The UN Human Rights Council has been caught in another human rights cover-up, this time in Libya, and by its own staff.
In 2012 the Council adopted a resolution, entitled "Assistance for Libya in the field of human rights" which said: "The Human Rights Council...welcom[ed]... the ongoing efforts of the transitional Government of Libya to fulfill its obligations under the international human rights treaties to which Libya is party, to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms... [and] commend[ed] the courage of the people of Libya, and strongly support[ed] the efforts of the transitional Government of Libya towards a swift and peaceful political transition and the full realization of human rights".
In 2013 and 2014, the Council adopted two more resolutions which "recognize[ed] the efforts made by Libya in building the basis for democracy, the rule of law and human rights" and "welcom[ed]... the commitment of Libya to the rule of law" and "the efforts made by the Government of Libya to stabilize the security situation."
But on September 4, 2014, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the United Nations Human Rights Office released a report which concluded that "serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law are taking place in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi with dire consequences for civilians and civilian infrastructure." The abuses found in Libya include the following: "...indiscriminate shelling and attacks on civilian objects, the shelling of hospitals, the abduction of civilians, torture and unlawful killings... harassment of and attacks against journalists by all parties to the conflict, including... abductions and assassinations...The fighting has also severely affected the administration of justice. The courts in Tripoli and Benghazi effectively stopped functioning..."
Oops.
The Obama administration has been a lead champion of the bona fides of the Human Rights Council, having joined the Council in 2009 as one of its first major foreign policy moves.