Israel Matzav

UN 'human rights council' holds moment of silence for Hugo Chavez

Given that they lowered all of the UN flags and held a moment of silence at the General Assembly for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il, no one should really be surprised that the UN's 'human rights council' held a moment of silence on Wednesday for Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. But UN Watch's Hillel Neuer is plenty upset about it anyway.

"Protocol did not require today's ceremony," said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, "and the world body must not forget that its founding purpose is to defend basic human rights. Sadly, that message is at serious risk of being blurred today."

"Now should be a time for the UN to show solidarity with the victims -- like Judge Maria Afiuni who was jailed and raped for the crime of releasing a political prisoner arbitrarily detained by Chavez -- and not with the perpetrators."

"Instead of praising an autocrat who persecuted his country's independent judges, journalists, human rights activists and students -- and who vocally supported mass murderers, tyrants and terrorists in Syria, Libya, and Iran -- the U.N. should be apologizing for having just elected the Chavez regime to its human rights council, and it should begin to call for accountability, reform and an end to impunity in Venezuela," said Neuer.

The UN is incurable. It's long past time for them to go.

Labels: Hillel Neuer, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-il, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Watch

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:30 PM