On
Pakistan,
Sudan Raises
Drones, US
Balochistan,
Sri Lanka
Spins
Terrorism
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 30 --
The UN Human
Rights
Council,
elections for
which are
heating up,
allowed a mere
80 seconds per
speaker on
candidate
Pakistan on
Tuesday in
Geneva.
Speaking
back
to back, Sri
Lanka wished
the country
best of luck
in its fight
with terrorism
then Sudan
raised the US
of drone
strikes, by
the US.
As
UN system
Special
Rapporteur
Christof Heyns
responded
to Inner City
Press last
week, this
fight in
2009 killed
some 40,000
civilians.
Is
this the luck
being wished?
Sri
Lanka soon
faces its own
so-called
Universal
Periodic
Review, but
with even less
time per
speaker: only
72 seconds.
On
Pakistan,
Sudan raised
the issue of
drone strikes,
days after its
Ambassador
Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman told
Inner City
Press his
country would
be filing a
complaint
against Israel
with the UN
Security
Council for
the bombing of
the Yarmouk
compound in
Khartoum.
The
UN Security
Council has
been closed
for five days:
first for Eid and
the weekend,
now two days
and counting
for Hurricane
Sandy in New
York.
Incoming
UNSC member
Australia
raised Malala
by name;
Brazil offered
some praise
despite a
glancing
reference to
"recent
disturbing
developments."
Permanent
UNSC member UK
raised the
death penalty;
failed UNSC
candidate
Canada used
its time to
ask a
question,
about
religious
freedom.
When
US Ambassador
to the UN in
Geneva Eileen
Donahoe took
the floor, she
said Pakistan
has a vibrant
media and
raised
Balochistan.
She did
not mention US
drone strikes,
which some
believe she
should have.
The
US is running
to keep its
seat on the
Human Rights
Council, and
sent
official Harold
Koh to make
its case
at UN
Headquarters
earlier this
month. Inner
City Press asked about
drone strikes,
not only in
Pakistan but
also Yemen and
Somalia.
Koh
said these
comply with
all
international
laws, a point
about which
Inner City
Press
asked Heyns,
who is UN
system Special
Rapporteur on
Extrajudicial,
Summary and
Arbitrary
Executions. He
was less
sure of
their legality.
But
what is or can
be resolved in
the 80 seconds
given on
Pakistan? Or
the 72 seconds
coming up on
Sri Lanka?
Watch this
site.
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