The US has taken its rightful place at the U.N. Human Rights Council, joining such human rights stalwarts as Cuba, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, China and Saudi Arabia. US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, claims ecstatically:
“Obviously, there will always be some countries whose respect and record on human rights is sub-par…”
Sub-par? Cuba has a sub-par human rights record? How about a terrible human rights record?
Looking at the membership of the council before the current elections, I am shocked to see that the following countries are members:
Angola - “Human Rights activists … faced increasing intimidation and threats in a climate of restricted freedom of expression”
Azerbaijan – “Freedoms of expression and assembly continued to be widely restricted”
Bangladesh – “Human rights were severely restricted under a state of emergency imposed in the wake of widespread political violence”
Burkina Faso – reporters and activists have been killed on numerous occassions
Cameroon – detentions and persecutions are common
China – “human rights activists were imprisoned, put under house arrest or surveillance, or harassed. Repression of minority groups, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians, continued.”
Cuba – “Restrictions on freedom of expression, association and movement remained severe.”
Djibouti – political repression
Egypt – “emergency powers that have been used systematically to violate human rights, including prolonged detention without charge, torture and other ill-treatment, restrictions on freedom of speech, association and assembly, and grossly unfair trials before military courts and special emergency courts”
India – “…Many types of human rights abuses were reported, including unlawful killings, forced evictions, excessive use of police force, violence against women and harassment of human rights defenders…”
Indonesia – “Torture, excessive use of force and unlawful killings by police and security forces were reported”
Jordan – “People arrested … continued to face unfair trials … Defendants were … tortured. Women continued to suffer from discrimination, domestic violence and “honour” killings.”
Madagascar – “killings by security forces … selective justice”
Nicaragua – lack of “freedom of association”
Nigeria – “security forces continued to commit human rights violations … with impunity”
Pakistan – “Thousands of lawyers, journalists, human rights activists and political workers were arbitrarily detained”
Philippines – “extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearance”
Qatar – “hundreds were believed to be still deprived of their nationality. Political prisoners remained in jail without charge or after unfair trials.”
Russia – “increasingly intolerant of dissent or criticism, branding it ‘unpatriotic’. A crackdown on civil and political rights was evident” – where do we begin?
Saudi Arabia – “human rights situation remained dire”
Senegal – “Torture and ill-treatment continued to be used”
Zambia – “Freedom of expression, assembly and movement were restricted”
(For the relevant link to the AI page, use this template: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/{country-name}/report-2008)
Interestingly, several of these countries were re-elected, and then some:
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan – “Freedom of expression and association were restricted. Torture or other ill-treatment in police detention continued”
Bangladesh
China
Saudi Arabia
Russia
Cuba
Hungary – defeated Azerbaijan (a relief)
Senegal
Nigeria
Cameroon
Djibouti
Mexico – “Human rights violations remained widespread and in some states systematic”
That is, 22/47 member states have what could be called “sub-par” human rights records. Several of them have such records that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other NGOs have dedicated entire offices to them. It is not surprising that this Council has proved and will continue to prove to be entirely impotent. These 22, along with their cohorts of which they need only 2 to form a majority, will scupper any reform or resolutions we could expect out of such an organization.
Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others should be reprimanded by a UN Human Rights Council, not included in its membership. These member states commit some of the most egregious violations on the face of this Earth, and these very criminals have been “elected” to protect our rights.If only Israel and North Korea joined up, we would have the absolutely perfect organization to protect human rights across the world.
Of course, Israel’s human rights violators are still held accountable and are frequently punished, unlike Cuba, China, Egypt and elsewhere, where violators hold the highest positions in government and enjoy complete impunity.
The US itself has a somewhat patchy human rights record, especially in relation to the recent wars, although it is probably the only country in the world that offers its citizens as many freedoms as it does. The US respects the rule of law, unlike few other countries in the world. Only Scandinavia, and perhaps the UK, match the American zeal for equality and freedom.
So, what can the US and the few European states in the UN HRC do in the face of majority opposition? Nothing.
A new HRC council needs to be consituted, in which membership requires an exemplary record. Only then can it have the moral authority to point out the shortcomings of the worst regimes of the world.
