HOW does a country that allows its' security forces to trample all over the rights -- the MOST BASIC OF RIGHTS -- get to be on the UN Human Rights Council?

I am still an avid news reader, and a story today peaked my interest for a couple of reasons.  First though, let me present you with three lists of countries.  Bear with me for a moment, and I'll let you know what they are all about.  In the meantime, is there anything you notice, that stands out, about these lists?

1.  Denmark ... 94.7

2.  Iceland ... 94.5

3.  Austria ... 91.5

4.  Finland ... 90.5

5.  New Zealand ... 90.4

6.  Singapore ... 90.1

7.  Switzerland ... 89.1

8.  Canada ... 87.8

9.  Czech Republic ... 87.8

10.  Slovenia ... 87

11.  Portugal ... 86.8

12.  Australia ... 86.3

13.  Germany ... 85

14.  Norway ... 85

15.  Netherlands ... 84.3

16.  Qatar ... 83.7

17.  Poland ... 83.7

18.  Ireland ... 83.2

19.  Croatia ... 83

20.  Spain ... 82.9

21.  Hungary ... 82.8

22.  Republic of Korea (South Korea) ... 82.2

23.  Slovakia ... 79.9

24.  Japan ... 79.9

25.  Chile ... 79.0

26.  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ... 78.7

27.  United Arab Emirates ... 78.7

28.  Mongolia ... 71.7

29.  Belgium ... 69.7

30.  Togo ... 69.1

31.  United States of America ... 67.6

32.  China ... 66.3

62.  Georgia ... 62.8

66.  Panama ... 59.7

68.  Nepal ... 58.6

72.  Ecuador ... 54.5

78.  Tunisia ... 53.3

83.  Brazil ... 52.1

89.  Peru ... 49.8

95.  South Africa ... 48.4

97.  Angola ... 47.8

99.  Cuba ... 47.3

105.  Saudi Arabia ... 46.3

109.  Mexico ... 45.8

111.  Senegal ... 45.2

112.  Kenya ... 44.8

125.  Ethiopia ... 40.8

131.  Kyrgyzstan ... 37.8

133.  Egypt ... 37.5

134.  Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) ... 37.4

135.  Rwanda ... 37.2

142.  Nigeria ... 32.6

143.  Nigeria ... 32.6

144.  Venezuela ... 32.5

147.  Ukraine ... 30.2

148.  Burundi ... 30.0

150.  Pakistan ... 26.3

152.  Democratic Republic of Congo ... 16.3

155.  Iraq ... 13.6

156.  Afghanistan ... 10.4

160.  Syria ... .04

First of all SafeAround has compiled and analyzed data from several public sources to make a safety index that allows to rank the world’s countries by safety (100=perfectly safe; 0=very dangerous). 

These sources take in consideration all kind of threats such as mugging, crime, road death toll, occurrence of terrorist attacks and wars, to build their own ranking of world’s most dangerous cities.

An index of 100 means the country is perfectly safe, therefore an index of zero therefore is extremely dangerous (NOTE that Syria, at .04, is the LEAST SAFE country in the world).

SafeAround ranked the Top 160 countries, and because of that, I broke the rankings down into 3 section to denote Safe ... Dangerous / Unsafe ... and countries that ranked in the middle. 

Now, you're asking, what the heck are the countries noted in Green ... Yellow / Gold ... and Red?  Well those countries just happen to be the current members of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

Seventeen of the most dangerous countries in the world are all part of the Human Rights Council.  What kind of sense does that make?  After all, here are the guidelines for the Human Rights Council:

The Human Rights Council is ... responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe ... addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them... has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention ...

So back again to the beginning art of this post, and what got me started.

Today in the CBC's National Today story promo email, came news of an ever worsening situation now underway in Venezuela.

Security forces in Venezuela are carrying out a widespread campaign of extrajudicial murder under the guise of purported crime-fighting operations, a new United Nations report charges.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigation, released this morning in Geneva, says that at least 505 people were killed by police and soldiers between July 2015 and March 2017.

"Witness accounts suggest a pattern: raids in poor neighbourhoods conducted to arrest 'criminals' without a judicial warrant; the killing of young men who fit the profile, in some cases in their homes; and finally security forces tampering with the scene so that the killings would appear to have occurred in an exchange of fire," says the report, subtitled, "A Downward Spiral With No End In Sight".

So I have to ask ... HOW does a country that allows its' security forces to trample all over the rights -- the MOST BASIC OF RIGHTS -- get to be on the UN Human Rights Council?

This Council, much like the Security (or is it Lack of Security) Council, is completely and totally useless.  Both, are making the United Nations look more and more like a joke, and a complete waste of finances from countries that show up in the first list I made note of above.

The fact that ANY country in the third list noted above, is part of the Human Rights Council, is proof that there needs to be a MAJOR re-commitment to real and actual human rights.  If not, perhaps it's time for Canada to withdraw from the United Nations.

In doing so, we will be unencumbered in seeking other countries to actually accomplish the so-called responsibilities of the UN

- the maintenance of international peace and security

- the protection human rights

- to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character

promote sustainable development

  

After all, the UN Charter gives the United Nations powers which are:

... considered an international treaty.  As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it.  The UN Charter codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations

As of late, the UN has been less and less an organization that promotes peace, and the protection of human rights, and more an organization that is all talk, and little to no action.  Should our federal government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reduce our role in the UN, or leave it entirely?

That's the question for each of us to consider.  Is it time for Canada to leave the UN?  I'd like to hear from you on this, so please be a part of the conversation by posting your comments below.

In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth.