Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 22 March 2016

Over thirty people have been killed and seriously injured in attacks in Brussels. Explosions hit the city's international airport and a city metro station. Now is the time to protect the human rights principles that extremists are flouting. That is the challenge in the face of the fear-mongering and scapegoating to come. In the past 10 days, deadly attacks have also killed and injured scores of people in Turkey and Cote d’Ivoire. Nadezhda Savchenko, a Ukrainian military pilot, has been convicted in a Russian and sentenced to 22 years in prison. The guilty verdict follows an unfair trial plagued by serious flaws, and Russia shouldn't let politicized proceedings pass for justice. The War on Drugs has been waged for over 50 years, but the fight has come with disastrous consequences and abuses and a reversal of strategy is needed. An upcoming special session at the United Nations General Assembly should seek to ensure human rights become the priority. Follow a new blog from HRW on why this needs to happen. The new school year started today in Afghanistan, hailed as an opportunity for prosperity and stability. But the power of education to transform the lives of Afghan children can't be felt when schools are still being used as battlefields. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced it will suspend operations in Lesbos, Greece, after a flawed deal between the European Union and Turkey will allow deportations from Greece, exposing thousands of refugees seeking protection in the EU to potential harm. Two prominent bloggers in Vietnam are facing trial and have been in detention for nearly two years for simply criticizing the government. They should be released immediately and Vietnam's policy of detaining critics should be reversed.