UN Watch in the News

"...Il est difficile de prendre au sérieux la discussion à l'ONU sur le bilan canadien en matière de droits de la personne lorsque ceux qui font la leçon les transgressent de façon répétée, comme l'Iran, la Russie, Cuba et l'Algérie..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in "Le Canada rejette des recommandations de l'ONU," Radio Canada, June 10, 2009.

"...The UN's discussion of Canada's human rights record was hard to take seriously when those doing the lecturing were serial human rights abusers like Iran, Russia, Cuba and Algeria..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in S. Edwards, "UN rights council gets cold shoulder from Ottawa" National Post, June 9, 2009.

"...Des ONG telles que UN Watch qualifie ce projet de résolution de «plaisanterie»..."-- S. Bussard, "Difficile session spéciale du Conseil des droits de l’homme" Le Temps, May 26, 2009.

         

"...Despite the call by UN rights officials for an international inquiry into possible war crimes, the proposal instead asks Sri Lanka to investigate itself -- it's a joke..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in S. Gardaz, "UN rights council divided over Sri Lanka," Agence France Presse, May 26, 2009. Also published in Daily Star (Lebanon), Mail and Guardian (South Africa), Tehran Times (Iran).

"...Sri Lanka does not deserve to be praised, but rather condemned for blocking humanitarian emergency relief to thousands, (and) creating conditions leading to the spread of diseases..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in "'Don't back resolution by Sri Lanka,'" New Straits Times (Malaysia), May 24, 2009.

"...In March, 2007, the Montreal-born Hillel Neuer, director of UN Watch, gave a brilliantly pointed speech to the council, arguing that it ignores atrocities all over the world, many committed by its members, while concentrating on Israel..." -- R. Fulford, "The UN speaks, and the world listens. Are we nuts?" National Post, May 23, 2009.

"...Sri Lanka does not deserve to be praised, but rather condemned for blocking humanitarian emergency relief to thousands, (and) creating conditions leading to the spread of diseases..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in S. Nebehay, "Sri Lanka seeks to deflect U.N. rights scrutiny,"  Reuters, May 22, 2009.

"...UN Watch's executive director Hillel Neuer said the US presence would make no difference unless it acts vigorously to end the assault on some of the most obvious human rights principles such as freedom of speech and religion..." -- "US membership in UN Human Rights Council raises concerns," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, May 14, 2009.

"...The dream of Eleanor Roosevelt is ever more distant on a day that wrongly elevates the Chinese Communist Party, Havana and the House of Saud..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in P. Goodenough, "China Gets The Same Number of Votes As the U.S. on the U.N.’s Human Rights Council," CNS News, May 13, 2009.

"...Así, las ONG Freedom House y UN Watch recordaron en un informe divulgado en los días previos a la votación que las violaciones de los derechos humanos cometidas por los Gobiernos de Azerbaiyán, Camerún, China, Cuba, Yibuti, Rusia y Arabia Saudí les deberían convertir en inelegibles para un órgano que vela por los derechos fundamentales..." -- "EEUU entra al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de ONU con intención de reformarlo," EFE, May 13, 2009.

                                                                                                              
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وفي حديث مع موقعنا رأى هيليل سي. نوير، المدير التنفيذي لمنظمة 'يو ان ووتش' غير الحكومية، أن واشنطن ستمثل تياراً معارضاً للسياسة المتبعة حتى الآن داخل المجلس، لكنه شكك في إمكانية نجاحها في إبراز قضايا حقيقية تهم الأشخاص الذين تتعرض حقوقهم للانتهاك، أو قضايا مثل حرية التعبير ومنح المرأة السعودية حق الانتخاب. ويعود السبب في ذلك برأيه إلى سيطرة الدول الأخرى على 
 "المجلس." -- ه. إسماعيل, "تجدد الجدل حول دور مجلس حقوق الإنسان مع انضمام الولايات المتحدة إلى عضويته
Deutsche Welle (Arabic), May 12, 2009.

"...One third of the countries vying for seats have poor human rights records that should disqualify them for the job, according to a recent report by Freedom House and UN Watch..." -- K. Saloomey, "Debate rages over UN rights council," Al Jazeera, May 12, 2009.

"...Hillel Neuer of Geneva-based group UN Watch said the presence of China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia on the council would result in 'the foxes guarding the chickens.' He said the council's credibility was at stake over its failure to hold an emergency session over the bloody fighting in Sri Lanka..." -- P. Worsnip, "U.S. elected to U.N. rights council for first time,"  Reuters, May 12, 2009. Published in the Washington Post. 

"...While I get the argument and very much understood the thinking of not legitimizing such a hijacked body, the reality is it continued, stayed on and it only got worse..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in P. Starr, "U.S. Joining Human Rights Abusers on U.N. Human Rights Council," CNS News, May 12, 2009.

         

"...A report released early this month by two Western rights groups -- Freedom House and UN Watch -- indicated that nearly two-thirds of the 20 countries which ran for seats on the UN rights panel 'either have poor or questionable human rights records'..." -- G. Aziakou, "US, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia elected to UN rights panel," Agence France Presse, May 12, 2009.

"...This engagement is not to smile and make nice -- it's to get in there and to slam the Chinese for their egregious violations..."-- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in J. Abrams, "U.S. May Find Lonely Place on U.N. Human Rights Council," Fox News, May 11, 2009.

 

"...Electing these countries to the Council is like 'choosing the foxes to guard the chickens,' wrote UN Watch head Hillel Neuer..." -- "Critics frown as Obama flips Bush-era human rights stance," Deutsche Welle, May 9, 2009.

"...Everyone here in Geneva sees this as targeted payback for Mr. Littman's outspoken criticism of Islamic states' record on human rights, a voting bloc that dominates the Human Rights Council..." -- UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer quoted in S. Edwards, "UN sanctions human-rights activist," Canwest, May 8, 2009. Published in the Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal.

"...However, some groups are calling on UN members to block certain countries from getting a seat on the council. Freedom House and UN Watch say some of the countries seeking membership have poor or questionable human rights records..." -- J. DeCapua, "UN Human Rights Council candidates raise concerns," Voice of America, May 5, 2009.

"...'The vision had been that the council would be a voice for victims,' said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, a Montreal native. 'But it is now in a state of crisis'..." -- S. Edwards, "Oppressors running for UN rights council: Groups," Canwest, May 5, 2009. Also published in the Calgary Herald.