Category: Human Rights

Citing German specialists who said they had “unequivocal proof” that Mr. Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also highlighted numerous cases of poisoning and “targeted assassination” of Russian citizens in the past 20 years.   This pattern was “profoundly disturbing”, Ms. Bachelet said in a statement, adding that it was “deeply regrettable” that in many cases, perpetrators had not been held to account, leaving victims… Read More

Looking back on the Fourth World Conference on Women in the Chinese capital, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said in a statement that “we have seen the strength and impact of collective activism grow and have been reminded of the importance of multilateralism and partnership to find common solutions to shared problems.”  Defining framework for change The deliberations of… Read More

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the ICC of “illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction”, announcing sanctions against Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the Head of the Jurisdiction Complementarity and Cooperation Division, Phakiso Mochochoko, in accordance with a US executive order issued in early June by President Donald Trump involving “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated with the… Read More

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, welcomed the truce between Hamas and Israel, announced on Monday, which aims to end weeks of cross-border bombardment.  I welcome the agreement to de-escalate tensions in and around #Gaza. Ending the launching of incendiary devices and projectiles, restoring electricity will allow #UN to focus on dealing with the… Read More

Speaking at an event in support of press freedom in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that around 1,000 journalists have been killed in the last decade – and that nine in 10 cases “are unresolved”. Her comments, on the eve of the trial of alleged accomplices of extremists who killed 12 people at the French satirical weekly magazine,… Read More

“The crime of enforced disappearance is rife across the world”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message commemorating the day. “We see new cases almost daily, including the disappearance of defenders of the environment, who are often indigenous peoples”.  “Meanwhile”, he continued, “the excruciating pain of old cases is still acute, as the fate of thousands of disappeared people remains… Read More

According to reports, a 17-year-old male youth has been arrested and charged with killing two people and injuring others in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this week. US authorities said that the father of five was shot seven times in the back, sparking a public outcry and boycotts of major sporting events by athletes. Not the first time Briefing… Read More

The document will help countries dismantle the barriers that block people with disabilities from being able to use justice systems worldwide.   “The guidelines respond to the challenges that people with disabilities face in accessing justice on an equal basis with others,” said Catalina Devandas, UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.    “Many barriers prevent that access.… Read More

“This report sheds light on the suffering and provides concrete recommendations to help rebuild public trust”, said UN Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. Rising unemployment, years of corruption and failing public services had sparked massive protests last October. Despite promising steps by the current Government, the report, Human Rights Violations and Abuses in the Context of Demonstrations in Iraq,… Read More

Briefing correspondents based in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSMA, there was relative calm on the streets, with no major incidents reported. “While banks and large businesses have remained closed, most local shops and markets have reopened”, he said, calling for the basic rights of all Malians to be preserved,… Read More