Most repressive countries on Human Rights Council

Most repressive countries on Human Rights Council
Friday, 12 May 2006, 8:52 pm
Press Release: Reporters sans frontieres
Some of the world's most repressive countries recycled into new Human
Rights Council

The 9 May 2006 election of 10 of the world's worst violators of free
_expression - Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia - to be members of the UN's
new Human Rights Council was called a "scandal" today by Reporters
Without Borders (RSF).

"It is outrageous that 10 countries that violate the rights of
journalists and free expression on a massive scale should have been
chosen to ensure that human rights are protected throughout the world -
we foresee nothing good coming from this council," the press freedom
organisation said.

"There is no difference between the composition of the former Human
Rights Commission - whose work was unanimously condemned by NGOs, and by
many countries as well - and that of the new council," RSF said. "They
have taken the same countries and started over. What is more, seven of
these 10 countries have been elected for three-year terms, the longest
envisioned under the Council's rules, terms that can be renewed once. So
the reforms adopted by the United Nations are clearly insufficient. The
UN will not guarantee respect for human rights in the world in the
future any more than it has in the past."

The organisation said the system of regional quotas and election by a
simple majority were responsible for the planet's most repressive
countries being elected to the council, which will meet for the first
time on 19 June.

"What a victory for them, and what a defeat for the United Nations," the
organisation said. "We are deeply disappointed, even if the result is
not surprising. We had already voiced our concern last week about the
candidacies of certain countries."

RSF continued: "Our only hope now is that the other countries elected to
the council that respect free _expression - such as Canada, the Czech
Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mali, Mauritius, Switzerland and the
United Kingdom - will use their influence to prevent the Council from
discrediting itself as soon as it takes office."

The organisation added: "On the eve of the election, UN
secretary-general Kofi Annan had warned that it would depend on the
member countries 'whether the council really is a spectacular
improvement or simply continues the practices of the old commission
under a new name'. Today we have the answer. This election was one more
lost chance."

The wheeling and dealing customary during elections for the former
commission were again in evidence yesterday. Kenya, which was the 14th
candidate in the African group, pulled out at the last moment with the
result that all of the other 13 candidates for the 13 African seats were
elected automatically. Meanwhile, 17 of the countries elected to the
Council are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

"Regional, cultural and religious solidarity and alliances were much
more decisive in the election of the council's members than their
commitment to protect human rights," RSF concluded. "And let us add a
final, disturbing figure: about 90 percent of the capital punishments
carried out worldwide in 2005 took place in a single country that is a
member of the new Council."

China and Cuba are the world's two biggest prisons for the press.
Censorship is the rule in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, where journalists
are exposed to harsh reprisals if they overstep the mark. In Russia, the
Kremlin has already taken over the leading news media, starting with the
TV stations. There is almost daily violence against journalists in
Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan. Dozens of journalists are in constant
risk of imprisonment in Algeria, where the most critical media are
repeatedly prosecuted. The murders of two journalists in Azerbaijan in
2005 remain unpunished.

The list of countries elected to the Human Rights Council and the length
of their terms (determined by lottery):

African States: Algeria (1 year), Cameroon (3 years), Djibouti (3
years), Gabon (2 years), Ghana (2 years), Mali (2 years), Mauritius (3
years), Morocco (1 year), Nigeria (3 years), Senegal (3 years), South
Africa (1 year), Tunisia (1 year) and Zambia (2 years).

Asian States: Bahrain (1 year), Bangladesh (3 years), China (3 years),
India (1 year), Indonesia (1 year), Japan (2 years), Jordan (3 years),
Malaysia (3 years), Pakistan (2 years), Philippines (1 year), Republic
of Korea (2 years), Saudi Arabia (3 years) and Sri Lanka (2 years).

Eastern European States: Azerbaijan (3 years), Czech Republic (1 year),
Poland (1 year), Romania (2 years), Russian Federation (3 years) and
Ukraine (2 years).

Latin American and Caribbean States: Argentina (1 year), Brazil (2
years), Cuba (3 years), Ecuador (1 year), Guatemala (2 years), Mexico (3
years), Peru (2 years) and Uruguay (3 years).

Western European & Other States: Canada (3 years), Finland (1 year),
France (2 years), Germany (3 years), Netherlands (1 year), Switzerland
(3 years) and United Kingdom (2 years).

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00235.htm