Human Rights: A quarter of humanity now lives in places affected by conflict
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Tuesday that a quarter of humanity today lives in places affected by conflict, a scenario in which civilians bear the brunt of the suffering.
"The contempt for human beings reaches agonising levels when war breaks out and violence becomes a daily occurrence," deplored Volker Türk, recalling the fragility of peace and calling for it to be cultivated, respecting the UN Charter and international law.
In his annual report on the global situation of fundamental guarantees, Türk also warned that discrimination and racism threaten human dignity by using contempt as a weapon that humiliates, violates human rights, fuels despair and obstructs development.
In his address to the Human Rights Council, he reviewed the human rights situation in different parts of the world, including Ukraine, Syria, Haiti, Iran and China, with a few optimistic touches, such as the recent legislation on abortion in Spain.
The war in Ukraine continues to cause civilian casualties, destruction "on a shocking scale" and a violation of the rights of Ukrainians "who will be harmed for generations to come".
"That war in Europe can again cause so much damage around the world is a betrayal of the promises of transformation we made more than 75 years ago at our founding".
Türk said he would discuss the war in Ukraine in more detail later this month, while reviewing the situation elsewhere in the world.
After "twelve years of unbearable bloodshed", the High Commissioner stressed that Syria is "a microcosm of the wounds inflicted by the ultimate disregard for human rights", to which must be added the tragedy caused by last month's earthquakes.
Türk declared that the only way forward for that country "must be through respect for human rights and proper accountability for all those who have committed heinous crimes, two things that Syria has long lacked."
He supported calls for the creation of a new institution to focus on clarifying the fate and whereabouts of missing persons and providing support to victims, and urged the government, as well as other member states, to cooperate with it, should it be created.
Haiti: Pushing forward the political process towards elections
On Haiti, he recalled that heavily armed gangs control services in large parts of the capital and the country. These gangs are responsible for murders, kidnappings, random sniper attacks and "a shocking level of sexual violence".
For Türk, the situation calls for a combination of responses:
- accelerating the political process towards free and transparent elections
- implement a total arms embargo
- imposing effective sanctions on those who finance and run armed gangs
- international support to strengthen the capacity of Haiti's police and judicial systems
- deployment of a specialised, time-bound support force with human rights safeguards.
In Iran, he urged the authorities to urgently address the demands of the protesters, particularly women and girls, who continue to face profound discrimination.
"I remain deeply concerned about the 17 protesters who have reportedly been sentenced to death; four have been executed to date, and more than 100 are currently facing capital charges."
While calling the announcement of pardons a positive first step, he called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained during the protests and in general, including foreigners and dual nationals.
"All Iranians, including all women and girls, must be free to make their own decisions, express their opinions and exercise their rights," he said.
Regarding the recent protests in Peru, he put the number of people killed at least 60 and more than 1,000 injured in clashes with security forces and roadblocks.
"Underlying grievances, such as discrimination and exclusion, particularly affect indigenous peoples, peasants and the urban poor," he said.
Türk stressed that recent initiatives by the Peruvian government, such as the creation of a commission to financially assist the families of the dead and injured, "must be expanded to achieve accountability, truth and full reparation for all victims".
"My office stands ready to support meaningful dialogue on the substantive issues," he urged.
He went on to stress that the repression of women in Afghanistan "is unparalleled and transgresses any recognised belief system".
"The rights of women and girls to decide about their lives and to participate in public life have been, or are being, eliminated as we speak," he said, noting that this "tyranny" must not escape accountability.
He also sent a message of hope, saying "we will not give up; we will continue to fight for the rights and freedoms of all Afghan women and girls".
On a positive note, he applauded the recently passed legislation in Spain to uphold essential sexual and reproductive rights, including the removal of restrictions on access to safe abortion.
"The new measures also address access to assisted reproduction for all women, as well as violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; and prohibit so-called "conversion therapies" and "genital mutilation of babies born intersex", he said.
As for China, he explained the opening of channels of communication "with various interlocutors" with whom "follow-up work" will be done on a range of human rights issues, including the protection of minorities of Tibetans, Uighurs and other groups.
The High Commissioner's Office documented "serious concerns" in the Xinjiang region, especially mass arbitrary detentions and family separations, and made "important recommendations that require concrete follow-up".
The High Commissioner also expressed concern about "serious restrictions on civic space in general", such as the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers, and "the consequences" of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.