8th Meeting - 62nd Session of Human Rights Council

Excellencies, distinguished participants.
I hereby declare open the th meeting of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
We will begin the interactive dialogue with the special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions.
Let me welcome the mandate holder, Mr.
Morris Tidball-Binz.
The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes.
Without further ado, I will hand the floor over to Mr.
Tidball-Binz to present the reports.
Many thanks, Madam Vice President.
It is an honor for me to present today before the Human Rights Council a new thematic report, as well as my report on my visit to Lebanon, which I carried out last year.
This is to be my last in person presentation because my mandate comes to an end in April 2027.
My next report will be presented in June next year by my successor.
I'd therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all those who made my work possible over these six years that have been hard, intense, and unforgettable, enabling me to deliver on the action plan set in 2021, focused on the implementation of standards and victim centered in order to investigate and prevent extrajudicial killings.
First of all, I'd like to thank the staff of OHCHR who tirelessly supports my mandate.
I'd also like to thank the victims and their family members who are the raison d'etre of my mandate.
For their exemplary struggle and source of inspiration, the epitome of which are my dear teachers, the grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
Of course, I'd like to thank my family for their continued and unwavering support.
My thanks also to states which like Lebanon invited me to carry out official visits, which are essential for my mandate, but also those who opened their doors to my technical assistance to build their capacities for investigating and preventing extrajudicial killings, especially through the use of the Minnesota protocol with tangible results on truth, justice, and reparation for victims and their family members.
I'd also like to thank those who supported these activities, including UN agencies and some states through international aid, as well as the world of academia and numerous civil society organizations.
My deep gratitude to universities which generously provided their valuable academic support, in particular, the University of Monash in Australia, the Geneva Academy of International Human Rights Law, and the University of La Plata of Argentina, and especially the Global Clinic and the Posen Center on Human Rights at the University of Chicago.
An example of selfless support was also given by the advisory forensic group, which was convened to assist my mandate and which stands ready to advise all special mechanisms.
I'd also like to express my sincere gratitude to civil society and to human rights NGOs in particular, especially those from the Global South for their indispensable work in today's world and without which my mandates job would be impossible.
Vice President, the report that I'm presenting today looks at whether in light of the development of international law and current medical practice and knowledge, the death penalty is compatible with the universal and absolute prohibition of torture.
My unequivocal conclusion is that it is not as the Human Rights Committee already suggested in 2019 in its general observation 36 on the right to life.
Therefore, any imposition of the death penalty should today be considered as arbitrary and as a general rule, contrary to human rights and an affront to human dignity.
In addition to extensive bibliographic research and the rich information I received in response to my call for contributions, the report is based on numerous personal interviews of death row survivors and their close relatives.
In all of those interviews, I was able to see without exception, the same consequences, signs and symptoms as those that I have documented among survivors of torture throughout my career as a forensic doctor around the world.
First of all, the death penalty causes chronic and severe mental suffering in the face of the threat of certain death, which generates extreme anxiety, constant fear, and a deep emotional deterioration with permanent consequences.
To the sense of panic induced by certain death, you have to add a myriad forms of suffering caused by inhuman and degrading conditions of detention.
And finally, methods of execution, which always cause extreme suffering.
There is no method of execution, that is pain free or anguish free or free from errors or failed procedures which only worsen the aforementioned suffering.
In short, the death penalty is in and of itself a refined form of torture, a protracted one, which reaches a paroxysm of cruelty at the point of execution, whatever the method used.
The serious suffering and pain caused by the death penalty are not incidental, they are an inherent part of this punishment, which is why it should be considered once and for all contrary to international human rights law.
An important difference with other victims of tortures is that but for a few rare exceptions, people who are sentenced to death are neither seen nor heard.
Their stories and suffering are silenced by impenetrable walls and it's almost as if they're of interest to nobody as though the notion that they have committed heinous crimes is sufficient to justify their suffering.
To this, you have to add discrimination, including racism, which is all too frequent in cases of the death penalty.
It was somewhat surprising to find that many relatives and family members of people sentenced to death also suffered serious physical and mental consequences similar to those caused by torture stemming from the extreme suffering before the certain death of a loved one.
In other words, they are also victims of this brutal punishment.
The report calls for efforts to be stepped up in favor of universal and total abolition of the death penalty.
Because although there is still no universal and absolute prohibition in international law, in light of all the evidence and the knowledge and current standards, the imposition of this brutal punishment is simply irreconcilable with the absolute prohibition of torture and respect of human dignity.
Madam Vice President, it is also my pleasure to present a report on the official visit that I carried out to Lebanon between September and October last year.
I'd like to thank the Lebanese government and the permanent mission in Geneva for their invitation and their support, which enabled me to carry out my mission successfully.
During the visit, I met with high ranking authorities, including the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Defense, Justice and Finance, as well as representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and public health, high ranking officials from the security forces, high representatives from the judiciary and the legislative branch, the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission on Disappeared Persons.
I was also able to visit hospitals, refugee camps, and I was able to inspect places that have been ravaged by recent Israeli attacks.
I met with a large number of survivors and relatives of victims, including some displaced by the conflict, as well as civil society organizations, trade associations, journalists, healthcare professionals, academia, UN agency representatives, international organizations, diplomatic representatives, and peacekeeping forces.
I would like to express my deep gratitude for their readiness to testify, including in zones under continuous unlawful attacks by Israeli forces.
I would like to pay tribute to the many families I had the opportunity and the honor to meet during my visit.
I'd like to thank them for their tireless, exemplary, and dignified pursuit for truth, justice, and reparation, not vengeance following the unjustifiable deaths of their loved ones.
I was astounded by the extraordinary fortitude, the exemplary resilience, and the admirable dignity of the Lebanese people, as well as their deep yearnings for lasting peace based on justice and human rights.
I traveled around a significant part of the country in the cities of Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon, Balbec, Nabata, Tyro, and also Nakura along the border with Israel in order to see firsthand and through the lens of my mandate and as a forensic doctor, the challenges inherent in documenting and preventing arbitrary executions, including deaths caused by Israeli incursions and attacks and gross violation of international law, resulting in thousands of deaths of men, women, and children in all of Lebanon.
On this last point, I was able to document in detail numerous extrajudicial killings caused by indiscriminate Israeli attacks against the civilian population and selective killings of persons under protection, including medical personnel and journalists.
These attacks carried out in a repeated way in violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution by Israel are war crimes, which, as they have been carried out in an extensive planned and repeated way, as I was able to see for myself, amount, in my opinion, to crimes against humanity too.
I was able to see various and promising institutional reforms underway, including to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Lebanon, initiatives aimed at improving the documentation and prosecution of extrajudicial killings, including war crimes and in order to abolish the death penalty, the reactivation of human rights mechanisms such as the National Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on Disappeared Persons, and the reopening of investigations in sensitive cases, including the explosion of the Beirut port in 2020 and the killing of journalist Lockman Slim in February 2021.
As a forensic doctor, I saw the urgent need for strengthening the country's forensic capacities and I offered to this end my mandates technical assistance in order to establish a national institute that is in step with the highest standards, including the Minnesota protocol.
The recommendations of my report are very practical and I welcome the fact that they were very warmly welcomed by the government of Lebanon and I thank you all for your kind attention and I stand ready to engage in this constructive dialogue.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for this presentation.
According to our practice, we shall start by hearing the delegation of the country concerned and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lebanon.
You have 5 minutes, Excellency.
Madam Vice President, Mr.
Special Rapporteur Lugnan Lebanon, would like to thank the Special Rapportur for his report and for the constructive visit to Lebanon.
It has been a pleasure to facilitate his communication with the government institutions.
We also appreciate his opening up to civil society organizations, victims, and all stakeholders under his mandate, which made this visit constructive in terms of the dialogue and cooperation.
We highly value his recommendations with a view to strengthening the national capacities to protect their right to life.
It is no secret that the Special Rapporteur's visit took place in an exceptional circumstance.
Due to the continued Israeli aggressionst Lebanon despite the cease fire agreement in November 2024, since October 2023 until the 2nd of March 2026, up to this date, Lebanon has incurred due to the recurrent Israeli aggressions has incurred grave losses, both human and material, leading to the death of thousands and displacement of many other people and targeting civilians, paramedics, journalists, and civil infrastructure.
In violation of the IHL and IHRL.
For Lebanon, these aggressions, once again, we emphasize the value of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and the need to international attention towards the right to life, particularly in armed conflicts.
We condemn these violations and renew our call to respect the international human rights law and to hold perpetrators accountable.
Madam Vice President, we accord high attention to the recommendations in the report.
I will concentrate on three when it comes to the reactivation of the National Institute for Forensic Medicine.
We believe that this is an important opportunity to strengthen our national capacity capabilities in the area of investigating unlawful deaths, preservation of evidence and documentation of grave human rights violations.
We are planning to continue consultations with the national stakeholders to develop a national plan to set priorities and necessary resources and needs in this respect.
Lebanon indeed has the adequate infrastructure and professional capacities as well as institutional expertise that can be built upon.
What we need is technical cooperation, strengthening, capacities and providing the necessary resources to develop these capacities within sustainable national framework.
With regards to judicial reform, the House of Representatives passed a new law on December 2025 to regulate the justice system in order to improve the independence of the judiciary and bolster public trust in the justice when it comes to the capital punishment, Lebanon has a de facto moratorium on death penalty since 2002.
No one single capital punishment has been carried out for two decades.
This draft law is also aiming at commuting penalty into a life sentence which reflects the commitment of Lebanon towards legal reform and advancing human rights.
Madam Vice President, I would like to take a minute on the Israeli aggressions against journalists as has been discussed in the report of the Special Rapporteur.
These aggressions have been continuing since the last visit of the Special Rapporteur.
Including during the cease fire that was declared while the Israeli aggressions have escalated since the 2nd of March 2026, the national data refer to the death of 11 journalists by Israel while they were on duty, in addition to targeting the other media professionals and the paramedics who hurried to evacuate the injured.
Okay.
There's also a draft law to combat impunity and strengthen the national framework for accountability.
Lebanon, Madam Vice President is completely committed to cooperating with the Special Rapporteur and all other United Nations mechanisms concerned with human rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The list of speakers is now closed, and I now invite interested delegations to ask questions to the special rapporteur and make comments on his reports.
The speaking time is 1 minute to 30 seconds for all.
I would like to recall also that the duration of interactive dialogues is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
However, if time permits, additional delegations will be able to speak.
First, I would like to give the floor to Finland on behalf of a group of countries.
Madam Vice President, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Nordic Baltic countries.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his comprehensive report.
The report clearly shows that the death penalty inflicts severe physical and psychological suffering that may amount to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
It also highlights the irreversible risk of wrongful convictions and the disproportionate impact on those in vulnerable situations, including ethnic minorities, persons from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and persons with disabilities.
Death penalty is incompatible with the absolute prohibition of torture and the obligation to uphold human dignity and right to life.
It imposes severe psychological pressure not only on those condemned, but also on their families.
Universal abolition remains essential and all states are strongly encouraged to maintain moratorium on executions.
Lastly, we would like to express our appreciation to the work of the Special Rapporteur, including his extensive country level engagement.
We further welcome the forthcoming guidelines on the investigation of femicides.
Special Rapporteur, is there an estimation of how many innocent people have been wrongfully convicted to death penalty worldwide.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to the European Union.
Madam Vice President, DU thanks the Special Rapporteur for his important report.
Mr.
Special Rapporteur, as this is your last presentation to this council, we also commend your valuable contributions throughout the mandate, including the significant guidance you have initiated in your constructive country level engagement.
In your report, you argue persuasively that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with the absolute prohibition of torture and the duty to protect human dignity irrespective of the safeguards applied.
As you note in your report, this conclusion is supported inter alia by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.
DU agrees that capital punishment violates the inalienable right to life and is incompatible with human dignity.
We share your view that the death penalty is often discriminatory and has a disproportionate impact on persons in vulnerable situations.
Therefore reiterate our call for the total abolition of the death penalty.
As the next Congress against the death penalty is set to open in Paris on June 30th and new commitments are expected from several states, the EU calls for the implementation of moratorium states as a step towards abolition.
Special Rapporteur, when drafting your report, you interviewed many whose lives have been directly affected by capital punishment, persons formerly on death row, family members of persons who have been executed and professionals.
Could you please share with us some of the key insights from their testimonies.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ukraine on behalf of the group of countries.
Thank you, Madam President.
I have the honor to deliver the statement on behalf of the Lublin Triangle countries, Lithuania, Poland, and my own country, Ukraine.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his report and continued efforts to applaud accountability for unlawful killings worldwide, uphold accountability.
Since the beginning of Russia's full scale invasion, numerous cases of extrajudicial executions and unlawful killings of civilians and prisoners of war have been documented in territories of Ukraine affected by the armed aggression.
These acts constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law and demand a robust international response.
Particularly alarming are reports of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as killings of civilians in temporary occupied territories.
As of April 2026, 116 criminal proceedings have been initiated into the extrajudicial killing of 306 Ukrainian prisoners of war on the battlefield.
I repeat 306 executed Ukrainian prisoners of war.
We remain committed to ensuring accountability for all violations and welcome the important role played by UN human rights mechanisms in documenting abuses, preserving evidence, and supporting victims.
In this regard, we would like to ask the Special Rapporteur what additional measures can be taken to strengthen accountability mechanisms and improve the investigation and prosecution of extrajudicial executions.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Lichtenstein on behalf of a group of countries.
Vice President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, and my own country Lichtenstein.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his timely report and wish to underscore our full support for his mandate.
The death penalty is a violation of the right to life.
We reiterate our firm rejection of capital punishment in all circumstances and for all cases.
From arrest and interrogation to execution and its aftermath, the application of the death penalty is not an isolated judicial act, but a process capable at each stage by act or omission of inflicting severe physical and mental suffering amounting to torture or other forms of ill treatment, as his counsel has repeatedly affirmed and as the Special Rapporteur confirms in his findings.
We recall that the absolute prohibition of torture is non derogable and forms part of use cogans.
Moreover, the prolonged uncertainty experienced by death row inmates inflicts profound and lasting psychological harm.
Meanwhile, the suffering extends to family members, especially when they are denied information, final visits, and the ability to mourn their loved ones with dignity.
Mr.
Special Rapporteur, given that the death penalty regimes are structurally incompatible with the provision of torture and other ill treatment, what concrete steps can the international community take to support states in moving towards abolition and death row and post execution practices that amount to torture or ill treatment, considering also the impact on families.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Norway on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
This statement is on behalf of the Coalition for atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan and 21 other states.
We support the Special Rapporteur's mandate and welcome his latest report.
Vice President, we are gravely alarmed by the urgent risks of atrocities and deliberate killings in Sudan.
For ten consecutive days, drone strikes have killed at least 50 civilians across Ebay and North Kordovan, causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
Widespread and incredible reports of ethnically targeted violence, including sexual and gender based violence are deplorable.
We call on the rapid support forces to immediately cease their assault on Elebid.
We are deeply concerned at the risk of imminent escalation, leaving approximately 500,000 civilians at risk of falling victim to large scale atrocities, including more than 100,000 IDPs.
We urge, therefore, all parties to immediately de escalate and comply fully with IHL.
Civilians must be allowed to leave freely and safely and humanitarian actors must have unhindered access to those in need, supported by credible security guarantees.
We call on all states to apply maximum pressure on the rapid support forces, the Sudanese armed forces, and their allies to prevent atrocities and protect civilians.
Special Rapporteur, how should the Council respond to the growing threats of further wide scale killings in Sudan? I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Republic of Moldova on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the core group on the question of death penalty.
We welcome the Special aporteur comprehensive analysis of the death penalty through the lens of the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill treatment.
The report indicates that the suffering associated with the capital punishment cases extends from arrest and trial to death row imprisonment, execution and post execution practices, and its lasting impact on families.
Each stage may independently and cumulatively inflict foreseeable physical or mental suffering amounting to torture or other ill treatment.
Further highlights that factors such as arbitrariness and discrimination are recurring characteristics of death penalty regimes and exacerbate that suffering.
The report concludes that death penalty regimes are structurally incompatible with the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill treatment, reinforcing the growing recognition that the death penalty is inherently incompatible with international law and human dignity.
Therefore join the Special Rapporteur in calling on all states that retain the death penalty to take all necessary steps towards completing abolition and we look forward to his participation at the upcoming World Congress against death penalty in Paris.
Special Rapporteur, how can you, your findings support the implementation of the resolution 60 17 and strengthen efforts towards the universal abolition of the death penalty? I thank you.
I thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Vietnam.
Vice President, Vietnam takes note of the report of the Special Reporter.
We reaffirm our consistent commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including the right to life, due process guarantees, and the prevention of torture and ill treatment.
Vietnam has engaged constructively with the Human Rights Committee and other relevant mechanisms on these issues.
In that spirit, Vietnam has continued to advance legal and judicial reforms, including measures to strengthen safeguards in criminal proceedings, enhance the right to defense, and further limit the scope of the death penalty.
With regard to references in the report concerning confessions in criminal proceedings, Vietnam underlined that its law and policy do not tolerate torture, question or the use of unlawfully obtained evidence.
Allegations of misconduct are subject to oversight and sanctions and continue efforts are being made to strengthen implementation in practice.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Costa Rica.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Cost Rica, thanks to the Special Rapporteur for the report.
We welcome the careful analysis of the death penalty through the lens of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, degring treatment, and punishment.
Cost Ra associates itself with the essential conclusion of the report.
According to that, capital punishment by its very nature and throughout the entire arc is incompatible with international human rights law.
My country reiterates its historical commitment to the abolition of the death penalty, and we support the global moratorium on executions.
We particularly value the emphasis in the report on the cumulative suffering that arises from each stage of the process, detention to the trial, execution and then the lasting effects thereof on the family, as well as the secretiveness and the discrimination and lack of due process.
These are factors that increase that deepen the arbitrary nature and weaken the rule of law in Costa Rica supports the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur that these states suspend urgently executions, abstain from imposing handing down new death penalties, and also that they review cases affected by alleations of torture or serious violations of due process.
These measures are essential when it comes to ensuring consistency with the total prohibition of torture and the need to address the amount of death penalty as a human rights based matter.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Singapore.
Madam Vice President, Singapore would like to correct several seriously flawed assertions in the Special Rapporturs report.
First, the lawful imposition of capital punishment is fundamentally different from extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions.
There is no international consensus against capital punishment when it is imposed in accordance with due process and judicial safeguards.
We remind the Special Rapporteur that customary international law arises from state practice, and a significant number of states have capital punishment in their laws.
Second, the claim that language barriers, unfamiliarity with legal systems, and lack of consular support, and create conditions in which torture, coercion, and evidentiary distortion may become embedded, is entirely baseless.
In Singapore, interpretation is provided at all stages of investigations and proceedings, and all foreigners are entitled to seek consular support.
For capital offenses, free legal counsel is offered for the entire trial and appeal regardless of nationality.
Capital offenses are heard only in the high court and a trial must be conducted even if the defendant wishes to plead guilty.
Every capital conviction and sentence must be separately reviewed by the highest court in Singapore.
Singapore's criminal justice system has consistently ranked highly on the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index.
Mr.
President, we deeply regret that the Special apporter did not take any of our input into account in his report.
We call on all special aporters to discharge their duties with professionalism and objectivity.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to China.
Madam Vice President, the Chinese delegation takes note the Special Rapporteur's report, which stresses the pain caused by this penalty.
We must point out that the International Human Rights treaties do not prohibit this penalty.
Capital punishment through a Impartial and transparent legal procedures do not constitute extra judicial execution.
The death penalty is a matter within the legislative and judicial sovereignty of the state.
Each country's policy on death penalty is based on its legal system, the level of development, historical and cultural context.
China maintains a policy of retaining death penalty by using it strictly and courtly.
This is a careful choice based on international human rights treaties and China's national conditions.
Under Chinese law, the death penalty applies only to extremely serious crimes with strict standards and approval procedures.
Since January 1st, 2007, the Supreme People's Court in China has exercised final real power over all death penalty cases.
Since 2011, amendments to the criminal law have removed 22 capital offenses.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Sudan.
Thank you.
Madam Vice President.
We have taken good note of the report from the S porteur on the death penalty.
We have also taken good note of the conclusions and recommendations.
In fact, Sudan, for its part, has experienced violations at the hands of the rapid response support forces, the death of innocent people, the elderly among them, with civilians being fired upon from close distance or even the targeting of people based on their ethnic affiliations, El Fasher Gina two of the regions.
In the report from the High Commissioner's Office, these violations are noted, including in the report on Azaz and Al Fahad and Al also.
Dozens of cases of arbitrary detention have been reported.
This is catastrophic in Nida and in other areas.
These detention conditions have also led to the death of numerous prisoners.
As a result of wanting essential health care and hygiene contexts in Kordofan for example, and in other regions as well of my country, we call upon the international community to condemn these violations.
Thank you, Vice President.
We thank the Special Rapporteur.
Thank you for the report on the death penalty.
We have taken note of the fact that mate as noted in paragraph 24 of the report, we would like to clarify the fact that the information noted were mere allegations.
That is to say that the information has not been verified.
It has not been confirmed by our authorities.
We also have noted that it was not noted that Mauritania retains or preserves evidence.
Our inquiries target the elimination of all forms or look at all forms of protection in places of detention or deprivation of liberty under the proper authorities.
We have offered all accused the right to appeal, the right to legal counsel.
We bring justice in step with our sovereign choices, the rule of law and international commitments made by our country.
This arises from our spirit of openness and constructiveness.
We would like to ask that the Special Rapporteur provide the source of information of this information presented in the report.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Iraq.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We have taken due note of the report from the Special Rapporteur.
On death penalty cases, arbitrary death penalty cases.
All domestic legislation constrains the death penalty or limits it to the most serious crimes.
With trials that ensure the right to a legal defense, a full legal defense.
All rulings that arise from a court and that leads to a death penalty ruling is verified by higher bodies.
We have met with numerous individuals to discuss the mention of Iraq in the report.
We call upon the Special Rapporteur to ensure that the information is based on more serious sources before publishing information on our country.
We ensure the full respect for law and the constitutional provisions that enshrine the rights of all individuals to a dignified life, the right to life, and it bans as well torture.
We fully respect the international instruments to which we are party.
This is in step with our policy of protection of human rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Malaysia.
I Thank you, Madam Vice President.
My delegation thanks the Special Rapporteur for his report.
Malaysia firmly upholds the importance of human dignity and ensuring that all criminal justice processes are in accordance with the rule of law, due process, and international human rights standards.
The global discourse on the death penalty continues to evolve.
For our part, Malaysia has maintained a moratorium on execution since 2018 and undertaken significant legal reforms.
This includes the abolition of the mandatory death penalty in 2023.
These reforms restore judicial discretion and reflect our commitment to greater proportionality, fairness, and individualized consideration in criminal proceedings.
Regarding Paragraph 24 of the report, Malitia wishes to clarify that the allegations suggesting foreigners are disproportionately sentenced to death is inaccurate.
Militia notes that this assertion stems from stakeholder submissions and was included without independent verification or reference to the definitive time frame.
We therefore underscore the importance of ensuring that reports issued under special procedures mandates are grounded in credible, verified, and updated data, particularly when raising serious allegations regarding a state's criminal justice system.
All persons in Malaysia, regardless of nationality, are entitled to due process and equal protection under the law.
We continue to strengthen safeguards for criminal proceedings, including access to legal representation, interpretation, and consular assistance.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Indonesia.
Madam Vice President, we take note of the Special Rapporteur's report.
For Indonesia, capital punishment is not extrajudicial and summary execution.
We also wish to express our reservations regarding the report's legal assessments, that the death penalty per se constitute tortures and therefore violates duce cogence norms.
Such conclusions is difficult to sustain when fewer than half of UN member states are parties to the second optional protocol to the ICCPR indicating the absence of widespread state practice.
Madam Vice President, regarding the reference to Indonesia, we wish to underscore that our legal framework enforces rigorous procedural safeguards to uphold the highest standards of due process and fair trial.
This includes ensuring access to qualified interpreters for suspects and defendants who are foreign nationals from the investigation stage true trial.
Indonesian authorities also maintain communications with the relevant embassies or consulates in cases involving foreign nationals.
We also wish to highlight that no executions have been carried out in Indonesia since 2017.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to State of Palestine.
Madam Vice President, the State of Palestine thanks the Special Rapporteur for his important report and expresses its appreciation for his dedication throughout his tenure.
The report is particularly relevant in light of the recent adoption by Israel of a law introducing the death penalty against Palestinians.
This law does not emerge in a vacuum.
It reflects a broader system already characterized by unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, systematic discrimination, and prolonged impunity.
What is already being carried out in practice is now being further codified through legislation.
The law reintroduces the death penalty within a framework that is already structurally discriminatory.
It is embedded in a dual legal regime, one in which Palestinians are subject to military courts and proceedings that have long been characterized for their reliance on secret evidence, coerced confussions, and the absence of fundamental due process guarantees, whereas Israelis, including settlers in the same occupied territory are subject to a civil system.
Law also removes safeguards, eliminates clemency, and mandates execution within a short time frame, which only deepens the risk of arbitrariness and irreversible injustice.
The law reinforces a system that devalues Palestinian life, deepens impunity, and inflects fear, trauma, and uncertainty on Palestinian families and communities.
Madam Vice President, the introduction of the death penalty in this context is particularly grave, not only due to its discriminatory nature, but because it runs counter to the global movement toward abolishing the death penalty to which the state of Palestine remains firmly committed.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Russian Federation.
We like to listen.
Thank you.
We listened with great interest to the report by the special apportur and we believe that the topic discussed is not necessarily within his mandate.
We believe that where the death penalty is used in countries where it is in its legislation, then that is proportionate.
We also considered that there is bias in favor of criminals who committed heinous crimes and We are seeing the victims and their relatives being placed on the back burner, that is the victims of the crimes that were committed, and we call for a more objective approach when discussing this issue.
We would like to draw attention to the practice of extrajudicial killing, which remains in use against those who refuse to agree with the criminal policy of the current Ukrainian government.
This is what we can see in the approach of the Ukrainian forces in the new Russian regions and how they are undermining the lives of civilians amongst others.
We believe that such terrorist acts committed by the Ukrainian armed forces in Russian territory should be looked at by the Special avope and there should be an appropriate assessment made of the actions by the Ukrainian government.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Togo.
Mexico, thank you, Madam Vice President.
Togo, thanks the Special Reporteur for the report on the death penalty through the lens of the ban on torture and other ill treatment, as well as on the matter of the protection of human dignity.
My delegation takes note of the conclusions of the report.
This shines light on the physical and psychological suffering inherent to capital punishment from the arrest to execution as well as the consequences that unfold for the families of those concerned.
Togo, my delegation, remains attached to the promotion, protection of human rights.
Including the right to life and respect for human dignity.
Along these lines, I should like to call that my country has made an important step by banning the death penalty in 2009 and in adhering in 2016 to the second optional protocol on the International Covenant on civil Political rights, addressing the death penalty.
Also, my delegation believes it is important to continue constructive dialogue and to share best practices between states to promote systems of justice, the respectful of fundamental rights, and the dignity of human beings.
Thank you very much.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to Afghanistan.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We thank the Special Reporter for his report and his important findings on the incompatibility of capital punishment with the prohibition of torture and the protection of human dignity.
In Afghanistan, these concerns take a deeply troubling form.
We have observed a systematic pattern of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial executions targeting former government officials, civil servants and members of the former security forces, artists, particularly those who have returned from Iran and Pakistan.
Upon their return, these individuals are systematically identified by the Taliban.
Shortly thereafter, they are reported missing and their bodies are subsequently recovered bearing clear signs of execution.
This pattern of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing is not a series of isolated incidents.
But a deliberate and systematic targeting of a specific population carried out with near total impunity.
Furthermore, public acquisition and public flagging by the Taliban continue to be documented across the country, serving an instrument of fear and social control and depriving individuals of their fundamental right to due process and a fair trial.
Mr.
Special Reporter, what measures would you recommend to ensure documentation and attribution of responsibility for extrajudicial execution in context where individuals face reprisal There are no independent accountability mechanisms exist.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Malawi.
Madam Vice President, Malawi commends the special aportur for his report examining the death penalty as a continuous process extending from arrest through execution and beyond.
While the death penalty remains on our statute books, Malawi has maintained a de facto moratorium since 1994.
Following the constitutional court ruling which declared mandatory death sentence unconstitutional, our courts conducted individualized re sentencing hearings resulting in commutation or list of the major of those affected.
We note the Special Rapporteurs concern that prolonged detention under sentence of death, even under monitorium may itself raise serious human rights concerns and remain committed to reviewing our framework accordingly.
We agree that the Mitarian State should review the cases of all persons under sentence of death with a review to commute all lies consistent with Malawi's own practice.
We also underscore the importance of due process safeguards, including access to counsel and protection under est convention in preventing torture throughout the criminal justice system.
Malawaffirm its commitment to the right to life and human dignity and continued engagement with special reporter and other UN mechanism on this matter.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Peru.
Peru is absent, so next, I give the floor to Chia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We reaffirm our principled opposition to the death penalty under all circumstances and consider it incompatible with respect for human dignity and the inherent right to life.
Despite the long term global trend towards abolition, we are concerned about recent setbacks, in particular, the continued use of the death penalty for offenses that do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes under international law, as well as persistent deficiencies in fair trial guarantees and due process remain deeply troubling.
We are especially armed by the sharp increase in execution in certain countries.
We strongly condemn the extensive use of the death penalty in Iran, including in cases raising serious concerns about compliance with international human rights obligations.
The reported scale of executions and the lack of transparency are deeply disturbing.
We are also concerned about steps that broaden the application of capital punishment or lead to its reintroduction, undermining decades of progress.
Mr.
Special Reporter, what concrete measures can states take to improve transparency and accountability in the use of the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition? Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Kuwait.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We have viewed the report by the Special Rapporteur with the interest regarding his visit to the brotherly state of Lebanon and we are concerned by the repercussions of the Israeli attack and the targeting of the medical health workers and journalists which destabilizes the country.
As for dimention of the death penalty in the report, we stress that the protection of the right to life and human dignity are fundamental principles that we enhance by enhancing the rule of law and due process.
We continue the development of our legislative system And we have a law of the year 2024 that clearly defines the measures of supervision and monitoring, and we have a variety of national systems that are being applied and we enhance cooperation and dialogue and we respect the specificities of each country in this respect.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to India.
Madam Vice President, my delegation notes the report of the Special Rapporteur examining the death penalty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other ill treatment as well as the protection of human dignity.
At the same time, some of the report's central assumptions seem to be based on a limited contextual understanding and may therefore not capture the full complexity of our national legal frameworks.
We do not agree to treat capital punishment on par with torture.
Every state has the inalienable sovereign right to determine its own legal systems and appropriate legal penalties.
We strongly disagree with the assertion that the death penalty inherently constitutes torture or ill treatment.
There is no international consensus against capital punishment and Article 6 of the ICCPR explicitly permits its use with restrictions.
In India, the death penalty is a statutory provision exercised exclusively in the rarest of the rare cases.
Our legal framework guarantees multi of procedural safeguards, including the presumption of innocence, mandatory confirmation of death sentences by higher court, and extensive mitigating considerations.
Additionally, the president and the state governors hold constitutional powers to grant pardons or commute sentences.
India reiterates its unwavering commitment to preventing torture in all its forms.
The prohibition of torture is a fundamental human right and Indian law treats such acts as grave offenses.
Our independent judiciary plays a vital role in upholding these protections and ensuring that the national practice remains aligned with the essential practices embodied in the Convention Against Torture.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Kenya.
Madam Vice President, my delegation thanks doctor Maurice Tip Dal Beans for his important report.
Kenya takes note of the report examination of the death penalty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other ill treatment and the protection of human dignity.
We recognize the importance of ensuring that criminal justice systems uphold human dignity, due process guarantees, and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhumane and all degree grading treatment or punishment.
Anchored in Article 26 of the Constitution of Kenya, the right to life remains a fundamental right.
Kenya has maintained a moratorium on executions for several decades and continues to uphold constitutional safeguards, fair trial guarantees, and judicial oversight within its criminal justice system.
Kenya further recognizes the importance of ensuring humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty, access to justice, and effective legal representation.
We remain committed to strengthening our legal and institutional frameworks in line with our constitutional and international human rights obligations.
We appreciate our continued engagement with the mandate and reaffirm our commitment to constructive dialogue and cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights.
I thank you.
Okay.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Spain.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Spain joins the opinion and statement we agree fully with your conclusions, Madam Preaportur, the death penalty prohibits or is covered by the Convention Against Torture, and it's good that this is being addressed here.
It's cruel and humane and degrading punishment.
It goes against human dignity.
Fortunately, every time there's ever less countries that allow it, but some countries still have the death penalty, including for non serious crimes, and the amount of executions continues to grow yearly.
However, data shows that the death penalty does not have a deterrent effect.
It is not an effective instrument in fighting against drugs and sometimes it hides arbitrary executions of political prisoners.
Further, it is irreversible should there be an error in the justice system.
Arbitrary detention enforces parents incommunicado detention.
Are without medical and defense legal defense are also important issues that need to be addressed.
The suffering of the families is immense.
We are greatly concerned over the slippage in some countries including in Israel, with the new legislation on the death penalty.
We denounce the human rights violations of Palestinian prisoners, and we call for access for ICRC.
We support those who are in the death penalty.
That we support those who are fighting against the death penalty, including many women in Iran.
We continue to support the work of the International Committee against the death penalty and we continue to urge all states to bring a full abolition of the death penalty or moratorium as a first step towards that.
Thank you.
You next, I give the floor to Algeria.
Madam Vice President, Algeria thanks the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of his report and takes note of its conclusions and recommendations.
Algeria has maintained a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty since 1993, reflecting its commitment to justice and respect for human rights and the human dignity.
It recalls that international law does not prohibit capital punishment, that its retention or abolition is a sovereign decision by each state, and that where detained, its application must comply with safeguards set out in Article 6 of the ICCPR.
Madam Vice President, Algia expresses grave concern over recent discriminatory death penalty legislation enacted by the occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territory.
These measures establish a dual legal system in which capital punishment is applied in a discriminatory manner against Palestinians in violation of international humanitarian and the human rights law.
Such practices contravene Article 64 and 68 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and undermine fair trial guarantees risking arbitrary prevision of life and serious breaches of international law.
As reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice in its July 2024 advisory opinion, the occupying power has now sovereign legislative authority over the occupied territory.
Algeria calls the Special Rapporteur to closely monitor these violations and to reject all forms of institutionalized discrimination and arbitrary deprivation of life.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to France.
M.
Thank you, Vice President.
Special Rapporteur, France would like to reiterate its full support for your mandate, and we thank you for your report.
This proves that the death penalty is not compatible with the prohibition of torture due to the extreme mental physical suffering it inflicts on the person sentenced death and their relatives in all countries and in all places regardless of the conditions of detention or execution.
The use of the death penalty is not just a tool for criminal policy, there is no humane death penalty.
Global awareness is progressing on this.
More than half of the countries around the world have abolished the death penalty, and Others are very much in favor of it, as we have heard in the room today.
According to Amnesty International, the number of executions in 2025, however, reached the highest level in 40 years.
A few days before the opening in Paris of the global Congress on the abolition of the death penalty, France causes and all its partners to mobilize and to make commitments in order to put an end to this inhumane and outdated practice.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Give the floor to Bangladesh.
Madam Vice President, Bangladesh takes note of the report of the ASR.
We reaffirm our commitment to the right to life, human dignity, fair trial, and the absolute prohibition of torture and ill treatment.
At the same time, Bangladesh maintains that capital punishment retained remains in compliance relevant international law.
In Bangladesh, capital punishment is maintained as a matter of legal policy for the most serious and heinous crimes that gravely shock the conscience of society.
Its application is subject to rigorous judicial scrutiny and extensive procedural safeguards, including appeal review and clemency procedure.
Judiciary and executive branch remain committed to ensuring that such punishment is reserved for exceptional cases only and never imposed arbitrarily.
In practice, Bangladesh has an extremely low rate of execution, demonstrating the capital punishment is kept to a minimum.
The increasing reliance on alternative punishment also reflects a good faith effort to ensure proportionality and restraint.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his technical visit to Bangladesh last year, which provided a valuable opportunity for constructive engagement on the application of Minnesota protocol.
We look forward to continuing our engagement with the mandate, including through capacity building technical assistance, and exchange of good practices in extending our country's medico legal death investigation system.
I thank you Madam Vice Vsat.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Dominican Republic.
Thank you, Vice President.
The Dominican Republic welcomes the presentation of this report, which approaches the death penalty from the perspective of a total prohibition of torture and other cruel and inhuman and degrading treatments as well as protection of human dignity.
The right to life and human dignity are essential pillars of the international human rights system.
In this context, we believe it is important for states to reflect on the consequences that certain conditions linked to the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty can generate.
Particular those linked to death row and the lack of appropriate due process guarantees for the proper enjoyment of human rights.
The Dominican Republic also believes it is essential to recall that respect for consular guarantees and due process are of particular importance in relation to international protection and national sovereignty, in particular when it comes to one's nationals abroad.
I would like to ask the Special Rapporteur, what is your view of the international obligation to notify and ensure consular access for the effective protection of the rights of persons sentenced to death outside of their home country, especially when this has an impact on states' ability to provide diplomatic protection for their own nationals.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ecuador.
Let's see.
Thank you, Vice President.
My delegation would like to particularly thank the Special Rapporteur for his very valuable technical assistance and capacity building visits provided to the National Service of Forensic Medicine and Science in Ecuador and other relevant stakeholders, in particular about the implementation of the Minnesota protocol.
We do hope that this collaborative approach will be replicated by other mandate holders.
Regarding your thematic report, we agree that the death penalty is always incompatible with the prohibition of torture and the protection of human dignity and that the only reliable way to ensure compliance with these obligations is to abolish the death penalty.
In this respect, we would like to recall that Ecuador was one of the first countries to abolish the death penalty in 1906, This is now reflected in our Constitution, which prohibits explicitly the death penalty under all circumstances.
Similarly, Ecuador's framework is geared towards preventing and punishing any act of torture, extrajudicial killing, and other grave human rights violations.
Our comprehensive Organic Criminal Code lists torture as a standalone crime.
We therefore call on all states who still use the death penalty, be it in law or in practice to urgently suspend executions and to take decisive steps towards its total abolition.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Iran.
Vice President, we take note of the report presented by the S Reporter.
My delegation believes in the comprehensive promotion and protection of the right to life, including addressing the root causes that may lead to its deprivation such as lack of access to food, energy, and adequate standard of living and healthcare.
Furthermore, all measures related to the implementation of execution should be carried out in accordance with national law and regulation and V consideration for the legal frameworks of member states.
Death penalty is not only one form of deprivation of the right to life.
Over the past year, as a result of two military aggression against Iran, a significant number of innocent civilians including women and children have lost their lives.
Among these tragic incidents, the killing of 168 children in a girls' school stand as a shocking symbol of the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe and the destructive consequences of such attack, the psychological and emotional suffering inflicted and the victims families on society as a whole is profound, enduring, and irreparable.
This act constitutes clear instance of arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of law under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and therefore require serious attention.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Venezuela.
Gracia.
Thank you, Vice President.
We'd like to thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of his report on the death penalty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and the protection of human dignity.
Venezuela welcomes the clear conclusion in the report.
The death penalty is always irreconcilable with the absolute prohibition of torture and ill treatment and constitutes an affront to human dignity.
As state in favor of abolition of the death penalty as enshrined in our constitution and in a procedural system which broadly protects victims, we support the call to move towards universal abolition.
We are concerned by the use of the death penalty as an instrument of oppression in conflict contexts.
In particular, we'd like to draw attention about the danger of the Israeli legislation which foresees the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians.
We would like to ask the Special Rapporteur, faced with this reality, what specific recommendations can you provide to the international community to prevent the death penalty from being used as a legal mechanism to cover up crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Armenia.
Vice President Armenia, thanks to Special Ree on extra judicial summary of arbitrary executions for his report reaffirms its support for the mandate.
As a state party to the second optional protocol to the International Covenant on civil and political rights, Armenia remains committed to the abolition of the death penalty and to the protection of human dignity.
While the report examines the death penalty through the lens of prohibition of torture and other ill treatment, it also underscores broader issues that are central to the protection of the right to life, including due process, accountability, and the prevention of irreversible harm.
Armenia attaches particular importance to the preventive role of the mandate.
Effective protection of the right to life requires not only accountability after violations occur, but also robust safeguards, strong institutions, and effective oversight capable of identifying risks and preventing violations before they occur.
In this regard, we value the mandates contribution to advancing international standards and guidance relating to the investigation of potentially unlawful death.
By promoting truth, accountability, and institutional safeguards, effective investigations help combat impunity, strengthen public trust and serve as an important tool for prevention.
We also appreciate the mandates broader contribution to reinforcing the links between the protection of the right to life, the prohibition of torture and other ill treatment, and the rights to victims and their families to truth, justice, and reparation.
Armenia remains a strong supporter of the special procedure system and its essential role in advancing prevention, accountability, and effective implementation of international human rights standards.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Madame L.
Madam Vice President, my delegation takes note of Mr.
Maurice Tidbbin' report, which tackles the abolition of death penalty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and the protection of human dignity.
We would like to reaffirm our country's unwavering commitment to international instruments.
In fact, our constitution enshrines the sanctity of human life and yet we face, in particular in our Eastern regions, barbarianism and crimes that are of unbelievable cruelty because of terrorist organizations that are undermining our ability.
We have therefore had to lift the moratorium on death penalty.
This applies specifically to these crimes.
We would like to underscore that decision, which is exceptional, is dictated by the imperative need to combat impunity.
The death penalty is not used as a tool for torture in DRC, rather, it is a useful legal response to aggression that threatens the dignity and life of millions of Congolese citizens.
Special Rapporteur, how does your mandate intend to include contexts of aggression by armed terrorist groups in terms of how you then assess states responses to try and control the consequences of these groups actions.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Brazil.
Madam Vice President, Brazil welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on this significant matter.
We share the rapporteur's view that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with the absolute prohibition of torture and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
This premise renders the use of capital punishment contrary to international law.
Although significant progress has been made towards abolition, we should keep strengthening our efforts to increase the number of de facto absolute abolitionist states.
Brazil has implemented strict legal, constitutional, and diplomatic measures to prevent the application of the death penalty.
In practice, capital punishment for common crimes has been abolished in Brazil since the 19th century and the current framework makes this prohibition virtually irreversible.
Concerning other forms of arbitrary and summary executions, We thank the rapporteur's technical visit to Brazil last May to support the implementation of the Minnesota protocol.
Moreover, Brazil is deeply interested in his new protocol to address feminicide particularly in light of our recently established national Pact to end the feminicide.
Mr.
Special Rapporteur, what best practices can states implement to institutionalize gender sensitive frameworks for detecting and investigating signs of gender based violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Billarus.
Special Rapporteur.
During the armed conflict that is blazing next to Belarus, we are seeing an increasing number of deliberate strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces against the civilian population.
We see these strikes which entail intentional deprivation of civilian life, including of children, a sign of actions that fall under the definition of arbitrary killings.
Yesterday, in the Bransk Oblast of Russia following an attack by the Ukrainian drone against Belarusian Civilian bus, a pregnant woman died, and more than 40 children were injured.
Some of them are in critical condition.
Evidence points to the premeditated nature of this attack.
We are outraged by this gross violation of international humanitarian law, and we consider that a cynical calculated strike against peaceful citizens should be the object of prompt and objective investigations and should be given a due assessment, including from international human rights structures.
Such terrorist measures cannot be hushed up.
Special Rapporteur, regarding the contents of your report, we consider it necessary to note that the death penalty death penalty is not prohibited by international law and decisions to retain this type of punishment pertains to the sovereign competency of states.
Your report on the incompatibility of a lawful punishment with the prohibition of torture is both unobjective and controversial.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Council of Europe.
Honorable Madam Vice President, we thank the Special Rapporteur for the report.
For decades the Council of Europe has played a leading role in creating a death penalty free zone in Europe.
We forged the idea that the death penalty has no place in a democratic society and its abolition is now recognized as one of our fundamental values by virtue of the two protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the Reykjavik Declaration, which reaffirmed the crucial role of the Council in pursuing the fight against the reintroduction of death penalty and in favor of its universal abolition.
In the world of re emerging pro death penalty narratives, we are determined to work in collaboration with the UN and countries worldwide to end the capital punishment that the capital punishment is stronger than ever before.
Our committee of ministers has expressed concerns that the abolitionist cause might be undermined by a growing feeling of insecurity among the population and that political proposals and debates arise on the possibility to reintroduce death penalty.
While more than 50 countries worldwide still apply death sentences, international dialogue like the upcoming ninth edition of the World Congress against death penalty to be held in Paris later this month should strengthen the role of global and regional partnerships in developing abolitionist strategies.
We take this opportunity and once again, call upon Belarus as the only country in Europe that continues to carry out the death penalty to establish moratorium.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to South Africa.
Thank you.
Madam President, South Africa welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial summary arbitrary executions and fully aligns itself with its principled call for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
In 1995, South Africa's constitutional court declared the death penalty unconstitutional, reaffirming the nation's commitment to human rights, dignity, and justice, and recognizing capital punishment as inherently cruel, inhumane, and degrading.
Our past and birth date revealed a disproportionate and arbitrary application of the death penalty, which deepened systemic injustices and violated the fundamental rights of our people.
This legacy compels us to advocate for restorative justice, which values rehabilitation over retribution and places communal well being at the heart of justice.
South Africa supports United Nations resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions, and we encourage all states who have not yet done so to take steps towards full abolition, including ratification of the second optional protocol to the ICCPR.
We remain steadfast in our view that the right to life is absolute.
Once taken, it cannot be restored and with it, all other rights are lost.
At the same time, South Africa respects the principle of state sovereignty in determining penal policy as enshrined in international law.
Nevertheless, we urge all states to ensure that human dignity and the sanctity of life remain paramount in their justice systems.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ireland.
President, Ireland aligns with the statement of the EU and thanks the Special Rapportur for his report.
Ireland is firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty in all cases and all circumstances.
It is contrary to the essential right to life and also, as the Special Rapporteur's report has reaffirmed, negatively impacts a number of other fundamental human rights.
It is clear from the report that severe mental and physical suffering is not simply an incidental risk of capital punishment, it is inherent to it.
The continuing use of the death penalty is therefore incompatible with the absolute prohibition of cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment, and Ireland will continue to pursue its universal abolition.
As a member of the support group of the International Commission against the death penalty, Ireland strongly advocates for a universal moratorium on its use as the first step towards abolition.
We look forward to the upcoming ninth World Congress against the death penalty in Paris, which Ireland is supporting.
Special Rapporteur, in view of the increase in the number of execution carried out by a limited number of retentionist states, what steps can abolitionist states take within the multilateral system to maintain momentum towards universal abolition.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Cuba.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
The use of the death penalty continues to be a polarizing subject.
Consideration of this topic cannot be unlinked from the national conditions in each country.
In Cuba, it is connected to the ongoing aggression against our country by the United States.
Cuba is in favor of eliminating the death penalty when the necessary conditions are met.
We understand the arguments of those who are in favor of its abolitional moratorium and those who are in favor of progressive and gradual steps towards its abolition.
At the same time, in legitimate defense of our national security, our country has seen itself forced to apply severe laws against terrorist activities and crimes aimed at the destruction of the Cuban state and the lives of its citizens, always with adherence to the strictest legality and the necessary judicial guarantees.
The use of the death penalty is extremely exceptional in Cuba.
In fact, it has not been applied since 2003.
Woman has been executed ever in Cuba and the death penalty cannot be imposed on people aged under 20 or pregnant women.
We hope very much that one day the necessary conditions will be met so that we can abolish the death penalty on the basis of the moral and ethical views of our people.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Egypt.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We would like to welcome the S Rapporteur.
We have taken note of his report, and we commend the fact that the report mentions the law on the death penalty in Israel, which applies only to Palestinians.
This is a completely discriminatory law which strengthens the apartheid system and which runs counter to the principles of justice and equality before the law.
This law grossly violates international human rights law.
We call on the international community to shoulder its moral and legal responsibilities in the face of such injustice.
We do not agree with the special rapporteur when he draws a link between extrajudicial killings and torture because the crime of torture is fully prohibited by national laws, whereas the death penalty can be applied in accordance with the law when the safeguards of a fair trial are met or when all legal remedies and recours have been respected and used.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This was the last speaker on the list.
We shall now continue with a list of speakers for national Human Rights institutions and non governmental organizations.
First, I give the floor to State of Palestine Independent Commission for Human Rights.
President, ladies and gentlemen, ICHR welcomes the Special Rapporteur's report and its clear conclusion that the death penalty is incompatible with the prohibition of torture and ill treatment and with the protection of human dignity.
This conclusion is directly relevant to Israel's newly adopted death penalty legislation.
The law is discriminatory in both design and effect.
It targets Palestinians and creates a regime of capital punishment that would not be applied equally to all persons under Israeli control.
We are particularly alarmed by the establishment of a special military tribunal empowered to impose the death penalty on Palestinians from Gaza arrested after seven October 2023.
This raises grave concerns of retroactive punishment, political prosecution, denial of fair trial guarantees, and the use of military courts to produce predetermined outcomes.
The report reminds us that the death penalty cannot be separated from coegent secrecy, discrimination, and powerlessness, and severe mental suffering.
These risks are even more acute for Palestinians held in Israeli custody.
ICHR calls on the international community to reject this racist and unlawful death penalty regime, demand it's repeal, protect Palestinian detainees, and ensure accountability for violations of the right to life, fair trial, and freedom from torture.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to ensemble contend Special Rapporteur, ECPM and its partners would like to congratulate you for your work and we welcome the publication of this report, the conclusions of which we share and according to which in light of international law today, the death penalty is incompatible with the complete prohibition of torture and the obligation to protect human dignity.
From arrest to execution, the process is marked by physical and psychological suffering for those sentenced to death, for their relatives and all stakeholders involved.
The ECPM and its partners have rapidly documented this in investigation reports in various countries.
Your report is particularly relevant because it builds on an in depth interdisciplinary analysis and the regional jurisprudence from African courts, as well as inter American and European courts.
The death penalty is a violation of human rights in all circumstances, far from being an abutment of justice.
It is an act of torture that stems from vengeance and which impedes truth and is incompatible with the reinsertion of people who are sentenced.
It is not a deterrent.
It is traumatizing, discriminatory, and a tool for political repression.
Today, 123 states and territories have abolished it for all crimes or crimes of common law.
We call on the 76 remaining states to immediately put an end to executions and to commit to total abolition.
In Paris, ECPM is organizing from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July the World Congress against the death penalty, an opportunity to identify new strategies for a world free from the death penalty.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Golf Center for Human Rights.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
This is a joint statement by ALCS for Human Rights, the Menor Rights Group, and Gulf Center for Human Rights.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for this important report.
We welcome its central conclusion that the severe physical and psychological suffering caused by capital punishment is not incidental but inherent throughout the death penalty trajectory from arrest and interrogation to detention, execution, and the impact on families.
This analysis is highly relevant to retention estates in the Gulf region, Iran and Iraq.
Across these contexts, the death penalty is frequently opposed amid allegations of torture, coerced confessions, unfair trials, secrecy, and denial of effective safeguards.
In Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, death sentences have followed proceedings raising serious torture and due process concerns.
In the United Arab Emirates, national security prosecutions have involved restrictions on defense rights.
In Iran, executions continue for offenses that do not meet the most serious crimes threshold, including security related charges and cases have involved forced confessions and denial of family rights.
In Iraq, terrorism related capital proceedings have relied on confessions despite unresolved torture allegations.
We also welcome the report's recognition that families suffer when denied notice, final visits, remains, or burial information.
Special Rapporteur, given your finding that suffering throughout the death penalty trajectory is inherent to capital punishment itself and may amount to torture or other treatment, what legal obligations do retentionist states have to move beyond procedural reforms and adopt abolition as the only means of ensuring compliance with the absolute prohibition of torture and Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety.
Thank you, Vice President.
Mr.
Special Reporter, regretfully draw your attention to a deeply concerning global surge in extra territorial extrajudicial executions and the increasing reliance by certain governments on these actions to silence dissent.
Today, 18th of June marks the second anniversary of the assassination of Kazakstani journalist and government critic Kds Sadikv, who was shot in 2024 in Kyiv, where he lived in exile.
The perpetrators of this attack remain unpunished.
More recently, on 10th of June 2026, a French court established that an attempted murder of exiled Azerbjani blogger Mohamad Mizli was a coordinated act aimed at silence and critics.
While Mr.
Marsi survived a series of attempts on his life, with ideas candidly, another blogger fell victim to an assassination in France.
Notably, another case of an attempted extrajudicial execution was carried out on the Swiss territory when in February this year, human rights defender and journalist Amin Hussein was persecuted in Geneva.
We call on member states to firmly exercise domestic jurisdiction and locally prosecute individuals detained for planning extrajudicial executions rather than extraditing them to the states of origin where accountability is routinely bypassed.
Failing to try these perpetrators locally creates a dangerous climate of impunity that directly invites further attacks.
Further call on member states to strengthen coordination to prevent and investigate extraterritorial extrajudicial executions and ensure the right to life of human rights defenders and journalists within their sovereign territories.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Jubilee campaign.
Ladies and gentlemen, Jubilempaign would like to thank the UN Special Rapporteur for their work and the report.
Jubilee campaign and over 90 organizations and individuals have been calling on states to repeal the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy.
There are still 11 countries which sanction the death penalty for exercising freedom of conscience, religion, and belief via harsh anti apostasy and anti blasphemy laws in violation of international law.
Were states or armed groups maintain these laws, there is an acute risk of torture and impunity for extrajudicial and summary killings.
Such as in the case of Deborah Emmanuel Yakbu.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for calling for accountability for her murder.
Jubilee campaign urges states which continue to apply the death penalty to line with international law and the UNGA moratorium on the death penalty resolution, which limits the application of the death penalty, even with a moratorium to the most serious crimes and never sanctioning it for the exercise of a human right, including for apostasy and blasphemy.
The last five years, Sudan and the UAE have removed the death penalty for apostasy and we urge the remaining 11 countries to follow suit.
We call for the release of religious prisoners of conscience on death row for apostasy and blasphemy, including Sufi singer Yahia Sharif Aminu in Nigeria, Christian mother Shagufa Kirin in Pakistan, and university student Maria Obed in Mauritania, amongst others.
Thank you.
Okay.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Coas Treto Humanos.
Next, I would like to draw attention to the case before Superi Court of Justice concerning the May crimes scheduled for just later this year.
The events which took place in May 2006 resulted in hundreds of deaths, injuries, and appears in Spa State aimed confrontation between armed groups and police force.
Among the victims were Anna Pablo who was nine months pregnant, her partner, Edge, and Joju Des Silva, who were executed racist attribute to the state agents.
Their stories symbolized the suffering of hundreds of families who have absence, demand truth, accountability, and reparations.
The investigations conducted at that time were marked by serious forensics outcomes, a recurring partner within the pie system.
Furthermore, rather than exercising its role of external oversight of police activity, the public's prosecutor's office praised the actions of the offices involved, highlighting the weakness in the monitoring of state values in the country.
20 years later, these grad crimes remain unsolved.
No state agent has been held to account, and the families continue to be denied the current operations while the Superior Court of Justice considers it the state responsibility may be subject to the statute of limitations.
In this context, the judgement is of historic significance as it may align the Brazilian judiciary with international obligations to convey racism, hesitation to co and memory, ech justice and all operation.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Im Alis Popular Students Relief Society.
Thank you.
Mr.
Special Rapporteur, how can this Council stop the Islamic Republic of Iran, which employs arbitrary arrest as a tool of intimidation and social control, extracts confessions to torture, imposes death sentences on the basic of those coerced confessions, and carries out executions.
Since 2022, when Moseoy was hanged for burning a trash can, numerous political prisoners have been executed on nearly identical accusations.
This Tay Jaum fade.
Who had been arrested in January, they executed.
Mr.
Mohamad Aposi who was arrested together with his daughter was executed in April.
Many arrested in those protests could face a similar fate.
Some of them who have already been convicted to death include Asana Hosseini B Martin Mohamad Fan Amiri, Eon Gj Kob Arabon Ali Daeju Esmail Ramzan Ali Khamli, Mohamad Ad António Abinadi.
According to Amnesty International, 2159 people were executed in Iran last year.
Approximately 80% of all executions worldwide.
A Special Rapporteur, what concrete measures can the international community and this council take to prevent further executions and ensure accountability for these grave human rights violations in Iran.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to advocates for Human Rights.
Mr.
President, the advocates for human rights and ESH warmly welcome the Special Rapporteur's groundbreaking report.
We underscore three points.
First, the Special Raeur observed that gender specific discrimination can intensify the suffering of a death sentence.
Women on death row often live in near total isolation.
Second, research shows that threat of death penalty is uniquely cossive in extracting false confessions.
The death penalty Information Center's 2021 study found that courts wrongfully convicted at least 12 innocent people after authorities threatened the death penalty.
State sanction death threats are a form of psychological torture.
Third, while our understanding of the death penalty as tortured has evolved, at the same time, countries like Saudi Arabia have stepped up executions, ESHR reports that between 2015 and April 2026, Saudi Arabia carried out more than 2000 executions.
We joined the Special Rapporteur in arguing Saudi Arabia and all the states to recognize that abolition of the death penalty is the only reliable mean of ensuring compliance with the prohibition against torture.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to International Service for Human Rights.
Thank you.
This is a joint statement.
Extra juudicial killings remain to be a very urgent human rights issue in the Philippines.
In April 2026, 19 individuals, including HRD, were killed in what the Philippine military claims to be an armed encounter.
Findings from independent forensic investigation challenge this.
Revealing the mishandling of the victim's remains and a failure to conduct a proper crime scene investigation as per international standards.
Killings associated with the so called war on drugs also persist.
There have been 1267 reported drug related killings under the current administration of Marcos Junior as of June 7th, 2026.
Families of victims continue to face impunity through intimidation and barriers to effective remedies.
The arrest of former president uterte is an important step toward accountability, yet many other perpetrators involved in this killings remain unaccountable.
We are grateful to the mandate in supporting the journey towards justice for killings under the war on drugs.
We also welcome the continued engagement on improving forensic investigation capacities in the Philippines, which is essential to uncover truth, preserve evidence, and ensure justice for victims and their families.
I urge the council to call on the Philippine government to conduct prompt, independent and effective investigations into all its extrajudicial killings, prosecute all responsible, strengthen witness protection and safeguards for HRDs and red tagging enterprises, provide effective remedies and reparations to victims' families, enhance monitoring and reporting on the situation in the country, ensuring that technical cooperation is accompanied by concrete benchmarks on accountability, justice, and non recurrence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to IDPC Consortium.
Thank you, President.
HR and IDPC on behalf of the organizations welcome the Special Reporter's report, which concludes that the death penalty is inherently incompatible with the prohibition of torture and treatment and the protection of human dignity.
The report makes it clear that abolition is not just a policy choice, but a legal imperative grounded international human rights law.
International standards are clear that drug related offenses do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes to which the death penalty mus be restricted to irritentionist countries.
Yet according to reduction International, 36 countries retain the death penalty for drug offenses which account for almost half of all confirmed executions globally.
The death penalty for drug offenses disproportionately affects people living in poverty and those facing marginalization and other forms of structural vulnerability.
Rather than addressing the underlying social and health factors linked to drug user markets, it entrenches stigma, discrimination, exclusions, and human rights violations.
The death penalty represents the most extreme form of punitive drug policies, prioritizing punishment over health and rights.
Efforts towards abolition must therefore be accompanied by reforms grounded in evidence, public health and human rights, moving away from criminalization and coercive approaches.
In line with the Rapporteur's conclusions, we urge states to establish immediate moratorium on executions, remove drug offenses from the scope of capital punishment, and take concrete steps towards full abolition of the death penalty.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture.
Madam.
Thank you, Madam Vice President, Mr.
Special Raporteur Fia Cat on behalf of the Global Coalition Against the death penalty, ECPM, IRCT Redress Omega, OMCT and the ICAT Network, thanks you for your report and supports your conclusion according to which the death penalty is still incompatible with the ban on torture.
We support your analysis based on a trajectory approach which shows that there's a cumulative suffering from arrest to execution and also for the family members.
As you note, death penalty is an ongoing death threat from the state and international jurisprudence has recognized this as being equal to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
Associated with a growing amount of abolitionist states, and analysis strengthens the understanding according to which the suffering is inherent to capital punishment.
Our organizations remain concerned over the recent changes in countries such as Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Moratoriums have been lifted and legislative progress towards abolition has been called into question.
Recognizing the security gaps that these countries face, we reiterate that death penalty should never be presented as a response to insecurity or public pressure, but rather should, to the contrary be understood as a type of punishment prohibited by international law.
I thank you kindly.
Mercy.
This was the last speaker we could accommodate for this dialogue.
I will give the floor back to Mr.
Tippl Bins for his concluding remarks.
You have 7 minutes, sir.
Thank you very much, Madam Vice President.
7 minutes is not very much to respond to all of these questions and to delve into some of the questions.
I thank you for the questions.
I thank the distinguished speakers from the states and the CSOs as well.
I think that it is important to mention as regards the conclusions of this report.
Well, I already said it, but I'm going to repeat it.
The foundation for the conclusions beyond the extensive analysis of current jurisprudence internationally and nationally In addition to academia and its studies in the bibliographical work on this, these conclusions are based on the meetings that I held with survivors of the death penalty and their family members.
I should confess here that I interviewed many victims of torture, survivors of torture for many years as a forensic doctor and this the world over.
I also had the honor of participating in the drafting of the Istanbul Protocol.
That was in its first round and its second.
Hence, I might say that I have a good deal of experience in this matter.
However, I was sincerely surprised at what I discovered.
When I heard the testimonies of these individuals, when I spoke about this with them, when I spoke with survivors of the death penalty and with their family members, I hadn't foreseen that.
I had not foreseen that this punishment, which international human rights law does allow, although in a very restrictive manner in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 6.
I hadn't expected that it would cause this type of suffering and damage, psychological and physical alike for those that are sentenced to death.
But when I heard their testimonies, and as I said, these are voices that we normally don't hear that are silenced.
Even in the human rights community, we don't tend to have the right to hear as I was able to hear these testimonies when I was preparing this report.
Some asked for some examples.
I have some notes that I took during some of these interviews.
I'm going to read these in English because those who I was speaking with were anglophons.
On death row, I was in hell.
No matter how many years we have been out, all your pain and suffer lingers on and on forever.
They killed my mom and dad.
My wife turned alcoholic.
My daughter went to drugs and passed away.
My youngest daughter needs psychiatric help.
Neighbors killed our dogs.
We can't live any longer.
These are testimonies from people that were determined to be innocent.
But that's not the central issue culpability or innocence because torture is not justified under any circumstance or situation.
The prohibition is universal and absolute.
Regardless of what the crimes are that someone might have committed.
The states that are questioning the compatibility of the prohibition on torture, the prohibition on the death penalty, I would say that this Incompatibility is already noted in 2012 by the Special porteur Against Torture, Juan Mendez.
It was reiterated anew in paragraph 51 of the general conclusion 36 of the Human Rights Committee.
Now, I would like to call your attention to paragraph 59 of my report.
It reads, It notes that international human rights instruments are living instruments.
They should be updated.
They should be interpreted in the light of knowledge that is acquired over time with progress in the legal and medical fields and that has led to transformation in legislation.
Not that many years ago, corporal punishment was allowed.
Now it's prohibited because they are tantamount to torture.
The same with the disappeared, family members of the disappeared.
The same scenario.
There's abundant international jurisprudence pointing at that.
Now, things evolve, ladies and gentlemen, and I believe that it is high time to put an end to this barbaric punishment that is the death penalty.
In my opinion, it should be placed in the same corner as torture and slavery.
Someone asked about how many innocent people are executed.
There's no number on this because there's no exhaustive study on this.
However, at least five to 10% minimum and likely more.
Lastly, I would like to conclude by thanking, again, this honorable counsel for the trust afforded me over the past six years, which are not over, the mandate is not over.
I would like to recall in particular the support from my colleagues in the Special procedures for the commitment, their dedication here in turbulent times.
I would like to recall that they are selflessly offering years of their lives to help to give life to those who dreamed to develop the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Even since 1982, I should like to note Ashman Hand and Christopher Heinz for their lasting and immense legacy for the cause of human rights.
Madam Vice President, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
This brings us to the end of this interactive dialogue, Mr.
Morris Dbald Benz, as your mandate, the special rapporteur comes to an end.
I wish to take this opportunity and express on behalf of this council our deep gratitude for your valuable contributions you have made to the work of the council and to wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Thank you.
We will now take a short break before holding the interactive dialogue with an independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Excellence, dear participants, we shall now begin the interactive dialogue with the independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
And let me welcome the mandate holder, Mr.
William Raid.
The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes and without further ado, I will hand over the floor to Mr.
Ride to present the report.
Please, you have the floor.
Thank you very much.
Madam Vice President, Excellency's Distinguished delegates.
I'm pleased to present my report on violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women.
The report is based on more than 200 submissions received from states, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, academics, and individuals from all regions.
I'm grateful to everyone who contributed their expertise, evidence, and lived experience.
Violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are neither isolated nor exceptional.
They are part of broader systems that continue to constrain women's autonomy, regulate women's lives, and condition access to rights on conformity with prescribed gender roles.
This report therefore begins from a simple premise, violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women cannot be understood separately from the broader realities of gender inequality.
Around the world, women continue to encounter legal, economic and social barriers to equality.
Access to economic resources is frequently mediated through relationships with men, and marriage continues to function as a gateway to rights and recognition.
These realities affect women generally, but they often affect lesbian, bisexual and queer women in distinct ways.
Many women can navigate unequal systems through marriage to a man.
For many lesbian, bisexual and queer women, that is not an available pathway.
As a result, they often encounter the full force of structures that continue to privilege heterosexuality and male authority.
The report identifies a recurring pattern.
Women's access to rights remains conditional.
These patterns are not experienced uniformly.
They are shaped by intersecting factors, including disability, race, migration status, geography, and gender expression.
For transgender women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer, discrimination based on gender identity often compounds barriers already associated with sexual orientation.
The report argues that violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women reveal not only discrimination based on sexual orientation, but also the extent to which women's access to rights continues to be conditioned on relationships with men and conformity with prescribed gender roles.
Women reported being excluded from housing programs because they were unmarried, denied inheritance or access to family property, or unable to access healthcare because systems assumed the presence of a husband or male partner.
Others described relationships and families that remained legally invisible.
Taken together, these experiences reveal how inequality is reproduced through institutions that continue to mediate women's rights through marriage, relationships with men, and prescribed gender roles.
A second theme concerns access to the public sphere.
The report documents barriers to employment, political participation, and public visibility.
Women who do not conform to expectations regarding femininity, marriage, or family life often face heightened scrutiny and exclusion, as well as economic and political marginalization.
Across many regions, LGBT persons continue to be portrayed as threats to children, family, culture, or national identity.
These narratives normalize discrimination and violence.
For women, they have particular force because social legitimacy is often tied to marriage, motherhood, and caregiving.
When lesbian, bisexual and queer women are portrayed as threats to children or families, their equal place in society is itself called into question.
The report also examines violence.
Violence against lesbian, bisexual, and queer women occurs in homes, workplaces, schools, healthcare settings, public spaces, and places of detention.
Women reported violence by family members, including forced marriage, confinement, surveillance and sexual violence, often intended to punish or alter their sexual orientation.
So called corrective violence continues to be reported in numerous contexts.
These acts should not be understood as isolated incidents.
They function as regulatory practices enforcing conformity with gender norms and punishing those who depart from them.
Violence also occurs within institutions that should provide protection.
Women described healthcare settings that become sites of surveillance, humiliation, and denial of care, while interactions with police and security forces often generated fear rather than protection.
Criminalization remains an important concern.
Approximately one third of countries worldwide continue to criminalize consensual same sex conduct.
Criminalization extends beyond criminal penalties themselves.
It reinforces stigma, discourages reporting, weakens access to justice, and contributes to environments in which lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are portrayed as undeserving of protection.
One of the most striking findings of this report concerns the absence of data.
Again and again, stakeholders described the structural invisibility of lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
Violence is under reported, misclassified, or omitted altogether.
The absence of evidence is then used justify the absence of action, creating a cycle in which invisibility reinforces neglect and neglect reinforces invisibility.
Closing this data gap is therefore a human rights imperative.
Data collection must respect privacy, informed consent, and do no harm principles, but without reliable evidence, violence remains hidden and accountability remains elusive.
The report concludes with recommendations grounded in international human rights law and informed by those directly affected.
Three priorities deserve particular emphasis.
First, states should remove legal, administrative, and institutional barriers that condition women's rights on marriage, relationships with men, or conformity with prescribed gender roles, measures that would not only advance the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, but would also contribute to gender equality more broadly.
Second, states should ensure effective protection from violence through inclusive services, accountability, and more access to justice.
Third, states should repeal laws that criminalize consensual same sex conduct and end the use of criminal law to regulate sexual orientation and gender identity.
More broadly, the report calls for a shift in perspective.
Too often discussions concerning lesbian, bisexal and queer women are framed narrowly as questions of identity.
The evidence suggests a broader reality.
At their core, many of the challenges documented in this report concern women's autonomy, the ability to make decisions about one's body, relationships, family, and future.
Nearly 30 years ago at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, my South African compatriot Beverly Dizzy reminded the international community that no woman can determine the direction of her life without the ability to determine her sexuality.
That insight remains relevant today.
The experiences documented in this report show that progress on gender equality and on the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women is deeply interconnected.
I encourage member states to view these recommendations as part of the broader project of ensuring that all women are able to live with dignity, autonomy, and equality.
Thank you.
Madam Vice President, Excellency's distinguished delegates, I now turn to my country visit to Colombia.
I wish to thank the government for welcoming my visit in May 2025 and for its openness and constructive engagement.
I met with authorities at the national, regional and local levels, civil society organizations, and LGBT persons across five cities.
Colombia is a regional leader.
Its constitution, constitutional court jurisprudence, and the adoption of Conpez 4147 provide one of the strongest legal and policy frameworks for the protection of the rights of LGBT persons.
Its transitional justice process, including macro case 11, also represents an important recognition of prejudice based violence committed during the armed conflict.
Yet a significant gap remains between these commitments and the lived realities of many LGBT persons.
Persistent violence, particularly against transgender persons and human rights defenders remains a matter of grave concern.
In conflict affected regions, the continuing influence of armed groups and limited state presence heightens these risks.
These are deeply rooted structural challenges shaped by decades of armed conflict, discrimination, and exclusion, and they require sustained institutional and social change.
The report also highlights the often overlooked experiences of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women alongside continued barriers in healthcare, education, employment, and housing.
Beta data will be essential to measure progress and ensure that legal protections translate into tangible improvements in people's lives.
Colombia has laid a strong normative foundation.
The challenge now is to ensure that these commitments are implemented consistently so that equality is experienced not only in law, but more consistently in everyday life.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for your presentation.
According to our practice, we shall start by hearing the delegation of the country concerned.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Colombia.
Excellency, you have 5 minutes.
Madam Vice President, we welcome the report by the independent expert on the Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
We also welcome his official visit to Colombia in May 2025.
Thank you for having looked in detail at our society and our country in order to understand our reality As can be seen by your reference to Gabriel Garcia Marquez in your report and 100 years of solitude, which is mentioned that invites us to reflect on the link between memory exclusion and social transformation.
It reminds us that Colombia is a country full of deep contradictions, a country which has achieved major steps forward at the legislative level in terms of recognition of rights, but which continues to face major challenges when it comes to overcoming magical realism, for instance, or to put it differently in turning these aspirations into reality for all persons.
We are moving forward on consolidating a regulatory framework for the recognition of historically marginalized communities who have been discriminated against or excluded and affected by various forms of violence, including people belonging to the LGBTIQ plus community.
But we still have to overcome a number of challenges relating to our democracy in order to ensure the effective exercise of their rights.
Our Truth Commission documented how the armed conflict affected in a differentiated way LGBTIQ plus persons who are victims of homicides, displacement, threats, sexual violence, persecution, and multiple forms of exclusion and muzzling.
Their historic and structural exclusion discrimination is exacerbated by the armed conflict.
This report highlights the extraordinary capacity for resilience and social organization and for mobilization and community building of LGBTIQ plus persons who have managed to make their voices heard in order to claim their rights.
You visit, distinguished expert is fully in step with one of the recommendations made by the Truth Commission to the international community to remain a guarantor of recommendations and to support their follow up and implementation.
Your visit is a concrete manifestation of that support from the international community.
Since May 2025, we have adopted measures geared towards strengthening the rights of LGBTIQ plus persons.
It is worth highlighting, as you did, the adoption of the document of the National Commission on Economic and Social Policy 41 47 of 2025, which established a comprehensive public policy for guaranteeing the rights of this community as well as the creation of a national system for guaranteeing the rights of the LGBTIQ plus population through Decree 13 11 of 2025.
And another document of 2026 aimed at ensuring institutional continuity of public policies aimed at improving the situation for traditionally excluded and marginalized communities.
This is directly linked to several of the recommendations that were made both by the Truth Commission and by the independent expert in terms of strengthening interinstitutional coordination and the development of follow up and monitoring mechanisms and the production of data in order to inform public policy, as well as the participation by civil society and the adoption of measures aimed at preventing violence and discrimination.
Such steps forward are but further steps in our efforts to overcome the social and other factors that ferment violence and discrimination and prejudice and exclusion.
Perhaps one of the most significant challenges that Colombians face for overcoming the contradictions inherent in magical realism lies in overcoming the culture of violence in order to replace it by an authentic culture of peace, a culture for life.
As Gabriel Garcia Marquez said and allow me to quote him.
It is time now to understand that this cultural disaster cannot be addressed neither with lead nor with money or silver, but rather by education for peace, education that is consistent and which incites us to discover who we are in a society that looks more like the society that we deserve.
That guides us from cradle to early identification of our vocations and the attitudes that we need in order to do to make life something that we like, which is the magical form of happiness and longevity.
In synthesis, a legitimate revolution for peace which channels towards life, the tremendous creative energy which for nearly two centuries, we have harnessed to destroy each other and which should in fact amplify the greatness of imagination.
Thank you to Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Many thanks to the Special Rapporteur.
Many thanks, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Excellency.
I will now give the floor to the National Human Rights Institution of Colombia, the Foria del Pueblo by video.
The Human rights Ombuds from Colombia welcomes the reports that have been presented.
They reflect what we document every day in Colombia, lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans women are punished for not aligning with the mandates of heterosexuality and the violence they face, share roots, but they deserve to be named in their individual cases.
We are seeing the most serious cases of violence being registered in 2025.
We saw 95 killings of persons who from non hegemonic sexual orientation or gender identities and 32 of them were women.
In 2025, we registered 27 additional cases and 40 of them were against trans women.
The LBQ women on their part, have been trapped in two institutional frameworks which do not recognize fully their identity.
2025-2026, we dealt with more than 200 cases of psychological and physical, sexual and domestic violence.
We urged the Colombian State to investigate lethal violence against trans women.
As for what it is, which is a systematic pattern to investigate with due diligence, the prejudice motivated forms of violence and to provide justice and protection free from discrimination, to build systems of information which lend visibility to these women and to ensure that the Compass LGBTIQ plus reaches regions with real budgetary allocations.
We need to see real justice in order to ensure lives free from violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The list of speakers is now closed.
I invite interested delegations to ask questions to the independent expert and make comments on his report.
The speaking time is 1 minute and 30 seconds for all.
I would like to recall that the duration of the interactive dialogue is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
First, I have the honor to give the floor to Her Excellency, miss Simla Brito de Cavalla Vice Minister for Human Rights and Citizenship of Brazil.
Mr.
Independent expert, Brazil appreciates the presentation of the report.
The patterns of violence and discrimination described in the document reflect the structural inequalities in the context of growing challenges to the human rights of women and LGBTQAI plus people in various parts of the world.
We have observed with concern, the rise of antigender and anti rights narratives that seek to restrict the autonomy, participation, and freedom of historically marginalized groups often through disinformation and hate speech.
For this reason, defending the rights of lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual women is also a defense of democracy.
When democracy is weakened, it's precisely these populations that are the first to suffer the impacts of exclusion, discrimination, and violence.
In this context, Brazil has strengthened its network for the protection of women by establishing protocols to combat violence against lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex women.
We seek to ensure that the various services within the network for the protection and guarantee of women's rights established by the federal government, including reporting channels, specialized care, specialized policy stations, and other public facilities are prepared to recognize their specific needs and provide care free from discrimination.
Brazil reaffirms its commitment to promoting equality, combating violence, and building democracy societies that embrace diversity in all its forms.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Next, I give the floor to UN Women on behalf of a group of UN agencies.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
This statement is delivered on behalf of UN Women and UN FBA.
We welcome the independent expert's report and commend its attention to violence and discrimination faced by LBQ women.
Drawing on evidence from programming and policy engagement, we underscore that violence and discrimination against LBQ women are sustained by structural gender inequality, discriminatory legal frameworks, criminalization and anti gender backlash, which normalize stigma, restrict access to services, and constrain accountability.
LBQ women face intersecting and persisting forms of gender based violence across the life course in families, public spaces, and online as violence is used to enforce gender norms and punish non conformity, despite its prevalence, lack of legal recognition, social exclusion barriers to survivor centered services, and fear of disclosure, retaliation or further harm survivors unseen and without effective remedy.
We emphasize that addressing these challenges and the root causes requires comprehensive rights based actions.
This includes repealing discriminatory laws, strengthening survivor centered and inclusive services and ensuring access to justice, expanding civic space, and protecting LBQ women, human rights defenders.
We reaffirm that advancing the rights of LBQ women is integral to achieving gender equality for all.
Dear independent expert, what practical steps should states take to ensure national gender based violence prevention and response frameworks that fully recognize and respond to violence against LBQ women? I thank you.
Thank you very much.
Next, I give the floor to Finland on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
I speak on behalf of the Nordic Baltic states and reiterate our strong support for the mandate of the independent expert.
We thank for the report examining the distinct and intersection forms of violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
We fully agree that the full enjoyment of human rights by women and girls in all their diversity need particular attention, including from this council.
LBQ women continue to suffer extensive violations of their human rights, including their right to life.
Compared to others, LBQ women are almost everywhere at greater risk of being subjected to physical violence.
At the same time, their access to shelters and protection services is often limited or hindered, including access to support services for sexual and gender based violence.
Madam Vice President, we must work harder to ensure that all LGBTQI plus persons can live free from discrimination, violence, and hatred.
For this, we need data, resources, and perhaps most importantly, political will.
Independent expert, could you elaborate on your findings on the successful protection of LBQ women as a result of disaggregated data? I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to European Union.
Mr.
Vice President, the EU thanks the independent expert for his timely presentation.
We continue to strongly oppose all forms of discrimination.
The EU reaffirms its commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by all LGBTI persons.
We are deeply concerned by the findings of your report highlighting that violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, and queer LBQ women are widespread across all regions.
According to your report, LBQ women who live outside Narrow gender and reproductive roles are often threatened with or subjected to physical and sexual violence, including the extremely harmful practice of using sexual violence as a corrective measure intended to cure quotes LBQ women.
We strongly condemn all forms of violence, discrimination and harassment against LGBTI persons, and we call for a worldwide end to all violence against LGBT persons.
The EU is taking action to ensure equality and nondiscrimination of LGBT persons.
Last year, the Commission adopted the LGBTTQ plus quality Strategy 2026, 2030 to ensure equality for all in all policy areas.
Independent experts, could you highlight good practices that prevent LBQ women from falling between different rights frameworks in areas such as healthcare, labor protections, and gender based violence services.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Iceland on behalf of a group of countries.
Madam Vice President, I'm honored to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the members of the group of friends of the mandate of the independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The mandate continues to contribute to advancing equality for all in a meaningful and constructive manner, and we welcome the presentation of the thematic report and its recommendations today.
Unfortunately, we continue to see widespread and systematic violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
As here in the report, lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are largely absent from official data which leads to gaps in policy, programming, and law.
Despite advances in access to rights, both for women and LGBT plus persons, LBQ women experience systematic violations and abuses of their rights such as rights relating to health, property, inheritance, freedom of movement, access to justice, and to family life.
These violations do not happen in a vacuum.
They occur across diverse contexts globally.
International Human Rights law provides clear protections for all women, including LBQ women.
We call on everyone to uphold international human rights obligations and ensure inclusive rights based responses to better protect persons subjected to violence and discrimination on the basis of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
I thank you.
All right.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Uruguay.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Uruguay thanks the independent expert for the presentation of his report.
We reiterate our full support for his mandate.
We agree that the violence and discrimination that affect LBQ women cannot be understood only from the perspective of sexual orientation, but it also has to be seen in light of the structures of inequality that hamper their autonomy, make their access to rights conditional and restrict their full participation in the social, economic, and political life.
Uruguay agrees that the full exercise of human rights requires addressing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by these women.
It also requires promoting policies that guarantee substantive equality and the effective compliance with international human rights obligations.
The report highlights that a lack of information and specific data limits the design of effective state responses.
We'd therefore like to ask the expert, what priority measures would you recommend to states in order to start addressing these gaps regarding national statistical systems which still do not have specific information about the experiences of LBQ women.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Malta.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Malta aligns itself with the EU statement and thanks the independent experts for his important report.
We agree with the report's well examined analysis that LBQ women continue to face discrimination on the basis of gender compounded by sexual orientation affecting all aspects of life.
It remains a matter of concern that while several countries have over the past decades adopted sojsk positive legislation that have resulted in significant improvement in social, economic, and political standing within society for the persons involved, certain aspects of economic and social rights remain elusive, where women's rights in general require further action.
One example is the non recognition of LBQ women as parents when the biological parent is their spouse and must open legal processes to adopt their own child.
This situation is particularly frustrating where same sex relationships are already legally recognized.
Malta welcomes the independent experts recommendations in the report, a large majority of which have already been implemented nationally through national consultation processes with relevant civil society organizations and legislative action.
Mr.
Reed, thank you for your important work, and we remain ready to support your work in fulfillment of your mandate.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to UNDP.
Thank you.
UNDP welcomes the independent expert's report.
We reaffirm the report's central premise that the rights of LBQ women and women's rights are women's rights and that women's rights are universal.
As part of its commitment to leave no one behind, UNDP collaborates with governments, regional institutions, and communities to advance inclusion and human rights protections for LGBTIQ plus people around the world.
Consistent with UNDP's gender equality strategy and through initiatives like its We Belong Africa Program and the LGBTI Inclusion Index, we support dialogue evidence generation and community led advocacy to foster more inclusive laws, policies, and public services.
This work seeks to support social norms that affirm the dignity, rights, and lived realities of marginalized populations.
In doing so, it delivers tangible benefits to those most affected by criminalizing laws, stigma, discrimination, and violence, including LBQ women and girls.
We have seen how significant reductions in discrimination and violence against LBQ women are achievable through effective partnerships between states and civil society that remove legal and policy barriers, improve access to essential services, support inclusive governance, and promote social norms that affirm the dignity of all women and girls in all their diversity.
The solutions exist.
Now is the time to scale them up.
UNDP reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the rights of LBQ women and girls as central to sustainable and inclusive development.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Canada.
Mercy.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Candida thanks, the independent expert for the report.
We're concerned over the growing discrimination and violence suffered by sexual and gender minorities.
This includes trans and intersex individuals.
This report contributes in a meaningful manner to filling the gaps in data as well as the policy responses for LBQ women that face multiple forms of inter sectional violence and that are far too often made invisible.
Kena is deeply troubled by the harmful narratives presented of the LBQ women as threats to the family culture or children.
These ideas fuel stigmatization, disinformation and violence.
We call upon all states to fight against hate speech, defending, at the same time, freedom of speech.
We recognize that we must continue to do better and more at home as well.
The Federal Plan two SL GBTQI plus guides Canada's action on the domestic front to fight against discrimination and violence against LBQ women.
Mr.
Independent expert, how can we ensure that the policies aimed at fighting sexual violence and gender based violence include the growing forms of discrimination and violence faced by LGBBTQI plus women? Thank you.
Thank you very much.
The floor to Australia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We thank the independent expert for his timely report.
Australia remains unequivocal.
Human rights apply equally to all people no matter who they are or who they love.
The report shines a much needed light on the urgent need to address distinct human rights violations and abuses faced by LBQ women, including compounding and intersecting forms of discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation.
We must all do better to ensure LBQ women are able to live free from violence and discrimination.
In Australia, we have embraced diversity in our national action plan for the health and well being of LGBTQIA plus people, and we have expressly included LGBTQIA plus people in our National plan on violence against women and their children.
But we need to do more.
Independent expert, your report highlights a reliance on relationship status as a gateway to women accessing their rights and provided useful recommendations to instigate institutional change.
Do you have further insights to share on how to encourage societal change to support this? Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Luxembourg.
Madam Vice President, Luxembourg associates itself with a statement made by the EU.
Mr.
Independent Expert Luxembourg, thanks you for your report, and we reiterate our full support to the renewal of your mandate.
Mr.
Reed, the choice of writing this report on violence and discrimination suffered by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women fully grabs our attention.
Often, invisible made invisible.
This violence is part and parcel of the structural oppression tied to gender and sexual oppression and other forms of marginalization.
We hail an intersectional approach that is essential to understand the complex realities of the multiple forms of discrimination that undermine access to rights, including health, housing, and justice.
Luxemburg reaffirms that all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is unacceptable.
On the national front, our plan of action, LGBTIQ plus 2025, and our plan for combating violence based on gender, gender based violence is proof of our ongoing engagement.
Mr.
Independent expert, how can states better incorporate an intersectional approach into the policies in order to ensure effective access and unrestricted access to the rights for LBQ women.
Thank you.
Cyprus.
Madam Vice President, Cyprus thanks the independent expert for his comprehensive report and welcomes its focus on the specific challenges faced by LBQ women.
The findings presented to remind us that violence and discrimination are often rooted in deeply entrenched gender stereotypes, unequal power relations, and harmful social norms.
Addressing these challenges requires a human rights based approach that safeguards the dignity, equality, and autonomy of every individual.
Cyprus remains firmly committed to combating all forms of discrimination and promoting an inclusive society where everyone can live free from violence, stigma, and exclusion.
In this regard, Cyprus has recently criminalized conversion practices and adopted legislation recognizing femicide as a distinct criminal offense, further strengthening protections against violence and harmful discrimination practices.
We share the view that effective protection requires comprehensive measures, including access to justice, education, awareness raising, and support services for victims.
Mr.
Independent expert, what practical steps can states take to ensure that policies addressing violence against women adequately reflect the experiences and needs of LBQ women, particularly in light of the protection gaps identified in your report? Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Montenegro.
Madam Vice President, we thank the independent expert for the update.
The report highlights the widespread violence and discrimination faced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and the structural inequalities that continue to restrict their autonomy and equal enjoyment of human rights.
This fundamentally is an issue of equality, human dignity, and the right of every person to live free from discrimination, violence, and fear at a time when hard born gains are being challenged and hostile narrative increasingly target LGBTIQ persons, ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by LBQ women remains a pressing need.
Despite clear protections under international human rights law, many continue to face intersecting forms of discrimination that restrict their enjoyment of fundamental rights, including healthcare, justice, family life, and equal recognition before the law.
Advancing the rights of LBQ women is therefore inseparable from advancing women's rights and gender equality more broadly.
We are particularly concerned by the persistent invisibility of LGBQ women in official data and policy making, which obscures the scale of violence and hampers effective responses.
We also share a concern about hostile narratives and stereotypes that fuel exclusion and undermine the participation of LBQ women in public and political life.
Montenegro remains committed to advancing the human rights of LGBTQ persons, including through the implementation of its LGBTIQ strategy.
Reiterate our support for the mandate of the independent experts and efforts to eliminate SOGI based violence and discrimination.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Spain.
We thank the independent expert for the presentation and the deep analysis of violence and discrimination against lesbian, biseual and queer women and thank you for your recommendations.
As with the study of bisexual and lesbian women in Spain, undertaken by the Ministry of Equality in 2025, it is clear that the LBQ women suffer from different forms of violence and discrimination, made worse by the invisibility and lack of specific analysis Spain has developed over recent years, Legislative framework 15 2022 for Law of equality nondiscrimination, Law for 2023.
Like seeking to bring real equality for trans and LGBTQ people.
LBQ is the second most affected by violence, most difficult problems with homelessness and also with difficult access to other services.
There are legal obstacles that also create problems in accessing medical environment.
This also undermines their protection from violence.
It also undermines their access to justice.
This makes it essential that we design research projects that allow us to understand the specific reality of LGBQ women the diversity.
It's essential that we have these studies and we will have the full support of Spain.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Thank you.
The UK welcomes the independent experts report, which coincides with the alarming rise of anti rights activity worldwide.
The report makes clear that lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and girls, and transgender diverse people face unique and disproportionate exclusion, discrimination, and violence, often at the hands of those seeking to uphold gender stereotypes and norms.
We're concerned with the clear evidence that LBQ plus women and girls face exclusion, discrimination, and violence, including barriers to accessing health protection, and participation in public life.
These harms are compounded by their invisibility in data, policy, and service provision.
The UK is steadfast in its commitment to ending gender based violence against women and girls in all their diversity, both at home and overseas.
Through the All in Coalition launched by the UK in 2025, we are working with partners to drive global action to prevent and respond to all forms of gender based violence.
Our approach is underpinned by the UK's international strategic framework on women and girls.
It's four pillars, educating girls, empowering women and girls, championing sexual and reproductive health and rights, and ending gender based violence will guide our efforts to ensure that all women and all girls in all their diversity can realize their rights and potential.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to France.
Thank you, Madam Vice President, Mr.
Independent expert, France, thanks you for your report and we also share your observations.
LGBT plus people, particularly women face different forms of violence and discrimination, Framework for protection for women and the rights of LGBTQ plus person.
Do not sufficiently take into account the specific reality of these individuals to include transgenders lesbian, bisexual, queer.
Their safety and the full participation of public life requires public policies that are based on equality.
France supports feminist civil society and LGBT plus, thanks to our support of feminist organizations on the ground in their missions to support marginalized people and vulnerable people on behalf of the universality of human rights, no person should suffer from discrimination based on their sexual oration, gender or gender identity, nor based on who they are or who they love.
France calls upon states to guarantee effective access to justice for all and men and women alike and to protect human rights defenders of the LGBT plus individuals and to join associations of these groups.
France will continue to mobilize in order to bring a universal decriminalization of homosexuality.
Thank you very much.
Merci Boc, next, I give the floor to Germany.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Germany lines with the EU statement.
We welcome the independent expert and thank him for his timely and concise report.
Germany is a steadfast supporter of everybody's human rights, no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
Where minorities face discrimination, societies in their entirety are adversely affected in the long term.
We are particularly concerned by the extent of violence, both in the public and the private sphere described in your report by legislation banning LGBTIQ plus anti discrimination movements as extremists and by efforts to frame equal human rights as propaganda.
We appreciate the report's intersectional approach, grounded in fundamental human rights treaties, as well as the numerous pragmatic recommendations.
As a member of the Equal Rights Coalition and LGBTIQ core group, Germany also welcomes that the report draws attention to the persistent lack of disaggregated data on violence and discrimination affecting LGB women and encourages states to contribute to the IGA database and the UNDP LGBTI Inclusion Index.
Mr.
Independent experts, which of your recommendations do you consider most urgent for states to prioritize in order to effectively address the intersecting forms of violence and discrimination highlighted in your report? Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Thailand.
Madam Vice President, Thailand thanks the independent expert for its insightful report.
We agree that the challenges faced by LBQ women are also women's rights issues.
The distinct and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence they face are often rooted in gender inequality and restrictions on women's autonomy.
We therefore welcome a comprehensive examination of these challenges.
Thailand remains committed to promoting equality, dignity, and non discrimination for all.
In recent years, Talent has advanced equality through the legalization of same sex marriage, ensuring equal rights, protection, and legal certainty for diverse families.
Beyond legal recognition, Talent has expanded access to health care through its universal health coverage scheme.
Which now includes comprehensive gender affirming health care, including hormone therapy for transgender persons, thereby ensuring that essential healthcare services are accessible regardless of socioeconomic status.
Than stands ready to share our experiences and learn from others as we continue our efforts to address discrimination and violence and to ensure that no one is left behind.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Lichtenstein.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Lichtenstein thanks to the independent experts for this important and timely report and expresses its full support for the mandate.
LBQ women face a distinct form of discrimination as they fall between women's rights frameworks on the one side and LGBT frameworks on the other, leaving them systematically invisible in data, policy, and law.
As the report powerfully illustrates, this invisibility is not accidental, but it is structural.
When violence against LBQ women goes unmeasured, it goes unaddressed.
Moreover, the report also highlights that access to rights for LBQ women is rarely unconditional.
It is mediated through relationships with men conditioned on marital status and enforced through violence.
These are not isolated incidents, but expressions of a deeper system that punishes women for living outside prescribed gender norms.
Vice President, no person should be subjected to any form of violence or discrimination for the sexual orientation or gender identity, let alone to face criminal charges.
Despite some positive results, the global backlash still is enormous.
We would like to know more from the independent expert on how he intends to work with member states to implement the recommendations of his report.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Netherlands.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
The King of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement and thanks the independent expert for this important and timely report.
This excellent yet deeply troubling report highlights the often invisible violence and discrimination faced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, especially transgender LBQ women.
We are deeply concerned by the documented patterns of violence, discrimination, exclusion, and harassment that LBQ women face in public spaces, workplaces, medical settings, protection services, and within their own families.
We also share the independent experts concern about the lack of disaggregated data which contributes to the structural invisibility of LBQ women in public policy.
The Netherlands remains strongly committed to advancing universal human rights and recognizes that this requires addressing the intersecting discrimination that LBQ women face.
We are particularly committed to addressing sexual and gender based violence, countering disinformation, and supporting LGBTQI plus human rights defenders.
We will continue to integrate these perspectives into our foreign policy and efforts to promote and protect the rights, equality, and dignity of all.
Mr.
Independent expert, in contexts where violence and discrimination persist, how can data be safely collected and used to raise awareness on the issues faced by LBQ women to ensure accountability, inclusion, and safe access to services? Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Japan.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
At the outset, Japan expressed its appreciation to the independent expert for the presentation of his report and his dedication to the mandate.
We note that the report mentioned that lesbian, bisexual and quea women face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination which result in values to full enjoyment of their human lives.
We also note that independent expert highlighted challenges in areas such as access to healthcare, employment, housing, and justice.
Japan plays great importance to the realization of a society in which human rights and dignity of all individuals are respected.
In this context, Japan is continuing its effort to promote understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity and to eliminate related discrimination.
We also underscore the importance of protecting individuals from violence and providing appropriate support to all victims and survivors.
Preventing violence and discrimination remain responsibility shared by all states.
At the same time, Japan reaffirmed the importance of respecting diverse culture and social context while upholding the universal principle of human life enshrined in international law.
Japan, we continue to engage in dialogue and cooperation with country and stakeholder that share fundamental value, and we continue to advocate the position that all persons regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity should be respected as a verbal individual who are equally entitled to the full enjoyment of their human lives.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Next, I give the floor to Benjamin.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
My delegation is aligned with the statement from the European Union, Belgium reiterates its full support to the mandate of the independent expert.
We thank him for the new report shining light on the persistent violations of human rights suffered by lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
We share the concerns expressed regarding the multiple and and crossed the forms of discrimination that women face, particularly as it affects their access to health, justice, property, and family life.
We underscore the importance of legal recognition of relations as an important vector for access of LGBQ women to their related rights.
It is essential that states integrate the fully intersectional approach to the drafting and implementation of the public policies in order to ensure autonomy and human rights of women and girls in all of their diversity.
More broadly, the situation of LGBTQI plus people throughout the world remains extremely worrisome.
Belgium remains entirely dedicated to the promotion protection of their human rights.
We call upon all states to effectively fight against all forms of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mr.
Napa expert, might you share some good practices or best practices aimed at avoiding the invisibization of LBQ women in drafting of public policy.
I thank you kindly.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to Chile.
Mt.
Thank you very much, Madam Vice President Chile.
Thanks, independent expert for the presentation of the report on violence and discrimination faced by lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
We appreciate that the report underscores the persistent challenges in ensuring that all people can have access to and enjoy their rights on equal footing without discrimination.
Likewise, we underscore the importance of the report attributing a are focusing on availability of information and adequate data to better understand the different forms of exclusion and to guide public policies that are effective.
Our country believes that generating evidence is essential when it comes to identifying gaps and promoting institutional responses that are in step with the needs of the population.
We underscore the incorporation of questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in the socioeconomic National Survey.
Since 2015.
This allows for a better understanding of the realities faced by people in their sexual and gender diversity.
It strengthens public policy designed based on objective information.
We also believe that the report's emphasis is important on the need for data collection and access to information which allows for us to properly understand the scope of the issues of violence and discrimination.
This facilitates preventative measures and timely institutional responses to the reaffirms its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights of all people, as well as the principle of nondiscrimination.
They are essential for more inclusive, cohesive.
Societies that are respectful of human dignity.
I thank you kindly.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ecuador.
Thank you very much, Madam Vice President.
My delegation, thanks to the independent expert.
Thank you for your valuable report on the different intersectional forms of violence and discrimination faced by lesbian, bisexual and queer women in different contexts.
Thank you for the recommendations that are aimed at ensuring their protection and their unconditional access to the full enjoyment of their rights.
In addition to having a normative and legal and constitutional framework that recognizes equality and nondiscrimination as fundamental principles for the protection of the rights of LGBTIQ plus people, Ector has continued to strengthen its public policies, plans, programs, and institutional actions.
Among them, we underscore the creation of the Deputy Secretariat of Diversity in the Ministry of Government.
This continues and we continue to drive energy into our national agenda for gender equality 2025 2029, aimed at reducing structural gaps to equality and to supporting the rights of women and LGBTQ plus women and people, addressing violence, health care, education, and economy, jobs, incorporating intersectional approach into public policy.
Other tools include a plan of action for diversity and the incorporation of different variables in sexual orientation and sexual diversity into our census, as well as studies on actually just for this population.
This would contribute to greater understanding of the need and design of responses.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
This was the last speaker we could accommodate for this meeting.
We continue with a list of speakers for this dialogue tomorrow morning.
Excellency participants, I understand that certain delegations have requested to exercise the right of reply, and I will first give the floor to China.
You have 3 minutes.
For the leadership.
Madam Vice President, China has noted that certain China hostile NGOs have in the context of ID with some special reporters, abused the platform of the council to continually disseminate fabricated and false information to attack and smear China.
China firmly opposes this.
China has repeatedly emphasized that the law on the promotion of ethnic unity and progress is intended to safeguard the equal rights of all ethnic groups and promote common development and prosperity.
Such accusations and smears are entirely baseless in facts or law and constitutes a serious interference in China's legislative sovereignty, and China resolutely opposes this.
At present, Tibet and Xinjiang enjure economic development and social stability, and the rights of all ethnic groups including freedom of belief and expression are fully guaranteed.
We advised that the relevant NGOs would do well to reflect on their own conduct and take concrete actions to contribute meaningfully to the development of the International Human Rights Court.
Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you.
I understand that also Ukraine wishes to exercise its right of reply.
You have the floor.
You have also 3 minutes.
Thank you, Madam President.
Ukraine takes the floor in exercise of its right of reply in response to the statement delivered by the delegation of the Russian Federation.
We categorically reject Russia's repeated attempts to refer to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as so called new Russian territories.
We would like to draw your attention to that the autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as part of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporiz and Herson region are sovereign territory of Ukraine.
They remain internationally recognized as such by the overwhelming majority of the international community.
The occupation of these territories by the Russian Federation has been equally rejected by the United Nations General Assembly, which reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized border.
We would also like to emphasize that Russia's attempts to portray its occupation as a legitimate exercise of sovereignty are not only legally baseless, but also sir to obscure the reality on the ground.
It is precisely Russia's aggression, occupation, and attempted inaction, annexation that have resulted in grave and systematic human rights violations, widespread destruction, forced displacement of civilians, unlawful detention, torture, enforced disappearances, suppression of fundamental freedoms, and the persecution of those who refused to accept the occupation.
We also draw your attention to the facts of the disinformation from Belarusian side regarding the alleged attack on civilian in the Russian Bruns Oblast.
That is contradicted by recent reports from various sources.
We urge Belarus to qualify Russia's attack on civilian infrastructure and residential building in Ukraine, which have resulted in mass civilian casualties, including children.
We also call on all members of Human Rights Council to remain firm in their commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, to reject any attempts to legitimize territorial acquisition by force and to continue supporting accountability for violation committed in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Ukraine will continue to defend its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized border.
I thank you.
Thank you.
And I now give the floor to Burkina Faso, who has also requested to exercise the right of reply.
You have 3 minutes.
Madam.
Thank you, Vice President.
My delegation is exercising its right to reply following the joint declaration made by the International NGOs Federation of Attack together against the death penalty and another one for torture victims regarding the reintroduction of death penalty in Bukaaso.
My delegation would like to indicate that the re establishment of the death penalty considered by the government is to be viewed within the context of an overall review of the criminal code and seeks to align our criminal legislation to the security context.
It is a measure aimed at meeting the needs of our people and combating effectively certain crimes such as spying and acts of terrorism that threaten our territorial integrity.
Burkina Faso stands firm in its commitment to human rights, including the right to life.
However, the context of the fight against terrorism has required us to take appropriate measures, including the re establishment of the death penalty.
Thank you.
Mercy.
Excellencies, distinguished participants.
This brings us to the end of this meeting.
We will reconvene tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M.
I repeat 9:00 A.M.
To continue the interactive dialogue with the independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Then start the interactive dialogue with a special rapporteur on discrimination against persons with leprosy, to be followed by the annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights.
I would like to remind you that the informal high level discussion on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 12:30 here in the assembly hall.
I hereby declare closed the eighth meeting of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.