{"id":4330,"date":"2023-02-26T17:48:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T17:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4330"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:54:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:54:10","slug":"russia-iran-send-senior-envoys-to-un-human-rights-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/diplomatic-world\/russia-iran-send-senior-envoys-to-un-human-rights-council\/2023\/02\/26\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia, Iran send senior envoys to UN Human Rights Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

GENEVA<\/span> (Reuters)<\/span> \u2014<\/span> U.N.<\/span> Secretary-General<\/span> Antonio<\/span> Guterres<\/span> will<\/span> help<\/span> kick<\/span> off<\/span> the<\/span> latest<\/span> and<\/span> longest-ever<\/span> session<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> U.N.’s<\/span> top<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> body<\/span> on<\/span> Monday,<\/span> with<\/span> Iran’s<\/span> foreign<\/span> minister,<\/span> a<\/span> senior<\/span> Russian<\/span> envoy,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> top<\/span> diplomats<\/span> of<\/span> France<\/span> and<\/span> Germany<\/span> among<\/span> scores<\/span> of<\/span> leaders<\/span> set<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> part.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> five-week<\/span> session<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Human<\/span> Rights<\/span> Council<\/span> opens<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> world<\/span> grapples<\/span> with<\/span> rights<\/span> concerns<\/span> including<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> repression<\/span> of<\/span> dissent<\/span> in<\/span> Russia<\/span> and<\/span> Belarus,<\/span> new<\/span> violence<\/span> between<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> and<\/span> Israelis,<\/span> and<\/span> efforts<\/span> to<\/span> solidify<\/span> a<\/span> peace<\/span> deal<\/span> in<\/span> Ethiopia<\/span> that<\/span> ended<\/span> two<\/span> years<\/span> of<\/span> conflict<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> national<\/span> government<\/span> and<\/span> rebels<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Tigray<\/span> region.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> council,<\/span> made<\/span> up<\/span> of<\/span> 47<\/span> members<\/span> countries,<\/span> takes<\/span> up<\/span> an<\/span> extensive<\/span> array<\/span> of<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> issues<\/span> \u2014<\/span> including<\/span> discrimination,<\/span> the<\/span> freedom<\/span> of<\/span> religion,<\/span> right<\/span> to<\/span> housing<\/span> or<\/span> the<\/span> deleterious<\/span> impact<\/span> of<\/span> economic<\/span> sanctions<\/span> targeting<\/span> governments<\/span> on<\/span> regular<\/span> people<\/span> \u2014<\/span> as<\/span> well<\/span> as<\/span> country<\/span> \u201csituations\u201d<\/span> like<\/span> those<\/span> in<\/span> Afghanistan,<\/span> Syria,<\/span> Myanmar,<\/span> Nicaragua<\/span> and<\/span> South<\/span> Sudan.<\/span> It<\/span> usually<\/span> meets<\/span> three<\/span> times<\/span> a<\/span> year.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Proponents<\/span> say<\/span> the<\/span> Geneva-based<\/span> rights<\/span> body<\/span> has<\/span> grown<\/span> in<\/span> importance<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> venue<\/span> because<\/span> the<\/span> U.N.<\/span> Security<\/span> Council<\/span> in<\/span> New<\/span> York<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> increasingly<\/span> divided<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> years<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> rift<\/span> between<\/span> affiliations<\/span> among<\/span> its<\/span> five<\/span> permanent<\/span> members:<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> and<\/span> Russia<\/span> on<\/span> one<\/span> side,<\/span> Britain,<\/span> France<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> other.<\/span> Speaking<\/span> after<\/span> Guterres<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> presidents<\/span> of<\/span> Congo,<\/span> Montenegro<\/span> and<\/span> Colombia<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> Iran’s<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Hossein<\/span> Amiravdrahian,<\/span> between<\/span> Germany’s<\/span> Annalena<\/span> Barbock<\/span> and<\/span> France’s<\/span> Catherine<\/span> Colonna.<\/span> Chinese<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Qin<\/span> Gang<\/span> will<\/span> make<\/span> a<\/span> statement<\/span> by<\/span> video.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Amira<\/span> Rabdrahian’s<\/span> visit<\/span> follows<\/span> loud<\/span> and<\/span> protracted<\/span> protests<\/span> following<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> in<\/span> Iran<\/span> of<\/span> 22-year-old<\/span> Masa<\/span> Amini<\/span> after<\/span> his<\/span> arrest<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> deputies<\/span> in<\/span> September.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Moscow<\/span> is<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> represented<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> highest<\/span> level<\/span> since<\/span> Russia<\/span> suspended<\/span> its<\/span> membership<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Council<\/span> last<\/span> year,<\/span> especially<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> UN<\/span> General<\/span> Assembly<\/span> is<\/span> nearing<\/span> its<\/span> abolition.<\/span> Deputy<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sergei<\/span> Ryabkov,<\/span> a<\/span> well-known<\/span> defense<\/span> expert,<\/span> will<\/span> attend<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday.<\/span> US<\/span> Secretary<\/span> of<\/span> State<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Blinken<\/span> will<\/span> speak<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> video<\/span> message<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> day.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> year<\/span> ago,<\/span> dozens<\/span> of<\/span> diplomats<\/span> left<\/span> the<\/span> Council<\/span> chamber<\/span> when<\/span> Russian<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sergey<\/span> Lavrov<\/span> appeared<\/span> on<\/span> video<\/span> a<\/span> few<\/span> days<\/span> ago,<\/span> speaking<\/span> out<\/span> against<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> invasion<\/span> of<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> Originally,<\/span> he<\/span> was<\/span> supposed<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> there<\/span> directly,<\/span> but<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> invasion,<\/span> many<\/span> Western<\/span> countries<\/span> closed<\/span> their<\/span> airspace<\/span> to<\/span> flights<\/span> from<\/span> Russia.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>At<\/span> the<\/span> conference,<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> will<\/span> likely<\/span> seek<\/span> to<\/span> pressure<\/span> China<\/span> over<\/span> its<\/span> past<\/span> track<\/span> record<\/span> on<\/span> issues<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> its<\/span> crackdown<\/span> on<\/span> pro-democracy<\/span> activists<\/span> and<\/span> others<\/span> in<\/span> Hong<\/span> Kong,<\/span> and<\/span> long-standing<\/span> concerns<\/span> about<\/span> Tibetans<\/span> and<\/span> others<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> Xinjiang<\/span> Uighur<\/span> Autonomous<\/span> Region.<\/span> Former<\/span> UN<\/span> Human<\/span> Rights<\/span> Council<\/span> member<\/span> Michelle<\/span> Bachelet<\/span> released<\/span> a<\/span> terrifying<\/span> report<\/span> last<\/span> fall,<\/span> minutes<\/span> before<\/span> she<\/span> resigned.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Western<\/span> diplomats<\/span> want<\/span> to<\/span> see<\/span> the<\/span> tone<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> new<\/span> UN<\/span> Human<\/span> Rights<\/span> Director,<\/span> Volker<\/span> T\u00fcrk,<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> issue.<\/span> He<\/span> speaks<\/span> right<\/span> after<\/span> Guterres.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> agenda<\/span> included<\/span> a<\/span> possible<\/span> extension<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> tenure<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> expert<\/span> team<\/span> known<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> Commission<\/span> of<\/span> Inquiry<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> Impact<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> Invasion<\/span> of<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> and<\/span> Ethiopia’s<\/span> decision<\/span> to<\/span> appoint<\/span> a<\/span> board-appointed<\/span> inquiry<\/span> team<\/span> to<\/span> investigate<\/span> legal<\/span> issues<\/span> surrounding<\/span> Ethiopia.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GENEVA (Reuters) \u2014 U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will help kick off the latest and longest-ever session of the U.N.’s top human rights body on Monday, with Iran’s foreign minister, a senior Russian envoy, and the top diplomats of France and Germany among scores of leaders set to take part. The more than five-week session of […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,280,2418,2425,2450,2480,2482],"tags":[81,152,154,697,1222,1223],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/chen-1.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4330"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4330"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4333,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4330\/revisions\/4333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}