Delivering one of the most hard-hitting speeches in recent memory, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that human rights are under siege worldwide — from the battlefields of Ukraine and Gaza to crackdowns in Asia, Africa, and beyond.
In his global update to the Council’s 60th session, Türk accused states of “tearing up the rules of war” and abandoning the international system painstakingly built after World War II. His starkest remarks were reserved for the Middle East: “Gaza is a graveyard,” he said, denouncing Israel’s “mass killing of civilians, indescribable suffering, and wholesale destruction” alongside deliberate obstruction of aid and what he described as “open genocidal rhetoric.”
He warned that Israel has a case to answer before the International Court of Justice, while the international community has “failed the people of Gaza” by refusing to act decisively. “Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide? Inaction is not an option,” he declared.
Russia, Sudan, and Myanmar: War Without Rules
Turning to Europe, Türk said Russia’s war in Ukraine had entered one of its bloodiest phases, with July recording the highest civilian death toll since 2022. He condemned Moscow’s “massive air strikes,” deliberate attacks on energy systems, and the torture of prisoners, calling these “grave violations of international law.”
In Sudan, he described a country descending into “catastrophic” conditions as both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Army “show utter disregard for human rights and humanitarian law.” The besieged city of El Fasher, he warned, is on the verge of atrocity crimes, with civilians starving under constant bombardment.
Four years after Myanmar’s coup, the situation remains “a harrowing human rights calamity,” Türk said, citing aerial attacks, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and forced recruitment by both the military and the Arakan Army.
Gaza to the Sahel: Atrocities Spanning Continents
The High Commissioner’s address ranged across continents: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, plagued by grave abuses by all sides; the Sahel, where juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are cracking down on civic space; and Syria, where renewed violence and sectarian divisions risk destabilizing fragile transitions.
He also highlighted mass executions in Iran — more than 840 this year, double the previous year’s total — and at least 260 in Saudi Arabia, calling the surge “alarming.” China’s repression of Uyghurs, Tibetans, and dissenters in Hong Kong also came under scrutiny.
Retreat from Multilateralism and Rise of Repression
Beyond specific conflicts, Türk sounded the alarm on what he called a “troubling erosion of multilateralism.” He cited the U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court officials, Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, and the exodus of African states from regional blocs as part of a broader trend of states “weakening, not strengthening” global cooperation.
“The web of global and regional cooperation carefully crafted over decades for the common good is being weakened,” he warned. “When States cut ties with the system or try to weaken it — when they isolate themselves — everybody loses.”
Civic freedoms are under attack worldwide, he said, pointing to repression of protests in Indonesia, Kenya, and Togo; shrinking freedoms in Hong Kong; hate speech in Serbia; and regressive amnesty laws in Peru. “Heavy-handed responses only lead to more alienation, unrest, and violence,” Türk cautioned.
Minorities, Women, and Refugees in the Crosshairs
The High Commissioner also detailed abuses against minorities and marginalized groups: police violence against people of African descent, systemic violations against Roma communities, and tightening restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights in West Africa.
He warned that women’s rights were being rolled back globally, with maternal mortality still “a leading killer of the most marginalized women and girls” and Afghanistan nearing “complete erasure” of women and girls from public life.
On migration, he criticized Pakistan, Iran, and India for forcibly deporting Afghans and Rohingya, while expressing concern over European states restricting asylum. He also pointed to Kuwait’s revocation of citizenship and Cambodia’s new nationality laws as threats to fundamental rights.
“History Shows No One Is Safe When Rights Are Under Attack”
Despite the grim picture, Türk outlined a plan for a new cross-regional alliance of states, civil society, philanthropists, and tech companies to defend human rights. He called for innovation, sustainable funding, and stronger national human rights institutions, urging governments to submit concrete strategies for human rights education by next year.
“What gives me hope is that the vast majority of people around the world are crying out for human rights and freedoms,” he said. “History has shown time and again that no one is safe when human rights are under attack. Abuses against one group are always part of a broader pattern.”
He closed with a call to resist backsliding: “Together, we must refuse to back down in the face of discrimination, distortion, and lies. Together, we need to safeguard eighty years of progress on freedom, equality and justice.”
A Warning to the World
Türk’s address, packed with searing imagery and urgent warnings, is likely to reverberate globally. By bluntly accusing governments of fueling atrocities and undermining law, he placed the responsibility squarely on the world’s most powerful states.
Whether his words galvanize action or become yet another ignored warning remains to be seen. But the message was unmistakable: from Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan to Myanmar, the global human rights system is in crisis — and without urgent action, the cost will be catastrophic.
