The new UN human rights chief condemns “war crimes” in Ukraine

The new UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, Austria’s Volker Türk, granted an in depth interview to Axadle from Geneva. This week, the Excessive Commissioner traveled to Ukraine to watch first-hand the implications of Russia’s invasion on the Ukrainian individuals. Throughout his go to, Türk needed to take shelter in an underground shelter in Kiev when Russian missiles hit civilian targets. Chatting with Axadle, he condemned what he known as “war crimes” in Ukraine: “The image that emerges is [one of] torture, abstract executions, disappearances, deliberate killing of civilians and it is vitally, very tragic and surprising.”

Concerning the scenario in Iran, the place the authorities have carried out the primary execution of a protester after months of peaceable demonstrations in opposition to the regime, with others more likely to observe, Türk stated: “I hope that reason will return to the authorities and [that] they will actually impose a moratorium on executions and abolish the death penalty.”

When requested a couple of latest settlement on a political transition in Sudan, a rustic he additionally visited not too long ago, Türk stated: “I came back with guarded optimism about the course the country wants to take and I was therefore very happy to see that this political framework agreement was signed.”

Pressed on the follow-up to the UN report on severe human rights violations in China, printed underneath his predecessor Michelle Bachelet, the excessive commissioner stated: “My focus is on the recommendations and yes, we have started discussing it with them (the Chinese authorities) and I will continue to do this. This is my duty, I must follow the recommendations. And hope is eternal.”

Lastly, with human rights underneath assault world wide, Türk urged political leaders worldwide to “read, embrace and follow up” the textual content of the UN Common Declaration of Human Rights. He concluded: “That text is as important now as it was when it was written” practically 70 years in the past.