Human Rights Watch - The African Mirror

Jul

08

2023

Rights group urges Tunisia to halt collective expulsions of African migrants

NEWS

TUNISIA should halt collective expulsions of sub-Saharan African migrants and urgently enable access to humanitarian services for those the government sent to a dangerous area of the Tunisia-Libya border, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. Tunisia has removed hundreds of the migrants to a desolate area along the border, a Tunisian rights group and a lawmaker said on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting dozens more put on outbound trains following days of violence. Disturbances between migrants and residents went on for a week in the port of Sfax, and one Tunisian was killed. Residents complained of disorderly behaviour by migrants and migrants complained of racist…

Jun

16

2023

By The African Mirror

Mass graves found in east Congo village after M23 rebel retreat, HRW says

NEWS

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's M23 rebels allegedly executed scores of villagers and militia members between November and April and buried their bodies in mass graves, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, accusing Rwanda of backing the group. The Tutsi-led M23 staged a major offensive in Congo's restive east last year, triggering an armed response from local and regional forces. Hundreds of thousands have fled fighting near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda. Last year, the United Nations accused the group of executing at least 131 people in November in retaliation for clashes between M23 and rival armed groups. The U.N.'s human rights office…

Mar

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Uganda passes tough anti-gay law

LGBTQIA+

UGANDA'S parliament passed a law that criminalises identifying as LGBTQ, handing authorities broad powers to target Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence. More than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), according to the rights group Human Rights Watch. Supporters of the new law say it is needed to punish a broader array of LGBTQ activities, which they say threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious East African nation. In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law…

Mar

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Egypt withholding identity papers from dissidents abroad- rights group

NEWS

EGYPTIAN authorities have been systematically refusing to provide or renew identity documents to dissidents, journalists and activists abroad in a crackdown on opposition that extends beyond Egypt's borders, Human Rights Watch said. The U.S.-based group said it had interviewed 26 Egyptians living in countries including Turkey, Germany, Malaysia and Qatar last year, and had reviewed documents relating to nine of them. Egypt's state press centre and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "By arbitrarily depriving its citizens abroad from obtaining valid passports and other identity documents, the Egyptian authorities are violating both the constitution and international…

Jan

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Human Rights Watch urges Morocco not to extradite Saudi Shi’ite

NEWS

A human rights watchdog called on Morocco not to extradite a Shi'ite Muslim to his homeland of Saudi Arabia, citing fears he could face torture and an unfair trial there. Hassan Al Rabea, who has been in Morocco since last summer, has been held in a prison near Rabat after being arrested at Marrakech airport on Jan. 14, Human Rights Watch said in a statement. Saudi prosecutors accuse Rabea of leaving the kingdom illegally with the help of terrorists, the campaign group added. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has denied previous accusations that…

Mar

18

2022

By The African Mirror

Uganda recognizes pregnant teens’ right to education, but religion, stigma lock out most

EDUCATION

WAMBI MICHAEL WHEN schools reopened in Uganda in January, Atim’s baby was 3 months old. The 17-year-old wished to go back to classes but she faced a dilemma—whether to disclose to her teachers that she was a lactating mother. Atim chose to open up to some of the teachers who offered to help her return. The school made a provision to allow her to secretly breastfeed the baby within its premises. The first two weeks were challenging for the young mother. “It wasn’t easy but I’m now getting used to the students and teachers. The teachers have really been helpful,”…

Oct

25

2022

By The African Mirror

“Qatar detains, mistreats LGBT people ahead of World Cup”

NEWS

SECURITY forces in Qatar arbitrarily arrested and abused LGBT Qataris as recently as last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday, in the run-up to hosting soccer's World Cup which has put a spotlight on human rights issues in the Gulf Arab state. Homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim country, and some soccer stars have raised concerns over the rights of fans travelling for the event, especially LGBT+ individuals and women, whom rights groups say Qatari laws discriminate against. A Qatari official said in a statement that HRW's allegations "contain information that is categorically and unequivocally false," without…

Apr

06

2022

By The African Mirror

Malian and foreign soldiers believed to have killed hundreds in town siege, Human Rights Watch says

NEWS

MALIAN troops and suspected Russian mercenaries allegedly executed around 300 civilian men over five days during a military operation in a central town, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday. The killings took place between March 27 and 31 in Moura, a rural town of around 10,000 inhabitants in the Mopti region, a hotspot of jihadist activity that has intensified and spread to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region. "The incident is the worst single atrocity reported in Mali's decade-long armed conflict," HRW said. The reported executions sparked condemnation from the United States, the European Union, France…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Human Rights Watch slams China’s ‘appalling year’ of violations

WORLD

CHINA had an "appalling year" for human rights in 2020, a leading advocacy group has said, with a crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, repression of Muslim Uighurs and the silencing of people reporting on the coronavirus outbreak. A Chinese court last month handed down a four-year jail term to a citizen-journalist who reported from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus before it spread across the globe, while others who did the same have disappeared. "To crack down on whistleblowers and citizen-journalists at this particular moment ... helps highlight to the rest of the world what the consequences of violations…

Jan

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Saudis vowed to stop executing minors; some death sentences remain

WORLD

RAYA JALABI FIVE people who committed crimes in Saudi Arabia as minors have yet to have their death sentences revoked, according to two rights groups, nine months after the kingdom's Human Rights Commission (HRC) announced an end to capital punishment for juvenile offenders. The state-backed HRC in April cited a March royal decree by King Salman stipulating that individuals sentenced to death for crimes committed while minors will no longer face execution and would instead serve prison terms of up to 10 years in juvenile detention centers. The statement did not specify a timeline, but in October, in response to…