Volker Türk
Photo: © Lauri Heikkinen, valtioneuvoston kanslia - FinnishGovernment, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- 6d ago
UN rights chief warns of ethnic cleansing as Israel seals West Bank after Hebron operation
Israel's military operation in Hebron has displaced more than 3,000 Palestinians, according to the city, after two Israeli soldiers were killed at a checkpoint on Friday, 23 October. UN rights chief Volker Türk warned on Monday, 26 October, of a possible ethnic cleansing.
- Oct 20
UN warns of 'grave risk' to civilians as Houthis encircle Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city
Houthi strikes killed two teenage girls in Taiz on Tuesday, 20 October, as UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned that civilians face grave risk from the encirclement of the city.
- Oct 7
Haiti indefinitely postpones general elections as gang violence displaces 1.5 million
Electoral authorities in Haiti have suspended the December 2026 presidential and legislative vote without setting a new date, citing gang violence and logistical hurdles across the country.
- Oct 6
Russian strike on Kramatorsk bus kills 30 to 33 as Kyiv faces emergency power cuts
Russian forces also hit a residential building in Pryluky, where the death toll reached 22, while Ukrenergo ordered emergency power outages in Kyiv. The attacks come as Russia steps up strikes before winter.
- Oct 4
UN reports 15,280 Ukrainian civilian casualties in 2026 as weekly toll climbs 55%
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk presented casualty figures to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, detailing a 55% increase in weekly civilian harm and widespread sexual violence.
- Oct 2
UN reports 5,700 casualties from Haiti gang violence in 2026 as international force falls short
Between 1 January and 11 September 2026, gang clashes and security operations in Haiti caused at least 5,700 deaths and injuries, alongside more than 230 kidnappings and 1,000 rapes, according to the United Nations human rights office.
- Sep 27
US and Russia strip human control and ethical rules from UN draft treaty on AI weapons
During closed-door UN negotiations in Geneva, American and Russian delegations worked across 15 hours to remove mandatory human verification and ethical safeguards from the draft agreement on autonomous weapons.
- Sep 26
UN expands Israeli settlement database to 214 firms across 11 countries, adding 61 new companies
The United Nations human rights office added 61 businesses to its registry of firms tied to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, bringing the total to 214 companies across 11 nations.
- Aug 12
Lebanon abolishes death penalty, becoming first Middle East country to do so
Lebanon's parliament voted on August 12 to abolish the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour and becoming the first country in the Middle East to take the step.
- Jun 15
Drone strikes killed over 1,000 civilians in Sudan in first five months of 2026, UN reports
UN High Commissioner Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council that drone warfare has sharply increased, pushing civilian casualties higher in the three-year conflict.
