A UN skirmish
The International Herald Tribute| Friday, May 7, 2004
By Frank Calzon
What a shame that after 12 years of stultifying UN meetings Alan Sternberg (“The knockout punch that woke up the UN,” Meanwhile, April 28) did not actually witness the unprovoked attack by a member of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations that left me unconscious after the UN Commission on Human Rights voted to condemn Cuba for its abuse of human rights.
Because he didn’t see the attack, Sternberg could only recount hearing shrieks that a “Cuban diplomat just slugged the American diplomat” and learn of colleagues happily shadow-boxing their way down UN halls. This led Sternberg to conclude that the attack was “another indication of how roundly disliked the United States has become in many parts of the world.”
For the record: I was hit from behind and knocked out, but I am not an American diplomat, as Sternberg said. I defend the victims of Fidel Castro’s repression as the executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba
What much of the world and commission members saw when I was attacked was a demonstration of the Cuban government’s utter disdain for human rights and the rule of law – in any setting.
It was not unlike what occurs daily in Cuba where “rapid deployment brigades” are let loose to beat up dissidents and quell any protest. What breaks up a “dull day” in Geneva is routine in Cuba.
To understand what happened that day at the United Nations, it also helps to put the internal dynamics of the UN Human Rights Commission in a meaningful context.
The commission is an international body monitoring human rights worldwide. But almost half of the members are dictatorships working strenuously together to oppose effective human rights resolutions.
Given these dynamics, the condemnation of Cuba by the rights commission was extraordinary. To suggest it was “orchestrated by the Americans,” as the Cubans have, ignores facts. Twenty-five countries – including some who do not sit on the commission – sponsored the resolution on Cuba.
If one can ignore the catalogue of torture, abuse and murder by the Castro regime laid out at meetings of the Human Rights Commission, then one can agree with Sternberg’s assessment that “staring at a bucket of sand for six hours is generally a lot more interesting than anything that happens at the standard UN meeting.” I don’t ignore the substance and can’t agree with the assessment.
Boredom at the commission is a matter of perspective. From my point of view the hours spent at commission meetings are the lifelines of hope for oppressed people.
The hours spent put the world’s despots on notice: They can be held accountable. And the resolutions that emerge provide the protection of international attention to those pushing to extend the reach of human rights. In some instances, it ensures they survive. If entertainment is all Sternberg lacks in life, he should try the movies.□
Frank Calzon, Washington
