'Like foxes guarding the chicken coop'
Steven Edwards. National
Post. March 19, 2001
UNITED NATIONS - The commission in charge of the UN's annual review of human
rights abuses, which opens in Geneva today, is packed with countries that are
major offenders.
The average level of freedom in the commission's 53 member countries has
deteriorated over the past year, according to the "freedom index" of
political rights and civil liberties compiled by Freedom House, a New York-based
think-tank.
"Having these governments on the commission is like having foxes
guarding the chicken coop," said Reed Brody, advocacy director of Human
Rights Watch, a New York-based monitoring organization.
"Governments eager to serve on the Commission on Human Rights must be
willing to live up to the responsibilities of membership."
Half the commission's members fall in the lower portion of the freedom
index.
The "least free" are Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam,
while Cameroon, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo run a close second.
Canada, Norway, Portugal and the United States are the four most free
commission members.
The Geneva meeting is the most important human rights event on the UN
calendar. One item on the agenda questions why Canada has not signed a UN treaty
on protections for migrant workers.
Countries with few allies on the commission can find themselves severely
censured.
In October, it launched an inquiry into Israeli actions against Palestinians
during the latest intifada, but barely commented on Palestinian violence.
"This commission is a very politicized body," said Michael Colson,
executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitoring organization. "It
is important to understand that it is politically organized and used as a
political tool by many countries."
Because of this, "the weight ... given to the commission's outcomes is
called into question."
The Bush administration says it will push for resolutions censuring China
and Cuba, which have dismal human rights records.
In recent years, China has avoided criticism by mustering support for "no
action" resolutions.
Cuba has launched a diplomatic and public relations campaign to clear its
name after it was censured last year. "I don't care how many thousands of
times the liars and slanderers have affirmed that torture exists here,"
Fidel Castro, the Cuban President, said last month. "Here no one can point
to a disappearance, a political killing, a tortured person."
Many local dissidents dispute his claim, saying there is evidence of
beatings in jail.
The 189 members of the UN General Assembly elect countries to the commission
for three years -- Canada's term expires in 2003.
A report by the UN's special investigator for the rights of migrants
criticizes Canada's treatment of people seeking political asylum.
The UN is also displeased Canada has resisted signing an international
treaty on protections for migrant workers.
'The treaty is badly drafted," said Carl Schwenger, a spokesman for the
Foreign Affairs department. "It would call for Canada to protect workers'
families in their home countries, which is not viable."
Migrant workers in Canada are protected by Canadian labour law, Ottawa says.
"They don't need extra protection," Mr. Schwenger said. "We want
to be good international citizens, but this treaty is not in our national
interest."
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