Human Rights Council Criticism A Joke
David Garrett MP, ACT New Zealand
Friday, March 20 2009
Claims that ACT's 'Three Strikes' legislation would likely violate United Nations covenants on torture and political
rights are completely laughable, ACT New Zealand Law & Order Spokesman David Garrett said today.
"This is especially so when you consider that a leading member of the UN Human Rights Council is Saudi Arabia - a
country notorious for severe oppression of political and religious minorities, homosexuals, and women," Mr Garrett said.
"In Saudi Arabia court-sanctioned amputations and brutal lashings are a common form of punishment for petty crimes;
public execution by beheading can be expected for those convicted of armed robbery or homosexuality.
"Meanwhile, homosexuals in nearby Qatar - another Council member - get off quite lightly by receiving only a five-year
prison sentence for homosexual sex between consenting adults. Not surprisingly, capital punishment is still common -
with the death penalty being handed down to those convicted of abandoning and renouncing Islam.
"On the flipside, New Zealand is a liberal and progressive nation by any measure. Why then, should we be expected to
pay any attention whatsoever to covenants set down by barbaric regimes like those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other
Council members?" Mr Garrett said.
ENDS