The 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council launched this week. In his opening speech, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "When governments clamp down against grassroots activists [...] or scrap the guarantees of an independent judiciary - they are not acting to halt violent extremism. They are dismantling the integrity of their societies and the people's trust and respect for fundamental institutions. Crushing human freedoms will not protect us from terrorism. It creates dangerous divisions and grievances that will lead to more violence."