Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity.” The measure, proposed by Ghana, urged countries to consider apologizing and contributing to a reparations fund. It passed with 123 votes in favor, including from Russia and China. The US, Israel, and Argentina voted against it, while 52 countries, including the UK, abstained.
READ MORE: UN declares slave trade ‘gravest crime against humanity’
The vote came as the result of a years-long reparations campaign by African and Caribbean states. The African Union designated 2025 as the year of “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” while CARICOM has repeatedly pushed its 10-point plan, which includes formal apologies, debt cancellation, public health support and education programs.
The move has since triggered widespread backlash among Western governments and political figures. The UK, which, according to a report by a former International Court of Justice judge, owes over $24 trillion in reparations to 14 Caribbean countries, has opposed the demands. British Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously said the country “cannot afford” the sums demanded, while the Conservative opposition has dismissed reparations as a “scam.”
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has also dismissed the compensation claims as “insulting” and threatened to block visas for citizens of countries seeking slavery reparations from Britain. Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, are among at least 17 countries which have demanded reparations from the former imperial power.
On Tuesday, Turk welcomed the General Assembly’s March 25 resolution supporting the AU and CARICOM campaign, acknowledging that “efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in certain quarters.”
He urged UN member states to adopt and enforce anti-racism laws, include young people of African descent and civil society in decision-making, and maintain momentum towards reparatory justice.
https://www.rt.com/africa/638492-un-rights-chief-backs-reparations-slavery-colonialism/
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
