Rights groups oppose China, Russia, Saudis on UN rights body

Human rights groups are urging the UN’s 193 member nations to oppose seats on the organization’s premiere rights body for China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and others because of their dismal rights records — but they are all likely to win anyway.

That is because Russia and Cuba are running unopposed in today’s General Assembly election, and China and Saudi Arabia are in a five-way race with Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Nepal for four seats from the Asia-Pacific countries and are tipped to win because of their economic and political clout.

Last week, a coalition of human rights groups from Europe, the United States and Canada called on UN member states to oppose the election of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, saying their human rights records make them “unqualified.”

“Electing these dictatorships as UN judges on human rights is like making a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.

“We need for states to have a choice,” said Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch. “They don’t want competition. … Essentially these are backroom deals that are worked out among the regional groups.”

“When states don’t have a choice, the worst candidates easily find their way on to the council,” he said in a briefing last week. “This is an unfortunate political reality, but we keep hammering the message that we need competition and a real election, not a fake election.”

— AP