Earlier this year, the United Nations further sullied its low reputation by adding Iran -- yes, we're talking about this Iran -- to its committee on women's rights. Perhaps they were selected to offer a dissenting view on the issue. Along similar morally-perverse lines, the illegitimate, socialist, thuggish Maduro regime in Venezuela has been selected to join the UN's human rights council -- the body's darkly farcical panel, from which the Trump administration rightly withdrew last year. In a scathing statement released in response to this decision, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo teed off:
It is sadly no surprise that Maduro shamelessly sought a seat on the UN Human Rights Council in an effort to block any limit to his repressive control of the Venezuelan people. What is truly tragic, however, is that other nations voted to give Maduro’s representative for Venezuela a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. This is a harsh blow not just against the victims of the Venezuelan regime, but also against the cause of human rights around the world. The Human Rights Council ought to be a protector and defender of human rights of people the world over. It should be speaking out about the daily abuses of the former Maduro regime, and others like it. Instead, the Council has become an exercise in shameless hypocrisy – with some of the world’s most serious offenders sitting on the Council itself.
The list of the Maduro regime's abuses is long and ugly. Unfortunately, Venezuela's delegation will fit right in. This is not satire:
U.N. Human Rights Council members today include:
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 23, 2019
???? Saudi Arabia
???? Pakistan
???? Somalia
???? Nigeria
???? Qatar
???? Egypt
???? Cuba
???? China
Joining on January 1, 2020:
???? Venezuela (Maduro regime)
???? Mauritania
???? Sudan
???? Libya
I wish I were making this up. I'm not. This is real.
Look at that roster. Saudi "Bone Saws" Arabia, communist Cuba, and communist China -- home to systemic persecution of minorities and other horrors (don't tell LeBron et al). And coming soon, in addition to Venezuela, it's the government responsible for one of the world's most recent genocides, among other abusers. It'd all be breathtaking, if not for the pathetic reality that it's actually par for the course. The United States ambassador to Germany, Ric Grenell, also notes how many aggressively homophobic regimes are represented on a committee ostensibly devoted to protecting basic human rights:
And these criminalize homosexuality - in direct violation of the UN’s own Declaration of Human Rights:
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 24, 2019
Saudi Arabia*
Pakistan*
Somalia*
Nigeria*
Qatar
Egypt (habitual debauchery, no outright ban)
Joining soon:
Mauritania*
Sudan*
Libya*
* = death penalty https://t.co/I1bSwAexrG
Grenell, who is openly gay, is the point person for the Trump administration's global initiative on decriminalizing homosexuality. One wonders what the liberal bien pensants in the vaunted "international community," who wax eloquent about "multilateralism" and "global institutions" -- while sneering at UN-skeptical Americans -- think of this insulting, farcical nonsense. Since I mentioned Iran and women's rights above, I'll leave you with this:
1)
— Masih Alinejad ??? (@AlinejadMasih) October 13, 2019
It’s my honor that Chris Wallace recognized me as “Power player of the week” in Fox news Sunday program. The real power player are Iranian women who are fighting against religious dictatorship.
We are no going to give up our fight.#WhiteWednesdays pic.twitter.com/yHL9Prr8lF
Also, in case you missed it, here's some refreshing and morally clear wisdom from...Shaq:
SHAQ on China: “They know and understand our values ... and one of our best values in America is free speech. We’re allowed to say what we want to say and we’re allowed to speak up on injustices, and that’s just how it goes”
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 23, 2019
“Daryl Morey was right” pic.twitter.com/CBQWHfszhp