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Venezuela Wins Seat on UN Human Rights Council

Durin Hendricks

   Venezuela was elected Thursday to the U.N.Human Rights Council, despite
   criticismofthe South American country's human rights record.
   The HRC works to promote and protect human rights around the world, and
   the membership of the council is voted on by the U.N. General Assembly.
   Each region has a set number of seats elected in staggeredthree-year
   terms.
   Venezuela won its seat with 105 votes.
   Brazil took the other Latin American seat that was up for election with
   153 votes.
   Costa Rica announced its candidacy Oct.3 totry toprevent Venezuela's
   nomination and garnered only 96 votes. The Latin American country said
   Venezuela was "not an adequate candidate"because ofserious human rights
   violations.

   'Historic day'

   "Today is a historic day for our country. International law has
   triumphed and the attempt to impose a colonial enclave in Venezuela has
   failed," announced U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada on Twitter. "The U.N.
   has shown that it belongs to all humanity and not a small group that
   wants to use it to impose its supremacy."

   Human Rights Watch made a statement with 54 other groups on Oct.10
   opposing the South American nation's candidacy because of the
   government's history of extrajudicial killings and arrests of
   dissidents.

   A U.N. human rights report, issued by the HRC in July 2018, criticized
   the government's policies "aimed at neutralizing, repressing and
   criminalizing political opponents and people critical of
   thegovernment."

   The report suggested that over 7,000 people hadbeen killed in
   extrajudicial killings by the government.

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