Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 11 April 2016

Communities in the DR Congo and human rights advocates around the world are mourning the loss of Abbé Benoît, the Catholic priest and humanitarian who first alerted the world to the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Benoît passed away on April 8 at the age of 53. Documenting abuses committed by the group and providing aid to victims, he used his position to advocate for the protection of people under constant threats of violence. Musicians boycotting US states that have passed anti-LGBT laws in recent weeks. Over the weekend, Bruce Springsteen cancelled his scheduled concert in North Carolina because of that state's law that limits the use of restrooms to a person's gender assigned at birth. Today, singer Bryan Adams cancelled a concert in Mississippi because of a new law that allows businesses to refuse service to LGBT people. The Mexican government has been waging its war on drugs since 2006, yet 70,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico and the flow of drugs has not stopped. Moreover, the soldiers and police involved in this drug war have been implicated in widespread abuses and disappearances. Unless Mexico rethinks the militarization of its response, the violence can be expected to continue. Stigmatizing disability means depriving millions of disabled children of an inclusive education. Around the world, education policies leave children with disabilities behind. They are separated from their classmates and in some cases, do not even attend school. Governments should ensure that children with disabilities do not miss out on classroom interaction and a formative education. From earlier today: Dozens of migrants, among them pregnant women and children, were wounded on Sunday when Macedonian police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets at crowds on the Greek side of the border near the refugee camp of Idomeni.