Russia plotting to kill LGBT+ Ukrainians after invasion, US whistleblower claims

A US official has warned that Russia may target prominent political opponents, anti-corruption activists, and “vulnerable populations” like LGBT+ people in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. The official, who spoke to Foreign Policy anonymously, explained that Russia is “likely” to target anyone who opposes the country’s actions. He said: “As we’ve seen in the past,

U.N. rights forum agrees to investigate abuses in Ethiopia

EU resolution sets up international monitoring Ethiopian envoy rejects ‘politically-motivated’ text U.N. says up to 7,000 detained including nine U.N. staff The U.N. Human Rights Council voted on Friday to establish an independent investigation into abuses in the Ethiopian conflict, after a senior U.N. official said there had been violations on all sides and mass

France will not join boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics: Minister

France will not join a diplomatic boycott by other Western countries of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, Education and Sports Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said on Thursday (Dec 9). Asked about a boycott announced by the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada, Blanquer told RMC radio and BFM television that France “won’t do it”. “We

Hong Kong press freedom is in ‘free fall’ as China’s journalism crackdown goes global, says Reporters Without Borders

In its latest report on the state of journalism in China, Reporters Without Borders says “the repression no longer spares Hong Kong, once a champion of press freedom.” A prominent international media watchdog says press freedom in Hong Kong is in “free fall,” as it voices concern over the increasing sophistication with which the Chinese

Xinjiang footage sheds new light on Uyghur detention camps

A YouTube video of Xinjiang detention facilities has rekindled concern over China’s crackdown on ethnic minorities. Researchers say the videos offer new evidence, but many fear for the vlogger’s safety. A 20-minute video featuring more than a dozen detention facilities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has offered fresh evidence and renewed the discussion around China’s large-scale

Let’s talk about public health at the border and inconsistency – Beau of the Fifth Column

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs

A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. The woman, 26-year-old Wu Huan, was on the run to avoid extradition

Let’s talk about closing Guantanamo – Beau of the Fifth Column

Russia: Secret Underground Prison Reported Found Near St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg-based media reported Monday that it had uncovered a secret underground prison disguised as a cottage with a human-sized crematory in an abandoned village outside Russia’s second city. Video shared by the city’s 47news.ru outlet showed two prison cells with bunk beds and toilets in the cottage’s flooded basement. Next to one of the cells, journalists