The urgent call from the ten Special Rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, came in response to an announcement by the Taliban-appointed Supreme Court in favour of punishments including stoning, flogging and burying people under a wall.
The de facto deputy chief of the court, announced on 4 May that they had sentenced 175 individuals to “retribution in kind” punishments, and 37 to be stoned. Dozens of others were condemned to “crimes against God” punishments such as lashing, said the press statement.
The experts, including the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett, noted that “women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning, due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotypes against them… held by the exclusively male judiciary”.
Cruel, inhuman, degrading
The said that stoning or being buried alive under a wall, constituted torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “These cruel punishments are contrary to international law.”
According to a recent report by the UN Assistance Mission in the country, UNAMA, 274 men, 58 women and two boys have been publicly flogged and one judicially sanctioned execution has been carried out within the last six months alone.
Afghanistan is also a State party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which outlaws discrimination against women as well as “prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.”
The experts expressed serious concerns about the fairness of trials preceding corporal punishment and death sentences.
“We urge the de facto authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on the death penalty and all forms of corporal punishment” including flogging and amputation, “each of which constitute torture or another form of cruel and inhuman punishment,” the experts said.
Special Rapporteurs and other UN Human Rights Council-appointed rights experts, work on a voluntary and unpaid basis, are not UN staff, and work independently from any government or organisation.
The development comes after more than three weeks of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) loyal to General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
UN rights chief Volker Türk opened the meeting condemning the “wanton violence” which has brought more hunger, deprivation and displacement upon the Sudanese people, while both sides “trampled international humanitarian law”.
Mr. Türk reminded the Council that in 2019 Sudan appeared as a “beacon of hope” after popular protests with women and youth “at the forefront” toppled Omar al-Bashir’s three decade-long dictatorship. He spoke of his visit to the country six months ago – his first mission as UN rights chief – when a transition to civilian rule was on the horizon.
Recalling his meetings at the time with both rival generals, the UN rights chief said that his message had been to insist on accountability and human rights as essential to any future agreement.
“Today, immense damage has been done, destroying the hopes and rights of millions of people,” Mr. Türk said.
To date, more than 600 people have been killed in the fighting, more than 150,000 have fled Sudan, and over 700,000 have become internally displaced. Record levels of hunger are expected in the country in the coming months.
Urgent call for peace
The UN rights chief underscored the desperate need for a humanitarian truce and an end to human rights violations.
The Council was expected to take action on a resolution on Thursday echoing this call and demanding “detailed” rights monitoring of the situation in the country.
The experts deplored human rights abuses experienced by “civilians of all ages”, including sexual assault and gender-based violence, and shortages of food, water and healthcare. The experts expressed alarm at the shelling of a shelter for girls with disability in Khartoum, as well as other attacks on healthcare, on humanitarian workers and on human rights defenders.
Ms. Mofokeng called on the parties to the conflict to commit to ensuring the safety of civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals.
Independent rights experts appointed by the High Commissioner in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions, are not UN staff nor are they paid for their work.
Lack of consent
Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Hassan Hamid Hassan, questioned the decision to hold the emergency session just weeks before the Council’s regular session in June.
Mr. Hassan further pointed out that the holding of the special session had not received the support of any African nor Arab state.
Diversity of perspectives
Some 70 countries, both Members and observers of the Human Rights Council, as well as NGOs, spoke during the day-long meeting. Their voices presented a diversity of opinions on the need for the Special Session and the extent and scope of the international community’s involvement in the crisis in Sudan.
Representing the United Kingdom, a key sponsor of the session, Andrew Mitchell, Minister of State for development and Africa, insisted on the need to carry out former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s “vision” for the Human Rights Council at its creation in 2006, as a body which could react quickly to human rights emergencies such as the one at hand.
The Special Session was also supported by the European Union and the United States.
On behalf of the group of Arab States, Lebanon’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Salim Baddoura, said that the group welcomed all international and regional initiatives aimed at ending the conflict, the latest being the talks in Jeddah under the auspices of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
He stressed that Sudan, as the affected country, had the right for its views to be taken into account before any new mechanisms were established or existing mandates extended.
Speaking on behalf of the group of African States, Côte d’Ivoire’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Allou Lambert Yao, also expressed support for “African solutions for African problems”, commending the mediation efforts of IGAD under the auspices of the African Union.
The representative of Pakistan, Khalil Hashmi, offered another critical perspective on the session, saying that it risked unnecessary duplication of work as the Security Council was already seized of the political situation in Sudan and that mediation efforts must now be “given primacy”.
Enhanced human rights monitoring
The resolution before the Council on Thursday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities “with no pre-conditions”, and a recommitment of all parties to return to a transition towards civilian-led government. The resolution also highlighted the urgent need to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as to ensure accountability for human rights violations.
One of the resolution’s concrete effects is to expand the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, designated in December last year, to also include “detailed monitoring and documentation […] of all allegations of human rights violations and abuses since 25 October 2021”, when the Sudanese military led by General al-Burhan seized power in a coup.
Digital technologies offer opportunities to mitigate the impacts of Europe’s mobility sector — from air pollution, noise, accidents and time wasted in congestions, to land-take, habitat fragmentation and growing greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to a new analysis by the European Environment Agency (EEA), these gains depend on how digital solutions are deployed and how they affect overall transport demand. A separate foresight briefing looks at teleworking and sustainability more closely.
Published today, the EEA’s ‘Transport and environment report’ focuses on digitalisation in Europe’s mobility system — a system that is a key component of the EU economy and fulfils a wide range of vital societal needs. The European Green Deal aims to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but so far, it has proven to be among the sectors that are most difficult to decarbonise.
The digital transformation of society is also changing how Europe’s mobility system works, and offers opportunities for improved sustainability of the sector. According to the EEA analysis, digitalisation may affect transport efficiency, infrastructure, energy needs and policies, but its effects are still uncertain and depend strongly on the development of transport demand. Until now, growth in transport demand has off-balanced technological efficiency gains, such as lower fuel consumption.
One clear opportunity offered by the digitalisation of the mobility system is the volume of new data and information that it offers. These can be used to inform more effective and targeted policies, which can support a shift to more sustainable and fair mobility system, the EEA analysis states. Moreover, automated mobility is expected to improve safety and accessibility of passenger transport, and it could be used to support a shift to collective and shared mobility.
However, uncertainties in these developments remain high and lower costs achieved through automation could also increase transport demand. Similarly, new technology can optimise logistics but they can also trigger a further increase in demand, which could counteract any environmental gains, the EEA report warns.
New briefing: Commuting or working from home?
Another example of digitalisation affecting mobility is teleworking, where the environmental net effect is still uncertain because of the potentially significant rebound effects involved.
According to a new EEA briefing, ‘From the daily office commute to flexible working patterns — teleworking and sustainability’, hybrid working could in principle help reduce commuting, support a move away from car-centric lifestyles and influence urban planning. However, supporting policies are needed to avoid negative rebound effects or trade-offs that compromise sustainability of new working models, the EEA briefing states.
The briefing on teleworking and sustainability is part of EEA’s foresight work that uses horizon scanning to identify emerging issues that can affect Europe’s sustainability efforts.
While the members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) have been gathered in Mauritius since Monday for their annual meeting, the political stakes for the protection of marine ecosystems have never been higher, as European tuna lobbies and their political allies are undermining any environmental progress in the region.
Today, BLOOM is filing two appeals with the European Commission and the French Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA), following the objections filed by these two institutions against the decision taken last February by the IOTC to partially ban ‘Fish Aggregating Devices’ (FADs) — a highly destructive fishing method — for part of the year.
Grey tuna fish – Photo by kate estes
These unacceptable objections are in total contradiction with the principles of the Common Fisheries Policy and are only going to fuel anti-European resentment in the region as well as the despair of civil society, appalled by the EU’s determination to act against the general interest for the sole benefit of a handful of French and Spanish industrials.
On 5 February 2023, the coastal countries achieved a real tour de force, by obtaining (by 16 votes against 23) a first annual ban on FADs in the Indian Ocean. This temporary ban is applied in all other oceans as a conservation measure and as a precautionary principle. FADs are widely considered a serious threat to marine ecosystems worldwide. Even industry representatives openly acknowledge that FADs have a catastrophic impact, as evidenced by Adrien de Chomereau, CEO of Sapmer — one of the three French companies that target tropical tuna — who stated that “as few FADs as possible is the path of virtue.” (1)
A resolution rendered ineffective and perhaps soon cancelled
Despite this democratic decision taken by IOTC members in February 2023 — which represented a first and very concrete step towards the recovery of overexploited tuna populations in the Indian Ocean and the protection of fragile marine ecosystems — the European Commission chose to align itself with the interests of a handful of French and Spanish tuna companies. The institution thus argued for an objection to this essential resolution, using a series of false arguments that we had already refuted in a previous report. (2)
On 11 April 2023, the European Commission formally lodged its objection with the IOTC secretariat, (3) and three days later, France — which benefits from an additional seat on the IOTC thanks to its ‘Iles Éparses’ (a few small uninhabited islands in the Mozambique Channel) — lodged a similar objection. (4)
In doing so, the vast majority of vessels using these lethal devices in the Indian Ocean are now outside the scope of the IOTC resolution, since under IOTC governance, resolutions do not apply to objecting members. The Seychelles and Oman have also objected, so the resolution now applies to only five of the 47 French and Spanish-owned vessels operating in the Indian Ocean. (5) If Mauritius were to carry out its threat to object as well, only one vessel would remain affected.
Remedies needed to protect marine ecosystems
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado (tuna and other fishes)
Faced with the omnipotence of industrial lobbies and their political intermediaries within the European Commission and the Council of the EU, BLOOM turns once again to justice, which has become almost the only remaining bulwark for citizens’ and ecologists’ associations against arbitrations that endanger, one after the other, the balance of the biosphere.
Through the two appeals filed by BLOOM, we ask the European Commission and France (6) to reconsider their decisions and to withdraw their objections to the necessary ban on FADs 72 days a year.
By defending by all means, including undemocratic methods, a handful of industrialists engaged in highly controversial and destructive fisheries, the EU is playing a dangerous game in the Indian Ocean and is fuelling deep-rooted anti-European resentment whose ramifications would go far beyond the simple question of fishing.
Using development aid as a bargaining chip to obtain the lowering of the ecological requirements of the countries of the South is notably a devastating act for North-South trust and leaves little hope for the people on either side of the European and African continents on the ability of politicians to take the fair and courageous decisions that are needed at a time of biodiversity and climate collapse. If the European industrial fleets behave with such blatant ecological and neo-colonial brutality, how can we hope to improve the practices of other distant water fishing nations, such as China, Korea, Russia or Turkey?
The recent actions of the EU and France have shattered the myth of the exemplary nature of the industrial fleets that the European Commission would like to install. We are now counting on the proceedings initiated through this first act to force the EU to behave in a transparent and dignified manner.
(5) 13 French and 15 Spanish vessels, plus three French vessels registered in Mauritius, and 16 Spanish vessels registered in Seychelles (13), Mauritius (1), Tanzania (1), and Oman (1).
(6) Direction générale française des affaires maritimes, de la pêche et de l’aquaculture (DGAMPA).
China’s mediating role in Iran-Saudi deal signals a wider shift from wolf warrior to more constructive diplomacy
Iran and Saudi Arabia’s agreement to resume diplomatic relations after years of clashes caught many by surprise – especially due to the Chinese role in mediating between the parties, leaving the United States on the sidelines.
The deal was described by some as a ground-breaking achievement that will change the entire geopolitical architecture in the Middle East, with ramifications for the United States’ posture in the region.
In fact, the agreement did not turn Iran and Saudi Arabia from foes to friends, nor did it change the multifaceted approach of Middle East countries.
Moreover, China’s active diplomacy should not have come as a surprise; rather, it signaled another step away from “wolf warrior” to more constructive diplomacy, not only regarding the Middle East but globally.
To be realistic, China is not trying to replace the United States as a global peace broker but it is very capable of identifying global opportunities to extend its influence and enjoy the fruits of work done by others.
In addition, any promotion of stability is crucial to the Chinese economy – and equally important is to improve its global image.
For example, recently China presented a “peace plan” to end the war in Ukraine. Although that was mostly a smoke screen to legitimize Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, it is worth paying attention to China’s efforts to present itself as a balanced and responsible power.
Another example is the Chinese proposal to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians, recycling old principles that other countries already tried with zero success.
Beijing’s renewed diplomatic activism is aimed at shaping a new diplomatic narrative of China’s global role, primarily focused on the Global South.
Early signs of this diplomatic activism could be found at the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress last October. The changes made to the party and its organs were meant to create a clearer separation between the defense apparatus and the diplomatic circle.
The appointments made in March this year to China’s diplomatic cadre showed Xi’s focus on relations with the US and economic development.
Qin Gang, the new minister for foreign affairs and former ambassador to the US, was promoted to the rank of state councilor. Both Qin and his immediate predecessor Wang Yi, also a state councilor, have extensive experience in American affairs and both hold more power within the party than Wang’s predecessors.
In contrast, Zhao Lijian, who as Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman had personified more confrontational wolf warrior diplomacy, was demoted in January to a position overseeing ocean affairs.
Since March, the two senior diplomats have been pushing harder to realize an updated diplomatic vision advanced by President Xi in three core documents: Global Civilization Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Development Initiative.
All three emphasize the importance of worldwide cooperation and development while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
Although the three initiatives align with United Nations’ sustainable development goals, many Western countries remain skeptical about China’s real intentions or its ability to realize them. In the Global South, however, countries that are not willing to choose sides in the great power competition but need financial support are much more receptive.
Although Global South countries are aware of the complexity of engaging China, they are concerned more about solving their immediate economic challenges. China can offer them solutions without preconditions – capital for infrastructure projects and investments in manufacturing and services sectors.
In the Middle East, the symbolic mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a sign of China’s growing influence in the region over the last decade. Last month, it was reported that China has resumed construction on a military base in the United Arabs Emirates. Earlier this year, China sealed several deals and agreements with Saudi Arabia, including US$50 billion worth of investments.
This trend is very evident in South Asia as well, with China already deeply invested in Sri Lanka and Pakistan while also extending its reach to Nepal and Bangladesh.
In the case of Bangladesh, China acknowledges the geostrategic importance and bright prospects the growing economy can offer but faces strong competition from India and Japan. The prime minister of Bangladesh is wisely balancing between these powers to promote win-win cooperation.
What we see in these two regions is playing out across the entire Global South and demonstrating that China’s new active diplomacy focused on cooperation rather than division is proving quite attractive.
In this context, public disagreements between the US and Global South countries (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to name a few) are used effectively by China to expand its influence.
If the United States wishes to counter this trend, it should adopt a more constructive approach and manage disagreements behind closed doors. Otherwise, the US will find itself caught unaware in future developments as well.
In an article for Nature magazine, French “fragrance sculptor” and retired scientific consultant Michael Moiseev says his latest creation was inspired by a description of the lunar surface by one of the first humans to walk on the moon more than half a century ago.
“I based the smell I produced – like that of secondhand smoke – on Buzz Aldrin’s description of what he felt when he took off his helmet in the lunar module on the Moon in 1969,” Moiseev wrote.
The consultant is working on the fragrance for the Space City museum in Toulouse, France, which is close to where he lives and works.
In his 2009 book Magnificent Desolation, Buzz Aldrin, who was the second man to set foot on the lunar surface, recalled that when he and fellow pioneer astronaut Neil Armstrong returned to their lander and realized they were covered in moon dust, they were greeted by “a sharp metallic smell, something like smoke or the smell in the air after a firecracker goes off”.
In a 2015 interview with Space.com, Aldrin elaborated on his description of the lunar aroma, describing it as smelling “like burnt charcoal or like the ashes that are in a fireplace, especially if you sprinkle a little water on it.”
Aldrin is not the only Apollo astronaut who commented on the smoke-like smell of the lunar regolith, writes hicomm.bg.
“All I can say is that everyone’s immediate impression was that the smell was smoke, not that it was ‘metallic’ or ‘pungent,'” Harrison “Jack” Schmidt, an astronaut from the ” Apollo 17,” which participated in one of the last missions to the moon in 1972. “The smell of second-hand smoke is probably more etched in our memories than other such smells.”
Unless spaceflight technology rapidly becomes cheaper and more accessible in the next few decades, most of us won’t have the chance to ever smell the moon for ourselves. But luckily, we may be able to smell an imitation in Toulouse, France, or anywhere else where skilled “fragrance sculptors” simulate the scent of moon dust.
“Our children are increasingly growing up in environments that make it very difficult for them to eat well and be active. This is a root cause of the obesity epidemic,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
“As societies and countries, we have so far failed to reverse the rising rates of childhood obesity, and that’s why WHO/Europe is here in Croatia, at the invitation of Professor Milanović, spouse of the President, to galvanize political support for this truly insidious public health crisis before it becomes even more difficult to address.”
Dangerous projections
Based on current trends and looking exclusively at obesity in the WHO European Region, which covers 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia, the World Obesity Atlas 2023 published by the World Obesity Federation, projects that between 2020 and 2035, there will be:
a 61% increase in the number of boys living with obesity,
a 75% increase in the number of girls living with obesity,
with a total 17 million boys and 11 million girls aged 5-19 living with obesity in the region in 2035.
Issues involving being overweight and obesity across all age groups are projected to cost the WHO European Region $800 billion annually, by 2035.
Identifying solutions
WHO European Region has identified three specific actions to counter current projections and help prevent this silent epidemic from getting worse:
Prevention is better than cure: efforts to reduce childhood obesity must start early, right from pregnancy and early childhood. Prevention needs to focus on good nutrition at all stages of a child’s life. Prevention efforts are also needed in homes, schools, and the wider community.
Regulating the food and beverage industry: the most effective policies to tackle childhood obesity include imposing a tax on sugary drinks, requiring clear front-of-package labelling, and restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
Promoting physical activity: this includes better urban design and transportation policies, physical activity in the school curriculum and extra-curricular activities, and clear messaging to support active lifestyles throughout the life course.
The link between obesity and other diseases
Being overweight and obesity are among the leading causes of death and disability in the European Region, with recent estimates suggesting they cause more than 1.2 million deaths annually, corresponding to more than 13% of total mortality.
Obesity increases the risk for many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
Obesity is also considered a cause of at least 13 different types of cancer and is likely to be directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually across the Region, with this figure set to rise further in the coming years.
Also, overweight people and those living with obesity, have been disproportionately affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, often experiencing more severe disease and other complications.
“Because obesity is so complex, influenced by different factors like genetics, environment, and socioeconomic status, no single intervention can halt its rise,” explained Dr Kluge.
“Any national policies aiming to address the issues of overweight and obesity must have high-level political commitment behind them. They should also be comprehensive, reaching individuals across the life course and targeting inequalities.”
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sounded the alarm on Wednesday after locusts were spotted in the country’s north and northeast. FAO said that a “full outbreak” this year could destroy up to 1.2 million metric tonnes of wheat, or a quarter of the total annual harvest.
FAO Representative in Afghanistan Richard Trenchard said that together with partners, the agency was racing to help reduce the impact of the outbreak.
With pesticides in short supply, thousands of people in communities across the affected provinces were working “day and night” to eradicate the pests using “traditional mechanical control methods” before they become adults and begin to swarm, he said.
Left untreated, the Moroccan Locust population could increase 100-fold in the next year, according to FAO.
Earlier this year, the UN World Food Programme warned that six million Afghans were one step away from famine.
Sightings of locusts at different development stages have been made in Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul and Takhar, with fresh reports coming in from Heart and Ghor provinces.
“The reports of Moroccan Locust outbreak in Afghanistan’s wheat basket is a huge concern”, said Mr. Trenchard.
“The Moroccan locust eats more than 150 species of plants, including tree crops, pastures and 50 food crops, all of which grow in Afghanistan. It represents an enormous threat to farmers, communities and the entire country,” he added.
He noted that the last two big infestations which took place 20 and 40 years ago, cost the country an estimated 8 per cent, and 25 per cent of production.
“Harvest forecasts this year are the best we have seen for the last three years – but this outbreak threatens to destroy all these recent gains and dramatically worsen the food insecurity situation later this year and into next year,” the FAO Representative continued.
The Moroccan Locust is ranked among the most economically damaging plant pests anywhere in the world, and the value of the potential loss, adds up to between $280 million and a staggering $480 million, going by today’s prices, FAO warned.
The agency said that the year had seen “perfect” conditions for a locust outbreak so far, in the north and northeast, with over-grazing, drought and very limited control measures, creating an “ideal environment for locusts to hatch and swarm.”
Moroccan locusts are poured into a pit during mechanical control in Baghlan, Afghanistan.
Swinging into action
“The alarm bells rang late, but FAO, its incredible NGO partners, local communities and local authorities sprang into immediate action,” said Mr. Trenchard.
“Chemical supplies were low across the country so we were forced to focus on traditional ‘mechanical control’ methods to reduce the impact of the outbreak.”
He said that cash-for-work had been a way “to put money into the pockets of farmers most at risk while accelerating mechanical control in communities across the North and Northeast regions”, and there had been “a strong, rapid and encouraging response from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, although their capacity to respond is heavily constrained by a lack of resources”.
Ominous threat
Typically, after decimating pasture, large locust hopper bands and adult swarms move down to cropland areas and eat rain-fed and irrigated wheat and other crops.
FAO warned that there is not a single crop which is spared from Moroccan Locust damage.
If numbers do increase up to 100-fold, it would create even bigger problems for agriculture and food security in Afghanistan, and neighbouring countries.
If the Moroccan locust population is left untreated, it could increase its numbers by 100-fold in the next year, creating even bigger problems for agriculture and food security for Afghanistan and that of its neighbours.
“Chemical control methods are far more effective than mechanical control”, said Mr. Trenchard.
“Afghanistan used to have a very strong locust control system in place. But this has been heavily eroded in the last two years. At this point in time, all we can hope is that the mechanical control approaches will reduce the overall impact of the swarms. But we must start now to prevent 2024 from seeing even bigger outbreaks”, he concluded.
Alice Edwards, who is officially known as the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, said she was “distressed by the deteriorating state of Mr. Navalny’s health and the apparent lack of satisfactory diagnosis and medical treatment”.
In a statement also backed by six of her fellow Human Rights Council-appointed experts, she said that the alleged placement of the Russian politician, lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner in isolation on 11 separate occasions, amounting to 114 days in solitary confinement over seven months, “appears disproportionate” and would amount to a form of torture, if confirmed.
“Mr. Navalny is reportedly suffering from serious ill-health, including chronic spinal disease and problems related to neurological damage,” Ms. Edwards said.
The jailed leader returned to Russia in 2021 from receiving extensive medical treatment in Germany, after what laboratory tests indicated had been an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent, while in Siberia in August 2020.
He was immediately arrested after resolving to fly home to Russia, from Germany.
Jailed
The 46-year-old is serving concurrent sentences of 11.5 years for fraud and contempt of court – on charges which he said were trumped up to remove him from public life.
Russia has denied all previous allegations that any prison employees have mistreated Mr. Navalny, saying that he has been given access to medical treatment when needed.
Immediate care needed
“He must immediately and continuously be provided with adequate care, including comprehensive medical check-ups, treatment and monitoring of his health situation in a civil hospital.”
She also raised the cases of three of his political supporters, who are also being held in Russian jails – Liliya Chanysheva, Vadim Ostanin and Daniel Kholodny.
The Special Rapporteur said their cases should be “promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated.
Release supporters ‘without delay’
“If it is found that these individuals are being arbitrarily deprived of their liberty, they should be released without delay.
She said in the case of Mr. Ostanin, whose condition is reportedly deteriorating, Russia “should as a matter of urgency provide adequate medical care in a civil hospital”.
Liliya Chanysheva is the previous head of Mr. Navalny’s office in the city of Ufa. She was arrested on charges of managing a “structural subdivision” of an extremist group in November 2021, said the UN rights office, OHCHR.
Mr. Ostanin, ran the Navalny office in the city of Byisk, and was arrested on similar charges in March 2022.
Mr. Kholodny, an employee of Mr. Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, was arrested at the same time on charges of belonging to an extremist group, and for allegedly providing or collecting money to finance an extremist organisation, OHCHR said.
Concerns registered
The Special Rapporteur and other experts have been in direct contact with the Russian Government about these cases “and will continue to monitor them.”
Special Rapporteurs and other UN Human Rights Council-appointed rights experts, work on a voluntary and unpaid basis, are not UN staff, and work independently from any government or organisation.
In an alert on the situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that it expected between two and 2.5 million more people to face acute hunger in the coming months, because of conflict that erupted on 15 April between forces loyal to rival Generals Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
This development would take the already dire food insecurity in Sudan to a “record high”, WFP said, with two-fifths of the country’s population affected.
According to the UN agency, the biggest spikes in food insecurity could occur in West Darfur, West Kordofan, Blue Nile, Red Sea and North Darfur states.
Meanwhile, the UH High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi shared on Twitter that more than 150,000 people have now fled Sudan – both Sudanese citizens and refugees hosted in the country.
“Needs are huge. Resources are scarce. Aid is required, urgently!” Mr. Grandi wrote.
Soaring food prices
UN humanitarians expect the price of basic food items to increase by 25 per cent in the next three to six months.
If the situation in the country bars farmers from accessing their fields and planting key staples between May and July, food prices could rise even more, WFP said.
Lifesaving aid
The UN agency has resumed its operations in Sudan, after a temporary pause following the killing of three of its aid workers at the start of the conflict. Since last week, and despite a dire security situation, WFP has reached over 35,000 people with food assistance.
The aid is a lifeline for the most vulnerable, including families who have recently fled the conflict, refugees living in Sudan and internally displaced people and their host communities.
Overall, the agency aims to support 4.9 million vulnerable people in areas where the security situation allows, in addition to “preventing and treating moderate acute malnutrition” for 600,000 children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
WFP also said that the UN Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS), which it manages, is starting “regular” air connections between Port Sudan and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to enable the “safe transportation of frontline humanitarians and critical aid”.
WFP staff monitor emergency food distribution at a displaced camp in Sudan.
Support for neighbouring countries
The UN agency is also providing emergency food assistance to thousands who have fled Sudan to neighbouring Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and the Central African Republic, amid dire funding shortages.
In South Sudan for instance, where more than 40,000 returnees have fled across the border, WFP says that it is “cash-strapped” and that any extra pressure on resources could force it to take food and funding from others to support new arrivals.
According to figures from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR’s data portal, the largest outflows from Sudan have been to Egypt, which has seen the arrival of over 68,000 Sudanese refugees and close to 5,000 refugees of other nationalities fleeing the fighting.
Last week, the agency appealed for $445 million to support the displaced until October.
