The UN General Assembly will elect, in direct and individual elections
and by secret ballot, 15 new members of the Human Rights Council on 21
May 2008.
Amnesty International welcomes Pakistan’s ratification of a key human rights treaty and signing of two others. “Becoming a state party to UN human rights conventions is a key step to
ensuring human rights are respected, protected and realized for all in
Pakistan in line with international standards,” said Amnesty
International.
Pakistan has ratified a key UN human rights treaty and signed two others.
At least 1,200 people were executed in 2007 and many more were killed
by the state, in secret, in countries including China, Mongolia and
Viet Nam.
All UN member states are facing a rigorous examination of their human rights records.
At its inaugural session, Amnesty International today called on the Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council to use the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to overcome the bias and double standards that plagued the former Commission on Human Rights.
Discussion of the situation in Tibet was stifled at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.
Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the country is still in disarray.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch call on the UN Secretary-General to implement a transparent process for selecting a strong and outspoken High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"The Chinese authorities should allow an independent UN investigation into the events of the last week in Tibet, particularly in the light of the sealing off of the region in recent days and the long-term restrictions on human rights monitoring there," said Amnesty International today. "The situation also demands attention by the Human Rights Council at its current session."
