New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News):The United Nations human rights chief on Saturday said he is “deeply alarmed†at a planned Government shutdown of social media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from Sunday evening, ahead of the end of President Joseph Kabila's mandate, coupled with a continuing ban on demonstrations by civil society and the opposition.
UN rights chief welcomes US President’s plan to close Guantánamo detention facility
New York, Feb 24 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday welcomed United States President Barack Obama’s plan to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, expressing hope that “no further obstacles are placed in the way of its implementation.â€
UN rights chief calls on Thai Government to probe scores of enforced disappearances
New York, Jan 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Calling on Thailand to criminalize enforced disappearance in its laws in line with international standards, the top United Nations human rights official on Wednesday urged the Government to take decisive and sustained steps to investigate the whereabouts of at least 82 people listed as disappeared.
UN rights chief calls for DPR Korea to be referred to International Criminal Court
New York, Dec 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official on Thursday called on the Security Council to refer the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the International Criminal Court, citing continuing gross rights violations, "the institutional nature and severity of which pose a threat to international peace and security."
UN rights chief urges to end violence between Israelis and Palestinians
New York, Oct 29 (IBNS): At a special meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that Israeli-Palestinian violence will draw "closer to a catastrophe" if not stopped immediately, while President Mahmoud Abbas called for creation of a "special protection" regime for the Palestinian people, amid roiling tensions in the region.
UN rights chief urges Mexico to end misery of enforced disappearances and torture
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): Despite significant progress towards building a solid human rights framework, the Mexican Government must nevertheless "bind itself to a new sense of urgency in solving the enormous human rights challenges it faces," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said today as he wrapped up an official visit to the country.
Concerned by escalating West Bank violence, UN rights chief urges restraint
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): Voicing extreme concern over escalating tensions and rapidly-spreading violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the United Nations human rights chief on Thursday called for urgent action by both Israelis and Palestinians to halt the violence, while stressing the need to ensure security forces comply with international standards and respect for human rights.