COMMUNIQUE: 8 December 2006

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The new U.N. organization charged with protecting human rights spends all its time attacking Israel.

"This Council represents a great new chance for the United Nations, and for humanity, to renew the struggle for human rights."

Despite these high hopes, however, the Council quickly focused on singling Israel out for condemnation while ignoring the worst cases of human rights abuses around the world. The media often holds international bodies such as the UNHRC to be a reference and a guiding moral light. Therefore, HonestReporting recognizes the importance of exposing this new body's unbalanced and politicized agenda.

At the first session of the UNHRC, only one nation was singled out for criticism - Israel. The Council decided that Israel was abusing human rights and, to validate their predetermined conclusion, they ordered an investigation. The Council was very clear in what it expected the investigation to conclude. The Council

...decided to undertake substantive consideration of the human rights violations and implications of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.

The resolution authorized a special session of the UNHRC to focus solely on Israel and that the issue should be on the agenda of all subsequent UNHRC meetings.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL IGNORES ABUSE IN DARFUR

As Eye on the UN points out:

In Darfur, there are three quarters of a million people beyond humanitarian reach, 2.5 million people displaced by the violence, 385,000 people in immediate risk of starvation, and over two million dead in twenty-two years of violence and deprivation. But there are no plans for the UN's lead human rights agency to have a special session on Darfur.(HR Editor's Note: The UNHRC has now scheduled a special session for December 12 on Darfur.)

THE UNHRC MEETS FOR A SECOND TIME: JULY 6, 2006.

Unsurprisingly, at the special session called for by the earlier resolution, Israel was singled out for vehement attack. The Council approved Resolution S-1/1: Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This resolution, without any mention of historical context, terrorism, or Israeli peace proposals:

• Expressed deep concern at violations of international law by Israel;
• Demanded that Israel end military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories; and
• Urged Israel to release members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (who were also members of the Hamas terrorist organization)

UNHRC IGNORES ABUSE IN GUINEA

On the same day that the Council met to discuss Israel, a report by Human Rights Watch noted:

In response to a nationwide strike protesting increases in the prices of rice and fuel, Guinea's security forces committed murder, rape, assault and theft against demonstrators and bystanders alike.

To date, the Council has taken no action on human rights abuses in Guinea.

ANOTHER SPECIAL SESSION: AUGUST 11, 2006

"1) investigating the systematic targeting and killings of civilians by Israel in Lebanon; (b) examining the types of weapons used by Israel and their conformity with international law; and (c) assessing the extent and deadly impact of Israeli attacks on human life, property, critical infrastructure and the environment."

The report noted that:

It is not for the Commission to comment on the political-legal context of the adoption of resolution S-2/1, nor to make judgment on the content of its mandate. It is clear that the mandate of the Commission has limits...and does not allow for a full examination of all of the aspects of the conflict....The Commission is not entitled, even if it had wished, to construe it as equally authorizing the investigation of the actions by Hezbollah in Israel. To do so would exceed the Commission?s interpretative function and would be to usurp the Council?s powers.

The UNHRC deliberately prevented a fair examination of the conflict. Any reasonable investigation would have noted that:

• The conflict was initiated when Israeli soldiers were killed and kidnapped on Israeli soil.

• Thousands of rockets were deliberately fired at civilian areas in Israel.

• The toll in terms of lives, destroyed homes, and damage to the Israeli economy due to the war was immense.

While ignoring any information from the government of Israel, the UNHRC accepted as fact a list of 56 "massacres by the Israeli army" from the Lebanese government. (Annex VI).

The full report is available online here.

THE UNHRC HOLDS YET ANOTHER SPECIAL SESSION, NOVEMBER 15, 2006

On November 15, 19 Palestinian civilians were killed when an equipment malfunction caused a number of Israeli artillery shells to miss their intended target, a field that had been used previously as a rocket launching area. As HonestReporting pointed out, this terrible tragedy occurred due to an unintended accident. The government of Israel apologized immediately and pointed out that if the Palestinians had stopped firing rockets on Sderot, this accident could not have taken place. Yet, that same day, the UNHRC leapt into action to hold yet another special session and pass another resolution condemning Israel. Once again, there was no mention at all of the constant firing of rockets on Israeli civilian areas. There was no mention of Gilad Shalit, still held captive in Gaza. The Council provided no context at all to describe the incident.

The Council "expressed its shock at the horror of Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians in Beit Hanoun and called for bringing the perpetrators thereof to justice". The Council decided to send a fact finding mission to "make recommendations on ways and means to protect Palestinian civilians against further Israeli assaults." No mention was made of protecting Israeli civilians from further assault.

UNHRC IGNORES HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN SRI LANKA

While the Council was meeting, the Toronto Star reported on a study by Human Rights Watch that:

There is "clear and compelling evidence" that Sri Lankan government forces are helping guerrillas to kidnap boys and young men to turn them into child soldiers.

To date, over 65,000 people have been killed in this conflict. The Human Rights Council has never discussed the government abduction of children or the ongoing mass murder in Sri Lanka.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has been in existence for just over six months. During that time, it has ignored terrible human rights abuses around the world. It has become an organization dedicated solely to condemning and vilifying the State of Israel. As such, it lacks credibility and should not be seen by the media as a credible source on the subject of human rights. If you see your media referring to the Council without some background, let them know the facts.

Thank you for your help in fighting media bias.