Human Rights in the News: August 2023

Welcome to the August 2023 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important human rights stories from around the world.

Alex Wakitinti at a sacred Bagungu site

As oil activities encroach on sacred natural sites, a small Ugandan community feels besieged
Rodney Muhumuza  |  Associated Press  |  22 August 2023

As French oil company TotalEnergies continues to develop oil fields in Uganda, the Bagungu, a people who practice traditional beliefs, are concerned about the safety of their sacred sites. They are concerned that, “the spiritual power of at least 32 sacred natural sites in [the area] keeps deteriorating. There are already signs, like the region’s prolonged dry spell some say is proof the sanctity of some sites has already been breached.”

Hologram of Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (Credit: Bilgin Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

AI, holograms help museums tackle Holocaust, slavery
Russell Contreras  |  Axios  |  27 August 2023

This article details a few examples of the use of AI and other technology in museums around the United States to teach about the Holocaust, slavery, and other difficult histories.

A Black person looking down, raising a hand with an open palm at a vigil for the victims of the Jacksonville shooting (Credit: John Raoux/AP)

Jacksonville shooter legally bought guns used in racist attack, authorities say
NBC News  |  28 August 2023 

On August 26, a white gunman killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The gunman held racist beliefs and specifically targeted Jacksonville’s Black community; earlier that day, he was seen and chased away from Edward Waters College, a historically Black school.

Climate activists in the Philippines (Credit: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Speaking Up Became a Threat to My Survival
Maria  |  Newsweek  |  11 August 2023

“States have a duty to protect people and their human rights, including in online spaces. Companies, including social media platforms, must ensure that they respect the human rights of their users. But many governments and companies are not doing enough to tackle online harassment, so activists must demand accountability. We must remind ourselves of our power to protect and care for each other in our own communities, whether in physical spaces or online.”

An Indigenous person at a protest against the disappearance of an Indigenous activist in Brazil (Credit: Edmar Barros/AP Photo/picture alliance)

Indigenous peoples and their fight for conservation
Tim Schauenberg  |  Deutsche Welle (DW)  |  9 August 2023

Indigenous people around the world often face repression when trying to protect their rights and their homelands. “Between 2012 and 2021, human rights groups and organizations documented the deaths of more than 1,700 environmental and homeland defenders in some 60 countries. More than 35% of those killed were identified as Indigenous people, according to data published by environmental and human rights organization Global Witness.”

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