GENEVA, Switzerland, March 6 (UPI) -- International security policies have created challenges for the protection of human rights, the top U.N. human rights official said in Switzerland.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay Thursday delivered her annual report on international issues in the human rights arena.
With conflict raging in Syria, and a new face of al-Qaida emerging, Pillay said she was troubled that civilians are increasingly targeted during armed conflicts.
For national counter-terrorism policies, she said the U.S. failure to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was "problematic."
For countries like Egypt, which says it's launching a widespread counter-terrorism offensive, Pillay said authorities need to ensure freedom of expression is protected and arbitrary arrests are avoided.
"My office stands ready to assist," she said.
Pillay said she sent Assistant Secretary-General Ivan Simonovic to Kiev to get a first-hand account of abuses on the ground following last month's ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych. An "immediate, comprehensive and independent investigation" is needed to assess "all human rights violations that have taken place in recent months in Ukraine," she said.
Victims of human rights abuses in conflict must get assistance if they're to recovery any sense of integrity, she said.
