International Freedom of Expression Exchange: The global network for free expression
30 July 2003
RSF SUSPENDED FROM HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) has lost its consultative status with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for one year after staging a protest last March over the election of Libya as the commission's chair.
RSF's protest involved the throwing of leaflets during a speech by Libyan ambassador Najat Al-Hajjaji at the Commission's opening on 17 March.The leaflets mockingly stated, "At last, the UN has appointed someone who knows what she is talking about!" in reference to Libya's poor human rights record.
On 24 July, the UN Economic and Social Council voted 29-23 to suspend RSF for one year. Countries that voted in favour of the suspension included China, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, Turkey and Zimbabwe - all known for committing serious free-expression violations, RSF notes.
"Granting the chair to [Libya] has been a disgrace to the Commission. This suspension of one of the few press-freedom organisations to have consultative status is a farce of the kind that increasingly characterizes the Commission on Human Rights," RSF says.
Last week, RSF published a report criticising the UN Commission for allowing dictatorships such as China and Cuba to take over its agenda and "strip it of all substance." RSF says reforms must be implemented, including appointing an independent human rights expert to chair the commission and barring countries that have not ratified international human rights treaties from voting.
Human Rights Watch has also been critical of this year's Commission, warning of a "serious decline" in its ability to condemn countries that commit the worst human rights violations.
For more information, visit:
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=7619
- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/04/unchr042503.htm
- UN Commission on Human Rights: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm
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