The UN Secretary General took note of the move in a statementThey reiterated their call for the prompt and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained persons as a fundamental step towards necessary political reform.
António Guterres believes that a viable political solution must be founded on an immediate end to the brutal civil conflict in Myanmar and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue.
working towards peace
Continued engagement of the military junta and rebel leaders with the UN Special Envoy for Myanmar is vital to support efforts towards a peaceful resolution.
This includes coordination in line with calls for regional partners such as the ASEAN grouping of countries security council And the General Assembly.
Cambodia: Courts uphold sentence of former opposition leader Kem Sokha
and while in Southeast Asia, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed There is deep concern in Cambodia over the top court’s decision to uphold the conviction of former opposition leader Kem Sokha, as well as guilty verdicts against 33 other opposition figures, human rights defenders and social media users.
On Thursday, the appeals court confirmed Sokha’s 27-year sentence on treason, espionage and conspiracy charges stemming from a speech he gave in Australia in 2013, four years before his 2017 arrest.
On Wednesday, in a separate case, the Court of First Instance sentenced 33 individuals to sentences ranging from an 18-month suspended sentence to two years in prison.
He faced charges of “incitement to cause social chaos” over public comments he made in 2024 about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle region project.
human rights concerns
These recent convictions and sentences are inconsistent with international human rights law and risk deepening the dangerous impact of broad, vaguely worded criminal laws and their arbitrary application on civil society, journalists, and the broader population in Cambodia.
Kem Sokha and 33 other individuals were exercising their rights to freedom of expression. Their trials raise concerns about violations of due process and fair trial rights.
The High Commissioner urged Cambodia to ensure that legitimate criticism and expression are protected rather than criminalized, civil space is protected, the independence of the judiciary is guaranteed and fair trial guarantees are upheld.
The authorities should quash these convictions and unconditionally release Kem Sokha and all others arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights. They should halt any further such prosecutions and review Cambodia’s criminal law to ensure that it is consistent with international human rights law standards.
New Israeli death penalty law ‘perpetuates racial discrimination’: independent rights expert
Israel’s newly adopted ‘death penalty law for terrorists’ perpetuates racial discrimination against Palestinians, according to a panel of independent human rights experts on Thursday.
united nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – which is supported by the United Nations Human Rights Office, OHCHR – Said the new law is a serious erosion of human rights, urging Israeli authorities to immediately repeal the law.
The Committee expressed concern that the law mandates capital punishment as the default sentence for cases involving ‘acts of terrorism’ before Israeli military courts, which have exclusive jurisdiction over Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory – while Israeli citizens and residents are excluded from them.
The committee said the new law is a serious blow to human rights, rolling back Israel’s long-held moratorium on executions since 1962 and expanding the use of the death penalty in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
‘Applicable only to Palestinians’
The Committee highlighted its concern that in Israel, “this law only applies to people convicted of intentional killing with intent to ‘deny the existence of the State of Israel'” making it de facto “only applicable to Palestinians.”
It further states that the law prohibits commutation, commutation or remission of the death penalty and sets a time limit of 90 days for execution after the final verdict is pronounced.
Meanwhile, the Committee said the law was adopted amid escalating violence and extrajudicial killings in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as ongoing systematic violations of Palestinians’ rights to due process and a fair trial.
According to UN data, as of January 2026, 9,243 Palestinians were in Israeli custody, including 3,385 administrative detainees held without trial.
A PAHO health worker prepares a rabies vaccination.
Severe disparities in qualified health workers across South America
According to the report, South American countries continue to have significant health care disparities in terms of the workforce available in urban areas compared to rural and disadvantaged communities. A new regional report by the United Nations-supported Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The report on Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay identifies deficiencies that directly impact the availability of experts and the ability of health systems to meet the needs of the population.
These gaps include migration of health workers, concentration in urban areas, misalignment between educational supply and the needs of health systems, and notable differences in working conditions between regions and sectors.
need for investment
Among the findings, large disparities appear in Brazil, with lower availability and a higher proportion of multiple contracts in the North and North-East.
Whereas in Peru, 85 percent of the workforce is concentrated in urban areas and there is an estimated shortage of more than 54,000 health workers.
“Countries need strong information systems and comprehensive policies that simultaneously address the training, recruitment, delivery and retention of health workers,” said James Fitzgerald, director of health systems and services at PAHO.
PAHO urges governments in the region to invest in training and policies to help retain workers, with a particular focus on primary care and areas with greatest needs.
