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Russia, Pakistan, China, Iran and Cuba spoke at the United Nations Human Rights Council to reiterate their commitment to promoting and protecting human rights. UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer then took the floor to call out the murderous dictatorships and repressive regimes who told shameless lies. March 23, 2023, Geneva, Switzerland.
Russia: Russia will consistently uphold the principles of cooperation to find optimal solutions to current human rights issues.
Pakistan: Pakistan remains fully committed the promotion and protection of human rights.
China: Today Xinjiang and Tibet enjoy unprecedented achievements in human rights development.
Iran: The Islamic Republic of Iran have achieved greatly in empowering women and girls. We have worked tirelessly for better protection and promotion of human rights and dignity.
Cuba: We have unavoidable commitment to the full respect for the human rights of everyone.
UNHRC: And I am inviting United Nations Watch.
Hillel Neuer, UN Watch: Thank you, Mr. President. We’ve been listening to numerous countries telling us how much they care about human rights. But as we work closely with victims, including families of political prisoners, we wish to pose some questions.
We ask Russia: If you really care about human rights, why do you imprison the leaders of your democratic opposition, Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza? Both were targeted in the past by near-fatal poisonings. Why are you subjecting them to conditions in which their health is rapidly deteriorating?
We ask Pakistan: If you really care about human rights, why do you abduct journalists, host terrorist groups, persecute Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Shia, and Ahmadis?
We ask China: If you really care about human rights, why are you imprisoning human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, founder of the New Citizens’ Movement? Why did you disappear courageous men and women who sounded the alarm about the coronavirus? Why have you herded 1 million Uyghur Muslims into camps, trampled Tibet, and extinguished freedom in Hong Kong?
We ask the Islamic Republic of Iran: If you really care about human rights, why do you arrest girls for dancing, but allow thousands of girls to be poisoned? Why do you torture and rape women protesters? Why did you abduct and sentence to death Jamshid Sharmahd, an innocent activist and citizen of Germany?
We ask Cuba: if you really care about human rights, why did you crush the July 2021 freedom protests? Why are 1,000 innocent people, including teenagers, still in prison, facing fake trials, years behind bars, for daring to speak out for their human dignity?
Mr. President, why are many of these abusers still sitting here on this Human Rights Council?
I thank you.
