UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥� won a second term Friday despite opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel to keep him in one of the most controversial United Nations posts for four more years.
U.N. member nations rejected a U.S. proposal to delay the vote until the end of next week as well as a Russian proposal to extend T眉rk鈥檚 term just until the end of the year. The vote in the 193-member General Assembly to reappoint T眉rk was 144-10, with 13 abstentions.
While he got strong support, the votes and speeches also reflected concern that Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres quietly nominated the Austrian lawyer this month after private consultations, with no public discussion, as the U.N. chief nears the end of his own 10-year tenure.
T眉rk鈥檚 job as the U.N. rights chief, by its nature, is tricky: It requires speaking out against rights violations by the governments of the countries that make up the membership of the world body. For instance, T眉rk has sharply criticized .
T眉rk got wide support but loud pushback from the U.S. and Israel
T眉rk, whose term was supposed to expire on Oct. 11, has faced opposition from critics and some countries for his criticism of and his approach to . None of T眉rk鈥檚 predecessors have served two full terms since the job was created in 1993.
U.S. deputy ambassador Jeff Bartos warned before the vote that reappointing T眉rk would prove that the General Assembly 鈥渋s dysfunctional鈥� and that the vote 鈥渨as quietly shoved onto the agenda at the last minute to bypass meaningful review.鈥�
鈥淢ake no mistake, if this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals and the misuse of U.N. posts, there will be consequences,鈥� he warned. 鈥淭he United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation and funding.鈥�
The Trump administration already for its regular dues and for the separate budget for U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Russia鈥檚 deputy ambassador, Dmitry Chumakov, said Guterres had sown discord among U.N. members and accused T眉rk of 鈥減olitical bias鈥� and promoting 鈥淲estern geopolitical interests under the pretext of concern for human rights.鈥�
Speaking for the European Union, Ireland鈥檚 U.N. Ambassador Fergal Mythen reaffirmed the 27-nation bloc鈥檚 鈥渨holehearted support鈥� for T眉rk.
鈥淭he European Union believes that Mr. T眉rk has demonstrably fulfilled responsibilities entrusted to him effectively and with integrity in an objective and non-selective manner over the past four years,鈥� Mythen said. He takes on another term when 鈥渢he multiplication of obstacles and challenges and rights violations is relentless, and the promotion and protection of all human rights becomes ever more contested.鈥�
Guterres, whose own second five-year term ends Dec. 31, sent letters to regional groups at the United Nations this month informing them of his intention to reappoint T眉rk. The African group had no objection, but the Latin American countries had several, including Nicaragua, Argentina and Paraguay.
Before the vote, Israel鈥檚 Foreign Ministry called Guterres鈥� action to get a second term for T眉rk the U.N. secretary-general鈥檚 鈥渓atest moral failure,鈥� saying on social media that the choice should be left to his successor.
鈥淎fter years of bias against Israel, the answer is accountability 鈥� not rewriting the rules,鈥� the ministry said.
Guterres is 鈥榝ollowing the rules鈥� on the reappointment, UN says
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says Guterres was following the 1993 resolution that established a U.N. high commissioner for human rights and allows for a second term.
鈥淭he secretary-general is doing things in a very transparent manner, following the rules and his authority,鈥� Dujarric told reporters Friday. 鈥淐onsultations were had with member states prior to this and with regional groups.鈥�
As human rights chief, the longtime U.N. functionary who worked for Guterres at United Nations headquarters in New York, T眉rk has expressed concerns on issues in China as diverse as the fate of detained individuals 鈥� like artist Gao Zhen, lawyer Yu Wensheng and 鈥� and counterterrorism and assimilation practices that affect in the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Tibet.
Critics insist he could have done more to publicly follow up on a report issued by his predecessor, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, that said China鈥檚 discriminatory and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang .
T眉rk also has stopped short of joining independent U.N. rights experts who have against Palestinians during its in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies those claims.
Former head of Human Rights Watch Ken Roth said: 鈥淭he biggest stain on T眉rk鈥檚 reputation is his utter abandonment of the Uyghurs.鈥�
T眉rk has used both private engagement with Beijing and public advocacy to support human rights in China, his office said. Roth called that 鈥渁n admission that he is doing nothing, that he鈥檚 putting the plight of the Uyghurs on the deep back burner, and is just pretending to care.鈥�
The Chinese government denies the Uyghurs have been or are being persecuted. It maintains its policies in Xinjiang rooted out terrorism and religious extremism after sporadic bouts of violence rocked the region in previous decades.
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Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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