UN Human Rights

A possible court decision in favour of Brazil's industrial and livestock sector against the land rights of centuries-old communities set up by former slaves could infringe the country's international human rights obligations, a United Nations expert warned today.

A group of United Nations human rights experts today expressed concern about the suspension of a high-profile Spanish judge who had been investigating allegations regarding tens of thousands of enforced disappearances during the country's civil war and subsequent years

Access to free media is a fundamental human right, yet in many countries in Asia and elsewhere journalists risk intimidation, detention and even their lives, simply for doing their jobs, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a regional forum today in Beijing.

The sentencing of a gay couple in Malawi to 14 years in prison is "blatantly discriminatory," the top United Nations human rights official said today, voicing concern over the precedent that this could set in the region.