Lithuania Made a Sstatement at the HRC Special Session
On 14 December, the Human Rights Council held its 26th extraordinary session. It addressed the human rights situation in South Sudan. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein said that violent crimes were widespread during the 3 years of the ongoing conflict in that country. More than 2 million people are internally displaced and over 1 million have moved to neighboring countries.
Lithuania supported the convening of an extraordinary session and co-sponsored the resolution on human rights in South Sudan, which was adopted during this session. Speaking in the debate, the Lithuanian Permanent Representative urged South Sudan transitional government to protect civilians and to put an end to violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, notably to the widespread sexual and gender-based violence. Lithuania also encouraged the African Union to move forward with setting up a hybrid court for South Sudan to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes committed in the course of the conflict.
