Ex-Afghan rights chief attacks US

"The former United Nations human rights envoy to Afghanistan, Cherif Bassiouni, has said he lost his job because of pressure from the United States.

"The UN Human Rights Commission ended Professor Bassiouni's mandate at a meeting in Geneva last week.

"American officials said Afghanistan's human rights situation had improved.

"But Prof Bassiouni said it was because US defence officials did not want investigations into the way people were detained without trial by US forces.

"Prof Bassiouni has spent the past year investigating allegations of human rights violations in Afghanistan for the commission.

"The professor, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, was extremely critical of Washington's policy on detainees."
Source: BBC


* Ø * Ø * Ø *

Shooting the Messenger Who Reported Human Rights Abuses in Afghanistan

"In a report issued to the UN Commission on Human Rights, M. Cherif Bassiouni reported on allegations that American military forces and independent contractors in Afghanistan acted above the law with 'sexual abuse, beatings, torture, and use of force resulting in death.'

"As a result, the UN Commission on Human Rights was pressured at a meeting in Geneva by U.S. diplomats to eliminate his post that was appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last April: the United Nation's 'independent expert on human rights in Afghanistan.'

"It was only last year that the U.S. had pushed for the post of 'Special Rapporteur' to be downgraded in stature to that of 'independent expert.' Now with the elimination of this position, the burden of monitoring human rights abuses in Afghanistan falls upon the shoulders of UN human rights commissioner Louise Arbour whose global responsibilities 'won't leave her time to focus on Afghanistan,' according to Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. But this is precisely what the Bush administration wants."
Source: Dissident Voice

Google News Search Bassiouni