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58th Session of the UNHRC
The 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
One of ghrd’s main pillars is advocacy, which we achieve through active engagement with UN and EU bodies. At the UN level, we submit oral and written statements and participate in councils to advance minority rights. Our team frequently attends Human Rights Council sessions to collaborate with UN officials and fellow NGOs, working together to further our mission.
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GHRD statements during the 58th UNHRC
GHRD representative Elena Vallejo Secadas made a statement on the misuse of the death penalty, highlighting its role in repressing minorities and political dissidents.
GHRD representative Charlotte Zehrer spoke about the concerning situation in Sudan during the 58th UNHRC.
Topics during the 58th UNHRC
At the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, GHRD was present at many interactive dialogues, discussions and side events. See below for a selected list of topics that we contributed to.
Death penalty for Blasphemy
Even though the number of states employing the death penalty is declining, the numbers of executions are on the rise. GHRD is especially concerned about the use of the death penalty in cases of offenses that do not fall under the list of most serious crimes. In particular, the crime of blasphemy is punishable by death in countries such as Pakistan, where it is often misused for the persecution of minorities.
Deteriorating situation in Bangladesh
After the July and August protests which led to the overthrow of the regime in Bangladesh, UN bodies such as the High Commissioner for Human Rights continue their investigations into human rights violations that occurred during, but also after, the brutal crackdown on the protests. Human rights violations continue under the interim-government and accountability efforts remain an important priority.
Falun Gong in China
In China, practitioners of the Falun Gong movement are facing severe discrimination and suppression, with about 100 million individuals persecuted so far. In prisons, detention centers and labor camps they are subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. GHRD particularly voiced concerns about reports of forced organ harvesting.
Human rights in Tibet
Freedom of expression, religion and assembly continue to be severely restricted for people in the Tibetan Plateau. Arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances remain common. Recently, GHRD has been especially concerned about the crackdown on Buddhist communities and attempts at a full repression of Tibetan civil society.
War in Sudan
In Sudan, the armed conflict has been going on for more than 10 years. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Resistance Forces have been found to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to a new report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In addition to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, the ethnic cleansing of minorities remains a topic of grave concern.
Child Soldiers in Yemen
The war in Yemen has led to a grave humanitarian catastrophe across the country. In an attempt to exploit the extremely vulnerable situation of civilians, both the Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces are continuously relying on the recruitment of children with devastating consequences. Accountability for such practices must be ensured as soon as possible.
Human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The conflict in Gaza and the West Bank continues to escalate, contrary to the implementation of the recently negotiated ceasefire. A new report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigated human rights violations at the hands of Israeli forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, finding that reasonable grounds exist to believe that war crimes have been committed.
Articles from the 58th UNHRC session
Reports from the 58th UNHRC session
