REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by spokespersons for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the World Trade Organization.

Press release on killings of demonstrators in Gaza

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), made the following statement:

“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Friday called on Israel to ensure that its security forces do not resort to the use of excessive force, following the many deaths and injuries sustained by Palestinians, including children, in Gaza over the past month. He also called for those responsible to be held accountable.

During the past four weeks, 42 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,500 injured – 1,739 by live ammunition fired by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF) – along the fence. Thirty-five of those killed were taking part in demonstrations as part of the ‘Great March of Return’. Most of them appear to have been unarmed or not presenting an imminent threat to the ISF at the time of their killing or injury. No Israeli casualties have been reported in this period.

‘Every week, we witness instances of use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators,’ said the High Commissioner. ‘Warnings by the United Nations and others have seemingly gone unheeded, as the approach of the security forces from week to week does not seem to have changed.’

Under international law, Palestinians have the right to peaceful assembly and expression. Israeli security forces, in policing the Gaza fence, must use only necessary and proportionate means to discharge their duties. Exceptionally, they may resort to lethal force in cases of extreme necessity, as a last resort in response to an imminent threat of death or risk of serious injury. It is difficult to see how tyre-burning or stone-throwing, or even Molotov-cocktails thrown from a significant distance at heavily protected security forces in defensive positions can be seen to constitute such threat. In the context of an occupation such as Gaza, killings resulting from the unlawful use of force may also constitute wilful killings which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

‘The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly,’ said Zeid. ‘I am doubly concerned by reports of unusually severe injuries resulting from the use of live ammunition. Furthermore, many of those seeking treatment outside of Gaza have been refused permits by Israel to leave, which has increased the suffering.’

The impact on children is of great concern. Since 30 March 2018, four children have been shot dead by Israeli forces, three of them by a bullet to the head or neck. The youngest victim was 13, the others 14, 15 and 17. A further 233 children have been injured by live ammunition, with some sustaining injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities, including through the amputation of limbs.

‘The use of excessive force against any demonstrator is reprehensible, but children enjoy additional protection under international law,’ said Zeid. ‘It is difficult to see how children, even those throwing stones, can present a threat of imminent death or serious injury to heavily protected security force personnel.’

‘Images of a child being shot as he runs away from Israeli security forces are downright shocking,’ he added, referring to the case of 14 year-old Mohammad Ayyoub who was killed by a bullet to the head on 20 April.

The events of recent weeks build on a background of years of concerns expressed by the UN and others of excessive use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza.

‘These trends call into question to what extent the ISF’s rules of engagement, which are not public, are in line with international law, or at least to what degree the ISF abides by its own rules,’ said Zeid.

The deaths and injuries sustained in Gaza over the past weeks also underline the importance of a strong accountability system for any alleged crime, as highlighted by the Secretary-General when he called for an independent and transparent investigation into recent killings.

‘Every country has the primary human rights obligation to ensure that all loss of life and serious injury is investigated and those responsible held to account under criminal law. Any investigations into the events in Gaza must fulfil this purpose,’ Zeid stressed.

‘Unfortunately, in the context of this perennial and asymmetric conflict, serious investigations only seem to take place when video evidence has been gathered independently,’ the UN Human Rights Chief added. ‘For the many more alleged killings of unarmed civilians by Israeli security forces that take place off camera, there seems to be little or no effort to apply the rule of law.’

‘I am extremely concerned that by the end of today -- and next Friday, and the Friday after that -- more unarmed Palestinians who were alive this morning will have been killed, simply because, while exercising their right to protest, they approached a fence, or otherwise attracted the attention of the soldiers on the other side,’ Zeid said. ‘Israel’s failure to consistently prosecute violations committed by members of its security forces, encourages them to use deadly force against their fellow unarmed human beings, even when they present no threat.’

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, recalled yesterday’s Security Council briefing by Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Mr. Mladenov had described the environment in the Middle East as highly charged and dangerous and had highlighted the need for de-escalation, not only with reference to the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, but also to the situation in Gaza. Mr. Mladenov had said that everyone in the Middle East needed to step back from the brink and had noted that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continued with no prospect of a political resolution. Gaza was about to come apart under the pressure of an explosive combination of negative humanitarian, security and political factors. Mr. Mladenov’s full briefing was available online.

Responding to questions, Mr. Colville said that freedom of expression and assembly were general human rights that applied to everyone. Legally speaking, the Israeli security forces were acting on behalf of an occupying power and, as such, they had specific obligations. Both the United Nations and the Israeli Permanent Mission had made numerous public announcements and statements on the current situation. For its part, the United Nations had always urged restraint, from both sides but particularly from the Israelis. Although it was true that the use of Molotov-cocktails by Palestinian protestors was problematic, such use could not be considered to represent an imminent threat under international law. The Israeli authorities should abide by international standards such as the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. It was important to note that the Palestinian demonstrations involved picnicking families, book readings etc., not just young men throwing stones. Jamie McGoldrick, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, had recently described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “dire” and had called the current surge in humanitarian needs “a crisis on top of a catastrophe”. In fact, the impact of the current emergency on hospitals and health centres was immense and was merely compounding a grave crisis in Gaza, which had been under blockade for more than ten years.

Meeting of leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Answering a question posed by a journalist, Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the United Nations Secretary-General was certainly following Korean developments very closely. On 21 April he had wished the leaders of the two countries “every success in their courageous and important task of resuming sincere dialogue leading to sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula”.

Answering a question raised by a journalist, Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that he supported statements made recently by Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Human rights were universal and they should never be overlooked or excluded from the agenda. Peace and security without human rights did not usually last long, although exactly how the issue of human rights should be handled in negations that focused primarily on nuclear and military matters was a matter of debate. The Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which had issued its report in 2014, had been called by the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, precisely because of a concern that the international community had been focusing too exclusively on the nuclear issue and overlooking human rights.

Answering a further question, Mr. Colville said that accountability was a basic tenet of international law and would have to be addressed sooner or later. There was no statute of limitations on international crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, etc.

Bangladesh’s Rohingya Refugee Camps Face ‘Life Threatening’ Funding Crisis

Joel Millman, for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“Work by aid agencies in Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee camps to create life-saving access routes and prepare people for floods, landslides and other disasters ahead of the upcoming monsoon and cyclone season is under imminent threat unless urgent funding is secured in the next six weeks.

Without new funding, the lives of tens of thousands of people who flooded into the camps in southern Bangladesh to flee violence in Myanmar triggered in August last year will be put at risk, the agency says.

Almost a million Rohingya refugees are currently living under tarpaulins in Cox's Bazar district, on steep, sandy slopes denuded of vegetation. At least 120,000 have been identified as being at the high risk from floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains. Of these 25,000 have been have been identified as at the highest risk from landslides. But without aid, many will have to remain in their current hazardous locations. Hundreds of thousands of others will also be at risk if roads become impassible and vital aid supplies and medical services cannot get through.

Tarpaulin stocks are also rapidly running out and IOM, which oversees shelter distribution, reports that by mid-May supplies will fall below critical levels. Without funding for more stock, at-risk families will not receive new shelters and no replacements will be available for those whose homes are damaged or destroyed during storms.

Other IOM vital services at serious risk unless more financial support is forthcoming include water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities. Without ongoing WASH projects, safe water supply systems could collapse and overflowing latrines could put hundreds of thousands of refugees at risk from waterborne diseases.

IOM, which has appealed for USD 182 million to provide aid in Cox's Bazar through December 2018, is currently facing a funding shortfall of almost USD 151 million. The overall joint response plan of all agencies, which called for USD 951 million, has currently secured just nine per of that amount.

According to John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar, ‘aid staff on the ground are working flat out to improve shelters, stabilize ground, secure key access roads and have emergency response services readied to save lives if the worst happens. But the harsh truth is that we cannot keep doing that if we do not have the funds. We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred. We need to be able to act now lives are to be saved."

Humanitarian assistance to 84 ethnic Rohingya migrants from Myanmar who have arrived by boat in Aceh, Indonesia’s westernmost province

Joel Millman, for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“IOM has donated USD 100,000 in humanitarian assistance to help 84 ethnic Rohingya migrants from Myanmar who have arrived by boat in Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province, this month.

There are fears that continuing ethnic tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where the Rohingya are not recognized as Myanmar citizens, and the hardships experienced by over 700,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh since August 2017, could result in others paying smugglers to transport them to Malaysia. Tens of thousands of Rohingya are currently living in Malaysia illegally.

George Gigauri IOM Indonesia deputy chief of mission said: ‘Our in-depth interviews with the migrants have revealed a high level of vulnerability particularly among the many unaccompanied minors on the boats, who could be at risk of being exploited by human traffickers. We've assessed more than two thirds of the people on those vessels as extremely vulnerable.’

Since 2009, IOM has assisted more than 1,740 Rohingya whose vessels have arrived in Indonesia on nine previous occasions. In May 2015, close to 1,000 Rohingya and 820 Bangladeshi nationals were admitted to Indonesia on humanitarian grounds after spending many weeks on the Andaman sea.

The latest response began when five critically ill men aboard a fishing boat were rescued by Acehnese fishermen on 1 April. Their vessel departed Myanmar with 15 passengers. Tragically, two died during the six weeks that the boat was adrift. The fate of seven men and a young boy who attempted to swim to shore clinging to empty water bottles is not yet known.

On 20 April, a second vessel carrying 79 people arrived in Aceh. In both cases IOM has provided translators to assist the Government of Indonesia and UNHCR with their interviews, facilitated access to emergency medical assistance and provided food and water, and hygiene training.”

Appeals to Greece over situation at Evros

Charlie Yaxley, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today calling on the Greek government to urgently improve conditions and expand reception capacity, following a recent rise in arrivals at Evros via the land border with Turkey. Hundreds of people are at present being held in police detention facilities.

Some 2,900 people have arrived in Evros so far this month, mostly Syrian and Iraqi families. This is equivalent to half the estimated arrivals for all of 2017. According to figures compiled by UNHCR, in April land arrivals have outpaced sea arrivals.

At least eight people have died since the start of the year attempting to cross the Evros River.

The increase in new arrivals is placing strain on the only Reception and Identification Centre in Evros, which is located at Fylakio. The centre is filled beyond its 240-person capacity, including 120 unaccompanied and separated children.

With the Reception and Identification Centre overwhelmed, and struggling to conduct timely registration and identification, or to provide services such as medical and psycho-social care, and interpretation, the authorities initially place people, including many children, in inappropriate police detention facilities in the area while they wait for places at the centre to open up.

Some of those in police detention have been held for more than three months. Conditions are dismal and services are limited. A UNHCR visit found families in one facility sleeping on the floor beside a row of cells. Only one doctor and four nurses were available for more than 500 people in another police facility. The hundreds of people kept in these conditions include pregnant women, very young children and people in need of urgent medical and psychosocial care.

While we welcome the recent release from detention by the authorities of more than 2,500 people, we are also concerned that this is being done without vulnerability screening or provision of proper information on asylum and other options. Their situation must be urgently addressed to enable access to care and asylum procedures.

We welcome the efforts of the police and the Fylakio Reception and Identification Centre to address the challenges however, with their resources increasingly stretched, the situation has become untenable. UNHCR is proposing the following:

Urgently enhancing the reception capacity of the Reception and Identification Centre with additional space, and improving conditions and services; identifying open transit sites where arrivals from Evros can be directed to and go through registration and identification procedures; setting up reception and identification mobile units; immediately transferring families in detention to safe shelter and referring them to services as required; importing conditions in police facilities for even the shortest stay, ensuring access to open space and basic service, with health care a top priority; increasing the registration capacity of the competent Greek authorities to ensure access to asylum and timely registration of asylum applications; promptly transferring unaccompanied children to safe accommodation and promptly assessing family links.

UNHCR continues to provide protection support at the Fylakio Reception and Identification Centre, and remains in close and constant contact with the Greek Government in order to address this exceptional situation. UNHCR will continue to assist the Greek authorities through the provision of technical and material support, including blankets, clothing, hygiene items, solar-powered lamps and other non-food items.”

Announcements concerning the World Trade Organization

Fernando Puchol, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), said that Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of WTO, would be in London on 2 and 3 May for meetings with high-level government representatives and the private sector. He would also be attending the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, where he would be presenting a report on trade and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation would be meeting on 2 and 3 May. A background information briefing on WTO would be held at 10 a.m. on Monday 30 April. It was open to all Geneva-based media and would provide a refresher on WTO basics, the dispute settlement system and safeguards agreement, and useful tips on how to navigate the WTO website.

The press conference on the Dispute Settlement Body, chaired by Dan Pruzin, WTO Information Officer, would be held that day at 4 p.m. Exceptionally, it would take place at WTO headquarters rather than at the Palais des Nations as previously announced. https://bit.ly/2HqTWPM

Geneva events and announcements

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Human Rights Council would be holding a panel discussion in Room XX from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. that afternoon to celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 18 July. The event was being held on 27 April, the day that in 1994 South Africans had cast their votes in the country’s first fully representative democratic election.

Mr. LeBlanc also said that the Committee against Torture would begin that morning its review of the report of Belarus, which it would complete on the afternoon of Monday 30 April.

Mr. LeBlanc went on to say that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would that morning complete its review of the report of Saudi Arabia, begun yesterday afternoon. On the morning of Monday 30 April, the Committee would hear representatives from civil society on the implementation of the Convention in the three countries whose reports would be reviewed next week: Nepal, Mauritania and Sweden.

Mr. LeBlanc reminded those present that Saturday 28 April was World Day for Safety and Health at Work while Monday 30 April marked International Jazz Day and the Day of Vesak.