World News in Brief, Bangladesh democracy call, accountability for Israeli victims of sexual violence, plastic pollution in the Antarctic, powering Ukraine

World News in Brief, Bangladesh democracy call, accountability for Israeli victims of sexual violence, plastic pollution in the Antarctic, powering Ukraine

High Commissioner Volker Türk voiced his concern that Sunday’s poll which saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secure a fifth term in office, was “marred by violence and repression of opposition candidates and supporters”, according to a press release from rights office OHCHR. “In the months leading up to the vote, thousands of opposition supporters have…

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Accountability key to Sri Lanka’s future: UN rights chief

Accountability key to Sri Lanka’s future: UN rights chief

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stressed the urgency of addressing these challenges if the country is to move forward, recalling the 2022 anti-Government protests demanding a fairer and more inclusive society. “But the potential for a historic transformation that would address long-standing challenges is far from being realized.” The UN rights chief’s…

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Türk: Accountability needed for ‘shocking’ violations by Russian forces in Ukraine

Türk: Accountability needed for ‘shocking’ violations by Russian forces in Ukraine

The High Commissioner told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that his office (OHCHR) had documented the arbitrary detention of more than 900 civilians between 24 February 2022 and 23 May this year. He added that that Russia gave no access to places of detention, “which leads inevitably to undercounting”. The summary executions of 77…

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Envoy ‘deeply disturbed’ by mounting violence between Israelis and Palestinians

Israel: UN experts demand accountability over death of Palestinian hunger striker

The 45-year-old Palestinian died in his prison cell on Tuesday morning following a nearly three-month hunger strike. He had been protesting Israel’s widespread policy of arbitrarily detaining Palestinians in “abhorrent conditions” and in violation of fair trial guarantees. The call for greater accountability came from the independent expert, or Special Rapporteur, on the situation of…

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Iran: possible crimes against humanity, absence of accountability - top rights expert

Iran: possible crimes against humanity, absence of accountability – top rights expert

Presenting his report to the Human Rights Council, Mr. Rehman said that the “scale and gravity” of violations committed by Iranian authorities pointed to “the possible commission of international crimes, notably the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual violence, and persecution”. The expert slammed “so-called” investigations of Ms. Amini’s…

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Peace in South Sudan hinges on local accountability, landmark Peacebuilding Commission meeting hears

Peace in South Sudan hinges on local accountability, landmark Peacebuilding Commission meeting hears

“Our priority in 2023 is to take a ‘peace to people’ approach with the Government’s facilitation,” Stephen Par Kuol, Minister of Peacebuilding of South Sudan, told the Commission, via video link. Addressing the ambassadorial-level meeting on building peace in communities through local governance and community reconciliation in South Sudan, he said efforts included tackling such…

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