U.S. Elected To U.N. Human Rights Council

ACLU Calls On Administration To Use Position To Reaffirm U.S. Commitment To Human Rights At Home And Abroad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – The United States was today elected to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the first time. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the new administration's decision to join the Council, which has been shunned by the Bush administration.

The following can be attributed to Jamil Dakwar, Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program:

"While the new administration has yet to address several key human rights issues facing this country, we are pleased that the U.S. will have a seat at the table of the top U.N. human rights body. This is a promising step toward affirming our commitment to human rights not only abroad, but also at home. By restoring and protecting human rights in this country, America will once again become a nation that leads by example. From this position, we are hopeful the Obama administration will honor and expand its human rights commitments and fully incorporate human rights into U.S. domestic policy. U.S. credibility abroad will be judged by our concrete actions to protect and promote human rights in our own backyard."