Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more
×

Volker Türk

Iranian protesters hold letters spelling out “Stop Execution” as they gather at the Ergife Palace Hotel to condemn the silence of Western governments in the face of the growing wave of Iranian political executions, in Rome, Italy, on July 16, 2026. (Andreas SOLARO/AFP)
August 5, 2026, 2:50 pm
UN ‘alarmed’ by Iran’s surging use of executions to ‘instill fear’ in population
Rights chief says 56 people executed on security charges since -mid-March, 27 in cases linked to anti-regime protests; decries lack of fair trials, confessions given under torture
By AFP
A displaced family with their belongings, wave a Lebanese flag as they return to their village, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
August 5, 2026, 1:56 pm
More than 800,000 displaced Lebanese have begun returning home, UN says
OCHA says ‘821,077 people had begun the return to their areas of origin as of 30 July,’ adds 360,000 Lebanese remain displaced, around 26,000 of them in government shelters
By AFP and ToI Staff
US President Donald Trump talks with France’s President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
July 30, 2026, 12:15 am
US mulls blocking France’s DC ambassador pick over social media spat – sources
US State Department says it was ‘disappointed’ by ‘disrespectful’ French government post criticizing Washington’s objection to UN human rights chief, whom Israel also opposes
By Gabriel Stargardter, Humeyra Pamuk, Gram Slattery and Andrea Shalal
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk speaks to the media during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, May 13, 2026. (AP/Lee Jin-man)
July 25, 2026, 3:17 am
UN human rights chief Turk wins unprecedented 2nd term despite opposition from US, Israel
Foreign Ministry denounces move as a ‘moral failure’; Washington warns of ‘consequences’ for what its envoy calls ‘procedural overreach, backroom deals and misuse of UN posts’
By ToI Staff and AP
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk speaks to the media during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, May 13, 2026. (AP/Lee Jin-man)
July 24, 2026, 5:11 am
Israel, Russia oppose electing UN human rights chief Volker Turk to a new term
Diplomats say Jerusalem has expressed opposition to renewing four-year term ahead of Friday vote, but there are no other known candidates for the position
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Bedouins stand in front of houses that, according to local residents, were heavily damaged the previous day during an attack by extremist Israeli settlers in Al-Dyouk Al-Tahta area, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Jericho, February 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
March 17, 2026, 5:12 pm
UN raises concerns of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in mass displacement of West Bank Palestinians
Office of human rights says 36,000 Palestinians displaced in October 2024-October 2025, charges Israel played ‘central role’; Israel says office is ‘epicenter of vile anti-Israel activism’
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Palestinians shop at the Zawiya market in Gaza City ahead of Ramadan, February 17, 2026. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)
February 19, 2026, 1:05 pm
UN says Israeli actions raise fear of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza, West Bank; Israel rejects claims
Report from human rights office covers November 2024-October 2025, alleges torture of Palestinian detainees, hundreds of starvation deaths; Israel: UN office demonizes Israel, has no credibility
By Agencies and ToI Staff
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), Volker Turk, speaks during a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 26, 2025. (AP)
February 5, 2026, 1:51 pm
UN human rights agency says it’s in ‘survival mode’ due to funding shortfalls
Chief Volker Turk appeals for $400 million, warns budget cuts ‘untie perpetrators’ hands everywhere; his office last month accused Israel of apartheid in the West Bank; Jerusalem says it has a ‘fixation on vilifying Israel’
By Agencies
A candle is placed at the Holocaust memorial, covered with ice, on the eve of the International Holocaust Memorial Day in Berlin, Germany, January 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
January 27, 2026, 2:14 am
On eve of International Holocaust Day, UN rights chief urges world to reject hatred
Slaughter began with apathy, not gas chambers, says Volker Türk; warns of ‘disturbing trend’ of antisemitism and ‘dehumanization creeping into our daily lives’
By AFP
People gather outside of an Iranian diplomat's residence to denounce the Iranian government and the recent execution of a protester on December 10, 2022 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)
January 19, 2026, 5:58 pm
Soaring Iran executions appear to be a ‘tool of state intimidation,’ UN warns
Rights chief decries ‘systematic use’ of death penalty that reportedly killed 1,500 in Iran last year, pans proposed Israeli law on mandatory sentences for terrorists
By AFP and ToI Staff
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaks onstage during Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions 2025 in New York City, on September 24, 2025. (ROB KIM / Getty Images via AFP)
January 7, 2026, 1:58 pm
United Nations rights office accuses Israel of West Bank ‘apartheid’
Report says Israeli settlers and Palestinians residing in territory are treated ‘under two distinct bodies of law and policies,’ resulting in unequal practices
By AP and ToI Staff
Palestinian patients wait to be seen at a Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on December 31, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
December 31, 2025, 5:55 pm
UN rights chief slams ‘outrageous’ Israeli suspension of aid groups in Gaza
EU says move will block ‘life-saving aid’; Jerusalem introduced demands in March for detailed information on Palestinian staff; many organizations have not provided it
By AFP, Reuters, Rossella Tercatin and Jeremy Sharon
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers his speech at the opening of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on September 8, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
September 16, 2025, 4:46 pm
UN, EU decry ‘unacceptable’ new Gaza City offensive; UK calls it ‘appalling’
Diplomats fume after Israel launches controversial new effort to capture city in the north of the Strip that Jerusalem says is one of Hamas’s last strongholds
By Agencies and ToI Staff
A pair of hunger-striking doctors, their white coats stained with mock blood, sit outside the Swiss parliament building in Bern, Switzerland, in a video published on September 8, 2025. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
September 8, 2025, 11:57 pm
Swiss medics launch anti-Israel hunger strike over Gaza outside parliament in Bern
‘A white tunic used to protect you,’ says protesting surgeon; UN rights chief accuses Israel of ‘genocidal rhetoric’ against Strip, calls for end to ‘carnage’
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Displaced Palestinians flee Gaza City toward the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, in Nuseirat, on August 28, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
August 28, 2025, 5:35 pm
Gaza at ‘breaking point,’ UN food chief says after visit to hunger-stricken Strip
World Food Programme chief says ‘enough is enough,’ urges massive surge in aid; UN rights experts claim ‘forced disappearances’ at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, GHF denies it
By Agencies, ToI Staff and Stav Levaton
Load More

Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community

Sign in or Register

Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Sign in or Register
Only ToI Community members can comment below articles
Forgot your password? / Send me a login link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.