 Hello and welcome to the International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you major news developments from around the world. Our headlines, Tribal Rights Activist and Political Prisoner, Father Stan Swamy Dies in India, Palestinian Lawyers and Activists Arrested in a Crackdown on West Bank Protestants, Chile's Constitutional Convention inaugurated in Santiago, and in our video section we take a look at the worsening conditions in Brazil's prisons during the pandemic. Indian Rights Activist, Father Stan Swamy died at the age of 84 on July 5th. He was a Jesuit priest who fought for the rights of tribal communities. Prior to his death, he had been imprisoned without trial in the Taloja jail in the state of Maharashtra for eight months. During this time, his health deteriorated massively, but he was denied bail. Swamy suffered from Parkinson's disease among other serious health issues. He also notified the court that he was unable to perform basic tasks such as walking or eating without support. Father Swamy was finally shifted to Mumbai's Holy Family Hospital for treatment in May. However, he soon tested positive for COVID-19. As his health continued to worsen, he was placed on ventilator support on July 4th. A hearing for bail on medical grounds was scheduled for Monday in the Mumbai High Court. However, the judges were notified of Swamy's death shortly after the hearing began. He was arrested in October 2020 in relation to the Bhima Koregao case. This case, which is also known as the Elgar Parishad case, refers to right-wing, caste-based violence in the state of Maharashtra on January 1st, 2018. However, police later claimed that the violence had been instigated by progressive activists. Starting July 2018, 16 people were arrested in relation to the Bhima Koregao Elgar Parishad case. They were accused of tether-related charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. They were also accused of having links to the banned Communist Party of India, Mahovest. Several people persecuted in this case, including lawyer activist Suda Bharadwaj and renowned academic Anand Theltumde continued to be imprisoned. In our next story, Palestinian human rights activist Farid Latras was arrested by Israeli forces on July 4th. He was detained at a checkpoint east of Jerusalem after returning from a protest in the West Bank. The Independent Commission for Human Rights stated that he was then taken to the Hadassah Hospital. The reasons for his transfer have not been confirmed. Meanwhile, another Palestinian lawyer Mohanad Karaja was also detained by Palestinian Authority forces in Ramallah. He was on his way to court to represent activist Ghassan al-Sadi. As reported by Middle East Eye, Karaja was arrested without a warrant and transferred directly to police custody. Meanwhile, three other activists were detained while holding a vigil in front of the court. Sunday's arrest followed just a day after PA forces cracked down on a mass protest in the city. Unrest has continued following the custodial killing of activist and PA critic Nasir Banath. He was severely beaten and arrested during a violent raid on his home in Hebron on June 24th. His family was unaware of his whereabouts hours after his arrest and he was later declared dead. An initial autopsy revealed fractured ribs, bruises and injuries to his head. Since then, Palestinians have had regular protests against the PA government and President Mahmoud Abbas. People have raised slogans of leave Abbas and the people who are the downfall of the regime. These protests have been met with heavy violence including the use of tear gas. At least 12 Palestinian journalists have also been injured and the camera equipment has been destroyed. In our next story, we go to Chile which convened its Constitutional Convention on July 4th. The body will now draft a new text to replace a Magna Carta written during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Over 6 million Chileans had cast their votes to elect the 155 members of the convention in May. 101 seats were won by progressive and independent candidates from various social movements and trade unions. 17 seats were also reserved for people from indigenous communities. The right wing, let's go for Chile coalition won only 37 seats. Protests were held in Santiago ahead of the conventions inauguration on July 4th. People demanded the release of all those who have been arrested during the social outbreak protests. A new constitution has been one of the central demands raised during the uprising in 2019. As protesters attempted to reach the National Congress building on Sunday, they were met with tear gas and water cannons. Members of the Constitutional Convention later condemned the violence. Meanwhile, the body has elected Elisa Longcon to serve as president. She belongs to the indigenous Mapuja community and is a university professor. However, right police use water cannons and tear gas to suppress the demonstrations. The Constitutional Convention will now have between 9 to 12 months to draft a new text. Each provision will require a two-thirds majority to be approved. Members are seeking to abolish the privatized pension system and improve labour and gender rights. Other demands raised by the people include better access to education, employment, housing and healthcare. The final document will then be put into a public referendum in 2022. And for a final story, we go to Brazil where mass anti-government protests were held over the weekend. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets as part of four-hour Bolsonaro protests on July 3rd. Public unrest has grown as Brazil has crossed 500,000 deaths due to COVID-19. Conditions have especially worsened in prisons due to overcrowding and lack of basic infrastructure. Moreover, the government has allocated less than $600,000 to meet pandemic needs for the entire prison system. As cases and deaths have continued to rise, officials are now suspended family visits. However, this has placed detainees at further risk since most rely on families for warm clothes, food and medicines. Here is a video by Brazil de Fatou on the current situation in Brazil's prisons. A symbol of human rights violations in Brazil, the prison system is going through one of its worst moments with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lacking basic infrastructure like access to clean water and reliable medical care, there are already more than 85,000 cases of contagion inside prisons. One of the measures implemented to stem the spread of the virus is the suspension of prison visits. However, this even more radical form of isolation has worsened the health of prisoners, who are being deprived of food brought by family members. Families are reporting that detainees have lost a lot of weight, with poor health, many skin problems, many respiratory problems. In this scenario, women tend to be the most vulnerable population. According to a study by the Land, Labor and Citizen Reinstitute, one quarter of female prisoners in Brazil are being held in units with no health centers. Beyond physical health, due to complete isolation from family members, mental health is a huge challenge in prisons. We see reports from the letters we get of the anguish of not having any visits, of having sick family members and not being close to family, losing family members and not having the possibility of witnessing them being laid to rest. So it's a very delicate moment and one of extreme emotional frailty. Hita already held workshops with incarcerated women and during the pandemic had to change their format. The Heart at Peace Freedom and Prison Project consists of talks about mental and emotional health recorded by a group of meditators. If we don't work with the pain on a deep level, they will come out sick and people who are sick are more prone to turn into the sick world they were in, which led them to the penitentiary. That's all. We have time for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.