Iran Becomes Member of Durban II Inner Drafting Circle

EYEontheUN reports that Iran has become a member of the "Group of Friends of the Chair", an informal group of states charged with taking the first steps towards producing a Durban II manifesto. Anne Bayefsky, Editor of EYEontheUN says: "the travesty of Durban II as a vehicle for getting serious about combating racism is more obvious than ever, as a regime whose President is a Holocaust-denier acquires an important role in shaping the result."

Durban II - known formally as the UN Durban Review Conference - will be held next April in Geneva. It is charged with implementing the notorious 2001 Durban Declaration which found Israel guilty of racism and gave no other country even a passing mention.

The role of his "friends" is described by Armenian Chairman Zohrab Mnatsakanian as "engaging in brainstorming and consolidating inputs." Other members of the behind-the-scenes group are Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Egypt. Bayefsky adds, "one shudders to imagine the brainstorming among such human rights paragons."

The "friends of the Chair" have already met twice in July 2008 and intend to meet again shortly.

By creating this informal group, UN states have deliberately created a forum which excludes NGOs for the first time from the Durban II process.

The first contribution of the "Group of Friends" will be filed at the next stage of the process, the 'Intersessional Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group' session to be held in Geneva September 1-5, 2008.

"The authority figures surrounding Durban II remind us once again that this forum is an instrument serving those states bent on defeating human rights not protecting them," said Bayefsky.

UN Human Rights Council: Petition Against UN Incitement to Terrorism

More evidence of human rights frauds as of June 16, 2008:

www.EYEontheUN.org

Petition Presented Against UN Incitement to Terrorism

A UN report to the Human Rights Council by Special Rapporteur John Dugard disregards international legal standards against terrorism and excuses the killing of innocents.

We call upon the United Nations to withdraw this discreditable report from circulation.

Watch the video here.

Video: How Islamic states are controlling Durban II

Durban II and the Egyptian Bully

Egypt is running circles around the states in the European Union, while the Islamic Conference now controls the African Regional Group. And nobody is prepared to stop them.

Elections to the United Nations Human Rights Council

EYEontheUN reports:

In elections held on May 21, 2008 the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) increased its grip on the UN Human Rights Council. By electing Pakistan, Bahrain, Burkina Faso and Gabon, the OIC won an increased majority of seats in the African and the Asian regional groups taken together, which account for over half of the Council membership.

"The results will guarantee the Council will continue to use the mantra of human rights to undermine human rights protection and immunize human rights abusers. In its first two years, the domination of Islamic states has meant an attack on freedom of expression, an attempt to silence non-governmental organizations, and a pre-occupation on Israel to the exclusion of gross human rights violations the world over," said Senior Editor of EYEontheUN, Anne Bayefsky.

Today's elections also reduced the number of fully free democracies on the Council - already in the minority. Before today, 49% Council members were ranked fully free by Freedom House statistics, but the election of Bahrain, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Zambia, means that only 22 of 47 of Council members are now fully free democratic states. "Human rights abusers will therefore continue to dominate the UN's primary human rights body," says Bayefsky.

In 2006 the Council replaced the widely discredited UN Human Rights Commission. But its record now includes: holding four special sessions on Israel and seven regular sessions on human rights covering all 192 UN members, eliminating human rights investigations on Cuba and Belarus, terminating behind-closed-door consideration of Iranian human rights abuses, and severely curtailing the investigation into abuses of freedom of expression. Furthermore, 60% of all Council resolutions and decisions critical of human rights protection in a specific state have been directed at Israel alone, while only four other UN states have been criticized at all.

"Clearly, the United States has made the right decision to stay off the Council and to refuse to lend it the credibility it does not deserve," says Bayefsky. "Congressional efforts to end U.S. funding for the Council are a move in the right direction."

Videos: Watching the UN mock Israel and America

Eye on the UN Presents Durban Review Conference - Durban II, #4 in a series of videos. Click here for all Durban II videos

Preparatory Committee First substantive session, Geneva, 21 April-2 May 2008

Durban II PrepCom, April 22, 2008 - The Undeniable Agenda (I) April 22, 2008:
Themes: Redefining antisemitism; gearing up for another assault on Israel and America; a step backwards for human rights, redefined by Islamic states: Click here to watch video

Durban II PrepCom, April 23, 2008 - The Undeniable Agenda (II)April 23, 2008:
Themes: Redefining antisemitism; defeating democratic rights, including freedom of expression; gearing up for another attack on "racist" Israel: Click here to watch video

EYEontheUN videos are produced by Anne Bayefsky and Lana Zizic.

Durban II Videos: A conference to redefine "antisemitism"

Durban II is the next UN "anti-racism" conference - certain to be a global platform for antisemitism and the demonization of Israel. Planning for the 2009 hatefest is already underway.

Here are two more videos from Eye On The UN. The first is of the Libyan Chairperson, Najat Al-Hajjaji, silencing criticism of efforts to redefine antisemitism at Durban II. Click here to watch video.

The next video is of the Algerian representative; watch as he (inadvertently) confirms the attempt to redefine antisemitism at Durban II. Click here to watch video.