Another UN Farce: Saudi Arabia Elected to the Human Rights Council, Russia Kicked Out


It the twisted reasoning that is to be expected from the United Nations, Saudi Arabia has been re-elected to its position on the United Nations Human Rights Council.  Undeterred by any felt need to promote human rights within its own country, the leadership of Saudi Arabia has doubled-down on its practice of beheading.

As ridiculous as it is to elect Saudi Arabia to any body that is an alleged benefit to humanity, it’s interesting which country lost its seat on the Human Rights Council.

For the first time since UNHRC’s inception in 2006, Russia has lost an election to the UN Human Rights Council after being narrowly beaten by Croatia in a vote. Saudi Arabia was successfully re-elected, despite criticism from human rights organizations.

What about this criticism of the Saudis from human rights organizations?

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International produced a joint statement earlier this year condemning Saudi Arabia for “an appalling record of violations” in Yemen, where it has conducted a bombing campaign against Houthi rebels since 2015, which has resulted in the deaths of up to 4,000 civilians. The two organizations called for Saudi Arabia, a member of the UNHRC since it was created in 2006, apart from a mandatory year-long break after two terms, to be suspended – to no avail.

What else has been revealed about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record?

Saudi Arabia used its power in the council to block an outside inquiry into the campaign last month, while leading a successful resolution that placed the responsibility of investigating human rights abuses in the hands of its allies, the exiled Yemeni government.

Saudi Arabia carried out 157 executions domestically last year – the highest number in two decades, and is on pace to match the number this year. Critics of the regime have often faced detention, while women do not enjoy autonomy and equal status before the law.

Riyadh has repeatedly refused visits from UNHRC rapporteurs looking to investigate the justice system, incidences of torture, and discrimination.

Keep in mind that one of the many low points in the Obama administration was the president bowing before the leaders of Saudi Arabia.

Surprisingly, even the organization’s director has seen fit to criticize the election of Saudi Arabia.  Maybe he just doesn’t want to lead an organization that’s recognized as a farce?

“The non-election of Russia shows that the nations of the world can reject gross abusers if they so choose,” said executive director Hillel Neuer. “This makes the election of Saudi Arabia, China and Cuba even more preposterous.”

Corruption is nothing new at the United Nations, as we see below.

The current human rights body replaced the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2006, which was plagued with identical accusations of domination by authoritarian regimes and preoccupation with Israeli violations in Palestine, at the expense of human rights crimes elsewhere in the world.

The only question that remains is why the US is still part of the UN?

Source:  RT



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