GENEVA (23 June 2023) - The UN Human Rights Committee will hold its upcoming session from 26 June to 26 July, during which it will review Brazil, Uganda, Cyprus, Burundi, the State of Palestine, Somalia, Colombia and Lesotho.
The eight countries are among the 173 State parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They are required to undergo regular reviews by the Committee of 18 independent international experts on how they are implementing the Covenant as well as the Committee's previous recommendations.
The Human Rights Committee, which has received the respective country reports and other submissions from non-governmental organisations, will discuss a range of issues with the eight delegations through public dialogues on the following dates:
Brazil 26 June 15:00 – 18:00 (Geneva time) 27 June 10:00 – 13:00
Uganda 27 June 15:00 – 18:00 28 June 10:00 – 13:00
Cyprus 28 June 15:00 – 18:00 30 June 10:00 – 13:00
Burundi 3 July 15:00 – 18:00 4 July 10:00 – 13:00
The State of Palestine 5 July 15:00 – 18:00 6 July 10:00 – 13:00
Somalia 6 July 15:00 – 18:00 7 July 10:00 – 13:00
Colombia 10 July 15:00 – 18:00 11 July 10:00 – 13:00
Lesotho 11 July 15:00 – 18:00 12 July 10:00 – 13:00
The above dialogues will be held in the ground floor conference room, Palais Wilson, Geneva. All public meetings are open to the accredited press and livecast on UN Web TV. More information about the session, including reports submitted by the States and the full schedule of meetings, is available on the session webpage.
The Committee will hold a press conference on 26 July to present its findings (to be confirmed). Further details will be announced in due course. - United Nations
UN human rights chief Volker Turk has voiced concern over Tunisia's regression in the field of human rights.
“It is troubling to see Tunisia, a country that once held so much hope, regressing and losing the human rights gains of the last decade,” Turk said in a statement.
“Vague legislation is being used to criminalize independent journalism and stifle criticism of the authorities,” he said, calling on the North African country to “change course.”
The UN rights chief said Tunisian authorities used security and counter-terrorism legislation and a presidential decree on cybercrimes to arrest and convict six journalists for spreading false news.
“The crackdown earlier this year against judges, politicians, labor leaders, businesspeople and civil society actors has now spread to target independent journalists, who are increasingly being harassed and stopped from doing their work,” Turk said.
“Silencing the voices of journalists, in a concerted effort, undermines the crucial role of independent media, with a corrosive effect on society as a whole,” he warned.
Turk went on to call on the Tunisian authorities to “respect due process and fair trial standards in all judicial proceedings, cease trying civilians before military courts and release all those arbitrarily detained.”
The Tunisian Foreign Ministry, for its part, rejected the UN rights chief’s statement and called for objectivity before taking “unrealistic positions.”
"Tunisia reaffirms that freedom of opinion and expression is guaranteed by the constitution and enshrined in reality,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that arrests cited by the UN rights chief “were based on acts criminalized by Tunisian law and have nothing to do with the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression.”
The ministry called on Tunisia’s partners and all parties “to respect the will and choices of the Tunisian people and their aspirations for reform and justice.”
On Thursday, a Tunisian court ordered the release of journalist Ziad El-Hani, two days after he was arrested pending investigation into charges of cybercrimes.
In February, the Tunisian authorities launched a wide arrest campaign against critics of President Kais Saied, accusing them of being part of a conspiracy against state security.
Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economic conditions since 2021 when Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament. Since then, Saied held a referendum to draft a new constitution last July and parliamentary elections in December.
While the Tunisian leader insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup. *Writing by Ikram Kouachi, Anadolu Agency
Russian Army helicopters unleashed gunfire upon a Wagner mercenary military convoy along the M4 highway outside Voronezh, coinciding with firefighting efforts to quell a burning fuel tank at an oil depot. PTI photo
In a surprising development, Russian Army helicopters were reported to have opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy along the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh. The incident occurred on Saturday, coinciding with ongoing firefighting efforts to contain a burning fuel tank at an oil depot in the region.
According to Alexander Gusev, the Governor of Russia's Voronezh region, more than 100 firefighters and 30 units of equipment were deployed to combat the blaze at the oil depot. The governor shared updates on the situation via Telegram, highlighting the collaborative efforts of emergency services, according to Hindustan Times.
Adding to the escalating unrest, an unverified claim from a Russian security source, reported to Reuters, suggested that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities within the city of Voronezh. However, this claim has yet to be independently confirmed.
The reported attack on the Wagner mercenary convoy and the alleged takeover of military installations have raised concerns about the evolving security situation in Voronezh, located around 500 km south of Moscow. Authorities and observers are closely monitoring the developments as they strive to gather accurate information and assess the implications of these events. Outlook
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