Some days you wonder what the UN could do to make itself even more useless. I guess you should just have patience.
'Rights abuser' Cuba Put on U.N. Action Panel
Advocates scoffed at Cuba's inclusion on a U.N. action panel on human rights. The United Nations has condemned the island's rights record for five straight years.
By NANCY SAN MARTIN
Human rights activists were outraged Tuesday over Cuba's appointment to an elite ''action panel'' that will influence the work of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which has consistently condemned the communist nation's miserable record.
''It's shameful that anyone would support Cuba to play any relevant role in the human rights machinery,'' said José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas division of Human Rights Watch in Washington, D.C.
''A government as recalcitrant as the Cuban government should not be rewarded with membership of any kind,'' Vivanco added. ``It clearly undermines the legitimacy or credibility of institutions that are supposed to be supervising and monitoring human rights.''
Cuba's inclusion to the newly created action panel was approved by the 11 Latin American nations that form part of the 53-member Commission on Human Rights. The designation means Cuban diplomats will not only have a say in alleged violations the commission will investigate, but also will be first to represent the region when the group has its initial gathering on Feb. 7.
Can you just imagine this scene? Here's a preview-
UN Human Rights Comission (UNHRC):(speaking to researchers from Human Rights Watch) "So, I see you have a report here that outlines the torture and murder of political dissidents and journalists in Cuba."
Human Rights Watch(HRW): "Yes, it's horrible. Castro is simply jailing anyone who disagrees with him. And if they become more trouble, he has them executed."
UNHRC:"Well, um, that sounds pretty bad doesn't it. We shall deal with this right away."
HRW: "What are you going to do?"
UNHRC: "We are going to have you arrested and thrown in jail in Cuba. Thanks for the information. Say hi to Alberto for me in the electrocution room."
Oh, and Zimbabwe, the country that has that bastion of human rights Robert Mugabe as their self appointed leader for life, is in charge of Human Rights for Africa on the same commission.
Does anyone have a good reason why we should even be bothering with this waste of real estate any more?
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