US Pushes for Syrian Expulsion From Human Rights Panel

Red Cross: Secretary-General for Syrian Red Crescent Slain

The Obama Administration is leading a push among a number of Western states to remove Syria from the “Committee on Conventions and Recommendations,” a human rights panel for UNESCO.

“We should not allow the Syrian regime to stand as a judge of other countries’ human rights record,” said US Ambassador David Killion. Exactly how much influence the US has at UNESCO is unclear though, since it defunded the organization to punish them for granting membership to Palestine.

The move is part of what Western officials say is a push for a “peace plan,” which involves Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepting a Yemen-style solution to replace him with his deputy, apparently seen as a preferred dictator.

Elsewhere, the Red Cross reported today that the head of Syria’s Arab Red Crescent organization was shot and killed outside of Damascus. His vehicle was clearly marked and he was leaving a meeting at Red Crescent headquarters.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.