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UN Criticizes U.K., EU over Handling of Migration
April 20, 2015
The Guardian reports that UN High Commissioner for Refugees Laurens Jolles blames election rhetoric and politics in the U.K. and other EU countries for what he views as an insufficient rescue operation for migrants in the Mediterranean, and calls for broader legal avenues for migration to Europe.
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NGOs: U.S. Undermines Human Rights Standards
April 20, 2015
Meeting at Hunter College in New York City, a group of nongovernmental organizations ("NGOs") offered a preview of the U.S.'s upcoming UN human rights review by criticizing the country's record on human rights, including access to health care, water shutoffs in Detroit, and various counterterrorism measures.
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UN Officials Criticize Military-Based Counterterrorism Approach
April 17, 2015
Two UN Special Rapporteurs have issued a press release calling on countries to "re-think" approaches to counterterrorism based on law enforcement and military responses in favor of a human rights-based approach that confronts non-religious causes of terrorism.
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UNOHCHR Pressures Israel over "Administrative Detentions"
April 15, 2015
The UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights ("UNOHCHR") has called for a halt to Israel's detention of Palestinian prisoners under administrative orders by either releasing the prisoners or prosecuting them "with all the judicial guarantees required by international human rights law."
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UNGA President Highlights NGO Role in Development Goals
April 15, 2015
In a recent statement, President of the UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa emphasized the participation of nongovernmental organizations ("NGOs") in the formation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal agenda, which observers have warned has become an unrealistic wish list for activists.