Era of dictators 'can happen again', warns UN

The United Nations rights chief warned Monday of the risk of a return to an era of "dictators", calling for urgent efforts to avoid "very dangerous" events.

"In previous centuries, the unrestrained use of force by the powerful, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, population transfers, and child labour were commonplace. Dictators could order atrocity crimes consigning vast numbers of people to their deaths," Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council, adding: "Be aware: this can happen again".