Category: Human Rights

In a news release issued on Saturday, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said it was alarmed by credible reports that security forces had been ordered to carry out a “decisive” crackdown without restraint, as demonstrations entered a third week. Internet and mobile connectivity were shut down on the evening of 8 January, severely […]

The European Commission has allocated €63 million in humanitarian aid to help populations affected by the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, as well as to support Rohingya refugees living in neighbouring countries, in particular in Bangladesh. This funding, announced as the conflict triggered by the military coup in Myanmar reaches its fifth year, is part of […]

“All Iranians must be able to express their grievances peacefully and without fear,” António Guterres’ spokesperson said in a statement issued on Sunday. “The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international law, must be fully respected and protected.” The Secretary-General called on Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and […]

The proceedings, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague, mark the start of the merits phase in the case, after years of preliminary legal arguments. Over the next three weeks, ICJ judges will hear oral arguments from both sides, examine witnesses and experts, and consider whether Myanmar breached its obligations under the Convention on […]

“Any step that restores liberty to individuals who have been arbitrarily detained is significant for those concerned and for their families,” independent UN human rights investigators said in a press release on Monday, noting that of an estimated 800 political prisoners in the country, only around 50 appear to have been released so far. The Human […]

It concludes that a legacy of impunity for wartime abuses continues to shape the lives of survivors, many of whom suffer long-term physical injuries, psychological trauma and social exclusion.   Titled We lost everything – even hope for justice, the report draws on more than a decade of UN monitoring and consultations with survivors, civil […]

(Berlin) – Georgian authorities are using newly adopted restrictions on public assemblies to arbitrarily detain and harass peaceful demonstrators, effectively making the right to protest in Georgia increasingly difficult and dangerous, Human Rights Watch said today. Amendments adopted on December 12, 2025, to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations grant police sweeping discretion to restrict protests […]

Volker Türk urged the authorities to immediately halt all forms of violence and repression against peaceful protestors and to restore full access to the internet and telecommunications.  “The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” he said.  Demands for change being repressed  Since 28 December, citizens have taken to the streets in all […]

Prolonged heavy rains have caused deadly flooding across Southern Africa. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, most of them in Mozambique, where more than half a million have already been displaced. Gender inequality already leads to women being disproportionately affected by climate disasters.  This week, I visited some of the school buildings that are being used as accommodation […]

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, the UN and its partners have supported people in need in complement to the Government’s assistance, from city residents who continue to face repeated drone and missile strikes, to communities close to the frontline and other evacuated away from danger.  “I am speaking […]