UN reform! Iran’s Torquemada a delegate to new Human Rights Council
posted at 1:55 pm on June 22, 2006 by Allahpundit
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When he’s not busy helping shape international policy on human rights, he enjoys windsurfing, closing down newspapers, and beating female journalists to death:
The infamous Saeed Mortazavi this week led Iran’s delegation in Geneva to the first session of the United Nation’s newly reconfigured human rights panel on Monday, even though Iran is not a member of that panel. Mr. Mortazavi is accused by the Canadian government of playing a role in the rape and murder of a woman journalist and photographer, is credited with closing more than 100 newspapers, and was responsible not only for jailing the students who led the July 9, 1999, pro-democracy demonstrations in Tehran but of clearing the security officials accused of torturing them…
The Canadian foreign minister, Peter MacKay, minced no words yesterday, saying his nation was “disgusted” that Mr. Mortazavi would show his face in Geneva, and that the decision to include him in Iran’s delegation to the human rights council “demonstrates the Government of Iran’s complete contempt for internationally recognized principles of human rights.”
He went even further, noting that the information Ottawa has compiled on Mr. Mortazavi’s role in the murder of [Canadian journalist Zahra] Kazemi was being shared with the government of Switzerland, hinting that Canada may be rallying support not only for international isolation of the Iranian judge but possibly for his arrest by Swiss authorities.
Rooz calls him the “prime suspect” in the Kazemi murder. According to the Sun, he’s the lead prosecutor/persecutor of Iranian democracy advocate Akbar Ganji, having ordered him imprisoned last year for giving “illegal interviews” when he called for Khamenei’s leadership to be put to a popular vote.
So what’s Iran doing at the Council to advance human rights? Precisely what you’d expect, and for the most cynical possible reason — mau-mauing mealy-mouthed progressives into looking the other way on human-rights abuses:
Although some diplomats say the drive reflects Muslim anger over cartoons published in the West last year depicting the Prophet Mohammad, others see it as part of a longer-term effort to counter criticism of the rights records of many OIC states.
Speaking of mealy-mouthed progressives and radical Islam, check out this Guardian exclusive with Iran’s head nuclear dissembler. Pure mouthpiece propaganda, indistinguishable from a press release except for the quotation marks.
Update: To their credit, Brian Ross and ABC News have picked up the story. “Butcher of the press” indeed.
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The UN building is now very old and should be condemned for violation of building and safety codes. In the mean time, UN should meet at Geneva…and stay there.
easy87us on June 22, 2006 at 2:03 PM
And then the UN wonders why “Middle America” does not seem to like them a lot…
Romeo13 on June 22, 2006 at 2:06 PM
Still upset over the Moe HamHead cartoons huh, if only we had figured this out earlier. Why doesn’t Rolling Stone magazine help us out here a little bit and publish a couple of them like they did the Kanye West Jesus mockery.
As Neal Boortz is fond of saying “You get more of that type behavior that you reward”
Really makes John Bolton look like about the 3rd smartest person on the planet doesn’t it?
LakeRuins on June 22, 2006 at 2:08 PM
Disgusting. Why should we even bother with this corrupt body of dhimmi-wussies.
speed647 on June 22, 2006 at 2:30 PM
Then I take it if we started killing and raping muslims the UN would consider that a good thing.
We need to kick this useless organization off US soil now.
darwin on June 22, 2006 at 2:36 PM
LakeRuins, very curious, please divulge, who are the 1st and 2nd place holders?
Allahpundit, Michelle and Bryan, what have you done? – I’m addicted to this site! My way of thanking you!
Allah, I love your work. Please invent a new term to replace ‘progressive’ when talking about liberals, or post for a contest for such, on a thread.
‘Progressives’ and ‘human rights’ in the same sentence clarifies that they are everything but progressive. We should not enable them in such a false claim.
Ah, the UN – it also has a huge compound in Vienna, where I know some people who work for the UN. When discussing with them about a common acquaintance, who works on the B1B, they said “aren’t they ashamed to do such work?”
Entelechy on June 22, 2006 at 2:43 PM
Why that would be Carl Rove and Ann Coulter.
LakeRuins on June 22, 2006 at 2:53 PM
I’ve got a replacement term for “progressives:” Communists!
Or maybe Fascunists, or Commufascists…
If we didn’t need the veto power I’d say get out of the UN, it’s a piece of shit.
We should at least kick their crooked asses off of our soil. I don’t like their goings on going on in our country.
Just last week they tried some global gun control thing. They are becoming the “United Nazis” …
NTWR on June 22, 2006 at 2:55 PM
this is all rush limbaugh’s fault for getting the american public angry at the UN.
Defector01 on June 22, 2006 at 2:56 PM
LakeRuins, thank you – big smile. This just sent a few hundred liberals to the shrink, for RDS/CDS (Rove/Coulter derangement syndrome).
Keeping the UN on U.S. soil is perhaps not a bad idea – it’s like keeping the ‘devil’ in our bosom.
Entelechy on June 22, 2006 at 3:00 PM
Actually, the worl wide gun control summit is from Jun 27 through July 7 (I believe)
They scheduled it during our fourth of July to show their sensitivity to our culture.
I would love to see the UN moved off of American soil. maybe make the UN’s president elects home country host the UN facility
Wyrd on June 22, 2006 at 3:13 PM
Entelechy on June 22, 2006 at 2:43 PM- new term to replace ‘progressive’ ..
I’ve been fond of PAD-ies – describing what they really do best.
Preventing Any Dialogue. They cut and run from everything.
shooter on June 22, 2006 at 3:15 PM
Getting OT here but I found something interesting regarding the charges against the Marines and the sailor being held on murder charges. This is a quote from a articel detailing what was contained in the charging document
The part that got my attention is “then took him to their hideout”. I doubt very seriously that Marines would have a hideout and in fact where supposed to actually on a patrol. I also thought the story went that they hauled him out of a house and shot him dead on the street.
I want the truth as much as the next person but I want the real truth not some cooked up story.
LakeRuins on June 22, 2006 at 3:27 PM
It is both interesting and heartening to see the non-euphemistic condemnation of this thug’s presence at the UN HRC by the Canadian Foreign Minister. There are no niceties or ambiguities about the Canadian position, and the remarks represent a clear change in tone and approach from that of the previous government. Thankfully.
The comments stand in disappointing contrast to those of the US State Department in which their representatives have, according to the Sun article, declined to comment on Mortazavi’s presence at the meeting.
On that final point I would add that,just as the US complains that it gets no support from the international community on matters of importance to the US, here is an example where, on a matter of similar importance to others, some US support would be helpful. The silence is deafening.
Blaise on June 22, 2006 at 3:45 PM
It also demonstrates the UN’s complete contempt for “internationally recognized principles of human rights.”
It’s so cute how the Candians think there’s such a thing as “internationally recognized principles of human rights.”
Alex K on June 22, 2006 at 4:14 PM
“internationally recognized principles of human rights.”
They are only internationally recognized if the violators of those rights are American soldiers and the ones who have been “violated” are muslim.
Seems to me that there’s a double standard when it comes to the “human rights” of our slain and tortured soldiers.
pullingmyhairout on June 22, 2006 at 6:07 PM
The standard is roughly consistent with the material and political power of the country…the advanced West, especially the U.S., are expected to be models of abnegation, but backwards third world despotisms can do whatever they want, in terms of “international recognition.”
Alex K on June 22, 2006 at 7:55 PM
Here’s an update for you from today’s CBC.ca via Yahoo news. The Canadian government has now called for this guy’s arrest at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Switzerland.
More at
Probably nothing will happen…the guy probably has immunity…but it still outs him and his country in a very visible way.
Blaise on June 23, 2006 at 4:06 PM
The UN is a testiment to the quality of the turd world. But don’t worry, we will have the same mentality as soon as we cave in to illegal immigration and CARE.
saiga on March 28, 2008 at 1:39 PM
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