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	Pardons for serious human rights violations are strictly prohibited under international law by OHCHR, Guardain News, agencies   19 Mar. 2026   Argentina: Rights experts express serious concern over public denials and glorification of serious human rights violations committed during the dictatorship.   UN human rights experts have expressed serious concern over regressive measures in Argentina that risk undermining four decades of exemplary progress in memorialisation, truth, and justice and warned that reports of a possible pardon for military personnel convicted of international crimes would represent a grave setback for accountability.   "Since the return to democracy in 1983, Argentina has established itself as a global benchmark in transitional justice,” the experts said, taking stock of progress and challenges on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of military dictatorship in Argentina.   They took note of transitional justice milestones in Argentina, including CONADEP, the Trial of the Juntas, the prosecution and criminal punishment of over a thousand perpetrators of crimes against humanity, the National Genetic Data Bank, the National Commission for the Right to Identity, the restoration of the identity of forcibly disappeared children, and the establishment of dozens of sites and policies of memory.   “Although there have been oscillations and gaps, for decades the country has made major progress in the fight against impunity and to ensure the rights to truth and memory,” the experts said. “Unfortunately, today we are seeing a rapid deterioration of Argentina’s global leadership in this area.”   The experts have raised concerns with the Government on six occasions regarding the regressive measures adopted since 2024, including the reduction of the role of the state in promoting criminal investigations for crimes against humanity, obstruction of access to archives of the dictatorship and the weakening of mechanisms for reparation and support of victims.   In recent years, the Argentinian government has also dismantled institutions for memory, the search for disappeared persons, the preservation of archives, and the promotion of human rights, the experts said.   "These measures undermine the foundations of transitional justice, democracy and the rule of law, while weakening guarantees of non-repetition,” they said.   “We urge authorities to restore dismantled institutions and policies without delay and cease actions that erode historical legacy.”   The experts recalled that the Argentine State has a legal obligation to guarantee truth, justice, reparation, memory, and non-repetition. “This is not optional.”   They expressed serious concern about public denials and glorification of serious human rights violations committed during the dictatorship, stigmatising discourse against victims and human rights organisations, and the discrediting of transitional justice policies.   “The authorities must refrain from resorting to disinformation and hate speech in relation to these crimes and their victims. Attempting to rewrite the past with denialist or revisionist narratives constitutes another alarming setback and a violation of human rights,” they said.   The experts urged the government not to pardon military personnel convicted of heinous crimes after rumours began to circulate on social media.   “Pardons for serious human rights violations are strictly prohibited under peremptory norms of international law,” they warned. “Argentina cannot make the same mistake again. It must rather consolidate and build on its successful transitional justice legacy to ensure effective reconciliation and non-recurrence.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/argentina-alarming-setbacks-transitional-justice-50th-anniversary-coup-detat http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/spain-un-experts-welcome-truth-commission-violations-committed-during-civil http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/03/statement-international-day-right-truth-concerning-gross-human   18 Mar. 2026   Peru: UN experts concerned by release of former military officer convicted of murder in the context of crimes against humanity.   UN experts today expressed deep concern over the ruling by Peru's Constitutional Court that ordered the release of a former military officer convicted of the 1988 murder of journalist, Hugo Bustíos.   In 2023, former brigadier general Daniel Urresti Elera had been convicted of murder with aggravating circumstances in the context of crimes against humanity. His conviction was upheld by Peru's Supreme Court of Justice in 2024. However, on 6 February 2026, the Constitutional Court overturned the conviction and ordered his release, which took place on 3 March 2026.   “The overturning of the conviction and punishment imposed against the former military impedes access to justice and accountability for serious human rights violations, in contravention of Peru's international obligations,” the experts said.   In its ruling, the Constitutional Court argued that the internal statutes of limitations applicable to the murder of Bustíos had expired.   “While it is important to ensure that justice operates in accordance with the principle of criminal legality, we recall that international law strictly prohibits the statutes of limitations for crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations. Peru cannot apply the statutes of limitations applicable in domestic law to ordinary criminal offenses when these have been committed in a context of crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations,” the experts said.   “The non-applicability of statutes of limitations to crimes against humanity is a peremptory norm of international law. This means that no State may contravene it by arguing the application of its domestic law,” they added.   The court also argued that the murder could not be classified as a crime against humanity, as the events took place before Peru ratified the Rome Statute.   “The Rome Statute does not codify or create an obligation to punish crimes against humanity. That obligation was confirmed in 1968 with the adoption of the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, and at least since then it constitutes jus cogens, that is a mandatory and non-derogable norm for all States,” the experts clarified.   “We reject as invalid the argument that limits its application to the dates of ratification by Peru of the Statute or the Convention.”   They expressed serious concern about the alleged pressure exerted on justice officials to apply the statute of limitations to crimes against humanity committed before 2002.   “We call on authorities to refrain from any action that undermines the independence of judges and prosecutors, particularly with regard to Peru’s international obligations to apply international human rights standards,” they said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/peru-un-experts-concerned-release-former-military-officer-convicted-murder   25 Feb. 2026   Brazilian politician brothers convicted of ordering murder of Rio city councillor, by Tiago Rogero for Guardain News.   Two influential Brazilian politician brothers have been convicted by Brazil’s supreme court of ordering the murder of Marielle Franco, the Rio de Janeiro city councillor, nearly eight years ago.   Joao Francisco Inacio Brazao, the former congressman known as Chiquinho, and the former adviser to Rio’s court of auditors Domingos Inácio Brazão were sentenced to 76 years and three months in prison for the murders of Franco, 38, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, 39.   The crime was one of the most shocking and high-profile murders in Rio’s history and drew international attention: Franco, a gay Black woman, was a rising political star and an outspoken critic of police violence and corruption.   The justices’ decision was unanimous, and the Brazão brothers were also convicted of the attempted murder of Fernanda Chaves, Franco’s press officer at the time, who was in the car and survived.   The case is also widely seen by security experts and human rights activists as a chilling example of how the ties between politics, crime and the police are deeply entrenched in Rio, reaching even the highest levels of public administration.   Franco’s sister, Anielle Franco, wrote on social media: “It was eight years of struggle to find out who ordered Marielle’s killing and why. It was eight years fighting for full justic   “Today Brazil’s justice system honoured the memory of Marielle and Anderson. Brazil begins a new historic chapter in confronting political violence based on gender and race. Impunity cannot be part of our democracy,” added Anielle, who is minister for racial equality in the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.   Announcing her vote, Justice Carmen Lucia said the proceedings had been “very painful” for her.   “Human justice is not capable of soothing this pain. This trial is merely a timid, almost embarrassed testimony on my part of the response the law can offer in the face of the searing, atrocious pain borne on the faces of the mother, the daughter, the son, the widows,” added Lucia, referring to the relatives of Franco and Gomes, who were present in the courtroom.   The long journey of almost a decade to secure the convictions was marked by a tortuous series of twists that included the destruction of evidence, frequent changes in lead investigators and even the revelation that the then head of the homicide division, Rivaldo Barbosa, actively worked to obstruct the investigation.   Barbosa was not convicted of murder on Wednesday, as the justices found there was insufficient evidence that he had taken part in the killings, but he was found guilty on the lesser charges of obstruction of justice and corruption for having received bribes from the Brazao brothers.   The case was tried by the supreme court because Chiquinho was a congressman when his involvement was uncovered. The convictions came more than a year after two former police officers who carried out the killings were sentenced by a court in Rio.   Ronnie Lessa, who fired the shots in the drive-by shooting, and Élcio de Queiroz, who drove the getaway car, were sentenced in October 2024 to decades in prison, but their sentences were reduced to a maximum of 30 years after they confessed and cooperated with investigators.   Lessa, regarded as one of Rio’s most ruthless hitmen, said he had been hired by the Brazão brothers – long accused of involvement with paramilitary mafia groups known as militias – to kill Franco after becoming frustrated by her efforts to disrupt lucrative housing development schemes.   “Marielle Franco became a highly significant obstacle to the economic and political interests of those who ordered the crime,” said the rapporteur, Justice Alexandre de Moraes.   One of the most profitable activities of the militia led by the Brazao brothers was the illegal occupation of land – much of it in environmentally protected areas – followed by property development and the provision of services such as electricity and internet.   Franco, who at the time served alongside Chiquinho on Rio’s city council, was a vocal advocate for housing rights and frequently warned residents not to join new illegal projects created by the militia.   “Marielle Franco was a Black, poor woman who was confronting the interests of militiamen,” said Moraes. “What stronger message could they send? In the misogynistic, prejudiced minds of those who ordered and carried out the killing, who would care about this (her murder)?”   The Brazao brothers’ lawyers focused their defence on attempting to discredit Lessa’s confession, arguing that there was no other evidence of their involvement in the crimes. However, all the justices agreed that, beyond the testimony, there was “abundant evidence” to support their convictions.   Two former police officers were also convicted: Ronald Paulo de Alves Pereira, for monitoring Franco’s routine in the days leading up to the crime; and Robson Calixto Fonseca, known as The Fish, who will answer only for armed criminal organisation for having delivered the murder weapon to Lessa.   Jurema Werneck, executive director of Amnesty International in Brazil, said the convictions were “a fundamental milestone, a chance to turn the page in the history of Rio and Brazil”.   “First, because it affirms the need to protect human rights defenders. Fighting for rights cannot cost lives … Second, this decision also marks a turning point in the fight against impunity, so that crimes like this are not repeated,” she said.   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/25/brazil-politician-brothers-convicted-murder http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/justice-brazilian-human-defender-killing http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/colombia-urgent-action-needed-end-widespread-violence-against-human-rights http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/drc-un-experts-warn-extreme-m23-violence-targeting-human-rights-defenders
	South Sudan army threat to 'spare no-one' condemned by UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan   4 Apr. 2026   UN experts urge immediate protection of civilians amid escalating crisis. (OHCHR)   UN experts today warned that South Sudan is turning into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, urging immediate steps to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and enable internally displaced persons to return safely and with dignity.   “South Sudan stands at a critical juncture,” the experts said. “All parties must immediately cease hostilities and engage in meaningful dialogue to prevent further escalation of conflict and protect civilians.”   Over 267,000 people have reportedly been displaced in Jonglei state alone in 2026. Women represent the majority of those displaced, while children under the age of 18 make up a significant share.   The experts warned that the reported evacuation orders in densely populated areas, which already host large numbers of displaced persons and refugees, are particularly disturbing. “Such measures risk forcing civilians into further displacement and exposing them to grave harm.”   They expressed deep alarm at the scale and severity of the violence, including conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls, the massive displacement of civilians across multiple states, and the deteriorating human rights situation in the country. “Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and aid workers must stop,” they said.   Displaced populations are facing acute food insecurity, a lack of shelter, and limited access to essential services. Conflict and climate shocks have also disrupted education, affecting over 300 schools and around 300,000 learners.   “The reported destruction of water sources, as well as the looting and burning of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship, are particularly alarming. If verified, they would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,” the experts said.   The experts urged the international community to take swift action. “Without immediate and sustained support, millions risk being left without the assistance they need for survival,” they said.   “Obstructions to humanitarian assistance, burdensome administrative and bureaucratic restrictions, and attacks on aid workers are critically undermining the delivery of life-saving support,” the experts said.   “The principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must be strictly respected,” they said. “Civilians and civilian objects must never be targeted. Measures must be taken to protect the population, and the safety of humanitarian personnel must be guaranteed at all times.”   “Ending impunity is not optional. It is essential to stop the cycle of violence in South Sudan and ensure justice for victims,” the experts said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/south-sudan-un-experts-urge-immediate-protection-civilians-amid-escalating http://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/escalating-crisis-in-akobo-county--jonglei-state   26 Jan. 2026   South Sudan army threat to 'spare no-one' condemned. (BBC News)   The United Nations says it is gravely concerned after a senior military leader in South Sudan urged his troops to "spare no-one" including "children, the elderly, and civilians" when they are deployed to opposition-held areas of the country.   "Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now," said the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss).   South Sudan's deputy army chief Gen Johnson Oluny made the call as he addressed his Agwelek militia as they prepared to be sent to parts of Jonglei state.   Forces aligned to South Sudan's suspended Vice-President Riek Machar have captured several areas in recent weeks..   The military has ordered all civilians and personnel from the UN mission and all other aid agencies to evacuate three counties in Jonglei state ahead of an imminent operation against opposition forces.   Last week, the chief of the defence force ordered troops deployed in the region to 'crush the rebellion' within seven days.   Oluny can be heard addressing his troops in a video posted on Facebook saying: "spare no-one - the elderly, children, birds or leave no house standing".   The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (UNCHRSS) expressed "grave alarm" at the latest fighting in Jonglei state, north of the capital Juba, where witnesses have described civilians fleeing into swamps.   The UN says more than 180,000 people are believed to have been forced to flee their homes by escalating fighting.   'No senior political or military leader in Juba can claim to be unaware of the blatant public incitements to commit serious crimes in Jonglei,' the UNCHRSS said in a statement issued on Sunday night in Geneva.   "Language that calls for the killing of those who are hors de combat [no longer participating in hostilities] and civilians, including the elderly—with assertions that 'no one should be spared'—is not only shocking, it is profoundly dangerous," said UNCHRSS head Yasmin Sooka.   The military said all civilians living in Nyirol, Uror and Akobo counties in Jonglei were "directed to immediately evacuate for safety to government-controlled areas as soon as possible.."   26 Jan. 2026   South Sudan: UN Commission warns incitement and command failures risk mass atrocities, ethnic mobilisation and further unravelling of peace agreement. (OHCHR)   The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan today expressed grave alarm at recent inflammatory rhetoric by senior military figures and reports of force mobilisation in Jonglei State, warning that such developments significantly heighten the risk of mass violence against civilians and further erode the peace agreement.   The Commission said that public statements by commanders and others exercising effective command and control when – combined with active troop mobilisation – represent a dangerous escalation at a moment when the political foundations of the peace process are already severely weakened.   Under international law, military and civilian leaders who incite crimes or who exercise effective control over forces may be held criminally responsible. Those who fail to prevent or punish crimes they knew about, or should have known were being committed, are equally criminally liable. No senior political or military leader in Juba can claim to be unaware of the blatant public incitements to commit serious crimes in Jonglei.   “Language that calls for the killing of those who are hors de combat (no longer participating in hostilities) and civilians, including the elderly – with assertions that ‘no one should be spared’ – is not only shocking, it is profoundly dangerous,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.   “In South Sudan’s past, such rhetoric has preceded mass atrocities. When such language is issued or tolerated by those in positions of command, it signals permission to commit violence and removes any expectation of restraint,” Sooka said. “At a time when civilians are already displaced, traumatised and exposed, this kind of incitement places entire communities at grave risk.”   The Commission stressed that the current escalation is not an isolated incident, but part of a wider political breakdown driven by sustained violations of the peace agreement, and the erosion of command discipline in an already volatile and ethnically fractured environment.   “This is a moment of acute risk and political responsibility,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “Words uttered by commanders shape troop behaviour on the ground. When senior figures issue reckless or violent rhetoric, or fail to counter it decisively, they lower the threshold for abuses and send a signal that restraint no longer applies. The mobilisation of forces in this context, coupled with ethnicised messaging, risks triggering a spiral of retaliatory violence that could rapidly escalate beyond control.”   “Unless there is immediate intervention at the highest level to rein in forces, de-escalate, and recommit to consensus politics, South Sudan risks sliding rapidly into another phase of widespread violence,” Afako said. “Beyond national intervention, these developments now demand urgent high-level regional engagement to facilitate the restoration of South Sudan’s transition. We are fast running out of time.”   The Commission underscored that under international humanitarian and criminal law, military and civilian superiors bear responsibility not only for crimes they commit or order, but also for crimes they incite, or fail to prevent, repress, investigate or punish, when they knew or should have known that such crimes were being committed or were about to be committed.   “The peace agreement was designed precisely to prevent this kind of descent into violence,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. “Public orders or statements that encourage attacks on civilians – including rhetoric that frames entire communities as legitimate targets – may give rise to individual criminal responsibility under international law.”   “Command responsibility is attached to those who exercise effective control, regardless of whether orders are formal or conveyed through public statements, threats, or deliberate tolerance of incitement,” Fernández said. “Those who incite, order or fail to prevent such acts can be held accountable.”   The Commission called for all parties to immediately cease inflammatory rhetoric and force mobilisation to de-escalate tensions and further emphasized that President Salva Kiir, as Commander-in-Chief, bears a heightened duty to exercise effective control over forces operating in his name, to prevent armed actors from committing attacks on civilian populations in his name, and to ensure that ethnic mobilisation and calls for exterminatory violence are immediately and publicly repudiated.   Similarly, the Chief of Defence Forces of South Sudan, the Minister of Defence and others in positions of operational oversight of military actions in Jonglei and elsewhere also share in this duty.   “Failure to act decisively to halt incitement, rein in commanders, and restore command discipline, may engage responsibility at the highest levels of leadership.   The Commission called on regional and international partners to urgently re-engage to preserve the peace agreement and press South Sudan’s leaders to return to the political path they committed to, warning that failure to do so risks an all-out ethnic conflict and another preventable tragedy.   “This crisis is not inevitable,” Sooka said. “Leadership, restraint and accountability can still avert catastrophe. But deliberate incitement and the abuse of command authority will have consequences, and the window to act is closing fast.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/south-sudan-un-commission-warns-incitement-and-command-failures-risk-mass http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/archives/detail/south-sudan-conflict-and-displacement-in-jonglei http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166865 http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166831 http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-suspends-activities-baliet-county-and-urgently-calls-protection-humanitarian-space-south http://www.savethechildren.net/news/south-sudan-save-children-office-and-healthcare-centre-destroyed-and-looted-violence-escalates http://www.globaldispatches.org/p/civil-war-has-returned-to-south-sudan http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79rjjr481zo   30 Jan. 2026   WFP calls for safe humanitarian access as conflict escalates in South Sudan's Jonglei State   The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is today calling on all parties to the conflict to urgently halt military operations, de-escalate the situation, and allow safe humanitarian access to deliver life-saving food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan’s Jonglei State.   The risk of escalating conflict in Jonglei means many of the two million people living there will be forced to flee in search of safety and food. Nearly 60 percent of the population is already expected to face crisis levels of hunger during the upcoming lean season – when hunger is at its worst.   “This military escalation could not have come at a worse time,” said Adham Effendi, WFP’s acting Country Director in South Sudan. “Our window to reach the most vulnerable is quickly closing. The time to act is now and we urge all parties to protect civilians, aid workers and allow the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance.   Beginning in February, pre-positioning life-saving food assistance and relief supplies closer to hunger hotspots is crucial before the lean season – which spans from April to July - when heavy rains also cut off key overland routes to reach vulnerable women, men, and children..   http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-safe-humanitarian-access-conflict-escalates-south-sudans-jonglei-state http://www.msf.org/south-sudan-government-blocks-opposition-held-areas-humanitarian-access http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/lives-malnourished-children-risk-upsurge-violence-south-sudan http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/violence-no-child-can-outrun-south-sudans-escalating-crisis http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-139/en/ Visit the related web page
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