Volker Turk

Also known as: Türk

UN human rights chief reporting on humanitarian crises including executions in Iran and drone strikes in Sudan.

2026-05-152026-09-14

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

July 2026
15 JulJoy Online
… Shipping data shows traffic through the Strait has slowed dramatically After Trump threatened in April to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants, UN human rights chief, Volker Türk said: “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians …
Trump threatens to bomb bridges and power plants unless Iran resumes talks
8 JulJoy Online
… UN human rights chief Volker Turk said at least 45 people were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes between 6 and 28 June. …
Fears of a massacre in this city on the front line of Sudan’s war
May 2026
25 MayJoy Online
… In March, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that his office had been receiving reports alleging that detainees had continued to be tortured in Venezuela following Maduro’s ouster by the US.
Clashes as Venezuelan prisoners protest over alleged mistreatment
20 MayJoy Online
… United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk recently called for measures to prevent their transfer to Sudan. …
Drone strike kills 28 at market in Sudan’s West Kordofan, rights group says
15 MayJoy Online
… Human Rights chief Volker Turk said he was shocked by reports of civilian deaths in Zamfara and urged Nigerian authorities to ⁠undertake a “thorough, independent and impartial” investigation. …
Nigeria rights body demands probe into civilian deaths in airstrikes

World & Region

Hong Kong activists sentenced for organising Tiananmen commemoration vigils

The News

Three Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils commemorating Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been sentenced to up to seven years in prison under the city's national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were convicted of inciting subversion of state power, while Albert Ho pleaded guilty; the UN human rights office has called for the sentences to be quashed.

11 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 11 September

Hong Kong activists sentenced for organising Tiananmen commemoration vigils
Three Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils commemorating Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been sentenced to up to seven years in prison under the city's national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were convicted of inciting subversion of state power, while Albert Ho pleaded guilty; the UN human rights office has called for the sentences to be quashed.
11 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 27 August

UN calls for social media reform to protect children online
After Meta settled a US lawsuit by agreeing to add child safety measures, the UN human rights chief said all social media platforms should be redesigned to protect children and that governments must act rather than wait for courts to intervene. Meta's proposed changes include time limits and parental supervision controls, aligned with the UN's May framework for safer platform design.
27 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 11 August

Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty
Lebanon's parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, making it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment. Capital punishment will be replaced with life imprisonment with hard labour, and the legislation must now be approved by the cabinet and president.
11 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 5 August

UN human rights chief alarmed by Iran executions rise
The UN human rights chief said he is alarmed by a rise in executions in Iran, with at least 56 people executed on national security-related charges since 19 March, including 27 linked to January's anti-government protests. Iran is the world's second-most prolific executioner after China, putting to death at least 2,159 people last year according to Amnesty International.
5 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 30 July

Nicaraguan leader proposes extending presidential term further
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in power since 2007, has proposed extending the presidential term by another year as part of a constitutional reform that would also bar opposition members deemed "traitors" or "coup plotters" from running for office. The government-controlled National Assembly is expected to approve the extension in September, continuing a pattern of term-limit changes during Ortega's 19-year rule.
30 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 17 July

Iran accuses US of hitting civilian infrastructure
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. BBC Verify confirmed an attack on a bridge in Hormozgan province, and provincial authorities said seven people were killed on Thursday night.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran accuses US of hitting civilian infrastructure
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. US Central Command says the attacks were intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities, and seven people were killed in strikes on Thursday night according to provincial authorities.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
US strikes Iran for sixth night amid Strait of Hormuz tensions
The US launched new strikes against Iran for a sixth consecutive night, with Centcom saying the attacks aimed to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities" and that US forces had boarded vessels as part of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state media reported US missiles struck near the island of Qeshm, in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr (site of a nuclear power plant), and hit two bridges in Hormozgan province, with the BBC verifying an attack on one bridge west of Bandar Abbas.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 15 July

Iran threatens Strait of Hormuz closure as US launches fresh strikes
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz and other regional oil and gas export channels until the US ends "acts of aggression," while the US military carried out new strikes on Iranian military targets including coastal defences and missile sites on Greater Tunb Island, triggering rising oil prices amid stalled tanker traffic.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran threatens strait closure as US launches military strikes
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz and other regional oil and gas export channels in response to US military strikes on Iranian targets, which the US military said degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the region.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Trump threatens Iran infrastructure strikes unless negotiations resume
US President Trump threatened to strike Iran's bridges and power plants next week if the country does not return to talks, as the two countries exchanged fire for the fourth consecutive day. The threats, which have drawn UN condemnation as potential war crimes under international law, came as Trump reversed a threatened 20% fee on Strait of Hormuz shipping but maintained a blockade of Iranian ports.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 8 July

Drone strikes, siege conditions intensify humanitarian crisis in Sudan
El-Obeid, a city of 500,000 on the front line of Sudan's three-year civil war, endured 27 drone strikes in June and has been under siege-like conditions for 18 months, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk reporting at least 45 people killed and 41 injured in 15 strikes between 6 and 28 June, alongside summary executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence affecting those fleeing the conflict.
8 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 25 May

Venezuelan prison inmates protest mistreatment, clashes erupt
Violent clashes have erupted between inmates and security at a prison in the Venezuelan state of Barinas after prisoners protested alleged mistreatment including violent searches, solitary confinement, and shootings. Prisoner rights organisations say inmates at Injuba jail have been complaining for over a week about conditions under the prison's new director.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 20 May

Drone strike kills 28 at Sudan market, rights group reports
A drone strike hit a crowded market in the town of Ghubaysh in West Kordofan province, Sudan on Tuesday morning, killing 28 people and wounding dozens more, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group. The strike occurred during peak shopping hours in an area serving as an economic lifeline for thousands across the region amid the ongoing war that began in April 2023.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 15 May

Nigeria's rights body demands probe into airstrike civilian deaths
Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission called on the military to launch a thorough investigation into recurring civilian casualties from military airstrikes. Amnesty International cited witnesses reporting at least 100 civilians killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a market in Zamfara state last weekend, the third reported incident since April, though the military said there was no evidence of civilian casualties.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →