27 NGO from the Arab Region urge the UN not to vote in favor of the reelection of Saudi Arabia to the HRC

27 Organization from the Arab Region urge the United Nations not to vote in favor of the reelection of
Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council

Press Release

27 Human Rights NGO from 11 Arab Countries (including NGOs from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen and Iraq) sent a letter calling upon member states of the United Nations General Assembly not to vote in favor of the reelection of Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council (HRC) during the upcoming elections to be held at the headquarters of the General Assembly in New York on May 12, 2009.
Despite the inevitability of KSA’s election because of the absence of competition for nominations to the seat; The signatories of this letter emphasized on the importance of the HRC elections and stressed that any support for the reelection of Saudi Arabia, despite its total disregard and failure to live up to the obligations and commitments required of it as a HRC member, would set a highly alarming and dangerous precedent for HRC membership, and greatly undermine the legitimacy of both the HRC and the  UN General Assembly.