Police block the road leading to the Parliament building in Male, Maldives, Monday, July 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Ahmed Shurau).
Cambodia Cambodia launched a free mobile application with the comprehensive history of the Khmer Rouge. Since seventy percent of Cambodia’s population is under thirty, developers felt it was imperative to educate the younger generations about the development of the Pol Pot-led regime, which started as a guerilla group in the 1950s. Thanks to funding by the EU and the Rei Foundation, the app will be introduced in 80 schools and 20 universities in October.
These efforts coincide with the trials of the last two surviving top leaders of the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodia Tribunal. One is the second-in-command and chief ideologist of the regime, Nuon Chea, and the other is its former head of State, Khieu Samphan — both were sentenced to life imprisonment during the first part of the trial in 2014
Syria ISIS is losing more and more territory in Syria. The Islamic State is struggling to mount an effective defense of the city of Raqqa, its headquarters, as local forces make rapid headway in ousting the militants, the U.S. military said. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they have captured 40% of the city since June 6, when a ground assault began.
Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a joint press conference on Tuesday. Trump mentioned that the US will support “the humanitarian needs of displaced Syrian citizens as close to their home country as possible”, thus allocating new funding to Lebanon, in support of Syrian refugees there.
The Maldives: In the Maldives, an ongoing political crisis is unfolding after President Abdulla Yameen ordered troops to barricade Parliament on July 24. Opposition lawmakers have been physically barred from entering and assaulted with pepper spray. This comes after the unified opposition declared a no-confidence vote for July 24 against the Speaker Abdulla Maseeh; the Opposition claims it has support from 45 out of 85 MPs. The situation escalated after last week, when Yameen arrested and jailed the son of Abdul Maumoon Gayoom. Gayoom is the former authoritarian leader who has now joined the opposition against Yameen.
Democratic Republic of the Congo This week, the UN issued two declarations related to the DRC. The first focused on the mass graves found in the insurrection-ravaged Kasai region: for the first time, the UN has directly suggested that government forces dug most of these graves. Congo’s authorities, however, have repeatedly denied this accusation. The second declaration urged Congo’s government to hold presidential elections by the end of the year. Current president Kabila has been trying to postpone these elections, blaming the lack of funds and voter registration.
Meanwhile, as the conflict in Congo continues, the Congo Central Bank predicted a steep rise in 2017 inflation, from a previous forecast of 33.12% to 44%. Moreover, Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, the founder and leader of a Congo rebel group who is wanted for crimes against humanity surrendered Wednesday in the country’s North Kivu province, the United Nations mission in Congo said.
The United States of America As republicans failed to once again pass a successful health care reform bill, President Trump shifted tactics and has now set his sights on repealing Obamacare. The so-called “skinny repeal” that republicans attempted to pass would have stripped 16 million people of healthcare insurance by 2026 and eliminated the mandate requiring all Americans to have health care coverage. Although Trump secured a victory Monday after John McCain flew in to cast a yes vote, allowing for debate to begin health care legislation reform, republicans were dealt a major blow after the skinny repeal failed to pass in a 49-51 vote. As a result, all three Obamacare repeal bills have now failed to pass.
Meanwhile, President Trump also announced Wednesday that Transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the military, citing costs of gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. Soon after, hundreds of protestors took to the streets of New York, D.C. and San Francisco to speak out. Protestors held signs saying such things as “Resist” and “Trans is not a burden.” Although the military has yet to act upon Trump’s announcement, many currently out service men and women fear for their future in the military. Trump’s announcement is seen as a significant reversal in White Policy, after previous President Barack Obama had earlier declared that Transgender people would be allowed to freely serve in the military.
Venezuela On Thursday, the Venezuelan government banned protests and said violators would be punished with 5-10 years in prison. This came on the second day of a 48-hour national strike, organized by the opposition, in an attempt to thwart the upcoming vote on Sunday that would give President Maduro’s government power to rewrite the constitution. Thousands are fleeing the country leading up to the vote, and the protest ban demonstrates an escalation of repression by the Maduro government.
Zimbabwe This week, it is reported that Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Grace Mugabe, has urged her husband, President Robert Mugabe, to appoint an heir. Over the past year, President Mugabe has flown to Singapore at least three times in order to receive medical treatment. Although the government has attempted to downplay the severity of Mugabe’s health problems, many are starting to think that Mugabe may not survive until even the next president presidential election.
In other news, almost 100 Zimbabwean civil rights groups are protesting a recent ruling that would alter Zimbabwe’s current constitution. The previous constitution had been amended twenty times, and people fear that Zimbabwe’s current constitution might go the same way. This has only cemented fears that the government has no intention to undergo reform.
This Thursday, a research group at New York University published a new report, which revealed a vast network of businesses owned by President Joseph Kabila and his family which pervades virtually all sectors of the economy. While the Congolese constitution does not bar government officials from owning private enterprises, it remains far from clear how the family amassed its wealth – apart from lucrative state contracts, disproportionately awarded to firms owned and operated by the President’s close relatives.
Observers note that further enrichment is a powerful incentives for Kabila, who has been receiving approval ratings in the single digits and recently declined the public’s appeals to hold elections on the grounds that DRC could not afford them, to cling to power. The President and his family continue to invest large sums in real estate around the country and assets which are not easy to liquidate – a further troubling sign that they do not intend to relinquish the presidency.
The Mexican government has routinely undermined a national anti-corruption system put in place by President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose approval ratings have dwindled to the teens after he was caught in a conflict of interest scandal last year. The mechanism has not had the promised effect of tackling corruption, which still costs Mexico between 2%-10% of GDP annually, but rather given the appearance of reform while harassment and suppression of anti-graft activists continues.
Tens of thousands of Poles demonstrated in from of the Warsaw palace on Thursday, after the lower house of Parliament passed a bill which would gravely curtail the freedom of the judiciary. If approved by the government- controlled upper house, the new bill would allow the president to dismiss all current Supreme Court Justices and hand-pick replacements. Since coming the power, the PiS, which sponsored the new legislation, has eroded other liberties as well: freedom of expression, through new media laws, and freedom of assembly.
In response to the vote in the lower house, a top EU official threatened the use, for the very first time in EU history, of Article Seven –which would even provide for sanctions or a suspension of Poland´s voting rights if the political onslaught on the judiciary persists. European Parliament president Donald Tusk has taken a more conciliatory stance and requested a meeting with President Duda to seek ways out of a situation which, the former stated, goes against Eropean values and tarnishes Poland’s international image.
President Trump has decided to end the CIA’a covert program to train moderate rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad. The program was a central measure undertaken by the Obama Administration in 2013 to put pressure on Assad. US’s involvement in Syria now consists of air strikes on Isil and the Pentagon-run train-and-equip program supporting Kurdish forces currently battling to capture Isil strongholds in Raqqa.
Many observers worry that the discontinuation of the program will not only disparage and undermine moderate opponents of the regime, but advantage radical rebel groups, since the USA will have even less opportunity to control the flow of sophisticated weapons from Turkey and Persian Gulf allies.
Millions of people are taking part in a general strike called by the opposition in an effort to pressure President Maduro to cancel the July 30 vote for a new constituent assembly. Protesters barricaded roads in the capital and other cities across the country during the country-wide strike. Hundreds have been arrested and at least three killed.
This comes after a referendum on Sunday in which nearly 7.2 million Venezuelans rejected the upcoming vote, which could lead to a rewriting of the country’s constitution and a further consolidation of Maduro’s power. The referendum was non-binding and organized by the country’s main opposition parties; it has been condemned as illegal by the Maduro regime.
A Venezuelan diplomat at the UN broke with the government on Thursday and is calling for Maduro’s resignation. Several influential countries have called for Maduro to cancel the vote, including the US, France, Spain, Colombia, and EU leaders.
Human Rights Watch has recently reported that as political violence is on the rise in the face of the 2018 elections, police are failing to investigate reports or attacks. Recent examples of violence include the destruction of house of an MDC-T (Zimbabwe’s main opposition party) local councilor as well as reports of unidentified men burning down a bar in Harare owned by Elias Mudzuri, the deputy president of the MDC-T. Although activists have accused ZANU-PF of orchestrating these attacks, ZANU-PF has struck back by stating that these were merely inside-jobs conducted by the MDC-T itself. Regardless though, no arrests have taken place in response to the events, and it is feared that such on-going examples of impunity will only further fuel fire in Zimbabwe.
On Sunday July 19th protestors gathered at the U.S. Women’s Open bath the Trump National Golf Club to protest against Donald Trump. Activists held pink umbrellas and spelt out messages on their white tee-shirts as they stood in front of the Trump National clubhouse. Other protestors wore shirts encouraging the US Golfing Association to “Dump Sexist Trump.”
Later, on Wednesday, police arrested 155 demonstrators holding a sit-in inside three senate office buildings. Earlier on Monday, the US Republican party, having yet again failed to pass a healthcare replacement bill, began to push for the repeal of the American Care Act. Republican efforts have not been aided by the fact that two additional Republican senators also early voiced their opposition to the proposed bill.
More recently, activists across the states have just commenced a week of protests, recalling the 230 protestors that were arrested 6 months ago for rallying against President Trump’s administration on January 20th. The “Week of Solidarity” is set to take place in Washington D.C. as well as several other cities such as Pittsburgh and New York City. Protestors anticipate to rally around a DC court at the end of the week on July 27th as a hearing is held over dismissing felony chargers against the January arrestees.
With regards to the March 6th Travel Ban, the Supreme Court also recently ruled that anyone with a “bona fide relationship” to a US person would not be barred entry, therefore allowing for family members such as grandparents to visit from the six countries mentioned in the ban.
July 12th, marked the one year anniversary of the murder of leading political activist and government critic Kem Ley. Colleagues and friends Cambodians held memorial services in Phnom Penh and elsewhere to pay tribute to his courageous investigative journalism and service to truth. Other observers reiterated their concerns about the inadequacy of the criminal investigation and the suspect claims of Oeuth Ang, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murderer, that he acted alone. Phil Robertson, the head of Human Rights Watch- Asia, reports that at least 160 NGO’s from around the globe continue to demand that Cambodia establish an independent and impartial commission of inquiry, in line with the UN Principles of Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extralegal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions.
In a darkly ironic twist, on the very same date, the Cambodia government issued a new bill which prohibits political parties from being affiliated with convicted criminals, a move many observers have described as another covert attempt to stifle political opposition. Considering that many opposition members and outspoken critics of the government have already been convicted for breaking some of Cambodia´s more recent laws which curtail freedom of expression, the bill will surely impact the leadership of the opposition and its efficacy in the 2018 general election campaign.
The DRC’s president, Joseph Kabila, might once be trying to prolong his mandate. Although elections were initially announced in December, his electoral commission now mentions that holding the elections in 2017 might “not be possible” due to voter registration, and that voting might be postponed for next year. Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi responded that, with this declaration, Kabila “had declared war on the Congolese people”. The current president has been accused of violating the DRC’s constitution by being in power for more than two terms.
As the violent conflict within the country continues, the U.N. identified 38 more mass graves in Congo’s Kasai region, bringing the total to at least 80 such graves since the outbreak of the insurrection last August. The Congolese government blamed the Kamuina Nsapu militia for the graves, yet witnesses claim they saw army trucks dumping bodies in these graves. In an effort to help the people of Congo, the EU and Canada have recently announced that they will send more humanitarian aid to the region.
US and Russia have reached agreement on a cease-fire in southwest Syria, after a meeting between Trump and Putin in Hamburg. The agreement is open-ended, with no set end date. US officials have described it is as being part of a broader US effort to lower violence in Syria. After the cease-fire agreement started, U.N. officials have confirmed that the deal was “generally holding”.
The potential defeat of ISIS sparks more and more discussions about Syria’s political future. Last week, US-backed forces advanced significantly in Raqqa, ISIS self-proclaimed capital. Moreover, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights recently claimed that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed.
Meanwhile, Syria’s Central Bank announced the introduction of a new banknote- a 2000-pound bill (worth around $4), featuring the portrait of President Bashar al-Assad on it. The note is the highest denomination yet for the Syrian pound, as the value of the currency has dropped significantly during the war. Some have called putting al-Assad’s portrait on the bill a way of reasserting his power and the authority of the state.
Looking forward to the Presidential election in 2018, Mexico’s largest political party may consider supporting a candidate from outside its own ranks, according to the party’s President Enrique Ochoa. The Institutional Revolutionary Part or PRI will decide in August whether to use non-PRI candidates for the July 2018 election, a decision that will be taken in the national assembly. The move would seek to distance PRI from a number of governors and former governors who have been caught up in corruption allegations during the Presidency of Enrique Pena Nieto. The candidate they put forward will compete against the leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Tuesday July 11th saw Maldives President Abdulla Yameen lose his majority in parliament after 10 lawmakers from his own party defected to the opposition, before presenting an impeachment motion against Yameen’s aly, Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed. The opposition coalition now holds 45 seats in the 85-seat parliament. Many, including exiled former leader Mohamed Nasheed, are encouraging the President, who is hoping to campaign for a second five-year term in 2018, to resign.
Robert Mugabe’s health continues to decline, having made his third visit to Singapore this year on July 7th. Many are beginning to claim that Mugabe is “running the show from his hospital bed.” His wife, Grace Mugabe, has remarked that were he to die before the next election, she would have him run as a corpse. No doubt, this presents Zimbabwe’s political future as increasingly unclear.
On July 13th, police fired tear gas and water cannon on opposition supporters from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Protestors gathered on the streets of Harare in response to supposed plans written by the country’s electoral committee to ensure a victory for Mugabe in the next election.
Leopoldo López, the most prominent political prisoner in Venezuela, was released on Saturday in an unexpected move by President Maduro’s government, in a possible sign that the Maduro regime is giving into pressure after 100 days of protests and riots in the streets. López was imprisoned for three years after a demonstration in the capital of Caracas left three people dead in February 2015. The Maduro government claimed López was suffering from health concerns and that his release was a humanitarian act, although López’s political supporters say this indicates a weakening of the Maduro regime after diplomatic isolation and months of popular unrest.
On Sunday, Venezuelans will vote on whether they support the government’s plan to elect a National Constituent Assembly to overhaul the 1999 constitution. President Maduro does not recognize the legitimacy of the referendum, and intends to move forward with the July 30 vote to elect the assembly, or ANC. The opposition hopes the vote will prove the popular opposition to the ANC and pressure Maduro to drop the plan altogether, although this seems unlikely.
Oscar Pérez, the former policeman who piloted the helicopter that attacked government buildings, was seen at a vigil on Thursday mourning those killed in anti-government demonstrations. Pérez called for a general strike against the government on July 18 – calling the day “zero hour” – and urged people in Venezuela to support a symbolic vote against the government’s proposed plan to rewrite the constitution.
On July 10th 80 Americans (32 men and 48 women) were arrested whilst protesting the new healthcare bill. Protestors had gathered in the hallways and offices of both the Senate and the House, chanting slogans such as “Trumpcare=death,” “Kill the bill, don’t kill me,” and “Hey hey, ho ho, Trumpcare has got to go.” It is estimated that if passed, the bill would result in an additional 22 million people losing insurance by 2026.
In other news, over a dozen states have refused to comply with Trump’s voter commission, the equivalent of 1/3 of the population. Besides the fact that the goals of the commission remain unclear, many states are hesitant to hand over sensitive voter data, which includes social security numbers and voter history since 2005.
It was also revealed that Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian officials during his father’s campaign less than a week before the Democratic National Committee hack that exposed several thousand emails. Emin Aglarov, whose father worked with Donald Trump in 2013 to organize the Moscow Ms. Universe pageant, brokered the meeting between Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Supposedly, Ms. Veselnitskaya had access to damaging information on Clinton, but Trump Jr. has claimed that the meeting concerned Russian adoption.
On Wednesday it was announced that the 13-month investigation into the group of five human rights workers known as the ‘Adhoc 5’ had concluded. The 420-day detention of senior officials Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, Yi Soskan, Li Mony and senior election official Ny Chakrya has been criticized by several international organizations, including but not limited to the United Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Earlier in the year, the five were in the running for the Martin Ennals award.
On the same day, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen reaffirmed his promise to maintain power at any cost. Sen underscored that “As long as your tongue and your writing insult, I say that Cambodia is still at war,” and that “To protect the peace for millions of people if necessary, 100 or 200 people must be eliminated.”
Meanwhile, several non-violent protests took place over the course of the week. In Kratie, 200 villagers took to the street to protest rubber planation company Doty Saigon-Binh’s attempt to limit their mobility. Ultimately, it was negotiated that villagers could travel freely 24 hours, but the time limit for the transportation of goods would remain limited. Likewise, over 500 garments workers for the company International Fashion Royal staged a walkout in response to the dismissal of Bo Thet, their union rep. According to reports, the company had prevented workers from paying their union over a seven month period. Later on Thursday, the Kampuchea Krom community was forbidden from protesting at the Nation Assembly in response to the continued human rights abuses of the Krum under present-day Vietnamese people.
On Monday, a group of nine activists, journalists and human rights lawyers filed a criminal complaint alleging that the government intentionally infected their phones with software to spy on their activities. The software gives the attacker access to the phone’s files, camera, and microphone. Those potentially targeted by the spying, 88 documented cases altogether, include journalists and activists who have exposed government corruption.
The country is witnessing an important precedent, as Maria de Jesus Patricio Martinez seeks to become the first indigenous woman to run for President in Mexico. Patricio, an indigenous Nahua, is a traditional healer and has been nominated by Mexico’s National Indigenous Congress and the Zapatista National Liberation Army to represent them in next year’s election.
Mexico also hosted the Organization for American States’ (OAS) General Assembly meeting this week, which saw clashes and disagreement over how to handle the political crisis in Venezuela. Venezuela’s foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, criticized diplomats for promoting oversight of President Nicolas Maduro’s government and facilitating the interests of imperialist powers. Rodriguez walked out of the summit on Monday.
On June 22 Republican Senators revealed the health care bill, written behind closed doors, in a continued effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The bill, which cuts taxes and Medicaid as well as eliminating the insurance mandate, was drafted without any Senate hearings or Democratic amendments. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving for a vote next week, despite uncertainty over whether there will be enough votes for the bill to pass.
The bill, and the secret proceedings around its drafting, have drawn strong opposition from Democrats and civil society. Senate Democrats used parliamentary procedures to tie up the Senate floor on Monday, hoping to draw attention to the secretive procedures of the bill’s drafting. After the bill was revealed, a group of protesters with disabilities held a demonstration at the office of Senator McConnell before being forcibly removed by police.
This week President Trump held a rally with supporters in Iowa, touting victory after Republicans won in a Georgia special Congressional election. Trump has made several recent statements denouncing Robert Mueller’s role as special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election. He claimed the relationship between Mueller and former FBI director James Comey is “very bothersome.” Mueller served as the director of the FBI from 2001 to 2013 before Comey assumed his duties.
Romania’s parliament gave prime minister Sorin Grindeanu a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, making him and his government step down after only six months in office. The Social Democrat party, which has a majority in parliament, was initially the party to propose the Grindeanu government. However, it withdrew its support for the government last week. Some Social Democrats say they have been unhappy with Grindeanu’s failure to uphold his ambitious governing program, while Grindeanu and opposition members accuse Dragnea, the Social Democrat leader, of changing the government in an attempt to hold power into his hands. Discussions around appointing a new prime minister are to be held next week.
Another important development in Romania is the recent launch of the new “Respect” campaign, meant to promote democracy and human rights. It is now fighting the “Coalition for Family”, an organization that wants to change the country’s constitution in order for the document to specifically mention that families are based on the union between a man and a woman, thus excluding any possibility for recognizing LGBTQ families. The “Coalition for Family” gathered three million signatures for a referendum on the constitution, yet it has faced serious backlash from national and international LGBT groups. The “Respect” platform, supported by almost 100 Romanian organizations, asks politicians not to approve this referendum.
In the northwestern reigion of Idlib, Syrians from the village of Ma’art al-Nu’man have been protesting the actions of Hayat Tahrir a-Sham (HTS), formerly Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch known as al-Nusra. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels have controlled this small village of just over 80,000 since late 2012, but have seen their authority begun to wane owing to the growing power of the HST as well as to increasing in-fighting amongst the rebels. Posters read such things as “The People Are Stronger Than You” and “You cannot humiliate what Bash Al-Assad couldn’t.”
Meanwhile, American forces recently shot down two planes, the former Syrian, and the latter Iranian. Fearing that the approaching drones might be headed for al-Nufra, the town in which the United States has educated any rebel leaders, the American government claims to have acted in self-defense, but many fret that such “incidents” may lead to a possible war between Iran and the United States as the power vacuum in Syria continues to grow.
UN investigations continue in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Violence escalated after president Joseph Kabila refused to step down after his term ended. On Thursday, a bomb exploded near a school, where three students were injured while taking their exams.
This week, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the top United Nations human rights official, spoke about the crisis in the DRC. Al-Hussein linked the government to the Bana Mura militia, which has been accused of mass killings and atrocities. He suspects the government has been arming the militia. The official called for an official investigation, independent from the DRC’s government, yet the Congolese authorities quickly rejected the idea. Furthermore, the Catholic Church in Congo recently confirmed over 3000 killings and the destruction of 20 villages, 10 of them by the Congolese army.
Unrest continues in Venezuela, as president Maduro recently promoted several military men to be part of his cabinet. Among them are general Antonio Benavides, previously sanctioned by the US for human rights abuses, and General Carlos Osorio, who has been accused of trafficking hard-to-find food. The generals will replace some previous members of the cabinet, who will be running for a special assembly to rewrite the country’s constitution. The election for the special constitutional assembly, however, has been heavily criticized by the opposition, who says it favours Maduro and his party. Others oppose the rewriting of the constitution in principle.
As a response to the unrest, the OAS (Organization of American States) has been considering adopting a declaration to condemn Venezuela for its abuses. So far, however, the declaration has not passed, despite being heavily backed by the US and Mexico.
Focusing on the people of Venezuela protesting on the streets, several news sources have featured the works of artist Oscar Olivares, who started making digital paintings depicting the situation in Venezuela. It is said that Olivares, initially inspired by the death of a childhood friend in the protests, has become an “icon” for the protesters.
One of Zimbabwe’s principle opposition parties, the National People’s Party (NPP) experienced a significant setback on Wednesday when it was announced that several of its high profile officials had resigned. Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo, previously the Matabeleland South interim chairperson said that he desired to “concentrate on my studies,” but many party officials paint a different story, pointing towards increased factionalism and tribalism within the party. As a result, it is believed that the NPP’s bargaining power to form a coalition with other opposition parties will be weakened.
In turn, President Mugabe and his party ZANU-PF are reported to have been using death threats and other such heavy-handed tactics as a means of encouraging Zimbabweans to attend his rallies.
Meanwhile, in an act of non-violent resistance, journalists Wisdom Mudzungairi and Everson Mushava have refused to testify in the case against fellow journalist Godfrey Tsenengamu who criticized First Lady Grace Mugabe earlier this year. The journalists pointed to “journalistic privilege and the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and freedom of the media, which protects the confidentiality of journalists’ sources of information.” According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), the case against Tsenengamu represents a clear case of censure.
On an equally positive front, Heal Zimbabwe (HZT) worked alongside Bare High School to organize a Sports for Peace Tournament last Saturday, 17th June. With over 300 people in attendance, organizers hoped encourage their community to uphold peace in the run up to the election in 2018. 201 participants signed an HZT pledge worded to this effect.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen lifted an order exiling Sam Rainsy, the former opposition leader who previously served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). It remains uncertain whether Mr. Rainsy will be imprisoned upon his return; without a royal pardon, the likelihood of arrest appears high in the face of numerous convictions amassed against him for criticizing the government and alleging the state had ordered the assassinations of political analyst Kem Ley.
The local (commune) elections on June 4 led to a narrow victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party, but the process was criticized by Human Rights Watch as neither free or fair due to threats to free speech and imprisonment of political opponents. Nevertheless, the CNRP garnered almost half of the votes, signalling the possibility of strong competition in the 2018 Parliamentary elections. Mr. Rainsy has said he will run for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s position in next year’s elections.
Nine former African presidents and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have warned that the ongoing political crisis in the DRC stemming from President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate and the failure to organize an election to replace him puts the country’s future in “grave danger.” A December agreement between Kabila’s ruling coalition and opposition leaders requires that an election be held before the end of the year, however it appears increasingly unlikely that one will take place in the face of significant delays in voter registration and mobilizing financing.
The DRC is also facing a health crisis, as it was reported this week that two outbreaks of vaccine-derived polio, which occurs in areas with low immunization rates and is exacerbated in communities with poor sanitation, have been identified in the country. At least four cases of the disease have been identified, and the World Health Organization has warned that there is a high risk that the virus could spread.
A new report by Amnesty International criticizes treatment of asylum seekers by Mexico and the United States after the Trump administration enacted stricter immigration measures with the Executive Order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements on January 25, 2017. The report, based on extensive field research on the US-Mexican border since February 2017, cites the endangerment of asylum seekers trying to cross the Mexican border into the United States.
The report claims that people fleeing violence in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala are being turned away or held in overcrowded detention centers without the option to claim asylum, and are often turned back to Mexico, which in turn deports them back to their countries of origin – a violation of international law. Amnesty International’s Americas Director, Erika Guevara-Rosas, stated that the United States and Mexico are “partners in crime” in the push-backs, which Guevara-Rosas deemed a “burgeoning human rights catastrophe.”
Humanitarian agencies and human rights organizations are growing increasingly concerned after a UN panel noted that the intensifying airstrikes by the American-led coalition against Islamic State targets in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians in and around Raqqa, and have displaced 160,000 people. Focusing on American military conduct for the first time since the conflict in Syria began, the panel stated that the intensification of airstrikes in the campaign to retake Raqqa has taken a remarkable civilian toll, and resulted in a “staggering loss of civilian life.” Groups monitoring the conflict’s effect on civilians have voiced their increasing concern over these developments, which was further underscored last week by reports that coalition forces had used munitions containing white phosphorous, which is banned in populated areas under international law.
Protesters set fire to the Supreme Court in Venezuela on Monday, continuing three months of unrest throughout Venezuela. The violence broke out after the Supreme Court voted to reject a measure to prevent President Nicolas Maduro from rewriting the country’s constitution by electing a constituent assembly. The legal challenge was brought by Luisa Ortega, a former ally of President Maduro who now opposes the regime; Ms. Ortega has also alleged that 13 judges appointed to the court in 2015 were put there illegally and should be replaced.
Last week, the head of Venezuela’s National Defence Council, Alexis López Ramírez, resigned over President Maduro’s plans to create the constituent assembly, citing disagreement with how the members would be selected and the way it was convened. In the face of triple-digit inflation, as well as dire shortages of food and medicine, protesters demand President Maduro’s resignation and are calling for elections.
The leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirayi (MDC-T), is launching a challenge 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe in next year’s general election. This will be the fourth time Morgan Tzvangirai has challenged President Mugabe in a presidential election. Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party is campaigning to win over voters, particularly the youth, amid frustration at high unemployment, skyrocketing inflation, and a breakdown in social services.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Catholic Bishops have made an appeal to President Mugabe and other political leaders to reject violence and coercion in the 2018 general elections, and urged leaders to respect the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which deems that elections should be free and fair.
Officials say that the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has widened the probe to include whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice. The obstruction of justice investigation into Trump, who previously was not personally under investigation, began days after FBI Director James Comey was fired on May 9. Comey testified last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he believed that he was fired “in some way, to change — or the endeavor was to change the way the Russia investigation was being conducted.” Officials have also stated that investigators are also now looking for evidence of possible financial crimes committed by Trump associates.
Also this week, 196 Democratic members of Congress agreed to file a lawsuit against Trump, alleging that he is in violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution, which restricts the acceptance of gifts and benefits from foreign leaders. The lawsuit, which is one of several that have been recently filed alleging constitutional violations stemming from Trump’s business ties, has so far drawn more congressional plaintiffs than any legal action previously taken against a president, although so far no Republicans have joined. The suit alleges that by retaining interests in his businesses, Trump may be receiving benefits from foreign states without Congressional approval.
Additionally, in a serious incident on Wednesday a lone gunman opened fire on members of the Republican congressional baseball team as they practiced for an annual charity game that takes place between Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Four people were injured, including House majority whip Steve Scalise, who is still in critical condition. Information is still coming out about the gunman,James Hodgkinson, who was killed in the shootout, but he appears to have had a record of domestic violence and was a fervent opponent of President Trump. The incident, although there was a great deal of unity and solidarity between Democrats and Republicans in its immediate aftermath, will likely set off a renewed debate over gun control policies, which tends to be contentious and highly partisan in the US.
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