A press release from the International Humanist and Ethical Union:
Proponents of free speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) have accused Islamic countries of “hijacking” a resolution intended to renew the mandate of the special rapporteur on freedom of expression and turning it into an order to report on defamation of religion.
In the words of the Canadian delegation: “instead of promoting freedom of expression the Special Rapporteur would be policing its exercise”.
The amended resolution was adopted on Friday in Geneva by 32 votes in favour (mainly Islamic states with support from China, Cuba and Russia). There were no votes against, but 15 abstentions.
Roy Brown, spokesman at the UNCHR in Geneva for the International Humanist and Ethical Union, commented: “Canada’s position was echoed by several delegations, who objected to the change of focus from protecting to limiting freedom of expression. More than 20 of the original 53 co-sponsors of the resolution withdrew their sponsorship. These included the European Union and the United Kingdom (speaking for Australia and the United States), India, Switzerland, Brazil, Bolivia and Guatemala.”
“Freedom of expression is most important for those who live under the tyranny of Islamic law. This was highlighted by a courageous group of 21 NGOs from the Islamic States who issued a statement appealing to delegations not to support the amendment.”
(See http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/petition-hrc.pdf )
Death of Human Rights
Link to DW
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Can’t we persuade the UN to find a more suitable location to meet and issue their anti-Western pronouncements? Khartoum, perhaps? or somewhere in Senegal?
Get the UN out of the US; get the US out of the UN. It’s devolved to just a bunch of thugs reinforcing each other’s demands that wealthy countries OWE their third-world nations “respect” as well as ever-increasing “aid” money (so their corrupt dictators and their cronies can live –quite lavishly– in Paris when they’re inevitably overthrown).