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(MENAFN – Colombo Gazette) g loading = “lazy” class = “wp-image-101661 alignleft” src = “https://colombogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/UNHRC.jpg” alt = “” width = “260” height = “173” “https://colombogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/UNHRC.jpg 1024w, https://colombogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/UNHRC-960×640 .jpg 960w “size =” (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px “/> By SV KIRUPAharan, France

At the UN General Assembly in New York, on October 13, elections were held for fifteen vacancies for members of the UN Human Rights Council – HRC for the period 2021 to 2023. Several countries with a record of gross human rights violations succeeded in this election.

Before discussing in detail about the newly elected members and the HRC, it is necessary to know how the HRC’s membership in forty-seven countries is divided. This is by world region – thirteen countries from Asia-Pacific (13), thirteen countries from Africa (13), eight countries from Latin or Caribbean South America (8), seven countries from Western Europe and others (7) and six countries from Eastern Europe (6).

One needs to know which countries are currently HRC members until December 2020 or above. They:

Asia Pacific Countries (13): Afghanistan (2020) Qatar (2020) Nepal (2020) Pakistan (2020) Fiji (2021) Bangladesh (2021) Fiji (2021) India (2021) Philippines (2021) Indonesia (2022) Japan (2022) Marshall Islands (2022) Republic Korea – South Korea (2022).

Africa (13): Angola (2020) Democratic Republic of the Congo (2020) Nigeria (2020) Senegal (2020) Burkina Faso (2021) Cameroon (2021) Eritrea (2021) Somalia (2021) Togo (2021) Libya (2022) Mauritania (2022) Namibia (2022 ) Sudan (2022).

South or Latin American (8) Caribbean countries: Chile (2020) Name (2020) Mexico (2020) Argentina (2021) Palmas (2021) Uruguay (2021) Brazil (2022) Venezuela (2022).

Other Western European Countries (7): Australia (2020) Spain (2020) Austria (2021 Denmark (2021) Italy (2021) Germany (2022) Netherlands (2022)

Eastern European Countries (6): Slovakia (2020) Ukraine (2020) Bulgaria (2021) Czech Republic (2021) Armenia (2022) Poland (2022).

Fifteen new members

Based on the period given above, the membership of four countries in Asia, four countries in Africa, three countries in Latin or Caribbean South America, two countries in other West European countries, and two countries in Eastern Europe will end in December 2020.

If a sitting country wishes to continue its membership in the UN Human Rights Council, it can only do so for two consecutive three-year terms during each term. To do this, at the end of their first three years, they must run in elections held by the UN General Assembly.

Now let’s look at the fifteen members, elected last week by the UN General Assembly, who will hold their membership for three years starting 2021.

Among the Asia Pacific countries: Pakistan, Nepal, China and Uzbekistan. But Pakistan and Nepal have been re-elected for their second terms.

Among African countries: Senegal, Ivory Coast or Ivory Coast, Gabon and Malawi. But Senegal has been re-elected for his second term.

Among Latin or South American Caribbean countries: Mexico, Bolivia, Cuba and Mexico. But Mexico has been re-elected for a second term.

Among Western Europe and other countries: France and England were elected without a vote.

Regarding Eastern Europe: Ukraine and Russia. But Ukraine has been re-elected for a second term.

Many international human rights organizations condemned the fact that of the fifteen countries elected this time, many had records of major human rights violations. But this is not the first time these countries have been elected to the HRC. This is proof that the UN General Assembly is being politicized.

The two year period ends

Furthermore, we need to consider that the two-year deadline given by the HRC to the Government of Sri Lanka expires in March 2021 – in other words to coincide with HRC’s 46th session in March. The question that now arises for many is how will the HRC member countries handle the situation in Sri Lanka?

The main thing we need to note is that Sri Lanka has drawn co-sponsorship of this resolution and since the last Presidential and Parliament elections, the government has manipulated its means to bury Sri Lanka’s democracy. In addition, Sri Lanka is openly cooperating with the countries with the world’s worst human rights violations – such as China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan and others.

Now, we need to examine how the international community views Sri Lanka’s autocracy and constitutional dictatorship. The international community considers Gotabhaya’s one-year rule to mean a gradual demise of democracy and impending dangers in Sri Lanka. In addition, the international community has not failed to pay attention to the deterioration in the political, economic and social life of the people of the Northeast.

In this context, at the next HRC session, it cannot be denied that a tough resolution against Sri Lanka will be put forward. What matters may be how the HRC members support this resolution. There are people who don’t understand the HRC situation and panic. Some people worry that China, Russia, Cuba and Pakistan will become members of HRC from 2021 and they may sabotage the resolution. Of course, they will try their best but will not succeed. One should understand that all past resolutions have been successfully elected while China, Russia, Cuba and Pakistan are HRC members.

Some say that the previous resolution was passed successfully, because it was initiated by the US which is now not in the HRC. There are people who have difficulty understanding the internal affairs, lobbying and voting patterns of HRC.

US is concerned

The US may not be in HRC but they are concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka, especially about human rights issues. When Sri Lanka was given a two-year extension, the US played their card behind the scenes although this was unknown to many.

The US tendency to withdraw from HRC has always been during the Republican Presidency. During the Democratic Presidency, they publicly joined HRC and initiated issues. Taking this factor into account, in the upcoming Presidential election in the US, if the Democrats win they will definitely move their activities to HRC.

The resolution on Sri Lanka, which will be submitted to HRC at the next session is sure to be won by a vote of at least twenty-five to twenty-seven countries (25-27). Those wishing to analyze this prediction should consider votes on previous resolutions, HRC membership in 2021 and several other factors to consider. Also, one has to consider the current political situation in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, there are people spreading poison which doesn’t help, even if the HRC chooses to hand over the Sri Lanka situation to the UN Security Council, China is there to protect them. I respectfully ask those people to see what China did when former Sudanese President Omar el-Bechir was referred to the International Criminal Court – ICC by the Security Council. It should be noted that the former President of Sudan was very friendly with China and they traded a lot.

So, future resolutions on Sri Lanka at HRC Geneva will be passed without a hitch.

However, for any future Sri Lankan resolution to be successful in HRC – contributions from the Tamil Diaspora, activists, all diaspora organizations, Tamil parliamentarians from the North and East, human rights activists and Sri Lankan parents and relatives are essential. All of this must find a way to work with the International Human Rights Organization and others.

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pakistan

PM promises to launch ‘new Imran Khan’ | Instant News

October 18, 2020 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – Gulf Times) In fiery retaliation to the opposition alliance campaigning to overthrow his government, Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday promised to release the ‘new Imran Khan, saying he would try his best to bring back’ the fugitive former prime minister. Nawaz Sharif from London and put him in a normal prison without the luxury of ‘VVIP airs.
Addressing the ‘Tiger Force’ convention – a youth volunteer force formed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to participate in nation-building – he called the October 16 demonstration of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Gujranwala Friday night a ‘circus, said the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who fled abroad by defrauding the government, was targeting military and state institutions to create chaos in the country.
He accused Sharif of being able to sell the country for his own gain, noting that he had spoken against the country’s military chiefs and the DG of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).
Sharif accused the security forces of being behind his overthrow as prime minister and for “bringing Imran Khan to power.” He attacked soldiers and ISI leaders by name while addressing the PDM’s first force show in Gujranwala via video link.
The remarks came less than a month after soldiers and ISI leaders in a meeting with key opposition figures advised them to refrain from ‘dragging the military into political trouble.
Sharif questioned ‘who made the country above state and who is responsible for the two governments in the country, among other things, before blaming the names of the two security chiefs.
This is not the first time Sharif has pursued military leadership; during a multiparty opposition conference last month, he had criticized it harshly, saying there were ‘circumstances above the states in the country. However, he refrained from mentioning anyone at that time.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Khan, on condition of anonymity, said (PML-N Vice President) Maryam Nawaz and (Pakistan People’s Party Chair) Bilawal Bhutto never earned a penny by hard work.
‘I predicted 11 years ago that they would all come together. You saw that they all gathered at the PDM rally, recalls the prime minister.
Addressing the two (Maryam is Sharif’s daughter and Bilawal’s son of former president Asif Zardari), the PM said that both of them grew up on the illicit income of their respective fathers, so there is no point commenting on them. ‘Nobody in Bollywood can act like Bilawal and Maryam, he admonished.
He underlined that Tiger Force has an important role to play and has helped the district government in dealing with crisis situations.
Earlier this year, a month after Pakistan confirmed its first coronavirus case, the PM launched the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Assistance Tiger Force, known as the Tiger Force, which enlisted young volunteers from across the country to help fight the coronavirus.
However, the scope of the police has expanded since its inception and volunteers are now assisting various other government projects. These include propulsion tree plantations, waste management projects and Pakistan’s fight against the country’s worst locust invasion in more than 25 years.
Volunteers, including men and women, have registered through a government application, and are working in various regions across the country in coordination with local governments.
Volunteers have helped district governments implement standard coronavirus operating procedures such as social distancing in mosques and public places, distributing food and other basic necessities to the poor.
‘I need Tiger Force to supervise stockpiling, but volunteers don’t need to interfere in official matters, they just need to report stockpiling on the troop portal, he advised.
‘Volunteer troops have a high position in society, because you have to protect the rights of our citizens. This is a big role in democracy: Tiger, you have a big role to play. Pakistanis are a nation that defends their country, he said.
Regarding inflation and rising prices for essential commodities, the PM said there were many reasons for the price increases.
“There is a shortage of wheat because in the last two years it has rained at the wrong time because of climate change,” he said.
‘I have called you today because there is inflation in our country and there are many reasons for that. The rupee has fallen against the dollar because when we got government we ran the biggest trade deficit (in the history of the country).
‘There’s a $ 40 billion trade deficit. When the rupee falls, whatever we buy from outside, the price goes up – like gas, gasoline and electricity – all of this goes up.
Referring again to the irregular rainfall, which he blamed for the wheat shortage, the PM said, ‘It rains when the wheat should be threshed. That’s lowering the supply of wheat, and we’re looking at a deficit. We need 7.2 million tonnes of wheat. When there is a deficit, the price of wheat goes up.
“We found out too late about these shortcomings, because the system we have is not correct. We reduce the deficit by importing [wheat].

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Brazil

About 40 thousand more people have contracted the corona virus in Brazil | Instant News

October 17, 2020 NewsDesk

(MENAFN) Brazil’s health ministry announced on Friday that the combined tally of patients who tested positive for the new coronavirus had increased to 5,200,300 after 30,914 more cases were registered over the past 24 hours.

The minister’s statement also revealed that the national death toll also increased during the period reaching 153,214, with an additional 754 related fatalities.

He added that the largest share of all the country’s cases were reported from the Brazilian capital Sao Paulo as it reported a total of 1,057,240 cases and 37,870 deaths, while Rio de Janeiro was in second place with 289,440 cases and 19,654 deaths.

Brazil has the third largest caseload in the world, after the United States and India, and the second highest number of deaths from the disease, after the United States.

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The car-truck collision left three people dead in England | Instant News

October 14, 2020 NewsDesk

(MENAFN) According to local media reports released Tuesday, a passenger carrier crashed into a van near Oxford, England, leaving three children and a 29-year-old woman, belonging to the same family, dead.

Sky News reported that unfortunate children, including two girls, aged four and eight, as well as a six-year-old boy were reportedly killed on the spot.

The agency’s report also revealed that two other passengers in the same car, a 30-year-old man and an 18-month-old girl, had been taken to hospital and were still in critical condition. The truck driver, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor injuries, according to the report.

Senior investigating officer Sgt. Dominic Mahon described the accident as an “absolute tragedy”.

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pakistan

Imran asks the ‘Tiger Force’ to monitor food prices | Instant News

October 14, 2020 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – IANS)

Islamabad, Oct 12 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has assigned one million Korona Relief Tiger Force (CRTF) volunteers to monitor grocery prices, adding that he will discuss future mechanisms at a convention in Islamabad this week.

In a tweet on Sunday, the prime minister said: “On next Saturday I will meet with our Tiger Squad at the Convention Center. From now until then I want our Tiger Troops to regularly check the prices of daal, atta, sugar, ghee in the area. them, and post it on the Tiger Force portal. Will discuss the meeting on Saturday. “

Khan’s tweet came a day after he vowed to use all available resources in the state to lower food prices in the country.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, the prime minister said: “Starting Monday in the coming week, our government will use all resources available to the state to lower food prices.

“We have examined the causes of the price increase: is it true that there is a shortage of supply or is it just being hoarded by the mafia, smuggling, if any. Or price increases due to international prices such as palm oil, lentils, etc.

“Starting next week we will implement our strategy and action will begin to use all the organizations and resources of the country to lower food prices.”

The CRTF, which consists of a large number of doctors, engineers, lawyers and retired soldiers, has been established by the government to ensure the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) aimed at reducing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It officially operates in the three Punjab provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in May following Prime Minister Khan’s speech to its members.

–IANS

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