Outcry after Saudi Arabia appointed to head United Nations human rights panel

He has described the United Nations move as “scandalous” and indicative of how “oil trumps human rights”.

“It’s bad enough that Saudi Arabia is a member of the council, but for the United Nations to go and name the regime as chair of a key panel only pours salt in the wounds for dissidents languishing in Saudi prisons”, Neuer said.

“Many received unfair trials before courts that failed to respect due process, including a special anti-terrorism court that handed down death sentences”, read Amnesty International’s latest annual report on the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia in 2014/15.

Earlier this year, leaders across the world came under fire for paying tribute to late Saudi monarch King Abdullah, who passed away in January.

An Indian has been killed and three others were injured in fresh mortar attacks in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan region by Houthi rebels, the second Indian to die in three days due to heavy shelling.

“In essence, there has to be a human rights council”.

In one of the most ironic decisions in recent history, the body responsible for promoting human rights around the world has elected an envoy from the country notorious for beheading and flogging people, to oversee human rights standards globally. Neur believes the position could be a consolation prize for the Saudis for withdrawing their bid to head the 47-nation council following global condemnation of the kingdom’s human rights records. It claimed that the appointment of Trad was made in June, but remained unreported until now.

According to the RSF, Saudi Arabia’s “human rights record is disastrous” and the kingdom ranks 164 out of 180 countries in the RSF Press Freedom Index. “There are no independent media”, the RSF statement said. “Protesters have been held without charge and incommunicado for days or weeks at a time, and some are reported to have been tortured and otherwise ill-treated”.

While it is clear that Saudi Arabia has strategic resources, most notably oil, this should not stand in the way of principled action for human rights.

Rights groups have also regularly expressed concern about the kingdom’s use of the death penalty. Authorities continue to discriminate against Saudi women and girls and do not adequately protect the rights of migrant workers.

– Michael A. Sherlock (@sherlockmichael)Saudi named head of top UN Human Rights panel.