Kenneth Roth
Kenneth Roth
Kenneth Rothis an American attorney who has been the executive director of Human Rights Watch since 1993...
disagree government listen openly spoke willing
We spoke openly with the Libyan government about our concerns. We disagree on many substantive issues, but they are willing to listen and discuss.
accept behind commission consensus council force function human improvement invite major proposed reckless states time united vote work
The proposed new council is a major improvement over the old Commission on Human Rights. It would be reckless for the United States to force a vote because that will invite amendments from spoiler states to weaken the council. The time has come to accept the overwhelming consensus behind the council and to work to make it function effectively.
promises proper reveals risks sent suspect torture treatment
These promises of proper treatment are unenforceable. Any suspect who reveals mistreatment risks being sent back to the torture chamber.
blocked despite fact formal hurdles legal maze negligence public victims
Despite the fact that rape victims have a formal right to legal abortion, that right was blocked by a maze of administrative hurdles and negligence and obstruction by public officials.
ability commitment council curb depend great improvement protect rights vote weakest
The new council should be a great improvement over the old Commission, but today's vote is only the beginning. Its ability to protect the weakest will now depend on the commitment of governments to curb rights violations.
allowing armed attacking civilians conflicts create immense involve justify power
Armed conflicts often involve discrepancies of power between adversaries. Allowing those discrepancies to justify attacking civilians would create an immense loophole in the protections of international humanitarian law.
abortion dangerous endure ensure fails government human imposed inform legal mexican needs obtain official public rights victims violation voluntary
The Mexican government needs to ensure that rape victims do not have to endure dangerous back-alley abortions or imposed pregnancies. A public official who fails to inform rape victims of how they can obtain a voluntary legal abortion is contributing to a human rights violation and should be disciplined.
accepts countries further hostile human insists introduce keen likely proposal protection rights worse
If the U.S. accepts this consensus, the proposal is likely to be adopted. But if the U.S. insists on further amendments, we are likely to be worse off. Countries hostile to human rights protection are keen to introduce amendments that would weaken the new council.
committee condemn tries
If you're a thug, you want to be on the committee that tries to condemn thugs.
air chinese intolerant ordinary system ways
In a one-party system intolerant of dissent, petitioning is one of the only ways that ordinary Chinese have to air their grievances.
china iran test whether
Iran will be the litmus test for whether China will become a responsible stakeholder in the world.
call countries pledge vote
We call on all countries to pledge not to vote for governments that systematically repress their people.
childish commission cooperate council decades government human inferior rights vastly
It's childish for the U.S. government not to cooperate with the new Human Rights Council when it cooperated for decades with the vastly inferior old Commission on Human Rights.
clearly hoped human obviously rights
It obviously doesn't do everything we hoped for. But it is clearly better than the Human Rights Commission.