GENEVA, January 3, 2020 — A top United Nations official declared the U.S. airstrike on Iranian terror mastermind Qassem Suleimani “unlawful,” saying it “violates international human rights law,” and she threatened U.S. officers with “individual criminal liability.”
Agnes Callamard, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, also tweeted about “World War III” in a tweet calling on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to use “legal tools” against the United States.
However, as noted by UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer, her reaction contrasted with that of former UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, who following the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011 said that he was “very much relieved by the news that justice has been done to such a mastermind of international terrorism.”
“Callamard has said nothing about Suleimani’s personal role in directing terror attacks throughout the region, including the killing of 500,000 men, women and children in Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” said Neuer. “It’s the reason he was in Iraq, where he directed Iranian proxy militia to slaughter hundreds of protesters, but Callamard ignores all of this.”
“Her reference to ‘World War III’ suggests that her personal political views about war and peace in the region may be coloring her supposedly legal analysis,” said Neuer.
See below Neuer’s open letter to UN official Agnes Callamard:
Dear Agnes Callamard,
I dare you to walk up to a family member of the more than 500,000 men, women & children in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who were raped, mutilated & slaughtered by Suleimani’s terror militia, or of those starved in Aleppo, Qusayr, Madaya and Zabadani by his acolytes, and to repeat that the elimination of this mass murderer was “unlawful & violates international human rights law.”
I dare you to walk up to a family member of U.S. officers and soldiers, who are defending all of us against Iran’s global terror, and repeat that you are threatening these service members with “criminal liability” for the Suleimani strike.
I dare you to explain why your declarations today about the terrorist mastermind Qasem Suleimani are the complete opposite of what even UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said in 2011 when Bin Laden was eliminated: ”I am very much relieved by the news that justice has been done to such a mastermind of international terrorism. I would like to commend the work and the determined and principled commitment of many people in the world who have been struggling to eradicate international terrorism.”
Happy New Year.
Sincerely yours,
Hillel C. Neuer
Executive Director
United Nations Watch
Geneva, Switzerland
cc: Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Kelly Craft, U.S. Ambassador to the UN
Top U.N. Human Rights Council official threatens U.S. officers with "criminal liability" for Suleimani strike. She's the same mandarin who in 2015 downplayed Saudi Arabia's chairing the UNHRC panel that selects officials like her. I can understand why @NikkiHaley pulled out. https://t.co/uJJDD3VW9r
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 3, 2020
In tweet storm, top UNHRC official Agnes Callamard declares U.S. killing of Suleimani illegal. Yet this is what UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said in 2011 on Bin Laden: ”I am very much relieved by the news that justice has been done to such a mastermind of international terrorism.” https://t.co/FOSX8hMe07
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 3, 2020
This top U.N. Human Rights Council official who swore to be objective & non-political is now calling on the head of the United Nations to use "legal tools" against the U.S. (whose strike on Suleimani she immediately labeled "criminal") and she's now tweeting about "World War 3." https://t.co/7qEIo91HjE
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 4, 2020
UK supports moral and legal basis of U.S. strike on Iranian terror mastermind by emphasizing "the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani." Contradicts top UNHRC official Agnes Callamard's declaration that it was illegal.https://t.co/3fdJ0aGQrI
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 3, 2020
Dear @AgnesCallamard @UN_HRC: I dare you to walk up to a family member of the 500,000+ men, women & children in Syria, Iraq & Yemen who were raped, mutilated & slaughtered by Suleimani's terror militia and repeat that this was "unlawful & violates international human rights law." https://t.co/WgMTP6R8w9
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 3, 2020
Top UN official @AgnesCallamard says U.S. strike on Iran's terrorist mastermind was "arbitrary deprivation of life." She's said nothing of his personal role in depriving life from more than 500,000 people in Syria, Iraq, Yemen & Iran itself.
Full report: https://t.co/1Akn2BiNuN pic.twitter.com/4hc6ECqlOu
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 5, 2020
