Human Rights Council
MORNING

15 March 2011

The Human Rights Council this morning concluded its general debate on situations that require the Council’s attention. During the general debate, speakers raised specific human rights violations in a number of countries and regions.

Speaking during the general debate were representatives from Belgium, China, Poland, Thailand, Cuba, Republic of Moldova, Algeria, Austria, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria, Timor Leste, Israel, Costa Rica and Australia.

Representatives of the following non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Baha’i International Community, Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik, Asian Legal Resource Centre, Human Rights Watch, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Amnesty International, American Association of Jurists, Non-violent Radical Party Transnational and Transparty, Centrist Democratic International, Comité Internationale pour le Respect et l’Application de la Charte Africaine des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples, Indian Council of South America, Charitable Institute for Protecting Social Victims, Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, United Towns Agency for North-South Cooperation, Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy, CIVICUS-World Alliance for Citizen Participation, International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations, Organisation pour la Communication en Afrique et de la Coopération Economique Internationale, Al-Hakim Foundation, Centre for Inquiry, the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, International Humanist and Ethical Union, North South XXI, World Muslim Congress, International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, Action Internationale pour la Paix et le Développement dans la Région des Grands Lacs, World Federation of Democratic Youth, International Club for Peace Research, United Schools International, International Association for Democracy in Africa, Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, Centre for Environmental and Management Studies, International Institute for Peace, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, International Association of Schools of Social Work, International Committee for Indians of the Americas (INCOMINDIOS Switzerland), Press Emblem Campaign, Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights jointly with International Educational Development, Inc., Society for Threatened People, World Organization Against Torture, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Conectas Direitos Humanos, International Educational Development, Liberation, Frances Libertés: Fondation Danielle Mitterand, United Nations Watch, Minority Rights Group, Iranian Elite Research Centre, Network of Women NGOs in Iran, Union de l’action feminine, International Agency for Development, European Union of Public Relations and African Association of Education for Development.

Speaking in right of reply were Syria, Belarus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Zimbabwe, China, Cuba, Nigeria, Morocco and Algeria.

Today the Council is holding non-stop meetings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its next meeting will be at 1 p.m. when it hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on minority issues, consider the reports of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, the Forum on Minority Issues, the Social Forum and the Open-ended intergovernmental Working Group on a draft United Nations declaration on human rights education and training, and hold a general debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms.

General Debate on Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention

FRANCOIS ROUX (Belgium) said that the human rights situation in Iran was continuing to worsen and required close monitoring by the Council. Iran had to respect international human rights obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and it must free all detained persons. In Syria the situation of political opponents and human rights defenders continued to be a problem. Syria had also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and therefore it should respect human rights.

The situation in Pakistan remained of concern and Belgium rejected the reservations made by Pakistan to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture. These reservations cancelled the effect of these two treaties. In addition, the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remained a concern. Belgium welcomed the efforts of the country in the fight against impunity, as illustrated by the trial on the murder of Floribert Chebeya and by the fact that the Government of the Republic Democratic Republic of Congo was preparing a plan of action to implement the plan of the Special Rapporteur and of the High Commissioner. However sexual violence still prevailed. Belgium encouraged the Democratic Republic of the Congo to step up the efforts to bring the necessary reforms.

The situation in Côte d’Ivoire had been worsening since the presidential elections in November 2010 and Belgium called upon the county to respect its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Belgium was concerned about the degradation of human rights in Belarus and called upon the county to free political prisoners and establish a moratorium on the death penalty. Belgium was also concerned about the situation in Libya.

XIA JINGE (China) said that concerning human rights situations that merited the attention of the Human Rights Council, China believed it was essential to respect the specifics of each country and region and the principles of impartiality. It was essential to do away with double standards and politicization. Naming and shaming would not help solve the problems and would not help the Council to achieve its objectives. China regarded the promotion and protection of human rights as an important basis of the policy, and with the premise of respecting the state law, the freedoms and rights of people were fully protected. In recent years the Government had increased support to areas with ethnic minorities, where their political and minority rights were fully guaranteed. The situation in the Middle East had a bearing on the world’s security and China hoped those countries would restore to normalcy as soon as possible. China believed in the capacity of people to resolve their problems within their countries and find the way to economic prosperity.

REMIGIUSZ A. HENCZEL (Poland) said Poland was pleased with the strong and timely reaction of the Council to the massive violence against peaceful demonstrators in Libya. The establishment of the Commission of Inquiry and the update by the High Commissioner on the situation in Libya served as the most recent proof that human rights violations would not be left unattended, especially when States failed to protect their citizens. Poland would like to draw the Council’s attention to the situation in Belarus following the presidential election in December 2010, in which over 700 participants of the peaceful and lawful post-electoral rally were arrested, including presidential candidates and opposition leaders. The crackdown in Belarus continued in a more targeted way. Poland called on the Belarusian authorities to release immediately all opposition leaders, journalists, and human rights defenders, to cease harassment and intimidation of political detainees, and to conduct transparent investigations into the abusive and disproportionate use of force by police against demonstrators.

PRANG ANUSSORN-NITISARA (Thailand) said that concerning the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand shared the concern of the High Commissioner regarding the deteriorating situation of human rights violations and abuses that were taking place in the country. The clashes between the two sides had immensely affected the livelihood of the people of Côte d’ Ivoire. Thailand commended the efforts made by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in mediating the ongoing conflict between the two sides. With regard to the situation of human rights violations in Libya, Thailand welcomed the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry by the President and called upon all parties to provide full cooperation with the Commission in discharging its mandate in a timely manner.

LUIS AMOROS NUNEZ (Cuba) said that several Western States had yet again shown their intention to impose on the Council the harmful practices of the former Human Rights Commission, marked by the lack of credibility. But now the time had changed and these States could no longer impose their hegemonic aspirations. They were trying to extend impunity for human rights violations and nothing was heard about their own violations of human rights and none had eluded to secret prisons in Europe, or to acts of torture, or to secret flights. There was a total silence vis-à-vis the establishment of secret military courts. There was no real sincerity in the human rights rhetoric of those countries, which were among the worst human rights violators. Cuba said it had had enough of their hypocrisy and denounced their projects of hegemony, in particular that of the United States.

VLADIMIR CHIRINCIUC (Republic of Moldova) said the Republic of Moldova supported the aspirations of the Egyptian and Tunisian people for a democratic transition in their countries and believed that the role of the international community should be to help them to achieve their aspirations. The Human Rights Council’s action on Libya had offered an opportunity to prove the capacity of the Council to respond urgently to human rights violations in Libya. The Republic of Moldova called on the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to cease violence and to resolve the situation. The Republic of Moldova hoped that the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran would assist the authorities to improve the human rights situation within the country and to honour their standing invitation to all existing Special Procedures. The Republic of Moldova was concerned that people of various religious confessions continued to be victims of acts of religious intolerance and discrimination and it strongly condemned such acts and all forms of incitement to religious hatred and violence.

SIM MELLOUH (Algeria) said that Algeria was following the human rights situation in the Western Sahara and was concerned about the human rights situation in the non-autonomous territories. Recently, in November last year, many citizens were victims of violence that was denounced by the African Union and the European Union Parliament and the Parliaments of several countries across the world, as well as by many non-governmental organizations. Algeria called for the political release of the citizens in the Western Saharan. Algeria was following closely the development in the Maghreb region and hoped to see an improvement of the situation which would also benefit the situation in the Sahara.

CHRISTIAN STROHAL (Austria) said the objective of the Human Rights Council was to seek improvements in human rights situations on the ground. The Council had recently demonstrated the capacity to address human rights emergencies in real time and its Special Sessions on Côte d’Ivoire and Libya were a real demonstration of what the Council was able to do. Austria welcomed the progress and new developments in the Middle East and North Africa Region. There were important lessons to be learnt from those regions and they must be learnt in other parts of the world. Austria was concerned about the human rights situation in Belarus and in Iran, and was shocked by the killing of the Minister for minorities in Pakistan. The renewed violence in Nigeria and in Indonesia was also a matter of concern.

GERARD CORR (Ireland) said Ireland remained concerned about the growth of religious intolerance, including recent incidents relating to persons belonging to religious minorities in Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria and other countries and was worried about the discriminatory treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. Ireland would like to note in particular the situation in Belarus. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Ireland remained very concerned about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and settlers’ violence against civilians was of special concern. Ireland urged the Israeli authorities to take steps to ensure the equal protection of all civilians under their control. Ireland regretted that the gross and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by the Burmese regime were continuing.

MARIUS GRINIUS (Canada) said Canada remained seriously concerned by the ongoing deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, particularly the recent increase in executions. There were reports that up to 100 people had been executed in Iran in 2011 alone, many of them political prisoners. Canada remained deeply disturbed by the continued disregard for human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including reports of torture, forced labour, public executions and collective punishment, as well as disregard for the freedom of expression and movement, and reports of the harsh treatment of asylum-seekers who had left the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and had been repatriated. Canada continued to urge Belarus to end the ongoing repression against the political opposition, human rights activists and independent media, including the brutal suppression of the post-election demonstrations in Minsk and court proceedings against some protesters including five former presidential candidates. They were also seriously disturbed by reports of the ongoing harassment of all segments of civil society.

REINHARD SCHWEPPE (Germany) said Germany remained concerned about the human rights situation in many countries but also remained aware of the progress made in the course of recent years. Germany was convinced that the transition to democracy in North Africa and the Middle East was the guarantee of freedom of the press, which must apply to foreign correspondents as well. Germany called on China to guarantee the freedom of expression of its minorities and to guarantee their rights according to the international obligations it had accepted. The strict law on blasphemy in Pakistan had reduced freedom of expression and Germany was deeply worried by the developments in this country. Germany applauded Angola which had made freedom of expression a constitutional right and deplored systematic oppression of journalists in Belarus. Germany closely watched the treatment of journalists in Eastern Europe and had heard voices of journalists and the reports of increasing pressure on the media in Ukraine. Journalists also increasingly suffered from non-state actors and one example was the number of journalists killed by organised crime in Mexico.

VERONIKA STROMSIKOVA (Czech Republic) said it was regrettable that the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continued to ignore calls for the improvement of the human rights situation in the county and the calls for cooperation by the Council’s Special Procedures. The Government of Myanmar should take immediate steps to end the continuing grave violations of human rights, humanitarian law and fundamental freedoms. The Czech Republic was concerned at the persisting persecution of individuals in Iran who peacefully strove for the enjoyment of their basic rights and was deeply concerned about developments in Belarus, especially about the human rights violations that took place in the aftermath of the presidential elections. The Czech Republic called on Mr. Gbagbo in Côte d’Ivoire to respect the results of the elections.

TANJA VESTERGAARD JORGENSEN (Denmark) said that Denmark remained alarmed by the continued, massive human rights violations and crackdowns on the political opposition by the Iranian authorities. Denmark strongly condemned the widespread and systematic human rights abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in particular the use of torture, extrajudicial and arbitrary detention, the imposition of the death penalty for political and religious reasons and the inhuman treatment in labour camps and prisons against political prisoners and repatriated persons. Finally, Denmark strongly urged the new Government of Myanmar at this crucial time of transition to embark on a new path towards democracy and ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of the entire population. They further called on the Government to embark on an inclusive process of national reconciliation and to this end take immediate measures to engage in a meaningful and substantive dialogue through all channels with all opposition parties, both in and outside the parliament, and with political, ethnic and civil society groups and actors.

JAN KNUTSSON (Sweden) said that recent events in the Middle East and North Africa were a reminder of the universality of the norms that were the basis of the work of this Council. Sweden condemned the use of violence against civilians in Libya. Sweden was concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and urged the Government of Iran to stop executions and end the barbaric practice of stoning. Intimidation of individuals exercising their freedom of expression must end, as must repression of human rights defenders. Sweden proposed establishing a country mandate to address the human rights situation in Iran. Freedom of expression and information online as well as offline was crucial for democratic change. Sweden was worried by set backs in the development towards the rule of law in China, by the harassment of human rights defenders, the extensive use of the death penalty and the infringements on the freedom of expression and assembly. Sweden also expressed its concern about the human rights situation in several other countries, including Belarus, Côte d’Ivore, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

SEYED MOHAMMAD REZA SAJJADI (Iran) said the United States had the largest range of violations of human rights in its record within and outside the country, including the establishment of secret detention centres in various parts of the world and the adoption of so-called terrorism legislation which violated basic human rights standards. Different United Nations reports elaborated several topics regarding violations of human rights of Canadian Muslims inter alia discrimination in access to employment and unjustified police surveillance. Serious human rights situations in Sweden included Islamphobia and an increasing number of racially motivated crimes.

SO SE PYONG (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) said that today human rights violations had many shapes and to prevent human rights violations on the ground the Council needed to fully display its mission and take effective measures for the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. The Council should not allow some countries to interfere in the national sovereignty and domestic affairs of other countries. The principles of impartiality, universality and objectivity should be fully upheld. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea placed the people at the centre and the Government regarded human rights as invaluable and continued to take practical measures to protect human rights and promote women’s and children’s rights. They viewed in the future a development of their social system in order to make an active contribution to the global promotion and protection of human rights.

FAYSAL KHABBAS HAMOUI (Syria) said constructive cooperation and dialogue were a proper track for bridging the gap between States and for the promotion and protection of human rights. Engaging the countries in the dialogue on human rights had proven to be the best way to secure their cooperation, particularly for developing countries, and this was the reason for which this Council had been established. Iran had recently undergone the Universal Periodic Review and had sent the high-level delegation and had responded to all questions asked. It had committed to implementation of a high number of recommendations arising from this process. The international community should provide Iran with help and assistance to implement them. Human rights questions were of paramount importance and required cooperation and dialogue between States in order to achieve common objectives, namely the respect of human dignity everywhere in the world.

JOAQUIM A.M.L. DA FONSECA (Timor Leste) said Timor Leste would like to draw the attention of the Council to the denial of the right to self determination of the people of the Western Sahara. Timor Leste was gravely concerned by the ill treatment, unfair trials, and violent repression of civilian dissent, such as was seen in Laayoune last November. These were examples of human rights abuses endured by the Sahrawi people in the occupied territory. Timor Leste urged the Council to explore ways to convince the Security Council of the establishment of a human rights monitoring mandate within the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara and called on the Council to bring the human rights situation in the Western Sahara under regular examination during its sessions.

WALID ABU-HAYA (Israel) said that decades of country situations of subjugation and despair, under long-term leaders and tyrannical regimes in the Middle East, were no longer being tolerated by the people. After untold years of suppression and humiliation, millions of people went out to the streets to peacefully exercise their confiscated freedoms and rights, requesting a sincere and genuine process of profound political, civil and economic reform towards democratic transformation. Sadly, these struggles for democracy and freedom had cost the lives of thousands of innocent people. Countries of the Middle East, and similarly in other parts of the world, had been brutalized by undemocratic leaders who were never elected or chosen by their nations. These leaders were forced on the peoples, by military coup or inheritance. In such places, and under such regimes, the basic human rights and fundament freedoms of the people were suppressed and violated by the government authorities for the purpose of ensuring the survival of the regime. Israel had grave concerns with regard to the brutal suppression of human rights in Iran and said that the international community had to send a very clear message to the Iranian people fighting for their freedom and democracy that they were not forgotten and their struggle for freedom and liberty was being heard.

CHRISTIAN GUILLERMET-FERNANDEZ (Costa Rica) said that five years ago the world witnessed the adoption of the General Assembly resolution, which established that the Human Rights Council had to address human rights violations, including gross and systematic violations. Costa Rica had made suggestions during the review process in order to enhance this capability of the Council. The Council had responded very well to the situations in Libya and in Côte d’Ivoire but it should not rest on its laurels. Fundamental rights and fundamental freedoms must be upheld in all regions and under all circumstances. The Council had heard yesterday from the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

MIRANDA BROWN (Australia) said Australia condemned the ongoing violence in Libya and welcomed the General Assembly’s decision to suspend Libya’s membership of this Council and called on the Libyan regime to immediately cease its attacks on the Libyan people. Australia remained gravely concerned about the systematic human rights abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including the use of execution, torture, beatings and other cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, which remained widespread. The human rights situation in Fiji continued to deteriorate under the unelected, military-led interim Government. Australia was gravely concerned by Myanmar’s suppression of the human rights and democratic aspirations of its people and noted that there remained over 2,000 political prisoners in Myanmar. The use of violence, intimidation and the arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders and political activists in Iran remained a concern for Australia which urged Iran to stay all executions, respect and guarantee the human rights of detainees, ensure all trials were conducted fairly and transparently and to abide by its human rights obligations.

DIANE ALA'I, of Baha’i International Community, said that Baha’is had faced many abuses over the past 30 years. In government-sponsored media and from Iran’s pulpits, the history and teachings of Baha’i faith were blatantly falsified and misrepresented to incite hatred against them. Their homes were illegally searched; their property confiscated. The persecution extended from the cradle to the grave. In classrooms, Baha’i children were vilified, could be expelled if they corrected misinformation, and had no access to programmes for the gifted or for athletes. Youth were excluded by university and adults were banned from all government jobs and from many private sector business. For all these abuses, they had clear and ample evidence. When protestations were made against these egregious acts, Government officials simply asserted that Iran’s Baha’i had their full citizenship rights. Baha’i International Community asked the Council for how long such lies and hypocrisy would go unchallenged.

NAYEB HASHEM HASSAN, of Verein Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik, said that since the fifteenth session of the Human Rights Council, the people of North Africa were finally able to pave their way to democracy and human rights in their respective lands. Citizens of Egypt and Tunisia were making every effort to establish free and just elections and to ensure that laws were based on human rights, while Libyans had lost and continue to lose many lives to achieve the same. But during the same period, Iran had further systematized, expanded and diversified its violent forces to repress the human rights movement so desperately sought by Iranians of all walks of life.

MICHAEL ANTHONY, of Asian Legal Resource Centre, said the Asian Legal Resource Centre was deeply concerned by the situation of and violence against religious minorities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Pakistan. The assassination of the Pakistani religious minorities’ Minister was evidence of how religious intolerance was tolerated and impunity for those crimes promoted. The Asian Legal Resource Centre called on the Thai Government to commit to criminalizing forced disappearances and ratify the Convention against Enforced Disappearances.

PHILIPPE DAM, of Human Rights Watch, said that over the past several months Human Rights Watch had documented an alarming deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, in particular escalation in the targeting of the opposition leaders, lawyers and civil society activities. Since the disputed elections in June 2009, the Government had not issued any permits to pro-reform demonstrators allowing them to stage public protests. An alarming rise in the number of executions had also been recorded. Human rights violations committed in Belarus since the December 2010 election, including persecution of opposition activists, abuse of detainees and raids on human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch urged the Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution condemning human rights violations in Belarus.

POOJA PATEL, of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, said that the Asian Forum had grave concerns over the systematic erosion of democratic structures and institutions in Sri Lanka. The 18th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution removed safeguards against the concentration of power in the Executive Presidency. The resettlement of those displaced by the conflict was proceeding without a clear commitment to reconciliation and without adequate consultation with the affected communities. The Asian Forum reiterated the previous call by the High Commissioner of Human Rights to establish an independent international accountability mechanism that would enjoy public confidence, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The Council should abide by its collective responsibility to thoroughly consider and act upon the findings and recommendations from the report of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts to be issued in the coming weeks.

PETER SPLINTER, of Amnesty International, said Amnesty International was concerned about politically-motivated, communal and sectarian violence across Nigeria in the run-up to the April 2011 elections. Human rights defenders and journalists faced increasing intimidation and harassment and the Nigerian authorities had failed to bring suspected perpetrators to justice or to take other effective measures to ensure the reduction of violence in the country. The failure of the Nigerian authorities to take action had allowed a climate of impunity to develop which fostered conditions conducive to a further escalation of violence around the upcoming elections. Amnesty International urged the Nigerian authorities to take comprehensive measures to protect the right to life and security of persons across the country.

EDURNE RIONDO, of American Association of Jurists, drew the attention of the Human Rights Council to the situation in Haiti. The American Association of Jurists called for the non-militarization of the situation in Haiti and for the respect of the sovereignty of the country. They asked the United States not to deport Haitian peoples and said that after the earthquake they saw a lot of irregularities, such as the acceleration of the adoption procedures and violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The victims of the Duvalier regime had never obtained reparation and there was a need to uphold the rights to justice, the right to integral reparation and to adopt judicial reforms. The responsibilities of those who committed crimes against humanity were not bound by the statutes of limitation.

JANA BRANDT, of Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty, said that they were deeply concerned about the systematic violation of freedom of opinion and expression in Iran and China. These two countries were spearheading the list of imprisoned journalists worldwide with at least 34 jailed journalists on December 1, 2010, according to a recent report released by the Committee to Protect Journalists. In addition, Reporters Without Borders considered them the world’s top violators of Internet freedom, highlighting that China’s Great Firewall was the world’s most consummate censorship system.

ELMAMI AHL AHMED BRAHIM, of Centrist Democratic International, said that Centrist Democratic International had always welcomed the work of the Human Rights Council and drew the attention of the Council to the human rights violations and suffering of the people confined in the Tinduf. They were not able to enjoy their right to work and there were accounts of massive diversions of humanitarian aid. The Polisario was responsible for the violations of human rights that occurred on the ground. The international community and the United Nations must put pressure on the Polisario and Algeria to respect their rights, including their right to self determination.

ISSELKOU RABANI, of International Committee for the Respect and the Application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, expressed concern about the situation of Mauritanian citizens arbitrarily detained by the Polisario. Hundreds had been held in prisons and people had been used as human shields. Algeria had been using the Polisario as a proxy in its war against Morocco. Today it was unacceptable for States to violate the rights of people caught up in a left-over of the Cold War.

RONALD BARNES, of Indian Council of South America, in a joint statement with International Educational Development, said that Alaska was on the list of United Nations disputed territories and it belonged to the Indigenous Peoples as asserted by the United States, Great Britain and other European nations. International standard setting processes being deliberated by the Convention on Biological Diversity such as the Nagoya Protocol had denied absolute title rights to Indigenous Property. The Human Rights Council should provide for a Special Rapporteur on the right to self determination to address violations in Alaska, Hawaii and other situations in the western hemisphere.

MARYAM SAFARI, of Charitable Institute for Protection of Social Victims, said the Charitable Institute for Protection of Social Victims condemned any kind of economic sanctions based approaches of States against other States that affected health, hygiene, education and the economy and ultimately the dignity of human beings. The Institute called upon the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation and also the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity to review the effects of economic sanctions on the lives of ordinary citizens of States under sanction and publish their findings.

GOLSHAN PAZHOAH, of Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, said that following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the defined processes and procedures in the framework of the “war on terror” had caused serious concerns among various human rights advocates and groups. The establishment of a shadow justice system in the United Kingdom, which greatly restricted terrorist suspects of their rights, was one of the gravest violations of human rights. Furthermore, America’s failure to remain committed to international law and principles regarding detention, the transfer of individuals, putting prisoners into secret detention centres and the use of inhumane techniques to extract confessions were amongst some of the worst human rights violations committed by the United States.

MEHRAN BALUCH, of United Towns Agency for North-South Cooperation, said that the Baluch nation had been facing unabated brutal repression and unlawful detentions by Pakistan’s monolithic Punjabi army. Atrocities perpetrated on the Baluch nation had a long history dating back to Pakistan’s inception and its illegal occupation of Balochistan in 1948. The situation in Balochistan was alarming. Eighty percent of the Baloch people had no access to the Internet and local Balochi newspapers were banned. The Pakistani establishment had in effect created fascist, anti-Baluch proxy and terrorist organizations like “Musallah Defa” with the aim of dividing, defaming and destroying Baluch nationalism.

SEKHON AWATAR SINGH, of Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy, said that there was an ever increasing influence of extremist organizations in India, posing threats to the survival of human beings. The non-Hindu minorities were threatened by the extremist elements, who had been given a free hand to suppress the minorities. The Government of India had failed badly to check the role of the majority militants and fundamentalists and they even dictated to the Government to pursue their violent agenda. If the violent activities of the far-right wing political groups were not checked, human rights of minority groups would certainly continue to suffer in India. The Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy appealed to the Human Rights Council to urge the Government of India to outlaw all those political parties that used agendas of violence and hatred.

RENATE BLOEM, of CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation, in a joint statement with Franciscans International, said that CIVICUS had raised the issue of the Morong 43 case, as a proof of the continuing practice of torture in the Philippines. CIVICUS thanked all those who supported the struggle for freedom and helped the release of 33 of those who had been detained. Still, they were vulnerable to harassment by the military as long as they remained unaccountable. CIVICUS appealed to the Council to strongly urge the Government of the Philippines to implement the anti-torture law and stop the practice of torture and filing of trumped-up charges against those who had been tagged as enemies in the context of implementing a counter-insurgency programme.

ALTAF WANI, of International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations, said the Human Rights Council had largely remained silent on the plight of the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Human rights organizations like Amnesty International had reported on the systematic nature of oppression in Kashmir. It was time that the international human rights bodies and the United Nations system collectively placed pressure on the Government of India to end its militarized governance and withdraw its army from the populated areas, to revoke the draconian armed forces special powers act, to end the oppression of Kashmiri people and the release of all political prisoners and young boys from jails, and to create a conducive atmosphere to resolve the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

ANEESA NABI KHAN, of Organisation pour la communication en Afrique et de promotion de la coopération économique internationale (Ocaproce International), said her name was Aneesa Nabi Khan from the village of Kutlari Mawar Handwara in Kupwara District and she was here in search of her father and to seek punishment for those that had killed her mother. Her father was taken away by the Indian Security forces on 24 July 1996 when she was four years old. While her mother pursued the release of the girl’s father, the state authorities harassed her and asked her not to pursue the case otherwise she would have to bear the consequences which happened on 26 August 2003 when troopers of the local Territorial Army barged into her house and shot indiscriminately and killed the mother. She requested the Chairperson of the Working Group on enforced disappearances and other United Nations human rights defenders help her to find her father.

ABDUL AMIER HASHOM, of Al-Hakim Foundation, said that the events that were taking place in North Africa and the Middle East were showing that the will of the people could not be stopped. The people had the right to use all legitimate needs to have their voices heard. This was the beginning of a new era for the Arab world and the end to despotism. Hopefully, this would send a clear message to dictators around the world that the time had come to implement reforms and institute change.

JACH JEFFERY, of Centre for Inquiry, said that every year since 1999, the Organization of the Islamic Conference had introduced resolutions combating defamation, denigration or vilification of religion, first in the Commission for Human Rights and now in the Council. More than 200 non-governmental organizations had consistently opposed these resolutions because they struck not only at freedom of expression but directly at freedom of religion or belief. All States were surely opposed to incitement to hatred or violence by anyone, against anyone and for any reason. The Centre for Inquiry concluded by reminding the Council that it was people who had human rights, not ideas, religions or beliefs.

SHOKO OSHIRO, of International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, said that a lot of tragedies were caused by human beings themselves, taking the lives of others and violating fundamental human rights. The International Movement continued to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to give meaningful effect to pledges given to protect human rights at various sessions of the Human Rights Council. The National Human Rights Plan was rushed, flawed and reframed and ignored substantive contributions made by civil society. The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism condemned the assassination of the Punjab Governor and the Minority Minister in Pakistan and called upon the Government of Pakistan to take all measures to protect human rights defenders working for minorities.

KEITH WOOD, of International Humanist and Ethical Union, said that several contraventions by the Holy See on the rights of the child had been exposed at the twelfth and thirteenth sessions of the Human Rights Council. The representative of the Holy See had not denied all of the allegations but claimed that the report, then 12 years overdue, had been finalized. It still remained to be filed. Recently, Vatican letters to the Bishop of Tucson and the Irish bishops had emerged which confirmed the Holy See’s determination to keep wrongdoing from the secular authorities. International Humanist and Ethical Union called upon the Council to hold the Holy See accountable for its breach of obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its disregard for its duty of care for the abused children, its systematic cover-up of thousands of cases of abuse and its failure to adequately control those put in a position of trust with children.

NATALIA PAVALADU, of North South XXI, said there were still some human rights situations that remained off the agenda of the Council. One of these thematic areas was human rights in situations of foreign and oppressive occupation. Iraq and Afghanistan, where members of the Council had directly contributed to the killing and inhumane treatment of millions of people, including the forced displacement of over five million Iraqis and countless Afghanis, were striking reminders of the grave threat to human rights by occupation. North South XXI encouraged the Council to cooperate with specialized agencies to ensure a human rights approach was considered by them. It noted that the World Health Organization was a striking example of a United Nations specialized agency that had never adopted a resolution on the human right to health at its World Health Assembly. North South XXI asked the members of this Council to think creatively as to how they could ensure that agencies such as the World Health Organization worked to ensure the right to health using a human rights approach.

Mr. A. QURAISHI, of World Muslim Congress, said World Muslim Congress was concerned over the increasing prejudice and hatred against Islam and Muslims in different parts of the world. The most dangerous aspect of this phenomenon was that political leaders were playing on fears about Islam and Muslims for their political gains. The World Muslim Congress noted with regret that despite increasing instances of religious intolerance and discrimination against Muslims in Western societies, the international community had failed to take substantive steps to reverse such trends. The situation warranted immediate intervention by the Council, a primary body of the United Nations on human rights, to check these serious challenges.

ISHTIYAQ HAMEED, of International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, said that the Human Rights Council was a testament to the willingness and the desire of the global community to achieve human rights and justice for all. On February 23 1991 Indian troops entered the village of Kunan Poshpora in Northern Kashmir. Throughout the night, up to 100 women as old as 80 and as young as 13 were sexually assaulted. The tragedy of failing to prosecute the perpetrators of this incident was all too clear and only served to encourage such acts of brutality and gross human rights abuse.

HAMDI CHERIFI, of Action internationale pour la paix et le développement dans la région des Grands Lacs (AIPD), said that freedom of expression was a basic and a sacred right that should be protected under all circumstances. As the Polisario militia continued to turn a deaf ear, the Human Rights Council shouldered the responsibility to address situations of human rights violations in the Tindouf camps, including gross and systematic violations of the right to freedom of expression, which necessitated urgent action from the international community. In conclusion, the speaker called on the Human Rights Council to take the necessary actions to ensure the safe return of Mr. Ould Sidi Mouloud to the Tindouf camps and also to make sure that he would be able to express his points of view freely upon his return to the camps.

MALAININ LAKHAL, of World Federation of Democratic Youth, said that the human rights situation in the Western Sahara was frequently qualified as serious and requiring urgent and concrete intervention. There had been no progress in the negotiations between the two parties to the conflict in Western Sahara, Morocco and Polisario Front, while the United Nations mission on the ground was the only peacekeeping mission that did not include a component to monitor and protect human rights. Many organizations had called on the United Nations to send a mission to investigate the different allegations of human rights abuses that had resulted from the latest attack by the Moroccan army. The two parties to the conflict were always advancing allegations and counter-allegations of violations and human rights abuses. The World Federation of Democratic Youth believed that it was the time for the Human Rights Council to look into this situation.

JOSEPH ANAND, of International Club for Peace Research, said that the Pakistani Government must investigate the killings of over 40 Baloch leaders and political activists over the past four months. The Baloch leaders and activists had been obviously targeted and the Government must do much more to end this alarming trend. The Pakistani Government must show that it could and would lead investigations of the Pakistani military and Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies, who were widely accused of playing a role in those incidents. The International Club for Peace Research urged the Human Rights Council to inquire into these and many more instances of murders and torture of Balouch people in Pakistan.

PAYALBEN PATEL, of United Schools International, said citizenship was derived by birth within Pakistan but reporting of births was voluntary and in lieu of a birth certificate, individuals often used school records attested by the headmaster or principal of the school or matriculation certificates which identified the father and the date of birth. Juveniles accused of terrorism or narcotics offenses were not protected under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance. In the last two years militants destroyed approximately 200 schools in the Swat Valley during the Taliban insurgency. Children as young as 12 were arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act and if convicted, were subject to the death penalty. According to media reports, Taliban militants forcibly recruited child soldiers. United Schools International requested the immediate attention of the Human Rights Council to the human rights situation of children in Pakistan.

VISHAL SHAH, of Foundation for Democracy in Africa, said Balochistan had a long history of civil and armed unrest since the creation of Pakistan in 1947 as ethnic Baloch groups advocated greater autonomy within the state or complete separation. Balochistan held the largest single source of domestic energy reserves in Pakistan but the Baloch people remained one of the poorest communities in the country with some of the lowest literacy rates, employment rates and life expectancies. The International Association for Democracy in Africa urged the Human Rights Council to ask the Pakistani Government to investigate all alleged human rights abuses, including disappearances, bring all perpetrators of abuses to justice and ensure that all individuals brought to justice received a fair trial and were not subjected to torture or other abuses in detention.

PRAVEEN GAJJALA, of Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, said that although the Government of Pakistan had taken some positive steps, the overall human rights situation remained poor. Major problems included extrajudicial killings, torture and disappearances. Rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment and abuse against women also remained serious problems. Honour crimes and discriminatory legislation affected women and religious minorities respectively. In addition, the issue of child abuse and the commercial sexual exploitation of children was particularly alarming and needed to be urgently addressed by both the Human Rights Council and the Pakistani Government.

POLINA LUKASHOVA, of Centre for Environmental and Management Studies, said that the principles of human rights and democracy demanded that all citizens had the freedom to worship in their own unique manner. Pakistan had one of the worst records of inference towards religious minorities. At the heart of this climate of intolerance, according to observers, was the set of blasphemy laws, which were so poorly defined and so widely abused that they had become a source of hatred, used by Muslims against each other to settle personal scores and against minorities to intimidate and persecute. The example of Pakistan was beginning to be emulated in other countries in the region and the rise of extremist elements required the immediate attention of the Council.

Mr. R. JOSHI, of International Institute for Peace, said that the constitution of Pakistan stated that adequate provisions should be made for minorities to profess and practice their religions freely, but the Government limited freedom of religion in practice. There was an increase in cases of violence against minorities. Reprisals and threats of reprisals against suspected converts from Islam occurred. Members of religious minorities were subject to violence and harassment and at times police refused to prevent such actions of charge persons who committed them. The situation of religious minorities in Pakistan required the immediate attention of the Human Rights Council.

JING ZHAO, of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries was committed to forging friendships between China and other nations. The Chinese people had been working very hard to promote human rights. There were universal values in human rights, but also their specific manifestations and forms. It was essential to conduct dialogue on human rights instead of choosing blaming and confrontation. Human rights were in the supreme interest of the people and their most cherished hope. The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries dealt with many journalists and had many journalist friends whose rights were completely guaranteed.

JAMPA MONLAM, of International Fellowship of Reconciliation, said International Fellowship of Reconciliation was deeply concerned that 800 people had been detained in Tibet. Any activities by the Tibetan people were regarded by the Chinese authorities as illegal. Since 2008, 70 artists and bloggers had been imprisoned. Article 25 in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China guaranteed the right to be critical of any organ of the State; however, this was not possible in Tibet and now was the time to address these problems.

JOSEPH WRONKA, of International Association of Schools of Social Work, said the International Association of Schools of Social Work urged all governments to integrate humanitarian disaster relief as a human right in their constitutions. In recognition of the interdependency of rights, the International Association asked all Governments to provide relief whenever possible and abide by international human rights law which did not allow for religion or political opinion to interfere with the fundamental human right to life. The International Association asked all governments to fully support the second draft of the Guiding Principles to Eradicate Extreme Poverty and to consider a legally binding Convention to Abolish Extreme Poverty.

LEON SIU, of International Committee for the Indians of the Americas (Incomindios Switzerland), said that some of the human rights violations of the United States included the confiscation of native Hawaiian lands during the unjustified invasion in 1893. Moreover, the United States was guilty of other crimes against the Hawaiian population, which included forced eviction, the displacement of its inhabitants, the desecration of burials and sacred sites, and the destruction of their culture. The people of Alaska and Hawaii urgently appealed to the Human Rights Council to dispatch the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders to examine and respond to the situation of human rights violations in Alaska and the Hawaiian islands.

CERVANTES DARIO, of Press Emblem Campaign, said that the Press Emblem Campaign condemned the ambush on the Al Jazeera crew in Benghazi, which was an example of targeted killing by pro-Gadaffi forces. There was no excuse or justification for the targeted killing of journalists. The recent attacks on BBC journalists in Libya and the injury of a French press official were simply unacceptable. Press Emblem Campaign therefore called on the Human Rights Council to investigate these brutal attacks on members of the press and to arrange a multi-stakeholder meeting to set up guidelines that would protect journalists when reporting in conflict zones.

TOM GANIATSOS, of Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights, in a joint statement with International Educational Development, said that there was an urgent need to lift the three-year-long inhumane siege on Ashraf and to stop the psychological torture of its residents, which was being carried out day and night with 210 loudspeakers. The public torture and denial of access to medication and medical treatment of 3,400 human beings was intolerable. In light of the fact that the residents of Camp Ashraf qualified as protected civilians under the Fourth Geneva Convention, they urged the Human Rights Council to call on the Iraqi Government, the United Nations Special Envoy to Iraq and the United Nations Mission in Baghdad to dismantle the 210 loudspeakers and to end the unjust medical restrictions.

TENZIN KAYTA, of Society for Threatened People, said that while this Council had been discussing early warning mechanisms and the need to address human rights situations, widespread protests had taking place across the Tibetan Plateau since 2008. Tibetans had suffered immensely from the Chinese security forces crackdown, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, secret detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and custodial deaths, denial of legal rights and lack of the independence of the judiciary and harsh sentences. Measures also included the death penalty and the intensified crackdown on spiritual teachers, human rights defenders, environmentalists, writers, intellectuals, artists and Tibetan entrepreneurs. These tragic realities confronted by the Tibetan people were a direct result of China’s slogan of “people’s war” to suppress the Uprising. Today, the Chinese authorities did not tolerate any expression of Tibetan aspiration. The reality of President Hu Jintao’s “harmoniously society” for Tibetans was a climate of fear, intimidation, domination and repression,

ALEXANDRA KOSSIN, of World Organization Against Torture, said in Yemen reports indicated that at least six individuals had died and at least 100 were injured after the police fired live ammunition and tear gas at peaceful anti-government protests. In Bahrain, riot police used excessive force against the anti-government protests leaving hundreds of individuals injured. The World Organization Against Torture wished to recall that effective steps against torture, such as the repeal of long-term emergency laws of military and special courts and the overhaul of the state security apparatus and an end to the impunity for torture, should be the benchmarks for transitions in the region. The World Organization Against Torture wished to address the grave human rights violations committed by the Border Security Force in West Bengal, India against both Indian and Bangladeshi nationals in an alleged effort to contain illegal cross-border activities.

LAILA MATAR, of Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, said that three days ago peaceful demonstrators were attacked by live ammunition in Yemen and since protests began a month ago at least 12 had been killed and many more injured. In both Bahrain and Yemen no action had been taken to enact concrete reform measures. In Tunisia excessive use of force was still used against civilians. The international community should speak out against the Arab countries that had forcibly suppressed the democratic aspirations of their citizens.

OMID MEMARIAN, of Conectas Direitos Humanos, said that since the Presidential election in June 2009 in Iran, the human rights situation had deteriorated dramatically. Iran was on an execution binge and there had already been around 150 executions in 2011, including three who were hanged for participating in peaceful protests. Iran continued to use barbaric and illegal punishments including stoning, amputation and flogging. At least 500 prisoners of conscience were languishing in Iran’s jails, including prominent lawyers and activists. In closing, the speaker asked the Human Rights Council to establish a special monitoring mechanism to hopefully begin to turn the tragic situation around.

KAREN PARKER, of International Educational Development, brought the attention of the Council to the deteriorating situation in Camp Ashraf in Iraq, home of 3,500 members of the Peoples Mojahidin Organization of Iran. The United Nations and the United States were under international law obligations to protect these persons and the speaker urged the High Commissioner to establish a permanent monitoring team at the camp. Citing examples of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka and Kashmir, International Educational Development said that human rights violations would not be resolved until the United Nations and the international community addressed all issues fairly and impartially.

DIPMONI GAYAN, of Liberation, said that the people of Assam and 7-sister, indigenous and tribal populations, used to live in harmony and respect, but the policy of divide and rule of the politicians of the Indian regime had created an environment of gross human rights abuses in their land. This was the ill-will policy of the Indian administrator towards the Assamese people. The development and construction of mega projects, like dams on the river Brahmaputra, frequently released extra water inundating the land and causing serious floods ten times a year. The situation of the Indian Administration ignored lives and destroyed properties in Assam and its 7-sister. It meant that these people were expendable like animals. Liberation felt that India, the world’s largest democracy, should not allow this to happen. The Council must do everything possible to protect and promote human rights and the heritage of Assamene before it was too late.

EL GHALIA DJMI, of France Libertés – Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, drew the attention of the Council to the human rights situation of the non autonomous territories of the Western Sahara. Not only was there the practice of arbitrary detention and torture but it went hand in hand with the violation of economic, social and cultural rights. Other associations of activists were also repressed because they did not support the official arguments of the Moroccan authorities on the Western Sahara conflict. Arbitrary detention, ill treatment and torture had also targeted the Saharan human rights defenders. They called for human rights protection mechanisms to be introduced in the region through all United Nations bodies

YANG JIANLI, of United Nations Watch, said his name was Yang Jianli. He was the President of Initiatives for China and a Harvard Fellow who had been in Tiananmen Square in 1989 where he witnessed the massacre of thousands by the guns and tanks of the Chinese army. In 2002, he was arrested by the Chinese Government for helping the peaceful labour movement and he served five years in prison. He asked the Council to speak out against the 11-year jail sentence of Liu Xiaobo, a writer who called for freedom. The speaker asked the Council to address the recent, brutal crackdown on Chinese citizens who had peacefully gathered for walks around Chinese cities after hearing about the uprisings in the Middle East, many of these people had been arrested or disappeared.

ANN BLOMBERG, of Minority Rights Group International, said Minority Rights Group would like to focus on the rights of minority groups in conflict areas or failed States. In Somalia, minority groups had been subject to violations. In Sri Lanka human rights violations continued unabated against ethnic Tamils. In Iraq the State had failed to protect religious minorities and in Pakistan minority groups were subject to human rights violations. Minority Rights Group called for constitutional protections for minority groups in all countries.

GHAZI HAMED, of Iranian Elite Research Center, condemned the attitude of Colonel Gaddafi for using excessive force against his own civilians. Given the escalation in violence, the people of Libya were in great need of humanitarian aid and assistance. With Gaddafi’s forces striking civilian centres, the support of the Libyan people by the international community was more important than ever. Finally, the recruitment of mercenaries and the use of heavy arms by the Libyan regime needed to be clearly denounced by the Human Rights Council, as well as Governments the world over.

HAMIDI ZADE, of Network of Women's Non-governmental Organizations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, pointed out several obvious cases of human rights violations and the ignorance of the rights and freedoms of individuals by the Canadian administration. Firstly, the speaker brought the attention of the Council to the discriminatory practices of Canada against its indigenous populations and immigrants, which had been acknowledged in a report released by the Human Rights Council. Another issue of concern was the violence used by Canadian police forces against Toronto protestors. And, last but not least, the Network of Women NGOs in Iran condemned the torturing of hundreds of Afghans from 2006 to 2008 by Canadian authorities, which was in flagrant violation of basic human rights as well as article five of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HAJBOUHA ZOUBEIR, of Union de l'action féminine, said they wished to draw the attention of the Council to the violations committed against women in the camps of the Algerian territories. They asked what was happening in Timor Leste and referred to the crimes that remained unpunished. The situation in Timor Leste required more attention by the Council in order to make sure that justice was carried out.

CHAOUCH MILOUD, of Agence Internationale pour le Developpement (Aide-Federation), drew the attention of the Council to the suffering of Moroccan families expelled from Algeria in 1975. On 18 December 1975 the Algerian Government started to arbitrarily expel 45,000 Moroccan families on the Algerian territories. These measures were taken as a reprisal for the Green March which allowed a return of Sahara, their home land, to Morocco. Even hospitalized patients were not spared from these measures. Arrests, expatriations, confiscations, insults and rapes took place among the ill and the elderly. The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, when examining the report of Algeria, on 27 and 28 April 2010, recommended that Algeria take all the necessary measures to facilitate the regrouping of migrant Moroccan workers with their families remained in Algeria.

BULBUL DHAR, of European Union of Public Relations, said that discrimination and inequity remained obstacles to improving the economic and social lives of women. For example, there were 604 honour killings in Pakistan last year. The legislation against honour killings allowed the victims or the victims’ heirs to negotiate nominal payments in lieu of serious punishment. The European Union of Public Relations raised the practice of marriage in the Koran to avoid the division of property whereby women were prohibited from having contact with any male over 14 years and the women remained under the control of their husband.

GLENNET GIRMA, of African Association of Education for Development, said the Horn of Africa was the worst off area in the African continent with asylum seekers who had fled from it ending up dead on the shores of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Libya and Morocco had played a key role in helping keep back Africans from fortress Europe. The African Association called upon the Council to take into consideration those from the Horn of Africa who were stranded in Libya amidst the civil war. Ethiopian women were stranded in Libya and in the Middle East where they were victims of modern day slavery and were prey to body snatchers. Land grabbing was also a phenomena that created a human rights situation in Ethiopia with people dispossessed without compensation.

Right of Reply

FAYSAL KHABBAS HAMOUI (Syria), speaking in a right of reply, said that the delegations of the United States and Belgium singled themselves out by using unsubstantiated allegations against Syria. By making slanderous claims against other countries, the United States and Belgium were merely undermining their own credibility. Syria added that both of these countries insisted on turning a blind eye to the significant improvements made in the area of human rights in Syria. Finally, Syria suggested that it was hypocritical for the United States to continue supporting and protecting the State of Israel, which had committed grave human rights abuses of a magnitude that could be considered as crimes against humanity.

ANDREI TARANDA (Belarus), speaking in a right of reply in response to the statement by Poland, said that Poland had submitted un-substantive reports to justify their political attitude towards the illegal consequences in Minsk on 19 December 2010. Poland supported these demonstrators and clearly interfered in the political affairs of Belarus. Not a single international instrument set out standards which would encourage citizens to explore their opinions by using non-peaceful means. International human right law allowed for purely peaceful assembly. It was clear that Poland had attempted to raise this issue in the Council for political reasons and the participation in these disturbances were not assuming strictly legal responsibility.

JANG II HUN (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), speaking in a right of reply, said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea rejected the groundless allegations made by the United States and the European Union. It was an expression of extreme arrogance of the Western countries to use human rights violations in their critique of the Government as this was nothing more than a political plot to stifle and isolate the system of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The United States was the originator of all human rights violations around the world and the European Union was also a violator of human rights. The delegation urged both the United States and the European Union to stop politically motivated attempts to intervene in the sovereign affairs of a country with the excuse of human rights when the real attempt was to change the political system of the country. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also urged Israel to withdraw from all the occupied territories of Palestine.

ENOS MAFEMBA (Zimbabwe), speaking in a right of reply, said that the allegations made by the German delegation were erroneous, unfounded and baseless. Zimbabwe reiterated its call on the cabal of Western States to stop targeting Zimbabwe and other developing nations, as they too were often host to an array of human rights abuses, including xenophobia and intolerance. Zimbabwe urged States not to meddle in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe and not to get involved in their bilateral disputes with the United Kingdom. Zimbabwe concluded by saying that it missed the constructive policies of the past and called on all members of the Council to move towards an attitude of cooperation rather than confrontation.

XIA JINGE (China), speaking in a right of reply in response to the delegations of Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic, said the statements by those countries lacked objectivity and fairness and used the practice of politicization. China firmly rejected their statements and hoped that these countries paid attention to their own human rights situations. China had made progress in the building of a democratic system and the ethnic minority people had improved their living and education standards and their cultural heritage had been protected. Their political rights had also been fully guaranteed. The Chinese Government would continue to protect their citizens’ rights according to their law.

LUIS AMOROS NUNEZ (Cuba), speaking in a right of reply, said the Czech Republic and Sweden had no moral right to judge other countries on human rights because both countries had been complicit in the secret flights of abduction with regard to CIA anti-terrorism activities. The Government of Sweden continued to press for the return of Julian Assange which could result in his being sentenced to death if he was extradited to the United States. The Czech Republic’s policy of sterilizing Roma women without their consent was an example of their false respect for human rights.

OSITADINMA ANAEDU (Nigeria), speaking in a right of reply, said that during the General Debate under agenda item four, many allegations against Nigeria were blown out of proportion. Furthermore, the delegation felt it was its duty to correct the false impressions made by some of these allegations. As a testament to its commitment to promote and protect the human rights of all its citizens, Nigeria was a signatory to a number of human rights instruments, which had been adopted at the national level. Moreover, Nigeria proudly defended religious tolerance and acceptance in its country.
Given the secular structure of Nigeria, it should be noted that incidences of communal violence had been shown to have mainly socio-economic causes and were not rooted in religious tensions. Nigeria concluded by saying that the process of electoral reform was well under way and the will of the people would be fully and accurately represented in all forthcoming elections.

OMAR HILALE (Morocco), speaking in a right of reply in response to the statement by Algeria, said that Algeria had referred to the human rights situation in Morocco. Algeria should not be giving a lesson to Morocco on human rights and should be inspired by the democratic advances in their neighbour. Algeria had manipulated the mechanisms of the United Nations and the international press. In 1990 Morocco had shown the way for a democratic Maghreb that should progress with Algeria and not against Algeria. Algeria should look at the devastating reports of non-governmental organizations on the situation in Algeria. These were situations that required the attention of the Council.

MOHAMED DJALEL EDDINE BENADBOUN (Algeria), speaking in a right of reply, said that Morocco had entered in its usual exercise of undermining Algeria and personally attacking the head of Algerian delegation in the high-level segment of this session of the Human Rights Council. The non-autonomous region had been recognised by all but Morocco, which had a separate status. Morocco was administering the Western Sahara, even though it was not its territory. The Moroccan authorities considered as an act of high treason the declaration of independence by this non-autonomous territory. This was a real omerta that the Ambassador of Morocco was trying to impose on Algeria. The Human Rights Council should show the same vigour in monitoring the situation in the Western Sahara, as it was demonstrating with regard to other human rights situations.

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