UN General Assembly, President : Libya
Term begins September 15, 2009
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Libya-alyoum, June 18, 2008 In 1996 a prisoner rebellion at Abu Salim prison in Libya was put down when security forces shot and threw grenades at over 1,200 prisoners. Twelve years after the fact, relatives hold up pictures of the victims, having never received the bodies or an explanation as to the cause of death. (Human Rights Watch) |
Mission of the General Assembly: "The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of:
a. promoting international co-operation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification; b. promoting international co-operation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion." ("UN Charter")
Term of office: 2009-2010 Libya's Record on "the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion": "Citizens did not have the right to change their government. Remaining problems included reported disappearances; torture; arbitrary arrest; lengthy pretrial and sometimes incommunicado detention; official impunity and poor prison conditions...denial of a fair public trial by an independent judiciary, political prisoners and detainees, and the lack of judicial recourse for alleged human rights violations...The government restricted civil liberties and freedoms of speech, press...assembly, and association...freedom of religion; corruption and lack of transparency; societal discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and foreign workers; trafficking in persons; and restriction of labor rights." (US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Libya)
The record of Ali Abdussalam Treki, the individual to hold this position:
"We have said time and again that we did not accept the ICC's [International Criminal Court] decision against President Bashir. The 33 African member states of the ICC will meet in the immediate future to consider withdrawing from ICC." (
France24, March 29, 2009)
"The logic that is unacceptable to us is that those who don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons are the ones who possess the most nuclear weapons and create them themselves. Should we start when it comes to the Middle East, and I think everyone is aware Israel possess Nuclear Weapons, there are have been resolutions on disarming the Middle East but the question is who should we start with? A country that already possesses nuclear weapons or one that is only attempting to acquire them?...We don't want Iran to have them, Israel to have them, the USA to have them...We have no interest in aligning ourselves with this or that country that have issues with Iran." (
UN Press Conference, June 12, 2009)