UN Rights Council Shielding Worst Abusers

Rights Group: New Report Shows UN Rights Council Shielding Worst Abusers, “Foxes Guarding The Chickens”

Urges U.S. to Reject HRC Resolutions in Today’s General Assembly Vote

GENEVA, Nov. 30 — As the UN General Assembly was set to today on approving the Human Rights Council’s past year of resolutions, a Geneva-based human rights monitoring group called on the U.S. and other democracies to vote in opposition, publishing a report claiming that 18 of its key resolutions were contrary to basic human rights principles. (Click here for 2009 UNHRC Key Actions chart.)

“Paradoxically, as our report today shows, the U.N.’s main human rights body has turned into the world’s leading sponsor of impunity for gross human rights abuses worldwide,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.

“It’s a case of the foxes guarding the chickens, with countries like China, Russia, Pakistan, Cuba and Saudi Arabia shielding each other’s abuses. Democracies should send a signal by opposing the council’s resolutions, even if they will be outvoted.”

UN Watch analyzed 30 of the key votes by the UN Human Rights Council in the past year, and found that 18 of them were counterproductive, including resolutions that praised Sri Lanka after it killed an estimated 20,000 civilians, and which praised Sudan for “progress” on human rights.

Other resolutions sought to restrict the independence of mechanisms that scrutinize countries for violations, such as the office of the High Commissioner and independent monitors. (Click here for 2009 UNHRC Key Actions chart.)

In addition, UN Watch’s report shows that the council failed to address the world’s worst human rights violations. Of the 20 worst violators on Freedom House’s annual survey, the council censured only Burma (Myanmar) and North Korea.

While it did adopt two resolutions on Sudan, these were non-condemnatory, weak, and ineffective, praising Sudan for its “progress” on human rights. Somalia’s violations were addressed as a matter of mere “technical consideration.”

Even worse, the council failed to adopt any resolution, special session or investigative mandate for: Belarus, China, Cuba, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan or Zimbabwe.

Despite ongoing massive abuses in Iran, the council has taken no action whatsoever.

ENDS

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