If the Coronavirus is not deemed a biological weapon, is the heavily-publicized COVID-19 vaccine in danger of being weaponized when over 159,000 Palestinians who have tested positive in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are being denied treatment during a deadly pandemic? The London-based human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) says Israel’s vaccine roll-out
Police beat, detain journalists covering opposition candidates ahead of Uganda elections
By Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) LISTEN
JAN 8, 2021
Newspapers covering upcoming elections are seen in Kampala, Uganda, on January 4, 2021. Security forces have harassed and detained journalists covering opposition candidates in the election. (AFP/Sumy Sadurni)
Nairobi, January 7, 2021 – Ugandan security forces should stop harassing and attacking journalists, and should ensure that the press can freely cover the country’s upcoming elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Since December 11, security officers have assaulted at least 10 journalists covering opposition events ahead of the country’s January 14 presidential election, and briefly detained at least two members of the press and questioned them about their work, according to media reports and journalists who spoke with CPJ.
Meanwhile,” the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the already dire humanitarian and socio-economic situation” Secretary-General António Guterres said at a meeting online last November, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Patients arrive at a health centre in Gaza. Credit: UNRWA
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 7 2021 (IPS) - If the coronavirus is not deemed a biological weapon, is the heavily-publicized Covid-19 vaccine in danger of being weaponized when over 159,000 Palestinians who have tested positive in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are being denied treatment during a deadly pandemic?
The London-based human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) says Israel’s vaccine roll-out plan excludes the nearly 5 million Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under Israeli military occupation.
As Uganda counts down days to its general election, attacks against members of the press by security forces are on the rise.
Journalists especially those covering opposition candidates and anti-government protests have been arrested, beaten or had their equipment confiscated or destroyed by the Police.
One press freedom watchdog says it has documented over 100 attacks since November when presidential nominations were held. These have been deliberate attacks where some officers have even warned journalists to shoot at them and have gone ahead to shoot at them occasioning injuries on them. This has never happened during an election in Uganda. We ve not had a time as now when the deliberate attacks are not even condemned by the security leadership. The president has severally come out to attack the media as working for foreign agents, as being partisan, as promoting interests of the political opposition in the country, and of course the voice of the president is so strong that it p