Government refuses to deny backing Saudi Arabia’s new membership on UN Human Rights Council

Last Updated: October 31, 2016By
A Saudi-led coalition air strike on the outskirts of Yemen's capital Sanaa earlier this month [Image: AP].

A Saudi-led coalition air strike on the outskirts of Yemen’s capital Sanaa earlier this month [Image: AP].

I’m going to stick my neck out and suggest the Conservative Government’s response – “We do not reveal our voting intention” – is de facto admission of guilt.

And why should it not? The Tory Government seems to enjoy sending weapons of destruction to Riyadh, for use against Yemen, and knows there will be no opposition in Parliament as long as right-wing Labour backbenchers share the same bloodthirsty aim.

This is not about human rights – it is about weapons sales, big money… and the deaths of thousands of people.

The Foreign Office has refused to deny whether it backed Saudi Arabia’s renewed membership on the UN’s Human Rights Council, despite alleged war crimes by the kingdom in Yemen.

It comes after a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York elected 14 members to the council, including the oil-rich kingdom, through a secret ballot. The 193-member assembly also voted Russia off the UNHRC, which lost its regional seat to Hungary.

When asked whether the UK voted for Saudi Arabia, a Foreign Office spokesman told The Independent: “We do not reveal our voting intention”.

Source: Government refuses to deny whether it backed Saudi Arabia’s new membership on UN Human Rights Council | The Independent

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One Comment

  1. Lin Wren October 31, 2016 at 1:15 pm - Reply

    This Government should be charged with War Crimes. THEY won’t be though because all Government’s want to blame Russia

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