At
UN
Gays
Added to Executions Resolution, US
Overall
Abstains
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
21 -- Lesbians and gays were added Tuesday to a UN
resolution against extrajudicial executions from which the US
abstained.
In
the run up to the vote, not only the United Arab
Emirates for the Arab Group and Tajikistan for the Organization of
the Islamic Conference but also Benin for the Africa Group urged that
the LGBT amendment be opposed.
Zimbabwe
went
further,
openly referring to bestiality and saying “we won't have
it foisted on us!” To the surprise of some, both South Africa and
Rwanda said they would vote for the LGBT amendment, both based on
evidence that gays and lesbians are disproportionately targeted.
Rick
Barton
of the
US Mission to the UN introduced the amendment, and did not mention
that the US would in fact abstain from the resolution barring
extrajudicial executions, related it's reported to criticism of the
US' use of drones in Pakistan and elsewhere.
The
vote on the
LGBT amendment was 93 for, 55 against and 27 abstaining. With it
added, the overall extrajudicial executions resolution passed 122
for, 1 against, 62 abstaining - including the US.
Prior
to
the
vote, Inner City Press asked the acting Deputy Spokesman for
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon if he had any guidance for member
states on the LGBT amendment. No, spokesman Farhan Haq said.
In
other voting, a
resolution for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty passed
109 for moratorium, the US and 40 more against it, and 35 abstaining.
The Defamation of Religion resolution passed 79 for, 67 against and
40 abstaining.
* * *
As
US
at
UN Selectively Touts Its Advocacy for Gays, Positions on
Executions Questioned
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
10,
updated below -- When a reference to protect lesbians and
gays
was removed from a draft resolution against arbitrary executions in
the UN General Assembly's Third Committee, the US Mission was
constrained in fighting it, since they wouldn't
vote
for
the overall
resolution due to continued use of drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen
and elsewhere, according to
advocates.
But
early on
December 10, the US Mission sent some reporters a notice that
Ambassador Susan Rice would at 1:15 be announcing a US sponsored
amendment to be introduced in the full General Assembly. This early
notice did not address the US' overall position on the resolution
against arbitrary executions.
As
Ambassador Rice
walked into the Security Council at 10:30 on Friday morning for
meetings on Iran and Haiti, Inner City Press asked if the US would
vote for the resolution on executions.
Not getting an
answer, Inner
City Press put the same question to US Mission staff, along with
questioning the seemingly selective distribution of the early notice
of Rice's 1:15 appearance.
Susan Rice at beginning of December, position on execution resolution
not shown
The
response was
that the Mission would be issuing a formal notice. But what about the
US position on the resolution against executions? Watch this site.
Update
of
1:10
pm
-- Susan Rice spoke to the Press, about Haiti, at 1 pm. As
Inner City Press began to ask about the above, Ambassador Rice said
she had to go make her presentation. Her spokesman stayed and said
that while the US will probably as in previous years and as in
committee abstain from the resolution against arbitrary executions --
due among other things to what he called mischaracterizations of
international humanitarian law -- the US feels it has made progress
with the sponsors and “aspires” to join consensus on the
resolution in two years' time.
Inner
City
Press
asked
for the US Mission's response to advocates' complaint that
because of the US not voting for the resolution, its campaign to have
LGBT language included was undermined. The response is that the US
Mission hopes that such advocates throw their support behind this new
effort to have the language put in during the process before the full
General Assembly. We'll see.
Ambassador
Rice's Haiti answers we will report this afternoon. Watch this site.
, 
