Geneva - Saba:
A UN commissioner warned, on Monday, that the era of "tyrants" who committed horrific crimes "may be repeated", calling for vigilance to avoid a "very dangerous" situation.
According to Agence France-Presse, UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, during the opening of the annual session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, presented a bleak picture of the situation in the world.
Türk said in his opening speech, "Over the past centuries, the unrestrained use of force by powerful people, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, population transfers, and child labor were common practices."
Türk added, "Tyrants were able to order the commission of horrific crimes that took the lives of a large number of people," adding, "Beware: this may be repeated."
“The global consensus on human rights is crumbling under the weight of tyrants and despots,” the High Commissioner told the Human Rights Council, noting that “by some estimates, tyrants now control about a third of the global economy, more than double what it was 30 years ago.”
He noted that some world leaders today “use national security and the fight against terrorism to justify egregious violations.
Türk stressed the need for “a collective effort by everyone to ensure that human rights and the rule of law remain at the heart of societies and international relations.”