Human Rights Watch reiterated its call on the African...

Human Rights Watch reiterated its call on the African Union to abandon plans to nominate Libya as next chair for the Commission.
"By equating its repressive policies with the protection of human rights, Libya is sending a loud signal that it should not chair the United Nation's most important rights body," said Joanna Weschler, Human Rights Watch's UN representative.
"The new African Union should avoid further embarrassment and drop plans to nominate Libya for this post."
London-based Asharq al-Awsat on August 14 quoted an official for the Libyan Foreign Ministry as defending Libya's nomination to head the Human Rights Commission and saying that Libya "is one of the nations that is experiencing a stable human rights environment, and the proof for that is the political and economic security and stability" provided by the country's people and laws.
UN human rights bodies have in recent years expressed serious concerns about human rights in Libya, including: extrajudicial and summary executions perpetrated by state agents; a high incidence of arbitrary arrest and long-term detention without trial; the systematic use of torture and other ill-treatment or punishment; imposition of the death penalty for offences that cannot be characterized as the most serious, including political and economic offences; lack of judicial independence; continuing inequality between women and men in such areas as inheritance, freedom of movement, nationality and divorce; numerous restrictions in law and practice on freedom of expression and, in particular, the right to express opposition or criticism of the government.
It is Africa's turn to chair the 53-nation commission in 2003. Reports from the July meeting of the African Union indicated the intention to nominate Libya to this position. The formal election of the leadership of the Commission will take place in January 2003.