Author: Injusticeto Team

Local and regional actors, particularly commercial and landowner elites in mid-sized cities, play an important role in the expansion and improvement of road networks. In Brazil, lobbying by private interests played a big role in the development of Rodovia Transamazônica and BR-319.In Brazil, agribusinesses exert political power via the Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária (FPA), often referred to as the Bancada Ruralista, a multi-party congressional voting bloc.One of the most significant accomplishment of the ruralistas was their 2012 campaign to modify Brazil’s the Forest Code. Changes included amnesty for property owners who had illegally deforested land before 2008 and adjusted…

(Beirut) – The Iraqi government ramped up attacks on rights by passing or attempting to pass draconian laws that would restrict Iraqis’ freedoms throughout 2024, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025.For the 546-page world report, in its 35th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In much of the world, Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes in her introductory essay, governments cracked down and wrongfully arrested and imprisoned political opponents, activists, and journalists. Armed groups and government forces unlawfully killed civilians, drove many from their homes, and blocked access to humanitarian aid. In many of the more than…

A new survey finds that populations of forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees have remained relatively stable in a large landscape in southeastern Cameroon.In some cases, populations actually rose significantly in the region’s protected areas, but declined on the outskirts.Officials attribute this “positive” trend to hard work and the implementation of a “permanent presence technique” to deter poaching by engaging more closely with local communities.However, they say more effort is still needed to combat poaching for tusks and the trafficking of great apes.See All Key Ideas A survey has found populations of elephant, gorillas and chimpanzees in and…

(Brussels, January 16, 2025) – Authorities in all five Central Asian countries clamped down on dissent and tightened controls over freedom of expression during 2024, imprisoning government critics, activists, and journalists in increasing numbers, and in some instances hiding behind the veneer of reform promises, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025.For the 546-page world report, in its 35th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In much of the world, Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes in her introductory essay, governments cracked down and wrongfully arrested and imprisoned political opponents, activists, and journalists. Armed groups and…

ATLANTA (AP) — Ohio State and Notre Dame arrived in Atlanta on charter flights Friday as the teams moved closer to the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night.The Buckeyes are big favorites but the Fighting Irish might have an advantage. Coach Marcus Freeman’s team has previously played in Atlanta — and in Mercedes-Benz Stadium — this season.In a game that strengthened Notre Dame’s playoff hopes, the Fighting Irish beat Georgia Tech 31-13 on Oct. 19 as quarterback Riley Leonard ran for two touchdowns.Is the familiarity with the stadium an advantage for Notre Dame?“We hope so,” Freeman said at…

On November 7, as Pakistan was reeling from days of deadly air pollution, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz flew to Europe to get medical care for a severe throat infection. The chief minister is one of millions of Punjab residents who are finding it hard to breathe these days. But the vast majority don’t have the luxury of escaping or getting world-class medical care.Punjab’s capital, Lahore, a city of 14 million people, has – again – topped the rankings of the world’s most polluted air, with air quality index (AQI) readings of up to 1900 in and around the city.…

In southern Ethiopia, the Konso people have maintained a 400-year-old stone terracing system, essential for farming in the region’s semiarid environment.This UNESCO-listed practice helps prevent soil erosion, conserve water and enhance agricultural productivity, and at the heart of it are the Konso elders who play a crucial role in passing down the knowledge of terracing to younger generations.However, population growth and climate change threaten the survival of the terracing system, and with land becoming scarce, many young Konso people are migrating to cities, leaving behind traditional farming.Combined with the unpredictable impacts of climate change, this exodus risks severing the…

On November 27, gendarmes in Cameroon arrested and severely beat prominent human rights lawyer Richard Tamfu in the country’s largest city, Douala. The vicious assault fits a pattern of official attacks on lawyers, presumably designed to deter them from doing their job. On the day in question, three gendarmes came to arrest a client of Tamfu’s in the Bonaberi neighborhood. Tamfu told Human Rights Watch he was there to assist her and said he challenged the gendarmes’ authority, as they did not have an arrest warrant. “So, they put me in the back of their pickup truck and started beating…

What’s shaping up to be one of the worst wildfire disasters in U.S. history had many causes. Before the blazes raged across Los Angeles last week, eight months with hardly any rain had left the brush-covered landscape bone-dry. Santa Ana winds blew through the mountains, their gusts turning small fires into infernos and sending embers flying miles ahead. As many as 12,000 buildings have burned down, some hundred thousand people have fled their homes, and at least two dozen people have died.   As winds picked up again this week, key questions about the fires remain unanswered: What sparked the flames…

The Guna Indigenous community of Ukupa in Panama has announced a plan for the relocation of their entire village out of harm’s way after December flooding rendered homes in the area uninhabitable. Community members chose relocation as a measure of last resort after the floods and now seek government and international support.This is not the first time a Panamanian community has requested relocation assistance. In 2010, the Guna community sought help to move from their flood-exposed and crowded island, Gardi Sugdub, to a mainland site in a dignified way. Over a decade later in 2024, the Panamanian government finally gave Guna…