GENEVA: The UN rights chief voiced deep concern Monday over the USA’ “elementary shift” in route since Donald Trump returned to energy, and decried the “unchecked energy” of “unelected tech oligarchs”.
Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk voiced his strongest rebuke thus far of the dramatic about-face seen in the USA in latest weeks.
“We’ve got loved bipartisan help from the USA of America on human rights over many a long time,” he mentioned, earlier than including: “I’m now deeply anxious by the basic shift in route that’s going down domestically and internationally”.
With out naming Trump, he decried that “insurance policies meant to guard folks from discrimination at the moment are labelled as discriminatory”.
“Progress is being rolled again on gender equality. Disinformation, intimidation and threats, notably towards journalists and public officers, threat undermining the work of unbiased media and the functioning of establishments.”
Turk additionally lamented that “divisive rhetoric is getting used to distort, deceive and polarise”.
“That is producing concern and nervousness amongst many,” he warned.
“On these points and extra, my workplace will proceed constructing on our lengthy historical past of constructive engagement.”
Since returning to the White Home on January 20, Trump has signed a whopping 79 government orders pertaining to points from international coverage to transgender rights.
Together with his Republican Social gathering solely holding slender majorities in Congress, and searching for to maneuver shortly to remake the US authorities, Trump has brandished his pen as a weapon focusing on commerce, civil rights and federal forms.
He has additionally made X and Tesla proprietor Elon Musk his cost-cutter-in-chief, as head of the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
With out mentioning Musk by title, Turk on Monday voiced concern over the rising affect wielded by “a handful of unelected tech oligarchs”, who’ve folks’s information.
In feedback not restricted to the scenario in the USA, he warned that such tech oligarchs “know the place we dwell, what we do, our genes and our well being circumstances, our ideas, our habits, our needs and our fears”.
“They know us higher than we all know ourselves. And so they know find out how to manipulate us.”
Turk confused that “any type of unregulated energy can result in oppression, subjugation, and even tyranny: the playbook of the autocrat”.
He referred to as on international locations all over the place to “adapt — quick”.
“States should fulfil their responsibility to guard folks from unchecked energy, and work collectively to realize this,” he mentioned.