The UN rights chief voiced alarm Friday at the normalization of the use of force to resolve disputes, warning that conflicts create "a human rights wasteland.”
"We must not revert to violence as an organizing principle," Volker Turk said as he provided an update on rights situations around the world to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"The world cannot stand by as the edifice of international humanitarian and human rights law is dismantled before our eyes.”
He also said he was "extremely alarmed" at the risk of a regional escalation around Iran, which is facing repeated threats of US strikes.
"I am extremely alarmed about the potential for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians, and I hope the voice of reason prevails," Turk added.
He called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, warning that dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this week.
"I am horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two children, have been sentenced to death in connection with the protests," Turk said in his speech to the Council, adding that another 30 people appeared to be at risk of the same sentence.
He also decried mounting threats to women's rights worldwide, highlighting rampant femicide and horrific abuse exposed in cases like that of US predator Jefferey Epstein.
"Violence against women, including femicide, is a global emergency. Around 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed in 2024, most by family members," Turk said.
