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Spanish – The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council became a global “laughing stock:” Cuba, Russia, and China were incorporated as members of the body. The three nations, clearly identified as rights violators, are now part of the Council that should condemn them.
In fact, on Tuesday, the Cuban regime obtained 88% of the votes for its entry, while Russia and China reached 82% and 72%, respectively.
Cuba, a mockery of the victims of the Castro regime
During the presentation of his candidacy, Cuba committed itself to promote “cultural rights” and highlighted the “participatory and democratic nature” of its political system. However, on the island, the only legally recognized party is the Communist Party, while opponents are persecuted, arrested, imprisoned, and even prevented from leaving the country.
“Putting Cuba on the UN Human Rights Council is like putting Jack the Ripper on a committee to end knife violence in London,” John Suarez, director of the Center for a Free Cuba, told EFE.
Russia, another serial rights violator
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not far behind. Recently, it was revealed that the regime had poisoned its primary opponent, Alexei Navalny- one more in a long list of rights violations.
Moreover, Putin has become a dictator seeking to perpetuate himself in power through electoral fraud. As a result of serious allegations of torture, persecution, and massive control over the media, the Economist’s Democracy Index has rated Russia as an authoritarian country.
China, a “global threat to human rights”
Likewise, the eastern country has been considered a threat to human rights. The most recent report by Human Rights Watch revealed that the Chinese regime had created a state of pervasive surveillance in pursuit of absolute social control.
“It is now using its economic and diplomatic influence to evade international actions outside its borders that call for accountability for repression. To preserve the international human rights system as an effective mechanism for countering repression, governments should close ranks in the face of attacks from Beijing,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
The official commented that Beijing has been adopting repressive measures against dissidents for quite some time. “Now the Chinese government is trying to extend that censorship to the rest of the world. To protect everyone’s future, governments must act together and resist Beijing’s assault on the international human rights system,” he added.
The UN under scrutiny
“In terms of preserving peace, security, and human rights, the UN has been marginalized,” said Diego Arria, former president of the organization’s Security Council, in a dialogue with PanAm Post.
“The UN has 193 countries that are part of the organization. According to the Economist, only 75 respect freedoms and democracy; that is the reality. The Security Council has Russia and China that are not champions of freedom. The world does not have a good picture of what the UN represents in terms of peace, freedom, and human rights,” he said.
Decisions such as those taken recently within the Human Rights Council have led to the departure of countries such as the United States since this body has become a mockery of its own values.
“The election of China, Russia, and Cuba to the UN Human Rights Council validates the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Council in 2018 and use other avenues to protect and promote universal human rights. At the General Assembly this year, we did just that,” Mike Pompeo, head of U.S. diplomacy, noted on his Twitter account, recalling that Washington identified and punished “human rights violators in Xinjiang, Myanmar, Iran and elsewhere.
