Mary Robinson ... brought a more outspoken style to the job.
Posted on 09/14/2002 7:17:53 AM PDT by Ranger
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Mary Robinson ... brought a more outspoken style to the job. |
In the final days of her five years in office, Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has sharply criticised the United States for eroding civil liberties at home and human rights standards around the world since the September11 attacks.
"The United States could be a leader in combating terrorism while upholding human rights," Mrs Robinson said.
"Instead, it has sought to put all the emphasis on combating terrorism and has not been fully upholding human rights standards. And that's having a ripple effect on other less democratic countries."
She cited the US's use of immigration laws to detain foreigners within its borders indefinitely, the racial profiling of people of Arab descent in searches, and the prosecution of US citizens as enemy combatants, limiting their rights to legal representation. She also mentioned severe restrictions placed on the prisoners seized in Afghanistan and now being held at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The UN's top human rights official said that during the past year, when she questioned other governments on repressive measures, they responded by pointing to the US and saying, in her words, "For goodness sakes, standards have changed".
A number of developing countries had copied anti-terrorism measures adopted by the US in the past year and had applied them to suppress political opponents, Mrs Robinson said. She mentioned new laws and political crackdowns in the name of fighting terrorism in Egypt, Zimbabwe and Pakistan, among others.
By coincidence, Mrs Robinson's term ended on Wednesday, September11. She did not seek another term. Her successor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian who oversaw East Timor's transition to independence, has spent most of his 33-year career at the UN in the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.
Mrs Robinson, 58, a former president of Ireland, brought a new outspoken style to her new job, often rattling the UN, traditionally timid about open criticism of governments. She sought to make sure her critique included developing countries and the big powers. Her frequently forthright commentary often grated on Bush Administration officials, who complained that she had made confronting the US a personal cause.
US officials dismissed Mrs Robinson's contention that they were neglecting rights issues.
"In her last days of work, Mrs Robinson should validate that the United States is a leader in advocating for stronger human rights around the world," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the US mission at the UN.
Mrs Robinson lamented the loss of Washington's help after September11 in pressing other countries about human rights.
"The United States used to play a strong role in raising human rights concerns in its bilateral relations," she said. "Now [it] is more focused on getting coalition partners against terrorism and is not necessarily raising human rights."
Mrs Robinson said she saw the attacks a year ago as crimes against humanity, the gravest form of human rights crime.
The towering hypocrisy of Mary Robinson, who never once uttered a word about the pervasive human rights violations of fundamentalist Islam.
It is time for us to send those idiots packing. Send them to France, they will love it there.
Since we were replaced by Sudan in the Commission on Human Rights, I say hand them a one way ticket to Sudan, and tell them they have 1 hour to board their plane or go to jail.
Don't look now Mary (Mrs.) Robinson, but isn't that Dustin Hoffman in your bed? Enjoy!
Correctomundo! The world's biggest human rights violators are prominently featured on Robinson's commission... Cuba... Zimbabwe... Vietnam... Libya... Congo... Uganda...
It's a joke. The only one missing is Rwanda, but I'm sure Mugabe will get his seat real soon.
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