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April 11, 2007

U.N. Disarmament Commission re-elects state sponsor of terrorism Iran as Vice Chairman

While U.N. Human Rights Council turns blind eye to human rights abuses

This week, the U.N. Disarmament Commission has re-elected Iran as its vice-chair. A majority of U.N. member states decided to allow Iran to remain in this position despite the fact the U.N. Security Council declared Iran has violated the non-proliferation resolutions the Commission is charged to promote. At the same time, another state sponsor of terrorism, Syria, was selected to be the Commission’s rapporteur to record and document the Commission’s work.

Two weeks earlier, the U.N. Human Rights Council announced it would no longer examine the human rights abuses in Iran describe by the Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices as including summary executions (including minors), torture (including amputations, eye-gouging, floggings), and severe restrictions of religious and political freedoms.

Key U.N. Facts:

The U.S. taxpayer annually gives the U.N. system over $5.3 billion.
At least $2.24 million of this money goes to the U.N. Disarmament Commission.
At least $18.28 million of this money goes to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights which provides staffing and logistical support to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Less than half (46%) of the countries voting in the General Assembly are democracies accountable to their citizens.

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Senator Tom Coburn's Oversight Action

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