Video: UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer on France 24 TV: U.N. Election of Dictatorships is ‘Black Day for Human Rights’
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PARIS, France 24 – In an interview with France 24 TV, UN Watch executive director Neuer condemned the human rights abuses of the countries just elected to the UN Human Rights Council, citing:
- the imprisonment of Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (who has recently gone missing) in Russia;
- the imprisonment in China of dissidents Liu Jiabao and Wang Bingzhang;
- the persecution in Cuba of rapper El Critico, who has recently staged a month-long hunger strike in protest against charges brought against him; and
Saudi Arabia’s “lashing and punishing” of rape victims. - “It’s absurd,” Neuer said. “For victims of human rights around the world who look to the UN for protection, it’s a very sad day.”
Tuesday’s vote, Neuer said, signified the nail in the coffin for the “new and improved council,” and a return to the “ignominious past of the old commission.”
To watch a video of the TV interview, click here.
