Saudi Arabia plans to behead and crucify son of regime critic; State Department welcomes them to head Human Rights Council...

Seriously?

QUESTION: Change topic? Saudi Arabia.
MR TONER: Saudi Arabia.
QUESTION: Yesterday, Saudi Arabia was named to head the Human Rights Council, and today I think they announced they are about to behead a 21-year-old Shia activist named Muhammed al-Nimr. Are you aware of that?
MR TONER: I’m not aware of the trial that you – or the verdict – death sentence.
QUESTION: Well, apparently, he was arrested when was 17-years-old and kept in juvenile detention, then moved on. And now, he’s been scheduled to be executed.
MR TONER: Right. I mean, we’ve talked about our concerns about some of the capital punishment cases in Saudi Arabia in our Human Rights Report, but I don’t have any more to add to it.
QUESTION: So you --
QUESTION: Well, how about a reaction to them heading the council?
MR TONER: Again, I don’t have any comment, don’t have any reaction to it. I mean, frankly, it’s – we would welcome it. We’re close allies. If we --
QUESTION: Do you think that they’re an appropriate choice given – I mean, how many pages is – does Saudi Arabia get in the Human Rights Report annually?

U.N. Human Rights Council honors Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Are they serious?

(CNSNews.com) – The U.N. Human Rights Council was criticized Wednesday for holding a minute of silence to honor Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a decision that again illustrated the tension between the body’s actions and its professed commitment to upholding human rights around the world.

Chavez, who died Tuesday, was frequently criticized for human rights violations at home, while in the international arena he consistently supported some of the world’s most controversial regimes, including Iran, Syria and Libya under the late Muammar Gaddafi.

Nonetheless when the U.N. General Assembly in New York voted by secret ballot last fall for new members of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC), Venezuela won a seat, receiving more votes than the United States or two other nations in the Western group, Germany and Ireland.

In Geneva on Wednesday that support was again evident as a delegate from Cuba – a HRC stalwart although not currently a member due to term limits – led tributes for “Commandante Chavez.”

Keep on reading…

You can see a current list of U.N. Human Rights Council members here. This council has little to do with human rights.

Sad: UN puts accused war criminal on its human rights council

Sudan’s Omar Al-Bashir stands accused of torture and the death of thousands, but he is getting a place at the table of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Tell me again why we are funding this clown show?

Via Judicial Watch:

Now the U.N. is allowing Sudan’s Omar Al-Bashir, the last person on earth you would go to for anything related to human rights, have a seat on its human rights council. Here is a little background on the ruthless African dictator; He has been charged by the International Criminal Court of war crimes in Darfur and is responsible for killing thousands of his own citizens.

A renowned international human rights organization reminds that the Sudanese government has violently dispersed youth-led protests and that security forces have arrested and detained scores of perceived opponents. The Al-Bashir regime mistreats and tortures detainees and censors the media, the group, Human Rights Watch, writes in its assessment of the north African country. Additionally, Sudan’s indiscriminate bombing in civilian-populated areas has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Keep reading…

UN Human Rights Council Applauds Hezbollah Terrorism Against Isreal (video)

Apparently, the right to destroy Israel is a human right at the UN. Tell me again why we send them money.

Terrorism against Jews applauded at the UN

Obama Apologizes to U.N. Human Rights Council for U.S. Shortcomings

President Obama is in apology mode again. This time he is apologizing to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Obama told the council, "America's human rights record is less than perfect." The U.N. Human Rights Council was formed in 2006 and spends much of their time bashing Israel. It has 47 member countries who are elected by the U.N. Some of the notable human rights champions currently serving on the council are Libya, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and China.

AP reported:

The Obama administration has told the United Nations that America's human rights record is less than perfect...

In its first-ever report to the U.N. Human Rights Council on conditions in the United States, the State Department said some minorities are still victims of discrimination.

Former President Bush shunned the U.N. Human Rights Council for their mind-exploding hypocrisy and refused to issue a report.

U.S. earns first-ever seat on UN Human Rights Council, joining pillars such as Cuba, China, and Saudi Arabia

The U.S. now has a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council. This is the first time for the U.S. Previously, we boycotted because the commission included such notable human rights activists as Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia. President Obama apparently feels comfortable in this group. AP is reporting via Google Hosted News:

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States won a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council for the first time Tuesday along with four countries accused of serious human rights violations — Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia.

Former President George W. Bush's administration boycotted the council over its repeated criticism of Israel and its refusal to cite flagrant rights abuses in Sudan and elsewhere.

But the U.S. announced in late March that it would seek to join the council to help make it more effective, reflecting President Barack Obama's desire to create a "new era of engagement" with the international community.

Even though the U.S. did not face competition in its regional group for a seat on the 47-member council, it needed to get at least 97 votes — a majority of the 192 U.N. member states — in a secret ballot. It did far better, winning 167 votes.

"We received 90 percent of the valid votes cast," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice pointed out after the vote. "And we're gratified by the strong showing of encouragement for the United States to again play a meaningful leadership role in multilateral organizations including the United Nations on the very vitally important set of issues relating to human rights and democracy."

Rice was asked whether it wasn't impossible for the council to be effective because the U.S. and other members have been accused of failing to respect human rights.