UN 'must bar countries that abuse human rights'

The latest proposal for a new Human Rights Council calls on the UN General Assembly to elect a 45-nation body taking into account a country’s human rights record – but rights groups warn that offending nations could still gain membership.

The new draft, circulated yesterday by the co-chairs of an assembly committee trying to negotiate a text that would be supported by all 191 UN member states, leaves unresolved the question of whether the new council should be elected by a simple majority or a two-thirds vote.