https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/14/saudi-arabia-loses-vote-for-un-human-rights-council-seat-china-russia-win.htmlSaudi Arabia lost a bid to keep its seat on the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council, the body which describes itself as being tasked with “promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.”
The development after the kingdom’s two consecutive terms on the council, some analysts say, demonstrates the deterioration of its image on the world stage following high profile human rights scandals including the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the detention of several women’s rights activists.
While some human rights groups have praised the move, many condemn the UNHRC’s vote to include China, Russia and Cuba, well known for crushing dissidents, arbitrary arrests and executions, and in the case of China, the detention and oppression of some 1 million Muslim Uighurs in “re-education camps” in the country’s West.
Elected directly by secret ballot by a majority of the U.N. General Assembly, the vote has for years been criticized as being plagued by corruption and back-door deals. Among the criticism is that membership is divided among geographic groups, mandating a certain number of members per region and enabling several states to run for seats uncontested.
Among the U.N.’s five designated regional groups, the allocations goes as follows: African states, 13 seats; Asia-Pacific states, 13 seats; Eastern European states, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean states, 8 seats; and Western European and other states, 7 seats.
Saudi Arabia held onto its seat for a second term in 2016 when Asia put forward only four candidates for its four open seats on the council, meaning they all ran uncontested. This year, there were five states running for four contested seats. The four winners for the region were China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Nepal — all of whom are criticized for their human rights records.
