UN experts urge release of Azerbaijani rights defender
GENEVA: Four UN special rapporteurs on Monday demanded the release of Azerbaijani rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli, who has been in detention for more than a year.Mammadli was detained on April 29, 2024. His arrest was one of a series which critics said undermined Azerbaijan's credibility as a host of the United Nations COP29 climate change conference in November last year.Mammadli chaired the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, which reported irregularities during the February 2024 presidential elections in the tightly controlled, oil-rich nation.His arrest also came after he participated in events at the UN Human Rights Council, the special rapporteurs said in a statement.'Defending human rights should never be considered a crime,' the experts said.'There are serious concerns that Mammadli's detention and prosecution may be in retaliation for his human rights work and his engagement with UN mechanisms,' they said.Mammadli risks up to eight years behind bars on smuggling charges, which rights groups claim are bogus.'Civic participation, independent election monitoring, and cooperation with international mechanisms are the foundation of democratic societies,' the experts said.'Criminalizing these activities undermines the rule of law.'The statement was issued by the special rapporteurs on human rights defenders, on freedom of peaceful assembly, the right to freedom of opinion and on health.They called on Azerbaijan to respect due process, guarantee Mammadli's fundamental rights and provide him with appropriate medical care.They also urged Baku to end all forms of intimidation against rights activists.UN special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to report their findings. They do not speak for the United Nations itself.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Homeless seek refuge in Madrid's airport as rent prices soar
Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian will spend the night at the airport. On a sweltering May evening, Meza arrived at Barajas airport before 9:00 pm -- just in time to get past security. Any later, and people without a boarding pass are not allowed in under a new policy implemented a week ago to deter the hundreds of homeless people staying overnight. The measure aims to address the rising number of people sleeping in Spain's busiest airport -- a situation thrust into the spotlight by images showing rows of people lying on the floor among bags and shopping carts, sparking a blame game between government officials. Those who call Barajas home say the increased scrutiny in Europe's fifth busiest airport is unwelcome. They doubt solutions will come and fear losing what they see as the safest place to sleep, compared to the streets or the metro in a city where homeless shelters have limited capacity. 'We just want to be left alone,' Meza told AFP. 'To be treated like people, not animals.' Meza blames Aena, the state-owned company that manages Spanish airports, for mishandling the humanitarian situation that has also occurred to a lesser extent in Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife. Aena argues its facilities were never meant to house hundreds of homeless people. 'Look down on you' Meza said the Barajas security guards know those who cause trouble in the airport. 'The ones who smoke, the ones who drink every day. They should be the ones kicked out, not all of us,' he said. Meza works occasional moving jobs and is hoping to save enough to rent an apartment with his brother. But like elsewhere in Spain, housing prices in the capital have soared and social housing is scarce. The average monthly rent for a 60-square-metre (645-square-foot) apartment in Madrid has almost doubled to 1,300 euros ($1,415) from about 690 euros a decade ago, according to figures from real estate website Idealista. Sleeping in Madrid's airport has taken a toll on Meza. 'People look down on you, there's still a lot of racism here,' he said, adding that he plans to return to Peru when he turns 50. Zow, a 62-year-old construction worker from Mali who spends his nights at Barcelona's airport, is also weary of the stares he gets. 'I don't like sleeping here. It's awful, everyone looks at you like this,' he said, imitating a look of disdain. Blame game Around 421 people were sleeping rough at Madrid's airport in March, a survey by a Catholic charity group counted. Most were men, half had been sleeping at the airport for over six months and 38 percent said they had a job. Nearly all of them would leave the airport during the day. The issue has exposed deep divisions among the institutions tasked with addressing homelessness. City and regional governments in Madrid have clashed with Aena, which operates under the control of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist administration. 'Primary social care is the responsibility of the local government,' Aena said in a statement, adding the city must fulfil its 'legal duty to care for vulnerable populations'. Madrid's conservative Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida fired back, arguing that the central government controls Aena and 'what's happening depends on several ministries'. The city insists that most of those sleeping in the airport are foreigners who should fall under Spain's international protection system. Despite the finger-pointing, both sides have agreed to hire a consultancy to count and profile those sleeping at the airport. The study results are expected by the end of June. But Meza is sceptical. 'We don't want help. We don't want anything. We just don't want to be bothered,' he said.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistani delegation arrives in New York to meet UN officials, OIC members after India standoff
ISLAMABAD: A nine-member Pakistani delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has arrived in New York to meet top United Nations officials and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members, state-run media reported on Monday, as Islamabad prepares to present its perspective on its recent military standoff with arch-rival India. Constituted by the Pakistani prime minister last month, the delegation received a briefing from the foreign office on Pakistan's military standoff with India last month. Bhutto Zardari said his team also received a briefing from the foreign office on contentious issues like the Kashmir dispute, 'terrorism,' and India's unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan and India last month engaged in the most serious fighting between them since 1999. Both pounded each other with missiles, drone strikes and artillery fire in four days of conflict before US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire on May 10. Tensions had soared after India blamed Pakistan for being involved in an April 22 attack on a tourist resort in the part of Kashmir administered by India. Islamabad denied involvement. 'A nine-member parliamentary delegation led by Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is in New York to hold meetings with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly, as well as the Ambassadors of Permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security-Council,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 'During the visit, the delegation will present Pakistan's perspective on the recent military clash with India and to counter New Delhi's disinformation campaign.' It did not specify how long the delegation would stay in New York. The state broadcaster said that besides these meetings, the delegation will also brief members of the OIC at the UN. Bhutto Zardari, along with other members of the delegation, will also interact with media representatives during his visit to New York. The development takes place as India presents its point of view to the world on its recent conflict with Pakistan. The Indian government has appointed Congress party lawmaker and author Shashi Tharoor as the head of a delegation in its attempts to convince world capitals that Pakistan supports cross-border 'terrorism' and to justify New Delhi's attacks against its neighboring country last month. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir since 1947. Both govern the territory in parts but claim its ownership in full. India accuses Pakistan of harboring militants who carry out cross-border attacks targeting citizens and law enforcers in the Kashmir territory that it administers. Pakistan denies the allegations and says it only extends diplomatic and moral support to the people of Kashmir. While the ceasefire between the two countries has continued to hold since last month, tensions persist as India vows to hold in abeyance the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan has said any attempts to divert or stop its flow of water would be considered an 'act of war.'
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Nations urged to make UN summit a ‘turning point' for oceans
PARIS: Nations will be under pressure to deliver more than just rhetoric at a UN oceans summit in France next week, including much-needed funds to better protect the world's overexploited and polluted seas. The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) seeks to build global unity and raise money for marine conservation even as nations disagree over deep-sea mining, plastic trash and overfishing. On Sunday, hosts France are expecting about 70 heads of state and government to arrive in Nice for a pre-conference opening ceremony, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Oceans are 'in a state of emergency' and the June 9 to 13 meeting 'will not be just another routine gathering,' said UN under-secretary-general Li Junhua. 'There's still time to change our course if we act collectively,' he told reporters. Most countries are expected to send ministers or lower-level delegates to the summit, which does not carry the weight of a climate COP or UN treaty negotiation or make legally binding decisions. The United States under President Donald Trump — whose recent push to fast-track seabed mining in international waters sparked global outrage — is unlikely to send a delegation at all. France has promised the summit will do for ocean conservation what the Paris Agreement did for global climate action. Nations present are expected to adopt a 'Nice Declaration': a statement of support for greater ocean protection, coupled with voluntary additional commitments by individual governments. Greenpeace has slammed the text — which was agreed after months of negotiation — as 'weak' and said it risked making Nice 'a meaningless talking shop.' Pacific leaders are expected to turn out in force and demand, in particular, concrete financial commitments from governments. 'The message is clear: voluntary pledges are not enough,' Ralph Regenvanu, environment minister for Vanuatu, told reporters. The summit will also host business leaders, international donors and ocean activists, while a science convention beforehand is expected to draw 2,000 ocean experts. France has set a high bar of securing by Nice the 60 ratifications needed to enact a landmark treaty to protect marine habitats outside national jurisdiction. So far, only 28 countries and the European Union have done so. Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, France's oceans envoy, says that without the numbers the conference 'will be a failure.' Bringing the high seas treaty into force is seen as crucial to meeting the globally-agreed target of protecting 30 percent of oceans by 2030. The summit could also prove influential on other higher-level negotiations in the months ahead and provide 'a temperature check in terms of ambition,' said Megan Randles, head of Greenpeace's delegation at the Nice conference. In July the International Seabed Authority will deliberate over a long-awaited mining code for the deep oceans, one that Trump has skirted despite major ecological concerns. That comes in the face of growing calls for governments to support an international moratorium on seabed mining, something France and roughly 30 other countries have already backed. And in August, nations will again seek to finalize a binding global treaty to tackle plastic trash after previous negotiation rounds collapsed. Countries and civil society groups are likely to use the Nice meeting to try to shore up support ahead of these proceedings, close observers said. Nations meeting at UN conferences have struggled recently to find consensus and much-needed finance to combat climate change and other environmental threats. Oceans are the least funded of all the UN's sustainable development goals but it wasn't clear if Nice would shift the status quo, said Angelique Pouponneau, a lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. 'With so many competing crises and distractions on the global agenda, it's hard to be confident that the level of ambition needed will actually show up,' Pouponneau told AFP. Costa Rica, which is co-hosting the conference with France, said public and private commitments of $100 billion with 'clear timelines, budgets and accountability mechanisms' could be expected. 'This is what is different this time around — zero rhetoric, maximum results,' Maritza Chan Valverde, Costa Rica's permanent representative to the UN, told reporters. Pepe Clarke, oceans practice leader from WWF, told AFP there was 'an understandable level of skepticism about conferences.' But he said Nice must be 'a turning point... because to date the actions have fallen far short of what's needed to sustain a healthy ocean into the future.'
