rights

UN-backed treaty on forced disappearance of persons drafted in Geneva

26 September 2005
The disappearance of people – after arrest, detention, or abduction with the acquiescence of a government – is the target of a new international convention for which a draft has just been completed, the United Nations group on the issue said in a statement released in Geneva.

Human rights situation in Iraq of serious concern, UN reports

8 September 2005
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today voiced serious concern over the human rights situation in the war-torn country, including allegations of extra-judicial executions, consistent reports of excessive use of force and mass detentions of people without warrants, and the displacement of populations in security operations.

After visiting Somalia, UN envoy condemns attacks on human rights defenders, media

1 September 2005
The United Nations expert on human rights in Somalia today welcomed the rise of civil society in promoting and protecting human rights in the Horn of Africa country and called on political, business and religious leaders to make sure that attacks on human rights defenders and the media stop.