(2004-03-19) Amnesty Vs Un

Interview with Irene Khan, head of Amnesty International. This week, the UN High Commission on Human Rights (UNHCHR) begins its 60th annual session in Geneva. The meeting will last six weeks. You have been quite vitriolic about the Commission. What are its key failings, in your view? "Its key failing is that it is highly politicised. It puts forward the national interest of states."... But don't all UN bodies do that? "Government bodies are political, and obviously they have political interests, but in pursuing their interests they have to uphold their mandate. The UN Security Council members are of course pushing certain national interests, but if they do not deliver on international security they are a failure. The same goes for the Human Rights Commission. It must deliver on the mandate for which it was created. And what we've found at Amnesty International is that there is such a huge polarisation in the Commission among members and groups of members that they work in a highly self-interested and politically expedient manner, allowing the worst abuses of human rights to continue by turning a blind eye." ... Is there an argument within Islam about accepting these (Women's) rights? "Islam can be interpreted in different ways. You see a whole range of practices regarding women in Muslim states. In many cases religion is used as a cover, and the issue is really one of power and politics."