{"id":299681,"date":"2024-08-06T15:12:27","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T19:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=299681"},"modified":"2024-08-06T15:12:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T19:12:27","slug":"independent-experts-condemn-06aug24","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/independent-experts-condemn-06aug24\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent experts condemn escalating violence in the Middle East, urge ceasefire and accountability – Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
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06 August 2024<\/p>\n

Independent experts* today deplored escalating violence in the Middle East, including a rocket apparently fired from Lebanon that killed 12 children in Syria\u2019s Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, and Israel\u2019s alleged killing in response of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

They also condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas\u2019 political chief and a former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, in Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely concerned by these killings, which violate the human right to life and risk perilous further escalation of violence and displacement in the region,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The experts strongly condemned a rocket attack on 28 July reportedly launched from Lebanon against Majdal Shams, a village in the occupied Syrian Golan, which killed 12 Druze children and injured 42 other people. Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since 1967 and purported to annex it in 1981, in violation of international law. Israel claims that Hezbollah was responsible, but Hezbollah has denied the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis attack appears to be in violation of both international humanitarian law and international human rights law\u201d, the experts said. \u201cIn addition, all countries have a\u00a0duty<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to prevent the use of their territories by non-state actors to launch cross-border violence endangering civilians, and to investigate and prosecute or extradite those who commit such acts,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

Israel responded by killing a Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukur, in a residential area of Beirut on 30 July, in a strike that also reportedly killed a boy and a girl and three women and wounded 74 people. \u201cWe are alarmed at such reckless disregard for the human right to life, in violation of international humanitarian law, and the dangerous escalation of the border conflict with Hezbollah to the peaceful capital city of Lebanon,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

The experts also condemned the alleged killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July, which bears the hallmark of an Israeli operation. \u201cIf confirmed, this would amount to an extrajudicial killing and the crime of murder. All states are\u00a0prohibited<\/a><\/em>\u00a0from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life, including in military operations abroad,\u201d they said. \u201cKillings abroad are further illegal when they violate the prohibition on the use of armed force against another country under\u00a0Article 2(4)<\/a><\/em>\u00a0of the United Nations Charter\u201d, they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe killing of Haniyeh, a key political leader, amidst urgent and delicate ceasefire negotiations also thwarts the best immediate chance for peace and the safe release of those taken hostage on 7 October 2023\u201d, the experts said. It has also destroyed efforts to bring Haniyeh to justice before the International Criminal Court. \u201cThis assassination not only exacerbates a dire conflict but destabilises the whole region, undermines multilateralism, and impedes the United Nations\u2019 search for a diplomatic solution according to international law.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three incidents highlight the vital need for full, independent and impartial investigations, including access to all pertinent evidence and full cooperation from relevant countries, to establish the facts of the killings and ensure accountability.<\/p>\n

To protect innocent civilian lives, the experts urged all parties to immediately cease fire on all fronts. They also called on the Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to effectively respond to all actors in the region whose actions threaten international peace and security.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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*The experts: Ben Saul<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism<\/strong><\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Francesca Albanese<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967<\/strong><\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Mai Sato,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran<\/strong><\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Cecilia M. Bailliet,<\/strong>\u00a0Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity<\/strong><\/a><\/em>; George Katrougalos,<\/strong>\u00a0Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order<\/strong><\/a><\/em>; Reem Alsalem,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences<\/strong><\/a><\/em>; Balakrishnan Rajagopal,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing<\/strong><\/a><\/em>; Ashwini K.P.,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance<\/strong><\/a><\/em>; Gina Romero,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association;<\/strong><\/a><\/em>\u00a0Farida Shaheed,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to education<\/strong><\/a><\/em>;<\/strong>\u00a0Paula Gaviria Betancur,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons<\/strong><\/a><\/em>;<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Morris Tidball-Binz<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions<\/strong><\/a><\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krsti\u0107, and Haina Lu;<\/strong>\u00a0Working group on discrimination against women and girls<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  06 August 2024 Independent experts* today deplored escalating violence in the Middle East, including a rocket apparently fired from Lebanon that killed 12 children in Syria\u2019s Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, and Israel\u2019s alleged killing in response of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Lebanon. They also condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas\u2019 political […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[6855,6924,6684,5465,6805,6726,6681,5073,6863,6854,4754,6221],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2265,6845,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-299681","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-independent-expert-on-human-rights-and-international-solidarity","document-source-independent-expert-on-international-order","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-contemporary-forms-of-racism","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-extrajudicial-summary-arbitrary-executions","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-freedom-of-peaceful-assembly-and-association","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-human-rights-of-internally-displaced-persons","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-promotion-and-protection-of-human-rights-and-fundamental-freedoms-while-countering-terrorism","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-right-to-adequate-housing","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-right-to-education","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-the-palestinian-territories-occupied-since-1967","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-violence-against-women-and-girls-its-causes-and-consequences","document-source-working-group-on-discrimination-against-women-and-girls","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-protection-of-civilians","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/299681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/299681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299699,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/299681\/revisions\/299699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=299681"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=299681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}