UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

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Tamil members of Sri Lanka's parliament hold placards during a demonstration outside the President’s office in Colombo on February 24, 2022, to protest against the acquisition of their land in northern and eastern regions under the guise of protecting archeological sites. They hold signs in a variety of languages. One reads, “Stop the land grab! of Tamils under the guise of Mahaweli”

Sri Lanka’s Real Reckoning is Yet to Come

Accountability for atrocities against Tamils and curbing Sinhala Buddhist nationalism are key to the island’s stability and prosperity.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (L) delivers a speech during an urgent debate on the Ukraine conflict at the UN Human Right Council in Geneva on March 3, 2022.

Toward a Better Accounting of the Human Toll in Putin’s War of Aggression

With the war entering its fourth month, the United Nations and others should address the killing of Ukrainian soldiers as well as Russian conscripts who Putin has effectively sent…
People march during a Stop Asian Hate rally in downtown Detroit, Michigan on March 27,2021, as part of a nation wide protest in solidarity against hate crimes directed towards Asian Americans in the wake of the Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings that left eight dead. They carry signs reading, “All of us vs. racism #StopAsianHate” and “Stop AAPI Hate.”

Combating Anti-Asian Violence through UN Human Rights Mechanisms

The prospect of complaints against States parties should spur more effective responses to anti-Asian attacks and other structural racial discrimination.
WEST BANK - APRIL 21, 2003: View of the concrete separation wall between the Palestinian city of Tol Karem and Israel, April 21, 2003. (Photo by Shaul Schwarz/ Getty Images)

Preliminary but Necessary: The Question of the Applicability of the Notion of Apartheid to Occupied Territory

Does the prohibition of apartheid apply to occupied territory? Marco Longobardo analyzes how laws of war, human rights, occupation, and against racial discrimination intersect.…
A general view of participants at the 16th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Failure to Renew Yemen Investigative Mechanism Shows Costs of US Absence from Human Rights Council

The US has regained a seat on the HRC - but its recent absence has weakened the human rights landscape overall.
A bare light bulb in a recessed fixture in a ceiling shines down onto an empty room, illuminating a stained back wall with a circle of light, all in black-and-white and grayscale.

Series: Launching the `Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering’ (Méndez Principles)

This series traces the origins of the "Méndez Principles" and makes the scientific, legal, and ethical case for replacing coercive interrogation with rapport-based methods.
Police fire water cannons at demonstrators. A cannon hits a demonstrator flinging them through the air. The air is orange and hazy.

Duque’s War in Colombia: High Stakes For UN, OAS, and Biden Administration as Human Rights Crisis Spins Out of Control

Amid widespread protests, continued US support for Duque will further erode implementation of the peace accords and spur deeper conflict.
Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.
A Judge holds golden scales of justice with Sri Lanka waving flag background.

Sri Lanka’s Evasion of Accountability Tests the Limits of the International Human Rights System

Twelve years of failed justice must trigger an honest debate on the ability of these mechanisms to prevent violations and deal with historical atrocities.
Sri Lankan Army Major General Jagath Dias points to a map where security forces are located during a presentation for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse at the city of Kilinochchi on April 16, 2009.

Universal Jurisdiction — the Most Difficult Path to Achieve Justice for Sri Lanka

The record shows that, if this is the only feasible route to accountability for now, countries will require additional support at the UN level to achieve accountability.
Families of victims and rights activists demonstrate outside Sri Lanka's main prison, demanding justice for the 27 inmates shot dead by security forces in 2012, in Colombo on September 12, 2017.

Emblematic Cases Expose the Long Road to Justice in Sri Lanka

For more than a decade, in one atrocity case after another, justice is delayed, denied, or even reversed, as the government pursues impunity.
A Sri Lankan demonstrator holds a portrait of a missing relative during a protest outside the United Nations office in Colombo on March 13, 2013.

Tamils – and Justice – Can’t Wait: The Need for Decisive UN Action on Sri Lanka

The credibility of the Human Rights Council and the UN system, given its “grave failure” in the past, depends on accountability for Sri Lanka’s atrocities.
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