HRC: Country Updates by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights -01 March 2024

Hi Commissioner, You have the floor.

Madam Vice President Excellence is distinguished delegates.

I present today the reports of my office on Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras.

I follow up with an update on the human rights situation in Nicaragua,

my report on Cyprus and conclude with an update on progress

in reconciliation and accountability in SR i Lanka.

I begin with Colombia.

While Colombia made significant strides in

addressing human rights challenges in 2023

many pressing issues persist.

Non state armed groups and criminal organisations continue to expand their

control over lands and communities with serious impacts on human rights.

High levels of viable lands are disproportionately affecting

communities, indigenous and Afro descendant peoples and their leaders.

Last year,

my office verified 105 killings of human rights defenders

and 98 massacres in which 320 people were killed.

We also verified 53 cases of gender based violence, including sexual violence

and 134 cases of recruitment or use of Children by non state armed actors.

Such levels of violence require increased

civilian protection efforts by the government,

and I urge the government to do its utmost to expand

and maintain a comprehensive state presence throughout the whole country.

I also reiterate the UN Security Council's call that the

2016 peace agreement remains central to the government's peace policy.

Today,

my office continues to call

for an accelerated implementation of the peace agreement with

a specific focus on advancing the ethnic chapter.

I welcome the new participation mechanism created as part

of the peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army

and recall that permanent dialogue between the state and

civil society is paramount to just and lasting peace.

Despite the challenges, Colombia has made concrete commitments

and taken action to progress on human rights.

The recognition of peasants rights and the creation

of the agrarian jurisdiction are very much welcome.

Both major initial steps in realising the

rural reform outlined in the peace agreement.

I also welcome the adoption of the following key public policies,

the policy to dismantle criminal groups

and their support networks,

the humane security policy and the drug policy.

However,

I encourage co ordination between stakeholders

who are implementing these policies as a

means to address more effectively the root causes of violence and armed conflict.

On transitional justice.

I commend the continued progress by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace,

the search unit for persons deemed as missing,

and the follow up Committee on Implementation

of the Recommendation of the Truth Commission.

We particularly welcome the state's public recognition

of its responsibility for extrajudicial executions by the

army and its apologies to victims' relatives.

We also welcome the opening by the jurisdiction for peace

last year of its investigations into gender based violence,

including sexual violence.

My office remains fully committed to supporting the

transitional justice mechanisms and accompanying victims as they participate

in the process.

I will report

later this year to the council on our assistance to

to implement the recommendations of the Truth Commission.

My office will continue advocating for a

more effective system to protect human rights

defenders and will support the integration of

human rights approaches into the security sector.

In light of this,

I also urge Colombia's Attorney General's Office

to advance towards ensuring accountability for

all human rights violations and abuses.

Finally,

I reiterate the call made by my office for the

Supreme Court promptly to elect a new attorney general.

I take this opportunity to thank

the government of Colombia for its continued openness in recognising

and discussing human rights challenges that the country is facing.

I now turn to my report on Guatemala.

Guatemala's human rights situation in 2023

was marked by a deterioration of

systemic and structural inequalities and discrimination,

particularly affecting indigenous peoples and people of African descent.

Of particular concern also were the increasing attacks

against judicial independence and the justice system.

My office recorded a substantial increase

in attacks and Reprisals against

justice officials investigating cases of corruption

and serious human rights violations. In 2023 we registered 71 cases, a a

69% increase compared to the year before.

I encourage the government and Congress to take urgent

measures to ensure the safety of justice officials.

Conditions must also be created to enable the return of those

who have left the country in fear for their safety.

Following last year's presidential election,

a series of legal actions taken by the Office of the Attorney General

particularly impacted the integrity of the electoral process

affecting democracy and the rule of law.

They included efforts to lift the impunity

of the president and vice president elect,

and several members of Congress

and justices of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal

as well as of other electoral officers.

We will continue closely watching this situation,

given our serious concerns about the compatibility of these

actions with the separation of powers and Guatemala's constitution.

We will also closely monitor the upcoming election

process of justices to the high courts.

My report also raises serious concerns on attacks against human rights defenders,

journalists and indigenous authorities,

urging for the adoption of a stronger public policy to protect them.

Madam Vice President The ongoing violence against

women in Guatemala remains profoundly troubling.

LGBT Q people are also being targeted by violence, including killings.

I call on the authorities to prevent and put an end

to the shocking violence and fully to investigate all cases.

While I note and welcome the advances made in some emblematic cases

of violations of Human Rights Committee during the internal armed conflict,

I am concerned about serious setbacks in others.

One issue of concern is the

proposed legal initiative to extinguish criminal liability

for people accused and convicted of

international crimes committed during the conflict.

I urge the Congress to abstain from adopting any

legislation that is contrary to international human rights standards.

I thank the government of Guatemala for the recent

extension of our host country agreement until January 2027.

I recently met with President Arevalo in Geneva

and express to him my deep appreciation for

his commitment to the human rights cause.

We look forward to continuing our work,

assisting the state in transitioning towards a more democratic governance

and in their work to address structural

discrimination with human rights at the core.

The next report I present covers Honduras.

I welcome the openness and willingness of the state

to work on structural reform processes with technical support by my office,

including the initiative

that led to the adoption of Resolution 54 stroke 30 by this council.

Honduras remains deeply challenged by several long standing

structural obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights.

Persistent violence, including gender violence, land conflicts and impunity,

are emblematic of some of the country's most acute human rights issues.

While I note a reduction in homicides,

violence and insecurity remain deep rooted and commonplace,

particularly impacting women and LGBT Q people.

Last year, 380 violent deaths of women were registered,

as well as 47 murders of LGBT Q people,

no specialised protocols exist for criminal justice institutions to

address the high rates of violence against women.

For the state to be able to ensure a safe environment

free from organised crime.

It requires the resources and policies necessary to

address the massive inequalities in the country,

the illicit financial flows, taxation and corruption.

It is also important to develop a coherent

national security policy that is grounded in human rights

that incorporates prevention measures.

I am concerned about the increased militarization of public security

and the penitentiary system to

take one example.

Following the tragic attack in the women's prison in

Tamara in June where 46 female prisoners were killed,

the government returned the administration of the

prison system to the military police.

We have since received reports that some of the

military's police's actions may amount to ill treatment.

Additionally,

I am concerned about the ongoing state of emergency

that has been in place for over 15 months

and which grants the national police and

military police powers to implement detentions and

and searches without judicial orders.

Throughout Honduras,

conflicts linked to land, territory and natural resources persist

with indigenous peoples,

Afro Honduran peoples and peasants the most acutely impacted by violence,

land grabs

and evictions,

very troubled by the fact that Honduras remains one of

the world's most dangerous countries for people who defend land,

territory and the environment.

Attacks against human rights defenders and journalists increased last year,

with some 561 people victims of aggression.

At least 15 human rights defenders and two journalists were killed.

My office strongly encourages the authorities

to strengthen the national protection mechanism and

to put in place all institutional measures

needed to protect human rights defenders.

I welcome the repeal and amendment of decrees by the Congress,

part of the so called Impunity Act,

as well as the willingness of the government to address corruption.

However, high levels of corruption and impunity continue

to deplete the resources available to the country as

well as to erode trust in public institutions.

I urge Honduras to take steps to ensure transparency and accountability,

including to strengthen the judiciary,

the office of the prosecutor and other key national anti

corruption institutions and to ensure their independence in

this regard. I welcome the recent election of the general prosecutor and the deputy

as well as other judicial authorities by the National Congress

more generally,

I welcome the new process for the election of the

new Supreme Court of Justice and its emphasis on transparency,

accountability and gender parity.

This is an important step in efforts to strengthen the

rule of law and access to justice in Honduras.

My office continues to urge progress in investigation into serious violations

of human rights that were committed in the 19 eighties,

during the 2009 coup

and in the context of the 2017 post electoral crisis.

I also welcome the recently approved landmark bill

that protects natural resources and protected areas in

favour of the rights of the affected communities.

This law, together with the executive decree to guarantee

the ancestral and property rights of

Garifuna people,

are crucial to advance the enjoyment of rights for the most vulnerable.

I move now to Nicaragua,

where the human rights situation

continues to plummet at

an alarming pace.

For almost six years now,

a systematic campaign of repression has targeted anti-government protesters,

human rights defenders, journalists and politicians.

Violations have been particularly severe against women

L,

LGBT, Q plus activists and women political leaders.

Most recently,

the Catholic Church and other religious groups have come under attack in a

disturbing symbol of the ruling party's efforts

to consolidate its control across all spheres of society

and to crack down on any independent voice.

This Sunday, 3rd March

regional elections,

marred by a series of setbacks on civil and political freedoms,

are scheduled to take place in the north and south Caribbean

coast autonomous regions.

Yama,

the main

indigenous and Afro descendant party,

has been barred from taking part.

Its two deputies at the National Assembly have

been arbitrarily detained since September and October respectively,

with one of them subjected

to an enforced disappearance and the other held incommunicado.

I may remain extremely concerned for their lives and safety, and I reiterate my call

for their immediate release.

Elsewhere in the country. The authorities continue arbitrarily

to detain people for political reasons.

According to the latest civil society data, 19 women and 5292 men

are currently imprisoned

in connection with the human rights crisis that started in 2018.

My office has documented physical torture against some of these individuals

as well as multiple violations of their right to due process

and the closure of the International Committee of

the Red Cross in Nicaragua announced in December,

now leaves detainees without access to

any international or independent monitoring.

The Nicaraguan authorities now exercise almost

total control over the judicial system,

which has

long lost any semblance of independence.

Testimonies received by my office highlight a climate of intense fear,

intimidation and harassment.

Last November, hundreds of officials were arbitrarily dismissed,

reportedly

due to their conflicting loyalties.

Many Nicaraguans

have fled the country in fear.

Many, too, have been arbitrarily deprived of their nationality,

often rendering them stateless.

Many who travel out of Nicaragua are then denied entry into their own country.

The authorities in Nicaragua continue to refuse Co-operation with my

office or any of the international human rights mechanisms.

International pressure in some cases has resulted in action by the authorities.

The latest example was the release of 19 priests

and seminarians from arbitrary detention. It

is extremely regrettable, however,

that after their release they had to leave the country.

Examples of positive steps taken by the authorities are few and far between.

I urge the authorities to take steps

to resume Co-operation with my office

and with human rights mechanisms such as

the group of human rights experts on Nicaragua

and urgently to address the raft of serious

human rights violations outlined in my office's reports.

All those arbitrarily detained need to be immediately released.

An open and pluralistic civic space must be guaranteed.

I also call on the authorities to allow the safe and

dignified return of Nicaraguans who wish to come back to the country

and the safe departure of all those who want to leave,

especially Children and spouses seeking family reunification.

Member states of this council can and must do more to support

Nicaragua to change course and avert an even deeper human rights crisis.

I appeal to you

to undertake the following actions. To provide full backing and protection

to Nicaraguan human rights defenders,

to strengthen accountability for alleged international crimes and

other violations of international law committed since 2018,

as well as to promote the

appropriate application of universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction

to ensure international refugee protection to Nicaraguans fleeing persecution

and strictly to uphold the principle of Nova font.

Additionally,

I urge strict scrutiny of all international assistance and investments

provided to the state of Nicaragua,

including through international financial institutions and businesses.

This must be subject to human rights safeguards.

I remain hopeful that with the decisive support

of the council and the international community,

Nicaragua can find a way out of the current human rights crisis.

I now turn to our report on Cyprus.

The persisting division of Cyprus continues to obstruct the full

enjoyment of human rights by all people across the island.

The Turkish Cypriot community continues to

be disproportionately affected by discrimination,

including at the crossing points between the

southern and northern parts of Cyprus.

They still face obstacles to exercising their voting

rights in the southern part of Cyprus,

while citizenship applications for Children of Turkish Cypriots,

who were born in mixed marriages and reside in the northern part

of Cyprus continue to be laid to be delayed or denied.

The socio economic disparity between the Turkish Cypriot community

and the Greek Cypriot community continues to grow,

with the Turkish Cypriot community more deeply impacted.

Although crossing points continue to function, the number of them

remains insufficient,

resulting in long queues that affect the right to freedom of movement

and impact daily exchanges between the two communities.

I encourage all relevant stakeholders to advance deeper economic ties

and to nourish intercommunal contacts.

Peace education is key and I hope that education reform

can be reinvigorated. I hope that the Technical Committee on Education will resume

its plenary meetings without delay,

implement the recommendations contained in its 2017 joint report and

undertake efforts to advance peace education throughout the island.

Despite the challenges,

I am pleased to hear of ongoing efforts to advance

human rights for all people in Cyprus of note.

Religious actors have led joint efforts to protect the rights of refugees,

asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors.

I continue to urge all parties to ensure that a human rights based approach

underpins their mutual dialogue and Co-operation,

including with regard to the work of the

bi communal technical committees working towards trust,

social cohesion and the realisation of human rights for all will be

essential to supporting and advancing renewed efforts to achieve a just,

sustainable and peaceful solution to the island's ongoing

division.

Finally, I turn to SR i Lanka.

Two years ago, tens of thousands of SR I Lankans took to the streets

demanding deep democratic reforms and accountability

for economic mismanagement and corruption,

which resulted in the most severe socio economic crisis in a generation.

There was great hope that the country

would embark upon a long overdue transformation

that would benefit all its communities.

While the government has taken important steps to stabilise the economy,

I am concerned by the introduction of new or proposed laws which

with potentially far reaching impact on fundamental rights and freedoms,

the rule of law

and democratic governance.

This includes the Online Safety Act, the Anti terrorism Bill,

the Electronic Media Broadcasting Authority Bill

and the

and the NGO Supervision and Registration Bill,

which variously strengthen the executive,

grant broad powers to the security forces and

severely restrict rights to freedom of assembly,

association and expression impacting not only on

civic space but the business environment.

Meanwhile,

the disastrous consequences of SR I Lanka's

economic crisis continue to bite deeply,

particularly for the most marginalised.

Poverty rose further to an estimated 27.9% last year.

Nearly two thirds of households

across the country have seen their monthly incomes decrease since March 2022

while food, transportation, health and education costs continue to rise.

Despite the government's efforts, social protection remains overstretched

and the government's largest budget expenditure this year

will go towards servicing the debt.

I appealed for Seniori Lanka to be given the

fiscal space and support by international financial institutions and creditors

to uphold economic, social and cultural rights.

This year, SR i Lanka marks 15 years since the end of a decades long

civil war.

Yet violations of human rights remain unaddressed.

Tens of thousands of families of the

disappeared are still looking for their loved ones

and face intimidation, arrests and violence in their search.

Land disputes continue to escalate in the north and east of the country,

impacting on people's livelihoods.

Provincial councils and local government bodies

that promised a measure of devolution are not currently constituted.

It is almost five years since the devastating Easter Sunday bombings,

and despite Supreme Court orders, victims are still seeking truth and justice.

While the government has introduced a draught

legislation for a commission for truth,

Unity and Reconciliation,

the environment for a credible truth seeking process remains absent.

My office continues to receive allegations of surveillance,

harassment and arrests by security forces of civil society representatives,

journalists and victims,

as well as of people who have been involved in organising commemoration events

for victims of war.

I remain deeply concerned about recurring,

credible accounts received by my office of abductions,

unlawful detention and torture, including sexual violence

by the SR I Lankan police and security forces,

some of which allegedly took place last year,

mainly in the north and east of the country.

Last week, the appointment of a new inspector general of police was confirmed

despite the Supreme Court's finding that he was responsible

for the torture of an individual in 2010.

These cases highlight the need for comprehensive security sector reform.

My office continues to work to advance accountability in SR i Lanka.

It is providing support to several

jurisdictions undertaking criminal justice investigations,

and is deepening its information and evidence base

on specific incidents of human rights concerns.

It has also been carrying out research on enforced disappearance

and conducting consultations with victims.

Sustainable peace and reconciliation will not be

achieved in SR i Lanka with regressive laws

and authoritarian approaches which only serve to perpetuate

the human rights concerns of the past.

I urge the government immediately to reverse this trend

and undertake credible accountability measures

to investigate and prosecute past and present

human rights violations and economic crimes.

I also urge member states to continue to reinforce these efforts,

including

through appropriate use of universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction,

targeted measures against credibly alleged perpetrators of

serious human rights violations and abuses.

It is only through addressing the root causes of

the country's conflict and economic crisis and ensuring accountability

that Seniori Lanka will be able to

enhance its prospects of achieving genuine reconciliation

and sustainable peace and development.

Thank you.