Dear Editor,
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is arguably the most important U.N. body currently assembled.
The UNHRC’s mission is to promote, uphold and protect human rights globally.
Oftentimes, the UNHRC is the only voice marginalized people have and it serves as the lone check or balance on dictatorial regimes that show disregard and even animosity towards human rights.
Therefore, the U.N.’s decision to appoint China — a nation whose long-standing human rights violations tally more than practically any other nation save its long-standing ally North Korea — seems mind-boggling and downright irresponsible.
This appointment is a classic case of allowing a fox to guard the henhouse but, in this case, the henhouse is full of vulnerable humans that include hundreds of millions of children.
Let’s step back a moment and explore a handful of China’s countless human rights violations just in recent years.
The nation has systematically destroyed free speech or the right to dissent.
There is no such thing as a free press. Unfair trials and torture plague the nation’s entire justice system.
Information on China’s use of the death penalty remains top secret.
Muslims and other ethnic minorities are victims of over-vigilant and intrusive surveillance, detention, torture and indoctrination.
Democratic values and principles are completely disregarded, and authoritarian rule classifies the political system from the top down.
Of course, the counterargument is that other nations that have had a seat on the UNHRC, too, have long histories of human rights violations, such as Canada or the U.K.
While, undoubtedly many UNHRC member nations have highly dubious pasts, they have learned their lessons, for the most part, and no longer engage in imperialism and colonialism.
It has been decades since Canada or the U.K. were guilty of human rights violations anywhere near the calibre of China’s, thereby making the comparison invalid.
The only somewhat reasonable modern-day equivalent would be the U.S. and, well, whether the U.S. deserves a seat at the table is a topic that requires much more thought and many word words than I have time to give now.
At a minimum, the U.S. embraces democratic principles at home to include allowing for a free press and democratic elections.
With the UNHRC’s decision to give China a seat, there is just one remaining question — who, precisely, will the UNHRC be monitoring?
By making this appointment, China will be in a prime position to thwart investigations into its own human rights abuses.
We cannot allow this to happen for the sake of the millions of people, many of whom are children, relying on the UNHRC to uphold justice and basic human rights.
The UN Watch online petition can be found at change.org.
Jack Trovato
RICHMOND
