Mr. President,
Estonia fully aligns with the EU statement. We regret to witness the further deterioration of human rights worldwide. We express our concerns regarding the most serious human rights situations in Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria and Ukraine and refer to previous Nordic-Baltic statements.
We deplore that with Russia´s war in Ukraine, the crackdown on Russian civil society has intensified even further – targeting independent media and journalists, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters opposing the war in Ukraine. The brutal crushing of anti-mobilization demonstrations left over 1000 protesters detained.
In Belarus, disproportionate sentencing of innocent people is used as an authoritarian tactic to eliminate dissent in the society. The horrid conditions in which political prisoners in Belarus are kept in physically and mentally abusive conditions, is a world of “no rules” that Estonia vehemently abhors.
This past year Taliban´s systemic policy of refusing women and girls their fundamental freedoms impedes the growth of Afghanistan´s social fabric. Denying girls secondary education magnifies their risk of sexual exploitation and forced marriage.
In Iran, the ruthlessness with which the “morality police” bashed around the 22-year old Mahsa Amini, is disgraceful. Disproportionate use of physical force against peaceful protesters, including woman, and the rising numbers of casualties are deeply worrying.
In Myanmar, the recorded human rights abuses bear the face of women and children. Women are subjugated to sexual violence, and children to arbitrary detention or torture. We are appalled by the most recent reports of the death of 11 children in Tabayin when army helicopters opened fire over a school.
I thank you!