GENEVA, May 8, 2019 — Nation after nation lined up at the UN yesterday to shower praise on the human rights record of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a notorious abuser of human rights, during a mandatory review that all UN member states undergo every five years at the UN Human Rights Council. DRC is itself a member. (See quotes at bottom.)

While the review is meant to scrutinize governments and thereby strengthen the basic rights and freedoms of their citizens, 76 out of 99 countries that abused the opportunity by showering praise on the country, according to a count by UN Watch.

Another 12 countries expressed some praise for DRC’s alleged achievements while also applying scrutiny in their statements. If one includes these statements, then 88 out of 99 countries, or 89%, expressed praise for the DR Congo government.

Only a small minority of countries challenged DR Congo—an elected member of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council—with the criticism and questioning it deserved based on its well-documented record of human rights abuses.

A 2018 UN investigation suggests that abuses by DRC security forces amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Some abuses include deliberate killings of civilians, use of child soldiers, mass rape, and widespread torture.

Unfortunately, some countries praised the country’s recent elections as evidence for the government’s progress in the realm of human rights, despite the fact that several international election observers have cast doubt on the integrity of the election results.

Representing DRC at the UN session was Marie-Ange Mushobekwa, the country’s human rights minister, who boasted of several strides in the realm of human rights since their last review five years ago.

“It’s a great privilege for us to sit in the Human Rights Council, and we shouldered the commitment to behave in an exemplary fashion,” she said.

PRAISE OF DRC AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
May 7, 2019

North Korea: “We commend [DRC’s] steadfast commitments and sincere efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights.”
China: “We welcome [DRC’s] efforts and focus in terms of promotion and protection of human rights.”
Libya: “We commend the Democratic Republic of Congo for promoting gender equality and protecting human rights.”
South Africa: We are “encouraged by the [DRC’s] reduction of child involvement in conflicts.”
Venezuela: DR Congo’s “internal legal order is in line with human rights commitments.”
Russia: “We support the Congolese authorities and their efforts to improve the situation of human rights.”
Eritrea: “My delegation congratulates the government [of DRC] for progress made.”
Zimbabwe: “The DRC adopted a number of legislative measures to enhance the realization of the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples.”
Iraq: “The organization of elections had its effect strengthening democratic principles in the country.”
Burundi: “The [DRC’s] elections were democratic, transparent, free, and took place peacefully.”
Egypt: “We take note with satisfaction [DRC’s] efforts taken linked to human rights.”
Mauritania: “Our country hails progress made [by DRC].”
Myanmar: “Myanmar commends efforts of the [DRC] government.”
Chad: We commend “true political will [of DRC] to promote human rights.”

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Democratic Republic of Congo

Current 2018 members of UN Human Rights Council include:
•Iraq
•Cuba
•China
•Qatar
•Angola
•Burundi
•Pakistan
•Venezuela
•DR Congo
•Afghanistan
•Saudi Arabia
•United Arab Emirates pic.twitter.com/Fy5S6M94bs

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 5, 2018

Here’s how UN Watch fights the dictatorships and defends human rights:

In 2017:

In 2016:

The post Farce: Meet 2018 Membership of U.N. Human Rights Council appeared first on UN Watch.

ELECTING THE 2018-2020 MEMBERS OF THE U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Ahead of the Human Rights Council elections by the General Assembly
at United Nations Headquarters, New York, October 16, 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report evaluates the country candidates for the October 16, 2017 election of 15 new members to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Our evaluations applied the membership criteria established by UNGA Resolution 60/251, which requires members to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” and to “fully cooperate with the Council.” In particular, we examined (a) each candidate’s record of domestic human rights protection; and (b) its U.N. voting record. The report finds as follows:

UNQUALIFIED

7 out of 16 candidates have poor records and fail to qualify: Afghanistan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Qatar

QUESTIONABLE

4 candidates have problematic human rights and/or U.N. voting records: Mexico, Nepal, Senegal and Ukraine

QUALIFIED

Only 5 out of 16 candidate countries are qualified to be council members: Australia, Chile, Peru, Slovakia and Spain
The absence of competition this year in four out of the five regional slates undermines the very premise and rationale for holding elections. Nevertheless, this report emphasizes to U.N. member states that they have the legal right—and moral obligation—to refrain from voting for an Unqualified candidate—even if those happen to be running on closed slates.
­­­Instead, as detailed in the report, during the ballot they can actually defeat such candidacies, thereby freeing up the process for qualified alternatives to come forward. In regard to candidate countries deemed Questionable, they should, at a minimum, be asked to commit to redress the shortcomings identified in this report.

ANALYSIS OF “UNQUALIFIED” CANDIDATES

Afghanistan

• Click here for human rights record
• Click here for absurd UNHRC election platform

Angola

• Click here for human rights record
• Click here for absurd UNHRC election platform

DRC

• Click here for human rights record

Malaysia

• Click here for human rights record
• Click here for absurd UNHRC election platform

Nigeria

• Click here for human rights record

Pakistan

• Click here for human rights record
• Click here for absurd UNHRC election platform

Qatar

• Click here for human rights record
• Click here for absurd UNHRC election platform

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE PDF OF REPORT ON UNHRC CANDIDATES
CLICK HERE FOR PRESS RELEASE FROM UN WATCH

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Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based rights group, singled out three of the winners — Congo, Qatar and Pakistan — for criticism, saying for the U.N. to elect them “as a world judge on human rights is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief.”

Deutsche Presse-Agentur:

Head of NGO on Congo’s Election to UN Human Rights Council
“For the UN to elect Qatar, Congo or Pakistan as a world judge on human rights is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief.”
—Hillel Neuer, head of non-governmental organization UN Watch, after Congo was elected to the UN’s Human Rights Council.

Head of NGO on Congo's election to UN Human Rights Council pic.twitter.com/4L3NaBPPAA

— dpa news agency (@dpa_intl) October 16, 2017

Deutsche Welle:

“This is like making a pyromaniac the town fire chief,” said the head of the NGO UN Watch, Hillel Neuer.

Spanish news agency EFE:

“That the UN choose Qatar, Congo or Pakistan as world judges in human rights is like making a pyromaniac fire chief,” UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

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U.N. Elects Qatar, Congo, Pakistan to Top Human Rights Body

The U.N. General Assembly yesterday elected Qatar, Congo and Pakistan to its top human rights body, joining existing members such as Saudi Arabia, China, Cuba and Venezuela.
U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley warned the U.N. in June to stop electing “the world’s worst human rights offenders.”
Other non-democracies to win seats were Afghanistan, Angola, and Nigeria.
UN Watch published a comprehensive study showing how the candidates failed to meet the U.N.’s own minimal membership criteria.
Despite a pledge by 47 EU and other countries to vote “based on human rights considerations” and to strive for competitive slates, oppressive regimes won easily, many on uncontested lists.
“By picking Qatar, Congo and Pakistan as world judges of human rights, the U.N. is once again asking the foxes to guard the chickens,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “It’s absurd, immoral, and offensive.”
UN Watch was quoted extensively on the elections by media worldwide including the Associated Press, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and Spain’s EFE news agency.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

U.S. Pulls Out of UNESCO, Citing Anti-Israel Bias

The U.S. decision to pull out of UNESCO followed failed efforts to reform the agency, said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer in an interview on i24News TV. While UNESCO’s mission to promote education, science and culture is noble, the agency has become hijacked by dictatorships.
The election on Friday of former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay—who is Jewish—will have no impact on the most consequential UNESCO decisions, which are made by a governing board that includes Iran and Sudan.
Examples of how UNESCO became a rogue agency abound.
Here are a few:
– Anti-Israeli Obsession: Between 2009-2014, UNESCO adopted 46 resolutions against Israel; 1 on Syria; and none on Iran, Sudan, North Korea, or any other country in the world. See here and here. Betraying its mission to protect world heritage and culture, UNESCO repeatedly denies the ancient Jewish heritage and culture of Jerusalem and Hebron, which was this year declared a Palestinian World Heritage site.
– Electing Syria’s Assad to Human Rights Committee: In 2011, UNESCO elected Syria’s Assad regime to its human rights committee. When UN Watch exposed the outrage and launched a protest campaign, the U.S. and UK were embarrassed and tried to remove Syria — but failed to get enough votes. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova criticized Syria’s membership but was powerless to remove the Assad regime.
– Glorifying Violence: In 2013, UNESCO enshrined “The Life and Works of Ernesto Che Guevara” in its “Memory of the World Register” — even though Che Guevara led the first firing squads of the Cuban Revolution, and founded Cuba’s “labor camp” system that would later be used to incarcerate gays, dissidents and AIDS victims. President Obama’s representative, Ambassador David T. Killion, demanded that UNESCO’s program “not be used as a tool to glorify or legitimize violence.” His objection was ignored.
– Naming Prizes for Dictators: UNESCO created a $3 million prize in 2008 named for and funded by President Obiang, the brutal and corrupt dictator of Equitorial Guinea. His state radio once announced that Obiang “can decide to kill” without anyone calling him to account because he is in “permanent contact” with God, “who gives him this strength.”
– World Philosophy Day” in Tehran: In a 2010 address, UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova spoke of her efforts over two years to sponsor a “Philosophy Day” in Tehran — despite Iran’s horrific record of repression and censorship after the fraudulent elections of 2009. Absurdly, Bokova said “I hope this will be a major opportunity for free intellectual debates around the topics.” Eventually UNESCO was forced to cancel the event.

CLICK FOR VIDEO

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Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Human Rights Record

DRC commits serious human rights violations, including:

• Unlawful killings
• Torture
• Cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment
• Gender based violence
• Disappearances
• Life-threatening prison conditions
• Systematic use of arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention
• Restrictions of freedom of expression
• Political corruption
• Lack of independent judiciary
• Lack of due process
• Harassment of civil society and opposition leaders
• Inability of citizens to choose their government in free and fair elections
• Suppression of freedom of assembly and association
• Abuse of internally displaced persons
• Discrimination against minorities
• Discrimination against women
• Discrimination against people with disabilities
• Child soldiers
• Persecution of LGBT
• Persecution of Albinos

Discussion:

DRC President Jospeh Kabila came to power in 2001 after his father—Laurent-Désiré Kabila—  was assassinated. Pursuant to the DRC constitution, Jospeh Kabila was supposed to step down as president at the end of his second term in office on December 19, 2016. Although the constitution prohibits him from serving another term, Kabila refused to organize presidential and legislative elections prior to the expiration of his term. The last elections (in which Kabila was elected to his second term), held in 2011, were criticized by international observers as “seriously flawed” due to voting irregularities and lack of transparency. [1]

While the law officially permits opposition parties, Kabila’s government has done its best to suppress them. In May 2016, when opposition leader Moise Katumbi announced his candidacy for president, the government commenced an investigation against him, later charging him with recruitment of mercenaries, and arrested 27 of his associates. Katumbi claims the charges are politically motivated and has remained out of the country for over a year to avoid imprisonment. [2]

On September 19-20, in response to protests turned violent over Kabila’s failure to organize elections, the State Security Forces (SSF) responded with excessive force, killing at least 48 protesters. [3] The SSF also viciously attacked the headquarters of the opposition party New Forces for Union and Solidarity and Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) with RPGs and grenades, killing at least 11 civilians and cruelly preventing the injured from seeking medical attention, according to eyewitnesses. More violent protests followed in December 2016 when Kabila refused to step down resulting in at least 20 deaths, some shot at close range by government troops. [4]

Kabila appears to be intent on hanging onto power at any cost. Despite a December 2016 agreement brokered by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo, by which Kabila agreed to hold elections at the end of this year, Kabila has taken no action to organize the elections. [5] Complaining about the government’s crackdown on the media and civil society, UN Human Rights Office field operations director, Georgette Gagnon, recently commented: “The space required for a credible electoral process is rapidly shrinking.” [6] According to Human Rights Watch, more than 100 activists and opposition leaders or supporters were arbitrarily arrested in 2016 and held for more than 48 hours. Some were held incommunicado for weeks or months and abused in custody. [7] In July 2017 alone, the government arrested more than 100 anti-Kabila protesters. [8]

In December 2016, the government closed CCTV and Radio Liberte Kinshasa, both owned by opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, claiming they owed back taxes and licensing fees. Twelve journalists were mistreated, arrested or harassed by government forces while covering the September 2016 protests in Kinshasa. At least three of the journalists were subjected to arbitrary detention and abuse while in custody. [9] The media and journalists were also targeted throughout the year. 

Against this background, civil war has raged in the Kasai region since August 2016 between government and opposition forces. [10] The violence began when the military assassinated a regional leader critical of President Jospeh Kabila. The Roman Catholic Church estimates that 3,300 people have been killed in the region since October 2016 and more than 1.4 million have fled from their homes. [11]

Mass graves in the town of Nganza, where witnesses say government forces went door to door massacring whole families in March 2017, are being guarded by government troops in order to prevent any investigation of the murders. A recent report by the UN Human Rights Office has accused “elements” of the government army of digging most of the 80 mass graves it identified and has implicated government forces in large scale ethnic killings. Two UN representatives charged with investigating massacres in the region were themselves killed in March 2017. Their murderers have not yet been identified. [12]

The eastern part of the country has also experienced large scale violence by all sides in recent years, with government troops being implicated in unlawful killings and other crimes, including the unlawful detention of more than 29 children. [13] In addition, the State Security Forces illegally detained, raped and tortured civilians; and the use of child soldiers by all sides, including the government, has continued. Human Rights Watch also reported that more than 175 civilians and aid workers were kidnapped for ransom in eastern Congo in 2015 and that this trend continued into 2016. [14]

U.N. Voting Record

Negative: At the General Assembly, DRC backed human rights abusers through a resolution denying the right to sanction such regimes, and by voting to delay the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against LGBT. DRC abstained on resolutions that spoke out for human rights victims in Iran and Syria. At the Human Rights Council, DRC voted against resolutions to protect gays and people with disabilities. It also voted against a resolution to allow the High Commissioner to choose his own staff.

[1] “Democratic Republic of the Congo 2016 Human Rights Report,” U.S. Department of State, 2017, p. 24, available at https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2016&dlid=265242.

[2] Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, “When Will Kabila Go? Congolese Leader Long Overstays His Welcome,” The New York Times, July 23, 2017, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/23/world/africa/congo-joseph-kabila-elections.html?mcubz=1.

[3] “Democratic Republic of the Congo 2016 Human Rights Report,” U.S. Department of State, 2017, pp. 25-26, available at https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2016&dlid=265242.

[4] “DR Congo anti-Kabila protests ‘leave more than 20 dead,’” BBC, Dec. 20, 2016, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38377478.

[5] Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, “When Will Kabila Go? Congolese Leader Long Overstays His Welcome,” The New York Times, July 23, 2017, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/23/world/africa/congo-joseph-kabila-elections.html?mcubz=1.
[6] William Clowes, “Crackdown in Congo Limits Chances of Credible Elections, UN Says,” Bloomberg, Aug. 25, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-25/crackdown-in-congo-limits-chances-of-credible-elections-un-says.
[7] Human Rights Watch, World Report 2017, Democratic Republic of Congo country chapter, available at https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/democratic-republic-congo.

[8] Adam Whithnall, “Congo: 250 people killed in ethnic based massacres in the DRC, says UN,” Independent, Aug. 4, 2017, available at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congo-massacres-ethnic-conflict-250-people-killed-m-united-nations-crimes-humanity-civil-war-a7876266.html.

[9] Human Rights Watch, World Report 2017, Democratic Republic of Congo country chapter, available at https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/democratic-republic-congo.

[10] Adam Whithnall, “Congo: 250 people killed in ethnic based massacres in the DRC, says UN,” Independent, Aug. 4, 2017, available at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congo-massacres-ethnic-conflict-250-people-killed-m-united-nations-crimes-humanity-civil-war-a7876266.html.

[11] Kimiko de Freytas-Tamaura, “Who’s in Congo’s Mass Graves? And Why Are Soldiers Guarding Them?” New York Times, July 28, 2017, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/world/africa/congo-kasai-kabila-militia-graves.html?mcubz=1.

[12] Id.; “DR Congo: UN report indicates Government participation in ethnic massacres in Kasai,” UN News Centre, Aug. 4, 2017, available at https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=57309#.WbopPLIjGUk.

[13] Human Rights Watch, World Report 2017, Democratic Republic of Congo country chapter, available at https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/democratic-republic-congo.

[14] “Democratic Republic of the Congo 2016 Human Rights Report,” U.S. Department of State, 2017, pp. 12-13, available at https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2016&dlid=265242.

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Results of General Assembly’s election of fifteen members to the UNHRC

October 16, 2017

African Group – 4 seats

Asian-Pacific Group – 4 seats

Eastern European Group – 2 seats

Latin American and Caribbean Group – 3 seats

Western European and Others Group – 2 seats

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CLICK HERE FOR NEW REPORT ON UNHRC CANDIDATES

GENEVA, October 16, 2017 – Despite a recent pledge by a Dutch-led coalition of 47 nations, the U.N. today elected gross abusers—Qatar, Pakistan, DR Congo, Afghanistan and Angola—to the U.N.’s highest human rights body in a virtually uncontested race, flouting U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley’s June warning to stop electing “the world’s worst human rights offenders.”

In a detailed study released today by UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental human rights organization, found that Qatar, Pakistan, Congo, Afghanistan, Angola and Nigeria have poor records and fail to qualify according to the UN’s own basic membership criteria. The council already counts Saudi Arabia, Burundi, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and UAE as members.

The U.N. also elected Mexico, Nepal, Senegal and Ukraine, all of whom were deemed “questionable” by UN Watch, due to their problematic human rights records or UN voting records.

“Sadly, the UN disregarded its own rules and principles by electing governments who violate the human rights of their own citizens, and who consistently vote the wrong way on UN initiatives to protect the human rights of others,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.

“The U.N. electing Qatar, Congo and Pakistan as world judges of human rights is like a asking the foxes to guard the chickens,” said Neuer. “It’s absurd, immoral and offensive.”

UN Watch is proposing two major reforms to the election system, said Neuer:

• “If our own democracies continue to disregard the election criteria by voting for abusers,” said Neuer, “then we should just scrap elections altogether, and make every country a member, as is the case in the General Assembly’s human rights committee. At least that way Saudi ambassadors around the world could no longer hold up their UNHRC election as a shield of international legitimacy to cover up the abuses of their regime.”
• “Vote trades flourish in the darkness of the UN’s archaic secret ballot system for elections. We need to make elections public, as is the case with all other kinds of UN voting, as sunshine is always the best disinfectant.”

“Regrettably,” said Neuer, “despite their pledge in June to push for better membership and genuine competition among candidates, at least 22 EU states helped elect Angola ( which won 186 votes), and not one EU state said a word about hypocritical candidacies that only undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the UN human rights system. By turning a blind eye as even more human rights violators easily join and subvert the council, leading democracies will be complicit in the world body’s moral decline.”

“It is an insult to victims in these countries — like Asia Bibi, the innocent Christian mother of five on death row in Pakistan for the crime of blasphemy — and it’s a defeat for the global cause of human rights when the UN helps gross abusers act as champions and global judges of human rights. When the U.N.’s highest human rights body becomes a case of the foxes guarding the henhouse, the world’s victims suffer,” said Neuer.

*********

KEY RESOURCES

Following are key campaign resources for activists and journalists:

UN Watch Analysis

• Qatar’s human rights record
• Angola’s human rights record
• Afghanistan’s human rights record
• Pakistan’s human rights record
• DRC’s human rights record

Absurd Pledges by Dictatorships

Dictatorships have published and submitted to the UN absurd claims about their human rights record, which have been analyzed and exposed by UN Watch:

• Qatar’s absurd UNHRC campaign election platform
• Angola’s absurd UNHRC campaign election platform
• Afghanistan’s absurd UNHRC campaign election platform
• Malaysia’s absurd UNHRC campaign election platform
• Pakistan’s absurd UNHRC campaign election platform

1. Ahead of tomorrow's election, we now present the farce of the U.N. Human Rights Council, by shining a spotlight on candidates' pledges.

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 15, 2017

2. Candidate #Afghanistan.
The Lie: "We bring vast human rights experience." https://t.co/Qrr0vqZjTq
The Truth: Killings, torture, abuse. pic.twitter.com/RubQslu3si

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 15, 2017

3. Candidate #Pakistan.
The Lie: "We are deeply committed to human rights" https://t.co/YjpvOOQceM
The Truth: Death sentence for "blasphemy" pic.twitter.com/YHqtUvWIVv

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 15, 2017

4. DR Congo gift baskets—to be given today to @UN delegates before Human Rights Council election. But DRC agents rape, oppress, kill. pic.twitter.com/tm7qv8x542

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2017

5. Arguments of Congo's UNHRC campaign flyer:
– African endorsed us
– We're needed for stability
– We have territory, population & a capital pic.twitter.com/XFMb26MXcW

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2017

6. Candidate #Qatar pledges "constructive role to resolve regional crises." Yet Qatar backs terror in the region and violates human rights. pic.twitter.com/d2esvZGQzn

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2017

7. @UN_HRC candidate #Angola claims it "protects & promotes human rights." Truth: outgoing President dos Santos robbed his own people. pic.twitter.com/pYXwOHKBGM

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2017

8. Candidate #Malaysia believes in "people-centred" & "non-politicized" approach to human rights, "pursued through dialogue." #UNHRCelection pic.twitter.com/GwqOLJYiw0

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2017

The post U.N. elects Qatar, Congo, Pakistan to top rights body, flouting U.S. warning appeared first on UN Watch.

Thank you, Mr. President.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s recent UPR, concern was repeatedly expressed over the prevalence of grave violations against the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens.

A great deal of the criticisms addressed the severe and large-scale sexual and gender-based violence occurring in the country. At the time of the report, around 400,000 women and men had been victims of sexual violence. UNFPA reported that over 65% of rape victims of the past 15 years were children.

Despite calls for change by the international community, the UN Refugee Agency reports an alarming rise in the systematic rape of the DRC’s citizens. The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict called the DRC the “rape capital of the world.”

In addition, UN Watch is gravely concerned over the lack of progress in combating violence against civil society activists and journalists. We regret that the DRC has rejected key UPR recommendations in this regard. In July of this year, we saw the beating of three TV journalists covering a protest in Kinshasa by Congolese police.

It is human rights defenders who aid the victims in the DRC, and yet it is frequently Government authorities who have sought to silence them by barbaric means. Human rights activists are frequently subjected to death threats, arbitrary arrest, rape, beatings and in some cases torture or even killing by government agents or armed groups.

The magnitude of systematic sexual violence against citizens in the DRC is deplorable, as is the violence perpetrated against journalists and human rights workers. The Council must defend the rights of these brutalized victims, and uphold the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Thank you, Mr. President.

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Urges new members India, Indonesia, Philippines
to improve stance on resolutions for victims

NEW YORK, May 20 — UN Watch slammed the UN’s election today of Congo and Kuwait to the Human Rights Council, but hailed the defeat of Nicaragua, after a campaign with other rights groups that spotlighted the poor records of all three countries.  Click here for full report PDF — Executive summary below.

“Congo, Kuwait and Nicaragua have poor records in respecting the basic human rights of their own citizens, and have consistently voted the wrong way on UN initiatives to promote and protect the human rights of others,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.

“With today’s election, only 20 out of 47 of the new members rank as free democracies, while the rest — a majority of 58% — fail to meet basic democracy standards, rated as either not free or only partly free by Freedom House’s annual survey,” said Neuer.

“With members like Bahrain, China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia, joined today by Congo and Kuwait, the Human Rights Council is still a case of the foxes guarding the chickens,” said Neuer.

“Still, Nicaragua’s defeat is important. It’s currently one of the most shameless defenders of Libya’s Col. Moammar Qaddafi and Syrian President Bashar Assad. So two dictators who are killing their own people today lost a key ally. We’re also delighted that Syria was pressured into pulling its bid last week,” said Neuer, who led a campaign by UN Watch and 25 human rights groups (unwatch.org/stopsyria).

Kuwait’s practice of torture and arbitrary arrest was condemned recently in a report submitted to the UN by the Kuwait Society for Human Rights. According to the US State Department, Kuwaiti security forces abuse prisoners. Authorities limit freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion, and limit freedom of movement for foreign workers and stateless Arab residents (called “Bidoon”). Women do not enjoy equal rights. Worker rights are limited, with expatriate workers subject to severe limitations of rights and discrimination.

UN Watch called on new members India, Indonesia and the Philippines and Burkina Faso to improve their voting records. All three last year refused to support UN resolutions for human rights victims in Iran, Burma, and North Korea.

Results of Today’s UNGA Elections to the UNHRC

191 ballots
188 present & voting

AFRICA
Burkina Faso 182
Botsawa 177
Congo 176
Benin 174
DRC 3
South Africa 1
Egypt 1

ASIA
Indonesia 184
Philippine 183
India 181
Kuwait 166
Syria 5

EASTERN GROUP
Czech 148
Romania 131
Georgia 89

LATIN AMERICA (GRULAC)
Chile 159
Costa Rica 138
Peru 136
Nicaragua 98

WESTERN GROUP (WEOG)
Italy 180
Austria 177
Australia 2

UN WATCH EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES
FOR 2011-2014 MEMBERSHIP
ON THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Click here for full report PDF

As submitted to UNGA member states on May 17, 2011 and presented in a press briefing at United Nations Headquarters, New York, May 19, 2011.

Executive Summary

This report assesses each candidate country’s record of domestic human rights protection and its UN voting record, based on the criteria for UN Human Rights Council membership established by UNGA Resolution 60/251 (2006). We find that only 10 out of 17 candidate countries are qualified. Three candidates have poor records and are not qualified to be Council members. Four countries fall somewhere in between, with qualifications that are questionable.

Not Qualified: Congo, Kuwait, Nicaragua

Questionable: Burkina Faso, India, Indonesia, Philippines

Qualified: Austria, Benin, Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, Peru, Romania

The absence of competition in three out of the five regional lists calls into question the very premise and rationale of the election. Nevertheless, UNGA member states can—and should—refrain from casting their votes for countries that are not qualified. Candidate countries with questionable credentials should, at a minimum, be asked to commit to redress the shortcomings—in their human rights record and their UN voting records—as identified in this report.

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