Jeremy Laurence Joined By The Head Of The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission In Ukraine (HRMMU) Danielle Bell

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Jeremy Laurence joined by the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) Danielle Bell

Location: Jeremy Laurence - Geneva / Danielle Bell - Kyiv
Date: 9 July 2024
Subject: (1) Ukraine; (2) Yemen

(1) Ukraine

Last night, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described as abominable the deadly blasts at two Kyiv hospitals that treat children and women.

The Russian Federation launched a wave of strikes on densely populated areas of Ukraine, including the cities of Kryvi Rih, Pokrovsk and Dnipro. As well as the hospitals, we have received reports key energy infrastructure facilities were hit.

The High Commissioner deplored the attacks, and called on those with influence to do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately.

Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to. There must be prompt, thorough and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and those responsible must be held to account.

This morning we are joined from Kyiv by Danielle Bell, the head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

(2) Yemen

We remain extremely worried about the well-being of 13 UN staff and a number of NGO employees who have been detained for over a month now by the ‘Ansar Allah’ de facto authorities in Yemen. We continue to be refused access to them.

We also remain particularly concerned by the situation of two other UN staff members who were already in prolonged detention, one since November 2021 and the other since August 2023.

We emphatically reject the shocking allegations, publicly broadcast, levelled against our staff, and we urge the de facto authorities in Sana’a to immediately and unconditionally release them.

Our Office calls on those States and entities with influence over ‘Ansar Allah’ to use it to secure the safe and prompt release of all detained UN and NGO staff.

We are also deeply worried about the conditions in which they are being held IT IS CRUCIAL that the de facto authorities ensure that those detained are treated with full respect for their human rights, and that they are able to contact their families and legal representatives.

Further targeting of human rights and humanitarian workers in Yemen must cease immediately.

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