US presenting resolution against Cuba at UN rights commission

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Lagon has said the United States will seek international censure of Cuba's human rights record by presenting a resolution at the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights [official website]. The resolution will look at prior actions taken by the commission to determine whether Cuba has been acting to conform to their requirements. The resolution also seeks the extension of the mandate of the Catherine Chanet, the UN special rapporteur, who is examining the human rights situation in Cuba. Cuba has refused to cooperate with Chanet. Lagon said European and Latin American countries will support the resolution while Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque has stated the US will not get the support required to pass the resolution. Last year, the commission voted to adopt a resolution which criticized the crackdown on dissidents in Cuba. Chanet has warned that these dissidents are being held in "alarming conditions." [more]