{"id":13171,"date":"2026-02-23T15:16:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13171"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:16:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:16:51","slug":"human-rights-outmuscled-by-rule-of-force-globally-un-chief-warns-united-nations-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13171","title":{"rendered":"Human rights outmuscled by \u2018rule of force\u2019 globally, UN chief warns | United Nations News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Antonio Guterres highlights \u2018blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law\u2019 in Palestine.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 23 Feb 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">23 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>\u201cHuman rights are under a full-scale attack around the world\u201d as the powerful trample on international law, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force,\u201d he said at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council\u2019s annual session in Geneva on Monday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Guterres stressed that \u201cthis assault is not coming from the shadows or by surprise. It is happening in plain sight \u2013 and often led by those who hold the greatest power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not mention specific situations although he did voice outrage at Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine, where he said more than 15,000 civilians had been killed in four years of violence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is more than past time to end the bloodshed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres also highlighted the \u201cblatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law in the occupied Palestinian territory\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He charged that the trajectory in the conflict-torn territory under Israeli occupation was \u201cstark, clear and purposeful: The two-state solution is being stripped away in broad daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe international community cannot allow it to happen,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n<p>In his final in-person address to the UN\u2019s top rights body, Guterres, who will complete his second five-year term at the end of this year, said the worst conflict-hit areas were not the only places where rights were eroding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAround the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically and sometimes proudly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are living in a world where mass suffering is excused away, where humans are used as bargaining chips, where international law is treated as a mere inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4331820\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4331820\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4331820\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260223__98LK963__v1__HighRes__SwitzerlandUnRightsDiplomacy-1771841108.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Volker Turk\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4331820\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018The use of force to resolve disputes between and within countries is becoming normalised,\u2019 UN rights chief Volker Turk tells the UN Human Rights Council [Fabrice Coffrini\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk echoed the concerns, saying: \u201cDevelopments around the world point to a deeply worrying trend: Domination and supremacy are making a comeback\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA fierce competition for power, control and resources is playing out on the world stage at a rate and intensity unseen for the past 80 years,\u201d he warned. \u201cThe use of force to resolve disputes between and within countries is becoming normalised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInflammatory threats against sovereign nations are thrown about with no regard to the fire they could ignite. The laws of war are being brutally violated. Mass civilian suffering \u2013 from Sudan to Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar \u2013 is unfolding before our eyes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Turk highlighted how \u201cthe gears of global power are shifting\u201d, calling for people to band together to protect human rights and create \u201ca strong counterbalance to the top-down, autocratic trends we see today\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Antonio Guterres highlights \u2018blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law\u2019 in Palestine. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 23 Feb 202623 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share \u201cHuman rights are under a full-scale attack around the world\u201d as the powerful trample on international law, according [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}