From: Anne Joshi-Atlanta <AJoshi-AT-russreyn.com>
Subject: FW: FW: [B95: ] Activists Accuse UN of Ignoring China, Algeria (fwd)
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 08:51:48 -0400


If this forward is a duplicate, I apologize.

Aiko

>-----Original Message-----
>From:	iview-AT-technologist.com [SMTP:iview-AT-technologist.com]
>Sent:	Thursday, April 30, 1998 11:42 AM
>To:	Anne Joshi-Atlanta
>Subject:	Re: FW: [B95: ] Activists Accuse UN of Ignoring China, Algeria (fwd)
>
>
>> >> >---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> >> >Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 18:26:09 -0700 (PDT)
>> >> >From: Jennifer Gagliardi <gagliajn-AT-netcom.com>
>> >> >Reply-To: beijing95-l-AT-netcom.com
>> >> >To: beijing95-l-AT-majordomo.netcom.com
>> >> >Subject: [B95: ] Activists Accuse UN of Ignoring China, Algeria
>> >> >
>> >> >               Activists Accuse UN of Ignoring
>> >> >               China, Algeria
>> >> >
>> >> >               Reuters
>> >> >               23-APR-98
>> >> >               By Stephanie Nebehay
>> >> >
>> >> >               GENEVA (Reuters) - Activists accused the United Nations
>> >> >Commission on Human Rights Thursday of ignoring violations in Algeria
>>and
>> >> >China.
>> >> >
>> >> >               International human rights groups said the commission
>>had
>> >> >failed to put forward resolutions on either country in its annual
>>six-week
>> >> >session, which ends Friday.
>> >> >
>> >> >               Sara Guillet of the Paris-based International Federation
>>of
>> >> >Human Rights (FIDH) told Reuters: ``The weak point of this Commission
>>was
>> >> >Algeria. It is the disgrace of this session.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``It is staggering. The European Union and United States
>> >> >made face-saving speeches at the last moment, but nothing concrete
>>emerged
>> >> >from this session on Algeria.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``As far China, nobody even talks about it anymore.''
>> >> >Joanna Weschler of the New York-based Human Rights Watch said the
>>failure
>> >> >to take action had a knock-on
>> >> >               affect.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``By doing nothing on China and Algeria, the U.S.
>> >> >seriously undermined its efforts regarding the very real human rights
>> >> >problem in Cuba,'' she said.
>> >> >
>> >> >               In an upset Tuesday, the U.S. motion on Cuba was
>>defeated
>> >> >19-16, with 18 abstentions, bringing seven years of U.N. scrutiny of
>>Cuba
>> >> >to an end.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``Countries that for years resented the United States'
>> >> >heavy-handed tactics with regard to Cuba, could now also point to the
>>lack
>> >> >of consistent standards in the U.S. human rights policy,'' she added.
>> >> >``This vote is the culmination of that resentment.''
>> >> >
>> >> >               The session has passed resolutions criticizing killings
>>and
>> >> >other abuses in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
>>Colombia,
>> >> >Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan and the former Yugoslavia.
>>A
>> >> >vote on Burundi and East Timor was expected Friday.
>> >> >
>> >> >               Human rights groups have called on the U.N. to send
>> >> >investigators to look into the continuing massacres in Algeria. More
>>than
>> >> >65,000 people have died in violence since 1992 when authorities
>>canceled a
>> >> >general election which radical Islamists looked likely to win.
>> >> >
>> >> >               Algeria says terrorists are responsible for the killings
>> >> >and has refused a U.N. inquiry.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``The U.N. has failed to serve justice in Algeria,''
>> >> >Weschler said. ``An investigation in Algeria could have helped save
>> >> >lives.''
>> >> >
>> >> >               The EU and United States announced before the session
>>that
>> >> >they would not sponsor any resolution on China as they had already
>>begun
>> >> >talks with Beijing on law reform and the release of prisoners.
>> >> >
>> >> >               South Africa's ambassador Jacob Selebi, who chaired the
>> >> >talks, said the U.N. system of regional groups led ``people to vote on
>>the
>> >> >basis of group solidarity and not on the substance of human rights
>> >> >issues,'' causing the Commission to turn a blind eye to abuses in some
>> >> >rogue states.
>> >> >
>> >> >               ``People go to the Commission and refuse to look at the
>> >> >human rights situation and look at their (regional) group position. In
>> >> >part, the failures we recorded are the result of this,'' he said.
>> >> >
>> >> >               But Selebi, a political prisoner during apartheid, also
>> >> >praised the commission for passing a declaration calling on states to
>> >> >protect grass-roots human rights defenders. The text, which has been
>> >> >negotiated for 13 years, was passed on to the General Assembly for
>> >> >approval by all 185 U.N. member states.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >