UN Resolution Quietly Sanctions LGBT Executions
In a step backward for LGBTQ international human rights protection, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly voted to remove references to sexual orientation from a resolution that condemns extrajudicial and arbitrary executions. The committee is charged with handling humanitarian issues for the General Assembly. This marks the end of a decade-long inclusion of sexual orientation in the resolution.
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Why the change? Led by Benin, on behalf of the African Group, there were 79 in favor, 70 against, 17 abstentions, and 26 absent votes counted for the measure.
The turn of events follows a September 2010 meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva in which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged the “particular vulnerability of individuals who face criminal sanctions, including imprisonment and in some cases the death penalty, on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” About the extraction, Cary Alan Johnson, executive director of IGLHRC said, “This vote is a dangerous and disturbing development.”
Read the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s full press release.