Amnesty slams UN human rights forum

Amnesty slams UN human rights forum

GENEVA (Reuter): The main United Nations human rights forum
approached the end of its annual session yesterday having let
China off the hook again, but determined to step up
investigations in Africa, particularly Nigeria and Zaire.

The 53-member forum approved a raft of resolutions condemning
traditional transgressors -- including Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Iraq
and Israel. It sent the toughest message to Indonesia to curb its
alleged abuses in East Timor since a 1993 motion.

For the first time, the UN Human Rights Commission formally
urged states to consider abolishing capital punishment.

But the human rights group Amnesty International, in a
statement, slammed the body for sidestepping abuses elsewhere.

"During its session, the Commission confronted Indonesia about
violations in East Timor and appointed a special rapporteur on
Nigeria. But once again, major human rights violators including
Algeria, China and Turkey escaped scrutiny by the UN primary
human rights body."

For the seventh year in a row, China averted censure despite
alleged repression and Western concern for political prisoners.

"China exploited the divisions within the Western Group to its
own advantage to avoid a vote on a draft resolution mildly
critical of its human rights record," Amnesty said.

Amnesty accused some member states, who this year backed away
from co-sponsoring a Western resolution on China, of having bowed
to commercial interests. Denmark presented a motion which
Beijing's delegation succeeded in quashing.

"France's decision to block European Union consensus on China
earned it applause from the Chinese government and confirmation
of lucrative business contracts," Amnesty said. "With millions of
dollars on the line, any commitment to human rights principles
just faded away.

"For now, China has suppressed Commission scrutiny. This
diplomatic victory was achieved through threats and bullying
tactics and because countries like Australia, Canada, France,
Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain put business before human
rights," the group added.

Turning to Africa's Great Lakes region, Amnesty said the
Commission was "almost irrelevant" in the face of "some of the
worst human rights abuses since the Second World War".