UN to grill Australia on human rights
By ANITuesday, January 25, 2011
GENEVA - Australian officials will appear before the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday for what’s known as a universal periodic review (UPR).
All of the UN’s 192 member countries are required to undergo a UPR - which aims to probe every aspect of a country’s human rights record - every four years.
This will be Australia’s first time in the hot seat, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The delegation - led by parliamentary secretary Kate Lundy - will be forced to respond to tough questions on Australia’s record during a three-hour interrogation.
Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the UK will pose questions about Australia’s treatment of Aborigines, asylum seekers and same-sex couples, UN documents show.
The council will then compile a report on Australia’s record, complete with recommendations. (ANI)
