World news in brief: Ukraine attacks condemned, new cybercrime treaty, executions ‘alarmingly high’ in Iran
“Civilians pay the highest price in this war,” Denise Brown speak in the statement. “We must not allow this to become normal. International humanitarian law must be respected and civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.”
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the increasing attacks in the Donetsk and Sumy regions over the past two days have killed and injured many civilians and damaged infrastructure.
The attacks also increased the needs of some 60,000 people in vulnerable communities, and mass casualties affected people in the towns of Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk and Toretsk.
OCHA said aid workers continued to provide food, hygiene items, school supplies, cash assistance and legal and psychological support to affected people in the Donetsk region.
Developments in Russia
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)) monitored and reported military activities taking place near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia.
This week, international media reported that the Ukrainian army launched an attack in the Kursk region.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi remind all sides of seven indispensable pillars to ensure nuclear safety and security in armed conflict.
He called on all parties to “exercise maximum restraint to avoid a nuclear accident that could cause serious radiological consequences.”
Finalisation of new cybercrime treaty is ‘an important step forward’
United Nations member states have finalized a new treaty aimed at cybercrime, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.UNODC) was reported on Friday.
After three years of work, the committee set up by the UN General Assembly to negotiate the convention agreed on a draft text on Thursday.
The draft convention is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year, making it the first globally binding legal instrument on cybercrime.
“The conclusion of this convention is a significant step forward as it is the first multilateral anti-cybercrime treaty in more than 20 years and the first UN Convention on Cybercrime at a time when threats in cyberspace are rapidly evolving,” speak UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.
Protecting digital space
This achievement is the result of a five-year effort by member states, with the participation of civil society, academic institutions and the private sector.
UNODC serves as the official secretariat for the negotiations.
“We will continue to play a central role in supporting the implementation and ratification of the convention once it is adopted by the General Assembly, as well as providing technical assistance to member states as we work with all countries and partners to protect the digital space,” said Ms. Waly.
According to the draft convention, technology has created opportunities for ever greater scale, speed and scope of crimes, from terrorism to drug trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, arms trafficking and many other types of crime.
It provides tools to enhance international cooperation, law enforcement efforts, technical assistance and capacity building related to cybercrime.
Human rights alarm over executions in Iran
United Nations Human Rights Office, OHCHRexpressed deep concern Friday over reports that Iranian authorities executed at least 29 people across the country in just two days this week.
The office verified that 38 people were executed in July, bringing the number of reported executions to at least 345 this year, including 15 women. according to for OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell.
“This shows an alarmingly high number of executions in such a short period of time,” she said.
Those executed were mostly convicted of drug-related crimes or murder, she added, noting that nearly half of the executions since the start of 2024 have been for drug-related crimes.
“The imposition of the death penalty for crimes that do not involve intentional homicide is inconsistent with international human rights norms and standards, as we have repeatedly stressed,” she said.
Ms Throssell also reiterated concerns about the lack of due process and fair trial standards in many of these cases, and that some executions were carried out without notifying the prisoner’s family or legal counsel.
“It is time for Iran to join the growing global consensus towards the global abolition of the death penalty, by adopting a moratorium on executions, with the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty,” she stressed.
