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AFP
The election at UNHRC took place at UN headquarters in New York
Countries that have been widely criticized for serious human rights violations are among the 18 newly elected members of the UN Human Rights Council.
Activists had urged UN member states to oppose the candidacy of the Philippines and Eritrea and said the choice of Bahrain and Cameroon was causing "significant concern".
The United States left the council in June, saying it was making fun of human rights.
But his supporters say he's doing a vital job of protecting the world.
Countries can sit for two consecutive three-year terms on the Geneva-based board.
- Are we facing a "post-human rights world"?
- Why did the United States pull out?
The United Nations General Assembly in New York approved the new members at a vote on Friday. For the first time in the history of the council, the five polling regions had nominated as many candidates as there were seats available, thus eliminating all competition.
Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), described the election as "mockery" in a publication on Twitter.
The organization said the drug crackdown by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had been "a deadly frenzy that had left thousands dead" and that the Eritrean authorities had persecuted and jailed government critics.
The Philippine government had previously rejected accusations of human rights violations, claiming that President Duterte had used a "lawful use of force" against threats to the country. Eritrea also strongly denied such allegations and insists that it treat its citizens well.
HRW also criticized Bahrain's candidacy, citing the imprisonment of prominent human rights defenders such as Nabeel Rajab. Mr. Rajab has spent several years in prison since he played a leading role in a pro-democracy uprising in 2011. Bahrain insists that his criminal trials have been independent and transparent.
In Cameroon, HRW has stated that government forces and armed separatists have committed "grave violations" in the country's English-speaking region. The government denies the allegations. In June, a spokesman rejected similar accusations in an Amnesty International report: it was "filthy lies" destined to destabilize the country.
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The war on drugs in the Philippines has caused the death of thousands of people
Following Friday's election, US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said "again" that countries displaying poor human rights record were presented without any dispute.
"This lack of standards continues to undermine the organization and demonstrates once again why the United States was right to withdraw earlier this year," she said.
"The United States will continue to support the reforms that would make the Human Rights Council credible".
In June, Haley described the council as a "political bias group" that displayed endless hostility to Israel – a close ally of the United States.
What is the Human Rights Council of the United Nations?
The UN created the council in 2006 to replace the UN Commission on Human Rights, which has been the subject of much criticism for leaving countries with poor results in the field of human rights. human rights become members.
The HRC meets three times a year and reviews the human rights record of all UN members as part of a special process that, according to the council, gives countries the opportunity to say what they did to improve human rights, known as the Universal Periodic Review.
The council also sends independent experts and has established commissions of inquiry to report on human rights violations in countries such as Syria, North Korea, Burundi, Myanmar and South Sudan.
