The UN Arab Rights Council

Based on the following AP article, it does seem a more accurate name for the group, considering how they see their job:

Several members of the U.N.'s top human rights body are pressing for an emergency meeting to examine the government crackdowns against popular protests that have swept the Middle East and North Africa, Western diplomats said Wednesday.

The countries, from Latin America, Europe, North America and Asia, are trying to collect 16 signatures necessary to force a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council next week, the diplomats said.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, which was underlined by the innocuous title proposed for the meeting — "Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of recent peaceful protests."


The title was chosen to avoid singling out particular countries, the diplomats said. But they confirmed that Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria would be among the nations whose violent suppression of protests would be on the agenda. 

The Organization of the Islamic Conference, whose members carry significant weight in the 47-nation Human Rights Council, said it wouldn't consent to holding such a meeting.
"We think that the events that are taking place do not merit some kind of a special session," said Zamir Akram, Pakistan's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva.

He accused those advocating a special session of double standards, and said the OIC would use any such meeting to focus on human rights abuses by Israel instead.
Accusations of a double standard are rather harsh--considering how they plan to replace Libya with Syria, I'd say it's pretty clear the UNHRC keeps to a single standard.

Considering the OIC's record on human rights so far, I imagine we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the UN Arab Rights Council for the foreseeable future--and it has nothing to do with Human Rights.

Hat tip: Legal Insurrection

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