Egyptians will go to the polls tomorrow to vote in their first-ever competitive presidential election. The process may require a run-off vote next month, but whoever wins will have legitimacy in a contest in which tens of millions of voters will choose from a broad range of candidates. The new president will be an influential player in Egypt’s political scene, in which the Islamist-dominated parliament and ruling military face off against each other while little has been done to address the momentous economic and political challenges facing Egypt’s new rulers.

It feels like a long time since the heady days of Egypt’s eighteen-day revolution and the toppling of President Mubarak in February 2011. Expectations for a new democratic dawn in Egypt have not been met. In many ways, Egypt’s transition towards democracy has not yet even started, but the election of a president will provide an opportunity for that vital process to move forward. Here are some things to look for that will indicate whether or not Egypt’s presidential election will be a step forward for democracy and human rights:
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The huge wave of protests for democracy and human rights sweeping across the Middle East over the last year has seen hundreds of thousands of previously politically inactive young people become dedicated revolutionaries. In Egypt they call them “first time activists,” people whose first taste of protest came in the early months of 2011.

Throughout the region, the demonstrations and subsequent violent government reactions have transformed a generation into a new political force using social media and other tools to fuel revolutions.

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Today is International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, and we need your voice on these issues more than ever.

Six months ago, President Obama committed to make the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people a priority in U.S. foreign policy. Since then, the U.S. State Department has made great strides in that direction, but there is still much more to be done—including for LGBTI refugees.

Help us make a difference. Tell Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help make sure that LGBTI refugees gain access to safety and protection from violence in their countries of asylum.

LGBTI  refugees are the most vulnerable and isolated among refugees. They seek protection from violence and discrimination in a new country only to face the same persecution from which they fled.

In our recently published report, The Road to Safety, we found that LGBTI refugees in Uganda and Kenya have been abducted, beaten, and raped. Others have been forced to relocate their homes because their landlords, neighbors, or other refugees harass or evict them.

Stand with us on International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.  Tell Secretary Clinton to protect LGBTI refugees.

Crossposted from Huffington Post

Brilliant legal minds have been debating the arcane details of proposed amendments to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act for the last 48 hours or so, but I’m afraid the general public may be far less aware of the chicanery going in Congress right now than many of us legal and policy wonks are.

In short, the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA — the yearly bill that authorizes national defense spending — is up for debate in Congress now (as in, tonight) and includes some important proposed changes to last year’s bill. Signed into law on New Year’s Eve, it allowed indefinite military detention without trial of individuals merely suspected of supporting terrorism — possibly including U.S. citizens and others arrested on U.S. soil.

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To commemorate International Day Against Homobophia and Transphobia, Human Rights First partners with Human Rights Council and Council for Global Equality in today’s Equality Talk to release our new report, The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection of LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya, and raise issues facing LGBTI refugees.

In December 2011, the Obama Administration issued a Presidential directive to protect LGBT rights at home and abroad across U.S. government agencies. A six month progress review is expected to take place this summer. Today’s Equality Talk will highlight recommendations highlighted in the report and steps that the United States can take in making sure that LGBTI refugees have access to safe housing and protection from violence.

Watch Equality Talk starting at 3:30pm EST:

Live streaming by Ustream

What investors should know ahead of Facebook’s IPO.

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• Much of Facebook’s IPO projected income depends on entry into China, a nation that is hostile to privacy and free expression. 

  But what is Facebook’s plan for staying in China? Google quit China after determining that dealing with authorities undermined its brand and put its trade secrets at risk. China, like other oppressive countries, is hostile to privacy and free expression. To operate in China, Facebook would likely have to partner with search engine giant Baidu, which already complies with China’s censorship regime, the Great Firewall.Censorship is standard operating procedure in China; that’s the cost of doing business there. But the Chinese government is likely to demand more than just compliance with the Great Firewall. If it asks Facebook for information about activists — which it could easily do under its overly broad state secrets law — would Facebook provide it?

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As Egypt pieces itself back together after last year’s revolution, women’s rights are taking a back seat. Some examples:

• One of the new female members of parliament, Azza al-Garf, is being taken to court by the New Women Foundation for advocating the repeal of 2008 legislation which banned female genital mutilation (FGM).

• In addition to a possible repeal of the FGM ban, the new parliament has been changing personal status laws to discriminate against women even more harshly than during the Mubarak era. One debate centers around whether to repeal the “Khulaa Law,” enacted to allow women to initiate no-fault divorce.

In a decision reminiscent of old Soviet practices, the Russian government is trying to force activist Maxim Efimov to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in a mental hospital. Last month, Human Rights First condemned the ongoing persecution of Efimov, chair of Youth Human Rights Group Karelia.

The use of psychiatry to pressure dissidents, religious activists, and opposition leaders was not uncommon in the Soviet Union. Ironically, while churchgoers were routinely hospitalized for ‘insanity,” it was Efimov’s criticism of the Orthodox Church that triggered his prosecution. He was charged under article 282, part 1, for criticizing church leaders and believers in an online article published in December 2011.

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Next week, the House of Representatives will consider an amendment, sponsored by Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Justin Amash (R-MI), which would modify the detainee provisions in the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (“FY 2012 NDAA”). This analysis is based on a draft version of that amendment released by Representative Adam Smith on Monday, May 7, 2012.

Summary of the Smith-Amash Amendment
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The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is once again being considered by Congress for the fiscal year (FY) 2013. Last year’s bill, for the fiscal year 2012, contained provisions related to the detention of terrorism suspects. Here’s an FAQ on how the current version of the NDAA violates the rule of law.

Under the detention provisions in the defense authorization bill, who can be detained indefinitely by the military without charge or trial?

The FY 2012 NDAA permits the military to indefinitely detain without charge or trial individuals determined to be members or substantial supporters of al Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces. The law does not define “associated forces” or what it means to provide substantial support.

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