Myanmar: UN expert sounds alarm ahead of expected protests
GENEVA (16 February 2021) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, today releases the following statement: I fear that Wednesday has the potential for violence on a greater scale in Myanmar than we have seen since the illegal takeover of the government on February 1.
A protest rally has been called for downtown Yangon today, and there may be protests in other cities and townships as well, following word that a secretive trial of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint began yesterday. At the same time, I have received reports of soldiers being transported into at least Yangon from outlying regions. In the past, such troop movements preceded killings, disappearances, and detentions on a mass scale.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina: Stop extradition of rights defender at risk of torture or ill-treatment, say UN experts
GENEVA (10 February 2021) – UN human rights experts today urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to halt the extradition of Musaed Al Masailim to Kuwait, where he faces 87 years’ imprisonment and risks irreparable harm upon return. “We urge authorities to safeguard the rights of Mr. Al Masailim and not to expel, return or extradite him to a country where he is in danger of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as well as arbitrary detention,” they said. Al Masailim was first arrested in Kuwait in 2015 and charged with publicly disrespecting the Emir through tweets. He was acquitted on those charges in 2016 but faced ill-treatment while in detention. Since relocating to Sarajevo in 2017, he has been charged on three separate occasions for his tweets and was sentenced in absentia.
EU must close legal gap to protect children from sexual abuse online: UN experts
NEW YORK/GENEVA (10 February 2021) – As the world marks Safer Internet Day, UN human rights experts have urged the European Union to reach agreement on temporary legislation to allow for the continued use of technological tools to tackle online child sexual abuse.
Reports prepared by tech companies using these tools have become key elements in law enforcement agency investigations, helping identify, locate and rescue victims, as well as bringing perpetrators to justice.
The implementation of the European Electronic Communication Code (EECC) on 21 December 2020 extended the EU’s communications regulatory framework to effectively ban the use of these tools.