Southeast Asia

Philippine strongman’s bloody drug war: year one

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.

Greater Middle East

UK court approves arms sales to Saudi Arabia

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).

Iraq

Amnesty sees ‘civilian catastrophe’ in Mosul

A new report by Amnesty International charges that ISIS used trapped inhabitants as "human shields" in Mosul, and that the US-led coalition "failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians." The report urged that "the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished. Entire families have been wiped out, many of whom are still buried under the rubble today."

Iraq

Iraq: will fall of Mosul widen war?

The full liberation of Mosul from ISIS has been declared, but at a terrible cost in human lives—and multiple contradictions among the alliance assembled to take the city could open a new war in Iraq's north.

Central America

Honduras: Berta Cáceres daughter survives attack

The daughter of assassinated Honduran environmentalist Berta Cáceres survived an armed attack, weeks after being named leader of the indigenous alliance formerly led by her mother.

The Andes

Maduro invokes ‘Gran Colombia’ nostalgia

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro jacked up tensions with Colombia, telling counterpart President Santos, “Bow down to me, I am your father”—an invocation of Simón Bolívar’s rule over both lands.

The Andes

Peru: mass mobilization against Fujimori pardon

Thousands marched in Lima to demand that Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski not pardon ex-strongman Alberto Fujimori, now serving a 25-year term for human rights violations.

Watching the Shadows
Omar rally

Canada issues formal apology to Omar Khadr

The Canadian government issued a statement apologizing to former Guantánamo detainee Omar Khadr for violating his rights under the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Africa

Niger: army massacres displaced peasants

Niger's army killed 14 displaced peasants who were apparently mistaken for jihadists in a "free-fire zone" in the restive southeast, where Boko Haram militants stage regular attacks.

Africa

CAR armed groups still committing ‘war crimes’

Armed groups continue to commit war crimes with impunity in the Central African Republic, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch, calling for international efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.