The UN voiced outrage Friday at the demand from Gulf countries that Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera shut down, describing it as “an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion.” The closure of the broadcaster is one of 13 wide-ranging demands placed on Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as the price … Read more
The UN voiced alarm Friday at rising threats against civilians in Mosul suspected of ties to the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces battle to retake the city from the jihadists. Iraqi forces are continuing their offensive into the last areas of the city seized in 2014 by IS, which imposed brutal rule on the … Read more
The United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday accused the Islamic State group of murdering 163 civilians to prevent them from fleeing Iraq’s western Mosul last week. “The brutality of Daesh and other terrorist groups seemingly knows no bounds,” said Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, using an Arabic acronym for IS. “Yesterday, my staff reported to … Read more
The UN on Friday urged all nations bombing jihadist targets in Syria to better distinguish between civilian and military targets, following reports that US-led coalition strikes killed dozens of non-combatants. Air raids on Islamic State group targets in Syria have left hundreds of civilians dead since 2014. The latest strikes that hit a series of … Read more
Over 300 civilians have been killed since last month in an offensive against the Islamic State group in western Mosul, the UN said Tuesday, adding the toll could exceed 400 if fresh killings are verified. “According to information verified by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, at least 307 … Read more
The United Nations’ top human-rights official has accused South Sudanese government troops and rebels of ethnically targeted atrocities, including extrajudicial executions and rapes, during renewed fighting over the last month. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Thursday that preliminary findings showed that the majority of crimes were carried … Read more