As delivered by Ambassador Hnas Brattskar, Permanent Representative of Norway.
Mr President,
Norway remains deeply concerned about the serious human rights situation in for the Rohingya population in Myanmar. We urge the government to take steps to end the violence.
We condemn all human rights violations in Burundi. We are gravely concerned about the Commission of Inquiries’ findings that there are reasonable grounds to believe that some violations may constitute crimes against humanity. We urge all political stakeholders to participate, without pre-conditions, in the Inter-Burundian dialogue, adhering to the principles of the Arusha agreement.
We condemn the targeting and killing of civilians in South Sudan as well as the continuous obstruction of humanitarian assistance. We ask all parties to respect basic human rights and international law. The government of South Sudan has a particular responsibility to end violations and impunity.
As to the critical situation in Venezuela, we deplore the government’s actions that are undermining the country’s democratic institutions and we call on the government to respect the citizen’s right to peacefully express their discontent. Furthermore, we welcome initiatives to bring parties together to address the crisis.
We remain concerned about the situation for civil society and media in Turkey and Azerbaijan. We urge their governments to create a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders and journalists.
Lastly, we remain deeply concerned about the new NGO law and the diminishing space for civil society in Egypt.
Thank you, Mr President.