Confirmed: Iran, Syria Running for U.N. Rights Council

Confirmed: Iran, Syria Running for U.N. Rights Council

UN Watch calls on U.S. and EU to mobilize opposition to "rogues' gallery" of candidates: Iran, Syria, Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam

GENEVA, July 10 -- Reuters has just confirmed UN Watch's exclusive report from yesterday (see below) that Iran and Syria are running for seats on the UN's highest human rights body.

Hillel Neuer, the head of UN Watch, a Geneva-based advocacy group that monitors the work of the United Nations, called on the U.S. and the EU to mobilize opposition to Iran and Syria, as well as to "others in the rogues' gallery of declared candidates: Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam."

"The U.S. and EU should encourage worthy candidates from each regional group to throw their hats in the ring, and then lobby for their election over the current slate of tyrannies and human rights abusers," said Neuer.

"Countries that murder and torture their own people must not be allowed to become the world's judges on human rights," he added.

"Given that Iran was recently elected to the UN commission on women's rights, and Syria to UNESCO's human rights committee, we cannot take anything for granted," said Neuer.

"Syria is certainly less popular now, but Iran chairs the largest UN voting bloc -- the non-aligned movement -- through which it hosted a Tehran summit last year that drew many world leaders including UN chief Ban Ki-moon," Neuer said. "We need to seriously fight these candidacies."

ENDS

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