Latest news with #UNHumanRights
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran: Justifying 'outrageous' Israeli attacks on Iran is complicity
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the international community to condemn Israel's attacks on his country. "Any justification for this unjust and criminal war would be tantamount to complicity," the minister told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, shortly before a planned meeting with top EU officials. The attacks were "an outrageous act of aggression by a regime that has been committing a horrible genocide in Palestine for the past two years," Araghchi said. "The world, every state, every UN mechanism and body has to be alarmed and has to act now to stop the aggressor, to end impunity, and to hold the criminals accountable for their unending atrocities and crimes in our region," he said. When it came to the possibility of negotiations, Araghchi pointed out that Iran was "attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process" with the United States. Planned talks over Iran's controversial nuclear programme were cancelled days after the conflict began. Israel says Iran was close to being able to build a nuclear bomb - a charge Iran has always denied. Araghchi referred to Israel's airstrikes targeting nuclear facilities, saying: "Our peaceful nuclear facilities have also been targeted despite despite their being under full monitoring of IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and despite the fact that attacking such facilities are absolutely banned under international law." He pointed out "the danger of environmental and health catastrophe as the result of radiological leakage." According to official figures, 24 people in Israel have been killed and more than 1,200 injured by Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict between Iran and Israel. According to the US-based human rights network HRANA, more than 650 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in Iran as a result of the attacks. The network relies on sources on the ground and publicly accessible sources. The Iranian government itself does not publish figures on injuries and fatalities.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Statement By Radhouane Nouicer On The International Day For The Elimination Of Sexual Violence In Conflict
Geneva, 19 June 2025 As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, sexual violence continues to leave lasting scars on individuals, families and entire communities across Sudan. With the war in Sudan now in its third year, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains rampant. I am deeply alarmed by the continued failure of warring parties to prevent such violence. As of 31 May 2025, UN Human Rights had documented 368 incidents of CRSV in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict, involving at least 521 victims. More than half of these cases involved rape, including gang rape, often targeting internally displaced women and girls, and often marked by ethnic hatred. Over 70 per cent of documented incidents were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces. Yet this figure only reflects a small fraction of the real picture, compared with the hundreds of incidents that remain unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the collapse of medical and legal systems in certain areas. Testimonies of survivors of sexual violence highlight shocking brutality, and pervasive patterns of such horrific acts. UN Human Rights has documented accounts of rape committed in front of family members, abductions and subsequent sexual violence, trafficking for sexual exploitation, and assaults on woman activists including those documenting CRSV. Sexual violence often occurred alongside other grave violations and abuses, including killing, torture and arbitrary detention. As the conflict has continued to intensify in 2025, there have been increased reports of the use of sexual violence, including on the basis of ethnic origin, as a tool of fear, reprisal, and intimidation by both parties to the conflict and their affiliated militias and groups. Women and girls do not start wars, yet they continue to bear the brunt of their consequences. CRSV is both a grave human rights emergency and a humanitarian crisis, with enduring harm that extends to families, children born of rape, and entire generations, while perpetrators remain largely unpunished. I strongly condemn the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan. The prevalence of sexual violence inflicts devastating and long-lasting harm on survivors' physical, reproductive, and mental health, while tearing apart the social fabric of entire communities. Women, girls, men and boys need to be protected from sexual violence, and their safety and security must be ensured. Perpetrators must be held accountable, and justice mechanisms, both national and international, must be mobilized to end impunity for these heinous crimes. I call on all parties and the international community to act immediately, to hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their affiliation, to ensure that survivors receive medical care, and to protect future generations from such horrors. No matter how long it may take, justice must not be denied, for this generation, and the next generation.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Haiti: UN Human Rights Chief Alarmed By Widening Violence As Gangs Expand Reach
GENEVA (13 June 2025) – UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today that the human rights crisis in Haiti has plummeted to a new low, with gangs extending their reach beyond Port-au-Prince and into the central regions of the country, carrying out killings, rapes and kidnappings. A record 1.3 million people are now displaced by violence. At least 2,680 people were killed between 1 January and 30 May 2025, including 54 children, according to information verified by the UN Human Rights Office. At least 957 others were injured and 316 kidnapped for ransom. Sexual violence by gangs and recruitment of children in gangs also continues to rise. 'Alarming as they are, numbers cannot express the horrors Haitians are being forced to endure on a daily basis,' said Türk. 'I am horrified by the ever-increasing spread of gang attacks and other human rights abuses beyond the capital, and deeply concerned by their destabilising impact on other countries in the region. 'While law enforcement struggles to restore security, mob and self-defence groups are taking the matter into their own hands, leading to even more human rights abuses.' Since the end of March 2025, gangs have launched major attacks in the central Haitian commune of Mirebalais, ransacking police stations and private properties, and releasing more than 515 inmates from the local prison. Meanwhile, clashes between gangs and so-called self-defence groups have intensified in the region of Bas Artibonite. On 20 May, at least 25 people were killed and 10 injured by armed individuals who accused the victims of supporting gangs. People were killed with machetes inside a church or in their homes, and some of the bodies were subsequently dragged into the streets and set on fire. Ten days later, six members of the same family -- including four girls aged between two and 14 years of age -- were killed in their home by three allied gangs in the neighbourhood of Pernier, Port-au-Prince. These killings were in response to intensified police operations and the victims targeted randomly. Law enforcement operations against gangs have recently increased in the capital. Since the start of the year, at least 1,448 people have been killed during police operations while at least 65 have been summarily executed by police elements. 'Any use of lethal force by law enforcement officers should always be in accordance with human rights law, and abide by the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution, and accountability,' Türk said. 'Those violating the law must be held to account. 'Impunity for human rights violations and corruption are drivers of the long-standing and multi-dimensional crisis facing the country. It is essential that the authorities live up to their agreement to address all crimes, including sexual violence and financial crimes such as corruption. The specialized judicial task forces should be established as soon as possible,' Türk added. The High Commissioner urged the international community to act with resolve to bring an end to the violence. 'The coming months will be crucial and will test the international community's ability to take stronger, more coordinated action --- action that will help determine the future stability of Haiti and the wider region,' he said. 'I call for renewed support to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which is under-resourced and under-equipped, and for the full implementation of the Security Council's arms embargo. No more illegal weapons should be allowed to facilitate the horrors unfolding in Haiti. 'At this time of untold suffering and fear, I reiterate my call to all States not to forcibly return anyone to Haiti, and to ensure that Haitians who have fled their country are protected against any kind of discrimination and stigmatization,' he added.
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Iran executes nine people arrested over planned Islamic State attack
DUBAI, June 10 (Reuters) - Iran executed nine people it said were members of the Islamic State, state media reported on Tuesday, after their arrest in early 2018 during clashes in which three members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed. The nine detainees, whose nationalities were not given, were accused of "moharebeh" -- an Islamic term meaning waging war against God - armed uprising and possession of weapons of war. State media said they were part of a team of several Islamic State fighters tracked by Revolutionary Guards after they crossed Iran's western border in view of carrying out attacks on Iranian territory. The arrests had taken place months after a deadly Islamic State attack on the Iranian parliament in Tehran and the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. While the threat of attacks from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has significantly decreased since the group's defeat, Iran has seen recent deadly attacks from the Islamic State's Afghanistan branch. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the number of people executed in Iran rose to at least 901 in 2024, the highest number since 2015.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Türk Appeals For End To Daily Killing And Destruction In Ukraine
GENEVA (26 May 2025) – The killing and injuring of dozens of civilians over the weekend, mainly in attacks launched by Russian armed forces, underscores the urgent need to end the conflict in Ukraine and to commit to the steps necessary to achieve a lasting peace, in line with international law, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today. Since Friday, nightly Russian attacks with record numbers of long-range missiles and drones have killed and injured civilians across Ukraine. According to information gathered by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), at least 14 civilians, including three children, were reportedly killed and 88, including 11 children, injured. The majority of those killed and injured were in major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv, or in populated areas in other regions. Large numbers of long-range drones launched into the Russian Federation by Ukrainian armed forces injured at least 11 civilians over the weekend, according to Russian authorities. 'It is time to put an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to commit to - and implement - a comprehensive ceasefire that stops the daily killing and destruction, and to start genuine peace negotiations, built on respect for international law,' said Türk. 'To achieve a sustainable solution, it is imperative to put people and their human rights first. The needs and rights of those most affected by the conflict, including prisoners of war (POWs), civilian detainees, deported and forcibly transferred children, the displaced and those living in occupied territory of Ukraine, must be at the centre of the discussions around peace,' the High Commissioner said. In recent days, 880 prisoners of war and 120 civilians from each side have been exchanged. Most of the civilians appeared to have been detainees, but details on individuals included in the exchange are not yet available. 'Many families can now breathe a sigh of relief because their loved ones have finally returned home. But at the same time, other families have lost relatives and their homes, as their communities across Ukraine came under attack,' Türk said. The High Commissioner highlighted that, even amid ongoing hostilities, people deprived of their liberty must be protected. Summary executions, torture and all forms of inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners are always prohibited, in any circumstances, and must stop immediately. In addition, he stressed that civilian detainees should be released as soon as the lawful reason for their detention ceases to exist, and their protection against refoulement must be ensured. Practical measures to strengthen the protection of POWs and civilian detainees include enabling regular correspondence with their families, establishing Mixed Medical Commissions to visit and assess the health of POWs, and granting and improving the access of independent monitors, including the UN Human Rights Office, to places of internment and detention. Background: The UN Human Rights Office has monitored and reported on the human rights situation in Ukraine since 2014. It has in total interviewed more than 1,700 current and former POWs and civilian detainees on both sides. The Office has verified that at least 13,134 civilians have been killed and 31,867 injured since the Russian federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
