Montreal Gazette: A kangaroo commission

(Clearwisdom.net)

Montreal Gazette April 24, 2002 Wednesday

CanWest Global Communications Corp.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, meeting in Geneva, is supposed to be a forum for "naming and shaming" countries that commit human-rights abuses. Recently, it has mostly succeeded in shaming itself.

The UN body's deliberations have more to do with the political machinations, prejudices and self-interests of its 53 member nations than with the records of the states it is pronouncing upon - or failing to pronounce upon. Having a respectable human-rights record would, in an ideal world, be a prerequisite for membership in this group. But members include China, Cuba, Kenya, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam, to name only some of those whose conduct leaves them with little credibility on rights.

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But it did not censure China, which even as it expands economic freedoms has continued to keep a lid on anything its Communist rulers fear might challenge their hold on power. In recent years, Beijing has clamped down abusively on the Falun Gong movement. And it continues to systematically torture prisoners, restrict religious freedom and crack down in Tibet. Yet somehow, China has for years managed to avoid being criticized in Geneva. This year, it even was spared having to rally its forces: no country chose to submit a resolution assailing China's record.

This represents a failure for Canada, and other countries where "human rights" is a phrase with real meaning. The only justifiable reason to remain part of such a kangaroo court is to oppose its excesses and spotlight its failures. Canada's representative did so last week when faced with a manifestly unfair resolution about Israel, which Canada and four other countries voted against. On China, we didn't even take steps toward raising the issue.

The unprecedented absence this year of the United States - which failed to be reelected to the commission last year - makes it even more important for Canada to take the lead in opposing action or inaction that would warp the commission's role. But even the most energetic Canadian efforts can only achieve so much in a system that allows justice to be trumped by politics.