January 2019MESSAGE FROM THE HRS CO-CHAIRA very Happy New Year to you! I hope 2019 will witness strong strides in the field of human rights.As we approach the final preparations for the inaugural LAWASIA Human Rights Conference, 9th and 10th February 2019, New Delhi, I was delighted to receive a mail from a student-author.READ MORESAVE THE DATE!Learn more about LAWASIA conferences HUMAN RIGHTS LAW: WHAT'S NEW?Ortega condemned for 'rule by terror' after raids in NicaraguaInternational rights watch dog, Human Rights Watch criticised President Ortega for action against NGOs and media in Nicaragua. The country has seen an increasingly authoritarian regime under the President. READ MORE US halts cooperation with UN The United States has stopped cooperating with UN investigators over potential human rights violations inside America. The State Department ceased responding to complaints from UN special rapporteurs in May 2018. READ MORE El Salvador's abortion banEl Salvador has a total ban on abortion. The law has seen brutal execution across the country. Women who have a miscarriage or a still birth are often charged with murder and in one case attempted murder. READ MORE Lower house of the Indian Parliament passes bill to remove leprosy as ground for divorceLok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament passed a bill to remove leprosy as a ground for divorce in personal laws. Rights activists welcomed the passage of the bill and the potential deletion of the discriminatory provision.READ MORE Myanmar Court rejects appeal by jailed Reuters journalistsA court in Myanmar has rejected an appeal by two reporters from the Reuters news agency. The reporters were sentenced to seven years in jail for breaking the country’s Official Secret’s Act. Referring to the seven-year prison term the judge said, “(i)t was suitable punishment.” READ MORE Twitter users face detention in ChinaIndividuals posting on twitter face detention and threats from authorities in China. The efforts come amidst a sharp escalation of the country’s online censorship efforts. Authorities have been regularly questioning and detaining a growing number of Twitter users. The platform is banned in the country. READ MORE Singaporeans seek to end gay sex banWith a recent judgment of the Supreme Court of India, homosexuality is no longer a crime. Soon after the Indian judgment a constitutional challenge has been filed to overturn the Colonial ban on gay sex in Singapore. READ MORE UN calls for probe into Bangladesh electionsThe election in Bangladesh electing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the third consecutive term is under scrutiny. The UN called for an independent and impartial investigation amid accusation of violence and voting irregularities.READ MORE China says UN welcome to visit Xinjiang UN human rights chief has been seeking access to Xinjiang amidst reports of mass internment of Muslim minorities. China said that it would welcome UN officials provided proper procedure is followed. The statement comes as Beijing has launched an active publicity campaign to defend its actions in Xinjiang. READ MORE Bahrein detained activist's family for protests in UKBahrain detained three relatives of a Britain based human rights activist for his protest in London against the visit of the country’s king in 2017. The UN Working Group on arbitrary detention, a subsidiary of the human rights council, found Bahrain guilty of arbitrary detention. READ MORE Prison term for inability to pay fineWestern Australia regularly jails people for unpaid fines, which often include minor crimes. Expert studies have noted that the law disproportionately affects indigenous Australians. The jailed often include Aboriginal women, mothers living on streets and shelters. The issue has attracted attention from activists, who have begun fundraising to clear the debts. READ MORE EU may withdraw benefits from Cambodia over rights violationsThe EU offers benefits to Cambodia under the ‘Everything But Arms’ initiative aimed at helping poorer countries. The European threat came amidst serious violations of human rights conventions, dissolution of the main opposition party, and banning of party members of over 100 parties. The Cambodian Prime Minister has threatened to retaliate against the opposition if benefits are withdrawn. READ MORE