Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
www.innercitypress.com/hrun1rwanda040309.html
UNITED NATIONS, April 3 -- The UN Human Rights Committee, which has held most of its just-concluded session in New York in meetings closed to the press and public, emerged Friday to speak at length in what was called a press conference on three countries -- Rwanda, Australia and Sweden -- leaving less than ten minutes for questions.
Inner City Press asked if the Committee's consideration of Rwanda included support given to militia leader Laurent Nkunda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, separately, the issue of criminalizing the use of the names of ethnic group, Hutu, Tutsi and Batwa.
Committee member Ruth Wedgwood, who had spoken at length about Rwanda and Sweden, said that support of Nkunda has not been considered, adding "the ICC has a case on him, if I recall." But International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has not indicted Nkunda, but only his deputy Bosco, who now apparently works, like the UN, with the DRC's army.
Ms. Wedgwood said the situation of the Batwa had been discussed -- "with the Ambassador, who's here," she said, pointing. Rwanda's Permanent Representative Joseph Nsengimana was sitting in the press briefing room, taking notes. Often, diplomats are barred from the briefing room unless their Mission sponsored the presentation. Despite Ambassador Nsengimana's always pleasant demeanor, whether the general limitation to attendance to the press should be violated to let in representatives of the countries being reported on is something the UN should consider.
Inner City Press also asked the panel, which had twice mentioned receiving information from non-governmental organizations or NGOs, if they were aware that the UN's Committee on NGOs recently disbarred at least for a year the human rights NGO Arab Commission on Human Rights. As Inner City Press covered exclusively, Algeria complained that ACHR in Geneva had let a person speak who was, Algeria said, a terrorist. The group was disbarred. Inner City Press asked if the Human Rights Committee monitors the expulsion of some human rights groups from the UN. No, Ms. Wedgwood said, I am not aware of their hearing process. It seems like something the Committee should be concerned about.
There was only one other questioner, about the just-announced appointment of Richard Goldstone as part of the Gaza investigation by the Human Rights Council. (The Council is made up of governments, the Committee by "independent experts.") Panelist Nigel Rodley replied drily that the Committee does not cover current events. Committee head Yuji Iwasawa, however, did say that drafting of a General Comment on Article 19, freedom of expression, has begun. One wonders how it might related to the Council's recent resolution against the "defamation of religion." On that, Inner City Press asked earlier if Ban Ki-moon had any comment. He did not.
There was no time on Friday to ask Australia questions, and only one on Sweden: an extradition threatened in 2008 back to Eritrea, which the UN's own Committee on Torture complained about (and stopped, or delayed). The Human Rights Committee, in considering Sweden's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, apparently did not consider this case. Given the number of closed meetings that they had, one wonders what they do.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/hrun1rwanda040309.html
