China
An independent tribunal, set up by rights groups and led by one of the world’s most prominent human rights lawyers, today said China has committed genocide against Uighur Muslims and other minorities in its Xinjiang region. Geoffrey Nice QC, who also led the prosecution of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic on war crimes charges, said the Chinese government had used forced birth control and sterilization to reduce the Uighur population. Organizers of the tribunal hope it will draw attention to the plight of the Uighurs, and say it was necessary because of impediments to other possible international investigations. The International Criminal Court says it cannot probe the genocide claims because China has not signed up to the court, and the UN International Court of Justice can only look into cases referred to it by the Security Council, over which China has veto power.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Iraq
A US-led coalition sent into Iraq to combat ISIS today ended its combat mission after seven years but all 2,500 troops will stay on in an advisory capacity, according to the US military. The presence of foreign troops, particularly American ones, has been a hot-button issue in Iraq since the US killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and a militia leader in a drone strike last year. ISIS was largely defeated in Iraq four years ago but still launches hit-and-run attacks on Iraqi troops, particularly in rural areas.
More from AP here.
Kenya
A video of police recruits celebrating their graduation has gone viral in Kenya, causing fury over the young men boasting that they are “the bad ones.” Kenya has a long history of police brutality and civilians have been preyed on by rogue officers, who often go unpunished. "We are coming outside now, and we are the bad ones! Pa! Pa! Pa! Squad 26! We are the bad ones," one of the men says. The police called the video "irresponsible, unacceptable and reckless” and promised an investigation.
More from BBC here.