The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Human rights experts: Russia responsible for attempted killing of Navalny, international investigation needed
The findings of an investigation by two independent human rights experts into the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny found the Russian state to be responsible for the attempted killing and called for the international community to carry out further investigations.
“It is our conclusion that Russia is responsible for the attempted arbitrary killing of Mr. Navalny,” Agnès Callamard, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, told reporters at the United Nations in Geneva today.
Together with Irene Khan, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ms. Callamard conducted five month investigation into the case. Mr. Navalny was found to have been poisoned with a nerve agent called Novichok in August of last year, and was later flown to Germany to be hospitalized. He has recently returned to Russia, where he was arrested, and he has now been imprisoned in a penal colony outside Moscow.
In detailing the findings, Ms. Callamard said that “thepoisoning and attempted killing of Mr Navalny, along with the lack of investigation and the denying narratives, are part of a larger trend ongoing over several decades of arbitrary killings and attempted killings including two poisonings by the Russian authorities of journalists critics and dissidents.”
Among the experts’ findings was the conclusion that it would be extremely unlikely for anyone other than Russia’s state entities to have access to a prohibited chemical weapon such as Novitchok, ruling out the involvement of so-called “non-state actors.” Ms. Callamard could not name any specific individual or entity responsible for the attempted killing, however.
“Given the inadequate response of the domestic authorities, given the use of a prohibited chemical weapon , given the apparent pattern of attempted or actual killings, we believe that in international investigation should be carried out as a matter of urgency in order to establish the facts and clarify all the circumstances concerning Mr. Navalny’s poisoning,” Ms. Callamard said.
For Irene Khan, the Russian opposition figure’s campaign alleging widespread corruption in the country’s ruling party clearly made him a target. “The attempt on Mr Navalny’s life did not happen in a vacuum, it happened because of who he is and what he has been doing. He’s a politician an anti-corruption activist, ” Ms. Khan said.
During the press conference, a journalist mentioned that the human rights organization Amnesty International has stripped the Russian opposition politician of his "prisoner of conscience" status following xenophobic comments that he has made in the past and never renounced. He asked if such behaviour warranted the support Mr. Navalny was receiving from the authors of the report.
“ The support that we are giving him is because his right to life was being violated, because his right not to be tortured was being violated, because his right to carry out political and public affairs was being violated, because his freedom of expression was being violated, ” Ms. Khan responded, saying that what he may have said in the past was not relevant to their determination.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Agnès Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: “It is our conclusion that Russia is responsible for the attempted arbitrary killing of Mr. Navalny.”
- Medium shot, TV broadcasting and photographer taking pictures, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Agnès Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: “The poisoning and attempted killing of Mr Navalny, along with the lack of investigation and the denying narratives, are part of a larger trend ongoing over several decades of arbitrary killings and attempted killings including two poisonings by the Russian authorities of journalists critics and dissidents.”
- Medium shot, UNTV cameras, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Agnès Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: “Given the inadequate response of the domestic authorities, given the use of a prohibited chemical weapon, given the apparent pattern of attempted or actual killings, we believe that in international investigation should be carried out as a matter of urgency in order to establish the facts and clarify all the circumstances concerning Mr. Navalny’s poisoning.”
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, using listening device, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression: “The attempt on Mr. Navalny’s life did not happen in a vacuum, it happened because of who he is and what he has been doing. He’s a politician and an anti-corruption activist.”
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression: “The support that we are giving him is because his right to life was being violated, because his right not to be tortured was violated, because his right to carry out political and public affairs was being violated, because his freedom of expression was being violated.”
- Medium-wide shot, photographer taking pictures of the podium with speakers, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, participants seated in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, TV broadcasting in foreground and podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.