Category: Europe

According to the UN agency, between 21 and 24 December more than 160 people were rescued by Greece’s Hellenic Coast Guard – with support from the navy and air force, as well as merchant and private vessels.   Commending those efforts, Maria-Clara Martin, UNHCR’s representative in Greece, said “it is heart-rending that, out of despair and in the absence of safe pathways, refugees… Read More

Dominique Day, chairperson of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, was speaking in the wake of its visit to Paris from 13 to 16 December.  Focus on development  Country visits by UN rights experts take place at the invitation of the host government and focus on fact-finding, diagnosis and recommendations.  However, the Working Group’s mission was… Read More

OHCHR again called on the two countries to address the matter in line with their obligations under international law.  This follows a visit by a UN human rights team to Poland from 29 November to 3 December.  Members were not granted access to the restricted border area, while Belarus denied a request to visit.   Dire conditions   The team… Read More

In a message on Thursday, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge urged Europeans to “be smart, be kind, be safe this holiday season.”  The COVID-19 threat remains high across the continent, which was already the epicentre of the pandemic even before the emergence of the new Omicron variant.   Use the tools  “My message to the people of Europe and central… Read More

Addressing the Council in Geneva amid steadily increasing international tensions over Ukraine, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, said that similar violations continued to be documented in the Crimea, which she described as having been “temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation” since 2014.    Ms. Nashif noted that the UN rights office, OHCHR, had documented 29 incidents targeting journalists,… Read More

“It is important that the Government gives an unequivocal sign to society and the international community, of its commitment towards a comprehensive and holistic transitional justice process aimed at addressing past abuses, preventing their recurrence and establishing the foundations of a peaceful and respectful society for all”, Fabián Salvioli, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees… Read More

It is estimated that there are up to 2,000 migrants and refugees at the border with Poland, predominantly Kurds from Iraq, but also Syrians, Iranians, Afghans, Yemenis, Cameroonians and others. There are large numbers of women and children among them.  For António Vitorino, Director General of IOM, the “priority is the safety of these stranded migrants, upholding their human rights and preventing more deaths… Read More

The incident amounted to the largest single loss of life in the English Channel since the UN migration agency, IOM, started recording data in 2014.   Another 106 migrants were rescued in French waters on Wednesday alone.   Risking everything  Ever-increasing numbers of people are attempting the journey in small, unseaworthy boats as they flee conflict or poverty or persecution in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq,… Read More

Following weeks of rising tension, the development follows news footage earlier in the week showing migrants located between the countries, attempting to avoid teargas and make their way through barbed wire fences.  “It is a terrible situation, we are seeing people in terrible circumstances, in the bitter cold, even reports that people have died”, said Liz Throssell, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).   “This… Read More

In a statement on Wednesday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she was appalled that large numbers of migrants and refugees continue to be left in a desperate situation in near-freezing temperatures.  “I urge the States involved to take immediate steps to de-escalate and resolve this intolerable situation in line with their obligations under international human rights law and refugee law,”… Read More