Member of the Canadian Parliament Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister for Canada who focuses on human rights, slammed the recent selections for the UN council. “The election of seven of the world's worst human rights violators to the United Nations Human Rights Council is an assault on the UNHCR's mandate to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,’†he said. “Indeed, the election of states — all designated as ‘Not Free’ by Freedom House in its 2013 'Freedom in the World' Report — mocks the struggle for human rights, betrays its victims, and validates the on-going violations of these rights in the name of the UN. The time is long overdue to sound the alarm.â€
In Europe, Member of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott, who serves as the EU body’s vice-president for human rights, also lambasted the General Assembly’s controversial choices. “Allowing China to become a member of the UN Human Rights Council calls into question the Council's credibility,†he said in a statement. “China's human rights record is well-documented. Numerous reports by the UN itself have highlighted degrading and inhumane treatment that is routine in China: forcible abortions, religious persecution, the oppression of minorities, etc.â€
Pointing out that even the UN’s former “Rapporteur on Torture†found that the use of torture by the Chinese regime was “widespread,†MEP McMillan-Scott noted that any attempt to discuss individual cases with Beijing are met with “defiance.†While the number of cases is massive, McMillan-Scott highlighted the abduction and disappearance of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng as a prime example. With UN assistance and U.S. taxpayer funds, the Communist Chinese regime has also been perpetrating forced abortions.
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