US slams UNHRC for hypocrisy, pulls out

We take this step as our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and selfserving organisation... NIKKI HALEY , US ambassador to UN

US on Wednesday withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council and condemned its “shameless hypocrisy” in absolving wrongdoers through silence and falsely condemning those committing no offence, saying America will not take lectures from hypocritical institutions.

The decision to pull the US out of the UNHRC was announced by US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley who also criticised the council for a “disproportionate focus and unending hostility toward Israel”.

She claimed human rights abusers continue to serve on and be elected to the council.

The world’s most inhumane regimes continue to escape scrutiny, and the council continues politicising and scapegoating of countries with positive human rights records in an attempt to distract from the abusers in their ranks, she said. “Therefore, as we said we would do a year ago if we did not see any progress, the US is officially withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council,” Haley said.

Haley made it crystal clear that this step is not a retreat from human rights commitments.

“On the contrary, we take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organisation that makes a mockery of human rights,” she said.