Tanzanian authorities abuse Burundian refugees; standoff on EU budget and the rule of law; Biden should set out a comprehensive plan to prioritize human rights in the next administration; United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances issues its findings on Iraq; in a year of pandemic, women fight back; IMF should demand transparency for Egypt military's firms; and abuses faced by child athletes in Japan.

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Since late 2019, Tanzanian authorities have gravely abused at least 18 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers -  heinous crimes, not least because of the anguish and suffering caused to family members, many of whom fled similar abuses in Burundi.

The current deadlock among European Union member states on linking EU budget to the rule of law  is "heading straight" to the EU Council summit on December 10-11. Hungary and Poland are blocking the agreement in order to shield themselves from accountability for their attacks on rule of law and EU values.

US President-elect Joe Biden will need to lead a major transformation if the US is to be a credible voice on human rights around the globe. 

The United Nations' Committee on Enforced Disappearances has published its findings on Iraq, finding a persistent pattern of enforced disappearance over much of the territory and a prevailing impunity and revictimization.

In a year of pandemic and pain, women are fighting back.

Since 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved $20 billion of lending to Egypt, with an ostensible goal of bringing much-needed reform to the government’s opaque financial dealings. But during that time, the increasingly expanding military businesses have continued to operate in secrecy, while the IMF has given military-owned businesses an effective pass on its transparency requirements.

For decades, child athletes in Japan have been brutally beaten and verbally abused in the name of winning trophies and medals. 

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