UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Libya and Thailand were among 14 countries elected as new members of the U.N.’s top human rights body yesterday in a vote that rights advocates criticized as uncompetitive and “pre-cooked.”
Angola, Mauritania, Uganda, the Maldives, Malaysia, Qatar, Moldova, Poland, Ecuador, Guatemala, Spain and Switzerland were also elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms on the 47-nation Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva.
Both Libya and Thailand have been criticized by rights groups for their human rights records.
“The council elections have become a pre-cooked process that strips the meaning from the membership standards established by the General Assembly,” said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director at U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. “States serious about the role the council can play in promoting human rights should push for competitive slates in all regions, and should be willing to compete for a seat themselves,” she said.
Of the 14 states elected to the council, Libya received the fewest votes from members of the 192-nation General Assembly — 155 — but well over the 50 percent threshold needed to secure a seat. Without naming any specific countries, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice made it clear she was not happy with some of Washington’s new fellow council members.
“It’s fair to say that this year, there is a small number of countries whose human rights records is problematic that are likely to be elected and we regret that,” she said.
