UN expert: UN Human Rights Council even worse than body it replaced

The UN’s expert on torture slammed the Human Rights Council in an interview with a Swiss news service. “Today the situation at the council is worse than before the UN Human Rights Commission,” said Manfred Nowak.

Although the council’s Universal Periodic Review, a quadrennial examination of each UN member state, is a good idea in theory, Nowak said its proceedings are “highly politicised”.

He also criticized the “increasing tendency of putting pressure on NGOs at the council.”

According to Nowak, “what is lacking at the moment is political will to take human rights seriously.”