Latest news with #UNHumanRights
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Heartbreaking to see people seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza risking their lives: U.N. human rights chief
Calling for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and an 'all-out effort' to get humanitarian assistance to Gaza, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday (June 26, 2025) said 'it is heartbreaking' to know that people who need humanitarian assistance risk their lives to get food or material assistance. Mr. Türk made the remarks in a media conference in Colombo, where he delivered a statement at the conclusion of his mission to Sri Lanka from June 23 to 26. 'As of 25th of June, we have 598 reportedly killed in total as a result of them trying to access aid, at distribution points installed within Gaza. I have to say it is really, extremely distressing to see that militarised humanitarian assistance schemes have emerged, they are not a response,' he said. 'Momentum for change' On Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Türk said he felt 'a real momentum for change' and 'a genuine openness to address complex issues' of the past. He also felt 'encouraged' by recent speeches of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, publicly recognising the shared pain and grief of individuals from all communities. #SriLanka: @volker_turk today visited Chemmani mass grave site near Jaffna and met families of disappeared. Investigation must be impartial and thorough in line with international standards. Dozens of mass grave sites have been discovered throughout country. — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) June 25, 2025 'My visit yesterday to the recently re-opened mass grave at Chemmani [near Jaffna in the Northern Province] was a compelling reminder that the past haunts the lives of many in Sri Lanka… At the site I had a chance to meet a family who are still searching and still grieving for a loved one; they hope that his remains may be unearthed there even after all these years,' he said, highlighting the trauma of scores of families looking for their disappeared loved ones. A statement issued by the President's office following a meeting with the visiting UN official on Thursday said President Dissanayake told him that his administration had 'a deep understanding of their pain', coming from a political movement that directly faced the issue. #SriLanka: The legacy of the past, and the difficult economic challenges, are daunting. But in a world where wars, economic uncertainty & human rights violations are sadly becoming the norm, Sri Lanka can become a story of hope. – @volker_turk, at the end of his visit to Sri… — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) June 26, 2025 While pointing to 'a growing space for memorialisation of victims' in Sri Lanka in his statement, the High Commissioner also highlighted 'same old patterns' of surveillance of human right defenders that persist. Observing that Sri Lanka has 'struggled' to move forward with domestic accountability mechanisms that victims trust, he said that is why Sri Lankans have looked outside for justice. 'Ultimately it is the State's responsibility, and it is important that this process is nationally owned – and it can be complemented and supported by international means,' he said. President Dissanayake's government has rejected the UN Human Rights Council's latest Sri Lanka resolution and any internationally backed evidence gathering mechanism but has promised to strengthen the credibility of domestic mechanisms. Further, the UN human rights chief called for the repeal of Sri Lanka's draconian anti-terror legislation, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and a moratorium on its use, and the repeal of the Online Safety Act that rights defenders fiercely oppose. Economic rights Referring to the 'enormous' impact of Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, High Commissioner Mr. Türk said human rights need to look at economic issues as well. 'We don't only have civil and political rights, we also have Economic Social Cultural Rights, they are very often the backbone of economic systems, of fiscal decisions taken.' Welcoming the government's steps to address corruption he said following the historic people's uprising of 2022, Sri Lanka has an opportunity to transition to a 'human rights economy' – 'one that looks beyond economics, and focuses on the main causes of societal problems, and addresses issues such as inequality, injustice and unsustainable practices'. Austerity measures are rarely looked at from the perspective of human rights, he said, suggesting that a discussion on it was necessary to address the inequities within the International Financial Architecture. Referring to the 'extreme hardship' faced by those working on plantations, Mr. Türk said meeting their needs, including access to land, housing and improved wages, was crucial. The High Commissioner said he was leaving the island with hope over the 'palpable desire' in government and civil society to 'draw a line under the entrenched identity politics' of ethnicity, religion, language, culture, caste and class'.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Eritrea seeks to end mandate of UN expert investigating abuses, document shows
GENEVA: Eritrea is trying to cancel the mandate of a UN expert investigating alleged abuses, a document sent to the UN Human Rights Council showed, in a rare move that Western diplomats fear may set a precedent for states looking to escape scrutiny. The Special Rapporteur, a position currently held by Sudanese human rights lawyer Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, is mandated to document violations in Eritrea, where civil society groups such as Human Rights Watch say impunity is widespread. In a May report he described the situation as 'critical,' highlighting cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and the use of lengthy national and military service terms that are driving thousands to flee. Eritrea's information ministry and its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Eritrea, which has long opposed the mandate, sent a large delegation to champion its proposal at a UN meeting in Geneva on Monday and voiced opposition to investigations targeting individual countries' records. States like Sudan, Russia and Iran backed it while the EU and Britain were among those who opposed it in a polarized debate, diplomats said. The UN expert position was set up in 2012 by a group of African states and has been renewed annually by the Geneva-based council in an effort led recently by the European Union. But this year, Eritrea beat them to it and instead tabled a rival motion to discontinue the mandate, the document showed. While states subject to UN investigations often lobby against them or try to dilute them, rights experts say there has never before been a proposal to end a mandate put before the council in its nearly 20-year history and worry it could embolden states looking to block accountability efforts. In 2023, Ethiopia tried to end a mandate early, before backing off. 'The EU recalls that the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in a state's internal affairs do not free states from their obligations under international human rights law,' the EU delegate said in a statement shared with Reuters, arguing that Eritrea's lack of consent 'should not be used to escape international scrutiny.' Many of the Geneva-based council's other probes are typically brought by Western countries, such as those on Russia and Sudan. Sometimes the evidence they gather is used by international prosecutors. A vote is expected next month.
LBCI
24-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
UN condemns 'weaponization of food for civilians' in Gaza
The United Nations condemned on Tuesday the "weaponization of food" in Gaza as a war crime and urged Israel's military to "stop shooting at people trying to get food". "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution," the U.N. human rights office said in written notes provided before a briefing. "The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime." AFP
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran: Justifying 'outrageous' Israeli attacks on Iran is complicity
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the international community to condemn Israel's attacks on his country. "Any justification for this unjust and criminal war would be tantamount to complicity," the minister told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, shortly before a planned meeting with top EU officials. The attacks were "an outrageous act of aggression by a regime that has been committing a horrible genocide in Palestine for the past two years," Araghchi said. "The world, every state, every UN mechanism and body has to be alarmed and has to act now to stop the aggressor, to end impunity, and to hold the criminals accountable for their unending atrocities and crimes in our region," he said. When it came to the possibility of negotiations, Araghchi pointed out that Iran was "attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process" with the United States. Planned talks over Iran's controversial nuclear programme were cancelled days after the conflict began. Israel says Iran was close to being able to build a nuclear bomb - a charge Iran has always denied. Araghchi referred to Israel's airstrikes targeting nuclear facilities, saying: "Our peaceful nuclear facilities have also been targeted despite despite their being under full monitoring of IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and despite the fact that attacking such facilities are absolutely banned under international law." He pointed out "the danger of environmental and health catastrophe as the result of radiological leakage." According to official figures, 24 people in Israel have been killed and more than 1,200 injured by Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict between Iran and Israel. According to the US-based human rights network HRANA, more than 650 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in Iran as a result of the attacks. The network relies on sources on the ground and publicly accessible sources. The Iranian government itself does not publish figures on injuries and fatalities.
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Statement By Radhouane Nouicer On The International Day For The Elimination Of Sexual Violence In Conflict
Geneva, 19 June 2025 As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, sexual violence continues to leave lasting scars on individuals, families and entire communities across Sudan. With the war in Sudan now in its third year, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains rampant. I am deeply alarmed by the continued failure of warring parties to prevent such violence. As of 31 May 2025, UN Human Rights had documented 368 incidents of CRSV in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict, involving at least 521 victims. More than half of these cases involved rape, including gang rape, often targeting internally displaced women and girls, and often marked by ethnic hatred. Over 70 per cent of documented incidents were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces. Yet this figure only reflects a small fraction of the real picture, compared with the hundreds of incidents that remain unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the collapse of medical and legal systems in certain areas. Testimonies of survivors of sexual violence highlight shocking brutality, and pervasive patterns of such horrific acts. UN Human Rights has documented accounts of rape committed in front of family members, abductions and subsequent sexual violence, trafficking for sexual exploitation, and assaults on woman activists including those documenting CRSV. Sexual violence often occurred alongside other grave violations and abuses, including killing, torture and arbitrary detention. As the conflict has continued to intensify in 2025, there have been increased reports of the use of sexual violence, including on the basis of ethnic origin, as a tool of fear, reprisal, and intimidation by both parties to the conflict and their affiliated militias and groups. Women and girls do not start wars, yet they continue to bear the brunt of their consequences. CRSV is both a grave human rights emergency and a humanitarian crisis, with enduring harm that extends to families, children born of rape, and entire generations, while perpetrators remain largely unpunished. I strongly condemn the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan. The prevalence of sexual violence inflicts devastating and long-lasting harm on survivors' physical, reproductive, and mental health, while tearing apart the social fabric of entire communities. Women, girls, men and boys need to be protected from sexual violence, and their safety and security must be ensured. Perpetrators must be held accountable, and justice mechanisms, both national and international, must be mobilized to end impunity for these heinous crimes. I call on all parties and the international community to act immediately, to hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their affiliation, to ensure that survivors receive medical care, and to protect future generations from such horrors. No matter how long it may take, justice must not be denied, for this generation, and the next generation.
