Rights expert urges India to stop crackdown on Kashmir activists

Rights expert urges India to stop crackdown on Kashmir activists

Her appeal follows the latest arrest of prominent rights defender Khurram Parvez, who has been in detention for more than a year on charges related to conspiracy and terrorism.   “Indian authorities appear to be intensifying the long-standing repression of Kashmiri civil society,” Ms. Lawlor said.  “The State must respect its human rights obligations and be…

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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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Governments must do more to protect human rights defenders: Expert

Governments must do more to protect human rights defenders: Expert

In a report to the Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor, said that “States can and should do more to protect defenders”. She stressed that 25 years after States agreed on a Declaration to promote and protect the work of human rights defenders, their contributions were often ignored. The expert who champions the work of rights defenders…

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Counter-terrorism 'rhetoric' used to justify rise of surveillance technology: human rights expert

Counter-terrorism ‘rhetoric’ used to justify rise of surveillance technology: human rights expert

In a report to the latest session of the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, warned of an alarming increase in the use of “intrusive and high-risk technologies”, according to a press release issued by the UN human rights office (OHCHR). This…

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Too many nations failing to investigate torture cases, UN expert says

Too many nations failing to investigate torture cases, UN expert says

“The national duty to investigate torture is alarmingly, universally, under-implemented,” said Alice Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. ‘Take ownership’ “Despite the impressive growth in international criminal courts and tribunals and our collective commitment to those entities, their capacity to deal with the scale and scope of…

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UN expert calls for ‘new philosophy’ to better serve persons with disabilities

UN expert calls for ‘new philosophy’ to better serve persons with disabilities

In his latest report to the Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Gerard Quinn, outlined how more inclusive policy approaches and innovative private sector involvement can spur progress. “States and societies at large must move away from systems that were historically built to provide a material safety net and…

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Food rationing for Rohingya refugees a ‘matter of life and death’: rights expert

Food rationing for Rohingya refugees a ‘matter of life and death’: rights expert

The development follows the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s announcement that it would be cutting back on assistance to those sheltering in the vast Cox’s Bazar camp complex from 1 March because of a lack of funding. “These rations cuts are a stain on the conscience of the international community,” said Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar. “I have…

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UN rights expert calls on Bangladesh to draft anti-discrimination leprosy laws

UN rights expert calls on Bangladesh to draft anti-discrimination leprosy laws

“Leprosy is hidden beneath multiple layers of systemic exclusion, structural discrimination, and institutional neglect,” said UN Special Rapporteur on discrimination against persons with leprosy, Alice Cruz, following an eight-day visit to Bangladesh. Currently, people from 120 countries are affected by leprosy, known as Hansen’s disease, with more than 200,000 new cases reported worldwide yearly. The…

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