Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Slate for U.N. Rights Body Packed with Ringers
- When the former Human Rights Commission was partially dominated by countries accused of political repression, a U.S. congressman ridiculed the U.N. body where, he said, “inmates were taking over the asylum.”
“When lunatics take over, responsible people are forced to act,” snapped Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (Republican of California) back in 2001, even as he threatened to cut off U.S funds.
He was livid that the Human Rights Commission (since replaced by the Human Rights Council) had kept the United States out, but embraced Libya, Sudan, Cuba and China.
But judging by the strong negative reactions by international human rights groups over elections to the Council Monday, there has been little or no progress in shutting out violators from the 47-member Geneva based Human Rights Council (HRC).
The 193-member General Assembly elected 18 countries to serve on the HRC, the highest-policy making body on human rights, for a period of three years beginning next January.
The countries include Argentina, Brazil, Cote d’Ivoire, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Pakistan, South Korea, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Venezuela.
Currently, all seats on the Council are allotted by regional groups: Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean States, and Western European (and other States).
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