This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Death sentence for Ukraine foreign fighters is a war crime: UN rights office

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday condemned the death sentence handed down to three foreign fighters in Ukraine by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

In Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that “such trials against prisoners of war amount to a war crime”.

The three men - Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim – were captured while fighting for Ukraine, reportedly defending the southern port city of Mariupol.

Bitter fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces since the Russian invasion on 24 February flattened the city, where UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has previously condemned attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, that have likely caused thousands of deaths.

Here’s Ravina Shamdasani now:

“We are concerned - the UN Human Rights Office - is concerned about the so-called Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic sentencing three servicemen to death…According to the chief command of Ukraine, all the men were part of the Ukrainian armed forces and if that is the case, they should not be considered as mercenaries.”

Mediterranean Sea journeys for migrants have grown more deadly: UNHCR

Migrants who risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe on flimsy boats are at greater risk of now of dying than they have been for years, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.

 Latest data from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, shows that there were 3,231 dead or missing at sea last year, a sharp rise from 2020.

Last year’s shipwreck death toll is on a par with 2014, even though almost twice as many people crossed the sea to Europe eight years ago.

The situation is a “widespread, longstanding and largely overlooked tragedy”, said UNHCR.

The UN agency noted that although some of those crossing the Mediterranean want a better life and more income, many are fleeing conflict, violence or persecution.

The most common countries of origin for people moving along Mediterranean routes include those affected by years of conflict and displacement, particularly in the East and Horn of Africa regions.

Here’s UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo:

“In addition to the rising death toll at sea, UNHCR remains concerned that deaths and abuses are also widespread along land routes, most commonly in and through the countries of origin and transit, including Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Libya - where the overwhelming majority of risks and incidents are reported.”

New 130km/hr speed limit for self-driving cars set to come into force

Finally, self-driving cars may still be a rare sight on our roads – but countries are preparing for the future, with moves to increase their current speed limit from 60 to 130 kilometres per hour.

The development, which is being driven forward by governments with the help of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE, will allow for extended automated driving “in certain traffic environments”.

Although the UNECE region doesn’t have global coverage, its Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) that developed the proposal, brings together contributions from major car markets and countries including Canada, China, the European Union, Japan and the United States.

If the 130 kilometre per hour proposal is approved later this month, by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, automated vehicles will be allowed to cruise up to that maximum speed on motorways from next January, in those countries that approve the move.

The self-drive vehicles will also be allowed to make lane changes without any help from us humans, although the measure does not apply to roads used by pedestrians and cyclists, in line with the safety measures that guide UNECE’s regulations on automated vehicles.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.