June 19, 2018

Duckworth Statement on Trump's Withdrawal from U.N. Human Rights Council

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – In response to the Trump Administration’s announcement that they are withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council one day after it criticized Donald Trump’s inhumane policy of separating asylum-seeking parents from their children, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement:

“The United States has long been the world’s conscience, playing a leading in role in promoting human rights around the globe. Under Donald Trump, that is clearly no longer the case. Our President embraces dictators and tyrants who have murdered and abused their people. He elevates officials in our government who authorized and enabled the indefensible and illegal use of torture. Now, his administration is withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council one day after it criticized Trump’s inhumane policy of tearing thousands of families apart and intentionally inflicting trauma on children and parents seeking asylum.

“We know the UN Human Rights Council is far from perfect. It has long ignored the human rights abuses of its members and I have been critical of its mistreatment of our ally, Israel. But America withdrawing from the council does not make the world a better place, it only reduces our nation’s ability to affect change and improve the conditions of the people living under oppressive regimes. This decision also causes further damage to our country’s standing and sends another signal that we have abandoned the values that made America the envy of the world.”

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