United Nation, January 26: World leaders have been operating behind a smokescreen of “quiet dialogue” to avoid publicly singling out nations that abuse individual rights, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report released Monday, criticizing in particular Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, for failing to speak out more forcefully.
“In recent years the use of dialogue and cooperation in lieu of public pressure has emerged with a vengeance at the U.N., from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to many members of the Human Rights Council,” wrote Kenneth Roth, the group’s executive director, in the introduction. Mr. Ban “has been notably reluctant to put pressure on abusive governments,” the report said.
The 649-page report accused Mr. Ban, who is up for re-election later this year, of being reticent in dealing with powerful Security Council members like China.
Mr. Ban did not congratulate Liu Xiaobo, the choice for the Nobel Peace Prize that enraged Chinese officials, nor did Mr. Ban call for his release from prison. He has, however, spoken out about smaller, far less influential countries like Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the organization said.
“Far from condemning repression, Ban sometimes went out of his way to portray repressive governments in a positive light,” Mr. Roth wrote, noting that Mr. Ban espoused the value of quiet diplomacy in approaching leaders like President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and Than Shwe, the military ruler of Myanmar. His example has filtered down through the system, with United Nations country teams reticent to speak out on abuses in places like Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, the report said.
While quiet diplomacy can help, the report said, the lack of public pressure further undermines the efforts of local advocates who push for civil rights.
Farhan Haq, a United Nations spokesman, defended Mr. Ban as not having a blanket prescription for problems. “Quiet diplomacy and public pressure are not mutually exclusive,” Mr. Haq said. “The secretary general makes a strategic decision on the most effective way to secure respect for human rights.”
Mr. Haq cited what he called improved treatment of civilians in Darfur as one success. Yet in the same briefing, he also read a report that the Sudanese military had waited until three hours after it began searching a displaced person’s camp on Monday to inform the United Nations about it.
The report mentioned others besides the United Nations, saying the European Union often pulls its punches through its “constructive dialogues.” The United States is mute on human rights abuses with important bilateral partners like China, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, it contended. Nor have newly emerging powers like South Africa, Brazil and India taken on developing nations like Myanmar and Sri Lanka, the report said.
–Agencies