World News | Activists Turn Backs on US Officials as UN-backed Human Rights Review of United States Wraps Up

Geneva, Oct 18 (AP) Dozens of US activists who champion LGBTQ, indigenous and reproductive rights and who campaign against discrimination turned their backs Wednesday in a silent protest against what they called insufficient US government responses to their human rights concerns.

The protesters, who came from places as diverse as Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and beyond, led the demonstration before the independent Human Rights Committee as US Ambassador Michele Taylor wrapped up a two-day hearing on the United States.

Also Read | Joe Biden in Isreal: US President Says ‘Hamas Attack is like 9/11’.

It was part of a regular human rights review for all UN member countries by the committee.

Six other countries including Haiti, Iran and Venezuela also were undergoing public sessions this autumn in Geneva to see how well countries are adhering to their commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights — one of only a handful of international human rights treaties that the United States has ratified.

Also Read | Indian Army Ramps Up AI, but How Effective Will It Be?.

The protest came as Taylor said the US commitment to the treaty was “a moral imperative at the very heart of our democracy” and her country “leads by example through our transparency, our openness and our humble approach to our own human rights challenges.”

“You have heard over the past two days about many of the concrete ways we are meeting our obligations under the convention, and you have also heard our pledge to do more,” said Taylor, who is US ambassador to the Human Rights Council. “I recognize that the topics raised are often painful for all of us to discuss.”

Jamil Dakwar, director of the human rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the US delegation “decided to stick to scripted, general, and often meaningless responses” to questions from the committee.

"At times it seemed that AI generated responses would have been more qualitative," he said.

Andrea Guerrero, executive director of community group Alliance San Diego, said the US responses were “deeply disappointing” and consisted of a simple reiteration, defense and justification of use-of-force standards by US police.

“For that reason, we walked out of the US consultations (with civil society) two days ago, and we protested today,” said Guerrero, whose group began a “Start With Dignity” campaign in southwestern states to decry law enforcement abuse, discrimination and impunity.

Some 140 activists from an array of groups travelled to Geneva for the first such review of US compliance to the covenant in nine years.

Ki'I Kaho'ohanohano, a traditional midwife from Hawaii, said she came to speak to the maternal health care crisis in Hawaii and beyond, and faulted US officials for having “deflected” the committee's repeat questions.

“Stonewall -- as usual,” she said, “Again we don't have any responses, and it's very infuriating.”(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)