UN Watch

One year after suspicious death of Cuba’s top dissident, 125 leaders urge U.N. to investigate

Signatories include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, European Parliament VP, former presidents & foreign ministers, ambassadors, human rights activists and dissidents GENEVA, -- Marking the first anniversary of the suspicious deaths of top Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya and activist Harold Cepero, more than 100 public figures from around the world today called on the highest officials of the United Nations to launch an international and independent investigation. (See full text below.)

Confirmed: Iran, Syria Running for U.N. Rights Council

GENEVA, -- Reuters has just confirmed UN Watch's exclusive report from yesterday (see below) that Iran and Syria are running for seats on the UN's highest human rights body.

“List of Shame”: World’s Worst Abusers Running for UN Human Rights Council Seats

GENEVA, -- As a United Nations meeting is today set to hear live campaign pitches (webcast link) from the UK, France and other democracies running for seats on the world body's Human Rights Council, the Geneva-based non-governmental human rights group UN Watch revealed its "List of Shame" -- naming some of the world's worst abusers who are also running in the Nov. 2013 election and expected to win seats: Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. Though unconfirmed, reportedly Iran and Syria may also be running. Click here for full chart of candidates (PDF).

UN Chief Again Slams Richard Falk, “Vehemently Disagrees” with 9/11 Conspiracy Theory

GENEVA, – After UN Watch exposed UN official Richard Falk's latest support for the 9/11 conspiracy theory in his interview with “Truth Jihad Radio”, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dissociated himself from Falk once again. See full story below from the Washington Free Beacon.

UN’s Falk gives voice to 9/11 conspiracy theory; host’s website blames “Zio-Nazis”

GENEVA, – Controversial UN human rights official Richard Falk has once again given voice to the 9/11 conspiracy theory, in an interview with “Truth Jihad Radio”, sparking calls for the world body’s highest officials to rebuke his “inflammatory” and “offensive” comments.

U.S. Rejects Top UN Official’s Bid to Expel Watchdog NGO, Says Richard Falk is ‘Unfit to Serve

• UN Watch: “We do not take this lightly: the UN has suspended NGOs for criticizing the wrong regimes”

GENEVA, – America's envoy to the UN Human Rights Council, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, has demanded the resignation of one of its top officials, saying Richard Falk's attempt to investigate and potentially shut down a UN-accredited NGO could "threaten the independent voice of civil society at the United Nations."

Turkish Raid: UN Rights Council Called to Investigate

GENEVA, – In reaction to this morning’s brutal Turkish police action that targeted peaceful protesters and journalists, creating scenes of chaos on the streets of Istanbul, a Geneva-based human rights group is demanding an urgent debate of the United Nations Human Rights Council, now in session, in a letter (see full text below) sent today to Council President Remigiusz Achilles Henczel, and UN rights chief Navi Pillay.

How to combat antisemitism at the UN

This article by Anne Bayefsky originally appeared on The Jerusalem Post. It is opening week of another session of the UN’s top human rights body, the UN Human Rights Council, and antisemitism will once again be promoted around the globe via an organization built on the ashes of the Jewish people and sworn to hatred’s eradication.

Syria & UN Health Assembly Join to Slam Israel

GENEVA, – The annual assembly of the UN's World Health Organization held a special debate today criticizing Israel -- the only specific country on the organization's agenda -- with Syria demanding urgent action on "inhuman Israeli practices" that target "the health of Syrian citizens.”

North Korean Defector Wins Human Rights Award

The award will be presented at UN Watch's 20th anniversary gala dinner, where Shin will address ambassadors, NGO activists and UN officials.

Iran to chair U.N. disarmament conference

GENEVA, – Iran will chair the United Nations’ most important disarmament negotiating forum during the panel’s May session, which opened today, sparking calls by an independent monitoring group for the U.S., the EU, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon to protest. Click here for UN website.

UN’s Richard Falk Again Calls Boston Attack “Resistance” to U.S. “Military Undertakings”

UN Watch Welcomes News of Israel’s Expected Return to UN Rights Council

UN Watch today welcomed news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a diplomatic initiative, with the help of Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, to return to the UN Human Rights Council, and called on the 47-nation body to ensure its success by removing provisions that both Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan criticized as discriminatory against the Jewish state. (See quotes at bottom.)

Fraud: Cuba Uses 454 Front Groups to Subvert Today’s UN Review of its Human Rights Record

Also: Syria, Iran, North Korea took the floor today to sing Havana's praises GENEVA, – Today's UN review of Cuba's rights record was tainted by "massive fraud" committed by the regime's use of an unprecedented 454 front groups to officially register 93 statements praising Havana's policies and practices, as revealed exclusively in a new report today by UN Watch entitled "How Cuba Hijacked its UPR."

Update: Nominee for Top Human Rights Prize Acknowledges “My Anti-Israel Tweets”

GENEVA, – In response to new revelations, a top contender for the world's premier human rights prize -- one of three Final Nominees selected by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and eight other NGOs -- today acknowledged having posted "anti-Israel tweets." See UN Watch's original release here.

Top Rights Prize Nominee Tweets for Terror

UN Watch & Egyptian rights activists urge global human rights prize to cancel nomination of Mona Seif for advocating violence against civilians Amr Bakly: "The Martin Ennals Award is not for terrorist supporters. . . Mona Saif is a terrorist supporter!" GENEVA, April 30, 2013 – A jury comprised of 10 of the world's leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has nominated an Egyptian activist for a premier human rights prize, even though she "Tweets for terror," said the Geneva-based UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights monitoring organization, which sent a letter today urging the cancelation of Mona Seif's nomination. (See below UN Watch letter to Hans Thoolen, Chair of the Martin Ennals Award jury.)

UN Watch urges event to be canceled after Falk was condemned worldwide

GENEVA, – A famous San Francisco tech finance pioneer is being called upon to cancel his sponsorship of a lecture tomorrow night that will honor a UN official who was denounced by world leaders last week for suggesting that the Boston bombings were somehow the fault of the U.S. and Israel.

Canada indicted by China, Russia, Iran at UN rights review

GENEVA, April 26, 2013 – Today's UN quadrennial review of Canada's human rights record quickly turned into a spectacle of hypocrisy and farce when the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-un took the floor to accuse the country of "torture and other ill-treatment," China, Cuba and Pakistan bewailed Canada's "racism," and Russia deplored "torture and cruelty against peaceful protestors." (See full quotes below).

UN Official Justifies Boston Bombings as ‘Retribution’, Blames America & ‘Tel Aviv

GENEVA, – In a letter sent today to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice (see below), the Geneva-based non-governmental monitoring group UN Watch demanded the condemnation of top UN Human Rights Council official Richard Falk over his latest remarks blaming the Boston terrorist attacks on U.S. foreign policy and “Tel Aviv.”

UNESCO silent as Hamas bulldozes world heritage site to make terrorist training camp

GENEVA, – In an urgent letter sent today to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova (see letter below), UN Watch demanded immediate action to stop the Hamas bulldozing of a 3000-year-old Gaza harbor for use as a terrorist training camp, as reported today by Al Monitor Palestine Pulse. A copy was also sent to EU foreign minister Catherine Ashton calling on the EU to take action.