New York, USA
Speaking to correspondents at UN
Headquarters in New York, the UN Secretary General António Guterres said that although “every situation is unique”
there are common underlying factors which constitute “rising threats to the
social contract” between citizens and the political class.
“People want a level
playing field, including social, economic and financial systems that work
for all”, together with respect for their human rights and a real say in
decisions that affect them, Mr. Guterres added.
Current or recent
demonstrations and protests have raged in the streets of Bolivia, Chile, Hong
Kong, Ecuador, Egypt, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq and Lebanon, said the UN human rights
office, briefing reporters in Geneva earlier in the day.
Major protests earlier
in the year were also seen in Algeria, Honduras, Nicaragua, Malawi, Russia,
Sudan, Zimbabwe, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
OHCHR
Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the UN had received reports of
police using force against protesters in Bolivia following disputed election
results this week, including tear gas, and she called on all actors, “including
political leaders and their followers, to exercise restraint in order to reduce
tensions”.
There was a similar
message for politicians in Baghdad, where at least 157 have been killed and
nearly 5,500 injured across Iraq. There are “credible reports” of serious
rights violations including killing of unarmed protesters, and excessive use of
force, combined with Government repression of information.
In Chile, the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet – twice elected president
there – said on Thursday her office would send a team of three officers to the
country to establish the facts behind allegations of rights abuses, following
days of protests over inequality, the rising cost of living, and a declared
state of emergency.
And in Lebanon, the
“biggest spontaneous protests in over a decade” have continued, despite a
package of anti-corruption reforms announced by the Prime Minister, said Ms.
Shamdasani: “Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters from all walks of life
and confessions, continue to unleash anger across the country, against what
they perceive to be decades of corruption and government mismanagement.”
Mr. Guterres said he was “deeply concerned that
some protests have led violence and loss of life”. Governments have an
obligation to uphold free expression and peaceful assembly, and to “safeguard
civic space”.
But while
security forces needed to use maximum restraint, it is also incumbent on
protesters “to follow the examples of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and other
champions of non-violent change”, added the UN chief.
“There can
be no excuse for violence – from any quarter. Above all I urge leaders
everywhere to listen to the real problems of real people. Our world needs
action and ambition, to build fair globalization, strengthen social cohesion
and tackle the climate crisis.”
He concluded
with a final note of advice to those in power, from Algeria, to Zimbabwe: “With
solidarity and smart policies, leaders can show they ‘get it’ - and point the
way to a more just world.” - Africa
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