Saudi Arabia Should Finally #FreeLoujain: Daily Brief
When will Saudi Arabia finally release unjustly jailed activists?; news update from the conflict in Ethiopia; Paris police continue to harass homeless migrants; United States shutters warehouse where children were locked in cages; shocking new tool against dissent in Iraq; good news on archiving of human rights abuses; and a must-read on how we can cure the “fake-news” effect.
The regime in Saudi Arabia seems to have doubled down when it comes to prosecution of unjustly jailed activists, such as Loujain al-Hathloul. International partners of the Kingdom, such as the incoming administration of US President-Elect Joe Biden, could play a positive role here.
The prime minister of Ethiopia has ordered the army to move on Mekelle, capital of the Tigray region, after his 72-hour ultimatum ended for local leaders to surrender.
France should respect its human rights obligations and ensure the respect of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers as well as humane and dignified treatment.
United States Customs and Border Protection officials have said that they have closed a facility where thousands of children were locked in overcrowded cages.
Lawmakers in Iraq are considering a draft law on information technology crimes that could be used to stifle free expression.
A decision by GitHub, a leading software development platform, to reinstate a popular free software tool for downloading videos, means that human rights groups will be able to continue to use the software without interruption to preserve documentation of human rights abuses.
And here's a must-read on the fight against fake news on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, by HRW's expert Deborah Brown.