Rights watch

Russia: MPs consider lifetime immunity for former presidents | The Guardian

Russian lawmakers have introduced a bill to parliament that would give Vladimir Putin lifetime immunity from prosecution if and when he decides to leave office.

Belarus: Leaked police data reveals level of violence against protesters | openDemocracy

Over the past two months, Belarus has witnessed unprecedented violence against protesters in the aftermath of its presidential election. New data confirms its scale.

Poland: Government delays planned abortion restrictions amid protests | FT

Poland’s government has delayed the publication of a court ruling that would introduce an almost total ban on abortion, following some of the biggest protests in recent Polish history.

Brazil: Fury over humiliation of woman at rape trial | The Straits Times

Outrage erupted in Brazil over video footage of a rape trial where the defendant’s attorney verbally attacked and humiliated the alleged victim, leaving her in tears and vainly begging the judge to intervene.

Turkey fines social media giants for breaching new internet law | Al Jazeera

Turkey has fined global social media companies, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, 10 million lira ($1.18m) each for not complying with a new social media law.

Palestine: Israel rebuked for ‘biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in years’ | BBC News

The United Nations has rebuked Israel for carrying out what it said was the biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for a decade.

New Zealand: Talk of scrapping NZ’s Human Rights Commission is a danger to democracy | The Conversation

A call to abolish New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission and dismiss it as a “hard left” body forgets the role both sides of politics played in establishing the organisation.