The Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern on Thursday over the arrest of well-known government critic Sarah Bireete in Uganda ahead of the country’s upcoming elections. Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz stated: “Sarah Bireete’s arrest is a demonstration of the Uganda government’s continuing intolerance of dissent. The Ugandan authorities should release Bireete, drop all The post Uganda urged to release for detained activist ahead of elections appeared first on JURIST – News.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar urged the international community on Thursday to reject Myanmar’s recent election, describing it as a “sham” that exposed the “coercion, violence, and exclusion” driving the voting process. After the first round of voting, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said the polls failed to meet The post UN expert urges world leaders to reject Myanmar ‘sham’ election appeared first on JURIST – News.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize human rights on his trip to China from January 13 to 17. Carney’s trip to China is significant because it is the first visit by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years. Canada-China relations have been strained in recent years as The post HRW calls on Canada to confront China’s heightened repression appeared first on JURIST – News.

Amnesty International, together with 13 civil society organizations, called on candidates in Benin’s upcoming legislative and presidential elections on Thursday to prioritize human rights protection within their political programs. The rights organization noted that the deteriorating human rights situation in Benin demands political action in order to align with international human rights standards. It also The post Rights groups urge Benin political candidates to prioritize human rights appeared first on JURIST – News.