The 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights begins next Monday with Libya as the Chair. In recent years, more and more governments with a poor human rights record in their own countries have become members of the Commission. A large number of members have not signed or ratified key international human rights agreements. Especially these countries, during the previous session of the Commission, weakened the Commission. The way that the human rights situation in Zimbabwe was handled was a tragic example of this.
Last year, even though the human rights situation in Zimbabwe was serious, a draft resolution on Zimbabwe was rejected when countries such as China, Cuba, Syria and all African countries voted to not even discuss it. The situation in Zimbabwe is now even worse. Both local and international organizations have documented political killings, torture, illegal arrests, disappearances, and the abuse of food aid.
The European Union is preparing a resolution in which the human rights situation in Zimbabwe is condemned. For this resolution to be adopted, it needs to be supported by a majority of commision members. Zimbabwe Watch calls on the members and Chair of the Commission on Human Rights to take their membership in the Commisssion seriously and condemn human rights violations wherever they may take place.
The UN Commission on Human Rights was responsible for establishing international standards in the area of human rights. It is of fundamental importance that the same Commission now give a clear signal of disapproval with respect to the systematic violation of these norms by the Zimbabwean Government.
