'World's worst human rights abusers' China, Pakistan & Russia make it to UNHRC; US stunned

China, Russia and Cuba won seats on UN's premier human rights body on Tuesday despite opposition from activist groups over ir abysmal human rights records. Reacting to this, United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo slammed United Nations for electing "authoritarian regimes" like China, Russia and Cuba into UN Human Rights Council ding that US' decision to withdraw from council has been "validated".

'World's worst human rights abusers'

Pompeo in statement accused global human rights council of "anti-Israel bias and membership rules that allow election of world's worst human rights abusers to seats on Council." "After our exit, United States h urged UN member states to take immediate action to reform Council before it became irreparable. Unfortunately, those calls went unheeded, and today UN General Assembly once again elected countries with abhorrent human rights records, including China, Russia, and Cuba. Venezuela was elected in 2019," Pompeo said in a statement.

"se elections only furr validate US decision to withdraw and use or venues and opportunities to protect and promote universal human rights," US Secretary of State said. Pompeo furr said that US' commitment to human rights consists of far "more than just words" ding, that US "is a force for good in world, and always will be."

Saudi Arabia loses seat to UNHRC

UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Russia, China, Cuba and 12 or countries to serve as members of UN Human Rights Council for three-year terms starting January 1, 2021. This year, elections to Human Rights Council saw 16 candidates from four regional groups - African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean and Western European - competing for a seat at Geneva-based body.

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To be elected, a country needed to obtain required majority of 97 votes, Sputnik reported. 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.

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 abuser sought seats to protect mselves and ir allies.

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(With ncy inputs)