Human Rights Watch: Last News

may be the richest man in the world — but Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has more money at his disposal, experts say.And the latter is using these funds to “entice” Hollywood’s A-list to normalize the country, despite spiraling allegations of its human rights abuses.Some of La La Land’s biggest names, from Will Smith to Gwyneth Paltrow and Johnny Depp, have been happy to soak up the kingdom’s majestic sand dunes. The Saudis offered $1 million eachto lure stars to the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah in December; Paltrow reportedly took home even more than that, according to Variety.Although Musk has a net worth of $202 billion, one well-placed Middle East expert told The Post that bin Salman — commonly known by as MBS — has more freely available cash thanks to Saudi’s Public Investment Fund, a state-owned sovereign wealth fund now valued at around $750 billion.According to the expert, Saudi wants to make it into the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world by the end of 2030.

Reuters.“The event was…merely based on pleasure that they wanted to seek,” Indradi said, adding that police discovered condoms and HIV medications at the party. The party’s three lead organizers were named criminal suspects and were accused of facilitating “pornography” services, which can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.While homosexuality is not illegal in most of Indonesia, including Jakarta, it is considered taboo in the Muslim-majority nation.The province of Aceh enforces some provisions of Islamic criminal law (sharia), such as canings or beatings for same-sex relations, selling or producing alcohol, gambling, and adultery.While the Jakarta hotel room raid appears to have uncovered a legitimate sex party, LGBTQ activists have accused authorities of abusing anti-pornography laws by claiming even innocent gatherings or parties hosted by people in private homes or businesses are “sex parties.”“In the last 10 or 12 years, pretty conservative Islamic groups began to focus more and more on issues related to the LGBTQ community and to women being uncovered,” John Sifton, the Asia Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, told Metro Weekly in an interview, noting that previously such groups had focused on scapegoating religious minorities.According to Sifton, a growing amount of anti-LGBTQ sentiment reached its apex in 2017, when police began conducting raids of homes, bars, nightclubs, and other venues where LGBTQ people were believed to be congregating and arresting attendees.The number of raids has tapered off in recent years, although they continue to occur.

United Nations pledge last December promising that Mali would promote and protect human rights. While LGBTQ rights were not specifically mentioned, the pledge stated that vital human rights include access to education, employment, and health care, as well as the ability to be paid fairly, voting rights, the right to free speech, the right to privacy, and mutual respect.The LGBTQ community faces much hostility in Mali, a predominantly Islamic African country where homosexuality is viewed as a Western import.At the same time, Sharia law, or Muslim religious law, does not tolerate same-sex relations, and people can face extrajudicial punishments ranging from subjection to conversion therapy and amputation to flogging to death.That means that most LGBTQ Malians are forced to remain closeted or do LGBTQ-specific work under a veil of secrecy.

April 27, 2024The U.S. State Department criticized the law, which it said in a statement “threatens constitutionally protected human rights and fundamental freedoms.”It also expressed concerns that the law would be abused or manipulated to “hamper free speech and expression and inhibit the operations of [non-governmental organizations] across Iraq.”“The legislation also weakens Iraq’s ability to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment,” the statement continued.

The Star.The offending kiss, between The 1975 vocalist Matt Healy and fellow band member Ross MacDonald, sparked controversy in the conservative, majority-Muslim nation. Healy, who identifies as straight but has reportedly engaged in similar actions during other performances, kissed MacDonald following a rant against Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws.As a result, the remainder of the Good Vibes music festival in Kuala Lumpur, where the band was playing, was canceled.The festival organizer, Future Sound Asia, blamed Healy for the loss of money stemming from the cancellation and demanded that the band pay $2.6 million in damages.Future Sound Asia also claims the incident has damaged the public’s opinion of the Good Vibes festival, potentially affecting future ticket sales if more conservative concert-goers refuse to spend money.The 1975 has also been banned from performing in Malaysia as a result of the incident.Teo noted that police officers are conducting background checks on foreign artists before allowing them to perform in the country.

Reuters.Last Thursday, in a 5-4 ruling, the court said that allowing same-sex relations between individuals could undermine military discipline and impede readiness — arguments that have been used in other countries, including the United States, to justify banning LGBTQ individuals from serving.LGBTQ activists had urged the court to overturn an “outdated and bad” law following a Supreme Court decision last year that overturned a military court’s conviction of two soldiers for a consensual same-sex relationship.The two defendants — an army lieutenant and sergeant from different units — had been charged by military prosecutors for having sex during off-duty hours at an off-base residence in 2016.Both were among nine soldiers indicted in a crackdown against gay soldiers in 2017.

cracking down on homosexuality, essentially making it illegal to identify publicly as LGBTQ — or even express support for the LGBTQ community.The bill builds upon the country’s existing colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex activity, which is punishable by life imprisonment, targeting a host of free speech-related activities in order to discourage LGBTQ visibility in any form.Under the bill, individuals or institutions that support or fund LGBTQ-related groups or organizations, or publish or distribute pro-gay media or literature, can be prosecuted and imprisoned.Media groups, journalists, and publishers who similarly broadcast or distribute LGBTQ-related content that “promotes homosexuality” also face imprisonment, reports CNN. Property owners can potentially be jailed if they allow their properties to be used as a “brothel,” which is so broadly defined that it can include any gathering space where people are planning or advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ community, or where same-sex sexual activity can potentially take place — regardless of whether such acts actually occur.Cisgender allies of the LGBTQ community can be prosecuted and imprisoned for advocating or expressing support for LGBTQ rights.Friends, family members, and neighbors can also be penalized for failing to inform on individuals they know are engaged in same-sex relationships or LGBTQ advocacy — effectively creating a de facto police state where individual beliefs or free speech rights are under surveillance.The law also imposes the death penalty for those found guilty of “aggravated homosexuality,” a term referring to people who engage in homosexual conduct with another person who cannot or does not consent, or commits such acts under

Two men in Indonesia’s Aceh province were publicly caned on Thursday after their neighbors caught them having sex.

Advocates this week said the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies have not stopped LGBTQ people in Central America’s Northern Triangle from traveling to the U.S. to seek asylum.