 Hello and welcome to People's Dispatch. I am Prashant and you are watching Around the World in 8 Minutes, where we bring you news from working class and popular movements across the globe. In our first story, we take you to Sudan, where leading forces of the opposition have objected to proposals that they say will dilute the possibility of complete civilian rule. The Sudanese Professionals Association and the Sudanese Communist Party have rejected the proposal of creating two councils for governing the country in the transitional period before elections. They have also criticized some of the political parties which are keen on accepting the military's proposals for the same. Vital negotiations are going on between the Transitional Military Council and the civilian forces under the banner of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces. The TMC has been ruling Sudan since the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir on April 11th. The Sudanese Professionals Association comprising trade unions, student organizations and other professional associations has been the most important part of the DCFC. Since April 11th, there have been various rounds of negotiations between the civilian forces and the military over the future of the country. The military wanted to have a transition council which it could dominate while the DCFC insisted on a civilian-dominated council. After few rounds of failed talks, some leaders of the DCFC announced that an agreement with the military had been reached for two councils, one dominated by civilians and a defense council dominated by the military. The military added that the Sharia should be the source of legislation in this setup. However, the Sudanese Professionals Association harshly criticizes this decision. We will only accept a single transitional civil sovereign council with a limited representation of the military, the SPS stated. A separate council for security and defense would mean that decision making power over war and peace or participating in joint operations with other armies would remain in the hands of the military. This is especially important since one major demand of the civilian protesters, since they are uprising that broke out in December, has been the withdrawal of Sudanese soldiers from the war in Yemen. The Sudanese security establishment has closed eyes with the US and Saudi militaries. Seconding the Sudanese Professionals Association, the country's communist party wanted the forces of the anti-revolution are trying to thwart the glorious December Revolution and bet on a military coup and act to give it legitimacy. It backed the SPS call to ensure the continuation of the picket and all forms of protest and demonstration including political strike and civil disobedience that will ensure the achievement of the goals of the revolution. Next we head to Thailand, where the National Human Rights Commission of the country is investigating its own commissioner, Ankana Nilapujit. This could even lead to her possible impeachment. Ankana is a strong critic of the ruling junta of the National Council for Peace and Order led by Prime Minister Prayut Chanwacha. She has also been critical of previous governments for human rights abuses during counter-insurgency activities in southern Thailand. On April 30th, following the comments of a junta appointed legislator and a complaint find by Jultah supporter, the NHRC accused Ankana of having conducted her duties in a politically biased manner. The investigation will look into her role in legal proceedings and in documenting the violation of human rights against members of the opposition and critics of the military junta. Activists in human rights organizations have called the investigation a means to harass Ankana and a subversion of the autonomy of the National Human Rights Commission. In a statement, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, AFAD, urged the Human Rights Commission to withdraw its baseless inquiry ordered against Commissioner Ankana, who is a prominent human rights defender who has spoken boldly about human rights issues in Thailand and worked towards the protection of human rights in the country. The statement also said, this inquiry is a means to sabotage the contributions Ankana continues to make in the field of human rights pointing to the fact that the NHRC is working under the influence of the ruling government. Before becoming a member of the NHRC, Ankana had worked on forced disappearances during the military's counter-insurgency operations. The disappearance of her husband Som Chai Nilapjit on March 11, 2004 prompted her to take up such cases. Som Chai was a prominent lawyer and activist who worked to defend the rights of Thailand's Muslim minorities, especially in insurgency stricken areas in the south. Ankana's battle to secure justice for her husband shed light on the gruesome attacks on activists and lawyers and even ordinary Muslims in Thailand by the security forces. After the adoption of the new constitution under martial law in 2017, the Human Rights Commission has been completely stripped of its autonomy and integrity with the commissioners being directly answerable to the Juntah government. In our last story, we head to Guatemala, where the March for Dignity, Life and Justice will reach the capital in Guatemala City on May 8. Over 1,000 Guatemalans are taking part in the march that began on May 1. The march is against the corruption of government officials and the impunity enjoyed by these authorities among other issues. Because of various indigenous organizations and trade unions, student movements, social movements, community and alternative media began the march from the western part of Guatemala on May 1. The primary objective of the march is to sensitize and inform the Guatemalan population about the damage caused by the corruption of the government of President Jimmy Morales. The participants are asking the people to vote carefully in the upcoming elections. Another important objective is to demand a cessation of the acts of intimidation, criminalization and prosecution of human rights activists and social leaders. The protesters demand justice for all the social leaders killed in recent years for defending ancestral lands and preventing forceful evictions. The indigenous and peasant communities are also demonstrating against the economic model of accumulation and dispossession that violates collective and individual rights and the extractive agribusiness that exists in the country. Women's organizations are protesting to denounce the growing violence against women across the national territory. Student movements are protesting against the exploitation of young labor demanding respect for workers' rights. Social organizations on the other hand are demanding that the state guarantee access to common goods and ensure that the whole population has a dignified life. Earlier this year, on January 12, thousands of citizens of Guatemala demonstrated in the capital to reject the government's decision to unilaterally terminate the mandate of the International Commission against impunity in Guatemala. This organization, this body is a UN backed anti-corruption panel aimed at supporting the country's judicial institutions in the fight against corruption and impunity. That is all for this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes. For more such stories and videos, please do visit our website peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for watching.