Geneva The United Nations is observing violations of human rights in numerous countries – including on European soil. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who has been in office since October, is dealing, among other things, with the brutal actions of the Russian army in Ukraine. “The violence and killing in Ukraine is incomprehensible. It’s pointless and absurd,” he said in an interview with the Handelsblatt.
Turk has no direct power over governments. However, the High Commissioner seeks dialogue with those responsible for politics in order to strengthen human rights. He can also initiate investigations and publicly denounce unjust regimes.
So far, Ukrainian law enforcement has convicted few Russians of war crimes. But other perpetrators shouldn’t be too sure, says Türk: “History teaches us that the mills of justice grind.”
Mr. Türk, you have been High Commissioner for a few months and immediately had to deal with several serious human rights crises. Where is the situation of the people particularly bad?
The population suffers particularly badly in wars and conflicts. Human rights are going under the wheels. We see this in Ukraine, in Syria, in Yemen and also in Ethiopia, where fortunately a peace agreement has been concluded. Even when the military stage a coup, as in Mali and Myanmar, or when autocratic regimes refuse to relinquish power, as in Nicaragua, repression is almost inevitable. We also see countries without functioning governments, such as in Haiti, where gangster gangs have set up a regime of terror in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
And there are states where religious and ideological fanatics are in control.
Yes, like in Iran or in Afghanistan. The recently reported decision by the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan to ban female students from university is another appalling blow to the rights of women and girls.
Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have massively restricted women’s rights.
(Photo: dpa)
In 2023 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be 75 years old. Given the bleak situation, is there cause for celebration?
no I don’t feel like celebrating. However, the anniversary should remind us and make it clear what a marvel we have with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After the horrors and atrocities of the Second World War, after the Holocaust, the countries said: “never again”. The Declaration, with its 30 articles, is the product of universal thought born out of a cataclysm.
Three quarters of a century after its adoption, the declaration is highly topical and offers answers to the great challenges of our time: it is a legal document and basic norm, it is intended to offer all people, without distinction, the greatest possible protection. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. I hope that all political leaders will read the declaration and make it the yardstick for their actions.
The Austrian lawyer has been the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since October 2022.
(Photo: dpa)
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t seem to give a damn about human rights. His army primarily attacks civilians in Ukraine. What war crimes shocked you the most?
I visited Ukraine in early December and saw the horrors, the suffering and the daily toll that this war in Russia is taking on the people. In Bucha near Kyiv I was at the place where the life of an old man was violently ended. He carried home a sack of potatoes. He was killed.
In Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast, I looked for the remains of a residential building that had been shelled. More than 50 people were buried alive under the rubble. Traces of extinct life were found. A shoe. A piano. Toy. A closet full of clothes. Shelves full of books. I spoke to families of POWs anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones and heard the pain of those whose sons are on the front lines. I also learned about the special plight of the disabled and elderly who are unable to reach a shelter when there is an air raid alarm. The violence and killing in Ukraine are incomprehensible. It’s pointless and absurd.
>> Read here: UN commission confirms war crimes in Ukraine
Where do you stand in dealing with the war crimes in Ukraine?
Law enforcement agencies in Ukraine are currently investigating 40,000 alleged war crimes. My UN High Commission sent investigators to Ukraine back in 2014, after Russia occupied Crimea in violation of international law and fighting began in the east. Since then, investigators have prepared reports of alleged war crimes.
The Russian army left hundreds of bodies in the city.
(Photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto)
Most recently, they documented the killings of 441 civilians in three regions during the first months of the 2022 invasion. The actual numbers are likely much higher. We are also recording new cases in Kharkiv and Kherson. In some cases, Russian soldiers executed civilians in makeshift prison camps. Others were executed after security checks – in their homes, courtyards and doorways. Even if the victims had clearly shown that they posed no threat, for example by holding their hands in the air.
So far, the Ukrainian authorities have only been able to convict a few Russians for war crimes. What signal does this impunity send out in Putin’s war?
If the perpetrators are not brought to justice in either Ukraine or Russia, UN member countries will have to decide whether to set up an international tribunal. Individual states can also initiate their own criminal proceedings against suspected criminals who committed their crimes abroad under the principle of universal jurisdiction. History teaches us that the wheels of justice grind slowly. And the perpetrators need to know that they will not get away with it.
Will Putin ever stand trial for his criminal orders?
This is politically and legally extremely complicated. I don’t want to speculate, but that doesn’t seem realistic to me at the moment.
Another question about China. Her predecessor as High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, has long hesitated to criticize China’s leaders for their repressive policies. How do you intend to persuade those in power in Beijing to respect human rights?
I bet in the most effective way and engage in dialogue with the government. It is about international, regional and national points. My office’s report on the situation of Uyghurs contains many recommendations to improve the human rights situation.
More: The war in Ukraine is increasingly slipping away from Putin