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NORTH KOREA
Asking U.S., int’l community, to be more proactive on North Korea
A group of young North Korean escapees met with U.S. officials and policy experts in New York and Washington D.C. on July 29 to appeal for change in U.S. policy on North Korea, highlighting the need to promote human rights including access to information.
Fast facts
- The meetings were part of the North Korean Young Leaders’ Assembly, which aims to prepare for a democratic future for North Korea.
- The current North Korean regime under Kim Jong-un enforces strict laws prohibiting access to international media, which goes hand in hand with a repressive information landscape, where even access to the internet is not allowed.
- This tight grip on information is just one of many gross human rights violations in the country. The landmark 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry provides detailed accounts of these violations.
Actions sought
- The North Korean advocates called on U.S. policymakers to give greater attention to North Korean rights abuses, including severe restrictions to information in the isolationist country.
- Hyunseung Lee, a Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation and organizer of the group, also urged the international community to be “proactive in abolishing these cruel laws and improving human rights.”
MALAYSIA
Turning off plans for an internet ‘kill switch’
Malaysia is currently developing legislation for an internet “kill switch” that will grant government power to summarily take down harmful online content. Rights groups fear this could be misused to suppress dissent and curtail freedom of expression.
Fast facts
- First announced by Malaysian Minister Azalina Othman Said, the measure supposedly aims to enhance digital security and combat online crimes like fraud, sexual harassment, child abuse, and bullying.
- The exact nature of what the kill switch can block and under what circumstances it can be activated has not been detailed.
- The proposed law is part of the country’s broader efforts to regulate social media platforms.
- Just recently Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) revealed a “new regulatory framework” that will require “all social media services and Internet messaging services with at least eight million users” to obtain a license to operate in the country.
- The draft legislation is expected to reach parliament in October 2024.
Actions sought
- Siraj Jalil, president of the Malaysia Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA), calls for “clear guidelines and oversight to prevent misuse or overreach” of the planned law.
- The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) has urged the government to ditch the planned law and establish instead a “meaningful and functional social media council to encourage and gather views from stakeholders.”
INDIA
Restoring freedoms in J&K
Five years since the Indian government revoked the special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir state, freedoms of speech and association remain elusive for Kashmiris. This, amid severe crackdown on suspected dissidents and journalists, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.
Fast facts
- Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Indian constitution was stripped on Aug. 5, 2019, thus splitting the region into two federal territories and fully integrating it into India while strengthening government control over it.
- The abrogation of Article 370 was met with widespread protests.
- The draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention of Atrocities Act (UAPA) has been used extensively against journalists and human rights defenders in Jammu and Kashmir.
By the numbers
35
Number of journalists in Kashmir who have faced police interrogation, raids, threats, physical assault and other abuses from 2019 to 2023 |
500
Number of days the internet has been shut down in Jammu and Kashmir between 2019 and 2021 |
371Number of UAPA cases filed against Jammu and Kashmir citizens in 2022 alone, or 36% of a total of 1,005 cases logged across the country |
Actions sought
- The HRW has asked the Indian authorities to “rethink their approach to J&K” and to prioritize justice for human rights abuses.
- The New York-based organization also asked the government to restore fundamental freedoms in the region.
SOUTH ASIA
Protecting minorities in South Asia
The United Nations as well as international rights watchdog Human Rights Watch separately raised alarm over the escalating persecution of ethnic minorities in India and Sri Lanka, saying there was “little accountability” for past and present human rights abuses in these South Asian countries.
Fast facts
- On July 29, the U.N. Human Rights Committee flagged Hindu-majority India’s continuing “discrimination and violence against minority groups, such as Christians, Sikhs, and especially Muslims, who are bearing the brunt of a recent government decision to implement a citizenship amendment act that allows non-Muslims to claim citizenship on a fast-track basis.
- The misuse of counter-terrorism laws has exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread human rights abuses, said the U.N.
- According to HRW Sri Lanka is staging a systematic campaign to deny Hindus and Muslims their places of worship and other sacred sites. Authorities are promoting settlements for the majority Sinhalese Buddhist settlements in traditionally Tamil and Muslim populated areas.
- India is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has drawn flak for its Islamophobic rhetoric and Hindu nationalist policies. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, is accused of perpetrating state-sanctioned abuses against the Tamils, whose struggle for justice continues a decade and a half since the bloody civil war (1983 to 2009) ended.
Actions sought
- Both the U.N. and the HRW called for stronger protection of religious and ethnic minorities through the implementation of strong legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms.
- For India, the U.N. urged a stop to discriminatory practices and misuse of counterterrorism laws.
- For Sri Lanka, HRW urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to renew its mandate for evidence gathering in Sri Lanka in relation to the war and ongoing human rights abuses in the island state for another two years.