A UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) investigation into the Dominican Republic of Congo (DRC) has revealed that at least 701 people from the Hema and Lendu communities in the northeast province of Ituri, DRC, from December 2017 to September 2018, raising concerns of “crimes against humanity.

The report details the DRC’s security forces engaged in actions or arbitrary arrests, detentions, executions and sexual violence. The DRC has been actively deployed to this region in February 2018 but has not ceased the violence.

Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch’s executive director has reported that he was denied entry to Hong Kong where he was set to launch HRW’s latest annual report.

On Twitter Roth announced that this report would detail how China is “undermining the international human rights system”. The reason given for denying him entry was “immigration reasons” however the decision follows China’s pledge to sanction HRW, along with several other pro-democracy US organisations, in relations to anti-governments protests in Hong Kong in early December.

<p>Two days after an attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) university students and staff, Delhi police, who have been criticised for turning a blind eye on the attack, has filed charges against several students for attacking security guards and vandalising a server room.</p>

 

The United States has released a statement confirming that they will be imposing sanctions on Taban Teng Gai, South Sudan's first vice president, over allegations that Gai was involved in the killing of opposition politicians and strengthen his political standing.

Israel has approved the construction of 1,936 illegal settlements on Sunday and Monday, according to activist group Peace Now – adding that such settlement buildings have greatly increased under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has received strong political backing from US President Donald Trump.   

Netanyahu’s political reign remains in jeopardy after his recent corruption charges and failure to form a new coalition government following the April and September elections last year. He was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a set of long-running corruption cases and faces a third general election in March.

Four Rohingya children were killed in Rakhine, the northern state of Myanmar, in a landmine explosion on Tuesday.

Neither the state nor the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group fighting for more autonomy in the region, have accepted responsibility for the attack.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of Myanmar’s military claimed that five further children were injured in this incident alongside their teacher. The children and teacher had gone to collect firewood for the village of Kyauk Yan when the landmine was accidentally triggered. However, representatives from the Arakan army have accused the military of being responsible for the explosion.

<p>Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned India’s police force following an incident in Delhi in which dozens of masked men and several women, who claimed to be BJP supporters, stormed the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and went on a 3-hour rampage in which over 30 students and teachers were attacked.</p> <p>This follows an instance on 15 December when police stormed Jamia Millia Islamia campus following protests against the Indian citizenship amendment. HRW reports that the police attacked students with&nbsp;<em>lathis&nbsp;</em>(long batons).</p>

Armed forces in Libya loyal to opposition leader Khalifa Haftar claim to have taken control of Sirte, a key coastal city, as conflict continues to rage in the country.

The capture of Sirte marks an important gain to Haftar, who has been staging a military offensive on the capital, Tripoli since April. Tripoli is home to Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Sirte has been controlled by forces affiliated with GNA since the expulsion of the Islamic State militants in 2016. 

<p>Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, released a statement yesterday, urging the United Nations to support a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir to support their right to self-determination.</p> <p>In his statement, he stressed the importance of respecting this right to self-determination whilst also casting blame upon India for inaction by the UN Security Council. He further chastised India for human rights abuses and accused the nation of keeping the region under illegal occupation for over 72 years.</p> <p>The Prime Minister stated;</p> <blockquote><p>

Following the US assassination of Iran’s chief General, Qasem Soleimani, Iraq’s parliament has voted to expel the approximately 5,200 US troops stationed in their country.

The bill was passed through Iraqi parliament on Sunday 170-0 however many of the representatives, particularly Kurdish and Sunni representatives, did not attend the session to vote.