Month: April 2018

UN report documents horrors faced by thousands held in arbitrary detention in Libya

Armed groups in Libya are holding thousands of people in detention where they are being submitted to torture and other human rights violations, according to a United Nations report published on Tuesday. The study, by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, and the UN Support Mission in the country, known as UNSMIL, estimates that some 6,500 people are being […]

Amid allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma, UN chief calls for civilian protection

9th April 2018 Following a period of relative calm in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday expressed deep concern over renewed violence in Douma, particularly the alarming allegations that chemical weapons may have been used against civilians. A statement from UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General called on all parties to cease fighting and […]

Mine action is ‘concrete step towards peace,’ says UN chief on International Mine Awareness Day

On the day set aside to raise awareness about the threat of landmines, unexploded grenades and other munitions that impede the return to normal life after conflict, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is urging Governments to provide political and financial support to keep up the vital work of mine action wherever it is needed. “An unprecedented volume of landmines and […]

Australia-bound asylum-seekers left mentally scarred by years of detention on Pacific islands, warns UN refugee official

A senior United Nations refugee agency official warned on Wednesday about the “shocking” effects of long-term detention on Australia-bound asylum-seekers who are being held on remote Pacific islands. Indrika Ratwatte said the situation in Nauru, as well and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, was as bad as he had seen in his 25-year career. Both […]