Latest news with #RavinaShamdasani
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
BRIEFING NOTES: (1) Afghanistan, (2) Syria, (3) Bangladesh
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani Location: Geneva Date: 18 July 2025 Subject: Afghanistan Syria Bangladesh (1) Afghanistan The surge in the number of Afghans forced or compelled to return to Afghanistan this year is creating a multi-layered human rights crisis requiring the urgent attention of the international community. Many have been either directly forced to return by States where they have been residing, and others have felt compelled to do so because of threats, harassment and intimidation. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calls for an immediate halt to the forcible return of all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly those at risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, or torture upon their return. Countries in the region must ensure that returns to Afghanistan are voluntary, safe, dignified, and consistent with international law. In just over seven months, over 1.9 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan. From Iran alone, over 1.5 million have arrived since the start of the year. Of these, 938,000 or 60 per cent were deported – including 500,000 since 13 June. More than 300,000 Afghans have been returned from Pakistan since 1 January this year, on top of the many hundreds of thousands more who have returned since the Taliban takeover and the Government's adoption in 2023 of an 'Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan'. In Tajikistan too, a group of Afghan nationals, including refugees and asylum-seekers, were reportedly summoned in Vahdat on 8 July by security officials and informed that all Afghan nationals must leave the country within 15 days. The scale and frequency of deportations from the country had already sharply increased in recent months. From October 2024 to July 2025, at least 485 Afghan nationals have been deported, among them 334 refugees or asylum-seekers. Many Afghans have also been forced to leave or issued ultimatums from several other countries. A number of countries are also considering reversing their asylum policies granting protection for Afghan refugees. Sending people back to a country in which they are at risk of persecution, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment or other irreparable harm, violates the core international law principle of non-refoulement. People also have a right to make such a claim and have it fairly considered by State authorities before any action to forcibly expel an individual. Deportations in violation of these basic rules must stop immediately. At the same time, given the particularly severe situation on the ground – especially for women and girls - we call on all States to increase the availability of legal pathways for Afghans to find a safe place to live. People returning to Afghanistan, whether by compulsion or of their own volition, find a country facing an acute humanitarian and human rights crisis. The first priority must be to ensure their immediate needs are met, including the provision of food, water, shelter and access to healthcare. They also face structural and systemic discrimination, gender persecution, issues related to ethnicity, obstacles to full reintegration into society, and a dearth of work and livelihoods as a result of a struggling economy. Women and girls, who are systematically deprived of their rights in Afghanistan, are particularly at risk upon their return. The UN Human Rights Office has spoken out strongly against the extreme institutional discrimination and undue restrictions imposed on women and girls, the cumulative effect of which has been to almost erase women and girls from public life and prevent them from accessing basic services. Others among those deported are journalists, and former civil servants or employees of the previous Afghan government who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals and torture by the de facto authorities upon their return. The UN Human Rights Chief implores States to do everything in their power to help those who have already endured decades of warfare, poverty and hardship, as well as extreme discrimination and threats. We must not turn our backs on them now. The UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan will be publishing a report next week on the risks faced by those forcibly returned to Afghanistan. (2) Syria Syria's interim authorities must ensure accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today, repeating his call for a new Syria that works for all its people, equal in dignity and without discrimination. Credible reports received by the UN Human Rights Office indicate widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes. Among the reported perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim authorities, as well as other armed elements from the area, including Druze and Bedouins. This has led to a mass displacement of the population in the predominantly Druze governorate. See more: (3) Bangladesh The UN Human Rights Office and the Government of Bangladesh this week signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to open a mission in the country to support the promotion and protection of human rights. Since last August, the UN Human Rights Office's engagement with Bangladesh has significantly increased. The Office has been working with various stakeholders in advancing human rights reforms and conducting a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into last year's deadly repression of broad protests.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Syria Crisis: Hundreds Killed In Ongoing Violence, Hospitals Overwhelmed
Briefing reporters in Geneva, UN human rights office, OHCHR, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani highlighted 'credible' reports of 'widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes' in the city of Suweida. 'Among the reported perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim authorities as well as other armed elements from the area, including the Druze and Bedouin,' she said. Many hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of injured, the UN refugee agency UNHCR also noted. Forced to flee On Friday morning, OHCHR colleagues reported that clashes were continuing and that 'a lot of people are trying to flee or have fled the area', Ms. Shamdasani continued. The latest updates from the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office, OCHA, on Thursday indicated that nearly 2,000 families had been displaced from areas affected by the fighting. Hundreds have reportedly been killed since sectarian violence involving the Druze and Bedouin communities erupted on 12 July, triggering an intervention by Syrian security forces. OHCHR's Ms. Shamdasani highlighted an incident on 15 July in which at least 13 people were killed when 'armed individuals affiliated with the interim authorities deliberately opened fire at a family gathering'. Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York on Thursday, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari also referenced reports of 'civilians, religious figures and detainees being subjected to extrajudicial executions and humiliating and degrading treatment'. He urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Rumours and fact-checking Ms. Shamdasani stressed that the UN human rights office has been trying to verify the information through 'contacts on the ground…families of people who were killed, eyewitnesses', but that obtaining reliable estimates of the death toll remains challenging. 'There are lots of videos circulating,' she said. 'Some claim to be fighters who are in the area filming the abuses and violations they're carrying out. We are trying to verify some of these videos, but there's a lot of disinformation out there and a lot of it is being used to incite further violence to inflame tensions.' The OHCHR spokesperson also expressed concern about reports of civilian casualties resulting from Israel's airstrikes on Suweida, Dara'a and central Damascus. 'Attacks such as the one on Damascus on Wednesday pose great risks to civilians and civilian objects,' she warned, calling for the strikes to cease. Israel had launched the strikes pledging to protect the Druze community. The violence and displacement have sparked 'considerable' humanitarian needs, with the health and aid systems struggling to keep up, said William Spindler of the UN refugee agency UNCHR. 'Many of the hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been injured in the recent fighting,' he said. According to OCHA, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched enough trauma and emergency surgery kits for 1,750 interventions to the area, but many 'remain undelivered due to access constraints'. Since the displaced had to flee at very short notice, they are in desperate need of essentials – blankets, jerry cans, solar lamps – but providing these items has been a challenge. Too risky to enter 'We have this in stock and we are ready to deliver them as soon as the security allows it,' Mr. Spindler said. 'For now, this has not been possible.' He also warned of water shortages due to electricity outages. He said people are unable to buy bottled water or food because of the insecurity. UNHCR has an office in rural Suweida and Mr. Spindler expressed concern about the impact of the hostilities on the agency's operations, infrastructure and personnel. 'We know that humanitarian infrastructure has been affected,' he said, describing an incident on 15 July in which a warehouse of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was severely damaged by shelling. The UNHCR spokesperson called on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian premises, personnel and assets 'in accordance with international humanitarian law'.
Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
At least 21 people killed in stampede, suffocation at GHF site in Gaza
Agencies At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in the latest carnage at the GHF aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, with most of the victims reported to have died in a stampede. Gaza's Ministry of Health has disputed the allegation from the controversial United States- and Israel-backed organisation that armed agitators were responsible for the incident on Wednesday morning at the site in Khan Younis. In an earlier statement, the GHF had said 19 victims were trampled and another was stabbed 'amid a chaotic and dangerous surge'. Without providing any evidence, it said the stampede had been provoked by 'elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas'. The statement also claimed that GHF staff saw multiple weapons in the crowd and that one of its US contractors was threatened with a gun. However, Palestinian witnesses and authorities have vehemently contested the GHF's version of events. One survivor told Al Jazeera, 'We were running like everyone else. We got to the gate and realized that it was closed, thousands of people were there. The Americans fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse them which caused a stampede and many people died while being crushed by the crowd'. Gaza's Health Ministry released a statement saying 21 Palestinians had been killed at the GHF site on Wednesday. It noted that 15 of the victims died as a result of a stampede and suffocation after tear gas was fired at crowds of aid seekers. '️For the first time, deaths have been recorded due to suffocation and the intense stampede of citizens at aid distribution centres,' the ministry added. Speaking from Gaza City on Wednesday, Al Jazeera's correspondent Hani Mahmoud said a witness had confirmed that tear gas was fired on the crowd, 'causing mayhem and chaos', which led to a stampede. Meanwhile, a medical source at Nasser Hospital told the AFP news agency that the desperate and starving victims had been trying to receive food, but the main gate to the distribution centre had been closed. 'The Israeli occupation forces and the centre's private security personnel opened fire on them, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries,' they said. Since the GHF started operating in the enclave in late May, at least 875 people have been killed trying to get food, according to the United Nations, which said on Tuesday that 674 of these deaths had occurred 'in the vicinity of GHF sites'. Speaking last week, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said most of the casualties had suffered 'gunshot injuries'. Both the Israeli army and GHF contractors have been accused of carrying out the killings. The UN has described the GHF sites as 'death traps', calling them 'inherently unsafe' and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards. Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said on Wednesday that the GHF was guilty of gross mismanagement. 'People who flock in their thousands (to GHF sites) are hungry and exhausted, and they get squeezed into narrow places, amid shortages of aid and the absence of organisation and discipline by the GHF,' he said. The latest deaths near aid distribution centres came as an Israeli attack on a camp of displaced people in al-Mawasi killed nine people. In total, at least 43 Palestinians, including 21 people who were seeking aid, have been killed since dawn on Wednesday, according to medical sources.
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 days ago
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says 20 killed at aid point - War on Gaza
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said 20 people killed at an aid point in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian territory on Wednesday. "Our current understanding is that 19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge," the US- and Israel-backed organisation said in a statement. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis gave a lower toll, telling AFP it had received "nine martyrs, including several children" after "Israeli forces" opened fire. The deaths came as Gaza's civil defence agency said eight people were killed in Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including six in Gaza City. The GHF claimed the stampede was "driven by agitators in the crowd", adding: "We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd -- armed and affiliated with Hamas -- deliberately fomented the unrest". The medical source at Nasser Hospital said the victims were "heading to the aid distribution centre in northwest Rafah to receive food aid" but the main gate to the centre had been closed. "The Israeli occupation forces and the centre's private security personnel opened fire on them, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries," the source added. The GHF, an officially private effort, began operations on May 26 after Israel had halted supplies into the Gaza Strip for more than two months, sparking warnings of imminent famine. On Tuesday, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 "in the vicinity of GHF sites", since late May. Last week, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters that "most of the injuries are gunshot injuries". The GHF has denied that fatal shootings have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points and the Israeli army has accused Hamas of being responsible for firing at civilians. "For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated," the GHF said on Wednesday. "An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident," it added, calling it part of a "deeply troubling pattern", including "false messages" about aid site openings. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
At least 21 people killed in stampede, suffocation at GHF site in Gaza
At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in the latest carnage at the GHF aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, with most of the victims reported to have died in a stampede. Gaza's Ministry of Health has disputed the allegation from the controversial United States- and Israel-backed organisation that armed agitators were responsible for the incident on Wednesday morning at the site in Khan Younis. In an earlier statement, the GHF had said 19 victims were trampled and another was stabbed 'amid a chaotic and dangerous surge'. Without providing any evidence, it said the stampede had been provoked by 'elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas'. The statement also claimed that GHF staff saw multiple weapons in the crowd and that one of its US contractors was threatened with a gun. However, Palestinian authorities and witnesses have vehemently contested the GHF's version of events. Gaza's Health Ministry released a statement saying 21 Palestinians had been killed at the GHF site on Wednesday. It noted that 15 of the victims died as a result of a stampede and suffocation after tear gas was fired at crowds of aid seekers. '️For the first time, deaths have been recorded due to suffocation and the intense stampede of citizens at aid distribution centres,' the ministry added. Speaking from Gaza City on Wednesday, Al Jazeera's correspondent Hani Mahmoud said a witness had confirmed that tear gas was fired on the crowd, 'causing mayhem and chaos', which led to a stampede. Meanwhile, a medical source at Nasser Hospital told the AFP news agency that the desperate and starving victims had been trying to receive food, but the main gate to the distribution centre had been closed. 'The Israeli occupation forces and the centre's private security personnel opened fire on them, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries,' they said. Since the GHF started operating in the enclave in late May, at least 875 people have been killed trying to get food, according to the United Nations, which said on Tuesday that 674 of these deaths had occurred 'in the vicinity of GHF sites'. Speaking last week, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said most of the casualties had suffered 'gunshot injuries'. Both the Israeli army and GHF contractors have been accused of carrying out the killings. The UN has described the GHF sites as 'death traps', calling them 'inherently unsafe' and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards. Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said on Wednesday that the GHF was guilty of gross mismanagement. 'People who flock in their thousands (to GHF sites) are hungry and exhausted, and they get squeezed into narrow places, amid shortages of aid and the absence of organisation and discipline by the GHF,' he said. The latest deaths near aid distribution centres came as an Israeli attack on a camp of displaced people in al-Mawasi killed nine people. In total, at least 43 Palestinians, including 21 people who were seeking aid, have been killed since dawn on Wednesday, according to medical sources.
