions on religious practice and "forced political indoctrination". The rights body accused China of forbidding Islamic greetings in the region and making Mandarin language mandatory which included singing propaganda songs. Punishments for refusing to follow instructions in the camp could mean being denied food, being forced to stand for 24 hours or even solitary confinement, it had said in its report. China refuted the allegation. Last week the US had issued a "Level 2" warning over extra security checks and increased police presence in the Xinjiang and Tibet Autonomous Regions.

Ready to allow UN officials in Xinjiang 'if they follow proper procedure': China

The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer took place Wednesday but was closed to the public because of "state secrets", a northern Chinese court said.

Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep&nbsp;known as the "709" crackdown aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities.

Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang had been in legal limbo detained without a trial date until Monday, when his government-appointed lawyer finally contacted his wife with the court date.

"The defendant... was tried in the first instance of the Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court today," the court said in a statement.

"Due to the state secrets involved, the court decided not to open the trial to the public. The verdict, in this case, will be pronounced at a later date."

The closed-door proceedings were conducted in a heavily-guarded courthouse in the northern city of Tianjin, with Wang's wife prevented from attending the session and at least two activists detained for protesting outside the building.

Wang's wife, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/wife-of-vanished-chinese-lawyer-marches-for-answers-128622">Li Wenzu</a>, was on Tuesday placed under de facto house arrest with "more than 20" security personnel outside her apartment.&nbsp;

In an account posted on Twitter early Wednesday morning, a supporter Wang Qiaoling detailed how she and Li were barred from leaving a Beijing housing compound by groups of police officers for over an hour.

'Another potential enemy'&nbsp;

"The authorities in cases like these see the defendant as their enemy and anyone close to them as either a potential tool to be manipulated... or as another potential enemy to be controlled," Eva Pils, a professor specialising in human rights law at King's College London, told AFP.

"Placing Li Wenzu under house arrest would fall in that category."

Just before 10:00 am (0200 GMT), AFP journalists witnessed Heilongjiang activist Yang Chunlin getting arrested after he protested outside the court in Tianjin, describing the situation as "fascist rule" and "absurd".

Several plainclothes officers set on Yang and bundled him into a waiting black SUV.

Witnesses told AFP that Zhang Zhecheng, a rights activist from central China, had been taken away at about 8:15 am after holding up a sign calling for Wang's release.

Wang is charged with being influenced by "infiltrating anti-China forces", of being trained by a foreign group and accepting their funding, and of having subversive thoughts as a result.

The documents seen by AFP said he worked with Peter Dahlin, a Swedish human rights activist whose group offered training to lawyers who have tried to use the tightly controlled Chinese judiciary to redress apparent government abuses.

Dahlin was deported in 2016 after a 23-day detention.

Wang is also accused of hyping up and distorting facts in cases he worked on, including a "cult" he was defending.

Stay quiet'&nbsp;

In Hong Kong, about 50 people marched to China's liaison office on Wednesday, demanding the release of Wang and others detained during the 709 crackdowns.

The sweep has dealt a blow to China's human rights defence movement, with most lawyers either jailed, disbarred or under heavy surveillance, making it impossible for them to work, said Human Rights Watch China researcher Yaqiu Wang.

"The Chinese government, paranoiacally, sees grassroots Chinese activists and organisations working with foreign non-government organisations as attempts to foment a 'colour revolution' to challenge the Communist Party's grip on power," she said.&nbsp;

Li and three others last week shaved their heads in protest of Wang's indefinite detention and tried to submit a petition to the courts but were prevented from doing so by the police.

"Family members of detained activists are often warned to 'stay quiet' to avoid their loved ones getting harsher sentences," said Doriane Lau, China researcher at Amnesty International.&nbsp;

"In the hope of getting the activist out earlier by succumbing to the threats of the authorities, family members and friends avoid bringing the case to journalists or calling for support on social media."

The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer took place Wednesday but was closed to the public because of "state secrets", a northern Chinese court said.

The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer took place Wednesday but was closed to the public because of "state secrets", a northern Chinese court said. Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep known as the "709" crackdown aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang had been in legal limbo detained without a trial date until Monday, when his government-appointed lawyer finally contacted his wife with the court date. "The defendant... was tried in the first instance of the Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court today," the court said in a statement. "Due to the state secrets involved, the court decided not to open the trial to the public. The verdict, in this case, will be pronounced at a later date." The closed-door proceedings were conducted in a heavily-guarded courthouse in the northern city of Tianjin, with Wang's wife prevented from attending the session and at least two activists detained for protesting outside the building. Wang's wife, Li Wenzu, was on Tuesday placed under de facto house arrest with "more than 20" security personnel outside her apartment. In an account posted on Twitter early Wednesday morning, a supporter Wang Qiaoling detailed how she and Li were barred from leaving a Beijing housing compound by groups of police officers for over an hour. 'Another potential enemy' "The authorities in cases like these see the defendant as their enemy and anyone close to them as either a potential tool to be manipulated... or as another potential enemy to be controlled," Eva Pils, a professor specialising in human rights law at King's College London, told AFP. "Placing Li Wenzu under house arrest would fall in that category." Just before 10:00 am (0200 GMT), AFP journalists witnessed Heilongjiang activist Yang Chunlin getting arrested after he protested outside the court in Tianjin, describing the situation as "fascist rule" and "absurd". Several plainclothes officers set on Yang and bundled him into a waiting black SUV. Witnesses told AFP that Zhang Zhecheng, a rights activist from central China, had been taken away at about 8:15 am after holding up a sign calling for Wang's release. Wang is charged with being influenced by "infiltrating anti-China forces", of being trained by a foreign group and accepting their funding, and of having subversive thoughts as a result. The documents seen by AFP said he worked with Peter Dahlin, a Swedish human rights activist whose group offered training to lawyers who have tried to use the tightly controlled Chinese judiciary to redress apparent government abuses. Dahlin was deported in 2016 after a 23-day detention. Wang is also accused of hyping up and distorting facts in cases he worked on, including a "cult" he was defending. Stay quiet' In Hong Kong, about 50 people marched to China's liaison office on Wednesday, demanding the release of Wang and others detained during the 709 crackdowns. The sweep has dealt a blow to China's human rights defence movement, with most lawyers either jailed, disbarred or under heavy surveillance, making it impossible for them to work, said Human Rights Watch China researcher Yaqiu Wang. "The Chinese government, paranoiacally, sees grassroots Chinese activists and organisations working with foreign non-government organisations as attempts to foment a 'colour revolution' to challenge the Communist Party's grip on power," she said. Li and three others last week shaved their heads in protest of Wang's indefinite detention and tried to submit a petition to the courts but were prevented from doing so by the police. "Family members of detained activists are often warned to 'stay quiet' to avoid their loved ones getting harsher sentences," said Doriane Lau, China researcher at Amnesty International. "In the hope of getting the activist out earlier by succumbing to the threats of the authorities, family members and friends avoid bringing the case to journalists or calling for support on social media."

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer trial held behind closed doors

Pakistan is failing to educate a huge proportion of the country's girls due to shortage of government schools, under-investment in schools, as well as gender discrimination and child marriage, Human Rights Watch, said in a report.&nbsp;

The 111-page report, 'Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?': Barriers to Girls' Education in Pakistan,' said that many girls have no access to education.

Nearly 22.5 million of Pakistan's children in a country with a population of just over 200 million are out of school, the majority of them girls. Thirty-two per cent of primary school age girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared with 21 per cent of boys. By ninth grade, only 13 per cent of girls are still in school.&nbsp;

"The Pakistan government's failure to educate children is having a devastating impact on millions of girls," women's rights director at Human Rights Watch Liesl Gerntholtz said adding that many of the girls are desperate to study, but instead are growing up without the education that would help them have options for their future.&nbsp;

Human Rights Watch interviewed 209 people for the report most of them with girls who never attended school or were unable to complete their education, and their families in all four of Pakistan's provinces: Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh. Human Rights Watch also interviewed parents, educators, experts, and activists, and visited schools.&nbsp;

Human Rights Watch said factors keeping girls out of school include the government's under-investment in schools, lack of schools, prohibitive school fees and related costs, corporal punishment, and a failure to enforce compulsory education. Poor quality within both government and low-cost private schools, a lack of government regulation of private schools, and corruption also add to the reasons girls are forced to stay out of school.&nbsp;

In addition to these factors within the education system, girls are also blocked from attending school by external factors including child labour, gender discrimination, child marriage, sexual harassment, insecurity, and attacks on education.&nbsp;

The Pakistan government has consistently invested far less in education than is recommended by international standards. As of 2017, Pakistan was spending less than 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education far below the recommended four to six per cent leaving the government's education system severely under-funded. Government schools are in such short supply that even in Pakistan's major cities, many children cannot reach a school on foot safely in a reasonable amount of time.&nbsp;

The situation is far worse in rural areas and there are many more schools for boys than for girls, the rights group said.&nbsp;

"Even parents who are not educated themselves understand that their daughters' future depends on them going to school, but the government is abandoning these families," Gerntholtz said.&nbsp;

Pakistan is failing to educate a huge proportion of the country's girls due to shortage of government schools, under-investment in schools, as well as gender discrimination and child marriage, Human Rights Watch, said in a report.

Pakistan is failing to educate a huge proportion of the country's girls due to shortage of government schools, under-investment in schools, as well as gender discrimination and child marriage, Human Rights Watch, said in a report. The 111-page report, 'Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?': Barriers to Girls' Education in Pakistan,' said that many girls have no access to education. Nearly 22.5 million of Pakistan's children in a country with a population of just over 200 million are out of school, the majority of them girls. Thirty-two per cent of primary school age girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared with 21 per cent of boys. By ninth grade, only 13 per cent of girls are still in school. "The Pakistan government's failure to educate children is having a devastating impact on millions of girls," women's rights director at Human Rights Watch Liesl Gerntholtz said adding that many of the girls are desperate to study, but instead are growing up without the education that would help them have options for their future. Human Rights Watch interviewed 209 people for the report most of them with girls who never attended school or were unable to complete their education, and their families in all four of Pakistan's provinces: Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh. Human Rights Watch also interviewed parents, educators, experts, and activists, and visited schools. Human Rights Watch said factors keeping girls out of school include the government's under-investment in schools, lack of schools, prohibitive school fees and related costs, corporal punishment, and a failure to enforce compulsory education. Poor quality within both government and low-cost private schools, a lack of government regulation of private schools, and corruption also add to the reasons girls are forced to stay out of school. In addition to these factors within the education system, girls are also blocked from attending school by external factors including child labour, gender discrimination, child marriage, sexual harassment, insecurity, and attacks on education. The Pakistan government has consistently invested far less in education than is recommended by international standards. As of 2017, Pakistan was spending less than 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education far below the recommended four to six per cent leaving the government's education system severely under-funded. Government schools are in such short supply that even in Pakistan's major cities, many children cannot reach a school on foot safely in a reasonable amount of time. The situation is far worse in rural areas and there are many more schools for boys than for girls, the rights group said. "Even parents who are not educated themselves understand that their daughters' future depends on them going to school, but the government is abandoning these families," Gerntholtz said.

Pakistan failing to educate girls due to shortage of government schools: Human Rights Watch

North Korea Sunday slammed a report by Human Rights Watch which said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sexual-abuse-part-of-daily-routine-in-north-korea-report-174984">sexual abuse of women</a> was rampant in the isolated nation.

In its report released Thursday, the US-based rights group said North Korean police and other officials prey on women with near-total impunity.

HRW drew on interviews with more than 50 North Korean escapees to chronicle gruesome details of rape and other abuses perpetrated by security officers such as border guards, but also civilian officials.

In its response Sunday, the North's Korean Association for Human Rights Studies said the "preposterous" report was "a part of political scheme fabricated by the hostile forces ... to tarnish the image of the DPRK", the state Korean Central News Agency reported, using the country's official acronym.

"It is also an extremely dangerous provocation aimed at reversing the tide of peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula," the statement said, branding the women interviewed as "human scum".

In the HRW report, one anonymous former textile trader in her 40s recounted being treated like a sex toy "at the mercy of men".

"On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they'd pick," where they forced sexual encounters, she said.

"It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. We don't even realise when we are upset," she added.

Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights", and says there is no justification for the West to try to set human rights standards for the rest of the world.

"Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed, and widely tolerated secret," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth.

North Korea Sunday slammed a report by Human Rights Watch which said sexual abuse of women was rampant in the isolated nation. In its report released Thursday, the US-based rights group said North Korean police and other officials prey on women with near-total impunity.

North Korea Sunday slammed a report by Human Rights Watch which said sexual abuse of women was rampant in the isolated nation. In its report released Thursday, the US-based rights group said North Korean police and other officials prey on women with near-total impunity. HRW drew on interviews with more than 50 North Korean escapees to chronicle gruesome details of rape and other abuses perpetrated by security officers such as border guards, but also civilian officials. In its response Sunday, the North's Korean Association for Human Rights Studies said the "preposterous" report was "a part of political scheme fabricated by the hostile forces ... to tarnish the image of the DPRK", the state Korean Central News Agency reported, using the country's official acronym. "It is also an extremely dangerous provocation aimed at reversing the tide of peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula," the statement said, branding the women interviewed as "human scum". In the HRW report, one anonymous former textile trader in her 40s recounted being treated like a sex toy "at the mercy of men". "On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they'd pick," where they forced sexual encounters, she said. "It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. We don't even realise when we are upset," she added. Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights", and says there is no justification for the West to try to set human rights standards for the rest of the world. "Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed, and widely tolerated secret," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth.

North Korea slams sex abuse report by Human Rights Watch

The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday announced that tests had confirmed a 13th death was caused by the Ebola virus, in an ongoing outbreak that has killed at least 27 suspected patients.

A total of 58 cases had been reported as of Tuesday, of which 37 were confirmed, 14 probable and seven suspected, in the three western rural areas worst affected by the outbreak: Bikoro and Iboko and the city of Mbandaka.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the Congolese government to "limit the use of quarantines, make protection of health workers and women a priority and ensure effective oversight and monitoring."

A vaccination campaign for over 1,300 people has been carried out over the past three weeks in the affected areas by the Congolese health ministry, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other health aid groups.

The VSV-EBOV vaccine was being used for immunization, an experimental treatment that was tested in Guinea after the 2014-2016 epidemic and was developed by the United States pharmaceutical company Merck.

Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding, as the virus causes severe damage to blood vessels.

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals.

In a report issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization detailed its vaccination strategy, saying: "The targets for vaccination are front-line health professionals, people who have been exposed to confirmed EVD (Ebola) cases and contacts of these contacts."

Early symptoms include a sudden high fever, intense weakness and muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting.

This was the ninth Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first discovered there in 1976, when the African country was still called Zaire.

The worst Ebola epidemic to date ravaged several West African nations in 2014, after it broke out in Dec. 2013 in Guinea and expanded into Sierra Leone and Liberia, with minor outbreaks occurring elsewhere.

Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding.

The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday announced that tests had confirmed a 13th death was caused by the Ebola virus, in an ongoing outbreak that has killed at least 27 suspected patients. A total of 58 cases had been reported as of Tuesday, of which 37 were confirmed, 14 probable and seven suspected, in the three western rural areas worst affected by the outbreak: Bikoro and Iboko and the city of Mbandaka. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the Congolese government to "limit the use of quarantines, make protection of health workers and women a priority and ensure effective oversight and monitoring." A vaccination campaign for over 1,300 people has been carried out over the past three weeks in the affected areas by the Congolese health ministry, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other health aid groups. The VSV-EBOV vaccine was being used for immunization, an experimental treatment that was tested in Guinea after the 2014-2016 epidemic and was developed by the United States pharmaceutical company Merck. Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding, as the virus causes severe damage to blood vessels. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals. In a report issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization detailed its vaccination strategy, saying: "The targets for vaccination are front-line health professionals, people who have been exposed to confirmed EVD (Ebola) cases and contacts of these contacts." Early symptoms include a sudden high fever, intense weakness and muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting. This was the ninth Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first discovered there in 1976, when the African country was still called Zaire. The worst Ebola epidemic to date ravaged several West African nations in 2014, after it broke out in Dec. 2013 in Guinea and expanded into Sierra Leone and Liberia, with minor outbreaks occurring elsewhere.

13th confirmed Ebola death in latest DR Congo outbreak, 27 suspected in total

Security forces in Burkina Faso have carried out extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other abuses in their campaign against terrorism, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.

A 60-page report by the US-based watchdog said Sahel villagers found themselves caught between jihadists, who threatened to kill those who collaborated with the government, and the security forces, who expected local people to give them information about the insurgents.

HRW said it had documented the execution-style killing by Islamists of 19 men from 12 villages who had been accused of providing tips to the security forces.

On the government's side, witnesses implicated the security forces in "at least" 14 alleged summary executions and said four other men died in custody from mistreatment.

"Many witnesses described seeing bodies -– often blindfolded and with their hands bound -– along local roads and footpaths in northern Burkina Faso," the report said.

"The majority of victims were last seen in the custody of government security forces."&nbsp

Northern Burkina Faso has been in the grip of a jihadist insurgency since 2016.

Armed groups including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have attacked army bases, police and gendarme posts and carried out a campaign of intimidation against officials and teachers.

The violence has killed scores of people and driven over 12,000 from their homes, HRW said.

The fatalities include 47 civilians murdered by jihadists in two attacks in the capital Ouagadougou in 2016 and 2017.

"The growing insecurity in Burkina Faso has led to terrible crimes by both armed Islamists and state security forces,” said Corinne Dufka, HRW's Sahel director.&nbsp

"The government should follow through on its important commitment to investigate alleged abuses by state forces, and the armed Islamists should stop attacking and threatening civilians."

Responding to the accusations, Defence Minister Jean-Claude Bouda said that he was already "aware of certain allegations of abuses" against civilians in counter-terrorism operations.

"The government undertakes to carry out inquiries into all the cases of abuse referred to (in the report) which had not already been brought to its attention," Bouda said.

Northern Burkina Faso has been in the grip of a jihadist insurgency since 2016

Security forces in Burkina Faso have carried out extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other abuses in their campaign against terrorism, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. A 60-page report by the US-based watchdog said Sahel villagers found themselves caught between jihadists, who threatened to kill those who collaborated with the government, and the security forces, who expected local people to give them information about the insurgents. HRW said it had documented the execution-style killing by Islamists of 19 men from 12 villages who had been accused of providing tips to the security forces. On the government's side, witnesses implicated the security forces in "at least" 14 alleged summary executions and said four other men died in custody from mistreatment. "Many witnesses described seeing bodies -– often blindfolded and with their hands bound -– along local roads and footpaths in northern Burkina Faso," the report said. "The majority of victims were last seen in the custody of government security forces." Northern Burkina Faso has been in the grip of a jihadist insurgency since 2016. Armed groups including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have attacked army bases, police and gendarme posts and carried out a campaign of intimidation against officials and teachers. The violence has killed scores of people and driven over 12,000 from their homes, HRW said. The fatalities include 47 civilians murdered by jihadists in two attacks in the capital Ouagadougou in 2016 and 2017. "The growing insecurity in Burkina Faso has led to terrible crimes by both armed Islamists and state security forces,” said Corinne Dufka, HRW's Sahel director. "The government should follow through on its important commitment to investigate alleged abuses by state forces, and the armed Islamists should stop attacking and threatening civilians." Responding to the accusations, Defence Minister Jean-Claude Bouda said that he was already "aware of certain allegations of abuses" against civilians in counter-terrorism operations. "The government undertakes to carry out inquiries into all the cases of abuse referred to (in the report) which had not already been brought to its attention," Bouda said.

Rights watchdog lashes Burkina over army 'abuses'

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to reveal the whereabouts pf Sheikha Latifa bin Mohammad al-Maktoum, the 32-year-old daughter of the ruler of the Dubai and give details about her legal status.&nbsp;

Failure to disclose the whereabouts and status of the princess could qualify as an enforced disappearance, given the evidence suggesting that she was last seen as UAE authorities were detaining her, it said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;A source close to the government of Dubai told Reuters that "Latifa is safe and sound with her family" but declined further comment, citing legal considerations.

The UAE has also yet to comment on recent media reports that Sheikha Latifa, a daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced in a video that she was fleeing the emirate due to restrictions imposed on her by her family.

As per HRW website, UAE intercepted Latifa on March 4, 2018, when she was attempting to flee to a third country by sea and returned her to the UAE. Sheikha Latifa, who told friends that she wished to flee restrictions imposed by her family, has not been seen or heard from for two months, raising serious concerns about her safety and well-being, two friends said.&nbsp;

HRW quoted two friends of Sheikha Latifa as saying she had not been seen or heard from for two months. "If she is detained she needs to be given the rights all detainees should have, including being taken before an independent judge," it said.

The rights group quoted Finnish national Tiina Jauhiainen, described as a friend of Sheikha Latifa who was one of several foreigners on the boat, as saying the Indian Coast Guard participated in the raid on the vessel in coordination with UAE authorities.

Jauhiainen said that on March 22 UAE authorities allowed her to return to Finland, and they allowed the yacht's owner Herve Jaubert, who holds French and American citizenship, to leave the UAE along with the boat's crew around the same time.

The group, Human Rights Watch, says failure to disclose her status could "qualify as an enforced disappearance

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to reveal the whereabouts pf Sheikha Latifa bin Mohammad al-Maktoum, the 32-year-old daughter of the ruler of the Dubai and give details about her legal status. Failure to disclose the whereabouts and status of the princess could qualify as an enforced disappearance, given the evidence suggesting that she was last seen as UAE authorities were detaining her, it said. A source close to the government of Dubai told Reuters that "Latifa is safe and sound with her family" but declined further comment, citing legal considerations. The UAE has also yet to comment on recent media reports that Sheikha Latifa, a daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced in a video that she was fleeing the emirate due to restrictions imposed on her by her family. As per HRW website, UAE intercepted Latifa on March 4, 2018, when she was attempting to flee to a third country by sea and returned her to the UAE. Sheikha Latifa, who told friends that she wished to flee restrictions imposed by her family, has not been seen or heard from for two months, raising serious concerns about her safety and well-being, two friends said. HRW quoted two friends of Sheikha Latifa as saying she had not been seen or heard from for two months. "If she is detained she needs to be given the rights all detainees should have, including being taken before an independent judge," it said. The rights group quoted Finnish national Tiina Jauhiainen, described as a friend of Sheikha Latifa who was one of several foreigners on the boat, as saying the Indian Coast Guard participated in the raid on the vessel in coordination with UAE authorities. Jauhiainen said that on March 22 UAE authorities allowed her to return to Finland, and they allowed the yacht's owner Herve Jaubert, who holds French and American citizenship, to leave the UAE along with the boat's crew around the same time.

Rights group demands whereabouts of Dubai princess missing for 2 months

Chinese authorities are using big data and predictive computing power to flag and detain individuals deemed threatening in the western Xinjiang region, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

According to the New York-based rights group, Xinjiang authorities are collating vast troves of information on individuals, often without their knowledge, and using this to identify targets to check up on.&nbsp;

The Xinjiang region has a mostly Muslim Uighur population, which has struggled with increasingly strict curbs on their faith, including bans on beards and public prayers.

&quot;For the first time, we are able to demonstrate that the Chinese government&#39;s use of big data and predictive policing not only blatantly violates privacy rights, but also enables officials to arbitrarily detain people,&quot; Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;People in Xinjiang can&#39;t resist or challenge the increasingly intrusive scrutiny of their daily lives because most don&#39;t even know about this &#39;black box&#39; program or how it works.&quot;

The data are collected under the &quot;Integrated Joint Operations Platform,&quot; which pools information from individuals&#39; bank records, legal past, computer details and other sources including security camera footage, HRW said.

According to people HRW interviewed, some of those targeted are detained and sent to extralegal &quot;political education centers&quot; where they are held indefinitely without charge or trial.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has led a sweeping crackdown on civil society since taking power in 2012, targeting everyone from human rights lawyers to celebrity gossip bloggers.

Xi&#39;s enactment of regulations such as the national security law established legal bases for the government&#39;s tightening grip, formalizing de facto restrictions that had long been in place.

The officially atheist authorities say the restrictions and heavy police presence in Xinjiang are intended to control the spread of Islamic extremism and separatist movements, but analysts warn that Xinjiang is becoming an open air prison.

'For the first time, we are able to demonstrate that the Chinese government's use of big data and predictive policing not only blatantly violates privacy rights, but also enables officials to arbitrarily detain people," Maya Wang, senior China researcher at HRW, said

Chinese authorities are using big data and predictive computing power to flag and detain individuals deemed threatening in the western Xinjiang region, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. According to the New York-based rights group, Xinjiang authorities are collating vast troves of information on individuals, often without their knowledge, and using this to identify targets to check up on. The Xinjiang region has a mostly Muslim Uighur population, which has struggled with increasingly strict curbs on their faith, including bans on beards and public prayers. "For the first time, we are able to demonstrate that the Chinese government's use of big data and predictive policing not only blatantly violates privacy rights, but also enables officials to arbitrarily detain people," Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. "People in Xinjiang can't resist or challenge the increasingly intrusive scrutiny of their daily lives because most don't even know about this 'black box' program or how it works." The data are collected under the "Integrated Joint Operations Platform," which pools information from individuals' bank records, legal past, computer details and other sources including security camera footage, HRW said. According to people HRW interviewed, some of those targeted are detained and sent to extralegal "political education centers" where they are held indefinitely without charge or trial. Chinese President Xi Jinping has led a sweeping crackdown on civil society since taking power in 2012, targeting everyone from human rights lawyers to celebrity gossip bloggers. Xi's enactment of regulations such as the national security law established legal bases for the government's tightening grip, formalizing de facto restrictions that had long been in place. The officially atheist authorities say the restrictions and heavy police presence in Xinjiang are intended to control the spread of Islamic extremism and separatist movements, but analysts warn that Xinjiang is becoming an open air prison.

China using 'predictive policing' in Xinjiang: Human Rights Watch

Satellite imagery shows Myanmar authorities have bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine in recent months, Human Rights Watch said Friday, condemning the government for erasing evidence at sites where troops are accused of atrocities.

Northern Rakhine has been nearly emptied of its Rohingya population since last August, when a military crackdown drove some 700,000 of the persecuted group across the border to Bangladesh.&nbsp;

The UN has accused Myanmar of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation.

Myanmar denies the charge but has blocked UN investigators from investigating an area where thousands of Rohingya are believed to have been killed.&nbsp;

Hundreds of Rohingya villages were already damaged by fire during the initial months of violence last year, when soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes terrorised communities with arson, gunfire and rape, according to refugees.&nbsp;

Since November Myanmar authorities have further demolished at least 55 villages with heavy machinery, clearing out all structures and vegetation, satellite images obtained by Human Rights Watch showed.

At least two of the flattened villages were previously undamaged by fires, the watchdog said.

&quot;Many of these villages were scenes of atrocities against Rohingya and should be preserved so that the experts appointed by the UN to document these abuses can properly evaluate the evidence to identify those responsible,&quot; said HRW&#39;s Asia director Brad Adams.

&quot;Bulldozing these areas threatens to erase both the memory and the legal claims of the Rohingya who lived there,&quot; he added.

Myanmar&#39;s government spokesman could not be reached for comment. Haunting images of levelled villages first circulated on social media earlier this month after they were posted by an EU diplomat.

At the time Myanmar&#39;s Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye told AFP the demolition was part of a plan to &quot;build back&quot; villages to a higher standard than before.

Myanmar has trumpeted a government effort to rebuild violence-gutted Rakhine and welcome back refugees under a repatriation agreement with Dhaka that was supposed to commence in January.

But many Rohingya refuse to return without the guarantee of basic rights and safety.

Analysts have also sounded the alarm over the government&#39;s rehabilitation projects, calling the sweeping destruction of villages, mosques and property only the latest move to erase the Rohingya&#39;s ties to their ancestral lands, and prevent them returning.

On Thursday UN agencies said they had struck a partnership with Myanmar and Japan governments to provide $20 million for humanitarian and development projects in Rakhine state, where authorities have restricted access for aid groups since the crisis.

Food and other assistance would be provided to &quot;people of all communities in Rakhine state,&quot; the UN agencies said in a statement, adding that access had improved but remained restricted in some areas.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have been systematically stripped of their legal rights in Myanmar in recent decades.

They have also been targeted by bouts of communal violence with ethnic Rakhine Buddhist neighbours and corralled into grim displacement camps in other parts of the state.

Myanmar&#39;s army says its August crackdown was a proportionate counterstrike against Rohingya rebels who attacked police posts in late August, killing around a dozen officials.&nbsp;

Many in the Buddhist majority revile the Rohingya and brand the group as foreign interlopers, despite their having lived in Rakhine for generations.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Northern Rakhine has been nearly emptied of its Rohingya population since last August

Satellite imagery shows Myanmar authorities have bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine in recent months, Human Rights Watch said Friday, condemning the government for erasing evidence at sites where troops are accused of atrocities. Northern Rakhine has been nearly emptied of its Rohingya population since last August, when a military crackdown drove some 700,000 of the persecuted group across the border to Bangladesh. The UN has accused Myanmar of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation. Myanmar denies the charge but has blocked UN investigators from investigating an area where thousands of Rohingya are believed to have been killed. Hundreds of Rohingya villages were already damaged by fire during the initial months of violence last year, when soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes terrorised communities with arson, gunfire and rape, according to refugees. Since November Myanmar authorities have further demolished at least 55 villages with heavy machinery, clearing out all structures and vegetation, satellite images obtained by Human Rights Watch showed. At least two of the flattened villages were previously undamaged by fires, the watchdog said. "Many of these villages were scenes of atrocities against Rohingya and should be preserved so that the experts appointed by the UN to document these abuses can properly evaluate the evidence to identify those responsible," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams. "Bulldozing these areas threatens to erase both the memory and the legal claims of the Rohingya who lived there," he added. Myanmar's government spokesman could not be reached for comment. Haunting images of levelled villages first circulated on social media earlier this month after they were posted by an EU diplomat. At the time Myanmar's Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye told AFP the demolition was part of a plan to "build back" villages to a higher standard than before. Myanmar has trumpeted a government effort to rebuild violence-gutted Rakhine and welcome back refugees under a repatriation agreement with Dhaka that was supposed to commence in January. But many Rohingya refuse to return without the guarantee of basic rights and safety. Analysts have also sounded the alarm over the government's rehabilitation projects, calling the sweeping destruction of villages, mosques and property only the latest move to erase the Rohingya's ties to their ancestral lands, and prevent them returning. On Thursday UN agencies said they had struck a partnership with Myanmar and Japan governments to provide $20 million for humanitarian and development projects in Rakhine state, where authorities have restricted access for aid groups since the crisis. Food and other assistance would be provided to "people of all communities in Rakhine state," the UN agencies said in a statement, adding that access had improved but remained restricted in some areas. The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have been systematically stripped of their legal rights in Myanmar in recent decades. They have also been targeted by bouts of communal violence with ethnic Rakhine Buddhist neighbours and corralled into grim displacement camps in other parts of the state. Myanmar's army says its August crackdown was a proportionate counterstrike against Rohingya rebels who attacked police posts in late August, killing around a dozen officials. Many in the Buddhist majority revile the Rohingya and brand the group as foreign interlopers, despite their having lived in Rakhine for generations.

Myanmar bulldozed scores of Rohingya villages since November: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch in a report <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-situation-textbook-example-of-ethnic-cleansing-un-human-rights-commission-20075">named &ldquo;Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys&rdquo;</a> said beneath the slick surface of gleaming high-rises in Singapore resides a &quot;repressive place, where the government severely restricts what can be said, published, performed, read, or watched.&quot;

In a hard hitting report, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/myanmar-commanders-should-be-punished-for-rape-of-rohingya-women-girls-human-rights-watch-12085">the human rights agency said those </a>who criticize the government or the judiciary, or publicly discuss race and religion, &quot;frequently find themselves facing criminal investigations&quot;, adding,&quot;peaceful public demonstrations and other assemblies are severely limited.&quot;

&quot;Suppression of speech and assembly is not a new phenomenon in Singapore,&quot; the report obeserved, saying: &quot;Leaders of the ruling Peoples&rsquo; Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for more than 50 years, have a history of bankrupting opposition politicians through civil defamation suits and jailing them for public protests.

The international rights agency which frequently produces reports on country&#39;s social, economic and political affairs openly criticised the Singapore&nbsp;government.

&quot;The right to peaceful assembly is extraordinarily restricted in Singapore,&quot; the rights agency noted.

&quot;The only place a resident of Singapore can hold a public assembly without a permit from the government is at &quot;Speakers&#39; Corner,&quot; an area of tiny Hong Lim Park,&quot; the Human Rights Watch said.

The rights agency was particularly severe on Singapore&#39;s poor handling of its media saying the government has &quot;increased its regulation of internet content providers.&quot;

&quot;Websites found to be engaged in discussion of political or religious issues relating to Singapore can be required to undertake additional registration procedures and are subjected to additional restrictions,&quot; it said, adding,&quot;The government can also unilaterally declare that a website is a &ldquo;political association&rdquo; under the Political Donations Act and thus subject to stringent reporting requirements.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Whether accurate or not, there is a real sense that, if you challenge the government of Singapore, you will pay a price,&quot; the agency said.

The rights body said the Singapore government can penalize people for dissent in several ways through &quot;criminal prosecution, a government job, grants from the government for a project, or the imposition of additional regulatory burdens.&quot; 
&nbsp;

The international rights agency which frequently produces reports on country's social, economic and political affairs openly criticised the Singapore's government.

Human Rights Watch in a report named “Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys” said beneath the slick surface of gleaming high-rises in Singapore resides a "repressive place, where the government severely restricts what can be said, published, performed, read, or watched." In a hard hitting report, the human rights agency said those who criticize the government or the judiciary, or publicly discuss race and religion, "frequently find themselves facing criminal investigations", adding,"peaceful public demonstrations and other assemblies are severely limited." "Suppression of speech and assembly is not a new phenomenon in Singapore," the report obeserved, saying: "Leaders of the ruling Peoples’ Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for more than 50 years, have a history of bankrupting opposition politicians through civil defamation suits and jailing them for public protests. The international rights agency which frequently produces reports on country's social, economic and political affairs openly criticised the Singapore government. "The right to peaceful assembly is extraordinarily restricted in Singapore," the rights agency noted. "The only place a resident of Singapore can hold a public assembly without a permit from the government is at "Speakers' Corner," an area of tiny Hong Lim Park," the Human Rights Watch said. The rights agency was particularly severe on Singapore's poor handling of its media saying the government has "increased its regulation of internet content providers." "Websites found to be engaged in discussion of political or religious issues relating to Singapore can be required to undertake additional registration procedures and are subjected to additional restrictions," it said, adding,"The government can also unilaterally declare that a website is a “political association” under the Political Donations Act and thus subject to stringent reporting requirements." "Whether accurate or not, there is a real sense that, if you challenge the government of Singapore, you will pay a price," the agency said. The rights body said the Singapore government can penalize people for dissent in several ways through "criminal prosecution, a government job, grants from the government for a project, or the imposition of additional regulatory burdens."

Singapore promotes itself as bustling modern state but is a repressive place: Human Rights Watch report

The Vietnam government imprisoned a 37-year-old woman activist, Tran Thi&nbsp;Nga, holding her&nbsp;guilty of&nbsp;criticising the country&#39;s leadership over a Facebook post.&nbsp;

Thi Nga, a mother of four kids, was charged under Vietnam&rsquo;s Article 88, for &quot;spreading propaganda against the state&quot;. The government also charged her for producing&nbsp;videos supporting her campaign against environmental pollution, police brutality and illegal land confiscation.&nbsp;

The Vietnamese Communist Party has ruled the country for almost 43 years now and has very little patience when it comes to freedom of expression.&nbsp;

Tran Thi Nga began her human rights activism after being mistreated at her previous job&nbsp;in Taiwan. She began working as a housemaid at the age of 20 and it was only after changing several jobs did she realise&nbsp;the hardships and ill treatment involved in her chosen occupation.

Back in her country, Thi Nga began her crusade against oppression&nbsp;faced by people who worked as housemaids. However, her efforts have landed her in prison as she was ordered to serve a nine-year sentence, followed by five years of probation.&nbsp;

Earlier in June, another woman blogger named Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a human rights activist was sentenced to a&nbsp;10-year prison term on the similar charges.&nbsp;

The two arrests have infuriated human rights organizations in Vietnam which now believes that people can no longer criticise the government in the country.&nbsp;

According to a report, Amnesty International, a human rights organization in the UK attacked the Vietnam government and said:&nbsp;&ldquo;The government is destroying the lives of brave individuals and their families simply to intimidate others from raising their voice.&rdquo;

The &#39;Human Rights Watch&#39; has also demanded her release.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Vietnamese activist <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TranThiNga?src=hash">#TranThiNga</a> sentenced to 9 years in one-day trial. 
Chilling warning to dissidents<a href="https://t.co/3qYzE1q6NL">https://t.co/3qYzE1q6NL</a> <a href="https://t.co/xmjgO8mYvG">pic.twitter.com/xmjgO8mYvG</a>
&mdash; Human Rights Watch (@hrw) <a href="https://twitter.com/hrw/status/890455713797025792">July 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Thi Nga, a mother of four kids, was charged under Vietnam?s Article 88, for 'spreading propaganda against the state'.

The Vietnam government imprisoned a 37-year-old woman activist, Tran Thi Nga, holding her guilty of criticising the country's leadership over a Facebook post. Thi Nga, a mother of four kids, was charged under Vietnam’s Article 88, for "spreading propaganda against the state". The government also charged her for producing videos supporting her campaign against environmental pollution, police brutality and illegal land confiscation. The Vietnamese Communist Party has ruled the country for almost 43 years now and has very little patience when it comes to freedom of expression. Tran Thi Nga began her human rights activism after being mistreated at her previous job in Taiwan. She began working as a housemaid at the age of 20 and it was only after changing several jobs did she realise the hardships and ill treatment involved in her chosen occupation. Back in her country, Thi Nga began her crusade against oppression faced by people who worked as housemaids. However, her efforts have landed her in prison as she was ordered to serve a nine-year sentence, followed by five years of probation. Earlier in June, another woman blogger named Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a human rights activist was sentenced to a 10-year prison term on the similar charges. The two arrests have infuriated human rights organizations in Vietnam which now believes that people can no longer criticise the government in the country. According to a report, Amnesty International, a human rights organization in the UK attacked the Vietnam government and said: “The government is destroying the lives of brave individuals and their families simply to intimidate others from raising their voice.” The 'Human Rights Watch' has also demanded her release. Vietnamese activist #TranThiNga sentenced to 9 years in one-day trial. Chilling warning to dissidentshttps://t.co/3qYzE1q6NL pic.twitter.com/xmjgO8mYvG — Human Rights Watch (@hrw) July 27, 2017 ×

Vietnam: Woman blogger gets nine-year prison term over Facebook post

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the &quot;illegal&quot; detention of two Israeli citizens by Hamas, releasing new details about the men who are believed to be mentally ill.

The Islamist movement which runs Gaza is believed to have held Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu since April 2015 and September 2014 respectively, after they sneaked into the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

Both men suffer from serious mental health issues, the report said.

Hamas media has claimed the two were soldiers, but HRW said Mengistu was rejected from Israel&#39;s military on medical grounds and Sayed was discharged after a few months.

HRW said a third Israeli citizen, Jumaa Abu Ghanima, entered Gaza in July 2016, but there is no further information on him and it is unclear if he was arrested or joined a militant group.

Hamas has never officially confirmed it is holding Sayed and Mengistu, but videos the group has published on social media have included their images.

The Islamist group, which took control of Gaza in 2007, has not released any details on their condition or allowed rights groups to visit them.

Israel bans its nationals from entering Gaza for security reasons.

HRW said Hamas is demanding the release of a number of its members from Israeli jails before it will release information about the men.

&quot;No demand can justify disappearing and bartering over the lives of men, particularly those with serious mental health conditions,&quot; said Omar Shakir, HRW director for Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Shakir said Hamas should either release the men or provide evidence of their alleged crimes.

&quot;While they are being detained they must treat them humanely and provide them with contact with their families,&quot; he told AFP.

Sayed&#39;s father Sha&#39;aban said his son, a Bedouin Muslim, has schizophrenia and had previously disappeared to Jordan and even Gaza multiple times, eventually being returned by the authorities.

&quot;We just want to ask Hamas why are they holding him? What is the reason?&quot; he told AFP.

&quot;They say he is a soldier, an officer, in the Israeli army. This is a lie.&quot;

Hamas did not immediately respond to AFP&#39;s request for comment.

HRW said Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, climbed over a fence along the Gaza-Israel border to enter the enclave.

Sayed is believed to have walked across a relatively open area of the heavily fortified border.

Last year, old images of the two men appeared in a Hamas video along with pictures of two soldiers who they claim were kidnapped alive in the 2014 war with the Jewish state.

The Israeli army said the two soldiers were killed, but that Hamas has the bodies.

In 2011 Israel exchanged more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas had detained for five years.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.

(AFP)

The Islamist movement which runs Gaza is believed to have held Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu since April 2015 and September 2014 respectively

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the "illegal" detention of two Israeli citizens by Hamas, releasing new details about the men who are believed to be mentally ill. The Islamist movement which runs Gaza is believed to have held Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu since April 2015 and September 2014 respectively, after they sneaked into the blockaded Palestinian enclave. Both men suffer from serious mental health issues, the report said. Hamas media has claimed the two were soldiers, but HRW said Mengistu was rejected from Israel's military on medical grounds and Sayed was discharged after a few months. HRW said a third Israeli citizen, Jumaa Abu Ghanima, entered Gaza in July 2016, but there is no further information on him and it is unclear if he was arrested or joined a militant group. Hamas has never officially confirmed it is holding Sayed and Mengistu, but videos the group has published on social media have included their images. The Islamist group, which took control of Gaza in 2007, has not released any details on their condition or allowed rights groups to visit them. Israel bans its nationals from entering Gaza for security reasons. HRW said Hamas is demanding the release of a number of its members from Israeli jails before it will release information about the men. "No demand can justify disappearing and bartering over the lives of men, particularly those with serious mental health conditions," said Omar Shakir, HRW director for Israel and the Palestinian territories. Shakir said Hamas should either release the men or provide evidence of their alleged crimes. "While they are being detained they must treat them humanely and provide them with contact with their families," he told AFP. Sayed's father Sha'aban said his son, a Bedouin Muslim, has schizophrenia and had previously disappeared to Jordan and even Gaza multiple times, eventually being returned by the authorities. "We just want to ask Hamas why are they holding him? What is the reason?" he told AFP. "They say he is a soldier, an officer, in the Israeli army. This is a lie." Hamas did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. HRW said Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, climbed over a fence along the Gaza-Israel border to enter the enclave. Sayed is believed to have walked across a relatively open area of the heavily fortified border. Last year, old images of the two men appeared in a Hamas video along with pictures of two soldiers who they claim were kidnapped alive in the 2014 war with the Jewish state. The Israeli army said the two soldiers were killed, but that Hamas has the bodies. In 2011 Israel exchanged more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas had detained for five years. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008. (AFP)

Human Rights Watch condemns 'illegal' detention of two Israelis by Hamas

Israel is blocking rights activists&#39; access to and from the Gaza Strip, hampering their work in the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

A new report from the rights group &quot;documents how Israel systematically bars human rights workers from travelling into and out of Gaza, even where the Israeli security services make no security claims against them as individuals,&quot; it said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza.

Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 and Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years.

The Gaza Strip&#39;s sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years.

&quot;Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International has been able to get staff into Gaza via Egypt since 2012,&quot; HRW said.

The New York-based rights watchdog said access to the strip was important to look into allegations of abuses during the devastating 2014 war.

The International Criminal Court&#39;s chief prosecutor has opened an initial probe into alleged war crimes by both sides during the July-August 2014 conflict.

&quot;If Israel wants the ICC prosecutor to take seriously its argument that its criminal investigations are adequate, a good first step would be to allow human rights researchers to bring relevant information to light,&rdquo; said HRW&#39;s Sari Bashi.

&quot;Impeding the work of human rights groups raises questions not just about the willingness of Israel&rsquo;s military authorities to conduct genuine investigations, but also their ability to do so.&quot;

A spokeswoman for the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees permission to travel to Gaza said that &quot;all requests were carefully studied&quot;.

&quot;We coordinate regularly crossings of numerous human rights organisations,&quot; she added, naming such groups as Doctors Without Borders.

Bashi told AFP that while Israel was allowing access for humanitarian workers, it was not permitting rights activists, invoking security concerns.

Human Rights Watch also criticised restrictions recently imposed by Hamas following the assassination of one of its officials in the strip on March 24.

It has blamed Israel for the assassination and restricted passage out of Gaza as it investigates the murder.

(AFP)

HRW said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza

Israel is blocking rights activists' access to and from the Gaza Strip, hampering their work in the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. A new report from the rights group "documents how Israel systematically bars human rights workers from travelling into and out of Gaza, even where the Israeli security services make no security claims against them as individuals," it said in a statement. Human Rights Watch said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza. Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 and Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years. The Gaza Strip's sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years. "Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International has been able to get staff into Gaza via Egypt since 2012," HRW said. The New York-based rights watchdog said access to the strip was important to look into allegations of abuses during the devastating 2014 war. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has opened an initial probe into alleged war crimes by both sides during the July-August 2014 conflict. "If Israel wants the ICC prosecutor to take seriously its argument that its criminal investigations are adequate, a good first step would be to allow human rights researchers to bring relevant information to light,” said HRW's Sari Bashi. "Impeding the work of human rights groups raises questions not just about the willingness of Israel’s military authorities to conduct genuine investigations, but also their ability to do so." A spokeswoman for the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees permission to travel to Gaza said that "all requests were carefully studied". "We coordinate regularly crossings of numerous human rights organisations," she added, naming such groups as Doctors Without Borders. Bashi told AFP that while Israel was allowing access for humanitarian workers, it was not permitting rights activists, invoking security concerns. Human Rights Watch also criticised restrictions recently imposed by Hamas following the assassination of one of its officials in the strip on March 24. It has blamed Israel for the assassination and restricted passage out of Gaza as it investigates the murder. (AFP)

Israel blocking rights workers' access to Gaza: Human Rights Watch

&quot;The army arrested me in 2012 in Palmyra. They kept me in jail there, alone, for 15 days and beating was very hard. I was lashed with sticks and belts. Then they moved me to Damascus, I was held as a&nbsp;prisoner in&nbsp;Section 291,&quot; says Abu Alabas on the phone. &nbsp;

Abu Alabas&nbsp;is from Palmyra, Syria. He took part in the uprising against Syria&#39;s President Bashar Al-Assad, reason for which the army arrested him.

(WION is collecting several&nbsp;<a href="http://?http://www.wionews.com/world/abuse-torture-sexual-assault-in-syrias-prisons-12141">testimonies</a> of Syrians who experienced torture and violence in custody)&nbsp; &nbsp;

Section 291 is an infamous place among Syrian dissidents. It is one of the several temporary detention centres run by Syrian security services. Many of these places started functioning during the demonstrations demanding more democracy and participation from President Bashar Al-Assad. Regular jails were not enough to contain all those who were arrested. &nbsp;

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) drew a map to pinpoint these places and gathered 200 testimonies. When profiling Section 291&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media/images/photographs/2012_Torture_Damascus_EN.jpg">they wrote&nbsp;that</a> &nbsp;&#39;beating; beating with objects; shabeh; electrocution; threats against detainee; exposure to cold; threats against family members; sexual abuse&#39; were all documented torture methods.&nbsp;

Shabeh seems to be common in Syrian detention centres. According to survivors who were imprisoned by the Islamic State, the terrorist organisation also uses this method extensively.

This method uses&nbsp;hanging a person to the ceiling by the wrists, sometimes with the arms rotating&nbsp;behind their back. Then the prisoner is lifted enough to impede the feet to touch the floor. The entire bodyweight is on the wrists and this prevents blood to reach the hands which starts swelling and paining. If a prisoner is handcuffed during the process, the handcuffs cut and penetrate the flash every time he or she moves. While the person is hanging in tremendous pain, jailers often walk in the cell to beat him or her. &nbsp;

&quot;They gave us very little food, enough to survive. In one room there were 18 men. They (the guards) did not beat me as hard as in Palmyra, but I saw when they were beating the others. They were using all methods of torture. People were tied by their wrists to the roof. Others were made to stand for&nbsp;days or deprived of sleep. Guards pulled off prisoners&#39; nails,&quot; reminds Abu Alabas.&nbsp;

&quot;Why were you arrested?&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Because I was part of the revolution.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Were you with the Free Syrian Army (FSA)?&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Yes.&quot;&nbsp;

Abu Alabas was an active member of the anti-Assad front, he was fighting against the regular army within the ranks of the Free Syrian Army. In the first stage of Syria&#39;s uprising, the FSA gathered both civilians and military personnel who refused to shoot at protesters and deserted. The organisation later dissolved due to lack of funds and support and many of its members either abandoned the country or ended up fighting with the Islamic state or Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham, formerly Al-Nusra. It is not clear if the FSA still plays any relevant role in the Syrian conflict, many even&nbsp;question&nbsp;its existence. &nbsp;

In 2012, the Free Syrian Army was at war against regular Syrian forces. From the government perspective, they were leading an armed uprising and it had to be repressed. A government has a formal license to arrest individuals who raise weapons against them, but this does not, in any case, entitle to physical and psychological torture, beating or random executions. All these are internationally recognised as violation of human rights, whoever the perpetrator.&nbsp;

&quot;After four months I ran away from the jail in Damascus,&quot; says Abu Alabas(voice cracking with emotion)&nbsp;

&quot;Where did you go?&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;I crossed the Turkish border. I live in Turkey now, I was a computer engineer in Palmyra, but I have no job.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;What about the option of going back to your country?&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;I cannot go back to my country because if the army catches me they are going to put me in jail. I also cannot go back to my house because there is Daesh (the Arabic name for ISIS) and they will kill me if I go there. There is no one living in Palmyra today. The only option I have is if I reach the city of Idlib with the Free Syrian Army... but, not easy... mushkila (problem). I hope I will go back one day, inshallah,&quot; says Abu Alabas before wrapping up the conversation.&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

People were tied by their wrists to the roof. Others were made to stand for days, an ex-prisoner of the Assad govt said

"The army arrested me in 2012 in Palmyra. They kept me in jail there, alone, for 15 days and beating was very hard. I was lashed with sticks and belts. Then they moved me to Damascus, I was held as a prisoner in Section 291," says Abu Alabas on the phone. Abu Alabas is from Palmyra, Syria. He took part in the uprising against Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad, reason for which the army arrested him. (WION is collecting several testimonies of Syrians who experienced torture and violence in custody) Section 291 is an infamous place among Syrian dissidents. It is one of the several temporary detention centres run by Syrian security services. Many of these places started functioning during the demonstrations demanding more democracy and participation from President Bashar Al-Assad. Regular jails were not enough to contain all those who were arrested. The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) drew a map to pinpoint these places and gathered 200 testimonies. When profiling Section 291 they wrote that 'beating; beating with objects; shabeh; electrocution; threats against detainee; exposure to cold; threats against family members; sexual abuse' were all documented torture methods. Shabeh seems to be common in Syrian detention centres. According to survivors who were imprisoned by the Islamic State, the terrorist organisation also uses this method extensively. This method uses hanging a person to the ceiling by the wrists, sometimes with the arms rotating behind their back. Then the prisoner is lifted enough to impede the feet to touch the floor. The entire bodyweight is on the wrists and this prevents blood to reach the hands which starts swelling and paining. If a prisoner is handcuffed during the process, the handcuffs cut and penetrate the flash every time he or she moves. While the person is hanging in tremendous pain, jailers often walk in the cell to beat him or her. "They gave us very little food, enough to survive. In one room there were 18 men. They (the guards) did not beat me as hard as in Palmyra, but I saw when they were beating the others. They were using all methods of torture. People were tied by their wrists to the roof. Others were made to stand for days or deprived of sleep. Guards pulled off prisoners' nails," reminds Abu Alabas. "Why were you arrested?" "Because I was part of the revolution." "Were you with the Free Syrian Army (FSA)?" "Yes." Abu Alabas was an active member of the anti-Assad front, he was fighting against the regular army within the ranks of the Free Syrian Army. In the first stage of Syria's uprising, the FSA gathered both civilians and military personnel who refused to shoot at protesters and deserted. The organisation later dissolved due to lack of funds and support and many of its members either abandoned the country or ended up fighting with the Islamic state or Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham, formerly Al-Nusra. It is not clear if the FSA still plays any relevant role in the Syrian conflict, many even question its existence. In 2012, the Free Syrian Army was at war against regular Syrian forces. From the government perspective, they were leading an armed uprising and it had to be repressed. A government has a formal license to arrest individuals who raise weapons against them, but this does not, in any case, entitle to physical and psychological torture, beating or random executions. All these are internationally recognised as violation of human rights, whoever the perpetrator. "After four months I ran away from the jail in Damascus," says Abu Alabas(voice cracking with emotion) "Where did you go?" "I crossed the Turkish border. I live in Turkey now, I was a computer engineer in Palmyra, but I have no job." "What about the option of going back to your country?" "I cannot go back to my country because if the army catches me they are going to put me in jail. I also cannot go back to my house because there is Daesh (the Arabic name for ISIS) and they will kill me if I go there. There is no one living in Palmyra today. The only option I have is if I reach the city of Idlib with the Free Syrian Army... but, not easy... mushkila (problem). I hope I will go back one day, inshallah," says Abu Alabas before wrapping up the conversation. (WION)

Syria's government detention centre survivor recalls torture, beating

Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims, who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago.

&quot;The sexual violence did not appear to be random or opportunistic, but part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya, in part because of their ethnicity and religion,&quot; a Human Rights Watch (HRW) news release said. Reuters was unable to contact a Myanmar government spokesman to respond to the allegations.

An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in the western state of Rakhine&nbsp;but have their movements and access to services restricted. Rohingyas are barred from citizenship in Myanmar, where many call them &quot;Bengalis&quot; to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Independent journalists and observers have been barred from visiting the army&#39;s operation zone in northern Rakhine since the October 9 attacks that killed nine border police.

The government has so far dismissed most claims that soldiers raped, beat, killed and arbitrarily detained civilians while burning down villages, insisting instead that a lawful operation is underway against a group of armed Rohingya insurgents.

The HRW report comes just days after United Nations investigators said Myanmar&#39;s security forces had &quot;very likely&quot; committed crimes against humanity, posing a dilemma for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner took charge of most civilian affairs in April after a historic transition from full military rule, but soldiers retain a quarter of seats in parliament and control ministries related to security.

UN&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein said on Friday that Suu Kyi had promised to investigate the UN&#39;s allegations.

HRW said it had gathered evidence on 28 separate sexual assaults, including interviews with nine women who said they were raped or gang raped at gunpoint by security forces during the army&#39;s so-called &quot;clearance operations&quot; in northern Rakhine.

The women and other witnesses said the perpetrators were Myanmar army troops or border police, who they identified by their uniforms, kerchiefs, armbands and patches, HRW said.

&ldquo;These horrific attacks on Rohingya women and girls by security forces add a new and brutal chapter to the Burmese military&rsquo;s long and sickening history of sexual violence against women,&rdquo; said HRW senior emergencies researcher Priyanka Motaparthy.

&ldquo;Military and police commanders should be held responsible for these crimes if they did not do everything in their power to stop them or punish those involved.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

The group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13

Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims, who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago. "The sexual violence did not appear to be random or opportunistic, but part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya, in part because of their ethnicity and religion," a Human Rights Watch (HRW) news release said. Reuters was unable to contact a Myanmar government spokesman to respond to the allegations. An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in the western state of Rakhine but have their movements and access to services restricted. Rohingyas are barred from citizenship in Myanmar, where many call them "Bengalis" to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Independent journalists and observers have been barred from visiting the army's operation zone in northern Rakhine since the October 9 attacks that killed nine border police. The government has so far dismissed most claims that soldiers raped, beat, killed and arbitrarily detained civilians while burning down villages, insisting instead that a lawful operation is underway against a group of armed Rohingya insurgents. The HRW report comes just days after United Nations investigators said Myanmar's security forces had "very likely" committed crimes against humanity, posing a dilemma for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace Prize winner took charge of most civilian affairs in April after a historic transition from full military rule, but soldiers retain a quarter of seats in parliament and control ministries related to security. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said on Friday that Suu Kyi had promised to investigate the UN's allegations. HRW said it had gathered evidence on 28 separate sexual assaults, including interviews with nine women who said they were raped or gang raped at gunpoint by security forces during the army's so-called "clearance operations" in northern Rakhine. The women and other witnesses said the perpetrators were Myanmar army troops or border police, who they identified by their uniforms, kerchiefs, armbands and patches, HRW said. “These horrific attacks on Rohingya women and girls by security forces add a new and brutal chapter to the Burmese military’s long and sickening history of sexual violence against women,” said HRW senior emergencies researcher Priyanka Motaparthy. “Military and police commanders should be held responsible for these crimes if they did not do everything in their power to stop them or punish those involved.” (Reuters)

Myanmar commanders should be punished for rape of Rohingya women, girls: Human Rights Watch

More than 1,000 houses in Rohingya villages have been razed in northwestern Myanmar, according to an analysis of satellite images from Human Rights Watch released on Monday that fly in the face of government denials.

Troops have poured into a strip of land along the Bangladesh border, an area which is largely home to the stateless Muslim Rohingya minority, since a series of coordinated and deadly attacks on police border posts last month.

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Up to 30,000 people have been displaced by the ensuing violence, according to the UN, half of them over a two-day period when dozens died after the military brought in helicopter gunships.

Security forces have killed almost 70 people and arrested more than 400 since the lockdown began six weeks ago, according to state media reports, but activists say the number could be far higher.

Hundreds of Rohingya, who have long been persecuted by the state, have tried to flee the violence to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Witnesses and activists have reported troops killing Rohingya, raping women and looting and burning their houses but the government has refused to allow in international observers to investigate.&nbsp;

Instead, Myanmar&#39;s new administration, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has dismissed the allegations as part of a misinformation campaign planted by &quot;terrorists&quot;.

Independently verifying facts on the ground has been hampered by significant restrictions placed on journalists and aid agencies reaching the area. &nbsp;

But evidence of the&nbsp;widespread destruction to villages is mounting.&nbsp;

Human Rights Watch said Monday it had identified 820 more structures that had been destroyed in five Rohingya villages between November 10-18 using satellite imagery.

In total, the rights group said its analysis showed 1,250 buildings had been destroyed during the military lockdown.

&quot;Instead of responding with military-era style accusations and denials, the government should simply look at the facts,&quot; said HRW&#39;s Asia director Brad Adams.

The government has said fewer than 300 houses have been destroyed in attacks by militants who want to &quot;sow a seed of misunderstanding between the government troops and the people&quot;.

The resurgence of violence in western Rakhine state has deepened a crisis that already posed a critical challenge to Suu Kyi&#39;s administration seven months after it took power.

More than 100 people died in 2012 in clashes between the majority Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya, and tens of thousands of them were driven into displacement camps.

On Friday, the UN&#39;s special rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, criticised the government&#39;s handling of the crisis and called for &quot;urgent action&quot; to protect civilians.

&quot;The security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations,&quot; she said in a statement.

(AFP)

Witnesses and activists have reported troops killing Rohingya, raping women, and looting and burning their houses

More than 1,000 houses in Rohingya villages have been razed in northwestern Myanmar, according to an analysis of satellite images from Human Rights Watch released on Monday that fly in the face of government denials. Troops have poured into a strip of land along the Bangladesh border, an area which is largely home to the stateless Muslim Rohingya minority, since a series of coordinated and deadly attacks on police border posts last month. Myanmar's new administration, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has dismissed the allegations as part of a misinformation campaign planted by 'terrorists' × Up to 30,000 people have been displaced by the ensuing violence, according to the UN, half of them over a two-day period when dozens died after the military brought in helicopter gunships. Security forces have killed almost 70 people and arrested more than 400 since the lockdown began six weeks ago, according to state media reports, but activists say the number could be far higher. Hundreds of Rohingya, who have long been persecuted by the state, have tried to flee the violence to neighbouring Bangladesh. Witnesses and activists have reported troops killing Rohingya, raping women and looting and burning their houses but the government has refused to allow in international observers to investigate. Instead, Myanmar's new administration, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has dismissed the allegations as part of a misinformation campaign planted by "terrorists". Independently verifying facts on the ground has been hampered by significant restrictions placed on journalists and aid agencies reaching the area. But evidence of the widespread destruction to villages is mounting. Human Rights Watch said Monday it had identified 820 more structures that had been destroyed in five Rohingya villages between November 10-18 using satellite imagery. In total, the rights group said its analysis showed 1,250 buildings had been destroyed during the military lockdown. "Instead of responding with military-era style accusations and denials, the government should simply look at the facts," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams. The government has said fewer than 300 houses have been destroyed in attacks by militants who want to "sow a seed of misunderstanding between the government troops and the people". The resurgence of violence in western Rakhine state has deepened a crisis that already posed a critical challenge to Suu Kyi's administration seven months after it took power. More than 100 people died in 2012 in clashes between the majority Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya, and tens of thousands of them were driven into displacement camps. On Friday, the UN's special rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, criticised the government's handling of the crisis and called for "urgent action" to protect civilians. "The security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations," she said in a statement. (AFP)

Over 1,000 Rohingya homes razed in Myanmar's Rakhine: HRW

Nigerian officials are sexually exploiting women and girls living in camps for Boko Haram victims, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

The rights group said it had documented 43 cases of women and girls who were abused by camp leaders, policemen, and soldiers. The victims of sexual harassment were spread across seven &#39;internally displaced persons&#39; (IDP) camps in Maiduguri city. The city is at the heart of a seven-year insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram group.

&quot;It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram,&quot; said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at HRW, reported news agency AFP. &quot;It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them,&quot; she added.

Human Rights Watch found that four of the victims were drugged and raped. Thirty-seven were coerced into sex through false marriage promises and material and financial assistance, AFP reported.

&quot;Many of those coerced into sex said they were abandoned if they became pregnant. They and their children have suffered discrimination, abuse, and stigmatisation from other camp residents,&quot; the global rights body said.&nbsp;

A 17-year-old girl told the Human Rights Watch that she was raped and got pregnant by a policeman.

&quot;One day he demanded to have sex with me,&quot; she said. &quot;I refused but he forced me. It happened just that one time, but soon I realised I was pregnant. When I informed him about my condition, he threatened to shoot and kill me if I told anyone else. So I was too afraid to report him.&quot;

HRW said that men took advantage of an irregular supply of food and other necessary items like clothing, medicine to &quot;have sex with women&quot;.

&quot;In some cases, men used their positions of authority and gifts of desperately needed food or other items to have sex with women,&quot; the report said, AFP reported.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari directed police to &quot;immediately commence investigations into the issue.&quot;&nbsp;

Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people in an attempt to set up an Islamic State in the northeast.

(With inputs from AFP)

The right body said irregular supplies of food, clothing and other essentials in camps were making the women vulnerable to exploitation

Nigerian officials are sexually exploiting women and girls living in camps for Boko Haram victims, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. The rights group said it had documented 43 cases of women and girls who were abused by camp leaders, policemen, and soldiers. The victims of sexual harassment were spread across seven 'internally displaced persons' (IDP) camps in Maiduguri city. The city is at the heart of a seven-year insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram group. "It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at HRW, reported news agency AFP. "It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them," she added. Human Rights Watch found that four of the victims were drugged and raped. Thirty-seven were coerced into sex through false marriage promises and material and financial assistance, AFP reported. "Many of those coerced into sex said they were abandoned if they became pregnant. They and their children have suffered discrimination, abuse, and stigmatisation from other camp residents," the global rights body said. A 17-year-old girl told the Human Rights Watch that she was raped and got pregnant by a policeman. "One day he demanded to have sex with me," she said. "I refused but he forced me. It happened just that one time, but soon I realised I was pregnant. When I informed him about my condition, he threatened to shoot and kill me if I told anyone else. So I was too afraid to report him." HRW said that men took advantage of an irregular supply of food and other necessary items like clothing, medicine to "have sex with women". "In some cases, men used their positions of authority and gifts of desperately needed food or other items to have sex with women," the report said, AFP reported. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari directed police to "immediately commence investigations into the issue." Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people in an attempt to set up an Islamic State in the northeast. (With inputs from AFP)

Nigeria authorities sexually abuse Boko Haram victims: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch published a report today accusing Bangladesh security forces of shooting detainees in custody in the name of self-defence.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The 45-page report titled &quot;&#39;No Right to Live&#39;: &#39;Kneecapping&#39; and Maiming of Detainees by Bangladesh Security Forces,&quot; cites 25 victims who have been shot in their legs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many have lost their legs as they had to be amputated. The report also claims they were beaten up after getting shot.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The victims have been quoted as saying that they were shot without any provocation by the police. Most of them are members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;Security forces in Bangladesh have long killed detainees in fake &lsquo;crossfire killings,&rsquo; pretending the victim was killed when the authorities took him back to the scene of the crime and were attacked by one of his accomplices,&quot; HRW&#39;s Asia director, Brad Adams said.

&nbsp;

Adams compares Bangladesh&#39;s forces actions with the Irish Republican Army which was known for kneecapping political prisioners in custody.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The victims are afraid of being identified as it would lead to arrests, torture and even death. According to the report, this is a common occurance in Bangladesh, where opposition party members are silenced.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

One of the victims spoke to HRW, Mahbub Kabir who worked in the Naya Diganta&#39;s (newspaper) marketing department was threatened by the officer for speaking out.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;I have shot in your leg. If you speak out, then next time I will shoot in your eyes,&quot; Kabir quoted the officer saying.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Rights&#39; organisation has called on the Bangladesh government to stop &#39;kneecapping&#39; and asked for a joint investigation with the &quot;United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN special rapporteurs on torture and extrajudicial executions.&quot;

&nbsp;

Adams has also blamed Bangladesh Prime Minister&#39;s government for taking no action against this abuse and that it has become worse since she came to power.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The &quot;government (Bangladesh) has infinite tolerance for state-sanctioned violence,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Hasina has maintained that she has &quot;zero tolerance for extrajudicial killings or violence&quot;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Another victim, Hyder, 20, shot in March 2015 said &quot;I just named two of my friends because I wanted the beating to stop. Then we stopped at a field and they blindfolded me. I had no idea what they were doing and I was shouting. They pushed me on the ground. And then they shot me. I was conscious. I heard one of them say, &#39;Shoot again.&#39; Then another person said, &#39;No need.&#39;&quot;

&nbsp;

According to the report, &#39;kneecapping&#39; began in 2013 as means of stopping people from taking to the streets and protesting.&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

The rights group said they're being shot in the leg in custody, with the security forces later saying they had done so in self-defence

Human Rights Watch published a report today accusing Bangladesh security forces of shooting detainees in custody in the name of self-defence. The 45-page report titled "'No Right to Live': 'Kneecapping' and Maiming of Detainees by Bangladesh Security Forces," cites 25 victims who have been shot in their legs. Many have lost their legs as they had to be amputated. The report also claims they were beaten up after getting shot. The victims have been quoted as saying that they were shot without any provocation by the police. Most of them are members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. "Security forces in Bangladesh have long killed detainees in fake ‘crossfire killings,’ pretending the victim was killed when the authorities took him back to the scene of the crime and were attacked by one of his accomplices," HRW's Asia director, Brad Adams said. Adams compares Bangladesh's forces actions with the Irish Republican Army which was known for kneecapping political prisioners in custody. The victims are afraid of being identified as it would lead to arrests, torture and even death. According to the report, this is a common occurance in Bangladesh, where opposition party members are silenced. One of the victims spoke to HRW, Mahbub Kabir who worked in the Naya Diganta's (newspaper) marketing department was threatened by the officer for speaking out. "I have shot in your leg. If you speak out, then next time I will shoot in your eyes," Kabir quoted the officer saying. The Rights' organisation has called on the Bangladesh government to stop 'kneecapping' and asked for a joint investigation with the "United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN special rapporteurs on torture and extrajudicial executions." Adams has also blamed Bangladesh Prime Minister's government for taking no action against this abuse and that it has become worse since she came to power. The "government (Bangladesh) has infinite tolerance for state-sanctioned violence," he added. Hasina has maintained that she has "zero tolerance for extrajudicial killings or violence". Another victim, Hyder, 20, shot in March 2015 said "I just named two of my friends because I wanted the beating to stop. Then we stopped at a field and they blindfolded me. I had no idea what they were doing and I was shouting. They pushed me on the ground. And then they shot me. I was conscious. I heard one of them say, 'Shoot again.' Then another person said, 'No need.'" According to the report, 'kneecapping' began in 2013 as means of stopping people from taking to the streets and protesting. (WION)

Bangladesh security forces 'kneecapping' members, supporters of opposition parties: Human Rights Watch

Australia is deliberately failing to combat the abuse of asylum-seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru to deter others from arriving by boat, two global human rights groups said Wednesday.&nbsp; 
 
The report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a scathing criticism of Canberra&#39;s immigration policy under which asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are taken to Papua New Guinea or Nauru.&nbsp; 
 
The government, which said today it rejects the report&#39;s allegations, has a policy of refusing asylum-seekers settlement in Australia and keeping them in the Pacific islands or returning them home, even if they are refugees.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Deliberate policy to deter asylum-seekers&#39;&nbsp; 
 
In the latest criticism of the Canberra&#39;s controversial stance, Amnesty and HRW said asylum-seekers and refugees on Nauru suffered &quot;severe abuse, inhumane treatment, and neglect&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The government&#39;s &quot;failure to address serious abuses appears to be a deliberate policy to deter further asylum-seekers from arriving in the country by boat&quot;, it added.&nbsp; 
 
Doctors, lawyers and refugee advocates have previously criticised the offshore settlement, with allegations that some asylum-seekers suffered sexual abuse and mental health problems while in the camp.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Driving adult and even child refugees to the breaking point with sustained abuse appears to be one of Australia&#39;s aims on Nauru,&quot; said HRW&#39;s Michael Bochenek, one of the two researchers who went to Nauru last month to interview 84 asylum-seekers and refugees.&nbsp; 
 
Those interviewed, who came from nations including Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, told the rights groups they had developed severe anxiety, an inability to sleep, mood swings, prolonged depression and short-term memory loss, while describing conditions as &quot;prison-like&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;People here don&#39;t have a real life. We are just surviving. We are dead souls in living bodies. We are just husks. We don&#39;t have any hope or motivation,&quot; one woman said.&nbsp; 
 
Australia refutes allegations&nbsp; 
 
Australia said Amnesty did not consult with the immigration department about the investigation, with a spokesman adding that the &quot;department strongly refutes many of the allegations in the report&quot;. 
 
 
Conditions &#39;abhorrent&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Asylum-seekers on Nauru have been free to roam around the tiny nation since last year, no longer forced to stay in the detention centre.&nbsp; 
 
But the researchers said conditions outside the centre were &quot;abhorrent&quot;, with reports that asylum-seekers were beaten, robbed and harassed by some members of the local community. Despite criticism of its immigration policy, Australia&#39;s conservative government has strongly defended it, saying it has halted the spate of boat arrivals, and drownings, of earlier years.&nbsp; 
 
But refugee advocates and journalists say a veil of secrecy has been drawn around the processing centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, with only a handful of them gaining access to the camp in recent years.&nbsp; 
 
Some 442 asylum-seekers are being held in Nauru, and another 854 on Manus Island, according to immigration department data ending June 30. But PNG has said that its camp on Manus will close after its Supreme Court found that detaining people at the centre was unconstitutional and illegal.&nbsp; 
 
PNG&#39;s Supreme Court has now ordered Canberra to present a resettlement plan for asylum-seekers held on Manus Island by Thursday, including options about where else they could go if they did not want to remain in the Pacific nation, a lawyer for the detainees, Ben Lomai, told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The government's 'failure to address serious abuses appears to be a deliberate policy to deter further asylum-seekers from arriving by boat'

Australia is deliberately failing to combat the abuse of asylum-seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru to deter others from arriving by boat, two global human rights groups said Wednesday. The report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a scathing criticism of Canberra's immigration policy under which asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are taken to Papua New Guinea or Nauru. The government, which said today it rejects the report's allegations, has a policy of refusing asylum-seekers settlement in Australia and keeping them in the Pacific islands or returning them home, even if they are refugees. 'Deliberate policy to deter asylum-seekers' In the latest criticism of the Canberra's controversial stance, Amnesty and HRW said asylum-seekers and refugees on Nauru suffered "severe abuse, inhumane treatment, and neglect". The government's "failure to address serious abuses appears to be a deliberate policy to deter further asylum-seekers from arriving in the country by boat", it added. Doctors, lawyers and refugee advocates have previously criticised the offshore settlement, with allegations that some asylum-seekers suffered sexual abuse and mental health problems while in the camp. "Driving adult and even child refugees to the breaking point with sustained abuse appears to be one of Australia's aims on Nauru," said HRW's Michael Bochenek, one of the two researchers who went to Nauru last month to interview 84 asylum-seekers and refugees. Those interviewed, who came from nations including Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, told the rights groups they had developed severe anxiety, an inability to sleep, mood swings, prolonged depression and short-term memory loss, while describing conditions as "prison-like". "People here don't have a real life. We are just surviving. We are dead souls in living bodies. We are just husks. We don't have any hope or motivation," one woman said. Australia refutes allegations Australia said Amnesty did not consult with the immigration department about the investigation, with a spokesman adding that the "department strongly refutes many of the allegations in the report". Conditions 'abhorrent' Asylum-seekers on Nauru have been free to roam around the tiny nation since last year, no longer forced to stay in the detention centre. But the researchers said conditions outside the centre were "abhorrent", with reports that asylum-seekers were beaten, robbed and harassed by some members of the local community. Despite criticism of its immigration policy, Australia's conservative government has strongly defended it, saying it has halted the spate of boat arrivals, and drownings, of earlier years. But refugee advocates and journalists say a veil of secrecy has been drawn around the processing centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, with only a handful of them gaining access to the camp in recent years. Some 442 asylum-seekers are being held in Nauru, and another 854 on Manus Island, according to immigration department data ending June 30. But PNG has said that its camp on Manus will close after its Supreme Court found that detaining people at the centre was unconstitutional and illegal. PNG's Supreme Court has now ordered Canberra to present a resettlement plan for asylum-seekers held on Manus Island by Thursday, including options about where else they could go if they did not want to remain in the Pacific nation, a lawyer for the detainees, Ben Lomai, told AFP. (AFP)

Rights groups slam Australia for abuse of asylum-seekers

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