Charming! Just charming...
Posted on 4/23/2002, 11:13:51 PM by Shermy
UNITED NATIONS - The UN's leading human rights body yesterday voted to ignore alleged human rights abuses in Iran -- something it also did this month for China, Equatorial Guinea, Russia and Zimbabwe.
It did, however, find time to express shock at Israel's alleged atrocities.
Human rights monitoring groups yesterday warned of a crisis at the UN Commission on Human Rights, which counts a large number of accused human rights violators among its 53 member states.
"It is the solidarity of the abusers," said Joanna Weschler of Human Rights Watch. "Now we have a situation where the countries that are either targets of the commission -- or ones that are likely to be targets because of what they are doing to their people -- have enough votes together to escape censure."
The commission's Western caucus -- which includes Canada and nine European Union countries -- has reacted by speaking out less frequently, Ms. Weschler added.
"Many countries that had been in the forefront of promoting human rights have taken a much more muted approach this year," she said. "Canada is definitely part of this phenomenon. Canada has been very much more in favour of dialogue rather than being outspoken about country violations."
The UN created the commission in 1946 to serve as the world's top human rights forum.
But in recent years, Ms. Weschler said, many "highly abusive governments" have sought election, and that "cynical strategy" is now reaping rewards.
Commission members with "disturbing human rights records" include: Algeria, Burundi, China, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Togo and Vietnam.
The United States no longer has a seat on the commission after being ejected in a vote last year. It is expected to return next year after Italy and Spain agreed to withdraw their names for an available Western seat.
One country that has received days of attention by the commission, however, is Israel, which last week found itself accused of conducting mass killings. Canada opposed the resolution, sponsored by Islamic states, but it passed with 40 votes. It made no mention of Palestinian suicide bombings and invoked a 1982 General Assembly motion that backed the concept of armed struggle to achieve Palestinian statehood.
"The commission has been turned into a playground for human rights violators," said Andrew Srulevitch, executive director of UN Watch, an organization affiliated with the American Jewish Committee.
Yesterday the commission ended 19 years of scrutiny of Iran's human rights record, rejecting a bid by the European Union countries and Canada to formally criticize the strict Islamic regime in Tehran.
Twenty commission members opposed the proposal, which noted progress in Iran but expressed concern at continued "public and especially cruel executions," the use of torture and the deterioration of freedom of expression.
Only 19 countries -- Canada and mainly European and Latin American ones -- voted in favour. The rest abstained.
The proposal was a "biased, futile and routine exercise pursued by a few for political objectives," said Paimaneh Hastaie, Iran's delegate.
She insisted Iran was moving towards "full-fledged democracy" under Mohammed Khatami, the President, who is credited with being progressive in comparison to the country's clerics.
But Iran has for several years refused entry to the commission's special investigator and his mandate lapsed yesterday with the failure of the resolution.
Over the weekend, the Zimbabwean government welcomed the failure of the commission to pass a resolution criticizing the country's presidential election in March, which was widely condemned as rigged.
"Once again we have been able to frustrate the machinations of imperialist forces," Patrick Chinamasa, the Justice Minister, told the Herald, a state-run daily newspaper.
Canada and the EU had proposed a resolution urging Harare to invite UN rights specialists to visit the country.
"Canada has consistently opposed no-action motions," said Marie Gervais-Vidricaire, head of Canada's delegation. "We do this because we believe [the commission should] face up to serious human rights concerns."
Canada abstained on the commission's Africa-led vote to end human rights inspections of Equatorial Guinea.
"In recent years, there have been no politically motivated disappearances or arrests," said Rubén Maye Nsue, the country's delegate.
An EU-proposed resolution that would have condemned alleged abuses by Russia in its rebel republic of Chechnya also failed Friday. Canada backed it.
Earlier this month China welcomed the absence of criticism of its human rights record. Unlike previous years, no country presented a resolution on China despite a statement from Amnesty International, the activist group, that Beijing executed more people than all other countries combined in 2001.
sedwards@nationalpost.com
Charming! Just charming...
Assuming of course they don't vote us off of all the related commissions and then use it to try and screw us. That's all the United Nations is about anymore - finding ways to screw the U.S. and its citizens. Its an irrelevent and masterbatory institution (a.k.a. circle jerk) that has been taken over under-employed communists, leftists and third-world tyrants. All of whom spend their time trying to get money out of us on the one hand while stabbing us in the back with the other. IMHO.
Doug from Upland will be interviewing David Schippers tonight on Radio FreeRepublic! This is a DON'T MISS SHOW!
Our message to the U.N.
De-fund, Deport, Denounce, Disarm, Disband!
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