UN chief says human rights are being suffocated by autocrats and warmongers

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says human rights are being “suffocated” around the world, lashing out at voices of division and anger who see them as a barrier to their quest for power and profit.

In a speech to the Human Rights Council, Mr Guterres condemned Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine that marked its third anniversary on Monday, appealed for a permanent ceasefire between Palestinian militants and Israel, and urged respect for Congo’s territorial integrity, among other things.