In rare visit, UN expert pleads with Venezuela
Associated Press DECEMBER 12, 2017 — 3:05PM
GENEVA — An independent expert for the U.N.'s top human rights body said Tuesday that he pleaded with Venezuela's government to release more than 20 people in custody and is optimistic other U.N. experts will be let in.
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De Zayas acknowledged facing criticism from some advocacy groups, including UN Watch, which alleged that he was carrying out a "fake" investigation during his trip to Venezuela.
His visit came during a Nov. 26-Dec. 9 trip to Latin America.
De Zayas said he has "always been very skeptical about naming and shaming" governments. He said allegations of a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela were "hyperbole" and "an exaggeration."
http://www.startribune.com/in-rare-visit-un-expert-pleads-with-venezuela/463721993/
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The UN expert's Wikipedia:
Alfred-Maurice de Zayas
Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born May 31, 1947, Havana, Cuba) is an American lawyer, writer, historian, a leading expert in the field of human rights and international law and retired high-ranking United Nations official. Since 2012, he has been the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order (appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council).[1][2]
During its 27th session in September 2014 the Human Rights Council extended his mandate through 2018 pursuant to resolution A/HRC/RES/27/9.[3] De Zayas is currently a professor of international law at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations,[4] and formerly worked with the United Nations from 1981 to 2003 as a senior lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,[5][6] Secretary of the Human Rights Committee,[7] and the Chief of Petitions. Zayas practised law in New York and Florida 1970-74 specializing on corporate law [8]
De Zayas' work focuses inter alia on the judicial protection of peoples and minorities.[9] He holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a doctorate in modern history from the University of Göttingen in Germany. He has written and lectured extensively on human rights, including the jurisprudence of the United Nations Human Rights Committee,[10][11] the Armenian Genocide,[12][13][14][15][16] the Holocaust[17][18][19][20] the US-run detention centers at Guantanamo Bay,[21][22][23][24][24][25] ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia,[26] the expulsion of Eastern European Germans after the Second World War,[27][28] the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey in 1974,[29][30][31] the rights of minorities,[32] the right to freedom of opinion and expression,[33] and the rights of indigenous peoples.[34] and unfair trade relations [35]
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De Zayas was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, then a doctorate of philosophy in modern history from the Georg-August University of Göttingen.[5
More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred-Maurice_de_Zayas
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