U.N. expert points to systematic Russian torture of Ukrainians
At the end of a weeklong visit, the U.N. investigator's findings of an orchestrated state policy contradict Moscow’s denials.
Human Rights
The United Nations says human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. International human rights law sets out the obligations of governments to promote and protect human rights.
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Top U.N. panel hears evidence of North Korea human rights abuses
The U.S., Albania, Japan, and South Korea led a U.N. Security Council session that shone a spotlight on starvation and repression under Kim Jong Un's regime.
U.N. expert panel calls on Ethiopia to de-escalate tensions in Amhara
Panel members said they were deeply concerned about the deteriorating security in the northwest region of Ethiopia.
Concerns rise over Uganda's ouster of U.N. human rights office
Little more than a week ago, the U.N. Human Rights Committee warned of serious abuses in the nation.
Just 1-in-5 countries keeping up with U.N. human rights reporting duties
The treaty body that gets the worst cooperation is the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
New U.N. estimate shows the Syrian civil war's deadly toll on civilians
More than half of the deaths were never documented due to the difficulty of collecting reliable data on death tolls in conflict zones, made still harder by the brutality of Syria's war.
U.N. panel on racism and law enforcement ends first U.S. tour
Panel members said they heard countless painful stories from victims and their families but also learned of some promising initiatives against racial discrimination.
Faking content is getting easier. Digging for truth is getting harder.
There's a growing industry and more tools for producing and distributing disinformation. Meanwhile, authorities are getting more aggressive and hostile toward journalists.
Human rights and aid concerns spike as waves of Sudanese flee
Most of Khartoum, Darfur and North Kordofan are too dangerous to operate in, the U.N. refugee agency said.
U.N. vote opposes Taliban constraints against females
A U.N. Security Council resolution calls on Afghanistan's de factor rulers to quickly restore the rights of women and girls to 'full, equal, meaningful and safe' participation in society.
Wanted on war crimes charges, Russian official appears before U.N.
Diplomats from other nations objected to the Russian-led U.N. Security Council session as an exercise in disinformation and cynical misuse of its mandate to maintain peace and security.
World marks horrific slave trade history to guard against more abuses
The commemoration is not meant to be a look solely into the past; the idea is to preserve and teach an ugly chapter of history that might help ward off humanity’s worst impulses.
Prisoner executions, other abuses found on both sides in Ukraine war
The U.N. human rights office cited summary executions, use of soldiers as human shields, torture and other inhumane treatment carried out by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Pushed to the brink: War, disaster, lost rights challenge kids worldwide
From the killing fields of Ukraine to the earthquakes of Turkey and Syria, children struggle in an often indifferent world.
U.N. raises concerns about human rights records in over 40 nations
The U.N. human rights chief says that a quarter of all of humanity lives today in places that are affected by conflict, and unfortunately "it is civilians who suffer the most."
Lost childhoods: Ukraine's most innocent victims in Putin's war
The global demands for peace grow as humanitarian aid workers emphasize the war's devastating effect on children.