China and Russia win seats on UN rights council, Saudis lose

China, Russia and Cuba won seats on UN's premiere human rights body Tuesday despite opposition from activist groups over ir abysmal human rights records, but ar target, Saudi Arabia, lost.

Russia and Cuba were running upposed, but China and Saudi Arabia were in a five-way race in only contested race for seats on Human Rights Council.

In secret-ballot voting in 193-member U.N. General Assembly on that race, Pakistan received 169 votes, Uzbekistan 164, Nepal 150, China 139 and Saudi Arabia just 90 votes.

Despite anunced reform plans by Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch and ors strongly opposed its candidacy saying Middle East nation continues to target human rights defenders, dissidents and women's rights activists and has demonstrated little accountability for past abuses, including killing of Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul two years ago.

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for Arab World w, organization founded by Khashoggi, said despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin on public relations “to cover his grotesque abuses, international community just isn't buying it.” “Unless Saudi Arabia undertakes dramatic reforms to release political prisoners, end its disastrous war in Yemen and allow its citizens meaningful political participation, it will remain a global pariah,” Whitson said.

Under Human Rights Council's rules, seats are allocated to regions to ensure geographical representation.

Except for Asia-Pacific contest, election of 15 members to 47-member Human Rights Council was all but decided in vance because all or regional groups h uncontested slates.

Four countries won four Africa seats: Ivory Coast, Malawi, Gabon and Senegal. Russia and Ukraine won two East European seats. In Latin American and Caribbean group, Mexico, Cuba and Bolivia won three open seats. And Britain and France won two seats for Western European and ors group.

“Saudi Arabia's failure to win a seat on Human Rights Council is a welcome reminder of need for more competition in U.N. elections," Human Rights Watch's U.N. director, Louis Charbonneau, said after results were anunced, “H re been ditional candidates, China, Cuba and Russia might have lost too," he said.

“But dition of se undeserving countries won't prevent council from shining a light on abuses and speaking up for victims. In fact, by being on council, se abusers will be directly in spotlight.” Charbonneau earlier criticized U.N. member states, including Western nations, saying: “y don't want competition. ... Essentially se are backroom deals that are worked out among regional groups.” Last week, a coalition of human rights groups from Europe, United States and Cana called on U.N. member states to oppose election of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, saying ir human rights records make m “unqualified.” “Electing se dictatorships as U.N. judges on human rights is like making a gang of arsonists into fire brige,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.

Geneva-based rights organization published a 30-p joint report with Human Rights Foundation and Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights evaluating candidates for council seats.

report lists Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Malawi, Mexico, Senegal and Ukraine — all winners — as having “questionable” credentials due to problematic human rights and U.N. voting records that need improvement. It gave “qualified” ratings only to United Kingdom and France.

Human Rights Watch pointed to an unprecedented call by 50 U.N. experts on June 26 for “decisive measures to protect fundamental freedoms in China,” warning about its mass rights violations in Hong Kong and Tibet and against ethnic Uighurs in Chinese province of Xinjiang as well as attacks on rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and government critics. ir call was echoed by over 400 civil society groups from more than 60 countries.

Of four winners of seats in Asia-Pacific group, China got lowest vote.

rights group said Russia's military operations with Syrian government “have deliberately or indiscriminately killed civilians and destroyed hospitals and or protected civilian infrastructure in violation of international humanitarian law,” and ted Russia's veto of U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria, including blocking Damascus' referral to International Criminal Court.

Geneva-based Human Rights Council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues. It also periodically reviews human rights in every U.N. member country.

Created in 2006 to replace a commission discredited because of some members' poor rights records, new council soon came to face similar criticism, including that rights abusers sought seats to protect mselves and ir allies.