GENEVA, September 12, 2022 — In a letter sent today to the president of the Human Rights Council, a watchdog group called on the United Nations to reject Qatar’s bid to become chair of a UN forum on human rights, democracy and the rule of law — which will open on November 24-25, the same week Qatar hosts the World Cup — on account of their ambassador’s “racist tropes about Jews, bigoted attacks on gays, and disinformation and conspiracy theories about Western societies and liberalism.”
“Ambassador Hend Al-Muftah is a rabid antisemite who for well over a decade has been tweeting vile hate against Jews and gays, while spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation about Western countries. She is the last person in the world who should head a UN forum on human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an independent human rights monitoring organization based in Geneva.
The group today released a new report that documents a sample of Ms. Al-Fatah’s many bigoted remarks. “To despicable lies, dangerous antisemitic tropes, discrimination against gays and disinformation, the UN cannot give sanction. On the contrary, hatred must be exposed and condemned at the highest levels,” said Neuer.
“Accordingly, we urge the UNHRC president to summarily reject the nomination of Qatari Ambassador Hend Al-Muftah to become Chair of the United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, and we appeal to him and the Secretary-General — as well as to all UN member states — to denounce her bigotry.”
Qatar’s chances of winning the post were high due to its influence at the UN in Geneva. Qatar sponsored a $20 million “Hall of Qatar” next to the UN Human Rights Council chamber, and its GDP dwarfs that of Bahamas and Togo, its two competitors for the post.
As a result, Al-Muftah was expected to easily clinch the appointment to be made in the coming weeks by the president of the 47-nation Human Rights Council, Ambassador Federico Villegas of Argentina.
“But now that Al-Muftah’s bigotry has been exposed, we trust that her bid will be rejected,” said Neuer.
1st published by UN Watch.
