•Written by The Editors• ••Monday•, 08 •September• 2008 20:56•
For those interested in what is happening - or not happening - at the Human Rights Council here in Geneva over the next two weeks, then you need to read the online Human Rights Tribune. http://www.humanrights-geneva.info This is an independent daily news site in English and French compiled by editors and journalists of InfoSud, a Geneva-based non-profit news agency. Unfortunately, while international donors are willing to support the Council - and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - there is precious little support for initiatives such as this. This is extremely short-sighted and serves few interests other than governments who do not want the outside world, particularly the grass roots, to know what is going on. Judge for yourself. Here is a sampling of today's two main stories.
- A Geneva NGO upsets Arab countries - Over the past four years, the Geneva based NGO, Alkarama has filed thousands of complaints to the UN regarding human rights violations by Arab states. Algeria has launched regular attacks on one of its members in Switzerland but relations between Bern and Algiers appear unaffected. Read here
- Burundi wants no Special Rapporteur after all - Last September (2007) the government of Burundi agreed to the renewal for one year of the mandate for the Special Rapporter from the Human Rights Council, Akich Okola. Today it considers the work of this expert to be terminated, according to diplomatic sources in Geneva. The African group at the Council, which seeks to suppress this mandate, was not previously opposed to Burundi renewing it. Today it seems they have changed their minds. Read here
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