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| UN human rights chief criticises 'big powers' |
| 2010-09-14 |
| [Pak Daily Times] The United Nations' human rights chief criticised 'big powers' on Monday, rapping Russia over the killing of journalists, China for rights crackdowns and the United States over anti-terrorism measures. Addressing the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, Navi Pillay also rapped Iran over attacks on rights advocates and dissidents, Egypt, Libya and Syria for harassing civil rights activists and France for deporting Roma to the Balkans. The UN officials said the high commissioner's stern comments, delivered to a body including many of the countries she named, was a sign of her determination to point to alleged abuses wherever they occur. "In Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, little progress has been achieved to bring to justice the perpetrators of murders and attacks against (rights) defenders which occurred during the past few years," she said. "Peaceful dissidents, human rights advocates, lawyers and press representatives have been targeted and violently attacked in countries including Iran, Iraq and Somalia," while in Sudan repression accompanied April's presidential poll, Pillay added. Civil society groups have been hit by measures restricting their action in many states including Bahrain, Belarus, China, Egypt, Libya, Panama, Syria and Tunisia, she said. And competition over natural resources has compounded threats and assaults against journalists, trade unionists and community organisers in African countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, according to Pillay. While Russia and China avoided direct response, US and French envoys defended their countries and Arab states said defending human rights was a key priority for them and demanded more focus on Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. Pakistan, on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), asked why she had not mentioned the threat by a US church leader to burn the holy Quran, and said Pillay should put defamation of Islam at the top of her agenda. Cuba said her remarks showed a growing tendency "to target southern countries with unfair and unsubstantiated accusations". Pillay, a former South African high court judge, delivered he remarks at the start of a three-week autumn session of the council, set up in 2006 to replace another body, which had become ineffective through political wrangling. But the council has increasingly drawn the same criticism. Developing nations forming a bloc in the body have fended off criticism of countries like Iran and Sudan, Russia, China and Cuba while focusing much of its fire on Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. Two reports on Israeli actions ordered by the council are due to be delivered during the current session. Pillay said Israel had aroused concern with draft laws that could restrict the activities of human rights defenders and noted that "peaceful activists have been injured and arrested for protesting the construction of the wall in occupied Palestinian territories". But she also criticised Hamas, saying what she called "the de facto authorities" there had shut down civil society organisations. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 This is the same attitude that turned me against Amnesty International long ago. When you can bash the west for half your annual report and give slight service to Cuba and the Soviet Union you are bending over backwards so far you are practically fellating yourself and have become useless. The UN Security Council should accept the report from the Human Rights Council and then disband the cancel as useless, putting Navi Pillay's name up there as the reason why. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-09-14 09:37 |
| #1 IMO, it's past time for the "Big Powers" to see that they have a common interest in suppresing the transnational elites. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-09-14 05:09 |