On 24 July 2003 Reporters Without Borders was suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Commission for one year. For details of why this injustice happened see my previous entry Farce at the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Reporters Without Borders have published a press release and a report on the commission’s accelerating decline, entitled UN Commission on Human Rights Loses all Credibility. Wheeling and dealing, incompetence and non-action.
The results of the vote on the suspension of the consultative status of Reporters without borders :
In favour (27): Azerbaijan, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burundi, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Against (23): Andorra, Australia, Chile, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.
Abstentions (4): Argentina, Ecuador, Japan, and Senegal.
Taken from the Reports without Borders press release
It seems Argentina, Ecuador, Japan and Senegal were too spineless to even have an opinion! The report by Reporters Without Borders makes clear that the noble idea of the United Nations Human Rights Commission is far from it’s ignominious reality.