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WORLD NEWS Saturday 4 auguSt 2018

Outgoing UN rights chief: No regrets for speaking up

By EDITH M. LEDERER you know the limitations of
Associated Press what you can do."
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The The most meaningful part
U.N. human rights chief de- of his work is stopping an
fended his outspoken criti- execution, getting some-
cism of abuses in dozens one who has been de-
of countries from Myanmar tained for years released,
and Hungary to the United and successfully pushing
States, insisting that his of- for human rights adher-
fice doesn't "bring shame ence — and then receiving
on governments, they a letter of thanks from the
shame themselves." family or the individual.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein "We have to speak, and we
stressed at a farewell news have to engage," Zeid said,
conference at U.N. head- even if it poses difficulties
quarters on Thursday that for other U.N. colleagues in-
"silence does not earn you cluding Secretary-General
any respect — none." Antonio Guterres.
Looking back at his four- "Sometimes we make mis-
year term as U.N. high com- takes and I have apolo-
missioner for human rights, gized publicly to govern-
the Jordanian prince said ments," he said. But "if I'm
he will give his successor going to make a mistake,
the same advice his pre- I'd rather make the mis-
decessor, Navi Pillay, gave In this Feb. 7, 2018, file photo, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein pauses during a press take speaking out and not
him — "be fair and don't conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. regretting that I didn't say
discriminate against any Associated Press anything when I should
country" and "just come have said something."
out swinging." individual agendas, he said that "the world is not going munities. They shame them- Zeid cited human rights
Zeid said he leaves the Ge- those agendas will collide to break because of these selves when they stoke fear investigations the Human
neva-based post on Aug. "and eventually we have terrorist outrages." and make people fear that Rights Council has autho-
31 very concerned about what we've already seen in "It will break because of the they have to bend to the rized in Syria, Myanmar, Ye-
populism, intolerance and the 20th century." overreaction or the exploi- will of the government or men, and most recently in
oppression "becoming Zeid recalled that it took 100 tation of this agenda by face consequences." Venezuela and Nicaragua.
fashionable again." million lives lost through two governments," Zeid said. "If an election has been But he said his greatest suc-
"It all builds because once world wars, the Holocaust He cited as an example a stolen, rigged, by a cor- cess has been demanding
you start down the path of and the Spanish influenza study by the U.N. Develop- rupt government and then access for rights officials.
intolerance, it's very difficult epidemic "to drive human- ment Program on recruit- they claim that I can't say He said when access is
to stop it, unless at the end ity to the point where it rec- ment by armed groups in anything because I violate barred, including in Myan-
of the day you have con- ognized that it had to be- northern Mali that found their sovereignty, whose mar's Rakhine state where
flict," he said. gin to do things differently." 70 percent of respondents sovereignty?" Zeid asked. about 700,000 Rohingya
Zeid said the question he That led to the formation of said the major cause was "Sovereignty always lies Muslims lived before flee-
has been asking populist the United Nations where excessive use of force by with the people. It's exer- ing a violent military crack-
leaders in Hungary, Po- countries would try to solve security forces. cised by government on down last year, and Ven-
land and Austria — who problems together, "not at "We have to put up a mirror people's behalf." ezuela, he asks: "What are
are making political gains the expense of one anoth- before all governments," Zeid said governments put they hiding?"
thanks in part to their oppo- er," he said. he said. "They shame them- a lot of pressure on him and The United States pulled out
sition to mass migration — is But if the populists are al- selves when they deprive his office, but "the real pres- of the Human Rights Coun-
where do they want to see lowed into "this space," their people of their basic sure comes from the vic- cil in June, citing "chronic
their countries in 2030. Zeid said, "I think we're in necessities for a dignified tims" whose human rights bias against Israel."
If the trend is going to be very perilous waters." life. They shame themselves have been violated in Syr- "I think we've been fair with
"increasing authoritarian- He was highly critical of mil- when they discriminate ia, Iraq, Congo and many everyone and firm with ev-
ism" where countries pursue itant attacks, but stressed against parts of their com- other countries "because eryone," Zeid said. q