Jack Seale

I am saddened and shocked by Alice Edward's article published today in the @Telegraph and the extent to which it misrepresents my work and that of the special procedures system she was part of until July 2026. telegraph.co.uk/gift/be34cb6… Collectively, we have been unequivocal: Any sexual harassment and violence committed against women and girls on and since 7 October 2023, including hostages in captivity, are grave crimes. Survivors deserve to be heard, and perpetrators must be held accountable. I have said so before, and the full record of my engagement is here:   ohchr.org/en/press-releases/… ; ohchr.org/en/press-releases/… & ohchr.org/sites/default/file… Ms. Edwards claims that I have never condemned the reports of violence, including sexual violence against women and girls on the 7th of October, and that I have hidden behind Israel’s refusal to grant me entry. Both these claims are incorrect. My statement outlining my engagement on and since the 7th October 2023 makes it clear that I have made several démarches to gain access to primary information, survivors,  witnesses, and first responders. As I told the General Assembly on 8 October 2026, the first time a former hostage approached me was in June 2026 at the Human Rights Council. I have since met her and am handling her case under the established procedure open to every victim; where each step is subject to her full and informed consent. Ms. Edwards also leaves out the fact that when she invited me to join her allegation letter relating to the events of 7th of October 2023, I reviewed it in good faith and made written suggestions on 3rd December 2023. In my feedback, I also asked to see the primary information and testimonies Ms. Edwards had received - a normal request between mandate holders. She declined without explanation, which was the first and only time  I have been denied such a request during my mandate. Contrary to me, she did not invite me to any further engagement on Palestine and Israel after that, nor share any information on any related action she may have taken. Statements such as these only serve the wider efforts to discredit rapporteurs, including rapporteurs that criticize Israel for its serious human rights violations. They serve to dismiss every UN finding of Israeli violations of human rights and international law as being biased against the State of Israel. Ms. Edwards should understand this better than most. Since 2024, she herself was publicly accused of bias against Palestinian victims, and even endured calls for her dismissal. Ms. Edwards knows all too well how stressful it is to have your impartiality questioned. Every one of us is doing our best for victims, whoever they are, and wherever they live. The current President of the Human Rights Council was emphatically clear that mandate holders must be able "to carry out their responsibilities free from personal attacks, intimidation or undue pressure." That included Ms. Edwards when she was a rapporteur but is also expected of her today in her current engagement with rapporteurs (since her resignation as a rapporteur).