Five human-rights-violating dictatorships elected to United Nations Human Rights Council while democratic nation Taiwan still denied UN membership
The United States and Israel are among critics of the United Nations General Assembly’s decision to advance China, Russia, Cuba, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan to the United Nation’s top human rights body – the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (UNHCR), and Taiwan United Nations Alliance is also calling out the UN’s hypocrisy.
“Today the UN General Assembly once again elected countries with abhorrent human rights records, including China, Russia, and Cuba. Venezuela was elected in 2019,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in response to the October 13 decision.
“The UN Human Rights Council is a total farce not worthy of its name or the United States giving it any credibility,” former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley tweeted.
Critics of the United Nation’s decision, including NGO UN Watch noted that China had received the support of 139 nations out of 191, despite the Chinese government’s detention of more than one million ethnic Uighurs in Chinese-occupied East Turkmenistan, and repression of peoples in Tibet, Hong Kong, and Inner Mongolia.
“Does anyone know what China can teach us on human rights as a UNHRC member? Anyone?” Taiwan Presidential Office Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka tweeted.
After gaining a seat to the peak global body for human rights, the Chinese Mission thanked supporters, and said that it “sincerely appreciates the strong support from the wide UN membership,” while pledging to “work with other members to advance the Council’s work of promoting and protecting human rights.”
UN Watch pointed out that after the October 13 UN election, the percentage of non-democracies on the UN human rights council has increased from 51% to 60%.
“Today is a black day for human rights,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.
“Electing these dictatorships as UN judges on human rights is like making a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade,” said Neuer.
“It’s logically absurd and morally obscene that the UN has elected to its top human rights body a regime that herded 1 million Uighurs into camps, arrested, crushed and disappeared those who tried to sound the alarm about the coronavirus, and suffocated freedom in Hong Kong,” said Neuer.
“Russia assassinates journalists and poisons dissidents. Cuba is a police state. Pakistan persecutes Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis for the crime of being non-Muslim minorities. And Uzbek government officials routinely torture and harass imprisoned activists,” said Neuer.
Taiwan United Nations Alliance, an organization that has been promoting Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations for many years, says that the occupation of the United Nations by rogue states shows why it is important for Taiwan to be admitted into the organization.
The solution is to bring more free and democratic countries into the UN, however, as long as Taiwan is not a member, it cannot contribute.
Taiwan United Nations Alliance urged Taiwan’s government to issue a statement emphasizing the importance and value of Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations as a free and democratic country.
Cover Picture: The Sentinel, Assam.
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