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With the release of its concluding observations addressed to Mexico, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expresses concern about harmful cultural practices and violence directed at indigenous rural women, as well as their lack of access to land, property and justice, and asks for better implementation of women’s rights in the country.

Ecuador’s president has invited UK government to talks over the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on the condition that Britain guarantee it will not enter the diplomatic mission in London where Assange has sought shelter. Computer hacker Assange, whom Swedish prosecutors want to question over accusations of rape and sexual assault, jumped bail and fled to the Ecuadorian embassy nine weeks ago.

An Indonesian group calling itself “People’s Care for Rohingya” has been protesting in front of the Myanmar’s embassy in the capital Jakarta against the violence and discrimination against the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar.

In a surprise move, Mohamed Morsi, first democratically elected Egyptian president, retired the powerful defence minister, Field Marshal Tantawi, and armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan, and scrapped a constitutional document that gave the military legislative and other powers.

On July 20 the Maya and Xinca people, joint together in the Consejo de Pueblos de Occidente (Western Villages Council), presented their arguments for the general and total unconstitutionality of the Mining Law, contained in Decree 48-97, in a hearing before the Constitutional Court of Guatemala.

ARTICLE 19 is concerned about a draft Article on media regulation at the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia creating a structure of regulatory control over all media which is not compatible with the basic principles of democracy. The Article contains insufficient safeguards for media freedom. Moreover, despite its fundamental character, the Article was drafted without public debates.

Death of an intelligence service general in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakshan region triggered violence leaving at least 48 dead, 30 arrested and information blockade imposed. No particular action was taken to protect civilians. The UN, the OSCE and Tajiks from all over the world expressed their concern with the government’s handling of the situation.

We, the international organizations signing below, would like to express our severe indignation regarding the three most recent murders of peasants in the context of the agrarian conflict in Bajo Aguán.

In light of the grave political incidents that have occurred in Paraguay and have led to the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo, who had been elected in free democratic elections in April 2008, FIAN condemns the so-called political trial of President Lugo, denies the legitimacy of the current government and supports those who, faced with this situation, are demanding the fulfilment of international agreements violated by those who now hold the State power.