Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Nations Offices in Geneva Iruthisham Adam has told the Human Rights Council of the Maldives concern over rising incidences of racial and religious intolerance around the world.
Speaking at the 26th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) being held in Geneva from June 10 – 27, Iruthisham said that the Maldives believes human rights are for everyone and are indivisible and interdependent.
Her comments came response to the opening statement by the departing High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, whose term ends on 31 August.
In her statement, Pillay noted that effective human rights advocacy must necessarily open a Pandora’s box of hidden abuses to allow the work of ensuring better governance and justice.
“Dalit or Brahmin, Peul or Pole, gay or heterosexual, tycoon or pauper, woman, child or man – regardless of our ethnicity, our age, our form of disability, our beliefs, or our economic might, all human beings are equal in dignity,” said Pillay.
During her term, Pillay has been particularly outspoken about both flogging and the judiciary in the Maldives, with the former comments – made during a trip to the Maldives in 2011 – prompting protests on the streets of Malé.
Following the Supreme Court’s controversial intervention in the 2013 presidential elections, Pillay accused it of “subverting the democratic process”, this time drawing an angry response from the chief justice.
Continuing her response to Pillay’s statement, Iruthisham noted that it was important to highlight unique challenges and vulnerabilities faced by Small Island Developing States such as the Maldives.
Palestine and Syria
Irurhisham also called on the international community to take stronger measures to prevent conflicts from spreading into other territories, causing greater violations of human rights.
The Maldives was described as being concerned by the human rights situations in countries such as the South Sudan, Ukraine, the Central African Republic and, in particular, Palestine and Syria.
Irurhisham criticised the weak response of the international community to war crimes in Syria, calling for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Commenting on the situation in Syria she said the widespread and systematic violence in Syria today is a tragedy for the Syrian people and a failure for the cause of human rights.
Noting that the Palestinians have been struggling for a just cause for decades without any solution, Irurhisham reiterated the importance of retaining agenda item seven – ‘the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories’ – on the council’s agenda.
“The Maldives expresses its grave concern and condemns the continuation of systematic violation and abuse of human rights of the Palestinian people and the illegal settlements by Israel, the occupying power,” she said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the Maldives will also address the human rights situation in North Korea as well as focusing on womens rights, independence of the judiciary, and climate change.
Women’s rights
The Maldives is also part of the HRC core-group leading a high level panel ‘Power of Empowered Women 2014′ on equality and women’s economic empowerment.
When commenting on the special rapporteur on violence against women’s report, delegation member Amin Javed Faizal said that “eliminating all forms of violence against women is a cornerstone of the Maldives’ human rights policy, and our work at the human rights council.”
“We have already undertaken measures to address comprehensively all the shortcomings present in the system including the issue of accountability,” said Javed, pointing out that reservations to the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have been withdrawn and a domestic violence bill enacted.
A recent EU election observation report noted that women remained “acutely under-represented” in Maldivian public life, pointing out that provisions to eliminate intentional and unintentional discrimination – as included in CEDAW – were till lacking
Among many issues on the agenda of the HRC session are Central African Republic, Syria, North Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sustainable Development, Racism, Corruption, Human Trafficking, Universal Periodic Review,
In addition to this specific panel discussions will be held on subjects such as safety of journalists, combating female genital mutilation, eliminating child, early and forced marirages and advancing rights of right of persons with disabilities.
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"Maldives believes human rights are for everyone and are indivisible and interdependent."
PFFFFFHAHHAHHAHAAHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!
The white meat at the UN may be fooled - but the only people who have rights here are the filthy rich and the gangs that serve them.
"Iruthisham Adam has told the Human Rights Council of the Maldives concern over rising incidences of racial and religious intolerance around the world."
So concerned that Shaheem and Umar Naseer are sending gangsters to fix the problem. Thanks, Maldives!
Maldives calling on the world for tolerance? Lol! We can't even respect anyone who is not a muslim!!! What a joke.
Mordistan need not to delude themseves into thinking that Maldives is exactly the USA and the foreign Ministers role is exactly like that of John Kerry.
One of the comedy shows in diplomatic circles is the hot air the Maldives dipo_ mates emits in the name of GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS.
Do a reality check. You dont yet have aicraft carriers abd seawolf class submarines. Not yet.
Try and fix 'less a dollar a day' wages at home first rather than make funny statements..
Maldivians need to pay attention to what their representives are saying outside this country and ask them pointed questions here about double-speak. It's important to be critical about countries about international standards. But Maldivians deserve to enjoy these standards at home at the very least. Pay as much attention to our human rights at home before pointing your fingers elsewhere. Pointing to the Palestines of the world is just meant to distract from poor commitment and investment in basic rights at home.
Who says there are no human rights in the Maldives? We do. We have the most important human right of all: the human right not to think!
I'm patiently waiting for the day when the Maldives will close down its resorts. RESORTS are HARAM! They invite infidels to come and have sex; they serve alcohol; they serve pork; they allow men and women to show their awra (private parts: bad Muslims think it is all parts except the face and hands for women, good Muslims think it is all parts except one eye for women, and for men between the navel and knees); they allow men and women to mingle freely; and they serve the unbelievers. We call this a Muslim country? Shame on us!
When the resorts are gone, we will have real human rights:
1. The right not to think;
2. The right for my hand to be chopped off when I steal a pen drive;
3. The right to be stoned for having sex with my girlfriend/boyfriend;
4. The right for my wife to be compelled to abide peacefully in her home, ready to serve me anytime I want;
5. The right for my wife to be compelled to wear the full burqa when she occasionally goes out with my permission;
6. The right to be conscripted to fight in global jihad;
7. The right for me to finally have a few beautiful jaariyas;
8. The right to be lashed in public for not attending prayers;
8. The right to be lashed in public for not fasting;
9. The right to have a moral police to prevent all forms of vice;
10. The right to beat my wife if she disobeys my orders;
11. The right for my daughter to inherit only half of what my sons inherit from what I leave when I die;
12. The right not to dissent from the Mullahs rulings and interpretations;
13. The right ...
You see, the rights are endless. By comparison, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the kafirs is zilch!
Understand why Maldives has been so ballastic about Human rights. Foreigners are often fooled into thinking that its out of the genuine value of Maldives system, especially driven by democracy?
But like the any good old SAMLL COUNTRY politics, is it one guys clever plan to get him aan international job....
🙂
So Maldives is concerned about religious intolerance and human rights in the world?.....ha ha bloody ha ha.....this is soooo rich for a country that tolerates no religion but Islam.....persecuting even other Muslims like Shias, Ahmadis and Sufis.....and is still flogging women in the twenty first century.
I laughed soooo much reading this that I wet myself.
As sunni Muslims.....the chosen ones and epicentre of the whole universe.....you have much catching up to do with the rest of the developed world. You first need to prioritise issues like freedom of worship, freedom of thought, women's rights, female genital mutilation, underage marriage of girls and drug addiction.....among others.
You are currently kidnapping and beating up your own people who are gay or atheists and you recently roughed up some of your young people merely for partying.....holy Krishna!!
Leave the political situation in Ukraine, South Sudan,D R Congo, Syria and Palestine for the more civilised countries to resolve.....fix your own backyard first.
Most lightly the story of Santa Claus would widely have been accepted as facts if it was proclaimed by seafarers to the Maldives three four hundred years ago. Have a reed at http://godisimaginary.com/i7.htm
Why didn't you title this article MALDIVES DIPLOMATIC COMEDY? These idiots obviously suffer from COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (why can't we have access to the Minivan article of that title?) and they therefore believe in Islamic Democracy - democracy within the pillars of Islam. So the right to stone a little rape victim is also within the "rights" and "freedom" guaranteed by Islam.
Maldives has become a breeding ground for terrorists, Maldives also considered a paradise with thousands of virgins is not a place worth living to these idiots. Going after home minister is top priority than Maldivian jihadists in Syria.