Month: January 2023
Hate speech: Nations fight back
Costa Rica is known for its strong democracy, pro-human rights stance, and deep respect of the rule of law, so it was a shock when the 2018 general elections ushered in an unprecedented polarization of Costa Rican society. Allegra Baiocchi, the UN resident coordinator in Costa Rica, witnessed the unprecedented polarization of society, and the…
Read MoreWe must not simply remember, ‘but speak out and stand up’: UN chief Guterres
“The Holocaust did not happen as a ‘lesson’ for humanity, but it did happen. And because it happened, it may happen again,” Mr. Guterres told the annual ceremony held at the historic Park East Synagogue in New York to commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. “We must never let down our guard. We must…
Read MoreGuterres strongly condemns attack at Jerusalem synagogue which left at least seven Israelis dead
According to news reports, the incident happened in the Neve Yaakov district in the middle of the evening local time. Israeli police said the attacker, identified as a Palestinian from the Shu’fat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, had been “neutralized” at the scene. In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, António Guterres extended his heartfelt…
Read MoreHate speech: A growing, international threat
Hate speech is having a demonstrable effect on society: one of the many similarities between the January attacks on Brazil’s government buildings, and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, is that each occurred after certain groups repeatedly directed dangerous rhetoric and false claims against others. Concerns over the growing phenomenon have…
Read MoreSystemic racism within UK criminal justice system a serious concern: UN human rights experts
“We have serious concerns about impunity and the failure to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, deaths in police custody, ‘joint enterprise’ convictions, and the dehumanising nature”, of the so-called ‘stop and search’ policing strategy, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said in a statement at the end of an official…
Read MoreClimate crisis and migration: Greta Thunberg supports IOM over ‘life and death’ issue
António Vitorino, and Ms. Thunberg said they had “found much common ground” during a recent discussion about the impact of global climate change on human mobility. The Greta Thunberg Foundation has donated 275,000 Euros (around $269,000) to support IOM’s emergency response to the historic floods in Pakistan and the crippling drought in Somalia. ‘Chain of…
Read MoreMyanmar mired ever deeper in crisis as human rights spiral backwards, warns Türk
“By nearly every feasible measurement, and in every area of human rights – economic, social and cultural, as much as civil and political – Myanmar has profoundly regressed,” he said. “Despite clear legal obligations for the military to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, there has been consistent disregard for the related rules of…
Read MoreUN envoy ‘deeply alarmed’ over deaths of nine Palestinians in West Bank raid
Tor Wennesland described the deaths – during an intense gun battle at a refugee camp in the city of Jenin – which included militants and reportedly, an elderly woman, as another “stark example” of the escalation in violence. The Israeli military said that troops were involved in an operation at daybreak to arrest Islamic Jihad…
Read MoreClosure of Moscow Helsinki Group, ‘yet another blow to human rights’ in Russia: OHCHR
Maria Hurtado said in a statement that the judgement was just the latest “in a series of actions against civil society”, journalists, other media and opposition groups and human rights defenders. MHG was founded in 1976 by well-known dissidents and reported on human rights violations in the former Soviet Union (USSR) and later the Russian…
Read MorePeacebuilding must be rooted in ‘bedrock of inclusive, sustainable development’
“People’s sense of safety and security is at a low in almost every country, with six in seven worldwide, plagued by feelings of insecurity”, she stated. The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War she said, with a quarter of humanity live in war zones – triggering grave…
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