UN Rights Chief Ignored World's Worst Regimes

A Report on Volker Türk’s Record as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

December 10, 2024

Introduction and Methodology

This report provides the first independent evaluation of the record of Volker Türk as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights by examining a broad and indicative sample of his statements during the first two years of his tenure.

UN Watch reviewed every country criticism published by Mr. Türk on his UN website during his tenure, from October 17, 2022, through October 31, 2024, by searching the News section of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We reviewed statements published there by the High Commissioner and his spokespeople.

Our findings refer only to official statements that were initiated by Volker Türk at his own discretion. They do not count criticisms found in statements mandated by the Human Rights Council, global omnibus updates to the Council, statements on official UN reports, statements at UN events, and thematic statements.

Key Findings and Call to Action

• UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the United States more than he condemned all of China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, combined.

• Türk for the past two year was completely silent on gross and systematic violations of human rights committed by the regimes of Cuba, North Korea, Algeria, Eritrea, Mauritania, Lebanon, and Qatar. At the same time, he had no trouble criticizing democracies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and France.

• Even when Türk did criticize some of the most oppressive regimes, he ignored many of their worst offenses. For example, he made only three criticisms of China, yet even in these he never mentioned Beijing’s imprisonment of more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps.

• Türk was obsessed with condemning Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, making 58 condemnations during the past two years, with 47 on the Hamas-Israel war. To put this in perspective, over the same two years, the Maduro regime in Venezuela was criticized only 4 times.

• Turk has made more statements on the Hamas-Israel war than on wars that directly affected millions of more people, with more statements about Gaza than all of his total combined statements on Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar. To put this in perspective, although the war in Sudan also began in 2023, it has already killed tens of thousands of civilians and has created over 2 million external refugees, which is nearly as many refugees as the entire population of Gaza. Another 7.7 million Sudanese have been left internally displaced.

• Despite his position as the highest independent voice in the UN human rights system, Türk was silent when the UN elected serial abusers like China, Cuba, Qatar, and Eritrea to the Human Rights Council, which now has a membership that is 60 percent non-democracies, and he was silent when the Islamic Republic of Iran was made Chair of the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum.  

Accordingly:

• UN Watch calls on High Commissioner Volker Türk to resign. He is not fit to serve as the top authority on human rights on account of his documented record of placing political considerations over human rights, and turning a blind eye to hundreds of millions of victims of the world’s most oppressive regimes.

• In the event that Türk does not resign by January 1st, to be replaced by a genuine human rights voice with moral credibility, all democracies should pull out of the UNHRC.

• Democracies should stop lending legitimacy to a UN human rights system that has become corrupted by selectivity, politicization, and the dangerous domination of dictatorships.

Measuring and Evaluating Statements Initiated by UN High Commissioner Volker Türk

The following set of tables and graphs measures the quantity and strength of the High Commissioner’s statements on 24 non-democracies, being countries failing to meet the minimal standards of a “Free” democracy as rated by Freedom House, as well as 24 democracies rated “Free” by Freedom House. For each country listed, the tables and graphs show the number of criticisms initiated by High Commissioner Türk during his first two years, as well as our assessment of whether the statement is weak, moderate, or strong, based on the language, tone, overall context, and severity of abuses addressed. For the complete data, click here.

Table 1. Statements on Non-Democracies

Table 2. Statements on Democracies

Positive Findings on Volker Türk’s Record

High Commissioner Türk was strong in calling out abuses in the following countries:

Spoke Out On Russia: Türk initiated 19 statements against Russia, seven of them strong, nine only moderate, and three that were weak. He initiated 12 statements criticizing Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine. He also initiated five statements criticizing repressive policies targeting civil society inside Russia, including three statements on behalf of arbitrarily detained Alexei Navalny, who died in prison, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was since released in a prisoner exchange. In addition, Türk initiated two statements criticizing a Russian law targeting the LGBT community.

Spoke Out On Sudan: Türk initiated 20 statements on Sudan, 17 concerning the latest conflict that erupted in April 2023, eight of them strong. The three statements preceding the conflict are directed at both the civilian government and the military. The 17 conflict statements include 12 statements that criticize violations by both parties (the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces) and five statements just criticizing the RSF. These statements focus on killings of civilians, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and recruitment of child soldiers. They accuse both parties of violating international law.

Spoke Out On Afghanistan: Türk initiated 15 statements criticizing the Taliban in Afghanistan, four of them strong. The majority of these statements-nine-focused on the Taliban’s discrimination against women and its restrictions on women’s rights to education and participation in public life. The other six statements concerned arbitrary detentions, corporal punishment, public executions, and refugees.

Spoke Out On Myanmar: Türk initiated 12 total statements on Myanmar, four of them strong. Six of the statements concerned violations against Rohingya Muslims, while three criticized violations of the laws of war more generally in the context of the ongoing conflict. In addition, there was one statement each on executions, arbitrary detentions, and refugees.

Spoke Out On Iran: Türk initiated 11 statements on the Islamic Republic of Iran, three of them strong. Five of the statements criticized the high number of executions carried out by the Islamic regime, three statements criticized excessive force against protesters following Masah Amini’s death in police custody, and two statements criticized the Hijab bill. However, considering the amount of times Türk spoke out against the Taliban’s anti-women policies and the extent of the violations in by the Islamic Republic, he could have spoken out much more. He also did not speak out sufficiently on arbitrary detentions and torture of dissidents and human rights activists or kidnappings of foreign nationals and holding them for ransom.

Furthermore, there was also a strong statement condemning the Iranian missile attack on Israel on April 14, 2024. However, Türk did not criticize the regime’s subsequent October 1, 2024 missile attack on Israel, choosing to ignore the role of the Ayatollah regime in the widening hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Problematic Findings on Volker Türk’s Record

NON-DEMOCRACIES

Silent on Cuba: Türk made zero statements on Cuba, a one-party Communist dictatorship that is the most repressive regime in the Americas. It is rated Not Free by Freedom House. According to Reporters Without Borders, “Cuba remains, year in and year out, the worst country for press freedom in Latin America,” ranked at the bottom of the Press Freedom Index at number 168 out of 180 countries. There are currently some 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba, including 110 women, and more than 30 children. Since Türk became High Commissioner, the Cuban government has harshly cracked down on protests, including in October 2022 and May 2023, imposing internet shutdowns and arresting protesters. Cuban police arbitrarily arrested Berta Soler, head of the Ladies in White opposition movement, multiple times in the last two years, including in September 2023 and September 2024. In September 2023, Cuban authorities also arbitrarily detained independent journalists and other opposition figures during the G77 + China summit in Havana. In July 2024, Cuban authorities briefly detained and threatened journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, warning him not to commemorate the July 11, 2021 protests.

Silent on North Korea: Türk made zero statements on North Korea, a one-party totalitarian dictatorship that routinely commits grave human rights violations. It is rated Not Free by Freedom House and ranks towards the bottom of Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index (177/180). North Korea has institutionalized forced labor which exhibits features of slavery. In 2023, 80,000 to 200,000 North Koreans were held in political prison camps where they were subjected to torture, forced labor, and other abuses. In March 2023, a young North Korean was sentenced to ten years of forced labor for leading other young people in watching “impure” movies and using South Korean speech. In April 2023, 20 aspiring athletes were sentenced to three to five years forced labor for using South Korean vocabulary. Furthermore, North Korea threatens security in the region with its nuclear weapons program. In August 2023, it conducted a tactical nuclear-strike drill simulating an attack on South Korea.

Silent on Qatar: Türk made zero statements on Qatar, a monarchy whose citizens have few political rights. It is ranked Not Free by Freedom House. Most of the population consists of non-citizens with no rights and limited economic opportunities who are subject to economic abuses. According to The Guardian, as many as 6,500 migrants died working on construction for the 2022 World Cup, which took place in November 2022. During the 2022 World Cup, there were several reports of journalists being detained, harassed, and threatened. After the event, 200 World Cup security guards were reportedly fired without notice, detained, and deported in January 2023. Qatari law discriminates against women and LGBT persons. Qatar is also a leading supporter of Hamas terrorism, providing hundreds of millions of dollars to the terror group and safe haven to its leaders who live in luxury in pricey Doha hotels. 

Silent on Eritrea: Türk made zero statements on Eritrea, an authoritarian State headed by President Isaias Afwerki since 1993, which does not respect freedom of expression and has no independent media or judiciary. It is rated Not Free by Freedom House and has the worst press freedom score in the world for 2024, ranked at 180 out of 180 by Reporters Without Borders. Eritrea is so repressive it has been dubbed “the North Korea of Africa.” Eritrea implements harsh forced conscription policies whereby 18 year-olds are drafted for an indefinite period and families of draft evaders are threatened and severely punished. This has led young Eritreans to flee the country. As of mid-2023, there were over 623,000 Eritrean asylum-seekers worldwide according to UNHCR. Eritrean forces continue to perpetrate serious abuses in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and forced labor. Other abuses by Eritrea include arbitrary arrests, torture, and harsh treatment of political prisoners. In July 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, arrested in 2001 with ten other journalists, was being arbitrarily detained.

Silent on Algeria: Türk made zero statements on Algeria, a repressive State that does not tolerate opposition. It is ranked Not Free by Freedom House. Algeria is also ranked in the bottom third of countries for press freedom (139/180) by Reporters Without Borders. There are some 200 political prisoners in Algeria. In February 2023, journalist Farid Herbi was sentenced to three years in prison after he criticized the government. At least three other journalists were sentenced to one to five years in prison in 2023. In November 2023, an Algerian court sentenced in absentia French-Algerian activist Amira Bouraoui to ten years in prison for illegally exiting the territory. Algeria also mistreats sub-Saharan migrants. It deported 20,000 such migrants in the first half of 2023. Femicide and domestic violence are widespread in Algeria. According to a local NGO, at least one woman is killed in Algeria every week.

Silent on Mauritania: Türk made zero statements on Mauritania, which is rated Partly Free by Freedom House. Mauritania continues to struggle with multiple forms of slavery, including descent-based slavery which primarily affects the Haratine group. Victims of slavery in Mauritania face severe ostracism. According to the Global Slavery Index, 149,000 people in Mauritania were subjected to slavery in 2023-3% of the population. The Mauritanian authorities routinely crackdown on opposition leaders and protests. On February 9, 2023, Haratine human rights activist Soufi Ould Cheine was killed in police custody. In April 2023, authorities arrested journalist Saleck Zeid in connection with Facebook posts criticizing the government. In April 2024, police violently prevented three reporters from covering protests. In May 2023, the government shut down the internet after protests erupted across the country following the death in custody of Omar Diop. In July 2024, three people were killed in clashes with police during post-election protests. Several were also arrested and the internet was shut down.

Silent on Lebanon: Türk made zero statements on Lebanon which is ranked Partly Free by Freedom House but has an extremely unstable government. Having failed to form a government in 2022, current Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been ruling the country through a caretaker government while the presidency remains vacant. The Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization Hezbollah has undue influence in Lebanon. It controls the largest bloc in the Lebanese parliament with 61 seats. Lebanon is also ranked low (140/180) on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. Lebanon mistreats and discriminates against refugees. Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in poverty with few economic opportunities and they are subjected to violence. Palestinian refugees face restrictions and discrimination, including being legally prohibited from purchasing or inheriting property and barred from 39 skilled professions. Fighting between Palestinian armed groups in 2023 killed at least 30 people. Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah fired over 12,000 projectiles at Israel, forcing more than 60,000 Israelis to evacuate, and killing 100-61 IDF soldiers and 39 Israeli civilians.

Nearly Silent on Saudi Arabia: Türk made only one statement on Saudi Arabia, criticizing an increase in drug-related executions shortly after Türk took office. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy where citizens have few political rights. It is rated Not Free by Freedom House and ranks towards the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index (166/180). Saudi Arabia does not respect freedom of expression. Even after serving long prison terms, dissidents like Raif Badawi and Saad Ibrahim Almadi face lengthy travel bans upon their release. Several prominent women’s rights activists are currently being arbitrarily detained by Saudi Arabia for criticizing the government and advocating for greater freedoms for women, including on social media. These include Salma al-Shehab, Nourah al-Qahtani, and Manahel al-Otaibi, all of whom were convicted or sentenced within the last two years. In 2023, Saudi Arabia was notorious for being among the top three countries for executions with at least 170 people having been executed. In the first half of 2024 alone more than 100 people were executed.

Nearly Silent on Zimbabwe: Türk made only one statement on Zimbabwe, in November 2023, criticizing post-election attacks on opposition politicians. Zimbabwe is a repressive regime which is rated Not Free by Freedom House. It ranks 116 out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. In June 2023, the government adopted a “patriotic bill,” threatening freedom of expression for journalists by criminalizing any “attack on sovereignty and national interest.” In the past two years, there have been several crackdowns on opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, including in the period before and after the disputed August 2023 elections which were marred by fraud. In November 2023, opposition lawmaker Takudzwa Ngadziore was abducted and assaulted by armed men and opposition activist Tapfumaneyi Masaya was abducted and killed. In August 2024, the government arrested 18 pro-democracy activists ahead of a meeting of southern African heads of state.

Weak on China: Türk made only three statements on China, one moderate statement on arbitrary detentions and two statements (1 moderate, 1 strong) on the Hong Kong National Security Bill. China is an authoritarian regime, rated Not Free by Freedom House, which is ruled by Xi Jinping who is now in his third term in office as President. The Chinese Communist Party controls all aspects of life in China with its extensive surveillance, harshly cracking down on dissenting voices. China is ranked towards the bottom of the Press Freedom Index at 172 out of 180 by Reporters Without Borders, which states that more than 100 journalists are currently detained and describes China as “the world’s largest prison for journalists.” In April 2023, China sentenced the leaders of the New Citizens’ Movement, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, to 14 years and 12 years in prison, respectively, for their civil rights advocacy. Both alleged they had been tortured in custody. Under Xi Jinping, China is notorious for its persecution of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, Tibet, and inner Mongolia where it operates large-scale cultural re-education programs designed to erase the indigenous languages and culture. In Xinjiang, China has imprisoned more than one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps where they are subjected to coercive reeducation, forced sterilization, and forced labor. In Tibet, over one million children have been separated from their parents and forced to study in state-run boarding schools where they are re-trained in the dominant Han Chinese culture and language. As a result, they forget their own language and have difficulty communicating with their families. Likewise, in Inner Mongolia, China bans use of the Mongolian language in schools. 

Weak on Syria: Türk made only three statements on Syria, but only one of them was directed at the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad. The other two statements criticized the opposition Syrian Democratic Forces for violations in areas where it operates. Syria is one of the world’s most repressive regimes. It is rated Not Free by Freedom House and is ranked second-to-last for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders (179/180). Syria has been embroiled in civil war since 2011, as the regime of President Bashar Assad represses all political opposition. The Assad regime commits egregious violations with impunity, including enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture. The Syrian Network For Human Rights reported that nearly 2000 people were forcibly disappeared in 2023, approximately half by the Assad regime. In 2024, fighting intensified throughout Syria with the Assad regime using cluster munitions in urban areas resulting in over 150 civilians being killed and injured in the Idlib area. On April 7, pro-government militia in Daraa in Southern Syria massacred ten civilians, including two children. Syria also hosts IRGC military personnel and installations which facilitate the supply of weapons to the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.

Weak on Venezuela: Türk made only four statements on Venezuela, three of which were related to the state’s practice of arbitrary detention, and one moderate statement to criticize post-electoral violence in Venezuela and excessive force by law enforcement. Two of the three statements related to arbitrary detention were weak and included praise for the oppressive regime. Venezuela, which is illegitimately controlled by the dictator Nicolás Maduro, is ranked Not Free by Freedom House. Under Maduro, the state is a frequent violator of human rights, with repeated credible reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, and torture taking place by government authorities. There are severe limits on freedom of expression and the media, with violence against journalists being commonplace. In 2023, opposition presidential candidate María Corina Machado was barred from running against Maduro on false grounds. Furthermore, the U.S. State department declared Maduro’s re-election to have been fraudulent, declaring that the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, “won the most votes,” and that the reported outcome by Maduro’s regime “does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people.” The level of repression in the country has caused millions of Venezuelans to flee.

Weak on Yemen: Türk made only eight statements on the ongoing conflict in Yemen, seven of them exclusively criticizing the Iran-backed Houthis for violations-six concerning Houthi detentions of UN personnel and one concerning Houthi detentions of Bahai. Only one of the statements criticized all parties-a catchall that includes the Yemeni government in exile-for a renewed outbreak of violence and attacks with most violations attributed to the Houthis. Yemen has been beset by civil war since 2015 and is rated Not Free by Freedom House. The Iranian-backed Ansar Allah movement (aka The Houthis) controls the capital and most of northern Yemen, where some 80% of the population lives. All parties in Yemen continue to perpetrate serious violations including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and conflict related violence. On August 19, 2023, Adnan al-Muhya, a government investigator looking into the July killing of World Food Program employee Moayad Hameidi was killed, apparently by Al-Qaeda. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as of March 2024, over 21 million Yemenis were in dire need of humanitarian assistance and 4.5 million people were displaced. In addition, between November 19, 2023 and March 23, 2024, there were at least 43 Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Port of Aden. Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have also fired over 180 projectiles at Israel, with two missiles striking in Israel, killing one and wounding four.

DEMOCRACIES

Silent on South Africa: Türk made 0 statements on South Africa where government-led arbitrary killings, unlawful arrests, and torture are common, often going unprosecuted and unpunished. Large-scale corruption drastically affecting government functioning and the extensive violence against women and LGBT are also not adequately addressed by the government.

Silent on Namibia: Türk made 0 statements on Namibia where forced child labor and child marriage are commonplace. The government has also done little to combat the widespread human trafficking and extensive violence against women. Same-sex marriage remains illegal, and members of the LGBT community face acts of violence.

Nearly Silent on Greece: Türk made 1 statement on Greece where there is widespread discrimination against immigrants and religious and ethnic minority groups.  Prisoners, migrants, and asylum seekers are also subjected to mistreatment.

Nearly Silent on Columbia: Türk has made 1 statement on Columbia where reports of extrajudicial killings and torture are common. Due to widespread instances of both state-led violence and terrorism by non-state actors, freedom of expression and assembly are severely restricted. Much of the violence targets racial and ethnic groups, indigenous peoples, and members of the LGBT community.

Nearly Silent on Brazil: Türk has made 3 statements on Brazil where arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings are frequent. Although Brazil is one of the world’s most violent countries, with up to 50,000 homicides per year, including thousands killed by police, only one of the statements addressed police violence. In each of 2022 and 2023, police were implicated in over 6,000 deaths per year. There are also high levels of political violence and violence targeting journalists. In addition, there are high levels of gender-based and sexual violence against women, much of which goes unpunished by the authorities.

Nearly Silent on France: Türk has made 1 statement on France where police violence, including against protesters and journalists, remains prevalent. Violence targeting members of the Jewish, and LGBT communities is also particularly high.

Obsessed With Israel: Türk issued 58 statements targeting Israel, 49 of them on or after October 7th. Most of the statements-32-are strong, with 20 moderate, and 6 weak.

At the same time that High Commissioner Türk either completely or mostly ignored egregious violations affecting millions of people in China (population 1.4 billion), Yemen (population 34 million), North Korea (population 26 million), Syria (population 23 million),  Cuba (population 11 million), Eritrea (population 3.8 million), and many other countries, Türk initiated 58 statements against Israel. These included 49 statements criticizing Israel’s war against Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists following Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel in which the terrorist group massacred 1200 civilians, and committed horrific atrocities-the worst massacre of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. 

Türk also initiated more statements on Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas than he did on any other conflict. The chart below highlights Türk’s disproportionate focus on Israel compared to other ongoing conflicts, showing that he initiated almost three times the number of statements on the Israel/Hamas conflict in a shorter period of time than on the conflict in Sudan which has the next highest number of statements, and more than four times the number of statements on the conflicts in Ukraine and Myanmar.

We note that many of Türk’s statements on Israel include some criticism of Hamas. We found that 30 of the statements on Israel also contained criticism of Hamas, 27 of these after October 7. Of these 30 statements, 4 were strong, 6 moderate, and 20 weak. However, none of these are stand-alone statements on Hamas. Even Türk’s October 7th statement condemning the Hamas massacre made sure to include criticism of Israel’s ensuing strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Furthermore, only five of these criticisms are directed at the Hamas terrorist group by name, most refer to it only generically as “Palestinian armed groups.” Often these criticisms consist of just a few lines in a longer statement primarily criticizing Israel. Our analysis shows that only 24% of the 30 statements that include criticism of Hamas are actually directed at Hamas, while only 13% of the 49 statements on this conflict are directed at Hamas.

The content of the statements is also highly one-sided. The statements create a false moral equivalence between Israel’s just war of self-defense against Hamas terrorists and Hamas’s barbaric, genocidal attack on Israeli civilians which it has stated it intends to repeat. The High Commissioner’s statements on this conflict routinely ignore Israel’s right to security and self-defense, Hamas’s extensive use of Gaza civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields, Hamas’s theft and hoarding of humanitarian aid, and Israel’s immense efforts both to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gazans and to minimize civilian casualties, including by urging them to evacuate from battle zones. Thus, instead of praising Israel for evacuating civilians, Türk criticizes Israel for this. Likewise, instead of condemning Hamas for embedding military installations inside and underneath Gaza’s hospitals, it decries Israel’s attacks on these lawful Hamas military targets despite Israel’s actions to protect civilians during its operations. 

In addition, Türk’s condemnations of Israel are frequently based on misinformation or incomplete facts which Türk fails to correct later on. For example:

• Immediately after the October 17 incident at Al Ahli hospital, Türk published a strong statement condemning the “massive strike at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital” in which civilians “had been seeking refuge,” implying that Israel was behind the strike. When it was later confirmed that the hospital had been hit by a misfired Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket, Türk did not issue a clarification and did not condemn PIJ for firing the rocket.
• When 45 Palestinians were killed in a May 26 Israeli strike on a Hamas target in Rafah, Türk rushed to “voice his horror,” claiming Israel had hit a “camp for displaced people” and implying that its “methods and means of warfare” was the cause of “so many civilian deaths” in Gaza, effectively absolving Hamas of any responsibility. Türk did not correct the record when an Israeli investigation revealed that the deadly Rafah fire had been caused by secondary explosions from Hamas munitions illegally stored among the civilians.

In his statements, Türk uncritically regurgitates the Gaza casualty numbers published by the Hamas Health Ministry, without ever acknowledging that these numbers cannot be independently verified and include both combatant and civilian deaths. Even after the UN itself acknowledged discrepancies in the Hamas data and cut in half its count of women and child deaths, the High Commissioner has continued to uncritically parrot these Hamas casualty numbers. According to Israel, close to half of the Palestinian deaths are combatants.