Historic Step towards Slavery Reparations in US: Daily Brief
Big step forward for US slavery reparations bill; independent human rights ombudsman removed in Poland; Denmark strips Syrian refugees of residency permits; Brazil's senate investigates pandemic response; new UN study on women denied control over their bodies; and US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan.
In a historic step towards slavery reparations, the US House Judiciary Committee voted in favour of H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act. On behalf of Human Rights Watch, US researcher Dreisen Heath had submitted her testimony to the Committee, advocating for the bill.
Poland’s politically compromised "Constitutional Court" ended the tenure of the country's independent human rights ombudsman, Adam Bodnar. The court ruled that Bodnar could not remain in office until a successor is found.
Denmark's government has declared certain areas of Syria safe, further diminishing hopes for asylum seekers from the war-torn country. Given Denmark has no formal diplomatic relations with Syria, refugees could be doomed to wait in deportation centers indefinetely.
Brazil's senate moves to investigate President Bolsonaro's deadly Covid-19 response. Brazil has witnessed the second-highest death toll of countries worldwide, with at least 360,000 lives lost to the pandemic.
A new UN report shows the desperate situation for women that are denied control over their own bodies and lives. The study by the UN Population Fund concluded that women in the Global South are particularly affected.
Finally, US President Biden announced he will withdraw all remaining troops from Afghanistan by September 11th. After 20 years at war with the US, Afghanistan faces a number of internal conflicts.