Zimbabwe's Role in U.N. Rights Panel Angers U.S.

[Stockholm]

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 - Zimbabwe was re-elected Wednesday to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, a panel that Secretary General Kofi Annan has proposed abolishing because of its practice of naming known rights violators to its membership.

Zimbabwe's selection as one of the 15 countries winning three-year terms drew protests from Australia, Canada and the United States, with William J. Brencick, the American representative, saying the United States was "perplexed and dismayed by the decision."

In a speech to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Mr. Brencick said Zimbabwe had repressed political assembly and the news media, harassed civil society groups, conducted fraudulent elections and intimidated government opponents.

snip

Boniface G. Chidyausiku, Zimbabwe's ambassador to the United Nations, said that no country was above reproach when it came to human rights and "those who live in glass houses should not throw stones." He said the United States has "a lot of dirt on its hands" because of prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

more http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/28/international/africa/28nations.html?oref=login

:shrug:

[underpants]

1. RW radio will leave out the part about Annan. Let's play fill in the blank

___________ had repressed political assembly and the news media, harassed civil society groups, conducted fraudulent elections and intimidated government opponents.

[Stockholm]

2. LOL n/t

[LynnTheDem]

3. So they did exactly what bush does...and they DON'T INVADE nations.

"Zimbabwe had

-repressed political assembly

Such as kicking Dems out of tax-payer funded "town hall" meetings?


-and the news media

Can we say Michael Powell and the FEC?

-harassed civil society groups

Needs no further comment

-conducted fraudulent elections

Needs no further comment

-and intimidated government opponents.

Like leaders of other nations? Like France? Germany? Mexico? New Zealand? Canada? Or like calling opponents "terrorists"?

[gratuitous]

4. Not sure the U.S. has any kick coming

See, Bushistas, when you engage in the exact same behavior you're condemning, you don't have any credibility. Other nations are well aware, as our citizenry largely is not, of the "abuses" routinely conducted by the United States in the prosecution of the so-called war on terror.

William Brencick may be "perplexed and dismayed," but for anyone else with an IQ above room temperature, it's pretty obvious that the Bush administration is filled with rank hypocrites.

[leesa]

5. Wah! Only WE want to be able to violate human rights!