The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva ended its 51st session on Friday after a very intense four weeks that brought both ups and downs. Here’s a quick review…

China: Sadly, the Council voted not to debate the UN High Commissioner’s Xinjiang report, which found that Chinese authorities were committing sweeping violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, possibly rising to the level of crimes against humanity. As noted in this newsletter last week, many countries were unable to stand up to Beijing’s arm-twisting. Particularly notable was the failure of some Muslim-majority countries to take an interest.

Russia: By contrast, there was a solid win for victims of abuses in Russia, as the Council voted to establish a special rapporteur on the human rights situation there – something we’ve been advocating for some time.   

Ethiopia: In other good news, the Council voted to renew the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. As noted in this newsletter previously, this will help keep international focus on atrocities there.

Sri Lanka: In another victory, the Council voted to extend and reinforce the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Sri Lanka Accountability Project, which goes some way to meeting the demands of local civil society groups.  

Afghanistan: In partially positive news, the Council adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the special rapporteur on Afghanistan for one year. Unfortunately, efforts to also establish an accountability mechanism failed.

Venezuela: In a strong outcome, Council members passed a resolution to renew the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela for two years.

Burundi: In one more for the win column, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi.

Philippines: It was disappointing to see no resolution presented on the Philippines, where, as we noted in this newsletter last week, there’s been no letup in deadly abuses.

Yemen: In other bad news, this Council session also failed to create an independent international monitoring and reporting mandate on Yemen.

Friday’s announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners brought a moment of light to three very dark situations.

In awarding the Prize to imprisoned Belarusian rights defender Alex Bialiatski; to Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, which is at the forefront of documenting Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine; and to the tenacious Russian rights giant Memorial, the Nobel Committee offered, “a great gesture of solidarity with rights groups battling for populations under siege.”

That last week also saw the successful vote at the UN Human Rights Council to create a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia was a welcome bonus. (see previous story)

Unfortunately, the Kremlin’s abuses continue unabated.

In Ukraine, Russian forces bombed central Kyiv this morning, for the first time in months, including a children’s playground. There were also reports of explosions in Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr.

And at home, Russian authorities are deepening their crackdown against those criticizing Putin’s war. On Friday, authorities brought a charge of high treason against an opposition politician and longstanding proponent of democratic values, Vladimir Kara-Murza.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement offers a moment to reflect on how human rights are essential to peace and security. Unfortunately, those living with ongoing serious abuses have little time for reflection.

Today, on this year’s World Mental Health Day 2022, HRW is calling on governments, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations to take concrete steps to develop and invest in psychosocial support for people affected by armed conflicts.

An estimated 22 percent of people living in conflict zones have a mental health condition, compared with about 13 percent in the general population.

Conflict-related violence can lead to psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. We’ve done research in numerous countries, including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Gaza, Iraq, South Sudan, and Syria showing that people, particularly women and people with disabilities, often face barriers in accessing mental health services.

The Global Mental Health Summit in Rome this week, on October 13-14, is an opportunity for leaders to commit to providing appropriate psychosocial support to all those affected. The focus should be on community-based, rights-respecting services both in conflict countries and in countries where people are fleeing to.

(compiled today by Lisa Maier)

• African Union invites Ethiopia, Tigray region to peace talks (DW) 
• Bangladesh: escalation of repression on political opposition (HRW) 
• ‘More bullets, more bloodshed’ – Haiti aid groups warn against request for foreign forces fearing escalation of violence (The Guardian) 
• How a third term for Xi Jinping threatens rights in China (HRW) 

In Friday’s edition of this newsletter, we remembered Anna Politkovskaya on the 16th anniversary of her murder, which, apart from being a tragedy for Russia, was something of a warning to the world about the direction her country was heading.

Media in Croatia, the Netherlands (twice), and Romania picked up our reflections. If you understand the relevant languages or don’t mind a Google translation, do give them a read.