Michael O'Flaherty Gets Most Votes in Election for Human Rights Committee

Nine members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee have been elected to four-year terms. Michael O’Flaherty, of Ireland, was re-elected to the Committee, with 136 votes, the highest number of any candidate. Michael actually hails from Galway, and has been a great supporter of the Irish Centre for Human Rights since it was established eight years ago. Among the others who were elected are two good friends of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Nigel Rodley of the United Kingdom (re-elected to a third term) and Mohammed Ayat of Morocco, both of whom have particpated in our activities over the years. Mohammed Ayat has represented the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Kigali. The other six members elected are Rajsoomer Lallah ( Mauritius); Krister Thelin ( Sweden); Fabian Omar Salvioli ( Argentina); Ahmad Amin Fathalla ( Egypt); Rafael Rivas Posada ( Colombia); and Lazhari Bouzid ( Algeria).
The Human Rights Committee is established by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and has responsibility for the study of State reports on their compliance with the Covenant, for individual and inter-state petitions, and for the preparation of General Comments which constitute the authoritative interpretation of provisions of the Covenant.