Bangladesh at a crossroad, says senior UN official
“Young people and people from every range of life across Bangladesh, across the entire country, came out on the streets to celebrate,” UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis remarked. Some of the celebrations following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation took a…
Nine UNRWA staff to be fired for potential role in 7 October attacks on Israel
The development follows the conclusion of an investigation by the UN Office of Oversight Services (OIOS), launched earlier this year after Israel alleged that several UNRWA personnel took part in the brutal assault on its territory in which some 1,200…
Israel: Amid reports of torture inside jails, rights experts call for end to impunity
“Israel’s widespread and systemic abuse of Palestinians in detention and arbitrary arrest practices over decades, coupled with the absence of any restraints by the Israeli State since 7 October 2023, paint a shocking picture enabled by absolute impunity,” the experts said….
UN Special Adviser urges States to hold perpetrators of genocide accountable
“Only when all perpetrators have been held into account will we be able to uphold the expectations that all victims rightly possess: that their voices are heard and their suffering acknowledged, and that there is justice for the crimes committed…
Bangladesh: UN urges peaceful transition as PM resigns and flees the country
Secretary-General António Guterres “continues to closely follow developments in the country,” UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement. “He urges calm and restraint by all sides and emphasizes the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition,” he…
Iran’s protest crackdown disproportionately targeting minorities: UN experts
The paper highlights several ways Iranian security forces violated the rights of minorities including through “extrajudicial executions, unnecessary use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests, torture, rape” and other crimes against humanity. The mission says this is the “direct result of…
Middle East: UN rights chief warns against wider war, appeals for urgent de-escalation
“I am deeply worried about the rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and plead with all parties, along with those States with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation,” Volker…
Shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop: UN rights chief
More than 80 people, including at least 13 police personnel, are said to have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to media reports. Authorities have imposed a curfew and restricted internet access. A police station in…
UN condemns deadly suicide attack on Somalia beach
The Al-Shabaab terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place late on Friday night (local time) and involved a suicide bombing followed by a gun battle between militants and security forces. At least 37 people were killed…
UN envoy urges action to address ‘growing risk of a serious escalation’ in the Middle East
Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, issued a statement saying he has engaged in “critical discussions with the relevant parties and Member States in the region, including Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar, in support of regional de-escalation”….