Wires with lighted bulbs swing suspended over the neat rows of chairs where all the guests are taking their seats. Some of them are very elegant, some in flip-flops, one man arrives on the back of a donkey, and another parks his tractor next to the cars. The atmosphere reminds that of a village festival, men greet each other, some faces are familiar to all, the ladies and younger boys and girls sit to one side, all well-dressed for the occasion. In front of everyone stands a banner celebrating the presence of Operazione Colomba in the area: 20 years of solidarity and continuous support in defending Human Rights in the South Hebron Hills.

There are five of us here - four adults and a little girl - representing dozens and dozens of volunteers who over these 20 years have accompanied and protected the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta from the violence of the Israeli occupation, from the prevarication of settlers and soldiers who unfortunately continue to besiege the area. I feel the incredible privilege of participating in this celebration, I am the newest arrived here, and nevertheless I enjoy the unconditional affection and gratitude that others before me have obtained through years of nonviolent accompaniment of shepherds under the scorching sun and nights spent awake on the rooftop of the house closest to the Havat Ma'on outpost. I am very lucky to be here, and I also feel a little out of place, as if I am usurping the place of those who would be more entitled than me to receive all this gratitude.

Statement of the APG23 delegation at the United Nations during the interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the theme "Laws, policies, judicial decisions, and other measures taken by States to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples".
To see all the interventions: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k18/k1849bhm3y

Intervention of the APG23 delegation at the United Nations during the annual roundtable dedicated to the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, on the theme "Laws, policies, judicial decisions, and other measures adopted by States to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" during the 57th session of the Human Rights Council.
To see all the interventions: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k19/k19m9xl7lf

The Camp Network Group is an informal network of collectives, assemblies, grassroots associations and individuals working in solidarity with people forced to live in isolated refugee camps (Ελεγχόμενη Δομή Προσωρινής Φιλοξενίας Αιτούντων - Controlled Access Facility for Temporary Accommodation of Asylum Seekers) around Athens and all over Greece. We believe that refugee camps are inhumane and degrading. They violate people's human rights and freedom of movement by hindering access to basic services and enforcing control and isolation instead of inclusion and support. No one should be forced to live in these conditions!

Enforcing isolation has been a key policy of the Greek authorities in managing migrant populations through the camp system on the mainland and on the islands. For the residents of Ritsona camp, transportation to and from the nearest cities, and especially towards Athens, has always been a crucial issue. Ritsona camp is 19km (a 4.5 hour walk away) from Chalkida – which has the nearest hospital – 20km from Thiva and 75km from Athens.

Failing to provide consistent and free public transport to and from Athens and Chalkida turns the camp even more into a prison-like structure. Moreover, access to the city means access to basic and life-saving services, which are severely lacking within the camps as has been widely reported.

Lebanon-Syria

Current situation

Syria

This month the French Court sentenced by a historic ruling in absentia three high-ranking Syrian officers to life in prison for the arrest, disappearance, and torture of two French Syrian citizens in 2013. Prominent among those convicted is a well-known general who heads the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, one of the country's four major security branches. This sentence follows a former German conviction of a Syrian colonel in 2022. These verdicts are far from being enforced but represent milestones for the justice system against war crimes.
Nowadays hundreds of Syrians attempt to return or endure deportation. Several are the direct testimonies to what awaits them: compulsory conscription, enforced disappearances, torture in prison, property grabbing (if still existent), and assaults.
Regarding the regional scenario, Saudi Arabia has appointed the first ambassador to Syria since 2012. This is another piece of the puzzle showing the inevitable international normalization of the Syrian regime.
On the ground the situation remains unchanged and grave, making Syria a space of war between the actors involved in the conflict. After the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Israel struck the area of Qusayr (Homs) and Aleppo on the border with Lebanon, resulting in 40 deaths by one of its most lethal attacks against Syria.
Cells of the self-styled Islamic State continue to attack the desert area in the east of the country.
Moreover, in the north-west, around Idlib, which is not under the regime’s control, the riots keep going on against the armed groups who command the area and repress the dissent through targeted kidnappings and intimidation of the population.