Kenneth Roth
Kenneth Roth
Kenneth Rothis an American attorney who has been the executive director of Human Rights Watch since 1993...
advance authority blocking consensus council countries current depends establish function human moral progress proposal protection resolution rights states united work
The moral authority of the United States depends on its working effectively with other countries to advance human rights protection ? not blocking a consensus proposal that makes so much progress for human rights. The current resolution can be made to work if the United States joins with other democracies to establish the new council and make it function effectively.
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.
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There is an enormous problem that when a government as influential as the United States flouts basic human rights standards, it undermines the standards and gives green light to other governments to do the same.
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States like Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, or Zimbabwe, which are members of the old Commission, cannot be allowed onto the new Council.
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The hypocrisy factor has encouraged copycat techniques around the world by people who do like the U.S. does and has also weakened the United States as one of the traditional important supporters of human rights.
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In a one-party system intolerant of dissent, petitioning is one of the only ways that ordinary Chinese have to air their grievances.
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Things have changed in Venezuela, but not for the better. There's been a continued consolidation of power on the part of Chavez.
appeal changed civilian judge potential serving
There still is no appeal to an independent civilian court, ... The commissions still have Rumsfeld or his designate serving as prosecutor, judge, appellate judge and potential executioner. That has not changed one iota.
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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.
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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.
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It obviously doesn't do everything we hoped for. But it is clearly better than the Human Rights Commission.
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.
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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.
ability defense inhumane largest played promote role torture treatment
The U.S. government's use and defense of torture and inhumane treatment played the largest role in undermining Washington's ability to promote human rights.