U.S. applauds UN's suspension of Libya from Human Rights Council

U.S. applauds UN's suspension of Libya from Human Rights Council

2011-03-02 11:04:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday applauded the United Nations (UN) General Assembly's decision to suspend its Human Rights Council in Libya.

"We continue to demand an immediate halt to the violence perpetrated by the Qadhafi government against its own citizens," Clinton said. "The General Assembly today has made it clear that governments that turn their guns on their own people have no place on the Human Rights Council."

The UN's announcement marks the first time that any country serving on the Human Rights Council, or the Commission before it, has ever had its membership suspended. Libya was first elected to the Human Rights Council in April 2010.

"The international community is speaking with one voice and our message is unmistakable: these violations of universal rights are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Clinton added.

"The actions the Council has taken over the last few days, setting the stage for today’s decision, is the latest example that our engagement is paying dividends, even as we keep pressing for further reforms," Clinton stated, referring to the U.S.' commitment to reform the UN Human Rights Council from within after it announced it would seek membership two years ago.

Earlier, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to suspend Libya's membership of the UN Human Rights Council because of Muammar al-Qadhafi's violence against demonstrators who demand his ouster.

Libya has been plunged into chaos as massive anti-government protests continue nationwide, resulting in a violent crackdown by security forces which included aerial bombardments on protesters. At least 300 people and as many as more than 1,000 people have been killed in the uprising, but confirmed information has been difficult to obtain due to reporting restrictions by Libyan authorities.

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