Women forcibly returned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are subjected to torture, ill treatment, sexual abuse, and other violations, according to a report published on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights office.
Families of the more than 130,000 people believed to be detained and forcibly disappeared in Syria, are deeply frustrated by the Security Council’s failure to unite and make progress on the issue, the 15-member organ was told on Thursday.
UN agency chiefs on Wednesday highlighted the heightened vulnerability to COVID-19 of detainees, and others in confinement, urging Governments to take “all appropriate public health measures” to keep them safe from the deadly disease.
A recap of Monday’s stories in brief: UN chief spotlights multilateralism at peace forum; Bolivian authorities must uphold safety of citizens; new programme to feed Kenya’s children; experts concerned for detained in Syria and Iraq; UN forest management project fights climate crisis; and, from Warhol to the Wiggles – the role of art in keeping you healthy.
Hopes for a possible end to the war in Yemen grew slightly on Monday, following the news that nearly 300 detainees have been released as a gesture of goodwill by Houthi forces, pitted against the Government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Libyan government urged to find alternatives to “horrific” detention centres
The Libyan government needs to establish alternatives to detention centres in the country, where human rights abuses of migrants and others have become “endemic”.