United Nations office at Geneva
Hears Address by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
13 September 2016
The Human Rights Council this morning opened its thirty-third regular session, hearing a wide-ranging statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, of Jordan
High Commissioner Zeid expressed concern over an emerging pattern of the growing refusal of an increasing number of Member States to grant the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or the human rights mechanisms, access to countries or to specific regions. The High Commissioner stressed that there was no alternative to working together and committing to collective action in order to solve common problems, in particular terrorism.
The High Commissioner stressed that his Office had not been given access to Iran since 2013; the offers to begin a technical dialogue on the death penalty had been systematically overlooked, which was particularly regrettable given the reports of fundamental problems with the administration of criminal justice, and the continued execution of large numbers of people, including juveniles by the Iranian regime.
