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UN council discussed human rights in Yemen, Iraq, S.Sudan

GENEVA, Oct 1 (KUNA) -- The 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday updated the current situation of the Human rights in some countries such as Yemen, Iraq, South Sudan, and Nigeria in relation to the activists of Boko Haram.
Speaking on Yemen, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Flavia Pansieri said that "the human rights situation seriously deteriorated when violence erupted in September 2014, after armed groups affiliated with the Houthis forcibly ousted the sitting government and seized control of large parts of the country, including institutions".
"The known violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties that have been documented by office of the UN high commission of Human rights OHCHR," she said "These are just the tip of the iceberg - because of the dire security situation and the ensuing evacuation of our international staff in Yemen, our office there has been unable to verify the vast majority of allegations of violations and abuses that it has received", she added.
"In that regard, it is encouraging that a national commission of investigation into possible violations of international law has been established and we urge it, and other competent authorities, to ensure prompt, thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigations on the ground into all credible allegations of serious violations and abuses by all parties, she said.
According to the UN, an estimated 21 million Yemenis - 80 percent of the population - now require humanitarian assistance, amid warnings that the country may be struck by famine.
In the Iraqi Case, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said that the recent data coming from Iraq shows the need to protect civilians, community reconciliation, and the need to strengthen the administration of justice, including by improving respect for due process and fair trial standards through legal and institutional reforms.
"Ensuring accountability for crimes and violations and providing justice to the victims is a pre-requisite to restoring trust between communities. Members of groups that have been targeted and displaced should be able to return home in safety and dignity, and be afforded the restoration of basic services," he added.
"In August, thousands of people protested in Iraq against corruption, social inequality, and the lack of accountability for officials. I have been encouraged by the government's response to these protests. It is my hope that future reforms are undertaken in an inclusive, transparent, and consultative manner - with human rights at their core", he added. In the same context, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said that "South Sudan continues to witness an extremely volatile and tense security situation with consequent human rights violations and abuses". "The UN continues to receive reports of gross human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population, reportedly committed largely by SPLA, and often in conjunction with armed militia groups," he added.
"Witness reports indicate that widespread killing, conflict-related sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers, the burning of homes, looting and livestock raids had continued," he explained.
According to the UN, at the end of August, there were more than 1.6 million internally displaced persons in the country, and over 600,000 refugees had fled to neighboring countries.
In referring to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria, Simonovic assured that reporting about these violations is a major challenge for the UN, in particular in view of the short timeframe and difficulties in accessing remote and insecure areas where many human rights violations have allegedly taken place.
"Nonetheless, OHCHR human rights officers deployed to Cameroun, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, where they received information from witnesses and victims on allegations of human rights abuses and violations under international humanitarian law committed by Boko Haram including killings, the use of children in hostilities, rape, torture and ill-treatment. Some of these acts, given their nature and scale, if confirmed by a court of law, could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," he explained.
"The increasing humanitarian impact of the insurgency has triggered the displacement of some 2.3 million people including 1.4 million children in the Lake Chad region due to Boko Haram attacks, which have intensified in the past few weeks," he added. (end) ta.gta