Human rights groups criticize uncontested election of 15 countries to top UN human rights body

Human rights organizations have harshly condemned the unopposed election of 15 individuals to the United Nations' most prominent human rights organization, citing the selection of countries with poor records on human rights. This year marks the second time that all regional groups have placed forward an equal number of candidates for the available seats, resulting in uncontested races.

Human Rights Watch's Louis Charbonneau noted that the election process undermines the legitimacy of the body, urging member nations to support competitive slates to exclude candidates with a history of human rights abuses. The Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, Western and Central and Eastern European groups each elected representatives to the 47-nation council.

The council's Geneva-based headquarters conducts periodic reviews of the human rights situation in all countries, appoints investigators to report on issues such as torture, and sends fact-finding missions to investigate rights violations. Human Rights Watch highlighted the "abusive human rights conditions" in Burundi, Nigeria, Brazil, and Ukraine, among other countries.