Fury after Saudi Arabia 'chosen to head key UN human rights panel'
The United Nations has been criticised for handing Saudi Arabia a key human rights role - despite the country having “arguably the worst record in the world” on freedoms for women, minorities and dissidents.
Critics, including the wife of imprisoned pro-democracy blogger Raif Badawi – sentenced to 1,000 lashes for blogging about free speech – labelled the appointment “scandalous”, saying it meant “oil trumps human rights”.
Mr Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, who is leading an international campaign to free her husband, said on Facebook that handing the role to Faisal bin Hassan Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the UN in Geneva, was effectively “a green light to start flogging [him] again”.
UN Watch, an independent campaigning NGO, revealed Mr Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the UN in Geneva, was elected as chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council.
Opinions:
I think that choosing a country with such a questionable Human rights record to head a "Human Rights panel" is clearly a poorly thought thing to do, this leads me to believe that there is something more at play here. My first cynical reaction would be bribery, but on the other hand it could be that the country is looking to improve there image by leading this panel in a competent and fair way. I personally would vie for the first option, though perhaps straight Bribery; but rather a "You help me here, Ill help you later" sort of deal.
\Interesting story Nick, is it possible that you instant cynicism is linked to how you may have been influenced by the reporting of the western press?
ReplyDeleteInteresting story Nick, is it possible that you instant cynicism is linked to how you may have been influenced by the reporting of the western press?
ReplyDelete