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	Support civil society’s international solidarity efforts for peace by UN Special Procedure Holders UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR)   Dec. 2023   UN rights experts underline the need for the international community to support civil society groups expressing international solidarity in pursuit of peace and social justice:   “In the face of multiple humanitarian crises worldwide, it is crucial to acknowledge unity in our diverse humanity and a shared responsibility in tackling global challenges. International Solidarity Day reminds Governments and Non-State Actors, including business, to respect their commitments to international agreements, including international human rights.   We would like to raise public awareness about the need to support concrete actions by civil society groups that express international solidarity in our pursuit of peace and social justice.   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 establishes universal solidarity as the foundation for human rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood.”   Around the world, civil society groups have expressed international solidarity in marches and social media campaigns to call for peace and the protection of civilians in armed conflict.   Moreover, they have also expressed international solidarity in pursuit of non-discrimination and equality (the core elements of positive peace) by advocating access to justice, truth, protection, and humane treatment for: children, women, members of the LGBTAIQ+ community, persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease), persons with disabilities, racialized, indigenous groups, and other minorities subjected to violence, hate speech, and discrimination, families of disappeared persons, refugees and migrants, victims of terrorism/violent extremism and counter-terrorism/violent extremism measures, and the environment.   The recent significant engagement of people of all ages and diverse backgrounds in the expression of international solidarity is a powerful affirmation of the value of human rights as a narrative of emancipation in response to violence, oppression, and marginalisation.   It is imperative that civil society actors not be subject to censorship and reprisals for their expression of international solidarity, including loss of funding, loss of employment, arrest, attack, harassment, persecution, criminalisation, or other forms of penalisation.   Actions and expressions that promote transnational unity, empathy, tolerance, and cooperation are the elements of a strong culture of international solidarity in support of peace and social progress.   The most striking impact of the contemporary expressions of international solidarity is their embrace of the principle of humanity – the demand to protect life and alleviate human suffering. The combination of these two universal principles underscores the priority of exhausting peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms before using force.   We call on the international community to encourage International Solidarity expressions of civil society groups and human rights defenders that acknowledge that everyone should enjoy human rights without discrimination of any type.   States should open civic spaces and refrain from criminalising non-violent actions and expressions that promote international solidarity.   International Solidarity should not be conflated with antisemitism, islamophobia, or other movements that are examples of exclusionary, segregated unitary orientations which violate non-discrimination and equality principles.   International Solidarity promotes inclusion through bridge-building and invites everyone to stand up for peace as a fundamental premise for the enjoyment of human rights.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/12/support-civil-societys-international-solidarity-efforts-peace-un-experts   Dec. 2023   Urgent action must be taken by all to ensure members of religious minority communities are able to enjoy their rights on an equal basis and receive effective protection. The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea, issued the following statement:   “All stakeholders, including States, media, social media and technology companies, and universities should respond promptly to sustained and widespread reports of incidents reflecting Antisemitic and Islamophobic hatred in countries around the world in a manner consistent with international human rights law.   Acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and incitement based on religion or belief across the world, which have been sharply rising in recent months and have spiked to alarming levels in recent weeks, have shocked our conscience and created a climate of fear and deep distrust across many societies.   In some countries, national authorities and civil society organisations have reported a dramatic increase in Islamophobic and Antisemitic incidents. Other religious minority communities are also experiencing acute and unprecedented insecurity.   Mosques, synagogues, other places of worship and cemeteries have been attacked, desecrated, and vandalised in many countries; so too have schools, cultural centres, and memorials; even private homes and properties belonging to Jews and Muslims; whilst other religious and belief communities too have not been spared.   We have credible reports from different regions of the world that document physical attacks, including killings, verbal attacks and death threats that appear to be motivated by the perceived religious affiliation of the victims.   Others, including governments, are exploiting these painful times as cover and distraction for dramatically increasing the oppression of religious or belief minorities, assaults on vulnerable populations, and the suppression of other rights in misguided attempts to address societal polarisation.   People have been killed, and many have been threatened and harassed, even children and students in schools and universities. Expressions of religious hatred and incitement to violence are proliferating rapidly on social media.   At a time when conflict is fuelling great political tension, it must be recalled that such tensions never justify expressions of identity-based hatred, and that the humanity of all must be respected and equality and justice ensured.   We strongly condemn all harmful acts and expressions of religious hatred and intolerance that engender deep hurt and fear at individual and community levels. Nobody should suffer fear for having or manifesting their religious or belief identity.   Everyone has the right to feel safe, protected, with equal respect of their human rights. The State has the obligation to ensure the enjoyment of these rights.   We urge States to record and investigate all reported acts of violence, discrimination, harassment and intimidation, taking due consideration of possible religious or belief motives. States should take action to prevent such acts in compliance with all relevant standards of human rights and humanitarian law.   They must also take concerted action to ensure that Muslim and Jewish individuals, communities, and religious, educational, and cultural sites are receiving adequate protection, and should consult with affected communities to understand their needs in this respect.   We call on all stakeholders to urgently speak out against rising Antisemitism and Islamophobia and stand in solidarity with all targeted persons and communities.   Social Media companies must act decisively against hate speech and incitement to religious violence, discrimination and hostility online.   States, religious or belief representatives, leaders and groups, and civil society at large, all have crucial roles to play in this darkness in particularly in fostering allyship and social trust.   Amid the proliferation of hate, it is heartening that on numerous events people from different faiths have come together to affirm their shared humanity. Such efforts must be supported, celebrated, and multiplied, and States must create enabling conditions for such efforts to thrive and have greater impact.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/12/un-special-adviser-prevention-genocide-and-special-rapporteur-freedom-religion
	Violent repression of “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests lead to serious human rights violations by UN Fact-Finding Mission Iran / Belarus   Mar. 2024   Violent repression of “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests lead to serious human rights violations. (UN Fact-Finding Mission)   The violent repression of peaceful protests and pervasive institutional discrimination against women and girls has led to serious human rights violations by the Government of Iran, many amounting to crimes against humanity, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran said in its first report.   The report to the Human Rights Council said violations and crimes under international law committed in the context of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that began on 16 September 2022 include extra-judicial and unlawful killings and murder, unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender persecution.   Human rights violations have disproportionately impacted women, children and members of ethnic and religious minorities. The Mission found that gender persecution intersected with discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion.   “These acts form part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in Iran, namely against women, girls, boys and men who have demanded freedom, equality, dignity and accountability,” said Sara Hossain, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “We urge the Government to immediately halt the repression of those who have engaged in peaceful protests, in particular women and girls.”   The protests in Iran were triggered by the death in the custody of the so-called morality police, in September 2022, of Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, after her arrest for alleged non-observance of Iran’s laws on mandatory hijab.   The Mission found that physical violence in custody led to Ms. Amini’s unlawful death. Rather than investigating this unlawful death promptly, effectively, and thoroughly - as required under international human rights law - the Government actively obfuscated the truth, and denied justice.   Authorities then mobilized the entire security apparatus of the State to repress the protesters who took to the streets after Ms. Amini’s death. Credible figures suggest that as many as 551 protesters were killed by the security forces, among them at least 49 women and 68 children. Most deaths were caused by firearms, including assault rifles.   The Fact-Finding Mission found, in the cases investigated, that security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force which resulted in the unlawful killing and injuries of protestors. A pattern of extensive injuries to protesters’ eyes caused the blinding of scores of women, men and children, branding them for life. The Mission also found evidence of extrajudicial killings.   The Mission acknowledged that security forces have been killed and injured, but found that the majority of protests have been peaceful.   Security forces repressed protests through a pattern of arbitrary arrests, including of people who merely danced, chanted, wrote slogans on walls, honked car horns, or posted on social media in support of their demands, including for women’s rights, equality and accountability.   Many were blindfolded and taken away in unmarked vehicles, including ambulances. Hundreds of children, some as young as 10, were arrested and separated from their families without any information about their whereabouts. In detention, the State authorities tortured victims to extract confessions or to intimidate, humiliate or inflict punishment.   The Mission found cases of women and girls subjected to rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including gang rape, rape with an object, electrocution of genitalia, forced nudity and groping. Security forces characterised women’s demands for equality and non-discrimination as a “willingness to get naked” and “spreading immorality.”   The Fact-Finding Mission found that the Government arbitrarily executed at least nine young men from December 2022 to January 2024, after summary trials which relied on confessions extracted under torture and ill-treatment .Dozens of individuals, remain at risk of execution or receiving a death sentence in relation to the protests. Women and children have been among the many charged with capital offences since the start of the protests.   Many are still paying a high price for having supported the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. Authorities are doubling down on their repression of families of victims, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, medical doctors and many others simply for expressing their views, supporting the protesters or seeking truth and justice for victims.   State authorities at the highest levels encouraged, sanctioned and endorsed human rights violations through statements justifying the acts and conduct of the security forces. They engaged in a disinformation campaign depicting protesters as “rioters”, “foreign agents” and or “separatist” groups. State security forces, in particular the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij forces and the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Faraja), among others, participated in the commission of serious human rights violations and crimes under international law.   The authorities in Iran have prevented and obstructed efforts of victims and their families to obtain a remedy and reparation. Victims face a justice system lacking independence, transparency and accountability, the Fact-Finding Mission found.   “The Islamic Republic of Iran has the obligation to uphold the rights of women and children, and to ensure the right to truth, justice, and reparations of all victims,” said Viviana Krsticevic, Member of the Fact-Finding Mission.   ”Given the deeply rooted institutional discrimination against Iranian women and girls, they are owed transformative reparations that guarantee their full, free and equal participation in all spheres of Iranian society. Given our findings, this would entail, among other measures, an overhaul of criminal and civil laws, a reform of the justice system, and measures for accountability.”   The Fact-Finding Mission regrets the lack of meaningful cooperation by the Iranian authorities with the mandate, despite repeated requests for information, including information on killing of and injuries to security forces and its denial of access to the country and people. It further notes the total lack of transparency with regard to the Government’s own reported investigations into allegations of serious human rights violations.   Absent effective remedies and in light of the systemic and historic impunity for violations in Iran, Member States should explore avenues for accountability at international level and in their domestic systems. The Fact-Finding Mission calls on States to apply the principle of universal jurisdiction to all crimes under international law without procedural limitations, establish victim funds, jointly or individually, and provide protection, including by granting asylum and humanitarian visas to those fleeing persecution in Iran in the context of the protests.   “We urge the Iranian authorities to halt all executions and immediately and unconditionally release all persons arbitrarily arrested and detained in the context of the protests, and to end the repression of protesters, their families and supporters of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,” said Shaheen Sardar Ali, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/iran-institutional-discrimination-against-women-and-girls-enabled-human   Mar. 2024   'Currently unsafe to return' to Belarus, Human Rights Council hears. (UN News)   With the number of political prisoners growing and a shutdown of civic space, people in Belarus are being deprived of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and more, a new UN human rights report has revealed.   Focusing on developments in 2023, the report builds on previous findings in the aftermath of large public protests which erupted in 2020 following a disputed presidential poll. Despite a lack of cooperation from Belarusian authorities, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said evidence gathered shows that the scale and pattern of violations has continued.   “The Office has found that the cumulative effect of violations of freedom of expression, association and assembly since 1 May 2020 has closed independent civic space and effectively deprived people in Belarus of their ability to exercise these rights”, said Christian Salazar Volkmann, Director of Field Operations and Technical Cooperation at OHCHR, briefing the Human Rights Council.   He noted that no opposition party could even register for the parliamentary election held last month, raising concerns as Belarus approaches new presidential elections next year.   Laws adopted or amended since 2021 have led to the oppression and punishment of opposition voices while several prominent human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists have received long prison terms.   Thousands have been arbitrarily arrested and detained for exercising freedom of expression and assembly, some for actions dating back to 2020. Arrests have continued into 2024.   Since 2020, thousands of Belarusians have suffered cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment in detention facilities across the country, the report said. Some cases of torture have resulted in severe injuries and sexual and gender-based violence. The UN rights office also found violations of the right to life due to medical negligence and two recorded deaths in custody in 2024.   Expressing alarm over possible enforced disappearances of well-known opposition members who were facing politically-motivated charges, UN officials urged authorities to provide information on their fate and whereabouts.   With many young people driving the 2020 protests, OHCHR found widespread arbitrary arrests of children in the aftermath, with over 50 politically motivated criminal trials of individuals under 18 lacking protections guaranteed by international law. Authorities have used a pretext of “socially dangerous situations” procedure to remove children from their parents, leaving some without care or in the custody of relatives or friends.   Up to 300,000 Belarusians have been forced to leave since May 2020, the report estimates, with the Government restricting rights of those in exile, including preventing passport issuance abroad and a policy of arresting returnees.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147761 http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/561463 http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/563046 Visit the related web page
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