Latest news with #UNHumanRightsCouncil
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
UN investigator says US sanctions over her criticism of Israel will seriously impact her life
ROME: An independent UN investigator and outspoken critic of Israel's policies in Gaza says that the sanctions recently imposed on her by the Trump administration will have serious impacts on her life and work. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is a member of a group of experts chosen by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. She is tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories and has been vocal about what she has described as the 'genocide' by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Both Israel and the United States, which provides military support to its close ally, have strongly denied that accusation. Washington has decried what it called a 'campaign of political and economic warfare' against the US and Israel, and earlier this month imposed sanctions on Albanese, following an unsuccessful US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post. 'It's very serious to be on the list of the people sanctioned by the US,' Albanese told The Associated Press in Rome on Tuesday, adding that individuals sanctioned by the US cannot have financial interactions or credit cards with any American bank. When used in 'a political way,' she said the sanctions 'are harmful, dangerous.' 'My daughter is American. I've been living in the US and I have some assets there. So of course, it's going to harm me,' Albanese said. 'What can I do? I did everything I did in good faith, and knowing that, my commitment to justice is more important than personal interests.' The sanctions have not dissuaded Albanese from her work — or her viewpoints — and in July, she published a new report, focused on what she defines as 'Israel's genocidal economy' in Palestinian territories. 'There's an entire ecosystem that has allowed Israel's occupation to thrive. And then it has also morphed into an economy of genocide,' she said. In the conclusion of the report, Albanese calls for sanctions against Israel and prosecution of 'architects, executors and profiteers of this genocide.' Albanese noted a recent shift in perceptions in Europe and around the world following an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths after nearly 22 months of war. 'It's shocking,' she said. 'I don't think that there are words left to describe what's happening to the Palestinian people.' The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people captive. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians but says more than half the dead are women and children. Nearly 21 months into the conflict that displaced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million people, the United Nations says hunger is rampant after a lengthy Israeli blockade on food entering the territory and medical care is extremely limited.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Vanished without a trace
'DON't wait for her,' the WhatsApp caller told the family of Abeer Suleiman on May 21, hours after she vanished from the streets of Safita, a town in Syria's coastal heartland. 'She's not coming back.' The kidnapper and another man, identifying himself as an intermediary, said the 29-year-old would either be killed or trafficked unless her relatives paid a ransom of US$15,000. 'I am not in Syria,' Abeer herself told her family in a call on May 29, using the same Iraqi phone number as her captors. 'All the accents around me are strange.' Reuters reviewed the recording, along with other calls and messages from the abductor and intermediary, who also used a Syrian number. Abeer is among at least 33 women and girls from Syria's Alawite sect – aged between 16 and 39 – who have disappeared this year amid the chaos following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. That's according to the families of every one of them. The overthrow of Assad in December, after 14 years of civil war, unleashed a wave of revenge against the Alawites, the Muslim minority from which he hails. Armed factions aligned with Syria's new government turned on Alawite civilians in March, killing hundreds. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria says it is investigating the spike in reports of missing Alawite women. Its chair, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, told the UN Human Rights Council in June that the abductions of at least six women had been documented. Two remain missing. The commission has also received credible reports of further cases. Abeer's family scraped together her ransom, borrowing from neighbours to transfer US$15,000 in 30 installments via accounts in the Turkish city of Izmir. Once the money was paid in full on May 28, contact ceased. The kidnappers' phones went dark. Abeer's family has heard nothing since. A fighter of the ruling Syrian body standing while holding a weapon, after violence in Tartous province. — Reuters Interviews with the families of 16 of the missing found that seven were abducted for ransom – demands ranged from US$1,500 to US$100,000. Three, including Abeer, managed to get messages to their families saying they'd been taken abroad. There's been no word on the other nine. Many are under 18. Reuters reviewed messages, calls and ransom receipts linked to the abductions but could not verify every detail or confirm the identities or motives of the perpetrators. All 33 women disappeared in the governorates of Tartous, Latakia and Hama, Alawite community heartlands. Nearly half have since returned home. None would speak publicly – many cited fears for their safety. Most families said police dismissed their cases or failed to investigate thoroughly. Pinheiro confirmed that Syria's interim authorities had opened some investigations but gave no details. The Syrian government did not respond to requests for comment. Ahmed Mohammed Khair, a media officer for the Tartous governor, claimed most cases stemmed from family disputes or women running away to avoid forced marriages. A media officer in Latakia echoed this view. Hama's authorities declined to comment. A fact-finding committee set up by Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to probe the March killings of Alawites declined to discuss the missing women. Rights advocate Yamen Hussein, tracking the disappearances, said the pattern began in earnest after March's violence. As far as he knew, only Alawite women were being targeted. The identities and motives of the perpetrators are unclear. Alawites, who follow an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, make up about 10% of Syria's predominantly Sunni population. Hussein said fear has gripped Alawite communities. Some women now avoid school or college, fearing abduction. 'For sure, we have a real issue here where Alawite women are being targeted,' Hussein said. 'Targeting women of the defeated party is a humiliation tactic that was used in the past by the Assad regime.' Thousands of Alawites have been displaced from Damascus, others fired from their jobs or harassed at checkpoints run by Sunni factions now aligned with the government. Family accounts suggest most women vanished in daylight, running errands or travelling on public transport. Zeinab Ghadir, 17, disappeared on her way to school on Feb 27. Her kidnapper texted the family from her phone: 'I don't want to see a single picture or, I swear to God, I will send you her blood.' Zeinab made a brief, frightened call saying she didn't know where she was and felt unwell. She hasn't been heard from since. Khozama Nayef, 35, was abducted in rural Hama in March by five men who drugged her and held her for 15 days while they negotiated a US$1,500 ransom. After her release, her family said she suffered a mental breakdown. Days later, Doaa Abbas, 29, was grabbed outside her home in Salhab, Hama. A relative chased the abductors' car on a motorbike but lost them. Three Alawite women reported missing this year later resurfaced publicly denying abduction. One, a 16-year-old from Latakia, claimed she ran away to marry a Sunni man. Her family insists she was forced and that authorities coerced her into recanting to protect her kidnappers. Two others, a 23-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl, told Arabic TV they had travelled willingly to Aleppo and Damascus respectively. One later claimed she was beaten by a man before escaping. For decades, Alawites dominated Syria's political and military elites under the Assad dynasty. But Assad's fall ushered in a government led by HTS, a Sunni group with roots in al-Qaeda. It is trying to integrate former rebels, including foreign fighters, into the security forces to fill the void left by Assad's collapsed army. Families fear history repeating. Many dread that Alawite women could suffer the fate inflicted on Yazidi women by Islamic State a decade ago: mass abduction, trafficking and sexual slavery. Nagham Shadi's family lives in that terror. The 23-year-old vanished in June after leaving home in al-Bayadiyah, Hama, to buy milk. Her father, Shadi Aisha, said his family had already been forced from their previous village in March's anti-Alawite violence. 'What do we do? We leave it to God,' he said. — Reuters
Arab News
a day ago
- Health
- Arab News
Israel ‘using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians' in Gaza, UN experts say
NEW YORK CITY: A group of UN human rights experts on Monday accused Israeli authorities of deliberately depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to clean drinking water. They described this alleged action as a grave violation of international law and a potential crime against humanity. 'Israel is using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians,' the experts said. 'Cutting off water and food is a silent but lethal bomb that kills mostly children and babies.' The independent experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, said that water and sanitation systems in Gaza have been systematically targeted throughout the Israel's ongoing military campaign. Since the conflict began in October 2023, Israeli forces have destroyed or severely damaged wells, pipelines, desalination plants and sewage networks. According to the UN, nearly 90 percent of the territory's water infrastructure is no longer functional, leaving more than 90 percent of the population without reliable access to safe water supplies. As summer temperatures soar and hygiene conditions deteriorate rapidly, fatalities from dehydration are increasing and outbreaks of waterborne disease are spreading. Most of the 2 million residents of Gaza have been displaced, with many of them forced to drink contaminated water and live without even basic sanitation. 'This catastrophe was not only predictable, it was predicted,' the UN experts said. 'The deliberate denial of water and essential supplies is part of a pattern of collective punishment and may amount to extermination under international law.' The experts referred to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2024, which reaffirmed Israel's obligations as an occupying power to ensure civilians are able to access adequate supplies of food and water. Instead, the experts noted, Israeli authorities have further reduced the already limited flow of emergency water deliveries, and continue to block essential shipments of fuel required to power desalination and sanitation systems. The UN Relief and Works Agency, the main humanitarian agency in Gaza, has warned that it will be forced to close several of its remaining wells entirely unless immediate authorization is granted for fuel deliveries to the territory. These sources currently provide hundreds of thousands of liters of water to people each day for drinking and hygiene purposes. 'With fuel supplies nearly exhausted, humanitarian organizations are scaling back life-saving work, including the distribution of water,' the UN experts said. Describing the situation as 'barbaric,' they added that the actions of the Israeli government meet the legal definition of genocide. They cited the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court and defines genocide as 'deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of a population.' They urged the international community to act decisively, calling for the immediate deployment of naval humanitarian missions from Mediterranean ports to deliver fuel, water and aid workers to Gaza. They also called for urgent action to restore water and sanitation systems in Gaza, and an end to restrictions on humanitarian access. 'The international community must act now to end this inhumane and unlawful deprivation,' the experts said. 'This is a test of global conscience — and failure is not an option.' The statement was issued by seven of UN's special rapporteurs and experts responsible for issues related to human rights, water and sanitation, food, health, displaced persons, and the occupied Palestinian territories. They operate independently, are not members of UN staff, work on a voluntary basis and do not speak on behalf of the organization.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Sri Lanka arrests ex-navy chief
Sri Lankan investigators arrested a former navy chief on Monday over the abduction and disappearance of a suspect 15 years ago, a police officer told AFP. Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne was taken into custody over the disappearance in 2010, when he headed the Directorate of Naval Intelligence, said a detective who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media. Ulugetenne, who also served as Sri Lanka's ambassador to Cuba following his retirement from the navy in December 2022, was remanded in custody until Wednesday. "We recorded a statement from him regarding the disappearance of a 48-year-old man in 2010 and he was later arrested," he said. Ulugetenne's arrest comes after an investigation into another former navy chief, Wasantha Karannagoda, which drew attention to extrajudicial killings during Sri Lanka's 37-year Tamil separatist war. The killings have been raised at consecutive UN Human Rights Council meetings, which have called for independent investigations into atrocities committed during the separatist conflict. AFP
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Islamic Day for Women: Iraqi leaders rally to protect women's rights
Shafaq News – Baghdad At the annual event marking the Islamic Day for Combating Violence Against Women, Iraq's top leadership and the UN Mission issued a unified call for action to address violence against women, pledging legislative reforms, institutional support, and societal mobilization. President Abdul Latif Rashid emphasized the growing threat gender-based violence poses to Iraqi society, blaming years of political instability, terrorism, and unchecked social media narratives for eroding the structure of Iraqi families. 'Iraqi women have suffered marginalization under successive regimes,' he said, referencing coercive practices like forced marriage and legal disenfranchisement. He highlighted the recent amendment to Iraq's Personal Status Law (No. 188 of 1959), enacted in January 2025, which grants women the right to choose the religious legal code applied in marriage contracts. Rashid urged the Sunni and Shiite religious endowments to expedite the release of comprehensive codes protecting women's and children's rights and called on parliament to pass the draft law establishing a national authority for women's empowerment. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reaffirmed the government's strategic response, citing broad reforms and targeted support. 'More than 576,000 women are now covered under Iraq's social protection system, including over 165,000 female-headed households,' he said, adding that more than 50,000 women in the private sector are enrolled in social security. Al-Sudani detailed the launch of multiple national frameworks, including the National Strategy for Women (2023–2030), the updated National Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls, and Iraq's third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (2025–2030). He also confirmed the expansion of government-run women's shelters in four provinces, with more underway, and promised to present a formal report to the UN Human Rights Council in November. Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani focused on the trauma inflicted on Yazidi women during ISIS's 2014 offensive. 'What happened was not just a crime against them, it was a conspiracy against Iraq itself,' he said. 'We failed to protect them, and we cannot forgive ourselves until those responsible seek their pardon.' UN Secretary-General's Representative in Iraq, Mohamed El Hassan, echoed calls for decisive action. 'If the family is the foundation of society, then the woman is its strongest pillar,' he stated. He described ongoing patterns of violence and exclusion as 'systemic' and widespread across Islamic societies, urging both Iraqi institutions and international partners to uphold women's rights as a cornerstone of national stability. Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement (Al-Hikma), used the occasion to unveil a grassroots initiative, 'My Family, My Nation,' encouraging Iraqi women to reclaim their roles as anchors of societal cohesion. 'Whether homemakers or professionals, Iraqi women are the backbone of our identity,' al-Hakim said, urging women to find strength through family care, cultural values, and national responsibility. The initiative aims to deliver training, psychological support, and educational outreach to help women balance domestic duties with public life, while promoting open dialogue on family unity and shared responsibilities between spouses. Al-Hakim called on civil society, media, educational institutions, and the state to back the effort. 'Together, we can build a nation rooted in compassion, wisdom, and shared strength—where the role of Iraqi women is not just preserved, but elevated,' he concluded.
