Originally issued as a CGS press release on May 9, 2006.
Washington, D.C. — Below is a statement from Asma Lateef, Director of Programs and Policy at Citizens for Global Solutions, on the election of the new Human Rights Council at the United Nations:
“Tuesday’s elections for the Human Rights Council in the General Assembly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the new Council is a major step forward for U.N. reform and the protection of human rights.
“The elections would have yielded an even better result if the U.S. were engaged in the process. Now that the Council’s membership is set, the U.S. should work with the Council and live up to its historical role in protecting global human rights around the world
“The proof that these elections worked is in the mere fact that Iran and Venezuela were emphatically denied seats. Also, the fact that the number of countries deemed to be “not free” by Freedom House were more than cut in half. Of those eight countries, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are considered strong allies by the Bush administration, and Russia and China were supported by Ambassador Bolton for inclusion in the Council because of their permanent status on the Security Council. The bottom line is that our country should strongly endorse and work with the new Council to make a better and safer world for everyone.
