Category: Human Rights

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 […]

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s scheduled January 25-28 visit to China, accompanied by over 20 Finnish business leaders, is the latest in a wave of trips by democratic governments seeking closer trade relations with Beijing. Recent visits by leaders from Ireland, Sweden, France, Germany, and Canada follow a familiar script: trade and investment dominate the agenda while human rights concerns […]

Speaking in the General Assembly, he said the global system was under unprecedented strain from wars, division, climate breakdown and the erosion of respect for international law. He framed the speech as both a diagnosis of the current global disorder and a personal commitment to press for change during his final year in office. The […]

(Beirut) – Both sides in the conflict between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Northeast Syria need to protect civilians and respect human rights in their operations, Human Rights Watch said today.  The parties should not arbitrarily block aid delivery or destroy or block access to critical infrastructure. They should fully support […]

The UN Security Council is meeting in New York in emergency session on Iran, amid escalating concern over reports that hundreds have been killed during weeks of nationwide anti-government protests. The meeting was requested by the United States. Demonstrations that began in late December, fuelled by soaring inflation, rising food prices and the collapse of the […]

On January 19, International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan briefed the United Nations Security Council on her office’s ongoing investigation in Darfur, Sudan. Deputy Prosecutor Khan had to attend the briefing remotely after not being granted a visa to brief the Council in person in New York City. That decision came in the wake of […]

From Gambia’s legal team, Jessica Jones highlighted how the Rohingya faced “longstanding denigration” and hate speech from senior and other members of the Myanmar military.  Ms. Jones also referred to a video posted on Facebook in August 2017 featuring a soldier displaying “clear encouragement of genocidal violence against the Rohingya” – actions that would be […]

In a January 26 ruling, a Japanese district court held the North Korean government liable for grave human rights violations against Koreans and Japanese citizens lured to North Korea through its “Paradise on Earth” campaign, ordering it to pay 22 million yen (US$142,000) to each plaintiff. Eiko Kawasaki, now 83, and three others filed the lawsuit […]