The National Interest Foundation Newsletter
Issue 53, July 9, 2020
Welcome to our NIF Newsletter. In this week’s headlines: Dr. Fauci says that the United States is still ‘knee-deep’ in the first wave of its COVID-19 outbreak, the United Kingdom announces sanctions against human rights abusers, the Jamal Khashoggi murder trial begins in Turkey, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19 after previously downplaying the virus.
Dr. Fauci on COVID-19 Outbreak
Dr. Fauci warned that the United States is still “knee-deep” in the first wave of COVID-19. (Photo from UPI)
Dr. Fauci: U.S. is Still ‘Knee-Deep’ in the First Wave of COVID-19
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned this week that the United States was still “knee-deep” in the first wave of coronavirus infections. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, made the statement as confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus increased rapidly in recent weeks. In an interview with National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, Fauci said that the United States never reached a satisfactory baseline of cases diminishing before the recent surge, which indicated that the current increase in cases isn’t a second wave of the virus, but still the first wave. Fauci’s comments come as the United States passed another grim milestone this week, with the nation now having over 3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.
U.K. Announces Sanctions
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the measures earlier this week. (Photo from Getty Images)
United Kingdom Announces Sanctions Against Human Rights Abusers
The United Kingdom is imposing sanctions on individuals and organizations involved in grave human rights abuses including extra-judicial killings, torture, forced labor, and servitude. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the measures which target violators in Saudi Arabia, Russia, North Korea, and Myanmar with travel bans and asset freezes. Specifically, those punished with the sanctions are: 20 Saudi Arabian nationals involved in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, 25 Russian nationals involved in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, two organizations engaged in forced labor, torture, and murder in North Korean gulags, and two military generals in Myanmar involved in violence against the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities. The sanctions mark the first time that the U.K. has implemented its own independent mechanism focused entirely on human rights abusers.
Khashoggi Murder Trial Begins
Turkey has begun the trial of 20 Saudi nationals accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo from Getty Images)
Jamal Khashoggi Murder Trial Begins in Turkey
Turkey has begun the trial of 20 Saudi nationals who are accused of involvement in the plot to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate in 2018. Khashoggi, an American resident and journalist for the Washington Post, was murdered in the Saudi consulate by a kill team allegedly sent by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Turkey is trying the defendants in absentia, after Saudi Arabia refused an extradition request last year. The Saudi government tried and convicted eight individuals last year, who they say were part of the plot. Mohammed bin Salman has said that the murder was a mistake, but justice had been carried out by the Saudi authorities. However, the international community has widely denounced the Saudi trial as a sham. The commencement of the trial in Turkey marks the first time a public trial will occur in relation to Khashoggi’s murder.
Bolsonaro Tests Positive for COVID-19
Bolsonaro’s revelation comes as Brazil is struggling to contain the health pandemic. (Photo from AP)
Bolsonaro Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Previously Downplaying the Virus
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for COVID-19, after months of downplaying the significance of the virus. Bolsonaro had previously opposed state governors’ decisions to impose lockdowns, attended anti-lockdown protests, met with supporters without wearing a mask, and pushed for businesses to reopen – all despite the growing health crisis in the country. His revelation comes as Brazil is struggling to contain the pandemic, with critics saying that his dismissive attitude toward the outbreak has hindered those attempts. Brazil is second worldwide, behind only the United States, in both confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities. Even more worrying, health experts warn that those figures in the South American country are also likely an undercount.
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