Sudan: UN rights chief calls for a return to talks, amid reports of 24-hour pause

Sudan: UN rights chief calls for a return to talks, amid reports of 24-hour pause

“Sudan has already endured so much pain and suffering. The fighting is born out of power games and personal interests that only serve to alienate the democratic aspirations of the population,” said Mr. Türk, adding, “Do those responsible not understand that the civilian population now only craves a peaceful life?”  The Sudanese army and a…

Read More
UN rights chief calls for action to address Central Mediterranean Sea migrant crisis

UN rights chief calls for action to address Central Mediterranean Sea migrant crisis

Since 2014, over 26,000 people have died or gone missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea.  Most of these deaths or disappearances, over 20,000, occurred in the Central Mediterranean, considered among the deadliest migration routes in the world.  “We are seeing a steep increase in the number of desperate people putting their lives at grave risk,” said…

Read More
Rights expert welcomes Vatican’s rejection of ‘Doctrine of Discovery’

Rights expert welcomes Vatican’s rejection of ‘Doctrine of Discovery’

José Francisco Calí Tzay, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, expressed hope that governments will follow the Holy See’s lead, noting that its impact is still being felt today.  ‘Open wound’  “The doctrine of discovery is still an open wound for many Indigenous Peoples around the world,” he said. “It must be…

Read More
The OIC resolution against the Israeli occupation was approved by an overwhelming majority in the World Human Rights Council

The OIC resolution against the Israeli occupation was approved by an overwhelming majority in the World Human Rights Council

File photo: The United Nations Human Rights Council overwhelmingly approved the OIC resolution against the Israeli occupation. Pakistan presented OIC resolution against occupation of Beit al-Maqdis and Golan Heights. There were 38 votes in favor of the resolution and 4 against. 5 countries did not participate in the voting. United States and Great Britain were…

Read More
Rights expert denounces interference in Beirut explosion probe

Rights expert denounces interference in Beirut explosion probe

Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite expressed grave concern over interference in the investigation, including threats against Judge Tarek Bitar, who has been leading the process since February 2021.  “Judges should never be threatened or subjected to criminal or disciplinary action simply for doing their job,” she said.  Justice delayed  More than 200 people died as a…

Read More
Iraq: Rights experts call for new laws to end ‘waves of disappearance’

Iraq: Rights experts call for new laws to end ‘waves of disappearance’

The appeal comes in the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which visited the country in November.  The report examines five “waves of disappearance” in Iraq, including enforced disappearance. It covers the period starting with the Ba’ath era from 1968-2003 – characterized by the authoritarian rule of Saddam Hussein – through to…

Read More
Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

An independent expert mandate on Haiti had been created by the Council in 1995 but then discontinued in 2017. The current resolution, calling for “coordinated and targeted international action”, was sponsored by Haiti itself. Country-specific abuses As a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, the Council examines human rights violations in specific countries as…

Read More
Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

“We extend our heartfelt support and solidarity to the hundreds of thousands affected by Freddy, the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” the UN-appointed human rights experts said in a statement. “The cyclone has had a devastating toll on people across 14 districts – nearly half the country – causing loss of lives,…

Read More
Impunity driving violence in South Sudan, UN rights commission says

Impunity driving violence in South Sudan, UN rights commission says

The report by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan details how perpetrators of the most serious crimes – including widespread attacks against civilians and extrajudicial killings – go unpunished, with senior Government officials and military implicated in serious violations.  “Over several years, our findings have consistently shown that impunity for serious crimes…

Read More
UNAIDS launches campaign to advocate for rights of transgender children

UNAIDS launches campaign to advocate for rights of transgender children

“Many of us take our gender identity for granted, but for many children it is not so easy,” said Mahesh Mahalingam, the UNAIDS Director of Communications and Global Advocacy. “It’s a matter of daily survival, a daily struggle. Children all around the world must be supported in expressing their identity freely.” Stigma, discrimination, and criminalization…

Read More