• A day later, Nigeria flip-flops and says no protest ban for #BringBackOurGirls group (Al Jazeera). Earlier: Bring Back Our Girls demonstrations banned for “security reasons” in Abuja, Nigeria. Ban is “insane,” says protest group’s lawyer. (The Telegraph) • Using the ‘Hunger Games’ salute has taken hold as a form of protest in Thailand, after peaceful assemblies were banned. One anti-coup activists calls on people to raise “3 fingers, 3 times a day” to call for political rights (Washington Post). A military spokesman expressed… Continue reading →
• Indian police use water cannon to end gang-rape protest in Lucknow. (The Guardian) • As King Juan Carlos abdicates, anti-monarchy demonstrators take to the streets in Spain to demand a referendum on abolishing the monarchy. (RT.com) • Bring Back Our Girls demonstrations banned for “security reasons” in Abuja, Nigeria. Ban is “insane,” says protest group’s lawyer. (The Telegraph) • 13 demonstrators arrested in protest against Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, police (four days autopsy report revealed police had shot a homeless… Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts* today emphasized that the UN Security Council’s decision not to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) leaves the door wide open for new atrocities in the ongoing conflict. “The double veto last week to a resolution referring the situation in Syria to the ICC is likely to expose the Syrian population to further gross human rights and humanitarian law violations,” they said. “The failure to hold those responsible for the violations to… Continue reading →
• 1,000 troops seal off one of Bangkok’s busiest intersections to prevent a protest, as deputy national police chief says protests will no longer be allowed. “We have to keep the law sacred,” he says. (ABC News) • Cambodian court convicts 25 for “acts of violence” during garment strikes – then frees them (Reuters). Related: Jeans maker Levi-Strauss reduces sourcing from Cambodia to “minimize supply-chain risk.” (just-style.com) • The Economist predicts Brazil protests unlikely to disrupt the World Cup, but an early exit for the… Continue reading →
• Civil society forms “watch committee” in Rakhine State, Myanmar, to “see whether their aid goes to the right places.” (In March, mobs attacked UN and aid group offices in Rakhine, forcing many INGOs to flee; they were accused of favoring the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group). (Myanmar Times) • The EU is pumping €674K into civil society into Armenian civil society focused on healthcare, agriculture and social security. (ARKA News Agency) • In Cambodia, civil society condemns the (currently one-party) National Assembly’s passage… Continue reading →
