Tomás Quintana was speaking in his capacity as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in DPRK, commonly known as North Korea; his press conference was held in the South Korean capital, Seoul, as he continued to be denied access to its northern neighbour. The whole country is a prison – anonymous statement provided to UN expert Tomás Quintana “Of those who left… Read More

In an interview with UN News, Knut Ostby, Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, reiterated calls for all sides “to find a peaceful solution to the situation”, amid concern “that there could be a quite immediate escalation of fighting”. It is also vital that humanitarian access is improved to help all those affected by the violence, Mr Ostby said.… Read More

“There are credible reports of fatalities and numerous injuries on polling day alone”, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva on Friday. Amidst allegations of vote-rigging, a landslide victory was declared for incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with the opposition leader rejecting the results.  “There are worrying indications that reprisals have continued to take place, notably against the political opposition,… Read More

“We regret the loss of life and injuries sustained by candidates and voters during the electoral campaign and on election-day,” said the UN Spokesperson’s office in a statement, which also welcomed the opposition’s participation “for the first time in 10 years.” According to news reports, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the election in a landslide victory, giving her a third… Read More

Beset by millions of bamboo-chomping beetles, almost every shelter in the vast Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, needs replacing. With just over four months to go until the beginning of the monsoon season, the race is on for IOM, the United Nations migration agency which is managing the camp, to provide families living in the worst-affected temporary… Read More