The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 24 February to 02 March 2025. Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
1 March 2025
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for arms embargo addressing Myanmar humanitarian crisis
At the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the international community to implement an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on Myanmar. Türk described the human rights situation in Myanmar as one of the worst in the world with a “litany of human suffering,” including indiscriminate air-strikes, summary executions, torture, and famine.
Türk noted that Myanmar’s economic collapse has increased corruption and crime, making the country a significant hub for organized crime and drug production. Human trafficking has risen sharply, especially in scam centers where victims endure severe abuse.
28 February 2025
South Sudan: UN Human Rights Council's scrutiny remains crucial as the country stands at a precarious juncture
While South Sudan’s Parliament has passed key transitional justice laws, the continued delay in implementing the Hybrid Court—the third mechanism of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in partnership with the African Union—undermines accountability and the broader quest for sustainable peace and justice. Civic space has continued to deteriorate as the National Security Service continues to operate without judicial oversight, using its expansive powers under the 2024 Act to suppress fundamental rights and freedoms. The arbitrary detention of Emmanuel Monychol, editor in chief of the Dawn newspaper, since December 2024 is an example of this alarming trend.
As illustrated by the Commission, the slow implementation of South Sudan’s fragile peace deal has contributed to a culture of impunity that fuels human rights abuses. Robust international action to prioritize human rights and accountability is needed now more than ever.
27 February 2025
Thailand deported dozens of Uyghurs to China
Thailand sent 40 Uyghur asylum seekers back to China, an act which drew a sharp rebuke from UN officials and activists who had long warned that the men could face torture and long-term imprisonment upon their return. The UN’s refugee agency and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the deportations a clear violation of international law. Uyghur activists abroad deplored the decision.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he condemned Thailand’s actions in the “strongest possible terms,” adding that the country could be violating “its international obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.”
27 February 2025
UN Secretary-General details his proposal to help mission in Haiti fight gangs
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is proposing opening a UN office that would provide drones, fuel, ground and air transportation and other non-lethal support to a Kenyan-led mission in Haiti struggling to fight gangs.
The letter was sent to the UN Security Council and provides the first details for a proposal that Guterres announced last week at a summit with Caribbean leaders. At the time, Guterres said he would request that the UN assume funding for the mission’s structural and logistical expenses but did not provide further information. The main goal of taking over that funding would be to encourage countries to boost the mission’s numbers; it currently has some 1,000 personnel out of the 2,500 envisioned.
26 February 2025
EU should address Modi’s crackdown on human rights during India visit
European Union commissioners will conduct an “unprecedented visit” to India, seeking to “upgrade the strategic partnership” and strengthen bilateral trade, economic, technology, and security ties. In a letter sent ahead of the visit, 12 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, urged EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the other visiting commissioners to discuss with Indian PM Narendra Modi his country’s crackdown on human rights, and to make it clear that progress on bilateral relations depends on tangible rights progress.
According to Human Rights Watch, the EU also has its human rights problems. The rule of law is on the decline in several EU countries, while racial and religious discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance are on the rise. The bloc’s foreign policy is increasingly marred by support for abusive governments to stop migration at any cost and by egregious double standards on atrocity crimes and other serious violations of international law. Indian authorities should raise these concerns with their EU counterparts and urge measures to address them.
25 February 2025
Ancient artefacts worth $2.2M recovered by Manhattan DA’s office will be returned to Greece and Italy
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office recently announced the recovery of two groups of ancient artefacts which would be returned to Greece and Italy. A repatriation ceremony took place on 25 February for eleven ancient Greek artefacts, including a votive figurine from 1300-1200 BCE and a marble funerary relief from 4th-3rd century BCE.
Other artifacts being returned include a Hellenistic statuette of the mythical heroine Atalanta, an aryballos depicting a battle scene from 600-500 BCE, and a Dionysian kantharos from the 4th century BCE. The collection of items were recovered by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and are valued at approximately $1 million, according to a report by the Athens newspaper Kathimerini. Some of the recovered pieces were also connected to London-based art dealer Robin Symes, who was convicted of contempt of court for lying about antiquities he held in storage locations around the world in 2005, and Swiss gallery owner Herbert Cahn.
24 February 2025
US sides with Russia on UN Security Resolution on Ukraine
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the US voted with the Russians in an attempt to block a draft resolution by Ukraine at the UN that called for a “de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution” of the war against Ukraine.
The US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the United Nations to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the Trump administration's change of stance on the war. First, the US opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity – voting the same way as Russia and countries including North Korea and Belarus at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The US then drafted and voted for a resolution at the UN Security Council which called for an end to the conflict, but contained no criticism of Russia. The Security Council passed the resolution, but two key US allies, the UK and France, abstained after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.