Belarus: Human rights activist reportedly “tortured” in prison

Human rights activist, Mikita Likhavid, is being tortured in prison according to claims made by the Belarus opposition group Youth Front. In March Likhavid, a member of the Za Svabodu (For Liberty) movement, was sentenced to three and a half years for participating in a rally held to protest President Alexander Lukashenko’s reelection last December. According to Youth Front, Likhavid has been held in solitary confinement four times in the last 40 days, an action which is considered torture by international standards.

 

Chinese human rights activist evicted

Chinese authorities evicted Zeng Jinyan, the wife of imprisoned AIDs and free speech activist Hu Jia, from her home in Shenzhen today. Zeng is also a human rights activist and keeps a blog and twitter account. Authorities are now warning Zeng that she and her husband may be put under house arrest upon his release on 26 June.

Palestinian Authority bans reporting on human rights criticism

The Palestinian Authority has prohibited local journalists from covering a report documenting human rights abuses committed by the authority and Hamas against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority claimed the report by the Ramallah-based Independent Commission for Human Rights would harm the recent reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.

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