The outgoing UN Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson, has indicated that the US administration ‘wanted her out of the job’. Mrs Robinson is to be replaced by United Nations veteran, Sergio Vieira de Mello, in September.
She said today that things had changed in regard to defending human rights around the globe since she told the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in early 2001 that she wanted to stay for just one more year.
The choice of High Commissioner for Human Rights falls to the UN Secretary-General, but the filling of such a sensitive post involves sounding out the major powers. Mrs Robinson is only the second holder of the job since it was created in 1994.
She notably fell foul of Russia over Chechnya and with China over Tibet, but today she indicated Washington applied pressure over her criticisms of the US on the status of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners from Afghanistan being held at the US base at Guantanamo in Cuba.
Mrs Robinson criticised Washington's refusal to grant Prisoner of War status to the prisoners.
She also expressed strong concerns about the possible use of US military tribunals to try those accused of involvement in the suicide plane attacks on New York and Washington, as well as the lengthy detention without trial of potential suspects.
However, the former President of Ireland said she was confident that she had strengthened the job of High Commissioner during her five years.
