Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights: Liz Throssell
Location:
Geneva
Subject: (1)
Syria
(2) Sudan
(1) Syria
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al
Hussein has warned of a catastrophe in Daraa Governorate amid the escalating
violence.
In a press release issued today, he called on all sides to abide by
their obligations under international law and avoid a repetition of the
bloodshed and suffering seen earlier this year in Eastern Ghouta.
Thousands are
already reported to have fled their homes but there is also the grave risk that
the intensified fighting will see many civilians trapped, caught between Syrian
Government forces and their allies on the one hand and armed opposition groups
and ISIL on the other.
“In Syria, civilians continue to be used as pawns by the
various parties.
I remind all parties to the conflict that international law
requires that they do their utmost to protect civilians, and call upon them to
provide safe passage to those wishing to flee, while those wishing to stay must
be protected at all times,” the High Commissioner said.
“I have spoken of the cruel irony of Eastern Ghouta being
a de-escalation zone, and how the conduct of this war has been utterly shameful
from the outset and a stain on us all. Now another supposed ‘de-escalation’
zone risks becoming the scene of large-scale civilian casualties. This madness
must end.”
The full press release is available here:
In Arabic: https://www.ohchr.org/AR/Pages/Home.aspx
(2) Sudan
We welcome the decision on Tuesday by the Court of Appeal
in Khartoum to quash Noura Hussein’s death sentence. Hussein had been sentenced
to death last month for fatally stabbing the man she had been forced to marry,
who had subsequently allegedly raped her.
While we do not have full details of
the decision at this stage, we understand that the death sentence has been
replaced by a five-year prison term.
In our appeal to the authorities last month, we urged
them also to take this opportunity to send a clear message that gender-based
violence will not be tolerated in the country, and to criminalise marital rape.
We stand ready to work with the Government of Sudan on bringing its laws in
line with human rights standards. We will continue to follow up with Sudanese
authorities on this.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org or Liz Throssell - +
41 22 917 9466 / ethrossell@ohchr.org or Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 /
rshamdasani@ohchr.org
2018 is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948.
The Universal
Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the
principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day.
In honour of the
70thanniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent
its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to
Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook:
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