Migration crisis in Americas – New restrictions on migrants and refugees

-

12 May 2023

Migration crisis in Americas – New restrictions on migrants and refugees — © UNHCR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso - In Texas, USA, a woman hugs her four-year-old daughter after making the perilous journey through the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama.

Table of Contents

The U.S. lifting of a COVID-19 pandemic measure, known as Title 42, has led to new restrictions on migrants and refugees. Concerned, UN agencies called for broad multilateral action to regularize movement across the continent.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued a call for a more collaborative approach to better respond to the anticipated impact of changes on the southern US border.

“The challenges facing the Americas call for ambitious, innovative, and principled cooperation among all stakeholders,” the agencies said.

Such a plan must be based on international law and genuine solidarity to advance protection and solutions for refugees and migrants, and align with the framework laid out the Global Compact on Refugees, Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, as well as the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.

“Title 42” was lifted by the US government – new, safe pathways and increased refugee resettlement are welcome , but measures restricting access to asylum are of concern.

Read the statement by UNHCR and @UNmigration 👇🏻https://t.co/TemiJbBpya
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) May 12, 2023

New US restrictions

Welcoming positive initiatives to expand resettlement and other regular pathways in the region, the agencies remain concerned about new restrictions on access to asylum following the “long overdue” lifting of the Title 42 public health order by the United States.

Since the pandemic’s outset in 2020, Title 42 has been used by US immigration officials some 2.5 million times at the southern border, to expel people to Mexico or their home country, without assessing what risks they faced as a result of being returned.

Barriers preventing people from exercising the fundamental human right to seek asylum are unacceptable and contrary to States’ international obligations, they said, adding that the new US Government rule that restricts access for asylum-seekers who arrive irregularly, after transiting through another country is incompatible with principles of international refugee law.

While the number of people approaching the US border has grown in recent years, the agencies said that the majority of the people on the move in the Americas are still hosted by countries in Latin America.

Multi-country approach

“The challenges presented by the movement of refugees and migrants cannot be solved by any country in isolation,” they said.

“Real progress can only be made through joint efforts to address the causes of displacement and irregular migration.”

The agencies said more could be done through support to communities that are hosting the majority of displaced people, providing access to fair and effective asylum procedures and other legal stay arrangements, and facilitating access to safe and regular pathways as alternatives to perilous journeys.

More effective response

A more effective response calls for collaborative engagement by States and other stakeholders to expand access to protection and asylum and regular pathways to migration, while strengthening solutions, the agencies said.

The US-led expansion of refugee resettlement and other regular routes is a welcome step that can present real alternatives for desperate people who are risking their lives to find safety and solutions, they said.

Facilitated and expanded access to resettlement, family reunification, humanitarian parole, and labour mobility schemes, can save lives and protect people from smuggling, trafficking and other forms of violence, they said.

UNHCR and IOM are ready to redouble efforts to work with all countries and existing regional mechanisms to make this a reality, the agencies said.

However, expanding resettlement and other regular pathways cannot replace the responsibility of States to provide people with access to territory and asylum procedures, they urged.

Any return agreements between States, including of asylum-seekers to a third country, must uphold in practice the principle of non-refoulement, the prohibition on forced return of people to situations where their lives and safety are at risk, they stressed.

Moura: Over 500 killed by Malian troops, foreign military personnel in 2022 operation

By

-

12 May 2023

Moura: Over 500 killed by Malian troops, foreign military personnel in 2022 operation

That’s according to a fact-finding report from the UN human rights office (OHCHR) released on Friday, on what the Malian authorities had described as an anti-terrorist military operation against an al-Qaeda-affiliated group known as Katiba Macina.

The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, called the findings “extremely disturbing” and stressed that “summary executions, rape and torture during armed conflict amount to war crimes and could, depending on the circumstances, amount to crimes against humanity”.

Table of Contents

Authorities blocking access

OHCHR said that the Malian authorities had repeatedly denied requests by the fact-finding team to access the village of Moura itself. Witnesses interviewed by the team reported seeing “armed white men” who spoke an unknown language operating alongside the Malian forces.

At least 58 women and girls were raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence.

In January, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent human rights experts called on the Malian authorities to launch an immediate probe into the mass executions, alleging the involvement of the Russian-based Wagner mercenary group.

Experts said that a “climate of terror and complete impunity” had surrounded the private military contractor’s activities in Mali.

Accountability

The UN rights chief insisted that those responsible for the violations should be held to account, and that the Malian authorities must ensure that both their own forces and foreign military personnel under their command, respect international law.

OHCHR said that according to witnesses, on the day of the killings, a military helicopter flew over Moura, opening fire on people, while four other helicopters landed and troops disembarked. The soldiers corralled people into the centre of the village, shooting randomly at those trying to escape.

Some Katiba Macina militants in the crowd fired back at the troops and at least 20 civilians and a dozen alleged members of the armed group were killed.

Killed over four days

Then, over the next four days, at least 500 people are believed to have been summarily executed, the report says. The fact-finding team has obtained extensive personal identification details, including the names of at least 238 of these victims, said OHCHR.

According to witnesses, Malian troops were rotated in and out of Moura daily, but the foreign personnel remained for the duration of the operation.

The Malian authorities did announce an investigation shortly after the attack took place, but more than a year later and pending the final outcome of the investigation, continue to deny wrongdoing by their armed forces.

Sudan’s warring generals take ‘important first step’ on humanitarian protection

By

-

12 May 2023

Sudan’s warring generals take ‘important first step’ on humanitarian protection

Volker Perthes – Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the country (UNITAMS) – underscored that the rival military leaderships had agreed to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and withdraw fighters from hospitals and medical facilities.

Mr. Perthes also noted that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had committed to continue their talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah on a potential ceasefire.

Table of Contents

Hope for continued ceasefire talks

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, via Zoom from Port Sudan where the UN and partners have established a coastal humanitarian hub, Mr. Perthes said that building on this first mutually signed declaration, the aim was to reach a ceasefire which would also be “mutually agreed”, contrary to previous, unilaterally announced ceasefires.

His hope was that “within the next couple of days”, the discussions in Jeddah under the auspices of Saudi and United States mediators would lead to such an agreement, lending it “more stability and more respect”, and with clear provisions on the modalities related to the movement of troops and humanitarian pauses.

Commitments must be honoured

Mr. Perthes also expressed hope that the parties will “do what they can” to communicate down the chain of command that the humanitarian commitments agreed to in Jeddah must be honoured.

The agreement was welcomed by the “trilateral mechanism” composed of the United Nations, the African Union and the regional body known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa (IGAD).

Over 200,000 have fled

Meanwhile, the number of people having fled Sudan has passed the 200,000 mark, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.

A race against time is underway to provide those fleeing with relief aid before the coming rainy season makes logistics even harder. Funding shortfalls are compounding humanitarian challenges, as UNHCR’s operations in neighbouring countries were only around 15 per cent funded before the conflict.

Lifeline for malnourished children destroyed

In another example of the conflict’s disastrous effects for Sudan’s most vulnerable, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that a fire had devastated a factory in Khartoum producing ready to use therapeutic food for the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

According to UNICEF, the equivalent of food for some 14,500 children was destroyed in the fire, along with machinery, compromising future production. The agency says that Sudan has one of the highest rates of malnutrition among children in the world, with more than three million children acutely malnourished.

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said that in overall response to the crisis, around 34,000 cartons of ready to use therapeutic food was on the way from France to Sudan.

He said the cause of the factory fire was as yet unknown.

As conflict escalates in Sudan, refugees arrive in the Chadian village of Koufroun, which is situated on the Chad-Sudan border.

Combatants warned of the consequences: Perthes

In an interview conducted in Arabic by the UN in Geneva with UNITAMS chief Volker Perthes on Friday, he said there had been warning signs before the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April, of a potential conflict between the rival militaries.

“We warned both sides of this possibility and this scenario”, he said, and that if they began to fight, “the country and society will be destroyed.”

He said both sides had perhaps thought the fighting would be brief, but now there was a realization that victory “is not easy” and would ultimately be a loss for “a large part of the country.”

Distribution of lifesaving aid

Asked about how more humanitarian aid can be distributed to the millions in need across Sudan, Mr. Perthes said the Jeddah agreement was promising, but access to the capital Khartoum was crucial, and impossible without safe humanitarian corridors.

“We therefore hope that yesterday’s agreement will indeed help to be applied on the ground through humanitarian agencies, the United Nations, and their non-governmental organization partners.”

On the pace of delivery, he said the widespread looting across Sudan at the start of hostilities, had been a major handicap to the operation.

“Warehouses and cars were looted and trucks that were transporting aid from the east of the country or from the centre to Darfur were also looted…when your office and car are looted it is very difficult to help.

“Today, there are new arrangements, even in the preparations for the supply of Darfur through Chad, which also requires coordination with neighboring countries, with the State, with the armed movements in Darfur and other actors.”

OECD says unemployment rate stable at record low of 4.8% in March 2023

By

Newsdesk

-

12 May 2023

unemployment - blue and white digital device at 0 — Photo by the blowup

The OECD unemployment rate remained at 4.8% in March 2023, marking its third month at this record low since 2001 (Figure 1 and Table 1). The monthly unemployment rate was unchanged in March 2023 in 15 OECD countries, declined in 14 and rose in 5. The rate was at or close to its record low in only eight countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States (Figure 2 and Table 1). The number of unemployed persons declined slightly to 33.1 million, remaining close to its lowest point from July 2022.

In March 2023, the OECD youth unemployment rate (workers aged 15-24) eased to 10.5%, recording its lowest value since 2005, already reached in July 2022. The largest declines in the unemployment rate for younger workers were observed in Austria, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, and Sweden. The unemployment rate for both women and men was broadly stable, at 5.0% and 4.6% respectively, as was the rate for workers aged 25 and above (Figure 1, Tables 3 and 4).

Figure 1 Unemployment rates in OECD — OECD says unemployment rate stable at record low of 4.8% in March 2023 3

In the euro area, the unemployment rate decreased slightly, reaching a new record low of 6.5% in March 2023. The unemployment rate was stable or decreased in all euro area countries apart from Belgium and Estonia, with the largest declines observed in Austria and Greece. However, unemployment rates remain well above their lowest levels in Greece, Luxembourg, and Spain.Outside Europe, Colombia and the United States recorded a drop in the unemployment rate, while other non-European OECD countries experienced broadly stable conditions. By contrast, Japan and Korea saw rising unemployment rates, although from a relatively low base (Figure 2 and Table 1). More recent data show that the unemployment rate in Canada held steady at 5.0% in April 2023, unchanged since December 2022, and edged down to a record low of 3.4% in the United States.

Paul Magdalino, Maria Mavroudi (ed). The Occult Sciences in Byzantium. La Pomme d’or S.A., Geneva 2006.

By

Gaston de Persigny

-

12 May 2023

https://www.pommedor.ch/occult.html

Contents:

Paul Magdalino, Maria Mavroudi:

Introduction.

Maria Mavroudi:

Occult Sciences and Society in Byzantium: Considerations for Future Research.

Katerina Ierodiakonou:

The Byzantine Concept of Sympatheia and its Appropriation in Michael Psellos.

Paul Magdalino:

Occult Sciences and Imperial Power in Byzantine History and Historiography.

Maria Papathanassiou:

Stephanos of Alexandria: a Famous Byzantine Scolar, Alchemist and Astrologer.

Michèle Mertens:

Graeco-Egyptian Alchemy in Byzantium.

David Pingree:

The Byzantine Translations of Masha’alla’s Works in Interrogational Astrology.

William Adler:

Did the Biblical Patriarch Practice Astrology? Michael Glykas and Manuel Komnenos I on Seth and Abraham.

Anne Tihon:

Astrological Promenade in Byzantium in the Early Palaiologan Period.

Joshua Holo:

Hebrew Astrology in Byzantine Southern Italy.

Charles Burnett:

Late Antique and Medieval Latin Translations of Greek Texts on Astrology and Magic.

George Saliba:

Revisiting the Astronomical Contacts between the World of Islam and Renaissance Europe: the Byzantine Connection.

Cleric killed in Pakistan by mob following blasphemy accusation

By

Juan Sanchez Gil

-

11 May 2023

Blasphemy -/- On May 6, a mob in the city of Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, murdered a local cleric who was accused of making a blasphemous remark during a political rally for the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

40-year-old Maulana Nigar Alam reportedly stated, “Imran Khan is a truthful person, and I respect him as much as the Prophet,” while addressing a rally organized by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Mardan in the Sawaldher area on 6 May to express support for Imran Khan and the judiciary.

As it explaines on the newsletter of Human Rights Without Frontiers, the remarks, which were deemed blasphemous, prompted a group of rally attendees to assault Mr Alam. Police were called to the scene and placed Mr Alam in a shop for his safety; however, whilst discussions were being held with the clerics, a mob predominantly composed of PTI activists broke the shop’s shutters and forcibly removed Mr Alam. They began kicking and beating him with rods before lynching him to death. The video of the cleric’s speech and his execution went viral on social media.

No more: Blasphemy Laws — Cleric killed in Pakistan by mob following blasphemy accusation 8

In Pakistan, this is the second incident of mob violence and murdering in 2023. A man suspected of blasphemy was lynched in Nankana Sahib, Punjab Province, on 11 February.

There have been similar assaults in the past in Mardan. On April 13, 2017, a throng killed Mashal Khan, a student in the mass communications department at Abdul Wali Khan University, on suspicion of blasphemy.

Blasphemy in Pakistan

Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws anyone who abuses Islam, including by outraging religious sentiment, is punishable by death or life in prison. These statutes are poorly defined and have low evidence requirements. As a result, they are frequently employed as a weapon of retaliation against Muslims and non-Muslims in order to settle personal grievances or resolve disputes over money, property, or business.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said:

‘CSW extends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Maulana Nigar Alam. His tragic murder is yet another disturbing reminder of the dangerous implications of Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws. We reiterate that these laws are wholly incompatible with the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief and must be reviewed urgently, moving towards their full repeal in the long term. We also call on the Pakistani authorities to ensure that a full investigation is carried out, and that all those responsible for this horrific act are held to account. It is necessary for the government to enforce the rule of law and not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands.’

Black Sea Initiative exports top 30 million tonnes from Ukraine, as talks continue over renewal

By

-

11 May 2023

Black Sea Initiative exports top 30 million tonnes from Ukraine, as talks continue over renewal

That was the message conveyed by the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief, Martin Griffiths, to a meeting held on Thursday in Istanbul, to discuss the future of the Initiative, with senior official from the signatories to the deal, Russia, and Ukraine, together with the UN and Türkiye, which also mediated the agreement.

Table of Contents

Vital for global food security

In a note issued to correspondents from the UN Spokesperson’s Office on the meeting, Mr. Griffiths congratulated the parties to the deal – who also run the Joint Coordination Centre hub, based in Istanbul – on reaching the 30 million metric tonnes mark from Ukraine, and “reiterated the importance of the Initiative for global food security”.

The UN relief chief also recognized the important contribution of food and fertilizer exports from Russia.

UN proposals

The meeting discussed the recent proposals to advance the deal, made by the UN, namely the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, the longer extension of the Initiative, improvements at the JCC, “for stable operations and exports, as well as other issues raised by the parties.”

“The parties presented their views and agreed to engage with those elements going forward”, said the Spokesperson’s Office.

Mr. Griffiths stressed that the United Nations would “continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity.”

Grain for those most in need

Latest detailed figures on the Initiative released on Monday showed that nearly 600,000 tonnes of grain have been shipped by vessels chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its humanitarian work in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.

Last year, Ukraine supplied more than half of WFP’s total global wheat procurement, similar to 2021.

As talks have continued in the past few months about extending the deal – which provides a safe maritime humanitarian corridor for shipping out of Ukrainian ports – exports have dipped by nearly 30 per cent, with JCC inspection rates dropping significantly to an average of 2.9 completed inspections daily, for the month of May.

Monday’s update from the Office of the UN Coordinator for the deal, said that the UN and Türkiye’s delegation were working closely with Ukraine and Russia, aiming to facilitate movements and inspections of inbound and outbound ships, “within the framework of the Initiative and agreed procedures, while discussions for the future of the Initiative continue.”

UK: Keep calm and respect diversity, says UN expert

By

-

11 May 2023

UK: Keep calm and respect diversity, says UN expert

“I am deeply concerned about increased bias-motivated incidents of harassment, threats, and violence against LGBT people, including a rampant surge in hate crimes in the UK,” said Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the human rights expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, who completed an official visit to the country on 5 May.

“All of this is attributed – by a wide range of stakeholders – to the toxic nature of the public debate surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity,” said the Human Ritexpert.

Mr. Madrigal-Borloz warned that these developments could endanger very significant achievements, built over decades, to address violence and discrimination in the country.

Table of Contents

Violence and discrimination risk

In an extensive statement after his 10-day visit, Mr. Madrigal-Borloz lauded achievements in data gathering and said the UK was poised to take transformational public policy steps, on the basis of solid evidence.

The data makes it possible to determine social exclusion against LGBT persons but, equally importantly, the way factors such as race, ethnic background, and socio-economic status interact with sexual orientation and gender identity to exacerbate the risk of violence and discrimination, he said.

Mr. Madrigal-Borloz also noted the progress made through strategies, plans of action and public policies, which are evident in all four nations of the UK.

He was also encouraged by the actions of national governments and civil services in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in relation to devolved competencies in health, education, housing, and employment.

While acknowledging achievements in health and education, he expressed concern at the overrepresentation of LGBT persons among the homeless population in homelessness and relatively scarce data in relation to employment.

“Waiting lists for gender affirming treatment at the National Health Service continue to be years-long, and current initiatives risk erosion of achievements in comprehensive sex education,” the independent expert said.

Fighting for protection

The expert expressed grave concern about delays in long-promised legislation to ban the practice of “conversion” of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The vicissitudes of this and other necessary public policies appear to be connected to political discourse concerning gender-diverse persons and refugees and asylum seekers, two areas in which recent State actions are cause for concern,” Mr. Madrigal-Borloz said.

He cited the example of the Illegal Migration Bill, and blanket policy decisions in relation to trans persons deprived of liberty.

The expert also took issue with recent advice by the UK Equalities and Human Rights Commission to the Government in Westminster, that promoted the reduction in human rights protections for trans persons with legal recognition of their gender.

“These actions were admittedly with the objective of withdrawing trans women from legal protections to which they are entitled under the Equality Act,” Mr. Madrigal Borloz said.

Demanding political accountability

The expert urged all stakeholders to recognise that democracies benefit from healthy debate, in an environment that includes protection of free speech, and accountability for hate speech, yet reminded them that they must keep the objective of human rights protection at the centre of State and non-State action.

“Politicians must carry out evidence-based evaluations, free from stigma and preconception,” the independent expert 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.

Severe funding shortfalls could leave 200,000 Palestinians hungry

By

-

11 May 2023

Severe funding shortfalls could leave 200,000 Palestinians hungry

Unless donors meet the gap, 60 per cent of the people the agency assists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will no longer be receiving food assistance in June, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced, adding that by August, the agency will be forced to completely suspend operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine.

“We have no option but to stretch the limited resources we have to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable families are met. They will go hungry without food assistance.”

In May, the funding crunch forced WFP to reduce the value of its cash assistance by around 20 per cent, to $10.30 per person.

Table of Contents

‘Difficult choices’

The agency urgently needs $51 million to maintain its life-saving assistance in occupied territories, until the end of the year.

“These are difficult choices, but we have already exhausted all options to stretch the funding that we have,” Mr. Abdeljaber said. “We are grateful for the constant support that we received from donors over the years, but needs are growing, and resources are not meeting these needs.”

‘Pushed to the limits’

Vulnerable families in Gaza and the West Bank have been “pushed to the limits” by the combined effects of growing insecurity, a deteriorating economy, and the rising cost of living that is driving food insecurity up, WFP said.

Due to the steep rise in food prices and the constant instability, even the most basic needs have become unattainable leaving 1.84 million Palestinians – 35 per cent of the population – food insecure.

The situation is particularly dire in Gaza, where unemployment rates stand at 45.3 per cent and two out of every three people “struggle to afford to put food on the table”, WFP said.

“This past year has been a nightmare for thousands of poorer Palestinian families who have been pushed to their absolute limit,” Mr. Abdeljaber said. “The average cost of a family’s food needs increased by 20 per cent. For Palestinians with low purchasing power, every percentage point increase in prices leaves them unable to meet the most basic food needs.”

WFP’s assistance accounts for an average of nearly half what people spend on food, with monthly assistance, including $3 million injected into the Palestinian economy through such programmes as electronic cash transfers that allow people to buy wheat flour, vegetable oil, and frozen meat.

The loss of assistance will also take its toll on the fragile local economy impacting a network of 300 local shops contracted by WFP across Palestine, the agency said.

“We urge government donors and the private sector to continue their support to WFP during this difficult time,” he said. “Continued donor support has allowed us to provide a lifeline to Palestinians as well as build sustainable food solutions in Palestine. We need now, more than ever, to ensure that work does not stop.”

The World Food Programme helps Palestinian mothers raise healthy children in the middle of poverty and hardship.

Human rights at risk

The UN Human Right Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence raised the alarm on Thursday following the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza this week, with Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) airstrikes killing at least 12 civilians, including women and children.

Since 9 May, a total of 25 Palestinians, including six children and four women, have been killed and dozens injured in Gaza, according to data verified by the UN. At least three senior members of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were among those killed.

“Buildings that the IDF struck reportedly included residential apartments,” he said, further raising concerns about whether the attacks complied with the principles of distinction and proportionality and whether Israel took sufficient precautions to avoid the loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, and damage to civilian objects.

According to news reports, Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday fired more than 460 rockets into Israel, in response to Tuesday’s airstrikes, prompting the UN Secretary-General to issue a call for maximum restraint, by all sides, and an end to civilian deaths.

Mr. Laurence of OHCHR, urged all parties to take measures to de-escalate, and conduct prompt and transparent investigation into all killings, especially of civilians,” he said.

Escalating security concerns

The Secretary-General continued to follow with grave concern the dangerous escalation in Gaza and Israel, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Thursday afternoon.

“The Secretary-General calls on all sides to avoid further escalation and to end the hostilities,” he said. “It’s clear that the continued escalation of hostilities in Gaza only deepens civilian suffering and increases the risk the number of casualties both in Gaza and Israel.”

The UN chief’s Special Coordinator, Tor Wennesland, remained on the ground, actively engaged with all concerned in an attempt to restore calm, Mr. Dujarric said.

He said the ongoing hostilities are also obviously having a negative impact on an already difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israeli crossings with Gaza now closed for the third consecutive day.

Fuel reserves are being quickly depleted, forcing the Gaza Power Plant, which relies on regular imports of fuel from Israel, to reduce its operations, and other vital items also need to enter Gaza immediately, including food and medical supplies, he added.

The UN relief agency that supports Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has continued essential activities, including food distribution and health and sanitation services, but agency-run schools remain closed, he said.

Learn more about what WFP is doing to help Palestinians here and how UNWRA is helping here.

Afghanistan: Rights experts alarmed over Taliban use of ‘brutal’ punishments

By

-

11 May 2023

Afghanistan: Rights experts alarmed over Taliban use of ‘brutal’ punishments

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.

Table of Contents

Women most vulnerable

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.

Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Afghanistan is a State party, prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.

Discrimination outlawed

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.