A Turkish courtĀ ordered that six human rights activists, including Amnesty International’s Turkey director Idil Eser, remain in custody pending trial for allegedly aiding an armed terrorist group. Amnesty issued a statement rejecting the “bizarre accusations” and charging the Turkish state with a “politically motivated witch-hunt.”
An armed clash at a mountain village in Mexico's border state of Chihuahua left at least 25 dead—the latest indication that narco-gangs are stronger than the government across much of the country's drug-producing sierras. The shoot-out erupted in the pueblo of Las Varas, in the foothills of the Sierra Tarahumara—Mexico's prime cannabis and opium cultivation area.
Protesters blocked the train line to the Inca archaeological site of Machu Picchu, stranding thousands of tourists during a 48-hour paro (civil strike) by residents of Peru's Cuzco region. British-owned PeruRail company said service was being suspended because of the blockades. At issue is a planned new airport for the Cuzco area, that was suspended in March due to controversies surrounding the construction contract.
The Amazigh Supreme Council (ASC) of Libya, representing the Berbers in the country's western mountains, responded strongly to the fatwa issued by clerical authorities attached to the "Interim Government" based in Libya's east against the practice of Ibadhi branch of Islam. The fatwa refers to Ibadhi Muslims as "infidels." Nearly all followers of Ibadhi Islam in Libya are ethnic Berbers in the Nafusa Mountains. The ASC called the fatwa "a direct incitement for genocide."
Millions of Venezuelans voted to reject President NicolĆ”s Maduro’s plan to rewrite the nation’s constitution. The non-binding referendum was organized by the country’s political opposition. More than 7 million, roughly one-third of Venezuela’s registered voters, took part, with over 98% rejecting Maduro’s plan. Opponents charge that the plan to rewrite the 1999 constitution represents an effort to consolidate Maduro’s hold on power. There was a deadly attack on one polling place in Caracas.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released a reportĀ condemning an increase in civilian deaths in Afghanistan during the first half of 2017.Ā “Anti-government forces” are held responsible for 67% of civilian casualties, compared to 18% attributed to “pro-government forces,” and the remainder to cross-fire and other actors. The report notes that an increase in aerial operations by pro-government forces led to a jump in women and child casualties as well.
Amnesty International condemned Bahrain's sentencing of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab to two years in prison—for the crime of protesting on his Twitter account the harsh conditions in Bahrain's prisons. Rajab has served time for illegal tweeting before, and still awaits sentencing on other similar charges. Amnesty condemned the conviction as a "flagrant violation of human rights."
More localities in Colombia are formally rejecting mineral and oil exploitation within their territories through popular consultas (consultations, or referenda), in a growing challenge to extractive industries in the country. Two victories were reported as "no" votes prevailed overwhelmingly in the municipalities of Arbeláez, Cundinamarca department, and Pijao, Quindío. Celebrations broke out in the streets as the results were announced.
The United Nations charged that Colombia's government is undermining the country's peace process by failing to release imprisoned FARC members and protect disarmed guerillas as promised in the peace deal. Although mores of the 3,400 imprisoned FARC adherents have been officially amnestied, only 837 have been released. More than 1,400 imprisoned FARC members have gone on hunger strike to demand their release. Meanwhile, even released FARC veterans are being targeted for deadly reprisal attacks by right-wing paramilitaries.
Spyware supplied to Mexico officially to track narco-traffickers and terrorists was instead used against human rights investigators looking into the case of 43 "disappeared" college students. Amid the new scandal, the families of the disappeared continue to wait for justice. There has been one arrest in the case, and the remains of only two of the missing students identified.
One year after Rodrigo Duterte took office on a pledge to expunge the "virulent social disease" of drug abuse, the civilian death toll in his crackdown may be as high as 8,000. Among the upwards of 80,000 arrested under Duterte's rule are some, including opposition politicians, who have been clearly framed for speaking out against him. And in the restive southern island of Mindanao, he has made good on his threats to instate martial law.
London's High Court of Justice ruled that the UK can continue to export arms to Saudi Arabia, rejecting a case asserting that the weapons have been used in the commission of war crimes in Yemen. A substantial portion of the court's reasoning is contained in a "closed judgment" document only available to the government's legal team and a security-cleared "special advocate" for the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).
