Fourteen countries were elected to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, to sit in the 47-member council for a three year term starting in 2014.
The new members Algeria, China, Cuba, France, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Vietnam, Russia, and the United Kingdom were all elected by a secret ballot at the UN headquarters in New York.
Samantha Power, US Ambassador to the UN said that the list of newly elected countries include "some that commit significant violations of the rights the council is designed to advance and protect".
Peggy Hicks of Human Rights Watch however was more specific, saying:
The new members Algeria, China, Cuba, France, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Vietnam, Russia, and the United Kingdom were all elected by a secret ballot at the UN headquarters in New York.
Samantha Power, US Ambassador to the UN said that the list of newly elected countries include "some that commit significant violations of the rights the council is designed to advance and protect".
Peggy Hicks of Human Rights Watch however was more specific, saying:
"With the return of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba, human rights defenders will have their work cut out for them at the Human Rights Council next year,"
"Fortunately, no states have a veto in Geneva so a hard-working majority can still achieve concrete results."