UN rights experts ‘deeply alarmed’ at continuing executions of Iran protesters

UN rights experts ‘deeply alarmed’ at continuing executions of Iran protesters

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, said in a statement that the executions on Friday of Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, were “profoundly concerning in view of the reported involvement of these individuals in the protests that commenced in Iran on 16 September 2022, and allegations of their having been convicted and sentenced through confessions obtained under torture.”…

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UN rights expert exposes $1 billion ‘death trade’ in arms for Myanmar military

UN rights expert exposes $1 billion ‘death trade’ in arms for Myanmar military

The report states that some “UN Member States are enabling this trade” through a combination of outright complicity, lax enforcement of existing bans, and easily circumvented sanctions, according to a news release from the UN rights office OHCHR. Access to advanced weaponry  “Despite overwhelming evidence of the Myanmar military’s atrocity crimes against the people of…

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Sudan violations in spotlight at UN Human Rights Council

Sudan violations in spotlight at UN Human Rights Council

The development comes after more than three weeks of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) loyal to General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. UN rights chief Volker Türk opened the meeting condemning the “wanton violence” which has brought more hunger, deprivation and displacement upon the Sudanese people, while…

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Afghanistan: Rights experts alarmed over Taliban use of ‘brutal’ punishments

Afghanistan: Rights experts alarmed over Taliban use of ‘brutal’ punishments

The urgent call from the ten Special Rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, came in response to an announcement by the Taliban-appointed Supreme Court in favour of punishments including stoning, flogging and burying people under a wall. Women most vulnerable The de facto deputy chief of the court,…

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Russia must provide ‘urgent and comprehensive’ care to opposition leader Navalny: Rights experts

Russia must provide ‘urgent and comprehensive’ care to opposition leader Navalny: Rights experts

Alice Edwards, who is officially known as the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, said she was “distressed by the deteriorating state of Mr. Navalny’s health and the apparent lack of satisfactory diagnosis and medical treatment”. ‘A form of torture’ In a statement also backed by six of her fellow…

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Afghanistan: Women tell UN rights experts ‘we’re alive, but not living’

Afghanistan: Women tell UN rights experts ‘we’re alive, but not living’

“We are alarmed about widespread mental health issues and accounts of escalating suicides among women and girls,” they said in a joint statement. “This extreme situation of institutionalized gender-based discrimination in Afghanistan is unparalleled anywhere in the world.” ‘Extreme’ discrimination Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, de facto authorities have issued a…

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Human rights ‘best antidote’ to advance peace, Security Council hears

Human rights ‘best antidote’ to advance peace, Security Council hears

Ambassadors met to examine the Council’s efforts towards building trust that leads to sustainable peace, in light of current and emerging threats.  “Full compliance with human rights is the best antidote to the inequalities, unaddressed grievances and exclusion which are often at the root of instability and conflict,” said Mr. Türk, speaking via videolink from…

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Human rights experts alarmed over ‘imminent executions’ in Saudi Arabia

Human rights experts alarmed over ‘imminent executions’ in Saudi Arabia

“Despite being charged with terrorism, they were reportedly arrested for resisting forced evictions in the name of the NEOM project and the construction of a 170km linear city called The Line,” the UN experts said. ‘Smart city’ project NEOM is a futuristic urban development project backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Shadly Ahmad Mahmoud…

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Singapore: Rights experts call for moratorium on the death penalty

Singapore: Rights experts call for moratorium on the death penalty

They strongly condemned the execution this week of Tangaraju s/o Suppiah, who was convicted of conspiring to traffic cannabis from Malaysia to the country in 2013.  Fair trial concerns  Mr. Suppiah, a 46-year-old Tamil from Singapore, was hanged on Tuesday despite claims that he had not been provided with adequate interpretation during police interrogations. “The…

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