mr president the fact that libya was a member of the un human rights council tells us everything we need to know about this discredited and politicised organisation
gaddafi's forty-two year rule has systematically crushed any vestige of human rights in his country and we have now seen the consequences of the culture of violence on which his reign-of-terror regime was based
however it would be unfair to single out just libya
other human rights abusers also enjoy membership of the council including china cuba saudi arabia pakistan and uganda where homosexuals are persecuted
bizarrely it was even mooted that iran should head up the women's equality commission at one stage
the unhrc also spends much of its time vilifying our democratic ally israel
however i suppose on reflection that this council is all that there is on human rights at un level so we will have to engage albeit fully cognisant of the inherent contradictions of having brutal non-democratic regimes as members of the un human rights council
