Israel Matzav

Cuba leading effort to dismantle the UN Human Rights Council

This is rather amusing. Cuba, a leading human rights violator, is leading an effort to dismantle the UN 'Human Rights Council.' And you (and I) thought that the council only 'investigates' Israel....

Hat Tip: Toasted Bread

Deutsche Welle, a German online magazine is reporting that in light of the well-received report of the 'Human Rights Council' regarding human rights violations by the Sudanese government in Darfur, Cuba and other human rights violators on the council are seeking to strip it of its "special procedures," which enable it to investigate human rights violations:

The 47 member states of the new UN watchdog, which was set up last year to replace its discredited predecessor, are quietly negotiating a package of measures which will define its role.

At stake is the fate of "special procedures" -- independent investigators appointed to report on countries where abuses are suspected. The former Secretary General Kofi Annan described these rapporteurs as the "crown jewels" of the UN human rights machinery.

...

Its 13 special rapporteurs on countries, retained for now from the former UN Commission on Human Rights, include experts probing suspected abuses in Belarus, Cuba, Sudan and North Korea.

One such investigator, Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams, issued a much-anticipated report on Darfur March 12 which blamed Sudan for orchestrating war crimes across Darfur.

Still, some countries singled out for this attention, and their allies such as China, say such finger-pointing is selective and politically motivated. They want to abolish the investigators. [I wonder if China would agree that the finger-pointing at Israel - which takes up nearly all of the council's time - is politically motivated. CiJ]

Cuba -- which has never allowed a visit by the special rapporteur on Cuba, Christine Chanet -- is leading the charge to dismantle country investigators.

Those opposed want that countries should submit their own reports on their domestic records [sic - probably a poor translation from German but you all get the idea. CiJ]. They add there intrusive investigators are unnecessary.

"The perpetuation of country-specific mandates, imposed by force and blackmail, would maintain the spiraling confrontation that did away with the authority and credibility of the defunct Commission on Human Rights," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said in a speech last week.

The article goes on to note that the EU wishes to retain the special procedures.

Hmm.... If they do away with the 'Human Rights Council' who will investigate all the 'human rights violations' in Israel?

/sarcasm

And note that Israel is not even MENTIONED in the article.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:25 AM