GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 61 RESOLUTIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS,
SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
Fifty-ninth General Assembly
Plenary
74th Meeting (PM)
Approves Texts on Human Rights Situations
In Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkmenistan
Acting on the recommendations of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), the General Assembly this afternoon adopted 61 resolutions and seven decisions, including closely contested texts on the human rights situations in Iran, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Turkmenistan, which prompted an unprecedented call for “no action” on a text already approved by one of its Main Committees.
Taking the floor to request a motion for no action, the representative of Turkmenistan alluded to the “very serious signal” that had been sent to proponents of country-specific resolutions during the Third Committee’s consideration of such matters. Recalling the dismissal of three resolutions –- namely, on the situations in Belarus, Sudan and Zimbabwe –- she argued that the failure to gain support for those texts did not mean that some members accorded low priority to human rights issues, only that they had disagreed with the way in which the sponsors had chosen selectively to target some States.
Those sponsors should ask themselves whether they had chosen the correct path in their approach to the issue of country-specific situations, she continued. Countries that made progress in development and practiced openness and constructive dialogue, should not be condemned. None could claim their country had a perfect human rights record -- the double standard demonstrated had resulted in much resentment. The sponsors of country-specific resolutions should contemplate alternate ways to achieve human rights goals, rather than through the biased and selective use of resolutions.
Following statements by China and Pakistan in its favour, and by the United States and the Netherlands (on behalf of the European Union) in opposition –- who decried the grave implications of the plenary consciously choosing to ignore its Committee’s recommendation -- the no-action motion was rejected by the Assembly by a recorded vote of 60 in favour to 76 against, with 33 abstentions (see annex XXI).
The text on Turkmenistan was subsequently adopted by a recorded vote of 69 in favour to 47 against, with 63 abstentions (see annex XXII).
The resolutions on the human rights situations in Iran and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were also adopted by respective recorded votes of 71 in favour to 54 against, with 55 abstentions (see annex XX), and 76 in favour to 2 against (Rwanda, Uganda), with 100 abstentions (see annex XXVI).
[…]
Draft resolution III, concerning the situation of human rights in Turkmenistan, would have the Assembly express its grave concern at the continuing and serious human rights violations occurring in Turkmenistan, in particular the persistence of a governmental policy based on the repression of all political opposition activities, the continuing abuse of the legal system through arbitrary detentions and imprisonment of persons who try to exercise their freedoms of expression, assembly and association and continued restrictions on the exercise of the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion and belief.
The draft would have the General Assembly call upon the Government of Turkmenistan to work closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to the areas of concern and to release immediately all prisoners of conscience. It would also call on the Government to remove remaining restrictions on the activities of public associations, including non-governmental organizations and, in particular, human rights organizations.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/ga10321doc.htm