2/ On the 24th of February, the Ukrainian Ambassador requested this council to meet, quote, “as urgently as possible.” Now, in other, past situations, the council convened within a day.
3/ Why this time, on Russian aggression, did it wait a full week? For the men, women and children under attack, every day of delay by the international community is lethal.
4/ This Council just heard from the Russian Foreign Minister. He said President Putin has “an unwavering respect for the Ukrainian people,” and that “we do not intend in any way to infringe on the interests of the citizens of Ukraine."
Mr. President, the opposite is true.
5/ The truth is that Russian forces invaded Ukraine, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.
6/ The truth is that Russian forces are bombing cities indiscriminately, killing and wounding innocent civilians, a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
7/ The truth is that Russia’s assault on Ukraine has turned more than half a million people to flee their homes for neighboring countries, killed an estimated 2,000 people, and injured many more. The truth is that Russia is committing war crimes
8/ And so question before us today is this: Will the international community defend the rules-based international order?
9/ Dictators around the world are watching. If they see that Russia succeeds in its wanton aggression, they will draw the lesson—that anything goes. We will see more invasions, more tyrannies attacking their neighbors, and more terrorism.
10/ The whole world is watching. Are the United Nations and this Council prepared to defend international peace and basic human rights, and to oppose aggression on a scale unseen in Europe since World War II?
11/ Will they uphold their responsibility to defend the rules-based international order?
Let us consider. Two years ago, despite our urgent appeals not to do it, the United Nations elected Russia as a member of this Human Rights Council.
12/ This violated the Council’s own rules. Members are obliged to uphold the highest standards of human rights. Mr. President, does this Council believe Russia’s bombing of civilians in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities across Ukraine upholds the highest standards of human rights?
13/ Under the Council’s rules, members can be removed on account of gross and systematic violations of human rights.
Therefore, if this council is serious about human rights, here’s what it must do:
1: Remove Russia from the Council immediately.
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2: Adopt a resolution on the situation of human rights within Russia itself.
3: Establish an independent monitor to protect courageous Russian dissidents, such as Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Muzra, both of whom were poisoned.
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4: Abolish the mandate of this Council known as the “special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures,” the purpose of which is to define sanctions against Russia and other dictatorships as illegal.
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5: Demand the UN high commissioner for human rights and the independent experts speak out against the crimes in Ukraine.
Mr. President, the people of Ukraine are under assault. The world is watching. The time to act is now.
Thank you, Mr. President.
• • •
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Ex-UNRWA official who calls Israel an “apartheid” state and equates Palestinian suffering with the Holocaust is the UNHRC's pick to be Palestine Rapporteur. Asking @FranceskAlb to investigate Israel is like asking Putin to investigate Ukraine. It's absurd. unwatch.org/un-nominates-i…
The nomination of Francesca Albanese was announced in a letter published today by U.N. Human Rights Council president Federico Villegas.
She has repeatedly accused Israel of “apartheid,” “genocide” and “war-crimes.”
Here she equates the Palestinian 'nakba' with the Holocaust:
The UNHRC president’s decision to nominate a radical activist who has devoted her life to campaigning against Israel constitutes a gross violation of the council’s own rules, which require impartiality and objectivity in the appointment of mandate-holders.
BREAKING: A global coalition of 25 human rights groups announced today that its prestigious international human rights award for 2022 will go to @EnesFreedom, the NBA athlete and activist risking his career for taking on China’s persecution of the Uyghurs. genevasummit.org/25-human-right…
Freedom will receive the 2022 @GenevaSummit Courage Award on Wednesday, April 6th, addressing a ceremony to be attended by U.N. ambassadors, human rights activists and journalists from around the world attending the 14th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
Freedom was chosen for his heroic efforts to sound the alarm on China’s brutal human rights abuses.
Co-organizer of the conference include UN Watch, Liberal International, Human Rights Foundation, the World Uyghur Congress and more than 20 other human rights groups.
“The Secretary-General is greatly concerned by the decision by the Russian Federation related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.”
“He calls for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 (2015).
“The Secretary-General considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
“The UNHRC has appointed to lead its controversial investigation on Israel an individual who calls Israel an ‘apartheid state,’ backs the campaign to boycott and sanction Israel, and signs statements lobbying governments to punish the Jewish state.”
“Yet despite the submission by a Geneva-based non-governmental organization of a 30-page document backing its assertion that Navi Pillay is not fit to head the HRC’s first open-ended investigation targeting one country, the council’s president on Wednesday defended the choice.”
“HRC president Federico Villegas said in response to queries that the council head, when selecting members of investigative bodies, ‘places the utmost importance on examining the independence and impartiality of each member in order to ensure the objectivity of the body.’”
Human rights activist Mohammed Ashraf Abed, a member of the Islamic Resistance Movement's al-Qassam Brigades, was killed today while building a tunnel of peace. alqassam.ps/arabic/%D8%AA%…
“Al-Qassam Brigades mourned the martyr Al-Qassami / Muhammad Ashraf Abed (23 years), from the Taybeh mosque in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, who today rose to Al-Ula as a martyr, God Almighty, following the collapse of a tunnel for resistance.”
And the battalions said: “He dedicated himself to Allah, striving until he met Allah for that. And the blood of our martyrs will remain a beacon on the path to liberating Palestine and a fire that burns the occupiers until they are defeated from our land, Allah willing.”
Navi Pillay, the impartial Chair of the UNHRC inquiry, condemned "Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime."
She campaigned for countries to "ban arms trade and military-security cooperation with Israel" and to "suspend free trade agreements with Israel." mcusercontent.com/36542688e35393…
Navi Pillay lobbied for governments to:
• "Adopt a UN resolution to implement targeted and lawful sanctions on Israel, including a military embargo."
• "Activate the UN Special Committee on Apartheid to address Israel’s regime over the indigenous people of Palestine."