An expert in human rights issues says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council will have long-lasting consequences and allow the implementation of policies that will negatively affect countless Americans and other citizens from around the world. West Virginia University law professor Jena Martin believes that while there are legitimate criticisms of the Council, leaving is the governmental equivalent of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Professor of Law
WVU College of Law
“Given the Administration’s abysmal record on human rights in other areas — for instance, allowing children to be separated from their parents at our borders — their current rhetoric on [leaving the Council] feels much more like pretext.”
“I also find it particularly disturbing because it seems to be part of a pattern, shown by this administration, that they are above the law or the judgment of their peers. This type of flagrant disregard for international institutions or other countries is what leads to the rise of totalitarian regimes in previously democratic places.”
Jena Martin audio file (1:14)
Contact information: jena.martin@mail.wvu.edu
-WVU-
mft/06/21/18
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