News Clips – January 27, 2017 – International Justice Resource Center

Academics and activists warn that the “global gag rule,” which prohibits funding for organizations that provide abortion services and was implemented by United States President Trump on Monday, will have a chilling effect on civil society programs in Latin America offering family planning, contraception, HIV/Aids, and abortion services. [Guardian]
This week, United Nations experts called for the release of five human rights defenders in Cambodia, who were allegedly detained for politically motivated reasons in May 2016. [UN News Centre]

This week, interior ministers in the European Union moved forward with a plan to set up camps in Northern Africa where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other aid groups will screen and return migrants to their home countries if found ineligible for resettlement in Europe. [Al Jazeera]
Earlier this month, the International Organization for Migration released initial estimates of all migrant and refugee deaths in 2016, which totaled 7,495 people and is approximately a 2,000 person increase from last year. [IOM Press Release]

On Thursday, the Supreme Court in Greece ruled against the extradition of eight Turkish military officers, who are accused of involvement in the July coup in Turkey, on “legal and humanitarian grounds.” [Al Jazeera]
On Thursday, a British High Court ruled it did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims of Nigerian communities against the Dutch oil company, Shell, for environmental disaster and harms caused by an oil spill; the Court asserted that the claims must be settled in Nigeria. [Al Jazeera]

On Wednesday, Amnesty International condemned the execution of seven people in Kuwait, including five foreign nationals. [Amnesty International]
On Monday, negotiations arranged by Russia and Turkey between the Syrian rebel fighters and the Syrian government devolved quickly after the two sides began fighting. [New York Times]
On Wednesday, al-Shabab carried out coordinated attacks at Dayah Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia; 28 people were killed, with another 43 persons injured. [Al Jazeera]

On Thursday, the President of Mexico canceled a trip to the White House in response to President Trump’s executive order to build a border wall and his subsequent statements. [Washington Post]
On Monday, President Trump withdrew the United States from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. [Wall Street Journal]
The British government published a bill this week that will trigger the process of Britain’s exit from the EU; the bill will undergo five days of debate. [Guardian]
On Thursday, President Adama Barrow returned to Gambia, shortly after former president Yahya Jammeh left the country, ending his refusal to give up power. [Guardian]
This week, the Netherlands set a plan in motion to create an international abortion fund to address gaps caused by the Trump administration’s “global gag rule.” [Guardian]