The Geneva City Council sessions discussed rights violations throughout the world for the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, NGO representatives, Geneva Mayor Sami Kanaan and Geneva City Council members attended the sessions.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed that the policies of populist politicians on the rise globally in recent years has increased human rights violations.

Bachelet pointed to the scale of victimizations caused by civil wars in Syria, Yemen and various other places and called on international powers for serious approaches to avoid human rights violations.

“KURDISH HISTORY AND CULTURE IS BEING DESTROYED IN AFRIN”

Geneva City Council Member from the Socialist Party Taimoor Aliassi spoke in the sessions and started his speech by listing several human rights violations throughout the world, specifically pointing out the Turkish and Iranian states’ practices against Kurds.

“The Turkish state under Erdogan tore Cizre to the ground, then invaded the Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin,” said Aliassi and added: “The Turkish state is destroying the historic and cultural legacy of the Kurdish people in Afrin in a severe and dramatic way. We must speak up against this.”

“HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WERE EXECUTED”

Aliassi said the following on Iran: “Every year, hundreds of Kurds and persons from other groups are being executed by the regime for their political views. This must be prevented.”