Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 11.10.2024 |  |
 | UN rights chief warns of ‘widespread and systematic’ torture of Ukrainian POWs In a briefing to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Türk highlighted the widespread devastation and violations of international law that have defined the conflict. He noted that July 2024 was the deadliest month for civilians since October 2022, with a sharp rise in casualties due to large-scale Russian attacks across Ukraine. Between June and August, civilian casualties surged by 45 per cent compared to the previous three months, driven by missile, drone, and aerial strikes, as well as ongoing ground operations aimed at capturing more Ukrainian territory. Read more: news.un.org |
 | EU must confront Azerbaijan at COP29 over human rights crackdown, top NGOs demand Western nations should use this year's COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan to pressure Baku over its "vicious crackdown" on journalists, opposition figures and activists, leading human rights organizations urged in a report published Tuesday. As global focus on the autocratic regime's behavior intensifies, Human Rights Watch and Freedom Now called on the European Union and other international organizations to champion cases of "arbitrarily detained" political prisoners in Azerbaijan when world leaders fly to the country next month for the annual United Nations summit. Read more: politico.eu |
 | US tech giants face human rights concerns over Vietnam investments Tech giant Meta announced this week it will manufacture virtual reality headsets in Vietnam, creating about 1,000 jobs, but the parent company of Facebook has not commented on whether it discussed freedom of speech with leaders of a government that regularly jails its citizens for expressing even mild dissent on social media. Meta’s Global Affairs President Nick Clegg was in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on Monday, meeting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Read more: rfa.org |
 | Human rights concerns overshadow Thailand’s bid for admission to UN body As Thailand waits for the U.N. General Assembly to vote on its bid to sit on the Human Rights Council for 2025-27, Y Quynh Bdap sits in a Bangkok prison awaiting an appeal against extradition to Vietnam, where he faces a 10-year sentence for “terrorism.” On Sept. 30, a court in the Thai capital ruled that the ethnic Ede and founder of Montagnards Stand for Justice could be sent back. The ruling followed a request by Vietnamese authorities, whose representatives sat in court throughout the trial. “Montagnards” is a term used to describe members of mainly Christian minority groups who live in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Read more: benarnews.org |
 | Quebec youth protection branch put under trusteeship after report of human rights violations The Quebec government has put a branch of the province's youth protection office under trusteeship following a report that Quebec's human rights commission has identified dozens of violations of children's rights. The move Wednesday came hours after La Presse revealed that an internal rights commission document found the youth protection office serving central Quebec and the Mauricie region is removing children from their parents too quickly. The news report cited government statistics in the commission document showing that the area covered by the branch, which includes the cities of Trois-Rivières and Drummondville, puts three times more children up for adoption than more populous parts of the province. Read more: cbc.ca |
 | Tobacco Violates Human Rights: Report OxySuisse and Action on Smoking and Health accuse the tobacco industry of violating human rights and Swiss authorities of complacency, reports SWI. Switzerland hosts the headquarters of Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International. In a recent report, the nongovernmental organizations analyze the tobacco industry’s behavior from a human rights perspective. In their paper, the authors assert that the tobacco industry is incompatible with fundamental human rights. Read more: tobaccoreporter.com |
 | Singapore: Unlawful execution despite ongoing legal appeal raises fears of more to come Responding to the news that Singapore authorities executed a man for a drug-related offence on Friday, Amnesty International’s Acting Deputy Regional Director for Research Kate Schuetze said: “Azwan bin Bohari’s execution was clearly unlawful under international law and standards. It is especially concerning that this hanging took place in spite of a pending legal application. “Executing people while they have ongoing appeals before the courts is a violation of international safeguards protecting the rights of people facing the death penalty. Read more: amnesty.org |
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