U.N. Rights Body Ignores Major Abuses (Human Rights Watch, April 22, 2005)

U.N. Rights Body Ignores Major Abuses (Human Rights Watch, April 22, 2005)(Geneva, April 22, 2005) — This year’s session of the Commission on Human Rights ended today without addressing a number of the most disturbing human rights situations which afflict the world, Human Rights Watch said. This confirms the recent assessment by the Secretary-General that the U.N. Commission on Human Rights needs to be replaced with a new and more effective body.

Within the first week of the commission’s six-week meeting, several governments, including the European Union, United States, and Canada, announced their intention to not introduce resolutions critical of some of the world’s key human rights violators, such as China, Iran, the Russian Federation in Chechnya, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.

“This year’s commission was hugely disappointing from its outset,” said Joanna Weschler, U.N. advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. “This session has been a powerful demonstration of the need to scrap the commission and replace it with something new and better.”

On a more positive note, the international community overwhelmingly approved the appointment of a special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, with nearly 80 countries signing on, including the United States and Russia. The special rapporteur’s mandate, to monitor states’ compliance with human rights in the way they battle terrorism, was pushed forward thanks to the tireless efforts of Mexico.

“This is one of the most important steps the Commission on Human Rights has taken this year,” Weschler said.