Tag:Volker Türk

The discussion reflects deeper tensions between the imperative of accountability for past violations and the sovereign claim of states to lead their own reconciliation processes.

Sri Lanka’s Government has a “historic opportunity” to end decades of impunity and deliver justice for victims of past violations, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said, urging sweeping reforms to address crimes committed during and after the country’s civil war.

Since the military coup in February 2021, nearly 6,800 civilians have been killed and over 22,000 remain arbitrarily detained, he said. Humanitarian needs have soared, with nearly 22 million people in need of assistance and more than 3.5 million displaced by conflict.

The number killed in violence last year was the highest since the military coup in 2021. Over 1,800 civilians were killed in 2024, many in indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling, with attacks on schools, places of worship and healthcare facilities having become routine.

In more positive developments and despite a global rise in executions, a growing number of countries are abolishing the practice – spurred by the Global South.

The mass mobilisation saw participation from people across different backgrounds, including women and children. Faced with this growing opposition, the former government resorted to increasingly violent means to maintain power. The UN report describes a deliberate strategy orchestrated at the highest levels of the former administration.

Animals such as snakes or insects or other wild animals have been introduced in order to provoke fear and terror in individuals, James Rodehaver,...

Guterres emphasized the urgent need for all parties involved in the conflict – between the military junta and various armed groups seeking autonomy or...