United States skips UN review of its human rights record

US joins Israel arsenic lone different state to not amusement for mandatory process scrutinising rights grounds of UN subordinate states.

The United States did not nonstop a typical to be a United Nations reappraisal of its quality rights record, becoming the 2nd state successful past to snub the mandatory procedure.

The meeting, portion of the Universal Periodic Review, which takes spot each 4 to 5 years, was held connected Friday without the United States successful attendance.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3US carries retired 2 strikes connected alleged drug-smuggling boats successful the Pacific
• list 2 of 3‘Bring him home’: Sami Hamdi’s woman urges US to merchandise UK journalist
• list 3 of 3US sends different ‘third-country’ deportation formation to Eswatini

“We were expected to conscionable contiguous successful bid to proceed with the reappraisal of the United States,” said Jurg Lauber, president of the UN Human Rights Council. “Nevertheless, I enactment that the delegation of the United States is not contiguous successful this room.”

The US said successful August it would not be the meeting, joining ally Israel arsenic the lone different state to skip the process successful which each 193 UN subordinate states acquisition scrutiny of their quality rights records. Topics specified arsenic LGBTQ, immigrant rights, and the decease punishment had been connected the docket for treatment astatine the meeting.

China’s typical astatine the gathering said that Washington was showing a “lack of respect for the UPR mechanism”, portion Cuba accused the US of being acrophobic of what greater oversight of its quality rights grounds mightiness bring.

“As a founding subordinate of the United Nations and superior champion of idiosyncratic liberties, we volition not beryllium lectured astir our quality rights grounds by the likes of HRC (Human Rights Council) members specified arsenic Venezuela, China oregon Sudan,” the US Department of State said successful a statement.

While the United States has a agelong grounds of chafing astatine oversight by planetary institutions implicit its quality rights practices, the nationalist medication of President Donald Trump has been notably hostile to planetary frameworks that could spot restraints connected the usage of US powerfulness astatine location and abroad.

The US has besides sought to unit planetary institutions captious of allies specified arsenic Israel, sanctioning UN officials and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their scrutiny of terrible abuses by Israeli forces successful Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Trump medication has depicted forms of planetary practice connected galore issues arsenic a discarded of time, stating that specified efforts bring requirements and constraints that spot the US astatine a disadvantage with rivals portion offering fewer benefits successful return.