UN rights chief voices concern at new US political direction

New York: Basic human rights in the US are under threat as the country's new administration rolls back previous policies to combat discrimination, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Monday.

Türk's remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Council come as second-time US President Donald Trump has signed scores of executive orders touching on issues such as transgender and civil rights, as well as foreign policy.

Trump disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February as he moves to reduce the US' involvement in bodies seeking to promote international cooperation.

"We have enjoyed bipartisan support from the United States of America on human rights over many decades," Türk said.

"I am now deeply worried by the fundamental shift in direction that is taking place domestically and internationally," he went on, adding that "policies intended to protect people from discrimination are now labeled as discriminatory."

Türk said progress on gender equality in the US was being reversed, while independent media and institutions were endangered amid "disinformation, intimidation and threats, notably against journalists and public officials."

He also noted that "divisive rhetoric is being used to distort, deceive and polarize," which was "generating fear and anxiety among many."

Growing power of tech oligarchs
Türk's remarks also seemed to target the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who has been tasked with cutting government administrative costs as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Without mentioning Musk by name, Türk spoke of the growing power now held by "a handful of unelected tech oligarchs" who "know where we live, what we do, our genes and our health conditions, our thoughts, our habits, our desires and our fears."

"They know us better than we know ourselves. And they know how to manipulate us," Türk said in comments that were not limited to the situation in the US.

Under Musk, thousands of people have been fired from their positions in various government agencies and departments, including those responsible for international development aid and climate data collection.