United Nations Commission on Human Rights

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, a commission supervised by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, is composed of representatives from 53 member states, and meets each year in regular session in March/April for six weeks in Geneva. As of January 2003 it has been chaired by Libya.

Criticism

The Commission has been repeatedly criticized for its membership. In particular, several of its member-countries have dubious human rights records. On May 4, 2004, United States ambassador Sichan Siv walked out of the commission following the uncontested election of Sudan to the commission, calling it an "absurdity", pointing out Sudan's apparent problems with ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region.

"A government that engages in wholesale abuses of its citizens should not be eligible for a seat at the table, especially a country just criticized by the commission," said Joanna Weschler, U.N. delegate for Human Rights Watch, one of 10 advocacy groups that issued a protest statement. (Reuters)

Sudanense deputy U.N. ambassador Omar Bashir Manis countered by citing American "atrocities" against Iraqi civilians and the Abu Ghraib scandal in particular. While some of the "atrocities" mentioned might be exaggerated, the argument that many countries, including the USA, violate human rights recurrently to this day, is not unfounded.

External links

United Nations Commission on Human Rights website
- The Commission's member nations
The US walkout after Sudan's election