Press briefing note

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
13 May 2011

MIDDLE EAST

There has been an escalation in the human rights violations in a number of countries in the Middle East, where the governments appear to be continuing to deal with protests through increased repression and use of lethal force, rather than through dialogue, negotiation and real reforms.

Syria

We have been receiving reports from human rights sources about the shelling of the Bab Amr district of Homs on Wednesday. In addition, we’ve received reports that many Syrian opposition leaders and activists have been arrested throughout the country. NGO reports suggest that somewhere between 700 and 850 people have been killed since the start of the protests on 15 March and thousands of other people have reportedly been arrested. We cannot verify these numbers for sure, but believe they are likely to be close to reality. These are extremely worrying reports and we urge the Government to exercise utmost restraint, cease the use of force and of mass arrests to silence opponents.

Just to update you on the progress of the fact-finding mission to Syria: we have been in contact with the Syrian Government, both orally here in Geneva and through a written approach to the Government in Damascus, seeking their full cooperation on the Human Rights Council mandated fact-finding mission to assess the situation on the ground. In the meantime we are preparing for this high-level mission, which will be headed by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, and we should be ready to deploy as soon as we are granted access. The mission plans to go both to Syria itself and to neighbouring countries. As you may be aware, the Secretary-General also called President Assad this week (Wednesday) and urged him to cooperate with the OHCHR mission.

Yemen

We have been following with great concern the reports of human rights violations and continued killings in Yemen, and our staff have been working to get independent verification of the precise facts, but the situation has been very difficult to assess from a distance. This is why we have been seeking access into the country, and just yesterday (Thursday) we received written confirmation from the Permanent Mission of Yemen here welcoming our visit. They have suggested we visit at the end of June. We stand ready to deploy urgently so that our human rights officers can independently assess the situation.

Bahrain

We continue to receive reports indicating that the hundreds of individuals, including medical professionals, politicians and human rights defenders, arrested in connection with the protest movement are being denied their fundamental legal rights to due process. We have worrying reports of severe torture and that so far, four detainees have died while in custody.

We reiterate our call for prompt, impartial and transparent investigations into these allegations of grave human rights violations. We are deeply concerned about the reported scale of arbitrary detention and of the trials of civilians before military courts leading to life imprisonment and death sentences, which we have already said is illegal.

We have received reports that a peaceful protest may take place today in Bahrain and urge the authorities not to use force against peaceful protestors.

Côte d’Ivoire

The human rights division of UNOCI has been visiting detention facilities to monitor the treatment of pro-Gbagbo individuals who were arrested last month along with the former president. They are monitoring the situation of detainees in Pergola, Bouake, Korhogo, Odienne and Bouna. Difficult conditions of detention were observed during a visit this week to Bouna, where seven individuals (including Mr. Gbagbo’s son and the president of the former ruling party who were arrested with Mr. Gbagbo on 11 April) are being detained. Security was very lax so that FRCI elements have been able to enter the facility and threaten the detainees.

UNOCI Human Rights has so far been granted access only to those who are in detention in Bouake, where the conditions of detention are also of concern, and in Bouna, in the northeast of the country. We are discussing ways to gain free access to all those arrested in relation to the post-electoral crisis.

The head of the human rights division has raised concerns on the conditions of detention of pro-Gbagbo officials with the Minister of Justice, Mr. Ahoussou-Kouadio. The Minister said that a consolidated list of all detainees in relation to the post-electoral crisis would be provided to UNOCI so we can independently assess how they are being treated.

Investigations into allegations of mass killings by Liberian mercenaries in Dabou, Irobo and Grand-Lahou are continuing. So far, a special investigation team composed of four human rights experts and six UNPOL conducted a fact-finding mission to the areas and preliminary findings indicate that at least 17 civilians and 6 FRCI elements were killed in Irobo while 22 civilians and 4 FRCI elements were killed in Grand Lahou. The team could not ascertain if the 6 people killed in Dabou were civilian or FRCI elements. Further investigations are being carried out and a report should be finalized next week. It is understood that the Liberian mercenaries clashed in these towns with FRCI soldiers during their flight after losing control of their stronghold in Yopougon, a suburb of Abidjan.

ENDS

For more information or interviews, please contact spokesperson Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 or rcolville@ohchr.org) or press officers: Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 or rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 or xcelaya@ohchr.org)