UN panned over new rights body members
UNITED NATIONS — China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Cuba and Algeria won seats Tuesday on the UN Human Rights Council, riling independent human rights groups who said their election undermined the rights watchdog’s credibility.
The General Assembly elected 14 new members to the 47-seat Geneva-based council, which can shine a spotlight on rights abuses by adopting resolutions — when it chooses to do so. It also has dozens of special monitors watching problem countries and major issues ranging from executions to drone strikes.
Britain, France, the Maldives, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa were also elected to three-year terms.
Human Rights Watch noted that five of the new council members — China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Algeria — have refused to let UN investigators visit to check alleged abuses. China, Russia and Algeria have 10 or more unfulfilled requests for visits by UN experts, some dating back to 2000, the group said. Saudi Arabia and Vietnam each have seven outstanding requests, they said.
“Countries that haven’t allowed UN experts appointed by the council to visit have a lot of explaining to do,” said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director of Human Rights Watch.
“China, Cuba, Russia, and Saudi Arabia systematically violate the human rights of their own citizens, and they consistently vote the wrong way on UN initiatives to protect the human rights of others,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “For the UN to elect Saudi Arabia as a world judge on human rights would be like a town making a pyromaniac into chief of the fire department.”