GENEVA: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday welcomed the election of the United States to the top United Nations rights forum and urged it to prosecute those accused of torture and other abuses.
Navi Pillay said Washington should investigate all US renditions of terrorism suspects and ensure that interrogators who mistreated them are brought to justice for violating an international ban on torture.
Her appeal, in an opinion piece in the International Herald Tribune, came a day after President Barack Obama said he would fight the release of dozens of photographs showing the abuse of terrorism suspects over concern the images could ignite a backlash against US troops deployed abroad.
The United States’ election on Tuesday to the United Nations Human Rights Council could help the cause of human rights and America’s standing in the international community, Pillay said.
She described Washington’s decision to seek a seat at the forum as a “welcome step in restoring international trust in US support for human rights.”
