Useless UN, Again

Its name would suggest the United Nations Human Rights Council would be the subset of the UN that checks into the human rights records of nations around the globe and reports on them when they're not what they should be. They've even got a guide to follow since the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its third meeting, before the group even had its own building in New York City.

You'd think if you have a group that's going to police the world's human rights records, you'd have the group's members be places that do pretty good on human rights. But that's because you think and as far as their record indicates, the United Nations does not. Members of the General Assembly elected China to membership on the Council this week, even in the midst of a number of questions about the Chinese regime's truthfulness about the early spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Even folks who consider that matter to be an open question have to turn blind eyes to things like the systematic oppression of China's Uighur population. There are some folks who have compared the regime's actions toward this group to Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews, which is not entirely accurate. Extermination is not the official goal, and Xi Jinping doesn't wear a mustache. And let's give them credit where it's due -- once the regime became serious about stay-at-home orders they took steps to make sure folks comply, such as welding sick people inside their homes.

No rational plan for monitoring and promoting human rights in the world would include the Chinese government's representation on the group in charge of the project. But then, it's not like this particular group at the UN has ever had it together very well, since back in March it praised Iran for its human rights record.