2020 has been an unprecedented year for us all. The effects of the pandemic has left many combatting crisis, some more than others.
And while the world is learning to adapt we must now more than ever address Inequalities, end discrimination and build solidarity to avoid leaving vulnerable groups with greater risk. Now more than ever we must #PutHumanRightsFirst
Overcrowded and unhygienic refugee camps are especially vulnerable to the spread of disease, governments must set aside any anti refugee sentiment and ensure equal distribution of health care services for all refugees and internally displaced people.
Minorities and indigenous peoples living in conflict areas such as The Rohingyas in Myanmar and the Uyghurs in China, are at risk of being excluded from life-saving humanitarian interventions. Governments have a moral obligation to remain neutral and ensure that all possible aid and healthcare are provided to any minority group leaving no one behind.
Prisons are high risk areas due to their closed proximities, with selfdistancing proving to be virtually impossible in many cases. Governments must ensure that all prisoners including unjustly incarcerated journalists and human rights defenders be treated and cared for equally and without discrimination. In this time of crisis, governments must not exploit this pandemic as an opportunity to seize control of a nation or people for their own political gain.
Labour camps are notoriously known for being cramped and lacking basic hygiene and sanitary services, thereby making workers unable to protect themselves against the virus. All countries must ensure all rights of migrant workers are respected and not marginalised in attempt to control the spread of the virus.
Ahmet Altan, an imprisoned Turkish writer and journalist, has topped the December 2020 ranking of the One Free Press Coalition’s “10 Most Urgent” list of press freedom cases. … Read more →
A new report, published by Amnesty International, has accused tech giants Facebook and Google of “far-reaching complicity” for their role in enabling the repression of dissent in Vietnam. … Read more →
Australia has demanded an apology from a Chinese official, who posted a “repugnant” fake image, depicting an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of an Afghan child. … Read more →
Tens of thousands took to the streets of France on 28 November to protest the new law which makes filming or photographing a police officer a criminal offence. Protestors were met with tear gas and violence from the police. … Read more →
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian-British academic, arrived back in Australia on 27 November after being released from prison in Iran earlier this week. She was imprisoned in October 2018 and kept behind bars for 804 days. … Read more →
Cambodia’s Pnhom Penh municipal court has begun hearing the cases of 129 dissidents, activists, and opposition figures charged with treason for taking part in non-violent political activities, in what has been described as a “sham trial”. … Read more →
On Friday 27 November 2020, a terrorist network with affiliations to the Iranian regime will be put on trial in Belgium. Four agents, including the Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, stand accused of masterminding a failed 2018 terror plot in Paris. … Read more →
