The UN is preparing to adopt a report praising the human rights record of the
former government of deposed Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, in a move a UN
monitoring NGO said would bring embarrassment to the international rights
organization.
The report – which is scheduled for review in March’s
session of the Human Rights Council – is the outcome of a 2010 session, held
before the eruption of mass protests and an armed rebellion that pushed Gaddafi
from his throne in October 2011, after 42 years in power.
NGO UN Watch
called on the UN to cancel the review, with executive director Hillel Neuer
saying the report only serves to “falsely praise Gaddafi’s oppressive regime,
insult his victims, and harm the reputation of the UN.”
“The report
completely contradicts the council’s own commission of inquiry, which found
evidence of Gaddafi war crimes,” Neuer said. “The review should be entirely
redone, and the council should set an example of accountability by acknowledging
that its original review was deeply flawed.”
The report will be examined
by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a branch of the Human Rights Council
which monitors the human rights records of all UN member states.
The
report was originally slated for adoption last year but has been postponed
repeatedly, according to UN Watch.
Libya welcomed the report at the time,
stating: “The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya [Libya’s official name] believed that the
promotion and protection of human rights was one of the most important factors
for the progress and development of the people.” In the report, the Gaddafi
regime also touted “its pioneering experience in the field of wealth
distribution and labor rights.”
Included in the UPR report are member
states’ rights recommendations for the Gaddafi regime, including methods to deal
with refugees and abolishment of the death penalty.
Among the member
states praising Libya’s human rights record are other Mideast countries facing
criticism over abuses that emerged during Arab Spring protests, which spread
throughout the region at the close of 2010 – including Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia
and Egypt.