Investigation into Ethiopian conflict reports human rights violations by all sides
UN Human Rights Officer Charles Kwemoi, OHCHR regional representative Marcel Akpovo, EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele and Director at the EHRC Albab Tesfaye, give a joint press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nov. 3, 2021.
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Ethiopia
An investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the United Nations Human Rights Office released a day ahead of the first anniversary of the Ethiopian conflict has revealed that all sides have violated human rights, and that some of the violence could amount to crimes against humanity. The inquiry, which has been hampered by restrictions imposed by authorities and the impossibility of being able to visit some of the areas most affected by the conflict, has documented cases of rape, attacks against refugees and internally displaced people, torture and other violations linked to Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is gearing up for a presidential election on Sunday, but there is not much suspense about who’s likely to win. The incumbent, Daniel Ortega, is all but guaranteed to remain as president for a fourth consecutive term. Nicaragua’s national police forces ? have jailed many of Ortega’s opponents in the past months, including seven of the most likely presidential hopefuls. The most vocal dissidents in Nicaragua are either behind bars or outside of the country. The opposition to Ortega’s government is calling for a boycott of the election.
Eswatini
King Mswati III of the African Kingdom of Eswatini and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have come to an agreement to establish a national dialogue that could bring the unrest in the country to an end. Two weeks ago, after a flare-up in pro-democracy protests in Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, security forces clashed with demonstrators and internet connectivity was shut down.
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New restrictive regulations in Egypt will shut down access to independent information, legal director says
Egypt’s new amendments to its national terrorism law will reinstate military powers that curtail human rights and free speech. Mai El-Sadany, the legal director at the Tahrir Institute of Middle East Policy in Washington, discusses the development with The World’s host Marco Werman.
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Bright Spot
Say cheese!
A traffic cam in Brazil had an unexpected visitor when a curious parrot appeared on screen. Captured in Curitiba in the state of Paraná, the video shows the bird repeatedly peering into the lens of the CCTV camera as it monitored traffic conditions.
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Listen: France and UK’s fish dispute
France and the UK have been caught up in a bitter dispute — about fish. Each government accuses the other of contravening the trade deal on fishing licenses in the English Channel. The French are threatening to block British fishing boats disembarking into the country unless the UK does something to resolve the matter. And, Saudi Arabia says it will plant millions of trees and capture carbon to combat climate change. As one of the world’s top oil producers, the country has also pledged to cut down its greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2060. Plus, Russian, Chinese and European tourism agencies are planning on bringing tourists back to Syria next year. But how ethical is it to visit a country still officially in a state of civil war?
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