Tag: europe

As Destructive as 83 Hiroshima Bombs — Global Issues

War damage in Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine
  • by Baher Kamal (madrid)
  • Inter Press Service

MADRID, Jan 20 (IPS) – As if the 100 billion dollars that the United States has so far provided to Ukraine in both weapons and aid were not enough, the US has now started to install in Europe its brand new, more destructive nuclear warheads.

The US 100 billion dollars are to be added to all the weapons and aid that 40 Washington’s ‘allies’ –Europe in particular– have been sending to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

The US spending on the Ukrainian war in less than a year amounts to the desperately needed funding that the United Nations require to partially alleviate some of the horrifying suffering of over one billion human beings over two long years.

In a further escalation, the United States began in December 2022 to ship new nuclear warheads to Europe: “the B61-12 warhead is a more advanced warhead from the ones currently deployed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey,” according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

Boeing designed the bomb’s new guided-tail kit, giving it additional manoeuvrability and the appearance of more precision.But, it’s a nuclear weapon, and has different yields, from 0.3kt to 50kt, ICAN reports.

Much more destructive

“These bombs can detonate beneath the Earth’s surface, increasing their destructiveness against underground targets to the equivalent of a surface-burst weapon with a yield of 1,250 kilotons––the equivalent of 83 Hiroshima bombs.”

Even if the bombs are American and the US retains launch authority, they would most likely be dropped by Europeans. If the US decides to use its nuclear weapons located in Germany, the warheads are loaded onto German planes and a German pilot drops them, ICAN further explains.

This Geneva-based coalition of 652 non-governmental partner organisations in 107 countries, promoting adherence to and implementation of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

The ‘brutal struggle for power’

The production, testing, and use of nukes is one of the reasons why the biggest powers are now pushing the world into the abyss of lawlessness. In fact, the UN chief has once more sounded the alarm bell.

“From illegally developing nuclear weapons to non-sanctioned use of force, States continue to flout international law with impunity”, said the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.

The rule of law stands between peace and ‘brutal struggle for power,’ he warned in his 12 January message to the UN Security Council – where five countries: US, Russia, China, UK and France– hold a self attributed authority to override the well of over 190 states, members of the UN.

‘Grave risk’ of lawlessness

The UN chief painted a grim picture of civilians around the world suffering from devastating conflicts, rising poverty, and surging hunger, warning that “we are at grave risk of the Rule of Lawlessness”.

The rule of law “protects the vulnerable; prevents discrimination; bolsters trust in institutions; supports inclusive economies and societies; and is the first line of defence against atrocity crimes.”

Guterres cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; unlawful killings of both Palestinians and Israelis; gender-based apartheid in Afghanistan; the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful nuclear weapons programme; violence and severe human rights violations in Myanmar; and a deep institutional crisis in Haiti.

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile, the world is falling apart, witnessing an “ongoing collision of crises for which traditional response and recovery are not enough,” warns the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

“Our future is at stake, as wars, epidemics, the climate emergency and economic upheaval leave almost no country untouched.

From the war in Ukraine that sparked a global cost of living crisis to the climate emergency, the floods in Pakistan, the global pandemic, hunger in the Horn of Africa, to the crisis in Yemen — we face never before seen challenges to our future, adds UNDP.

Developing economies accounting for more than half of the world’s poorest people need urgent debt relief as a result of “cascading global crises. Without action, poverty will spiral and desperately needed investments in climate adaptation and mitigation will not happen.”

Also meanwhile, millions of children under armed conflicts

The UN Children Fund (UNICEF) reports that more than 400 million children live in areas under conflict; an estimated 1 billion children – nearly half the world’s children – live in countries at extreme vulnerability to the impacts of climate change…

… And at least 36.5 million children have been displaced from their homes; and 8 million children under age 5 across 15 crisis-hit countries are at risk of death from severe wasting.

Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time since the Second World War. Across the globe, “children are facing a historic confluence of crises – from conflict and displacement to infectious disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition.”

UNICEF has appealed for 10.3 billion US dollars to reach more than 110 million children with humanitarian assistance across 155 countries and territories.

© Inter Press Service (2023) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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UN aid reaches Soledar as IAEA boosts safety measures at nuclear sites — Global Issues

Jens Laerke from UN aid coordinating office, OCHA, said that three trucks had been granted access to the heavily disputed city in the Donbas region, which has been an intense battleground, as Russian forces seek to advance on the strategically important town of Bakhmut.

He told journalists at Friday’s briefing in Geneva that the convoy consisted of food, water, hygiene kits, medicines and other medical supplies, provided by UN agencies.

“It is intended for 800 people who remain in this area”, he said, “which has seen its fair share of hostilities and of widespread destruction. So, people are in dire need of aid there, so we are happy that this convoy has indeed reached (it’s destination).”

More convoys are expected in the days ahead and OCHA Spokesperson Laerke said that the UN and its partners are striving to increase inter-agency relief operations to areas close to the frontlines in Ukraine, where needs are acute.

IAEA ‘expanding and intensifying’ nuclear safety efforts

On another key front and a source of international concern over the battle for Ukraine, the head of UN-backed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, briefed President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday, on the agency’s “expanding and intensifying activities…to help Ukraine ensure nuclear safety and security at its nuclear facilities”.

He told the Ukrainian leader that several permanent IAEA expert missions had been established across the country this week, according to a press release issued on Friday.

They also continued discussion to set up a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest, which has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, triggering deepening nuclear safety and security concerns.

Mr. Grossi stressed that the zone was essential for preventing a severe nuclear accident and said he would press ahead with his efforts to make it happen.

“Everybody agrees that the plant – located on the frontline in an active combat area – needs to be protected, but these are very complex negotiations. I will not stop until the much-needed zone is a reality. I will continue my intensive consultations with both Ukraine and the Russian Federation in the coming days and weeks,” he said.

‘Daily dangers’ at Zaporizhzhya

“This major nuclear power plant continues to face daily dangers. Our team there continues to hear explosions close to the site, including two on Thursday,” he added.

“Across Ukraine – from north to south – this week has seen a major expansion in the IAEA’s on-the-ground support for the country’s efforts to prevent a severe nuclear accident during the war. At Ukraine’s request, the IAEA flag is now flying at these important nuclear facilities.

“For the first time, we will have our top experts permanently present at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as well as the Chornobyl site. Their vital work will help reduce the very real nuclear dangers the country is facing,” Director General Grossi said.

In the next few days, an IAEA expert team will also be stationed at the Khmelnitsky plant, west of the capital Kyiv.

IAEA, ‘here to stay’

With IAEA teams permanently present at all of Ukraine’s NPPs and the Chornobyl site, the Agency will have at least 11 nuclear safety and security experts simultaneously in the country, an unprecedented undertaking by the organization.

“We are determined to do everything in our power to reduce the risk of a nuclear catastrophe during this tragic war”, said the IAEA chief. “This week was an important step forward in our efforts in this regard. But the work is far from over. The IAEA is here to stay, for as long as we are needed”.

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The Journalist Stranded in Europe’s "Guantᮡmo" — Global Issues

Pablo González during a previous trip to Ukraine. Credit: Juan Teixeira/IPS
  • by Karlos Zurutuza (nabarniz, spain)
  • Inter Press Service

NABARNIZ, Spain, Jan 19 (IPS) – It’s 23 hours a day in a cell without natural light and just one to walk around in a 7×4-metre courtyard. For Pablo González, an independent Spanish-Russian journalist, it’s been almost a year spent in solitary confinement in Poland.

González was arrested on the night of February 27th in Przemysl, a Polish city bordering Ukraine. A journalist specializing in the post-Soviet space, the reporter had worked in Ukraine several times and he was planning to cross the border to cover the Russian invasion of the country launched a few days before.

Three days after his arrest, the Polish government released a statement that the Internal Security Agency (ABW) had arrested González “on suspicion of having carried out operations for the benefit of Russia, taking advantage of his status as a journalist.”

“They said they had ‘irrefutable proof’ that he is a spy, but no one has yet seen it. The secrecy around it is overwhelming,” Oihana Goiriena, González’s partner, told IPS from her residence in Nabarniz, in Spain’s Basque Country.

Following the latest three-month extension granted by the court handling the case, Polish authorities still have not made public the evidence they claim to have against the journalist. His lawyers in Poland are not allowed to speak publicly about the case, there is no date for the trial and not even a formal accusation against González.

“He has lost a lot of weight, but the worst thing for him is being in solitary confinement, not being able to talk to anyone all day,” explains 47-year-old Goiriena. She was able to visit him on November 21 of last year. A Polish security agent supervised the reunion, for which Goiriena travelled to Poland.

González is prevented from making telephone calls and has to rely on letters to communicate with the outside world. The letters need to be translated and filtered by Polish security first, however, and replies can take four months. “Two for the letters to reach him and another two to receive his,” says Goiriena. As for her three children, “they have not seen their father in all this time.”

Goiriena describes the Spanish Government’s response to the case as “tepid.”

“So far we have only had contact with the Spanish consul in Warsaw, no one else has reassured us or shared any hints,” she says.

The reason González has been dragged to the Polish cell remains vague, she says. Goiriena believes her partner’s two passports, Russian and Spanish, set off alarm bells in Warsaw.

The son of a Russian and the grandson of an exile from the Spanish Civil War, Pablo González was born in Moscow in 1982 as Pavel Rubtsov. When his parents split eight years later, the child was left in the custody of his mother -the granddaughter of another Spanish exile- who returned to Spain and registered her school-age son as Pablo, the Spanish translation of Pavel, and under her last name, González.

Alternatively, Goiriena says her partner’s reporting might have also caught Polish officials’ attention. “Pablo had previously worked a lot in Poland, covering stories such as the anti-government protests, the threats faced by the LGTBI community or the migratory crisis on the Belarusian border, where people were left to die in the cold in the “no man’s” land between both countries,” she says..

“He is an ‘uncomfortable’ journalist,” for Polish officials, she says. “I think they went too far and now they don’t know how to get out of this.”

Pablo González - The reporter during the siege of Nagorno Karabakh, in 2020 (Courtesy González family)
The reporter during the siege of Nagorno Karabakh, in 2020 (Courtesy González family)

Administrative silence

A Polish lawyer was hired in April 2022, and Goiriena sought advice from a criminal justice panel in the country last October. González’s primary lawyer since he was arrested, though, has been Gonzalo Boye.

A Chilean based in Spain for over three decades, Boye is an expert in European International Law who has been involved in several high-profile cases including the March 11, 2004 jihadist bombing of Madrid’s Atocha train station, and Edward Snowden´s whistleblower case, among others.

Speaking to IPS by phone from Madrid, he said González’s arrest is “unprecedented” within the European Union. “It is an unsustainable case, one of those in which someone is arrested and later investigated.” Boye has not yet been allowed to visit his client.

“Neither Brussels nor Madrid have lifted a finger, their only answer so far has been silence,” says Boye. Claiming institutional indifference to what he describes as “a kind of Guantánamo within the European Union,” he has already forwarded a protection request to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions.

“Europe has sided squarely with Ukraine, and Poland is key in the conflict. Pablo González is just another victim of that war,” argues Boye, in an attempt to find a logic to González´s arrest in Poland.

Alongside a platform that struggles to make the case visible, several personalities and professionals in communication and law have requested Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain for greater involvement in its resolution.

In a reply to repeated efforts at contact from IPS, Spain’s Ministry of External Affairs stated by email that Spain’s embassy in Warsaw “is up to date on the case and following it closely.”

The statement says González has been offered an opportunity for consular assistance, and received seven visits, with “the next expected soon.”

“At all times, the need to respect their rights has been stressed to Polish authorities. In addition, efforts have been made at different levels in relation to his case, conveying the same message,” the ministry said, in its statement.

The Damages

The war in Ukraine has turned Poland into a main hub for supplies of all sorts in Ukraine – from basic food items to hit-tech weaponry -, as well as the main exit point for millions of refugees fleeing the war. It is the focal country in a conflict whose consequences are felt globally.

Poland’s role in the conflict, however, has not prevented the progressive deterioration of its democracy.

In its 2022 report, the US NGO Freedom House claimed that Poland had the fastest decline in democracy among the 29 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia monitored by the organization.

“I don’t recall a case similar to that of Pablo González in the European Union,” Alfonso Bauluz, the president of Reporters Without Borders in Spain told IPS over the phone from Madrid.

While he pointed to the “complicated scenario” posed by the war in Ukraine, he also highlighted that Poland is “one of those EU countries that have toughened measures against plurality of information.”

“For Poland, it´s already been eight years of consecutive decline in the World’s Press Freedom Index we release at RSF,” stresses Bauluz. The eastern European country ranks 66th (just behind Cyprus, Mauritius and Montenegro) on a list of 180 countries.

On January 10, RSF Spain called again for the “end of the prison cruelty inflicted on Pablo González,” that his presumption of innocence be respected and that “all the guarantees for a fair trial” are met.

“All I want is a trial as soon as possible, either public or private, but as soon as possible,” says Oihana Goiriena. Although the journalist’s partner is confident that his innocence will finally be proven and he will be released, she also stresses that the damage has already been done:

“In a few weeks, he will have served a year in prison. In addition, paying lawyers and costs has put us in debt for a long time, not to mention the professional damage it entails for a journalist specializing in the post-Soviet space”.

© Inter Press Service (2023) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service



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UK ‘immunity’ legislation could hamper victims’ rights, warns Türk — Global Issues

The High Commissioner for Human Rights acknowledged on Thursday that addressing the violent legacy of intercommunal relations in Northern Ireland from the 1960s to the 1990s was “hugely complex and sensitive”.

‘Conditional immunity’

But he warned against plans to give conditional immunity from investigation and prosecution to those accused of serious human rights violations and other international crimes, other than sexual offences.

Such an amendment to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill would be incompatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations, which calls for accountability, Mr. Türk explained.

There are also concerns about whether the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, which the Bill would establish, would be able to work independently and undertake human rights-compliant reviews and investigations.

Justice essential

In an appeal for the rights of victims, survivors and their families to be respected, the High Commissioner (OHCHR) insisted that their search for justice and reparations were “essential for reconciliation”.

The draft Bill risked obstructing these rights, he said, also noting that the text had only been made public one week before it was due to be examined in the Upper House of Parliament, the House of Lords.

“This gives the public and relevant stakeholders, including victims and survivors, insufficient time to scrutinize the amendments and participate meaningfully in this hugely significant legislative process,” the High Commissioner said.

Obstruction risk

“Concerns remain that the Bill would obstruct the rights of victims, survivors and their families to effective judicial remedy and reparations, including by prohibiting most criminal prosecutions and civil actions for Troubles-related offences,” he added.

The Bill is set for further review at the House of Lords committee stage on 24 and 31 January. 

The OHCHR chief urged the UK to “reconsider its approach and engage in further meaningful and inclusive consultations on how best to advance a human rights-centred way to address the legacy of the Troubles”.

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Ukraine Crisis and No First Use of Nuclear Weapons — Global Issues

  • Opinion by Daisaku Ikeda (tokyo, japan)
  • Inter Press Service

TOKYO, Japan, Jan 18 (IPS) – The Ukraine crisis that erupted in February last year continues with no prospect for cessation. The intensified hostilities have inflicted great suffering in population centers and destroyed infrastructure facilities, compelling large numbers of civilians, including many children and women, to live in a state of constant peril.

The history of the twentieth century, which witnessed the horrors caused by two global conflicts, should have brought home the lesson that nothing is more cruel or miserable than war.

During World War II, when I was in my teens, I experienced the firebombing of Tokyo. To this day, I remember with great vividness getting separated from family members as we fled desperately through a sea of flames, and not learning that they were safe until the following day.

How many people have lost their lives or livelihoods in the ongoing crisis, how many have found their own and their family’s ways of life suddenly and irrevocably altered?

Many other countries have also been seriously impacted in the form of constrained food supplies, spiking energy prices and disrupted financial markets.

It is crucial that we find a breakthrough in order to prevent any further worsening of the conditions facing people worldwide, to say nothing of the Ukrainian people who are compelled to live with inadequate and uncertain supplies of electricity amidst a deepening winter and intensifying military conflict.

I therefore call for the urgent holding of a meeting, under UN auspices, among the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine and other key countries in order to reach agreement on a cessation of hostilities. I also urge that earnest discussions be undertaken toward a summit that would bring together the heads of all concerned states in order to find a path to the restoration of peace.

Together with calling for the earliest possible resolution to the Ukraine crisis, I wish to stress the crucial importance of implementing measures to prevent the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, both in the current crisis and all future conflicts.

Nuclear rhetoric has ratcheted up, and the risk that these weapons might actually be used stands today at its highest level since the end of the Cold War. Even if no party seeks nuclear war, the reality is that, with nuclear arsenals in a continuing state of high alert, there is a considerably heightened risk of unintentional nuclear weapon use as a result of data error, unforeseen accident or confusion provoked by a cyberattack.

Along with reducing tensions with the goal of resolving the Ukraine crisis, I feel it is of paramount importance that the nuclear-weapon states initiate action to reduce nuclear risks as a means of ensuring that situations do not arise—either now or in the future—in which the possibility of nuclear weapons use looms. It was with this in mind that in July last year I issued a statement to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in which I urged the five nuclear-weapon states to make prompt and unambiguous pledges that they would never be the first to launch a nuclear strike—the principle of “No First Use.”

Regrettably, the August NPT Review Conference was unable to reach consensus on a final document. But this in no way means that the nuclear disarmament obligations set out in Article VI of the treaty no longer pertain. As the various drafts of the final document indicate, there was widespread support for nuclear risk reduction measures such as the adoption of No First Use policies and extending negative security assurances, by which nuclear-weapon states pledge never to use nuclear weapons against states that do not possess them.

The pledge of No First Use is a measure that nuclear-weapon states can take even while maintaining for the present their current nuclear arsenals; nor does it mean that the threat of the some 13,000 nuclear warheads existing in the world today would quickly dissipate. However, what I would like to stress is that should this policy take root among nuclear-armed states, it will create an opening for removing the climate of mutual fear. This, in turn, can enable the world to change course—away from nuclear buildup premised on deterrence and toward nuclear disarmament to avert catastrophe.

Looking back, the global state of affairs during the Cold War era was characterized by a series of seemingly insoluble crises that rattled the world, spreading shockwaves of insecurity and dread. And yet humankind managed to find exit strategies and pull through.

One example of this is the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) held between the United States and the Soviet Union. Intention to hold these was announced on the day of the 1968 signing ceremony for the NPT, which had been negotiated in response to the bitter lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The SALT negotiations were the first steps taken by the US and the USSR to put the brakes on the nuclear arms race based on their nuclear disarmament obligations under Article VI of the NPT.

For those involved in these talks, to impose constraints on the nuclear policies that had been developed as the exclusive prerogative of the state could not have been easy. Nonetheless, this was a decision indispensable to the survival not only of the citizens of their respective nations, but of all humankind.

Having experienced first-hand the terror of teetering on the brink of nuclear war, the people of that time brought forth historic powers of imagination and creativity. Now is the time for all countries and peoples to come together to once again unleash those creative powers and bring into being a new chapter in human history.

The author is Peace builder and Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda, who is President of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). https://www.daisakuikeda.org/ Read full statement here full statement

IPS UN Bureau


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© Inter Press Service (2023) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service



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UN aims to boost aid to frontline areas of Ukraine; Black Sea grain exports near 18 million tonnes — Global Issues

The UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, said in a press release that a seven-truck convoy had reached Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region – just five kilometres from the Russian border.

“This community has been heavily impacted by months of hostilities and the 4,500 people who remain there depend on humanitarian aid to meet their needs.”

The convoy supplied hygiene kits, blankets, solar lamps, sleeping bags and emergency shelter kits to more than 1,000 families, provided by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF.

The World Food Programme, WFP, also took part in the convoy and carried out a rapid assessment of markets in the area. 

UN-brokered grain initiative continues apace

The UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative signed last July along with a Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at suppling markets with food and fertilizer amid global shortages and rising prices exacerbated by the Ukraine war, has now allowed 17.8 million tonnes to reach millions in need worldwide.

The critical food supplies, mostly from farms in Ukraine heavily disrupted by the continued fighting in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion last year, have reached 43 countries since August – more than 40 per cent of them low and middle-income nations, the initiative’s Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) said in a Note to Correspondents on Wednesday.

In December, exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports rose to 3.7 million metric tonnes, up from 2.6 million in November, and in just the last two weeks, nearly 1.2 million metric tonnes have left port.

“However, unfavourable weather conditions both in Odesa ports as well as in Turkish inspection areas have curbed some movements in the last week”, the JCC said.

Ports of call

To date, China has led the way in terms of receiving exports through the grain deal mechanism, based in Turkey’s largest city – the gateway to Asia and Europe, Istanbul. Spain has been the second most common destination, with Türkiye itself, third.

Nearly 44 per cent of the wheat exported has been shipped to low and lower-middle income countries – 64 per cent to developing economies, the JCC reported.

The UN’s World Food Programme bought eight per cent of the total wheat exported thanks to the deal last year, in support of its humanitarian operations in hunger-struck places around the world.

Over 1,300 voyages have been enabled so far by the JCC team – consisting of officials from the UN, Russia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

100 vessels

“Currently, there are more than 100 vessels in Turkish territorial waters connected to the Initiative, 32 are waiting for inspection, while the rest have applied to participate in the Initiative”, said the JCC.

“Since November, the JCC has been deploying three inspection teams daily. So far, this month, the teams conclude an average of 5.3 inspections per day. In the last two weeks, the average waiting time of vessels between application and inspection is 21 days.”

The UN is urging all parties to work to remove obstacles for the reduction of the backlog and improve operational efficiencies within the JCC.

The Initiative also calls for the facilitation of safe navigation for exports of fertilizers, including ammonia.

Ammonia backlog

“However, the shipment of ammonia from the Ukrainian ports has not yet begun. Ammonia, a key ingredient in the fertilizer production, is urgently needed on the market to bring these prices down and make it more affordable.”

Negotiations on how to get ammonia through the Togliatti/Yuznhy pipeline are ongoing.

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Greece in spotlight over trial of activists, volunteers who rescued migrants — Global Issues

The hearing involving 24 volunteers and activists began on Tuesday on the Greek island of Lesvos, prompting OHCHR to warn of the “chilling effect” that it has had on other rights defenders, who’ve now halted their work in Greece and other European Union countries.

Those on trial were all associated with Emergency Response Centre International, or ERCI; between 2016 and 2018, the group helped more than 1,000 people to reach safety and provided survivors with medical and other assistance on Lesvos, OHCHR said.

Voice of reason

“I think it’s absolutely clear, that you have people who are in distress at sea, people who are on boats that may have capsized, or may have sunk; they are in the water and there is nobody to rescue them,” said UN rights office spokesperson, Liz Throssell.

“That is why we are saying that this trial, and trials like it, are absolutely concerning because they criminalise actions that save people’s lives.”

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Ms. Throssell noted that those on trial included a Syrian refugee and foreign nationals, such as the Irish-German national, Sean Binder.

The OHCHR official explained that the defendants face charges that include several alleged misdemeanours related to the facilitation of migrant smuggling, and she welcomed the news on Friday that the prosecution had recommended the annulment of some of the accusations.

Cut adrift

Today, there are no civil society rescue teams operating in Greek waters, Ms. Throssell reiterated, despite the fact that 492 migrants have either died or gone missing in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2021, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Similar trials of other rights activists have already taken place in a number of other EU countries including Hungary, Italy and Malta, the OHCHR official continued.

“The fact of saving lives, providing humanitarian help is crucial and it should never be criminalised by any State, and that is why in this particular case we are saying that that the charges against these defendants should be dropped,” she said.

IOM’s Missing Migrants project updates migrant fatalities in the region and has recorded nearly 1,700 deaths and disappearances on the Eastern Mediterranean sea route since 2014, including nearly 500 children.

Many of the victims are known to have come from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

© UNICEF/Ashley Gilbertson VII Photo

A large rubber boat filled with refugees is pulled to shore on the island of Lesbos, in the North Aegean region. (file)

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‘Humanitarian and human rights catastrophe’ continues, Security Council hears — Global Issues

Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated the view of the Secretary-General, in reminding that Russia’s invasion of 24 February, was a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

“It has created a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe, traumatized a generation of children, and accelerated the global food and energy crises”, she told ambassadors.

“And yet, this grave damage could pale in comparison with the consequences of a prolonged conflict”.

Deadly holidays

Many Ukrainians spent the Orthodox holiday season in bomb shelters and mourning the loss of loved ones, she said.

At year’s end, Russian forces targeted Dnipro, Kherson, Kirovohrad, and Kyiv – with multiple strikes reported in Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Zhytomyr, and the capital.

By New Year’s Eve all administrative regions were under air raid warnings, continued the peacebuilding chief.

And the attacks continued in January, threatening all remaining civilians in Kherson, Bakhmut and Soledar.

Following the most recent fighting, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, verified 18,096 civilian casualties since the invasion began.

“This total includes 6,952 people killed and 11,144 injured”, said Ms. DiCarlo, adding that “the actual figures are likely considerably higher”.

Attacks on health

Purposeful, systematic targeting of critical civilian infrastructure, including energy and healthcare facilities, has pushed some 5.91 million women and girls to flee internally.

And 745 recorded attacks on healthcare facilities as of 4 January, were a record for any conflict currently taking place.

“Reportedly 15 per cent of facilities are either partially or completely non-functional, and up to 50 per cent in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv”, she said.

‘Invisible scars’

“The war is also leaving invisible scars”, she continued, pointing to the long-lasting impacts that the destruction and closing of schools will have on youth.

An estimated 5.7 million students have been directly affected, including 3.6 million shut out of educational institutions early in the conflict.

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Ms. DiCarlo said that “nearly a quarter of the population is reportedly at risk of developing a mental health condition because of this war”.

© UNICEF/Christina Pashkina

Hundreds of displaced and local children in Ukraine celebrated the new year at Kharkiv’s Spilno Child Spot, run by UNICEF and partners.

Life-saving aid effort

Meanwhile, as of 5 January, humanitarian partners have provided food and critical healthcare support to almost nine million people.

Around 7.3 million have received clean water and hygiene products and over three million uprooted people have received emergency shelter or critical household items.

Since the war began, almost 14 million people have received assistance from over 740 partners, including one million in areas not under Ukrainian Government control. 

However, severe access constraints hamper the humanitarian response.

“In line with international humanitarian law, parties must facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for all civilians in need”, said the senior UN official.

Grave rights violations

Turning to allegations of grave human rights violations, OHCHR has documented over 90 cases of conflict-related sexual violence since last February.

Of those, men have been predominantly affected by torture and ill-treatment in detention, while women and girls in areas under Russian control have been sexually violated, including gang rape.

“It is imperative that all perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable”, spelled out the senior UN official.

Since May, the International Criminal Court (ICJ) has continued working inside- the country, focusing on the unlawful transfer and deportation of civilian objects and people from Ukraine to Russia, including children.

© UNICEF/Evgeniy Maloletka

A doctor takes care of patients at a hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Black Sea Grain Initiative

Despite challenges, the Black Sea Grain Initiative meanwhile continues to make a difference, including by helping to lower global food prices.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported a continued decline of its Food Price Index.

Ms. DiCarlo said that more than 17 million metric tons of food have now been moved under the initiative to some 43 countries, roughly 20 per cent of which is for countries under the World Bank category of low-income or lower-middle-income economies. 

The UN also continues to work towards removing remaining obstacles to Russian food and fertilizer exports as “key to keep prices down and mitigate food insecurity”.

Military logic

In closing, the political chief reiterated that there is no sign of an end to the fighting, and that the prevailing logic “is a military one, with very little, if any, room for dialogue right now”.

“But all wars end, and so too will this one”.

“Ukraine, Russia, the world cannot afford for this war to continue”, she underscored, reminding that the Secretary-General is ready to assist the parties to “end this senseless, unjustified conflict”, on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.

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China’s surge not a cause for concern ‘at this time’ says WHO, as XBB.1.5 virus spreads — Global Issues

Dr. Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization for Europe, explained that this is because the two variants circulating in China are already present in European countries, according to data provided by the Chinese authorities.

“We share the current view of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) that the ongoing surge in China is not anticipated to significantly impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the WHO European Region at this time.”

Restrictions ‘not unreasonable’

The WHO senior official acknowledged that China had shared virus sequencing information, but he appealed for more “detailed and regular information”, especially concerning local epidemiology and variants “to better assess the evolving situation”.

Dr Kluge also said that travel restrictions by European countries on visitors from China were “not unreasonable…while we are waiting for more detailed information that is shared through publicly available databases”.

But he said it was important for the precautionary travel measures being introduced by European countries “to be rooted in science, to be proportionate and non-discriminatory”.

Visas halted

The message comes as Chinese embassies suspended issuing new visas for South Koreans and Japanese visitors on Tuesday. The announcement covered tourist, business and some other visa categories.

The move appears to be in response to COVID-19 testing requirements recently imposed by those countries on travellers from China.

A notice posted in Seoul reportedly said the ban would continue until South Korea lifts its “discriminatory entry measures” against China. 

At least ten countries in Europe, North America and Asia have announced new virus testing requirements for travellers from China, with officials expressing concern about a lack of adequate information about rapidly spreading virus outbreaks in China.

UNICEF/Bruno Amsellem/Divergence

A three-year-old child at home in Lyon, France, during a COVID-19 lockdown.

Warning against complacency

In two further messages to the WHO European Region, Dr Kluge warned against countries greatly reducing their surveillance capacity for COVID-19.

In the first five weeks of 2022, variant information on 1.2 million cases was submitted as part of weekly surveillance data to the WHO and the ECDC.

However, this declined to about 90,000 cases in the last 5 weeks of the year. 

Dr Kluge stressed that countries must build upon the lessons learned over the last three years and be able to anticipate, detect and respond in time to SARS-CoV-2, and any emerging health threat. 

XBB.1.5 spreading

He commended European countries, including Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, that have maintained strong genomic surveillance and pointed out that their recent data has started to indicate the growing presence of the new XBB.1.5 recombinant virus, derived from the Omicron variant, that has already been spreading rapidly across the United States. 

The new strain is being “picked up in small, but growing numbers, and we are working to assess its potential impact,” he said. “With many countries grappling with overstretched health systems, shortages in essential medicines and an exhausted health workforce – we cannot afford more pressures on our health systems.” 

Finally, Dr Kluge urged countries across Europe and Central Asia to step up efforts to put effective strategies in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 and avoid being complacent. 

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Trial of Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski ‘politically motivated’ — Global Issues

Mr. Bialiatski, a veteran rights campaigner and founder of Viasna (or “spring”) civil society group, was arrested in July 2021 on tax evasion charges, along with two other activists, and reportedly held in dreadful conditions in a prison in Minsk. Their trial began on Thursday.

“We are gravely concerned by the trial of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski which started in Belarus on Thursday. Bialiatski faces up to 12 years in jail,” said OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.

Release appeal

“Two other representatives of his Viasna Human Rights Center are also facing prison sentences. We have serious concerns about the conduct of their trial”, he added. “We call for the charges against them to be dropped and their immediate release from detention.”

The appeal from the UN rights office comes amid increasing concerns about tightening legislation in Belarus that restricts civil and political rights, that followed violent crackdowns against hundreds of thousands of protesters who contested the result of presidential elections in August 2020.   

In response, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have reportedly left the country in the last two years, while “an unprecedented number are fleeing persecution and prospects for a safe return under the current leadership grow bleaker”, said Anaïs Marin, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, in an alert last year.

Strong defence

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Mr. Laurence insisted that the UN rights office was following the case closely and remained in “constant engagement” with the Belarusian authorities.

“Suffice to say that we consider these to be arbitrary arrests – constitute arbitrary detention – and the charges are simply politically motivated,” he added.

In previous appeals for the release of Mr. Bialiatski, senior rights experts who report to the Human Rights Councildescribed his arrest as “part of an unfolding policy to silence human rights defenders and eradicate the civic space in Belarus”.

Mr. Bialiatski had been carrying out “legitimate human rights work” when he was detained, the experts said, before reminding Belarusian authorities of their obligations to uphold human rights and the immediate release of all rights activists detained on politically motivated grounds.

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