UN must protect minorities, urges UAE human rights activist

Mohammed Salem Al Kaabi, chairman of the Emirates Human Rights Association, said: "It is incumbent upon governments to provide full protection to avoid abuses meted out to them at the hands of extremist groups, including Daesh (Isil), which persecuted the Yazidi sect and Christians in Iraq."

DUBAI // The UN should provide protection and security to minorities when governments fail to do so, Mohammed Salem Al Kaabi, chairman of the Emirates Human Rights Association, has said.

“Some minorities take advantage of their names for political purposes, however, it is incumbent upon governments to provide full protection to avoid abuses meted out to them at the hands of extremist groups, including Daesh (ISIL), which persecuted the Yazidi sect and Christians in Iraq,” he said while addressing a discussion organised by the EHRA in Dubai.

State news agency Wam reported that he cited previous actions taken by the UN in Chechnya and Rwanda and reminded that Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

“All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.”