Five men have been sentenced in the Sharia High Court in the State of Selangor to caning and imprisonment for allegedly attempting to have same-sex relations. Caning – a form of corporal punishment – constitutes a breach of their human rights, and is a cruel, inhumane and degrading practice, and a form of torture.
The decision of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to ease the conditions of detention of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha is a first step in the right direction. However, Kem Sokha remains under court supervision, his case is not closed and he is banned from engaging in any political activities.
It will soon be easier and more profitable to trade with Singapore. The free trade agreement (FTA) signed by the European Union and the Republic of Singapore on 19 October 2018 is due to enter into force on 21 November 2019, as a consequence of the decision adopted by the Council today on the conclusion of this agreement.
Following the success of the previous two years, the EU Delegation, EU Member State embassies and EUNIC-Japan (EU National Institutes of Culture in Japan) again come together in organising 'European Literature Festival 2019'.
Freedom of expression, in all its forms, is the very essence of democracy. Only with a thriving, free and independent media landscape, we can hold governments, businesses and society at large accountable. And precisely for this fundamental right, far too often, journalists and media workers are attacked, persecuted, harassed, or intimidated for carrying out their work. Most journalists are not wounded in the heat of war coverage, but suffer violence in our immediate surroundings. In 2018 alone, 94 journalists and media staff were killed in work-related incidents as reported by the International Federation of Journalists. Hundreds more have been subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention without ever having been tried in a court.
