RIGHTS COMMISSION : U.N. Blasts Pyongyang, "End human rights abuses in Palestinian territories" by UN Wire United Nations Foundation 12:51pm 17th Apr, 2003   16.4.2003    UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION : U.N. Blasts Pyongyang, "Mass Killings" Of Palestinians    North Korea today was censured by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva for the first time in the panel's history. With a vote of 28-10 and 15 abstentions, the commission criticized Pyongyang's "systemic, widespread and grave" violations of human rights and expressed "deep concern" about reports that North Korea was practicing torture and executing political prisoners.    The resolution was sponsored by the European Union and supported by the United States. South Korea, one of the countries that abstained, said it wanted to avoid offending Pyongyang at a sensitive time amid diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving a crisis over North Korea's nuclear program (Agence France-Presse, April 16).    Resolution Condemning Russia For Violations In Chechnya Fails    The commission also today rejected for the second consecutive year a resolution condemning Russia for violations by its military forces in Chechnya. The vote on the resolution, which was also sponsored by the EU, was 21 against, 15 in favor and 17 abstentions.    Human Rights Watch said it was "extremely disappointed" by the vote (AFP II, April 16).    In 2000, Russia became the first permanent Security Council member to be censured by the commission, a move that includes no penalties but draws international attention to the matter. The commission censured Russia again in 2001, but last year, Russia escaped censure by one vote.    Greek Ambassador Tassos Kriekoukis, speaking on behalf of the EU, said commission members this year had attempted to reach consensus on a resolution regarding Russia, but that Russia "did not want to enter into any discussion on the subject."    Russian Ambassador Leonid Skotnikov countered that Russia "never attempted to avoid discussing the human rights situation in the Chechen Republic" (Jonathan Fowler, Associated Press, April 16).    Israel Condemned For "Mass Killings" Of Palestinians    Yesterday the commission condemned the "mass killings" of Palestinians and called for an end to human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories.    A resolution affirming the right of the Palestinian people to resist Israeli occupation and condemning human rights abuses by Israel, including extrajudicial executions carried out by the army, passed 33 in favor and five against, with 15 abstentions. The measure condemned the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory and the war against Palestinian towns and camps, which had resulted in "mass killings" of civilians, including women and children. In response, the Israeli representative said that if the resolution were intended to end violence, it would have demanded that Palestinians end armed attacks and suicide bombings. The Palestinian representative replied that the situation had deteriorated to the point where Israel was practicing state terrorism.    In another resolution, the commission yesterday requested that Israel stop changing the physical and demographic character of the Syrian Golan Heights and allow displaced persons to return home and recover their property. The resolution passed 31 in favor, with 21 abstentions and one dissenting vote cast by the United States.    A third resolution called for an end to the construction of Israeli settlements in the Arab-occupied territories, as they were "a major obstacle to peace and to the creation of an independent, viable, sovereign and democratic Palestinian State." It passed 50 in favor with two abstentions and one dissenting vote cast by the United States.    The three resolutions were discussed under yesterday's agenda item on the "question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine" (U.N. release, April 15).    A fourth resolution concerning Palestinians, under an agenda item on "the right to self-determination and racism and racial discrimination," was approved Monday. It reaffirmed the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, "including their right to establish their sovereign and independent Palestinian state," and passed by a vote of 51 in favor, one opposed and one abstention. The United States cast the sole dissenting vote.    In response to the resolution, the representative from Israel said self-determination was a matter to be negotiated between the two parties. The representative claimed the Palestinian Authority had chosen not to pursue negotiations but to use violence to try to force an outcome in its favor. The Palestinian representative said the statement of the Israeli delegation was meant to mislead the commission's members.    Measures Adopted On Western Sahara, Mercenaries, Religious Freedom    Under the same agenda item, the commission adopted without a vote a resolution reaffirming the responsibility of the United Nations toward the people of Western Sahara, as called for in the settlement plan and evidenced by U.N. plans to organize a referendum for self-determination with the help of the African Union.    A resolution condemning the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights passed 37 in favor, with nine against and seven abstentions. The resolution stated that armed conflicts, terrorism, arms trafficking and covert operations encouraged the demand for mercenaries.    The commission passed a resolution deploring negative stereotyping of religions, especially of Islam, which it said is frequently and wrongly associated with terrorism. The resolution, which also condemned ethnic and religious profiling of Muslims following the events of September 11, 2001, passed by a vote of 32 in favor, with seven abstentions and 14 against. Several delegations voting against the measure said it placed too much emphasis on Islam at the risk of ignoring other religions whose practitioners suffer discrimination (U.N. release, April 14).    Debate Concluded On Rights Of The Child    Also on Monday, the commission concluded its general debate on the rights of the child, hearing from a number of national delegations, international groups and nongovernmental organizations.    Christa Nickels, president of the Bundestag Commission on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, said the war in Iraq was a challenge in terms of human rights and called on the speedy distribution of aid to the most vulnerable Iraqis, including women, children and the elderly. Several delegations noted that children are highly vulnerable to poverty, armed conflicts, sexual exploitation and HIV/AIDS. Many emphasized the importance of education and the need of all countries to eliminate human trafficking and ratify protocols on child sexual exploitation (U.N. release II, April 14).    Commission Postpones Vote On Cuba Until Tomorrow    After hearing two hours of debate today over Cuba's crackdown on political dissidents, the commission postponed until tomorrow a vote on a resolution calling on Cuba "to release immediately all these persons" arrested and detained for their political views.    The original text of the resolution only asked Cuba to accept a visit by a U.N. human rights monitor, but Costa Rica, one of the sponsors of the resolution, today proposed amending it in response to the conviction and sentencing of a large number of political dissidents in the past week.    Cuba said the resolution was sponsored by the "vile lackeys of the Empire," referring to the United States (AP/MSNBC.com, April 15).    Rights Experts, Ivory Coast Minister Address Commission    The commission yesterday heard a report from Hina Jilani, the special representative on human rights defenders, outlining her fear that dangerous trends are obstructing the work of human rights workers and organizations. Jilani said some nations had adopted the strategy of associating human rights activities with support for terrorism, and a rapid expansion of policy and procedures restricting the work of defenders was undermining their work.    Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Human Responsibilities Miguel Alfonso Martinez said visits to several countries had highlighted the need for a clear definition of human responsibilities of individuals and nongovernmental organizations. He said many human rights violations resulted directly from the lack of a sense of individual responsibility.    Minister of Human Rights for Ivory Coast Victorine Wodie told the commission yesterday that since a 1999 coup, Ivory Coast had been progressively recovering, as evidenced by the organization of a reconciliation forum. Wodie also said that respect of human rights was a process that would take a long time, and she expressed disappointment that despite the government's efforts to integrate the foreign population into its workings, it was considered a "xenophobic state" (U.N. release II, April 15). Visit the related web page
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